What an evening!

Rygone walked along his favorite forest path, a well-traveled trail that helped him to get from one part of his town to the other without the ire of honking cars, barking dogs, or suspicious neighbors. A relaxing bountiful scene made richer by the crisp orange and yellow of Fall. It was the kind of place where, although it was only a hop, skip, and a jump away from civilization, it was largely untouched by anyone except those who enjoyed its meandering picturesque path.

His phone hummed in his pocket and, with a smile, he drew it out and clicked it open to see the message. A pleasant ritual as he walked, checking on and being checked on by friends and family alike. Drawing himself into the digital screen of his phone, his body trusting itself to the whims of his favorite hike, he almost failed to hear the faint snap of a twig just a little further ahead. Eyes immediately glancing up, his face lit by the blue light of his device, Rygone's tail twitched in agitation.

Alone in the dim evening, it did not take much for the hybrid's heart to begin pounding. Could it be robbers? Fiends camping out on the trail to take advantage of the unwary? Already he could see a bright light shining amongst the trunks, shadows dancing not far behind it.

Caution guiding his paws, he ducked behind a tree and waited, his attempts to control his pacing breath only partially successful.

Rustle rustle.

The bushes shook wildly as Rygone placed his thumb over his phone's emergency contact. The motion of small comfort to the frightened Pokemorph as the rustles got closer...and then-

A bright flash of light lept out of the undergrowth followed by a wild flailing 'thing'. It pawed at the mote of light as it danced around beside the trail, its lights bouncing off of the dry trees and leaves with a flickering ambiance as it was chased. The creature landed back down onto all fours and almost seemed to huff cutely at the out of reach sparkle. Face ending in a wicked beak, feathers dancing around its furred body to culminate in a long swishing tail, it was a creature that Rygone had never seen before in his entire life. Red eyes fixated on its target, it gave the impression of a child pouting as it chirped in distress.

Whatever it was, it seemed to almost carry an aura of shadows around it. Its fur blending into the soft shades of the forest except where the light from the orb touched its hide. It was...for lack of a better term...almost magical.

With a rustle another larger version of the creature stepped out of the bushes, its head crowned with power and pride as it casually approached the first creature and its playing light. Glancing around warily, it chirped back at what Rygone could only assume to be its offspring. Squeaking back, the cub, for that is what it had to be, tried to paw at the light once more as it floated out of reach.

Ignoring the smaller creature, the larger beast's red eyes focused on Rygone's hiding spot and, with a soft gasp, the hybrid pulled back. Did it see him? Was he going to be attacked?

He waited, afraid to peer around the tree again. Agonizing seconds upon seconds passed by him as he held his breath.

But nothing happened.

Gathering up his courage, he braved another peek and saw the orb dash off into the forest once more. Playfully scampering after it, the smaller creature once more took off in pursuit as its guardian strolled along behind it. For a moment, Rygone could see the creature glance around once more, its ears perked in the Pokemorph's direction, before, with a faint rustle, it was gone.

Rygone could feel his knees give out underneath him and he collapsed onto the ground.

He was not sure what had happened or what those creature were...but he knew it was a moment he would never forget.

---

Finding the extraordinary is something I believe many people dream of. To find something that only they know about and can keep secret.

That said, I can't imagine it's much different for our sonas or character. Though their forms and realities may be dramatically different from our own, I do believe that they might also wish to engage with something that's just outside of the usual.

It's just a part of being alive conscious creatures swept up in familiar life. It's only natural to want to see what's on the other side of the veil. In fact, it may be something almost essential to our psychological needs.

When it comes to thinking of our sonas and characters like that... well to me...I think that's kind of nice.

Art by  Skeletal_Heart

Rygone belongs to  Umbreon07