Chapter Seven: Survive
By
LordHelen
Rouge was deflated, her head spinning. The Snow Doggies had come back empty handed. There was nothing else they could do except march off into suicide. It was all over…no Sonic…no Shadow…no Silver…half the group was gone! She loved Sonic. Sonic was nice, timid and smart. She was the best roommate, and now she was dead.
"Rouge?" Cream called up to the hammock. Cheese trilled questioningly as well.
"I'M MOURNING UP HERE!" Rouge yelled back, her voice more angered than grieved. It was her nature.
"SORRY! BLAZE TOLD ME TO TELL YOU SHE WAS SENDING THE SNOW DOGGIES OUT AGAIN!" Cream bolted from the room, Cheese in tow. Great, Rouge thought, another disappointment.
Sonic woke up. That fact right there made her suspicious. Also, she was sleeping upright and was actually…warm. She felt two shapes huddled against her and a thick blanket wrapped around her. She opened her eyes and jumped. Not only was she wrapped in twelve blankets, like the two figures next to her, but they were all wrapped with one huge blanket in an icy cave.
"Jeeze, Sonic, I'm trying to sleep." Shadow's voice was muffled by his blankets, but unmistakable.
"SHADOW!" Sonic hugged him tight. Suddenly, she heard a strange choking noise coming from him.
"Hedgehog…choking…need…air!" Sonic let go of him only to hit him on what she assumed to be the nose. Or the mouth. Or chest…
"Hey!" Shadow rubbed his nose, emerging from his blanket. He looked both enraged and distant at the same time.
"How dare you go running off? I was scared half to death, and then Silver went after you…Oh, Silver!" Sonic suddenly remembered the hedgehog, her voice cracking with fear. "Where is he?"
"Someone say my name?" Silver's voice was also muffled. Sonic hit him too, only she knew it was his head because her hand came back with silver hair.
"How dare you two? Rouge and Blaze and everyone were so upset!" Sonic growled, eyes blazing.
"Sorry." They said in unison. Sonic glared at them both with ferocious anger that brought the term 'if looks could kill' to mind.
"Sorry? Everyone was so worried I came after you! I could have died! And the others…Oh, the others are going to be worried sick!"
"It's okay; we've been fine the whole time. Onnie saved us." Shadow said.
"Who?"
"Onnie, the man who saved us. The blizzard came and I froze. But Onnie found me. Then he came here with Silver! You got here yesterday."
"Where is here?" Sonic stared at the ghastly walls of the cave.
"Onnie's home, a cave twenty miles off campus. He goes all the way to the gate in his search of food, and I guess he found us while he searched." Shadow was eating something.
"What's that?" Sonic made a grab for it, but Shadow jerked his hand back.
"Oh, this? Some kind of edible tree bark. It's the only thing he can find in this weather." Shadow offered Sonic some and she had to admit that it tasted pretty good.
"Where is this Onnie?"
"He went out. Who knows, he might bring back someone else. But his tales are great. He's been around since this world was made, and he'll be around when it's destroyed. He knows all but the very small things, like every school on this planet. But he knows history that has been legend since before we were born." Shadow seemed to love this.
"What's so good about that?" Sonic asked, bored. She bit her finger and yelp.
"What did I ever see in you?" Shadow hissed. That got her attention.
"What?" Sonic's eyes cleared, but he dashed her hopes quick.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, just babbling. Nothing whatsoever." Shadow answered. Sonic smiled, finally seeing the perks of this arrangement. Shadow couldn't run away.
"Fine, I give up. Why would Onnie save us? I don't even know him."
"Yeah, he's nice." Silver put it in. Suddenly, there was a loud thud.
"Why are the hedgehogs awake? Sleeping through weather like this does more good than not." a voice called.
"Sonic woke us up!" Silver answered immediately. Sonic hit his nose.
"You mean Blue's up?" the voice asked. A brown face peered over the edge of the blanket. In the hedgehog's face were two black eyes, deeper than anything Sonic had ever seen. In them she saw wells of knowledge. "Well, I'll be, she is up and talking real loud! I thought this one 'ould take longer." Onnie, as he obviously was, passed her a bit of tree bark. "You eat, them wolves been out lately. They go for the skinny ones. Less fight."
"Thank you." Sonic answered, nibbling a little. Shadow looked up and opened his mouth, yawning.
"Onnie, can you tell us that story you were about to tell?"
"Course, but it is more of a legend. I hardly believe it meself. Well, ya see, there I was, up in a mountain cave. I was cold and 'ungry, but I knew I could survive if I found shelter. Ya see, it was on a night much like this when this story takes place. I found a large cave, and on the walls there 'as ancient writing. Pictures, odd letters, telling a strange tale. It told o an ancient civilization, 'idden from the rest of the 'orld. Centuries ol' these writings were, but still I read 'em. I learned of th' sudden tyrant that tried ta take over this civilization, this kingdom. His name, as far as I can tell, was Dominic. Dominic rose up against the ruler, the kind Queen Amen. Well, the queen fled from 'er kingdom, and all 'ope was lost. Then, one year later, she returned. The tyrant laughed and 'old her she would die. But then, she glowed light blue, the color of 'er fur. Her eyes turned gold and her voice rang like a 'ousand. She seemed to have immense power, and Dominic fell. Years later, she was on her death bed. Amen called for the one person she could trust, 'er guard. She told him that her power came and would never truly leave. She said that in one thousand years, another 'edgehog would be born. Into this 'edgehog all 'er powers would pour, making that 'edgehog the next Light Wanderer. I would not believe such a tale, except not three weeks ago, a vision came to me. Queen Amen in a dream. She said by the time the month was over three hedgehogs would be in my possession, one of which the next Light Wanderer. And here, lo and behold, 'er prediction came true. But now you must find a way back to your 'omes. I am afraid I leave on urgent business now, but this cave is now yours. Do not stay long, for evil things loom on the horizon. Stay together, and now sleep! When you awake, I will have gone!" Sonic felt her eyes droop and soon darkness overwhelmed her.
Sonic knew she was awake, but the air seemed dreamlike. When she opened her eyes, the cave seemed empty and dark. Onnie had gone. Her face tilted to the sky and she saw only the cave ceiling. Outside, the blizzard trooped on. It was dazzling, like she was someone else, watching herself. The snow fell in full power to Earth and she could almost see shapes in them. A hedgehog…a queen hedgehog. The queen raised her head and looked at Sonic.
"Wander far, but not from life."
Sonic blinked and the snow turned back into snow. Convinced she was insane, Sonic pushed the figure and words from her mind. She sat up and reached out of her blanket, grabbing some tree bark left unattended. She nibbled slowly, watching Shadow sleep. Odd. He was so…so distant when he was awake. It was like he lived on another planet. Like he was out of reach. But now…his face was so here. She could see him, and it looked like he wasn't across five seas. In conclusion, he was cute when he slept.
"Sonic, are you up?" Silver's voice was soft, like he was about to deliver bad news. Sonic looked up.
"Yeah. Why, is there a problem?"
"Well, the food. There is none. And I think you'll agree with me when I say that blizzard is never going to stop!"
"I guess, but I thought Onnie brought a little food home." Sonic stood up slowly, failing to hold her blankets around her.
"I think he must have taken it. I think…I think we're supposed to survive." Silver looked at her tree bark. It was almost gone. "Sonic!"
"Well I didn't know!" Sonic dropped her tree bark.
"Marianna…" Shadow moaned, rolling over. One of his legs hit hers and she tumbled down.
"Ack! Who on Mobius is Marianna?" Sonic stood carefully, her eyes wide. Marianna was a girl name…Shadow was dreaming about a girl?
"Shadow's old girlfriend. They had a bad breakup. Probably nothing to worry about." Silver started tapping the cave walls. "How will we get food?"
"I have an idea! Why don't Shadow and I go search for it while you stay here and keep a fire lit, so we know how to get back?" Sonic picked her tree bark up again.
"I guess, but what if Shadow doesn't want to go?" Silver asked.
"Oh, it's fine. Come on, Shadow." Sonic started dragging the hedgehog out of the cave. "Don't wait up." Silver watched the sleeping hedgehog disappear with Sonic.
"She is really crazy."
"Shadow, what are you saying?" Marianna watched him carefully, her eyes narrowed. "We…we're in love!"
"We were. That…that was before." Shadow looked down, hardly believing himself. She was all she had ever-would ever-wanted.
"Before what?"
"Before you went insane."
