Micah - "A Journal for the Ages": "Peace, for once" - Chapter One (Dungeon)

The wind of the mountain was gone, replaced by the monotonousness of the meadows he rested upon. He wished to remember the bite of a chilly gust of wind, the crunch of the frigid snow beneath his talons. He even wouldn't mind the feeling of rubbing shoulders with others. Company, that was the sort of thing he craved at this point in time. He had nestled himself in a minuscule tree, hollowed by years of other Pokémon slowly burrowing into it for the year. He felt it was the appropriate place to stay, not to stay warm. Compared to his old home, this location was like a tropical paradise. No, he needed this for protection. He knew the rest of the night would bring dangers, other things that had a desire to harm him. The possibility of a fight was what terrified him. He had friends to confront dangers in the mountains. This was a different place, though, the sight of trees and leaves being alien and strange. Grass constantly felt ticklish, and even sometimes sharp. Maybe he would just stay in the tree, alone and undisturbed. 

Luck happened that he would not rest in peace though, eventually a single noise constantly drove him awake. The buzzing that followed him through every passing hour. It was distant at first, when blinking in and out of sleep, he could assume it was a singular bug passing by in the wind. As it grew closer, his body drew more and more rigid. He felt his feathers expand further, making himself look as big as humanly possible. Micah himself was a blue owl, an odd kind of Rowlet, but one that was quite normal in the mountains. His eyes formed into that of spirals, almost like a hypnotic swirl. He never truly knew if he had a hypnotizing stare, as much as he physically tried to confuse people with his glare. It would've helped at this moment, the buzzing seemed to grow closer by the minute right at this point. Like a Pokémon was coming closer to investigate his spot. His eyes were keenly trained towards the hole in the tree, expecting something to crawl through.

Instead, a form seemed to float closer, the buzzing reaching a peak. It seemed to be small, somewhat blocky. Micah could see the shape of a pair of wings, flapping so fast that it became nothing but a meaningless blur of movement. The creature was a bug, but Micah expected that. The buzzing gave that fact away just about immediately. This bug appeared to be blocky, it filled the air with the soft aroma of something sweet. He wasn't accustomed to that smell, it stung in the top of his beak. It didn't appear harmful...

"What are you... doing in here??" The voice inquired, echoing through the tree with a cautious sense of amiability. This confused Micah, why was he met with a voice. He expected immediate battles, aggression. No, this was different. The creature came to him, without any attacks readied. He let out a few breaths, relaxing his feathers and himself.

"Trying to get some sleep. Do you mind?" Micah asked, deciding to get back to resting comfortably.

"... In here? You're not gonna just head to the city? Did your friends put you up to a dare or somethin'?" The bug responded, it's many eyes locked onto the owl with a confused look. Micah couldn't help but return it at the mention of a city.

"... The city?" Micah suddenly swooped upwards, confronting this critter with glowing eyes. He felt as if his whole worldview was shattered. He had heard of the city, but he had never personally journeyed to one of them before. "You're telling me, I was right next to a whole fucking city?"

The critter, now clearly identified as a Combee, darted backwards with wide eyes. "Oh, you didn't know?? Yeah, you just... grab the train! I guess you don't know where that is either, if you didn't know about the city..." The Combee paused, "So what, are you feral or somethin--"

"FERAL??" Micah shrieked in retaliation, wholly offended. "No!! Just what is that supposed to imply?? I just-- came all the way from the mountaintop? What is wrong with you?" 

"Sorry!! Sorry, I was just curious!!" The Combee backed off of the subject, to Micah's relief. "I'm sorry if it's a touchy subject! I've just never seen someone from the mountains..."

"Curious-- bah, I oughta..." Micah realized he sounded like an old man, and he shook his head disapprovingly. "Yeah, yeah, don't know where the train is. I presume you may show me that, yes?"

"If it makes you stop hating me, then sure!" The Combee cheerfully responded, zipping about with a sense of excitement that would've normally agitated Micah, if he wasn't distracted by the comment.

"What?? I don't hate you..." He lingered off, "Oh whatever, yeah. I'll... stop hating you after you take me to the train. Do you live in that city?"

The Combee lingered on the subject for a moment, thinking over a response. "I... work in the meadows a lot. Sometimes sleep over, like tonight, actually. I have time to take you down to the city though! Technically, the city is my home. Although, the meadows are like a second home to me! How could I possibly feel down when I'm in such a lovely place?"

Micah could think of at least twenty different reasons, but he refrained from saying that. "Interesting. You're taking me to the city. In that case, I guess that requires an introduction. My name is Micah Sitrus, what about your name?"

The Combee zipped close, nearly slamming into Micah as its energy overtook it. "Oh, an introduction!! My name is..."

 

To Be Continued...