Part VIII
You had your man your fan but not forever
You should have let him
You should have let him getaway
But your pride made you ride on this slide by his side to his lies
Seemed like forever
What would you give to getaway ~ Getaway, Train
Midnight paced around, trying to think up of a solution. Ebony wouldn't really help him, she was still upset, Viola and Ray were out hunting, Nero was dead now, what could he do?
Suddenly, Midnight stopped. He remembered once when he was a pup he ran into the human city, Boulder, and went walk about and crept into a building with lots of books. Seeing that he was older now, and could read human writing, Midnight figured that Boulder wasn't far from here and started to jog there.
***
Violetta strided from side to side, watching over the young Houndour, who so desperately wanted to become like Chain, fight, and conquer.
"What do you think Chain?" Violetta asked. "They seem like tough fighters."
"We have little time left," Chain responded. "The Umbreon will soon figure out the secret alliance connecting Houndoom with Espeon. That may not happen. Tomorrow night, we attack. So tonight all preparations must be made."
"Chain sir, what would happen if the Umbreon beat us?" Inferno suddenly questioned, his mouth getting in the way with stupid questions.
Chain lifted a paw and slashed at Inferno's head, leaving a small gash in his cheek, which began to drip with crimson blood. "Fool," Chain growled. "You see, the Umbreon have merged with the Espeon. The Espeon will be fighting on our side. Violetta will see to that."
"All Espeon aside from my useless daughter," Violetta nodded.
"So with that, the Umbreon have no chance," Chain finished.
"Sire, what if the Umbreon find out?" Kala questioned. "There are possible ways that some connections could prove that they may actually know."
"Even if they did prepare they would not be able to beat us," Violetta answered. "We always have the upper hand."
***
"You can defiantly not hunt," Viola laughed, as Ray leapt for the HootHoot chick, and landed in the dirt, sliding on his nose.
"And you can?" Ray retorted, embarrassed that he was a failure at hunting.
"Watch me," Viola gloated. She crept down low, almost hidden in the grass, her indigo eyes alert and watching. Hearing a HootHoot cry, Viola waited, and in the blink of an eye pounced, taking down the HootHoot. It turned out to be a full grown, a tough fighter, and the HootHoot began struggling to get free.
Viola surrounded herself with a purple aura and the HootHoot winced in pain. Viola suddenly ripped her teeth into the HootHoot, and began feasting. Ray looked on in awe.
'That is how you hunt" Viola grinned, licking her lips.
"You shouldn't have done that," a voice said.
Viola and Ray looked up into the leafy canvas ahead, trying to see where the voice came from.
"I have information, so you won't kill me now will you?" the voice asked.
"We won't kill you if you show yourself," Viola finally answered. Ray too scared to even move his mouth.
"Fine then," the voice agreed. Out of the roof of leaves flew a large silvery bird, with a bit of red on its wings. It landed, and was big standing perched next to Ray and Viola. Getting site of the grayish silver bird, Ray gasped and backed up so fast he tripped over his own legs and did a small tangled roly-poly. The bird smiled, laughing inside, as it watched the two Eeveeloutions.
"You're a… a…" Viola stuttered.
"Yes I am a Skarmory," the Skarmory finished for her. "But I have not come to eat you two. I have something that might come in handy. You know that the Espeon and Umbreon have merged. Yes you would actually, seeing you are with the Umbreon pack after all. Hmm, oh yes, you see, I've got this riddle, I was sworn to secrecy by the Council of Flight not to tell you the exact details Lugia was picking up but I am allowed to give you some type of riddle to help you along, because the Houndoom are coming and all."
"They ARE?!" Ray panicked.
"I shouldn't have said that," Skarmory sighed. "Anyway, solve this.
As the pack is hit by confusion
There will always be the illusion
That help is on the way
When you realise that the help is there
Then you can fight even and fair
And win the war your way"
"Well that's real simple," Viola scoffed. "How on earth will we solve that?"
"When the time comes I guess you will be able to do that," Skarmory shrugged. "Anyway, I got to be off, my flock needs me. Toodles." Lifting his great steel wings, Skarmory flapped a few times then flew with style up and out of the forest and out of sight.
***
Staring down into the crystal reflection, Ebony sobbed, tears rolling down her shadowy cheeks and landing into the water, shattering the mirror image. Ebony sighed, and rest her head on her paws. Why did it have to be like this?
She so badly wanted Nero alive again, it was all her fault and she just wanted to say sorry for the death she had caused.
Staring into her reflection, another tear landed this one pure and full of heart and soul, not just the regular saltiness. As it landed the ripple lines wavered Ebony's reflection, and Ebony suddenly stared hard into the water. The ripples were changing Ebony's image into the image of Nero, her grandfather.
Ebony gasped. She had longed to see his face one last time and now she was seeing it, instead of her own reflection. Did she really look that much like Nero?
"Ebony," a familiar voice called. Looking up from the lake, Ebony came face to face with a blinding light, surrounding Nero.
"Gramps!" Ebony cried with delight.
"Ebony, believe in yourself, it is not your fault," Nero spoke, his voice distant. Ebony took a step forward. "You must go back and face the Houndoom. You know you can do it. Assemble your friends and fight, for freedom. Otherwise you will be enslaved."
"Gramps, how can I do this? It was all my fault!" Ebony sobbed. She stepped into the pond, and took another step towards him. Slipping on some mossy rocks, Ebony fell down into the water, soaking her fur to the bone. She got up, her fur dripping, and stared up at Nero.
"It was not your fault, you must fight for your freedom," Nero responded, suddenly distorting, the light fading him. Seeing that, Ebony started to run through the pond as best as she could, leaping from rocks to go after Nero. "Fight for freedom," Nero repeated, and then the light shone once more, wiping Nero's image.
Ebony stood up. She knew what to do. Gather friends and family to fight by her side against the Houndoom and Violetta. Brass may not be on her side but as long as he was against the Houndoom then he would fight with them, to regain power. Brass was just like Chain and Violetta, a power hungry beast that needed to be removed from the rest of them.