Awakening

Your shout echoed through calm night air, robbing the woods of it's breezy silence. Your hazel orbs burst open and your heart races as you shoot up from your relaxed slumber into a shaky sitting position. Your breath is labored and hectic as your hands clutch at your neck, feeling for the claws of that wicked Weavile. As your heartbeat slows and normalizes, you let out a quiet sigh and brush the dew from your eyes. As you finish wiping the droplets from your eyelids, your hand brushes across a faint scar just below your left eye. The torn flesh, about an inch in length, fades downward into your cheek. You let it linger there for a moment longer, remembering that terrible day. The day your innocence was taken. You run one hand paw over the other, feeling the sheathed claws hidden there just below the surface.

"Never", you whisper quietly to yourself, "Never again will another suffer because of you..." Curling your hands into fists, you gaze up at the moon. You rise into a firm stance, your hind claws instinctively gripping the branch that served as your bed that evening. Looking down into the sea of black before you, briefly entertaining the idea of attempting to return to your rest. A sharp snap directly below you dashes the thought. You instantly meld back into the shadows as you heed the twigs warning, silently cursing yourself for your outburst earlier. Moments pass as the noiselessness of the forest returns. As the seconds tick by, it becomes deafening, causing the teal fur on your neck to bristle.

Did it notice me? Did it just pass by?

Your mind races as your heartbeat begins to raise its tempo once more. A vicious roar is the only warning you get before the branch you're standing on is engulfed in flames. The sudden burst of light and screeching have you stumbling over your feet, subsequently making you tumble from your perch. You've just enough wherewithal to grasp at the bark as you rush towards the ground, slowing your decent. A rough landing and one clumsy roll later, have you face to face with your attacker.

"Graahhhh....", Hisses the Charmeleon, intent on a fight. It would appear that your night terror had alerted the menacing lizard to your presence. A quick glance into his soulless purple eyes tells you all you need to know of your opponent. You know that you are at a severe disadvantage due to your Ice sub type. Looking to the burning leaves falling between the two of you, further putting you at his mercy, you realize this is a fight you want no part of. You are given mere seconds to decide on your course of action as the insane fire-type charges in.