Sishae led the Pokémon and kitten out of the house and in the direction of the town square. Kobe was silent as he looked around, searching for anything strange that could help them get home. After seeing nothing but other Aluminai and normal townsy-looking things, he mentally gave up and let his mind wander. He'd never been so homesick and confused in his life. This place seemed so nice...so inviting and warm...but then...things started to change. It had only been little more than half a day and one night they'd spent here and it was already proving to be the opposite of what it first seemed.
"Have you two talked to any of the kids around here?" Sishae asked. Kobe shook his head and tilted his head.
"No, I don't believe so." Specklepaw answered quietly. His tail twitched with nervousness.
"Well, maybe you guys should try and make friends. If you stick with those kids, they could easily tell you how to get back to the house." There was a lengthy pause. "They can also take you to the banquet the chief is holding today..."
"Oh, thanks, miss Sishae! I'd love to go play!" Kobe smiled and licked his lips. Anything with food involved sounded good right now. Specklepaw's ears lowered and he glanced at Kobe.
"Kobe..."
Kobe caught the tone of the kittens voice and flattened his ears. He'd almost forgotten the real reason why they were outside. "Sorry, Sishae...we would just like to grab breakfast, see Anya, and head back to the house."
"..." Sishae opened her mouth to say something but made her smile wider instead. It came off as extremely fake, which disturbed Specklepaw even more than he was already. "Okay! Suit yourself. Let's get breakfast, shall we?" They trotted down the main road to a small diner named Foreign Delicacies.
"Foreign Delicacies?" Kobe said aloud, wondering about the odd name.
"Star Clan help us! Their going to grind us up as expensive dishes!" Specklepaw whispered to the Pokémon in panic. Kobe narrowed his eyes and waved a paw at the kitten in annoyance.
"Quiet." he hissed. "You can't get antsy about things before you investigate."
"But-"
"I said quiet,"
Specklepaw, Kobe, and Sishae left the diner with content smiles and full bellies. Kobe gave Specklepaw a smug look which made the kitten blush and lay his ears back.
"Guess you were right...sorry..."
"It's alright. My friends back at home were quite the worriers. They assumed everything was bad. Even my human."
Specklepaw glanced up at the Pokémon with empathy. "You...had a...human?"
"Yes and no. I wasn't officially her Pokémon. We just started to hang out and..."
"Eventually your day ended up here."
"Yea... What are humans like on your world?"
"Some good, some bad... I had the good luck of getting a good one. He had a mate and his own twoleg kits. A litter of two... I think it was a sign. I was born in a litter of two, you know."
"Sweet." Kobe smiled and Specklepaw smiled back. They stood there for a few seconds before they realized Sishae had stopped to talk to another Aluminai. Specklepaw nuzzled Kobe, causing the Pokémon to blush and stare at him strangely. "What was that for!?"
"You're the only creature that I've met in a while that isn't hostile towards skittish weaklings like me."
"Hey...you're not weak. You're strong, just in a different way then everybody tries to be." Kobe wrapped his forelegs around the kitten and they stayed like that for a minute before parting. They glanced at each other and blushed when they realized they were sitting there, staring at each other. I look like an idiot, staring at him and blushing, looking like a tomato., Specklepaw thought.
Gilda pulled out a photograph and a couple of letters that were addressed to the buck who, apparently, was the lover of the chief. She read through them, careful not to mix them up and put them back. She listened out for anyone coming and inspected the picture. Where did these forest dwellers get this type of tech from!?, she thought and looked for more clues.
Thump.
Gilda swiveled her head to the side just in time to see the door open and a young buck with two stubs for antlers and reddish-brown hair walk in. He shut the door behind him and let his eyes wander around the room...until he saw Gilda standing there looking right at him. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to justify why he was in a house that was clearly not his. She's up to something suspicious, isn't she?, he thought, taking a step foreward. Why would she be standing there? Was she waiting for me? Gilda let a growl escape her throat. The buck stopped moving and laid his ears back, tail tucked tightly. The message was clear, don't come closer.
"Don't attack me." he said, his voice surprisingly clear and fearless, unlike how he was feeling. Gilda cocked her head to the side.
"Why shouldn't I?" she hissed.
"Because I want the same thing you do."
Gilda's eyes widened then narrowed and she took a defensive stance. "And what's that?"
"Answers,"
Specklepaw and Kobe raced ahead, losing Sishae, who was still talking, and hid behind some bushes. They stayed there for a few minutes, watching to see if she was looking for them. Sishae was still talking, completely ignoring them and didn't notice their absence. Kobe chuckled and gave Specklepaw a playful nudge.
"Three cheers for us, huh? We got breakfast and managed to run like the wind."
"Yea, I suppose." the kitten chuckled. "Let's go find Gilda. No doubt she's doing the exact opposite of what we told her and wandering around somewhere."
"Sure thing. She's a feisty one, isn't she?"
"Heh, yea." As the two turned to walk away from the bush, a familiar face peeped through that made Specklepaw's stomach churn. It was Asher and he wasn't alone. Sishae was standing next to him with the Aluminai she'd been talking to. Specklepaw gulped.
"You!" Asher growled at the kitten. Kobe laid his ears back and whimpered.
"Uhh, Specks, I think their looking for you..."