Sonic in Between.
Author's Note: A new one-shot story of Sonic In Between mini-series! This time it's after the events of Sonic and the Curse of the Sun Stone, and is based on the first Ice Age movie. Sort of.
Here we go!
Until thing, I hope you do enjoy the rest of the story.
Summary of Story 7-Part 1: *Three weeks after the events of Sonic and the Curse of the Sun Stone and one week after the Bonus Chapter of Sonic and the Power of the Wisps* Back home from their Isalenna adventure, the crisis of saving the world in Soleanna and after visiting Planet Wisp with the aid of brand new Wisps, Sonic is looking forward for a nice long, well deserved break. But when he finds an orphaned baby washed up one day, he now must face one of his greatest challenges of all to return the child back to her father...Babysitting.
I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. All rights belong to Sega. I only own the OCs.
The Lost Infant-Part 1.
One day, on an island far off coast of the mainland, is a land known as North Island, similar to South Island but more in a somewhat reverse. The land was usually cold here, the main part of it being the Snow Field Zone, opposite to the Green Hill Zone but still had beautiful blooming snow flowers. Yet despite that things seem to be normal here, it was anything but. The once beautiful and peaceful land was ravaged with a battle and invasion, with many Mobian wolves lead by a lead that had jet black fur, yellow gold eyes, light brown boots with matching leather gloves, and sharp teeth, was fighting a Mobian manx cat of light blue colour.
"Give me your child, Cobalt, and I will spare your life!" The wolf snarled.
"Never! My d-daughter's life is much more important to me than my own! I will never surrender her or my wife to the likes of you, you Twin-Kitsune killer!" Cobalt, the Manx Cat, hissed while panting heavily.
"That child is a curse! All Mobians who are just as different as others and born abnormal must perish! You, will, die, because of her, before I finish you off!" Snarled the dark Mobian.
"And you are any better?" Cobalt scoffed, narrowing his eyes dangerously, cracking his knuckles.
"I am saving the Mobian and human race from the pestilence of those who are born different and are not fit to live with the rest! But if you refuse, you will perish either way!"
The blue coloured cat snarled before charging as he wrestled with the Wolf leader while the latter's pack continued to search and hunt far and wide while many citizens ran for their lives.
All unaware that a wounded cerulean blue female Mobian manx cat was panting as she placed a sleeping baby manx kitten curled up in a pink blanket, cobalt blue in colour, fully unaware of what was happening to her home island inside a dingy boat, injured and covered a blanket over it, but not before kissing whatever it was inside a goodbye, and pushed it to watch it drift away, while the mother, tears in her eyes, could only hope and pray that her daughter would not be found.
'Oh, Cobalt...how could those Wolves from the rumored slaughter of Isalenna be coming this far? What do they want?...I cannot...hold on much...longer...' The tearful female cat thought in grief and fear, terrified of the thoughts of not only never seeing her husband again as she knew she was dying, collapsing onto the shores of the beach, but also that once she made it to who knows where...
Who would look after their soon to be orphaned child?
A few days later...
Meanwhile, in Station Square, Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero of Mobius who had just recently saved the world from from the evil sun God Solaris as well as the notorious organization S.N.A.K.E.S, making new friends and aided by old ones, and now once again everything was in peace, was taking his usual runs living his life happily and freely.
"Ah...Beautiful day. What could possibly ruin a day like this?" The fifteen year old smiled as he ran along the beach, after saying hello to the locals who cheered him on, having stopped to sign an autograph or two but made sure that he wasn't chased by crazy fans who wanted to hover around him all day long.
While he knew he shouldn't have jinxed himself, Sonic was glad everything was back to normal now. With no Eggman, Iron Empire, Black Arms, Dark Gaia, Kaiser or S.N.A.K.E.S, or even the Hybrians and Starline around, he felt that Mobius was finally in true and real peace for the first time in several years. Yet the blue hedgehoeg was aware that there may be other evil out there in the world, but he was going to be ready for any kind of challenge.
Except he wasn't aware that the new challenge he was about to face was going to be the most difficult of his life. Because as Sonic raced to the more deserted part of the beach, he noticed something at the shores which made him skid to a stop and sand flew everywhere briefly. Curious and confused, the blue hedgehog noticed there was a boat that seemed to be rattled, as though it had just drifted ashore.
"Huh?" Deciding to investigate if anybody had left a boat behind or lost it somewhere, Sonic raced over to the dingy and peered inside. What he found was a large sheet covering something a bit lumpy. "Hm? What's this?"
Despite that it was rude to look at other people's things, curosity got the better of him as the blue hedgehog looked all around him to see if there was anybody nearby, before he slowly pulled off the sheet to take a peek, thinking it was a pile of food or items that may need to return to their rightful owners. What he found was the last thing he expected. With a soft gasp as he pulled the sheet away, laid a small bundle, a manx kitten, blue in similar colouring to his fur, and looking as though it had escaped from something terrible.
"AH! W-what the!?" Sonic recoiled, his eyes wide in pure disbelief. "A-a-a-a baby!"
What on Mobius was a child doing in a boat like this? Did something happen? His mind raced so fast that he couldn't keep up, or figure out what was going on. The blue hedgehog sweat dropped on what to do, just as the baby, accidentally woken up by his outburst but surprisingly not crying, opened up her eyes to reveal a beautiful light blue that was construct to her cobalt blue just like Sonic's, and she gurgled with a tiny cute hiccup, before she gazed up at the teenager who stared back, still shocked but began to feel a little bit at ease.
Now, Sonic wasn't a baby expert, and the closest he got in looking after children were Chao who were like children, and of course his best friend/little brother Tails since almost five years ago, and Cream almost two years ago albeit temporarily, but even he adored infants because they were new to the world, ready to grow up and learn and experience life as the next generation. The child before him was no different and seeing her beautiful face made him smile and he could tell that it was a girl due to her tiny eye-lashes, and also the pink blanket she was wrapped in.
"Hi there." Sonic softly greeted, and the baby smiled back. He gently reached over and stroked his gloved finger along her head and she cooed, giggled, meowed like a mobini kitten and beamed happily. He chuckled at this, before he noticed a slip of paper in a glass bottle on floor and blinked, before picking up and opened it, shaking it out and unrolled it.
As he did, his heart dropped with his ears drooping.
It was a letter, and a farewell one at that.
To whomever finds this letter, and finds my baby girl hoping she is still alive.
I know this is sudden and I am deeply sorry to write this in a short notice, but please pay attention. My precious daughter, Belle, is a gifted child with a sweet and most beautiful nature she has inherited from both myself and my husband, who goes by the name of Cobalt Klemer, a well respected and pure heartened soldier of the Kingdom of Crystobolis, ruled by the cousin of the King of Kingdom of Mobopolis.
But one night, five weeks ago, our family has been threatened by a pack of Wolves who will stop at nothing to destroy those who are gifted with great abilities or born with abnormal limbs on their bodies, as rumors say that they have destroyed our friend's secret home we cannot say, as my husband and I have been there once.
We have been warned that unless we give up our child within three months and our lives will be "Freed" from the curse, they will attack to claim her and kill us for betraying every Mobian and Human of Mobius.
If we are able to leave sooner, then there is no need for this letter. But I fear that the time will come sooner. If I do not survive, I ask you to take care of my child, or at the very least give her to a kind and caring family you may know will take good care of her. If my husband is alive, would you please find him and bring him far from North Island where he can raise our daughter.
I love my sweet little Belle so, so much, and my heart is broken knowing that I cannot be there to take care of her or watch her grow up.
Please, I beg you, keep her safe.
-Sincerely, Stella Klemer.
PS: the list of the things she needs is on the back of this letter, in case you may not be aware of taking care of an infant child.
By the time Sonic finished reading the letter, tears swelled up in his eyes as he sniffled as he closed his eyes and lowered his head in grief over the loss. Plus he had been shocked to hear that another pack of wolves were responsible with whatever's happened and he had a gut feeling that it was related to the horrible people that killed many people in Tails' birth home in Isalenna, that they were now beginning to explore Mobius with sick ambition to wipe out everyone who were like his best friend/little brother and apparently this now orphaned little girl.
Not sure what to make of this, one thing was certain; the baby needed help and looked after. Plus he hoped that her dad was at least still alive and if he could, maybe the hero of Mobius could find this Cobalt Klemer guy, and hopefully Stella if she was still alive herself and bring him or them here to reunite them with their daughter. Nodding with determination, Sonic wiped away his tears and turned his gaze to the baby who gazed at him back curiously.
"Don'tcha worry, Belle. My friends and I will do our best to take care of you and if I find them, I'll bring your parents to you. I promise." Sonic softly vowed, as he carefully picked up the little mobian kitten and cradled her in his arms. He smiled and laughed as she held out her tiny hands out to him excitedly, so he held out a finger to let her grasp it and began playing with her a little. "Not afraid of playing around, are ya, little gal?"
"Aba boo..." Said baby Belle, giggling away, then sneezed.
"Bless you." Sonic laughed as he then stood up with both the baby and the letter in his arms. "Okay, first things first. I'm gonna take you home with me, then I'm gonna ask a little favor in how to take care of you for a little while."
Though the cobalt teenager knew that this was going to be the most challenging thing he would ever face, he didn't want to abandon the kid, so he would have to learn along the way. Then came a realization as he suddenly felt a different kind of dread.
He had absolutely no clue in raising a baby and if stories were true, he would have to learn one thing that he hoped to avoid in all of his life...
Diapers.
As Sonic raced around with little Belle in his arms, the first thing he did was stop by at Cream's house for some helpful advice if he wanted to take care of the baby. Luckily since Vanilla was a mother herself, she was perfectly experienced with Cream, and she was closer since his own Mom was back home on South Island.
As he ran, the child in his care squealed with delight at just how fast they were going, which made the blue hedgehog smile, pleased that his speed didn't frighten her. In fact, the baby girl seemed to be delighted at the experience.
"Adventurous, aren't ya?" Sonic asked the little kitten, who laughed and giggled in response. "Heh, you're a brave kiddo, you know that?"
By that time, the teenage hero slowed down to a stop in front of the home of the very kind family and knocked a couple times, hoping that Vanilla, Cream and Cheese were home. After all, who better to teach him how to look after a baby than the kindly mother rabbit?
But just he waited impatiently and Belle giggling, the door opened to reveal, to his shock, not the mother or daughter he was expecting, but instead Amy Rose, his self-proclaimed girlfriend who had opened it and by the looks of it, to his dismay, she was babysitting Cream today.
"SONIC!" Amy squealed excitedly upon seeing her 'boyfriend' at the door.
"A-Amy!?" Sonic yelped, half-wondering if he arrived at the wrong house and cringed in fear with a sweat drop. He yelped as he quickly side-stepped out of the way as the pink hedgehog nearly glomped him, but thankfully missed in being crushed which made the twelve year old nearly fall to the ground.
"Aw, aren't you happy to see me, my sweet Sonic?" The pink hedgehog girl pouted.
"Amy...Glad to see you too, but what're you doing here?" The blue hedgehog asked, exasperated.
"Oh, nothing much. I just decided to visit Cream and Cheese and Vanilla, and as luck would have it, Vanilla's going to go to do some shopping shortly, so I'll be looking after Cream for a little bit." Amy replied, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Well then, guess I'll be goin' with her, 'cause, well...I'm gonna need a little bit of help for a while." The fifteen year old shrugged sheepishly, while Ella blinked as she curiously gazed at the twelve year old girl.
Amy was about to ask why when she finally noticed the baby in his arms and softly gasped in shock and surprise, before her eyes sparkled over the child.
"Sonic! Is that...A baby?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, and before you go and get the wrong idea, no, she's not mine, and yes, I'm looking after her for a little bit. It's kinda a funny story." Sonic quickly explained, before smirking. "Heck, I'm way too young to be a parent! I'm gonna be sixteen in two months, for crying out loud."
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! She's so cute!" Amy cooed, while greatly relieved that her 'boyfriend' wasn't dating another girl and plus the baby in his arms was a Mobian manx kitten, cobalt blue just like he was for some reason. She approached the baby and began fawning over her. "What's her name? Are you on babysitting duty today? Wait, are you gonna ask Vanilla for some advice?"
"Take it easy, Ames. To answer your questions, first off, I'll explain to you, Vanilla and Cream when we go inside, and yeah, I do need some advice." Sonic chuckled sheepishly.
"Can I hold her!?" His self-proclaimed girlfriend asked hopefully.
"Sure, just watch her head, okay?" The blue hedgehog nodded, carefully handing Belle over to Amy who held the infant and began to gently rock her back and forth, much to his amazement.
"Hello, sweetie. I'm Amy Rose." Amy softly greeted, giggling when the baby gazed at her curiously. "Aren't you just the sweetest little thing? Yes, you are..."
Belle then showed a smile and giggled when the pink hedgehog began to gently stroke her cheek.
"I think she likes ya' already." Sonic remarked, folding his arms with a smile. "You're great with kids."
"Well, after being best friends with Cream and being friends with Tails, how can I not? I know that you're like that too, Sonic." Amy replied.
Sonic laughed. "That's true. Anyway, We'd better get her inside and I'll explain what's going on."
His friend nodded in agreement as they both headed inside just as Vanilla, Cream and Cheese approached, wondering what was going on and when they saw not only their visitor, but also the heroic teenager, they were greatly surprised to see who their friend was holding.
"Oh! Hello, Sonic." Vanilla greeted. "It's good to see you again."
"Hi, Mr. Sonic!" Cream greeted happily, with Cheese chirping in greeting.
"Hey, Mrs. V. How'ya doin', Cream and Cheese?" Sonic greeted with a wave. "Sorry to drop by at short notice, but I'm gonna need some help, if ya' don't mind."
"This wouldn't happen to involve this sweet little girl Amy is holding all of the sudden, would it?" The kindly mother asked as she and her daughter and their Chao approached for a closer look.
"Yep, pretty much."
"Oh! She looks so adorable!" Cream said happily.
"Chao, Chao!" Cheese chirped.
"I know, right?" Amy agreed, while Belle gazed at the kindly family, once again curious.
"What's her name?" The six year old rabbit girl asked eagerly.
Knowing that now was business, Sonic held up the letter that he pulled out from his quills and explained. "Well, accordin' to this letter I found with the kid, her name's Belle and she's...well..." He trailed off when his smile faded into a concerned frown. "Right now, she needs us to take care of her, until we know what to do."
"Huh?" All three girls asked, now concerned given what the young teenager was saying.
Five mintues later...
After Vanilla found a blanket to drape onto the floor for Belle to lie and play on, and she and Cream went to find the latter's old baby toys for the small kitten to play with, they, Amy and Sonic were seated in the living room keeping an eye on the young infant as he explained everything including what the letter said, and the instructions needed on the back on the said piece of paper. By the time he finished, Amy was close into bursting into tears, and Vanilla, distraught over the news, was comforting her daughter who tried not to cry and was attempting to console the upset Cheese.
"So that's why I've decided to look after her until I figure out where North Island is and hopefully find Belle's folks if they're still alive. Plus, I couldn't just leave her and I'm not comfortable in just handing her over to the fosters carers place yet. I mean, I know I can't get too attached, but I wanna make sure she's well looked after." Sonic concluded.
"Oh, the poor dear." Vanilla murmured, her heart cracking as she and her own daughter felt a terrible case of deja vu.
"This is so awful." Cream sniffled.
"How could anybody do such a thing to a baby as sweet as Belle? Plus, what's so different about her?" Amy asked, attempting to hold back her anger as to not frighten the baby, yet she was furious over what the Wolf Pack had done on North Island.
"You're tellin' me. Not sure why, but I have a gut feeling that I have a fair idea who these creeps are, and there's no way I'm gonna let them get to Belle." Sonic nodded, as he was still enraged over the situation the cruel Mobian Wolves had caused.
"Could it be related to...the you know what?" Amy asked, now worried as she and some of their friends had been told of Tails' recently discovered origins and had promised to keep it a secret.
The blue hedgehog nodded. "That's why I'm thinkin' of asking Shadow and Knuckles to help me out by going to North Island. I don't wanna risk in taking Tails since those Wolves from Lancacle City that forced him and his parents away from their home are dangerous and are even worse than the people on Westside Island."
"I don't think Shadow's gonna be much of a help, since I heard that he, Rouge and Omega are out on another mission at some place that they wouldn't say, and you know that Knuckles wouldn't leave the Master Emerald without a main reason. Plus I don't think he's the type in looking after babies." The pink hedgehog pointed out.
A moment of pause.
"Ah, dang." Sonic grumbled, slumping in the chair, tapping on the armrest once he realized he was stuck. "The only other person I can think of is my Dad and my Mom's told me that he's visiting an old friend for the week. Sun's still exploring and from what I've heard from his adventure against those Hybrian guys, Vector's piloting skills is...well...not that great. I'd go myself, but I'm gonna need some back-up just in case."
"How come you can't take Tails, Mr. Sonic?" Cream asked as she lowered herself to the floor and began to play with Belle who was completely oblivious over the situation and just happily fiddled with the toys.
"Because Tails is a Twin-Kitsune, Cream, and as much as I trust him with my life, and I know that he's a hero as much as I am, I don't want him to get involved with those Wolves just in case they're still there. From what I can tell, they hate anybody who's different. I'm not sure what Belle's capable of, but that doesn't matter, because she's just a baby. That's why it's better she and Tails stay here until I know for sure." The hero of Mobius explained.
"But you're special too because you can run really fast." The little girl pointed out.
Sonic just winked. "Don't you worry about me. I can take those guys on. It'll be a cinch."
"Well, until you figure out how to get to North Island, I believe the important issue to solve is in order. Little Belle needs her daily supplies, and I would like you to come with me, Sonic, that way you will know until we know what to do with her and hopefully to find her mother and father." Vanilla declared, standing up. "Plus with this extra shopping, I could use a hand."
"Sure thing, Mrs. Vanilla. Sorry for having to task you at the short notice, but I'm gonna need some practice, considering me and Tails will be babysittin' Belle for a while." Sonic nodded as he joined her, then asked. "Hey, Ames. Can I count on you to look after Belle 'til we get back?"
"No need to ask me twice. It will be good practice to me too." Amy replied eagerly, then went into her day-dream mode as she sighed. "Especially when you and I will have sweet little children of our own someday. I can see our own daughter and two sons cuddling against you and me after we get married."
That only made Sonic frightened as he quivered with a sweat drop over the, in his opinion, horrific thought. He then glared at both Vanilla and Cream as they giggled with sweat drops of their own, and both Belle and Cheese were completely puzzled over this.
At the Station Square Super Market, Tails, who had been working on tinkering the Tornado 1 and X Tornado all day, realized that he had to go and buy groceries since it was his turn this week as Sonic had went shopping the last time, and was right now buying the last few things needed on the list.
"I wonder what we're gonna be having for dinner tonight? Probably Chili Dogs again." The two-tailed cub thought to himself as he pushed the shopping trolley, then gazed up as he passed the dairy section to get buy some milk and cheese, then an idea formed. "Maybe we can make some burgers tonight instead. That sounds good."
With that thought in mind, he placed the much needed carton of milk and the packaged cheese slices before moving on to head back to the bread section to buy some burger buns, when Tails noticed two familiar figures entering an isle in front of him; a blue hedgehog and tall motherly rabbit with a trolley of their own.
"Huh? Sonic and Mrs. Vanilla? Is he helping her with her shopping today?" Curious, Tails decided to go and see what they were up to.
With Sonic and Vanilla...
"Man, no offense Mrs. Vanilla, but sometimes I wish Amy wouldn't go that far off into the future that might not even happen. She doesn't know when to think." Sonic couldn't help but complain as he voluntarily pushed the trolley that not only had the Mobian rabbit's home supplies, but also the stuff he needs which he was going to pay separately as it wouldn't be fair for her to pay for his items. Well, they were actually Belle's items, but still.
"Now now, Sonic. I'm sure only wants to make her dreams come true." Vanilla gently criticized with a knowing smile. "Besides, you never know. You could very well become a father yourself someday."
Sonic just chuckled. "Yeah, no happenin'. I mean, I like Belle already and I really like kids, but to me this is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Unless, you know..." He frowned as a thought came into mind. "Unless I...I can't find her parents."
This experience was starting to remind him of when Cream came looking for him to find her mother, spending months trying to find Vanilla who had been in the clutches of Eggman's evil brother Julius. There had been days when Sonic feared that he wouldn't be able to rescue her and did have had thought on adopting Cream while having his parents look after her and Cheese. Talk about deja vu.
As though reading his mind, Vanilla placed a comforting hand onto the teenage hedgehog's shoulder, making the younger Mobian look up at her. "I'm sure you'll know what to do, Sonic. It was your own faith and Cream's that had you rescue me and take good care of my little girl. If anyone can take good care of Belle and find her family, it's you. But don't hesitate if you ever need help if it gets too difficult."
Reminded of just how kind and caring Vanilla was, being like a second mother to him, Sonic smiled warmly at her with a nod. "Thanks, Mrs. V. That means a lot."
"Of course. I am a mother after all. Anything to help anyone in need." The kindly mother smiled.
"Yeah." Sonic chuckled.
"Hey, Sonic. Hi, Mrs. Vanilla."
Hearing the familiar voice behind them, Sonic and Vanilla looked over their shoulders to find Tails approaching them with his own trolley full of supplies.
"Oh, hey Tails. Guess you're shopping for our stuff too, huh?" Sonic greeted, relieved and happy to see his little brother sooner than expected.
"Hello, Tails. How are you today?" Vanilla added.
"I'm okay, Mrs. Vanilla." The eight year old cub replied to the mother first, then added to his big brother. "And yeah, I was just about to go buy some burger buns for burgers tonight when I saw you guys. I didn't know you volunteered to help Mrs, Vanilla, Sonic."
"Yeah, well, there's that and uh...you and I are gonna be on serious babysitting duties for a little while." The fifteen year old hedgehog replied, sheepishly.
"Huh?" Tails blinked in confusion.
"I rescued a baby drifted ashore in a rowboat earlier and she's gonna need us to take care of her until I find her parents." Sonic continued briefly.
"A baby!?" The two-tailed fox softly exclaimed in shock.
That he didn't expect.
It wasn't long before Sonic told Tails about what was going on and they agreed to pay for both their groceries as well as the stuff they needed for little Belle and helping out Vanilla with her and Cream's supplies, before they all made their way back to the kindly mother's house.
"I see. So, you think the Wolves that attacked Belle's home are...the ones who did the same with me?" Tails asked, in a hushed tone as memories of what he and Sonic discovered weeks back during their Isalenna tour resurfaced.
"I know that you're great in being a hero, Tails, but I can't risk in those guys seeing you. I trust you and I don't doubt you, it's just...I wanna keep you safe and far away from those guys as possible." Sonic apologetically responded, feeling guilty for revealing the news and difficult decision that he knew that his little brother would protest against, but he had to do this, no matter what. "Sorry, Tails, but you know how it is."
Even though the two-tailed cub was very disappointed in being told to stay out of this investigation, even he knew the logic; plus it would cause the Wolf Pack, assuming they were the same group that destroyed the Kitsune Village when he was just a tiny cub, to go back to the place of his birth and find the survivors that were hidden, and the Chao would then lose their home and get killed themselves.
"To be honest, Sonic, I really wanna go with you to help find Belle's family. But you know, if I do and if those guys see me and even if we do beat 'em, who knows what would happen if something does go wrong. We'd gotta have more back-up if that were to happen." The eight year old admitted, shrugging.
"Yeah, and with everybody else busy, it's really complicated and I'm not comfortable in asking for GUN's help. Their policy is shoot first, ask questions later." The blue hedgehog sighed, lowering his head and shuddered over the memories of them accusing him for being Shadow rather than asking him or looking more carefully into the details.
"I'm sure you will figure it out sooner or later. For now, it's best to focus on taking care of little Belle, and I'm going to teach you boys how to do it, so that you will get a better idea in the future." Vanilla reassured kindly, winking at the two young brothers as she lead them inside the house once more.
"I'm gonna hold ya' up on that, Mrs. V." Sonic chuckled, as he and Tails both voluntarily helped their friend's mother with the bags while setting aside their own, before the trio made their way into the living room and to their concern, they saw Amy cradling Belle who looked to be on the verge of crying, Cream rattling the baby rattle to calm the infant down and Cheese looking a bit...green in the face.
Just as Sonic was about to ask what was wrong and Tails saw just how cute the Mobian kitten was, they and Vanilla almost instantly caught the scent of something completely awful which made the two boys immediately cover their noses with groans, and Vanilla instantly knew what the problem was.
"Ugh! Man! What's that horrible smell?" Sonic cried out, pinching his nose with two fingers and fanning the air with his hand.
"Ew! That's gross!" Tails complained.
"I know what the problem is." Vanilla said, knowing this all too well and it had been years since Cream stopped using diapers. "The poor dear needs a diaper change."
"She's been like this for the past five minutes and we couldn't change it until you guys came back." Amy explained as she gently rocked Belle back and forth, annoyed that Sonic took so long but when she saw Tails, she knew why.
"We did everything we could to keep her happy." Cream apologetically added, while trying not to cringe at the awful smell that filled up the room.
"Well, it's a good thing we came back in time then, because it's time for a change." Her mother declared.
Sonic actually turned pale over this. As being new into looking after babies, he realized that he didn't think about going through the new routine of changing diapers constantly. He could only watch as Vanilla laid another blanket down and instructed Amy to lay the crying infant on the floor once more, pulling out the fresh packet of diapers and disinfectant wipes along with powder.
"Now, Sonic and Tails, watch very carefully and listen." The kindly mother began firmly, gesturing the two boys to come over which they hesitantly did and knelt next to her. "First you must unstrap the dirty diaper, then you must carefully remove it, and wipe the baby clean, gently put the powder on to prevent the new diaper in getting wet and put it on as tightly but not too tightly as possible."
"Since you're going to be looking after Belle, Sonic, I think you should give it a try first." Amy smugly declared, making her 'boyfriend' flinch in fright. "It's good practice."
"I...Uh...Well..." Sonic was now very scared, as he could only gaze at little Belle who looked ready to cry even further, but he did promise to look after her until he found her parents, or the more likely scenario, hand her over to foster parents. Maybe ask his parents since he felt bad in separating from her if they got too close.
'What have I gotten myself into?' The blue hedgehog thought with dread, before he mentally took a deep breath since doing it now would only cause him to gag. Gulping nervously, he reluctantly moved forward. "Well, here goes."
"Now, remember Sonic. Unstrap the diaper carefully." Vanilla reminded.
"Like...Like this?" The teenager shakily asked, as he did as he was instructed, slowly but surely before he carefully opened up the diaper and almost gagged when he saw and smelled the results to the point of nearly throwing up. Tails and Cheese both did the same, but while Amy and Cream were shocked to see this as well, they and Vanilla weren't nearly as traumatized as the blue hedgehog, two-tailed fox and little Chao, who almost passed out.
Sonic coughed a little, before he quickly balled up the dirty diaper without getting his hands dirty and tossed it into the newly made baby diaper bin that they bought for safety measures, and at Vanilla's instruction, he wiped the child's bottom clean with disinfectant thoroughly, but what shocked him and his friends of what they found.
Belle didn't have a tail! Sharing a look and wondering if this was why the Wolves wanted to kill her as all cats, both Mobian and Mobini, were born with tails, whether they were short or long, they turned their attention back to the baby who was clueless over what they were looking at. Deciding to question it later, Sonic then quickly wiped his hands clean with disinfectant wipes thoroughly and then put on the fresh, lavender scented diaper(as instructed on the back of the letter) as tightly but not too tightly as possible.
Once he did that and Vanilla checked before giving the fifteen year old an approved and satisfied nod, Sonic sighed in relief and leaned back using his hands for support, panting.
"Oh, sweet Chaos...Now I know how Dad felt when he used to change my diapers when I was a baby." Sonic groaned, still traumatized through the whole experience. "Uncle Chuck, too."
"Oh, c'mon, Sonic! It wasn't that bad." Amy scolded with a pout. "This is good practice."
"Oh yeah? Well, you try seeing that and changing a diaper that looks like the poor kid didn't have one in like three days considering how she's been a boat all by herself, wet and starving." The blue hedgehog deadpanned dully.
As though to prove his point, he and his friends then heard a small gurgle that was loud and surprisingly cute enough to hear, and looked to see Belle glance at her tummy and began to cry, this time in hunger and it made the five older Mobians feel powerful sympathy for her.
"I'm surprised she managed to stay alive for so long, but we gotta feed her right away." Tails said, worriedly. "We should get the baby formula ready."
"Remind me again how that works?" Sonic asked cluelessly, even though Vanilla did tell him earlier that when they bought the big tin of baby formula, and he had been dumbfounded on how parents should feed their infants that, but she said that it wasn't meant to be feed to them directly.
"Here, let me show you, because now it's time to feed the poor thing." Vanilla instructed. "Amy and Cream, please keep an eye on her until we get back."
"Yes, ma'am!" Amy happily saluted.
"Okay, Mama." Cream nodded, smiling.
"Boys, come with me and bring the formula and baby bottles." The kindly mother gestured as she stood up, with Sonic and Tails following her, getting the aforementioned items and entered the kitchen. "I hope you both have a kettle at home, because this is very important."
"Heh, you don't have to worry about that, Mrs. V. I started drinking coffee since I was fourteen." Sonic reassured. "Plus Tails likes to have Mint Tea."
"Good. Now watch carefully." Vanilla nodded, as she then explained. "First, we make sure the bottle is nice and clean, then we put two table spoons of the formula, and pour in 3 quarters of hot water."
"Wouldn't that be too hot for the kid to drink?" Sonic asked, shrugging.
"I think you're supposed to cool it down somehow. Chris once told me that he and his class had to learn this sort of stuff before met him one time." Tails pointed out.
The blue hedgehog, remembering that story as well, snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! He had to help babysit a kid one time when he was ten years old. At least that's what he told us."
"And Tails is right. It's to cool the temperature of the bottle until it is lukewarm. But after you give it a good shake. That is how baby milk is made. You can't give the little one full cream milk until they are two years old or preferably a bit older. They also have to have mashed baby food until they have grown their first rows of teeth." Vanilla explained.
"That explains the tin baby food we bought." The fifteen year old remarked.
"May I have a try, Mrs. Vanilla? I have to learn how to look after Belle for a while too." Tails requested, which he was given permission to do so, much to Sonic's annoyance.
'Great. Tails gets the easy job while I end up with the disgusting diaper change. Next time we're reversing the role and taking turns.' The hero of Mobius grumbled in his mind, but he did watch carefully as his surrogate brother did as instructed and he had to admit, the two-tailed fox was doing a good job so far and it did look a whole lot easier and more fun than what he had to go through.
Squeezing the nipple of the bottle, Tails gave it a good shake...but unfortunately he didn't squeeze hard enough as suddenly he was squirted in the face a little and some of it getting into his mouth. Vanilla sighed a little in slight exasperation while trying not to giggle, and Sonic snickered before bursting into laughter over his little brother's misfortune.
While Tails gave the blue hedgehog a glare and wishing he would stop laughing, he licked his lips and blinked in surprise. "You know what? This doesn't taste so bad."
"Then that means the baby will love it." Vanilla nodded.
"Heh heh heh...Well, it is written on the list." Sonic pointed out, trying to settle down.
The trio returned to the living room where Belle still cried but had settled down when Amy was then rocking her once more, and Cream suggesting. "I think you should sing her a lullaby, Amy. My Mom always did that to me all the time even when I was a baby."
"Great idea, Cream. There's nothing more sweeter than a melody of a songbird." Amy agreed, before clearing her throat and began singing softly.
As she did, Belle sniffled and once again began to settle down slightly just as the trio returned with smiles on their faces.
"Okay, dinner's ready, mademoiselle." Sonic announced in a fake french accent, making his friends giggle.
"Alright, now, here's how you feed the baby and be sure to hold her gently with her head up." Vanilla instructed once more, scooping Belle from Amy's arms and both Sonic and Tails sat on the couch with the blue hedgehog now holding the bottle as he wanted a shot at this. She carefully placed the baby into his left arm with Belle's head tilted upright slightly. "Now, slowly place the bottle into her mouth and hold it until she is done."
"Uh...like this?" Sonic slowly did as he was told, lowering it to the infant's mouth which she closed it around the sucking part, and then grasped the bottle with her tiny hands and began happily drinking the newly made baby formula while he held the bottom of it upward to help her along, sucking away since she hadn't been feed in days. Everyone chuckled as he told her. "Take it easy, Belle. Nobody's gonna take it away from ya'."
"Well, after not eating for three or more so days, you can't really blame her for being hungry." Tails pointed out as he watched carefully.
"She is just so adorable." Amy cooed happily once more.
"She's so cute." Cream added.
"Such a little sweetheart." Vanilla agreed.
Sonic nodded in agreement and smiled. "You know what? This is more fun than changing diapers."
Maybe babysitting an infant wasn't so bad after all...beside what he had to go through.
Hours later after being taught how to burp the baby once she finished the bottle and thankfully she didn't make a mess, Sonic and his friends hanged around a bit more until it was time to go home. Thanking Vanilla for the lessons once more and welcoming her and Cream and even Amy to help out if need be, and after dressing Belle up with a lavender dress and tiny shoes, the blue hedgehog and Tails had their own dinner while repeating the process as they learned that they had to keep an eye on her until it was time for bed.
But not before giving her a much needed bath, and as it was late, plus building a crib would take a while even on Tails' part, it was decided that Belle would sleep on Sonic's bed for the night.
"You sure you wanna do this, Sonic?" Tails asked as he and his brother slightly rearranged the bed by placing pillows around the front, back and sides to make sure the baby wouldn't fall off.
"Hey, it's better than nothing. Besides, if her parents are blue like she is, I'd say that she's a bit more comfortable with me around until we move her into the guest room." Sonic shrugged, carefully placing Belle onto the mattress and draped the blanket onto her. "Plus with my ears and blue colouring, I think she thinks that I'm part of her family."
"She might also think that you're Cobalt Klemer, her Daddy." Tails added, gently stroking the little baby on the head as the tiny kitten gave out a cute yawn.
The two smiled as the blue hedgehog said, "Yeah, probably. Let's worry about that tomorrow. Let's getting late."
"Yeah." The two-tailed fox nodded, "Night, Sonic. Night little Belle."
"Night, Tails. Sweet dreams." Sonic waved a goodbye as his brother left the room, leaving him alone with the baby as he gazed back at her with a warm smile. In a short time looking after her, changing diapers aside and her crying, he was already growing fond of the blue kitten and whispered. "I'll make sure you're safe and happy, Belle, and do my best to find your parents. I promise."
He then gently gave the sleeping baby girl a kiss on the head with a gentle pat, wishing her a goodnight before he laid down on the floor with his spare sleeping back and yawned, drifting off to sleep himself.
This is going to be a little adventure he won't be forgetting anytime soon.
Back on North Island, the Wolf Pack had searched and hunted through out the entire Snow Field Zone for the missing Belle after locating Stella and, realizing that she is still alive, carried her back with them after the leader had ultimately defeated Cobalt and imprisoned him. So far they had no luck in locating the child and the Leader was running out of patience.
Right now they were in their make-shift hideout in a warehouse.
"We've looked all over, and there's no trace of that little rat!" One of the Wolves, a female with albino hair and dark gray fur, wearing a black leather jump suit with lavender linings along the arms and legs, complained.
"Enough complaining, the transmitters engaged." The Wolf Leader grunted, as he opened on the portable monitor with high technology.
"What? But my hair's a total mess!" The female Wolf whined, just as the transmitter turned on, viewing a video call which had a crimson coloured Wolf wearing a black cape seated in a chair with an eye-patch, which made her gasp softly in realization and nervousness. "Oh, it's Sir Connell. What an honor."
"I wish I could say the same thing." Sir Connell, the true leader of the Pack, speaking from somewhere only the Wolves know of. "Why haven't you tracked down that child yet? As long as she exists, she is another abomination that will wipe out all Mobians and humans. For the sake of the future, all who are born with cursed abilities and extra limbs must be eliminated."
"Are you sure she's still alive?" Another Wolf in normal grey colouring asked, skeptically. "She could've been eaten by a Mobini bear or something for all we know."
"Oh yes, Motor. I'm positive and I'm running out of patience! Find me that child, hear me!?" The Wolf Leader demanded.
The Second in Command leader Wolf grinned, responding. "We will, Master. And all other Mobians that are cursed as well. If we're lucky, we could even destroy that brat Sonic the Hedgehog and all of his friends. Then we will be the real heroes of Mobius. Heh heh heh..." He chuckled evilly, intending on completing the mission once and for all.
Once they find Belle, they will soon move on to eliminating all other Mobians that were born with other great abilities.
This included Sonic and his friends who are unaware that their lives are once again in grave danger and they were in for another future battle.
To be Continued!
A/N: I'm not sure how long this new Arc will be as I did promise that it would only be one or two shots from now on, but things are going crazy once again and hopefully I'll be able to post the second part of The Lost Infant Arc in the near future.
If not, then this will continue into 2022.
See you later!