Noctowl’s six sharp talons had been perched on top of the thin greystone chimney of her master’s three-story farmhouse. Unshaken by the sudden drop in temperature, as the whistling winds began to chill her backside. As the owl’s head rotated 180 degrees to look beyond their wooded backyard, and at those distant mountains that were further south of them. With her piercing red gaze, able to cut through the encroaching darkness, while she watched how quickly the storm clouds moved overhead and enveloped the early afternoon sky. Only to instantly turn her focus around and down below, as she overheard the creaking sound coming from the opened front doorway. Easily spotting their youngest family member - a prematurely-evolved Croconaw - proudly waddling himself across the dirt path outside. Letting the door swing closed on its own, as he proceeded to stomp his way up north. Notably getting more used to his growth spurt, since he hadn’t tripped over himself yet.
Prompting the brown owl to sigh gently and descend from on high, as she called out his moniker from above. Using her usual prim-and-proper tone, to catch the chunky gator’s attention, as his head tilted backward to stare up at her. “Hatchling. How many times have I told you about sneaking out without supervision?” She questioned, before landing on the bright red awning above the front door. Her head tilted slightly to the left, as she waited for his excuse.
“But you’re already watching over me.” The croconaw contested in his deeper, albeit still juvenile-sounding voice. As he grinned and raised his stubby little arms in the air. “And you’re doing such a great job too!” He declared with bombastic enthusiasm. Striking ‘The Resident Watcher’ where she was most vulnerable, and seeing results almost immediately, when Noctowl’s wings were lifted to conceal her face.
“Oh. S-stop that.” She stammered. Being interrupted by the boom of thunder, and the frigid drizzle that soon followed. “Y-you know it’s my duty to make sure that nobody gets hurt.” Noctowl mumbled shyly, behind her feathers. Feeling her puffed chest pounding, as she tried to calm herself. “And I know how much you like playing in the water, hatchling. But it’s much too risky for you to run off somewhere, when a lightning strike could-” Noctowl hastily elaborated, before she stopped to notice that he had long since scampered off. Seeing Croconaw running past a broken section of fence, that led him over a big hill, down into a sprawling field that went on for miles. Not long before the light rain showers turned into a heavy downpour.
Leaving Noctowl with no choice—but to rise upward into the small window on the second floor that was always left open for her. Oh my. I hope he’ll at least stay near the barn... She thought, proceeding to head inside. Where everyone else in her family was safe and asleep. All unaware that they’d have their first trespasser in a while—and that the child would soon cross paths with them.
* * *
The peaceful traveling weather had turned foreboding rather abruptly. With the thunder clapping as if it was a captivated audience. Creating non-stop noise around her and giving the unsheltered pokemon caught in the middle of nowhere, its full wrath. So how fortunate was it to find a huge red barn within her sights?