This choice: ... small, humble village in the woods. • Go Back...Chapter #6Welcome to Norberry by: Unknown By the time you made it to the next town, it was dusk, and the small village was silhouetted by the beautiful sunset in the background. You stood over the town in awe, inspired by the skilled architecture, and the sight of dozens of strange Pokemon going about their daily lives. As you walked, you passed by a sign welcoming you to Norberry Village. “Whoa…” You breathe as the two of you stop for a moment on the edge of town. “I’ve never seen so many Pokemon in one place before.”
“... how long have you lived around here, again?” She asked, in a deadpan tone.
“Uh… well, my entire life, I guess,” you shrug.
“Oh? And yet you weren’t aware there was an entire village just down the road?” She asked. Judging by her tone, it was obvious she thought she had caught you in a lie. You stutter breathlessly, trying to explain yourself, but you just can’t find the words. She sits there in haunting silence for a while, before sighing. “Whatever. Go ahead and take a hike, kid. You better hope we don’t see eachother around.”
“O-okay,” you stutter as she stands and begins to stalk away. “It was nice to meet you!” You watched the beautiful fox disappear into the crowd waiting until you were sure she was gone before hurriedly wandering in the opposite direction. You were used to living alone in the wilderness, so the sights and sounds of the small village were incredible to you. You try excitedly to ask the various strange Pokemon walking the streets about your parents, but they all seemed to be in a hurry for some reason. A few, however, point you towards the office of the village chief, so you decide to head there first.
You step inside the giant, cozy tent, which was lit up with an array of beautiful candles and lanterns. Your nostrils were immediately filled with the scent of burning incense. Sitting on a tarp on the other side of the tent was a massive goodra, almost the size of the scolipede you ran into earlier. You assumed this was the village chief. She smiled brightly when she saw you walk in. “Well, aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” She says, using her long neck to bring her head down to eye-level. “What’s got you so excited, little guy?”
“This town… it’s amazing!” You smile, impressed by both the beauty of the tent and the sheer size of the village chief.
“Heh! I’m glad you’re settling in well,” the goodra giggles. “We don’t get many absols around here. You know, when I saw you coming, I mistook you for someone else. Does the name ‘Lydia’ ring any bells?”
“Y-yes! Lydia is my mother!” You perk up immediately. “Have you seen her?”
“Oh, really? They never mentioned you,” she said, rubbing her chin. “Well, the two of them passed through here just this morning. Said they were heading to Shipton City.”
“Shipton City?” You tilted your head. “Where’s that?”
“Due east from here. Just look for the eastward route,” she explained. In your excitement, you were just about to hop to your feet and sprint off, but she interrupted you. “But you can’t go wandering around after dark, even if you are Gunnar’s son. You should stay in our inn for the night, just to be safe.” She gives you directions to the local inn, as well as instructions on how to book a place to stay for the night.
“T-thank you so much!” You said graciously as you rushed out the door.
┄┄┄
You walk into the main lobby of the inn, only to freeze in place when you hear the ninetale’s voice. “You can’t be serious!” Sure enough, there she was; that same unmistakable ninetales, yelling angrily at the Pokemon at the front desk. You were about to leave before she saw you, until you noticed her plight.
“Sorry, ma’am, but our inn is for locals only. We don’t need any wild Pokemon scaring the other patrons,” the grumpig that ran the inn said. “You know, Shipton city is just down the road…”
“That’s miles away!” She yelled, her voice alternating between anger and desperation. She looked tense as she loomed over the grumpig, baring her teeth. “I can’t be out in the wilderness at night. I… need somewhere to stay.”
“You’re not planning on making this violent, are you?” The grumpig calmly raised a brow, noticing that the ninetales was on the edge of attacking. A few other Pokemon from around town were standing around the lobby, looking ready to pounce on her if she tried anything. Seeing this, the defeated ninetales forced herself to calm down, backing away from the grumpig. “Listen. Unless you’re friends with any locals, I recommend you just turn tail and--”
“I’m a local!” You announce excitedly, walking up to the front desk. The ninetales shivered in surprise when she heard your voice once again, but remained motionless.
“Oh? Are you?” He looked at you incredulously. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around town…”
“W-well, maybe you’ve seen my parents,” you insist, nervously. “A zoroark and an absol?”
“Oh? You’re the son of Gunnar?” He raised a brow, surprised. “Well, then! We would be happy to have such an esteemed guest.” He raised a hand, gesturing to the motionless woman. “This, uh… Ninetales. Is she a friend of yours?”
“Uh… yep. She sure is,” you nod immediately, seizing the opportunity.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so?” The grumpig teased the ninetales, who remained completely still, seemingly meditating to relieve her anger. You and the grumpig discuss the inn while she meditates, going over your accommodations for the night. Apparently, the ‘inn’ allows locals to just sleep here for free, presumably to keep the village’s population from being picked off by wild predators in the night. “You two are in the hut with the red roof. Try not to make too much noise!” Once that was all settled, the ninetales stands up as if springing back to life. She makes a move for the door, and you nervously follow after her.
“Can’t believe this shit…” She muttered quietly to herself as she padded silently out the door. You couch awkwardly as the two of you walked towards the huts.
“So, hey, uh… I know you said you didn’t want me around,” you explain. “But you looked like you needed help, y’know?” You hoped she would forgive you, but instead, she remained just as silent as ever. Eventually, the two of you come across a big adobe hut, reinforced with wooden beams, with a big red thatched roof. “Welp… this is it, I guess.” You said, unlocking the big, wooden door and taking a step inside. The interior of the hut was fairly plain; a nest on one end, a barrel bathtub on the other, and little to no furniture inbetween. There were no windows whatsoever, further emphasizing that the purpose of the hut was simple protection against the elements. The ninetales pads silently over to the nest when you walked in, seemingly ignoring you completely. Her silence unnerves you. Had you pissed off one of the first Pokemon you’ve ever met? “I’m… sorry for bothering you. I wasn’t following you, honest! I just… sort of ended up at the inn…”
Hearing the genuine remorse in your voice, the ninetales sighs loudly. “That whole thing wasn’t your fault…” She says over her shoulder. “Thanks for helping out. Don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t shown up.” You perked up when she thanked you. Perhaps the two of you could be friends after all. The ninetales curiously prodded the soft nest with a paw. “So, tell me. Do we really only have one bed in here?”
You were confused by her question for a moment, until you remembered that, of course, she was blind. “Uh, yep,” you answered, awkwardly. “I… could just sleep on the floor, if you want.”
“Heh. That won’t be necessary.”  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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