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DISCLAIMER:
This series contains mature, adult themes of a sexual nature, with a mix of quadruped and anthro sapient Pokémon. It is intended for an 18+ aged audience.
Please check out the tags for any themes that you may not be comfortable with!
Please refer to the links below to catch up to what currently exists of our project.
18+ GO HERE TO READ CHAPTER 1 - 6 OF THE WANDERLUST COMIC
18+ GO HERE TO SEE ALL WANDERLUST ADDITIONAL WORK, OLDEST TO NEWEST
Chapter 7: Do Cats Dream of Electric Sheep?
Writing Credits: 007delta (Original script), Jojo_Lycanrark, Gau, NSFWindie, Rynring
Cover Art Credit: DumDerg
Ryn’s bleary eyes blinked open to a cascade of darkness.
Panic was the first feeling that hit her. She instinctively knew that this wasn't the guild. Instead, she found herself in a nearly pitch-black room, barring a single wall-mounted candle that flickered feebly through the dark.
Where was she?
The crackling flame gave just enough light for her to make out a cobblestone wall and floor. Ryn tried to steady her heaving chest.
She needed to calm down .
Her keen feline eyesight soon adjusted, allowing her to properly assess her surroundings. She tried to sit up, but she couldn't move. She couldn't so much as twitch a muscle. Her heart started to pound erratically in her chest.
Had she been paralyzed? If so, how was that possible? Her natural Limber ability kept her safe from paralysis! W-What was happening to her?
She tried to come up with any possible explanation for how she had ended up in the sable landscape, but nothing came.
She could hear her pulse in her ears now…
The Glameow tried to turn around but found… she couldn’t. Fear ran down her spine, soon becoming aware of the thin, feather-like tendrils holding her in place. A chilling breath exhaled along the top of her head as an absolutely unwelcome southern drawl pervaded her ears.
“No need to fret… Sugar.”
Every fiber of her being rejected the mere concept of dreaming further.
Ryn snapped awake with a sharp gasp, claws digging into the table beneath her as she found her bearings. She was in the guild’s archives, with Freya sitting across from her, eyes wide with concern.
“Are you ok?” Her Glaceon friend asked, seeming to have finally peeled her eyes away from the book she was reading when the feline woke up. “Bad dream?” The Ice-type inquired softly, concern for her feline friend clear in her voice.
“Y-Yeah…” Ryn replied, catching her breath and rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the back of her paw, “Sorry, I must have dozed off… Did you end up finding anything while I was out?”
Freya motioned over to the record book, one of the many tomes of knowledge the two had been pouring over for the past hour or so. She had placed a little braided bookmark between the pages it was opened to, “I did… But let’s meet up with Misu. She should really hear this too.” With that, the two exited the archives, heading towards the Guildmaster’s chambers.
After a short trip through the halls and being beckoned into the Guildmaster’s office, Freya slammed the record book down onto Misu’s desk, opening it for her to see. “Phew, okay. This book documents every transaction the guild has made over the years.”
“Yeah, and…?” Misu responded impatiently.
With an exasperated sigh, Freya decided to cut to the chase, “There’s no detail on the ownership of this building. No mortgage, no deed, no proof of sale. Nothing. The pages where those records should be are completely empty.”
Giving the Glaceon a perplexed look, Ryn reasoned, “I mean, didn’t Cicero just take everything when he left though? He got into a position of power and skipped town with everything he could the first chance he got.”
Misu smacked the table with a paw, rising to her feet. “No, Freya’s onto something…” She broke off as her expression turned thoughtful.
Freya perked up seeing her Guildmaster start to realize what she was getting at.
“He could actually do things with the money that he stole, but why would he steal the records of who owns this place, of all things? Hell, why would this place even have a mortgage after all these years?” The Fighting-type questioned.
“Exactly!” Freya beamed, happy that Misu was piecing it together. “I can’t think of a reason as to why the records of ownership aren’t in our possession. Back when that sorry excuse of a Toxicroak stole all of the funds and ran, Bolero and Mia told us that the bank foreclosed the building not even a month later!” The Glaceon took a breath, gazing at the book once more, “We’re missing vital information… And I think that it lies in the bank."
Misu immediately deflated upon this news. “Well, shit!” She turned back to her window, paws raised in defeat. “It’s not like Erron’s gonna do anything to our benefit any time soon.”
Freya’s hopeful demeanor immediately soured as well, as her ears drooped. “I mean… there’s gotta be some way we can figure out what happened, right?” She pressed.
Having been silent for a while, Ryn finally spoke up, “I’m not so sure. I mean, if he managed to sneak all of this past the Explorer’s Association-”
“Pfft! Ha!” Misu suddenly erupted in laughter.
Startled by the cacophony, the Librarian and Secretary looked back to the chortling Mienshao, confused by her sudden reaction.
“I don’t think that’s as big of a flex as you think it is, girls. We’ve been having wild sex here for months…”
That much was true. With the constant fornication happening within the guild’s walls and the wild rumours around, it could easily be reasoned that the EA didn’t seem to care as much as they had previously thought.
A small silence followed before Ryn sheepishly cleared her throat, “I… I think I know someone who can get us the information that we need.”
“Who?” Freya inquired, curious.
“A-Aphrodite,” The feline answered, her ears dipping just a little as she averted her gaze.
Freya’s eyes widened in surprise from the revelation, while Misu’s face fell. “You’re kidding… The Bank Secretary Absol? Erron’s right wing? There’s no way in the Distortion World that she’d risk her ass for us!” the Mienshao incredulously denounced as she plopped back into her desk chair, defeated.
While Ryn understood where her Guildleader was coming from, she just didn’t agree. “I know how it sounds, but I think she’d help us if I’m able to reach out to her,” she explained. “I-It’s a long shot, but we don’t have many other options at this point… Unless you wanna try Kaiz-”
Misu’s eyes widened as a faint blush appeared on her face. It quickly dissipated as she quickly interrupted, “We’re not bringing the Warden into this…”
“Well, then… Aphrodite’s our best option right now,” Ryn urged.
The Martial Arts Pokémon leaned forward, eyeing the Glameow to read her body language. After a moment, she asked, “How can you be so confident about this? How do you know that she won’t just snitch to Erron when you tell her what we’re looking for?”
Ryn sighed despondently. Taking a deep, shaky breath, her mind replayed the moment at the bank; where she felt the most helpless; where she felt violated; where she fled from that disgusting, bastard of a bird. She couldn’t let him retain that power over all of them. It was time to fight back. “We can’t know for sure, but…” she answered, eyes filled with resolve, “...it’s time for us to try something.”
The sun slowly retreated over the horizon, signaling the end of the day. The guild members made their way back home with their missions all completed, and exhaustion took over their bodies. As everyone turned in for the night, the Umbreon Kaz, full off a quiet dinner to himself, shut the door to the observatory behind him. In no time, the grand telescope seamlessly glided through the night sky.
The Moonlight Pokémon was so engrossed in the beautiful stars above that he didn’t feel the headbutts that his Applin friend, Pie, was giving him. Eventually, the tenacious fruit dragon got Kaz’s attention, with the Shiny Umbreon tilting his head down quizzically, “What’s the matter, lil’ guy?” Just as he finished uttering the question, he caught a glimpse of a pink hoof by the entrance.
Kaz’s eyes darted back up, settling on a downcast Lyre standing in the doorway; his head hung low and his shoulders were slumped.
Confused by the sudden appearance, the Umbreon peeled himself away from the telescope and slowly approached the sheep. “Uh… Hey Lyre, what’s going on?” He prodded softly.
A few seconds of silence passed before a soft sigh escaped the Flaaffy’s lips, “A-Am I a shitty Pokémon, Kaz?”
Taken aback by the brash inquiry, Kaz didn’t immediately respond, having needed to process it. After a moment, he walked closer and sat down beside Lyre. The Dark-type motioned for the Flaaffy to do the same before offering his own answer, “I think you’re one decision away from being a better one.”
Lyre slumped against the wall before sitting down next to the Eeveelution. “I… it… it’s not like I mean to be an asshole, you know? I-I just… AAAAGH!” he bellowed, yanking his wool over his face.
Curious, Kaz asked, “Does this have anything to do with your dry spell?”
“I mean, it’s not helping,” Lyre huffed softly. He turned to meet Kaz’s gaze, “I mean, I know that I’m the only gay guy in the guild but… could I at least just make some friends? I just… just don’t know what to do.”
Pulling his wool over his face once more, the Flaaffy was soon surprised to feel a slight weight on his shoulder. Peeking slowly, he met Kaz’s gentle face once again. “I know it may not feel like it, but they say introspection is the first step to self-improvement. And… if it helps, you’ve got a friend in me,” Kaz replied, with a cheeky smile that formed on his muzzle.
Lyre stifled a laugh at the Umbreon’s expression. Seconds later, he let out a soft breath, having felt more relaxed; as if a massive weight had lifted off of his shoulders. However, this was short-lived, as his somber visage soon returned as he worried, “I just hope that it’s not too late. I didn’t really make the best first impressions here…”
“Hey, there’s always the next step in front of where you are now. Just keep moving forward,” Kaz replied, patting Lyre on the back. He rose to his paws shortly after, making his way back to the telescope. Looking behind, he offered, “Do you wanna take a look through? There are some amazing sights to behold out there! It really does put all our problems into perspective.” The Dark-type’s rings began to glow a faint blue, and it was clear that he was excited.
The sudden beaming from the Umbreon —both literally and figuratively— gave Lyre a good chuckle as he stood up himself. “I think I’m good,” he chortled, “Don’t see what all the hubbub is about…”
It was Kaz’s turn to laugh, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. “I might be a bit biased, since I’m an Umbreon and all,” he replied, “You’re still free to stay regardless if you wanna actually hang out though, of course.”
With a nod, Lyre made his way toward Kaz’s bed. After a while of enjoying each other’s company in silence, the Flaaffy yawned and rose to his feet in a stretch, “Well, I think I’m gonna turn in for the night…”
Kaz nodded in understanding, “Alright then.”
Making his way toward the door, the pink sheep paused for a moment, “Hey, Kaz…”
Kaz’s eyes broke away from the telescope to meet Lyre’s, which was also accompanied by a gentle smile, “Yeah?”
“Have a good night, and… thank you.”
Kaz smiled back, “Don’t mention it, bud. Sleep well.”