Chapter Two
"Yes and I need to get back!" Silver said panic creeping into his eyes.
"And how are you expecting us—" Tails was cut off by Shadow, who slapped his hand on his mouth. "Hey, what do you think you are doing?" Tails asked
through Shadow's hand.
"Shut up and listen!" Shadow replied uncovered Tails' mouth. Tails straightened up right way and listened, all he could hear was Silver's heavy breathing and…
a rustle in the bushes?
A figure cloaked in black stepped out from behind a tree. Tails gasped, he sucked in his breath so sharp that he coughed.
She took her hood off, revealing a mask that covered the top half of her face. The back of the mask went off into two points; sharp enough to kill a person. A
hook went over her beak and a scarlet eye burned right through them. She was covered head to foot in black with crimson designs.
"Who are you?" Shadow asked the sullen figure.
"I am Sylvia," answered the stranger, "Sylvia the Raven, and you?"
Silver stiffened and Shadow said nothing.
"Ah, cat got your tongue?" She asked with a cheeky smile.
Tails finally got the courage to ask, "You're not from around here are you?"
"No, I come from the same place he did." She replied pointing at Silver.
Tails turned to look at him. "You know her?"
Silver glowered. "Know her? She's pure evil that bird is!"
"Ah, Silver, you still don't trust me? Oh well, there will be others who will!" With a shriek she attacked Silver, by throwing tiny dart like daggers. Silver, caught
on surprise stumbled, but regained his balance and evaded the daggers. Levitating a large bolder, he threw it at her. She, in turn, slashed the bolder in two
with a swipe of her hand, but never touched the bolder itself.
"How'd she do that?" Tails asked dumbfounded.
"It's one of her powers," Silver replied levitating another object to throw at her, "She can slice objects without even touching them, also watch out for her small
little dagger like darts!"
Shadow quickly got into action; he ran towards her then disappeared, reappearing above her only to kick her in the head. Sylvia shrieked in rage and slashed
at Shadow. Thousands of tiny dagger-like-things shot towards him. Tails, realizing that Shadow didn't see the small needles, grabbed a large flat rock and flung
it at him. The rock whizzed by Shadow's face and all the daggers sunk into it.
Shadow nodded his appreciation to Tails, and he nodded back. Sylvia screeched in rage as Silver smacked her with a bunch of sharp rocks, descending into the
air she called down to them, "Next time won't be so easy!" With that she disappeared behind the clouds.
"Okay, that was weird. Shadow, we should be going! We need to hurry up and get the ring before it's too late!"
"Too late?" Silver asked, "What ring?"
"It's called The Ring of Life and it can bring dead people back to life and we are going to go find it so we can resurrect Sonic and… oops!" Tails slapped a hand
over his mouth, and then he looked up at Shadow to see how he would react. Shadow just rolled his eyes.
"Wait!" Silver said, "You mean this 'Sonic' died and you two are going to find The Ring of Life?"
"Just him," Shadow said flipping a thumb in Tails direction, "He dragged me into this."
"But you said you would help if I gave you two Chaos Emeralds!" Tails said trying not to sound whiny.
Shadow glared at the fox. "Shut up, I am still going to help you!"
Silver shook his head in wonder. "Okay, if you guys are going to find this 'ring' count me in! I have no idea where I am, and you guys seem pretty nice and all,
so I guess, if you will let me, I will help you! And after I help you then you help me get back to the future?"
"What?" Shadow asked looking back at the silver hedgehog like he was crazy.
"Sure you can come, and Silver, we will try our very best to get you back to the future, but we have no idea how." Tails said.
Shadow turned and started walking to nowhere in particular.
"Hey, Shadow, wait up!" Tails said running after the hedgehog, Silver right behind him.
"Shh," Lizzy said holding a finger up to her mouth, "I hear something."
"What is it?" Icefire asked looking scared. Coal stood a little taller, listening, Lizzy watched her and waited for what Coal would say. Finally she said, "I hear
fighting."
"Exactly!"
"Do you think we should check it out?" Icefire asked.
"Maybe, maybe once everything gets quiet we could check it out." Lizzy replied.
Soon the noise got quiet and all they heard was a murmur of voices too far away to hear clearly. As they started forward a dark figure passed over the three
friends and only Icefire looked up to see what it was. Stiffening, she hastily ran after the other two.
All three of them stepped out from behind the protection of the trees and bushes. Shadow, Tails, and Silver ran into them. Shadow tensed up for another fight
if need be.
"Maybe we should have waited in the bushes before coming out to see if they were friendly…" Coal whispered to Lizzy. Lizzy shifted, blushing.
How could I have been so stupid? She thought. Icefire, taking no heed on what Coal just said, stepped up to Shadow.
"Hi," She started, "Who are you?"
Shadow looked at the small hedgehog like she was crazy and didn't reply.
Icefire narrowed her eyes into slits; she turned hotly to Silver, "Hi, who are you?" Icefire heard Shadow snort behind her, but pretended not to notice.
"Silver," the hedgehog replied to her.
Icefire smiled at him and said, "My name's Icefire and these are my two very best friends." She gestured to them. Silver nodded his head laughter glowed in his
eyes.
"Hello," Tails said stepping out from behind Shadow, "I'm Tails and we need to be going!" He starting to push Shadow, Shadow growled at the fox and Tails
instantly stopped.
"What's the hurry?" Coal asked with a smug look on her face. "What's so important?"
Tails opened his mouth to reply but shut it thinking it the better thing to do.
"Are you looking for something or someone?" Icefire asked remembering the shadow that crossed over their path before they meet them.
"No, we're trying to save someone." Tails said turning around.
"Save someone? Who?" Lizzy asked.
"It's more likely 'how'." Tails replied.
"How then?" Lizzy persisted.
Tails looked at Shadow then at Silver. Sighing he said, "A very, very close friend of mine died and we are looking for The Ring of Life to bring him back."
"The Ring of Life…" Lizzy murmured, "Isn't that on Mystic Ruins?"
Tails exchanged looks between Shadow and Silver.
"How would you know?" He asked.
Lizzy smiled and replied, "I have done a lot of research on that ring. It's said that it reappears every other hundred years, but only in three places, Mystic
Ruins, Central City, and in the Ocean."
"But how?" Tails asked look really confused.
Lizzy thought for a moment before replying. "Let's say that it appeared first in Mystic Ruins, and then once it disappears it reappears in Central City after a
hundred or two hundred years had past. Then it disappears again and after another two hundred years the ring appears in… the Ocean, then once another
hundred years pass it's in Mystic Ruins… then it repeats, going in a circle, I guess."
Tails nodded thinking about what the vixen had just said.
"Makes sense…" He said, "Well, let's go to Mystic Ruins and see if Knuckles knows where it is."
"Knuckles?" Silver asked.
"Knuckles the Echidna, you don't know him." Tails said as they started to walk away from Lizzy and her friends.
"Wait!" Icefire called after them. They turned around and faced her. She looked at them with pleading eyes and said, "Can we come with you? We are so
bored and there's nothing for us to do! And whatever you're doing sounds really fun!"
Silver smiled and said, "Sure!"
Shadow glared at him. "I am supposing once we see Knuckles we will let him join us too?" He inquired.
"Erm," Tails started, "No, but we could have there help. I mean we didn't even know where to go until this vixen here told us." He pointed at Lizzy.
"'This vixen here' has a name." Lizzy said glowering at Tails.
"Oh, uh, sorry…" Tails said rubbing his head.
"Name's Lizzy!" She stuck out her hand. Tails took it and they shook hands.
"My name is Tails… That's Silver," He pointed to the silver hedgehog, "And that's Shadow."
"I'm Coal!" Coal said sticking her hand out towards Shadow. Shadow stood there not quite knowing what to do.
"You shake it." Coal said. Still Shadow made no move. "Okay, whatever! Forget that I ever tried to shake your hand!"
"Let's get going, the sooner the better!" Tails said and they started off towards Mystic Ruins.
