Sonic Tales: Wanderlust

Chapter One - Lonesome Blues

Being awoken from slumber is never a pleasant experience, particularly when one is desperate for a good night's rest, and that is just what happened to the young blue hedgehog, who had been sleeping soundly in the bed he had rented, when he sensed an intruder in his room.

At first, his mind barely registered the sound of his window being open, but when his ear caught a faint creak in the wooden floorboards, his eyelids separated and he was greeted with the sight of a slowly decaying ceiling, held up by equally decaying wooden beams. He lay there, unmoving, waiting to hear something, anything, that could give him some inclination as to where the intruder was in the room.

Seconds felt like moments and moments minutes, yet the blue hedgehog, despite the twitch in his toes that begged for him to take action, did not move. That is, until he heard the faint but unmistakably high pitched ringing of the small bell he had attached to his backpack, which he had attached after being stolen from in the past and losing a package - something the employer didn't let him forget!

After using the sound that resonated from his 'security measure' to deduce where the intruder was in the room, which was by the door, the young blue hedgehog jumped up and began to charge, yelling as he did so!

While moving towards his 'foe', the hedgehog saw that they were a badger, their stripes black and a majority of their fur yellow, with them wearing a ragged top and large torn jeans, which had large feet protruding from their baggy ends. The badger quickly turned to the hedgehog, wide-eyed and alarmed, one paw inside the backpack while the other held it firmly.

The hedgehog stopped in his tracks, just short of the intruding badger before him, having noticed that the black and yellow creature was no older than he. Stunned and curious as to why this fellow youngster had decided to steal from him, the hedgehog was oblivious to the fact that the badger had run past him and made for the open window.

Once he snapped back to reality, the hedgehog turned on his heels, also made his way to the window and shouted, "Hey! Wait!"

As soon as he reached where the badger had made their exit, the hedgehog noticed that it was early morning, as the sun had begun to rise and a thin mist had settled. However, this was not enough to stop him from seeing the thieving badger, who had jumped from the sill onto the tiled roof just opposite.

Most individuals would have tallied this up to a stroke of bad luck and accept that they had been stolen from…but not this hedgehog.

Without so much as a second thought, the blue-furred creature pounced from his window onto the neighbouring roof and gave chase. He already knew he'd retrieve his backpack from the thief, it was only a question of how long before he did so.

Just before reaching the edge of the roof, the badger turned to see if they were being pursued and, much to their surprise and horror, the hedgehog was indeed after them and closing in fast. Faster, in fact, than they knew was even possible, never mind for children like themselves.

In an instant, the badger took a risk and leaped for a balcony onto the next structure a few feet below where they had just stood, landing perfectly so that they could continue to run as fast as their legs would allow them. The hedgehog followed suit, albeit he landed not quite as perfectly, catching his foot on the iron railings, bringing his face on course to crash with the stone floor. However, in a moment of natural instinct kicking in, the hedgehog went into a ball and made it onto the balcony, rolling along it's floor for a few seconds before setting off running again.

The hedgehog just about caught a glimpse of the badger rounding the building's corner by digging their razor-like claws into the stone and using the momentum to swing around into the window just on the other side. The blue hedgehog would've been unable to do so, as he lacked the assets. Instead, he opted to grasp onto a hanging flower pot attached to a thick rope, which held onto the pottery from the roof's peering corner, allowing him to swing and also land inside the building via the window.

Upon entry, the hedgehog saw that he was in a rather well-furnished home, with thick red curtains by the windows, which were held in thin golden-threaded slings. There was also an expensive looking rug that ran across the top of the stairs and down them, with smooth wooden panels along the walls and curvature hand railings to grasp when heading either up or down a level.

In the corner of his eye, the hedgehog saw the badger running down the stairs, skipping one or two with each step as they did so. Bolting after him, the hedgehog jumped over the wooden railings and towards the door as the badger made their way through it. Ignoring a maid that stood, looking almost distraught, on the stairs, the hedgehog bolted past her and, as the badger slammed the door behind him, the spiked youngster dived through an open window just beside it, rolling along the cobbled road before coming to a stop in a kneeling position.

The hedgehog then glanced up, looked to the stunned badger who stood just before him, and grinned devilishly, knowing that he had won; that there was no way for the thief to outrun him in the open like this.

In a futile attempt to escape, the badger darted for the markets, hoping the crowd would help them escape. The hedgehog followed after them, but walked at a steady pace. The badger, upon reaching the crowd, looked behind and saw nothing, and then scanned all around. Feeling as though they had escaped their pursuer, the badger sighed in relief. Just as they were about to take another step, something hit their face both fast and hard. Whatever it was, it now prevented them from seeing, and thus the creature wiped over their eyelids before opening them, and what they saw stunned they: redness. On their paw was a strange, gooey substance, and it didn't take long for them to realise that it was tomato. Licking their finger confirmed this, and it was while doing that when something caught their eye. Across the market, a decent distance away, the blue hedgehog stood confidently, a hand on his hip while the other juggled a tomato.

Before the badger could do anything further, another tomato hit them square in the face. This time, when they had rid their eyes of the tomato's juice, they realised that the backpack they had taken was gone. As they checked all around frantically, the badger was oblivious to a certain hedgehog strolling down a cobbled street nearby merrily, whistling while he did so, with a backpack hung over his shoulder. The young blue creature was so pleased with himself that he couldn't help but jump and click his feet together.

Little did he know that someone had witnessed the events that had just transpired…

Not long after leaving the stone city, the hedgehog found himself regretting the fact that he hadn't been awake to see the surrounding farms and meadows that were scattered around the city's outskirts. These were most certainly the reason for the food in the city being so fresh and full of taste and flavour. As he passed each wooden house, with their straw roofs and muddied children playing just outside, the hedgehog was greeted continuously by their residents, which gave off a cheery vibe that the hedgehog had surely been missing in his life recently, as it brought a warm smile to his face. He stopped at a bridge and decided to take in the view, leaning on the small stone wall at it's side. The sun shone brightly in the sky, the stream under the bridge ran calmly and a gentle breeze stroked the green grass of the near and distant meadows, making them sway like the waves of a settled ocean. This beauty led the hedgehog to close his eyes and take in the many sounds around him. The wind…the water…the farmers' chatter…all these sounds he could hear, and all helped to bury him deeper and deeper into his peaceful trance.

He was disturbed, however, by the loud sound of an 'oh' that caught his ear. He opened his eyes and saw that beside the river sat a large fellow, with purple fur, long ears and a leather belt with a golden buckle wrapped around his large waist. The purple creature had wiry whiskers shooting out from his upper lip. The blue hedgehog had no doubt that the stranger was a cat, but never had he seen one so BIG. The cat had a fishing rod in his hand, which was reeling something in. Intrigued, the hedgehog watched, curious as to what the large feline may have caught. Before long, the cat was successful, and attached to the rod's string was a frog. The hedgehog was surprised, as it was unusual to catch a frog, but not more so than the cat, who just sat there, being dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. The hedgehog had lost interest, and decided to continue his journey towards his next delivery location, which was a small village located in the mountains just north of where he was.

Fortunately for the blue-furred youngster, the path that led up to the village began not too far from where he was, meaning that he could possibly reach his destination sometime the following day.

Deciding to pick up the pace, as he wished to find somewhere reasonable to sleep by the time night fell, the hedgehog began to run, and it was at this moment that many farmers bore witness to his speed. The hedgehog didn't run at a blinding velocity, but his quickness was surely something to behold, and he was still young, meaning he would only become faster and faster as he grew older.

Eventually, he saw a wooden sign post that pointed towards a path that ran upwards, marking what would be the beginning of his long hike through the mountains that would lead him to the village, should it be the correct route. The hedgehog read the sign, and it said exactly what he had hoped it would: Highlake. With that, he began to run again.

As soon as he began his ascent, the blue creature was shielded from the bright sun by the overhead branches of the trees, which were like the arms of lovers desperately trying to reach one another. The occasional dots of sunlight shone upon the ground, like shards of glass that reflected a golden light. The wilderness, the hedgehog thought, had a subtle beauty beyond imagination.

He ran on and on and on, eventually being blinded by what could only be the forest's end. Once he left the shelter of the trees and his eyes had adjusted, he realised just how high he was. It was like looking at a landscape painting - every detail and shade made the view all the more breathtaking. Before him was the dirt path, curving around the side of the mountain, with so many other peaks in the distance. A large stream ran down from somewhere atop a distant mountain, twisting and turning downwards, with numerous waterfalls more than likely, as the direction that the stream had taken was unpredictable and wild. The air felt thin yet fresh, and his fur stood due to the cool wind that now brushed against his speeding form.

The hedgehog would have stopped to admire the view, but he had to keep moving. As he followed the path, he encountered wild creatures, jumped on stones and rocks to cross stream after stream, climbed and traversed his way upwards when the path would suddenly shoot upwards, becoming more of a mere indication or suggestion of where he should go rather than a safe and steady route. The sun slowly crossed the sky, occasionally hiding behind mountain peaks as it did so, eventually beginning to fade as it fell to the horizon.

Just before the golden orb disappeared completely, the hedgehog found a place that was perfect for him to spend the night. It was just beside the bottom of one of the many waterfalls and, resting beside the stream, there were many flowers that, strangely, hadn't yet bloomed. There was a leaning tree that had thick and stern arms reaching for the sky - a perfect place for him to sleep.

The blue youngster climbed up the body of the tree, eventually reaching it's branches. He took off his backpack and hung it from one of the highest of the tree's arms, before deciding to sit on one himself, resting his back against the tree itself and crossing his arms behind his head.

As the sun finally disappeared, it was as though every living thing in the world had fallen completely silent. Though, rather than being peaceful, this silence was uncomfortable. The fact that the sound of chirps and the like had suddenly stopped almost frightened the hedgehog, making him realise that he was alone in the dark. When one is so young, it doesn't matter how brave you are, the darkness of night is frightening, especially when you have no one beside you; to protect you.

The hedgehog's uneasiness prevented him from sleeping. It was at the moment he was about to give up on the idea of rest that something wondrous happened. The luminous moon shone it's ghostly light upon the ground, casting over the flowers nearby. Upon feeling it's cool light, the hedgehog opened his eyes and saw that the flowers' petals had begun to open slowly, as though cautious of revealing themselves to the world. Inside, at their centre, were blinding white orbs. It was like witnessing the birth of a star, the hedgehog thought - a wonder that few would behold, yet so magical that life would be incomplete without having done so.

The spiked youngster couldn't help but smile at the flowers. Like small heroes, they had appeared in his time of need, and he was grateful to them. So grateful, in fact, that he just had to climb down from the tree he had been resting in, doing so carefully, as if trying to avoid scaring the flowers themselves away. Placing one foot after the other slowly, the hedgehog thought of how moving at this pace would usually drive him insane, but he didn't want this to end, for the flowers to disappear; he didn't want this to be a fleeting moment like he had experienced so many times before, but one to be cherished and remembered, to be…felt.

Suddenly, it was that thought, that second of feeling, that brought the hedgehog to a stop. When was the last time he had felt anything? He had been doing nothing but wandering for so long, travelling from place to place so often that feelings now felt foreign to him. He cast his mind back to the farmers he had seen that day, to the children that he saw playing together, to the cat that had been fishing so contently, and even to the rabbit he had seen in the bakery. All of them had something he didn't; had found something he hadn't. But he didn't know what it was. How could he know?

The return of the gentle breeze brought him back to the present, and he looked to the flowers again. The hedgehog began to move, getting closer and closer to his goal. Eventually, one of the flowers were at his feet, and he leant down and caressed it gently. The light was not an orb, but instead was coming from the flower itself. After staring at this one flower for a good minute, he glanced around at the others. Each one had something different about them, something unique, whether it was an additional petal or two, or even how tall they were. Yet there was something they all shared: that wonderful light that allowed each and every one of them to shine together.

His eyes fell back down to the flower before him, and the hedgehog muttered, "Guess even you have that light, huh?"

The hedgehog then looked up to the night sky, to the real stars, and hoped that someday he'd find his own light, something to cherish, to share…something that would help him feel again…

…Something so special, that even the wind itself would come to a halt for it.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

And that concludes Chapter One of Sonic Tales: Wanderlust. This took a while to upload due to me having exams and the like, but with those out of the way writing will become a regular thing again. So, expect the next chapter to be uploaded sooner. If you would like to read a story I'm writing in collaboration with the author The World Needs Bloody Heroes, please look them up and find the story titled 'Sonic: No Brotherly Love'. If there are any mistakes, just message me to let me know and I'll fix it!

Once again, thanks for reading!