In his bedroom, Finitevus was reading a book when he heard a knock on his door.
"The door is open!" He called out.
Knuckles opened the door, and raced in, excited.
"Hey, Uncle Finitevus! Guess what?"
"I despise guessing games." The white echidna sighed.
"I'm going to be the new guardian of Angel Island."
"Oh goody." There was a hit of sarcasm in the older echidna's voice, but Knuckles didn't see this.
Knuckles ran to his uncle's balcony looking outside. "My dad just showed me the whole island. And I'm going to protect it all. Heh heh."
"Yes." Finitevus he put his book on a shelf. "Well… forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back you know." He flopped down on his relaxing couch as Knuckles ran up to him.
"Hey, Uncle Finitevus? When I'm guardian, what'll that make you?"
"Monkey Khan's uncle."
Knuckles just rolled over on the bed close by. "You're so weird."
Finitevus looked at the young, red echidna.
"You have no idea." He got up from the couch. "So, your father showed you the whole island, did he?"
Knuckles nodded. "Everything."
"He didn't show you what's beyond that rise at the northern board?"
Feeling disappointed, Knuckles said "Well, no. He said I can't go there."
"And he's absolutely right. It's far too dangerous. Only the bravest mobains got there."
"Well, I'm brave." Knuckles clenched one of his fists. "What's out there?"
"No, I'm sorry, Knuckles, I just can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Knuckles, Knuckles, I have to watch over the welfare of my spoiled nephew." Finitevus rubbed Knuckles's head, and stroked it with his hand.
Knuckles simply smiled. "Yes, of course. But I'm your only nephew."
"All the more reason for me to be protective. The rogue's base is no place for a to-be guardian." Faking surprise, he gasped. "Oops!"
"Who's base?!" Knuckles asked, smiling. "Whoa."
Faking dismay, Finitevus face palmed himself, "Oh dear, I've said too much. Well, I suppose you'd have found out sooner or later, you being so clever and all." He pulled Knuckles close to him, "Oh, just do me one favour. Promise me you'll never visit that dreadful place."
Knuckles thought for a minute, and nodded. "No problem."
"There's a good lad. You run along now, and have fun. And remember, it's our little secret."
Knuckles nodded, and ran off.
When the future guardian was out of sight, Finitevus flashed an evil smile because everything was going according to plan.
Not far from the M.E shrine, Knuckles was running up to his best friends and his cousin. The friends in question are: a female orange echidna with blue eyes; a male purple echidna with red spots on his dreadlocks whose hair was also purple and blue eyes; another female orange echidna but with purples eyes; a female pink echidna with lavender tips in her hair and dark violet eyes; a male purple echidna with green eyes and a male brown echidna with dark black/brown hair and blue eyes. His cousins were two red male echidnas: One with blue eyes and one with purple eyes; of the two the one with the purple eyes had a fringe on his forehead. His friends were: Tikal the Echidna, Gabor the Echidna, Shade the Echidna, Julie-Su, Ralph the Echidna, Remington the Echidna and his cousins were Jon the Echidna and Kneecaps the Echidna.
"Hello everyone." Knuckles called and gave her a friendly wave.
"Hi, Knuckles." Tikal brightened instantly she heard her buddy. The two had met early on, when they were toddlers, since his parents were friends and since they met could always rely on the other for any adventure or situation.
Tikal was with her parents Pachacamac and Gala-Na. She was sitting on the lap of her father while her mother was brushing her dreadlocks.
Beside them were Ralph playing with 6 flickys, which were their pets and adopted children; Julie-Su was resting on the grass watching the clouds go by; Remington was reading a book he had; Shade was eating a small cake, and Gabor, Jon and Kneecaps were playing with a ball.
"Come on." Knuckles went on eagerly. "I just heard about this great place."
"Ok, awesome!" His friends said excitedly.
But Julie-Su and Remington sounded less excited, because although they and Knuckles were friends, sometimes he inadvertently put them in trouble when he comes up with his extravagant ideas.
"Great. But you're in the middle of your grooming, Tikal."
"Ugh…"
"And it's time for yours." Lara-Le said as she picked Knuckles up and placed him close to her. She took her blue brush, and started brushing Knuckles' dreadlocks.
"Mum!" Knuckles struggled to get away from his mother. "Mum, you're messing up my dreadlocks."
One of the few things that Knuckles and Tikal differed was the fact that Tikal always liked to be groomed while Knuckles didn't. Although Knuckles did share this trait with Tikal's younger brother Gabor, and Julie-Su and Ralph.
Lara-Le finished brushing Knuckles' dreadlocks, and smiled at him, while the young echidna straightened his dreadlocks out in annoyance.
"Okay, okay, enough fussing, mum. Can we go now?"
"So, where are we going?" Shade asked. "It better not be anyplace dumb."
"No. It's really cool."
"So, where is this 'really cool' place?" Lara-Le asked with a smirk.
Knuckles looked a bit pale. He couldn't just straight up tell his mum where he was going if he was getting in trouble before he left!
"Uh... around the lake at the M.E shrine." He said quickly.
"The lake at the M.E. shrine?" Ralph groaned. "What's so great about the lake at the M.E. shrine?"
"I'll show you when we get there." Knuckles whispered.
All of them realised that Knuckles was trying to trick his mother, and he wanted to bring all along for the ride.
Tikal looked up at her parents. "Uh, mum, dad can I go with Knuckles?"
Pachacamac and Gala-Na thought for a minute and looked at Lara-Le. "What do you think, Lara-Le?"
"Well..." Lara-Le hesitated, but then Knuckles and Tikal went all 'puppy eyes' on them.
"Please?"
"It's alright with me." Lara-Le agreed at last.
"Yeah!"
"Alright!"
"You can also come, guys." Knuckles told Ralph, Remington, Julie-Su and Shade.
"We want to go, but our parents are not here and we can't ask their permission." said Ralph.
"He's got a point." Sighed Shade.
"Don't worry, Mom could tell them where we are." said Knuckles.
"It's all good." Said Lara-Le.
Ralph and Shade grinned.
"You coming?" asked Tikal to Remington and Julie-Su.
"I don't know…" responded the brown echidna.
"Come on, it'll be fun." Encouraged Tikal.
Remington and Julie-Su had full confidence in Tikal and therefore agreed to go.
"Okay, if you say it'll be fun, we'll go." Agreed Julie-Su at last.
They were about to leave when Gabor, Jon and Kneecaps called. "We also want to go."
Knuckles turned and watched. He had not taken into account that they wanted to come, as they were the youngest of the group and didn't think this would be a good idea.
"Well, I think they can, but they should ask permission".
"Dad, mom. Can I go." Asked Gabor to Pachacamac and Gala-Na.
"Aunt Lara-Le. Can we also go." Asked Jon and Kneecaps.
"Okay, but not get separated from the others." responded the three adults echidnas.
It was arranged that Knuckles and Tikal would care for their cousins and brother.
"Well see you soon." said Knuckles.
"And don't forget, Espio is going with you." said Lara-Le.
All the little echidnas stopped in their tracks.
"No." Groaned Knuckles. "Not Espio."