Ch 5: A Rude Awakening

   "All right then, it's settled." said Needlefur. "We'll need to set out into the forest to find and get rid of Team Galactic so they won't hurt any more Pokemon."

   "But what about when the Daycare workers find us gone?" wondered Frostpelt.

   "When he dropped us off, Eric told the Daycare couple not to worry if we went out into the forest." answered Torrentpaw.

   "If they aren't going to watch us, then why leave us here anyway?" demanded Frostpelt.

   "It's so we have a place to come back to rather than wander the forest wondering where to meet back up with Eric." assured Needlefur.

   "With that question answered, let's go." declared Ravenpaw, standing up and shaking the grass clippings out off his black coat.

   The group of Pokemon arose and pursued Ravenpaw, who was already heading towards the fence.

   "Ravenpaw, wait!" Fireheart called after his younger brother. "Leafpool won't be able to get over the fence with her leg injured."

   "I've got an idea." commented Leafpool.

   "Okay, let's hear it." Needlefur said.

   "What if Ravenpaw and Swiftclaw used Psychic to lift me over the fence?" she suggested.

   "We could try it." replied Swiftclaw, stepping forward.

   "Just be careful." warned Fireheart.

   Leafpool was surrounded by a cool blue glow, similar to the glow coming from Ravenpaw and Swiftclaw's eyes. She felt herself being lifted off the ground and gently being placed on the other side of the fence. Fireheart, with Rustfur safely in his mouth, hopped over the fence, followed by his parents and brothers. When they were all on the same side, the group set off into the forest, with Fireheart and Rustfur at the rear.

   "Dad?"

   "Yes?"

   "Why were you crying yesterday?"

   "Well, I was crying yesterday because I love your mother very much and it hurt me a lot to see her in pain. Maybe one day you'll know what it's like to love someone." Fireheart replied quietly.

   "But I already love you and Mom." said Rustfur, unsure of what his father meant.

   "I know you do, but it's a different kind of love than that."

   Rustfur still did not know what his father meant, but his train of thought was disrupted by a voice from farther ahead.

   "Fireheart!"

   Rustfur followed his father to where the voice originated from.

   "Is this where you were attacked?" asked Needlefur, who was leading the group.

   "Yes." responded Leafpool, walking up behind Fireheart.

   "Okay, we'll stop here for a quick rest, seeing as none of us got much sleep last night." yawned Needlefur.

   Fireheart curled up, with Leafpool and Rustfur lying down near him. The rest of the group lay down in a protective circle around them.

   The two Sneasels that saw the meeting Needlefur had organized two hours ago, had been following the group since they left the Daycare. But there were two other Pokemon with them, an Ariados and a Vileplume.

   "Okay, Vileplume, Ariados, you know what to do." whispered one of the Sneasels. The Vileplume started to shake its petals, throwing off a green dust that settled onto the unsuspecting Pokemon a short distance away. After the spores had been inhaled and they were sleeping soundly, the Ariados spat out several strings of gooey silk that wrapped around the legs of the now-sleeping Pokemon. One of the Sneasels gave a low whistle and ten more Sneasels dropped out of the trees and swiftly dragged Rustfur and his family and relatives into the forest.

   Rustfur shifted in his sleep to find a more comfortable position and felt something sharp dig into his side.

   "Ow..." Rustfur went to stand up but found his paws bound together. He opened his eyes to see why he couldn't stand, but he was shocked at what he saw instead. It was dark and there were two or three Sneasels scampering about. He quietly wriggled over to his mother and nudged her as best he could. "Mom, Mom, wake up."

   Leafpool blinked sleepily and attempted to stretch, but couldn't, due to the threads binding her legs together.

   "Fireheart, everyone, wake up."

   As the rest of them came around and swiftly took in their surroundings, one weasel-like Pokemon with what looked like a red headdress on approached Fireheart.

   "Well, are you ready to pay us back for the stuff you took?" it laughed in a menacing voice.

   "What are you talking about!?" demanded Rustfur.

   "You're in no place to ask me questions, mite." The Weavile hissed evilly. "That Flareon over there stole something out of our forest."

   "What!? The forest doesn't belong to you!" Rustfur was beside himself with anger.

   "Quiet!" the Weavile hissed as he kicked out cruelly at Rustfur's bound form.

   "Oww!"

   "Get away from him!" shouted Fireheart and Leafpool simultaneously.

   The Weavile stepped over to them, chuckling in a way that sent shivers down the spine of everyone there.

   "You must be his parents then."

   Leafpool gasped for breath as the weasel-like Pokemon pressed its foot down on her unprotected chest.

   "Get off of her!"

   The Weavile turned around to face Fireheart.

   "Who's going to make me? You? That's a good one." it chuckled, stepping up to Fireheart as if to kick him. It was one step too close. "Eeyahh!!"

   As quick as lightning, Fireheart had sunk his teeth into his tormentor's foot. It wasn't deep enough to cause any serious injury, but it did draw blood. Fireheart spit several times to rid his mouth of the acrid taste of blood.

   "You've asked for it now." the Weavile gritted through teeth clenched with pain. It flexed its paws and three sharp claws sprang forth on each paw. Claws extended, the Weavile rushed Fireheart. Before it could get within striking distance, it was lifted off the ground by a familiar blue glow.

   "Stop it. Now." commanded Ravenpaw in a low voice that caused even his family members to shiver slightly.

   "Let us go, or we will kill you." hissed Swiftclaw, his eyes possessing the same blue glow as Ravenpaw's.

   "If I die, then so does he."

   A strangled cry came from Rustfur, confirming this statement. Fireheart and Leafpool looked in Rustfur's direction, to see a Sneasel standing over him, a paw locked around his throat and a wickedly sharp claw pricking his chin.

   "No..." his parents gasped at the same time.

   With Rustfur in danger, Ravenpaw and Swiftclaw were forced to release their psychic hold on the Weavile.

   "That's it! Build two cages for these idiots; one large one for these seven, and another one for the small one." the Weavile ordered. "When you've got them in the cages, cut their bonds."

   "But what if they try to escape?" questioned one of the Sneasels.

   "As long as they can see what we could do to their little one, they won't try anything. Just make sure they can see him."

   Working efficiently, it took the band of Sneasels that appeared at the leader's signal less than half an hour to build two sturdy cages. Upon completion of these, Rustfur was swiftly hauled away from his parents.

   "Mom! Dad!" he cried out, struggling to escape despite his bonds. "Let me go!" he shouted at the Sneasel dragging him, tears forming in his eyes.

   "Shut up and stop squirming!" hissed the Sneasel. "Or I'll give you something to really cry about." he warned, waving a savagely sharp claw under Rustfur's nose, frightening him into silence.

   "Don't you dare hurt him!" declared Leafpool, her voice shrill with anger.

   "Quiet!" shouted one of the Sneasels dragging Leafpool, punctuating his sentence with a vicious backhand to her face.

   Thoroughly cowed and spitting out a small amount of blood, Leafpool allowed herself to be dragged away, tears appearing in her eyes at not being able to save her son.

   After being roughly dragged, Rustfur felt his bonds being cut and he was thrown into the just-built cage, watching the same happen to his family on the other side of the clearing. All he could do was lie in the position he had landed in, partly due to the fact that he was extremely tired, but mostly because the circulation had not yet been restored to his throbbing paws. He was glad when sleep took him.

   He was jolted out of sleep by shouting outside his cage.

   "Ouch! Quick, get it in there before it bites my ear off!"

   The other Sneasel stunned whatever they were carrying with a solid blow to its head. Taking advantage of this, they hurriedly tossed the limp figure into the cage, narrowly missing Rustfur. Now fully awake, he slowly approached his new, still unconscious cell mate. He brought his head down to get a better look. Even though it was still dark he could clearly see that this was another Eevee. But this Eevee had a nick in its right ear. Something inside Rustfur told him there was something different about this Eevee. He lightly sniffed his new companion in an effort to find out what was different. Then suddenly he knew what it was. This Eevee was female! Her eyes suddenly snapped open and Rustfur nearly shouted out loud with surprise. It wasn't this sudden movement that startled him, it was the eyes themselves. They were the deepest, most intense shade of blue he had ever seen!

   "Get back!"

   It was a combination of this command and the impact of the swipe this strange new Eevee had launched at his head that brought him back to reality.

   "Oof!"

   He picked himself up from the cage floor. That swipe must have been thrown with a lot of power. thought Rustfur. He shook his head to clear his vision. When he could see again, he took another look at this Eevee. She was only slightly smaller than himself; she couldn't possibly be any older than he was. What he couldn't get over was her striking blue eyes. Even in this low level of light, they seemed to capture what little moonlight there was, and appeared to glitter like two sapphires.

   His focus was broken by a harsh inquiry.

   "What are you staring at?"

   Rustfur found he had temporarily lost control of his tongue. When he regained the power of speech he stammered out a response.

   "Y-your eyes..."

   "Yes, I know they're blue, you don't have to tell me that." she responded, her voice hard.

   "I saw you struggling with those guards, are you all right?" he asked, taking a step forward.

   "Back off." she said flatly, baring her teeth in a dangerous snarl.

   "Take it easy, I'm not going to hurt you."

   "Like I haven't heard that before." she scoffed. "If you're not dangerous, why are you in this cage then?"

   "I'm in here because my family and I were captured because these idiots think my father took something from them!" he shouted, tears forming in his brown eyes. "I had no choice!"

   "Wait, your family's here? Where are they?"

   "Over there." he said quietly, indicating the direction his family's cage was in with a flick of his head.

   "Why haven't they tried to save you then?"

   "They're too afraid of what that Weavile would do to me if they tried to."

   "Well, as it seems we might both be stuck in here for a while, I might as well know your name." she stated. "What is it?"

   "Rustfur. What's yours?" he sniffed.

   "My name is Sapphire."