This choice: She dragged him back to camp • Go Back...Chapter #5Hostage situation by: Unknown Mercedes gave the Espurr another lick and slowly dragged her tongue across his fluffy chest until it stopped at his cheek, giving her captive a clear view of the inside of her mouth. By all means she was planning on eating the little Pokemon but she suddenly realized who this Espurr was, or rather, who his parents were. They were two pedantic Meowstics that lived in the town that were obsessed with their social image in the eyes of the other townsfolk that also just so happened to be quite wealthy. During the times she infiltrated the town to purloin some goods their house stood out as being more lavish than the others but she never had the opportunity to break in.
A moment ago she was ready to clamp her jaws down and make a quick meal out of this Espurr but now a much better idea was forming in her mind; one that would end up getting her much more food. After dragging her tongue across the rest of his face she closed her mouth and smiled down at the smaller Pokemon. The Espurr mumbled as he worked up the courage to speak to her. "Are- Are you going to eat me?" He fearfully asked.
She stifled a chuckle. "No, I think I've got a better idea," she said. Releasing her paw from her captive she was happy to see that the he knew he was defeated. It was something Mercedes found happened a lot to the Pokemon she beat; they just lie still and hope she goes away, or perhaps they know resisting was futile. The Espurr let out a yelp when she batted him with a paw and made him roll over onto his belly. Mercedes leaned down and slowly whispered into his ear. "Please don't make me change my mind."
With that she bit down on his exposed neck and lifted him up. The Liepard had already formulated a plan for the lone Pokemon in her jaws as she set off for the direction of her camp. She was going to put the Espurr up for ransom! Based on what she had seen and heard of the Meowstic family they were wealthy and if they truly valued the life of their child they would definitely pay up for his release. The terms will be simple; a large sum of Poké that they could realistically pay, no contact with any other Pokemon, meeting at her desired location and a time limit of one day.
She continued wandering through the dark forest, intermittently increasing the pressure her jaws had around the Espurr's neck whenever he started to protest. The Espurr groaned as she took him deeper into the forest, unsure of where he was in relation to the town as she took bends and turns seemingly at random. Before long the light of a small campfire began piercing through the trees as she approached her camp. Being outlaws, they could not afford the luxury of a permanent residence and instead had to resort to occasionally moving their staging area. Either way, the mess of tents and equipment was what Mercedes could call home.
She could see her comrades all sitting around the campfire laughing and exchanging jokes. Around the fire were outlaws just like her; a large Serperior, a reserved Honchkrow, a brooding Zoroark and a strong Mightyena with his little Poochyena brother by his side. A flick of the Mightyena's ear told Mercedes that he heard her approaching and he was about to call out to her before he saw the mischievous look on the Liepard's face. By now the others were noticing her, too, all except the Poochyena. Silently she approached as all of them tried to continue their conversations while concealing their amusement.
Now practically standing right behind the oblivious Poochyena, Mercedes slowly eased the Espurr in her mouth forward until he was dangling right next to his face. The completely defeated Espurr was a miserable sight to behold but when Poochyena saw its large purple eyes right next to him he yelped and jumped in the air out of shock. A cacophony of laughter at his expense was triggered as he tried to compose himself. Mercedes dropped the Espurr to the ground and playfully reprimanded the shocked Poochyena. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Kip. Your brother heard me coming from a mile away."
Kip only let out an embarrassed groan before he sat back down. The laughter started to die down and the Mighyena, Harv, greeted her. "You're back, boss!" he exclaimed. "And I see you've brought a snack home?"
Mercedes gave him an innocent giggle. "No, we're not eating this one. I found him all by his lonesome and I was lucky enough to remember that this one comes from a very wealthy house. If they want him back they're gonna have to pay~"
"That's why you're the boss, boss!" the female Serperior praised. "You make the best plans."
"Mhmm," Mercedes hummed as she looked over her crew. Despite being leader the Liepard was actually the latest member of the small band of misfits. When she came across the group their leader was an Espeon that had apparently decided Mercedes was a good target to rob and in the heat of the moment she challenged him to a one-on-one fight with the stakes being leadership of the group. While he was surprisingly tough to beat, she won and decided to display her dominance in the most dramatic way she could think of; eating him alive. It was extremely difficult getting him down but in the end his struggling form was securely trapped in her belly, bulging on display for all to see.
Her intention was to single out the leader and make sure his underlings knew not to mess with her but they all took the stakes of the match to heart and warily accepted her as being their new leader. On a whim, she accepted it, too. Usually being a loner, Mercedes was out of her element but she quickly picked up how to lead the small crew and worked hard to earn their trust and respect. Now they were like a family to her.
Mercedes regarded the Espurr at her feet and spoke up. "We're going to write up a ransom letter for this little guy and get it delivered tonight. If they fail to pay up then I guess we're just gonna have to eat him." Mercedes could already see the Honchkrow, Crowley, ready with pencil and paper. "Good," she said. Sitting next to him she explained what to write on the paper; the ransom price, the location, the deadline and the terms to come alone. The entire crew was peeking over her shoulder as she proof-read the letter.
"Is that all your asking for?" the Zoroark asked. "I mean, it's a lot but couldn't we get more?"
"If we ask for too much then they'll be forced to ask for help. If they can pay for it themselves then they probably won't seek help if it means protecting their family's 'perfect' image from being tarnished and result in a quick and easy transaction with no retaliation from the guild."
The crew all hummed in understanding. "That's why you're the best, boss!" Harv cheered. Mercedes rolled the letter up and passed it to Crowley who firmly grasped with one of his talons.
"You know where to drop it?" she asked. The Honchkrow merely nodded before he took off in flight. Mercedes was confident in her plan but as any experienced leader would, she still felt worried about the outcome. Having devised numerous plans during her time as the group's leader she knew to expect the unexpected. It was entirely possible that the Meowstic family might defy her expectations and simply contact the guild that recently showed up in town but she was hoping it would not come to that. If it worked, though, she and her crew would be able to afford a whole entire feast and more!
"Now we wait," Mercedes said as she turned to the Espurr. He was sitting next to the fire with a grim expression on his face that made her almost feel sorry for him. She decided everyone would take shifts sleeping to make sure he doesn't try and run away in the night and then move to the meeting spot in the morning. What would happen after that is up to the Meowstic family.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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