Well, it looks like a few people want me to continue this, so, I guess I will. Every time I read this chapter, I feel so sad... I remember when everything that happens to Daisy happened to me... sigh But that was the past, and now I write about it. So, ok, I hope you enjoy.
Three years later in the month of October…
Daisy had just gotten out of her school, and was in a really upset mood. She was normally picked up by Tails, but he, as most geniuses sometimes are, was a bit absentminded, and occasionally got rolled into his work, and thus forgot about poor little Daisy. He still cared for her, with as much love and care as he did his wife Cosmo, but some things just can't be helped.
Daisy had had a terrible day at school; more than most days. On most days Daisy was teased because of her differences; such as the fact that she had two flower buds growing off of her head, she had a peculiar smell about her wherever she went, she was highly intelligent, and the fact that she had no fur. The fact that she was often found talking to plants didn't help much either.
But today was worse, her teachers had mistakenly gave her a detention for talking in class, which wasn't her fault in her mind; considering that the kids behind her were poking their pencils into her very sensitive flower buds on the sides of her head, causing her to shriek in pain and shock. But of course, the teachers didn't believe her that it really hurt that badly, which they really couldn't have a preference to it, seeing as all of her teachers were anthropomorphic animals, not seedrians. And, to make things even worse, when she was playing outside in the playground, a few kids thought that it would be funny to chase Daisy around, threatening to poke her again. She then ran away from the troublesome kids using her uncanny ability to run, but then got in even more trouble because she left the school grounds during school. All of the teachers seemed to hate her from Daisy's perspective, and even though she always did her best to act normal, nobody in that school accepted her very well.
And to top it all off, Tails had forgotten to pick her up from school, again. Daisy, who was already facing problems in her life, continually fought, or rebelled, Tails at any chance she could. She disliked him because of his forgetfulness, and was fed on by his way of treating Daisy like he was her biological father; which Daisy knew she didn't have. She couldn't remember why she had such distaste for him, but she was always reminded of her disliking towards her mother's husband by acts such as this. It also seemed to Daisy that Tails was using Cosmo for tidying up the house, and gardening. The only thing Daisy could ever thank Tails for, or at least to her it seemed, that Tails let Cosmo and Daisy live in his house and feed them food.
Daisy now stood at the doorway of her school, with a grim face that looked as if it were about to burst into tears. Daisy waited and waited for Tails to pick her up, but he never came. Daisy, in her fury and sadness, began to cry and walk home; which was a few miles away. As she walked, a few of the same kids that had antagonized her before in school were approaching. How could my day get any worse? Daisy cried to herself.
"Hi Daisy!" a little raccoon taunted.
"Hello, Tom." Daisy said through tears. "Could you please leave me alone?"
"But, I thought we were best friends?" Tom said with a teasing voice that further agitated Daisy, and made the other kids laugh; for Daisy and Toms were the farthest things from friends that this school had ever seen.
"Please, go away." Daisy turned to face her oppressors.
"Aw, little Daisy is angry… How cute." Tom taunted.
"What is she going to do? Get her daddy to beat up mine?" another kid asked.
"No, I don't think he could, it's that Tails whelp."
"He couldn't hurt a fly. He's so small and wimpy; any of our mothers could throw him around like a ragdoll."
"Yeah, he uses his machines to fight people. And he has that weird plant thing as a wife. What is she? A walking plant?" Daisy clenched her fists at the insults towards her mother.
"No, I think that she's just a plant. I mean seriously, you never see her around that often."
"Stop talking about my mother like that you idiots!" Daisy yelled at them.
"What are you gonna do about it? You're just going to run like your father does."
"He's not my father!"
"Well then, who is? Or are you just a little freak that has none?" Daisy looked down at the ground, weeping.
"Leave me alone!" Daisy ran away, towards her house. It wasn't something that she wanted to do, because it was something that Tails would have done. But she knew that she couldn't fight them. So, she just ran home, crying about everything that went wrong on this day, as Tom and the rest of the irritating kids laughed and pointed at her.
Tails was down in his workshop, where he'd been for the past four hours, but to him, it was only a few minutes.
"And there!" Tails said triumphantly as he pulled off his welding helmet to see his creation with his own two eyes; a statue made out of an iron material.
It was a very handy machine, if it worked, being able to heat and cool a room off, or act as a lamp, while being able to maintain its relatively small shape.
"Now I'll be able to show Daisy what XT-421 looked like."
Thinking on what he just said, Tails cringed. No way did I just forget again… Cosmo's going to kill me. And Daisy… I'd rather not even think about what she'll think of me. I deserve to be shunned by her, the way I always forget about her… I need a watch for my wrist that will warn me for these things… Tails thought as he ran out of his workshop to get into his plane.
As he left, he checked the time. 4:00. He was almost a half hour late. As Tails started the plane, images of Daisy sitting a school, crying, and being all alone entered his head. Please forgive me Daisy! Tails had the Green Storm, the plane that he used to pick Daisy up with, accelerate from zero to two hundred miles per hour, and aimed it straight for the school.
Daisy, who had taken the more scenic route home, which was through the forest that bordered the city that her school was in, had heard Tails' plane rocket overhead to her school. Tails… Why didn't you pick me up at the right time? Daisy thought as bitter tears ran down her face. After a bit more thinking, Daisy resolved to stay in the forest and stay there forever, which, to an eight-year-old's mind, seemed pretty logical considering that she was mad at her foster father, knew that her mom wasn't home, and didn't want to be around people because of her social torture that she had just endured. She wandered around the forest for a bit longer, trying to find more reasons on why she should stay in that forest for the rest of her life.
In a forest, not too far away from the Mystic Ruins area, a small rift in the space-time continuum expanded to form a dark ball of raging energy. Out of this ball of energy, a dark figure leapt into the forest below, which caused the ball to dissipate. This dark figure looked to be seedrian, but had distinct hedgehog like qualities. As he recovered from his entrance to this place, his thoughts dwelled on one thing alone; to kill the Prower family.
As he stood up, his fiery red eyes glared with a vengeance that would not fail his task. He had traveled through time to accomplish his goal, and by his father's imprisonment, he would. The figure then ran off at a dangerous speed through the forest in any attempts to figure out exactly where he was.
Brunis had spent his last three years of his life trying to fit in with the rest of the clan; which meant having to go on vandalish raids into the city at night, disrupt the peace, steal food, and do a lot of running and gymnastics; all of which he was not very proud of. Everything that this group did was against a moral code that had been in his mind for as long as he could remember.
He no longer lived with anyone. Instead, he slept in a group hut, where everybody just lay down where they were, curled up, and went to sleep. Wake up was ordered by the Boss, which was still Ignatius Wolfain; who seemed always to be looking for either a new girlfriend or wife, which he went through like candy. Brunis didn't know why Wolfain had so many girlfriends, but he didn't want to think about it; mainly because if you question the boss, no food for a week, which Brunis was miserably getting over his last punishment.
Brunis's last punishment was caused by his not wanting to go on a night raid into the city, mainly because he'd rather sleep. But Wolfain put his foot down, and declared that Brunis wouldn't eat for a week, and forced Brunis to come anyways. So Brunis lost twice.
Brunis was starved. He hadn't eaten in four days because of that. The only thing he was glad for was that the punishment didn't include water, if not, he'd probably be dead. Brunis had been lingering around in his sleeping spot when Wolfain woke them earlier that day. And for this, he was punished again. Meaning no food for another week, unless you stole it yourself; this was not only dangerous, but frowned on even in this crude civilization. Brunis had three choices to pick when that was ordered; A. obey the rules, even though they would take him perilously close to death, which he already was; B. gather and eat berries, which were very scarce, and disgusting to his taste; and C. run away. All of these choices were dangerous. A. would be almost suicide. B. was illogical, and would get him in trouble. And C. was very hard, because the pack would probably hate him, or likewise hunt him down for leaving; life in this clan was like a commitment, and a commitment not easily broken at that.
Brunis chose C., and was now running with all of his remaining energy as far away from the clan who had just left to go on another raid. Brunis had hidden in the trees to hide from them long enough to run away unnoticed. He had just passed into a clearing when he felt his legs start to give way. He stood there, in the forest for a few seconds, trying to understand what was going on. He didn't realize it, but he was about to pass out.
The world was spinning before him, and he was getting dizzier and dizzier by the second. He moved forward, but he didn't know that he was, and something hit him, hard.
"Watch it kid!" A blackish red blur growled as it bolted away at a speed that further dizzied Brunis.
He continued to totter around for what could have been either a few seconds, or a year, he couldn't tell in the slightest. His eyes finally seemed to close as he heard a soothing little voice ask.
"Are you all right?"
Tails had just came back from his little survey of the area around town, in any attempts to find Daisy. As he exited his plane, the Green Storm, he lowered his head in temporary defeat. Cosmo was at the door in a panicky state.
"Tails! Where is Daisy?" Cosmo shrieked in complete terror.
"It's all my fault, I forgot to pick her up from school, and more than likely, in her fury, she probably ran away." Tails explained as he glumly approached his wife, who had just gotten off from her job a florist.
"Oh Tails, not again." Cosmo held her head down as well.
"Don't worry, I'll find her. Maybe you can help. Come on, let's get into the plane and search over by the forest. Maybe she'd respond to you a bit better than me." Tails said, trying to brighten the mood.
"Right, she doesn't seem to like you very much at times."
"I know, but maybe one day she'll respect me, just maybe." Tails sighed as he held out his hand to Cosmo to help her into the plane. She accepted and he hoisted her into the passenger seat on his plane, and they took off, rocketing over the forest.
Daisy had been sitting in solitude, listening to the plants grow and the trees wave in the wind. It was one of her favorite past times, and it helped her calm down whenever she was angry, or sad. But this time was a bit different. A small silver wolf had just tottered into her clearing, and he was wobbling in the calm breeze.
"Are you all right?" Daisy asked sweetly to the silver wolf as he fell backwards onto the ground.
"Oh my gosh! He's dead! What am I going to do? What am I going to do? I know! I'll take him home and see if my mommy can help him. And maybe Tails too." Daisy shuddered a bit as she thought of Tails once again being a hero for her mother.
Daisy attempted to lift up the heavy wolf, who was about her size, but much heavier, while trying not to burst anything internal. As she finally picked up the silvery white wolf, she triumphantly marched with him in her arms out of the forest.
Daisy saw Tails' plane, the Green Storm flying around in the air, and she set the wolf down and flagged it down.
"See Tails? She's fine." Cosmo tentatively while breathing heavily, who was obviously trying to repress her fear.
"I know," Tails sighed, "I'm landing the plane now, and maybe you should be the first person she sees." Tails added glumly.
As Cosmo jumped out of the landing plane to meet her daughter, she noticed the wolf on the ground behind her.
"Daisy? Who is that? And why is he on the ground?" Cosmo asked, Tails was just getting out of the plane.
"He's dead! He's dead!" Daisy shrieked.
"Lemme see." Tails hovered overhead with his tails. He analyzed the wolf, and saw what his foster-daughter couldn't, the wolf was still breathing.
"How are you sure he's dead Daisy?" Cosmo asked calmly.
"I saw him fall! And now he won't get up! So he must be dead!" Daisy continued wailing about the wolf until Tails put his hand on her shoulder, his intention was to calm her; but it didn't work. Daisy reeled away from Tails hand as if it was a boiling hot pit of magma.
"Daisy, he's not dead."
"Yes he is!" Daisy retorted childishly.
"No he's not."
"YES HE IS!!" Daisy was going into a little tantrum.
"N-" Cosmo stopped him, Tails nodded at her, "Daisy, let's all go home, mommy was really worried about you, and I was too."
"No you weren't! You busy building something! You never cared for me, or mommy!" Daisy's words were randomly yelled in anger, but Tails took them hard. He knew they weren't true, but that is how Daisy did perceive it. Tails lowered his head down in somberness, picked up the wolf, and hopped in his plane. He placed the wolf on the side of his lap and started the plane.
"Daisy! You don't say those things to your father!" Cosmo disciplined her daughter.
"He's not my father!"
"Even if he isn't, he is still a respectable person, who just so happens to love you very much." Cosmo said sternly.
"If he loves me so much, then why didn't he pick me up from school today?"
"You know that Tails gets wrapped up in his work. A lifetime for us can be like a minute for him."
"Yeah but-"
"No 'but's. Not another word until you calm down. Now get in the plane." Cosmo grabbed her daughter's hand, and helped her into the plane. Tails lifted off without a word. No one could see it, but his eyes were about to burst into tears, only a small sense of masculinity prevented him.
"I'm sorry…" Daisy said, now teary in the eyes.
"Say you're sorry." Cosmo enforced.
"I'm sorry Tails." Daisy said sweetly, Tails cringed at her not using 'daddy' or 'father', but knew that she wouldn't hate him for at least an hour.
"It's ok." Tails said, his throat was a bit clogged from almost crying.
Back at Brunis's clan's area, the group had just returned from their scavenger hunt, in which the hunted for food in the city.
"Hey, where's Brunis, I thought he didn't come with us, and instead stayed here like a little sissy." A large member said.
"Yeah, he did." Wolfain grunted, "leave him be. If he's dead, then good riddance, he was holding us back, and not of any help to us."
"You. Tall wolf, I request your assistance." The whole area of the forest went silent as this shadowy voice spoke. A figure stepped out of the darkness and spoke slyly to them.
"My name is Thorn, Thorn the Seedrian." Wolfain glared at him.
"Nobody calls me Tall Wolf here, twiggy!" Wolfain roared as he approached the seedrian. Thorn only stared at the incoming threat with the slightest smirk on his face. He raised his hand, and a dim, ember colored gemstone shone on his chest. Wolfain was then hit with a blast of fiery red energy that emanated from Thorn's hand.
"And nobody here shall ever make a reference to me being a plant, or having to do with 'twigs'." Thorn's eyes burnt a hole straight through Wolfain, as he cowered in fear from the slender seedrian. After seeing their boss recoil from the new threat, the others followed his action.
"As I was saying, I could use your assistance. See, I'm hunting a family, the Prowers, as they're called. And I can't find them. I could, if I wanted to, destroy every city on this side of the planet, and call it good. But, I want to see the look on little Cosmo's face when I burn her body out of existence. So, if you bring the Prower family to me, then I will spare your pitiful lives. What say you? Do you agree? Or disagree?" Thorn asked maliciously.
"We agree." Wolfain hastily said, the others used their heads to signify that they also agreed.
"Then it's settled. I'm going to wait here, and you are all going to bring the whole family to me in less than 48 hours. And for every hour over 48, a member of your clan will die. And, I'll be honorable to tradition, isn't it that, women and children first?" Thorn laughed as the people of the clan clenched their fists, and grit their teeth at their new, tyrannical boss. And thus, they sent out to find this 'Prower' family.
But, in MY real life version of the story, I don't think I lashed out that badly at my father... Or had a psychotic plant trying to kill me and my parents... (My thanks to Lili and Jay Jay of the Tails and Cosmo Shrine for letting me use Thorn.)
