Jungle Wisdom

Surrounded by a wooden wall, the numerous small huts of the village snuggled into the spaces between large stems of jungle trees. No-one had considered felling them, and the thick green of the treetops forty meters above sheltered the village from the sun's heat that had been so pestering on the clearing along the riverside.

The more or less willing 'guests' were escorted through a broad entrance in the fence around the settlement, along a few narrow alleys and to the front of one of the huts. Judging from the feather-decorated spears in front of the entrance, the neighbor's hut was that of the chief. This one they now stood in front of was lacking any special decoration but the colorful carpet-like thing concealing the door.

Curiously Sonic took a look around. Most of their escort had left in silence, the chief entered the profusely decorated house, Tails seemed pretty relieved that he was being put down on his own feet again and was now nervously playing with the feather he'd been given, Knuckles stoically looked as if nothing happening could truly affect him, and the girl now pulled the carpet-door aside, gesturing for Sonic and his friends to enter.

Knuckles shrugged in reply, but followed her invitation; a moment later Sonic and Tails did too.

Rapidly blinking a few times to adjust to the dim light in the hut, Sonic cast a glance over his surroundings and found himself surprisedly looking into the face of not yet another porcupine, but an elderly mouse, dressed in a colorful robe like the other natives had been, the fur around his round, big ears and his muzzle starting to grey. Small eyes wandered over the three newcomers, the he waved at the young female, 'causing her to nod and leave.

Clearing his throat, the mouse let his gaze roam the trio again. "Welcome."

Sonic blinked. "Hey, you speak our language!"

"Yes," the elder nodded. "Sit down and join me. One doesn't make conversation standing around like the trees in the forest." The mouse watched the three settling down before he continued, his voice calm and gentle. "Maybe we should start with a simple greeting, I see you have many questions, and so do I, but the first guests we have in decades shouldn't be treated in a rush." He smiled. "My people calls me by the name of 'Okito', translated to your language it means something like 'he-who-knows'."

Sonic nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog."

"My name is Miles Prower, but I don't like it. Everybody calls me Tails, well, because I got two." The young fox indicated his twin tails. Okito raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

"My name is Knuckles," the red echidna finished, "last of the echidnas and guardian of the sacred Master Emerald. We're honored to meet you."

Okito inclined his head. "The last of the echidnas… When I was your age, everybody used to believe the only thing left of the echidnas was ruins all over Mobius."

"You… have been to school or something?" Sonic's ears twitched as the hedgehog tipped his head aside in interest.

The mouse chuckled softly. "Do I look like a porcupine to you?" He shook his head. "You're right, I wasn't born here. I passed my youth in Metropolis, studied history and sociology and intelligent things like that. Somehow, one day I realized how much nonsense this world I lived in was, how little I knew about how the world actually works. I got restless and left on a trip to discover the world.

Over many different places I ended up in this jungle. I knew nothing about this place then, and quickly my lack of experience got at me and I got bitten by a snake. I lay dying when I was found by these kind and friendly creatures. They took me to their village and nursed me back to health.

I was granted to see their world, it's a small one, a simple one, but I fell in love with it. You know, their language knows no word for 'enemy' or 'betrayal'. The life I found here holds no luxury or any high standards like I knew from the cities, but somehow I found my peace here. I learned to speak their language, understand their culture, and they adopted me into their people."

He smiled. "Sometimes they get cute ideas. Sadly, isolated as we are, there is hardly any contact to the world outside, and my friends can be horribly superstitious. Lately a couple of uncommon events have disturbed our peace, and they widely believe the gods to be in anger. I expect a lot of things by now, but when Tako-y came home speaking of a messenger of the gods, I didn't really know what to think."

Sonic frowned. "Messenger of the gods?"

Okito nodded. "Yes, a flying, divine being sent down from the heavens." His eyes turned over to Tails. "From hearing the descriptions, it can only be you, though I don't see the point."

Tails blushed a little under his white fur. "I can fly, using my tails."

"Most surprising," Okito noticed, though he didn't sound that surprised. "How did you get here?", he changed the subject.

"We were pursuing our enemy, Dr. Eggman. He stole some objects from my home, Angel Island," Knuckles explained. "Sonic and Tails offered to help me retrieve the stolen things, and we set out to chase Eggman in Tails' plane."

"Eggman had a flying vessel himself," Tails continued. "He didn't like us following him very much, he shot us down using the ship's weapons. Now we lost our plane, track of Eggman, don't really know were we are and Sonic got hurt when we crashed."

Okito nodded, for a few seconds silently looking down to the floor, then he focused back on Knuckles. "What caused the conflict between you and this 'Eggman'?"

Knuckles cleared his throat to keep a calm composure, but he had to fist his hand to really keep himself in check. "Eggman is a robotist. He builds machines of all sorts, but instead of making them helpful devices for people, his goal is to achieve world domination. While trying to do so, he invaded my home, burned down a forest, captured the animals and tried to steal and abuse the Master Emerald."

"Over years Eggman's always been coming up with new schemes to conquer the world," Sonic took over. "He unleashed monsters from the past, built giant satellites and sent armies of robots to take over the cities on Mobius. I've been fighting Eggman since I was ten and he destroyed the place where I grew up at, South Island, killing most of the people I knew. Someone had to fight him, I could and so I guess I did. Later I got to know Tails and Knuckles, and right now we're a team kinda."

Once again, the mouse nodded in silence, slowly thinking over what he'd been told before raising his head again. "You say he builds robots. When I left what you call the civilized world, robots were still science-fiction."

Tails shrugged. "I've seen so many of them, I can assure you they're real."

"These robots… could it be possible that some of them are here, maybe to search for you?" Okito folded his arms.

"Search for us?" Knuckles shook his head. "I doubt that Eggman cares."

"I might be wrong, but some of our hunters returned a few days ago, in terror speaking of glazed armored demons the arrows couldn't injure, with claws and glowing red eyes…"

The three friends exchanged glances. "Glowing red eyes and made out of metal?", Tails said, thoughtfully rubbing his head. "That could fit Eggman's bots."

"We crashed here yesterday; they can't be here for us," Sonic pointed out.

"Where have you seen them?", Knuckles asked. "Or, where have your people seen them?"

"About two and a half days walk from here, you can find a set of ruins, from all I can tell built by your people in the far past. Most of them are covered in plants and hard to find." Okito's small dark eyes searched the echidna. "Two times a year, at the start of each rain season, we travel there and celebrate at the temples. My people believe the temples have been given to us by the gods to have a place to worship them. All of the ruins are sacred ground and we only go there these two times per year. It is a strange place, even if you're an educated person and know how to separate legends from reality. As long as I live here, strange things happen at the ruins."

Knuckles quirked an eye ridge. "Do you think the robots were headed for these ruins?"

"I don't know, but I don't see anything else that could attract their attention."

"What do you think, guys? Eggman is at another archeology trip?" Sonic looked between his friends.

"He's sent robots to dig on Angel Island, and if we're right he's sent robots to dig here in the ruins," Tails nodded. "I wonder what he's up to…"

"Can't be anything good. The last time he was after my ancestors' history, we ended up facing Perfect Chaos." Knuckles' face was cast in a serious frown. "I have no idea what he knows we don't, but if we don't find out fast it might be too late."

"You're right," Tails agreed, "Eggman doesn't travel over half of Mobius to find something to decorate his house. If he had one. If Eggman's interested, it's gotta be something powerful."

Knuckles turned to Okito. "I am afraid I can't keep you company for much longer. Would you do me the favor to tell me the way to find these ruins and take care of Sonic and Tails?"

"Hey, you don't plan on going alone, do you?" Sonic shot to his feet, then rapidly needed to grab a hold of Tails' shoulder to steady himself as it proved to be too fast.

"Yes I do," Knuckles replied. "It is my people's heritage he's after again, so it's my responsibility. I have already dragged you into this too far."

"How can you seriously think you'll be able to get along with Eggman all on your own? No way, we're coming with you!" Sonic's eyes narrowed a little.

"No you don't," Knuckles insisted. "You can hardly walk on your own, how do you plan on fighting?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Sonic retorted, knowing this was a lie, but not willing to admit it.

"I see how fine you are, hedgehog," Knuckles gave back, standing up too and quickly reaching to pinch Sonic's bandaged temple, 'causing the hedgehog to clutch his head and bite his lip against the pain.

"What was that for?", he hissed through both anger and pain while struggling to keep upright.

"Get some sense, Sonic! Another hot day like this one and you're gonna get killed by a random bot because you can't walk straight! Stay here, rest for a few days and come after me." Knuckles crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I get some sense?", Sonic snapped, "I? How about you get some yourself, Knucklehead? Why don't you wait a couple days then too? The damn ruins have been there for thousands of years, they won't run off or something!"

"Eggman will, and whatever he finds I can't let him have it!" Knuckles had stepped a little closer, by now angry enough to forget he didn't mean to lose his manners in front of their host.

"Ah, now look at that! And you always tell me I was the one rushing into things without thinking ahead!" Sonic fisted his hands.

"I am thinking ahead! You're the one who isn't using his brains again," Knuckles growled. "And that's why I'm going there and you stay here!"

Sonic's ears folded against his head while his quills ridged slightly, a clear sign of how very angry he was. "We'll see about that! Make me!"

Knuckles glared at him. "I am tempted to do so, it wouldn't be so difficult."

Sonic braced himself at the quiet threat in Knuckles' tone, but instead of punching him in the gut or something else the hedgehog would have expected, the echidna held his gaze for a couple seconds more before turning around and leaving without further words. This was so far from anything Sonic would have thought he'd do that he stood dumbfounded for a moment before turning to Tails who still sat on the ground. "Now what? Am I right or am I right? He's gonna run into trouble!"

"Yes, he is." Tails nodded. "But you're both right." The fox stood too, turning to the slightly confused Okito. "I'm sorry, they're usually on good terms, but sometimes they just get at each other's necks. I'll see if I find Knuckles."

Sonic just stood and watched Tails go. I am right, aren't I?

"Sonic." Okito's voice was as calm as before, and nothing about his features showed what he thought about the scene he'd just witnessed.

"What?", the blue hedgehog snapped, much sharper than intended.

Strangely, the mouse didn't seem to mind being snapped at, he calmly gestured to the carpet he still sat on. "Sit down. Before you fall…"

Sonic grumbled. "It's really not that bad. I'm not a baby; I can stand just great."

"Sit down," Okito repeated, a little more commanding than before and Sonic did it in spite of feeling much more like running after Knuckles and kicking the stupid idiot's butt. Instead, he found himself being looked at by the elderly mouse. "You want to run, solve all your problems fast and easy," Okito started speaking again, and some of Sonic's anger was shoved aside by astonishment. "But sometimes the best way isn't the quickest."

Sonic stared at him. "How do you…?"

"Know something about you you didn't tell me directly?" Okito smiled. "Sonic, you're young. And you're easy to read, especially when you're angry. I could tell you why you are mad at Knuckles for what he decided, I could tell you why Knuckles is mad at you, but you will learn to understand in time on your own."

Sonic frowned. He didn't like to be talked to as if he was a grouchy little kid. "But he is a Knucklehead. He never listens to anything I say."

"Do you listen to what he says?"

Sonic was about to say something like 'of course', and if only to make clear he was better than the echidna, but somehow it wouldn't come out. "He doesn't understand me anyway," he muttered instead.

"Do you understand him?" Okito tilted his head. "You speak from different points, but still your intentions are much more alike than you think."

Sonic grimaced, reaching out to carefully feel for his temple. "How comes nothing you say makes sense, but still sounds so intelligent?"

Okito chuckled. "I have seen a lot of young people like you. I have known a lot of people anyway. If the two of you weren't so focused on getting your own opinion across, you'd see how both of you have your points."

Sonic pulled a face. "Have you ever been told you talk strange stuff?"

The mouse smiled softly. "No, I rarely met someone as open as you I guess. Or may I say blunt? But I'm sure many people have thought so." A few moments passed in silence. "Give yourself and your friends some time, will you? There should be a hut prepared for you by now. Go there, take some downtime. I'll send you Tako-y. She's good at things like that; she'll get you something for your head. Okay?"

Sonic sighed. "Okay, deal. If you're feeling lucky, try talking some sense into Knux. Maybe you have better chances than I do."