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As Hearth was carried closer to the village, the darkness diminished. The wall of thorns that had been erected around the village was still standing, and as they approached the one opening meant to gather the attackers, the number of Zoroark that had met an untimely end there became apparent. The bodies were no longer there, Hearth had heard that the golden-eyed Zoroark would take their dead back with them if they could, but she could still see the mess they had left behind.

Hearth closed here eyes in an attempt to ignore it. She then remembered that there was still the night battle to deal with. She would probably be needed for that, too, but she would absolutely not step out into the battlefield this time. As she thought this, she heard the deep voice of Crimson speaking. She probably ought to pay attention, but she was still pretty tired from her latest ordeal. How important could it be anyway? After about a minute, though, he ended a sentence with a rising intonation, as if asking a question.

"Yeah..." Hearth said, absentmindedly. She just wanted to make him feel like she was paying attention. But then again, she probably should know what she was saying yes to. "Hang on," she said, returning her focus to Crimson. "Ask me that question again."

"I asked if that Weavile lady was joining your team or something?" Crimson asked again, a little irritated that he had to repeat himself.

Her immediate thought was no, of course not. But she stopped herself before answering. If she were to choose to stay in the past, which was becoming more appealing every moment she considered it, she wouldn't be a member of Team Trample anymore. Anvil and Camellia would be something of a new team, perhaps. "Oh... I suppose you could say that. I still have to talk to Jasmine about that, though." She replied, with a slight grin.

Once the two had entered the village, the bustle of activity in preparation for the next wave became apparent. From the looks of it, though, not many, of the Zoroark had made it into the interior. Her plan so far seemed to be holding together. The second wave would be different, though, seeing as the forces on the outskirts would be weaker during the next round. It would all be up to the interior forces.

"Hearth! Hearth!" Zulu shouted once they had entered. "I was about to take your Weavile friend to the medical building, but some Luxray covered in blood came up to me and told me to give her to him. I wasn’t going to at first, but he insisted. And he also said to tell you that you would be able to find him in his tent."

“I see,” Hearth said, turning to Crimson. “You may put me down now.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yeah, my leg is feeling a bit better, I think I can walk on my own now. Thanks for the help back there, both of you.”

“You know who that guy is? He seems rather shady to me.” Zulu asked, suspiciously.

“Yeah, he’s a mercenary. He’s on our side, he’s perfectly safe,” Hearth answered, flinching slightly as she put more weight on her injured leg than she meant to. “And that Weavile was working for him too. So she is in good hands. Thanks again, though.” With that, Hearth left Zulu and Crimson behind, and headed towards the larger of the canvas tents located nearby the medical building.

“Hello?” Hearth asked, putting her head close to the entrance.

“Come in,” the deep familiar voice of Anvil responded.

Hearth did as she was told. Upon entering, she looked to the right to see that the Luxray, still wearing his blood smeared armour, had his back turned towards her, facing towards an unconscious Camellia who had been set on her back on a table. As Hearth approached, she saw that Anvil had been using a candle for light. There was a vile of purple liquid sitting next to his subordinate, as well as a good amount of blood stained cloth and bandages nearby.

“How is she?” Hearth asked.

“Oh, Camellia?” Anvil asked, not even turning to her. “She was dead by the time I brought her into the tent. Her heart had stopped.”

“Oh…” Hearth said, her heart sinking. Perhaps she had been a bit too optimistic when returning here. Camellia had taken a strike to the heart, after all. “Listen… I-I know she was supposed to defend me and all. But… I’m s-”

“Don’t be sorry,” Anvil replied. He seemed to be taking this rather well. “Camellia knew full well the risks that come with a job such as ours. If you do not enter a battle without being prepared to die, then you can’t call yourself a mercenary.”

“But still…” Hearth tried to say. She still felt really guilty. Plus she wasn’t sure if she would really be wanted if she had caused the death of his companion.

“It’s fine,” Anvil insisted. “She’s not dead anymore.”

This took a moment to register for Hearth. “B-but you just said-” Hearth began.

“Her heart had stopped beating, that is true,” Anvil said, raising a paw in the air. Sparks of electricity began to crackle around his paw. “But I did manage to restart it.”

Once it had finally sunk in, Hearth was too relieved to care that she had just been teased with. Perhaps this big mess would be able to be forgotten after all, and she would be able to stay in the past after all.

“However, the attack barely missed her heart, and she has lost a lot of blood,” Anvil continued. He held up the vile of purple liquid. “This is a special tonic made from Gonlan berries that is meant to deal with recovery. To be honest, I had meant to unpack it before setting off for Tao. We are quite used to fighting Zoroark these days, so I didn’t think we would need it. It turned out to be fortunate for us, though. Anyway, I have given some to her already, but neither of you can stay in this tent during the night raid, you understand?”

Hearth nodded.

“Camellia is in stable condition right now, and it is safe to move her. I am going to take her to the medical building, and I would like it if you could watch over her and drizzle some of this tonic into her mouth ever half an hour or so until the vile is empty. And of course I will be outside making sure no Zoroark make it anywhere near there.”

Hearth had to shake herself back to her senses. She had barely managed to catch on to what he had said, but understood enough about what he wanted her to do. Ganlon berries were very rare, and expensive in her era. Not the type of berry that could be found on normal store shelves. And to make an effective tonic out of them took quite a few too. She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised about that by now, though. While he was talking, she realized that she had been looking deep into his eyes, an unfamiliar feeling welling up in her. What was this? Longing?

“Alright then, are you ready?” Anvil asked. He had just lifted Camellia into his back and had already started to head to the exit.

“Ah! Uh… yeah… of course,” Hearth answered, before proceeding directly after him. It was beyond a shadow of a doubt what choice she would make now. She would be staying in the past. She knew that there was nothing like this that she had waiting for her in the present. Once the battle was over, she would let Anvil know.

Pokemon Belongs to: Nintendo/Gamefreak
Hearth, Anvil, Camellia and art belongs to me:

Description
Previous: sanngot.deviantart.com/art/Pos…
Next: sanngot.deviantart.com/art/Pos…

As Hearth was carried closer to the village, the darkness diminished. The wall of thorns that had been erected around the village was still standing, and as they approached the one opening meant to gather the attackers, the number of Zoroark that had met an untimely end there became apparent. The bodies were no longer there, Hearth had heard that the golden-eyed Zoroark would take their dead back with them if they could, but she could still see the mess they had left behind.

Hearth closed here eyes in an attempt to ignore it. She then remembered that there was still the night battle to deal with. She would probably be needed for that, too, but she would absolutely not step out into the battlefield this time. As she thought this, she heard the deep voice of Crimson speaking. She probably ought to pay attention, but she was still pretty tired from her latest ordeal. How important could it be anyway? After about a minute, though, he ended a sentence with a rising intonation, as if asking a question.

"Yeah..." Hearth said, absentmindedly. She just wanted to make him feel like she was paying attention. But then again, she probably should know what she was saying yes to. "Hang on," she said, returning her focus to Crimson. "Ask me that question again."

"I asked if that Weavile lady was joining your team or something?" Crimson asked again, a little irritated that he had to repeat himself.

Her immediate thought was no, of course not. But she stopped herself before answering. If she were to choose to stay in the past, which was becoming more appealing every moment she considered it, she wouldn't be a member of Team Trample anymore. Anvil and Camellia would be something of a new team, perhaps. "Oh... I suppose you could say that. I still have to talk to Jasmine about that, though." She replied, with a slight grin.

Once the two had entered the village, the bustle of activity in preparation for the next wave became apparent. From the looks of it, though, not many, of the Zoroark had made it into the interior. Her plan so far seemed to be holding together. The second wave would be different, though, seeing as the forces on the outskirts would be weaker during the next round. It would all be up to the interior forces.

"Hearth! Hearth!" Zulu shouted once they had entered. "I was about to take your Weavile friend to the medical building, but some Luxray covered in blood came up to me and told me to give her to him. I wasn’t going to at first, but he insisted. And he also said to tell you that you would be able to find him in his tent."

“I see,” Hearth said, turning to Crimson. “You may put me down now.”

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yeah, my leg is feeling a bit better, I think I can walk on my own now. Thanks for the help back there, both of you.”

“You know who that guy is? He seems rather shady to me.” Zulu asked, suspiciously.

“Yeah, he’s a mercenary. He’s on our side, he’s perfectly safe,” Hearth answered, flinching slightly as she put more weight on her injured leg than she meant to. “And that Weavile was working for him too. So she is in good hands. Thanks again, though.” With that, Hearth left Zulu and Crimson behind, and headed towards the larger of the canvas tents located nearby the medical building.

“Hello?” Hearth asked, putting her head close to the entrance.

“Come in,” the deep familiar voice of Anvil responded.

Hearth did as she was told. Upon entering, she looked to the right to see that the Luxray, still wearing his blood smeared armour, had his back turned towards her, facing towards an unconscious Camellia who had been set on her back on a table. As Hearth approached, she saw that Anvil had been using a candle for light. There was a vile of purple liquid sitting next to his subordinate, as well as a good amount of blood stained cloth and bandages nearby.

“How is she?” Hearth asked.

“Oh, Camellia?” Anvil asked, not even turning to her. “She was dead by the time I brought her into the tent. Her heart had stopped.”

“Oh…” Hearth said, her heart sinking. Perhaps she had been a bit too optimistic when returning here. Camellia had taken a strike to the heart, after all. “Listen… I-I know she was supposed to defend me and all. But… I’m s-”

“Don’t be sorry,” Anvil replied. He seemed to be taking this rather well. “Camellia knew full well the risks that come with a job such as ours. If you do not enter a battle without being prepared to die, then you can’t call yourself a mercenary.”

“But still…” Hearth tried to say. She still felt really guilty. Plus she wasn’t sure if she would really be wanted if she had caused the death of his companion.

“It’s fine,” Anvil insisted. “She’s not dead anymore.”

This took a moment to register for Hearth. “B-but you just said-” Hearth began.

“Her heart had stopped beating, that is true,” Anvil said, raising a paw in the air. Sparks of electricity began to crackle around his paw. “But I did manage to restart it.”

Once it had finally sunk in, Hearth was too relieved to care that she had just been teased with. Perhaps this big mess would be able to be forgotten after all, and she would be able to stay in the past after all.

“However, the attack barely missed her heart, and she has lost a lot of blood,” Anvil continued. He held up the vile of purple liquid. “This is a special tonic made from Gonlan berries that is meant to deal with recovery. To be honest, I had meant to unpack it before setting off for Tao. We are quite used to fighting Zoroark these days, so I didn’t think we would need it. It turned out to be fortunate for us, though. Anyway, I have given some to her already, but neither of you can stay in this tent during the night raid, you understand?”

Hearth nodded.

“Camellia is in stable condition right now, and it is safe to move her. I am going to take her to the medical building, and I would like it if you could watch over her and drizzle some of this tonic into her mouth ever half an hour or so until the vile is empty. And of course I will be outside making sure no Zoroark make it anywhere near there.”

Hearth had to shake herself back to her senses. She had barely managed to catch on to what he had said, but understood enough about what he wanted her to do. Ganlon berries were very rare, and expensive in her era. Not the type of berry that could be found on normal store shelves. And to make an effective tonic out of them took quite a few too. She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised about that by now, though. While he was talking, she realized that she had been looking deep into his eyes, an unfamiliar feeling welling up in her. What was this? Longing?

“Alright then, are you ready?” Anvil asked. He had just lifted Camellia into his back and had already started to head to the exit.

“Ah! Uh… yeah… of course,” Hearth answered, before proceeding directly after him. It was beyond a shadow of a doubt what choice she would make now. She would be staying in the past. She knew that there was nothing like this that she had waiting for her in the present. Once the battle was over, she would let Anvil know.

Pokemon Belongs to: Nintendo/Gamefreak
Hearth, Anvil, Camellia and art belongs to me: