The next few weeks were calm. Mother never left other than to bring me food, and even then her time away was brief. I could hear the stomping as she sprinted through the forest. Clearly caring more about speed than stealth. I assured her I was fine but she had none of it.

  The first few days after the Sneasle incident consisted of me draining all the energy I could using curse, then resting. Repeating that over and over definitely set back my recovery but using the time to train while I was exhausted was definitely worth it. Giving back what I put into it and then some. I felt like I had a better understanding and mastery over aura, or less understanding, more like a muscle ripped apart over and over becomes stronger each time its repaired.

  Today I had decided it was time to convince mother to let me hunt again, training stagnates when you can’t put it to use. Her overbearing ways needed to end eventually or I was gonna become a spoiled brat. Not that I didn’t already feel like one. I guess Tyrunt is the royal heir Pokemon…

  “Mooom… Please? I’m all better!” I begged.

  “Mmrgh… Fine fine. Calm down sweetie. We can go out but we’re not going hunting this time.”

  “Wha- Why not?” I asked, confused.

  “Today we’re going to learn, not fight. Be a doll and keep up okay?” She answered, not really explaining much. Putting her head in the air she decided on a direction started off, not waiting as I struggled just a bit to match her huge stride. We went off into the forest a ways away from the nest before she stopped, smelling the air again. “This should be far enough, look.”

  I peered through the brush where she was pointing and saw two Pokemon, a Nidorino and a Nidoqueen building up a small nest in a hole they made. I looked at mother a bit confused, cocking my head.

  “Good, now smell.”

  I did as she asked, sticking my head up habitually. Taking a deep breath in I immediately coughed, it was an awful scent. Not like garbage or anything, more like rotten fruit. Sickeningly sweet and a bit foul.

  “Now you understand, never hunt anything that smells like that. You’ll regret it, that’s for damn sure.” Mother grumbled a bit, she probably knew first hand. I could have guessed not to eat poison types, kind of obvious in retrospect. But I was still glad for the lesson, there were many Pokemon I wasn’t aware of or wouldn’t recognize but could smell. The Indigo pokedex being infinitesimally small compared to the broad spectrum of other Pokemon in the world, many of which undiscovered.

  I nodded at her in understanding, wondering if mother had ever met a Muk or a Koffing. With that nose of hers I doubt it would be a very nice meeting.

  “Good good, now then…” Smelling the air again, which I was learning is the primary way Tyrantrum explore and understand their surroundings other than immediate eyesight. She thought for a while as I looked up at her expectantly. “Hmm, what next… Why don’t we visit an old friend?”

  “You have friends?!” I asked in genuine disbelief, but that only earned me a scowl. Mother not wasting a second to entertain the thought walked off a good bit faster than before. Forcing me to sprint the whole way to keep up.

  It started getting colder as we ascended, the forest covering the side of a mountain. This was probably the furthest I’d been from the nest. Sucking in harsh air like a sweet nectar for my lungs I huffed, finally mother had slowed down, letting me rest. I noticed there was light snow up here, a thin layer on the ground. The forest was thinner, evergreen trees scattered around.

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  We kept walking a ways until we came upon a clearing with flatter ground, a frozen lake with a group of different Pokemon settled around it. Some in nests of snow, others laying against the ice itself. As mother slowly entered the clearing she announced herself with a shallow roar. Not threatening but still loud enough to shake the ground a bit.

  Some of the Pokemon looked a bit shaken at her presence but others just nodded at her as if it were normal. It was semi-normal for Pokemon in the wild to have truces with one another, so it made some sense at least. Avoiding injury and recuperation was important if you weren’t in a herd like a Tyrantrum, I could only get away with it because of mother. I could guess why she would be friendly with a group of ice types anyways, being hostile towards them could prove fatal.

  I peaked around mothers leg, taking in the different Pokemon around the lake. A Glalie gleefully looking at his surprisingly well built igloo, blocks of ice cut almost perfectly. I was surprised to glimpse a Pikachu inside the igloo resting, maybe it helped build it? A smattering of Aurorus with their hatchlings playing around them in the snow, sails glimmering beautifully in the light. A group of Snom cute as can be and huddled together on the ice. Also a Mr.Mime? No Mr.Rime? Skating across the ice like it was second nature. Are they an ice fairy type in Galar? No wonder mother doesn’t want to be at odds with this particular herd of ice types…

  A lone Cryogonal slowly floated up to us with another Pokemon waddling behind. Its body underneath a huge boxy ice cube head with a bird face carved into it looked almost like a Prinplups. Having the same-ish body plan except with different coloring.

  “Greetings Tyrant.” The Cryogonal spoke, as it got closer I could feel the ambient ice energy seeping into my scales. Not exactly a pleasant feeling, the cold was already bad enough. “Congratulations on the successful hatching. The Aurorus have also had a brood this year.”

  “Greetings Cold one. Thank you, we came because we had an incident with a Sneasle. Thought it wise to warn your group if the disgusting things hadn’t come here yet.” Mother responded, looking down at me and motioning with her head that I could go explore, but I was fine with staying and listening for a little bit.

  “Ah I see. It seems the pack's hatchlings from last year are descending the mountain for food again… How unfortunate.” The Cryognal said, form and face just as inexpressive as its voice.

  “This season has been warm, will the Aurorus be okay in the heat?” As mother and the Cryognal continued to speak, conversation veering off from interesting to just boring small talk, I moved off to explore the lake. As I got closer I noticed it was noticeably colder the closer you got to the frozen water, never melt ice? Maybe an ice stone or three embedded in the lake? Who knows.

  I decided to avoid the Snom, the closer I got to them the more they seemed to shiver in fright. I felt a bit bad about scaring them to be honest, not that I could help it, Snom are tiny tiny. I watched from the edge of the lake as the Mr.Rime bowed at me, continuing the bow into one pirouette after another. Child brained curiosity took over as I looked over the ice. Without thinking I took a step onto it, immediately slipping and sprawling out back on the snowy ground.

  Snickering came from my side, scrambling to right myself, finally standing to see an Amaura trying to hold in her laughter. If Tyrunt could blush, I definitely was. Looking away quickly in shame only brought on more laughter though.

  I noticed mother had already finished up her conversation with the Cryognal. Her loud footsteps toward me quickly putting a damper on the Amaura’s laughter, skittering off back to the rest of her group. Mother let out an amused huff.

  “Make a new friend?” She asked, clearly noticing the snow I could feel was still stuck to the side of my head after I fell.

  “Not exactly.” I grumbled avoiding eye contact like I did with the Amaura. That only earned me a hearty chuckle though.

  “Come, it’s time to go sweetie, it’s too cold for us here.” She stated, turning to start leaving, she was right I was shivering hard at this point, frozen to the bone. I noticed mother nod at the Mr.Rime and Cryognal before she went, I had no idea where that ice cube headed Pokemon went though. “That was the Cold one, a Cryognal older than me, been around since before my own mother. It protects the lake and the Pokemon around it as a neutral zone.”

  “Neutral?”

  “Anyone who attacks is usually frozen long before they can do any damage, the only threat to their herd would probably be the Weavile pack up the mountain. That is if the Cold one wasn’t so vigilant. Otherwise they are friendly to any visitors that aren’t hostile.” She let out a harsh laugh as she walked. “No one has been able to eradicate those vile things yet, no matter how many Weavile or Sneasle you get rid of more always pop up… Anyways, lets get home, its cold.”

  I followed along quickly, trying to shake off the unpleasant snow still stuck to my scales as we went.