The wind in his fur (Sam){Finished}

[poochyena]

Riku took a deep breath. He'd never really gone futher than the thick wall of trees that surounded his forest. But he had just ventured to welven woods, and it was amazing. He breathed in the fresh air, the new sents. It was so much more open here. He had never expierenced anything like it.

The activity was different too. All the pokemon, sensing un familiar Aura, getting emotions from new pokemon. It was just a grand expierence! Riku was young, but he knew a wonderful place when he layed eyes on it. The young Riolu made his way to a nearby rock pile at the base of a tree, and sat atop it, Trying to get the best view of the woods he could.

[Sam]

Meanwhile, not so far from the place Riku sat, a Grovyle by the name of Kaitlyn collapsed, breath taken from her body, and no energy left to take another step. She had just been running from more of those Malum people, but, thankfully, she had lost them before entering the forest. Kaitlyn felt the cold grass under her body and her face, and her hands. The soft earth felt amazing to dig her claws into. She breathed in the fresh smell of the Welven Woods, then slowly got to her feet. She was unsteady, and still greatly tired from the running she had just done. She put her hands on her knees and took some deep breaths before continuing into the woods.

While looking for a way to stay, she passed in a clearing visable from the rocks, under the eyes of Riku, who, or course, she never noticed. She found a tree to her liking at the edge and steathly jumped up the trunk. She swung herself silently onto a large branch. She laid down on it, the leaves a pillow for her head. Kaitlyn began to think about the Aero Region at the time. Well, there was the Malum people of course. They were a huge problem. The Aero people, they needed to be found. And the subject of the naturistic going-ons...that area needed investigation. Finalizing her thoughts, Kaitlyn took a deep breath and drifted off to sleep.

[poochyena]

Riku blinked. The Grovyle passing by was moving at a swift pace, and he almost missed it. It was sly and quiet, nothing like he had ever seen before. Its aura was distinct, and Riku absorbed it, becoming familiar with the pokemon's personality before they even met. Riku Shuddered a bit. The pokemon was very straight foreward and tough. That was new.

As well as the emotions emitting from it. They wwere grave and anxious, nothing like he had ever felt before. Riku furrowed his grow, and ploped his butt down on the rocks to think. A new anxious pokemon... what? Riku was lost. He didn't know much at all being so young. He could hardly talk.

What was up with this new pokemon? His thoughts bounced around. He was very confused, but curious all the same. Odditiees in themselves always needed to be explored. He hoped down from the rocks and took off running in the direction of the grovyle. But he was unsure of where it went.

Closing his eyes a second, colors burst up against his eyelids. He managed to pick out the grovyles glow, but it was faint, and seemed to form a path. He flung is eyes open and darted fore ward. Not so much time later he slowed down. He felt the pokemon's presense very close. He looked up. The pokemon sat sleeping on a branch, unaware of Riku's presense. He tilted his head, baffled at how the pokemon got so far up.

He tapped his foot, wondering when the pokemon would come down, and placecd his paws on the tree, almost wondering if it just magicaly pulled him up. Nothing. Just a regular tree. He stepped back again, and hopped forward quickly. He looked down and saw an acorn. The Riolu's eyes widened with wonder. It was a small but odd looking object.

Riku gazed around, and saw another hanging on a tree branch. Riku pipcked up the acorn on the ground, and compared it the one hanging down. His vision passed over the mysterious pokemon once again, and he regained his focus. Figure out the new pokemon. He craned is neck trying to get a better look. The small Riolu lost balance, tripped over a rot, and fell back and disapeared into a pile of rather noisy leaves, still clutching the acorn.

[Sam]

Kailyn's tired eyes flew open, alerted to the sound of leaves. I could be the Malum out to get her! She felt fury boil up in her heart as she reached up and grasped the branch above her. She swung herself off the branch, released her grasp from the other branch, then dug her foot claws into a low branch. She was no facing the opposite way of Riku, so she back flipped off the branch and landed in front of the leaves, facing the right way. It had all happened in a couple seconds, but Kaitlyn had been to angry to feel the exhileration of it. She reached forward into the leaves, until he claws found something bulky. She suddenly realized it wasn't human. Taking care not to hurt it, she grasped it with her claws, but suddenly leaped back in surprise, somehow managing to bang her head on a low-hangin branch. What was a Riolu doing here? Kaitlyn didn't think any Riolu lived in the Welven Woods.

Kaitlyn narrowed her eyes in suspision. This could still be an enemy. She raised one of her arms, the leaves hanging down glowing a neon green and changin into a sharp scyth shape. She shot forward at amazing speed and swipped atthe hill of leaves. She had gone as close to the Riolu as possible, but taking care not to hit it. The leaves flew away, revealing the Pokemon. Kaitlyn's expression went soft. This was ne threat. It was only a baby. She stepped back, waiting for it to get up.

[poochyena]

Riku experenced two new emotions: Rage, and then fear. He'd never felt such a strong emotion being emited by a pokemon's aura. He felt the feeling engulf and made his blood race. He shivered as his heart pounded and the emotion flood through him. It was very powerful, and he'd seen enough. He pushed it out of him. He blinked. And a sythe came only centimeters away from his body.

An emotion he'd never known, from him or any other pokemon, washed over him. His body convulsed and he felt himself recoil. He slammed his eyes shut, and felt his body shiver. His heart raced again, and he felt his body stiffen till it couldn't move. He just didn't want to lose himself. Slowly, he relaxed. What did he just expierence? He was still shivering as he recovered and stood. What WAS that? He looked up innocently at the pokemon infront of him. He identified it by it's Aura. He didn't know types, or pokemon yet. Heck, he didn't know emotions, or the ability to speak!

Riku clutched his acorn still, waiting for katlyn to make a move. He just didn't want whatever happened to happen again.

[Sam]

As Riku got up, Kaitlyn noticed the acorn clutched in his hands. She smiled, remembering how, when she was young, she'd always used to look at things she'd never seen before, and keep it with her always. The scyth on her arm turned back into leaves and stopped glowing. She waited until Riku was fully up before she spoke to him.

"What are you doing in the Welven Woods alone, young one?" She waited, but then realized how young he looked and doubted that he could speak at all. He did look small for a Riolu, and his face showed no intelligence of the world. Kaitlyn sighed and then added on, "Dear one, did your parents ever teach you how to speak?"

[poochyena]

Riku started at Kaitlyn as she spoke. He blinked, to show that he was listening, but he didn't really understand. But he felt it as important. Her amotions had changed considerably, so he felt safe. But as he heard a question roll off her tounge he tilted his head. He knew a different tone had a different response right? He sighed and just started at Kaitlyn.

He really didn't know what to do. The small Riolu just waited again.

[Sam]

Kaitlyn nodded. Riku couldn't speak. Well, then how was she to communicate to him? Thinking back to her studies on Pokemon, Kaitlyn dug up in her knowledge of Riolu. Riolu were the pre-evolved form of Lucario. What were the Lucario known for? Aura. Maybe Riolu could communicate through minds. Still doubting that Riku would ever be able to communicate with her, Kaitlyn thought hard, Little Riolu, can you talk with your aura?

OOC: This is the shortest post ever.

[poochyena]

Riolu started blankly at Kaitlyn. It was weird. The pokemon was just sitting there. But Aura felt stronger, all of a sudden. She was trying to cantact him. He opened his aura up, and let her emotions come in. He couldn't understand words, but he felt her presense, trying to ask him something. He looked right into her eyes. And it clicked. He opened up a communication path. The way kaitlyn's thoughts rushed in must have meant she was trying to cumminacate. But he was the aura one, so he had to open the path.

But he still couldn't form words very well. He sent positive notions throughthe conection, trying to make a yes he didnt know exsisted. Finnaly it broke through. Yes.

[Sam]

OOC: I'm so angry right now!

Kaitlyn flinched when she felt the word yes ecchoed through her mind. It was the strangest feeling to contact another through minds. Not being an aura user or a psychic type might result in having to train. She closed her eyes and focused hard again. She felt the path. It was streaming through her head. Riolu had opened it, they had a way to communicate.

Suddenly, Kaitlyn felt the whole thing consume her consious and she fell into the vortex. Everything was streaming past her and around her. She blinked, getting used to the light. She knew that her body was still standing, the same position as before, but this, this was different. She wasn't consious in her body any more, nor her soul, but her mind. She widened her eyes at this realization. Suddenly, her vision sliced in half. Half of her was in the vortex of aura, the other was dark. She realized that her eyes were closed and opened them. She saw Riolu in one eye and the vortex in the other. She smiled. This was it. Speaking into the aura, not the world, she said, Your aura is powerful. What are you doing alone in the woods?

[poochyena]

Riolu let the emotions of the grovyle into him. It was just like sensing Aura normally. Only he focused on one specific Aura. He breathed calmly, seeing everything around him in shades and colors in Aura. He saw the Grovyle again, and comunuicated back, Exploring. He saw nothing wrong with being alone, so he didn't mention it. He moved himself foreward, still holding the small acorn. He felt the grovyle working hard to maintain the connection. He worried it might move too, and lose connection.

Still, I keep conected. He threw the words at her, letting the emotions come from his small body. He continued to walk foreward, easily maintaing the connection. He was still seeing everything in Aura. He peered at the small acorn, its swirling engry simmaler to that of the one that swirled in all the trees. But it was different. The engrey in the Acorn was much stronger than what was in the trees. He was confused. He looked at the grovyle.

Acorn different. Not from woods. So where did it come from?

((Ooc: If you haven't guessed im hinting that the acorn is from the giant tree in Silverwood forest.))

[Sam]

Kaitlyn heard the words of Riku eccho in her left ear, the one in the flowing aura. Exploring? At these times? Kaitlyn was a bit shocked at this news. She had been running for her life just minutes ago, and this Riolu was...exploring? Mabye he didn't know what was going on, mabye he wasn't a threat to the Malum, or, mabye he was one of them! This thought whipped out of Kaitlyn's mind the minutes she thought of it. This wasn't a Malum spy, this was a young Riolu, out to explore the woods.

When the third sentence came at her, Kaitlyn tried to move forward to look at it, but she realized her feet were stuck to the ground. She knew if she moved a muscle, she would break the connection, or use up all of her strength. Riku could move, he was a Pokemon of Aura. Kaitlyn could not move, she was a Pokemon of forests. Riolu could come to her. Into the aura, she said, Riolu, I have yet to learn the ability to walk while watching and listening your aura. Will you please come to me so I can have a look at your acorn? It is of interest, for I do not remember any trees bearing acorns like yours in this forest.

[poochyena]

Riku blinked slowly. He felt kaitlyns confusion, a tint of anger, and followed back by regular swirling emotions. He kept his mind and body open as Kaitlyn spoke to him. She needed to see the acorn. He looked at it again, and glanced down at the roots below his feet. None of them had the same swirling energy. Maybe the new pokemon could help him.

He tunred around and walked swiftly towards Kiatlyn. He held the acorn in his small paw, and showed it to Kiatlyn. It was of the deepest and darkest green color that Riku had ever seen. And the swirling powerful blue arura that pulsed inside it. It was very strong. He was very concerned with it.

But as he looked at kaitlyn, he really took in her odd apearnce. She was very different then any pokemon he'd seen. He had encounter feathery pokemon, and small insect like ones to. But Kaitlyn. She was different. She didn't even look like Riku. He had seen his reflection, and a pidgey told him about reflections, and that it was him.

Another thing clicked in his mind. The pidgey had called itself a pidgey. he also said Riku was a pokemon. Called him a Riku. But what if the pidgey was wrong? What if he was a Riolu, and his name was Riku. A name. Then what about this new pokemon? Riku's thoughts connected and moved quickly. It was overflowing with thoughts and realizations. It came back to what everything was, what this acorn was. He looked up expectantly at Kaitlyn for an answer.

(Ooc: Yes i want off track, but i reeled it back in to the topic so don't yell at me)

[Sam]

(OOC: It's all good!)

When Riolu was right in front of her, Kaitlyn reached out at the acorn. Her three hand claws closed around it. Making sure not to close the connection, she studied it carefully in the real world. Already being through most of the Aero region, she had gone through all the forests and had learned much about them and about everything that grew there. It's possible it could have come from a small town like Smallsprout or Serene, but from her first look, Kaitlyn knew that this was a pure forest acorn. It could be from Dawnglade or it could simply be an acorn from this forest, but it was more than that. Studying the color of the acorn, Kaitlyn realized that it was a deep, dark green. The stem was flashing alightly silver. Now, what forest could it come from?

Kaitlyn cried out suddenly, loosening the connection, but not breaking it. She realized what this acorn was. She swayyed, barely believing what she was holding at the moment. Saying into the aura in a strained, breathless voice, she said, Dear me! This acorn is from the Tree of Silverwood!

[poochyena]

Silverwood. Where was that? He Blinked at Kaitlyn. Take me. He hesitated, Riku It had to be his name. What else would it be? And this pokemon needed to call him something right? He asumed so, and broke the connection.

Taking the acorn back from Kaitlyn, he studied its Aura. He took a deep breath, and let his eyelids close. In front of his eyes he willed the Aura of the forest to come alive, and it did. He tried to look for traces of the path left by the acorn, but there was no sign in the air, or the ground. Most other Auras of pokemon had faded away, only recent travels he could see. Had he been older, or expirenced, he would have been able to see paths left hundreds of years ago. But for now, he saw paths only left a few hours ago. So this acorn had no buisness being here.

He looked at kaitlyn again. He tilted his head and looked at her. He still didnt know what she was called. Maybe she would tell him. He pointed at her, and motioned with his paw of speaking. Then he waited.