A sweet smell roused Avian from the darkness of sleep. His deep honey eyes that had resembled his father's flickered open and were soon rubbed by his blue paw. Using his arm, he pushed himself up to look around at his surroundings. No longer was he on Zoar's back, but he was laying on a nest of grass and leaves that caressed his once sleeping body. It was nighttime, and the moon was shining over the forest clearing. When Avian looked down, he noticed four berries, two of each were either a light blue with a grey stem or red and yellow with two green leaves hanging from the top. Above them was a messily scrawled message in the dirt done by a claw.

Please eat. They will make you feel better.
       -Zoar

Avian gulped. What if it's like last time...? he thought nervously. Will it taste bad again...? Am I just falling into another trap...? After taking a quick furtive glance around the area, the Riolu carefully picked up the closest berry to him. Its blue skin reflected the moonlight above him, giving it a glossy gleam. He popped the fruit into his mouth and waited for a blast of bitterness or sourness to enter his tastebuds, but it never came.

Instead, a sweet, yet slightly tangy flavor coated his mouth. It was the best thing he had ever tasted in days! He felt the energy rejuvenating his body as he ate the other. His tongue savored the delicious juices like it was last time he would ever taste them. Licking his lips, he glanced at the other two berries.

His mother had told him what those were before. Pondering for a moment, he remembered they were leppa berries, and the blue ones were oran berries. He smiled proudly, stuffing the first leppa berry into his mouth. It was a little crunchier than the oran, but still left a satisfying aftertaste.

After eagerly devouring the last berry, the pup caught sight of a sleeping Zoar in the distance. There was noticeable gap between the him and the Luxray, which made him puzzled at first. When about a few seconds passed, Avian crept up curiously near the Pokemon. He seemed so calm and harmless now, unlike before. With his sharp red and yellow eyes closed and his powerful massive limbs limp, his spiky electrifying fur rising and falling as he slept. All of the fears emitting from the Luxray seemed to have dissipated completely towards Avian, making him feel secure.

But even though this Pokemon had shown nothing but kindness, he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit wary of him, like he would attack at any minute.

Avian tried to block the memories from his head the best he could as he stood up. Why hasn't Mister Zoar eaten me yet...? I don't understand. He must be hungry too... he couldn't help but think. But... That was really nice of him to get me those berries. Has he even eaten at all? After a while of thinking, the pup stood to his reenergized legs. It's the least I can do.
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With a twitch of his ear, Zoar opened his eyes, yawning. He licked his dry lips and shook his body to help him fully snap into reality. "Hey kit, you awake?" he asked.

There was no response.

"...Ave?" He looked over to see that the nest he made was empty. A part inside of him almost jumped out of his system as sweat perspired from his skin. Hastily, the Luxray hurried over to where the Riolu was once sleeping peacefully and inspected the area. The berries he had left for him were gone; only the stems of the fruits remained. "Avian...? Avian?!" Zoar called, desperately hoping for an answer.

That was when his nose caught his scent wafting through the air. He shut his eyes and sniffed out his surroundings with all of the concentration he could muster, letting his legs guide him into the direction of Avian's fresh scent. Deep inside, he was hoping that the child would be okay and unharmed. Yet this feeling still conflicted with his instructed cold and unsympathetic manner. The pack had always taught him and all of the members to ignore all feelings of concern for their prey.

But Zoar had always knew that something about this moral was wrong. While his other pack mates hunted with ease and no worries, Zoar had always suffered from a hesitant feeling when finishing off his prey, even letting a few of his captures escape from his grasp. Because of this, he was forced to conceal it most of the time to prevent showing weakness, but he knew that everyone had already noticed. It was just something about the manner of the pack that made him uncomfortable, he once thought. Now that he was far away out of their sight for once, he could asses the situation without violence, which created a sense of liberation in his chest.

That was when a faint pair of footsteps entered his field of sound. Immediately, Zoar dashed towards it, where the smell of Avian mixed with a berry aroma began to sift in. He was about a minute into the lush trees before he spotted the small pup all out of oxygen. "Ave! Oh thank goodness you're okay!" he breathed. "You really worried me when you ran off! Are you alright?" The pup didn't reply immediately, but instead looked behind him nervously before looking at Zoar again.

"I'm sorry, Mister Zoar...!" he panted before trying to push the electric Pokemon's body forward. "B-but.. Please run!" The Luxury's eyes widened with worry.

"What? Why? What's wrong?" he questioned anxiously.

"Please, Mister Zoar! We have to hurry!" Zoar hesitantly bit his lip, staring at the pup anxiously. Instead of following the child's request, his instincts told him to stand his ground while he scanned the surroundings. His eyes darted around until he spotted a distant rustling in the bushes. The immense power made his fur bristle wildly. Avian shook, stuttering incoherently out of panic. "I-I'm... I'm.. S-so-sor... r-ry..." Zoar used his tail to nudge him back.

"Stay behind me," he ordered quietly. Avian obeyed instantly, tiptoeing into Zoar's protection.

Suddenly, large green feet revealed themselves from the distant leaves, and two sharp red eyes illuminated themselves, making the Riolu whimper fearfully. Sparks crackled from Zoar's body when a large and menacing Tyranitar stomped angrily into view and let out a roar of rage. Avian yelped, burying himself farther into Zoar's fur.

"Z-Zoar..." he managed to whisper out. His voice was barely audible. "P-please... Run... I..."

"Hey. You," the Luxray grumbled in a completely contradicting tone than before. "What's your business here?" His felt pack instincts starting to kick in. The large Pokemon eyed him threateningly.

"I am here for that runt of yours," he stated.

"What did he ever do to you?"

"Stole something of mine behind my back is what he did," he sneered. "And he will pay me back with his life!" Zoar glanced at the scared Riolu.

"Kit, is this true?" he murmured.

"I-I'm so sorry...!" he squeaked. "I didn't know they were his!" Zoar tensed before exhaling.

"...It's okay, I'll handle this. What exactly did you-- WATCH OUT!" He bolted out of the way, snatching Avian from the scruff of his neck as the dark pulse attack hit where he once was. After skidding to a stop, Zoar set him down onto the dirt and gave off a hostile glare at the attacker. "What the hel-- heck was that for?!" he growled furiously. A deep grumble emitted from the Tyranitar's throat.

"I am just doing the deed of the forest," he replied viciously. As he began to prepare another attack, Zoar released thunderbolt from the electricity covering his body. The giant Pokemon stumbled backwards and tried to regain control, but Zoar didn't give him any time to recuperate. He sent another electric attack flying at point blank range into the Pokemon's head, knocking him down.

"Sorry," Zoar muttered. "Not with this pup."

While the battle continued, Avian could only witness in awe at the graceful movements of the older Pokemon. His attacks were like of a master's, reminiscent to his own father and mother who were-- to him-- one of the strongest Pokemon in the forest. The attacks seemed to even shock him, not with damage, but instead with inspiration. Avian's eyes couldn't help but gleam with admiration as he watched the electric moves hit his attacker.

Something seemed to spark within him, like a flame. A desire to... Fight back again, just like the older Pokemon was doing before him. The feeling just kept burning within him...

The Luxray swiftly landed on all fours without suffering a single scratch on his body while the Tyranitar was completely knocked out and fainted on the soft grass under them. Zoar briefly shook his pelt before padding over to Avian, who was still frozen on the patch of dirt. "Are you alright?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"Y-yeah... Thank you, Zoar..." he said quietly. Zoar shut his eyes.

"Good, I'm glad," he breathed. "Now, please answer me truthfully. What were you doing in the forest?" Avian shuffled, his motions filled with embarrassment before he revealed what was in his paws. Zoar could see that he held a clutch of small ripe berries in his tiny arms the best he could. Many of them were oran and leppa berries with a mixture of some others. "Berries...?" Zoar questioned slowly. "I-is... That what you took?" Avian blushed.

"I'm sorry... I found a pile of berries on the ground and I didn't know they were that Tyranitar's," he mumbled. "I felt bad that you didn't eat and all and... I wanted to get you something too." Zoar flinched slightly at the pup's words. For me...? aas all he could manage to think. Avian looked away. "I understand if you're mad... I really am sorry..." Zoar placed his paw on the Riolu's cheek, turning his head to face him, and let out a relaxed exhale.

"It's alright, Ave. I'm not mad at you, okay?" he assured. "You just worried me... I was scared something happened to you. I'm glad I came when I did." He sighed before letting off a thankful smile to lighten up the mood. "But on the other hand, I really appreciate the berries you wanted to bring back for me. Thank you." Avian's eyes widened. "They look really tasty. Next time, I'll take you with me. Sound good?" He hesitantly nodded.

"S-sure...! That sounds great...!" he replied. Zoar beamed gently, lifting Avian onto his back with his tail.

"Now let's go back and eat before we leave," he suggested. Avian grunted in agreement and they began to depart.

...Thanks, Ave...