• Sanctuary

    Although they usually slept not too far from it, the placement of this forest was only coincidental. In truth, it existed and hopefully, along with its existence, would be food to dine upon. Like always though, to find it, they kept moving forward with, in mind, hopeful prospects, a smile and the joy of the other’s company. These two have always found whatever it was they needed by moving forward because wandering has not only lead them to nourishment or excitement, it has lead them to escape and more importantly, freedom. It has always been there life to move, to remain active, lest they be discovered by “them.” It was them who placed such a terrible injury on him and there brand upon her. They were not without memories of their lives, no matter how fast or far they ran from it and running has cumulated most of their relation.

    As they idly made their way through the billowing wavy field, Lucario gave an askance to a small to an almost unnoticeable indent in Mew’s fluff over her left thigh. A trait they both had picked up on along the way was the ability to pinpoint even the smallest of difference in the other. This was a trait only time could grant.

    The inquisitive glance turned into a long stare as he walk and was only broken when he step over a thicket of grass or to read the aura of something in the surrounding. His attention to the mark soon became a lucid obsession and because of his actions, his being aware of and attraction to it became apparent to his consort. Her deep blue eyes narrow as if to seek his mind and she calls him out on it finally giving into the mystery. ~Worried about something, Lu? You seem a bit tense.~ He didn’t respond and her call would go unheard until she’d stop moving thus throwing sight of blemish off.

    ~Huh?~ he replies coyly. ~Oh, no. I was just admiring the radiance of your coat. That’s all.~ The transparent wariness in his response was easily seen through to by his companion. Even his loving smirk couldn’t conceal the apprehensiveness in his gaze.

    ~Those things that humans call guns...what good are they with no bullets?~ asks Mew.

    Lucario glances at her, then back to the forest they were walking toward and sighs. He was preparing for the conversation to come...

    ~Thanks lovely, but your compliments...or lies aren’t as dissuading or potent when I can read your mind.~ She concludes.

    ~Then I’d guess you know that I’m thirsty ~ He evades her implementation even with the knowledge that it was vain to try and do so.

    ~Yes. This is a first for you Lu.~

    ~What? ~ His red eyes meet hers and she averts her gaze to the ground.

    ~To get thirsty after such a short walk. To even be famished in anyway after a short walk for that matter. That injury must be the cause.~ She said, incurring slight worry in herself for him and his current fault.

    ~I suppose.~ He answers with hunched shoulders. ~Then again running all yesterday was and still is ailing me. Maybe you should try walking and not floating, my love. Y’know, get a feel for what I’m going through.~

    She relinquishes a smirk to him and quickly maneuvers the conversation. ~How about we stop and get something to drink? There’s a brook nearby. ~ Her eyes pierce the thick branches and vines that crest the perimeter of the forest ahead. Only shards of the area behind were made visible by the cage of vegetation around it. From its frothy aroma, they both could tell that behind it was exactly what they needed.

    Lucario looks at her apologetically and with a heavy sigh, he responds just as apologetically ~I’m sorry for lying to you. What happened yesterday is in the past where I would like for it to stay. ~

    ~I know, but when you think about the ones pursuing us Lu, it calls out to me like a beacon. I can’t deny or avoid the call and for that I too am sorry. ~ She was speaking of how she read his mind without his knowledge or consent; a most bothersome ability of hers.

    ~I understand that but it’s just...~ he looks down at the combat hardened pinkish palms of his paws, then takes another focused look at her thigh. ~ I can feel something resonating from that scar. What I’m feeling is a deep pain. Have you forgotten that I’m empathic my dear?~ He runs his paw across the uneven tuft of fur to discover trickles of taut brown spots beneath the pink and malleable fuzz. She can’t deny the pain in the wound. The squinting of her eyes, the bearing of her teeth and the small tremble onset by him rubbing it is proof enough.

    It was indeed a painful scar. The spots of brown, Lucario had easily deduced, were dried up spots of blood. The scar was a remnant mark and the mark, or what was left of it, seemed to form a symbol. Age and the healing process had removed all traces of familiarity from it so even if looked upon by the creator, it was doubtful he or she would know they had anything to do with it. Only because it was on Mew would they know.

    Lucario lowers the broken tuft of fuzz back and looks up at her questioningly. Mew stops and levitates parallel to him. Wrapping her tail around herself, she ends with the tip of it covering the scar. ~It’s not a brand. I know that’s what you want to call it, but it’s not.. It’s just...this is where they labeled me when the captured me and...~

    Her words flow into his ears like the brook they were headed towards but his mind didn’t drink it in. Not immediately anyway. The expression she wore, the aura that emanated from her and the tone of her voice let him know that her past was something that she detested greatly. It was like a burden that was far heavier than any weight he could lift. Much like her, he detested his own past. Her explanation of the conception of the scar brought back memories of his past with humans. He resent them...all of them for what they had done to both Pokemon and themselves. Due to these recollections they’d seldom incur memories consciously, but in a dream or rather a nightmare, it’d haunt them to no end. Nostalgia was an emotion the two of them hardly immersed themselves in. Only because they had each other in the past did they ever.

    Choosing not to reminisce on his past, he turns his attention to her and halts her. ~I’m sorry if I brought up the past Mew. Forgive me. ~

    She looks at him, her eyes saturated and dreary with the sorrow events of her past and asks, ~I’ll expect no more worries about this scar then, correct? ~ She asked draping her long serpentine tail across his slim shoulders.

    ~As often as they locate us,~ he begins, ~they must be tracking you. Wouldn’t you agree?~ Mew flits her way to the left side of him and turns up staring off into the sky. ~I’m just worried about them finding you again. Clones like the one made from you should not exist. ~ Lucario concludes.

    ~Would you trust me if I said they wouldn’t, Lu?~ she asks as she passes before him back to her original postion.

    ~If I didn’t trust you, then I couldn’t love you?~ He shoots back.

    To him, small snicker is given as she hovers close to him. ~No. But it’s my trust in you, Lucario, that allows me to love you too. ~ She responds brushing her body against his right arm ever so affectionately.

    ~Thanks for trusting me Mew. Don’t know how in the world to repay you.~ He plants a soft kiss against her cheek which soon thereafter became a rubicund hue and continues to walk with her along the way.


    ~~~


    Behind the mass of vines and other vegetation, an extensive and glistening stream of water awaits and with the majestic meanders of a Seviper and the constant motion of a Rayquaza, the stream flows and ebbs southbound depositing itself into nearby pond where the water was light blue and pure. Water of this quality was a commodity that for Mew and Lucario, bared a price they could not afford. Not until now.

    The forest resided within sight now. They’d been walking for almost fifteen minutes and the distance from it now falters in comparison to what they’d initially thought it was.

    ~This forest is plentiful. ~ Lucario proclaims before reaching the forest.

    Mew turns a quizzical eye to him and ventures after returning her anxious gaze back to the forest, ~How can you tell?~ she asks.

    Upon reaching the paltry barrier composed of flourishing roots, draping vines and a plethora of moss, he steps through removing the hanging vines from the way. ~Ladies first. ~ Pausing, she sends a smile to him then flies forward into the unknown.

    Around the entrance as well as the inside resides a vast collage of maple obelisks that loomed so tall and so massive that a few of them exceeded sight either through their height or the obscurity of leaves of shorter trees at the midpoint. Columns of light shined down through the gaps and protrusions in the leaves forming a mass of oddly shaped, but amiably welcoming specks upon the damp forest floor. The leaves above them with their tears and lacerations plentiful, swayed causing the shards of light upon the ground to dance as if to jovially herald the two’s arrival. Their performance was spectral and it brought a smile to both Lu and Mew’s face.

    ~Oh my…~ She gasps continuing in with a hand covering her gaping mouth, ~this is…plentiful Lu... ~

    As eyes lolled about the dark green milieu, they took notice of the Beedrill hives that hung lazily from age trodden tree limbs and swung idly in the breeze. They must’ve been rather sturdy to hold such a heavy burden. The trees were painted a dull, yet phantasmagoric illustration of mahogany and olive by Weedles, a rather stomach churning green by the Caterpies and lastly a provoking red by the fiery Wurmples. Not only were there hives and live Pokemon densely populating the area, but there were incubating ones as well; namely, the Silcoon, Cascoon, Metapod and Kakuna.

    It was a magnificent marvel of nature to the both of them for they had never seen such a place save for the area they first met in. The bottom feeders of the forest’s marshy nadir include a variety of vivid moss tufts, lichens and tendril-like roots that flowed eloquently down to form a canopy above the cold, soggy yet beautiful bed of ground.

    ~This is more luscious that even I expected. Look over there. ~ says Lucario before pointing toward an apple tree thickly inhabited with their succulent, supple namesake fruit. He rushes to it and halts at its base which was strongly anchored to the ground by its many, many roots. ~Ready for breakfast, my dear? ~ he asks, placing his hand against the thick of the tree.

    Still speechless, Mew finds herself only able to nod in captivation.

    He places both of his palms against the trunk of the tree, inhales, then exhales just as focused. ~Hold out your hands.~ His eyes become a deep purple and his body seems to ignite in a wafting flame that bared the same mysterious color of his eyes. He presses against it and the flame pulsates into the tree causing every inch of it to rattle vigorously. Just as he predicted, the apples fall, one of which is caught by Mew.

    ~You held back. ~ Mew quips as she makes her next to him hovering mere inches from him. ~Thanks.~ She places a small kiss on his cheek before returning back to her original position behind him. Lucario only smirks and stretches out both arms as far as they could go. He figured that one apple would fall into each hand and in time, they do. He brings his arms together and gazes at the two fruits as if he’d never seen them before, or in this case, a very long time. His breakfast now was only inches away and loomed closer to his mouth with each second. As he went to bite into his shiny red prize, a short log takes it way, crushing it into an off white paste all over a tree adjacent to him.

    ~What was that!?~ asks the alerted Mew.

    ~I don’t know but...~ A loud thump is heard and another projectile jets out of the forest at Lucario. Before he could react though, Mew, with her expansive psychic ability, stops it from turning him into a dark red and blue paste against the same tree.

    ~I think we have a bit of trouble...~ Lucario concludes. The knolls before the two rattle, but beneath the grassy noise is a deep sound and a crackling noise. Something was propelling these at the two and now it was gearing up again...