CHAPTER 14: IN ALL THE LAW LEAVETH OPEN
Sunshine warmed the wet meadow, curling wisps of steam until the whole area seemed to dance and writhe in the golden light of the morning. Ancient oaks stood sentinel around the edges, their leaves barely stirring in the gentle breeze. Skystone Meadow held its usual peace, but the stillness felt heavy, weighted with unspoken things.
Atlas inched through the grass beside Puck, who darted anxious circles in the air.
"We can't just leave her up there alone." Puck's wings hummed with nervous energy.
"The universe provides answers to those who wait." Atlas settled deeper into the grass. "If she wants comfort, she would seek it from us. If she's seeking guidance, the universe doesn't need us to provide it. Sometimes friendship means giving space."
"Space?" Puck's glow shifted to a deeper blue. "She needs help! I've been feeling her pain through our bond for two hours. The 'universe' isn't answering her fast enough."
"Pain needs room to breathe before it can heal."
"That's just an excuse to do nothing." Puck landed on a blade of grass, causing it to bow. "She's hurting."
"And what will rushing in there accomplish?" Atlas tilted his head. "Some wounds can't be fixed with words."
On the great stone at the meadow's heart, Eleanor sat motionless. Her small form cast a long shadow across the ancient rock's weathered surface. She hadn't moved since they'd returned, hadn't responded to their calls. Puck's sporadic light caught tear tracks on her cheeks whenever he fluttered nearby.
"I hate feeling her like this." Puck's voice cracked. "Its all wrong."
"Then perhaps the distance teaches us something about suffering itself." Atlas watched a dewdrop roll down a blade of grass. "I don't think there's anything wrong with suffering. It's a natural part of life, and it serves a noble purpose. Suffering shows us what we hold important when other forms of introspection fail."
The sweet grass swayed between them as they watched their friend's isolation. Above, the ancient oaks creaked softly, their leaves casting dappled shadows that seemed to reach toward Eleanor without quite touching her.
The meadow seemed to pause, one breath, two.
"I'm done waiting." Puck lifted off the grass and began flitting towards Eleanor.
Atlas sighed, then followed at a lumbering crawl.
She didn't turn her head at their approach.
Puck landed on the stone in front of her, just outside of her reach, and looked up at her with large, glassy eyes. Eleanor's hands twisted in her lap, fingers knotting and unknotting as she struggled to form words. His yellow light caught the tremor in her shoulders.
"I—" Her voice cracked. She swallowed hard, tried again. "We ate them, Puck."
"But we didn't know." Puck took a step forward, voice pleading. "How could we have known?"
"They were people." Eleanor's words fell like stones. "All those fish in the weald. They were just like Zeus."
"They weren't though! They never talked or acted like Zeus. And anyway that's different." Puck darted closer, his light pulsing with desperate pink warmth. "We were surviving. We had no choice."
Atlas remained motionless in the grass, his dark eyes fixed on Eleanor.
"There's always a choice." Eleanor's hands clenched into fists. "We knew that all the other animals in the forest were talking animals. I knew that this wasn't Earth. We could have—"
"You can't blame yourself for things you didn't understand." Puck's wings hummed faster, his glow intensifying to match his urgency. "Nobody fed us. You were doing what you had to do to keep us both alive."
"Puck." Atlas's voice was soft, barely above a whisper. The single word carried enough weight to halt Puck's frantic comfort.
"I keep seeing their faces." Eleanor's shoulders slumped. "All those fish we caught in our traps. What if they were trying to talk to me? What if they were begging me to stop and I just couldn't understand?"
Puck's glow dimmed to a muted lavender. He landed on the stone beside her, wings drooping.
Atlas inched forward through the grass, each movement deliberate.
"The past can't be changed," he said slowly, "but what we learn from it shapes who we can become."
Eleanor stared at Atlas. A part of her was braced, waiting for him to dismiss her guilt like Puck had tried to do. The morning breeze stirred her hair, carrying the sweet scent of meadow grass.
"Your heart honors their memory," Atlas said at length. His voice held no judgment, just quiet understanding. "That speaks to who you truly are."
"But—" Eleanor's voice caught. "How can you be so calm about this?"
"Because I see your pain." Atlas settled deeper into the grass. "Those who don't care about their actions don't spend time grieving them."
Sunlight stretched across the Skystone, warming the ancient rock beneath them. Puck's glow had shifted to a gentle pink, his earlier frantic energy replaced by steady presence.
"I don't know how to make this right." Eleanor's hands unclenched slowly.
"Perhaps the Elders might." Atlas's eyes curved up in a friendly smile. "They've witnessed years of hearts learning to bear difficult truths. They're Elders for a reason."
Eleanor drew a shaky breath. Turned her face towards the sun. Closed her eyes and hummed.
"You really think they'd help? Even after this?"
"The valley's wisdom exists for exactly such moments." Atlas nodded toward the forest path. "When hearts are heavy and the way forward seems dark."
Puck landed on Eleanor's shoulder, his presence steady and warm. No words, no desperate justifications — just silent support. Her shoulders sagged in relief. If Puck had tried to excuse her one more time she thought she might actually yell at him. Or cry again.
She looked across the meadow, considering Atlas's offer.
The breeze picked up, carrying loose petals across Skystone's weathered surface. Eleanor watched them dance, her shoulders gradually losing their rigid tension.
"Okay." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "We'll ask the Elders."
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Clouds had been gathering all day long, and they crowded the evening sky in what promised to be the first real rain since Eleanor had arrived in the Valley. The heavy presence of the gray skies seemed to mirror the mood around the Skystone below.
Eleanor sat cross-legged on the ancient rock, her shoulders hunched forward as if bearing an invisible weight. Around her four Pokemon formed a loose circle.
Lyrii sat on the Skystone further away from Eleanor, while Atlas settled in the sweet grass below.
Elder Vyrnox's spikes crackled with subdued energy as he waited, standing near the base of the rock. Vyrnox had been one of the Elder's present the night of the feast; an ancient Toxtricity with a deep, raspy voice and a regal bearing.
Puck hovered near Eleanor's shoulder, his glow a muted purple that matched the somber mood.
"On Earth," Eleanor's began softly, hands twisting in her lap, "animals don't speak. They don't have magical powers or talk or—" She swallowed hard. "They're not like Pokemon. Sometimes Pokemon and animals look the same, but they're not the same. Pokemon seem more like… like people that are stuck in animal shapes."
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Eleanor's stomach churned as she forced herself to continue.
"When we were in the weald, we had to eat to survive. We ate all the berries we could find, but it wasn't enough. Me and Puck got really hungry." Her voice grew quiet as she remembered the slow, inevitable ache of starvation.
"So we turned to the rivers. And I thought—" Her voice cracked. She stared at her hands, unable to meet the eyes of those around her. "I thought the fish were just like Earth animals. Not... not like Pokemon."
Lyrii shifted, but remained silent.
"But at the pool, when that Magikarp spoke to me—" Eleanor pressed a hand to her mouth, fighting back nausea. "All those fish in our traps. They were Pokemon. They were people and we—" She couldn't finish the sentence.
A cool breeze swept through the meadow. Elder Vyrnox's spikes dimmed, the electrical current running through them becoming barely visible in the fading light.
"We ate them." Eleanor's words were brittle in the silence. "We killed them and ate them and I didn't think— I didn't think—"
The breeze, heavy with the promise of the coming rain chose that moment to pause, as if to emphasize the weight of her confession.
"Oh but Eleanor you weren't in the Valley!" Lyrii darted forward, her paws pattering against the stone. "The Laws of the Valley only apply when you're here, you see, so it's really not the crime you think it is and you don't even need to confess—"
"Lyrii." Vyrnox's deep voice cut through her rapid stream of words. "Let her breathe. You aren't speaking to the true source of her pain."
Eleanor's shoulders remained hunched, her gaze fixed on her hands. Puck's glow shifted from purple to a deeper blue as he sensed her turmoil through their bond.
"But she's worried about being kicked out of the Valley!" Lyrii bounced in place, her tail twitching. "Someone's gotta let her know she's not going to be kicked out for things she did before she even got here!"
"Lyrii," Vyrnox's voice carried a gentle warning. "Look at your friend. Speak less and listen more. That is not what plagues her."
"But," Lyrii's whiskers quivered with intensity. "What else is there? Eleanor's so good and kind and she helps everyone and—"
"The taking of life," Vyrnox's spikes pulsed with a measured rhythm, "carries weight beyond the breaking of a Law. Your nature makes you blind to this, as your kind have ever been prey, and rarely the predator. However," he turned his attention to Eleanor, "your home world views life differently than this one.
"You acted on the understandings you once had, but you are not on that world anymore. You are here, now. You should seek to understand more of our ways instead of applying old morals that no longer fit. You may paint a rock green, but that will not make it to bloom."
"You don't mean…" Eleanor's fingers twisted tighter in her lap. "You can't mean that killing is okay. W-what I did was murder. That— that surely isn't okay on this planet."
"No," Vyrnox agreed, "but intent matters. You did not act with malice. You ate them because to do otherwise meant starvation. Here, we do not call that 'murder'. Not inside the Valley or beyond it."
"I should have known. All the animals in the weald talked—" Eleanor's voice caught.
"Animals." Vyrnox pointed a long claw at her. "There's that word again. You keep comparing your old home to this new one. You need to change your thoughts to match the place you now find yourself in. Animals indeed. We are not these mindless beasts you call animals. We are Pokemon."
"I know!" Eleanor cried in anguish. "That's what I'm trying to say! It's even worse."
Vyrnox crossed his arms and sighed, eyes closing as he seemed to search for words.
"It is easy to forget," he said slowly, "that you are very young for your kind. Ever since your arrival you've acted with a poise unusual for one so short in years."
Eleanor shifted uncomfortably. While this sounded like a compliment, she could sense the 'but' that would shift it to a rebuke.
"But you display your youth in harmful ways now." Vyrnox gave her a pointed look and Eleanor nodded miserably, trying desperately not to cry.
"You understand that this Valley has Laws. You heard our Laws and gave your Oath to uphold them against this very stone." Vyrnox placed a hand on the Skystone, leaning towards Eleanor. "But you do not understand why those Laws exist, and that is very evident.
"This Valley is a sacred and protected place that is removed from struggle or famine. This is not because the act of survival is immoral or wrong, but because this space is the territory of The Ones Who Watch. We do not kill nor eat any residents of the Valley because we do not have the authority to do so."
Eleanor looked around at the gathered Pokemon in confusion. Sympathetic faces looked back, until she met the equally confused stare of Puck. Atlas shifted in the grass, his rounded cheeks puffing out, but he remained silent as he watched.
Puck drifted closer to Eleanor's ear. "I don't understand either," he whispered, his glow warming to a comforting pink.
"Oh!" Lyrii bounced on her paws. "It's like how the Highhoof's herd claims the northern meadows during summer! We smaller Pokemon know not to build homes there because it's their territory."
"Mmm." Atlas nodded sagely. "The Valley provides enough berries that I never need to worry about tomorrow's meal. But outside?" He tilted his head. "The universe provides what we need, when we need it. Sometimes that means tough choices."
Eleanor wiped her eyes. "But how can you be so... so calm about this?"
"Because," Atlas blinked slowly, "you're judging past actions with present knowledge. That's like blaming a raindrop for not being snow."
"We didn't know, Eleanor." Puck's wings hummed softly as he settled on Eleanor's shoulder. "And now we do. That's what matters, right?"
"Exactly!" Lyrii chittered. "In the Valley, we're all safe. Outside?" Her whiskers twitched. "Well, I've lost cousins to Pangoro. That's just how it is beyond the borders. The world is held in balance, everything living and dying in its time as the Maker sees fit. There's nothing wrong with killing to eat. That's just the way of it. Just as there wouldn't have been anything wrong with you dying of starvation. Sometimes, that's the way of it too."
"The universe," Atlas added with a drowsy smile, "has a way of teaching us what we need to know when we're ready to learn it. You learned about Magikarp when you were safe here, where you could process it properly. That's not an accident."
Eleanor looked down at her hands again, but this time with less tension in her shoulders. Puck's gentle presence and Atlas's philosophical acceptance seemed to ease some of the crushing weight that was making it hard to breathe.
"On Earth, none of the animals speak." Eleanor wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "But they still had feelings. I remember playing with my cousin's dogs and thinking how cool it was that they had different personalities, like little furry people. And the horses Mom worked with sometimes…"
Eleanor picked at her clothes, lost in the memory.
"I guess I never really thought about it, but I still ate meat there, even though all those Earth animals were living creatures, just like me. And the meat I ate had to come from somewhere..."
Eleanor felt conflicted. Her eyes lifted to scan the group again and her gaze seemed drawn to Puck. The way he'd forgiven her actions without even thinking about it made her uncomfortable. Eleanor was aware that Puck looked up to her, that he followed her lead, but she hadn't really realized he was doing it so…unquestioningly. Like he didn't think she could make mistakes.
She'd come to think of Puck as inherently 'good'. After all, he rushed to help others, he put so much effort into being a good friend, into cheering people up. Those weren't things a 'bad' person would do.
Today reminded her that while he might have compassion and kindness, he didn't have experience. He trusted her in a way that was frightening. The thought that he'd absolve her of murder?
She looked away uneasily.
Vyrnox shifted his weight, his spikes dimming further as he considered his next words.
"The fish Pokemon you are so deeply concerned with, they understand their role in the greater cycle of life. Just as the bug-types process fallen trees and deceased Pokemon, returning their energy to the earth."
"Process?" Eleanor's shoulders tensed.
"Yes." Atlas's voice carried a practical tone that made Eleanor's stomach turn. "When something dies in the Valley, we ensure nothing is wasted. Every part returns to nurture new life. Just because none here may kill, that does not mean the Pokemon aren't allowed to eat what the Valley provides."
"But the Oath we took said that eating one another is forbidden!" Puck sounded just as confused as Eleanor felt.
"No, no, it didn't!" Lyrii hopped forward shaking her head emphatically. "The Law forbids you from spilling blood to hunt. As in, 'you can't hunt here in the Valley'. But the Law specifically says you can eat what the Valley provides."
"Do you imagine that Zeus and his children carry the bodies of their fallen to the ground above?" Vyrnox tilted his head, studying her curiously. "Because if the fallen fish aren't meant to be consumed, then the alternative you propose is that Zeus and his family swim in a festering water hole with the slowly rotting corpses of their kin. Of course the fallen go on to feed those that survive.
"Do you believe we dig holes and bury those who die, in the way of humans? When Pokemon pass on, their bodies are reclaimed by the Valley. In this way, the Valley is still a part of the great endless cycle."
Eleanor wrapped her arms around herself, fighting a shiver that had nothing to do with the cooling evening air.
"The circle continues," Vyrnox nodded. "The fish Pokemon understand this. They birth thousands of young, knowing many will feed others. This is their gift to the world — to sustain life through their abundance."
"But they can talk," Eleanor's voice cracked. "They have families, dreams—"
"As do the Caterpie that feed the Pidove." Vyrnox's tone remained steady. "As do the Oddish that feed the Zigzagoon. All Pokemon are aware. All Pokemon participate in this dance of life and death. It is only here, in this sacred Valley, that we step outside that dance. That does not mean that the dance itself is ignoble or wrong, only that reprieve from it is held here under the authority of the Ones Who Watch."
"So when we were in the weald..." Puck's glow shifted to a contemplative golden-orange.
"You were part of nature's cycle." Vyrnox completed the thought. "The fish Pokemon knew this too. Those who did not wish to risk becoming prey stayed in deeper waters. Those who ventured near the surface accepted that risk as part of their existence."
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"I don't know if I can ever bring myself to eat someone I talked with." Eleanor stared at her hands, remembering the weight of the rock she'd used. Her throat felt tight. "Or someone I could have talked with. To know that I'm killing such a complex person just to fill my belly…"
"You don't have to." Atlas's sleepy voice carried unexpected conviction. "That's why we're here in the Valley. Outside, to live means to fight for survival, each day. In here, we step apart from that cycle. If it's too much to think about, just never leave the Valley."
Eleanor choked out a surprised laugh at his matter of fact delivery.
"I can't just hide here forever, Atlas. Someday I have to leave and go look for my Dad."
Thunder rumbled closer as Eleanor huddled on the Skystone. Puck drifted down from her shoulder to hover protectively between her and the gathered Pokemon, his glow shifting to a determined pink.
"I think Eleanor's right though," Puck's bell-like voice rang with upset. "If something can talk and think and feel, how can eating it be okay?"
"Oh, you sweet children." Lyrii's whiskers twitched with barely contained amusement. She bounded closer, her movements light and playful despite the serious topic. "Life feeds on life. That's just how it is."
"The universe provides what we need, when we need it." Atlas nodded sagely from his spot in the grass, not even bothering to lift his head. "Sometimes that means being the provider, sometimes that means being provided for."
"But—" Eleanor and Puck spoke simultaneously, then shared a quick glance.
"See?" Lyrii gestured with her paw at their synchronized response. "You're both so young, you even think alike!"
"Being young doesn't make us wrong!" Puck's glow flickered with indignation.
"No," Vyrnox agreed, his spikes pulsing thoughtfully, "but it does make you inexperienced. You view the world in absolutes, when the truth often lies in the spaces between."
Eleanor drew her knees up to her chest, making herself smaller on the stone. Puck immediately moved closer, positioning himself like a tiny guardian between her and the others.
"The young ones must learn these truths in their own time," Atlas observed drowsily. "The universe will teach them, just as it taught us."
"And that's one of the best things about the Valley!" Lyrii bounded across the Skystone, her movements creating a bridge between the two groups. "They can learn these harder truths while safe from having to live them."
Eleanor uncurled herself slowly from her protective huddle. The approaching storm painted the meadow in deepening shadows, but Puck's warm pink glow provided a gentle counter to the darkness.
"I think..." Eleanor chose her words carefully, "I think I understand better now. About the circle of life here being different from Earth. And maybe… maybe in some ways the same as on Earth, even though I never really thought about it back then." She traced her fingers along the smooth surface of the Skystone. "And I'm grateful that we found the Valley, where I don't have to make those choices anymore."
Puck's glow brightened as he sensed her growing acceptance through their bond.
"But just because I understand the cycle doesn't mean I have to join it, right?" She looked at Vyrnox. "Even outside the Valley?"
"The universe provides many paths," Atlas mumbled sagely from his spot in the grass. "Some eat fish, some eat berries. All are valid."
"Exactly!" Lyrii bounced excitedly. "That's what makes life so special. Everyone can choose their own way of living it."
Eleanor nodded, her shoulders relaxing.
"Then I choose not to eat Pokemon, even outside the Valley." As she said it, Eleanor's conviction grew. She pictured Zeus and Puck and all her friends she'd made since she arrived. They weren't food, could never be food to her. "I won't ever eat something that has feelings like that again. Not even when I get home to Earth! I didn't think about it enough when I was little, but I won't ever forget from this moment on."
She slowly met everyone's eyes, one after the other, before resting on Puck. He bounced on her shoulder with bright pink energy, enthusiasm bleeding through the bond as she talked.
"I will never eat flesh again. Not because I think it's wrong for others, but because it doesn't feel right for me." She smiled, feeling free the moment the promise left her lips.
"Me too!" Puck cried with confidence, turning to face the others while puffing out his chest. "Its the right path for us!"
"A thoughtful choice," Vyrnox's spikes pulsed with approval. "You begin to understand the difference between personal truth and universal law."
"And that's okay?" Puck drifted closer to Eleanor's ear. "To have our own way?"
"The Valley has room for many truths," Atlas yawned. "Like how one berry bush can feed both Caterpie and Pidove."
Eleanor beamed at him fondly. A lingering kernel of worry needed to be addressed, though, and Eleanor squirmed in place, hesitating.
"And you don't… hate me?" She knew it made her sound childish, but she had to know. "Because I killed somebody before I really understood?"
Sounds of concern erupted from the gathered Pokemon as they began to crowd around her. Eleanor laughed through her tears, as hands and paws and all manner of things began stroking her hair as they murmured lovely words of comfort. She leaned forward, gathering them all in a large hug.
The sound of chittering and giggles filled the meadow for a while afterward. Their laughter and words joining the breeze as it carried through the meadow grasses.
On a low-hanging branch sheltered in the nearby tree-line, Krawth took a deep breath, savoring the smell of the oncoming storm. He gazed down through narrowed, red eyes, and thought darkly about everything he had overheard.
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Pink petals drifted across Skystone Meadow, their delicate dance marking winter's final retreat. Eleanor stretched out on her belly in the grass, watching a parade of Caterpie collect the last spring berries from bushes that had grown fuller and greener with each passing day.
"It's getting warmer lately. Sunnier, too," Puck noted, hovering near a patch of late-blooming flowers. His glow shifted to match their fading purple hue.
"Change is the only constant in life, even here in the Valley." Atlas lounged nearby, his rounded form perfectly still except for occasional thoughtful chewing.
"Look at all the new shoots." Eleanor rolled onto her back, pointing at fresh growth pushing through the soil. Tiny sprouts dotted the earth where just days ago only winter-worn grass had grown.
The morning light painted everything in rich gold, warming the meadow earlier and earlier each day. Sweet scents of ripening fruit mixed with the earthy aroma of fresh growth. It created an intoxicating perfume that drew Pokemon from all corners of the Valley.
Every day seemed to bring a brand new Pokemon that Eleanor had never encountered before. The creatures migrated away from their winter habitats, moving down to the green and growing areas of the Valley.
Some resembled the animals she remembered from Earth, but others didn't resemble animals at all. Pokemon emerged that looked like machines or plants or things too strange and foreign to describe. One memorable time, a Pokemon that looked exactly like an Egyptian Sarcophagus had joined the New Moon meeting.
Eleanor had spent weeks growing into her role as 'First Human of Annwn', and had found herself carting around Atlas, asking him to make introductions. He was much less defensive than Puck, who still bristled whenever a new Pokemon made a remark about Eleanor being a 'human'.
Through Atlas she learned what the new kinds of Pokemon were called and sometimes more than that, if he could be motivated to teach her. She'd found Atlas to be a lackluster teacher, more willing to lounge around waiting for the 'Universe' to deliver the lesson into her bored hands.
Eleanor had grown deeply fond of the pudgy grub-worm, but she had never been an idle child. Life in the meadow brought stability, routine. With stability came predictability. With predictability inevitably came boredom.
Eleanor's curious spirit often dragged her friends into daily exploration. Puck seemed to take a particular glee in making Atlas work, especially right after he'd declared it nap time. Eleanor felt a tiny bit bad, but she still let Puck do it. After all, if Atlas wanted to stick around it'd be best that he understood what he was signing up for.
Some days were like this one, though.
Sticky air and blazing sunshine sapped all motivation from their little group, and they'd spend hours just lazing in the grass of the meadow, laying in the shadows of the tall trees and talking about nothing and everything.
"The Combee are building new hives," Puck observed, watching the industrious insects weave their structures high in the trees. Eleanor wiped sweat from her forehead, nodding lazily.
"Change comes in its own time," Atlas mumbled sagely through a mouthful of berries. "Like waves on a shore, each season flows into the next."
A group of Bounsweet danced past, their movements more energetic as they absorbed the strengthening sun. Their leaves had grown fuller, deeper green, ready for summer's intensity.
"Everything's so alive," Eleanor breathed, watching a Butterfree test its newly-emerged wings in the warming air. "It's like the whole Valley's waking up."
Puck drifted down to perch on her shoulder, his glow shifting to match the golden sunlight.
Other days brought brisk activity, the need to move and build and learn too much for Eleanor to keep still.
She dragged fallen branches across the meadow, building them into a loose shelter against their log home. The spring warmth wouldn't last forever, and she wanted to be ready when the weather turned again.
"Atlas, could you help move these smaller twigs?" She wiped sweat from her brow.
Atlas cracked one eye open from his sunny patch. "The universe provides what we need, when we need it."
"The universe provided me with arms to build things." Eleanor stacked branches with more force than necessary. "And friends to help."
"This section's almost done." Puck zipped between the trees, weaving sticky threads to bind the branches together.
"See? The universe brought you Puck." Atlas rolled onto his back, seeming to doze off again.
Eleanor bit back a sharp reply. She'd learned that arguing with Atlas's philosophy just led to more cryptic responses. Instead, she focused on wedging smaller branches between the larger ones.
"Actually," Atlas spoke without opening his eyes, "if you angle those branches upward, they'll shed rain better."
Eleanor paused, looking at her work. He was right. The current angle would collect water rather than divert it. She adjusted the branches, surprised by his observation.
"I thought you were sleeping."
"Just because I'm not moving doesn't mean I'm not paying attention." Atlas stretched lazily. "Sometimes watching teaches more than doing."
Before Eleanor could respond, a flash of blue caught her eye. Then another. And another.
Hundreds of Butterfree emerged from the forest canopy, their wings catching sunlight like stained glass. They spiraled upward in perfect formation, creating a living tornado of color against the sky.
"The spring migration," Atlas murmured, finally opening both eyes. "They do this every year, right when the winds shift."
Eleanor stood transfixed, shelter forgotten. Puck's glow shifted to match the Butterfree's wings, adding his own sparkle to the display. Slowly she dropped the branches, uncaring of where they landed at her feet.
The sky was filling. First hundreds, then thousands. Then tens of thousands.
She had never heard a butterfly's wings before. How could you, when they're thin as a paper and covered in cottony powder? She leaned back against the grass, tilting her head to take in more of the kaleidoscope sky. It turns out when thousands of butterflies flap their wings at once, it makes noise.
Like the flapping of sheets, drying on a line in the wind.
Powder began to dance in the sky, catching on eddies and drifting up to paint the skies above, until the air for miles around the Valley sparkled. Eleanor lay down next to Atlas, eyes wide in wonder.
She turned her head slightly to look at him from the corner of her eye.
Hmmm….
Very convenient that he'd just so happened to be laying in the best spot in the whole meadow to watch this.
"How did you know they'd come today?" she asked.
"Watched the wind change this morning. Felt the air getting warmer." He smiled sleepily. "Sometimes doing nothing is its own kind of activity."
The living tapestry lasted hours, well into the sunset.
There was nothing she could compare the sight to.
It was like a thousand captured rainbows, and a thousand sparkling, crystal chandeliers were dancing together in dazzling, life-changing patterns. Eleanor felt like the whole Universe was tilting upon the axis of this very moment; like the most important thing in creation was the expanse of sky above them, a riot of prismatic life.
The Butterfree were living kites, until the very air of the Valley glittered with the dust that drifted down from millions of insect wings, gossamer in the heavens above.
"Lah’kiri tumnash’el qa'nu."
"What?" Puck turned to Eleanor, surprise on his face. "I didn't quite catch that."
Eleanor's eyes reflected a million points of scattered light in the blazing sunset, as the friends watched the Butterfree leave the Valley.
"It means 'spirits dance as one'."
Her eyes never left the sky, but she could feel the keen attention of Puck and Atlas at those words. For all that she'd shared about Earth, she rarely talked about her Mom or her people.
"It's a saying that means one person is more beautiful when they are part of a bigger group." She gestured to the last stragglers in the orange sunset. "On their own they're pretty, but together…"
The three friends watched the last light fade, and no more words were spoken.
Fantastical scenes became Eleanor's everyday routine in the Valley.
In contrast, most nights had begun to follow the same pattern.
Night settled over Skystone Meadow like a velvet blanket. Eleanor spread her handmade grass mat near the ancient stone, while Atlas directed them to the perfect viewing spot he'd discovered.
"Just a bit to the left." Atlas nudged the mat with his head. "The stone blocks the valley winds here, but leaves the whole sky open."
Puck's pink glow provided gentle illumination as Eleanor arranged her crude star-mapping tools — flattened bark sheets and charcoal sticks she'd made from their cooking fires.
"The stars look different here than on Earth." Eleanor traced patterns in the air with her finger. "See that cluster there? On Earth, we called something similar the Big Dipper."
"Lyrii said that one is called The Sword of Justice." Puck hovered higher, his glow shifting to match the starlight.
"Actually," Atlas rolled onto his back, "that's only part of the story. Those stars tell of the first time a legendary Pokemon defended the valley." His voice took on a dreamy quality. "Long ago, when darkness threatened to consume the world..."
Eleanor sketched quickly as Atlas wove his tale, marking the positions of key stars while Puck's gentle light made the task possible. His glow rippled between silver and blue as the story's emotions moved him.
"...and that's why those two bright stars are called The Guardian's Belt," Atlas finished.
"That's perfect for navigation." Eleanor added notes to her map. "We can use those to find north."
They fell into a comfortable routine.
Each evening brought new constellations, new stories. Atlas knew countless tales of stars that were supposedly ancient Pokemon, or were created to honor Pokemon Legends. He told them of patterns that marked the changing of seasons and cosmic bodies that guided travelers throughout the world. And what Atlas didn't know, many of the Valley residents were able to fill in.
Puck's bioluminescence became their faithful lantern, shifting through colors that matched each story's mood — fierce red for tales of battle, soft gold for legends of creation, deep purple for stories of loss and love.
Eleanor's star maps grew more detailed, filling with both navigation marks and Atlas's mythology. Each constellation gained two names in her careful notations: The practical markers she needed for navigation, and the stories that gave them meaning in this new world.
The stone that had seemed so mysterious when they'd arrived became their sanctuary under the stars, a perfect observatory where science and legend blended into something uniquely their own.
The progression of spring brought a burst of productivity to their little camp. Eleanor knew that to survive a winter, she'd need a sturdier shelter and a store of food. Many neighbors assured her that winters in the Valley were mild and food was never scarce, but Eleanor refused to become a burden on her new community. So she woke with the sun and prodded her companions into industry.
One particular day, Eleanor was continuing to build an open air canopy that would provide a shaded space in the middle of the wide meadow.
Eleanor placed branches in the growing structure, weaving them tight with practiced fingers. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she worked, but pride filled her chest at how the shade had evolved from their first crude attempts.
"The leaves need to overlap more there." Atlas pointed with his mandibles. "Like fish scales shedding water."
"Since when are you an expert on construction?" Eleanor adjusted the branches, surprised when the new angle created a perfect natural gutter.
"I observe. The Universe teaches through pattern." Atlas munched on a berry, somehow making his lounging look purposeful. "See how the Combee build their hives? Nature has already solved these problems."
Puck darted between the leaves, his silk threads binding everything securely. "The breeze feels nice through here now."
They'd decorated the space with found treasures; interesting stones, fallen feathers, and dried flowers Eleanor had pressed between bark sheets. Atlas had surprised them by suggesting which plants would dry most vibrantly, sharing knowledge of preservation techniques that seemed at odds with his usual live-in-the-moment philosophy.
"How do you know so much about all this?" Eleanor hung a string of rainbow-hued leaves he'd helped her prepare.
"The Universe provides knowledge when it's needed." Atlas shifted to a cooler spot. "And I've watched many seasons pass in this valley."
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and fat drops began to fall. They hurried under their shelter, watching sheets of rain transform the meadow. Their careful construction held firm, channeling water away just as Atlas had predicted.
"See?" Atlas settled between them. "The Universe knew we'd need this shelter today."
"Pretty sure we built it ourselves," Eleanor said, but she was smiling.
"And where did that knowledge come from?" Atlas's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Everything connects, if you watch long enough."
They huddled together, safe and dry as lightning painted the sky. Eleanor leaned back against the log wall, feeling the vibration of thunder through the wood. Puck's glow shifted to match the storm's colors, casting their shelter in soft, changing light.
The rain drummed a steady rhythm on their roof, not a single drop making it through their careful construction. Eleanor felt a deep satisfaction in this space they'd created together.
The evening brought a gentle warmth that drew bright, bug-like Pokemon from their hiding places. They danced through the meadow, tiny lights bobbing between the laden berry bushes.
"The sweetest berries are the ones that ripen in their own time," Atlas observed, watching Eleanor check the bushes again. She'd been harvesting them daily, eager for the day when they'd have filled one of their storage trees completely for winter.
"But how do you know when they're ready?" Eleanor plucked another ripe cluster, tossing it expertly into the basket at her feet.
"The same way I knew I wanted to stay with you." Atlas's eyes crinkled. "You just feel it."
Puck drifted closer, his glow shifting to match the bugs beyond their quiet circle.
"I felt it too," he whispered shyly. "That first day I met you Eleanor. I knew from the first moment that I wanted to stay with you."
Eleanor sat back in the grass, watching the light show. Puck's pink-gold radiance mingled with the bug Pokemon's gentle flashing, creating patterns that reminded her of the Butterfree migration. The sight eased something in her chest that had been tight since Atlas first tricked her into naming him all those weeks ago.
"I was so worried about doing everything right with you," she admitted to Atlas. "After what happened with the fish, and you just... choosing me like that. Everything felt so out of control for so long. It scared me."
"The Universe brought us together." Atlas rolled closer, his usual lazy movements deliberate. "Like it brings summer after spring, or ripeness after flowering. Some things just are."
The Pokemon swirled closer, their lights blending with Puck's glow until the meadow seemed full of floating stars. Eleanor reached out, letting the lights dance around her fingers. A small Dottler giggled coyly, drifting away to rejoin the dance.
"Different bonds, different paths," Puck chimed in, his glow warming to a comfortable rose. "But they all lead home."
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Sunlight filtered through the ancient trees, casting dappled shadows that danced across Eleanor's path like nature's stained glass. Their morning walks to the waterfall pool had become something like a sacred ritual, each step cushioned by moss so thick it felt like walking on clouds.
Atlas had waved the two of them off, opting to stay behind and doze in his usual spot near their shelter. He'd declared the morning "perfect for contemplating the universe". This seemed to be his standard excuse for napping. His mandibles twitched occasionally, betraying dreams of berry feasts.
Puck's glow shifted to match the golden morning light as he wove between branches, leaving trails of sparkles that caught the sun. The Valley seemed to breathe around them, each exhale carrying the sweet scent of fresh blooms and sun-warmed earth.
Eleanor traced her fingers along bark patterns that reminded her of cathedral walls, wondering if the trees had grown this way naturally or if some ancient power had shaped them. The forest canopy soared overhead like Gothic arches, creating patterns that seemed too perfect to believe.
The walk to the Waterfall Pool had become second nature, but the beauty of the woods never grew old. There was something so profoundly peaceful about the place. She thought she could make this walk a thousand times more and she'd still never tire of it.
The distant rumble of water grew steadily clearer as they walked, mixing with the morning chorus of Pokemon calls. The sound wrapped around them, growing from whisper to song. Somewhere above a Rookidee practiced scales that echoed through the branches, each note pure and clear in the morning air.
The path beneath their feet had worn smooth from their daily pilgrimages, yet somehow never lost its carpet of emerald moss. Everything in the valley existed in this perfect balance — used but never depleted, touched but never damaged.
Puck landed on Eleanor's shoulder, his warmth a familiar comfort. His glow shifted to match the green-gold of the forest, making him look like he'd captured a piece of the morning light. Together they walked deeper into the sacred morning, letting the valley's peace wash over them like baptismal waters.
A flash of red caught Eleanor's eye through the trees.
That was all the warning she received.
Her steps slowed, mind still wrapped in the valley's serenity as she processed what lay before her.
Directly on the path ahead a corpse was strewn, laid out on a bed of one of her woven mats.
Time seemed to freeze.
One breath, two.
Her eyes burned, her ears were ringing.
She couldn't look away.
The Magikarp's scales had been torn away in strips, exposing pale flesh beneath. Its mouth gaped in a final, silent scream. Blood stained the moss around it, turning emerald to crimson. Red ribbons of its lifeblood oozed slowly from the gaping wounds, congealing on the mat below.
Eleanor's legs gave out.
She hit the ground hard, knees sinking into the bloody moss. Her stomach heaved as the peaceful morning shattered around her.
"No!" Puck's glow drained at once to a toxic, pulsing green. He began to shake violently. "No!"
The fish's eye stared damningly at Eleanor, clouded but somehow still accusing. Its fins lay scattered around it like fallen leaves.
Whatever had done this hadn't killed for food — this was violence for violence's sake.
Eleanor's hands shook as she reached toward the body in shock. The valley's warmth seemed to drain away, leaving only the cold reality of death before her. This wasn't like the fish they'd eaten in the Weald. This was savage, deliberate.
"We need to tell the elders." Puck's voice cracked. His glow pulsed between fear-yellow and anger-red. "Someone broke their oath."
Eleanor couldn't look away from the Magikarp's eye. In it, she saw death. A violation of paradise in the most fundamental way possible.
"PROTECT THE EGGS!"
A cry pierced the morning air, sharp and accusatory. The words echoed through the canopy, instantly picked up by other voices until the forest itself seemed to scream.
Eleanor's blood turned to ice.
Around them, wings burst from every tree as birds took flight in panic. The peaceful grove transformed into chaos, branches trembling as Pokemon fled in all directions.
"PROTECT THE EGGS!"
The accusation rolled through the forest like thunder. More voices joined the chorus, growing louder, closer.
The chant swelled from every direction. Shadows darted between trees. Eleanor pressed against Puck, her heart hammering as a circle of accusers began to emerge from every direction, converging like a great tidal wave upon their spot. Rustling leaves became a roar, punctuated by the beating of countless wings.
"She's already killed one of us!" The same voice that had started up the call cried.
The words struck Eleanor like punches. She spun, trying to track the voices, but they came from everywhere and nowhere. Puck's glow flickered between fear-yellow and despair-grey, casting sickly shadows across the blood-stained ground.
Panic made her movements clumsy as she darted out a hand to grasp Puck, to bring him close to her chest for protection. Sick fear and dread ricocheted between them at the speed of thought, their terror magnifying through the bond until Eleanor and Puck were a trembling mess, incapable of speech or action. They cowered on the floor of the forest as the mob around them grew.
Branches creaked overhead as Pokemon moved through the canopy, their shapes indistinct but menacing. The chorus grew until individual voices disappeared into a wall of sound, pressing in from all sides.
"PROTECT THE EGGS!"
Eleanor looked up.
Krawth perched on a high branch, wings spread wide, beak gleaming in the filtered light. His shadow fell across them like a prison bar, and in his eyes, Eleanor saw cruel satisfaction.
"Murderer!" His voice seemed to carry over the call, and a deafening silence followed. "The human has broken the sacred law."
Eleanor's heart hammered against her ribs as dark shapes gathered in the canopy above. Wings rustled. Claws scraped bark. Eyes gleamed from every shadow.
Puck pressed against her neck, his glow cycling rapidly. The accusing chant grew louder again, bouncing off ancient trunks until it seemed to come from the trees themselves.
"Protect the eggs! Protect the eggs!"
Eleanor's legs shook as she turned in place, trying to track the movement closing in around them. Each shaft of light revealed more Pokemon gathering, their faces twisted with fear and anger.
The bloody moss beneath her feet felt like quicksand as the circle of accusers tightened. Branches groaned overhead with the weight of gathering birds.
"She brought death to our valley!"
"The human killed one of our own!"
The words cut deeper than claws could reach. Eleanor's throat closed as tears burned her eyes.
"See how the human brings violence to our sanctuary?" Krawth's voice cut through the chaos like a blade, silencing the crowd. "Just as I warned."
The gathered Pokemon pressed closer, their eyes burning with judgment. Eleanor felt the weight of their stares like physical pressure, crushing the air from her lungs.
"No," she whispered. "No."
The perfect morning had become a trap, one that she and Puck couldn't escape.