Christopher Thorndyke was bored. He clicked the channels on his big screen
T.V. a blank look on his face. His new friends were all busy. Sonic was
out, running around like he always did, Amy was looking for Sonic, and
Tails was working on a new feature for the Tornado X. Getting up, he walked
out of the house, and onto the street. Chris was looking to the ground,
when he decided to visit someone he never thought of before.
"Hiya Knuckles!" He said cheerfully, causing the echidna to fall out of the tree.
"Gah!" He jumped back up and sneered, "What are you doing here kid?"
Chris shrugged and kicked a random rock, "I was just bored, and I thought I'd visit you!" He smiled brightly.
Crossing his arms, Knuckles shook his head; "I'm kinda waitin' for someone." he looked at the woods expectantly.
"Really? Who?" Chris walked up behind him, searching the woods as well.
The echidna was about to object, when a girl, a bit older than Christopher, walked towards them. She was carrying a bag full of food. A frown was on her face as she spotted a boy.
"Knuckles! Who's this guy?" She crossed her arms in annoyance.
Scratching the back of his head, he introduced the two, "Chris, Jenny. Jenny, Chris." he grumbled.
Jenny smiled and set the bag down, "Nice to meet you!" She grabbed Chris's hands in a firm handshake.
The startled boy snapped out of his stupor, and returned the gesture, "Likewise. If you don't mind me asking, but why aren't you ."
".afraid of Knux here?" She finished his sentence. "Oh believe me, I was! When I first met him." Jenny handed Knuckles the bag, and sat down on a random log.
Knuckles scowled at her for using his nickname, but promptly quieted down as soon as food was in his hands.
"If you want, I could tell you the story. It's a doozy!"
"Sure!" Chris smiled. "I have nothing else to do!"
Clearing her throat, Jenny began, "I was doing my homework, in my room of coarse, when..
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jennifer Wyvern sighed at the math problem before her. Whose bright idea was it to give her an assignment on the first day of school? Her teachers, that's who. She watched the other children play outside, longing to join them. Smacking her pencil on her desk, she stood up and closed the book. She should be aloud to have a little break, at least.
As soon as she stood up, her father walked into her room, "Jen. I need you to take the dog out. He has to go." The animal in question ran onto her bed, and whimpered in her direction.
"Fine. I still don't see why you can't so it." Jenny grumbled at her father.
"Take the damn dog out!" He turned around and stomped back down stares.
She clipped the dogs' collar, and began to pull him outside, "Geez. Ah well, at least I can get out now!" Jenny breathed in the fresh air. Even though she liked her electronics at home, outside she felt like a whole new person.
Soon, the pair were walking down the street. Kujo, her dog, was leading by a taught leash. He loved to chase things even if it was ten times his size. That was how he got his name.
Most of the kids that were playing waved to Jenny. She was not an extremely popular girl, but just liked to make friends. She had her limits, though. There was one girl she could not stand. Praying she didn't run into.
"Oh Danielle! I just love what you've done with your hair! It's so shiny!" A random girl was squealing at another. Danielle Prenscot. The person everyone wanted to be, or date. She had the looks, the money, although she lacked the charm. Even if only a few could see what she really was like.
Jennifer tried to direct her unaware pet in the opposite direction, but it was to late. Danielle and her goons had spotted her.
Snorting at her, they began their onslaught, "Is that your hair, or did someone crap on your head?" the leader jeered.
Grabbing her brown locks defensively, Jenny scowled, "I'm not in the mood today, Danny."
Most of the girls gasped. Everyone knew Danielle hated to be called by her nickname. She seemed to brush it off, but inside, the snob was boiling.
"Your hair looks like pubic hair!" The blonde snapped. A satisfactory smile was planted on her face.
Setting her coarse, Jennifer walked right past them all, but not before adding, "So does your mustache." A small smirk appeared on her lips at the stunned look everyone gave her.
Sometimes she could come up with a comeback quickly. But on other days, she could barely stand it. There were some things wrong with the world. Danielle Prenscot was one of them.
Continuing on their way, Kujo soon saw a cat. Or, what looked like a cat. It was black, and resembled an imp of some sort. It seemed to be floating. Cat or not, her dog wanted it, badly.
Kujo growled fiercely, getting its attention. The little black creature blew a raspberry in their direction, antagonizing the dog. It flew off in the direction of the park, giggling the whole way.
Jennifer tried to stop the angry animal at the end of the leash, but it was no use. The dog was much stronger, even more so since it was provoked. She was dragged into the park, much to her dismay.
They journeyed further into the park. So far, that Jenny couldn't remember ever being here before. The trees were much thicker, and there was no one to be seen. She started to worry.
"Come.on.Kujo!" Tugging with all her might, she still couldn't control her dog. He growled at thin air. The black creature was gone! It simply disappeared!
The teen girl gulped, "Uh. Maybe we should be heading home." She turned around in confusion. "Which way is home?"
Kujo, who was sniffing the ground, began on another trail. His large tail was wagging, and he seemed to know where he was going. He was part bloodhound, after all.
Jenny took one last look around, and followed her dog, "Maybe you know the way home, boy." She had the strangest feeling, like she was being watched.
Soon the two were walking down a small trail. They didn't notice a small black head pop out of a bush. Bokkun smiled, more news to tell the boss!
The dog and her owner soon reached a clearing. Kujo abruptly stopped and started to growl. His owner scanned the area, but nothing was there.
"I know one things for sure," The teen began, "This sure isn't home." She sat down, and sighed miserably. "How are we ever going to get home!?"
Just as she was contemplating this, a large red object smashed into a nearby tree. It went so fast that Jenny had thought it was nothing more than her imagination!
Knuckles winced, and climbed out of the sturdy oak. His head was killing him, not to mention the small cuts and bruises that covered his body. Jumping down, he landed on one knee it hurt to move.
Suddenly, a squat man in a metal floating chair zoomed into the clearing. He did not notice Jennifer, but had his beady little eyes on the red echidna.
"Give up Knuckles! Now, you have one more chance. Join me!"
"N-Never! I'll never join your side Eggman!"
"Fine! Then you shall perish!" Lasers popped out in random places on his hovercraft, all of them charged and aimed at Knuckles.
Out of thin air, Kujo was in the middle of it all. He jumped onto the machine, and was snapping at Eggmans face. His teeth bared, Kujo was a force to be reckoned with.
The evil genius was so startled that he deactivated the lasers, by pressing a red button. The hovercraft began to zoom in random directions, Eggman having lost control over it. The large dog tried to bite him, but missed and bit into the control panel instead.
The machine malfunctioned in a shower of fiery sparks, sending Kujo flying into a tree. The villain cursed at his unconscious body, and flew off in frenzy. His voice called back, echoing through out the forest.
"You will rue the day you ever met Dr. Gerald Eggman!"
Jenny ran to her dog's body, and held him close to her. She hugged him, and started to cry, "You stupid dog, why'd you have to go and do that!?"
Knuckles' shadow fell over her crying form. He placed a gloved hand on Kujo's neck and nodded.
"He's still alive."
And before Jennifer could utter a single word, the echidna warrior passed out, falling to the ground with a loud THUMP.
~*~*~*~*~*~**~**~*~*~*~*~*
Groaning, Knuckles woke up to yelling. He was in a room of some sorts, and on a bed with blue sheets. Struggling to move, he gasped as pain shot up his whole body. Since he couldn't move at this point, he listened to what all the commotion was about.
"What in the hell possessed you to go into the woods!?" A loud male voice bellowed.
"But Daddy." A softer one tried to reason.
"I know! 'Kujo was chasing a cat' You mean to tell me that he chased a cat, all the way into the woods, and you didn't have the right mind to stop him!?"
"I tried, but."
"Then you get lost for two hours, and when the police finally find you, the damn dog was scorched, and you were holding onto a doll for dear life!"
"Dad! He's not a doll..!"
"Don't make me send you to the loony bin girl! Get up to your room, NOW!"
"Yes sir.Ouch!"
"I said NOW!"
Jennifer stomped up the steps, and came charging into her room, rubbing her behind. Slamming the door, she soon launched herself onto the bed, and began to cry into the pillows.
Knuckles stared. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was; this girl! She must be the answer. Nudging her with his hand, he tried to get her attention.
Her head snapped up in surprise, and she squeaked. Jenny scooted to the edge of her bed, almost falling off. "Your awake!" her voice cracked with fright.
"Yeah. Can you tell me where I am?" He rubbed his sore head.
Clearing her throat, she stood up, "Your in my room." Forgetting her fear, she poked his arm, "What are you anyway?"
Wincing at her touch, Knuckles growled, "An Echidna. How'd I get here?"
"I carried you. Well, sort of. We came here in a cop car."
Sitting up, he winced again, "Great. So we're pretty far from the forest, right?"
Jenny nodded, "Yes. But why would you want to go back there? The egg guy is there!"
"Egg guy? You mean Eggman? He's a pushover!" Knuckles jumped down from her bed, and stretched.
Stepping back, the teenage girl frowned, "If he's such a pushover, then how come you almost died?"
"He caught me off guard! I was just surprised!" The echidna argued.
Shaking her head in annoyance, she held out her hand, "Anyway, my name is Jennifer, but everyone calls me Jenny."
Eyeing her hand suspiciously, the mobian grabbed it in a firm handshake. "They call me Knuckles."
Jenny started to giggle a bit, but soon stopped at the look Knuckles had given her.
"And WHAT is just so funny?"
"Your name is kinda.unusual."
"Whatever." The echidna turned away from her and surveyed the room.
Its walls were a usual white, but everything else in the room was either blue or black. She had a desk with a computer set on it. The bed that he had slept in was stacked with wolf plushies. The carpet had a lot of stains in it, but the thing that caught his eye was the bookshelf. There had to be at least a hundred books in it. They were all horror, fantasy, or comic books.
Suddenly a rumbling came from inside the room, jumping into a fighting stance, Knuckles scanned the room for danger.
Tapping him on the shoulder, Jenny giggled a bit, "Uh, Knux. Maybe I should get you something to eat.."
He nodded in agreement, and eased out of his stance. As she was about to leave, he called after her, "And don't call me Knux!"
Later on, after they both had a snack, or in Knuckles' case a meal, he explained the situation as much as he could.
"So your from another world?" The teen's eyes widened in amazement as she listened to his tale.
Knuckles, now resting on a beanbag chair, nodded "Basically. Me and some others are stuck here."
"Others!?"
"Yeah, but I don't know were they're at."
Jennifer turned upside down and stared at Knuckles, her eyes full of pity. "That stinks! You don't know where your friends are."
"Hey!" the echidna protested, "They are NOT my friends! Especially Sonic!"
"Who's Sonic?"
"A blue hedgehog, but he's not important. What's important is for me to get better and get my revenge on Eggman!"
Sliding off her bed, Jenny yawned, and looked at the clock. "Holy Cow!" She rubbed her eyes, "We've been talking all day! It's 10:30!"
Knuckles stretched, "So..?"
"I need to go to school tomorrow!" She began to undress in a hurry, but stopped and blushed. "Uhh, Knux. Could you turn around? I mean."
"Oh! Sure! Sure.And don't call me Knux!" he turned around, his cheeks turning the same shade as his fur. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot.
"Okay, you can turn around." Jenny was in bed and the blanket was up to her shin. Past the fur and animal features, Knuckles WAS a boy, and she wasn't used to having a boy in her room.
"You can sleep on the beanbag chair.'Night Knuckles." She yawned and turned to go to sleep.
"G'night Jenny."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
NO LARGE LIFE FORMS IN THE AREA
"Curse that rat! Where could he be!?" Dr. Eggman slammed his fist down onto the console. He was in a more reliable robot, and was now searching for his foe.
Bokkun floated up to the glass, and began to breathe heavily on it. The evil genius opened a hatch in the window, and invited the little black imp inside.
"What do you have to report!?"
"Hmn. Hmn. I girl took Knuckles to her house! She was the one with the BIG scary dog!" It smiled and held out its arms as far as they would go to measure the dog's size.
Smiling evilly, the villain cackled, "Ah yes. The mutt. Do you know where she lives?" he turned to his minion.
"Ye-No."
"THEN FIND OUT! I DON'T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES, JUST FIND THAT GIRL!" He bellowed at the creature, and it flew out in a hurry.
"No one challenges me and gets away with it. Especially a girl and her mutt!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Knuckles.Hey.KNUX!" Jenny shook the snoozing echidna, trying to wake him up. He was knocked out and had a snot bubble coming out of his nose.
"Hmm, wha?" He opened his eyes groggily. Their noses were almost touching.
"GAH! Don't do that!" He panicked and rolled out of the beanbag.
Giggling, the teen went to go tie her shoes. The room was dark, seeing as the sun was barely over the horizon. Blinking on her nightstand was a digital clock. The numbers stated that it was 6:27.
Rubbing his eyes Knuckles scowled. "Why'd you wake me up so early!?" he headed for his makeshift bed.
She grabbed his shoulder in a soft tug, and turned to the door, "I was wondering if you wanted to come to school with me?"
The red echidna stretched his sore muscles and rolled his eyes, "Sure, why not? I'm still to hurt to go back to the forest."
"Great! Get into my back pack!" She opened the bag happily.
"WHAT!? Oh no, no way I'm getting into there!"
Later on, as she was walking to school, he poked his head out, "I can't believe I'm in here."
Turning to look at him, she pressed a finger to her lips, "Shh! And stay down!"
Grumbling to himself, Knuckles slid farther into the bag. He scowled and shoved some books aside. As he did, his hand clasp around something soft and pink. Poking his head out once more he held out the tiny pink package under her nose.
"What's this?"
Jennifer almost had a heart attack at the sight, "Put that back! NOW!" she bellowed. Some of her classmates stopped and stared. Her face turned a deep crimson as she walked on. Maybe she should have placed her pads in another pocket.
Inside the safety of her backpack, he began to rip the pink plastic off. Knuckles stared at the fluffy cotton contraption. He tore off the adhesive tape, and stuck the bottom of the bigger half on his nose. Snuffling, he tried to pry it off his face, but it was sticking to him like glue.
"Jenny. How.Gah.Do.You.Get.This.Off!?" He fell out of her bag, caused by all his struggling, right in the middle of the hall. He still had the pad stuck to his nose, and was currently trying to get it away from him. Running around in a crazed state, Knuckles bumped into people scaring them silly.
"Ah! What is that!?"
"MONSTER!"
"It's a demon!"
".With a pad stuck to it's face.."
Smacking her forehead, Jennifer ran after him. Other people had retreated to the classrooms, in fear of the 'monster'.
She soon caught up to him and ripped the pad off of his nose. He clenched it in pain, and snuffled to see if it still worked.
"What the heck was that thing!?" his voice came out nasally.
"For punishing nosy echidnas!" She scowled and leaned against the wall. "You just blew our cover! OH! Why did I even bring you!?" Jenny was having a nervous breakdown, how could this have happened. Now everyone was going to blame her and come after Knuckles with shotguns.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up. He was looking at her with a concerned frown. Jennifer wiped her eyes. She suddenly hugged him tightly, and rested her chin on his head.
Caught by surprise, the echidna started to struggle against her embrace. He soon gave up, seeing how worried she was for him. He didn't see what the big deal was, but he felt bad for her. He had never had this feeling before. Maybe it was just gratitude for the girl. Yes, that's what it is, he thought to himself.
A rumbling sound reached their ears, interrupting the precious moment. Knuckles protected her head as the wall caved in. Sitting there in a huge robot was Eggman himself. He cackled in an evil manner.
"Aww, how touching! A rat and his wench!" That said he aimed a giant laser at the both of them. Knuckles picked Jenny up, and dodged just as he fired the gun.
Growling, the echidna turned to her, "Stay down!"
"But Knuckles!"
"I said DOWN!" Turning away from her, he snarled at the evil genius. He began to run towards him, and punched the center of the machine. A large metallic fist threw him back. Knuckles lodged into another wall across the way.
Jenny, who was watching in horror, gasped. How could this sick man do this? Her heart was full of worry, and another emotion she couldn't identify. It was probably just worry, for a friend. Yeah, that was it.
"Knuckles. If you come quietly, I'll spare your little girlfriend.." The robotic hand grabbed Jenny, none to gently, and picked her up. Bringing her up to his window, Eggman sneered.
"Well, aren't you just a pretty little thing? Give up or she dies!"
Knuckles growled under his breathe. He would never join that sick man, over his dead body! But Jenny's body was at stake, and he couldn't put her in even more danger. He had no choice.
"Knux! Don't listen to him! You've got to forget about me, my world and yours is counting on it!"
"Shut up you little wench!"
Looking up, he had made his decision. His fist clenched in anger, and he walked slowly towards them in a submissive position.
Jennifer's eyes became cloudy, "Knuckles! I haven't known you long, heck, not even two days, but long enough to know that you're a fighter! Don't give up just cause of me!"
"Didn't I say to shut up!?" Eggman threw her body hard against the ground, and turned to his echidna enemy. To his surprise, he wasn't there. Looking around for his foe, he soon located him. Knuckles was on top of the robot. Punching through the glass, the mobian leapt into it, and attacked Eggman.
Holding the obese man by the collar Knuckles snarled in his face, "Don't.You.Dare.Hurt.Her.Ever.AGAIN!" Saying what he felt, the echidna punched into the control panel, and jumped back out.
As the machine exploded, he picked up Jenny's unconscious body, and made his way to her house.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
".And here we are! My school is closed so I can visit Knux more often!" Smiling at the crowd she had attracted, Jennifer finished her story.
Sonic, who was sent to find Chris, smirked, "Man Knuckles, is this what you've been doin' this whole time?"
Knuckles crossed his arms and scowled, "Yeah, Yeah." Turning to Cream, he frowned, "What are YOU looking at floppy!?"
Her eyes became glossy, "That was the most romantic story I've ever heard!"
Amy and Tails nodded their head, "It's a really good story!"
"Romantic!?" Knuckles and Jenny looked at each other in shock. Their faces were both bright red, and they coughed in embarrassment.
Everyone started to laugh, but soon stopped when Jennifer stood up. Yawning, she looked to the sun, "Oh man! I've gotta go home! See ya guys!" As she turned to leave, she blew a kiss in a certain echidna's direction.
When she was gone, everyone stared at Knuckles, a knowing look on their faces. He looked at them all in confusion.
"WHAT!?
"Hiya Knuckles!" He said cheerfully, causing the echidna to fall out of the tree.
"Gah!" He jumped back up and sneered, "What are you doing here kid?"
Chris shrugged and kicked a random rock, "I was just bored, and I thought I'd visit you!" He smiled brightly.
Crossing his arms, Knuckles shook his head; "I'm kinda waitin' for someone." he looked at the woods expectantly.
"Really? Who?" Chris walked up behind him, searching the woods as well.
The echidna was about to object, when a girl, a bit older than Christopher, walked towards them. She was carrying a bag full of food. A frown was on her face as she spotted a boy.
"Knuckles! Who's this guy?" She crossed her arms in annoyance.
Scratching the back of his head, he introduced the two, "Chris, Jenny. Jenny, Chris." he grumbled.
Jenny smiled and set the bag down, "Nice to meet you!" She grabbed Chris's hands in a firm handshake.
The startled boy snapped out of his stupor, and returned the gesture, "Likewise. If you don't mind me asking, but why aren't you ."
".afraid of Knux here?" She finished his sentence. "Oh believe me, I was! When I first met him." Jenny handed Knuckles the bag, and sat down on a random log.
Knuckles scowled at her for using his nickname, but promptly quieted down as soon as food was in his hands.
"If you want, I could tell you the story. It's a doozy!"
"Sure!" Chris smiled. "I have nothing else to do!"
Clearing her throat, Jenny began, "I was doing my homework, in my room of coarse, when..
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jennifer Wyvern sighed at the math problem before her. Whose bright idea was it to give her an assignment on the first day of school? Her teachers, that's who. She watched the other children play outside, longing to join them. Smacking her pencil on her desk, she stood up and closed the book. She should be aloud to have a little break, at least.
As soon as she stood up, her father walked into her room, "Jen. I need you to take the dog out. He has to go." The animal in question ran onto her bed, and whimpered in her direction.
"Fine. I still don't see why you can't so it." Jenny grumbled at her father.
"Take the damn dog out!" He turned around and stomped back down stares.
She clipped the dogs' collar, and began to pull him outside, "Geez. Ah well, at least I can get out now!" Jenny breathed in the fresh air. Even though she liked her electronics at home, outside she felt like a whole new person.
Soon, the pair were walking down the street. Kujo, her dog, was leading by a taught leash. He loved to chase things even if it was ten times his size. That was how he got his name.
Most of the kids that were playing waved to Jenny. She was not an extremely popular girl, but just liked to make friends. She had her limits, though. There was one girl she could not stand. Praying she didn't run into.
"Oh Danielle! I just love what you've done with your hair! It's so shiny!" A random girl was squealing at another. Danielle Prenscot. The person everyone wanted to be, or date. She had the looks, the money, although she lacked the charm. Even if only a few could see what she really was like.
Jennifer tried to direct her unaware pet in the opposite direction, but it was to late. Danielle and her goons had spotted her.
Snorting at her, they began their onslaught, "Is that your hair, or did someone crap on your head?" the leader jeered.
Grabbing her brown locks defensively, Jenny scowled, "I'm not in the mood today, Danny."
Most of the girls gasped. Everyone knew Danielle hated to be called by her nickname. She seemed to brush it off, but inside, the snob was boiling.
"Your hair looks like pubic hair!" The blonde snapped. A satisfactory smile was planted on her face.
Setting her coarse, Jennifer walked right past them all, but not before adding, "So does your mustache." A small smirk appeared on her lips at the stunned look everyone gave her.
Sometimes she could come up with a comeback quickly. But on other days, she could barely stand it. There were some things wrong with the world. Danielle Prenscot was one of them.
Continuing on their way, Kujo soon saw a cat. Or, what looked like a cat. It was black, and resembled an imp of some sort. It seemed to be floating. Cat or not, her dog wanted it, badly.
Kujo growled fiercely, getting its attention. The little black creature blew a raspberry in their direction, antagonizing the dog. It flew off in the direction of the park, giggling the whole way.
Jennifer tried to stop the angry animal at the end of the leash, but it was no use. The dog was much stronger, even more so since it was provoked. She was dragged into the park, much to her dismay.
They journeyed further into the park. So far, that Jenny couldn't remember ever being here before. The trees were much thicker, and there was no one to be seen. She started to worry.
"Come.on.Kujo!" Tugging with all her might, she still couldn't control her dog. He growled at thin air. The black creature was gone! It simply disappeared!
The teen girl gulped, "Uh. Maybe we should be heading home." She turned around in confusion. "Which way is home?"
Kujo, who was sniffing the ground, began on another trail. His large tail was wagging, and he seemed to know where he was going. He was part bloodhound, after all.
Jenny took one last look around, and followed her dog, "Maybe you know the way home, boy." She had the strangest feeling, like she was being watched.
Soon the two were walking down a small trail. They didn't notice a small black head pop out of a bush. Bokkun smiled, more news to tell the boss!
The dog and her owner soon reached a clearing. Kujo abruptly stopped and started to growl. His owner scanned the area, but nothing was there.
"I know one things for sure," The teen began, "This sure isn't home." She sat down, and sighed miserably. "How are we ever going to get home!?"
Just as she was contemplating this, a large red object smashed into a nearby tree. It went so fast that Jenny had thought it was nothing more than her imagination!
Knuckles winced, and climbed out of the sturdy oak. His head was killing him, not to mention the small cuts and bruises that covered his body. Jumping down, he landed on one knee it hurt to move.
Suddenly, a squat man in a metal floating chair zoomed into the clearing. He did not notice Jennifer, but had his beady little eyes on the red echidna.
"Give up Knuckles! Now, you have one more chance. Join me!"
"N-Never! I'll never join your side Eggman!"
"Fine! Then you shall perish!" Lasers popped out in random places on his hovercraft, all of them charged and aimed at Knuckles.
Out of thin air, Kujo was in the middle of it all. He jumped onto the machine, and was snapping at Eggmans face. His teeth bared, Kujo was a force to be reckoned with.
The evil genius was so startled that he deactivated the lasers, by pressing a red button. The hovercraft began to zoom in random directions, Eggman having lost control over it. The large dog tried to bite him, but missed and bit into the control panel instead.
The machine malfunctioned in a shower of fiery sparks, sending Kujo flying into a tree. The villain cursed at his unconscious body, and flew off in frenzy. His voice called back, echoing through out the forest.
"You will rue the day you ever met Dr. Gerald Eggman!"
Jenny ran to her dog's body, and held him close to her. She hugged him, and started to cry, "You stupid dog, why'd you have to go and do that!?"
Knuckles' shadow fell over her crying form. He placed a gloved hand on Kujo's neck and nodded.
"He's still alive."
And before Jennifer could utter a single word, the echidna warrior passed out, falling to the ground with a loud THUMP.
~*~*~*~*~*~**~**~*~*~*~*~*
Groaning, Knuckles woke up to yelling. He was in a room of some sorts, and on a bed with blue sheets. Struggling to move, he gasped as pain shot up his whole body. Since he couldn't move at this point, he listened to what all the commotion was about.
"What in the hell possessed you to go into the woods!?" A loud male voice bellowed.
"But Daddy." A softer one tried to reason.
"I know! 'Kujo was chasing a cat' You mean to tell me that he chased a cat, all the way into the woods, and you didn't have the right mind to stop him!?"
"I tried, but."
"Then you get lost for two hours, and when the police finally find you, the damn dog was scorched, and you were holding onto a doll for dear life!"
"Dad! He's not a doll..!"
"Don't make me send you to the loony bin girl! Get up to your room, NOW!"
"Yes sir.Ouch!"
"I said NOW!"
Jennifer stomped up the steps, and came charging into her room, rubbing her behind. Slamming the door, she soon launched herself onto the bed, and began to cry into the pillows.
Knuckles stared. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was; this girl! She must be the answer. Nudging her with his hand, he tried to get her attention.
Her head snapped up in surprise, and she squeaked. Jenny scooted to the edge of her bed, almost falling off. "Your awake!" her voice cracked with fright.
"Yeah. Can you tell me where I am?" He rubbed his sore head.
Clearing her throat, she stood up, "Your in my room." Forgetting her fear, she poked his arm, "What are you anyway?"
Wincing at her touch, Knuckles growled, "An Echidna. How'd I get here?"
"I carried you. Well, sort of. We came here in a cop car."
Sitting up, he winced again, "Great. So we're pretty far from the forest, right?"
Jenny nodded, "Yes. But why would you want to go back there? The egg guy is there!"
"Egg guy? You mean Eggman? He's a pushover!" Knuckles jumped down from her bed, and stretched.
Stepping back, the teenage girl frowned, "If he's such a pushover, then how come you almost died?"
"He caught me off guard! I was just surprised!" The echidna argued.
Shaking her head in annoyance, she held out her hand, "Anyway, my name is Jennifer, but everyone calls me Jenny."
Eyeing her hand suspiciously, the mobian grabbed it in a firm handshake. "They call me Knuckles."
Jenny started to giggle a bit, but soon stopped at the look Knuckles had given her.
"And WHAT is just so funny?"
"Your name is kinda.unusual."
"Whatever." The echidna turned away from her and surveyed the room.
Its walls were a usual white, but everything else in the room was either blue or black. She had a desk with a computer set on it. The bed that he had slept in was stacked with wolf plushies. The carpet had a lot of stains in it, but the thing that caught his eye was the bookshelf. There had to be at least a hundred books in it. They were all horror, fantasy, or comic books.
Suddenly a rumbling came from inside the room, jumping into a fighting stance, Knuckles scanned the room for danger.
Tapping him on the shoulder, Jenny giggled a bit, "Uh, Knux. Maybe I should get you something to eat.."
He nodded in agreement, and eased out of his stance. As she was about to leave, he called after her, "And don't call me Knux!"
Later on, after they both had a snack, or in Knuckles' case a meal, he explained the situation as much as he could.
"So your from another world?" The teen's eyes widened in amazement as she listened to his tale.
Knuckles, now resting on a beanbag chair, nodded "Basically. Me and some others are stuck here."
"Others!?"
"Yeah, but I don't know were they're at."
Jennifer turned upside down and stared at Knuckles, her eyes full of pity. "That stinks! You don't know where your friends are."
"Hey!" the echidna protested, "They are NOT my friends! Especially Sonic!"
"Who's Sonic?"
"A blue hedgehog, but he's not important. What's important is for me to get better and get my revenge on Eggman!"
Sliding off her bed, Jenny yawned, and looked at the clock. "Holy Cow!" She rubbed her eyes, "We've been talking all day! It's 10:30!"
Knuckles stretched, "So..?"
"I need to go to school tomorrow!" She began to undress in a hurry, but stopped and blushed. "Uhh, Knux. Could you turn around? I mean."
"Oh! Sure! Sure.And don't call me Knux!" he turned around, his cheeks turning the same shade as his fur. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot.
"Okay, you can turn around." Jenny was in bed and the blanket was up to her shin. Past the fur and animal features, Knuckles WAS a boy, and she wasn't used to having a boy in her room.
"You can sleep on the beanbag chair.'Night Knuckles." She yawned and turned to go to sleep.
"G'night Jenny."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
NO LARGE LIFE FORMS IN THE AREA
"Curse that rat! Where could he be!?" Dr. Eggman slammed his fist down onto the console. He was in a more reliable robot, and was now searching for his foe.
Bokkun floated up to the glass, and began to breathe heavily on it. The evil genius opened a hatch in the window, and invited the little black imp inside.
"What do you have to report!?"
"Hmn. Hmn. I girl took Knuckles to her house! She was the one with the BIG scary dog!" It smiled and held out its arms as far as they would go to measure the dog's size.
Smiling evilly, the villain cackled, "Ah yes. The mutt. Do you know where she lives?" he turned to his minion.
"Ye-No."
"THEN FIND OUT! I DON'T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES, JUST FIND THAT GIRL!" He bellowed at the creature, and it flew out in a hurry.
"No one challenges me and gets away with it. Especially a girl and her mutt!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Knuckles.Hey.KNUX!" Jenny shook the snoozing echidna, trying to wake him up. He was knocked out and had a snot bubble coming out of his nose.
"Hmm, wha?" He opened his eyes groggily. Their noses were almost touching.
"GAH! Don't do that!" He panicked and rolled out of the beanbag.
Giggling, the teen went to go tie her shoes. The room was dark, seeing as the sun was barely over the horizon. Blinking on her nightstand was a digital clock. The numbers stated that it was 6:27.
Rubbing his eyes Knuckles scowled. "Why'd you wake me up so early!?" he headed for his makeshift bed.
She grabbed his shoulder in a soft tug, and turned to the door, "I was wondering if you wanted to come to school with me?"
The red echidna stretched his sore muscles and rolled his eyes, "Sure, why not? I'm still to hurt to go back to the forest."
"Great! Get into my back pack!" She opened the bag happily.
"WHAT!? Oh no, no way I'm getting into there!"
Later on, as she was walking to school, he poked his head out, "I can't believe I'm in here."
Turning to look at him, she pressed a finger to her lips, "Shh! And stay down!"
Grumbling to himself, Knuckles slid farther into the bag. He scowled and shoved some books aside. As he did, his hand clasp around something soft and pink. Poking his head out once more he held out the tiny pink package under her nose.
"What's this?"
Jennifer almost had a heart attack at the sight, "Put that back! NOW!" she bellowed. Some of her classmates stopped and stared. Her face turned a deep crimson as she walked on. Maybe she should have placed her pads in another pocket.
Inside the safety of her backpack, he began to rip the pink plastic off. Knuckles stared at the fluffy cotton contraption. He tore off the adhesive tape, and stuck the bottom of the bigger half on his nose. Snuffling, he tried to pry it off his face, but it was sticking to him like glue.
"Jenny. How.Gah.Do.You.Get.This.Off!?" He fell out of her bag, caused by all his struggling, right in the middle of the hall. He still had the pad stuck to his nose, and was currently trying to get it away from him. Running around in a crazed state, Knuckles bumped into people scaring them silly.
"Ah! What is that!?"
"MONSTER!"
"It's a demon!"
".With a pad stuck to it's face.."
Smacking her forehead, Jennifer ran after him. Other people had retreated to the classrooms, in fear of the 'monster'.
She soon caught up to him and ripped the pad off of his nose. He clenched it in pain, and snuffled to see if it still worked.
"What the heck was that thing!?" his voice came out nasally.
"For punishing nosy echidnas!" She scowled and leaned against the wall. "You just blew our cover! OH! Why did I even bring you!?" Jenny was having a nervous breakdown, how could this have happened. Now everyone was going to blame her and come after Knuckles with shotguns.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up. He was looking at her with a concerned frown. Jennifer wiped her eyes. She suddenly hugged him tightly, and rested her chin on his head.
Caught by surprise, the echidna started to struggle against her embrace. He soon gave up, seeing how worried she was for him. He didn't see what the big deal was, but he felt bad for her. He had never had this feeling before. Maybe it was just gratitude for the girl. Yes, that's what it is, he thought to himself.
A rumbling sound reached their ears, interrupting the precious moment. Knuckles protected her head as the wall caved in. Sitting there in a huge robot was Eggman himself. He cackled in an evil manner.
"Aww, how touching! A rat and his wench!" That said he aimed a giant laser at the both of them. Knuckles picked Jenny up, and dodged just as he fired the gun.
Growling, the echidna turned to her, "Stay down!"
"But Knuckles!"
"I said DOWN!" Turning away from her, he snarled at the evil genius. He began to run towards him, and punched the center of the machine. A large metallic fist threw him back. Knuckles lodged into another wall across the way.
Jenny, who was watching in horror, gasped. How could this sick man do this? Her heart was full of worry, and another emotion she couldn't identify. It was probably just worry, for a friend. Yeah, that was it.
"Knuckles. If you come quietly, I'll spare your little girlfriend.." The robotic hand grabbed Jenny, none to gently, and picked her up. Bringing her up to his window, Eggman sneered.
"Well, aren't you just a pretty little thing? Give up or she dies!"
Knuckles growled under his breathe. He would never join that sick man, over his dead body! But Jenny's body was at stake, and he couldn't put her in even more danger. He had no choice.
"Knux! Don't listen to him! You've got to forget about me, my world and yours is counting on it!"
"Shut up you little wench!"
Looking up, he had made his decision. His fist clenched in anger, and he walked slowly towards them in a submissive position.
Jennifer's eyes became cloudy, "Knuckles! I haven't known you long, heck, not even two days, but long enough to know that you're a fighter! Don't give up just cause of me!"
"Didn't I say to shut up!?" Eggman threw her body hard against the ground, and turned to his echidna enemy. To his surprise, he wasn't there. Looking around for his foe, he soon located him. Knuckles was on top of the robot. Punching through the glass, the mobian leapt into it, and attacked Eggman.
Holding the obese man by the collar Knuckles snarled in his face, "Don't.You.Dare.Hurt.Her.Ever.AGAIN!" Saying what he felt, the echidna punched into the control panel, and jumped back out.
As the machine exploded, he picked up Jenny's unconscious body, and made his way to her house.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
".And here we are! My school is closed so I can visit Knux more often!" Smiling at the crowd she had attracted, Jennifer finished her story.
Sonic, who was sent to find Chris, smirked, "Man Knuckles, is this what you've been doin' this whole time?"
Knuckles crossed his arms and scowled, "Yeah, Yeah." Turning to Cream, he frowned, "What are YOU looking at floppy!?"
Her eyes became glossy, "That was the most romantic story I've ever heard!"
Amy and Tails nodded their head, "It's a really good story!"
"Romantic!?" Knuckles and Jenny looked at each other in shock. Their faces were both bright red, and they coughed in embarrassment.
Everyone started to laugh, but soon stopped when Jennifer stood up. Yawning, she looked to the sun, "Oh man! I've gotta go home! See ya guys!" As she turned to leave, she blew a kiss in a certain echidna's direction.
When she was gone, everyone stared at Knuckles, a knowing look on their faces. He looked at them all in confusion.
"WHAT!?