Okay listen up! This story contains fan characters (and the original ones). If you cannot stand this fact, then please leave now. For those who don't have a problem, then goodie! Enjoy the story, and review!

Prologue

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Smoke. All she could see was the smoke.

Flames engulfed trees, eating away their trunks, leaves, and branches as if they were nothing but a food source, a food source for the raging fire. Ancient trees that had stood for centuries groaned as the flames licked away their very core, causing them to split and topple to the ground. The villagers that had lived in this peaceful and ancient forest were running for their lives, screaming as the fire burned down their homes, their belongings, and even their own flesh. Everything was in chaos, and no one knew where to go, what to do, and why the flames had suddenly sprung to life.

Except for one hedgehog.

She was running through the underbrush, her breathing coming in ragged pants as she tore through brambles and bushes. A glowing gem attached to a mahogany cord was hanging around her neck, illuminating her path through the smoke. Various gashes ran along her body, leaving a thin blood trail as she dashed furiously away from the burning village. Her village. Her home. Everyone she loved was in danger, because of her.

And she was determined to lead the danger as far away from them as possible.

Three pursuers were chasing her, and their yellow, menacing eyes glinted through the darkness of the night as they followed her trail of blood. They crawled on four limbs, but large, billowing cloaks of black, covering their entire body and face, hid their features. One of the pursuers stopped scuttling for a second and reared up on its hind legs, raising its forearms. In its clawed hand, a bow and arrow was raised in the air, its string and bow taught with tension. The tip of the arrow was flickering with fire.
Suddenly, something whistled through the air, and the tree next to the frantic hedgehog exploded into flames. She screamed with terror, but forced herself to keep running, skirting around the burning tree and resuming her pace. Sweat dripped down her face from exhaustion and fear, and tears leaked out of her eyes due to the smoke, blurring her eyesight. She let out a weak cough as she ducked under a large smoke cloud, weaved in between two more bushes, and flung herself out.

And almost had a heart attack.

In front of her, the path had suddenly ended into a small, rocky clearing, and the only thing between her and a sickening drop below was a rocky cliff.

No, it can't be a dead end! She almost shrieked in frustration. She had gotten this far, she couldn't give up now. Frantically, the magenta hedgehog ran to the edge of the cliff, seeing if there were any rocks or footholds that would allow her to climb down the straight wall. There were none. Turning around, she was about to go back until three, black figures melted out of the shadows of the trees, their clawed hands clicking against the ground and ringing out across the clearing like a death clock ticking down her final minutes.

The pursuers had caught up.

"That'ss it, girl," one of them hissed at her, raising a clawed hand threateningly. They had all stopped their advance and were now blocking her only escape route - forward. The hedgehog took a step back, but realized that her boot was already dangerously close to the cliff edge. She had no choice but to stay put. Her heart was fluttering in her chest, and with a slow movement, she reached behind her.

"One more move and you'll be sure to feel the ssting of thiss arrow," another one of the pursuers hissed, raising a bow and arrow and pointing it straight at her. The others hissed in assent, but in answer, the hedgehog pulled out a shiny, black and green nun chuck, the silver chains clanking together. It was something her father had made for her, and she never had had the chance to use them.

Now she did.

"I don't think so," she snarled angrily, whirling the nun chuck in front of her. Her other hand covered the gem around her neck protectively. "What do you want from me anyway?"

To her surprise, the three started to laugh at her, a mixture of hisses, growls, and chortles all combined together into one, very ugly sound. The one that had spoken to her first stifled his laughter and snapped his teeth together, causing her to wince. "What you're covering up with you're hand right now, that preciouss gem of yourss. Hand it over and we'll sspare your life, girl." And he extended a clawed hand towards her, waiting for her response.

Maybe it was the fact that they were laughing at her, or maybe it was because of the annoying way they talked (what were they, snakes? No, snakes don't have legs, do they? Things were so strange now that the hedgehog wouldn't be surprised if they were snakes with legs), or the fact that they wanted something that belonged to her made her gnash her teeth together.

"Never! This gem is mine, and rightfully MINE!" And with that, she lunged at the figure, lashing her nun chuck out. The gem around her neck seemed to glow brighter with her attack, and with all her might, she swung her weapon at the pursuer's head.

Unfortunately, she had never really used the nun chuck before, and her swing was off. The figure dodged it easily and skidded to her left, leaving claw marks in the ground. Surprised, the hedgehog turned towards him, only to feel a burst of pain in her right shoulder. With a cry, she dropped to the floor, clutching her shoulder. Blood was dripping heavily out of the wound, and as she raised her head, she saw the pursuer with the bow and arrow standing to her right, already nocking another arrow.

"What did I say? NOT A MOVE!" And he leaped at her with claws extended.
Desperate and already dizzy from the loss of blood, the hedgehog glanced down the cliff, seeing the long drop down to the forest floor below. She couldn't let them take her gem; it would be too dangerous for her to lose it. For the safety of the people of my village, she thought. Taking one last glance at the shining moon covered by a filmy haze of smoke, she sent a prayer to the gods.

And she jumped off the cliff.

"YOU IDIOT!" The black figure cuffed the one with the bow and arrow on the head, his fury bubbling. "We were ssupposed to retrieve the gem! Now look what you've done, you mindlesss fool! You let your temper get the better of you, AGAIN." The figure with the bow and arrow staggered backwards and glared at his other companion, his claws flexing with his own anger, and guilt. True, his temper fuse was short, and anything that didn't go how he wanted to set him off.

"Don't worry, we can sstill find the girl'ss body, and retrieve the gem. He won't be very happy that she'ss dead, but at least we'll get the better part of the mission done" he exclaimed, trying to make up for his mistake. The third one that had been silent the whole time lifted his head and stared down the cliff side. "Then what are we doing here? Burn down the resst of the foresst and then we'll ssstart the ssearch."

And with that, the trio slinked back into the burning woods, screams and wails still ringing into the night.

A bit sudden and confusing, my apologies. But it will all become clearer as the story progresses. Who is this "female hedgehog", and why do the creatures want her gem?

Please review!