No Better than an Outlaw

            Axis hid in the shadows of the trees nearby, watching as Rescue Teams, friends and the like stepped up to the Sabri Central Notice Board, their eyes skimming over the scraps of paper pegged along its surface.  Though not every post was of a wanted criminal, many were scanning over those parchments in particular, scrutinizing the details listed below each picture.

            “The Outlaw Hunts…” the Glaceon muttered under her breath.  These capture quests were a popular−the most popular actually−way of making money.  Those self-proclaimed do-gooders would take it upon themselves to capture the criminals on display; their crimes ranging from petty theft to kidnapping to murder.

            Axis shook her head; such actions were the exact reason why she would never hunt them down.  How could she when she was guilty of many of their offenses?  Unless it was for a personal vendetta, she preferred not to be an advocate of hypocrisy.

            A laugh emanated from the groups as younger team members prodded at each other in play.  They sounded happy.  They looked happy.  Most of the groups did anyway; huddling around their friends as they decided on which job to take.

            The Glaceon’s ears drooped lower than normal as one of her many reoccurring thoughts struck again.  She’d never had a friend before…and with good reason.  For years those who strove to call themselves “friends” turned out to be nothing more than feral beasts like herself; hunters who preyed on those weaker than themselves to survive.  She couldn’t blame them, for she did the same.  How many lives had she taken to extend her own?  How many cries for mercy had she snuffed out for the sake of filling her stomach with flesh?

            Some believed feral Pokemon to be simply uncivilized; in dire need of reform.  No, this was not the case with many.  Or at least not with her.  She had known what she was doing every time.  Every murder meant life, every theft meant survival, and every friend was inevitably a traitor.  How could she approach anyone with a mind so warped?  She was better off leaving well enough alone.  She didn’t know how to get along with others, and others didn’t like her anyway.  How could they, being how she was?  It was better to not even try.

            “I’m no better than an outlaw…” she whispered to herself, deepening her sadness and turning away from the merry groups of faction members.  She sighed silently and with head hung low walked away into the deeper woods, letting the laughter fade behind her into silence.

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I got tired of doing work and so have been prodding at this for a couple of days for practice since I've been doing nothing but lineart and vector shading for a long time now.  I haven't submitted anything to the one Pokemon group I'm in for a while, so decided to make it my focus, thus a small side tale for Axis with cameos of others in the group.  Enjoy!

Axis (Glaceon) (c) me

Circe (Kecleon) and Bridgette (Ralts) (c) DuskLugia

Talia (Dratini) and Sapphire (Vulpix) (c) flygirlll26262

Kahlilia (Quilava) (c) PMD-Kahlilia