Time dragged by for the Pokémon of the Winter Woods, none more so then Ice and Minny. While the seasons had changed from autumn to winter, many of the Pokémon of the village had fled in search of warmer weather. Minny however, was still scared of the world beyond the cave walls. Times were becoming more desperate food had become hard to find and the little that was found tasted bitter, this bothered Ice and Minny little. Ice being old enough to deal with the condition of the food while Minny was simply thankful for them not being rotten or covered in the thick layer of mould she'd once grown accustom to eating.

Once river had frozen over, many more Pokémon had migrated further out of the forest to the warmth of the valley far below. Ice however had stayed behind, watching over Minny as she hid herself from the rest of the world. Only rarely would Ice be able to coax the frightened Pokémon out of his cave, even more so as the village became tense with the threats of nearing war increased. Although Ice had agreed to fight on the condition that he could adopt Minny as his own, the last thing he wanted was to fight other Pokémon he wasn't nearly as good in battle as he had been years ago when he ruled the village as a tyrant.

The old Beartic snorted, sending out a puff of fog from his nose as he did so but the large ice type barely noticed, his attention on the advancing snow storm in the distance. He didn't believe the village was safe to stay in for the winter, not this year but with Minny petrified of leaving the cave, he knew he would have to stay as she was still recovering, building up her once shattered confidence, he couldn't risk breaking that for the sake of warmth and comfort.

"It's going to be bad this year isn't it." Bubble noted from next to Ice, glancing up at him. The Azumarill's burrow had frozen over at the beginning of the season so she and her baby had moved in with Ice and Minny until the winter was over.

Ice nodded grimly in reply. "I don't know how safe it will be when that storm hits, normally they don't get so bad this far up the mountain but I doubt that one will pass us by."

"Shouldn't we leave then, until the season is over?" Bubble asked the bear Pokémon.

"Yes." Ice replied blankly before turning back to his cave and walking back in. "But I'm afraid for Minny. She's still hates leaving the cave and she's improved so much..."

Further into the cave a fire burned brightly, two small Pokémon slept by its warmth. Minnie, Bubble's young Azuril who'd been named after the thought to be dead Buneary and Minny, the Buneary taken in by Ice years ago. Although the two shared a name, most had taken to calling Bubble's child 'Meme' to avoid confusion on who was being addressed between the two children.

The Buneary had originally been left as a monthly sacrifice to the once evil Beartic but she had been shown mercy on the condition she live with him as a companion. Minny's warm heart had melted Ice's frozen one and the two soon grew to care deeply for each other. Both Minny and Ice were happy with each other's company until Drapion first took Minny from Ice to use as a defence. She was used to protect the village from having to leave any more sacrifices to him but after he lost a battle to Ice, he'd blinded Minny in an unseen rage. From then, Minny had lost all hope and warmth she had. She'd lost sight in the point of living and leaving many to believe she'd taken her life not long after she'd disappeared without a trace. Minny had slipped into the river, unable to see the slimy moss that had covered the rocks she stood upon. Drapion had pulled her from the river that day, plotting to use the blind Buneary against Ice in a war he was going to start between his own army of dark and poison type against the Pokémon of the Winter Woods. However Minny was able to slip a small message out, a single stick as her call for help. She'd tied her necklace, her most prized possession, to the sick, casting it into the river during the only time she managed to escape before she was dragged back beneath the surface of the world where she spent the next three years of her life. It was by pure chance that Ice was the one to stumble across Minny's plea for help which lead to her rescue days later but the normal type Pokémon was not without injury. Both mentally and physically Minny had been scarred, now petrified of anything beyond the cave walls.

Minny's grey irises stared at the fire, not able to see the flickering of the flames or the cracking of the sticks that built it. Her world was dark, lit now only by love that Ice, Bubble and her family gave her. Her uninjured paw clung to her necklace that once more hung around her neck, her other was buried in her fluffy yellow fur. A splint was tied securely, but gently to her paw that had been broken during her time under Drapion's claw. It was healing slowly but it, as well as the other injuries she'd sustained, still caused her a great deal of pain. Her thoughts always seemed to drift to the possibility of Drapion catching her again. She preferred keeping her mind completely blank rather risking the terrifying memories of her time with Drapion resurfacing.

Her ears twitched slightly when the sound of advancing footsteps reached her curled ears. She waited a moment before allowing them to stretch out slightly, trying to figure out who was coming. She easily made out Ice's slow heavy footsteps as his large paws hit the cave ground as well as Bubble's quick light ones as she padded on next to Ice. Next to her she could hear the even snores of the little Azuril sleeping next to her. She could hear Ice and Bubble's conversation as they came closer to where she rested.

"It would be safer to go. The storms this year are predicted to be worse then ever." Bubble debated with Ice. The conversation was a common one between the two lately but they always ended up the same way, with Ice refusing to force Minny to leave his cave, which for the young Buneary was a place of safety.

"But the problem of getting Minny to leave is still there. I don't want to force her to do something she afraid of doing." Ice sighed, noticing Minny's ears focused on their conversation. "We'll talk about this later." He mumbled, not wanting Minny to feel like them staying was her fault. She was still to mentally frail and such feelings impacted her greatly inside, even if she didn't let them show on the outside.

Looking up at the great Ice type, Bubble frowned. "There might not be time." She said quietly, looking over at her baby and friend, noticing with guilt as Minny hung her head,

That young Buneary felt shameful of her fear. Her darkened world never offered her any peace and with the threats of war setting the whole village on edge, Minny had found no end the fear building in her heart. "I-Ice?" Minny said quietly, looking towards the direction she thought Ice to be. "We-we can go I-if you w-w-wan-t-to..." She stuttered, trying not to seem afraid despite the impediment to her speech.

Ice walked over to Minny, nudging her side while she wrapped her good paw around Ice's cheek. "Minny don't think that you have to do anything. If you want to stay then we can." He knew she didn't want to leave but was terrified of being abandoned, even if it was something that would never happen. Three years was an awfully long time to be isolated from any kind of meaningful contact, and a long time of being constantly told, that despite what she truly believed, she had been abandoned to Drapion's torment.

"B-but the s-storms..." Minny whimpered back, resting her head against Ice. She squeezed her misted eyes shut as to hold back her tears and hide her true emotions from her guardian.

"We can manage." Ice smiled, using one of his large paws to pick up the young Buneary and cradle her close. "I'm not going to make you do something that scares you."

Minny hung her head but didn't say anything. She wanted to leave for the winter but she was terrified of what laid beyond the cave. Drapion was still out there and twice he'd been responsible for taking her away from Ice, she didn't want that to happen again, not after the way he'd treated her before.

Ice gently sat the small Buneary by the fire once more, curling around her and the baby Azuril to assist in keeping the two warm. Minny hugged her guardian close, burying her tiny body in his winter coat. "I j-just d-don't wa-w-want t-o be a a bur-bur-den I-ice, I d-don't w-want y-you t-to llleave mmme."

A small smile formed on my larger Pokémon's lips as he hugged Minny close to him. "You're not a burden Minny, I care about you, about how you feel and you're safety. If you're to scared to leave then I would never force you to." He gently licked her fur, succeeding in getting a small giggle from his little one. "I love you."

"I love you to." She whispered, not possibly able to hold her tears back any longer.

"Hey, you didn't stutter that time." Her guardian praised, knowing how happy it made her when she was able to speak straight. After rescuing her from Drapion, Ice had noticed a lot of change with his friend, one of the most notable of which being the stutter she developed. Through the months, as Minny had been healing, her stutter was getting better. When she spoke a sentence, no matter how small, without tripping over her words, the young Buneary would always beam with pride as she did this time.

"I-I did!" She squealed, cuddling close to Ice. "I'm g-ge-tting b-better."

Ice smiled as Bubble took her place next to him, cuddling up with her daughter as she watched her friends. She watched Ice reassure Minny, treat her as if she were his own daughter. The connection the two shared was something only a Pokémon with no heart, or at least, one made of stone would break. Bubble felt immense pity for all the two had been through and would help in anyway she could to keep her friends from being separated again, during the first few weeks of Minny's recovery she'd bring food and water for the two so Ice wouldn't have to leave the frightened young Pokémon alone to get it himself. She drifted off to sleep close to Ice, using his warmth to warm both herself and her child. Ice paid little attention to the Azumarill and her infant, instead focusing on his own child he'd adopted into his care.

Minny took a deep breath in, unaware of most of what was happening raising her gaze to look up at Ice, unable to see him but knowing he was there. "I-ce?" She murmured, feeling a slight build of confidence as she made up her mind.

"Yes Minny?" Ice replied softly.

"I-I want t-t-o l-eave." She whispered. "I-I want us-s to l-leave for-for the w-winter. I-I'm r-ready."

Ice smiled softly as he nuzzled Minny's fur. "If you're sure, but don't feel like you have to because of us..." He replied. "We will leave in the morning, it's far to cold to leave tonight."

"O-okay." Minny nodded, burying herself in Ice's coat. Both knew the travel down the mountain would be tough for the young Buneary who had failed to grow most of her own winter coat. Most likely it had something to do with the time she spent underground, abused by Drapion but not even Chansy could figure it out. Ice knew he'd have to have Minny in his arms the entire time, or risk her freezing to death.

"Sleep now." He smiled, nuzzling his little one tenderly. "It's very late and you will need your strength if we do leave."

"Y-you won't lllea-ve m-me ri-gh-t?"

"Never ever." He promised, curling around Minny to keep her warm. "I'm going to keep you safe forever, count on it."

Minny smiled as she closed her eyes, resulting in a smile from Ice as his goal had been achieved. He enjoyed making his friend happy, seeing her genuine smile was something rare for Ice but he knew he'd done something right when he saw it. She'd suffered abuse for so long that for quite some time, she'd expect any contact to hurt and she would never smile but Ice had been persistent, slowly introducing Minny to touch and sound once more. It had been tough for the first few weeks but eventually, she started to settle, feeling safe enough to relax when around Ice and not flinch away from touch. Naturally, Minny still startled easily but was calmed when Ice explained what had happened or who was near. He was planning on waiting until after winter to start letting other Pokémon around his little friend, slowly of course so as not to scare her. Her inability to see made things difficult as unheard contact made her shy away and often squeal if fear. Regardless, Ice was determined to help his friend.

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Hey people~! I finally started the first chapter of the final instalment of this series. Sorry it took so long... hehehe
Be prepared to cry and to cheer cause I plan of making you do both.

Let me know of any spelling or grammar mistakes or any inconsistencies in the plot or writing that I may need to fix, thank yooouuu~!