Ice gently nudge a handful of leaves over his young companion, smiling slightly as Minny murmured in her sleep. Months had passed since her rescue and her recovery was speeding up. She looked much healthier since the day Ice found her trapped below ground. Her bones no longer stuck out from beneath her skin and she had regain much of her lost weight. Fluffy yellow fur once more topped her lively ears and rounded her body like a tutu, while her soft brown fur had its peach fuzz appearance once more.

Minny was still extremely timid, preferring to hide in Ice's fur then play outside but he was content with the recovery of his friend at this moment as was equally happy with taking baby steps while she gained her strength back. She would sleep on her own now, though much more preferred the company of her friends while she dozed off.

"Settling in I see?" 

Ice let out a slight growl on instinct as he turned to face the intruder. "What do you want Ursaring?" He snarled quietly, ushering him to take the conversation outside his cave as not to wake the sleeping baby Pokémon inside. He hadn't seen the Hibernator Pokémon in months though he was happy about that, Ursaring made Minny nervous and that was something she didn't need right now, not while she was still so frail.

"I came to once more request you join our forces." Ursaring smiled with a sly look in his eyes.

Ice flared his nose in a disgusted manner. "What makes this different to the last time, my answer is still no. Besides, I'm getting to old to fight, I'm out of practice, I haven't had a single battle since Drapion." He gave a slight shrug, glancing over his shoulder towards Minny.

Ursaring smirked at him slyly, watching in pleasure as Ice checked in his sleeping friend. "Ahh, but this time, you have something dear to you that you wish to protect do you not.?"

"I am perfectly capable of defending Minny myself." Ice argued, his nerves set on edge as Minny was brought into their disagreement. He knew Ursaring to be a very selfish Pokémon with no limits to get what he wanted so he knew that to Ursaring, Minny would not be an off groups part of their lagging argument. 

"Yes but our village has its rules Beartic. You are not Minny's carer therefore, you have no right to keep her with you." Ursaring replied smugly. "I could take her away now if I wanted to, I am after all the village leader. What I say goes around here."

Ice growled at the bear like Pokémon. "If you're planing on taking Minny away from me, you better be prepared for me to take her back. She is mine."

"I have only the child's best interest at heart." Ursaring argued with false sincerity. "How many Pokémon have you killed in your lifetime? How many more have you eaten? What makes you the best choice to take care of her when you've murdered more Pokémon in your life then I see fit you count? The villagers would agree with me if I took away your little friend and found a new home for her, what would they think if you took her away from a family much more innocent in their eyes then you are?"

"The fact that right now, I'm one of the few Pokémon she actually trusts." Ice growled. "She's been locked up for three years and any Pokémon can see how traumatised she is from that. If you want to place her, a blind Pokémon, in a family she doesn't even know, how do you think she'd react to that? Minny's still so young, she doesn't understand how that stuff works, she would be terrified. So much for her best interest." He snarled in disgust.

"Perks on being leader of the village." Ursaring smirked triumphantly. "If you refuse to join my army, Minny will be taken from you and placed in a family deemed more appropriate."

Ice glared daggers at the Hibernator Pokémon. He let out a disgusted snort, preparing to argue further but before he could speak, someone else did. "Is-s Ur-ursaring going to t-take m-me away?" Minny asked, her voice trembling as she gripped the side of the cave entrance for support. She struggled to stay standing on her weakened knees as tears gathered in her eyes.

The Beatic looked down at Minny, seeing her shaking in fear, so close to tears. He scooped up the frightened Pokémon into his arms before Ursaring could move, gently rocking her in effort to comfort his friend. Feeling Ice's familiar grip, Minny wrapped her good paw around a handful of Ice's fur.

"No, he's not." Ice glared at Ursaring who was still smirking at Ice slyly. "I would never let anyone take you from me."

"So you agree then?" He asked the unneeded question.

"On two conditions. One, Minny is mine. No one can take her from me or even threaten to do so. Two, if the village does break into war and I do fight, I want to be assured to Minny will be protected at all costs. She won't have the slightest chance of being hurt in the crossfire."

Ursaring gave Ice a sly smile. "I think I could work something out."

"No, I want you to guarantee me that Minny is mine and she will be safe if I can't be by her side to protect her." Ice snarled, holding Minny tighter in his arms. He refused to accept even the slightest chance that he would loose Minny if a war did break out.

With a lazy eyes roll, Ursaring complied. "Fine. The youngling will remain in your care and be the first priority for safety if war does break out."

Ice nodded and watched the other bear like Pokémon walk off before giving Minny his full attention. "You're staying with me, okay? I promise you're safe." He smiled slightly, nuzzling his adopted daughters chest in an assuring way.

Minny nodded slightly, hugging Ice's muzzle. "I'm s-scared Ice... D-drapion... He's building th-the army Ice." She sniffled, tears running down her cheeks as she clung on tighter to her father like Pokémon.

"Why?" He mumbled more to himself then to Minny, frowning slightly as he pulled away from her. Reentering his cave as he listened to the young Buneary.

"He... He's angry w-with yo-you. He was go-ing t-to use m-me to mmmake yo-you not fi-fight. He was go-going to te-tell you tha-that if yo-you fought in thhh-the war he-he's going to sssstart that h-he would h-hurt me-e an-and kill m-me..." Minny was sobbing by the end of it, her fears of being taken from Ice again resurfaced as she remembered the point of her abduction. "But h-he told me that-that he'd kill me anyway, ri-right where yo-you could s-see, th-then kill you af-after."

Ice was shocked by Minny's news, as she clung onto his with all her measly strength, he held her tighter in return as she sobbed lightly into his chest. He understood now why Minny was so utterly terrified of Drapion taking her back, the way he had treated her for years and the fear of being used against her closest friend would of made the young Buneary fearful of every living moment of the past three years. It would of been to much of a burden for any Pokémon to take.

"Let's go get you cleaned up, okay? I swear, I will never let him hurt you again." He soothed, lightly licking her cheek in a friendly way. Causing that baby Pokémon to cheer up, ever so slightly.

Minny gently nodded, looking up at Ice with a wish that more then anything that she could see his face one more time, even if it was that last thing she would ever see. It would have satisfied her much more then the memory of Drapion giving the fatal blow that took her sight, branded into her mind forever. "As l-let long as yo-you're with me I-ice."

"Of course." Ice replied lightly even though his face was grim. In a way, he was now glad he'd agreed to fight because now, one way or another he could do what he should have three years ago. Now he could kill Drapion for everything he had done to Minny, every scar, every hateful or snide comment and every day he had stolen from her.

He would, he would make Drapion rue the day he stole Minny's eyesight from her, the day he first took her from him and everyday she had spent at the mercy of his claws. One way or another, Drapion would die and it would be by Ice's claws as the final life he ever took. Ice promised himself that.

🌙❄🌟❄🌙
1466 words

There we have it, the end of the send book.
I still have to plan out the next one so it might take a little longer
to get up but hopefully shouldn't be to long.