~Chapter 2- Hopper~
Aero and Corri mounted Rojo and took to the skies, it wasn't long until they entered the Chihuahua's 'territory'. A particularly treacherous valley where few treaded. There was small dilapidated home of stone that appeared to have been abandoned for years. Aero couldn't help but think the house looked familiar.
Near it was the beast.
A beast of grey and white hair, the great tail-less canine was splayed out on the ground with its thin legs outstretched. It was sleeping, its body lying against the home. The Chihuahua was nearly as large as the house and could've easily destroyed it if it wanted to. But it seemed to be guarding it.
Temp and Jirro rode atop Kelvin through the dry plains, stopping at an outcropping of rock, out of sight of the beast. Aero and Corri descended down to them. Kelvin was growling lowly; it could sense the Chihuahua over yonder.
As Aero looked around the valley, he had an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It seemed recognizable to him.
"Doesn't this place look familiar?" Aero asked Corri and Jiro.
"Not really," Corri answered.
Jirro looked around for a moment, Aero could tell it was clicking with him as well, "Yeah... It actually does. Sort of like that place we used to live before Platt Mountain."
"We used to live somewhere other than Platt Mountain?" Corri asked, she began to look around and started to feel a similar sense of familiarity.
"Yeah, a couple years ago we moved. You were pretty young and might not have remembered."
Temp questioned, "Why did you move?"
Aero paused before answering, "Our dads said we had to for some reason. I don't remember why."
"That's not really important now is it?" Jirro asserted, "The good thing is that it's asleep already. We might be able to take it out without it noticing us."
Corri couldn't help but interject, "Do we really need to kill it? Maybe we could try and scare it off instead?"
Jirro peered over at the sleeping beast. It was snoring loudly, "I don't think so. If we scare it off it could come back. That's no good for the people back at the town."
Corri frowned, "I'm not helping then."
Temp put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry! With how strong your brother and cousin are, they could probably kill it in one blow. It won't feel a thing."
Corri scowled at the thought.
All while the three were talking, Aero had been staring at the Chihuahua and the decrepit home it slept by. The dog was waiting for something. His heartbeat quickened when he made the connection. It was waiting for someone.
While the others were coming up with a plan to sneak up on it, Aero began to make his way towards the Chihuahua alone.
He walked through dry grass towards the home, and the Chihuahua's nose began to twitch. It's eyes barely opened, and at the sight of Aero it stood and growled. Its legs were so long and lanky that Aero could walk in between them. Its pointed ears shot up. Despite its aggressive stance, Aero drew closer.
"What're you doing?!" Jirro hollered from a distance.
The Chihuahua emitted a high pitch bark and charged. In any other situation Aero would've braced himself, maybe used a Focus Burst on the beast. But he knew the dog wouldn't hurt him.
The Chihuahua hopped into the air in front of the black haired boy, knocked him onto his back, and bared its sharp white fangs for him to see clearly. Even as it growled at him, Aero was unafraid. He was even smiling. Now that he had a close look at the beast, he was sure of it who it was.
The others rushed to Aero's rescue, but there was no need. The beast's face lunged forward at Aero, not with fangs but a large tongue. The Chihuahua licked him affectionately and nuzzled its nose against him. Aero giggled like a child.
Aero reached around the dog's face and scratched it just behind the ear, and the beast fell to its side comically.
Aero smiled big, "I knew it was you!" He circled around to the Chihuahua's white haired belly and scratched it, and its hind legs began to kick involuntarily in reaction to it. The Chihuahua nuzzled against Aero excitedly.
The others slowly approached. As soon as the Chihuahua noticed them it circled behind Aero and snarled at them. It looked as if it was hiding behind him. "It's okay bud," Aero said while reaching up to scratch it under its chin, "They're friends!"
Jirro gave a perplexed look, "How did you do that?"
Aero gave a great big smile, "Don't you remember? It's Hopper!"
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In age 983 a small litter of Chihuahuas were born in the Saran Plains. At birth they were small and defenseless but once they reached adulthood they became a force to be reckoned. But they were unruly and fickle beasts, even hyenas weren't so temperamental. People didn't take kindly to them.
Hunters knew if they grew to full size, they'd be a threat. They found the Chihuahuas and eliminated them. All but one, the runt of the litter. The small dog wandered through the Saran Plains on its own, struggling to survive. Until an 8-year old boy of black hair found it and begged his father to keep it.
One day when the small dog managed to hop from the ground to their roof, the boy decided to name it Hopper. Over the months it grew immensely, until the father demanded that it stay outside. The boy decided that it'd sleep outside with the dog, despite his father's protestations.
At the end of age 983, the father decided it was time for them to move. When the boy asked why, he refused to answer. The boy fetched Hopper to come with him, but the father insisted that the dog stay.
"He'll draw too much attention to us," he said.
The boy begged and cried to keep Hopper, but the father didn't waiver. One day one Hopper awoke to check on its boy, they were gone. The boy's entire family had left. Hopper was certain it would be back. So it waited. The Chihuahua sat near the home and waited for its boy to return.
Days passed. Months. Then years, until the house began to weather away. The dog continued to wait by what remained of it. Many others came along, but Hopper wouldn't allow them to trespass on that land. The nearby townsfolk didn't take kindly to its temper and set a bounty for anyone who could kill Hopper.
In age 988, another group came to its domain. Hopper was prepared to defend its land. But one of them approached Hopper alone, this one had a familiar scent to it, and unlike the others didn't seem to harbor any ill intent against him. Once Hopper got a closer look and saw that rough black hair it knew that its boy had finally returned. Aero was back.
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