I'm getting lazier and lazier... i'm sorry guys... I should try harder... send me ideas please...
Winter set in, ruthless and cold, driving the group of survivors further into the back of the cave. Food became an endless demand, since there never seemed to be enough of it to go around. John, being the fatherly kind of guy, often gave up his own meals for Sonic, Manic, Aleena, or any of his men that didn't have the food they needed. He became very thin. Everyone did really, but him more so.
Sonic also became weak. Having never had the amount of body fat that everyone else did, he was at risk as well.
"Ma. Wake up. We're out of food." Manic mumbled softly, trying to not be too loud and cause panic among the soldiers, many of which were already very thin.
Aleena sat up tiredly, already wanting to lay back down.
"We need to send out some hunters, see if we'll be lucky today." she murmured, "Remind me when spring comes that we need to move again." The queen stood and stretched, gazing about. The back of the cave was littered with small black patches where the men had fires going the previous night. The sleeping bags all around were filled with tired Mobians who were half-starved, and the thickest that could be seen was shared by two mobians.
Sonic and John. The two, freezing cold, and curled up together to try and stay warm. Aleena felt tears prick at her eyes. Her baby was so close to dying, and her general... her friend, wasn't far behind him.
Winter's over, it's spring! *cough*toolazytowriteit*cough cough*
Sonic shivered as a cool breeze leeched the warmth from his skin. He'd barely survived the winter months. He was luckier than some, though. They'd lost quite a few soldiers to cold and starvation. Roughly one-fourth of them were gone, including Phred. The azure colored prince had mourned him deeply, losing his appetite for a whole day, which scared his family. Scarily enough, some soldiers suggested as a last-option, that they could eat the dead bodies. Sonic had half-mindedly avoided these men, he didn't mean to, it just kind of... happened.
The soldiers had just finished packing when a loud scream echoed through the air, and a pack of Pales charged from the forest. The blue hedgehog yelped when he realized that one was heading towards him. He turned to run to the truck, fully knowing he wasn't strong enough to make it.
Something colided with his side, knocking him down, where he curled into a ball and squeezed his eyes shut. Several loud screeches above him, and a foot smacking his shoulder indicated something had happened. He opened his eyes to see that the Pales had run past him, chasing a soldier who was trying to rescue a young apprentice. The blue hedgehog tried to stand, but froze as a shadow loomed over him. He looked up slowly.
A Pale, the size of Phred, stood over him, growling lowly and drooling. It's bloodshot eyes stared at his small frame, seemingly trying to make it's disease-addled brain function long enough to figure out what he was.
He looked like a Pale, but had hair. He smelled like the sickness, but wasn't sick. He wasn't growling, he was whimpering. His eyes were bright. Maybe he had just changed? The new ones always acted strange...
The Pale growled louder and reached down to him, grabbing his thin scruff and pulling him to his feet, off his feet, into the air.
"Little brother..." it hissed in his head. The only sound from it's mouth was a strangled yowl.
Sonic didn't know what to do, what should he do? An idea struck him and he decided to test it. He growled lowly, hearing his own raspy voice in his head.
"Yes?"
The sick Mobian put him down, seemingly convinced he was one of them. It turned and sprinted off to join a feeding-frenzy where the other Pales had taken down the soldier and his apprentice. The blue Mobian turned to his head slowly, looking for his family.
The clearing was empty. They had all run, and he had been lost in the sudden chaos.
He heard a sick tearing noise and turned, his pitiful stomach churned as he saw the Pales rip off the apprentice's arm. Sonic began to back away, aiming to hide in the forest, when one Pale left the frenzy, drenched in blood. It was carrying a lump of flesh in it's gorey hand. The sick creature dropped it in front of him and ran back, diving into the bloody remains. The blue hedgehog continued backing away, until he turned and hurried into the forest.
He didn't know how far he went, but it was very far. The mountain the cave was in was a pale smudge in the horizon when he finally collapsed in exhaustion. He panted heavily as he tried to sit up, but wasn't strong enough to. He was weak, and starving, and an easy target. This was not good. He needed to find a place to hide before he rested, but he couldn't seem to move. He had no energy left.
"Brother?"
Sonic turned to see a Pale standing on the edge of the clearing, looking at him with... concern? Did it have feelings? Was it worried about him?
"What is wrong, Brother?"
"C-can't move..."
"Hungry? Want food Brother?"
Sonic managed to turn his head to look fully at it, and cringed. It was a child. Small, maybe 10 or 11 years old. Female.
"Sister will find food for Brother!" it squealed, turning to run into the forest, small, purplish form vanishing into the bushes, it's scrappy dress hanging limply from it's body. Sonic let his head slump down onto the leaf-littered forest floor. He closed his eyes, trying to relax. He felt like he'd just barely closed them when the Pale returned, presenting to him an arm, which she crouched in front of him and shoved the upper part in his mouth.
"Eat Brother! Be strong!"
A painful realization hit him. He had no choice.
-(guess who it is!)-
Where am I?
So cold...
It's too dark, this isn't right...
I'm so hungry, what should I do?
Where are the others? Are they trapped here too?
...Wherever this is...
So tired... so...
...tired...
The azure furry was struggling to stand when night fell. He was thoroughly ashamed and disgusted with himself for doing what he'd done previously, but refused to dwell on it though. The young Pale was still with him, seemingly waiting for him to lead her somewhere. He remembered Manic saying they travel in groups, so that was probably why she was still with him.
"We go home now?" the young Pale growled to him softly.
"Where is home?" Sonic asked softly.
"Grey-Stone-Place!" she yowled excitedly, turning to run in another direction before she sprinted back to him, "Come Brother! Come home!"
The half-dead hedgehog reluctantly followed her, she was, surprisingly, his only chance of survival right now. He would die out here alone... How ironic; Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of Mobius, relying on a sick, maddened, flesh-devouring child for survival.
Trekking through the woods was hard in his condition, but he had no choice. It was still cold at night, which was dangerous for him in his condition. The azure hedgehog was still weak, and close to death, but he kept going. He had no choice.
I'm awake again.
It's still cold, It's a little lighter though...
What is that? Is that a person? Why do they look so thin?
Is that... blood?
Need out... so hungry...
...need food...
Or chaos energy... whichever I can find first...
Maybe an... emerald...
...so tired... sleep first...
The "Grey-Stone-Place" the young Pale had spoken of was a broken-down G.U.N. base, which was indeed grey, and completely Overrun. Sonic was reluctant to enter, but as it got colder, he knew he had to go inside. Although dangerous, the Pales were feverish, and would generate lots of heat. In a small room, this would make a sort of living heater. A heater that could kill him if they figured him out, yes, but a heater he desperately needed.
The child-Pale followed him the whole way, staying strangely close to his heels. As the furry looked about, he began to figure out why. The others were staring at her hungerly. She was smaller and weaker than they were; a perfect target for a hungry Pale. Sonic snarled at a moose that lunged at the girl and kicked it, sending it skidding across the ground with a fierce "NO!" and pushed her away from it. The other Pales quickly backed away, deciding not to deal with the "new-turn" that that was incredibly strong. Sonic could give them credit for this small sign of intelligence.
Sonic eventually made it to the entrance, the creatures keeping their distance. The girl, who Sonic had decided to call Jessie, now was able to keep a comfortable distance from his side. The blue hedgehog stumbled inside, holding the door open for his new follower, who hurried in.
After what felt like hours of wandering around the compound, Sonic found a rather, intriguing sight: A giant pillar that rose almost to the ceiling, there it stopped. The whole thing was covered in a giant black-out screen.
"What is it?" Jessie asked quietly, small, round, bald ears pushed forward.
"Let's find out." Sonic growled in return, reaching towards the sheet. He gripped it gently, but tightly at the same time, and slowly pulled it off.
His eyes watered, his body shook, his mind went blank.
"S-Shadow...!"