Into the (Darkhowl) Woods! (Chap. 2 late sub.)

This was annoying.

The map was practically unreadable in the darkness of the woods surrounding Akino, the density of the overhanging canopy above blocked any rays of sunlight from seeping through to illuminate anything. Even the parchment which his mission was inscribed on was illegible, whether it be the sloppiness of the handwriting, the darkness, or a combined effort of both. However, he knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing, though he wasn't too thrilled.

A search and retrieval mission of some shiny brat with potions and magic. Based on the description he was given, he knew the kid was going to be a nuisance to catch, so he wasn't exactly jubilant to be searching for them. The feeling was so intense in fact, that the shiny electrike abandoned the mission altogether, instead deciding to leave for Tabira once more. There was only one problem.

He was lost.

Akino swung his head from side to side, eyes roving the darkened landscape in front of him, struggling to determine which direction to head next.

Roots, bushes, and other low positioned foliage were big obstacles on their own, having had to learn the hard way that some of the bushes were skillfully cloaking brambles in their depths. He could still feel some thorns buried into his thick fur...and let's not forget the scratches he obtained on his face from the low hanging branches constantly hitting him. This was of course because of not being able to see them right in front of his face until it was too late. After one branch got him good right in the schnoz, he knew he needed to sit and think for a moment instead of walking around aimlessly only to get more lost and more injured. His first plan of action was to just pick a direction and head that way. He would have to eventually find an exit with that plan right?

Wrong.

The electrike's prominent eyebrows furrowed, giving a 'tch' before turning back to return to the direction he believed he came from.

The only issue was that he walked in the direction of the deepest part of the woods, hence the darknesses intensity. Ever since then he is convinced he has been walking in circles. He always had a bad sense of direction so he wasn't too surprised things turned out like this, but it didn't mean he wasn't allowed to be annoyed by this unfortunate luck that constantly plagued him.

An eruption of caws sounded around him before the noise migrated to one area, his head perking and following the commotion to where it seemed to halt in an area of rest. He blinked thrice as if with each closing of his eyelids his vision got more clear. Locals? Perhaps they could direct him out of this labyrinth. As much as he hated social activity, he would tolerate it if it got him out of this damned forest any faster.

He only dared to step at a slow trot, not wanting to suffer any more casualties with a careless misstep. Even with his lack of vision, his nose and ears remained vigilant to any scents or noises that could alarm him to danger. He finally came to a halt in front of a tall, black winding tree, having to crane his neck back and have his limited vision try to pinpoint the makers of the sound. Directly above him was a nidary as well as bundled of unmoving shadows resting on the branches. He rested one paw on the trunk before speaking "Hey." Very brief and gruff, his deep voice carrying to where the bodies were, and all in unison they looked down at the electrike with beady red eyes.

Perhaps that wasn't his smartest decision.

A few of these bodies descended upon him in a flurry of dark blue wings, letting out the familiar caw he previously heard "Back off you mutt!" One of the now identifiable murkrow spoke in an acerbic tone while another descended near his maw to let out a grating squawk that was nowhere near pleasant on the ears. "Yeah! You mutt! Get going! You're probably a witch to be so far out here! Just like that old hag!" The murkrow mimicked the first and opened its talons near Akino's face.

The caws of the other murkrow grew louder and louder from above as they chimed in agreement.

Witches? Magic? Potions? None of these things were back on the continent he was raised and yet they are constantly mentioned in this land. All of these things were absolutely foreign to him. He was used to a more industrial setting, so practically the exact opposite of Tabira. It was certainly something he was going to have to get used to. Not to mention the lack of feral, mindless Pokémon. He has yet to get some meat in him ever since he arrived and he was convinced he was going through a withdrawal of sorts.  

Oh, look. A fresh slab, ripe for the taking.

Akino could handle being called names, it was something that was ordinary in his life. Nearly every day he is given a nickname of sorts, mostly due to him not providing anyone with his actual name, but he didn't see the point of doing so. However, he would not tolerate this invasion of personal space and a sudden potential aggressive assault on his person.

The electrike's eyes dilated in response to the threatening motion and he knew that the murkrow's aggressive behavior was goading him to make the first move. He would have been hesitant if he believed this bird could actually back up its loud, vexatious words. However, in this scenario, that was not the case.

His mouth was engulfed in a sudden vortex of flames, his maw becoming widely agape as he lunged his head toward the murkrow, snapping the bird out of the air and sinking his teeth into its body successfully due to their close proximity. Despite the loud screech of pain, the electrike did not flinch, not wasting a moment to spit the filthy creature out that was previously resting on his tongue.

"Revolting." The electrike spat, his face contorting in disgust. "You're not even worth eating. You taste as if you have been rotting from the inside out." His tone was harsh and cold, and his eyes were piercing and unforgiving as if the murkrow offended him by not satisfying his tastebuds.

The previously loud fanfare of the above murkrow suddenly hushed to dead silence.

Akino's eyes lifted from the murkrow's injured body to the other one who descended with it. It seemed to be in a quandary, its eyes wide and pupils in slits as its eyes were fixated on the grounded murkrow's body in horror. "Ea-Eat us?" It spoke with a nearly inaudible voice, and as soon as it noticed Akino's eyes locked on it. In a frantic clamor, it frantically flapped back to its roost with the others, leaving the injured one to be eaten by the electrike if he so desired.

Akino's attention was grabbed as the injured murkrow began to travail to its feet, one of its wings nearly dyed completely dirty crimson. It staggered and lifted its beak to look up at the electrike, with a lesser degree of horror than the previous murkrow. It must be in shock.

He took that as a good enough signal to take his leave... So much for getting directions.

He briskly turned and stepped away, only now noticing the metallic taste on his lips. His jaw opened slightly as he hesitated before he swiped his tongue over his maw in hopes of removing any trace of blood before exiting the area in which the murkrows were conjugated.

He was...troubled, to say the least. Course he could care less about what those rat birds thought of him, but they happened to be in a very isolated part of the forest with most likely no desire to move into town. What he meant was that they didn't have anyone to blab to but themselves.

His eyes shifted uneasily at his surroundings, yet he continued to walk at an even and unwavering pace.

This place was peaceful and the inhabitants were tolerable and even...nice. It was so unfamiliar, yet welcoming at the same time. The last thing he wanted to be pinned as would be a murderer just cause he wanted to ease his carnivorous cravings. He even felt a twinge of compunction deep in his gut...however it didn't last long as his logical side immediately overridden his emotional one.

'They were being aggressive so I acted accordingly. That will teach them next time to not mess with me.'

He gave a nod as if to just confirm the conclusion he came to in his head despite how cold and narrow-minded it was. The electrike soon halted and sniffed the air, eyes roving his surroundings.

That...tree looks familiar. Didn't he pass it already? If he went back in that said direction would it mean he would be closer to the exit or just another deep part of the forest? He soon let out a long, drawn out sigh and closed his eyes with a slight dip to his head. He of course still believed he could get out, but he had reached the highest state that was 'done' and wished to take a break.

He plopped his fluffy but down where he stood, head low and shoulders stiff. It was a dangerous place to sleep with so-called witches and bandits about in the woods, but he considered a nap. The darkness was making his eyes droopy and his constant running in circles bored him to aid in his current state. He really shouldn't. Perhaps a snack instead. He shuffled in his satchel at his hip, withdrawing a large perfect apple.

Who would have thought he would be picky about his apples. Only the Perfect ones would do.

He polished it slightly on his chest before sitting up on his back legs to hold between his two front paws. A final inspection of the apple was executed before he deemed it edible on his standards. His jaw went agape as he went to insert a portion into his mouth before a rustling from behind him caught his attention. He turned his head suddenly at the noise, it was faint but he could hear it. It wasn't too far off, but he knew the direction of it. His lifted his muzzle skyward and opened his jaw to taste the air the moment a subtle breeze picked up. Being downwind of the noise he attempted to see if he could hint what it was.

There was no foul scent like the murkrows, putting to rest his worry that they were approaching him in a murder. However, an even more foul scent was smelt. Perhaps only to Akino, it was considered foul, but a sickly sweet aroma permeated his nostrils, causing him to gag. As faint as it was, the tiny dose of sweets was enough to make him annoyed just by its presence.

Was there a candy bandit afoot? He often heard the phrase, 'like stealing candy from a baby.' But never even considered a bandit would solely steal candy. He set the apple down in front of him and stood on all four paws once more, soon turning around to face the noise. He widened his stance slightly, preparing for a potential threat to push its way through the brush. The nearest bush rustled right before him and his eyes dilated, ready to strike.

"Ow! Hey, quit pushing!" A small child's voice spoke, followed by another in a higher octave. "Haven't you ever heard of ladies first!"

Akino blinked, his scowl dissipating. He felt his hackles lower slightly at the sound of children's voice coming from the bush in front of him. With a final violent shake, two bodies fell forward and out of the foliage a few feet before him: A plusle and minun.

What were kids doing in these woods of all places? Where were their parents?

Akino brought his paws back to stand normally, staring at the children who had yet to notice him, more interested in their squabbling. "I still feel that bramble in my side after you shoved past me a while ago." Handle groaned, standing up to dust himself off. "You are acting like I didn't pull it out for you." Griddle grumbled, standing up next to him as well. "You could have been a bit more gentle." The minun pouted, taking his sister's hand on his own. Before they could finally take a step together, they both spotted, Akino staring at them. "A monster!" They both shouted in unison, Akino only blinking and raising a brow in response to their accusation.

He turned back to pick up the apple he previously set down, going back through the process of cleaning it.

It was quiet behind him for a long moment before he heard small approaching footsteps on either side of him, each twin taking a position on each of his sides. "He doesn't look like a monster, just an electrike." Handle whispered over to Griddle, Akino being right between the two so he could, of course, hear them anyway. "But he has red eyes, I bet he has monster fangs as well." Griddle whispered a bit louder in response, Handle making a hushing sound to her as if she was risking being heard by Akino.

"I'm not deaf." He spoke suddenly, the twins looking dumbfounded by the fact he heard them. "W-Well are you a monster or not?" Griddle piped up, quickly reuniting herself with Handle. After finishing repolishing his apple, he took a moment to look down at them. "If I was, I wouldn't be having this conversation, and you would be dead." He spoke simply, turning away to take a bite from the apple.

Perhaps that would have made sense to an adult, but not so much a kid. He should have been careful about his word choice or quite literally have just said no. The twins gripped onto each other's hands tighter, growing a worried expression, giving each other uneasy glances. The electrike swallowed his mouthful of apple and spoke again. "I'm here to catch a woobat and leave, I don't live here." Griddle looked up quickly "Wait! So are you part of the guilds?" She spoke hastily to only give a nod from Akino, who's mouth was full again with more of the fruity flesh. "That's great! Oh please please help us! We got lost and we need to get back home!" She exclaimed, and the minun added more quietly "Mom and dad are gonna kill us..."

Akino finished off his apple, digging a small hole to deposit the apple's core into before covering it once more. The plusle seemed to have too much credulity in him, not even considering the fact he could be lying. He turned to the kids and sighed. He already had a bad experience with some kids, but he couldn't just leave these two in here. They were lucky to run into him first instead of a witch or bandit. He considered the chances to be amazing actually. Surely someone else must have seen them?

"Alright fine. Keep an eye out for a woobat though. I'm still trying to catch it after all." He informed and closed his satchel, the two glancing at each other. "Shouldn't we leave immediately?" Handle asked hesitantly, fearing a harsh response. "I don't plan on coming back to these damn woods. I want to finish this." Griddle spoke up now instead "Isn't it dangerous though?" Akino turned his head, quiet at first before saying,

"For you it is. Now come on."

------

It was a relatively quiet journey. Every time Griddle went to ask a question, her brother hushed her, fearing it would anger the electrike. Smart kid. When the kids did finally speak, it was what Akino knew would eventually come. "My feet hurt..." Griddle groaned, Handle adding to the complaint with his own words "We haven't eaten in a while either." Akino barely showed any response to their complaints, more focused on navigating out of the woods. They did end up walking to a much brighter area, however, it still pertaining to its name of Darkhowl.

"Don't you have any more food in your bag?" Griddle asked, breaking away from her brother to run to Akino's side. Akino took a moment to look down at her who looked up to him with wide hopeful eyes. "You can't be that hungry. Both of your breaths reek of candy." He commented with a huff. They both hesitated before Handle piped up. "They were only hard candies thought, they aren't filling at all!" Akino halted and looked to Handle with a raised eyebrow "Hard candies? Where are the wrappers then?" The young boy now went silent, however, Griddle once more took the initiative to speak up. "We were afraid of getting lost so we used them as a trail to get home if we got lost! Erm...it didn't work out as well as we hoped..." Griddle chuckled sheepishly in hopes to combat Akino's glaring eyes.

Before he could lecture them on dental hygiene and littering, the frantic sound of flapping and an odd unnatural odor overtook his senses. The kids seem to notice it as well as their necks craned up towards the thin canopy of trees. The wings sounded leathery rather than feathered. Akino was betting that it was the woobat he was looking for this whole time. "Stay."  He firmly spoke the simple order before heading off where the sound was heading.

It was actually pretty close to where they were so he only had to step a short distance away before the noise seemed to be heading towards him. He lowered his body and waited for the Pokémon to come into view, and just as he predicted, the shiny woobat came flying forth, a basket of potions hanging in her tiny pink feet. She seemed to occupied in her own worrying thoughts to spot Akino and was not prepared for his sudden lunge upward to grab her.

"What the!" She exclaimed, quickly flying back just out of reach, yet her basket swung one of the potions tumbling out. Akino landed a bit clumsily, not judging how high he needed to jump to grab her and as soon as he looked up at her, the fragile glass bottle hit him right in the forehead, breaking. Luckily, it wasn't too many pieces and no shards got into his eyes, but still, it hurt pretty bad. The electrike gripped onto his head with a paw as the potion drenched his muzzle, the liquid seeping into his mouth. He spat and shook his head, shooting a glare up at the woobat, who was having trouble deciding if she should be more surprised or scared.

Before he could open his mouth to yell at her, a rising voice pierced the air, it sounding old and very unhappy. That was when Akino began to realize that the woobat wasn't afraid of him, more so what she was running from. "Oh no no no..." the woobat frantically spoke, fluttering back and forth, looking to Akino then the voice.

Soon from behind, the twins came running towards him crying out, "We heard a noise! We got scared! We thought you were going to leave us behind!" Akino would be impressed at their unison in speech if there wasn't another issue approaching. "Get behind me." He ordered, cursing them for coming over to him rather than staying put like he ordered. Unexpectantly, the woobat flew down behind Akino in an attempt to hide the moment the voice rose again, audible this time. "Molly! I'm gonna grind you down for my potions when I find you!" Soon the speaker came into view, an old vulpix with a witch's hat, looking enraged. "Molly!- Ah- There you are!" Her tone didn't seem too happy despite seeming satisfied that she found her.

...That vulpix seemed oddly big for her species. She towered over him....but that didn't make any sense.

"What's this?" Morgan spoke, stepping forward to them and soon the woobat spoke up "I'm- uh sorry! I caught these three kids for you to make it up to you!" She spoke frantically and flew towards her, landing in front of her in a groveling manner. "That doesn't mean I will simply let you off easy whelp!" She snapped back, at the moment ignoring the others.

Three kids? But there were only the two twins and-

The electrike froze. The moment he turned to look at the twins he realized he was staring right at them with no need to lower his head. They looked just as surprised, mouths agape and unable to speak, both from the sight of Morgan and his now tiny stature. But how did?...

The potion...Did it... shrink him?

"Molly. We will handle this when we get home, for now just grab them." She directed to the twins before setting her sights on Akino, alluded by his shiny coloring. "Come on, I got special plans for you little one..." Akino's eyebrows furrowed and he bared his fangs, soon snarling "Lay one finger on me and I'll snap it off you old hag." He lifted his head in a threatening manner despite his height his red eyes piercing into hers.

For a kid to speak with such intensity and low of a voice was very unexpected, and it didn't take long for Morgan to connect the dots. Her eyes darted to the broken potion bottle on the ground then to his drenched muzzle and the aroma coming from it. Before she could even make a movement to combat him, he already shot forward in a full body tackle. It would have most definitely sent her flying had he not been the size of a small child, instead, it only sent her skidding back, Akino latching onto her body. "YOU BRAT LET GO!"  

"Help us!" Griddle cried out from behind her brother, who was attempting to fend off the woobat trying to grab them. Akino felt claws dig into his back as he felt the vulpix dig into him in hopes he would come off, instead it just make him angry. His entire body crackled to life with blue electricity before it pulsed out in a faint sphere, engulfing him and Morgan entirely in its area. Suddenly, the orb flooded with harsh crackling lightning, electrocuting the vulpix thoroughly. The cry of pain caught Molly's attention, shooting away the moment she realized how close she was to being caught in the electrocuting radius. His attack subsided, and the moment he did, Morgan's body slumped down, taking massive damage from such a close range attack.

When Akino unlatched from her, he felt his body begin to increase in size back to its regular stature. He did indeed ingest a tiny amount so it seemed to wear off quicker. He turned to Molly who looked on in disbelief before his gaze traveled over to the twins to ensure they were okay. As he inspected them he spoke calmly to Molly  "I was sent to get you on behalf of the Trackers. You are coming with me." That may not have been the best thing to say to the Pokemon who was still capable of fleeing, but luckily she didn't bolt at that moment. Molly hesitated before she inhaled before snapping back "Well you can tell the Trackers if they want to catch me, they are gonna have to come get me themselves!"

Akino's head lifted before turning to her with a displeased expression. "Hey!" He suddenly raised his voice, snapping himself finally. "I'm no one's messenger boy." He advanced on her, jamming his thumb in the direction of his chest. "Alright?" He soon was directly in front of her and he extended both his paws out in an open manner, staring down at her to now speak in a softer tone.

"I'm a delivery boy"

Molly's scowl only intensified and she retorted "You wouldn't dare...." Her gaze slowly lowered to his paws which were now bunched together and holding something... a burlap sack to be exact that was in his bag folded up. Her eyes widened in surprise and she only had time to turn in midair before the bag flew over her head, capturing her inside.

"Ride on my back, it will be much faster," Akino muttered as he was tying the now flailing sack, Molly's protests being ignored. He took the closed opening in his mouth before stepping over and lowering his body near the siblings so they could board onto him. "Hang on." He spoke, voice muffled by the fabric of the bag.

Before he could take a single step, an explosion of fire lit the dim air, fire raining and firing all around them. Akino quickly stepped out of the way just in time of one of the fireballs, looking to see Morgan now back on her feet. "I'LL KILL YOU, YOU WHELP." She screeched, extending both her palms to send out more fire in a form of flame burst. Small cinders burnt his fur and sunk into his flesh, feeling it sear into him slightly. Akino felt the siblings tight grip on his fur and he knew he had to run and get them to safety rather than fight. He took a flying leap away from a growing wall of flames before looking back, seeing the second wave close in on them.

His eyes suddenly tinted pink, each of them giving a faint glow before he reared up slightly and inhaled before firing out a flame burst of his own, the fireballs intercepting the incoming ones, yet made the fire in the area grow larger. With now a good barrier between him and the witch, he saw the perfect opportunity to flee. He quickly ran off away from where they came, having to step over small patches of fire, however, he wasn't safe from having his pads be raw after being burned. He staggered slightly, holding in a cough from the smoke, while the twins struggled with inhaling the air, coughing feebly from his back.

Just a little more.

Morgan's yelling did not subside, and it seemed that she stepped through the fire to pursue them without a scratch on her. However, after Akino cleared the last obstacle, the fire was all behind them and he continued to lope until the witches screaming subsided.

----

It seemed to have been sundown when he finally found the exit from the woods, having found a small trail of wrappers which were caught in bushes and other shrubs. He didn't have to guess that it was the twins doing after they told him, but he was starting to be glad they did. He, of course, picked everyone he found up to avoid littering...in awe just by how many he found. Molly stopped flailing not long after he escaped Morgan, and both Griddle and Handle were asleep on his back, still gripping onto his fur tightly after their encounter with the witch.

His eyes roved the ground in search for another wrapper until his gaze lifted to see an opening from the woods and a small glowing speck on the landscape that couldn't be anything but Fableton in the distance. He paused and looked back to the kids on his back before giving a soft smile before he trotted forward, finally out of the woods.

'Don't worry...Just a little bit longer guys.'