A Tale of Two Brothers

Hey Peeps, I don't own anything related to Sonic or his universe, that's SEGA and all other companies relevant to the creation of his various back-stories, and even though most of them have tanked it now that is beside the point. Honestly, I actually own very little in this fic (next to nothing apart from some background alterations) but this is my story and even though I am using characters from Archie, DiC and SEGA I will be fleshing many of them out because they were only 2-dimensional so in some ways they will appear very OC hopefully you'll bear with me! Anyway, I've bored you to tears with this disclaimer so enjoy and let me know what you think! X

Review Replies:

DanceDream: Awww, I'm so glad you liked baby Knuckles! He's adorable and will be back a little later with Antoine and Bunnie. Haha, you'll find out more about Naugus and another villain too in this chapter (it's about time I added them, huh?)… I will miss Buck too but someone had to die first and that poor guy just happened to be in the firing line (bad pun, I know)..And yes, I have a plan for Jules and Aleena I swear! But they will be apart for a little longer at least x

Slayer 666: I have never considered Jules to be like anyone and if you see him as a Napoleon figure that's fine but I swear it's a coincidence. And thanks, I will be getting back to the Overlanders in the next chapter but this chapter is back on the town and Knothole. I am not offended if you don't like changes or names (I admit I don't like some names either but once they are written I can't change them) everyone is entitled to their personal opinions. I shouldn't really explain on here why I am separating the triplets but to be honest the fact that they are so tight IS the problem. There really is no room for flaws.. I plan to have more references to their differences rather than focus on them as a harmonic group that only ever have silly tiffs that are easily fixed. I want to focus more on the siblings as individuals rather than a group as the series did. And don't worry about my blending of Manic and Scourge, you've trusted me this far, have a little faith… X

astroshadow: I think he did too but you'll find out his true feelings towards the letter in this chapter. And I'm happy that you get excited and I'm sorry this one took so long… little notes will explain why though.. x

Chapter Twenty-Four: Rest, Recuperation and New Recruits..

With the Overlanders being kept at bay for the time being the soldiers of the Mobian Army were issued with a two weeks of temporary leave while Warlord Kodos, his second in command and his generals began to work on a new plan of action to try and ward off their next attack. For Sargent Jules T. Hedgehog the bus-trip home brought him anything but joy. His heart felt as if it had congealed and then melted and had slid down into the pit of his stomach, sitting like a mass of heavy gloop. On his lap was small box resting on his lap with a neatly folded Southern Mobius flag of yellow and white. Inside this box was a blue heart medal which was issued to every war-widow when their husband died in action and Jules had taken it upon himself to present Missy with her husband's medal. Buchanan's banjo was resting between his cobalt-furred legs and it felt almost as cold and lifeless as his own guitar which he had not plucked since his friend's death. Music had always solved his problems in the past. Sometimes he could just sit and pluck the strings of his guitar for what seemed like hours, whittling out a melody that would help him express whatever he was feeling at that moment without having to speak at all. But this time music couldn't help soothe his soul. It was what had brought him and Buchanan Rabbot together in the first place; duelling banjos had always been their conjoined passion. Jules couldn't even bear to look at his beloved maroon guitar as it sat silently next to him, just like Buchanan's banjo it only highlighted the pain of loss..

…When the cobalt-blue hedgehog finally arrived in Knothole he stopped by his own home only long enough to put his guitar, Buchanan's banjo and duffle bag inside the front door before he made his way to the Rabbot-cabin down the dirt road. With his hands holding onto the flag and medal Jules drifted towards his friend's home-cabin at an incredibly slow pace. He felt numb inside and his mouth had gone dry.. What was he going to say to Missy? He knew that she had already been informed that her husband had been killed in action but she was his friend as much as Buchanan had been. The hedgehog paused unsurely on the front wooden-porch, unsure if he had the courage just to knock on the door but eventually he swallowed his fears and rapped softly, his hazel eyes drifting to Buchanan's wooden rocking chair that was creaking in the light summer's breeze. Knothole would never seem the same without him now..

When the front door to the Rabbot-cabin opened and the honey-furred female rabbit was in the doorway Jules' attention was instantly onto her. He could see by the pink tinge to her eyes she'd been crying a lot. Jules hadn't seen her in a few months and he instantly realised her pregnancy bump was quite large now. She'd even traded her denim shorts for a slightly longer, loose-fitting shirt-dress that was obviously more freeing.

'Missy.. I..' His throat closed up as he felt the weight of his own emotions seemed to crash at the sight of her. 'I'm so sorry..' Jules finally blurted out, his words full of sorrow and hurt. Immediately the pregnant rabbit-mobian flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. With the flag in one hand and the medal in the other Jules pulled his hands out so Missy's baby bump rested against him and he could rest his wrists on her swollen waist.

'It's all righ' sugah, at least yah home now..' Missy hummed softly into his cobalt pointed-ear then pushing her face into his neck and closing her eyes.

'Missy, yah mind introducin' me to yah friend..' A deep southern drawl sounded, causing the pair to break apart and turn to see another tall mobian-rabbit who resembled Buchanan and was wearing a flashy white southern suit with string ties, large black boots and a long burgundy jacket with matching cowboy hat. The only real differences between him and Buchanan were that he looked older and had stern-looking deep-brown eyes.

'Oh. Righ' of course..' Missy flustered slightly at the male rabbit behind her. 'This hereh is Jules Ah'm sho' Buck told yah 'bout him beforeh..' She added with a hint of a hopeful smile before turning to the blue hedgehog. 'Juice, this hereh is-'

'Baron Beauregard Rabbot.' The southern male rabbit drawled grasping the hedgehog's hand in a firm handshake. 'Nice t'meet'cha partnah, most folks jist call me Beau..' He then glanced at his sister-in-law. 'An yah righ' Missy, mah brothah did tell me somethin' about this crittah..'

'It's nice to finally meet you too; I'm just sorry it had to be this way.' Jules replied apologetically before adding as an afterthought. 'Your brother was a great mobian..' It was at this point Jules chose to hand over the medal and flag to what was left of Buchanan's family. 'This is his blue heart.'

'Ah'll take that..' Missy sounded gently, taking both the flag and the medal off of the blue hedgehog. 'They told me yah wereh with him when he died; I'm glad yah wereh sugah-quills.' She added with a grateful but sad smile to Jules.

'He was my friend where else would I be?' The almost nineteen year old hedgehog said softly.

'That's a confederate flag..' Beauregard suddenly muttered causing both Jules and Missy to turn and see that his deep-brown eyes were resting on the flag that the honey-furred female rabbit now held in her hands. 'I was sho' yah woulda been issuin' Missy with a northan flag, that is tradition up in these hereh parts righ'?' The brown-furred male rabbit-mobian sounded as his eyes gazing with curiosity towards the cobalt-blue hedgehog.

'Well, yeh Colonel Somersby did issue me with a flag of Mobius but I thought that would be inappropriate since Buck was proud to be from the south so I changed the flags before coming out here.' Jules said and at his words a small smile of approval tweaked the rabbit in his early thirties.

'I admiah yah gumption, my brothah must've really meant somethin' to yah for yah to perform such a noble act on his behalf.' Beauregard said with a tone of respect and tipped his cowboy hat slightly and Jules blinked at the 'noble act' reference. He certainly wouldn't have called it that; it was more like respecting his dead friend's memory…

…Buchanan's funeral was a difficult thing for Jules Hedgehog to endure, even more so than his own father's had been. Although he'd been sad then his grief had been clouded with his anger at his father, not only for leaving but for also letting Charles take the blame for his death. This time there was no resentment, nothing blocking his desolate feelings for the loss of a friend which was only magnified by the fact that now Buchanan's kiton would never know it's father. Instead of a military decorated funeral, which he was entitled to due to his rank in the Army, the southern Rabbot-family decided that it would be more appropriate to hold the funeral in Knothole as this was the last place the dead rabbit-mobian had called home. They had covered the wooden casket in the southern confederate flag that Jules had bestowed on Missy earlier that week. Once again everyone living in Knothole was in attendance along with Old Sheldon. The widowed rabbit-mobian clung to Jules who had been making good on his own mental promise to Buchanan to continue taking care of his wife. Next to them Beauregard was silent and sombre, holding his own lithe wife Tallulah-May who went by a nickname of 'Lulu'. She was a soft-natured, pale-yellow-furred rabbit with almost doe-like blue-eyes and was quite submissive to the whims of her stern husband. Tallulah had a vast knowledge of plants and homeopathic remedies, knowing something for almost any kind of illness imaginable. A few of Jules' friends such as parents-to-be Coca Cat and Jasper Jacks, Ginger Tigris, Sherman Walrus and Gladys Seal as well as the remaining Knothole Dandies and Tiger Stripes were also in attendance and a few other army boys who had known the lieutenant during his tours with the Mobian Army..

They buried Buchanan Rabbot in the small cemetery on the opposite side of the temple, under a serene weeping-willow tree with soft pinkish-grey blossoms and the sun peeking through the curtain of branches. He wasn't too far away from where Jules' parents were buried and every so often the cobalt-hedgehog found himself glancing in their direction, wondering how many times he was going to be here while the Great War raged. The blessing of Buchanan's remains was merely washing over him as Missy Rabbot continued to cling to him, sobbing gently into his black suit. The little cemetery around them had reverent quiet about it but also held a sorrowful beauty that was well maintained by the Knothole community out of respect for their departed brethren..

…Once the funeral was over the mobians all filed out of the cemetery with the intentions of heading towards the Rabbot-cabin for the reception when the sound of a motorbike's engine made their eyes turn as one to the dirt-track road leading out of Knothole hamlet. The next moment a deep-green motorbike gunned up the dirt road into the hamlet with a mild-blue-quilled hedgehog driving it. Jules' hazel eyes widened in surprise as the motorbike stopped a little way away and Charles Hedgehog knocked down the bike-stand and dismounted. Beauregard Rabbot's deep-brown eyes narrowed at this stranger to the village as Jules detached himself from the group of mourners to go and meet this newcomer. Realising quickly that they were obviously siblings as he could recognise the way the pair acted with each other the baron shoe-horned the group of mobians towards the Rabbot-cabin so the brothers could talk without an audience present.

'Sherman told me you were back Jules..' The mild-blue hedgehog sounded in a cool voice. 'I understand that you've been back for a whole week. I admit I was a little upset that you didn't tell me you were home. Well, at least I was until Sherman told me about Buck's death..' Charles paused as his expression softened and he then added. 'How are you holding up?' His pale-blue eyes were filled with sympathy towards his little brother and the cobalt-blue-quilled hedgehog sighed.

'Ok. I guess..' Jules replied, looking a little lost as he raised a white-gloved hand and scratched his blue forehead in-front of his left pointed-ear. 'I'm sorry I haven't called Charlie. I didn't tell anyone I was home, I haven't even left Knothole. I guess I've just… been in a funk.' His hazel-eyes hinted at his true sadness about losing his friend.

'That's understandable brother but you know I'm always here for you if you need me.' Charles sounded gently then he slipped his pale-skinned arm around his brother's shoulders in a consoling hug.

'I know Charlie.' The cobalt-blue nineteen year old hedgehog sounded with a smile as his own arm slid around his brother's mild-blue-furred back. The pair of them had been walking idly through their childhood home. The gently summer breeze had been blowing through their blue quills as the sun streamed through the leaves of the huge trees around them. Knothole truly was beautiful with its quaint little wooden-cabins, primitive dirt-road and not a single fence or boundary ruining the clumps of wild-plants that dotted the picturesque scenery. The brothers then unhooked themselves from their momentary embrace and Jules shoved his white-gloved hands in the pockets of his black trousers, still ambling beside his brother as they headed through the small collection of homes. They passed Knothole School which was nothing more than a little wooden-hut where a teenage teacher's assistant called Vanilla Cottontail was covering for the class today. She had recently turned sixteen years old and had soft-fur with light-brown patches on the edge of her ears and soft-caramel coloured eyes. Vanilla was wearing a soft-pink knee-length dress and a thin white cardigan while holding a green-covered book. She was reading softly to her small mixed-aged class of kitons out in the warm sunshine. She caught sight of the Hedgehog-brothers and gave a brief wave to her old babysitters before turning back to her class. Both Charles and Jules waved back as they continued walking on through the hamlet.

'So, how are things back in Mobotroplis?' Jules asked casually as they ambled towards the Rabbot-cabin having taken a less direct route so they had more time to talk.

'The city is under a complete blackout now, most of the windows have black shutters much like my lab does and all the streetlights have been disconnected. No-one is allowed out at night anymore and the metropolitan guard patrol the streets and man the war sirens. All the kitons have gone too. Prime Minister Stryker had them evacuated safely last week to northern towns and hamlets in preparation for the Overlanders' attack. They were cloaked by Ixis Naugus' magic to stop them from being discovered-'

'Naugus..' Jules' almost choked with disbelief at this news. 'I thought he was a traitor to the crown after what he'd done to King Elias the Second?' The cobalt-blue hedgehog kinked a brow curiously at his older brother.

'Yes I know but it does give you some idea of how desperate King Ogilvie is to find a solution to this war before we are all wiped out by it.' Charles said grimly before he continued to get his brother up to speed. 'You remember how Lionel finished his hoverboard before you left for the army? Well, the Mobian Army has decided to utilize his 'hover' discovery into creating war machines that should help the next time you boys have to face them off. Lionel and I have been collaborating with Sherman Walrus on them for the last two weeks. I'm sorry I haven't been up sooner but now that these prototypes are finally in production this was the first moment I have had free to do so.'

'That's ok Charlie. I know better than anyone how busy you can get. And that's pretty cool; we could certainly use some kind advancement in tech if we're to defeat these guys.' Jules murmured, his expression darkening somewhat at his memories from out on the field and the cruelty that the Overlander soldiers had shown to his fellow mobians. After everything that had happened coming home to the hum-drum of Knothole's normality seemed very strange to him, like it wasn't real anymore.

'Your time in the army has changed you Jules.' Charles said with a slight tone of concern as he noted this new hardened side to his little sibling's personality. He knew it was down to the harsh training and whatever horrible experiences he had witnessed while on his first tour.

'Yeh, I know. I guess it's forced me to grow up..' Jules sounded matter-of-factly, a more sombre side twisting on his expression.

'I can see that.' Charles added softly as they arrived at the front-porch of the Rabbot-cabin. The twenty-two year old hedgehog's pale-blue eyes still gazing at his younger brother as his lips twisted slightly. 'I've heard stories from your friends about you in the barracks Jules..'

At these words the cobalt-blue nineteen year old hedgehog wanted to roll his eyes in a 'here we go' manner but he refrained from it. Instead he leant on one of the wooden-supports to the porch-roof, his hazel eyes looking at the heightened emotional state of his older brother's pale blue eyes and sensing a lecture coming on.

'Look, I know you can handle yourself, you always have but I really don't want you doing anything stupid. We're at war and you're the only family I have left. If something happened to you I..I don't know what I'd do..' Charles sounded softly and immediately Jules blinked in astonishment before his lips curled into a reassuring smile.

'Nothing's gonna happen to me.' The nineteen year old hedgehog flicked his blue quiff out of his eyes then shrugged casually while adding in a dismissive tone. 'I'm too fast for 'em, they can't hit me.'

'You shouldn't be so cocky Jules..' The mild-blue scolded, his light-blue bushy eyebrows furrowed at his little sibling's flippant words. 'It's that kind of attitude that frightens me in times like this; I don't want you to get yourself killed.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog immediately frowned at his older brother's words knowing how reckless his younger sibling was at heart.

'Charlie, I'm not gonna die…' Jules drawled in a jaded fashion actually rolling his eyes this time in disbelief at what his older brother was trying to insinuate.

'Just promise me you won't-' Charles' words immediately broke off as the front door to the Rabbot-cabin opened and Beauregard Rabbot appeared. There was a slightly knowing glint in his eyes as he gazed at the two brothers who turned their pale-blue and hazel eyes as one to his interruption of their slight argument.

'Well, if yah fellahs are done fussin' an' feudin' we git sarsaparilla an' ol' Rusty's hooch. Gonna be makin' a toast to Buck's memory so Jules, I reckon yah'll wanna git inside now..' The light-brown furred rabbit-mobian jerked his thumb towards the open cabin where the sound of voices talking inside could be heard.

'Er, yeh sure Beau, thanks for telling me.' Jules replied to Buchanan's slightly sterner-acting older brother and moved up the steps. He then paused and turned back to his own brother and spoke with a slight smile. 'I promise Charlie.' He then turned back around and headed inside hoping the mild-blue hedgehog would be sticking around a bit longer. The mobian-rabbit kinked a brow in slight curiosity at Jules' words before turning back to the other hedgehog at the foot to his sister-in-law's home.

'Yah welcome t'join us stranger..' Beauregard added to Charles the moment Jules disappeared inside the cabin to go locate a stiff drink. However the mild-blue-quilled twenty-two year old hedgehog shook his head roughly.

'No. I barely knew your brother. He was one of my brother's friends not mine..'

'But he was yah neighbour; that makes him yah kin-folk, righ'?' Beauregard kinked a thick brow upwards inquiringly.

'Well actually I live in the city now so I'm barely out here now.' Charles sounded and the atmosphere between to two eldest brothers seemed to cool a little.

'I see..' Beauregard sounded before pausing thoughtfully then surprising Charles with his next words. 'Then stay an' support yah brothah. I didn't support mine often enough an' now he's gone…' The light-brown-furred rabbit gave a heavy sorrow-filled sigh, his head bowing slightly to hide his grief under the brim of his wide hat.

'I am sorry for your loss.' Charles sounded sincerely. 'I couldn't imagine life without my brother.'

'Then let's hope yah nevah have t'find out. Family's important. 'Specially in times like this. That's why Lulu an' I will be stickin' around 'til this hereh war's over an' done with. Now c'mon, lits go git a drink an' show ourh families some support. Whatta yah say?' The light-brown-furred mobian-rabbit gave the hedgehog the kind of solemn look that said he'd be judged on what kind of mobian he was by his next move.

'Alright but I'm not much of a drinker..' Charles replied nodding amiably and ascending the steps of the Rabbot-cabin.

Mobotroplis was barely recognisable these days. Most of the larger convenience stores had been boarded up and were being used as warehouses to hold various supplies that were needed to keep Mobotroplis alive during these uncertain times: such as food supplies, clothing and various medical supplies. Underground establishments like Macey's which had once been a former bomb-shelters had closed down and gutted out, resuming their former duties as a form of protection should the Overlanders decided to attack from the air. The subterranean power-stone-plant was still up and running but due to the shortage in the male-mobian population had had to change it's 'no womobian' working policy and hire on females to help keep the power-supply running during the day while the graveyard shift was abolished completely. Life in the city had changed..

The huge city of Mobotroplis used to rely on import and export trading with other lands in Mobius to survive but since they were now in a red danger zone it had shut itself off from outside help completely. This meant that for the first time in centuries the great capital city of Mobius had to look after itself and that whatever they couldn't grow or manufacture in the city was rationed out using preapproved council-stamps. With these newly issued ration-stamps out in circulation controlling the supplies shopping had become a complete nightmare as everything that was bought had to be weighed out correctly and stamped by the grocer to insure that everybody got their fair share. The queues were long but since everyone in the city had an assigned day in which they were to do their shopping and the address of a nearby shop where they were now registered to shop it made things a little easier to endure, along with knowing that they could get everything they were allowed at one place. While most of the food stores had closed down, a few of the inner city bistros and coffee shops remained open during the day and some of the bars were now serving drinks during the daytime and providing the city-mobians with entertainment. Those who didn't move away from the city were encouraged by the Mobian Council to help the shortage by growing vegetables and fruit in their gardens or allotments, it was a community project set out to help make their merge weekly rations last a little longer and the streets of Mobotroplis all pitched in to help out.

It wasn't just the lower-working classes that were affected by the ration shortage the upper-class too was greatly affected by the Mobian Council's new strict rules and regulations as the city prepared for the inevitable attack on Green Hill. With imports and export being abolished this meant that a lot of their expensive and exotic items were no longer readily available to them and what was left in the city was heavily controlled. This shortage did not sit well with the vast majority of the upper-class who were used to getting what they want. While the morally upright high-class mobians such as the Acorns, to a degree the Latours, Lady Windermere and the Duke of Velcomia were happy to obey the laws and sacrifice their luxuries and offer their large out-of-city estates to help the need others were not so keen. This new embargo didn't stop them from seeking what they desired. If they couldn't get what they wanted legally then they would turn to the criminal underworld to get it.

Like all cities even Mobotroplis had its dark side, its seedy underbelly of disreputable mobians who were more than willing to break the embargo on imported goods and charge a fortune to the rich-mobians who were so desperate to acquire their luxuries. Although the Mobotroplis Guard were trying to crack down on this they kept running into false leads and dead ends. Unknown to the guard this was partly because there were also a couple corrupt Mobian Council members also unwilling to lose certain luxuries... One of them was meeting Fink the Bat by the Mobotroplis docks in the dead of night..

'You better not be jerking me around you rabid bat! You better have it as agreed..' At the sound of this gruff voice the grey-furred bat-mobian turned his turquoise eyes towards the seven-foot tall mobian hiding his face in the shadows. Even with his face concealed in shadow, it was obvious by the gleaming medals on the chest of his green army uniform who this was.

'Yeesh, will you relax pal. I got it right here..' Fink replied with a lazy drawl, clicking his fingers casually and an underling of his appeared, a filthy-looking rat-mobian with the bottles of whiskey and a box of cigars. The bat-mobian had ignored his customer's insult as being insulted by those who thought they were better than him came with the job. It didn't matter to him whether they insulted him or not the point was that they needed him, otherwise why would they be here? And if it bothered him so much he could just charge more because they would not be able to go squealing to the 'fuzz' or they would incriminate themselves.. This was basically a gold-mine to crooked mobians like him. Fink took the bottles and box of cigars off of the rat-mobian and shooed him away.

'Y'know, thanks to you guys this stuff ain't so easy to come by anymore..' The grey-furred bat-mobian set the bottles and cigar box down on a large crate and leant casually against it, shoving his gloved-hands into the trouser-pockets of his suit. 'Not that I'm complaining or anything, this war has been good for business. If like me your smart enough to know where t'look..' He threw his customer a twisted, nasty grin.

'Where exactly are you getting this from?' The customer sounded in a gruff curious voice as he moved into the light, revealing himself to be Warlord Kodos Lion. The huge Minister of Mobian Defence towered menacingly over the three-foot-ten bat-mobian. Fink smirked widely at this attempt to intimidate him but the grey-furred bat didn't flinch.

'Ah-ah-ahhh…' He raised one gloved-hand and waggled it causally as his eyes closed. 'Trade secret..' Fink's eyes opened and his smirk suddenly turned serious. 'Hand over the moolah and I'll give you the boodle..'

'Fine…' grumbled the enormous blonde-maned lion and he handed a clip of purple mobiums which the bat-mobian took and counted out while Kodos grabbed his stuff. 'But if I find out you've been stealing out of my army bunkers I'll shut you down so fast you won't know what hit you.' The mobian-lion hissed threateningly.

'Yeh, yeh, that's what you always say-Hey!' Fink muttered unconcerned before breaking off and yelling out as he reached the back of the money clip. 'What is this? You tryin' to stiff me!' The grey-furred bat-mobian cried out in outrage as his clip was short by a few notes. His turquoise eyes glared up at the face of the Mobian Council Minister.

'Just be grateful I don't turn you and your little operation over to the boys down in metro!' Kodos snarled, shoving his face into the bat-mobian and unnecessarily flexing his rippling biceps.

'Urhh.. Ok, ok..' Fink ground his teeth irritably, not wanting to let this slide but realising that he had no choice as this minister from the Mobian Council may be crooked but he certainly enough power and influence to put him away for a long time if he chose to. 'We'll just call this a friendly discount in return for your silence over our activities..' The grey-furred slick bat-mobian then grinned in a wide yet nervous fashion towards the huge lion-mobian. Warlord Kodos Lion merely grunted, snorting a breath of warm air through his flaring nostrils at Fink the Bat before pulling back and turning away, stalking off with a set and emotionless expression. The grey-furred bat-mobian let out a sharp exhale before catching sight of a few of his crooked underlings gazing curiously at him.

'Arh, whatta ya boys lookin' at, get back to work!' Fink snapped moodily then began to dictate orders in regards to all their ill-gotten wares as Kodos Lion continued to walk away down the darkened alley way, a twisted smirk curling his lips.

'Bartering with the criminal elite…' A cruel voice hissed softly from what sounded like all the shadows of the dark alleyway around him. '-a curious thing for a mobian in your position to be doing, don't you think?' Warlord Kodos almost dropped his whiskey bottles in shock at the sound of the voice, his light-blonde-maned head swivelled as his guard rose defensively as he tried to locate the owner of this voice.

'Who's there?' Kodos growled out as his light-brown-furred brow as his volatile deep-blue eyes flashed dangerously. 'Show yourself! Or do you take pride in cowardice?' The huge mobian-lion said in a jeering manner and immediately a hulking shadow manifested out from the darkness with glowing blood-red eyes.

'A coward, am I?' Ixis Naugus spoke in his cool soft voice as his horn-pointed head beige-skinned face appeared with its huge bat-ears. The wizard seemed to survey the Minister of Mobian Defence with an almost nasty knowing glint in his eyes.

'You! What do you want traitor..' Warlord Kodos snarled out in a venomous tone, glaring impossibly harder at the stout and hunched mobian before him.

'So full of insults..' The hybrid bat-mobian said with a hissing taunt in his voice, his expression conveying anything but intimidation. Naugus' grin twisted almost maniacally now at the incredibly tall light-blonde-maned lion in the dark alleyway before him. 'Then again if I had been caught in a darkened alley consorting with criminals I might be angry too..' The hybrid rhino-bat-mobian then rolled his eyes upwards then muttered to himself. 'But I am not stupid enough to get caught..'

'What was that?!' Kodos spat out in a loud roar of anger, missing what it was that the wizard had uttered but intuition told him it was something about him.

'You might want to watch your temper minister. Unless of course you want the cockroaches of society to hear you..' Naugus sounded pointing his claw-like finger in the direction of the crooks at the docks of Mobotroplis who had turned in their direction at Kodos' yelling. But since Naugus was concealed from their view by darkness the criminals on the docks could not see him.

'You want to be shut down!' The blonde-maned lion-mobian snarled back at the dozens of eyes gazing in his direction and immediately the criminal gang turned and scurried out of his sight.

'An empty threat.' Ixis Naugus said casually, his red eyes glinting with wicked delight at it. 'Never the less the fear in it will always be effective..'

'You're wasting my time, traitor.' Kodos muttered and barged passed the hybrid wizard and immediately Ixis Naugus smirked widely.

'It's interesting how you keep referring me as a 'traitor' when the same word could easily describe you.' The beige-skinned rhino-bat-mobian grinned hugely as the seven foot tall mobian-lion stopped dead in his tracks and swivelled back around towards the wizard.

'You dare-' Kodos began to snarl but was forestalled by Ixis Naugus who was still grinning.

'I know what, or should I say, who started this 'Great War'..' The wizard said and for a split-second Warlord Kodos had a look of shock before it quickly melted back into anger once more. 'I've seen it. You're as much a traitor to King Ogilvie as I was to his father..' For a long moment Warlord Kodos was silent before he finally found his voice.

'So what!' He hissed, not bothering to deny it when the wizard had obviously figured him out. 'Nobody will believe you if you say anything. It will be your word against mine.' He said as a smirk twisted his lips in the satisfaction of knowing that the mobians would not believe this traitorous wretch of a mobian.

'Oh… I have absolutely no intentions of turning you in. As you said, no one here would believe me..' Ixis said with a nasty leer to the tall mobian-lion. 'What I had in mind was a more of a.. partnership..' His red eyes narrowed at these words..

You want to help me?' Kodos sounded doubtfully. How can you when you promised the king-'

'I merely stated that I held no ill will to the kingdom in regards to my banishment but I never promised my loyalty to the king himself.' The hybrid rhino-bat mobian said slyly. 'You are a clever mobian to get this far uncaught but you will need my assistance if you wish to dethrone the Royal Hedgington's once and for all.'

'And what do I have to give you in return?' Kodos said in a shrewd voice.

'Nothing more than a shield to hide behind and mask my hand in this coop..' Ixis Naugus said in a cool voice then held out his one good hand towards the huge mobian Minister of Mobian Defence. 'What do you say? Do we have a deal..' There was a pause as the blonde-maned mobian warlord considered the hand before him. It was true that Naugus was a traitor but he also had access to incredible stores of magical knowledge that could very well come in handy for Kodos to exploit in his quest to dethrone King Ogilvie.. Warlord Kodos suddenly grinned widely towards Ixis Naugus, his eyes narrowing deviously as he stretched out his hand… he could always dispose of this 'freak' once he had served his purpose.

'Very well..' Kodos sounded in an amiable tone and the two mobians shook hands, sharing a conniving grin, each unwittingly planning to merely use the other for their own means..

With Buchanan's funeral over and done with Charles Hedgehog decided it would be wise to stick around Knothole for a few more days to keep an eye on his grieving little brother. Jules had been unusually quiet ever since the death of his friend and he had not once strummed his guitar the entire time that Charles had been home. This was something that greatly disturbed the mild-blue hedgehog as he knew how much his brother often relied on playing music when he needed to convey feelings that he was having trouble expressing openly. By not playing it was almost as if Jules were repressing his emotions and the cobalt-blue nineteen year old hedgehog seemed to be a shadow of his former self. He barely said anything to his brother unless prompted into speech first and he had become fixated on preparing for war. Every morning the cobalt-blue hedgehog would rise early, get dressed in his maroon-red combat-boots and his bright-red vest top and go for a long run. This in itself was odd to Charles who had grown up with a little sibling who certainly wasn't a morning mobian but the elder Hedgehog-brother merely presumed that his time in the army had changed that. It was the heavy exercise routine that concerned him the most. He knew that his little brother was used to constant training in the army and he had to admit that Jules had never looked better. He was stronger and more toned while his stamina and speed had improved greatly but while these were all good things it seemed as if he was just doing it to escape his grief. After Jules had finished his morning run he would come back to the little wooden cabin and do one hundred sit-ups, press-ups and pull-ups before hopping straight into a hot shower.

Once his gruelling workout had finished the cobalt-blue hedgehog then switched his focus from himself onto Knothole and getting the small hamlet prepared for war. Witnessing first-hand the ruthless cruelty of the Overlanders had forced Jules Hedgehog to take his position of Community Leader very seriously and because he knew that Knothole was located near to the danger zone he wasn't taking any chances when it came to protecting the small hamlet. Knothole was his home, his family's legacy and his sanctuary, he wasn't about to see it lost forever. The first thing the small hamlet had done was sever any ties with the rest of Mobius so that they would not alert any enemies to its existence, as a self-sustaining community Knothole could pretty much run without any outside help. Jules then set about creating a group known as Freedom Fighters which would be a small team of able-bodied mobians who would act as home protectors in case the Overlanders were somehow drawn to their whereabouts. Baron Beauregard, who was the elected figurehead of his own community back in the Southern Baronies, was more than willing to help the nineteen year old hedgehog and take him under his arm, offering his advice when it came to community leadership. The rabbit-mobian in his early thirties was even prepared to lead the Freedom Fighters in Jules' absence once the hedgehog was called back into action.

Although Charles Hedgehog was all for getting Knothole ready in case the residents were forced to fight for their lives the mild-blue hedgehog couldn't help but feel wary of Beauregard Rabbot. The southern rabbit-mobian was polite enough to the twenty-two year old scientist but it wasn't the way Beauregard behaved towards him that was getting on Charles' back-quills it was the way he was behaving towards Jules that was. The mild-blue hedgehog understood that losing his own little brother was hard on the southern gentlemobian but that didn't mean that he could just swoop in and poach his younger sibling away from him. Obviously this wasn't the case but it was how it felt to Charles as he watched Jules and Beauregard working together for the good of Knothole's community. His little brother seemed to talk more openly to the southern rabbit than he did with him these days and even though he knew it was because talking to Beauregard was giving Jules closure it made Charles feel like he was being shunned slightly..

The evening of his third night in the Hedgehog-cabin was very subdued. Charles sat in front of his holoscreen computer using this time to continue digitally programming the relevant software that would become the basis for his robotic transformation device. Behind him Jules was sprawled out along the green sofa reading a tatty-looking letter that he must have received in the barracks. For the umpteenth time his hazel eyes flicked over the words written on it while the cobalt-blue hedgehog looked very pensive. The mild-blue hedgehog had no idea who the letter was from or what it said but he did have a niggling feeling that it may also have made some small contribution to Jules' recent sombre behaviour. Charles longed for his brother to share with him what was bothering him as the mild-blue hedgehog did not like seeing Jules hurting like this.

'So what's in the letter?' Charles asked curiously, finally giving in to his curiosity about how this piece of paper was able to hold his attention for so long.

'Huh?' Jules sounded as his attention was finally lifted up from the letter Aleena had written that he'd been brooding over since leaving the army barracks.

'You've been moping over that letter ever since I got here. Who's it from?' The elder Hedgehog-brother had swivelled in his seat to raise a hairy pale-blue brow at his younger cobalt-quilled brother.

'Oh. It's nothing, really..' Jules replied hastily, stuffing the letter back into the pocket of his red vest. 'It's just..' The sound of the holophone rang at that moment and Jules broke off from his words, saved from having to explain himself fully. 'I'll get that..' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sighed with a hint of relief in his tone and hauled himself off of the couch and headed over to the holophone that Charles had installed into the wall. The mild-blue hedgehog merely shook his head lightly at his brother's insistence to avoid talking about his issues and turned back to his holoscreen computer and began typing once more.

'Oh whoa.. Lionel man, you look freaked. What's up?' Jules sounded in concern the instant he clicked the answer button on the screen and the blonde-maned lion-mobian appeared. Charles immediately ceased working on his programming at his brother's strange greeting, saved his progress and moved away from the holographic computer system.

'Hey Juice, is Chuck there this is urgent..' Lionel sounded from the other end of the line with a panicked look in his eyes. At this moment Charles appeared beside his little brother and instantly Lionel's deep-blue eyes turned to him.

'What's wrong Lionel?' The mild-blue hedgehog asked curiously.

'It's Professor Morgan Chuck, he's gone!'

'What!' Both Hedgehog-brothers sounded together.

'I went round to his home this afternoon for our usual coffee and exchange of ideas but when I got there he wasn't. His lab was cleaned out, his clothes are gone. It's like he just packed up shop and fled without a word..' The blonde-maned lion-mobian said plainly and Charles widened his pale-blue eyes at this point.

'That's probably what he did.' Jules sounded plainly causing both young scientists to suddenly turn their eyes to the cobalt-blue hedgehog as if just remembering he was even there. 'Professor Morgan was taken in by King Elias after he was ostracized by the Overlanders, wasn't he? The threat of them invading the city must have put the fear of Sauna into him and he's gone on the run because of it. He's not alone in this thinking. Many mobians have been fleeing Green Hill in panic ever since learning of the imminent threat of the Overlanders. Even here in Knothole the Platts have gone and so have the Beavers, their cabins are just sitting abandoned now.'

'Why didn't you say anything earlier?' Charles suddenly asked, wondering why Lionel was only telling him this now as it was very late at night.

'Well, I had to notify the Metropolitan Guard and the Acorns because, of course, their family were the ones who initially took in Nate. Maximillion said not to say anything until they were sure he was really gone because there's something else you should know..' Lionel tailed off unsurely now, as if unsure exactly how to tell Charles the next piece of news.

'What? What should I know..' The mild-blue hedgehog uttered softly, almost dreading the next bit of information.

'Professor Owl has been diagnosed with angina and…' The blonde-lion paused then pulled off his specticals and wiped then slowly before continuing in a soft voice.'-it's forcing him to retire his post…' He tailed off knowing he would not have to say the next piece as Charles Hedgehog's eyes blinked in shock at this new piece of information.

'No…' The mild-blue hedgehog uttered softly, dropping down into the empty seat in front of the holophone as his younger brother blinked confused.

'I don't get it? So who's gonna be Minister of Science now if Nate's gone?' The cobalt-blue hedgehog asked glancing between Lionel on the screen and his suddenly glum looking brother, since obviously they couldn't ask Professor Morgan to do it once more now that Professor Owl was too ill to do it anymore he was lost. Charles didn't respond, still trying to get his head around all this new information.

'Isn't it obvious Juice?' Lionel responded with another question. 'Your brother is..'

'What?' Jules sounded with disbelief.

'But I can't do it..' Charles suddenly said turning around to the screen again. 'I barely know the job..'

'You're the only one left and from what I've heard Prime Minister Stryker and the rest of the Mobian Council have already made their decision. I don't think you're going to get much of a choice in the matter..' The blonde-maned lion-mobian said sympathetically. 'I believe they're waiting for you to return from Knothole before they make it official.'

'Great. Just great..' Charles said with a slight scowl as he slumped lower in his chair. It seemed that his already hectic work schedule was about to get even worse. 'It's a good thing I'm due back at the council building tomorrow; they can explain all this to me themselves. Thanks for telling me Lionel..' The mild-blue hedgehog added with a slight sigh and a shake of his quilled-head, he didn't think he was the best choice for Minister of Science but it really did sound like he was going to be given the job whether he wanted it or not.

'Call me when your back home Chuck. See you guys..' Lionel then he hung up and Charles clicked off the holophone.

'Did you just get a promotion?' Jules uttered in slight shock, still processing this all fully. It was hard to picture his own brother as a Mobian Council Minister, especially since he was only twenty-two years old and most of the others were in their mid-thirties.

'It looks like it, doesn't it Jules?' His older brother rolled his pale-blue eyes.

'But you don't sound too happy about it..' The cobalt-blue nineteen year old hedgehog said, reading his brother's emotions clearly. 'Isn't becoming a minister supposed to be like, a great honour or something? Especially for someone your age Charlie, that's really rare..'

'I know, I know, it is but I just don't feel like I'm the best mobian for the job.' Charles sounded and this made his little brother kink his cobalt brow in slight confusion. 'Look, never mind Jules, it's my issue I'll deal with it in my own way.' Charles added in a serious voice and at this point his cobalt younger sibling blinked in surprised before shrugging.

'Ok, sure. If anyone can understand that it's me, right?' Jules said with a wry smile. 'But if it helps Charlie, I don't think they'd be considering you for the job if you couldn't handle it. I'm gonna turn in, night bro..' The nineteen year old hedgehog clapped his older sibling on the shoulder before turning away from his brother and wandering out the room, leaving his brother to muse by himself as Charles turned back to the computer screen..

Jules Hedgehog let out a deep sigh the moment his bedroom door was shut and the cobalt-blue hedgehog leant against the pine door-frame wearily. He gazed around his small childhood bedroom before finally lumbering forward and collapsing on his soft single bed. He untied his laces and kicked off his combat boots, ignoring the loud thudding sounds as the discarded heavy boots hit the floor. Jules had never bothered to move rooms to his father's old bedroom which was the biggest room in the cabin with its own en-suite. Since Jules was practically living in the barracks these days he saw no point and it was nice to sleep surrounded by memories of his carefree youth. It almost made him forget about his problems..

As the nineteen year old hedgehog lay curled on his side his hazel eyes flicked over childhood pictures that were still stuck to the wall by his bed. A brief smile tweaked his lips as he remembered the memories of happier times. It then disappeared as Jules' pulled out Aleena's letter again and reread it slowly. He'd been toying with the idea of writing back to her for days but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could tell just by reading between her words she was looking for reassurance that he was alright and part of him really wanted to give her it as she sounded so desperate for news. Jules' gut twisted slightly knowing he couldn't write back and soothe her worries about him. What could he possibly say to her? He wouldn't tell her anything about the war and worry her further but other than that what could he tell her? Jules also didn't want to give her false hope on him ever being able to live up to what Mobius would be looking for in her consort, there was no guarantee that he would ever be seen as worthy enough for her in the public's eye. Although he was touched that she had written that she would wait for him, he was not taking her words literally. After all how long could she wait? Or more to the point… how long could the kingdom wait? Aleena was the only heir to the throne and Jules knew that now that tensions were rising and an epic battle of survival was looming over them, King Ogilvie the Third would no doubt soon be pressuring his daughter to pick a suitor and provide Mobius with its future..

The cobalt-blue hedgehog couldn't stop feeling down by this last thought. Ever since realising that he could very well die on his next tour with the Mobian Army Jules Hedgehog had been regretting the fact that he had never told Princess Aleena the true depths of his love for her. He could die out in the field and she would never know just how he felt about her. It definitely wasn't something that he could write in a letter so he was just going to have to live with the truth..

Once his two week rest and recuperation break was over Jules Hedgehog returned to the army barracks and after a brief meeting with Colonel Somersby the cobalt-blue hedgehog found himself promoted to lieutenant of squad unit delta in Buchanan Rabbot's place. The usually surly grey-furred bulldog-mobian had told Jules that it was his reward for his valour against the Overlanders. What surprised Jules however was the fact that Colonel Somersby actually commended him on his actions and seemed genuinely irritated that the hedgehog was not being recommended for a medal. The very fact that he wasn't getting a medal didn't bother Jules in the slightest as he did not think his actions deserved one but just to have heard something positive from Colonel Somersby for a change was nice..

By the time Jules had finally come out of the main building of the Mobian Army building dressed in his brand new lieutenant's uniform and headed towards his home billet Arthur Mongoose approached him dressed in his newly issued uniform.

'Welcome back sir..' The dark-blonde mongoose sounded with an unsure smile towards his commanding officer.

'Thanks Artie. So you're now my sargent, huh?' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sounded with a light smirk. 'Y'know what that means..' Arthur rolled his dark-brown eyes at Jules' words.

'Yeh, yeh, yeh… No more rough-housing the new recruits..' The dark-blonde mongoose sounded before adding lightly. 'But don't worry I'm sure Corporal Fox will continue that tradition..'

'And you will have to keep the boys in line, just I had to.' Jules kinked a knowing brow at his lower-ranking officer. 'It's no easy feat, let me tell you.'

'I'm sure I'll manage just fine.' Arthur sounded before suddenly perking slightly. 'But our new recruits arrived while you were in briefing with the colonel.' The dark-golden mongoose added.

'Oh really?' Jules added curiously. 'What are they like?'

'Well we don't have any southern mobians. That's a good thing trust me, I saw earlier that Lieutenant Stripes has a southern snake-mobian in his squad.' Arthur Mongoose said with a slight look of concern.

'So, what's the problem?' Jules shrugged casually.

'Well, you know what they say about snakes, you just can't trust them.' The dark-yellow-furred mongoose said looking suddenly uncomfortable.

'Isn't that a bit speciest?' The cobalt-blue hedgehog said curiously, throwing his sargent a bemused look. He never would have had Arthur down as one before.

'Hey, they are sneaky by nature. I sure wouldn't want one in our unit.' Arthur sounded with a slight frown before shaking his head roughly. 'But let's get back to our own new recruits. The dingo and the wolf are both fifteen and the gorilla is only fourteen.'

'Wow, so they really are new blood..' Jules sounded slightly surprised, he hadn't been expecting to get new inductees as the Knothole Dandies usually got rejects from other units; this really was a first for them.

'Yeh, I know that's what I thought but maybe they're delinquents or something because Colonel Somersby is never this nice to us, there's always a catch. Anyway, they are just round here..' Sargent Mongoose led his commanding officer around the back of their home-billet and towards the exercise area to meet the new members of their squad unit. When they arrived at the open field it was obvious that Corporal Red Fox was already putting the new recruits through their paces as the three new recruits were doing push-ups while the ruby-furred fox-mobian stood over them grinning.

'Alright Corporal you've had your fun..' Jules sounded sternly instantly drawing the rest of the Knothole Dandies' attention to him. 'Let's have a look at the new boys..'

'You're lucky the lieutenant's here maggots..' Red hissed towards the new recruits and backed off as Sargent Mongoose stepped forwards.

'On your feet soldiers.' Arthur commanded and immediately the three new recruits stopped doing press-ups and pushed themselves up and immediately the first thing Jules noticed was that all three of his new recruits were very tall. They towered over the rest of his unit dwarfing them. Corporal Red Fox stood in line with his privates. 'Squad atten-tion!' The mongoose barked out and the line of soldiers stood ridged as Jules stood beside his sargent. The cobalt-blue hedgehog moved along the line of his squad unit until he came to the first new recruit, a medium-built orange-furred dingo-mobian with a yellow curl of head-fur and sea-green eyes hidden behind violet-tinted specticals.

'What's your name private?' He asked the dingo-mobian in a stern tone.

'Uh, Derwood Dingo..' He responded with a deep but distinctive Downunda drawl in his voice. Jules immediately scowled at the six-foot dingo-mobian and behind the hedgehog Sargent Mongoose twirled his wrist as if signalling the dingo to complete his sentence. For a moment it looked as if this dim-witted newcomer did not get this before he received a sharp nudge from the gorilla-mobian next to him and suddenly the dingo seemed to realise his own mistake. 'Oh. I mean, Derwood Dingo sir!' He added with a sharp salute to his commanding officer.

'Better. But we obviously have a lot of training to do here..' Jules said more to Arthur than anyone else and the mongoose nodded.

'Er, yeh. I forget things easily-' Derwood Dingo began before finding himself cut off.

'Don't speak unless addressed first.' Jules stated firmly, holding up a hand to silence the dingo before moving onto the soft-brown-haired gorilla beside him who was not quite as built as the dingo next to him and was a little shorter with icy blue eyes.

'And you private, what is your name?' Jules sounded in the same stern voice.

'Simon Simian, sir.' The tall gorilla-mobian replied with a solid salute.

'And where are you from Simian?' The hedgehog queried as he could not pinpoint the mobian's accent.

'The Great Jungle in South Mobius sir..' The gorilla-mobian stated plainly.

'The Great Jungle? I thought the simians there were unwilling to get involved with our plight?' The nineteen year old lieutenant asked throwing a curious eye to the gorilla-mobian before him.

'That is true. They don't want anything to do with this war but I went against my father's wishes and came anyway because I believed that helping was the right thing to do.' At this the wolf-mobian on Simon Simian's other side snorted slightly with disdain at the very idea. Jules only gave him a fleeting glance before his hazel eyes returned to the gorilla-mobian.

'That is an honourable gesture. And if your father's mad at you, don't worry soldier, you're in good company here.' Jules smiled slightly towards Private Simian before turning to the wolf-mobian on the end. The moment Jules Hedgehog's hazel eyes looked at the grey-furred wolf-mobian with a quiff of light-blue head-fur and yellow eyes he blinked in amazement.

'Hey, I know you private. Your Stryker Wolf's son, aren't you?' Jules leant in and kinked a brow at the wolf-mobian who was the shortest of the three new cadets and immediately Arthur blinked in shock.

'He is?' The dark-yellow-furred mongoose gasped.

'You are?' Derwood Dingo uttered stupidly as the rest of the unit turned as one to gawp at the wolf-mobian.

'Urhh… Sauna save me I knew this would happen.' The grey-furred wolf groaned as he slapped his forehead wearily, clearly irritated by the fact everybody knew who he was already. He then remembered that his commanding officer had asked him a question and instantly straightened to answer. 'My name is Sleetus Wolf sir but most folk just call me Sleet.'

'Sleetus, that's right. You were the reason the Prime Minister missed his G-Summit meeting.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog grinned slightly.

'Yes, that was my first serious offence.' The fifteen year old wolf-mobian drawled and rolled his yellow eyes then muttered under his breath. 'And I never hear the end of it..'

'So how many strikes do you have against you?' Sargent Mongoose asked the wolf-mobian seriously and both he and the cobalt-blue lieutenant suddenly looked curious. For a moment Sleetus was quiet before he eventually relented and answered his superiors.

'I got my third strike last week and the judge gave me two choices: jail or the army.' The young wolf-mobian shook his head in slight despair. 'Needless to say I picked the army.' At these words both Lieutenant Hedgehog and Sargent Mongoose exchanged a glance. Their new recruits really were a bunch of misfits that definitely needed a lot of extensive training before they were called out onto the field..

'Alright boys..' Jules sounded seriously as he began to pace the line of soldiers standing in front of him. 'If we expect to be ready for the Overlanders training begins now..'

Little Notes:

Hey people, I am so, so sorry about my incredibly long absence from updating this story. I have to confess that April has been a tough month for me as a friend of mine died of a heart attack while I was in the middle of writing and it kind of brought on a touch of writer's block. Then a friend of mine's father also died of a heart attack the following week… which was pretty spooky :S …Anyway after taking a drawing break and doing a few doodles and posting on deviantArt under the same tag as here (feel free to get in touch there of check out the art) I finally forced myself to sit down and write. I admit this chapter has not gone through my usual editing process but hopefully it will be ok..

Anyway I'm not going to bore you with a load of facts that I looked up but I did do a lot of research on life in the wartime to make this chapter work so I hope you enjoy the realism in it. I never wanted the war to be just about the soldiers I also wanted to show how it was affecting those at home too.

Ok, there are a lot of new characters making an appearance here, Buck's relatives Beau and Lulu who will be sticking around and the new recruits who I know you may have been wondering when they were coming into it. And for those who guessed that Stryker Wolf was Sleet's father give yourselves a hand (really, cause even though I left clues I think that was pretty tough to guess)..

I swear the next chapter will be faster…

See ya then guys…

~Ditzy xx