Firefox of the Exile - Chapter 4: Living on the Edge
Note: Luna, Stardust, and Rick (c) Gentle-Glaceon.

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"Late last night, when we were all in bed, Old Mother Leary left a lanturn in the shed," sang Shana, as she, Scorchpaw, and Sparktail padded through the forest. The trees were denser than she was used to, the trail a bit darker and cooler than her home, but the Vulpix wasn't about to complain. She found the dark and the mysterious interesting, after all. "When the Milktank knocked it over, she winked and said, 'There's gonna be a hot time in the old town, tonight'- 'ey-'ey-'ey!"

"Shana, please say you know another song," sighed Sparktail from the forefront of the group as they passed by a bushel of ferns. Shana ignored Sparktail and raised her voice several notches so that the Pikachu could hear every word, noting the earth was soft and dark beneath her paws. "Okay seriously, you have a very nice voice, girl, but-"

"But Mister Sparktail, that's a classic song back in Leaf Village!" chirped Scorchpaw, his voice containing a hint of mock indignance as he hopped down the trail between Sparktail and Shana, his feathers ruffling. "Are you trying to deny Shana her heritage?"

"No offense, but this isn't Leaf Village and we've heard this song at least fifty times now," replied Sparktail, not turning his head, balancing his sword on his shoulder. Each of the three friends carried leather packs brimming with supplies- Sparktail a satchel, Scorchpaw a knapsack, and Shana a pair of sidepacks. "Come on, there's plenty of songs out there. Eye of the Tiger's a good one... wait no, you probably haven't heard it. What about..."

Shana wasn't sure whether Sparktail was serious or not about being annoyed, so she simply shrugged and smiled slightly. "Oh well, I'm tired of singing, anyway," said the Vulpix, wagging her tails in mid-stride as the sun warmed her pelt. "Say, Sparktail, where are we now?"

"Well, let's see," said the young warrior, making Shana's heart skip a beat slightly as he suddenly glanced back over his shoulder to her. "Judging from the position of the sun and these kinds of leaves, it seems we're not too far from the Abyss."

Surprised at the certainty in Sparktail's words, Shana glanced up and around the woods. "How d'you know that?" she blurted out as the three Pokemon padded onward. The Vulpix scanned the trees and shrubbery for some oddity in the foliage, but it all looked the same to her- it was the same yellow-green leaves, the same sort of bark that was thin and flexible when she peeled it, the same pink-and-white petaled flowers as the ones near Leaf Village. "I mean, like... it all looks the same to me..."

"Maybe he can smell the ashes, Shana," suggested Scorchpaw with eyes that suggested a smile in his beak, winking back over his shoulder. Startled, Shana stopped in her tracks for a moment, staring blankly at her friend. <<Ashes? What ashes?>> Sparktail also blinked and frowned at Scorchpaw as the Torchic lifted his gaze and tasted the air, eyes closed in contentment. "It's kind of faint, but it's there all right. I dunno if that's good or not though..."

"Help! Gangway!" yelled a voice in the distance. Startled, Shana and the others glanced around the woods wildly, scanning the trees for the yelping voice quickly growing louder as it dashed towards them, but she couldn't see anyone in the jumble of bushes and trees and leaves around her. Then Sparktail's eyes widened, and he pulled Scorchpaw and Shana aside as a black Eevee with light-blue highlights in her fur tumbled out from the bushes and landed with a thump where Shana had stood moments ago. "Hey hey, you three there," gasped the Eevee as she got to her paws, leaves and twigs tangled in her fur. "Listen, my friends are in danger. I need your help!"

As Scorchpaw glowered at Sparktail, Shana tugged free from the Pikachu's grip and padded over to the new Pokemon, looking her up and down. The sky-blue tips of the Eevee's ears and tail contrasted against her steel-black fur, matching her azure paws and her wild blue eyes. "Um, sure, we can help! My name's Shana," greeted the fox, lifting her paw to the wild-eyed Eevee, grinning sheepishly to her friends- who both shot her nasty looks for volunteering their help without asking. "Those two are Scorchpaw and Sparktail. What's your name?"

"My name's Luna," replied the dark-furred Eevee, her eyes shining. Shana could hear faint notes of fury and worry mingled with her voice. Luna got to her paws and began to pace up and down the trail, giving each of them a sharp look. "Nice to meet you guys. Now come on!" Blinking, Shana glanced back over her shoulder to Sparktail and Scorchpaw- Sparktail slightly amused, Scorchpaw more indignant- then, the three of them dashed off after Luna.

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The wilderness bobbed up and down all around Shana as she, Luna, Sparktail, and Scorchpaw emerged from the trees and tumbled into a large clearing. Gasping and coughing on the dust that their paws kicked up into the air, the Vulpix got to her paws, shook out her fur, and then froze, a chill running down her spine. In the middle of the clearing stood a fearsome Electabuzz, his body flashing with ominous golden sparks as he towered high above them with raised fists. At once, Scorchpaw stepped protectively in front of Shana; even Sparktail looked shaken as he readied his sword. Before the mighty thunder-beast's feet lay a Growlithe with blue-gray eyes, a orange stripes against a black pelt; beside the Growlithe was a shuddering Vulpix with silvery fur and startlingly blue-white eyes. A few feet away lay a Sandshrew with a red neckerchief. Yet the monster with its prong-horns was unaffected by their icy gazes, the ground shaking beneath its every step- and she realized the duo were unconscious.

Feeling her mind go numb, Shana stared blankly at the Electabuzz and the prey lurking in its shadow, her heart pounding furiously against her ribcage, her eyes darting between the four Pokemon- what was she supposed to do? "Come on!" cried Luna, glancing back over her shoulder to Scorchpaw, Sparktail, and Shana before running straight at the Electabuzz. With a jolt, Shana realized- those were the Eevee's friends!

Gulping as she sta red up towards those jagged black-and-yellow features, the Vulpix broke into a sprint, opening her mouth to spit fire at the Electabuzz, catching his elbow with a tiny fireball. Roaring, the beast spun around and slammed a mega punch into her, sending Shana flying back with a cry. Pain flashed and exploded all around her as she hit the ground. As she gasped and stumbled up again, she could see Scorch raking his talons across the Electabuzz's body, the flash of Sparktail's sword biting into that golden flesh, blue swift-star shots from Luna. Then suddenly, Shana felt revulsion rise as she prepared to dash back into the battle, a sudden rush of panic as if her entire body was trapped in tar- and she felt as if she wer surrounded by the Grimers again. Oh god, even as she saw her friends fighting alongside this mysterious Eevee, saw Luna's friends sprawled helpless across the ground, her heart seemed to throb too strongly for battle- her paws all but frozen to the ground.

Then suddenly, with a jolt of panic, Shana noticed the Electabuzz drawing back a fist to strike the Torchic- but her old friend couldn't see the fist coming. "Scorch! Dodge!" yelled the Vulpix, her eyes wide as she took in the battle, her tails rippling in the dust and her ears filled with war cries and thrashings in the dust. At once, Scorch sprang aside to dodge the fist, the Electabuzz's body crashing down, but the Torchic looked just as confused and terrified as Shana felt- "Jump up and hit his back!" she yelled. At once the Torchic obeyed, springing up and sending an ember streak across the Electabuzz's spine, sending it into a furious convulsion. "Aack! Get back!"

Feeling numb, the Vulpix had no idea what she was doing, no idea why she hadn't rejoined the battle to help her friends, why terror held her paws to the ground even as battle-fury rippled across her fur. But then as she stared at her three friends, then to the howling Electabuzz, half-formed thoughts flew out from the Vulpix's mouth, some mysterious electric connection between the Electabuzz's weakness and her allies' strengths. "Luna! Hit its eyes with Swift!" yelled Shana, all misgivings gone for now, her mind thinking quickly as she glanced up and down the Electabuzz. "And- um- Spark, you get at its legs!" At once, they obeyed; the monster screeched a shrill cry as Sparktail's blade sliced at its shins, clawing at its eyes furiously as blue star shots burst across his vision. "Scorch! Now!" yelled Shana, feeling excited even though she hadn't done a thing. "Get up, hit its back-"

Breaking off, Shana yelped and sprang aside as a thunderbolt suddenly blasted the ground where she'd stood moments ago. "Scorch! Burn it! Burn it!" she screamed with fiery eyes, feeling a rush of anger sweep her. Nodding, the Torchic sprang up and landed on the Electabuzz's back, raking his talons down its flesh as he slid to the ground as if on skis. "Spark! Luna! Get in there too!" she called, eyes lighting up. They frowned questioningly at her- which was strange, they'd been willing to take orders from her earlier- but obeyed. A swift blur of dark-blue fur slammed into the Electabuzz's head as a steel blade hacked at its arms, and all of them- Luna, Scorchpaw, Sparktail, and Electabuzz- were roaring in battle fury.

Furious, thrashing, angry, the Electabuzz sank to the ground, still flailing furiously at his prey, his body still flashing with dangerious sparks. "You guys did it," breathed Shana happily, her eyes shining. Swallowing, her paws still feeling as if sunken in thick tar and her stomach queasy, Shana took a slow deep breath and padded towards Luna's unconscious friends to drag them to safety- first the Vulpix, then the Growlithe, then the Sandshrew. "It's okay, you're both safe now," whispered Shana gently as she pulled each of them to the edge of the clearing, not really thinking about what she was doing.

But the Electabuzz wasn't done. Furious, badly wounded, its gashes coated with dust and its fur jagged, the mighty beast sprang to its feet with a mighty roar, slamming a fist into the ground that threw Shana and her allies off their paws. "Graaaaaghhh!" screamed the thunder monster as the panicked Vulpix lay on her back, glancing wildly around the clearing. Slamming its fists together, the beast rose to its full height, looking almost as dangerous as when they'd first entered- but now Luna, Scorchpaw, and Sparktail were all exhausted too! Oh no, oh no, oh no-

And then by some miracle, the hissing, spitting Electabuzz who gazed greedily upon the six helpless Pokemon around him, smiled a foul smile, and lowered it fists. Feeling drained and still engulfed in the invisible revulsion, Shana stared in silent terror as the dangerous beast surveyed the clearing one last time, and then stomped off into the wilderness. Its heavy footsteps echoed through the trees as it gradually faded into the distance, leaving behind Shana and all of her friends laying gasping for breath in the sunlit clearing.

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A few hours later, Sparktail, Scorchpaw, Shana, Luna, the silver Vulpix, and the dark Growlithe sat around a crackling campfire. A late afternoon sun illuminated the blue skies overhead, and all six of them wore cloth bandages over the worst of their injuries as they recuperated. The other Vulpix and the Growlithe had woken up about an hour ago, both disoriented and confused. It had taken a while for Luna to calm her friends down. The Sandshrew hadn't woken up and was still resting in Sparktail's tent, but Luna had assured them that she didn't know who he was.

After inspecting everyone's injuries, Sparktail had determined that he, Scorch, Shana, and Luna were much better off than they looked- and seeing as Shana hadn't actually been in the battle, she was the healthiest in the group. Shana's cheeks went pink, but she said nothing- she didn't want to talk about the mysterious terror, not quite yet. As for the Vulpix and the Growlithe, they would take a few days to recover, but they'd both be fine. All of them stank from sweat and dust and blood, of course, but that was just the way battle was.

"So um, what're your names?" asked Shana, pausing in her tails' grooming to smile at Luna's friends. "My name's Shana." She pointed with a paw at Scorchpaw, then at Sparktail. "That's Scorchpaw, and that's Sparktail." Curling her tails around her paws, she glanced around the fire as Sparktail lay back with his paws tucked behind his head, while Scorchpaw fussed with his bandages.

"Oh... my name's Stardust," replied the silver Vulpix softly, returning Shana's smile. Much of her body was bandaged, but her snow-blue eyes still glimmered with life. Still smiling, she brushed her tails against the Growlithe's flank, who merely grunted, annoyed. "And this is Rick." Widening her grin, she glanced to Scorch, then to Sparktail, then back to Shana. "It's really nice to meet you all! Thanks for saving us, back there." Pausing in adjusting his bandages, Scorchpaw blinked, then chirp-smiled at Stardust nervously, glancing back to Shana momentarily.

Rick was much less complacent, however. "Yeah, thanks for that, whatever," muttered the dog with a yawn, his voice gruff. Shana noted that he had fewer bandages than Stardust, his shoulders broad and his eyes like hardened blue steel as he looked to Luna. "You know, I could've taken that jerk single-pawed. I didn't need any help."

Shana and Sparktail both glared at Rick, but Scorch leapt up first. "Mister Rick! If not for Shana, you and Stardust would've been eaten alive!" protested the Torchic furiously, his feathers flailing as he stared defiantly at the Growlithe. "At the very least, sir, you could show some gratitude to her for saving your life!" One eye twitching, Rick rose to his paws to snap back at Scorch from across the fire.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" blurted out Shana hastily, jumping into the fire to get between Scorchpaw and Rick, accidentally scattering the embers and sending both Luna and Sparktail springing back from the fire. The Vulpix glanced around to the others before giving Scorchpaw a sharp look, her fur rippling in the campfire's flames. "Sorry! But listen- like, I didn't do anything! It was all Luna and Scorch and Sparktail! I like, barely touched that thing. I was useless!"

"Are you kidding me?" replied Luna, warily rejoining the fire's side as Stardust gathered up the strewn glowing coals, her eyes glowing as she looked at Shana. "Listen, I don't know where you came from. But I've got to say, you're pretty smart, even if you're not strong. I'd never have thought of going for the eyes on my own. I mean, it's not exactly smart that we kept attacking the Electabuzz, but hey, we know better now." Startled, Shana glanced to the dark-furred Eevee, feeling her jaw fall open. Luna didn't think thing she was stupid or weak?

"Shana, step out of my fire, please," said Sparktail through clenched teeth, rejoining the others with a basket filled with Oran Berries. Blinking, the Vulpix glanced down at the flames licking at her paws- she'd almost forgotten where she was standing- and stepped out of the crackling fire, rejoining the others with boiling-hot fur and black soot-coated paws. "Thank you."
As the six settled down again, Sparktail took a berry from the basket and passed the rest around the campfire. "Let's discuss Shana's, um, cheerleading skills at another time," replied the tailless Pikachu as Shana took a berry and passed the basket to Rick. The Vulpix felt a twinge of anger at the phrase 'cheerleading skills'- then remembered that she hadn't done anything, and pushed the thought aside. "Actually, it's you three that I'd like to know more about," continued Sparktail, gazing across the fire to Luna, Rick, and Stardust. "For one thing, where are you three from? And how'd you guys end up getting attacked by an Electabuzz?"

"Oh, we're from Flare Town," replied Luna, exchanging glances with Stardust; Rick grunted again in agreement. "It's a pretty nice place. I don't know if any of you've been there. They say that a lot of really famous humans used to live there."

"I have," replied Sparktail easily, grinning. Shana remembered vaguely that the Pikachu had mentioned a place called Flare Town after saving her from the Grimers. "It's kind of interesting how those statues are still standing."

Shana listened quietly as Luna, Stardust, and Sparktail began chatting about the town where Luna and her friends had grown up. A mental image of Luna and her friends formed in Shana's mind- childhood friends and neighbors who watched each other's back, until Luna decided to go adventuring. Rick and Scorch remained silent save for the occasional canine growl and warning chirp- boys would be boys, thought the Vulpix, amused.

"Anyway, after Luna came home with all these stories of the outside world, me and Rick wanted to go explore too!" finished Stardust happily- Scorchpaw and Shana both glanced to Sparktail, but he took no notice. "So the three of us decided to go adventuring together. And we were doing just fine for a few weeks, until, well, that Electabuzz attacked us."

"We're not sure where it came from, to be honest," admitted Luna before Shana could ask. "We found that Sandshrew laying unconscious in a clearing, but we don't know who he is either. The moment we approached him, that Electabuzz came out of nowhere and attacked us." She glanced to Stardust's and Rick's cloth bandages, half-sheepish and half-guilty. "So that's our story. What about yours?"

Sparktail's grin sent a shudder down Shana's spine- there was a thrilled gleam in the Pikachu's eye as he reached for his sword. "Well, personally, I've been a roaming adventurer for three years now- the details aren't all that important," said Sparktail with a wave of his paw, looking to Scorch and Shana. "As for these two... they're from Leaf Village. I don't know if you've heard of it?"

Luna and Rick shook their heads, but Stardust's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I've heard of Leaf Village," said the silver Vulpix, glancing between Shana and Scorchpaw excitedly. "A lot of our produce comes from your fields."

Back and forth the conversation went; Luna was particularly interested in Rush and how he watched over all of Leaf Village. After a long while, though, Shana began to notice that Stardust and Scorchpaw seemeed to both be nodding off- perhaps drowsy from their ordeal. "Say, do you three want to travel with us?" offered Shana, smiling. Sparktail shot her an annoyed look, probably for not asking him, but the Vulpix didn't need him to hold her paw.

Luna's eyes lit up at first; but then she glanced to Rick and Stardust, and shook her head. "That's a kind offer of you, Shana, but no," replied the Eevee. "We'd just hold you up; and I think we're going a different direction anyway." She then looked to Sparktail, motioning with her tail for Rick and Stardust to join her. "Sparktail, we'd like to thank you for your hospitality. It's not often that one sees kindness from other Pokemon!"

The Eevee looked away, and Shana followed her gaze towards Sparktail's tent, where the Sandshrew lay. "Oh, uh, don't worry about him. We'll watch him!" volunteered Shana quickly, drawing even more annoyed looks from both Sparktail and Scorchpaw. Ignoring them, she lifted a paw to shake Luna's. "It was nice to meet you guys, really." Smling, Luna and her friends nodded in thanks and shook Shana's paw; then, they turned around and padded off into the woods.

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Shana smiled as she watched the three vanishing into the distance, her tails curled around her like a soft blanket. Then, Sparktail tapped the Vulpix's shoulder a bit urgently, and she whirled around to see the Pikachu standing there, his arms crossed as he gazed at her. "So, miss Shana, I see you've taken the liberty of becoming our little team's 'leader'?" said the Pikachu steely, smiling grimly. Dumbfounded, the Vulpix stared blankly at Sparktail, not sure what he was saying.

"Well, Mister Sparktail, the last time I checked, the leader of a team is the one who gives orders," chirped Scorchpaw, glancing between Shana and Sparktail. "And Shana here was giving a lot more orders in battle than you were, you know."

"You know what you remind me of, to be honest?" continued the Pikachu, ignoring Scorchpaw as he began to pace around the clearing, buckling his sword and sheath onto his back again. Shana and Scorchpaw exchanged blank glances. "You remind me of a human trainer."

"Hold it! Shana's got nothing to do with humans!" protested Scorchpaw, hopping up as Sparktail padded over to his tent. "I've watched over her like a big brother for years, and neither of us were even BORN when all the humans left. None of us even know what a human looks like!"

"No, no, I mean that what she was doing was like a human trainer's role," explained Sparktail, glancing between the Torchic and the Vulpix warily. "You know the stories about humans and trainers, right? Human trainers themselves had no combat abilities. So they sent their Pokemon into battle, while they stayed back and gave battle commands to their Pokemon. And in turn, the Pokemon protected them."

Shana flinched- she didn't mean to stay back from the fighting. She'd have been fighting if not for that weird panic attack! "So like- you're saying I was totally useless in battle, and I let you do all the fighting?" replied the Vulpix indignantly. "Look, like, I'm really sorry for not helping out! I didn't want to hold back, all right, I wanted to help you guys. I'm sorry, all right? I'll join in next time. You don't need to protect me or anything"

The Pikachu turned to stare right back at Shana, one paw at his sword hilt. What sort of girl did he thing she was? Okay, so the Vulpix wasn't exactly a tomboy or anything, but she wasn't like some flapper who needed protecting every second of her life. "I- uh- that's not what I meant," said Sparktail finally. "Didn't mean any offense. I'm just saying that it's a rare gift, being able to command like that. Seriously, I hate taking orders, but like Luna said, I'm not sure we'd have driven off the Electabuzz today without you."

At once, the Vulpix was speechless. "Ah, never mind," sighed the Pikachu, rolling his eyes; Scorchpaw glanced nervously between the duo, looking helpless. "It's not a big deal anyway. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go check up on our little friend here." Feeling utterly at a loss for words, the Vulpix stared at Sparktail as the Pikachu vanished into his tent, where the mysterious Sandshrew rested on his cot. First Luna, now Sparktail- they'd complimented Shana, even though she hadn't done a thing in the battle today. What was Sparktail trying to say?