Gilda and Kobe barely had time to process what to do before they were hit with a wave of Luminesant energy. They shuddered and collapsed on the forest floor. Asher whimpered and took a step back, fearing the same fate. Sishae glanced at the Pokémon and griffon before turning to the chief.
"Mom," she lowered her head in respect to the chief's authority. "I see you've graced us with your pressence."
"Yes," Kiyla smiled. "I saw you were hunting and couldn't help but notice that your prey was being a bit tricky."
"We had it, mom. We didn't need you butting in."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. We were just about to get them! Didn't you see?"
"I saw something...but that wasn't it." Kiyla trotted over to the unconscious kids and lifted Kobe in her jaws. Asher bristled and flashed his teeth. Sishae nudged him and went to stand in their mother's face.
"What are you doing? That's our prey!" Kiyla grunted and gestured, with her muzzle, towards the town. Sishae understood and lifted Gilda in her jaws. Asher laid his ears back but said nothing as he fetched Clyde. They didn't even bother to give Specklepaw a single glance as they walked away.
Kobe opened his eyes and groaned. Clyde was on top of him and Gilda was parallel to him. They were on a dirt floor and surrounded by moldy wooden walls and a leaking thatched roof. A rat scuttled past his nose to nibble on Gilda's claws but scampered away when she stirred. She groaned too and lifted her head slowly.
"Kobe?" she called in a raspy voice. "Where are we?"
"I don't know." Kobe looked around more thoroghly and saw a pile of rotting corpes in the far left corner.
"Maybe...maybe this is the...cabin..."
"Could be...wait...wait...wait! Where's Specklepaw?!" Kobe jumped up, causing Clyde to slide off of him and grunt as he hit the ground.
"Uge...what gives?"
"Where's Specks?!"
"He's not in here. I don't...I don't smell him either..." Gilda looked around, beginning to get worried, herself.
"Didn't he get hit in the head? He must still be..." Clyde's eyes widened and he gulped. "...outside..."
"Oh no...no no no no no! If he's outside, he's unprotected! If he's unprotected...!"
"I don't think you have to worry about his protection, Kobe." Gilda said quietly. Clyde was silent. Kobe turned towards her.
"What...what do you mean?"
"Kobe."
"No."
"Kobe...he got hit pretty hard in the head..."
"No..."
"And did you see how much blood he lost?"
"NO!"
"Oh, enough of your chatter! You shouldn't worry about your kitty-cat when you've got worse things to deal with!" The three turned to see the chief walk in, flanked by Asher and Sishae, through a hidden door.
"It's you..." Kobe flattened his ears and looked at his paws. The Lilipup was terrified and overflowing with grief. Gilda growled and took a defensive stance. Clyde looked like he was unsure of what to do.
"Yes, it is I, chief of the Aluminai. It would do you well to fear me, for I will be delivering you to the clutches of Death."
"Just like you did to Specklepaw." Gilda hissed.
"Murderer!" Kobe sobbed. "He was...he was my friend!"
"He never did anything to you," Gilda glared at the chief. "And you kill him in cold blood!"
"Hmf. I suppose you think I care of your last thoughts." The chief began to glow with power and she bared her razor sharp teeth. Sishae and Asher did the same, though their glow was not as bright as their mothers. She darted foreward and caught a terrified Clyde in her jaws. He managed to squirm away but a swipe of her claws was enough to make him fall to the ground, hurt badly and bleeding. Gilda and Kobe would've helped but they had Asher and Sishae to make sure they got attention too.
"Help!" Kobe shouted. He was backed up against a wall. On his left, Gilda was pinned down by Asher and barely keeping him from ripping her that out. On his far right, Clyde was covered in bruises and gashes with the chief standing over him, her mouth covered in his blood.
"Kobe! I can't...keep...him...off...much...longer!" Gilda said in a strained voice. A swipe of Asher's claws to her face made her scream in pain and for the first time, fear.
"HELP!" Sishae had pinned him down too and was about to deliver the last blow - a fatal bite to the jugular. He heard Clyde's fairly weak breathing and Golda's whimpers and squeezed his eyes shut.
"No! Leave my friends alone!" a voice yelled. Sishae let out a yelp and dropped Kobe onto the ground. He looked up and his eyes widened. Clyde lifted his head weakly and moaned.
"Specklepaw?"
The kitten had pounced onto Sishae's back and dug his claws into her shoulders. She let out another yelp when he sank his teeth into her as well. Growling in pain, she shook him off and glared at him. Specklepaw narrowed his eyes at her.
"How dare you hurt my friends!"
"Watcha gonna do about it, small stuff?" the female taunted. Specklepaw smiled. Kobe used Scratch on Asher, who was distracted by Specklepaw's sudden entrance. Gilda crawled over to him and they glared at Asher with much hatred. The chief growled and stared at the hole in the cabin wall, eyes burning. A female Aluminai, followed by several others, walked in with a stern look on her face.
"Chief."
"Anya."
"I leave for a few days and I find out you're actually scheming to kill a group of innocent children?"
"Oh please." The chief rolled her eyes. "Did you really believe they were coming here by accident? Did you really think they just left?"
"I thought I could trust you...believe you." Anya gave Kobe and Golda an apologetic look. Gilda glanced at Clyde, who was limping away from the distracted chief and towards them.
"Their deaths bring me power! I wouldn't have just leg them go home!"
"You've been feeding off of them? Their children! How could you? All those poor, sad little kids...used like batteries..." There was a murmur of disaproval from the Aluminai behind her, watching and listening to the conversation.
"Enough talk of this. Get out and prepare another portal."
"How could you possible expect me to..." Anya glanced at the four kids before her and let out a sob. "...to...just ignore what you're doing? I can't believe this is what's been going on...I'm so sorry, young ones."
"I'm still chief! Whether you agree with me or not, you must still obey me!"
"No! Do you hear me? No!" There was a quiet cheer and the Aluminai began to advance towards their chief, who backed up a few steps and swore.
"Traitors. That's all you are!" Specklepaw tiptoed to his friends and they huddled together. Sishae and Asher trembled in fear and whimpered, sensing the danger they were in. The chief let out a warning growl and hissed. "Come near me and I'll rip your throats out!"
"Mother, there are too many of them for us to take on!" Sishae's high-pitched voice said. She backed into a corner and turned to her brother.
"Cowards!" The chief shouted over her shoulder.
"She's right, mother, we can't take them all... Even together..." The crowd of Aluminai surrounded the three so the the four kids darted outside the cabin. They stopped a few feet away from it and turned to each other.
"Are you guys alright?" Specklepaw asked. A scream tore through the air behind them.
"We should be asking you that." Kobe said.
"Yea. We're not the ones who got our brains nearly smashed on a tree." Gilda agreed.
"I'm fine. I...have a killer headache and a huge cut that'll leave a nasty scar...but I'm alright. Anya bandaged me up when she found me." Specklepaw pointed to the bandages around his head. Clyde yawned and licked his hoof.
"My leg...I think it's broken or something. Boy, does it hurt."
"We need to get out of here." Kobe sighed. There was another scream.
"No," Specklepaw stood and flattened his ears. "We need...we need to go home."
"What?" Kobe gave him a confused look.
"It would be best if we found a way home now. No one will try to stop us. It's time for us to seperate." Specklepaw looked Kobe right in the eyes. "We don't belong here, together. We must go to our respective worlds." More confusion, hurt, and a hint of anger shined in the Pokémon's eyes.
"A-alright..." Kobe helped Clyde to his hooves and nudged him forward. "Let's go guys..." There were screams and the awful sound of flesh tearing and blood splattering behind them as they headed towards the stage. It was just as big and menacing as it was when they had first came. They got onto it, yet another ear-piercing scream from the cabin followed by a tearing sound and a loud gurgling/screech that made the children shiver.
"If you guys find the portal the chief was talking about...I want you to know...I think you guys are pretty cool. I'm gonna miss you all. Even you, Egghead." Clyde nuzzled Specklepaw.
"You guys annoy me but I'll miss ya too." Gilda admitted. Clyde hugged her and grinned when she growled in irritation. "I'm still not so sure about you, though."
"Oh, you know I'll always be in your mind!" Clyde chuckled. Kobe smiled.
"I'll miss you all..." He glanced at Specklepaw and tried not to blush. "Especially you, Specks. You're my closest friend."
"Well, ouch." Gilda grumbled.
"Guess I'm no ones favorite this time, huh?" Clyde shrugged and licked his injured leg. Kobe looked around the stage and found a curious-looking gem. It was the same gem he'd had in the forest with his Pokémon friends!
"I'll miss you guys too!" Specklepaw sniffled. Kobe brought the gem over and let them inspect it.
"This is the gem that brought us here, I think. It should take us back too."
"You weren't planning on leaving without saying goodbye were you?" a tired voice asked. They jumped and whirled around but it was only Anya. She had blood smeared onto her jaws and front hooves but managed to look friendly. There were several gorified Aluminai flanking her and speaking to each other in hushed voices.
"Sorry. We were just so... eager to go home is all." Kobe rubbed his neck sheepishly.
"It's quite alright, young ones." Anya chuckled. "Now, let me activate that gem for you." Anya concentrated for a few seconds before she began to glow. The gem began to glow as well before a beam of energy shot out of it and into the space in front of it. A swirling violet vortex began to form. Specklepaw purred in delight. We're leaving this dreadful place! Finally! But then, he looked at Kobe. But at what cost?
Little did he know, Kobe was thinking the same thing. Anya scooped up Clyde and put him on her back. He smiled sadly and waved at his friends. The other Aluminai waved and said their goodbyes (as well as apologies for their chief's behavior) as the trio stepped towards the portal. Specklepaw, Gilda, and Kobe nodded to each other before they jumped in...