Vixenscratch

It was the sort of thing that happened.

Not to him, oh no, it was most definitely not the sort of thing that happened to him. But to other people. It was the sort of thing that happened, now and again. No big deal. Not even the sort of thing one planned on — especially not the sort of thing he planned on, God forbid! — but just the sort of thing that happened. One thing leading to another, and, well… that sort of thing. Exactly that sort of thing. With other people, of course. Not him.

(more…)

There was a bite in the air that hadn’t been there a week ago. Nothing drastic, just a crisp edge with a smell that somehow managed to bring potato skins to mind. Leaves rustled around her feet as she walked a few feet to the side of the path, and cracked under her weight with every step. The sensation of that very brief resistance before the dry brown-orange-yellow leaves succumbed to the pressure was somehow invigorating. One of the few things she had that were.  Above her head, the maples that lined every path of the public park stretched out branches decorated for Halloween. Red, orange and yellow, every bit as beautiful as the lights that would be wrapped around the trees’ naked fingers come the Christmas season. Maybe more for being nature’s own invention, rather than coming from the interference of man.

(more…)

“Aww, Mooom…” the boy whined, rubbing his muzzle with the back of his hand. “I’m feeling better now, honest!”

“I’m sure you are, Blake.” The female quagga, her mane cropped so short it might as well not be there, sounded thoroughly unconvinced. “And I’m sure it has nothing at all to do with Charlie and his sled waiting in the yard.”

(more…)

The front door of the shop chimed, attracting the attention of the Chinese crested dog who was the current clerk on duty. The shelf he was straightening blocked his view of the entrance, but it certainly didn’t block sound; he continued sorting misplaced DVDs with his ears pricked for the time being. Footfalls reached him, and he counted only a few of them before they stopped. Seconds ticked by, steadily piling up into minutes, but, far as the dog could tell, whoever had walked into the Lovers’ Lagoon didn’t move.

(more…)

Raek’s day had been good so far. Not just good, but great. Being able to get close to his boyfriend was still new enough, novel enough, to give him an almost heady sense of empowerment, and then having the opportunity to tell his therapist about it certainly didn’t diminish his accomplishment. Having taken this step, normalcry, something more resembling who he had been before Jake, might actually be in reach. And once he was back to something closer to his old self, maybe his life could be turned right-side-up as well.

(more…)

<<< Back to Fox’s Time to Shine

Albion had protested when his father called Darren’s victory. Not because there was much doubt as to whether Darren’s single Pokémon had beaten both of his, but because the way in which they had been beaten was, to say the least, out of the ordinary. Brock’s final word on the matter had simply been that since official Pokémon League rules didn’t disallow Pokémon evolving during a battle, he wasn’t going to call a Pokémon doing so cheating, no matter how unexpected it had been. It did result in Darren and Heather being delayed to alleviate the Gym Leader’s curiosity, but within the hour they had still been on the road, Darren now being in possession of two Gym Badges.

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<<< Back to Just a Pokémon?

Breakfast, shared with their hosts, was both tasty and filling, and Darren easily settled into his appointed role drying dishes during the cleaning-up when they were all finished. It made him feel accepted, and helped soothe some of the insecurity about his own nature that the previous night had sparked. More food was packed into Heather’s bag, and Brock even found a slightly beat-up old messenger bag for Darren that he packed with a flashlight, some odds and ends, Pokéchow for both Darren and his Pokémon, and a few sandwiches wrapped in wax paper.

(more…)

<<< Back to Brock-Steady

The Stones’ dinner table did not have the overwhelming number of dishes that the meal served by Heather’s aunts had featured, and the mood was more casual, as well, putting Darren at relative ease. The conversation around the table was light, simple, familiar, without ever getting intrusive, and the food…

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<<< Back to The Lights in the Tunnel

It wasn’t yet quite dark when Heather knocked on the door to the modest house adjoining Pewter City Gym, Darren anxiously shifting a step or two behind her, trying to will himself less eye-catching and knowing he could do no such thing. Fox had come out of his Pokéball again soon after they’d left the tunnel through Mt Moon, and was currently curled up in his arms. He had to smile a little, despite himself, when the Pokémon reached up and gave his face a couple of licks for reassurance. What a trainer he was; his Pokémon looked out for him at least as much as, if not more than, he was capable of looking out for them.

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<<< Back to Trek Along Route 4

The passage through Mount Moon was nothing like the Onix’s cave that they’d passed through on their way to Cerulean City. That tunnel had been rough, and they’d come through it with Heather’s Charmander’s tail as their only light source. This one had either been worked smooth with tools, or worn smooth by generations of Pokémon trainers passing through, and was lit by subtle, dim lights mounted along the walls of the main passage. Those lights took a while to get used to; something about them was different both from daylight and from the harsh fluorescent lights Darren had grown up under. But when their eyes got used to it, the lights were bright enough to see their way by.

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