Florin's Past pt. 2

Florin headed out to the usual places to check on the berry trees and bushes, even though he had already checked them yesterday. Sixpence might be there, tending to the trees and harvesting the food. Florin was always drawn to spend time with her; her calming air about her provided a hint of peace to his easily stressed life. Not to mention that she was cute and gentle… and his secret-keeper.

However, his quick inspection of the grove showed no sign of Sixpence. The food supply was as dismal as ever. The clan didn’t have much territory they could properly defend, so the supply was always limited. Spinda only ate meat when it was necessary, though now felt like necessary times. No one was desperate enough to kill another Pokémon for meat yet.

Florin lowered his swirled ears and narrowed his eyes. We must have food today… Determined, he stashed the clipboard in a small bush and marched off towards the east; the Prismatic Jungle.

The Spinda feared the dragon inhabitants and the ruthless behaviors that they lived by, but he could understand their psychology: kill or be killed, the cruel cycle of life. Eat or be eaten…

He knew of a few grand berry trees that the dragons gorged themselves on when not feasting on flesh. Florin was not proud to admit it, but he had stolen from the branches of the jungle’s trees many times before. In fact, he had kept track of trees that would be ripe to pick from, and today an oran tree was ready. He could only carry as much as he could hold in his paws, but any small amount could help.

Becoming more cautious as he ventured deeper into the jungle, he crept forward, pausing now and again to listen for the telltale sounds of a dragon. Confident in the relative silence, Florin crept up to the trunk of the coveted tree. The blue berries dangled from the branches like dewdrops after a rain, enticing him to grab as many as he could.

Florin glanced around, his heart pounding inside his chest. Stealing always seemed so exciting; a thrill that honest life couldn’t offer. Why was he so excited each time he did this? He lowered his ears to his skull and began to climb the tree slowly, fighting his normal haphazard way of walking. The bark was rigid and filled with footholds, perfect for a Pokémon of his size.

Without any trouble, Florin reached the first branch of the tree. Perching there, he began to gather the fruit as quickly as he could. Suddenly, a gust of wind threatened to blow him off his perch as a flying Pokémon approached.

Heart racing now, Florin dropped the berries to the ground and began to climb back down in earnest, the sound of the flying Pokémon already filling the air. He jumped down the last few feet and gathered the now slightly bruised fruit.

A roar and a beam of light caught his off guard as the attacker, a Salamence no less, spotted him. Florin fell from the force of the attack, guessing it to be a dragon rage. It stung like a dragon move.

“THIEF!” The blue dragon screeched and bared its fangs, either ready to swallow him or to spit out a flamethrower. Either way, he’d be sure to avoid its mouth.

Florin jumped to his feet and tried to stare directly into the beast’s eyes. “You must be tired… sleep.” He commanded as his eyes began to twirl in a hypnosis attack.

The dragon snorted slightly and paused, giving Florin hopes that it had worked, but he was mistaken. The Salamence roared and spat out an inferno of a flame, burning the Spinda in the process. The pain rushed through him, stunning his body slightly. He had to flee now before he was a goner!

He grimaced and scooped up three of the closest berries before running in typical haphazard Spinda fashion. His pattern of running seemed to work as the Salamence’s flames continued to miss him. Florin fought through his pain and pushed himself forward. His foot slipped in the brush and he flew forward face down in the ground. He choked and coughed on the dirt as he fought to recover his food.

“NO RUNNING NOW, THIEF.” The dragon roared and readied a powerful attack.

Florin turned around and with all of his speed he punched the Salamence in the face with a fierce dizzy punch. The dragon was caught by surprise and the attack disappeared from its mouth. It shook its head and spat out another flame, but in the wrong direction.

It’s confused now. Florin thought triumphantly. Acting on adrenaline, he attacked the Salamence again with a psycho cut attack, this time drawing blood. The beast roared in pain and slapped him away with its tail.

Florin skidded to the ground, narrowly avoiding a tree to the head. Breathing heavily, he tried another hypnosis attack. “Please, you must be tired…” He pleaded, his eyes twirling again.

The Salamence hissed and loomed closer. It opened its great maw and took a deep breath. Florin grimaced and readied a psycho cut if the worst came to worst.

Florin, however, had luck on his side. The Salamence closed its maw, its previous action a giant yawn. The dragon’s head sank to the grass and its eyelids sank against its will.

Florin sighed in relief and tried to gather up the remains of his catch. One berry had been completely squished from the skirmish, one berry was oozing, and the last seemed to be in good shape. Disappointed, the Spinda gathered the two berries and tottered back to the boundaries of the clan. His wounds were of minor concern in his mind. He had only retrieved two berries, barely enough to help two Spinda. Why did that Salamence react so violently to a few berries? It wasn’t like those beasts lived off of fruit anyway. Only on occasion have I been found and fought, and usually my hypnosis attack gets them the first round…

“Florin!” A worried voice called out.

He recognized the voice quickly and relaxed. “I’m fine.” Sixpence had found him.

The Spinda rushed up to him, her nearly red ears lowered with worry. She frowned and shook her head. “What were you thinking? What happened?”

Florin sat down and held out the still good oran berry. “Here, it’s not much…”

Sixpence shook her head quickly and knelt down beside him. “And on your special day too…” She mumbled, sniffing his fur. “You’ve been burnt. Was it a charizard? A dragon?”

“A Salamence. It was surprisingly annoyed to have the berries taken, carnivore that it is… I just wasn’t fast enough.” He sighed. The burn blazed against his skin, making him flinch in pain. “Ah… maybe I shouldn’t have done it…”

Sixpence sighed lightly and pushed the oran berry back at him. “You need it more than I do.” She stood up quickly and withdrew an item from her small pouch hanging at her side. The Spinda held out a small, shriveled rawst berry. “It’s old, but it should help that burn of yours. Can’t go around the village with those wounds and expecting no conclusions will be made.”

Florin stared at the old, shriveled green berry before accepting it. It was slimy and tasted like spoiled jam, but he could feel the burn begin to fade away. He also took the oozing oran berry to restore his health. He felt even worse now that he sustained injuries and all for a single oran berry.

Sixpence sat back, shaking her head. “Why are you so reckless…?”

Florin cracked a small grin. “You know why, Sixpence.” She had been helping him keep this thievery a secret for a while now. Their usual routine was that Florin brought in the harvest and Sixpence attested that the fruit came from their trees. Talent never double-checked their work, giving them the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes Florin wanted to stop stealing altogether, but the needs of everyone in the clan drove him back to the jungle. It was a miracle that no one seemed suspicious about their methods.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I worry.” She replied sadly.

The bow-tied Spinda lowered his ears and offered a wider grin. He couldn’t have her so glum. He survived and brought back a berry, right? He sat up and clasped her paws in his and rubbed his muzzle against hers. “Thank you, Six, I couldn’t do this without you.”

She sighed slightly and closed her eyes, enjoying their proximity. She nuzzled his face slowly and gave him a small lick on the nose. “You don’t have to risk your life so often you know… one day some Spinda will find out… what will you do then?”

Florin loved the nose licks that she gave him. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on the conversation again. “If you are accepting of my stealing food for the good of all of us, maybe the rest of the clan won’t think badly of me. I’m confident…” He left off, drinking in her scent.

Sixpence gave him another lick before drawing back, concern still on her face. “But… what if you aren’t stealing for the benefits anymore, but for the thrill? And what happens when that dragon wakes up? We don’t want another raid for just a little berry stealing.” If there was a Spinda more down to earth than Florin, it was Sixpence. She always thought through everything so clearly and calmly it fascinated him.

Florin tried to think in more serious matters, the close moment was passed. “I know… You’re right, Six.”

Sixpence shook her head and smiled kindly. “I really ought to be frustrated and angry at you, but… I can’t.”

“That’s because you see me for a hero, isn’t that right?” Florin smirked playfully, “A brave Spinda laying down his life for his clan. And you feel part of the heroism.”

Sixpence blushed and looked away. He knew that was how she saw him though. She had told him one starry night how she thought of him. Though they weren’t courting or mates, Sixpence and Florin still thought highly and affectionately for each other, taking their time until they felt they were ready. The female Spinda looked up and said in a firmer voice, “Well, I guess you have other things to do. I should leave you to it.”

◊◊◊◊

That day ended like any other normal day, with food shared with every clan Spinda and everyone retiring to their homes after their work. Florin hardly cared about birthday celebrations; the Salamence that had attacked him earlier still plagued his mind. Why had the dragon attacked in the first place other than in rage from being stolen from? Was that tree special to the dragon? Was it part of the dreaded Tivoli’s orchard?

Most Pokémon he had to fight off went down with hypnosis and thought that his arrival was a dream and did nothing more about it. There was one time that this tactic didn’t work, one Fraxure fought Florin and knew that the thievery was real. It then led a small raid on the clan and killed a few inhabitants, nine deaths to be exact --a number that weighed heavily on his heart. That Fraxure raid had been Florin’s greatest mistake thus far, and only he and Sixpence knew the true cause of the raid. Every other Spinda thought it was random violence. Florin and Sixpence were left to carry the burden of guilt for the lives lost.

Since the Salamence had received a wound, more than likely when it woke up it wouldn’t think Florin a mere dream. Was the village in danger once again due to Florin’s mistake? Maybe things would smooth over without any further actions… At least he hoped.

And after everything, he could still do nothing for the food situation. He frowned to himself and decided that he had to talk with Drachma and Talent about the trade and business to find out how to trade for more food. Perhaps when they heard about how dire the situation actually was they would take action to help.

A soft paw tapped him on the shoulder, tearing him away from his grim thoughts. Turning, he saw Sixpence standing close, her face slightly red from blush. Before he could get a word out, she said quietly, “Um, I wanted to give you a birthday present.”

“Thank you, Six.” He smiled widely. “What is-”

Sixpence stumbled up to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Before he could react or hold her close, she turned cherri-red and tottered away.

Florin stared after her, heart fluttering with joy. He wanted to run after her and scoop her up in his arms.  Perhaps… perhaps he did love her… and she loved him. Perhaps this was a move into becoming mates. However, he let the gift stand as that and let her go her own way. He began to whistle to himself and walked back to his home, still cheery and enthused. Life felt happy and certain again!

◊◊◊◊

Nothing seemed to change after Florin had informed Talent the bare truth about the clan’s plight. Talent had assured him that things would begin to look up and trades would grow, but nothing happened. Days turned into weeks until Florin finally found the courage in himself to confront Talent more frankly on the matter.

However, the day proved to be a unique one.

The bow-tied Spinda marched into the leader’s hut, startling the three waiting Spinda on the floor. Rupee, Drachma, and the young Farthing were all sitting, ears lowered with concern. What were they doing? They had work to do!

Florin held his tongue however, as Rupee approached him with a worried look. “We thought you were Talent… Have you seen him?”

He grew quickly distressed. What if a dragon from the jungle had found and kidnapped Talent? Was this all for that stupid oran berry? “Where did you last see him?”

“Don’t get angry, Florin,” the young Farthing said calmly, almost flippantly, while doodling with his crayons, “Dad will come back. You grownups are so worried, but I trust daddy.”

Rupee grimaced and admitted, “We saw him last night. Talent seemed to be acting a little off-”

“Off? What do you mean by ‘off’?” Florin interrupted. Why did he automatically think the worst had happened? Surely things couldn’t be that bad. This couldn’t have anything to do with the Prismatic Jungle.

“I dunno… he just seemed distant and sorta gloomy. You know how charismatic Talent is! Anyway, he said for us to start on work in the morning without him. Can you believe it? Without him? He’s never done that before! I just have a bad feeling about this.”

Florin grew slightly relieved. “If you are worried about our work, then I’m sure-”

“Drachma’s searched the village for him and came back empty pawed! Talent couldn’t have… abandoned us, could he?” She replied, her voice growing more strained.

Perhaps she simply missed Talent. Soothed, Florin placed a paw on her shoulder. “Hey, we can handle the village without him for a while, can’t we? We three are the pillars of the clan; we can’t let everything fall because the roof, our leader, is missing. And why in Tao would he abandon us and his power? I can be sure that Talent hasn’t left us. Your imagination is just getting the better of you, Rupee.”

“See? Florin trusts daddy.” Farthing chirped, waving his legs in the air while humming to himself.

Drachma stood to his feet and stared deeply into Florin’s swirled eyes. Speaking in his grating voice, he said, “Florin… it’s about the food and the resources.”

Drachma hardly talked, so it captured Florin’s attention thoroughly. The bowtied Spinda frowned back, fighting his rising fear. “What do you mean?” His mind began to add up everything that he could mean, all the way from a trade journey to negotiations with the dragons he angered. What if… what if his secret of stealing had been discovered? Was Drachma accusing him?

“It had most distressed Talent to hear the news you bore him…”

“What are you implying, Drachma?” Florin asked angrily, fluffing out his fur slightly.

The other male Spinda stared for a long time at Florin before whispering, “I’m afraid for him, Florin… He hasn’t been himself for a while…”

The bowtied Spinda quickly relaxed and lowered his ears, once again distressed. But… what could Talent do that would make a Spinda like Drachma worried? Did Talent set off to find food himself? Had he braved the jungle? What if Talent wasn’t the fighter he once was? Had he fallen down Florin’s same path of thievery? “So… what do we do then? Who thinks we should try to go about our usual work?” All hope of brushing this incident off and going back to routine was ruined by the silence and lack of paws in the air. Taking a deep breath, Florin asked, “So… do we search for him then? Ask any Spinda if they’ve seen him? Is it that important that we interrupt whatever he is doing?”

Rupee nodded frantically. Drachma agreed firmly.

Outvoted, Florin let his shoulders sink. “Very well, let’s split up and search for him.”

“Drachma’s already searched the village, where do we look next? Where could he be?” the female Spinda fretted. She stared at the resolute male Spinda and asked, “Where did his and your business take him? You’d know the best.”

“Nearby areas in Mt. Bolero, Prismatic Jungle, and Sonata Forest.” He replied lowly. “We have made trades with various villages in those areas.”

“Ah, the jungle…” Florin said nervously. He had to make sure that he was the one to investigate there. Perhaps he could even snag some food along the way. He felt as if he knew the jungle slightly and no other Spinda should go there. Perhaps the dragons would call them thieves and the questions would become unavoidable.

“I know; that is why I will go there.” Drachma droned.

“Ah, I don’t know how well you fight, Drachma. On the other hand, I have some powerful attacks of my own and hypnosis could get me out of a tight situation.” He said, trying to keep a convincing façade of a Spinda who wished to protect his friends at all costs, not to mention acting like one who had never braved the jungle before.

Drachma stared for a while before asking, “So, you are confident enough to go look around the borders of the jungle?”

“Yes! I couldn’t live with myself if a dragon attacked either of you two. I’ll just put any assailant to sleep and be out in a jiffy.” Hypnosis was a handy attack and apparently was convincing enough for Drachma to allow Florin the task of searching the jungle. Florin couldn’t tell, but he wondered if this relieved Drachma from the fear of the Jungle. After all he did lose a sister to that raid.

Before the three Spinda headed out to search for their leader, Farthing sighed and said over his shoulder, “You guys are wasting your time. Daddy will be back and angry at you for not doing your jobs.”

Florin stared at the young one and thought of a way to distract him from the grim atmosphere. “I’m sorry, Farthing, but we are concerned. If he turns out to be fine, I’ll treat you to a mago berry.” Mago berry was Farthing’s favorite fruit, proving to be one of the sweetest berries Florin had tasted. He didn’t hate the sweetness per say, he just knew it was stronger than her personal preferences.

The young Spinda spun around and stared with large swirled eyes. “A mago berry? Oh boy!”
Florin smiled, thankful that Farthing could be so easily enthused. “Good boy. Well, we’ll be off, Farthing. Stay out of trouble and don’t let anyone in the village know that Talent is missing. Everything is fine, ok?”

“Of course it is!” The young Spinda announced confidently.

Assured, Florin waved goodbye. “See you soon, Arthy.”

Rupee, Drachma, and Florin wasted no time to head out to the corners of the territory in search of their leader. Rupee took the route to Sonata Forest and Drachma was left with Mt. Bolero. Florin wasted no time in running off to the jungle boundaries.

On his way, he predictably passed by Sixpence tending to the trees. She noticed him and called down, “I hope you’re not doing what I think you’re doing. I’ve been hearing lots of dragon calls lately.”

Florin paused and considered telling her what happened. She knew all the rest of his secrets, so why not this one? “Ah, Six… I wish it was as simple as that. Talent’s gone missing and isn’t in the village. I’m going to search the boundaries.”

“Wait, what?” Sixpence climbed down the tree and stared at him directly. “What about Talent?”

Florin lowered his ears, conveying his concern. “Somehow Talent has gone missing. Drachma is worried about him so the three of us are going to look around for him. I don’t really know what to expect; if he’s wandering around drunk or lost or who knows what.”

Sixpence’s expression soured. “Oh dear… I hope Talent’s alright. Good luck looking for him.”

“Maybe you could help me?” He asked, offering a small smile. He knew she was hesitant to go as far into the jungle as Florin did in his routine after seeing all of the wounds he had received. But he could use another set of swirled eyes. “Talent is our leader and much more important than any kind of tree tending you could be doing.”

She thought about it before agreeing. “Alright. Let’s comb through the border.”

“That’s the spirit.” Florin praised, tapping his shoulder fondly. “Now let us be heroes and find our missing leader.”

Blushing at this mention of heroism, the two Spinda began to totter slowly through the woods, far enough apart to cover more ground but still close enough to hear each other. They called out for their leader and inspected every brush big enough to hide a Spinda, but they didn’t find any trace of Talent.

After two hours of fruitless searching, Sixpence wiped her head and said, “Maybe he wasn’t in the jungle. Maybe Drachma or Rupee has found him already.”

Florin sighed. It had been a waste of time and a fruitless search. If Sixpence hadn’t suggested abandoning the project, he soon would have. “Very well… you can head to the village.” An idea popped into his head. “I… I just have one more place I want to check.”

“Stealing again?” Sixpence replied, looking concerned.

The bowtied Spinda held his right paw to his chest as a sigh of honor. “No, I promise you I will not endanger my life or steal anything right now. This is a serious matter and as such I won’t focus on the food. I will however, check the tree… It’s been on my mind…”

The female Spinda stared a second longer at Florin before letting him go. “Fine, but be quick about it. Talent might already be back.”

Florin nodded and began to head deeper into the jungle. He didn’t know why he couldn’t keep his mind off of the oran tree he had stumbled upon earlier and fought the Salamence at. His mind began coming up with terrible explanations with how the oran tree was a good idea, all of them playing on his guilt and the fierceness of the dragons. What if Talent had found out about his stealing? What if the Salemence… No, he couldn’t think like that!

He pushed through the brush as quietly as he could. Spotting the tree, he paused and listened closely to the sounds of the jungle, hoping that no Pokémon would sneak attack him. Nothing seemed to be outside of the normal.

Florin crept closer to the tree, his pulse once again racing. He could see the oran berries hanging from the branches so temptingly… But he steeled himself forward. Just a quick check around the tree and I’ll be satisfied… He reasoned with himself. He slowly circled around the tree, searching the branches for signs of a Spinda sitting or lying on a branch.

Finding nothing of interest, Florin sighed and raised his ears. His fears were unfounded! Grateful, he began to head back to the village. A nearly inaudible sound caught his attention, the sound of a small creak. He gritted his teeth and turned back to the tree.

Where was the noise coming from? What in the forest could creak? A tree branch? Was Talent in the tree hiding, or was it something far more sinister watching him?

He lowered his ears again, certain he had missed something. Florin took a deep breath and began to climb the tree trunk, his fur fluffing out in fear. His mind had to be playing tricks on him now. Every slight breeze felt like the approach of a Salamence’s wings.

Reaching the first branch, he looked around the foliage. The small creaking came again. Unsure if it was a loose branch, he hesitated to exploring more of the tree. He listened again to the creaking sound. No… it couldn’t be a tree branch. It sounded like… a rope?

Anxiety heightening, Florin climbed to another branch, searching for the rope. What if the rope was a trap? Or access to a secret hiding place. It couldn’t be as grim as his mind could jump to, right?

As he reached for a third branch, his head brushed against something. The creak came again and the thing brushed him back. Florin’s head snapped to attention and stared in horror and shock at the thing in the tree. His heart seemingly stopped and his body went cold. Letting loose a scream, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

He stared up in horror up in the tree, paralyzed by fear and shock. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t look away. Florin let loose another yell, a strange call he could not hope to replicate. No… no… this was somehow unreal. He was seeing illusions! He had to be!

“What’s wrong? Florin?” A young voice called out.

Florin couldn’t even begin to wonder how the young Farthing had found him or try to speak sensible words for the Spinda to look away. All he could do was lie down and scream.

The young Spinda rushed forward at the sounds Florin was making. He had tried to find Florin to ask about his luck in finding his father since the searches Drachma and Rupee had come up empty. The boy lowered his ears and asked, “Are you hurt, Florin? Did you fall? How far did you fall?”

Florin tried to shake his head, to indicate something of his hearing Farthing, to ask the kid what he was doing out in the jungle, but his body was no longer controlled by him. His mind began to run, to overload.  No, he couldn’t faint and leave the kid alone to deal with-! He fought against his fainting impulses. No! This was just some sort of twisted prank, this wasn’t real. He had to tell Farthing to get out of there.

Farthing followed Florin’s gaze up the tree. “What is it, Florin? Is there something scary up there?” Thankfully he didn’t spot what Florin had encountered or hear the eerie creaking.

Florin finally got control of his voice. “Farthing! Don’t look up there! Get away from here!”

The kid frowned and knelt at his side. “What’s wrong, Florin? Why are you so-”

Florin sat up, his body aching from the fall. As far as he could tell nothing was broken. He pushed himself to his feet and hugged Farthing tightly. “Don’t look up there… get Rupee or Sixpence or Drachma… get someone…” Suddenly his eyes began to water, for what reason he could not be sure of. What he had seen had to be fake: an illusion. Why did it make him cry?

Farthing tried to obey but Florin’s grip was too rigid. The young Spinda squirmed before complaining, “I can’t leave, Florin. You’re holding me too tight.” His lip quivered as he felt Florin’s same panic. “What happened?”

Florin began to sink into hysterics. He slowly let go of Farthing as he began muttering to himself, “It’s all my fault… it’s all my fault… it’s all my fault…” He curled up as best as he could and began to sob, still repeating the phrase.

Farthing wanted to try and comfort the bow-tied Spinda, but thought it best to fetch help. The kid quickly turned tail and ran.