Okay, everyone. Here is the first story out of two that I have written during Expectations when I got stuck. This poor story has been waiting very patiently in my notebook for a long time and I'm finally ready to show it to all of you. This is my first group story of the Sonic gang. It contains mainly old-school characters. Not comic series old, but like Sonic Adventure 2 old. So sorry to fans of character like Silver or Blaze. I was seriously considering to put them in here, but I really don't know much about their personalities to write about them. Anyways, I'll stop blabbing on and I'll get on with the story. Here it is, "Lost in the Woods". Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. They rightfully belong to Sega.
Chapter One
Sonic the Hedgehog lifted the last duffel bag into the back of the giant van parked right outside of his and Tails Prowler's house. The exhausted blue hedgehog slumped against the side of the van and wiped his sweaty brow. For being the fastest thing on Earth, his muscle strength certainly didn't match it.
"You okay over there?" Tails yelled over to him as he carried his laptop case over his shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm cool. I swear Amy's got bricks in her suitcase. That thing was freaking heavy."
Tails set his laptop in the back, "That's how it usually is with girls. They always manage to have the heaviest bags."
Then a shrill high pitched voice came from behind them, Amy Rose was skipping towards them. As soon as she reached them, she latched onto Sonic's arm, "Were you just talking about me, sugar muffin?"
Sonic rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I was just saying that-," then something struck him, "wait….sugar muffin?
Amy nodded. "It's my new nickname for you."
"What?"
"While I was inside, I was thinking about how over the course of the next three days your older nickname, Sonikuu, might get old. So I was looking up new terms of endearment for you."
Sonic groaned, "Oh, god."
"Yeah. I could call you sugar muffin, snuggle monkey, or cutie tootie. Which one do you like the best?"
"Can't you just call me Sonic?"
"No silly, that name would definitely not be a term that shows you my endearment towards you. I like the muffin one the best."
Tails snickered and Sonic grumbled.
Amy pretended not to notice, she looked off towards the distance and sighed dramatically, "Oh muffin, this will be so much fun. We can spend nights at the lake, snuggle up together by the fire, and take a moonlit walk in the woods,"
She squeezed his arm and squealed, "….this is going to be so freaking romantic. I gotta go write those things down in my journal so I won't forget when we get there."
She blew a kiss to Sonic, "Be right back, sugar muffin." Then jogged back towards Sonic and Tails' house.
Sonic fell back against the side of the van and scowled, "I must have been out of my freakin mind when I decided to go on this camping trip especially with her."
Tails was wiping away tears of laughter from his eyes, "Ah, I tell ya, that just never gets old."
Sonic smirked, "Oh, just wait until Cream starts calling you're her apple dumpling or something."
Tails' cheeks burned a bright pink color, "Cream would never do that and besides we're just friends." he said.
Sonic just shook his head at the bashful fox. Everyone knew that Tails had a crush on Cream and vice versa.
He glanced down at this watch and groaned, "What's taking everyone? We need to get a move on,"
Sonic and Tails had come up with the idea of taking a vacation with the gang awhile back. They had invited Amy, Cream, Tikal (one of Knuckles' cousins), Knuckles, Rouge, and Shadow, which was the hardest address to find. It seemed like everyone was always busy. Rouge was busy with running her club, Tikal and Knuckles had their business on Angel Island, and Shadow never answered to their invitations until one day, they received a call from a scruffy growling voice that agreed reluctantly to finally go. Their destination? The camping grounds at Lake Tomahawk.
"They're coming," Tails said, "Shadow's taking a taxi, Vanilla is driving Cream over. Tikal and Rouge are both taking bus."
"Wait, that leaves out someone," Sonic mentally counted all the names in his head, "How is Knucklehead getting here?"
Tails looked at Sonic, "Uh, wasn't that your responsibility?"
Sonic slapped his forehead with his palm, "Was it? Oh shit. I'll be right back then."
Before Tails could say another word, Sonic took off in a flash of blue down the path towards the direction of the secret passage way to get to Angel Island.
The hot sun of the afternoon made the forest surrounding the altar of the Master Emerald come to life. The bees and hummingbirds darted from flower to flower sucking up its sweet nectar then fluttered their quick and silent wings to the next patch. It seemed like all the living creatures on Angel Island was active and energetic. All except one.
Knuckles the Echidna was leaning against one of the large stone pillars, his eyelids falling heavy over his eyes, but somehow he managed to keep them slightly open. It was almost like he was sleeping with his eyes open. A skill he had learned to master while he was guardian of the giant emerald jewel that kept his precious island from falling straight into the ocean below.
Usually, there was no other life besides the insects and small birds that lived between the bushes and lush greenery in the woods right next the altar. Today was different. Knuckles' cat nap was short when the bushes shuttered and someone came crashing through them and up to the altar.
Knuckles opened his eyes and jumped up immediately to see this interloper to his island.
He lowered his fist when he saw Sonic the Hedgehog standing on the bottom of the steps.
"Hiya, Knuckles!" Sonic greeted cheerfully waving up towards him.
"Hey Sonic," the echidna said, "What are you doing here?"
"I know that I'm late but I was hoping you wouldn't mind too much."
Knuckles was puzzled, "Late for what?"
"Um, I was supposed to come pick you up for the big camping trip today. Remember?"
Knuckles mentally slapped himself. Of course! How could he forget? A couple of weeks ago Sonic and Tails had paid him a visit to ask him about some trip to this Lake Whatever. It didn't really matter to Knuckles because he already knew that no way in hell was he going to go.
Knuckles rubbed the back of his head and pretended to look sheepish, "Oh, um…..about that, yeah. I can't go."
Sonic's jaw dropped, "What?! Why not? You agreed to do it back when we asked you. "
"I would never agree to something like that. Come on, you know that."
Sonic walked up a couple steps towards the echidna, "Knuckles, I know you did. You probably just forgot. But you promised."
Knuckles frowned and folded his arms over his chest, "Well, I'm sorry but I guess I'm going to have to break that promise, which I still doubt that I made in the first place."
"C'mon!" Sonic said, getting frustrated, "Can't you take a break from this dumb thing once?"
"Don't call it dumb." Knuckles growled.
"What? Can it hear me or something? Are your dead ancestors gonna pop out of it and attack me?"
"I wouldn't tempt it if I were you."
"Just come with us Knuckles. Please?"
Knuckles nodded at the emerald, "Who would watch the emerald if I did?"
Sonic shrugged, "I dunno, can't you get some village kids to watch it?"
"Yeah right, like kids would have the attention span to sit around all day and watch it."
"No one has than long of an attention span." Sonic muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing," There was a short pause as Sonic sighed deeply thinking of ways to convince his friend but he knew it was almost hopeless, "I still think you could come." he said quietly.
"No, Sonic," Knuckles said firmly, "Not this time."
"There is never going to be a time for you Knuckles!" Sonic yelled in anger, "You're just gonna keep on turning us down like always, then eventually your going to rot away to nothing on these goddamn steps."
"It's my life purpose," Knuckles shot back, "Besides why would you care so much?"
"Because you're my bud! And honestly, I'm worried about you. Tails and I haven't seen you in weeks, no wait…actually it's probably been a month or so."
Knuckles said nothing and turn his head away pretending to be interested in the small honeybee that just landed on top of the master emerald.
"Look," Sonic said, backing away down the steps, "I can't force you to come, even though you did agree to….but just trust me when I say you really need this vacation."
The honeybee circled around Knuckles' head once before flying away and Knuckles still didn't respond.
Sonic frowned and turn his back on his persistently stubborn friend, "Whatever," He called out to the silent echidna, "I guess I'll see you in the next decade……hell, if I'm that lucky." Then he left.
Knuckles sat back down on the top step watching the place where Sonic had been standing and let out a huge sigh.
It wasn't like he enjoyed turning away friends but the master emerald always came first. No matter how much his conscious screamed and yelled at him to agree to go out and have fun. His loyalty to his ancestors was always stronger.
The honest truth was that he did promise to Sonic and Tails that day to go. It started as a huge argument that lasted for two hours, then to settle the whole debate, Knuckles lied and admitted that he was going to make the trip.
He sat in silence, replaying the whole scene that had just happened before him.
Then, for some crazy reason (maybe it was because of the bright sunlight and sudden burst of life around him), the guilt had overwhelmed him so much that, just 15 minutes after Sonic's departure, that he decided that he was going to do the right thing and go camping.
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Soooooo, what does everyone think so far? I hope you all like it. It's kinda crazy to put up a story about camping trips in the winter. But, oh well. I couldn't wait until Spring or Summer. I'm pretty much finished with the whole story but I still have to type them up. Anyways, leave me your opinons. I wanna hear them!
-Machiavan5757