Past Unknown
Chapter One: Shadows in the Dark
The Darkness surrounded him, and for what it was worth, he enjoyed it. It wasn't just being in the darkness, but the fact that it hid him well from the three teenagers he was watching. He had followed them from the time they had left the serene Great Forest, and then inside the pyramid that was now considered Ancient, but still held many secrets and spoke of many dangers.
The three in front of him did not sense him, or so he thought. Gradually, one turned to face the dark corner he was hiding in. He smirked as he slid further into the shadow of the Ancient cracked pillar he was cowering behind.
She was the only female in this little group. She was a hedgehog, with light tan fur and sharp emerald eyes. She was muscular and had the look of a warrior, unafraid of danger.
The torches that sizzled and popped around her made her look darker then she really was. His smirk turned into a grin as he slid farther against the wall. If the torches made her darker, then it made him almost invisible.
"Nicole? What's wrong?" He heard a deep male voice say.
He snarled as a crimson red echidna with soft violet eyes and a muscular form approached the hedgehog named Nicole.
She turned from the corner she had been watching and studied her best friend. "Hey, I just thought I saw something weird." She replied, once again looking at the corner.
Knuckles shrugged at her. He let his eyes roam over the pyramid, which held fragments of his past that he didn't recognize. Some walls that were more then a thousand years old held petroglyphs of Echidnas that were farming, welding, and using Chaos energy. To the echidna who didn't remember much about his past and who had always grown up guarding the Floating Island, this troubled the 17 year old and left him deeply puzzled.
He glanced back down at Nicole, who was still studying the corner. "This whole place gives me the willies, and what kind of weird are you talking about?" He asked, shuddering slightly.
Nicole turned back to him. "Ever feel like your being followed by something or someone? You can't see them, but they can see you? I mean, in that corner, behind that cracked pillar I feel like I've been watched and hunted." She said, pointing.
The figure watching them gritted his teeth and tried to press himself tightly against the wall. So she had sensed him. This caused fear and delight to course through his system. It meant that Nicole could help him, but the choice was to reveal himself and face danger or keep hidden and wait.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard pounding sneakers and a loud voice yell, "Hey you two! You coming or what?"
He winced at the all too familiar hedgehog. He was bright blue with green eyes and fast speed. He was 18 and he was ever famous. Sonic the Hedgehog slid to a stop before Knuckles and Nicole. He grinned at them, before he noticed how unsteady Knuckles looked.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing, we're coming. Nicole just felt weird that's all." Knuckles replied.
Sonic grinned at Nicole. "Nicole's very weird herself. So what's got you bugging this time?"
She smirked at him sarcastically and said, "Ha. You're a funny hog. Anyway I feel like we're being followed."
Sonic sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "This pyramid has a lot of weird vibes. I'm sure it's your imagination." He said.
Knuckles turned to glare at his companion. "Yea and I'm Robotnick. Can we just go? If Nicole's right and we are being followed, I don't want to wait to find out what it is."
Sonic looked at his friend curiously. It wasn't like Knuckles to be snappish or cold, he was always patient and up for new adventures.
"Okay Knux. You lead, we'll follow." Sonic replied not pushing the issue. Knuckles nodded and headed down a tunnel that was as black as night and facing them like a monster about to eat its prey.
"What's with him?" Sonic asked Nicole, as she took one last long look at the corner.
"The Pyramid's bothering him. Not only does it give off weird vibes, but it's puzzling him, because he doesn't know much about his ancestors." She replied, as Sonic guided her into the mouth of the tunnel.
"I understand. We better catch up; I don't want him to far ahead."
Nicole nodded and broke into a soft jog, Sonic behind her.
Behind them, visibly sighing with relief was the figure. Worthless as Sonic was, he still came in handy when it came to distracting people. The figure quietly slipped out from behind the pillar and looked at the mouth of the tunnel.
He decided not to follow them in; for fear that there would be nowhere to hide should he be discovered. However, he did know where to go to meet them once again, and this time Nicole wouldn't get away.
Quickly he turned right, starting off in a dead sprint towards a place that he only knew. He was highly unaware that while he was watching and hunting, the hunter was now being hunted.