//------------------------------// // The Three Meet // Story: Three Unlikely Friends // by Tiaa OwO //------------------------------// Kobe slowly got to his paws and groaned. His head was pounding. That bright light and hitting that tree certainly took a toll on him. He looked around, trying to see where in the forest he was. He walked only a few feet before he realized he was not in the forest or anywhere near a forest. What he did see was a narrow path going through a dense jungle ahead and a vast ocean behind him. Kobe pawed the ground and realized he was pawing sand. "Am I...am I on an island...?" Kobe walked ahead another few feet and spotted another figure. "I wonder who that is..." The Pokémon approached the figure with caution. He wasn't as serious as Echo and Hiss but he wasn't stupid. Whatever was here with him could be dangerous. ___ Gilda opened her eyes and looked around. First thing she saw was a dog-looking creature staring at her with curiousity. Her first instinct was to back away from it and search for somewhere to hide but as soon as she stood, the creature backed away and laid it's ears back. Gilda cocked her head to the side and sat on her haunches. "...Do you...do you...know where this is?" She asked. The creature shook it's head. "It's a mystery. But..." The creature took a step foreward and was about to say something but then there was a groan and a mewl in the distance. Gilda looked at the creature and it nodded. They both headed in the direction the sound came from. ___ Henry was terrified. He realized he wasn't home or outside the forest as soon as he opened his eyes and stood up quickly. He groaned and let out a mewl as his sore muscles protested from the movement and his scratches hurt. Henry stumbled a few feet before plopping down on his haunches and trying to figure out what happened and where he was. "Hey, you over there!" A female voice rang. Henry jumped and whipped around. A dog-looking thing and some creature he'd never seen before was racing towards him. Henry backed up and stared at them with wide eyes. "Who're you?" Henry laid his ears back, arched his back, and fluffed himself up. He looked a little bigger now and he lashed his tail side to side and hissed. The two stopped in their tracks and stared at him. "We're not gonna hurt you." Gilda said, knowing that cats spooked easily. "We don't know how we got here either." "Yea. We just woke up here..." Kobe added. Henry stared at them both. "...You...did...?" Kobe noticed that Gilda seemed startled for some reason. He didn't know that cats did not normally talk where she came from. "...Yea... This guy found me." "I don't understand why I'm here." Henry calmed down and un-fluffed himself. His ears drooped he stared sadly at his paws. "But... I'm kinda glad. I wouldn't have lasted very long anyway." "Why?" Kobe asked. "This clan cat was going to kill me. The light...it saved me last minute..." "Wait!" Gilda got right in Henry's face. "Did you say light? The ponies were attacking the griffons and they got in our village. The light saved my friends and me." "Me too! The light stopped a lucario from killing me over a stone!" The three young ones excitedly told their stories until each of them realized something; they had no clue what the other was talking about! "What's a Pokémon?" Gilda asked. "What's a cat?" Kobe cocked his head. "What's a griffin?" Henry furrowed his brow. The three regarded each other for a few minutes before laughing and explaining to each other what their homes were like and the types of creatures that thrived there. Gilda was confused at the idea of hairless apes being dominant in any world and the 'tech' the other two spoke of seemed alien and impossible to believe. Kobe found it odd that the other two never heard of Pokémon and found it downright strange that there were absolutely no humans existed in Gilda's world. She said that ponies and zebras and griffins (creatures that he'd never heard of before) ruled lands and were completely independent of human tech and influence. Henry was just curious at how he was talking like the other two. He and other cats had spoken before but they sounded different...now it was like he was talking talking...like the humans did with each other. The three finally introduced themselves properly and decided to follow the narrow path. There was no point in standing around, since there was obviously nothing but sand and ocean. They walked and spoke a little, trying to lighten the mood. They started to notice a few things about each other. Kobe noticed that Gilda seemed to get annoyed when Henry jumped at every noise. He assumed she was the type to strive for bravery at all times, not unlike Echo. Henry was busy thinking about the clan. He knew that if he went back the tom and other cats as well would be hunting him down and they would, no doubt, find him. He was doomed if he went back. All because of his weakness and his stupid inability to do what the others could do. His new kitty pet name he'd acquired from some kid only a block away from the forest only brought the painful memories of guilt and loneliness. He missed Icepaw, his friend who had helped him escape the clan not once, but twice. He hoped she was alright. "Guys...I need to clarify something. Something a bit about me...kinda." Henry said. The others stopped and looked at him. "I come from Moon Clan... I used to be called Specklepaw... My name now... it reminds me too much of why I'm here in the first place..." "WOA, are you implying that that light brought us here because we were in bad situations?" Gilda's eyes widened. "It actually makes sense... I mean, think about it... wait, but why didn't your friends get sent here too, Gilda?" "I don't know..." Gilda's gaze darkened. "Let's just go. Hurry up, Henr-Specklepaw." Gilda walked up ahead and Kobe followed. Specklepaw watched Gilda with a confused expression before bounding foreward to catch up with them.