Chapter 2 – Personal Treasure

Chapter 2 – Personal Treasure (Jacob)

Jacob felt a burning sensation in his chest as he ran behind Leon, blazing down the darkened forest trail. While running all day didn’t help his building exhaustion, it wasn’t the only reason why his chest flared.

“When we… catch that thief…” Leon huffed. “I’m gonna pluck… all his feathers… clean off!” His voice was sharp like his fangs.

“Ha… ha… we…” Jacob panted. Talking was too hard when he was so drained. His limbs felt like jelly and the flame on his tail burned as weakly as a candle.

“Jacob, are you alright!?” Leon hollered back.

He gradually slowed to a stop, bent over and heaving to catch his breath. His tail’s glow brightened and dimmed with each breath in and out.

“Hang on, I’m coming!” Leon rushed back to him.

Jacob coughed, struggling to stay on his own two feet. That bird burglar was already out of sight. Who knew how far away they’ve flown away by now? 

By the time Jacob looked up, a seed was in front of his face. “Here, have it,” Leon said.

Jacob’s eyes darted across the vibrant, yellow seed, tracing across its green speckles. “Wha– an Energy Seed? But–”

“Jacob, please,” his brother urged, pushing it into his hands. “I know how important your watch is to you. We’ll catch ‘em, but I’m not leaving you, either!”

Now that he didn’t feel close to collapsing, Jacob accepted the seed and shoved it into his mouth, cracking the shell with his teeth. Soon after, he felt as if a bunch of tiny explosions sparked in his mouth. He kept chewing, gulping down its toasty taste, all while a weird warmth spread through his limbs.

“Is it working?” Leon asked.

Jacob placed a hand on his own chest, noticing his heartbeat quicken. His flame turned from red to a vibrant orange. “I think so,” he finished.

Leon nodded. “We gotta keep moving. Sorry, I wish we could stop, but–”

“I get it,” Jacob exhaled. His tail brightened. “C’mon, let’s move!”

The two kept running, chasing after the last direction they saw Staraptor fly in. As they hurried, Jacob felt a weird whiplash throughout his body. It was like he was being pulled back and forth between being hyper, and hyper-exhausted.

The woods seemed to pass by like a blur, leaves and branches all tangled together. Leon’s huffing and calls were quiet. A cold tingle shivered down Jacob’s back and arms, almost like he was under a downpour of cold rain.

Crack!

Scattered sticks snapped underfoot, their sounds booming louder than ever, like thunder. Though a glance upward showed no clouds in the sky. Jacob held his arms in tight, trying to warm himself and burn away his own shivers, as if he held an invisible blanket.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

A heartbeat echoed, eclipsing all other sounds. The chilliness gave way to a comforting glow, almost like a pair of arms wrapping around him. Everything felt lighter. Looked brighter.

Tic, toc. Tic, toc.

And as the heartbeat faded into a new sound, Jacob reached out.

But his watch wasn’t there.

“Jacob!”

Leon’s voice cut through, rattling Jacob out of his trance. He blinked away his daydreams, bringing the world around him back into focus. The first thing he saw was his brother, who had stopped in front of him.

Jacob planted his feet, stopping next to Leon. “Wha-what is it?” he stammered, catching his breath. “Did we… lose them?”

Leon shook his head. “Naw, look over there!” He pointed ahead to a tall, shadowy tree, with the nearly-full moon glowing behind its sharp, skeletal branches. No leaves hung from its barren wood, but the tree wasn’t empty. Near the top was a large nest, swaying in the night wind. And from that nest, a familiar pocket watch dangled, its polished copper shining dimly.

Jacob perked up and his flame doubled in size. He ran with his brother over toward the tree.

“H-how do we get it down?” he asked.

“We’ve gotta climb,” Leon said, not taking his eyes off the watch.

“Wait a minute, if my watch is there–” Jacob pointed up. “Where’s that Staraptor?”

Leon shook his head. “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter, we gotta get it back while we can.”

Jacob glanced down at his arms, then slowly raised his head up at the towering tree. He gulped. “So, how can I–?”

“Stay here,” Leon said, taking off his backpack. “You’re exhausted– I’ll climb up and get it.”

Jacob frowned. “But… you are, too.”

“I know.” A moment passed, then the two locked eyes. “But I can’t risk you getting hurt.”

Though he hesitated, Jacob nodded and stepped back from the tree’s base.

“Watch my back.” Leon took a running jump at the tree and grabbed onto it.

As he watched his brother shimmy his way up the bark, Jacob fell onto his butt. He was suddenly aware of how hot and sore his own two feet were. Still, the boost from the Energy Seed kept him going, and his heartbeat pounded away like a drum. He looked around right, left, and right again in a loop, scared that the Staraptor could come back at any moment.

“Ha… ha…”

Leon’s panting was loud enough for Jacob to hear. He glanced up, and his brother was a little more than halfway up the tree.

“Are you okay?” Jacob called.

“I–” Leon began, but after a wide-eyed glance at the ground he grasped the tree tighter, locking up his limbs.

“S-sorry!” Jacob called again. “Don’t look down…” he urged.

As Leon continued shimmying his way up, Jacob huffed and kicked the ground. “All I can do is wait?” he muttered. He kept glancing around, keeping an eye out for Staraptor or any other threats. All the while, his heartbeat sped up every now and then as the Energy Seed boosted him in waves.

“Almost there!” Leon hollered. He inched his way along a high branch, slowly approaching the nest and pocket watch.

Jacob steadied his breath, drawing in air and energizing his flame. He silently wished that he could just shoot a fireball up at the tree to knock the branch down, or something. “That’d make this a whole lot easier…” he whispered to himself.

Leon perched himself over the nest, holding onto the branch with one hand and reaching down with the other. He batted at the pocket watch, rattling the chain and making it sway. He strained, but with a quick lunge he grabbed the shiny copper.

“Gotcha,” he said as he yanked it up. “Jacob, I got it!”

“Toss it down!” Jacob called, raising his arms.

“Too risky,” Leon replied. “I’ll be down in a minute, just hang on.”

Jacob sighed, but calmed himself. All he had to do was wait a bit longer. He glanced around, looking for a place where they could set up a hidden camp for the night. Though as he looked around the nearby foliage, he spotted something up in the sky.

A big-winged creature, circling around the treetops. As soon as Jacob noticed it, the bird tucked in its wings and dove–

“Leon, look out!” Jacob shouted.

The Totodile looked over his shoulder. He scrambled to avoid Staraptor’s divebomb, but clinging to a tree gave him hardly any room to move. The monstrous bird swooped into Leon, forcing him to dig his claws into the bark, carving it as he slid down.

Jacob planted his feet and gazed at Staraptor as they flapped their way back up. Heat bubbled in his chest and his mouth glowed with inner-fire. He reeled his head back, then threw himself forward as he spat a hail of Embers.

The fiery glimmer soared toward the bird, but the flames quickly dimmed and fizzled, burning out before they could reach their target.

“Oh, come on!” Jacob wailed, stomping his feet.

Staraptor turned around and divebombed Leon again, crashing headlong into him. The blow knocked him off the tree.

“Leon!” Jacob broke out into a sprint.

Meanwhile, Leon flailed through the air as he fell, and lunged toward a branch with his jaw wide-open. He snapped his mouth shut, clamping his teeth onto a now-bouncing branch. But the wood squealed, then snapped, leaving him to fall the rest of the way down.

He tucked himself into a ball and rolled across the grass, holding his chest.

“Are you okay?!” Jacob hollered as he closed the gap.

“I-I’m fine,” Leon uttered. He took his hand away from his chest, revealing the pocket watch still in his hand.

Jacob smiled, but lost it just as quickly as he saw his brother limp forward. “You’re hurt!” he reached out to hold him steady.

“I-I’ll… live,” Leon insisted, standing upright with Jacob’s help.

The space around them darkened as Staraptor loomed above. With rapid wingbeats he whipped up another Tailwind, creating a gale that whipped the grass and their ears.

Jacob tucked in his tail, guarding his flame. “This is crazy!”

“Gah, what’s with this guy?!” Leon exclaimed. “He wants your watch that badly!?”

Once again Staraptor tucked in his wings and swooped toward them. Jacob and Leon leaped away, but the powerful winds held them both in the air.

“Oof!”

A pained grunt sounded off as Jacob fell to his hands and knees. He shook off his dizziness and stood up. “Leon!” he called out.

“Agh…”

He spun towards the noise, spotting his bruised brother. He was knocked down, propping himself up with one hand, and rubbing his head with the other.

“Are you okay?” Jacob called.

“I–” Leon stopped, eyes widening as he looked at his hands. “It’s gone!”

They both craned their heads skyward, and spotted Staraptor flying straight up. Jacob’s pocket watch dangled beneath their talons, shining in the moonlight.

“Not again,” Leon muttered as he rose to his feet. “Shoot ‘em down!”

The brothers opened their mouths to lob water and fire. But Jacob hacked up nothing but smoke, and Leon threw up water in a coughing fit.

Staraptor leveled-out and flew over the treetops and beneath the waxing moon, casting a shadow over the brothers.

“If we lose him now,” Leon panted, wiping his mouth. “We’ll never find him again…!” He tried to break out into a run, but stopped to clutched his sides. “Owww…”

Jacob’s heart sank like a stone. Was he really about to lose his personal treasure forever?

But then he spotted another glint in the sky– a spinning, ivory-white blur, racing towards Staraptor at breakneck speed. The blur slammed right into the bird, making him fall into a downward spiral.

“Look, he got knocked down!” Jacob pointed.

Leon glanced up. “Huh? By what?”

Jacob watched the object fly away again, squinting to make out its shape: a bone. It flew towards the treeline rapidly spinning until it was caught by–

“William!” Jacob gasped as the Cubone stepped into the moonlight.

“Wha-what the…” Leon stammered, finally standing upright.

The Staraptor rose to his feet and glared at him. “You,” he finally spoke. “You dare?”

“He’s talking?” Leon noticed. “So he’s not a feral…”

William stepped forward, raising his bone club. “You won’t like how this ends,” he challenged.

Staraptor beat his wings and summoned another Tailwind– wind swept the grass as he stormed at William with blistering speed.

“Wh-what do we do?” Jacob stammered. He glanced at Leon, who had stepped away to retrieve his backpack. He then tossed an Oran berry at him.

“Eat up,” Leon replied, taking a bite out of his own Oran. “And get ready to fight.”

Jacob stared at the blue fruit for a moment. To the side he heard William and Staraptor trading hits. “…We can’t run on seeds and berries forever.”

“I know,” Leon said grimly. Staraptor uttered a shrill war cry, making them both wince. “But it’s just a bit longer. We’ll get your watch back.”

Though reluctant, Jacob steeled himself and nodded, wolfing down his berry. As its juices flowed over his tongue, he felt a second wind energize him.

“We’ll flank him,” Leon ordered. “Go left!”

Jacob did so as his brother ran to the right, dashing across the grass to close the gap.

Meanwhile, William held his club with both hands as he blocked Staraptor’s flurry of talons. He dug in his heels as each blow pushed him back a bit, carving his feet through the dirt.

Just as Staraptor spread his wings, Jacob spat a volley of red embers at his left side. The sparks ignited their feathers, forcing a shriek out of the raptor. As they turned to Jacob, Leon lunged at them from the other side, clamping down with frosted fangs. The bird of prey wailed again as teeth and ice pierced his right wing.

William lowered his club as Staraptor stopped attacking him, and charged in swinging. He battered the bird’s legs with his bone club, staggering them. Staraptor flailed as he was attacked from every direction, too overwhelmed to repel any one attacker.

Jacob’s flame flared– they could win this! The heat in his chest intensified as he blew out hotter, brighter embers, scorching the left wing. Leon, still refusing to let go, breathed more ice onto the right wing, turning feathers brittle with his cold breath.

Finally, Staraptor fell backwards, exposing the copper pocket watch grasped in its talons. William seized it, grabbing onto the metal shell as the raptor tightened its grip. The Cubone delivered a swift blow to their legs with his club, weakening them, and finally yanked the watch free.

“I’ve got it!” he called.

Jacob opened his mouth to reply, but then covered his head– Staraptor uttered an ear-rattling shriek. The bird spun around with its wings wide– slamming Leon into William– and finally hurling Leon off of his wing, sending him crashing into Jacob.

“Oof–Ow!” The brothers collided and tumbled over each other through the grass.

“Ack,” Leon rolled off, adjusting his jaw. “Sorry.”

“I-I’m okay,” Jacob replied, propping himself up.

A few yards away William pushed himself up as well. But before he got to his feet, Staraptor seized him, squeezing a gasp out of the Cubone as his talons clutched William’s ankle.

“William!” Jacob scrambled to his feet and rushed toward him.

But Staraptor flapped his wings and took off, carrying the Cubone who still held the watch, even as he dangled. William swung his club around, but whiffed every swing as he was carried further away.

“I’ll stop them!” Leon shouted as he stood up with a hand to his shoulder. He opened his maw and launched a torrent of water, but the jet quickly faltered as Leon stuttered into a coughing fit. He fell forward onto his hands.

Jacob rushed over to hold up his brother as Leon gasped for breath.
“S-sorry, Jake…” Leon rasped.

They glanced skyward, watching as Staraptor nearly reached the treetops. They hadn’t even made it to the Wolfhaven guild, and already they were in a perilous fight. And they were losing.

What would happen to his pocket watch? More importantly, what would happen to William?

Jacob felt something. His limbs shook and his vision grew sharp and vivid. An intense heat cascaded over his body, and with a deep breath, his tail burned brilliantly. He locked his gaze upon Staraptor as fire rose in his chest, then he opened his maw.

A blistering fireball erupted from his mouth, leaving trails of swirling embers as it lanced skyward. Just as the bird craned his head back the infernal orb struck him, spreading scorching flames all over his feathers, igniting his wings. He wailed in terror as he started hurtling towards the horizon with a trail of smoke– but not without losing his grasp on William.

The Cubone plummeted like a stone.

Both of the brothers broke out into exhausted runs towards William as he sped and spiraled toward the ground. But with how fatigued they both were, neither would have reached him before–

THUD!

A dust cloud plumed upon his impact with the dirt.

Jacob gasped and panic shot up his spine like a volcanic burst. He tried to sprint, but staggered on wobbly legs.

“Hang on,” Leon said, holding Jacob steady.

Jacob nodded, and the two held each other as they sauntered over to the crash site. A few feet later they arrived at the edge of the newly-formed ditch.

Inside the pit, William laid curled up in the center. He was battered and bruised, and his ankles trickled red, but his chest rose and fell, still breathing.

“C’mon,” Jacob urged, and the two stumbled into the tiny hole. He knelt down next to the Cubone.

Leon sucked in a breath through gritted teeth. “This looks bad…”

But the Cubone opened his eyes, however slowly, meeting their gaze.

“Will? Will!” Jacob reached out, though William winced at his touch. “He needs an Oran, Leon!”

“He needs more than that,” Leon replied. He rubbed his own bruised shoulder. “I think we all do.”

William grunted, drawing their attention. With great effort lifted up his left arm towards Jacob. His palm opened revealing the copper pocket watch– not a scratch on it.

Tears welled in Jacob’s eyes as he heard the soft ticking, like a second heartbeat. But he ignored the watch. “Hang in there,” he urged. “Stay with us!”

A moment later, William’s arm went limp and dropped. His breathing slowed.

Jacob’s eyes widened.

“Let’s get him outta this pit,” Leon said, steeling his voice. “We got enough berries to keep him steady, but we gotta get him to the closest town. C’mon, help me lift him.”

Jacob nodded, grabbing one of the Cubone’s shoulders while Leon grabbed the other. “Just hang in there,” he said softly. “You’ll be okay.”

William’s eyes closed softly.