Here it is, the next chapter of Cirque for everyone to enjoy!

Also of note, I'd like to touch on the topic of me using "Boar" to refer to a male hedgehog. Yes, this is actually the term for it. Breeders use it regularly, along with sow for females and pups/ hoglets for the young.

With that said, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

The mist was heavy in the woods. Its thick blanket smothered the world, making the visibility next to nothing. The mist was so heavy that it dampened everything from the land, to those walking around in it, to the very scents in the air. Finding anything in this was going to be near impossible.

But damn it all, the blue boar was going to try.

Sonic stalked though the woods, trying not to be noisy. He was without his coat this time, despite it being cold and clammy. It wasn't worth it to him to let it get torn up in the clawing branches and underbrush. His fur was thick enough to keep the bramble from breaking skin but he was definitely going to feel it in the morning.

A sharp crack pierced the almost stagnant air, crisp and clear. It was the sound of something far too big stepping on a fragile, dead stick. The blue hedgehog froze mid-step, ears snapping upright. They quivered and flicked, straining to catch more.

Bright eyes scanned the dense woods, straining to see through the swirling white mist. He could pick out ghostly shapes, amorphous and constantly shifting. They were unsettling and he had to keep firmly reminding himself that they were nothing more than his mind playing tricks.

A whooping, haunting whistle cut shattered the deafening silence. The blue hedgehog fought not to grumble and allowed himself to relax a little. It was the call his brother used when he made a sound while they were seeking a target.

Sonic gave his own whistle back, letting Manic know he heard him and to continue searching.

He turned his attention back to the hunt, looking for any signs of the dark hedgehog.

The woods looked all the same to him really. He wasn't a very good tracker, even if that was what he had "specialized" in. It was the only unit type he had been allowed to train in, and even then he had been extremely lucky. If it weren't for his friend, he wouldn't have even made it past the doors in the academy. Prey animals didn't make good trackers, but they gave him a chance if only because of the argument Chris had given them.

He didn't have the best marks in the class, but it was passable enough for him to graduate and be an officer. But even so, him being a prey animal had made it hard for him to be hired. He had been very lucky that the captain had accepted Chris' suggestion to establish a branch of the SPFTM, and got the bright idea to hire Sonic specifically for the tracking of runaway targets. Ferals and frightened tamed mobians tended to respond better to a prey animal rather than a predator like the far more common canine units when tracked.

Sharp eyes caught sight of a dark tuft of fur snagged in the bramble. Ears alert, he approached the thicket carefully and began to investigate, The scent was faint, but he could pick up that smell of the circus foods which told him this was from the one he was searching for. He had been through here not too long ago with the way the smell was lingering in the moist weather.

Now having a scent trail to follow, he began to track it in earnest now.

The green boar stalked through the underbrush, head and body low. Bramble clawed desperately at the leaf colored pelt, but did little more than pull out some loose fur. He didn't care though. He was on the job, and he was going to help his brother find the target no matter what.

He wasn't classically trained like Sonic, but he was still decent at it. It had initially been Topaz's idea for Sonic to start training Manic back when he was first rescued as a way of helping him cope with the change of environment. Give him structure in a chaotic time. He took to it like a duck to water, as well as helping build a bond between the long lost siblings.

He stopped, raising his head a little. Ears tipped upright, listening intently to the sounds around him.

Faint bird songs were beginning to fill the air as the early dawn leaked across the skies. Bugs were scuttling along the grass, looking for places to hide for the coming day. Bushes rustled nearby as some small feral nocturnal creature worked its way back to its burrow to sleep. A small brook babbled along quietly nearby.

But none of those were what he was looking for.

Concentrating, he worked on blocking them out, just as he'd been trained to do. Listen beyond what he heard immediately to pinpoint the ones that were out of the ordinary.

Underneath the birdsong and rustles, he began to pick out another noise. It was quiet, almost masked by the drone of the woods. It was a sort of soft growl, not at all menacing. It was the sound of a fairly large creature in pain. Having done practice runs and even some work in these woods before, he knew the wildlife and knew it had to be the target since nothing was that big in this area.

The sound did not waver beyond breathing, meaning the maker of it was at rest nearby somewhere. After taking the time to zero in on it, he reached up and pressed a button on the charm that hung off the hook on his vest. This alerted Sonic to his location, so he could be found easily. Manic dropped his stance to a stalking one and began picking his way through the tall grasses and branches. He needed to move low and slow to avoid making too much noise. All he had to do was stall until Sonic showed up...

Cautiously, he approached the source of the sound. Peering through the branches, he finally caught sight of his target.

The dark creature in the clearing growled softly as he washed his left paw. The scent of copper was heavy in the air as he worked. Manic swore that despite the dark and red fur, he saw the glint of blood. As he watched, the boar delicately sunk his teeth into something and pulled.

A leaf Manic couldn't identify came up a little from the paw pad before it ripped, making Shadow spit out the bit left in his mouth. Brown eyes could see that there were many of these bits on the ground already. He shifted a little, trying to get a better look.

Large ears snapped upright, listening. Ruby eyes gazed into the brush, trying to discern what he had heard. Upon spotting the orange vest in the green bramble, a low huff escaped him as he climbed gingerly to his feet. A pink tongue flickered over sharp teeth as he bared them in warning. The twisted quills flared, spreading and making his silhouette even bigger and more intimidating.

Manic would be lying if he said it wasn't working. He was having to fight cowering from the showing; he was a much smaller and far more timid hedgehog. Knowing his cover was blown, he carefully emerged from the foliage.

Shadow stood as the other moved out of hiding, turning himself so that his injured back leg was away from Manic. Dark shoulders squared, and his head lowered. The quills shifted when he rifled the fur along his back, warning the other away.

Manic's quills spread as well, letting the other see he wasn't intimidated. He hunched his shoulders, making his quills bunch to help his appearance in size. Claws dug into the ground as the hedgehog squared himself, hissing in warning.

The two hedgehogs were really at a bit of a stalemate. Shadow couldn't run with the swelling in his back leg, and Manic was too intimidated from the display to actually attack. They would at least just continue to posture until help arrived, which was better than nothing.

With Shadow being so focused on Manic, and the huffing and hissing they were doing, he did not hear the approach from behind. The end of a dull barrel poked through the leaves, barely making a rustle. Ears flickered at the soft sound of a click.

But he definitely felt the dart sinking into his flank.

Shadow whipped around, snarling towards the bushes. Ignoring the fact he just turned his back on a threat, the darker charged the thicket. Claws slashed at the branches and leaves, aiming for the attacker that was hiding.

Sonic yelped and threw himself backwards, just barely dodging one of the violent swipes. The small dart gun was gripped tightly in one paw as his arms came up to protect his face. A cry escaped him when the blunted claws came in contact with flesh, scratching the skin and causing blood to well.

Seeing the blue hedgehog in danger kick started Manic into action. He bound across the small clearing, lowering his head to expose the shorter quills interspersed in his long hair. He kicked off with strong back feet and rammed himself into the darker boar.

They tumbled away from the supine hedgehog, a flurry of hisses, claws and teeth. The used dart ripped out as they rolled along the ground but it didn't really matter; its job was done. With the fighting, the tranquilizer would work its way though his system that much faster.

It didn't take very long for the intense fighting to decrease. Shadow's claws began to go wide and movements slowed. Sensing something was wrong, he worked on disentangling himself from the green one. Knowing it was better, Manic disengaged and backed away. He continued to hiss, warning the darker away.

Droopy ruby eyes darted left and right, looking for any form of escape. He backed away slowly from the pair, desperately looking to just get away.

He made it all of two steps before his back leg crumpled under him. He cried in pain, but the tranquilizer was too strong. Dizzy and in too much pain to move, he flopped where he was.

He didn't want to sleep, but it was clawing at his mind and making his body heavy. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to just...lay there a few minutes. It wasn't like he could move anyways...

Sonic let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Shakily, he climbed to his paws and knees. The world seemed too unsteady at the moment to get to his feet, so he settled on crawling to Manic instead, if only to check on him.

The green one was still very agitated, and even bared his teeth at Sonic's approach. But he quickly relaxed when Sonic made no sudden movements, allowing him to get close.

Scratched peachy arms latched onto Manic's shoulders, pulling the tamed mobian close in a tight hug. After the shock of what just happened, coupled with the last few days of stress, Sonic buried his face into Manic's fur and broke down.

Manic kept watch as the blue one sobbed into his coat. He knew Sonic needed this and did his best not to disturb him more as he sat, and then laid down. All they had to do now was wait for the rest of the squad to arrive at his position.

The tiny room that housed the SPFTM buzzed with activity. Rescues were being called, trying to find a placement for the dark hedgehog. The initial foster they had lined up had to refuse them. An emergency came up that they had to take, leaving the SPFTM team holding their rescue with nowhere to place him. There was an opening in one of the fosters out of the area, but the issue was he couldn't leave the county they were in until full custody was awarded.

Sonic sighed, rubbing his face gently. The debriefing, plus the scrambling on just what to do with Shadow was starting to wear on him. The sun was still coloring the sky a in oranges and pinks even after the sun's departure a while ago signaling that the blue hedgehog had been up most of the day.

Green eyes read over the medical examiner's report numbly. The doctor that had accompanied them to the acquisition had done a full checkup on the black boar while he was still tranquilized. It was distressing to the blue boar to know that Shadow had been performing on a broken leg. It was a simple break, one that could be corrected with a cast and just keeping serious weight off of it. The thistle injury was easier to take care of; a quick wash and wrapping. Other than that, he was otherwise healthy if one didn't count old, light scars that decorated the body under the dark fur.

Attached to the file was a single, identifying picture. It was of the inside of Shadow's ear, where the faint black ink of his identifying tattoo was found. Sonic supposed he understood the logic of tattooing a dark furred mobian in the ear. It just wasn't feasible to do it elsewhere. It starkly reminded him of his own, since they shared identifying letters; SH-111505.

Shaky fingers ran over the slick surface, eyes not really focused on anything. He knew he should be paying attention; working the phone, keying in the report...anything really. Yet his head felt like it was detached from his shoulders. He just couldn't spare the energy to care at the moment. All he really wanted was to sleep, uninterrupted, for a week.

A paw landed on his leg, startling him so badly that he almost fell off his stool. Shaken, he blinked down at Manic. He could see his mouth moving and hear him talking, but the words almost seemed to be a foreign tongue. His mind just wouldn't focus enough to comprehend what the green hedgehog was saying.

Chris watched Manic grow frustrated with the multiple repeats and finally decided to step in. "Sonic, take five, and get Manic something from the break room, will ya?"

Sonic started, and stared at Chris. The brunette's words sank in after a moment, and he nodded. Getting out of this room for a few minutes would be a good idea, really. He carefully climbed off the stool and shuffled towards the door, Manic close behind. One paw on the railing and the other on the wall helped keep him steady on the stairs down. Once he was on the ground floor, he shuffled towards the break room, mind elsewhere.

Even if he wasn't firing on all cylinders, his instincts were sharp as ever. The sharp, ruby gaze was more than enough to make him freeze in place, prey instincts screaming. He slid his eyes towards the "cage" that held their rescue. He shivered, feeling the burning gaze digging holes into him. Soft growls rumbled from the pile of blankets within, revealing where the dark one was hiding.

A soft sigh escaped Sonic. Because Shadow had began acting so viciously feral upon waking up from the tranquilizer, the fosters they had called after the first backed out had outright refused to take him. Most didn't want to handle a feral, especially since a good number of the fosters they called were already taking care of others. Some claimed they just weren't set up for ferals at the moment. Sonic really hoped they could find someone to take him, and fast.

Manic almost ran into Sonic because of the freeze-up. He huffed at the blue boar, stepping around him. He glanced at the cell before pawing lightly at Sonic, whining.

Emerald eyes blinked down at the other, surprised by him. It took a moment before things seemed to click, remembering that he was supposed to be taking the other to the break room. Together, they made it the rest of the way to the room.

It surprised him when Manic made a beeline for the coffee maker, passing the vending machine entirely. Sonic settled back, leaning against the wall and just watching. He knew Manic wasn't a coffee drinker, so he was curious of the behavior. But this wasn't an uncommon sight; Manic did this at home for Sonic on many an occasion. He just required supervision while doing it, just in case something went wrong.

Manic bustled about, preparing two hot, steaming cups of coffee. Sonic's nose tipped into the air, drinking in the robust scent. His stomach clenched at the scent, painfully reminding him he had not had anything else to eat or drink today since breakfast. It brought a little, warm smile to his face when Manic picked up on the of the cups and brought it to him. He took it, thanking Manic softly, and took a long sip.

The caffeine began to bring his mind back into focus, enough to question why Manic was prepping two cups. He didn't have time to ask, as Manic was already heading out the door with the second cup.

Feeling more alert, Sonic followed to the doorway to watch. It gave him a nice view of the half hall and the room beyond. Most of the staff had cleared out for the day so Sonic was curious to see what Manic was going to do with it. Perhaps it was to take to someone upstairs?

It confused Sonic when Manic stopped right in front of the drunk tank and set the cup on the ground in front of the bars.

The pile of spare sheets that had been dumped in the cell for the black hedgehog stirred. Slowly, the dark one emerged from the nest and cautiously approached the bars. Eyes flicked around, looking for others around. Finding no one other than Manic, he approached the bars and reached through. The cup was gently taken and brought back into the cage.

Shadow settled back on his haunches, cup gently held in both paws. He brought it to his muzzle and held it steady under his nose. Ruby eyes slid closed as Shadow breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent. After what seemed to be an eternity, he brought the edge to his lips and drank.

He lowered it after a few moments and sighed happily. "...thank you."

Sonic narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Since coming to the to the station, he had showed no signs of being anything other than feral. His behavior had even gotten Sonic questioning his initial report of the black hedgehog's behavior. Not only that, but the words weren't slurred as he'd heard before.

"Would you possibly be able to get me something to eat?"the dark one asked softly.

And, apparently, Shadow was a lot more well spoken than Sonic ever suspected.

"Snack machine!" Manic chirped, nodding back towards the break room. "What want?"

"Anything will do, thank you."

"Okay!"Manic hopped back up and headed back towards the break room.

Sonic ducked back inside, mind elsewhere. Knowing Manic was going to ask for money, he dug his wallet out of his quills. He pulled out a couple of mobidad ringnotes just as Manic entered.

Trying to look casual about it, Sonic smiled gently. "Wanna get something?"

Manic bound up to him, nodding eagerly. He took the proffered money and turned his attention to the vending machine. He fed in the two bills, and began studying the assortment of snacks. While he couldn't read the labels, the recognized the packaging well enough to name them and pick them out if asked. But now he was faced with a little bit of a conundrum. He knew what he liked, but didn't know if Shadow would like it as well.

Deciding to take a chance, he stabbed the button under a bag of chips, and another under a bar of chocolate. They both fell into the drop below, where the boar retrieved them. He gathered them up and headed back to Shadow.

The dark hedgehog perked when he saw Manic returning with the goodies. A tongue flickered out over dry lips, and his tail began to wag, unbidden. He was wary however. This scenario was far, far too familiar for his liking. If the green boar was like the others in the past...

Cautiously, he approached the bars when Manic held the items out. The treats were so very close, all he had to do was reach out and take it. Untrusting eyes flicked over the other boar watching for any sudden moves. He could see the other trembling, and felt a little bad. He couldn't really blame him for for the fear. He was acting particularly terribly around the doctor and others. It was how he wound up in this cell in the corner of the station in the first place.

Body tensed and ready for anything, Shadow reached out slowly to take the items.

Manic held steady, watching just as warily. It was true, he was afraid of Shadow. With the attack earlier, and the aggressive attitude since arriving at the station, he wasn't sure he should even trust the hedgehog. It had shocked him when Shadow had called out to him after checking to make sure no one else was around, and then politely ask if he could have some coffee.

Long fingers brushed against the packaging, not grabbing just yet. The trust he was putting into Manic was very fragile (and driven by hunger). When it wasn't pulled away, the digits closed over the goodies. He felt the other let them go. He pulled them back into his cell and retreated more than arm's length away from the bars.

This confused Manic, but he wasn't going to question it. He stepped back giving Shadow his space. Wanting to get comfortable, he made sure he wasn't in the walkway and stretched out. With a majority of everyone having gone home for the day, (minus the SPFTM team) and Sonic refueling in the break room, there really wasn't anyone else to keep him company. Besides, he was pretty sure Shadow wouldn't want to be alone either, especially now.

Although his paws were shaky, Shadow carefully tore open the bag of chips. As he did with the coffee, a deep sniff was taken of the contents. He licked his lips, savoring it like it was a fine wine. He couldn't remember the last time he had food other than the cheap, kibble-like "Insecti-Pride" that the circus purchased to feed him. Personally, he thought cardboard tasted better.

Shadow slowly withdrew a single crisp from the bag. Such a plain and humble snack food, yet it was being seen as a delicacy. It was carefully bitten into, shattering it and spreading its salty goodness across Shadow's tongue. The sensation was over far sooner than he would have liked, leading him to get another.

He was so lost in enjoying the chips that he almost didn't hear the footsteps coming down the stairs. He snatched up the now empty bag of chips, as well as the still wrapped candy bar, and squirreled them away in the blankets. He followed suit afterwords, hunkering down and barring his teeth towards the newcomer.

The redhead didn't even spare a glance at the hidden, defensive boar as he headed into the break room. He also ignored Sonic, who was camping in one corner of the room and nursing on the cup of coffee. He flung open the cabinet above the coffee maker and withdrew a black and white checkered ceramic mug.

It was only after he fixed himself a cup of black coffee that he spoke.

"Are you about done staring into space?" he took a sip of the drink. "And contribute to the team?"

Sonic had to bite the edge of his cup to stop a rude a response. "I'll be back up there shortly."

"Good. That medical report is the last thing we need done." Sam took another sip and made a face. Sonic couldn't tell if it was towards him or the taste of the coffee.

"Oh, was a place found?"a note of hope made it into the blue boar's voice.

"Pound's the only place that'd take him."

A chill went down Sonic's spine, making his fur and quills fluff out. While it was technically better than nothing, it was still not a fate Sonic would wish on anyone. It was truly a last resort, a place for only the most feral, no hope cases. Small cage-like cells, little interaction with others...It was only just a little better than the alternative of death.

"No."

The word slipped from Sonic's lips without his approval.

Blue eyes showed confusion for a moment before Sam frowned. "Look, he can't stay here. No fosters in the area will take him. He can't leave the county until custody's been decided."

"You've really called everyone?"

Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We've done our job, hedgehog. Unless you know someone the department doesn't that has a license and room, he's going to the Pound in an hour."

Sonic sat there, fuming silently. There had to be someone, somewhere that could take him. Shadow clearly wasn't feral, and someone as intelligent as he'd seen absolutely did not deserve that fate (then again it's not a fate he'd wish on anyone). He didn't understand why Shadow was acting so feral around everyone but Manic, but he must have a reason.

A whine from the doorway caused Sonic to look up. Catching sight of the timid green boar in the service vest, an idea came to him. He pulled his wallet back out and rifled through it. A single slip of paper was withdrew. He unfolded it, and scanned it over.

The dates were still good. The stamps were what they were looking for. His capacity rating would allow it.

He looked up at Sam, determination in his eyes.

"I'll take him."