Frost: Hello and welcome to chapter 13. Now Some people have been asking about how Caedmon acts around certain people like how he accepted Helen but still seems wary of Chris. The reason for this is because he and Sonic can feel and sense energy fields given off by living and none living things. They can tell Helen is a gentle, innocent and pure person meaning they know she isn't going to hurt them. Chris gives off a slightly more aggressive energy, not angry, just an excitable, adventures and slightly unpredictable energy which puts Cay on alert.
This chapter is also not based off an episode, it's more just focusing on the relationship between Sonic and Cay and also allowing them to interact with some of the other characters. If you have any other question PM me
Caedmon: Please review and have a pleasant day
They are outside and Sonic is sitting on the steps of the house when Shadow catches them doing it. He and Laraine come round the corner to see the blue hedgehog sitting there alone and for a moment they are stunned into silence but then Laraine spots Cay ten meters away still in the form of a white ermine with a black tipped tail. They both blanch at the distance because while they can go about eight meters from each other ten is too much of a stretch. Neither Sonic nor Cay have noticed them so they hunch down to watch as Cay walks ever so slowly away from Sonic who is starting to shift and wince where he sits. When Cay gets to about twelve meters away he seems to break and reaches out to his daemon, a flinch traveling his whole body.
"Cay" he calls out and the ermine freezes in place and just sits there. They don't rush to get back to each other and reaffirm the bond and its frightening, even to Shadow as he watches them just sit there and slowly relax. He is slightly horrified to realize that they are getting used to the distance and that what they are doing is stretching, a form of separation that doesn't complete sever to bond and doesn't allow them to be completely apart. While it's not separation it still looks and feels wrong to Shadow and Laraine and shudder in fear as Sonic relaxes entirely and slumps down on the steps complete at ease.
"Please, can we go now Shadow, please" Laraine whispers in his ear and he finds himself rushing to get away from the scene, rushing to get away from the wrongness.
Sonic watched as Shadow and Laraine fled and no emotion crossed his face. He was impassive and just tilted his head while Cay walked slowly back to him and rested his front paws on his bent leg.
"Think they'll tell?" he asked and Cay snorted slightly.
"Doubtful, to afraid" he huffed and jumped up onto his boys lap. Sonic frowned at Cay's words and gently petted the ermine looking awkward and uncomfortable.
"Are we monsters Cay?" he asked and his daemon's head whipped around so fast Sonic was surprised it didn't hurt.
"What makes you ask that?" Cay questioned, eyes narrowed and fur standing on end.
"We just so…" Sonic trailed off not sure how to continue and gestured vaguely at the air around them. He may not have known how to ask the question but Cay understood straight away and he hunched down and gritted his teeth.
"We are perfectly fine just the way we are" he bit out and Sonic sighed sadly and petted his daemon, his other half, his brother and allowed the soothing sensation of the bond around them lull him and Cay into a daydream like state. When they resurface it was to find that at least two hours had passed and the sun was high in the sky. Neither felt hungry but Ella would become hopping mad if they didn't show and eat something so it was with great reluctance that they walked back into the house were everyone was eating and watching TV.
"Ah, there you are Sonic and Cay. I was beginning to worry about you" Ella said while bring over some sort of pie. Sonic accepted it gratefully while Cay just rolled his eyes and curled up on the couch beside Sonic and closed his eyes for a nap. He didn't so much as look at anyone else in the room and Sonic couldn't help but notice how Shadow and Laraine kept sending them wary looks when they thought he wasn't looking. It was almost laughable how unnerved the others got when he and Cay did something strange or unnatural to them. Sonic could understand why Cay loved to make others uncomfortable, it was amusing sometimes to witness their reactions and it was also a little fun to stir up some trouble as well. Though right now Shadow and Laraine looked very uncomfortable and it was starting to worry even Sonic. When everyone else left the room he stood and walked over. Cay didn't look up from his nap and didn't seem bothered by the sudden distance and that just made the ebony creation and merlin flacon even warier.
"You have questions, we know you saw earlier today" Sonic spoke and Shadow looked away obviously not wanting to speak but Laraine didn't seem to have a problem.
"Why?" she asked and Shadow sent her a look for her bluntness and poor sentence structure.
"Why the stretching?" Sonic asked and she nodded shyly and he just smirked, "Because it is interesting and useful"
"Useful how?" Shadow bit out, his shoulders tense and Laraine gently nipped at his ear to try and offer some form of comfort to him.
"He can scout ahead and go unseen, we can look for things in a large room, and we can unnerve our enemy by making them think we a separated" Sonic grinned and watched as they both shivered in slight fear and horror and that just made him smile more. "We aren't considering separation if that is what concerns you"
"It's not that it's…" and Shadow trailed off looking unsure.
"It's that we know it hurts you, the stretching we mean and we don't understand why you would put yourself through that pain or why you would want to be so far apart from each other" Laraine finally spoke out and Shadow looked both relieved and awkward. He didn't like talking about emotions and yet Laraine seemed to emit them in waves. Sonic eyed them up and down and gave a side smirk.
"Cay and I aren't like you and the others. We are different and always will be. We put ourselves through the pain of stretching to test our limits and we can stand to be so far apart because we know we will never truly leave each other" he explained and turned to walk out the door. He paused, as if realizing he'd just forgotten something and turned back to Cay who was still napping on the couch. "Cay, come"
The white ermine leapt up like he'd never been asleep and turned into a Margay, a type of small wild jungle cat half way across the room and the pair walked out as if nothing was wrong. Laraine shivered from where she sat on Shadow's shoulder and pressed her head into his neck wanting to feel close to him.
"It's not right what they're doing" she whispered and he nodded.
"I know, but we can't change anything about it. Best just leave them be Rain" he muttered and cuddled her close. He wouldn't mention the incident to anyone and wouldn't bother Sonic himself about it but that didn't mean he had to like it or approve of it.
(Line break)
"I reckon that in a few days we can stretch the rang to thirteen or fourteen meters, we're already at twelve" Sonic muttered once they were outside and on the roof. Cay was still in the form of a Margay and the small jungle cat purred in delight at the thought.
"I don't see why Shadow and Laraine are so worried, it's not as if we are stretching their bond. What we do is our business and ours alone" he groused and Sonic chuckled and rubbed the cat's ears softly.
"It disturbs them to see us so far apart. I suppose it all comes down to the social rules about daemons and such" Sonic summarised and Cay gave a yawn showing off his sharp teeth. He jumped onto Sonic's lap and curled up though he wasn't intending to take a nap, he had too much to think about to rest. Sonic didn't seem bothered by the change in position, he just moved his legs slightly to make it more comfortable for both of them.
"Those rules are stupid and meaningless to me. The only one that seems to matter at all to us is the touch of ones daemon. To me that is the only rule that has any value or meaning to it. The ones about not talking to another's daemon or stretching and settling are just absurd and trivial" Cay said moodily and Sonic hummed in agreement. The social rules that revolved around daemons was one of the reason everyone saw them as strange because they didn't follow them like everyone else did. Sonic didn't understand why it was seen as wrong for him to talk to other daemons, he thought it seemed a bit rude to not talk to them. Cay just didn't even bother with the other daemons because to him they weren't worth his time and attention. He just tolerated their presence.
It was because of these views and ideas that they had that excluded them from the rest of society and left them social outcasts but they didn't really care. They were fine staying in their little world because in their world everything made sense. Sonic continued to pet Cay's head while the Margay purred happily and relaxed into the touch. As they sat there bathing in the sun and their bond they watched as Chris appeared and walked about in the garden. Neither ceased in their actions but their eyes tracked his every movement and digested what they meant from his actions.
"Worried and stressed, has frown lines and bags under his eyes from lack of sleep" Sonic whispered in Cay's ear and the daemon purred deeply.
"Can't be us, he hasn't spoken to us much these last few days so it wasn't anything we've done. But he did get a phone call from his mother two days ago saying his father was going to call in a few days" Cay said back and Sonic's eyes shone in understanding.
"He's going to confront his father about his disinterest in taking over the company when he's older" he mused and Cay rolled his eyes.
"Obviously"
Sonic didn't let the slightly condescending tone Cay use get to him. He knew his daemon didn't really mean anything by it and just continued to watch Chris pace and work himself up into a ball of stress and nerves. He finally took pity on him and lifted Cay from his lap and jumped down from the roof. Cay stayed put wanting to get used to their new rang of distance and also to observe the interactions between the two.
"Hello Chris, you seem stressed" Sonic greeted the young human who jumped in fright before giving him a weak smile.
"I didn't see you there" he admitted before frowning and looking around, "Where's Cay?"
"He's close by, don't worry. Why don't we talk about you instead?" Sonic probed gently and watched as the boy deflated slightly and withdrew into himself as well.
"It's nothing really, you don't need to worry about me" the boy said and Sonic shook his head.
"I'm not overly worried, more curious if anything. Tell me, why does your father frighten you so?" he asked and Chris jumped in shock and stared at him with wide eyes.
"How did you know this had to do with my dad?" he asked but Sonic didn't answer him, just raised an eyebrow and gazed at him expectantly making the human child sigh. "It's not that I'm afraid of him, I'm afraid of disappointing him and letting him down"
Sonic frowned at this and tilted his head, his mind processing the information given to him and thought about how to reply. "You shouldn't concern yourself with those thoughts Chris. It's not your father's life that is at stake here, it's yours. You are the only one who knows what you want and what is best for you. Don't let other people make decision for you and don't worry about how others will feel about them. Take care of yourself first and others second" he finally said and Chris stared down at him in awe.
Chris turned the words over in his head and a small smile slowly began to form its way onto his face and he nodded his thanks to his friend. "That has helped a lot, thank you Sonic. I think I'm ready to take charge of my life and start making my own choices"
"Then I wish you luck with them and remember. Not all of them will succeed in the beginning or maybe even ever, but that doesn't mean you should stop trying" Sonic said and gave a small bow and walked away. Cay was waiting for him by some bushes, his hazel coloured eyes watching him carefully and his tail swishing from side to side.
"Well done child, you handled the situation perfectly" Cay praised and Sonic beamed down at him. The Margay just sniffed and changed into a Coati and walked over to stand beside Sonic, his ringed tail held high in the air.
"Interesting but still no" Sonic said and Cay sniffed up at him and walked ahead of him.
"I don't feel like settling yet so I won't be" the coati huffed before his ears perked up and he turned to the house, "Tails, Knuckles and Blaze are talking about something. I think we should go and listen in"
"Spying on them? Seems a bit low Cay" Sonic said but followed his daemon anyway into the house and opened the door to a spear room slightly and peaked in where he could see his friends standing around and talking.
"I'm worried guys, while Amy and Ferus haven't been talking to Sonic and Cay they still seem to send them these glances that aren't friendly" Tails was whispering and Cay tensed and repressed a growl of anger.
"I know what you mean" Knuckles sighed and shook his head, "After what they suggested after the incident I just can't look at them the same way"
"Suggested what? What are they hiding from us?" Cay whispered frantically.
"Hush Cay" Sonic shot back leaning closer wanting to find out.
"I didn't think they could be capable of such a thing" Blaze said while petting her panther daemon to sooth herself. Vasilios was rumbling deeply but he too looked stressed along with the other daemons.
"Just goes to show, you think you know someone but when they show their true colours" Tails muttered and they all nodded.
"Still, we should keep an eye of them. Make sure they don't try anything" Blaze said.
"I agree, though I doubt they could get closer than five feet with Cay around" Knuckles said with a small chuckle. They began to talk about the chaos emeralds next and where the next one might be and Cay gave a disgruntled sigh and pulled away from the door and walked down the hall, Sonic trailing after him. When they reached their room Cay jumped up onto the bed and turned into his serval form and scowled deeply, tail lashing.
"I don't like this. After the incident where I shoved Amy they all acted jumpy and wary but I didn't think too much of it. I thought they were still shocked that I shoved her but now, now I think there was something else going on" he growled and Sonic sat down next to him.
"Whatever it was that Amy and Ferus suggested it was enough to upset everyone and make them worry for us which is very concerning. They don't normally worry about us because they know we can take care of ourselves" he said and Cay spat angrily while his fur stood on end.
"I could always confront the green slime ball about it but I think that will just make the situation worse" he said and Sonic grunted and nodded.
"This world hopping is proving to be both interesting and frustrating isn't it?" Sonic questioned and Cay gave a huffing laugh.
"Yes it is. While it's nice having all these mysteries it is also frustrating and slightly maddening"
"Perhaps we should drop one"
"No, this isn't anything we can't handle. We'll just have to be patient, this is a waiting game after all" Cay snapped and Sonic reached over and petted his head to sooth him. The serval purred and leaned into the touch and gazed up at his boy through half lidded eyes.
"Tomorrow we will try for thirteen or fourteen meters. I'd also like to have a look at this internet thing these humans keep talking about. Perhaps we can find something interesting on it" he said and Sonic smiled.
"We may even find something out about Dust or daemons. While people in this world may not have them they have myths and legends about things in our own world. Maybe daemons and Dust fall under that category" Sonic suggested and Cay smirked.
"I love that you are as intelligent as I am child, I really do" he said and Sonic laughed.
"If I wasn't as smart as you Cay you'd be bored out of your mind" he teased and Cay laughed along with him and nuzzled his chine with his nose. He loved his boy and everything about him. He didn't care if they were strange, they were perfect for each other and that's all that mattered to him.
Frost: I know it's not as long as the last two chapters but its a chapter more devoted to learning more about Cay and Sonic as one unit
Caedmon: If you have any inquiries please PM Frost and please review and have a lovely day