¤ Midnight ¤ Midnight lapped the cool water from the small creek, enjoying its smooth feeling as it trickled down his throat. He glanced up as the sound of a cooing HootHoot sounded from up in the trees of Earth Forest. Midnight sighed. Plateau Island had changed since he was first a pup. Earth Forest was getting smaller everyday, with the human's tearing it down for their land and for the wood.
Part I
The pokémon would eventually drop off, leaving nothing but a whole acre of rubble. Midnight decided that he didn't have time to worry about stuff like that and went back to drinking.
That HootHoot hooted loudly, and hopped down to the stream. Midnight looked up. An opportunity for food like this was too hard to resist. He glanced up at the HootHoot.
It couldn't have been older than a young chick. Its wings were still small and its feathers were a light caramel color, they hadn't darkened yet. It was about half the size of a regular HootHoot, and still didn't know about the dangers of the forest, otherwise it would have waited until an Umbreon like Midnight had left the stream before going and drinking.
Midnight narrowed his gold eyes, his ebony fur blending in with the shadows. The HootHoot wouldn't have known he was there if it wasn't for his bright bronze rings all over his fur, shining in the dim moonlight that managed to get through the leafy canvas overhead.
Crouching down, Midnight prepared to pounce and use its attacks on the chick. One moment the forest was silent, the next thing was that people in Earth (one of the nearest towns) were looking up, startled by the squawks and the shrieks that pierced the silence.
Midnight shook his head, his teeth sinking deeper into the young bird's flesh. With a final cry, the HootHoot chick was silent. Midnight dropped his meal down onto the damp grass and licked his lips, caramel feathers surrounding him.
Digging in, the Umbreon tore the flesh hungrily from the dead baby bird and began to eat. Living in a pack of wild dark pokémon, it was every Umbreon for himself. The meat was fresh and tender, and filled up Midnight's empty stomach quite quickly. The HootHoot wasn't much of a meal, but Midnight wasn't feeling that hungry, just a little peckish, and the flying pokémon did quite well as a late night snack.
"My, you sure are an arrogant killer," a voice mocked. Looking up from his food, Midnight looked around for the voice that broke the silence. Licking the blood from his lips Midnight searched up into the trees, his golden eyes furiously trying to find the voice.
"Who said that?" Midnight demanded. Swift as a hare, and quick as lightning, a violet blur leapt down from one of the trees and landed silently on the soft mossy ground.
"I did," the creature responded teasingly. It approached Midnight daintily, a laughing smile on its face. Its fur was a light purple, a violet lavender color, and its eyes were dark navy blue, and long strands of fur hung down from her cheeks. Her tail split into two at the very end, and around her neck hung a chain of indigo beads and a small sized purple crystal in the center of the necklace.
"An Espeon?" Midnight questioned, retreating from his defensive position. She nodded, her necklace shaking a bit. "What do you want?" Midnight wasn't about to hurt her, after all, some how they were linked. Not as in cousins, but Espeons are somehow related to Umbreons, and other Eevee evolutions. "Why are you here? What do you want?" the confused dark type repeated.
The Espeon smiled. "I was out hunting when I heard you killing your meal," she replied. "It drew my attention, seeing the cry came from a HootHoot. I figured there was a flock around from all that noise but I was wrong."
"Who are you?" the Umbreon asked. Midnight seemed to be full of questions this night.
The Eeveeloution gleamed, a glint in her eye. She walked around to the stream and looked into the water. "I am Viola. I was out hunting, like I said before. And then I ran into you and your meal." Leaning over, she began to lap the cool liquid from the stream, right in front of Midnight. She was so bold, either that or was a young one that didn't know how dangerous a hungry Umbreon could be. Luckily, Midnight didn't really feel that hungry after the quick feast from that chick, but if he was starving and hadn't eaten for quite some time he would have made her a meal too.
"Well, Viola, I am quite surprised that you actually had the guts to face me," admitted Midnight, his dark eyebrows raised. Viola finished drinking and turned to him.
"You shouldn't be too surprised," Viola advised. "It doesn't help if everything comes to you as a surprise." She was so light hearted and carefree, and beautiful. She was like the silvery stars in the sky, beautiful and a site to see. She strode from the edge of the stream to the half-eaten HootHoot chick. Leaning over, and sneaking a glance at the watching Midnight, she grabbed the remainders in her mouth and strutted off into the forest, leaving him there stunned.
She was the most beautiful creature in the entire universe, Midnight decided. Even more beautiful than the sound of a pokemon's cry when they were being punished with death. Or than the joy of hunting and striking unaware Pidgey and HootHoot. Midnight stared after her for a while, in some sort of trance, then turned around and crossed the stream on his way back to the pack.
Approaching the Umbreon pack, who were lazing around in an open meadow on the edge of Earth Forest, another Umbreon bounded through the long blades of grass and met up with Midnight.
This Umbreon looked almost exactly like Midnight, with the same short black fur and the bronze rings, except on the Umbreon's tail was a silvery white marking, the shape of a crescent moon. This Umbreon was known as Lunar Ray, but shortened to Ray.
"Midnight! Where've ya been?" Ray cried, facing Midnight excitedly, ready to play.
"I was at the stream, drinking and killed a HootHoot," Midnight answered carefully, making sure not to let anything about Viola slip out. Ray would be over her like stink on a Grimer otherwise, and Midnight wanted Viola for himself. But Midnight would probably never see Viola again; it wasn't like the Espeon and the Umbreon to mix all that well.
Ray studied Midnight's closed, secretive face, and frowned. "Okay, out with it, what happened?" Ray demanded. "Did you end up killing another Umbreon from another pack? Did you fall into the stream? When you were killing that HootHoot did somebody catch you? Did you bump into a human? What aren't you telling me?"
"Well…" Midnight sighed. He should have known that it was impossible to keep a secret from Ray, who could always tell when people were hiding something.
"I'm waiting," Ray reminded impatiently.
"You see…" Midnight began, "I was killing a HootHoot baby when suddenly this female Espeon appeared. She seemed to mock me about my hunting skills and then took the remainders of my meal."
"And let me guess, our Midnight is in love," Ray taunted, grinning mischievously and showing off his pearl white teeth. "Aww isn't that sweet… Was she cute?"
Midnight gulped, nodded, and blushed, which was next to impossible to see through his fur. Ray just stared at him, a look of betrayal and disbelief in his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me she was cute?!" Ray yelled.
Midnight looked up and scowled. "Because then you'd go after her and steal her away from me," he snapped back. "That's why I didn't tell you at first that I'd met Viola. She wouldn't go for you anyway, you two could be twins or something!"
Ray recoiled in shock from Midnight's sudden outburst of fury. Normally Midnight kept quiet and not so loud and daring, but now that Midnight had just snapped at his best friend, Ray was surprised.
"Gee, sorry about that," Ray apologized quietly. "I'm just surprised that you burst out like that. It's not like you to yell at people, or flare up so quickly."
Midnight turned and faced his friend. "I'll give you some advice. It doesn't help if everything comes as a surprise." Ray stared into the gold pupils of Midnight, confused. Midnight grinned at Ray, a sign that he was forgiven. Ray grinned back, and the two friends continued back into the pack territory.
"So where did you get that advice from?" Ray questioned innocently. Midnight smiled innocently, and Ray laughed. "Let me guess, Viola?"
"How did you know?" Midnight asked, pretending to be shocked. Ray laughed. "You know what's funny, I haven't even known Viola for more than 5 minutes yet I feel like I know her fully."
"Well that's the way life is, full of surprises," Ray replied. "As for your advice, it doesn't help if you think that way when life is one big surprise."