Marlowe

Clans of the Coast

Very rarely, Frostpaw wished she was a medicine cat. They held secrets that they couldn’t disclose to the rest of the Clans, and just as she expected, Embersky didn’t give a clear and direct answer. It’s like he’s saying maybe they’re angry with us, but they haven’t said anything yet… as far as us as normal apprentices and warriors know.. Things had been the same for so long; each one of the four Clans remained within their borders for as far back as elders can remember. How could StarClan be okay with such a sudden change?

Lionpaw’s words rang dimly within her mind, but she was fully snapped out of her thoughts when Embersky’s green eyes wavered to her. ”Yes, thank you, Embersky.” She nodded her head, then flicked her tail to signal Lionpaw and Reedpaw to follow. After she gave the medicine cat a farewell and padded out of the medicine den.

”I guess we don’t have to worry about StarClan punishing us for now,” she joked in a dry voice, making her way back to the fresh-kill pile. ”But don’t blame me if it starts raining snails soon.”

PMD: Explorers of the Unknown

It really looked like this was going to be an easier mission. That was to be expected, she thought. Cash would be crazy to put them on a tough case when they had just met each other. Lumi listened to what the others had to say before Cash trod towards the entrance to the meeting room and left. They were finally alone. She tossed a glance at Sora, wondering if he would be the one to approach her. She prayed he wouldn’t; she hadn’t even figured out what to even say to him.

”Breakfast sounds great! Any suggestions?” Rieka leapt off the chair and padded to the Quilava. ”Actually, we should introduce ourselves first! I’m Rieka, that’s Enya, and Marlow… and Lumi, the leader of our team back at Fisher Town!”

Marlow raised a paw to his chest and dipped his snout as Enya fluttered back over to his shoulder. ”Pleasure.”

”So, yeah, any suggestions? I’m starving here,” Enya squawked.

Lumi looked between all of them. Despite not having eaten for hours, she didn’t feel hungry at all. She pushed away from the table and made her way back to the door. ”You guys go ahead without me. I’ll catch up,” she told them before she slipped out of the room.

Marlow, Rieka, and Enya watched her departure, but only Marlow frowned. Meanwhile, Rieka turned back towards the rest. Her eyes glowed with excitement. ”Sorry about Lumi, she can be a bit weird sometimes. Anyways… about that breakfast…”

Wings of Fire: Clouded Visions

Vivid crouched lower to the ground when Frostbite roared out of anticipation and, honestly, a little bit of fear. She thought she would be quick enough to dodge his attack, what with the size and shape of her body, but he was surprisingly fast. His initial attack knocked the breath out of her as she was sent skidding across the sand. She tried to recuperate, but her eyes widened in shock when she saw his paw raise to claw her face. Her heart racing, she tried to shield herself with her wings in preparation for the blow, but even the second part of the attack was way too quick. Luckily, she was only met with a smack that half-dazed her. Thank the moons he didn’t claw her– his talons were so terrifying, she was sure they’d rend her in half.

Somewhat disoriented, yet still full of vigor, Vivid snarled as she charged at Frostbite with all of the speed she could muster. She leapt into the air and clung to his shoulder before she sunk her teeth into the side of his neck. Vivid was careful not to exert too much pressure as to terribly wound him, and she was sure to keep any of her venom from slipping into his blood. Her heart thumped in her chest. What came next? Oh, right, she should probably claw him. Her talons scratched at his dark scales, leaving shallow scrapes that didn’t produce much blood, if any at all. She could feel the SandWings’ eyes on them, Caracal’s own scorching into her back like the desert sun. Vivid knew she had to feign a proper fight, unless they saw through their ruse. Things would get bad quickly if they did, and she was sure that Frostbite’s plan would get buried under the sand beneath them.

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Munehisa [@Solace], Nagi [@Psyker Landshark]

Asumi tipped her head to the side at Nagi’s remark, her lips screwed up in a questioning pout. ”Uh… I guess?” she asked, although she didn’t know what her friend was talking about. She sent a glance over at Munehisa, but the boy seemed just as confused as she was. What she didn’t notice was the way the crow reacted to Nagi’s statement. Its head leaned back and its eyes seemed to bulge out of its skull. After its moment of apparent frustration, it tucked its head back into its body and fluffed out its feathers, assuming a pitiful appearance. Asumi frowned down at it and cradled it closer to her chest. What Nagi said made sense. She wanted to be a vet and all, but this guy could help the crow more than she could at the moment.

”Okay… you can take him. But if anything happens, just shoot me a text, ‘kay?” Asumi’s voice held a low chime to it and her eyes became downcast as she held out the bundle towards Nagi. When her friend took the bird into her arms, she felt like rocks piled onto her back. Had she really been that bad of a caretaker to the crow? Now that she looked at it, it seemed a lot happier, cuddling into Nagi’s chest and crooning like a baby. Her shoulders sagged for a moment, but only for a moment– she forced a smile onto her face and raised a hand. ”Well, I better get going. Got lots of studying to do. Like I said, hit me up if there’s anything you need. See you guys later!”

She didn’t give Nagi or Munehisa the chance to answer. Asumi turned on her heel and trotted towards the hill that led up to the school’s gates before she disappeared over the edge.

PMD: Explorers of the Unknown

So, the end product was an expedition to Ember Cave. She wasn’t going to lie, that pair of words sent bolts of electricity up her spine and made her nearly bristle on the spot. Thoughts flashed back to that room, to Cane touching the Sage Stones, his body writhing and contracting and becoming that giant monster. No. She wouldn’t go back there, not even if they paid her a million gold. At least, Cash wasn’t interested in sending them there for now. Their first destination was Blackwood Forest, where Pokemon were said to enter and never return. Honestly, not a story that was hard to believe. Sage Stones were becoming more and more prominent around the globe. Could it be that there were some that had begun to sprout there?

Enya ruffled her feathers. ”Got no questions here, sir,” she peeped. Turning to the rest of her team, she blinked at them curiously. ”How about you lot?”

”Sounds pretty straightforward to me,” Rieka nodded as she looked at the Yamper, Vulpix, Quilava, and other Eevee in excitement. ”Should be easy with this many Pokemon, right?”

Marlow hummed and raised a paw to his chin. His ear flicked idly as he was in deep thought, and his eyes raised to the ceiling. ”Do we know what type of Pokemon roam the forest?”

”Type? It’s a forest, you lousy overthinker,” Enya snapped with a flare of her wings. ”There’s probably going to be like, Grass-types, Water-types, all of that kind of stuff.”

Water-types. I hate Water-types, Lumi shuddered. Shrugging off any resurging memories, she glanced at the Yamper and Vulpix. ”We got coverage for those types, and Enya can help, too–”

”I meant if there are any Sage Stones in the Blackwood Forest.” Marlow affirmed his question. He set his paw down on the table carefully, his gaze sweeping back to Cash. ”I heard there’s a difference between feral Pokemon and Pokemon that have gone berserk because of the Stones. I think we should be prepared for anything. If we aren’t, then a tragedy is bound to happen.”

A silence passed through Lumi’s team. Marlow was oft quiet and overly mellow, but when he spoke his words made one think– most of the time. Other times, Rieka, Enya, and him made her head hurt. Could there be Pokemon that have gone berserk in the Blackwood Forest? she pondered, glancing down at the map again. Or even worse… how about Pokemon that have been corrupted by the Sage Stones, if there are any?

Clans of the Coast

She couldn’t help but smile when she saw that both Reedpaw and Lionpaw had decided to accompany her to the medicine den. They had quite the gathering of apprentices so far– they were just one off from having all of the apprentices of the Clan bundled together, and for that she was thankful. Scorchpaw was Lionpaw’s brother and all, but his head was so hot and his tongue was so sharp that she was sure that he would have gotten in her way and say that her idea was boring or whatnot. With a flick of her tail, she meandered the rest of the way to the medicine den and watched Lionpaw stick his head inside.

When he didn’t say anything immediately, Frostpaw couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Though, Embersky’s voice made her perk up again, and she didn’t waste time in asking her question. ”I was talking with Nightwater earlier and Reedpaw said something that sounded interesting. So, we heard about this whole alliance thing with FireClan and stuff, but does StarClan actually approve of something like that or are we just making them angry by merging Clans?”

There she was again, being upfront. Times like these were where she noticed it the most. She was old enough to know that medicine cats were finicky at best; Embersky would probably try to loop around her question if she wasn’t clear enough.

Wings of Fire: Clouded Visions

Every single one of her footsteps felt like they were weighed down with boulders. From the shallowest end of the tunnel, she heard the cries of the dragons who hollered for bloodshed and gore. She shuddered. How could they be so willing to see their own kind tear each other apart? If they even consider them at least half their own kind. Vivid wished she could just turn invisible, but then they’d just laugh at her and force her to fight anyway. The light on the other side of the tunnel became brighter and brighter, closer and closer, until both of them were shoved out into the hot daylight once again by the guards.

Her ear pricked slightly at the other hybrid’s warning. His words registered in her head, though they were quickly drowned out by what laid in front of them. Rows and rows of dragons, mostly SandWings, hooted and roared from the siderows. An elaborately-decorated booth, cloaked with golden silks and trimmed with silver, was nestled above the rows of writhing heads and wings. There stood Queen Caracal, flanked by two more SandWing guards. Her scales were a brilliant bronze color and her underbelly was a lovely cream, though what caught her attention the most were the black markings that surrounded her eyes and ran down the length of her muzzle. Her ivory horns were adorned with golden rings and bangles inlaid with topaz. Vivid had heard many things of Queen Caracal– of her sheer beauty, her deadly temper, and how she was the only queen in the whole existence of Pyrrhia who ruled both the SandWing Kingdom and the Scorpion’s Den. That went to show where her morals lay…

Caracal’s wings flared from her seat as her eyes, black as pitch, settled on the dark SandWing from earlier. ”What is the meaning of this, Boa? I thought I ordered that the trophies were not to set foot in the ring.” Her voice lingered between a hiss and a snarl.

Boa stepped out into the ring behind them. ”No worries your Majesty. I thought that you might like something a little more entertaining before your meal.”

”The NightWing monster will kill that puny thing in an instant with its ice breath. Answer me this– how will I sell a dead or crippled trophy? Its worth will be gone in an instant.”

”Ah, that’s the thing, my Queen,” Boa answered with a flick of her black tongue. ”Let them fight using only their strength. No poison, no ice breath, nothing of the sort. It will thrill the onlookers… along with your palette.”

Queen Caracal grinned, revealing golden fangs that glinted in the desert heat. ”Very well, then. Let them fight. If something happens, though…” She slowly raised a paw and pointed a golden claw in the SandWing’s direction. ”Let it be on your head, Boa.”

Boa bowed her head and fanned out her wings. The other guards beside her did the same. With that, the crowds’ voices raised in excitement once again. Their roars drowned out the thumping of her heart in her ears and muted her thoughts. Before she knew it, she was shoved to one end of the arena. Her shackles were undone, and the unburdening of her wings and limbs felt like she had just ascended to the moons themselves. A sigh left her maw as she raised a paw to rub at her tender scales around her wrists and muzzle. Then, she glanced up at the other hybrid across the Pit. They were both ready to fight. How did one even fight a NightWing-IceWing hybrid, though? Just because he couldn’t use his ice breath didn’t mean he couldn’t read her mind. If he even had those powers to begin with, that is.

Vivid stood up on all-fours and ducked her head, standing her ground in front of Frostbite. If he was confident that his plan could work, then she might as well go along with it. Her yellow eyes glimmered with anticipation as her scales slowly shifted into a vibrant indigo. The crowd’s roars turned into chanting as the battle was wont to begin.

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Munehisa [@Solace], Nagi [@Psyker Landshark]

”Hey, you don’t know that. Crows can peck through anything they want, I’m pretty sure,” Asumi retorted, a light blush crossing her cheeks. They could, couldn’t they? She had seen videos of them tearing apart trash. Were those just American crows? She couldn’t remember. Scratching the back of her head, she was about to continue speaking when Nagi’s expression suddenly contorted and she spluttered out in surprise. Her outburst surprised her in turn, and Asumi cocked her head up at her in alarm. ”Huh? Wha– are you okay?”

Oh. It was just her phone. What could possibly be so important that it caused her to freak out like that? ”So, anyways, this crow just smashed into Chen’s window, and I–”

The crow was not as temporarily dim-witted as Asumi was. Its head snapped up towards Nagi, eyes wide in alarm. ”Wait. Can you understand me?!” it cawed. Its uninjured wing fluttered open as it struggled to get on its feet, but it staggered and nearly fell back on its face. ”Ou-CAW! You can understand me, right?! You need to get me away from her! She’s force-feeding me treats every minute and just talks and sings non-stop! CRAW! PLEASE HELP ME!”

Asumi looked back at the crow. ”Oh great. It’s gonna get all dirty again…” she sighed and rubbed the back of her head. Kneeling down, she gathered both the blanket and crow in her arms and held it close to her chest. The crow struggled briefly in her grip, though after a moment of shuffling about, it relented and rested its head against her chest.

”I think it likes me! Wouldn’t it be cool if I like, kept it as a pet or something?” she giggled. ”I could get it to cosplay cute anime characters! Oh, or maybe Pokemon!”

The crow stared up at Nagi and Munehisa pleadingly, its eyes seemingly watering up with emotion. Its beak opened one last time to release a drawn-out groan of desperation. Of course, Asumi was completely oblivious towards the fact, humming a tune as she cradled the bird even closer to her chest.

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Munehisa [@Solace], Nagi [@Psyker Landshark], Masashi [@Zombehs]

Damn it. She hadn’t thought of the stray cats. At least the shrubbery would have provided it with some shelter, along with the blanket she covered it with. It was perfectly fine when she checked it during lunch, so it should still be fine. She had also wrapped its wing in a bandage that kept its wing in place, so maybe it didn’t need to be brought to the vet just yet. Besides, it was the perfect practice! In the midst of her pondering, Masashi bid his farewell, and she waved at him as he departed. ”See you later! Don’t forget to do your homework!” she called out after him.

She guided both Munehisa and Nagi outside of the school and towards the right, where the bushes were at their thickest and her blanket and snacks were likely to be overlooked by the staff. ”I don’t think it needs a vet yet! It’s not like it’s not eating and it doesn’t have a fever… I think. And it was here during lunch, so I don’t think anyone bothered it…” The crow had slept well and eaten a good breakfast, which was a good sign. If it got any worse, then she would take it to an actual doctor. Her eyes darted across the shrubbery for any sign of the brown blanket before they finally landed on a strange looking indent in the middle of the leaves.

”There it is!” Asumi strode to the bush and pushed aside some of the canopy of green leaves. There was the blanket, undisturbed, and she lifted it carefully to reveal a rather grumpy crow with ruffled feathers. The granola bar she had left behind for it had remained untouched, and it seemed like it had slept the whole time it was there. Its crimson eyes blinked up at herit clapped its beak once, its head cocking up at them in a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.

”Great, she brought more of them,” it croaked tiredly. The crow shuffled its wings, the bandage around the wounded limb preventing much movement. ”And these two look dumber than the rest of ‘em…”

Asumi looked back at Nagi and Munehisa, a smile that resembled one of someone who had just won a prize or found a pile of gold at the end of a rainbow. ”See? Isn’t it cute? Its wing is busted up, but I don’t think it’s broken. Prob just sprained or fractured.

Wings of Fire: Clouded Visions

The SandWing’s gaze penetrated her scales like swords. Slowly, she raised a curled claw in her direction. ”You.” Her words dripped with venom as her forked tongue slipped out from between her fangs. She grinned and the flash of her teeth made ice course through her veins. ”I’ll take you.”

Vivid’s eyes widened to the size of all three moons combined. Her scales became as pale as the inside of a ripe lime, and the SandWing snickered as she trembled in her shackles. ”I’m sure her Majesty would love to see something like you prove your mettle. Even a trophy should have some worth, am I right?”

Before she knew it, Vivid was dragged from the wall by several SandWing guards. The darker SandWing’s head turned back and forth, scanning the rest of the hybrids, as Vivid’s mind raced. Was this where she was going to die? In the middle of some pit in the SandWing kingdom? There was nowhere to run or hide. If she was going to fight someone, she could always try to blend into the environment, but her “tainted” blood prevented her from fully vanishing into the background. If she was lucky, the SandWing in charge would choose someone–

”I want that tainted NightWing-IceWing abomination as well.” the SandWing female growled.

Oh no. Not that one. That one always won his fights. She saw what he did to that poor SkyWing. How did it feel to die by an IceWing’s frost breath? Did it burn, did it sting? She shuddered as she watched the guards pull him from the wall and towards where they walked. By now, he could definitely tell that she was shivering. Anyone could, really. Her chains clinked together more than usual, and her steps were light and shaky. Her eyes avoided his own, and instead she kept them locked onto the sandy cobblestone floors as her mind ran rampant. They were guided down a small corridor and into a tunnel, and the cobblestone slowly became sand beneath their claws.

They were almost at the Pit. Vivid’s fate would be waiting for her there.