To Catch a Blue bird
By Kellie Fay
Shadow challenges Amy to develop the skills and patience to coax Sonic to her side, but some old enemies from Sonic's past are trying to destroy the couple before they've paired up. And why is Sonic plagued by nightmares?
AN/ Welcome to ABCSonicKirbyWarriors, astroshadow, ShinyShiny9 and PoeticLover1996. Thanks for all the reviews I hope you're enjoying the story!
CHAPTER 6: Within The Storm
It only took another hour or so to get everyone settled. Amy and Vanilla passed out sandwiches and tea. Outside they could hear small branches and other debris hitting the hanger walls. Shadow kept an eye on Tails. He built this place himself, and he would know if the walls were strained.
When Vanilla handed Jet a sandwich Knuckles said, "by the way Jet, cough up that emerald I don't want you sneaking out without paying."
Jet made a face. "Aww you wound me Knuckles, really, do you think I'd leave without paying my debts?"
Knuckles smirked. "If it meant you could get away with keeping a Chaos Emerald I'd say yes."
"Okay, okay," Jet grumbled. He nodded to Storm who pulled the dark purple stone from the pack the three of them shared. Storm handed the emerald to Jet who tossed it to Sonic. To Shadow's surprise instead of tucking the gem into his quills like he normally would he placed it next to him. Amy sat to Sonic's left, and Rouge sat on his right. Shadow couldn't help but wonder why Sonic left the Emerald out, and why of all places it he set it down next to Rouge.
Rouge looked delighted to be in such close proximity to a Chaos Emerald. Shadow caught her eye, and glared at her so sharply she deflated, and her expression turned into something more wistful. With the slightest indication of his head, he gestured for her to hand him the Emerald. With a heavy sigh, she picked up the stone and did so. Strangely enough, Sonic didn't even appear to notice.
Storm sat back down, and leaned against a nearby bookshelf dislodging several books, which promptly landed on his and Jet's head. Sonic Tails and Knuckles laughed watching Wave help her two friends. Vanilla, always polite, said, "oh dear, are you all right?"
"I'll live," Jet muttered picking the offending books up. Looking at the titles Jet chuckled, and shook his head. "Geeze kid, don't you read anything other than tech manuals?"
"This one's different," Wave said picking up another book. She peered at the title puzzled. "Sonic and the Secret Rings," Wave looked at Sonic puzzled. "Someone wrote a book about you?"
Jet laughed. "Gee, who did you pay to do that?" He asked.
Shadow expected Sonic to make some annoying comment about his adoring fans, but instead he saw the cocky overconfident hedgehog look at the offending book in horror. "I thought you said you were going to give those books to your contact in Crystal City?" He asked giving Tails a stern look.
"She gave them back," Tails said apologetically with a shrug. "She said they wanted to be here, and they're safe if nobody opens them."
Jet took the book from Wave, and asked, "What happens if you open it?"
"NO!" Sonic and Tails shouted together in a panic.
Shadow closer to Jet reached out, and snatched the book away. Once he touched the book, his chaos sense kicked in. "There is power in this book. It is not Chaos Energy, or true magic, but it is very similar to both." Something in Shadow's gut told him to be very careful with this book. Sonic never showed fear, but Shadow knew that Sonic feared this book.
Tails nodded. "That's what my contact told me. She said the books are safe enough if you don't open them."
Sonic eyed the book dubiously. "Maybe," he said, "but I still don't want to be anywhere near them."
Tails went over to the bookcase, and took a second book off his shelf. Without being asked Shadow handed the young fox kit the book he held. For some reason the book reminded Shadow of some of the objects Knuckles once showed him from the Echidna Shrine on Angel Island. The book just had that feel about it.
"I'll put the books upstairs where they'll be safe," Tails said. Shadow saw Sonic breathe a sigh of relief.
"And after the storm I'll take those two books off your hands," Knuckles told him. "I'll put them in the Shrine on Angel Island they'll be safe enough there. The spirits of my ancestors can keep that power under control."
Again, Sonic looked relived. "Thanks Knuckles I appreciate it."
Tails went up the stairs to his bedroom with the two books in hand. Jet looked at Sonic confused. "Wait, are you saying that those books possessed you or something?"
Sonic shrugged, rolled over, and faced away from Jet. He stretched out on the floor, and put his hands behind his head. "It's a long story, I'm tired of telling it, and nobody believes me anyway." Then suddenly he smirked and said, "Besides, you were the one who promised Cream a story. Didn't you say you'd tell her about The Seven? I never heard of them before."
Shadow heard Knuckles sigh. Jet grinned, "I can't believe you guys hang out with the guardian of the Master Emerald, and he never told you about the Spirits of Chaos."
"So tell us all ready what are they?" Amy asked.
"They are the living embodiment of the natural forces within our world," Jet said. Life, Air, Water, Fire, Stone, even the forces of Creation and Destruction are each associated with a specific Chaos Emerald. These spirits can be summoned if you know how."
"The ancient Babylonians had a strong connection to the Spirit of the Air, and the Spirit of Life. In the ancient writings we found in Babylon they said that The Spirits of Air and Life sustained them while they traveled through the stars." Wave explained.
"Is that where you learned how to carve the Talismans?" Tails asked, coming back down the stairs, and joining the group on the floor.
"Oh we didn't carve them," Jet answered. "We found a cache of all seven kinds Talismans when we started to explore the ancient city.
"I wondered if they were genuine," Tails said. If the stories about the Seven are true those Talismans would have a lot of power."
"Lemme see," Sonic said getting to his feet. He zipped over to the hanger doors where the two stone talismans hung. He held them together in his palm with his eyes closed, apparently testing their weight. "Hmmmmm," Sonic hummed thoughtfully. "There's something there but I couldn't tell you what. It's not like chaos or ring energy. It feels familiar though, but I couldn't tell you why." Sonic's eyes popped open and he contemplated the two amulets in his hands. "They are pretty though."
Jet grinned knowingly. "Which one do you like better?" He asked.
Shadow watched Sonic contemplate the two amulets in his hands. Even at this distance, Shadow could see the two amulets. One showed five wavy lines within three wavy circles. The other amulet showed multiple swirls each moving into another in a never-ending pattern. Sonic dropped the amulet with the wavy lines back to where it hung, focusing only on the swirled amulet. He gave an odd little smile apparently lost in some daydream. The wind, which howled horribly outside, found its way into the hanger through cracks by the doors and windows. Shadow felt the cold draft, but Sonic reacted like he felt a warm breeze.
"This one, "Sonic said, "It reminds me of being outdoors on a warm day."
Jet laughed. "I thought you'd like that one. That represents The Spirit of Air."
"Sonic is most definitely an airhead," Knuckles said, with a smirk at Sonic.
Wave rolled her eyes and glared at Knuckles. "Come on! You're the guardian of the Master Emerald. Surely you could tell if Sonic is a child of The Seven."
"What's a child of the Seven?" Amy asked.
Jet took up the story again. "They say that The Seven can't or won't act directly to protect their worlds. They only act through The Chaos Emeralds, or certain individuals who have some of the power of The Seven. They're called The Children of The Seven. After we found Babylon, and started reading the ancient writings, we wondered if you were a Child of The Seven. You definitely have the power and the attitude of The Spirit of Air."
Shadow noticed that suddenly both Sonic and Amy were very interested in Jet's story. In a quiet almost hesitant voice Sonic asked, "How do you get their power?"
That surprised Jet. "You mean you don't know?" The green hawk demanded. "I mean with the way you run..."
"That's why I'm asking," Sonic shot back. "I've always been able to run like that. It drove my parents and the elders crazy trying to figure me out. Up until Eggman showed up my dad wanted me to keep my speed from the other kids in the village, we never did find out why I could run and absorb energy the way I do."
"You mean you don't know why you can run like that?" Jet asked.
Sonic shrugged. "I just do," he said, "I don't know why everyone drives themselves crazy trying to figure me out, but the power of air..." Sonic paused and toughs a moment. "How would you know if you were one?"
Tails sighed, "To gain the power of the Seven you have to be pledged to them. Most people pledge themselves to The Seven in their teens."
"We'll I never pledged anything to anyone," Sonic said. "I'm guessing it would be a pretty big deal."
With a smirk Jet said, "You should ask your guardian of the Master Emerald that." At Sonic's questioning glance he added, "What? You think it's normal for someone to be able to talk to rocks and get them to obey you? He has to be bound to The Spirit of Stone."
All eyes fell on Knuckles who now looked very uncomfortable. With a shrug he said, "Yeah I was pledged by the guy who hatched and raised me. I was five at the time, and while there was some sort of ceremony, I really don't remember that much about it, and like I said before I've never seen any of the Seven."
"Do you feel a connection to rocks though?" Rouge asked.
Knuckles glared at Rouge, and snapped, "Stone," then seemed to be slightly embarrassed by his own reaction. Trying to act casual he said, "I guess I do, I mean I can talk to the Master Emerald, and the seven Chaos Emeralds, I can call on them to give me power, but I don't absorb it the way Sonic, and Shadow can."
"I've always been able to channel energy from The Chaos Emeralds, but Sonic was the one who showed me how to absorb chaos energies. Still I can't absorb non-chaos energies," Shadow said, looking at Sonic now wondering himself why Sonic was so odd. Not just the running or the energy absorption; Sonic always had this overwhelming need to help even when told to mind his own business. He always told Shadow that he couldn't stand by and do nothing if others needed him. Shadow saw how Sonic acted while he recovered from being poisoned. At times Tails and Knuckles had to sit on Sonic to keep him from going off to help someone, while Shadow raced to the rescue. Now Shadow couldn't help but wonder if Sonic's odd personality quirks had a reason.
He can break Mach one without even thinking about it. He absorbs energy from sun, wind, even our thoughts and emotions; he can't ignore a cry for help even when he is hurt or incapacitated. Could he be a child of one of these seven spirits?
Meanwhile Sonic spoke up. "I told you guys I don't know why I can absorb energy like that. I just do."
Shadow still watched Sonic curious. "Jet, can you tell us anything else about The Spirit of Air?"
Out of the corner of his eye Shadow swore he saw both Knuckles and Tails wince.
Oblivious to the pair Jet turned to Wave, who said, "From what we found she is called Amaunet, or Amau. She whispers her will in the breeze, she is the hand of the sky, she holds our air ships aloft, and watches over our struggles and pleasures. She is known in the canyons and the cities; she sang the first songs. She is never still, always seeking new places and experiences. She touches all yet stays with no one. Her anger is the tornado, and hurricane. She has the strength to tear homes apart, and uproot the forest, and yet is gentle enough to carry a fallen leaf to its resting place..." At that point, Wave faltered and said, "Um I can't remember the rest of the inscription."
Shadow couldn't help notice that everyone now except Knuckles and Tails were looking at Sonic with the same expression on their faces, and possibly the same thought running through his mind. That sounds way too much like Sonic to be a coincidence. That introspective look even shown on Sonic's face for a moment. Shadow wondered what he thought about what the swallow said, when suddenly the rare serious look fell from Sonic's face and he said, "This is way too deep for me. Who wants to play checkers?"
Shadow took him up on the challenge. With his knowledge of tactics, he could easily beat anyone in so simple a game with little or no effort, and it would allow Shadow to digest this new information, and speculate on its meaning. While Sonic set up the checker board Shadow noticed Knuckles glaring angrily at Jet. Tails seemed to be almost hiding from direct view. Shadow wondered why those two seemed to act so oddly. He couldn't shake the idea that it had to do with the spirits Jet talked about. Just before they began the game Shadow on impulse shoved the purple Chaos Emerald into Sonic's hand. "Here," he said curtly, "be more careful with that thing. Rouge almost had herself a new broach."
Sonic looked at the Emerald apparently surprised. "Oh! I didn't even notice it missing. Thanks Shadow." He took the stone back, but again he simply left it at his side instead of tucking it away in his quills.
Shadow decided not to say anything right away. Something funny was going on with Sonic and that emerald, and Shadow didn't know what.
Sure enough, Sonic left it behind when he relinquished his place to Knuckles, who looked at the deep violet gem, and sighed. The echidna guardian then tucked the Emerald into his own quills, and frowned but didn't say anything about it."
After twenty games of checkers, Shadow gave up finding a worthy opponent. Only Tails and Espio gave him any challenge. By now, the storm raged in full force around the hanger. Everybody felt nervy, Sonic most of all. Everyone knew that Sonic hated to be confined for any reason. He didn't react like he reacted to his fear of water. He just didn't like to be held in one place. If he had control over when he held still he acted normally, but being forced to stay in one place even for a storm made him irritable and edgy. It didn't help that Knuckles started playing head games with Sonic with that purple Chaos Emerald. Sonic didn't notice, but Shadow took note that very quietly Knuckles would pass the emerald to several individuals who would try to get near Sonic. Once they possessed the purple emerald wherever they went is where Sonic did not want to be. Shadow even took his turn holding the purple emerald, but once he saw that Sonic seemed to find a reason not to be next to Shadow once he held it, he returned the emerald to its guardian. When he returned the emerald to Knuckles, the red echidna sighed pensively.
"What's wrong?" Shadow asked in hushed tones. Thank goodness, Sonic's hearing wasn't like his.
"Not sure yet," Knuckles said just as quietly as Shadow. "Something is going on with him. I'll figure out later. For now I think he could use a distraction." Knuckles turned to the Caotix, and asked, "Hey Vector, do you have my stuff?"
The big Crocodile turned and asked, "do you want the green bag or the brown one?"
"The brown one Vector," Knuckles answered catching the long bag when Vector threw it. Shadow wondered at the length of the bag until Knuckles drew out what looked like a long hollow tree branch decorated with some of the symbols Shadow saw once in the ruins on Angel Island. Some beaded chords dangled near Knuckles part of the instrument. The large decorated branch got everyone's attention.
"What is that?" Sonic asked. Shadow glanced at Sonic slightly puzzled. He knew that Sonic had seen the instrument before. He certainly remembered it. Even though the Echidna guardian showed no true Chaos powers on his own, when he played that instrument anyone with Chaos talent seemed to sync up with his will, and become very compliant. Shadow remembered him using it when Sonic recovered from being poison to get the stubborn blue hedgehog to calm down and rest. That of course was good for whoever took care of Sonic, but Shadow knew that it could also influence his thoughts and feelings too.
Shadow glared at Knuckles who looked back slightly apologetic. "It's something I found in my ancestors shrine. It's an instrument. Lately I've been having dreams about how it's supposed to work and I've been trying to play it. I think I sound pretty good."
"Oh really?" Sonic asked. "Let's hear you then!"
Why doesn't Sonic remember? Shadow wondered. He watched Knuckles polish the instrument with care. Shadow managed to catch the echidna's eye and glare a warning. Knuckles simply shrugged and got ready to play.
Even though Shadow heard Knuckles play before the deep thrum of the instrument surprised him. The low methodical humming of Knuckles instrument vibrated through the floor into his body. Knuckles set a beat and pattern that seemed to sync with Shadow's heartbeat. Something in him relaxed, and he found himself closing his eyes.
The thrumming from Knuckles instrument followed Shadow even into his dreams. Only when Knuckles stopped could Shadow pull himself from the fascination. He opened his eyes to see Knuckles kneeling next to a sleeping Sonic with The Master Emerald shrunk down in both his hands. The emerald hummed with power, and Shadow had the impression that the echidna guardian was checking something inside of Sonic's mind. Shadow lay perfectly still watching Knuckles sigh and cover Sonic up. He then went and curled up in his bedroll and went to sleep.
Coming Soon: Chapter 7
Knuckles looked at Amy then looked at Shadow he seemed reluctant to talk in front of Amy. "What happened?" Shadow asked not caring if Amy heard or not. When Knuckles still hesitated, Shadow played a hunch. "Did Sonic make the Emerald do that?"
Knuckles expression went flat. Amy tried to help. "Shadow and I couldn't sleep so we came up here to talk. Sonic was having some sort of strange dream. Shadow thought he was reacting to something."
Knuckles deflated instantly. "Damn Jet," he muttered more to himself than them. Then looking up at Shadow he said, "Mind you I could be wrong, but I think for some reason Sonic is developing a fear or an aversion to the Dark Chaos Emerald."