Just. Keep. Running.

   Stopping wasn't an answer. They just kept on running and running. They slowed down now and then to catch their breath, but they still made progress as they did so. Not a single word was uddered during that time mainly because of their throats burning and lungs constantly grabbing as much oxygen as they can.

  The brothers were always on the brink of exhaustion while the little vulpix didn't know what "tiring" meant to her body.

   Wait! The vulpix halted.

   The two were glad they were able to stop again. Thank goodness because Daniel might have collapsed. He was not active as he used to be.

   They bend over and to rest their hands on their knees and started catching their desired breaths.

   The vulpix raised her head in the air and her nose twitched. A savory smell entered her nostrils, which made her feel a sense of safety. She followed the scent trail hovering in the air for hours. Now it's at its strongest. We're near.

   "Near? What's 'near'?" Daniel said in-between pants. He still didn't had a single clue to grasp what's going on, especially with the talking vulpix.

   Meaning we're near my aunt's home. She's a few yards away.

   "Wait. Woah, woah." Travis stopped in his track. "I thought we were going to your dad's place. What's happening?" Travis said. 

   The vulpix turned to face him. I don't know to get there to be exact. He switched his location a long time ago before I was sealed into my cave, the vulpix mumbled. She tried her best to make her voice sound neutral as possible. But what I do know is that my aunt might know where he is. I don't know if she'll take a liking to other humans, nor me though...

   "Really now? Do you have any out of the blue relatives you care to explain?" Travis said with interest. He couldn't believe there might be more vulpix's like her. Do they have strong physic powers as well?

   It's just my mom, my aunt, and my dad. Nothing else and that's all I shall say. The vulpix started walking the other direction. Come, we just got need to follow the rest of the scent trail. We can walk there since we are only a few minutes away. 

   "Few! Thank Arceus! Just one more minute of joggin' and I'd be a pile of mesh!" Daniel exclaimed which caught both of their attention. He began stretching, but looked like he was doing all sorts of dance poses instead. Now back to full strength, his started being his regular self. "I'm glad we're goin' to meet ya aunt, it's been a while since I've seen vulpixes, especially talkin' ones! But how do ya talk anyways? I know certain pokemon do have strong physic abilities, but a vulpix? Ho-"

   Please! Please! Please, quiet down! You have many questions, but please don't go building a whole novel of them. I couldn't even process on what you were saying. 

   "Er, sorry ma'am." 

   The vulpix sighed. Thank Arcues that nightmare is over. Then she sent a private message to Travis. Is he always like this?

  Travis lazily shrugged. Yeah, he can get carried away with his words, especially when he's a curious guy. That's my brother for you. 

$-----$-----$-----$-----$-----$-----$----$

   The fire had spreaded through our the forest, not letting a single vegetation escape its fierce wrath as it continued to grow. But don't fret, water pokémon came to the rescue and drenched the fire in water. It took hours to shrink the fire until they finally reached the source of it: a ring.

   They heard screaming from the ring, and wanted to save whatever was in the ring. They heavily doused the flames and they sizzled as they were extinguished. Now they could see what was in the ring. There stood a couple of men in a circle. Their black clothing were soggy. They soon saw the golden ekans on their shirts. They scurried away, not wanting to be captured by "those who bear the golden ekans".

   Poisintongue got to his knees and praised to the sky. "Oh mighty heavens! We have been saved right before the fire closed in on us! Thank goodness!" 

   The other men gathered around their chief. Gift lay paralyzed on his hands and knees as he stared at the ashes that cluttered the ground. He was so petrified that he witnessed his life flashed before his eyes. "The fire...The fire..." he mumbled. His befuddled state that he lost all senses and knowledge...until he remembered how the fire started.

   "Are you alright, chief?" Sneasel asked, but made sure he kept his distance. 

   "I can't believe this..." Gift muttered. "I can't believe this!" Gift slammed his fists to the ground. He was so tantalizingly close to having that one pokémon he desired the most. Now some little teen and his weakling of a brother have it. If only he hadn't left his rapiers in the car, he could of killed them easily, but he was too cocky enough to think that a teen would be no match for his gang and him. Especially when he had his brother as a hostage. 

   "Those two shall pay!" he hissed. He turned to Sneasel and grinned menacingly. Sneasel swore that his left eye twitched. "And I know exactly how I'll do so! I'll give them the most painful death imaginable! Hahahaaa!" he laughed at such an idea of inhumanly actions. Sneasel and the others stepped back. They haven't ever seen their master like this. "Don't be afraid. I can get much more worse than this." Gift's sense were coming back. 

  Gift then turned his attention to his whole gang. "Men! Gather the supplies and get in the car! Toot sweet!"

   "B-but how are we going to find them?" Poisintongue asked. 

   "With this my friend!" The German pulled out a tracking device on his pocket. A glowing, green dot showed the location of the vulpix and the red dot is Gift's location. "Just in case it might escape, the ultra ball had a tracking device inside of it. Once the vulpix was inside the ball, it attached itself in its ear." 

   "Really? Technology is one hell of advancement these days." 

   "Yes, yes, yes. Now go! We may be able to catch up with a vehicle, but they're heading towards a rocky area and I can't drive through there."

   The men did their work of gathering everything. They even still had the brothers belongings. They jumped into the car. Sneasel was about to jump into the back, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see it was Gift.

   He had a warm smile on his face. "Vhere do ju zhink ju're going? Come in the front vith me. I have a little surprise for ju."

   Sneasel bit his lip. He knew how Gift was: it may sound like a treat, yet he can be quite sarcastic. But Sneasel can kept his hopes high that there won't be a punishment of some sort.  Gift started the engine, leaned the tracking device on his lap, and then pushed on the gas. The men in the back held for dear life and hoped they won't fall off.  

   "Sneasel," Gift started.

   "Hm?" Sneasel tried to look apathetic, but he couldn't keep a straight face under such stressful conditions. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

   "I say so much...how zhis vill all go and I saw my life's journey end. It's about days from here."

   "Chief, that can't be you're the most talented person I ever know."

   That earned him a chuckle from Gift. "I know, but zhe events flashed before me, even zhe one when the vulpix and zhose horrid two escaped. Zhey all seem true. Hell...it could be Arceus himself vho made zhose future and past events spin around my head."

   "So, what does all of this have to do with me?"

   "I trust deeply in ju Gift. If I get injured, I hope ju'll be able to patch me back to healzh since ju're zhe best healer in this gang. But if I die...Ju're the next chief of the Slither Gang. Are you up for that challenge?"

   "Yes, chief. I am forever loyal to you for saving my life and do my best to save yours." He deeply bowed his head. I won't fail...I promise.

   Sneasel remembered that day when he was in a middle of nowhere in some sort of abandon waste land with a badly wounded leg. He had limped in one unknown direction, hoping he could fine civilation to help him. He had lost all of his memories, and so he had no clue on where is civilization exactly. He soon become dizzy from the lack of blood in his body, and collapsed on the dry land. Soon, he awakened in the back of a truck with his leg wrapped in bandages. A man had saved him and Sneasel thanked him and wanted to repay him in some way. Gift was the man's name, and he wanted Sneasel to be the very first person to be in his gang. He agreed, and that was the birth of the Slither Gang. Sneasel forever stayed under Gift's wing and was loyal with every once of blood in him until the day he perished...

$----$----$----$----$----$

The vulpix and Travis explained every bit to Daniel while also giving answers to his questions. 

    "Oh, and so that leads up to everythin' else?" Daniel said.

   "Yes, and now are you done, bro?" Travis muttered. 

   "I can't believe all of that happened in the cave, and with that smart plan of ya, wooh, we got freed from those criminals! So smooth!"

   Well, we're not certain we're actually "free", but I'm sure they're coming for us. The fire did stalled them, but I'm not quite sure how long. Plus, they have a car, so that's a biggy itself. 

   "Damn..." Daniel bit his lip. He took a small glance at Travis at the corner of his eye. What will happen to them if they were captured again, especially to his little brother? Just thinking of that made his heart skip a beat. But his thoughts were intruded when he heard the vulpix's telepathic shout. 

   Stop! 

   The brothers came to a halt. 

   "What's the hold up?" Daniel uneasily murmured

   I the smell is getting stronger, but yet there is another smell coming from that bush. And it's pokemon. She growled and the fur on her back prickled. 

   All of the sudden a mist came pooling from the bush. It spreaded at an alarming rate and swallowed the three whole. But they didn't cough nor feel nauseated because luckily it wasn't poisonous.

   Defog...So you're playing a spy game with us.

 "Travis!" Daniel yelled. He wondered around in the fog, but to avail. Then he saw a shadowing figure. "Travis?" he questioned on what he was saying, but he moved towards it hoping it could be him. He ran to it, but then stopped. The figure was actually some sort of bird like pokemon.

   "Swanna!" it charged at full speed and sky-rocketed right into Daniel's stomach. He fell tumbling across the ground. It mounted itself right on top of him and hissed him right in the face. For an elegant white feathered pokemon, it put up  a hell of a fight. Daniel closed his eyes and shielded his face when the swanna dived its flesh-shredding beak right for his face. 

   But then he saw a red light gleam against his eyelids. The swanna fell off of him. Daniel stumbled to his feet and witnessed that the pokemon was on its back gawking in pain while burns covered its left wing. 

   The vulpix appeared and bounded towards the swanna. With every breath, flames oozed from her jaws. Time to end this. She inhaled and blast fire all over the defenseless swanna, but was startled when a lance had stricken the ground by her feet. 

   "Mentra, stop this instant! How dare you come to visit me and the first thing you do is hurt my poor baby?" A lady who seemed to be in her mid forties with long green hair and pale hazel eyes walked over to them. Her clothing were hand made with silk. And that lance wasn't the only weapon she had. She wielded a dagger also. But she placed it back in her pocket and took out a poke ball to return the swanna. She rubbed it like it was her child. "Poor thing..."

   The vulpix bowed to her and guilt arose in the pits of her stomach. Aunt Sharon, I'm sorry, I-  

   "Oh shut it. The one question I'm wondering is how you broke out of your cave and..." She trailed off when she saw Daniel. His tall and beautiful golden wheat hair made her felt a certain way that she hasn't in ages. "Now who's this young cutey, hm? He's gorgeous in all the right places." 

   "That'll be my brother." Travis finally fount his brother and was now defensively protecting him. 

   "You brought company I see..." Sharon murmured.

   "So this is your aunt? I thought she was another vulpix?" Daniel asked.

   "Her dad used to be one of my pokemon. But there's no use standing out here all day. Come with me to my house. There's much explaining to do there." Like the three had enough already.

   She grabbed her lance and with the powerful strength within her arms, she spinned it until it was like that of a helicopter's propellers. The winds it produced could rival a hurricane. The fog scattered and the forest was clear again. 

   "What in the world do ya eat?" 

   "You don't want to know, hun. By the way, loving that accent of yours." Sharon flashed him a smirked.

   She went over to the bush the swanna appeared from and reach in it. She lifted the ground beneath the bush, but it was no ground. It was a disguised trap door and it revealed some tunnel. "Hold your nose, it's bound to be smell god awful." She jumped right in.

   "Dear Arceus, caves and tunnels again..." Travis moaned.

   You said it.

$-----$-----$----$---$

Author's Note: Sorry for putting this book on hiatus. I've been exhausted at school and needed a little time away from writing. Writing is also mentally tiring. But now I'm back baby and ready for action! ^^