Fragment 1: Bond

The quiet of a hospital at midnight is a strange kind of quiet. The nurses were buzzing about, tending to overnight patients. Some doctors paid special attention to a patient who, for the moment, was unable to sleep. Others gathered around in the break room drinking coffee and cracking bad medical jokes. The providence of Mesherbi on the planet Mobius was the same as any other.

Quite suddenly, a long dark limo purred up to the curb outside the hospital. The receptionist, a lilac monkey, popped the bubble she'd made her gum into and turned the page of her fashion magazine, but didn't look up.

A teenage chipmunk with bright brown eyes and fluffy orange-tinted fur tapped his finger on the bell in front of the receptionist impatiently. "What?" The receptionist was finally obligated to answer.

"There's…there's been…" The chipmunk panted. "Children…five…hurt…bad…dying," he breathed. "Do…you…have…room?"

"Beat it, squirt," the receptionist growled. "Before I have to call the cops on you. This is a hospital, not a casino."

"I'm afraid this is no joke," A tall, inky black wolf with ocher eyes wearing only a gray pinstripe jacket and tall black boots walked through the door and leaned on the counter before the receptionist. "We've really got two injured five year olds with us."

The receptionist nearly howled as she set eyes upon the black wolf. "L…Lord Kinder! I hadn't expected you to…!"

"It's fine," Chuckled Kinder in his deep voice. "A room for the boys…?"

"Oh, yes!" The receptionist shuffled through folders on her desk, discarding her magazine and gum. "I'll call Doctor Kyle and arrange it right away, Lord Kinder!"

"Please call me Kinder, miss," Added Kinder calmly.

"M…Master Kinder!" The chipmunk stuttered. "T…That's s…so un…unwise, s…sir,"

"It'll be all right," Kinder stole a glance at his muscular bodyguard outside, standing gloomily by the limo doors. From here, you couldn't tell that the massive albino gorilla held in his arms two injured boys of five. "Robin, you can tell Buter to bring the boys in now."

The chipmunk nodded hastily and ran outside, his tail bouncing behind him. In what seemed like a second during which Kinder had glanced down his arm at the nasty claws placed there, Robinson the chipmunk had returned, the massive gorilla Buter following dauntingly. He stopped beside his master, the white fur stained with the children's blood.

"How are they?" Questioned Kinder without daring to look at the boys.

"Kinder, my lord and friend," the deep voice of the gorilla echoed throughout the hospital, drowning out the elevator music. "They've lost so much blood. And Athena's boy…what's his name…he's far worse off."

Kinder wondered if he was strong enough to look upon the boys. "Yes…Athena's boy…" He mused, looking both boys over lovingly. One was a blue hedgehog, the other was a green hawk; both had severe blows dealt to their chests and were bleeding like mad. The blood made him crazy and he looked away, noting that the hedgehog was so scrawny and weak. "And…the other?"

"A child of Lord Luderick, former ruler of Sunshine Providence, sir. A good friend of mine, sir…" he trailed off.

"I'm so sorry, Buter," Kinder pleaded. "I don't know how I could ever allow…"

"Gentlemen?" An elderly squirrel in doctor's attire appeared before them, twitching his pointed ears and flashing his rust-colored fur. "The boys?"

Kinder nodded gravely, facing towards his boy instead of facing his bodyguard and Buter handed the children to the doctor.

"Good. Do we know anything about them? Maybe call their parents…"

"Treatment first," pushed Kinder nervously. "Then, I'll tell you everything I know about them."

"Very well," The squirrel seemed suspicious, but didn't press and Kinder let out a sigh as the boys were taken away.

"M…Master?" The chipmunk scrambled after Kinder as the wolf lowered himself into a chair.

"I'm…I'm fine, Robin," the wolf in his late twenties flashed a smile at his boy. The pearly white fangs had a faint pink tint… "Go get me some red wine from the limo, please."

"Right away, Master," Robin nodded obediently and hurried away to fetch it.

"Robin didn't see anything, right?" Kinder asked in a rushed whisper as soon as the boy had departed.

"Not a thing," answered Buter gravely. "I made sure he was out of sight, my Lord."

"Good. He has such a kind heart," Kinder sighed. "I wouldn't want him to see me like…that." He shuddered.

"Yes, my Lord," Buter's monotonous tone boomed once more through Kinder's ears as he gave himself to thoughts of a more peaceful time and place.

The hawk chick stirred slightly and awoke. The purity of the white hospital walls made little sense to him. The fact that he was bandaged and had tubes stuck in him made him even more confused. He tried to sit up, but screeched instead and fell backwards, breathing hard. His chest was bandaged for good reason! It hurt him like mad, even to breathe!

He regulated his breath slowly and inched up on his elbows. Pain was subsiding now and he looked about him. On the far side of the room were two chairs, ugly and plastic. It was far from what he was used to, that much he remembered. But he could recall nothing else, however.

The door opened and he became alert. Through the door entered an inky black wolf in a pinstripe jacket. His eyes glowed golden as he entered. The chick eyed the claws and uttered something like a bird version of a snarl.

The wolf heard. "Hostile, aren't we, Master Jet?"

Yes, Jet remembered the "Master" title before his name, which was Jet. Now he remembered. But, why did he feel that this wolf should be his mortal enemy? He bird-snarled again angrily.

The wolf chuckled and crossed to the bed beside him. Jet noticed that another boy was in this bed; a poor boy, whose chest was more… injured then his; bandaged a whole lot more than his. His shoes were an ugly brown color; worn, with many moth holes in them. "Such a violent child, who would want to adopt you?" He mused. "You being what you are…"

"Shut up," Jet bird-hissed. "My father will have your head…"

The wolf winced. "Your father is dead. That's the reason you're here," The voice was resigned, quiet.

"You liar…?" Jet wondered at this. Perhaps it was true; he was all alone now.

"Hmm. This boy, too, is alone. Be bonded to him." The wolf talked again, ignoring Jet. "A product of an unwanted physical affair; a bastard." He chuckled. "The mother was so kind. She could've strangled him when he was born, but she loved him; gave him a name that would honor him; honor her." He shook his head. "She's gone now, too." Silence. He went to touch the boy. "Don't you care?" His claws almost touched the hand of the boy…

For some reason, Jet found himself dashing through the air in a sort of glide; his fastest way of transportation. In an instant, he was in front of the hedgehog kit, burning eyes focused on the wolf. He screeched to keep the hand away, which woke the hedgehog.

He seemed to have the same fear of the wolf as Jet did and hissed angrily. It sounded weak and forced and the child bent up over himself in pain; eyes wide and dark with fear. His hand was clamped firmly over a small trinket attached to a gold chain.

"Ah," the wolf leaned forward, past Jet. The hawk cried out again and bit down hard with his beak. "Ouch!" The wolf exclaimed. "You find out what his name is, then."

"How?" Jet asked.

"Get that trinket from his hand." Answered the wolf lightly, his mouth over the small wound on his arm.

Jet turned towards the poor boy. "Let me have that."

The poor boy shook his head firmly, but this effort made him dizzy. Oh, how the bandages slipped off his thin frame! For some reason, Jet pitied the poor boy. He glanced over towards his own bed. Unknown to him, there had been two mugs of hot cocoa.

Still eyeing the wolf wearily, Jet gently pulled the tray across the table towards him and stuck a finger in each one. Both were still warm, but one was a pinch warmer then the other. In a flash, Jet had it in his own hands and offered it to the shivering poor boy. "This will warm you up."

The poor boy cocked his head and gingerly reached out towards it with the clasped hand. Jet gently grasped the small hand in his own, slightly larger hand. It was cold like snow. "No you don't. We'll trade." He held up the mug. "This, for that thing in your hand,"

The wolf snorted in amazement as the poor boy let go of the trinket in the chick's hand, eyes wide and expectant and Jet handed over the mug of cocoa. "Shrewd, very shrewd," Kinder noted, mostly for his benefit. He was beginning to like the chick! "Now, will you let me have it, Jet?"

Jet shook his head. "No. This is important to the boy. I won't give it to you!"

The wolf snarled. "Why, you little…!"

Jet kept a firm grip on it. "I'll tell you myself if you want to know his name so badly!"

"You can read?" The wolf backed up, resigned.

"Of course!" Jet slowly opened the trinket, a heart pendant. "There's one thing here; Sonic." He sounded the word out.

"Sonic, huh?" The wolf chewed this over while the poor boy looked up at his name, then lovingly at Jet.

Jet closed the trinket. "Here," he gave it back to Sonic. "You can have it."

Sonic returned the empty cocoa mug. His expression seemed to regret there was no more. "What's wrong?" Jet questioned worriedly. Why did he suddenly feel like he'd known Sonic all his life? Then, it hit him; Sonic was a poor boy. He'd probably had little or no food in a long time. Why he hadn't guessed at first sight he was unsure of, but the boy seemed hungry. He took his own mug of cocoa. "Here," he handed it to the boy. "You can have mine, too."

Eagerly, Sonic took the mug. The cocoa was cold by now, but he didn't seem to mind. Jet looked upon him with love and then at the wolf. He was smiling.

"Yes," he breathed. "Just as I wanted; a bond." Then, he turned to go. "Oh!" He turned back around to face them. "Sonic? Jet?"

The boys looked up.

"My name is Kinder." He smiled. "I can help you if you ever get in trouble, okay?"

The boys nodded tiredly. As Kinder turned to go, he noticed Sonic laid his head in Jet's lap. Such as a true bond should be, he thought. Just like that.