Part One

“Come on, everyone! We have to keep moving!”

Carrie could barely make out the crustle’s words over the howling wind. Ceaseless gusts clawed at her shell, threatening to rip her off the ground. The only thing keeping her in place was the careful placement of her legs in the cracks of the cliff – though perhaps her peers marching beside her also brought some minuscule shelter.

At least it wasn’t raining. Yet, anyway. The darkened sky and rolling thunder above made it clear that a torrent of rain could start at any time.

What horrible weather for a migration. Couldn’t they have left any earlier? Sure, they’d go hungry for longer, but what was that compared to drowning in the floods?

The electabuzz, on the other hand, seemed to fare just fine in the storm. One passed by them along a ridge higher up on the cliffs, hooded cloak rapidly flapping. Must have been nice to live higher up on the island, never having to worry about the flat beaches flooding. And the food never ran out with all the tamed mareep and orchards of fruit – fruit that dwebble or crustle scarcely ever got to nibble on and live to tell the tale.

A brightness in the sky interrupted Carrie’s thoughts. It slid back into the clouds as quickly as it had slid out, but she’d had just enough time to realize its shape – birdlike. Had that been him? The Stormbringer? Had he heard her complaints? Had she angered him? Oh dear, oh dear —

“Brace yourselves!” shouted someone ahead – but the words reached Carrie too late. A gust of wind swept over her like a tidal wave, shoving her legs off the rock and flipping her over onto her shell.

She knew right away what this meant, and cursed her past self for choosing such a round rock for a shell.

The world spun. Carrie flailed her legs frantically, desperate to grasp solid ground again, but none of her attempts met anything but swirling air. She kept spinning. Earth and sky blended together into a nauseating mush…

But wait! Now something had changed. The grinding of her shell against the stone of the cliffs had quieted. Instead, there was a strong sense of acceleration —

She was falling.

“Help!” she screamed. But she knew no one could help. No one would come. This was it. This was the pitiful end of the little crab. Couldn’t even survive the first migration. Had to go and anger the Stormbringer…

With nothing more she could do, she withdrew and closed her eyes. She prayed, not sure to whom, that her death would be a swift one. That the sharp crags of the oceanside would shatter her to pieces before she could know it.

And then, she stopped.

But… she still felt alive.

She opened her eyes. It was dark. She listened. The wind had become muffled. She felt around. The rain had stopped bombarding her, and the ground was… soft.

What was this? Was this the afterlife?

A horizontal streak of light tore through her surroundings, and she was thrown back. Everything darkened again. Wait.

She listened more closely. Beside the muffled sounds of the storm, there was a shuffling. Shuffling like… wings.

She flicked her antenna for a sniff. It smelled terrible. She tried the ground again. Elastic. Warm. Just a little light shone through it. It had patterns like veins. 

Oh dear.

A bird’s bill.

Alright, she was inside a bird’s bill. The bird must have swooped in while she was falling and caught her with its mouth. By the amount of room, this bird must have been either a cramorant or a young pelipper. In any case, it surely wanted to eat her.

But it hadn’t, yet. Something was stopping it. It had to have been her shell – too big to swallow, not that a bird would likely want a heavy stone in their belly anyway. That shell was keeping her alive for now. Well, it always had.

So what would she do? She couldn’t just crawl her way out of the bill. She likely lacked the strength as just a little crustacean, and nothing was beneath her but stormy sea either way. She could only wait, wait for the moment the bird would land and let her out of its beak to try and snatch her out of her shell. Then she would escape, or at least try.

She waited. She waited some more. Minutes passed. The sun shifted in her mind’s eye. How much longer would it be until —

A sharp nudge forwards answered her. The bird was landing, craning back its neck, this was it. Then, jolts to the left, right, left, it was turning its head! Looking for a place to eat her, surely!

Carrie could feel the bird walk and flit about. Was it really that hard to find a snacking spot? Wait — it wasn’t looking for a place to drop her off and shatter her shell, was it?

The world then jolted again, harder than ever before, and golden light doused her eyes. The air was fresh, the ground was grainy – wherever she was now, it was out of the bill. She glanced around. A sandy beach? At sunset? Where had the storm gone?

No, that didn’t matter, she needed to —

She pulled back on reflex. Only moments after, she realized the bird had pecked at her. She gripped the back of the shell harder with her tail and shielded her face with her pincers.

Peck. Peck. This bird – a cramorant with one eye, as that sudden glimpse had shown Carrie – was determined. Carrie trusted her armor, but knew she couldn’t simply stay put. This bird could figure out her weakness to heights at any time, and then she’d be a goner.

Thankfully, her armor shielded her legs as well, allowing her to walk without much additional danger. Seeing was more difficult. The majority of her field of view blocked by her pincers, she had to piece the world together from crevices and slivers.

A large rock seemed to lie at the edge of the sands, and at its base was a hole. Maybe she could hide there?

Slowly, painfully slowly, she made her way to the rock. The hole led to a larger crevice underground, but the entrance was too small for the cramorant to fit through. Yes, this would work, this would work.

Triumph rushing through her body, she plunged in.

But she couldn’t fit.

There was safety, right in front of her pincers, and she could not reach it.

Her shell. Her shell was too big. Her body could fit, but her shell would not. There was an obvious solution – but she didn’t know if she dared to take it.

That shell was what kept her soft hindbody from frying in the sun or getting pierced by a hungry predator’s beak or teeth. It was practically part of her body – the only time she left it was to swiftly exchange it for a new one. Or to mate, but that hadn’t happened yet —

And it wouldn’t ever happen if she became cramorant chow! The bird showed no signs of quitting its pursuit, pecking her armor again and again. There was simply no other option…

She waited for the right moment – precisely after a peck – and leapt free.

She curled up mid-fall to protect her soft hindbody as well as she could. She wanted to close her eyes to spare herself the sight of any nightmarish scenario that could unfold, but instinct kept them open – and so she saw walls of sand and rock rush by her until her fall came to an abrupt end.

“Ow,” she whispered to herself, but the pain she felt was soon thoroughly overpowered by the realization of her triumph.

Yes, she was safe! Out of the cramorant’s reach! The bird was shoving its ugly mug at the cavern’s entrance in vain, snapping its beak shut repeatedly without catching a thing. It had thrown away Carrie’s shell, it seemed – which made her briefly worry, but she knew her shell was likely still close by, and she could snatch it back once the cramorant had left.

That moment seemed to come soon, too, as the bird finally drew back its head. It still tried to get a few more pecks in, but upon realizing nothing was going to change, the bird’s head left the entrance. Steps came from outside, and then… a loud, sharp shuffling that quickly faded away.

Yes, it was over. She was finally safe…

Carrie let her body slump. While her shell was still outside, it likely wouldn’t go anywhere. She could get a little rest – should, even.

As she lay down on her side, tension in her muscles gradually melted away. Her armor became heavier and heavier, pinning her to the soft sand beneath. The world began to blur and darken, her thoughts melded together…

—

“Gooooood morning!”

Carrie screamed. She saw the giant beak in front of her and screamed again.

How did it fit through? No, did it break the entrance entirely? There was way more light pouring in than before.

Nevermind that, she was doomed! Without her shell, she had no protection against the huge bird with this massive beak! It was stocky and colorful, like nothing she’d seen before…

“Oh, sorry, sorry!” The beak drew back, and more light poured in, almost blinding the dwebble. In the middle, she saw a silhouette of the creature’s bust. Its beak was large even compared to the rest of its body, but far longer was its neck…

Wait, had it spoken to her?

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” it continued. “I just got very excited! It’s been a long, long time since I’ve gotten a guest…”

It waved a wing. “But there’s no reason to be shy, come on out! It’s a beautiful day! Or are your folks nocturnal where you come from? Oh, I’m so sorry if you are. I let my excitement overtake my manners again… just lemme know if I’m bothering you!”

Well… whatever this thing was, it seemed friendly. And something big and friendly could be very helpful keeping away danger. And she did need to find out where exactly she was and how to get back home…

“M-maybe your silence means you just want me to buzz off, actually…” continued the creature, voice wavering. “I’ll just be going, then…”

“Wait!” Carrie shouted, and the silhouette froze. “Y-you’re not bothering me, I was just taken by surprise…”

“Oh! Great! So, w-wanna come out?”

“Well, um, I’d love to, but I had to abandon my shell to fit here, and I can’t go out in the sun without it… do you see it nearby? It was stuck at the entrance of this hole when I left it…”

“Lemme see! Hmm, shell, shell…”

“It’s more like a rock, actually, since I’m a dwebble and all. Round, light gray, has a big hole in it…”

“Gotcha,” the stranger replied and left.

Carrie waited, tapping her pincer against the ground. She truly wished that no predator would come and try to take her now. The entrance was far bigger now…

“Sorry, nope, no shell,” said the voice. “Must have been taken by some wildlife. But I got you something to shield you for the moment!”

Carrie’s antennae drooped. That shell had been hers for quite a while… but at least this friendly giant had something else to protect her. “What is it?”

A hollow thunk rang above her as a large, round object obscured most of the entrance.

“It’s a coconut shell! I hope it’ll do for now,” said the stranger.

A coconut? What was that? Carrie squinted her eyes to see past the sunlight and analyzed the object. Its surface was strange – hairy and brown like some kind of mammal, but solid and hard like an exoskeleton. On its side was a round hole, and through the hole she could see something white coat the insides.

As this strange hollow object was still better than no shell at all, Carrie crept up to the hole and inserted her hindbody within. The interior was clammy and had a strange mild smell she didn’t recognize – was this some kind of fruit? Nonetheless, the exterior felt tough, and that was all that mattered at the moment. She dug her tail into the white flesh inside and backed out of the crevice fully, shell and all.

“This will do, yeah,” she said, looking up at her helper. “Thank y-”

She froze in place, stupefied by the sight.

She’d already known the stranger was a bird, and a big one at that, but she hadn’t anticipated just how huge it would be. Huge and… strange.

It was unlike any other bird she’d seen. Its wings and tail were formed by massive leaves, and its chest was covered in flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors. This majesty, though, clashed horribly with the creature’s face – specifically its giant, cumbersome beak as colorful as the flowers on its neck.

“So, hi there!” said the bird with glee, and Carrie realized then that its voice was also quite silly, at least for a creature so magnificent… for most of its body. “Name’s Bouquatro! But you can call me Bou for short. What’s your name?”

“Carrie,” the dwebble said, still puzzled by Bouquatro’s odd appearance. “I’ve never seen a mon like you before. What’s your species?”

“Bouquatro!” chuckled the bird. “I’m one of a kind! As far as I know, anyway.”

“Huh. I’ve never met a one-of-a-kinder before, either.”

Bouquatro smiled, but then flinched. “Oh! Where are my manners? I should offer you refreshments! Heaven knows you must be tired from your journey… did you swim all the way here?”

“Um, well, actually, I didn’t mean to come here. I fell off a cliff during a storm back home, and a cramorant caught me before I hit the waves. It carried me here, but I managed to escape and hide before it could eat me…”

Bouquatro stroked his chin with one of his wing-leaves. “Did this cramorant have only one working eye?”

“I think it did. How so?”

Bouquatro frowned. “I’m gonna need to have a talk with her, clearly…” His expression brightened again. “Ah, but that can be taken care of later. For now, would you like something to eat? I know a great place.”

“S-sure. I am pretty hungry…”

“Great! I’ll carry you over. Try not to wriggle too much.”

“What do you m-“

Carrie’s instincts drew her deep into the coconut shell as numerous tendrils, like arms of a tentacruel, shot at and coiled around her. The tendrils were a lively green, and little leaves grew along them – oh, they were vines.

She closed her eyes for the duration of the flight, even if the motions churned her stomach with visuals missing. Fortunately, the trip was quick, and soon she felt her shell touch something soft but firm – a bed of grass.

“Alright, we’re here!” announced Bouquatro, and the tendrils withdrew, disappearing behind the bird’s back. Still hesitant, Carrie poked her head out of the shell and looked around to see… beauty.

A calm pond, crystal clear, opened up before her. On the opposite side stood a large tree – or perhaps many trees combined – whose roots, trunks and branches weaved together to create a large hut. Around the area grew more trees. These trees were notably smaller than that of the hut, but still robust and densely packed enough to obscure the horizon in all directions. Never had Carrie seen so many trees in one place. Their leaves were broad, vivid green, plentiful, and between those leaves were… fruit… sweet, sweet fruit…

Maybe this was the afterlife. It was too good to exist in the world of mortals.

“Oh, looking at those magosts? They are very nice,” said Bouquatro and waddled over to the tree. He gently plucked one of the magenta fruit with his beak and placed it down in front of Carrie. “Enjoy your meal! And feel free to take a sip from the pond. I assure the water is very pure.”

Carrie nodded and scuttled over to the water’s edge, dragging the fruit with her. She dipped in her head to drink and wet her smaller antennae. As soon as the fluid encased her feelers, an explosion of aromas overtook her mind. So many fragrances! The magost next to her, the other fruit in the trees, the flowers on Bouquatro’s chest… it was near overwhelming! She wiped some of the moisture off her antennae, and the sensations mellowed. Much better.

She opened up the magost’s rind with patience, sampling the fruit’s sweet flavor in small taps, but soon gave into her hunger and crammed the white flesh into her mouth as fast she could.

“I can see you’re a fan,” chuckled Bouquatro.

Carrie nodded. “There are no fruit like this back home! Not even in the electabuzz’s orchards…”

“Electabuzz, huh? Had a hunch you were from Zapdos’ island.”

Carrie froze, staring at Bouquatro with terrified eyes.

Bouquatro tilted his head. “Hm? What’s wrong?”

Carrie swallowed her bite, though it barely went down. “Y-you’re not supposed to utter the name of the Stormbringer.”

“The Storm…” Bouquatro blinked. “What, Zapdos?”

“Don’t s-say it! He might hear and get angry…”

Bouquatro frowned. “Why do you think that?”

“He already got angry at me today, and I was only thinking sour thoughts! He made the gust that blew me away!”

“Are you sure? What makes you think he can read people’s minds?”

“Well, he’s very powerful… and if he can tell when people are talking about him…”

“And what makes you think he can do that?”

“Well, the electabuzz say so. They actually speak with the Stormbringer, so they’re probably right…”

Bouquatro huffed. “Well, I sure hope the electabuzz came to that conclusion on their own, because otherwise my brother’s been spouting a load of garbage!” He sighed. “Of course, that probably is what happened…”

“Your… brother? Y-you’re the brother of the Stormbringer?”

“Well, I suppose, but he’ll always just be Zappy to me –”

Carrie shoved her face in the dirt and made herself as flat as possible. “I’m so sorry!” she cried. “I didn’t know I was in the presence of a –”

Bouquatro flailed his wings. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! There’s no need for that! Get back up!”

Carrie uprighted herself in an instant. Grains of sand stuck to her face, but she kept still.

“I don’t want any kind of worship from anyone,” continued Bouquatro. “I just want to be a mon among mon, because that’s what I am! Sure, maybe I am powerful, but I’m not a god. And neither are my siblings!” He sighed again and slumped onto the ground. “Oh, I knew they were full of themselves, but this is a new low…”

He raised his brow to look at Carrie. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to make a scene… I’m just very much not a fan of my siblings’ attitudes.” He made himself smile again and began waddling towards the tree-house. “Please, let’s talk more inside! I have a guest room with bedding that’s much more comfortable to sit on than just grass or sand.”

Carrie cautiously wiped her face free of sand and followed Bouquatro through the entrance of the tree. As he led her through the abode to a smaller room at the back, Carrie took in the decor. In a way, it was like what the electabuzz’s huts looked like on the inside – but all the items and structures they would contain… were made of wood. Living wood. The trunk-wall itself twisted and molded into platforms and niches, even the floor. How would a tree grow like that? Had this Bouquatro placed some rocks or other obstacles in such a way that this tree would grow around them in this shape?

No, no, that was nonsense – Bouquatro was a god. Surely he’d just made this tree grow like this, according to his will! Though he’d just said that he wasn’t a god. But he’d also said that the Stormbringer wasn’t a god. But how could that be? How could something be that powerful but not a god? Maybe this bird was simply a liar, a lunatic or both?

“Here we are!” said Bouquatro, standing at the entrance to the guest room. He laid his eyes on a patch of soil in the corner and frowned. “Hold on, let me get the bed ready…”

He raised his wings, and the flowers on his chest lit up. Red, orange, yellow and green lights dotted the interior. Something moved in the soil, many of something – sprouts. At the end of each was a bud, and those buds swelled and swelled until they popped open, revealing… white fluff.

The fuzz covered the whole patch, concealing not only the dirt but the stalks as well. It was as if someone had sheared a mareep on the spot.

“Try it!” encouraged Bouquatro. “It’s very soft.”

It looked alluring, Carrie had to admit, but the miracle she had just witnessed outweighed any worldly desires in importance.

“You can…” she breathed, “make plants grow? Just… like that?”

“Hm?” Bouquatro cocked his head. “Ah, oh, yeah. Yes, I can. I am the grass type in my family. Making plants grow is kind of my thing.”

A seed of an idea appeared to Carrie. As she pondered more upon it, giving it water and fertile soil, it sprouted – and that sprout grew and grew and grew until it hardened into the sturdy trunk of a mighty oak whose countless leaves and branches practically blacked out the sky!

“Are you alright?” asked a Bouquatro, frowning at his new friend’s sudden freezing.

Finally, Carrie found the words for her thoughts and let them fly.

“Divine Guardian of Life!” she boomed, the bird flinching from the volume. “I implore you, great one, to aid my starving people! E-every year, we must migrate to the cliffs to escape the floods, but these cliffs are nigh barren, providing my people little to eat! But if you, great one, could turn those cliffs lush and rich in fruit –“

“U-uhh, hold on,” interrupted Bouquatro, shuffling together his wing-leaves. “I think… I should… I have some plants to tend to, just remembered!” He backed away, the corners of his mouth drawn into an odd smile. “Terribly sorry to leave you, but it’ll only be for a bit. I-I’ll bring you back another fruit! Please make yourself comfortable. Feel free to have a look around, too! Alright, I’m off!”

Before Carrie could object, Bouquatro had rushed out of the house.

She considered following him – but he’d wanted her to stay behind, right? Going against a god’s will was not a good idea… and besides, this island was still the home of that hungry cramorant, and likely more. She shouldn’t try to venture out without company.

Instead, she should honor the god’s wishes and make herself comfortable. Perhaps look around. She did want to look around. On the opposite wall was a shelf – formed by branches as well, naturally – on which lay some objects of interest. Seashells, colorful rocks, a dwebble’s abandoned shell… shell!

She scuttled closer, thanking her luck this item happened to be at the lowest shelf where she could reach it. She examined the shell – it was gray granite, beautifully speckled, shined with care, and… too small for her.

Carrie sighed. She’d have to do with the coconut for a while longer.

Her gaze veered to the right and stopped on a strange wooden object. It was cylindrical with a wider platform at the bottom to help it stand up and carvings that made it vaguely resemble a bird. An idol of Bouquatro, gifted by a worshipper? No, there were details that simply didn’t match – the wings were like those of flesh and feather, not leaves, and the tail was far too full. The markings and crest didn’t match, either. But maybe the idol-maker just didn’t know what Bouquatro really looked like. Carrie had only seen glimpses of the real Stormbringer…

Curious, she stepped closer, right onto the platform — click.

“Aagh!”

Searing light assaulted her vision. On instinct, she withdrew to the refuge of her coconut shell, covered the front with her pincers and lay motionless in wait.

Hurried steps came from outside and found their way in, claws clacking against the wood of the floor. “Oh, no, no, no, no!” said Bouquatro’s voice. Then came another click, and the brightness vanished.

“Oh dear…” lamented Bouquatro. “Are you okay?”

Only after some seconds did Carrie realize he’d spoken to her. “Um, I think so…” She finally dared to peek out of her shell. The light really was gone – the idol looked just like it was before.

“Alright, good…” said Bouquatro, picked up the idol with his beak and placed it on a higher shelf. “Sorry, I forgot to warn about that. Please don’t touch it.”

“What… what is it?”

Bouquatro sighed. “It’s something our mother gave each one of us. If you press that button on the platform, a beacon of light shoots up into the sky, and she’ll know she’s needed.” He looked around. “Luckily, we’re indoors, so I don’t think she saw it…”

Carrie got back onto her feet. “Do you not want your mother to come here?”

“W-well, it’s not that, it’s…” He scratched a leg with his foot. “I just don’t wanna bother her outside emergencies, you know.”

He stopped to stare at his foot. “Oh. Sorry. I forgot the fruit. I’ll go back and get –”

“No, no, there’s no need,” interrupted Carrie. “I-I’d really rather have your answer to my question, please.”

“Your question…” He sighed again. “Right.”

Bouquatro sat down. He tried to keep his eyes on Carrie’s, but they always fell. On the fourth attempt, he simply sighed yet again and closed his eyes. “I… can’t help you. I’m sorry.”

Carrie knew it wouldn’t work – and yet, it did nothing to stop her heart from ripping in half.

Her anguish reflected in Bouquatro’s eyes. He raised his wings defensively. “I-It’s not that I don’t want to, I swear! I just… well, the circumstances won’t allow for it.”

“Alright…” peeped Carrie. “But… could you consider telling me what those circumstances are?”

Bouquatro gave a glum nod. “It’s not something I like talking about, but you deserve a proper answer.”

He inhaled, then exhaled. “The thing is, Zapdos doesn’t want me on his island. None of my siblings want me to visit, actually. They don’t… well, they don’t like me. And not just me, but what I stand for. Trees, vines, flowers, all little critters that depend on them – my siblings never seemed to like them like I did. Heck, I might even be to blame. Back when we were only chicks, I was practicing my grass powers, and I made some flowers I’d seen before grow right next to our nest. Little did I know, that species was an absolute treat to certain insects, and soon our nest was overrun by all sorts of creepy-crawlies…”

He shook his head. “I got over it, but I suppose my siblings never did. And now I’m guessing Zapdos wants to keep his island as barren as possible while still having enough vegetation to keep his electabuzz and their livestock alive.”

“So… you’re afraid of your brother?”

“Basically, yeah. Maybe he wouldn’t attack me… but he could attack my island, and all the creatures here, and I wouldn’t be able to fight him off…”

“Oh,” said Carrie. She really had nothing else to say.

It seemed that Bouquatro had nothing, either. A silence filled the air as the two stayed as they were, moving only their eyes, sliding their gazes across the room… until Carrie’s happened to fall on the wooden idol once more.

“What about your mother?” she asked.

Bouquatro flinched. “Hm? What about our mother?”

“What does she think of the situation?”

“Uhhh…” He scratched the floor with his talons, avoiding Carrie’s gaze now harder than ever. “Sh-she doesn’t know, I suppose.”

“What if she knew?”

Bouquatro puffed his feathers, realizing Carrie’s intentions. “She wouldn’t approve. B-but I can’t call her here!”

“Why not?”

Carrie’s eyes widened at her own remark, and she quickly covered her mouthparts. She shouldn’t yell like that at a god! He might smite her! Mortals should know their place, that’s how they get to survive…

…but looking at this god, she saw no wrath.

Bouquatro’s eyes had finally met hers, and she could only see fear. Fear… and shame.

Their contact broke as the bird squeezed his eyelids shut, forehead wrinkled in anguish.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m being selfish. I-I shouldn’t leave your people suffering just because of my own problems.”

He sighed and opened his eyes. “Listen. I’ll help, but… I’d really rather not call my mother about it. Instead, I’ll do it… in secret. I’ll fly under cover of night so Zapdos won’t see me. I’ll bring some seeds and mold with me in advance so it’ll go faster. Is that okay?”

Is that okay? was what a god had just asked a mortal. About saving her people with a miracle.

What a strange god.

“Wh- yes! That’s more than okay! That’s wonderful!” she shouted. “Thank you, Great One!”

Bouquatro grimaced. “Please, cut that out. I already said I don’t want any worship.” He smiled. “Just call me Bou! It’s what all my friends…” His smile melted off. “Would say. If I had any that could talk.”

He shook his head. “Either way! I’d better start gathering supplies now if I am to make it there tonight. In the meantime, you can rest here. Do you want anything before I leave?”

“Well…” Carrie rubbed her face with a pincer. “Maybe just one magost? Those were pretty good.”

Bouquatro smiled back. “One magost coming right up.”

—