Tomorrow's Dreams 【Pokespe】

Chapter One| Refugee

The storm lurked in the distance, traveling in from the snowy mountain ranges of the region above. This was one of many storms to come and pass through us that Winter; we were constantly buffeted by natural disasters uncommon to the entire West side of Johto. The harsh blizzards tended to rage on and off for days; only the children dreamed of a miracle such as this. Still, despite storms that our homes were not built to survive, the small town stood tall.

The thick layers of muddy snow prevented us from easily going about daily routine, so we usually stayed indoors and appreciated the Winter miracle from under the bedsheets. We rarely received any visitors now, but every so often we'd get an anticipated knock on the door.

For the most part, I spent my days lazing around, occasionally helping with chores out of sheer boredom. I had no interest in playing in the snow with the other kids my age in the town, so I was left with nothing to do. Now, since none of us had anything better to do, the house was constantly spotless.

I remember one of these winter days particularly well.

The sky was sunny–yet, to the bewilderment of many, it was as cold, if not colder, than the days it snowed. The sound of children playing with the snow left from the storm the day before filled the otherwise silent air with a blissful mood, yet I remained indoors, doing nothing in particular.

When the sun was high in the sky, there was a harsh, powerful knock at my door. Assuming it was one of the neighborhood kids inviting me out to play, I prepared to politely decline as I always did. Upon opening the door, I did not recognize the man standing before me.

His physical appearance was quite unique compared to the average males in our town. He looked to be about my age, thought his eyes reflected much more than anyone my age should have gone through. His broad shoulders gave him the appearance of a well built man, but I saw no visible muscles on his arms or legs.

"Can I help you?" I asked just as I was raised to: quietly and politely. He was tense and very obviously on edge, as if any sudden movement would send him fleeing with his tail between his legs.

"I need a place to stay for a few days." His voice was deep and raspy; he sounded much older than he looked, as if he were my father's age.

My first thought was, He sounds so much older than he looks... Though it seemed obvious that he was in dire need of help, I knew better than to let any other stranger into my home on a whim.

I cleared my throat and looked up at the tall man, locking gazes with him in what seemed to be a mental battle for dominance. "Who are you, and why would I allow a stranger into my house on a whim?" My voice was louder and assertive; I was a quiet man who was not afraid to speak up.

His dull gold eyes stared right through my bright silver ones. Moments later, he looked away.

"People are after me," he muttered almost incoherently. "They want to kill me. I don't need to stay long, I just need to stay until they pass through this town."

My cold stare softened. Refugees like this were ubiquitous in this town due to the bandits lurking around every dark corner. As it was just running from bandits, refugees wasn't the best term, but that's what these people were referred to as by the actual town members. I hesitantly nodded, letting him in.

"Hurry, follow me. My dad will be furious if he knows I let a refugee in." I immediately turned around and headed swiftly towards the hallway, looking around cautiously for my dad. The man followed closely behind me, not making a sound. Even his footsteps were light and diligent, to my surprise. It almost seemed like he had experience sneaking around quietly.