"That�s an EGG!" said Tachiguy triumphantly...and rather stupidly, but he wasn�t to know that. "Yer doing awesomely honey! Are there more?" he could feel her claws grip his paw, and her paws were larger than his and stronger, he winced as she gripped tighter and he could feel the claws puncture his fur, but was so happy he couldn�t spoil it by letting go. "OK, if there�s more I guess yer gonna have to push honey, I know ya can do it!" he said kissing her cheek and placing his tail gently around the first egg, barely touching it, but attempting to keep it warm.
Achi tried her best, enduring pain unlike any she had ever felt. It seared from the inside and left her with little relief when it was over, only to strike at her again.
At the end , she was barely able to turn to inspect the eggs. There were 5 in total. The first had been the blue of Tachi's cheek patches with brown and green flecks, the others were gold with light blue stripes, light-brown with a purple spiral, dark pink with cream spots and the last one was smaller than the rest, was half black and half purple with a bright yellow circle around the middle. Strangely, the last egg was almost perfectly round instead of the oblong shape of it's siblings.
Achi curled up around them and fell asleep.
Tachiguy grinned ear to ear. "Wow...I�m a dada...like...for real." he almost cried, but held the tears back successfully. Laying his large furry body around the eggs and his mate he whispered in her ear before she fell asleep, "I�m so proud of you Achi, that was amazing. These are ours...half me, half you. I love you so much I could almost die..." he said as his heart beat at a steady thumping rhythm from the excitement of the birth.
It was many hours before he was calmed sufficiently to fall asleep, and just as he drifted off, his last thought was "I wonder where Digfast is?"
Achi lay still. She was awake now, though how was beyond her reasoning. She lay her ear flat against her clutch and listened. Four of the five eggs were making small high pitched peeping sounds. The silent egg was the smallest. ~Maybe there's nothing in that one~ Achi sighed. Four was a good number to start with, but she couldn't help but feel a little disappointment if they didn't all hatch.
Achi lay half asleep, warm and snug with Tachi surrounding her and a cluster of hopes in her care.
Tachiguy snuggled her, holding the eggs together with his tail gently to keep them warm. Noticing the quiet one he moved it closer to his stomach. "mebee it just needs warming up...its pretty small....I hope the baby inside is OK..." he thought worriedly.
The nidorina smiled at Tachi's earnest care of the smallest egg. She still did not expect anything to hatch from the silent one, but maybe with Tachi's added warmth, something would come of it.
Achi turned an egg, inspecting it closely. "What do you think they'll look like? Otachis? Nidorans? maybe both?"
*
Larksspur walked over to the entrance of the den and called down the shaft. " I'm looking for a nidorina"
Achi woke up from her state of peace. She nervously tucked the eggs under herself and Tachi, then called back, " What do you want?"
Larksspur smiled. She had the voice of an angel. He called down the run again, " To talk"
Achi nudged Tachi, not sure what to do.
Tachiguy looked at Achikochi. "Honey, wait here, I�m gonna have ta go and see what that�s all about...be right back as soon as I can."
He walked up the tunnel, and saw Larkspurs face, blocking the entrance. Somewhat annoyed he placed a paw on Larkspur�s snout. "Now...my friend, what business exactly do you have with my mate? She�s currently tired...and I�d thank you to get outas my way...."
He was getting angry, he could sense this guy meant no good....what was he after?
The Nidorino was surprised. This was no Nidorina!! Larksspur shook the Ootachi's paws from his nose and stepped to one side.
"I'm here to see if the nidorina is worthy to join my band. That's all I'm here for , and I won't leave until I see her."
Tachiguy looked him in the eye, his face set. "She isn�t going anywhere to join any band...she�s my mate, and I�m not joining a Nido band. Where she goes I go and we're staying RIGH HERE!" he said in a low growling tone, rising up to his full 5.5 foot height by standing on his tail and fluffing out his fur to make himself seem even bigger. "I�d suggest you leave Nido...I don�t take kindly to those who try to break up my family."
Larksspur narrowed his eyes at the ootachi, "So, you make decisions for her, eh, Elil? Or are you afraid she may want to live with her own kind!"
The nido remained calm in his tone of voice, " I already know who she is, I know what she is, and I am here to offer her the life of a wild -nido-. " the last word was stressed as if it were the best thing for Achi to be, " I don't know what rubbish you've filled that doe's head with, but it's obvious she's never lived with nidos for long. A properly raised one would have nothing to do with a strange elil like yourself."
The nido made no move, and sat in the same place. His eyes were fixated on the entrance and called out to Achikochi again. "Nidorina, I know your name is Achi. Your brother is part of my wandering band. Does are free there, to do as they wish."
Inside, Achi felt torn. She had just settled with Tachi. They had a clutch of eggs together that needed to hatch. Now, there was a nidorino outside her den, beckoning to her. He was one of her own kind, and the arrival of her brother made her curious about what true nidoran life was like.
Achi looked down at her eggs. They were beginning to pitch and wriggle from the inside, though the smallest still made no sound. The nidorina covered her brood with furry down and tangled roots, then walked out of the den.
Larksspur's jaw dropped at the sight of the nidorina. He shivered.
"I can't go with you. I have young to care for", Achi spoke coldly to Larksspur while her eyes satisfied their quest for knowledge about the nidorino, " Maybe, some other season."
Achi turned back down the run and disappeared. Her heart sank a little. If she had never met Tachi.... No! She shook off those thoughts and snuggled next to her eggs. Nothing could change the way she felt about the Ootachi, and these eggs proved it.
Back above the den, Larksspur sighed. She had said some other season, so there was still hope as far as he was concerned.
"Elil, your 'mate' is welcome to my home when ever she chooses to return to her kind. I will send her brother back to watch over her. " Larksspur had nothing more to say. He held his head high as if he felt he was the winner in the encounter.
Larksspur raised an eyebrow at the ootachi. A seed of doubt had been well planted to his advantage. He would give it more to grow on.
"You speak as if she was a bit of flay-rah! Nido does choose for themselves ho they will or will not be mated to. It has always been this way and always will be. You do not own her, but if she has chosen you, feel blessed." Larksspur's voice was like that of a preacher's, solemn and deep. "If you ever try to keep her , she will grow to resent you, and wither like the flowers in autumn. So go back to your lair, and enjoy her while she remains. You should thank your ancestors for every breath you are privileged to take in her presence. I am finished here."
The nidorino strode off into the brush, disappearing in the dappled moonlight filtered through the trees.
At this Tachiguy smiled somewhat. "Well...I do feel blessed, and so far, it looks as if she has chosen me Nido dude... and I don�t know what er...flay-rah is, but all I can tell ya is that I�m gonna treat her as I�ve always treated her, my one true love. If she wants to go to them someday I cannot stop her, but for now she is my mate and I�ll be damned iff�n I�m gonna be put out of my happiness over this fact by that guy!" he thought as he raced back to the burrow and crawled down. "Um...he�s gone Achi, how ya feelin?"
Achi looked up from where she was huddled over her nest. Her silver coat covered any trace of the tears that had escaped her.
"I'm fine Tachi, " she spoke as if shaken by the whole ordeal, "Do you think he'll come back?"
Achi rolled her eggs again, sniffing and listening to the little ones inside. She had so many questions in her mind , she couldn't even begin to ask. It was the wrong time for self-doubt.
Tachiguy looked at her. "Well...maybe honey, from what ya said about 'maybe some other season' he might take that as an open invitation. Then, I�m not exactly sure how to take it either................but I wont mention it again." despite his previous vow this remark stung like no nido horn could. Yet he moved it to the back of his mind and lay down with his mate and their eggs.
He looked at Achi, and could say nothing, so began to stroke the smallest silent egg. "I hope it hatches OK..." was all he could say.
Achi kissed Tachi, and nuzzled deep into his fur. " I don't want to go with them, if that's what you're thinking."
She nudged the quiet egg, " Maybe this one is shy, but ..... " Achi paused , not waning to put any more negative thoughts around her den, " We'll just have to wait until it's time for them to hatch."
"some other season?" thought the Ootachi, somewhat hurt "Maybe its just a blowoff line to get rid of him....? Cuz....she loves me....right?" he thought franticly, and hoped he was right. Though this didn�t show on his face, which was as cold as ice. Then, he thought of something...what if he was right in a way? Achi might need her own Kind. Was it possible that shed be better off? Happier maybe?
"I might not be a good mate...or a good father." he thought as he realised the length of time his 'youngest' had been missing without trace or more effort put into his location than a stupid bird sent after him that had probably gotten itself eaten already. "Wow...super-dad..." he thought sarcasticly to himself. Looking at the nido he could see that this guy was strong, his overall appearance commanded the eye and filled your vision and he could tell that he was tough. A much better mate...but..he loved Achi. Did that guy? He certainly seemed taken aback by her appearance, just as tachi himself was. In a split second, he made a decision, he'd find out once and for all, who was the better mate, and what was the better life for her, or at least try.
He pounced right over the nido, landing in his face again, and said in a low voice for his ears only. "Tell me...if she loves me, and has my Kit, and is willing to be my mate, and my wife with a proper ceremony n all, I love her more than anything in the world, would die for her and my new family and would do anything for her happiness...tell me please, what does life in a Nido warren have to offer that outdistances that so much, and would you be willing to show me? I ask only because me and Achikochi have bonded...and like I said, I only want her happiness, if she will be happier with you for some reason, show me and I might be able to help you..MIGHT...if I don�t see fit reason then ill do nothing for your cause and she will remain mine until she finally decides otherwise. IF she ever does."
*
Tachiguy paused outside the den and listened to her tending the eggs. He tried to stifle it, but the sob came anyways, and he removed himself from the entrance so it wouldn�t be heard. The doubts in his mind were declining, but only a little. There was SO MUCH uncertainty, he had no idea what to think anymore, but she sounded happy with those eggs, and they were his...but still....there was doubt there. "Can I say that I love her with all my heart, and yet still doubt her love this way?" he thought, as he found a clump of Clover and began to select the nicest parts of the plant for her. "I don�t know what to think any more....damn that Nido! I hope...I hope he gets taught a lesson in minding his own business!" he pondered angrily as he searched for another patch of clovers to pluck. "I hope I can get enough for her, she must be starved after all those eggs...and no matter how she feels, or how I feel, she needs me right now. I cant...I can�t let these doubts distract me from the bigger more important thing, which is me being all I need to be for them."
He finished up with a huge pile of fresh clover, which he carried home half in his arms, half wrapped in his tail. "Hey Honey, here�s some food, I...I hope its OK, I looked for the best I could get for you...."
Achi got up from the eggs and bounded over to Tachi. She didn't even look at the clover, but stood up on her hind feet as tall as the den would allow, and threw her forepaws around the Otachi's body.
"Please, don't be angry at me," She sobbed, " I've never seen my own kind before the arrival of my brother since the day was weaned from my mother. I didn't mean to upset you"
The Nidorina continued to cry into the fur of the long-bodied pokemon. She felt ashamed for even thinking about an alternate course her life might have taken, had she never met Tachi. She was afraid of what her mate must be thinking of her now.
As she continued to cry, the yellow egg with blue stripes wriggled from the nest and rolled out until it hit a wall. A tiny meeping squeal of shock called from within. The unborn pokemon kicked and struggled inside its shell.
Tachiguy was taken aback, he wasn�t expecting this....but boy was it ever welcome. He held her in his arms and tried to hold back his own tears. "C�mon honey...its OK. Look, it was stupid of me to ever doubt you. I know you love me, but...I was scared." he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "Honey, you have a whooole new world to explore out here, with so many new experiences that you wouldn�t believe what sorts of things there are yet for you to see. I just thought that in light of that....I might be not...not what you needed. They are your own kind, and you might need them more than me...I don�t know! That was what was worrying me....that I...I might not be able to make you as happy. I wasn�t upset with you, I was upset with me." he smiled through his now falling tears "But..if I�m what you want, then I�m whatcha got, and I�ll always be there for you, never doubt that." as he leaned in tho hug her again he noticed the gg moving "Oooh!! LOOK!" was all he could say, pointing with one paw at the squeaking moving egg "Is it....like, hatching now?"
Achi returned to all fours and crept over to the moving egg. Squeals and cries increased as the tiny egg rocked and spun from inside. Achi nosed the egg gently, trying to move it back over to the others. Every attempt failed. The egg was too active to stay in one place.
Achi stuck out her delicate nose and watched with anticipation. A wet crunch revealed a blue flecked pink and purple tail.
"llllooookkkk!" Tachi-dad said excitedly, "Its our first born! Do we help it outa the egg? Does it need help? GAK!" he said surprised as the brown one with the purple spiral rolled away, making enough noise to hurt the ears. He swept his tail around to prevent it from getting any further from the nest, and saw a small violet paw break the shell a the side of the egg. "Look! Another one�s comin� out!" he said ecstatically, while holding it in place. The other 2 eggs to were now moving a lot more, the top popping off of the cream colored egg, to reveal 2 small curled pink ears. "This is like nothing I�ve ever seen!" said Tachiguy, so proud he thought his chest would burst.
A miniature crackled explosion echoed as the tiny blue striped yellow egg broke open completely.
Achi's eyes shot wide as the site of her first born filled them to tears. The newborn looked exactly as Tachi had said they might be, half nidoran, half otachi. His fur was pink like a male nidoran with fleckings of blue like Tachi's cheek marks. Wide bands of purple ringed the child's tail and encircled its plump middle. On their new son's face were the bold markings of his father in deep purple, accenting a pair of golden orbs. He nosed over to Achi's side on wobbly untried limbs. "Chhhiiiiiiiii!" he cried out with joy as he found his first meal.
Achi lay trembling, to happy to speak. She groomed her new child and waited to see which egg would hatch next.
Tachiguy stared at the child, he was so surprised at its appearance "Its...its an Otachiran!" he said proudly, gently stroking back its ears with his paw as it ate. He turned his attention back to the hyperactive brown egg with the purple spiral. He was holding it steady with his tail, when the egg shell busted off, revealing a dark purple Otachi male, with bangs, and blue Otachi markings. It opened its little eyes, and they were red, like Achikochis, and sparkled with happiness. "Ota! Otaotaaaaa!" it said, as Tachi lifted it gently to feed next to his brother. The 2 baby pokemon looked so different, one was a light pink, the other a dark purple, but despite their looks the scene gelled for Tachiguy...it felt so right. He looked back to the other eggs, which were now making more noise and breaking to expose more body parts.... except the small round one, which lay, still motionless.
Achi watched two of the three remaining eggs rock and crackled with activity. The sight of the last egg in its motionless state made her ears droop sadly. She had expected it, but it still seemed so sad the last egg wasn't going to hatch.
A tiny pink hindfoot burst through the shell of the cream spotted pink egg. The tiny babe kicked out and wriggled until she was free. Now added to the family was a shiny otachi daughter, pink with cream stripes with clear aquamarine eyes. "Taaaaa!" she yawned and drew in a deep first breath. Achi nudged her daughter over to her side.
"We've got 2 sons and and a daughter!" she smiled up at Tachi.
Tachiguy's face was streaked with happy tears as he nudged the last remaining egg, the blue one with green and brown flecks. The head of the baby smashed through the side and the child piled out, revealing a light brown nido male, with a blue chin and underbelly, a smaller but wider horn than your average Nido, and Tochigi�s long bangs hanging over his red eyes, which he swished back with a green paw and uttered a "niiidoo!" at which Tachiguy placed him next to the brood of Kits, created by he and his mate.
He grinned at Achi, hardly believing what he was seeing...before remembering that this wasn�t the final egg, looking down at the still motionless round egg he sighed. "I�m gonna keep it warm with my tail.... but, I�m not holding much hope I�m afraid." he placed his paw over Achi's. "I�m...I�m sorry."
Achi fussed and groomed her newborn kits. The natural instinct to ignore the loss of one egg settled slowly into her outlook on life. "It's ok, Tachi. We have 3 sons and a daughter, now. If that little egg hatches or not, we still have these kits and each other." she tried to soothe some of the worry from Tachi's eyes.
The nidorina's hope of hatching the last egg was barely a flicker. She lifted her otachiran son, who had finished feeding, and groomed the soft silky fine fur on his body. The tiny kit did what all kits his age would do, and fell asleep.
"They are going to need names, " Achi smiled, "Not really to tell them apart... you can do that on sight, but something to call them in by when they go out and play."
Stone-na Fleck crept to the entrance of the den. Unsure of how deep it would go, he sat by the hole and called down, " Bigga Poppa!!! Twinkle-Momma!! Yourra' down'in there??"
Achi's ears swiveled towards the entrance of the den, " Tachi .... did you hear that? .... it's Stoney! He's somehow found us!!"
The Nidorina stood up from her pile of sleeping kits, careful not to wake them and poked her head out of the entrance of the den.
Stone-na Fleck threw his arms around the familiar face, " Bigga happies to see Twinkle-Momma!" he squeaked out.
Achi nuzzled the Cubone's tummy in return. "I'm so glad you made it back to us!"
Achi looked about and saw she was surrounded by several pokemon. " Hello all, did you help my little one get back to me?"
Hyron nodded, " Yes m'am... I don't want to break up this happy moment, but I'm afraid this Kangaskhan here has been poisoned by a nidorino."
Achikochi looked to see Rocky, ill. She thought back to the nidorino who had just been there. Anger welled up in her chest. How could her own kind be so cruel to poison a young pokemon like Rocky! She turned back down the run, "Tachi ... you have to find that Nidorino and NOW..... Rocky's been poisoned... and I don't know any cures for my kinds poisons ... but surely the wild one would know!"
Achi looked at Evin, who was sitting outside her home (sorry Evin , but you weren't invited inside it), "Do I know you from someplace, you look familiar to me. What can I do to repay your freind for helping Rocky?"
"Yeah, well, I suppose you where too tired back then, but I do remember you very well, when your mate was out looking for your son me and other vulpix friends where taking care of you during the night" Evin smiled at Achi, "remember? I was looking for Spirit" he looked at her, she seemed obviously a lot better than before, tired yes, but extremely happy and such "I see you are fine now its good to see that" "as for taking care of your son, you should thank Manami, not me" Evin walked closer to her and heard chittering noises from the burrow hole
his eyes got shiny and he looked happily at Achi and Tachi "Those.. those are yours?"
Achi nodded at Evin. She couldn't remember everything that had happened while she was ill, but she did recall some pokemon looking for the Kadabra.
"Yes, Tachi and I ...had kits. I laid 5 eggs, but only 4 of them hatched. " Achi disappeared for a moment and returned nosing the unhatched egg out onto the landing of the den. "I don't think this one will hatch.. it's probably empty inside, but you're welcome to have it as a reward for you and your friend... if she saves Rocky."
Before Evin was a perfectly round egg. Black on top, purple on the bottom with a gold band across it's center. A very familliar color scheme.
Achi- trying to get rid of an unhatched egg she feels will never amount to anything but an eevee meal.
Evin just blinked puzzled... what was with the colors of that egg? "thanks" he said quite puzzled, but he tried to be polite and thankful at the gesture of Achikochi, it was after all, belonging to her, it should be something very hard "Why... thanks.. I'll take it gladly" on his head the idea of eating that wasn�t right at all, but after all, Firestorm helped a lot too, and who knows if Manami liked it too, nuzzling the egg to roll it towards Manami and Firestorm he felt a shiver, unlike any other thing he had felt. he backed away, he could almost swear he heard something inside it "Are you sure this Egg is empty? I wouldn't like to take any chances" Achi shook her head negatively "ohh.. I see..." still puzzled he looked again at the egg, as he blinked a couple of times...
Stone-na Fleck hugged his adopted dad, but not as tight as usual. "Gooda' see bigga poppa again" The cubone let himself be whisked away to the den. He walked in after Tachi, then looked back at his brother , who was too large to enter, shrugging.
Achi got up an nuzzled Tachi in greeting. Her eyes widened with sheer surprise at the sight of the cubone behind her. "Stoney! Sweetie you're safe!!! Come meet your little brothers and sister!"
Stone-na Fleck looked at the 4 sets of eyes that stared back at him. His resolve to leave was re-enforced. There were younger pokemon in his place.
"Twinkle-Flappy anna' Grassy-goo helpa' me finda' new home'a-place of Twinkle-momma an' Bigga'-Poppa. Happy seeings likkle longa'-furs born'a here. " Stone-na Fleck paused, his grin grew wider, " Have'a m'portant words say. Inna' morning-time, I gowa' way to Underground place. I have'a find new bone'na club like bigga sisser's."
Stone-na Fleck stood up tall, and for once in his life .. looked as if he was truly able to do as he said.
Achi sniffled. Her baby cubone wasn't a baby anymore. "Please stay, Stoney. At least until after Tachi and I give these little ones names?"
Stone-na Fleck nodded. Another day or two wouldn't hurt.
Tachiguy was torn. "Umm...My son..." he began to ask the boy to leave, then remembered back down in the underground, and his sisters death. This was obviously something important to him, and if it was important to Stoney, it was important to Tachi as well. "Son, you�ve got my blessing in whatever yer wanting to do, and, if yer staying for a few days, that gives us some time to spend together, Y'know." he smiled "I�m gonna miss ya terrible..but I respect you and your decision." he grinned and pointed at the new kits. " Heh, these guys will be needing you to visit Yknow though! They need their big Bro around at least once n a while to show em what�s what! Cant expect Dim ole dad to teach em everything now can ya?" he noogied the boy, a little lighter than usual in respect of his new found maturity and nuzzled Achi. "For such a young pair, we shure have raised a lot of kids honey..."
Stone-na Fleck smiled at Tachi, " Show'a little kin how'a throw bone'na club an make'a earthquake!"
The cubone looked at the kits with ample curiosity, "Alla' colors mix all over. Like'a stone fromma' big underground."
Tachiguy smiled "Hey, if hes half the wanderer you are boy then I�m gonna have quite a pawful!" he grinned at the child and looked at the sleeping kit. "He�s like...such an awesome color! They all are!" he softly petted them, slowly so as not to wake them, and smiled in a softer manner. "Wow..." was all he could say, and he looked up into Achi's beautiful ruby eyes, and was to happy for words.
"Gorra have'a grow'a nuther eye!" Stone-na Fleck chuckled softly and slowly approached the sleeping furry pile. The kits were about half his size, judging by their oversized paws, he suspected they would be twice as big as he was by the time he got back from the underground.
Achi reached over and licked Stone-na Fleck roughly. She noticed how much he tasted like a large hunk of granite. "Stoney, would you like to hold one?"
The cubone nodded.
Achi stood up and gripped the Otachiran kit gently by the scruff, placing it in Stone-na Fleck's outstretched paws. Stone-na Fleck cradled the wriggly furry kit. The otachiran reached up and swiped his oversized front paws at the cubone's mask.
"Heh... Likkle kin know'a Fury Swipes already!" Stone-na Fleck hugged his tiny brother and lifted him above his head, " Calla' dissa' one Flail'a Paws!"
Achi grinned, " Flail'a Paws, how powerful! What do you think of Flailer, Tachi?"