Chapter 4, Understanding the Situation
The Secret Person
CORRECTIVE NOTE:
This chapter was accidentally changed to a copy of chapter three for the majority of 11/26/2017 to 11/27/2017. I profusely apologize for any inconvenience and confusion this may have caused any new or returning viewers.
I have corrected that mishap, so the current document below is the actual fourth chapter, thanks for your time.
As Sonic ran, he narrowly evaded being smacked across the face by a tree branch. Tightening the grip on the yellow laptop in his hands, he corrected his course and focused on the path ahead. Racing across the island was becoming difficult with his racing mind and mental exhaustion. He suddenly caught a glimpse of light ahead, and turned toward it. With a jump over a large-leafed bush, Sonic landed onto the porch of Amy's House.
The front door suddenly flew open and shut. Amy looked to see Sonic skidding across the wood floor, stopping at the edge of the low table in the center of the room. Before she could ask, Sonic plopped Tails' yellow laptop onto the table and flipped it open.
"I found his laptop," said Sonic, "But there was no sign of Tails, or…"
As Sonic trailed off, Sticks turned her head and scrutinized the laptop. She was currently lying flat on one of Amy's couches, her arm wrapped into a makeshift splint.
"His security footage is on there?" Asked Sticks.
"Yeah, I just need to find it." Said Sonic.
Sticks tried to push herself up, but Amy stepped over and said, "Don't move Sticks, I don't know how back your rib fractures are."
Sticks wheezed loudly and pouted at Amy before lying back down. After double checking Sticks' splint, Amy stepped over and looked over Sonic's shoulder at the computer. He grumbled in frustration as he frantically typed.
"Where'd Knuckles go?" Asked Sonic, still staring at the monitor.
"He went into town to make sure everything's fine." Said Amy.
"Oh," said Sonic, "has he…?"
"He's called," answered Amy, "Still no sign of Tails."
A small huff came from Sticks as she stared motionlessly at the ceiling. Sonic stopped typing for a second, before shaking his head and focusing back on the computer.
"Maybe I should have a look?" Offered Amy.
"Yeah, okay." Said Sonic, "I'm lost anyway."
Sonic scooted over and Amy sat down, swiftly searching the laptop's programs. She heard Sonic start tapping his fingers restlessly and glanced over to see him staring at a wall clock. It was well past midnight now. After looking through numerous files, Amy found the program connected to Tails' security system. With a variety of possible commands ranging from locking the doors to blasting everything outside with lasers, Amy opted to check the camera feed.
"Okay, I found the security cameras." Said Amy.
Sonic immediately looked back at the monitor, "Okay, you see where he went?"
"Hold on!" Said Amy, "I'm rolling back to when you were there at sunset."
A video started playing of the inside of Tails' Workshop. Sonic and Tails were visible conversing over a fast food meal. Noticing Sonic tapping his fingers again, Amy sped up to footage. As it fast forwarded, Sonic left the Workshop, and Tails began putting tools away before grabbing the Shield Trap and disappearing through the door. Amy slowed the footage and switched to an outdoor camera.
Tails could be seen stepping from the Workshop, stopping to rub his head and watch the sky. He then appeared to talk at his wrist, that was last conversation Amy had with him. After appearing to take some deep breaths for a moment, Tails walked away again. As he circled around some trees, Amy checked multiple other camera angles. Despite this effort, they only managed to see Tails walk out of view of his own accord.
"Ugh!" Said Sonic as he dropped his head to the table, "We still don't know what happened!"
"I'm sorry Sonic." Said Amy.
"Don't be sorry! Tell us what to do!" Replied Sonic.
"Sonic," said Amy, "we should get some rest, you're clearly exhausted."
"No I'm not!" Said Sonic.
"Those bags under your eyes say otherwise."
"I can't just go to sleep!" Yelled Sonic, "I need to find out where he is!"
"I told you already-" Said Sticks.
Sonic jumped to his feet and cut off Sticks, "I already told you that's absurd! We all know that!"
"Well," said Amy, "Based on what we've dealt with in our time, I think it's plausible."
"What?!" Said Sonic, "You agree with Sticks? You think Tails got some kinda curse that turned him into the monster we fought?!"
Sonic punctuated his frustration with erratic gesticulation. As he talked the wind out of himself, Amy stood up and grabbed his shoulders.
"Sonic, it had two tails and Sticks saw bandages stuck to its left arm!" Amy paused to let that sink in, "What would you rather believe?"
"Fine!" Said Sonic as he threw his arms up, "But if Tails was turned into that thing, what are we supposed to do?!"
"Wait till morning..." Said Sticks groggily.
Sonic puffed his cheeks, and looked back and forth at Amy and Sticks. Sticks was half asleep at this point, probably due to the painkillers. Amy had a look on her face that implied she was worried about him. Huffing loudly, Sonic started marching to the door.
"You can sleep if you want," said Sonic as he opened the door, "I'm going to find Tails."
"Wait!" Yelled Amy.
Sonic's response came as a slam of the door and a whooshing sound in the air as he sped away. Amy sighed and looked at Sticks who had begun snoring. Shaking her head, Amy walked over to her other couch and sat down.
Hearing shuffling brush and slow footsteps approaching, Tails opened his eyes. All of his vision was blurred and everything around was dark. He couldn't clearly see anything but vague motion and shapes, one distinct shape moved closer directly ahead of him. This would've been alarming if he was awake enough to be scared. The wind brushing along his skin reassured Tails it could just be foliage.
Before Tails closed his eyes, he saw the shape move closer, towering over him. A shadow cast over and blocked out any visible light. Tails knew there was something present. After blinking a few times, the blur in his vision faded slightly. The shape above him knelt down and its appearance cleared, revealing a familiar pale face. Tails' body went numb, he couldn't even muster the will to blink again. The strange, fanged, monster-like Skull stared into him with the voids of its eye sockets.
Pale light became dimly visible around Tails' periphery, but his eyes stayed locked onto the Skull. While it had no discernible expression, he felt intense scrutiny from its stare. Shifting his view slightly, he could see the Skull connected to a large and slightly mummified skeletal body. A bony claw planted in the dirt just ahead of his face. Dread filling him, Tails became sure that he was horrified. Unable to will his body to retreat, he peeked up at the Skull again.
Its other bony claw extended one finger and lowered toward Tails' head. His own mind froze as the sharp nail touched his forehead. The Skull continued staring motionlessly while its claw slowly caressed his head. After an indiscernible amount of time, the claw raised away and the Skull looked up, past Tails. The whole body of the figure shifted backward. In a few grueling moments, the skeletal figure moved away from close proximity. Tails felt more dread as it faded into a blur, his mind panicked when he lost track of its location.
Tails screamed and jumped to his hind legs only to fall backwards onto his tails. He kicked and pushed himself away until his back pressed against the solid surface of tree bark. Panicked, he curled up and closed his eyes while his body and appendages shivered. A radiant warmth suddenly met his hide. Tails' eyes shot open and were immediately overwhelmed with blinding sunlight.
Tails averted his gaze and rubbed his eyes. His panic subsided enough for him to comprehend his surroundings. It must be morning and he had awaken outside in the woods. Tails tried to stand up, but his legs wobbled and protested in aching pain. Grabbing hold of a nearby branch, he stood to his feet and blinked his eyes. The sight of his bare feet bewildered him, not to mention gloveless hands. Tails rubbed his eyes and started to ponder why he was standing alone outside.
"Uhh…" Tails muttered.
Recalling the skeletal figure he saw moments ago, Tails gasped looked up. Ahead was nothing but trees, bushes, and other such green foliage. Cold dirt chilled his feet as he carefully stepped forward. He curiously leaned around a tree and saw nothing but more foliage and the distant sunrise. His brow furrowed in confusion, but then Tails realized he could've been dreaming. That must be it.
The notion of just a dream started to falter as Tails considered why he had been asleep outside. He looked down at himself again, now registering the dirty and matted fur among his hide. Eyebrow raised, he absentmindedly rubbed his temple and winced in pain from touching a bruise there. Was he knocked unconscious? That thought started filling him with dread again. Tails tried to recall the night before to figure out why he would've been wounded and abandoned.
Tails quickly remembered proudly finishing his modified Shield Trap. He had built it to catch that creature. He recalled taking it with him to meet Sonic and the others, but he didn't get there. Tails rubbed his other temple while trying to figure out why he stopped. He'd started feeling ill, then couldn't stop staring at the moon. Tails stepped back in confusion. Why had he been so enthralled by the moon? It was unreasonable at the very least for him to start screaming at it, and turn around to run-.
Tails gasped aloud, that part had to be a dream. Still shivering, he absentmindedly pulled at some of the matted fur on his shoulder. A handful of dark brown fur pulled away loosely. He stared at it, and almost screamed.
Sonic let his head fall to the surface of a workbench. His muscles were exhausted and he had gone too long without even a nap. Sonic looked around the Workshop in a meek effort to gain some kind of epiphany. He suddenly heard one of the doors slide open and jumped to his feet in response. Knuckles walked inside and made eye contact, appearing surprised to see Sonic.
"Oh Sonic!" Said Knuckles, "What are you doing here?"
"What're you doing?" Asked Sonic.
Sticks shuffled in the door slowly behind Knuckles, bent forward slightly. Her eyes scanned the room with intense scrutiny.
"I was helping Sticks," said Knuckles, "I've been told I make a good doorman and heavy lifter."
Sonic sighed and sat back down into the chair. He was too exhausted to put up any act of confidence. Sticks huffed aloud after carefully looking over every detail of the room that won't be mentioned.
"So you haven't found him?" Asked Sticks.
"No." Said Sonic.
"Maybe he'll turn up soon!" Said Knuckles, "This is his Workshop after all."
Sonic tried to muster the energy to glare at Knuckles, but was interrupted by the door on the opposite side of the building sliding open. Looking over, Sonic couldn't see who was hesitating outside. With a few slow steps, Tails walked into the room with his head hanging low.
"Tails!" Yelled Sonic.
Before Tails could react, Sonic dashed over and hugged him. As he embraced him, Sonic heard Tails whimper as he pushed away. He immediately let go and jumped back.
"Sorry!" Said Sonic, "Are you hurt?"
Tails refused to make eye contact and his ears were pressed flat against his head. As Sonic looked more closely at Tails, he saw just how dirty and matted his fur was. He was visibly shivering while his disheveled tails covered his lower body.
"Tails! Where've you been?" Asked Knuckles.
A moment passed, but no one moved or restated the question. Tails rubbed his shoulders nervously and his jaw moved silently. After he coughed quietly, Tails made an effort to answer.
"I," mumbled Tails, "I found out..." He stopped for a moment, "It turns out lycanthropes are real..."
Sonic's brow raised as he realized what Tails said. He cocked his head and began wondering how he'd deduced that. Sonic's eyes widened as he got an answer from the context of Tails' condition. He was legitimately at a loss for words, which didn't happen often.
"Then, are you okay now?" Asked Sticks as she approached behind Sonic.
"I think so." Said Tails, "I'm going to…"
As Tails tried think, he looked up just enough to see Sticks' splint. His blue eyes shot up and met Sticks' frightened expression.
"Oh no..." muttered Tails, "I'm sorry, I'll fix this!"
Tails started to back away with a mortified look in his eyes. Sonic reached his hand out, but hesitated as he tried to figure out what he should do.
"We already got Sticks' arm put in a splint." Said Knuckles, "I'm actually more worried about what's up with you right now."
Seeing that Knuckles didn't catch the subtext, Sticks said, "Knuckles, he means he's the lycanthrope!"
"Lycanwhat?" Asked Knuckles.
"I'm…!" Said Tails, "I'm a…"
"Werefox?" Suggested Sonic.
"I don't know!" Yelled Tails, "I'll find out, I'll fix it!"
Tails backed up to the wall despite no one closing in toward him.
"Calm down, it's okay!" Said Sonic, "We'll sort this out."
Tails finally looked Sonic in the eyes. Nodding slightly, he stepped forward and paced his breath in an effort to calm down.
"Okay Sonic," said Tails, "I just need to, uh, run some tests. Quickly."
Sonic nodded, mildly relieved to see Tails forming a plan of action.
"Can I help?" Asked Knuckles.
"Uh," mumbled Tails, "Hold this."
Tails stepped forward and placed a clump of matted dark brown fur into Knuckles' hand. Knuckles looked at it curiously for a moment before shrugging.
With his hands free, Tails shuffled over to some shelves and threw on spare gloves and a pair of slippers. He then dug through multiple drawers near the new Chemical Analysis Machine. Loudly shaking around metal and glass, Tails pulled out a variety of lab test-tubes, cotton swabs, tweezers, and other matter collection tools. As they watched Tails start swabbing his mouth, Sticks poked Sonic's arm to get his attention.
"What is it?" Asked Sonic.
"Keep and eye on him and call Amy." Said Sticks, "I'm going to prepare some things from my house."
"He's fine now." Said Sonic, "But I was going to do that anyway."
Sticks nodded, then gestured to Knuckles that she was leaving.
"Oh, hold on!" Said Knuckles.
As Tails was carefully swabbing tears from his eye socket, Knuckles jogged up beside him and held out the brown fur in his hand.
"What did you want me to do with this?" Asked Knuckles
"Uh," Tails put the swap in a tube and covered it, "The fur! Yes, put it here."
Tails picked up a different test tube and shoved as much fur into it that would fit. He then put the rest into a plastic bag and placed the test tube with the others. Knuckles started to turn around, but stopped when Tails spoke again.
"Can you hold this while I clip off some nails?" Asked Tails as he handed Knuckles another tube and took off a glove.
"Uhh," muttered Knuckles.
Looking to Sticks, Knuckles saw her gesture for him to stay as she walked out the door herself.
"Yeah, sure!" Replied Knuckles.
While Tails worked, Sonic sat down and called Amy on his wrist communicator. After a short conversation, Amy said she'd grab Tails' things and head over. Now aimlessly waiting, Sonic started tapping his foot restlessly. While most of what he just learned was concerning to say the least, seeing Tails alive had calmed whatever nerve was keeping him awake. Eyes wandering to a window, Sonic watched the colors of sunrise.
"Yeowch!" Yelled Tails.
"Are you okay?" Asked Sonic.
"Yeah…" said Tails, "Just cut off too much of my nail."
"Okay, just call me over if you need anything." Said Sonic
Sonic sighed and leaned down to the table. Tails glanced at him with an unreadable expression before focusing on his task.
"So, your nails got awful big, huh?" Said Knuckles.
Tails held his finger tightly in pain and said, "Uh, yeah, that's why I'm gonna test them too."
"Okay," said Knuckles, "So what are we doing next?"
"Well," Tails looked at a small mirror leaning on the table nearby, "Can you see anything else noticeably different about me?"
"Hmm," Hummed Knuckles as he looked closely at Tails' face, "Well, I don't think your canines were visible before."
Tails gasped, and checked the mirror again. Turning his head revealed a sharp tooth subtly protruding from his lip. Without a second though, Tails grabbed a pair of pliers and pulled up his upper lip.
"Whoa Whoa Whoa!" Yelled Knuckles, "I think it looks good!"
"Uh, that's not..." Tails cocked his head as he realized how damaging pulling out his tooth would be, "Oh! Sorry!"
Knuckles laughed and nervously rubbed his head, "You do kinda stink though, if you want to deal with that instead."
Waiting in the Eggmobile, Dr. Eggman watched Orbot and Cubot carry Dreamcaster's separated body and head. While Orbot dragged the limp skeletal chassis to the magnetic clamp under the Eggmobile, Cubot handed its head up to Eggman. Upon closer examination, the metal head was heavily gashed where the monster's teeth had bore into it. There was probably more damage to the components inside beyond the torn wires jutting from its neck.
"Ugh, it'd take forever to get this thing fully operational again!" Said Eggman. "I'd also wind up going over budget! Mind control components aren't cheap anymore."
"Well Sir," said Orbot, "At least we still have enough resources to do a good ole' fashioned robot attack."
"Yeah!" Said Cubot, "We can even put pumpkins on the other Bots for some aesthetic!"
"That'd be underwhelming at this point!" Said Eggman, "Not too mention I think it makes no economic sense to import so many pumpkins just for decoration!"
"Where do they even grow those?" Asked Cubot.
"Not on this Island." Said Eggman.
With Dreamcaster's chassis magnetically clamped to the Eggmobile, Orbot and Cubot hovered into their side pods. Eggman lifted the vehicle into the air and entered some coordinates. After a flying a good distance, Orbot noticed they weren't taking the usual path to their Lair.
"Where are we heading now, Sir?" Asked Orbot.
"I figure if I'm going to be the scariest villain this Halloween, I'd better scout out our competition." Said Eggman.
Eggman took some time to explain a plan to Orbot. After flying for a little while longer, Tails' House and Workshop came into view.
"Oh hey, Tails' house!" Said Cubot, "Are we trick or treating early?"
"No, we're doing research!" Said Eggman.
The Eggmobile landed in the sandy clearing between the House and Workshop, far enough away as to not alert anyone inside. When they approached the Workshop, Eggman hesitated. The memory of how terrifying the Monster was shook his nerves.
"Uh, Orbot, go knock on the door." Commanded Eggman.
"Well, okay." Said Orbot.
Orbot raised his metal arm and knocked on the door four times. After a few seconds, It slide open to reveal Knuckles the Echidna holding a few small tools.
"Oh, hey Eggman!" Said Knuckles.
"Eggman?!" Yelled Sonic as he jumped awake.
"Yes, Eggman." Confirmed Dr. Eggman, "I was wondering if Tails is home, I have a proposition to make."
Eggman heard shuffling from inside as Sonic ran up to the door. His eyes scanned over Eggman with mild contempt. Sonic was clearly exhausted, there were visible bags under his eyes.
"I'll handle this Knuckles."
"Okay Sonic!"
Knuckles jogged back into the Workshop and Sonic stepped outside, sliding the door closed behind him.
"What do you want?" Asked Sonic.
"I already said I want to see Tails." Said Eggman, "Something's come up, and I need his input on the situation."
Sonic squinted his eyes as he tried to read Eggman, who wore a sleazy smile.
"What did you do?" Asked Sonic.
"Why so accusatory?!" Said Eggman, "If anything, I should be asking what you let out of that Ruin!"
"What?" Replied Sonic, "We didn't find anything in there! The place is a dump."
"The gash on Cubot's face suggests otherwise." Reputed Eggman.
Sonic stopped glaring at Eggman long enough to notice Cubot's injury. After a moment of scrutiny, Sonic said, "Stop being so vague and just tell me what the problem is!"
"My problem is a large, clawed monster catching me in its path of destruction while I was minding my own business in town!" Yelled Eggman.
"Hold on, what?" Asked Sonic, "You're saying you saw a monster?"
"Yeah," said Eggman, "It was tall, brown, had purple eyes, large fangs, and most strangely, two tails."
Sonic's composure almost faltered, but he shook his head and said, "It is almost Halloween, you sure it wasn't someone in a costume?"
"Yes, because someone in a costume wouldn't be able to tear my robots apart!"
They heard a gasp from just inside the Workshop. Eggman looked over to see Tails looked at him through the nearby window with a test tube in his mouth. His blue eyes started to give a familiar glare. Eggman smirked, inciting intensified contempt from Sonic.
"Well that sounds like something we can handle." Said Sonic, "So why don't you bug off!"
"Because I came to see what Tails thinks about it." Retorted Eggman, "Not to mention, I figured you'd be more appreciative of my noble effort at protecting the village!"
As Sonic grumbled, the door behind him flung open and Tails stomped out, followed by a bewildered Knuckles. Eggman got a better look at the unkempt state of Tails' hygiene, but was also legitimately intimidated by the expression on his face. Tails spat out the test tube as he tried to talk, and handing it back to Knuckles.
"How was your mind control Robot supposed to protect the village?!" Yelled Tails.
"Wait, How did you know we had Dreamcaster with us?" Asked Cubot.
"Yeah, I didn't see you there." Added Eggman, "Did I?"
Tails looked around frantically for a moment, not dropping his glare.
"You have it right over there!" Answered Tails.
Eggman looked back to see the Eggmobile and its cargo clearly visible behind him.
"Either way!" Interjected Sonic, "We'd love to help, but alone, excluding you."
"Don't change the subject!" Said Eggman, "You all clearly had a busy night, and I have an idea why!"
"Its none of your business!" Yelled Tails, "You should've just stayed out of the way and left me alone!"
"Boss," Said Cubot, "I'm confused."
"Frankly, so am I." Added Knuckles.
"You idiots!" Yelled Eggman, "I'm trying to be clever and charismatically blackmail Tails because I know he's a Werefox!"
"THAT'S NOT EVEN LINGUISTICALLY ACCURATE!" Yelled Tails.
"YOUR NOT LINGUISTICALLY ACCURATE!" Yelled Eggman louder.
"Shut up Eggman!" Interjected Sonic, "I don't care what you think you know, just screw off and leave us alone! Or else!"
"Or else what?" Asked Eggman, "You'll sick your primitive canine on me?!"
Tails' ear twitched, and he promptly turned around and stomped into the Workshop. Before Sonic or Eggman could asked, Tails marched back out with some sort of yellow raygun. Without hesitation, he aimed it at Eggman's face.
"Hold on, we don't need to-" pleaded Eggman.
Eggman was interrupted by a bright beam impacting his upper lip. He recoiled in fear, but then realized he didn't feel any pain. Touching his face, Eggman noticed he couldn't feel his mustache, it was completely gone.
"Whoa!" Yelled Sonic, "What did you…"
Sonic interrupted himself with a uncontrolled snicker, seeing only a bit of ash where Eggman's mustache should be. Soon, Sonic, Knuckles, and Cubot were all laughing while Tails and Eggman growled at each other.
"You're going to regret that!" Yelled Eggman.
"I don't care at this point." Said Tails.
Eggman grumbled and promptly marched back to his Eggmobile, Cubot and Orbot following behind. As Eggman flew up into the air, he glanced down. Tails continued to glare and his two tails flicked in a familiar, anxious manner. With nothing else to do, Eggman entered some coordinates and flew toward his Lair.
"Orbot, did you get the Flybots inside?" Asked Eggman.
"One in the Workshop and one in the House." Replied Orbot.
"Hehehe, we'll have to see what the Village has to say about this!" Said Eggman.
Back in Tails' workshop, Sonic and Knuckles had finally finished laughing. Tails placed the yellow raygun on a shelf as he silently walked back to his work station. Sitting down and looking over his row of test tubes, Tails started mumbling to himself while trying to get back on track.
"We should've greeted him with that!" Said Sonic. "For a second I thought you were going to blow his head off."
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill anyone." Replied Tails.
"So is Eggman's mustache going to grow back?" Asked Knuckles.
"It will," said Tails, "I was going to use that hair disintegration ray if he decided to trick or treat at my house."
"That's a pretty good trick!" Said Sonic, "You got any other Halloween surprises?"
Tails looked at Sonic with a blank stare, before refocusing on his tests.
"Sorry!" Said Sonic, "I meant, like, surprises on purpose."
"Yeah, did you make a cool costume?" Asked Knuckles.
Tails tried to smile for a moment, before his expression fell back to exhaustion. Pointing at a locker, Tails said, "I made a costume over there, I was going for an undead blacksmith, or something."
While Tails continued typing commands into the Chemical Analysis Machine, Sonic and Knuckles investigated the locker. Inside hung a brown blacksmith's apron with ragged gloves and a modified welding helmet. Sonic whistled as he noticed the multiple shards of metal convincingly attached to appear as though the wearer had been repeatedly impaled.
"Wow, very impressive!" Said Sonic.
"Its okay," replied Tails, "Zooey helped me with the initial design."
"Its definitely much cooler than my costume." Commented Knuckles.
"Do you have a costume?" Asked Sonic.
"No, I was just going to dig around like a killer worm." Answered Knuckles.
After a little while of Sonic trying to lighten Tails' mood, the door opened and Amy entered. The bag containing Tails' attire and Shield Trap was over her shoulder and she smiled optimistically. Amy held the door open and helped Sticks inside, who was audibly grumbling at the refusal to let her walk on her own.
"You seriously shouldn't be walking around yet." Chastised Amy, "Why did you leave without telling me?"
"I brought Knuckles!" Said Sticks.
"Not on your way back!" Replied Amy.
"What's the big deal?" Asked Sticks "I'm just a little bruised."
"Your ribs are fractured!" Said Amy, "If you fall or take a blow to the chest, you might break them and pierce your lung!
As the two argued, Tails shifted his posture lower and put his hand over his face while continuing to work. His two tails shifted nervously as Amy explained Sticks' injuries. Though clearly aware of their arrival, Tails tried to act as though he was too engrossed in his work to notice. While Sticks found a chair and sat down, Amy jovially walked over to him.
"I'm so glad your okay Tails!" Said Amy, "How are you feeling, after all that?"
"I think I'm fine." Answered Tails as he stared at the monitor, "Though I'm a bit sore."
"Not to be rude, but you look and smell like you need a bath." Said Amy.
"I know." Replied Tails.
As Amy talked, she closely looked over Tails' condition. He kept holding his hand to his head, where she noticed a visible bruise on his temple. There was still matted fur stuck on his shoulders and back. His twin tails looked too ragged to be remotely aerodynamic.
"He's been focused testing himself," said Sonic, "I think he'll know what's up with the whole lycanfrocy or whatever soon."
"Don't we already know?" Asked Sticks, "It's not like werewolf stories are uncommon."
"Maybe…" Said Tails, "I know... I know it happened when I looked at the moon."
"How much of last night do you remember?" Asked Amy.
Tails shifted again and averted his eyes, taking a moment to answer with, "I don't, remember too much."
"So you have no idea what you were doing last night?" Asked Sticks.
"Uhhh," Tails trailed off for a moment, "Not entirely, but from the context…"
"Do you want to know?" Asked Sonic.
"I don't need to." Answered Tails, "So let's…"
"It's fine!" Said Sonic, "I can't imagine what it'd be like to turn into a werehog or something."
As Tails trailed off again, Amy glanced at Sonic. Based on his expression and posture, Sonic hadn't slept yet. He did seem to have calmed down at least. With the conversation paused, Amy pulled the bag from her shoulder and placed it on a table near Tails.
"I brought all of your stuff." Said Amy, "We used your laptop while searching for you, hope you don't mind."
Tails' ears perked up and he looked at Amy. After a few seconds of finishing a note, he stood up and looked over the bag. Amy watched as he pulled every item out and laid them on the table. First his laptop, then goggles, wrist communicator, Shield Trap, but he paused when he picked up the remains of a shoe.
"I've yet to wear out shoes that bad," said Knuckles, "You have an extra pair?"
"Yeah, old ones." Answered Tails, "Probably can't fix this…"
"I did fix your belt though!" Chimed Amy.
Tails dropped the destroyed shoe and pulled out his belt, which was now intact aside from some stretch marks.
"Thank you." Said Tails quietly.
"It's the least I could do."
"So what's our plan now?" Asked Sticks while tapping her foot.
"Uh," Tails looked at the Chemical Analysis Machine, "I think I've got enough samples to run every possible test, so I'll find out how this works."
"You think you can cure yourself?" Asked Sonic.
"Well, probably." Said Tails, "It'd be easier if I wasn't tired, uncomfortable, and sore."
"Why don't you go clean yourself up." Suggested Amy, "Meanwhile we'll make a plan to find whoever incited all of this."
Tails looked bewildered for a moment and Said, "But I did- Oh, the creature Sonic and I saw!"
"Yeah, I'd guess they're also a were… wolf?" Said Sonic.
"Either way, we'll handle it." Confirmed Amy.
With the push from Amy, Tails finished calibrating the Chemical Analysis Machine to run all possible automatic tests. He then took his attire with him to his house while the others stayed in the Workshop. Feeling confident he'd collected enough evidence, Tails started brushing all the loose fur from his hide.
Cleaning himself was much more difficult than expected. Most of the darker fur came loose with brushing, but some clumps refused to part without some pain. His two tails were worse, as both harbored mangled fur and one managed to snag a small clump of burrs. Tails mentally chastised himself for running around so haphazardly while painfully ripping out the burrs.
After brushing as much fur out as possible, Tails started a shower. This process took twice as much shampoo than usual as he tried to remove the smell of raw meat from his body. While scrubbing his face for the third time, he realized much of the stench was emanating from his mouth. Remembering his diet the night before, Tails thoroughly brushed his teeth and used an exorbitant amount of mouthwash. After what felt like too much time, he felt clean enough to put on his uniform.
Tails returned to the Workshop wearing his whole uniform, though with new gloves and spare shoes. Sticks was explaining that they should prepare some sort of secure engagement for him. She was shushed by Sonic and Amy, but Tails quietly agreed to the idea. He then shuffled to the other side of the Workshop to do some hands-on tests. All four of them noticed he was making himself sparse, but then continued discussing necessary plans.
As Amy agreed they should make sure there's a secure place in case Tails couldn't cure himself, Sonic tuned out of the conversation. He hated talking about Tails while he hide away on the other side of the room. Not to mention there wasn't much for him to say about the current situation. Waiting around wasn't quite as reassuring as smashing the robot of the week. While Amy convinced Sticks to let her and Knuckles handle the heavy lifting and construction, Sonic casually looked over at Tails.
Tails leaned forward, head pressed against a microscope. He rapidly scribbled notes while muttering and rubbing his temple. Based on the way Tails was crossing out and rewriting almost every note, Sonic worried he wasn't in the best condition to work. A yawn came to Tails, and Sonic couldn't help but yawn as well. They both clearly needed more sleep, but he felt guilty about the idea of resting now.
Within a few more minutes, Amy, Sticks, and Knuckles seemed to agree on some shell of a plan. While Knuckles helped Sticks get up and walk outside, Amy tried to convince Sonic to get some rest. When he bluntly refused with the reason that Tails wasn't resting, Amy redirected her concern. With some verbal prying, she learned Tails hadn't eaten since waking up in the woods.
"You really should take a break and get something to eat." Said Amy, "Maybe get a nap in as well."
Tails considered Amy's suggestion for a moment, then flipped through some early printed test results. After skimming over one paper for a moment, he said, "I think, based on hypothesis and early tests on my metabolism, that the transformation used a lot of energy."
"Okay?" Said Amy, "Do you just need to take a multivitamin, or…?"
"No," replied Tails, "I just know I wound up eating a awful lot, when I, uh."
"You heard about the Meh Burger?" Said Amy.
"...I did." Said Tails, "But I feel like I shouldn't overeat right now. It could induce more, symptoms."
"But you haven't eaten at all today!" Said Amy.
"Maybe that'll help," suggested Tails, "If I don't fix myself before tonight, I mean."
Aware that Tails wasn't going to change his mind on her account, Amy turned to Sonic. He hadn't noticed their conversation and simply stared into the distance. After a little bit of explaining why not eating when your body is using up a lot of energy is bad, Sonic agreed to help change Tails' mind.
"So hey Tails," started Sonic.
Tails didn't move his eyes, and took a moment to respond with, "Yeah…?"
"I know you're worried about all this, but do you want to head out for some grub?" Asked Sonic.
"...where?" Asked Tails.
"Well, Meh burger apparently has a replacement sandwich," said Sonic, "And maybe they still have chili dogs-"
"They don't." Said Tails.
"Oh." Sonic's exhaustion seemed to increase.
As Tails reached for a report printing nearby, he suddenly jumped onto the table grabbing at something. Sonic was thrown into confusion as Tails wildly grabbed at the air, catching the wing of a small round thing. The black, round, metal Flybot wiggled from Tails' grasp and flew into the air. In a flash, Tails leaped forward and snapped down on it with his jaw. Amy gasped and Sonic ran forward as Tails fell to the ground with a thud.
"What just happened?!" Asked Amy.
Tails lifted himself up, and turned his head to reveal the small Flybot caught between his teeth.
"Oh, I didn't see that thing!" Said Sonic as he helped Tails to his feet.
"Is that one of Eggman's spy robots?" Asked Amy.
Tails nodded, before reaching for glass jar and spitting the small bot into it. Quickly screwing a cap on the top, Tails held it up to his eyes.
"Of course he's trying to spy on us now." Said Sonic.
"Screw off Eggman! I'm not in the mood!" Yelled Tails, before throwing the glass jar into a drawer and locking it.
"You think he heard anything damaging?" Asked Sonic.
"I saw it after I alluded to transforming," said Tails, "So he's probably really confident in his earlier accusation."
"Yeah, but what's he going to do about it?" Said Amy, "Throw some robots at you tonight?"
Tails looked down and walked away, grabbing the printed report. Sonic and Amy exchanged a glance and shrugged at each other while Tails jotted down more notes. With a push from Amy, Sonic doubled down on his offer to head out for a brunch meal. Seeing Amy and Sonic convinced he should take a break, Tails reluctantly agreed. After organizing his data and double checking the automatic test schedule, Tails followed Amy and Sonic out to the Village.
As the Trio walked into the Village and towards the Meh Burger, they observed even more Halloween decorations adorning most houses. Many villagers had pumpkin jack o'lanterns out, and the shops were making too much use of the color orange to attract attention. However, a noticeable tension hung around social circles. Some nervously talked about the antics of the potential monster, while others dismissed it as one of the mediocre villains.
Upon approaching the outdoor restaurant Meh Burger, they saw multiple disgruntled folks leaving in a huff. People either wore a face of disgust or repressed hunger as they left. A line of concerned looking citizens waited for their scrap and fry burgers. Tails slowed to a stop, head hanging low as he avoided looking ahead. Sonic and Amy turned around and noticed Tails' shame, so they made an effort to encourage him.
"C'mon bud," said Sonic, "I'm sure fries on a bun aren't that bad."
As someone threw a tray of food at a trashcan in rage, Tails replied, "I dunno, maybe I'll just head back…"
"You know this isn't your fault, right?" Said Sonic.
"Besides," added Amy, "It's not like everyone couldn't just eat at home for a few days."
Tails didn't respond this time, as he leaned away but stayed put. While Sonic tried to figure out what to say, he looked past Tails to see Mayor Fink approaching with an urgent look on his face.
"Oh good, I need to speak with you guys!" Said Mayor Fink.
"What's going on?" Asked Sonic.
"Other than the problem with the Meh Burger?" Asked Mayor Fink, "Nothing, that's what I need to talk about!"
"We're already working on it ourselves, actually." Said Amy.
"I figured," said Fink, "But I need appear as though I'm taking action. The owner of Meh Burger is pretty upset about the money he's losing over this!"
"How much money was that meh-meat worth, anyway?" Asked Sonic.
"Apparently enough to be mad about." Answered Fink, "But I also need to give you some intel I heard, preferably in my office."
"You can't tell us in public?" Asked Amy.
"I think you'd rather I not." Said Fink.
Tails felt nervous chills as the Mayor said that, but shook off his worries. The Trio begrudgingly agree to follow the Mayor to his office in City Hall. The wooden office was colored with green wallpaper, and the room was well adorned with wood framed artwork. Mayor Fink circled behind his desk and sat down. The others watched as he nervously adjusted the location of his name plaque.
"So, what did you want to tell us?" Asked Sonic.
"Well, Dr. Eggman told me Tails did it." Said Mayor Fink.
"Uhhh..." Mumbled Tails as he froze and his eyes widened.
"That's ridiculous!" Said Amy in quick retort, "The witnesses on TV said it was some kind of large creature."
"That's what I said!" Replied Fink, "But just to be clear, you didn't put on a costume and steal all of those patties, right?"
"I, uhh…." Stuttered Tails as tried to look Mayor Fink in the eye.
"No, Tails doesn't own any costumes like that." Said Sonic.
"Besides, that sounds like something the Lightning Society would do." Added Amy.
"Okay, that's good enough for me!" Said Mayor Fink, before he looked at Tails, "But, um, why is he crying?"
Sonic turned to see Tails shivering in place, hands shaking and small tears starting to run down his cheeks.
"Tails, it's fine!" Said Sonic as he grabbed Tails' shoulder.
"He's just uh, so distraught by such vandalous acts!" Said Amy, following with a cheesy laugh.
"Or, it's because he's guilty!" Said Eggman, abruptly appearing from behind a window curtain and wearing a fake dollar-store mustache.
"Were you just hiding in my curtains this whole time?!" Asked Mayor Fink.
"That's beside the point!" Said Eggman, "You didn't even listen to me right, either!"
"Go, Away!" Said Sonic as he glared sharply at Eggman.
Eggman kept talking, "I said Tails transformed into the Monster that did it, not that he put on a costume!"
"I didn't know Tails could transform." Said Fink, "Isn't it your brother that does that?"
"Steve shapeshifts!" Corrected Eggman, "Tails turns into a horrible monstrosity and ruins my plans during a full moon!"
"This is all frankly ridiculous!" Said Amy, "Why don't we just go and find the ones that did do it-"
"I-I'm sorry!" Yelled Tails, "I screwed up! I should've known!"
"Buddy, you don't need to-" Said Sonic.
Tails looked Sonic in the eyes, his own eyes red with tears, "I should've been smarter! A-and I wouldn't have…"
"I am so confused right now." Said Mayor Fink as he scratched his head.
"He's admitting that it his fault!" Replied Eggman.
"If it's anyone's fault, it's yours!" Yelled Sonic.
"How is it-" asked Fink before being cut off.
"I wasn't the one infecting myself with thousand year old rabies!" Yelled Eggman.
"Please! Just explain what is happening!" Yelled Fink.
Sonic and Eggman stopped yelling, but continued exchanging a variety of contemptful expressions.
"Well, uh." Said Amy, "How do I explain this…"
"I infected myself with a mutagenic pathogen inside the Ruin," answered Tails as he nervously fidgeted his hands together, "It turned me into that, creature, that vandalized Meh burger and broke Sticks' arm..."
"You broke Sticks' arm?!" Said Fink, "Which one is Sticks again?"
"She's the Badger." Answered Amy.
"Oh."
"He's basically a Werewolf!" Said Eggman, "I just thought I should do the right thing and inform the local government so we can have a good ole' fashioned witch trial!"
"I'm not brave enough to lynch anyone!" Yelled Fink.
"Witch, not lynch!" Corrected Eggman.
Mayor Fink looked around the room nervously, apparently taking a moment to process all of this information. He slowly opened a drawer and pulled out a small stack of weathered papers. A few awkward moments passed as he shuffled through the parchment.
"Well, there's no legal precedent for a situation like this." Said Fink, "So, uh, I'm not sure what to do."
"Just do nothing!" Said Amy, "Tails is smart, and he's already working on curing himself!"
"He's dangerous!" Said Eggman, "If I were the supreme ruler of this Village, which is the gig I've been trying to get for years now, I'd banish him!"
"For what?!" Yelled Sonic, "You've done much more destruction to this village! And he didn't even have control over himself!"
"What about that one time he made the shield hemisphere that wound up increasing property damage to the Village?" Asked Eggman.
"YOU WERE THE ONE FIRING AT IT AND PURPOSELY DESTROYING THINGS!" Yelled Sonic.
"Well, he built that Hypnobot that nearly took over the world!" Retorted Eggman.
"YOU JOINED FORCES WITH IT AND ENABLED ITS RAMPAGE!"
Unknown to Sonic, Tails had started backing away to the door as he hyperventilated. Amy turned to see Tails stumbling away, tears running down his face. As she tried to get Sonic's attention, Mayor Fink took control of the conversation.
"Well maybe they're both equally problematic?" Suggested Fink, "I'll just order both Eggman and Tails to house arrest until after Halloween tomorrow, is that fair?"
"NO!" Yelled Sonic, "Eggman's not a law abiding citizen! He'll just attack us whenever he wants!"
"Well what am I supposed to do about that?" Asked Fink, "Either way, we've been talking about this long enough."
"This is kangaroo court!" Said Amy, "You're not even charging Tails with anything!"
The door at the end of the office flung open loudly, and everyone turned to see a glimpse of Tails running away.
"Tails!" Yelled Sonic.
Seething with frustration, Sonic angrily slapped the fake mustache off of Eggman's face then dashed out of the office after Tails.
"Well, I guess that settles it." Said Mayor Fink, "I have to go prepare my superstitious monster warding trinkets and silver now... For unrelated circumstances."
Amy sighed in defeat, before running out after Sonic. Eggman stayed behind, picking up and trying to re-stick the fake mustache to his face for an incredibly awkward amount of time.
Tails shoved the front door out of his way and stumbled outside. Ahead he saw a group of people from the book club approaching, including Zooey. He stood in place for a second, confused by his own emotional turmoil. When Zooey made eye contact with him, her eyes widened. Tails suddenly winced and grabbed his chest in pain. He heard Sonic stop behind him, saying something Tails didn't bother to understand. Heart racing and fingers going numb, he ran away in sheer terror. The concerned calls from his friends only made him run faster.
All of Tails' senses were overwhelming him as he ran. His foot suddenly snagged on a tree root and tripped him to his knees. Wheezing and gasping for air seemed to make his chest hurt even more. He tried to scramble to his feet, but stumbled and fell to the dirt. Filled with fear, he backed up along the ground to the nearby tree. Holding his hands to his chest, Tails curling his trembling tails around himself tightly. The numbing of his hands made him worry that he could be dying, which terrified him to no respite.
Sonic skidded to a stop as he saw Tails curled up behind a tree. Tails' entire body trembled as he held his chest tightly and gasped for air. Sonic had no idea what to do now, he was mortified by Tails' condition. He knelt down, and saw a glimpse of the fear in Tails' eyes.
Sonic jumped up and yelled, "Amy! HELP!"
Amy ran over, followed closely by Zooey, who stopped and gasped aloud at the sight of Tails. Amy looked to Sonic for insight, but he just stammered illegibly as he outstretched and waved his arms helplessly at Tails. Amy immediately dropped beside Tails and took one of his arms somewhat forcefully. He whined faintly while she held her fingers to his wrist and focused on his pulse. She looked up after a few seconds and gave a confused look to Sonic.
"He's not having a heart attack..." said Amy, "But I don't know-"
"I think he's having a panic attack!" Said Zooey, "Has this happened before?"
"He's been scared before, but like this!" Replied Sonic.
"We just had a stressful meeting with the Mayor." Said Amy, "So that'd be my best guess too."
Tails looked up, eyes flooded with tears and his jaw quivering. A shaky stutter came from his voice, before he coughed and gasped for air. Sonic put a hand to Tails' shoulder, unable to say anything in his own concerned panic.
"Tails, you're going to be okay," said Zooey, "Just focus and breath!"
Taking fast, wheezy gasps, Tails nodded slightly and closed his eyes. After a few moments of forcing his breathing into a rhythm, he started to gain control his lungs. He continued trembling, but loosened the grip on his chest in mild relief. As Sonic watched Tails slowly improve, he started to calm down himself.
"You'll make it buddy..." said Sonic with a sigh, "I'm sorry about Eggman, but we'll sort this out!"
Tails rubbed his eyes and looked at Sonic with shame. After a moment of stuttering, Tails said, "I-I'm sorry, I don't know why-" He coughed abruptly and took another breath.
"You're fine, It's completely understandable." Said Amy.
"So what happened in there?" Asked Zooey.
"We, uh..." mumbled Sonic, "We had a stressful night."
"Did you guys run into that wild creature?" Asked Zooey.
"...Yeah." Answered Amy.
"Was it actually dangerous then?" Asked Zooey, unaware that Tails was hiding his face again.
"Not particularly," Replied Amy, "But there's a number of other things... I don't think we can go into it all."
"That's fine!" Said Zooey as she stood up, "I should probably get back to my day anyway."
"Hold up," said Sonic, "How'd you know what was wrong with Tails?"
"I had a panic attack this morning," answered Zooey with a shrug, "I just kinda recognized it."
"T-thanks." Said Tails.
"Your welcome," replied Zooey, "I hope you'll feel better soon."
While Zooey walked back into town, Tails uncurled himself a bit. He still shivered, but was breathing and no longer in pain. Sonic stood up and offered his hand to Tails with a welcoming smile. When Tails looked however, he turned his head away again.
"Is something still buggin' you pal?" Asked Sonic.
"I remember everything..." Said Tails.
Sonic and Amy exchanged a confused look, both waiting for an elaboration.
"What was that?" Asked Amy.
"I remember everything," Repeated Tails, looking back up with new tears rolling from his eyes, "I remember what I did last night, I remember doing all of it."
"You do?" Asked Amy.
"It feels like It didn't happen," said Tails, "Kinda like a dream, but I know it happened."
"Oh man," said Sonic, "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I don't know," said Tails, "I, I was scared..."
"Well, we're not going to judge you for that." Said Amy, "If anything, its useful!"
Tails rubbed his eyes again and sighed, before saying, "I just can't get the memory of hurting Sticks out of my mind…" he trailed off silently for a moment, "I shouldn't have done that, I could've jumped over her… I didn't need to run in the first place…"
"Tails, calm down, you weren't in control of yourself!" Said Sonic.
"I guess…" replied Tails.
Sonic offered his hand again, and Tails silently took it. With one tug, Tails lifted to his feet. As he wobbled and got his bearings straight, his stomach growled loudly.
"You want to get something to eat bud?" Asked Sonic with a small chuckle.
"I'll just go home," said Tails, "I've got to work on fixing this..."
"Well, Sonic can get you a meal to go." Suggested Amy, "I'll try looking in the library, there might be some helpful information in a book."
"Good idea," said Sonic, "You want me to help you home bud?"
"I can get there," said Tails, "I'll just avoid looking at any midday Moons."
Sonic laughed, but Tails could only muster the will to sheepishly smile. With some short farewells, Tails headed back to his Workshop. He peeked back to watch Sonic and Amy walking into town together. He immediately worried about what they may be saying about him now. He knew it was unreasonable to assume they'd hate him, but that didn't quell his anxiety. It didn't help that he couldn't stop thinking about the night before, growing more shameful every second.
While walking, Tails had been staring at the ground just ahead of him. Being distracted by his thoughts, he didn't notice the figure stepping into his path. With a whiff of what smelled like fermenting wet dog, Tails stopped in place and looked up. In his path a few feet away was a grey Wolf with patches of brown on its face, of which was possibly dirt. Its brown eyes locked onto Tails. The Wolf wore a dirt brown jacket that covered all but it's ragged tail. He honestly couldn't tell what its gender was.
"Uhm, hi?" Said Tails.
The Wolf was clearly sizing up Tails as it looked all over his body, making him immediately uncomfortable. Tails slowly moved his hands behind his back as if trying to be formal.
"You're not taking this very well, are you?" Asked the Wolf in a scraggy voice.
Tails made an effort not to shift his expression as he figured out who this was. After a moment of fumbling with his wrist communicator, the Wolf spoke again.
"Please don't call your friendo's," said the Wolf, "I'm very shy."
"What do you want?" Asked Tails, pulling his hands into the open.
"I want to help you." Replied the Wolf, "I didn't expect anyone to figure out how to set up the ritual so quickly, you must be clever."
"You mean that Altar in the Ruin?" Asked Tails.
"Yup, the initiation." Answered the Wolf, "You wanted to gain the power that could stand against the Ancients?"
"Actually, I was an accident," said Tails, "I didn't expect this, result."
"Huh," the Wolf muttered to itself for a moment, raising a long-nailed hand to its mouth, "Perhaps that's why you're so distraught by the way civilization is treating you now."
"What?"
"They're disowning you, right?" Said the Wolf, "They fear you?"
Tails' hands started trembling a bit again, and he looked to the ground in an effort to his his intentions.
"Happened to me, even before I discovered this." Continued the Wolf, "But you still have friends, something I lack."
"What, what do you know?" Asked Tails, "I only know what happened last night."
"I know how to thrive," said the Wolf, stepping closer to Tails and holding its arms out, "I can show you as well, and I can show your promising friends."
One of his tails flicked aggressively, but Tails suppressed his contempt and said, "What are you trying to do, then?"
"I want to find promising individuals," answered the Wolf, "Your friend, the popular hedgehog, he'd be a valuable asset to rekindling the old conflict!"
The Wolf was paying less attention to Tails as it rambled on its own train of thought. Tails took this opportunity to carefully reach for the button on the center of his belt.
"I know you're probably skeptical, but I have evidence from the old conflicts. How the tribes operated against the Ancients was brilliant! If you abandoned your petty pursuits of technology, we coul-"
The Wolf was cut off by a yellow beam of rope-like energy wrapping around its body, pulling its arms to its torso. A rather high pitched yelp came from the Wolf as it tried to pull away. Tails tightly grasped the enerbeam with both hands and held the Wolf in place as it struggled. It's brown eyes shakily met with Tails' blue eyes, and a defensive growl exhaled from its sharp jaws.
"You moron!" Chastised Tails, "Why would I listen to you now?!"
"You, are, Making, A, MISTAKE!" Said the Wolf.
Tails responded by loosening a few fingers from one hand to activate his wrist communicator. He quickly said, "If anybody's listening, I found the other lycan! I'm on the beach path toward…"
Tails stopped as he watched the Wolf start trembling, perhaps in fear. He gasped when its eye color shifted to a shade of dark purple.
"DON'T!" Yelled Tails.
The Wolf didn't reply and continued to growl as its form started to grow. Tails' mouth hung ajar and his heart started racing as its figure grew tall under the brown coat. The Wolf started growling more aggressively and stopped pulling away from Tails.
"Tails, you still there?" Asked Sonic's voice from the communicator.
"HELP!" Yelled Tails as loud as he could.
Author's notes:
This took longer to work on than expected. I wound up completely rewriting multiple scenes and trying to make things a bit more concise. I honestly think I still too many drawn out scenes with too little payoff. I mean, over nine-thousand words feels excessive for a single update.
I my next story, when this one is complete, I will probably try to use less scenes in favor of transitions.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read this. If you have any suggestions or criticisms, do comment them. I am still new to this after all.
Have a good day.