Mystery Continent ~ Northern Pines

[windskull]

"I... yeah. I hope so, too." But considering his own experience under the machine's influence, he didn't have high hopes.

He was quiet for a moment, flexing his claws as he debated what to say. "I... have noticed that the 'ferals' in this world are... different from mine. We don't even have that term. In my tribe, pokemon that live on their own in the wilderness, well, they're just Outsiders, but so is everyone that's not us. In the village I've been staying in, they call them 'Wildeners.' But they're not... really like the pokemon here. They're just as sapient as you or I. Makes it kind of cruel, that the creator gods would make pokemon that could not live without meat, yet expects them to hunt pokemon just like them. But they don't seem keen to reappear and change anything about that. That's neither here nor there, though."

He hesitated a moment longer. "I don't think it's the same for everyone. Some worlds are more like mine, some more like this one."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

Wait, his world didn’t have- So Nip ate- Oh. Oh no.

Celeste tried not to act sick. “Wha- Why? Why would anyone create a world like that? A-At least I didn’t have to hunt- Oh. Nip. I’m so sorry. Th-That sounds...”

He was shaking a little. “M-My world at least has ferals like this one. They’re lessers to us.” Don’t think about it... “I had assumed that’s what Cabot was calling you. I...”

He trailed off.

 

[windskull]

"It's fine," Nip said, waving his paw. "Right or wrong, it's just one of those things that you have to come to accept, especially if you're a pokemon that happens to be both a predator and prey like myself. You either accept what you have to do to live, or you die. And you have to accept that, if you're not careful, the same might happen to you." Hm, maybe he could spin this as the reason he wanted to not go back. It was much easier than the truth.


"I don't know what a feral is in Cabot's world but... I suspect that it's something similar to mine. Pokemon that live within nature, instead of towns. Some might behave more wild than others, but they're all sapient. I'm not positive about that, but I've been... thinking back to what he said when he first offered to help me get settled in."

He paused again. "...Somehow, that almost makes what he said feel worse."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Oh... I suppose that makes sense. Makes more sense than my world’s meaning of feral, I guess. You’re pretty obviously not that.”

 

[windskull]

"In the village I was staying in, they don't look too fondly upon wil... upon ferals, as far as I can tell. My tribe wasn't much different. Pokemon that were outsiders, or outsider-born were looked down upon as lawless. Lesser. Unable to fit in with 'normal' society." He grumbled and shook his head. "Outsiders that joined the tribe, whether as adults or if they were brought in as eggs, they had to work a lot harder to be accepted in the same way their tribe-born peers were."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Augh... And to think a moment ago I’d thought it sounded like a nice place.”

How much should he say, Celeste wondered...

“I-I can imagine what that would be like...”

 

[windskull]

Nip scratched the back of his head. "It has its good parts, I suppose, but... it's certainly not somewhere I would suggest going, if given the option."

He was about to say more, but then Celeste said something that made him tilt his head. "You can? How so? If you don't mind me asking."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Well...”

He’d kind of set himself up for this, hadn’t he...

“So... It’s a bit of a... long story. As I said before, my world has ferals like this one. There’s no observable physical differences between us, but the mental differences are... obvious.”

He paused. “So the question is... What makes one feral or tamed? Most assume it’s passed from mother to child, but... Well, for one reason or another, my mother... err, my adoptive mother, she thought otherwise. I... I am her proof. My mother-of-shell was feral, whereas, I am not.”

Take a deep breath, Celeste. In... Out... “At first, the others in my home expected me to be feral. When I began to speak, they started to think I could still be partially feral. Every milestone of my development was carefully watched. I...

“Eventually, they realized I was fine. I try not to hold it against them, but... Well. there’s a reason I’m not really close with any of them.”

 

[windskull]

Nip was quiet for a moment, perhaps longer than he should have been. Then he laughed. It wasn't directed at Celeste, though, coming out as a bitter chuckle. "Maybe I'm not quite as alone out here as I thought, then."

He paused, taking a deep breath. "There's something else you should know about my tribe. In times of hardship, they had been known to... steal eggs from outsiders and raise them as if they were our own, in hopes of keeping our blood strong. You would think this would make them more receptive of outsiders, or at least outsider-born pokemon... but I suppose I'm proof-enough otherwise."

He paused and took a deep breath. "Most children are raised by the whole community, not just their parents. But you can still usually figure out who your parents are. A mawile had to have at least one mawile parent, a stunky had to have a stunky parent, and so on. But... There are no sneasel in my tribe except for me." He left it at that, figuring Celeste could put the dots together.

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Ah... I see. Likewise, the Absol I had met before arriving here were the ferals ones.” The ones that I’m descended from.

Still, assuming the Stunky in his example was the friend he’d mentioned before...

“Was it all of them? Or did some shrug off the stigma?”

 

[windskull]

"Most of my denmates — the pokemon that hatched near the same time as I did and were raised around me — did not seem to care. Most of the younger pokemon didn't either. Not all of them though. Some of them certainly seemed to think of me as... lesser. Not equal. Like someone who should be quiet and stay out of the way of the stronger pokemon." He scrunched up his face, as if disgusted even saying it.

"It's the older pokemon that were really the problem, though. They thought I wouldn't notice the way they avoided looking at me, the way they whispered behind my back. The way that some of them ignored me when I needed help." He looked away. "They weren't all bad, but there were certainly some that made it clear I wasn't welcome."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Hmph. It takes time to learn such biases. No one my age saw difference in me. None, aside from the fact that most of the had been told by their parents that they weren’t to interact with me.”

Celeste stopped to think for a moment. The conversation was becoming a tad cynical for his comfort. Best to pick it up from here. “Were you not one of the stronger ones back home? I’d gotten the impression that you would have been.”

 

[windskull]

He laughed weakly. "I'd like to believe I am but... Outside of the elders, our leaders, there are main classes of jobs in my tribe: fighters and hunters, healers, and lore keepers. Most common things, like patching up our nesting grounds and raising children, are shared by the whole of the tribe. But pokemon with talents for healing are trained mostly in those skills. Someone like yourself or Bahamut, who specialize in healing, would have been assigned to this role. Fighters are the strongest pokemon, and focus on keeping everyone safe and well-fed. Sure, every pokemon is taught to hunt and fight in case it is necessary, but these pokemon are the ones given the most respect.

"Then you have the third role: lore and record keepers. These are pokemon that don't have those healing skills and are, for one reason or another deemed unsuited for the role of fighter. Perhaps they're weak, or perhaps they had a severe injury that makes them unable to hunt for themselves. Or perhaps they failed the coming of age ritual. These are the pokemon that end up becoming lore keepers."

He looked down, scratching at the side of his neck. "I don't know if you've noticed or met any other sneasel, but I'm a bit... small for my kind. Between being perceived as weak and my... well, my origins, I had to fight tooth and claw to be recognized as a capable fighter." And how much good did it do you, in the end?

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“Oh, interesting.”

In a world where there were no ferals, he’d have expected hunting to be more of an untasteful duty, not the other way around.

“In my home, hunting is the least... tasteful of duties. Healing, well, the shrinekeeping family has Ho-Oh’s gift. We carry reputation.” To varying degrees. “Aside from that, the intellectual pursuits are one of the better respected paths to follow.”

 

[windskull]

"Healing is respected. You would die if your injuries became infected. Hunters are respected. Without hunters, we would starve." He sighed "But lore keepers? At best, they're responsible for keeping track of stories of Yveltal, and to a lesser extent, other gods. And records of the hatchings and deaths of the tribe. Yes, they hold an important role. Without them we would not know our history. That doesn't mean that others view it that way."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“And without the intellectual pursuits, you end up living in dirt hovels covered in thorns.”

Was that rude? Best to say something nice.

“I can see why such a place was no home to you. You don’t seem nearly brutish enough to fit in there.”

 

[windskull]

It's too bad you weren't. Things would have been different if you met her standards.

Nip grinned sheepishly "Well, that's... It's nice of you to say. At least it means that I wasn't imagining things. Or. I mean. I guess it wasn't me that was the problem, if that makes sense."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“That makes sense. Were I to have been in your place, I’d have gone mad wondering if I was the one in the wrong.”

 

[windskull]

"Mm." Nip looked up, staring off into the woods. "I... have to admit, I feel a bit better after talking like this. Thank you, Celeste. If nothing else, I know I'm not the only one feeling just a bit lost here."

 

[Shiny Phantump]

“I’m glad to hear it. I’m feeling... better as well.”

He still had to figure out where to sleep tonight.

“I have to go find where I’m sleeping tonight, but I’m glad to have talked to you... Nip. You, uhh... deserve better.”