Chapter Text
Soil. Loam. The smell of a recent rain and soaking into a wet forest floor and what can be unmistakably described as an earthy scent. It was something you could only get in a forest. Lawns, city parks, even farms had different profiles to their ambient smell from things like concentrated livestock or crop treatment chemicals.
Daniel was well familiar with the types of grass she could wake up in. Wandering off into the woods and letting herself get lost with the hope of waking up somewhere new, somewhere no-one knew her, was high on her list of unrealistic wishes. Depression, aimlessness, and a general lack of marketable skills congealed together to form for her a wanderlust just powerful enough to make her wander around dangerous locales at night, while dampened by a lack of resources to ensure she never really got anywhere.
Sitting up, barely able to open her eyes, Daniel began to piece together the parts of her predicament that weren’t familiar. What little wildlife she could hear seemed to be making calls completely alien to anything she had ever seen. Her back felt odd, slightly bunched up. Not like she was holding the posture of a shrimp, but like something else was off.
All this and her butt . What was she sitting on? It was like some horrid knot right above her cheeks was digging into her backside. Reaching up, she wiped the sleep from her eyes as best she could.
Straw- or hair- and lots of it. Mercifully not getting caught underneath her eyelids, but still a discovery surprising enough to yank her hands away and force herself awake to look at where she was. What was covering her hands, and how badly would she need to take a long shower to not look entirely homeless later were the pressing questions of the moment.
All these questions and more immediately dissipated upon seeing that she didn’t have hands anymore.
“Ah! Aaaaaaaaaahh!! AAaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” And so on it went. Wordless screams of half fear, half confusion sputtered from Daniel’s mouth as she looked down at what she could see of her new body. With said body completely covered in yellow fur, the newly awoken Fennekin was taking it about as well as anyone could be expected to.
Which is to say poorly. If any part of the unfamiliar woods around her was still asleep at this time of day, it had jolted up from such a scene. If not the first few screams, the next few, as she kept on for almost a minute, before inhaling the wrong way and receiving a wracking cough necessitated Daniel come up with other ways to express her discontent.
Scrambling to her feet once she was done hacking her new lungs out, she quickly discovered that what she hoped were hands were two more paws. Immediately her face was planted back on the ground as her body demanded the girl walk on all fours.
Deciding to keep her screaming internal, Daniel got to her feet once more. All four, this time.
How am I supposed to walk?
She had seen dogs and cats walking around before but had never really thought to analyze their movement just in case she woke up as a-
Am I a fox? No, there’s something off about my proportions. Maybe I’m dreaming. If I’m dreaming, then I should have no trouble walking around just by trying to right?
Three steps into a run Daniel fell over. While a part of her brain did seem to instinctively know how to walk, she had not mentally recovered enough to quite figure out the art of walking faster.
No. Nope. I’m not dreaming. All the sensations are too clear, including the dirt that just got in my eye. What the hell happened to me?
Getting back up for a second time, she started slowly trying to piece together how to walk without tripping all over herself.
“Art thee woun- ” Someone attempting to question Daniel from behind got cut off as she screamed again, only for Daniel to immediately clutch at her throat with one foreleg as it immediately turned into a cough. Rasping breathes irritably came in and out as her body seemed intent at depriving her of even expressing her terror at the current situation.
“Er-hem.” Hopping around in front of her as the fennekin wheezed for breath, a blue and yellow ‘masked’ bird - a rookidee to anyone that wasn’t Daniel - came into view. A long scar of a gash along it’s stomach stood out among the otherwise well-kept feathers.
“Allow ich to try again. Art thee wounded?”
Oh no. Now other animals are talking to me, and in centuries old outdated English? Maybe I’m dying. I’m having a seizure, dying, and my mind is making this up because it doesn’t know what’s happening.
Daniel opened her mouth slowly, unsure of how to even respond between the bird in front of her and all the explanations for what was happening that were running through her head.
“... Art thee wounded, or art thee ain foæ cometh climbende up from th' clai pits to bæ slain bī ich?” As the bird kept interrogating Daniel, it extended it’s wing, which seemed to reflect the sunrise just a little. Air swirled around it as they continued, “Speak, if thee can, sin shalt proclaim thy innocence!”
About two thirds of what the rookidee was saying was going over Daniel’s head, but the threat got through, augmented by the resting bitch face of the bird accosting her. Panicking again almost immediately, she opened her mouth, her voice managing to choke out - “I-I’m alive! I’m, fine- don’t, uh!''
Wait can it even understand me? Do I sound just as incomprehensible as it does?
That alone seemed enough though, as immediately the bird dropped their wing and relaxing it’s stance. “O'! Most deintẹ̄. Ich am relievede sin thee can stiī̆ple talk, beforæ somethende horriblæ happenede upon thee.” It reached down to offer the wing the bird had been about to try and kill Daniel with, as if offering a handshake.
Okay I’m pretty sure I’m not dying. I don’t think I’ve ever heard half these words in my life.
Taking the wing, Daniel tried shaking, only to get an odd look from it. Looking the bird over once more, something seemed familiar to her about it’s appearance. Like she had seen this style of animal somewhere before.
“Now sin Ich know thee art not ain creatfōre-dēde ophe th' claī pit, mīn namæ - Rhodine - a'd Ich am don mornende patrol for Graelle’s Countē̆r Holæ Organizatfōre! Ēne thee can speak, hǒu is thy name, whē̆r-as-ever art thee from? Can thee walk?”
What? Okay, name is Rhodine, something about a Counter Hole, who am I, where am I? Can I walk?
It took Daniel a couple seconds to piece everything together and think up a response, which now Rhodine seemed mercifully patient for. Eventually, after another couple rasping coughs, Daniel managed to string a full - though quiet - sentence together.
“I’m, uh, Daniel. I don’t know where I am? That's not a question. I don't know where I am or where I'm from. And I think I can walk. I’m still getting used to it.” Rethinking her phrasing of the last part, she stammered, “I mean, I, uh, thy are, this? Does thou walk?”
Another nasty look from Rhodine. “Art thee makende pleiinglī ophe mīn dialect?”
“No! No no I’m just, confused. I just woke up, I’m having trouble walking. Almost got killed by you? My brain is rattled.” She managed to take a few wobbly steps though. From what it seemed, as long as she kept her movements to approximately a casual meandering toddle she could get around just fine.
Definitely cool it on the old speech. Sounds like she can understand me just fine.
“Hmph, afīn weī̆ple. If thee don't know whē̆r-as-ever thee art though, Ich shoulede show thee backeth to town a'd get thee introducede so nobodī elsæ thinks thee art ain beast from th' claī pit eithē̆r.” Gesturing for her to follow, the bird began guiding her slowly through the woods.
…Town? Town. Making sure people don’t think I’m a monster. Do I look like a monster? Wait that should be innocent enough to ask.
“Why would people think I’m a monster, is it mostly birds in this town we’re going to?”
A quick laugh from Rhodine as she prepared her answer, “Nōn-ọ̄ther, nōn-ọ̄ther lǒve sin. A'd if thee don't know then thee surelī can't bæ from arounede h're. Th' beasts from th' claī pit occasionallī wandē̆r from their dark, blazende holæ ain hour' trip awaī from h're a'd attack passerbī. Ain fennekin hath nōn-ọ̄ther bene seen arounede h're in wellā̆ ain while, so to prevent thee from beende mobbede Ich merelī neede to introducæ thee as someone with ain amount ophe intelligencæ in thy brain.”
I immediately regret asking. I understood most of it at least, but I better get used to how she talks soon. And did she call me a fennekin? Like a fennec fox? Fennec fox kin?
“Is that why you made me talk a few minutes ago? These “Hole Monsters”, they can’t talk, are brainless or something?”
“Sin's th' essencæ ophe hǒu thee havæ fallen into, yes.”
Assuming that meant yes, Daniel went quiet for another while, falling into a rhythm and slowly getting used to walking on four legs as the pair got closer to a town - the town - coming into view as the woods thinned out around the pair.
“A'd hider ophe course, is th' o, town ophe Clearsky.” Between her only conversation since waking up being with a bird that looked like a plump angry blue jay and that conversation being half in an extinct form of English, Daniel wasn’t sure what kind of architecture she was expecting. The town itself was extensive, buildings stretching out from a cliff for quite a distance. The cliff itself had multiple somethings built into it that she couldn't make out from here, and a large waterwheel powered by a waterfall that was coming down from up top. Even all the way out here, a half hour's walk from the cliff, they were already hitting farmland.
Not having a car is making the scale of a small town feel a lot more impressive, huh.
“Now Ich shoulede introducæ thee first to- wait. O'. Uh, hider is embarassende.”
A squat, blue something was waddling towards the pair, and as Daniel saw it get closer she realized two things. One, it was clearly upset. Beady dot eyes scrunched in a frown. Second, she recognized that thing.
That’s a Wooper! Wait, are these Pokemon? Am I one? Oh my god did I not recognize what I am because I stopped playing those damn games?!
It was wearing what looked like a messenger bag with a badge on it, though how a Wooper could access its own items without help, Daniel wasn’t sure. More immediately, it was also chewing out the bird. “Rhodine ! You left without me again! You know we are supposed to be paired up for morning patrol!”
This one talks normally. Thank whatever forces that exist that this one talks normally. My hopes to communicate with others have been re-lit.
“Weī̆ple thee hauen Ich was toī excitede to wait in casæ Ich'ede havæ th' chancæ to square somethende hider sīquār, pleasæ Phoe-” Rhodine’s continued excuses were cut off by the Wooper pushing her over with a foot and kicking her half-seriously a couple times.
“No excuses! You even had to bring someone back! What if you had been attacked! Can’t protect a civilian and yourself at the same time!” Giving her a rest, the tadpole-like being turned to Daniel as Rhodine protested on the ground.
“I’m sorry for this awkward welcome. I’m assuming by the fact that you aren’t trying to chew on my bones that you didn’t come crawling out of a Dungeon. My name is Phoe and I’m the other half of this Counter Hole squad, despite how my partner seems to think she’s the only part of it.” Their expression lightened up as they talked to Daniel, slowly jumping between their two feet to keep themselves moving.
“No, no it’s fine, I’m still trying to figure out what happened to me to begin with. I tried asking Rhodine some questions about the area but…” Daniel didn’t want to just say but I can’t understand most of what she says so she hoped trailing off would get the idea across.
“I get it! She comes from a family of very… particular people. Their language and speech patterns can be intimidating for people that don’t know her, and inscrutable for people that aren’t expecting it. You’ll get used to her - most of her. I can promise that.” Behind Phoe, Rhodine was back on her feet and dusting herself off.
“Beyond that - are you hurt at all? You sound a bit rough there.” Phoe leaned in to look at Daniel closer, who backed up.
“No, no actually I’m totally fine, I had a bit of a panic when I woke up but I’ll be good in a day or two.” She hoped. With any luck she'll know how to properly use her legs! Hopefully within a day or two.
“Are you sure?” Phoe gave her one last look before going back to hopping back and forth.
“Completely! Yes, I’m lost, but thankfully I’m healthy despite not knowing where I am. I don’t need a hospital or anything like that.” As Daniel went over herself one last time to confirm, Rhodine rejoined the conversation.
“Hǒu shæ says is veire, wẹ̄-self shoulede brende Daniel backeth to our barracks a'd gātī̆f hē̆r th' town run down.” There was an assumption from Daniel that it wasn’t a full military barracks and Rhodine was just being dramatic about ‘room’.
“Alright! If you two say so, come on - Daniel did she say? Well Dan, come on I’ll show you where we sleep and we can get you a bed if you gotta rest up. Lead on Roddy.”
Waddling beside Daniel all the way back as she did her best to keep up, Phoe did a much better job than Rhodine would have done explaining the different parts of town as they passed through. “Someone can give you a more in depth tour at some point of course, but out here on the border of town we have the berry farms - a family of Noivern runs that one, they’re the main supplier for expedition supplies - over there we’ve got the Caterpie and Weedle veggie fields, that one’s much more settlement food focused. We have a monthly communal stew-pot hangout that I think you’d be a fan of…”
Daniel was half paying attention as she was making sure she didn’t trip over herself too much, and also that she was more interested in the fact that all of the ‘people’ running these farms and manning the gates and walking outside storefronts and buildings at this early hour were only Pokemon. She recognized maybe a quarter of them - thanks to the outdated knowledge of the games that she had - but the one thing she saw nothing of were humans.
“And of course this is the holding house for all teams working under Graelle’s Counter Hole Organization.” She had lost track of where they were going, and in what felt like no time at all the pair had arrived at a big important looking building set into the cliff base with numerous windows dotting the wall above them. Besides the waterwheel she saw earlier there were dozens of windmills were poking out of the side of the cliff, with walkways winding between them disappearing into the rock face. A pair of what were apparently low-tech elevators were constantly in motion ferrying other teams up and down. “Our room is on the twelfth floor- you aren’t bad with heights? Have you ever been on a lift before?”
“I- I have yes I should be fine.” Climbing on as it reached the bottom, Rhodine and Phoe followed on, clicking the railing closed behind the three as it began to ascend.
“Interesting. Well then Dan, it’s been nice but I should probably draw my True Conclusion now before we dally around any longer.” Phoe’s stupid grin that they had been wearing since they had joined the group was still plastered across their face as they said this, but Daniel just felt a weird sort of dread from the way they put it.
“Ah! Hath hider ladī bene hidende somethende from ū̆s Phoe?” Rhodine looked once again at Daniel, and she was suddenly much more nervous about getting into an enclosed space with the two.
“I wouldn’t hold it against her, Roddy, it’s something that seems fairly natural to want to keep quiet if you’re still getting used to the new surroundings.” Hopping back and forth, the clacking of the mechanisms behind the pair only accentuated the sudden shift in topic.
“Wait wait no really what’s- what’s this about what’s happening?” Daniel would sweat, if she could. Had she said something wrong?
“Truly, Phoe is th' brains ophe our group, whilst Ich am th' expert c'mbatant. They havæ indọ̄n togethē̆r conclusions much fastē̆r than yours, perexcellentlī Ich am afīn cūriǒus as to hǒu is goende don with thee!” It seemed more a point of pride for Rhodine that Daniel was getting accosted like this.
“Relax Dan, it’s nothing major, but yes I did notice a few things about you. To start with, you speak much too maturely to be a child Fennekin, and you are very insistent that you aren’t injured - which lines up from the fact that you haven’t flinched or groaned in pain at all since I met you!”
Was I supposed to? Well, no, I guess not, it’s not like I’ve been turned into a Pokemon with a broken body…
"Which means it's odd that you're having trouble walking. Since we started walking together I've noticed you don't quite know how your legs work."
God damnit.
As they went over all the ways Daniel hadn’t even known she had messed up, Phoe walked to the side of the basket and looked down as they passed the tenth floor. “Alongside this, you don’t have any bags on you, which is highly unusual for someone that doesn’t live in town - which you don’t, as we haven’t seen any of your evolutionary line around here since an entertainment caravan that came by a couple years ago. Rhodine wouldn’t have felt the need to escort you here if she didn’t think you’d be attacked in a panic.”
Right, she told me that last part herself, but I guess it didn’t sink in because of her… speech habits.
“Lastly, of course, is your claim to have seen a lift previously - this construct is a big deal! The only one like it, I would wager, made specifically for this town and it's guild headquarters. Certainly nothing I’ve ever seen someone be so casual about running into. Even uneducated Pokemon understand it’s a wonderful feat of engineering!”
I mean that one's just kind of town pride I'm not sure if it's a point against me.
“All this combined together leads me to my Conclusion, and feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I highly doubt it.” Turning back as the basket reached their destination, Phoe’s smile was ever-present.
“You weren’t a Pokemon before today were you?”