At seven years old Gadget knew that he was a nervous kid, for he didn't have any friends at the orphanage where he lived. To the rest of the kids at the orphanage, he was just the resident freak and his ears swiveled picking up the sound of the kids next door making a lot of noise. It was then followed by one of the kids or both of them banging on the walls to try and startle him.
"They're at it again. I've tried complaining, but it didn't work."
The wolf let out a low sigh of sadness. The last time he'd asked the kids in the next room over to please keep it down he'd been given a look like he'd stepped in something dirty and the door was slammed in his face followed by muffled sounds of laughter.
The room was simple for it consisted of a window and two beds not too far apart from each other. Gadget walked across the wooden floorboards, past a bed that was covered in mechanical parts and oil stains stained the white sheets turning them black from the stains. The blanket and pillows had been moved off to the bed and in a small pile in the middle of the room.
Gadget edged his way past the discarded blanket and pillow making his way towards the window where he fiddled with the latch on the window pane and he pushed the window open welcoming the cool November air that gently blew into the room and he could see that the stars were particularly bright tonight.
Gadget looked out into the inky blackness where he spied the single star amongst the small cluster of stars that stood out against the black nighttime sky and it was the one that seemed to shine the brightest out of them all and Gadget felt a longing in his heat. In the past he'd wished on this star, he didn't want fame or money.
The one thing that the young red wolf wanted was a friend.
"Hey uh it's me again. I know that I'm a little too old to wish upon a star, but Chad and his gang went after me again and slammed me face first into a wall and they pushed me down the stairs again." Gadget winced looking down at his bandaged right arm. It still ached he felt the dull throbbing through the bandage.
He let out a low sigh closing his eyes recalling the incident which occurred earlier that day.
Gadget hummed a small tune walking along the hallway leaving the mess hall his attention was focused on the small metallic device that rested in the palm of his white gloves.
"It's almost finished. The grappling hook prototype." the wolf yawned making sure to cover his hand with his mouth like the Marton was always telling him to do when he had to yawn.
He knew that his falling asleep in class again was going to get him scolded again. And yet he was so close to finishing the Grappling hook prototype, his pet project for the last three months. He made his way up the stairs lost completely in thought.
"I stayed up late last night, but it's almost time for its first test run." Gadget's attention was still drawn to his invention in progress that he didn't look up from the Grappling hook and he bumped into something.
"Well lookie here guys it's the little freak."
Gadget's fur paled ever so slightly, he made eye contact with Chad a crimson furred maned wolf with green eyes and a short black mane residing between his ears. He wore deep grey gloves and beige hiking boots.
The second member was Mara a jackal her sharp amber eyes who gazed at Gadget hungrily was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and torn jeans. With a white mohawk between her ears. She wore white gloves and dark blue running shoes.
The last member rounding out the trio was Aster a plump dark brown furred coyote with deep blue eyes. He wore black gloves with black and gold spiked bracelets adoring his writs and he wore light green hiking boots.
Gadget swallowed nervously. Ever since he'd turned five years old he'd been the favorite target of the orphanage bullies where every lunchtime they would steal food from the other orphans, and they would sometimes even break into the other kid's rooms just to steal what little possessions they had.
"Whatcha ya got there?" Before Gadget could even respond Chad had reached out plucking the prototype out of his hands where the wolf yelped in alarm prompting Mara to step forward placing herself between her leader curling her upper lip slightly as a warning causing the young wolf to fall back.
"It looks like that it's one of Gadget's little toys." Chad sneered tossing it to Aster who caught it, looking over at Gadget the small smile never leaving his face.
"He thinks that he's gonna be some big shot inventor someday!" Aster sneered. Before Gadget could even make a move to grab his invention back from Aster only to feel Mara roughly grab him, the next thing he felt was being slammed into the wall, the force of the impact nearly knocked him senseless.
He felt his glasses crack feeling Mara's hot breath on the back of his neck. "Don't move little wolf if you know what's good for you."
Chad and Aster were laughing at the wolf's suffering Mara's hand clamping around his snout in a tight grip preventing him from calling out for help.
"Oh please everyone knows that he's weak." He heard the low chuckle from Mara she looked over at her shoulder, she saw Chad nod at her with a small grin on his face.
"I think that our little "Inventor" needs to learn how the stairs work!"
At the maned wolf's command Gadget, was pushed down the stairs tumbling head over heels, his body colliding with the hard wooden stairs he heard a sharp crack in his right wrist the bones snapping inside of it pain flooding through the young wolf's body as his ordeal lasted a couple of more minutes before he came to a stop lying crumpled at the bottom of the stairs in a bruised heap.
The sharp prick of tears forming at the corner of his eyes from the pain of his right wrist and he tried to move it only to yelp in pain.
Something was thrown to the bottom of the stairs colliding with the ground. Gadget slowly lifted his head up through his blurry tearstained eyes lay the remains of the broken prototype of his grappling hook.
"No all of my work."The wolf whimpered hearing the cruel laughter of his tormentors from high up above.
"Have nice trip see ya next fall!"Chad's voice called down. "Oh, and don't you even dare tell anyone about this, because if you do..." the threat hung in the air and Gadget didn't need to see the look of anger on the maned wolf's face and he could do was nod pitifully.
The sounds of their footsteps at the top of the stairs faded away leaving the poor wolf lying battered and bruised. He tried to move his arm only to feel a sharp pain coursing through his right wrist prompting a yelp of pain.
What followed next was one of the worst things in his young life. He heard the sound of one of the orphanage staff running over to where he was exclaiming in shock at the bruised and battered young wolf who silently sobbed at the loss of his prototype, thus resulting in three months of work down the drain.
Gadget shook away the memory. There was no good in dwelling on the past. The cool breeze felt soothing on his face easing his bruised body.
According to the nurse, his right wrist was broken for he was lucky to be alive after being pushed down the recovery time for his broken wrist to heal fully would be six weeks.
"Can you please tell me who did this to you Gadget?" The nurse questioned him. He slowly closed his eyes trembling with fear. He couldn't tell anyone. He knew that Chad wasn't bluffing that the next time he went after Gadget it would be worse.
The cool night air drew Gadget out of his train of thought looking up towards the sky again.
"Look I know that you're up there doing starry things, but I'm not going to burden you. I just want to wish for a friend." Gadget let out a low sad sigh closing the window and he slowly made his way back to his bed where his gaze fell onto the other vacant bed in the middle of the room.
"I know that I've asked you a couple of times, but please make it happen this time?"
A pair of voices could be heard coming from the hallway causing Gadget's ear to swivel around catching the sound.
He closed the window hurrying across the room. There was a new arrival that'd just arrived at the orphanage today. There was a small hope that maybe the star had heard him this time he would have someone to share the room with. He inhaled deeply feeling his heart racing with excitement placing a hand on the door inhaling deeply pressing his ear to it.
"Eeeww I have to share a room with that freak? No thanks!"
Gadget pushed the door open ever so slightly to see a young bear girl clad in some denim jeans and a red shirt over her skinny frame a mop of brown hair on her head glaring at the Matron a middle-aged cat with faded lime green fur scowl ever so slightly folding her arms over her chest narrowing her eyes at the young bear girl.
She made her displeasure known towards the bear's attitude. Everyone knew she was a figure of authority in the orphanage and Gadget knew that she tried her best, but there were some kids that not even she could control by words alone.
"He is not a freak dear and that is quite rude." Gadget shut the door and he felt the familiar sting of the tears that started to creep down his face, leaning his back against the door sighing sadly the disappointment nearly overwhelming him.
Gadget had lived in this orphanage his whole life; no one would tell him who his parents were, any potential adoptive parents had taken one look at him rejecting him instantly, breaking his heart even further.
"No wonder mummy and daddy gave me up." It was the truth. According to the owner of the orphanage, he'd been found on the orphanage's doorstep as a baby wrapped up in crimson blankets and a single note had been pinned to the blanket with a name "Gadget."
"They're right. I am a freak, useless and I'm a coward."
"I know that the star's not listening." Gadget said letting his head droop down pushing himself up off the floor making his way to the bed pulling back the sheets getting out of his bed making his way over to an old poster of Sonic the Hedgehog hanging on the wall.
Sonic the Hedgehog says don't give up on your dreams! Keep moving forward! The poster blared.
"For all my short life I've dreamt of being a famous hero, like Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Tails Prower, Amy Rose and Knuckles the Echidna."
Gadget felt the crushing realization that he would never have someone in his room to talk with to laugh and to swap stories. He'd been following accounts of the world famous Sonic the Hedgehog ever since that first renowned clash against the mad scientist Doctor Eggman.
His most treasured possession was a newspaper clipping about Sonic's latest victory over the notorious Doctor Eggman clipping had been given to him by the Matron as a present for his fifth birthday.
"What would I give to be a famous hero, just like Sonic."
Meanwhile far out in the desert past Green Hill a single figure trudged through the cool desert sands at night at a fast pace his breath came out in short gasps risking a glance back over his shoulder at the distance they had traveled wherein the distance he could barely make out the tall rocky outcroppings that made up the spires of his village.
The young jackal came to a stop panting for breath a pair of mismatched eyes gazed up at the sky as the moonlight beamed down through the clouds lighting up the sands all around him. He looked down at his sides scowling at the stripeless fur. He curled his muzzle cursing whatever screwed up genetics that ran in his family's bloodline, which resulted in the lack of stripes on his body.
'This is the worst birthday ever." In the days leading up to his birthday despite ignoring the insistence from his Aunt that his stripes would come in time, he'd tried various ways such as buying a tonic from a shady fox which resulted in him being violently sick for the last two days much to his siblings' amusement.
"I'm not going to fail this trial. I'm not weak; I'm not weak."
The young jackal looked back disdainfully at the village again he'd just left earlier that evening when the sun had just started to go down. The trial that his father had set him was simple.
All the young jackal had to do was to cross the desert in a single night with no food and no water. Every young jackal had done this trial according to his father for there was no room in the jackal clan for weakness or deformity which meant that he'd been looked down on because he had a blue eye and it didn't help that his tail was slightly bigger then all of the other jackal's tails were.
"It's a tough test. One that only that the strongest of jackals can pull off." The young jackal let his mind wander back to earlier that afternoon where his father covered in many battle scars led the young jackal across the village to the village's entrance flanked by a pair of older jackal pups who bore their stripes proudly.
Saharais was known as a travel hub, and an assortment of jackals, foxes, wolves, and coyotes was said to have made their home in the harsh desert landscape.
"What happens to those that can't cross the desert and reach Green Hill Zone when the sun rises?"
An older female jackal who merely scowled at him she held out a hand preventing with a younger jackal pup with a green bandana wrapped around his ears trying to reach his older brother with something akin to fear and sadness in his eyes.
"Tell him, Cassius. If that little freak dies so be it."
"They die. As so should weak pups who stripes don't appear when they turn ten years old. Cassius sneered casting a look back at the younger jackal pup who fell against his mother's side with a whimper, where she kept her face emotionless ushering Kaito away from his potentially doomed half-sibling. "Well see if Kaito undertakes the trial when he's ten years old."
Zerinn's mother had died shortly after giving birth to his older siblings, and Zerinn was the youngest of the litter. Soon after his mother's death, Cassius had married Kaito's mother who worked as a barmaid in a local bar.
A couple of years after they'd married later when Zerinn was three years old she had given birth to a single pup, and she had named him Kaito.
"You're his half-brother and stop that whimpering!" A sharp slap signaled Kaito's struck followed by a pained jackal pup's howl. Zerinn flattened his ears a low growl escaped from his muzzle. No one, not even that bitch Sera ever hurt the one member of his family that he genuinely liked.
"I'll cross the desert in a night and make it to Green Hill Zone before the sun rises, I'll show you that I'm not as weak as you keep on saying I am."
"Oh, we'll see about that Zerinn. "Cassius informed his son, the small cruel smirk that appeared on his snout the sun was going down and Zerinn edged around his father aware, his two older siblings stepped closer to him leveling a pair of spears right at his chest.
"I'd get going if I were you."
"Get going little brother." His older sister said in a singsong voice.
Zerinn shook away the memory. No his father was wrong. He wasn't weak. He was strong. He was about to prove that to everyone. He was almost there; he looked up at the moon high up in the sky for he judged that it was close to two in the morning. The green hills were just in sight, and he couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"Okay, I'm almost at Green Hill Zone," Infinite said inhaling before he broke into another run. Zerinn ran across the desert sands kicking up small clouds of sand the wide smile was on his face for he felt the sand give way to the smooth, soft grass that was underneath his feet. "I'm almost there."
He then felt the first wave of exhaustion hit him slowing to a stop bending over his mouth was open panting forcing oxygen into his oxygen-starved lungs, his muscles screamed in pain from exhaustion.
He ignored the growl of his stomach rumbling in hunger along with his dry, parched throat. The faint trails of sweat ran down through his fur; he collapsed lying on his side looking up at the moon. The white glow shone down on him. His mind had to be playing tricks on him for it looked like that a star appeared to be shining brighter than usual?
"I did it. I crossed the desert in one night." Zerinn said resting on the sweet-smelling grass for he could no longer fight the wave of exhaustion that swept over him before he felt his eyes beginning to close for he was on the verge of unconsciousness.
"I'm not weak. I proved you, wrong father."
With a triumphant smile on his face, Zerinn finally succumbed to exhaustion the last of his strength giving way to the warm blackness that rushed up to greet him.
The dog sighed in irritation sweeping her torch beam over the green grassy grounds where she rubbed her temples. Being a night guard for the Park Avenue orphanage was hard work as it was, but it was a way to put food on the table as her parents used to saying.
She swung the torch around looking for any kids that were attempting to run away from the orphanage to cause mischief and trouble in the surrounding town.
"I just had to lose at Poker. " The dog growled to herself taking careful steps in the area. She lifted her torch carefully swinging it around. "Who would be crazy enough to be out this late in the middle of the night?"
The dog's question went unanswered for soon the golden glow of the torch picked up the limp form of the jackal that lay so still his thin sides rose and fell with uneven breaths.
"Oh, my Chaos! I don't believe it!" the Nightguard fumbled for her radio as she grappled with it raising it to her ear.
"Park Avenue orphanage come in. I've found a young jackal pup, who appears to be no more than ten years old in Green Hill Zone." The dog listened gauging the still jackal's still form. "I'll bring him to the orphanage."
The dog raced forward placing a hand gently on the young jackal's ribs feeling them rise and shrink with slow, steady breaths. "The Jackal appears to be dehydrated, and I don't think he's had any food yet."
She reached for the small bottle of half drunk water, and she gently poured it into her hand the cooling liquid gently dripping onto the jackal's muzzle who let out a low moan opening his eyes where he tried to push himself up only for a gentle had to push him down. She could see that the jackal was shaking so slightly from the cold since it didn't look like that his adult coat had come in yet, she wrapped him up in her jacket keeping Zerinn warm.
"Easy, here you need to drink." the bottle was placed on Zerinn's lips and he swallowed greedily feeling the cold water slipping down his throat licking his dry lips to moisten them.
"Do you have some more water?" Zerrin croaked letting out a single cough. His instincts screamed at him not to accept anything from a stranger. He needed to drink soothing his parched throat.
"I have no more water." The crackle of the static caused her to prick her ears reaching for the radio cradling it in her hand. She held it in the palm of her hand seeing Zerinn watching her warily his head sagging with exhaustion.
"Copy that Rosa. We've informed the Matron that you're bringing in the young jackal." The voice on the radio spoke in an authoritative voice where Rosa nodded bending down to gather the small pup in her arms as she carefully hefted him off the ground making sure to support his head. The young jackal was unconscious again, the only sign that he was still alive was the rise and fall of his chest.
"Easy little fella. You'll be safe soon." Rosa spoke assuring herself and the unconscious jackal. She looked over at the small hill that bordered Green Hill Zone and the desert regions of Saharais where the jackals were said to roam. It was strange. Jackals rarely ventured from Saharais' borders. It was very odd to find a jackal pup all alone out here.
She took a closer look at the jackal's fur to her knowledge jackal pups didn't usually get their stripes in until they were ten years old and if they didn't then, there was a barbaric trial traveled across the desert in an attempt to reach Green Hill Zone.
She'd remembered seeing the bodies of the jackal pups who'd succumbed the harsh cold nights of the desert. She'd heard stories from her colleagues who'd had to bury the dead jackal pups out in the cold sands.
"You poor thing." She mumbled tucking her coat around the young jackal pup, gently massaging him with one hand to try and warm him up at least.
Rosa said walking away making sure to secure Zerinn beginning to make the long trek back to the Park Avenue orphanage. Under the glow of the moon a star that seemed to shine brighter then any other, no one had any idea that two very different Mobians's lives were now on a collision course and all because of one wolf's little wish.
Disclaimer I do not own anyone since everything is copyrighted to Sega/Sonic Team.
A/N This little fic based on a theory that was floating around the internet and the general gist of this theory was that the Avatar and Infinite knew each other and I really liked this theory, and then Forces came out, and it was debunked. I do have some headcanons for Gadget, Infinite and the rest of the Jackal Squad.
A couple of my headcanons that I have for Gadget is that he invented the grappling hook pistol himself and he was bullied a lot when he was a kid.
For those who are wondering why I went with Zerinn for Pre Infinite's name, it's because I couldn't decide whether to name him Finn who is the most common name I've seen for PreInfinite or to go with his prototype name Zero in early development for Forces I opted to combine the two names.
This is going to be a standalone story which is going to tie into the Illusionary resistance which will be coming within the next week.
So the idea that Zerinn's parents were abusive was based on a conversation I had with ToxicSpeka. They had some cool headcanons about jackal society, and I liked them.
Zerinn and Gadget are going to meet in the next chapter, and I have plans for them both.
Thoughts and reviews are very much appreciated.