The Lake Once More

Despite the perilous dangers the bog could provide, both you and Jackal manage to make it out with any altercation. The Typhlosion was far more relieved to be out of the swampy setting and closer into a more normal forest setting. Ahead of you was the lake you recall meeting Gold at. Jackal on the other hand wasn't too keen on the idea still, considering their fight.

Still, you liked the odds better of staying with someone you trusted wouldn't kill you in a disclosed location rather than you and Jackal risking it all by sleeping outside alone in the open somewhere.

It was still in the dense of night, but you can at least see the glow of moonlight dance on the water a distance ahead. "Hey, Jackal, we made it." You mention to the Typhlosion who was beginning to zone out.

"Huh? Oh. Great. You sure you can still trust this guy? If he makes one wrong move, and I'll get rid of him myself." The Typhlosion grunts, patting at his own front. It was nice to see Jackal gain at least some confidence back.

You smirk, adding on to that idea, "If he does try to pull anything, go right ahead. But I still wanna know if there's somewhere safe for us to stay first at least." The fire-type behind you grins at that. Had you not known any better, but you figure that Jackal was hoping that Gold will try to betray you. Because if that's the case, it means the Typhlosion gets to have roast duck for a late-night snack. If there was anything you could count on from your first encounter with Jackal, it was that his stomach could always be depended on for whatever he was hungry for. You're just glad it's not you anymore. At least...you assume he's not hungry for you anymore.

It takes a glance over your shoulder to see him clearly smiling to himself about eating Gold, that you ask him bluntly, "...Hey. I trust you to do the right thing and that we have each other's backs. But I want to ask you something."

"What's that?" He perks his head, taken away from his dinner daydream. His stomach emits a hungry growl at the idea.

So, now that you're thinking about it, you decide not to ask such a dangerous question so abruptly that can bring an uncomfortable answer. Perhaps now wasn't the time. "Er...nevermind. I was just gonna ask if you wanted me to do the same if he tries to attack you." You cover with a lie. You had no plans on eating Gold. But what if...you did? The sudden thought seems to come out of nowhere. You wince and shake the feeling away. It was just a joking fib after all.

Jackal meanwhile just scoffs and laughs, "Hell yeah, you can try! But I might wrestle him away from you if it comes down to that. I still got a bone to pick with him after the little twerp tried to fuckin' blow me up, and no way in hell am I gonna let him get the drop on me ever again." He flexes himself proudly, both arms and belly.

You just dwindle the mood down with a chuckle and answer, "Good to know." Yep, Jackal still thought with his stomach for sure. But maybe he's too distracted to even consider eating you for real again. After your confrontations in Redeemer's Grotto and the canyon, you feel like he wouldn't. Yet...why did you not entirely trust that? It was peculiar because you knew in your heart you could trust Jackal, but a weird foreign warmth suggests something to you, and it's the image of his jaws swallowing your writhing legs down. Your ears feel hot and flick nervously, and even your sheath thrums at the concept. You shake that vision out of your head too and wonder what the hell that was. Why did your mind go there? And why didn't it fill you with utter disgust?

It was like when you ate the Pinsir at the start of your journey. There was some pervasive nature that triggered such an idea, and it won out in the end. You didn't want to indulge the feeling, so you stifled it as much as you could, but like in Redeemer's Grotto, you indulged in it anyway.

At first, the idea of you being infected strikes you. But you ease down to recall that you've never had an infected...use you in any way. Plus, infection happens quickly from what you gathered and from what Hex told you. It's been several days since your first 'meal' of eating something else, so surely you would've turned by now. Maybe eating a feral has some effect on the body. Could be something to ask Hex for the next time you see him.

You pray that you see him again, rather.

Before you know it however, you arrive at the shore of the lake. The light of the moon and stars glimmer along the gentle drifts of the dark water, and it came down to either you or Jackal to do something in order to get the Golduck's attention. That is to say, if he was submerged in the lake like last time. Jackal looks to you for confirmation, "So uh...do we just yell or something to nab his attention? Or are we just gonna wait on the guy to shoot another laser at us if he's around?"

Ignoring Jackal's grudge, you light your paws on fire and simply toss small 'pellets' of aura spheres atop the water to cause some splashing and small portions of seering at the surface. The blue little flames sizzle away after a moment, but it definitely causes some movement of the water. You also call out, "Hey! Gold!" You patiently wait for an answer, but you are only met with silence for a while. Jackal gives you a look before glancing around to ensure there weren't any infected around. You add to your call, "It's Lace, the Lucario from before. You see or hear us?" Idly, you wave your arms slowly with your hands trailing small blue flames, hoping you're seen from underwater.

More silence answers you. Jackal sighs impatiently, "Come on, maybe he just lives near the lake or something. Or maybe not at all! Maybe he's an asshole saying he just lives in the lake we found him in cause he wanted to own it like it was his territory to begin with."

"I told him we might be coming back, and he seemed adamant that this is where he lived." You explain to Jackal. "I even asked if it was okay if we passed by here again on his permission, and he agreed to that."

The Typhlosion just grunts, spitting some more fire from his mane. "Pff! Yeah, maybe he just told you that to get you off his case. If he never lived here, why would he stay long enough to have you come back? The little fucker probably bolted once we left, laughing all giddy cause he totally tricked you." He crosses his arms, believing his story the more he went with it.

"...Okay, but why do that if he was never going to stay? What's the point of tricking me? And if he wanted to stay and 'own the territory', why not tell me to buzz off and not come back?" You ask.

"Shit, I dunno, cause he's an asshole? You think everyone has your holy standards, Lace? There doesn't have to be a reason." Jackal snipes back. He could have a point there, but it was still too early to say. You didn't appreciate the idea that you had some form of mightier morality than the average person though. You would assume most people would do good for the betterment of others- and fuck, Jackal's probably right about that actually, isn't he?

"Well that's not-" You mutter out, still figuring out how to defend the situation. Yet a third voice cuts you off.

"...Will you two shut the fuck up and keep quiet?"

Both you and Jackal turn to see a familiar head sticking out of the lake water, peering at you a few meters away. It's Gold, and he looks both confused and annoyed by your presence. He hisses a whisper, "...Are ya tryin' to ring the dinner bell to every freak out in the forest? Fuckin' zip it, capeesh?"

It wasn't the time or place to tell Jackal an 'I told you so', but the silent facial expression you gesture at him delivers the message well enough. He just rolls his eyes, keeps his arms crossed, and lets you do all the talking. You squat down by the edge of the water, beckoning Gold to get closer so you can converse quietly together. "Sorry. But we're back and we wanted to get your attention."

Gold doesn't budge. "Ya fuckin' got it, so what'cha want? I was sleepin' in my den and havin' a pretty damn good dream before y'all ruined it. This better be good, cause I ain't comin' over there to help y'all when every purple-eyed freak in a mile comes swarmin' in on you from your...jibber-jabber!" He still whisper-hisses, but it was just as loud as your conversation with Jackal earlier.

"Wait, your den is underwater? As in you sleep underwater?" You ask aloud. You give Jackal a look. "...Sorry, guess I made a bad call after all. Unless we grow gills, we'll have to look elsewhere."

Jackal reflects the 'I told you so' face you gave him just a moment ago, but Gold just looks even more confused by that. The duck grunts, "Wha? I ain't dumb enough to sleep in the open drift. No, I fuckin' sleep in the cave here. It's an...air pocket thingy, whatever you call it. That's where I live. I couldn't nap in this cold water, you kiddin' me? Why do you care about that?"

Your ears perk up at that. Jackal's ears flatten. Maybe it's not a lost cause after all. You walk closer into the shallows of the lake to approach Gold. "...Wait so you can breathe air down there? Then, if it isn't too much trouble..." You explain the situation in the bog, recalling the danger of the swamp, managing to meet Hex, but being unable to safely stay there for the night. The Golduck's face has a mixture of emotions that waver from distrust and being curiously peculiar. "...and that's why we're here. It'd mean a lot to us if we could stay in that cave for the night. If it's not a far swim, I think it'd be safe from the ferals that wander in the woods. And it'd only be for the night. Once dawn hits, we'll be out of your...uh...hair?"

Gold remains silent for a moment as his eyes glance between you and the grumpy-looking Typhlosion. Even his beak was submerged in the water when he was listening to your story, so it made it all the harder to read what he was thinking. Then, you see him jolt for a moment, and a rumble of bubbles filter up to the surface of the lake. His eyes widen a bit. You rise up at first, thinking that maybe something had grabbed him underwater. But his face fully breaks the surface to emit not that of a yelp, but that of laughter.

The Golduck's quacking voice echoes in the forest from being unable to restrain himself, bellowing out and kicking his legs in the leg. "Qhwuaaah, hahahh~! You're shittin' me, right~?"

Jackal just grows angry, but you can't help but feel annoyed yourself. Still, you inquire why, "So you won't help us?"

Gold ceases his fit of laughter to give a blunt, "No. You? I wouldn't mind as much. But him?" His head nods towards the Typhlosion in particular. "Nuh-uh. No way. Fuck that guy."

"Eh?!" The fire-type fumes flames out from the back of his mane, torching a wild mane of heat. "Oh, so I can be left out here to die? Ohoh, Lace, let's get outta here. We don't need to this twerp. Or better yet, let's take him out so we can use his den anyway."

The duck growls right back, "Oh yeah? Just try and come over here, I'll take you on any damn night~! I dare you, oh I dare you to try and fight me in my terf. A hothead like you is probably gonna drown before could even make it over here where I'm at~!"

"I'm gonna boil you, ya little shit." Jackal snarls as you rise up to try and dissuade him from instigating any further, but you were between a tug of war match of anger right now.

Gold snarls, "Little?! Just you try it, fatass!"

"Fatass?!" Jackal fumes out some embers and smoke from his mouth. "That's it. I'm definitely eating you, and then you'll get to be ass-fat, how's that sound?!"

You can only assume that a situation like this is going to end in disaster. Either Jackal or Gold are going to get each other killed, or they're going to allure any feral within earshot to **** and eat everyone here.

1. You calm the two meatheads down.

2. The noise invites some unwanted guests...