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What Gods Leave	By : Twill Category: Pokemon > General Views: 3361 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Direct sunlight didn't make it through the thick forest canopy, hiding them all from the sky above. Large, rough-barked monoliths supported the sprawling green cover. The forest made hiding easy. An entire pack could be waiting to strike.
The female Zoroark's fur bristled. “After everything your clan has done for you, you betray us like this? Your family? Those who considered you a friend?”
It took every ounce of will he had not to look away from those cold, azure eyes. With the two Zoroark at his side, the opposing three wouldn't attack. Probably.
The male at the center spat. “The elders didn't bother to waste their time with you. You've been exiled and branded a threat to the clan.” He motioned for the others to fall back. “And your name has been taken. You new name is Traitor, not that someone like you will heed the elders anyway.” With that, the three retreated.
Traitor. He couldn't watch his three friends stalk off into the woods, the foliage soon hiding them from sight. As a threat to the clan, they would kill him if they ever found him in clan territory again. All four of them had been friends.
“Turn and run you blue-eyed cowards!” Ember, the Zoroark on his left called out. The taunt went unacknowledged. “No offense meant, but you're not one of them anymore.” Crimson highlights covered his slate fur, though whether named for his fur or personality, Traitor didn't know.
“Ember's right,” Douse said, placing a large paw on Traitor's shoulder. “You're not part of their clan anymore. They can't take your name.”
Traitor interrupted quietly. “It's just a name. You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you and the rest of the pack.”
“Nope.” Ember grabbed him by the arm and thrust him in the direction of the pack. “We're not leaving you out here alone for those three cowards to find.”
“I don't think they'd come after me-”
“And, you're not going to sulk around. This is our last night before the clan gathers. You should be with us.”
Traitor grunted but let himself be led. “Thanks for coming out here with me.”
Ember gave him a playful shove forward. “Would have done it for anyone.”
As the three of them made their way back towards the rest of the pack, Traitor receded deep into thought. He remembered things from before the change: hunting, traveling, surviving. A waste, really. His mind never considered anything beyond the need to eat, sleep and mate. How had he never considered more, real solutions to some of the problems his pack faced? And what did the humans have? What could they posses that fueled a need to seek them out?
Ember broke the silence. “So how far do you think they are? I hear the humans make giant trees to live in.”
Douse chuckled. “That's stupid. Giant trees? And have you ever even seen a human?”
“No,” Ember admitted, “but Haste says he has.”
“Yeah, and did you see his illusion of a human?” Douse laughed. “How about you, uh, Traitor, ever seen a human?”
Traitor shook his head. “No one in my old pack had.”
Ember turned and walked backwards so he could face the other two. “What? Then how can they all be so against going to find out more about them?”
Traitor shrugged halfheartedly, not quite meeting the others' eyes. “Don't you get a weird feeling when you really think about them, like an instinctual feeling to stay away? Some in my old pack said humans can force a pokemon to follow their every command.” Fallen leaves shuffled quietly underfoot, the recent rains dampening even the driest leaves.
Ember's boasting didn't have the same fire as it did before. “Don't tell me you're scared of a human. Nothing hunts a Zoroark.”
Obviously Traitor's old pack hadn't been the only ones with this phantom memory. “But, I wouldn't have joined you guys if I thought it were true. Speaking of predators, do you think we'll run into any Lucario?”
Ember waved his paw dismissively. “Even if they crawled out of their caves, we can take 'em.”
Douse looked up towards the occasional sliver of sky that peeked through the dense canopy. “You know if we keep up this pace, it will be dark long before we make it back.”
“Well then, let get going,” and without waiting, Ember turned and dashed off ahead.
Douse shrugged. “We should probably hurry up before he gets himself lost.” Despite his large size, Douse moved surprisingly fast.
Traitor nodded with a grin, and the two of them chased after Ember, their large manes billowing pleasantly behind them.

Despite resting alongside a small stream for a time and enjoying its cool waters, the three returned in good time. The forest darkened beneath its shrouding leaves, but the sun hadn't fallen below the horizon yet.
Traitor slowed. “We're close.” The others slowed as well, the three of them panting lightly.
“Of course we are. That's why we've been running,” but Ember didn't complain about the change in pace. “We should hurry though. Strike said he'd bring back an entire Zebstrika, and I could eat the whole thing.”
Douse snorted. “Where's he gonna find a Zebstrika in the forest?”
“I've been waiting all day. If anyone can find one, it's him.” Ember picked back up to a jog.
Douse shook his head, and Traitor grinned. Besides, running all day had made him hungry too, and this would be his first feast with the pack.
As they approached, the sounds of talking and fighting carried through the trees. Not angry fighting, but of Zoroark showing off and enjoying themselves.
A few called out and waved once Traitor and the others entered the clearing, but a majority were too caught up in their revelry to notice. Small fires burned at the edges of the large natural clearing, and towards the middle a variety of pokemon lay dead, most having a good portion of them eaten away to reveal the white bone beneath. At the very center amidst the tall grass lay a massive Zebstrika.
Ember's face lit up, fangs glistening. “Douse, Traitor, I have something to take care of.” He made a line straight for the felled beast.
“I don't think I've ever eaten Zebstrika before.” With so much food before him, Traitor's stomach growled.
Douse shrugged but his eyes scanned over the food like he expected it to run. “It's food. C'mon.”
Traitor and Douse moved about, sampling the take. All fresh kills, and assorted berries, were left in neat arrangements about the kills. His hunger led him to an assortment of prey, including Basculin, a personal favorite, as well as the Zebstrika.
When he finished, Traitor used the juice from an oran berry to help wash the blood from his muzzle. So much food intensified his lethargy, and he looked to relax briefly before rejoining the others. Ember hadn't returned, and Douse spoke with a pair of Zoroark that had motioned him over, leaving Traitor alone.
He gravitated towards one of the fires along the outskirts. Not too close, but enough to feel its raging heat. The vantage also gave him a good view of the other Zoroark. This would have been much easier before the change, the Rising, as some were calling it. Of course, before that, he would never have left his clan. A Zoroark would die for his pack, so what did that make him?
A familiar female voice called out to him. “Thought, what are you doing over here?”
Traitor grimaced at his old name. He hadn't heard Esper approach. “My name is Traitor now.”
She frowned. “Don't tell me you're over here brooding about it. A petty move by your old clan, but I'm sure the elders will give you a new one.”
“I'm going to keep it,” he said, eyes downcast.
“A shame you never grew into it.” Esper sighed.
“Funny,” he said dryly. The others might not understand, never have been put in his position, but the name meant more than a condemnation by his previous elders.
Instead of a full mane, Esper's flowed down her back in a narrow band that shifted between black and crimson. While not inconsequential, it didn't warrant a binding like most Zoroark tied theirs. It might stand out more than a set of blue eyes – he'd heard some from the river clans had smaller manes – but it didn't detract from lithe body. Despite never having seen her fight, Esper looked dangerous, her body sleek and streamlined, fur glossy and full despite her mane. Illuminated against the small blaze, the firelight didn't reveal even a single hair out of place on her immaculate coat.
“So, who have you met with tonight?” Her voice made him realize he was staring.
Traitor snapped his gaze towards the fire, hoping that some of the answers would be contained in its flames. Every time he spoke with Esper, she either brought up the last thing he wanted to talk about, or made him feel like an idiot. Somehow, the Rising gave her an unrivaled ability with words.
“Well, I was with Ember and Douse, and now you.” He could already hear the biting words at how he should have done this or that.
Esper drew his face up with her claws, oddly gentle, until their eyes met. “You are a part of our clan now, and even more-so, our pack. Everyone here trusts you.”
“Yeah.” He looked into those confident, deep-pink eyes, a color rarely seen in his old clan. Very rare, yet all of the Zoroark here had them.
An almost predatory gleam shone in her eyes. “Some even admire those eyes, despite how we view others with them.” Esper grinned and let his chin go. “The others probably offered, but in case they didn't, you're welcome to sleep in my hollow.” With that, Esper turned away and walked towards another group of Zoroark in a seemingly good-natured, but intense debate.
Traitor watched her leave. They should have made her pack leader-
Something crashed into him, knocking him clean off his feet and to the ground, his attacker gripping his neck and side. The ground knocked the air from his lungs, but he managed to throw the other Zoroark off himself and roll into a crouch.
Ember landed with an adroit flourish. “Have to react quicker than that.”
“I'll keep that in mind next time I'm having a conversation,” Traitor muttered, rubbing his throat.
Ember grinned. “We were talking about what our plans were, and I realized you might not know, so I came to drag you over once Esper finished with you.”
“Eavesdropping?” but Traitor followed Ember towards the other group.
Ember ignored him. “We were talking about our roles. Having an entire clan in a single hunting ground will be difficult. The humans must do it somehow though, and we figured everyone should do something specific.”
Traitor's old clan had also been discussing that issue. “How do you know your role, are the elders giving them? Do you have one yet?”
“Not yet. The elders are taking requests and will make the final decision. Most should get what they want to do, but you have to do something, of course,” Ember said.
They joined a group of three other Zoroark, and Ember introduced him. “You guys remember Traitor, right? He's the clan's new member.”
“Hello.” Traitor closed his eyes and bowed his head briefly – a greeting and show of trust. One gave him an odd look at the mention of his name, but all three returned the gesture.
“Traitor, this is Strike, Haste, and Shadow.” Ember motioned to the three others, the five of them standing in a small circle.
Names were an odd thing. Aside from small variation in a Zoroark's mane, very little distinguished them, even between genders. Before the Rising, they identified each other by scent, but that didn't work as well when referring to others. Matching name to scent and mane coloring made meeting so many new Zoroark a challenge.
Ember continued. “The elders have asked for volunteers to go meet the humans, and I figured you'd be a good candidate. How about it?”
“Me?” Traitor froze. Of all the Zoroark, why him? He just joined the clan, and Ember wanted him to represent them?
“Why not? You managed to talk your way in with us, and you left because the others were running away from any involvement with the humans. You seem like a perfect fit.” For once he seemed serious. The others looked thoughtful.
Shadow, the only female among them, threw a playful jab at Ember. “Have you been thinking again?” Where crimson usually dominated a Zoroark's mane, Shadow, just like her sister Shade, had black and charcoal hair flowing down her back.
Ember batted the attack away, ignoring her. “So what do you say?”
“I-” He did want to meet the humans, and he'd make a terrible warrior. “I'll have to think about it. Maybe.” The idea sounded interesting, but dangerous. How did you fight a human if they attacked? Or stole your mind?
“Oh c'mon. What else were you planning? And you don't have to worry, you'll have us watching your back.” Ember indicated the group of them.
“”All of you?” Traitor asked.
“Well, except Strike.” Ember indicated the Zoroark with an odd diagonal slash of black through his mane.
“We don't know if humans taste any good yet, so I'll stick to hunting,” Strike said.
“It does sound interesting, and I'm not much use in a fight. I'm meeting with the elders tomorrow anyway. I'll talk with them.”
“Fine, fine. Take your time, but wait too long, and you might end up being sent to the humans as a gift.”
Traitor's eyes widened. “What? They can't do that!”
The others laughed, and Ember patted him on the back. “Let's go check out the illusions. There's a contest to show a human.”
The five of them moved towards a large group, Traitor fighting down embarrassment. In the middle, a number of awkward figures shambled about. Strange, fleshy creatures without fur moved on disproportionate arms and legs. Traitor suddenly had second thoughts about meeting on of these humans.
Traitor nudged Ember. “That's not what they actually look like, is it?”
Ember shrugged. “Maybe.” And after a brief pause: “I hope not.”
He shuddered. Some had strange fur that didn't stand right, and changed color between vibrant blues and greens to garish reds. Others had fur reminiscent of a pokemon's hide.
What if the humans did hunt Zoroark? He didn't know of any clans that went near human lands. Watching the shuffling illusions turned his stomach. He imagined one wearing a skinned Zoroark, blood still dripping down eerily long limbs.
The others laughed as one danced on stiff legs, twisting in a lopsided circle. Probably just another joke. Humans didn't have any powers, so some said, yet they dominated the land, known to those who'd never even seen them. The illusions had to be wrong.
Fatigue gripped Traitor's limbs, and the clearing seemed less crowded than before. Had Esper left already? He didn't see her, but with so many scents mixing in the air, he couldn't be sure.
He drew Ember away from the show for a moment. “I'm going to sleep. It's been a tiring day.”
Ember nodded. “And hey, I'm glad you joined us.”
Traitor bowed his head. “Me too.”
“Just stop being so formal.” Ember shoved him. “I'll see you tomorrow.”
He found Esper's hollow easily enough, her scent led directly to it. Esper, however, hadn't returned yet.
“I said I'd be here later, or are you just eager?” Esper padded silently along the damp leaves, avoiding anything that would give her away. She moved with the fluid grace of a predator, sleek charcoal fur making it hard even for a Zoroark's sensitive eyes to make out in the night. She smiled, fangs gleaming in the moonlight.
“I'm just tired from-”
“Don't explain yourself.” Esper took him by the shoulders and pressed her nose to his – a sign of affection. “You're a part of our clan now. Stop acting like we look down on you. No one cares what color your eyes are.”
“They stand out,” he whispered.
“And is that such a bad thing?” She tugged gently on his fur, moving towards the small indentation, shored up with leaves for warmth.
For a second time that day, Traitor found himself being led. He lay down first, and a moment later, Esper curled up with him, their bodies pressed close together, large manes spread about them for warmth. Traitor could feel her slow breathing against him.
Esper's face lay close to his, her voice little more than a whisper. “Can I ask you a question?”
Traitor yawned, the pleasant warmth from Esper's body pushing him towards slumber. “Of course.”
Esper, never at a loss for words, almost sounded hesitant. “Is it strange that I don't want pups? I remember, before, wanting to find a mate, but now, after everything changed, the world seems to have so much more to it.” She shifted nervously. “It's not like I never want pups, but I want to explore what's out there. I want to visit the human clans, see what things are like beyond our little stretch of forest before devoting my time to nursing pups and a mate.”
“I-” He hadn't thought about it. With everything else happening, leaving his clan, the in-fighting even before that – he could remember things before too, not too different from Esper's memories. “No, I don't think it's strange.” He opened his eyes to see moonlight shining off Esper's magenta iris', watching him as if about to strike.
She grinned. “Well don't talk my ear off.”
Traitor nipped playfully at Esper's throat. “Don't tease. Not all of us gained your ability to talk circles around others.”
Her eyes widened at first, but Esper bared her fangs in a devious grin. “See, that's more like it.”
In a flash, Traitor found himself sprawled on his back, Esper pinning him, her teeth grazing the skin of his neck. One hand held his chest down, the other his mane, in turn keeping his head against the soft forest ground.
Her scent intensified, hazing his mind and overpowering the earthy forest they lay in. “I might turn you into one of us yet.” She bit his neck, hard enough to elicit a snarl from Traitor, but she relented, using the hand holding his mane to draw his muzzle towards her. “But you'll always have those beautiful eyes.”
Traitor's mind raced, but accomplished very little. While he never counted himself particularly good at fighting, he struck, grabbing her arm and using his shoulder to roll them both.
He held Esper face-down below him, her head twisted to the side and pressed into the soft bedding she'd gathered up, leaving one eye to gaze up at him. Damn her.
He breathed heavily, though not from the effort of one-upping her, of which he didn't think he managed through any skill of his own. “Was using attract necessary? You obviously had my attention.” Was she grinning?
The loam muffled her words. “Either way, I get what I want.”
“I thought you didn't want pups.”
“I'm obviously not in heat.” She tested his hold, but Traitor held her firm, and Esper grinned. “Well?”
He couldn't fight the ensnaring scent even had he wanted to, and he most certainly didn't. It permeated his senses, his mind, his body. His thoughts crawled to a halt, stopping on Esper. He leaned down and took the scruff of her neck in his jaws.
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What Gods Leave