//------------------------------// // A Whole Night Of Fun...NOT...! // Story: Three Unlikely Friends // by Tiaa OwO //------------------------------// After having everything explained, the kids were given a meal of fresh strawberry salad and sweet-tasting cherry blossom flowers. They ate with Anya watching over them protectively and they were delighted to find that while they ate, beds had been readied for them. They walked into a small house owned by two Aluminai, a stag and his teenage daughter. "Welcome to the town, newbies." The teenage doe said and led them to their room. "This is where you guys are gonna sleep. My dad is the deputy of the town so if anyone here bothers you-" "Say that again." Gilda interrupted. "What? Say what again?" "Repeat what you just said." "Why?" "Just say it again!" "My dad is the deputy of the town so if anypony here bothers you, just tell him." "That's not what you said before." "Of course not, silly. You interrupted me." "But you said... nevermind... ah... can we say goodnight to Anya first? Or are there curfew restrictions here?" "Of course there's no curfew restrictions but..." "It would be best if we stayed here, right?" "..." Kobe and Specklepaw watched and listened to the conversation silently and then glanced at each other. The silence was thick in the air until Gilda barked out a laugh. "I'm just kidding. I know I came off as weird. We should totally go see Anya then come right back. C'mon guys," ___ The three quickly left the house and once out of earshot, Kobe and Specklepaw bombarded Gilda with questions. They didn't understand what all the questions were about and what the her point was when she asked the girl to repeat herself. Gilda, not really wanting to explain herself, sighed and walked faster. "You can't ignore us, Gilda. We want answers." Kobe said. "I don't have to answer to you." Gilda growled. "C'mon, Gilda, you can't leave us in the dark." "Yea, Gilda." Specklepaw added, "We're your friends, remember?" Kobe nodded in agreement and smiled warmly. Both the Pokémon and cat were caught by surprise when Gilda whirled around, red in the face and seething. "FRIENDS!? FRIENDS!?" She shouted. A few Aluminai looked in their direction and cocked their heads. "You are not my friends! The only friends I have are the ones back home AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THEIR ALIVE!" Gilda sniffed and turned. She wiped her eyes with her foreleg. Specklepaw watched her with wide eyes. He didn't realize she felt that way. "I... I didn't know..." He mumbled. "Gilda... are you crying?" Kobe asked. "Gilda?" Specklepaw cautiously placed a paw on Gilda's shoulder. "Is there anything I... we... can do to help?" Gilda jumped at the touch and turned to face them with such quickness that Specklepaw barely had enough time to avoid her claws as she lashed out. "NO," she hissed. She spread her wings and flew off in a huff. Kobe called out her name several times but she didn't answer. He decided to follow her to help her calm down and they could sit and talk. He turned to Specklepaw. "Find Anya and tell her we're coming to talk to her or go back to the house or something. I'm going to get Gilda." Kobe ran off and was soon out of sight, leaving Specklepaw alone with a few nosy Aluminai watching him while others just glanced to see what was going on and then kept it moving. The sun was mostly down, not quite full-on night but definitely past sunset. The kitten could see well enough in the dark and the town wasn't that big, so he didn't have to worry about getting lost. He only felt uneasy when he made eye contact with one of the Aluminai and he saw a little more than curiosity in its gaze. It licked it's lips and made a strange guttural sound before it turned and trotted off. "Odd." Specklepaw whispered to himself. "This place gives me the creeps." He started walking in a random direction, hoping he'd run into Anya by chance. After a few minutes, he realized that wasn't going to happen. "Well, might as well head back. It's obvious I'm not going to find anyone I actually want to find." He looked around and his ears drooped as he realized everything looked different at night, even if he could see well. He was lost. Figures. The smart thing to do would have been to ask someone for directions but the kitten was way too shy and way too distrusting of this place to do that. He walked around, trying to find a building or a tree that looked familiar but he found none. Where am I, the other side of town!? There was a rustling in the bushes near by and Specklepaw tensed up and flexed his now protruding claws. A growl rose up in his throat and he narrowed his eyes, ears perked and listening. His tail lashed side to side as he waited for something to happen. A head poked out. It was an Aluminai. It was slender like the rest but it was smaller and duller in color. A pair of small antlers protruded from its head and Specklepaw quickly realized this one was male and very young. He was a little taller than the average foal but shorter than the teen Aluminai that had welcomed the children into her fathers house. The Aluminai took a cautious step foreward and sniffed at the kitten in curiousity and fear. Specklepaw did the same. The two stared at each other before the Aluminai spoke. "I'm Asher." "Specklepaw." "Are you a newbie?" "Yes." "What are you?" "I'm a cat... I'm not from around here." "Oh... the chiefs magic brought you here." "Wait... magic? The chief told us the island is one of peace and it summons distressed creatures from anywhere and everywhere to safely reside in it's comforting lands." "Were those her exact words?" "Yes!" "Why would she lie?" "Exactly! Why would she feel the need to lie? I knew something was off about this place. I knew it! Wait until I tell the others... Oh, Asher, can you help me find my friends? I couldn't possibly find my way back to that girls house without them safe in our togetherness." "Sure. Then, I'll ask momma why she's telling stories to the newbie." "Put an 's' behind that word. My friends aren't from around here either." "Wait... you're one of the three newbies that came today?" "Uhh...yea..." "Oh, I thought another one came in. I wasn't at the gathering today, you see. I was hunting." "Hunting..." Specklepaw paled. "...What were you hunting?" "You!" Specklepaw felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and fell foreward. He saw the smug look on Asher's face and he realized he was tricked. He tried to say something... anything... but he couldn't form the words. You tricked me. he shouted with his eyes, I can't believe it! I KNEW something was wrong with this place and I still got tricked! "Enjoy your stay, it's bed time." Everything went black...