moonlit-spirits-blog - Tumblr blog

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

“The last time I ate any kind of ‘berry’, it didn’t turn out too well. I had people trying to kill me because they said they wanted to ‘put me out of my misery’. Don’t really remember what happened, but it must have looked pretty bad.” Perhaps if she’d stopped to pay attention to what she’d been eating it would never have happened, but as a near-immortal being her survival instincts were duller than most.

“Fire?” It was an odd question -- was that what the dogs in this world could do? -- but she didn’t sound completely confused. “I probably could. Maybe. If I tried.” She’d seen humans create fire before; it couldn’t be too difficult, right? “I don’t know if ‘produce’ would be the right word though.”

Well, she hadn’t really been expecting much in the way of food from someone she met in the middle of a forest. Even if that was because before, carrying food on you could potentially attract not-so-nice things that might want to eat it. “Is there any place like that near here? Heck, point me in the right direction and maybe I can even bring some back for you. You smell like plants.”

Instantly, N pulled his hands away. “Oh– Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

That was foolish of him, but it seemed Kal recovered from it quickly– and he did get to confirm that she did in fact have fangs.

“No, but it wouldn’t be flowers you’d have to eat if you chose a primarily herbivorous diet. It would likely consist of more berries and other fruits. I’d say that your form is most similar to a Houndour’s, which can eat both meat and berries, but… Hmm. Can you produce fire, by any chance?”

But he was rambling, and it was probably useless to try comparing her to existing Pokemon that he already knew.

“Ah… Yes, I suppose they do. I’m afraid I can’t be of much help to you there, though. I tend to forage rather than cook. You would have to venture into a town or city and find something there.”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

“I’m not rude. I just want a decent meal for once. Gosh.”

She’s heard a lot worse than ‘mutt with wings’ too.

“Wow, you’re rude for a mutt with wings aren’t you.”

Obviously someone isn’t impressed with the nickname, but she’s heard worse.

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

“Hey, dragon breath. Cook something for me, would ya?”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

How could she feel that something was beautiful? The only thing she could feel right now was the grass under her paws, and without a word she lifted one to look at the ferns beneath it. Nope... just looked like grass.

When she looked up again, he was reaching towards her -- that was more than enough to trigger the reaction of her taking a step away, lips curling back ever so slightly. If he wanted to see her ‘fangs’, well, he’d got his wish.

“So it’s not considered taboo to eat meat in this world? Good. If I had to eat flowers for the rest of my life, I think I’d go nuts.” She followed his glance. “I wouldn’t want to eat any of these bugs in the first place. Wouldn’t agree with me.”

What had she even liked to eat before? Being asleep for so long had messed with her memory -- or more so her taste buds. Kal had no clue whether any of the animals she’d known of before still existed in this world. “Do humans still make food?” With her job having been to protect them, she’d spent a fair amount of time wandering around human villages. They’d always seemed to have this knack for making things that tasted nice. Even if some of it did make her sick.

“Magic? I wouldn’t say so.” Then again, what was logical or scientific to him might not have been so in the world Kalera knew. “Some do know how to use Curse, but… it seems that means something different to me than it does to you.”

He certainly hoped it did; he didn’t want Kalera deeming all the Pokemon around her demons and killing them indiscriminately.

“Ah, you’re colorblind?” It wouldn’t be the first time he met a creature that was, but it raised a few questions. There still were may things he didn’t know about this so-called dog species. “No matter! There are many things you don’t need to see at all to find beautiful. You simply feel it, I think.”

“But of course there are things to eat! Though… Hmm, what did you typically eat before? Meat? You have fangs, don’t you?” He leaned forward and reached out his hands as if to open her jaw and check for himself, but he stopped short of touching her, figuring that was overstepping his boundaries. “Many Pokemon are omnivorous– Even those that often prey on other Pokemon can also subsist on just berries and other plants. Though of course it’s healthy for there to be a balance between the two, if that’s the case.” He took a moment to glance over the insects around him. “But I wouldn’t recommend you eat any of these ones.”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

Had she offended him? He sounded a little salty. Not that she was particularly concerned, but a person who could understand her in this form could potentially be... useful, at the very least. This wasn’t someone she wanted to make enemies with, so she might as well try to keep him happy, right?

“So these ‘Poke-ay-mon’ creatures are... magic or something? They don’t smell nearly as bad as the demons that used to run around the place, so I take it they don’t use curses.” If they had some kind of abilities, that was the only thing that made sense to her. Then again, her knowledge of the new world was limited, at best.

“Beauty?” That was something people used to describe how things looked, right? “If that’s what I’m supposed to enjoy about the world, I’d need to gain the power to see in a few more colours. Is there stuff to eat anywhere in the world?” If there was anything to like, hopefully it’d be the food. Living beings needed energy to survive, so there must be something edible somewhere, right? Unless dogs had gone extinct...

“People will try to fit most anything into categories.” There was a hint of venom in his tone. He was still not all too fond of the ways people labeled Pokemon, though he’d grown more tolerant of it over his time abroad. He was guilty of the same thing, he supposed, with the way he sometimes could not help but categorize other people. “It’s not something I like to do myself, but it is how others tend to describe Pokemon. It refers to the type of abilities they are able to use. But I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you feel like fruit.”

The Leavanny crossed her arms across her chest. How rude! Oh well. It wasn’t as if she wanted this overgrown Lillipup trying to get cozy with her and her kids. 

“You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to, Kalera, and it’s certainly not necessary for you to associate with the Pokemon of this forest. I just want you to be aware, for your own safety, and for you to know that this world isn’t nuts as you say. Of course it must be very foreign to you, but it certainly has its share of beauty. I hope you’ll come to like something about it eventually.”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

To be quite frank, these were some of the strangest creatures she had ever seen. Was this what the world had spawned while she was asleep? There had been nothing like these ‘sewaddle’ and ‘leavanny’ and ‘venipede’ creatures, at least that she knew of, before.

“People categorise animals now? Sheesh. I’m starting to feel more and more like a piece of fruit.” Would they try and peg her as being some kind of ‘type’ as well? If it wasn’t for the fact that her pride was at stake in doing so, she would have asked.

“I already have to try and blend in with the humans, and now I gotta climb around with the insects too? Gee, whatever. The world’s going nuts in the present day, guess I have to catch up.”

Her attempt at naming him earned an indignant huff from the Sewaddle and a chuckle from N. 

“Not quite. It’s called Sewaddle– a Pokemon humans categorize as a partial Grass, partial Bug-type. The leaves it wears aren’t cabbage at all, but foliage it collects in the forest. These were collected by this one’s mother–” He nodded to the larger Pokemon behind him, who was still keeping her other Sewaddle children from getting too close to the intimidating creature that was Kal. “–Leavanny.” He gestured then to the purple insect beside him. “This one is called Venipede, categorized as a partial Poison-type.”

“There are countless species of Pokemon in this world. Now that you’re here, I think it would be best if you began to familiarize yourself with them.”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

“N.” Perhaps if she knew anything of the alphabet she might have had some comment on the name, but as far as she was concerned, it was just another word. He didn’t seem to mean any harm, and she could tell he wasn’t a demon, so she might as well be polite. “It’s... nice to meet you?” Was that still a thing that humans said to each other? Not that she had any reason to try acting like one now, of course.

The names of these creatures? Did that mean there was more than one species? “I dunno. Cabbage? It certainly looks like one.”

“I… see. They do sound unpleasant.” 

Some humans fit that description as well, he thought. But he opted not to dwell on it.

“Well, I do know of a few quadruped Pokemon that have wings, but–” Those were reptilian, and those that were mammalian and could fly did not have wings, he would have continued, but she told him not to answer her question. He shut his mouth with an apologetic look.

“Kalera, then. My name is N.”

The Sewaddle on his knee gave a squeak– a Bug-type equivalent to a “Hey!”– and N glanced down at it. “If you didn’t know about Pokemon at all, I suppose you don’t know the names of these ones, hm…?”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

“Demons; oddball creatures, come in all shapes and sizes, often created from unrest spirits... tend to go on killing sprees. Most of the time they don’t even eat what they kill. Makes a terrible mess of the environment.” Her dictionary definition was vague at best, and she almost fell into the category herself, but to Kal, the belief alone that she wasn’t one was enough to prove it.

At his question, she automatically unfolded a wing, looking over her shoulder at it as if she had no idea what he was asking about. “What, you think these are just for decoration? Of course I can fly.” Hopefully he wouldn’t ask for a demonstration. She was a little out of practice. “You ain’t ever seen a flying dog before? Actually-- never mind, don’t answer that.”

“And my name’s not ‘Dog’. It’s Kalera. Kal for short. You got a name, or are you just ‘Human’?”

Now he was wondering what she would label “terrible”, but refrained from asking. “Well… I hope you’re right. I don’t know what exactly a demon is, but I can’t condone unjustified killings.”

He sensed that bit of hopefulness in her voice, and didn’t need to lie to encourage it.

“A little, I suppose. Yes.” Not terrified, but certainly on edge.

He made a bit of a face as she continued. He wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about, but Pokemon that ate others while they were still alive came to mind. Still, he did not conceptualize them as food. He changed the subject.

“Well, ah– Dog…?” Was that the name she preferred? It was what she’d called herself. “I’m curious about your abilities. You have wings, so I assume you can fly?”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

“Well, if you don’t have any intention of hurting anyone, I don’t have any reason to, right? Unless you’ve done something particularly terrible in the past to get put on my hit list, but hey, spirits are very forgiving, y’know? They’re just a little discriminatory towards mindless evil, but I’m pretty sure demons don’t have feelings. They don’t take it personally.”

“Why, did I scare you?” She was trying to mock him, but the question almost seemed to be edged with a dash of hope. Kal may have been made as a guardian, but that didn’t mean she had to make her job obviously known. Besides, with her current attitude, she wasn’t particularly scary.

“Oh, and I can confirm that food does in fact, sometimes, have a voice. But that’s the kinda stuff that doesn’t agree with your stomach too well and is better off left for the vultures.”

“Oh.” Well, those actually did sound like fairly reasonable things to call “bad”, even if N could argue that sometimes they might be necessary or occur by accident. Human settlements were sometimes fragile, and people ate Pokemon all the time.

“I… suppose that is a possibility. Though I don’t see how that factor would lead to this result.” And it was a little unpleasant for him to consider, like the voices of countless Pokemon killed for their meat had somehow been transmitted to him. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “In any case, food doesn’t have a voice. Neither do dead Pokemon.”

His smile had taken on a nervous twist, and faded completely as Kal continued. N couldn’t imagine what a demon was, let alone debate whether or not her decision to kill it had been just, but the fact she was comparing him to something she’d murdered put him a bit on edge.

“Yes, I’m quite sure.” Quite sure, and yet a small voice in the back of his head suggested now, unhelpfully, What if you’re not, what if you’re lying? He swallowed. “Human or not, I have no intention of hurting anyone.” As if to make his point, he reached down to delicately stroke the Sewaddle that remained perched on his knee. It squeaked, and N smiled, before raising his head again to look at Kal. “You won’t kill me, will you?”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

“Y’know, like, something terrible. Destroy a village, eat a human for lunch -- that sort of thing.” She waved a paw, as if such things were trivial everyday occurrences. Maybe they were. How was she to know what a mess the human population had made of themselves in the past few thousand years?

“Maybe your mother ate a lot of meat, or something. You spent all that time close to the spirits of the animals and it gave you the ability to understand them.” Of course, that wasn’t a serious assumption, but it may well have sounded like one. “On the other hand, that would probably have given you the ability to understand food, and talking to bread sounds unhealthy.”

She’d met other non-canine creatures who could understand her words before, but... “Are you sure you’re human? The last time a person understood me they turned out to be a demon. It was kinda sad, really. I had to kill it before it attacked the humans. Would’ve been a great friend, if it wasn’t for the whole ‘bloodthirsty monster’ aspect. Total clash of personalities.”

“No?” 

Surely, they were not dogs like her; she called them people. Again, he could not help but be confounded by the idea of creatures that were neither human or Pokemon existing.

“Life energy…?” And that was also rather baffling. Those that had imprisoned her had no physical form, but could still keep tabs on her actions? “How would they define ‘terrible’?”

She turned the topic back on him. Maybe he’d been asking too much.

“Oh. Well, I don’t know exactly how that power was granted to me, but I doubt a magic pond played any factor.” He smiled as he said that, but his mouth quickly twisted into a frown. How would he know a magic pond had played no factor? Perhaps it had. “Since I was a child, I’ve simply listened and heard the voices of the Pokemon around me. I used to think all people could hear them– it was so easy for me– but… that’s clearly not so.”

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

"If they come back for me, I think they'd probably end up creating a panic in the process. I'm no expert, but after a few millenia I think anything left of them would be pretty disgusting." There was almost a laugh in her words. She may have rather disliked the ones who created her, but it was better than not existing at all, right? "But I wouldn't exactly call them humans. Granted they did look a lot like them."

"They're kinda the reason I'm back now, though. Their life energy is inside me, or some crap like that. They can just snuff it out any time they like. As long as I don't do anything terrible, though, they promised not to. Never said anything about it depending on how much I tell others." That didn't mean she wasn't wary, though. If information falling in the wrong ears could be the difference between life and death, her snark pride wasn't going to overpower her natural will to survive.

"Well, now you've made me pour out a life story to you, what kind of magic pond did you fall in to become fluent with animals?"

That prompted several questions to pop into his head, the first of which was asked with a hint of distaste.

"You were created by humans?" He knew of a number of Pokemon that had been brought to life or altered by people, and once believed them to be inherently inferior. Now, he was not so sure. In any case… 

"That’s terrible… Created by people or not, you’re obviously a creature with sentience. You can’t be alive solely to cater to the whims of humans. What a dreadful existence, to live as a tool. I wouldn’t blame you even if you were neglecting this job of yours." 

He considered asking what exactly that job was, but deemed it an unnecessary question. His statement would stand no matter what it was.

"Well, you’re certainly not locked away anymore, hm? What do you intend to do now? Those people— Will they come back for you?"

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

"Sure, we'll say that." Kal didn't have the slightest clue as to what had happened while she was gone; just that she was back now and everything was so different.

"Well..." Hmm, there was definitely a long story behind that one. A long and very complicated story. As much as this person seemed trustworthy, he was still a person, a stranger no less, and she definitely didn't plan on telling him everything. "The people who created me thought I wasn't doing my job well enough. They decided it would be too difficult and too much of a waste to kill me off for good, so they sorta... locked me away in case I'd come in handy later."

"Asleep?" N could accept that idea quicker than most. His thoughts immediately jumped to the legendary dragons, sleeping thousands of years away in their dormant forms. A while could mean any number of things. “Hmm… One of my friends was also asleep for a very long time. It told me that, in another era, humans didn’t have a name for Pokemon. Perhaps you’re from a time in which that term didn’t exist? There may have been fewer species then as well.”

"… Why were you asleep?"

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

So that was what he was trying to do. Kal wasn't opposed to being petted -- after all, humans had done so before, back when she was nothing more than a guardian. There was no denying it was nice, though.

"A different world? Eh... might as well be. I've been... asleep for a while." A long while. A lot seemed to have changed in said time.

"Dog."

He repeated the word reverently, like it was some mysterious foreign tongue that was beyond him. Apparently, he was taking her answer quite seriously. Persevering in his quest to pet her, his fingertips eventually brushed one of her ears, and he drew his hand away then, some curiosity satisfied. Her fur didn’t feel too different from what he expected.

"In this world, there are humans and there are Pokemon. That’s all. To think you didn’t know what a Pokemon was… I wonder, have you come from a different world, then?"

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

Clearly not understanding that he was trying to pet her, she tilted her head sightly so she could still see him past his hand. That was true; she definitely wasn't human, even if she could transform her shape right now and make him eat his words -- but no, there was no good in pretending to be a human if he already knew what she really was.

"I'm... a dog? Yeah. Yeah, we'll go with that." Well, it was at least 50% true, right?

"Pokemon."

Her attempt at the word earned a slight grin from him, until he realized just how bizarre her confusion was. Now that she was close enough, he carefully leaned forward and reached his hand out toward her head, not quite touching, ready to pull it back if she reacted negatively to it.

"How strange… What else could you be? You certainly aren’t human."

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt -- after all, what were a couple of insects to her anyway? -- she took another step forward. At his words, though, she paused.

"Poke-air-men?" There was mention of that word again, as badly as she was likely mispronouncing it. "Of course I'm not one of these pokey-shmokeys. I'm a--" A... what exactly? Combination of various DNA didn't sound like a particularly catchy species name. "Well... I ain't one of them, anyway."

He lowered his hand just slightly. “What? Of course not. They aren’t mine to command, anyway.” He glanced down at the Pokemon. “And there’s no need to fight.”

The Venipede that had its stingers raised defensively backed down at that. The Leavanny stood her ground, keeping the pair of young Sewaddle behind her. A third, particularly daring one crawled across N’s leg, perching on his knee to get a better look at Kal.

"You speak as if you don’t know what they are. They’re only Pokemon, you know. Like you. Right?"

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

... What did that gesture mean? Was it one of those strange human actions, or was he trying to communicate with her in some way? If he could understand what she was saying, he might make a good dictionary for human thoughts -- but no, that'd just be embarrassing. She couldn't stoop that low.

With the self-assured knowledge that there was probably no way that one single human would be able to hurt her, she slowly walked towards him. That was what the gesture meant, right? That he wanted her to do that? ... Why?

But he wasn't just a singular human; there were all these insects here too. If he could communicate with them as easily as he could with her... "This is a trap, isn't it. You're going to set those creatures on me."

"Are you surprised?" A chuckle. "Yes, I’m fairly sure that I am. Though I suppose it might not seem like it."

"I don’t know. But I do know that a mother’s diet isn’t a determinant of her offspring’s species.”

Cautiously, he held out a hand, apparently beckoning Kal to come closer. A Pokemon would have tried to investigate his scent by now, so he’d offer her a chance to do just that. The insects that he’d been speaking to before were shying away a bit, wary but not quite afraid of the new presence.

"I walk through these woods often, but I’ve never seen a Pokemon quite like you before…"

[moonlit-spirits-blog]

He could understand her. As a dog. That was weird. That was so weird. That shouldn't be able to happen!

"Are you sure you're a human? Like, maybe even a few percent that's not. Perhaps there's some plant in there too. Your mother eat a lot of lettuce?"

Pokemon were sometimes just as skeptical about N’s ability as people were, and so her doubt had little effect. He continued to smile.

"It’s not a joke. You see? I can understand you just fine."