AN: Oh boy, I like some of your predictions, you guys! Some of you have interesting theories and some others are spot on with their predictions. Anyway, gotta give some shout outs to my reviewers like: Janttun3n, Shadorougeforever, risingzero1984, aliciathewolf45, MissMJS, roxey, and Captain. Thanks for your reviews on my last chapter. I appreciate it. I hope people don't mind but from here on out, expect the chapters to be a bit longer. I use to write chapters between 3000-4000 words, but now I'm pushing around 5000-7000 words just so this story isn't like 80 chapters long, lol!
•~•
The next morning, Amy rolled over in bed only to realize Shadow was not there. Getting up, the pink hedgehog groggily made her way out of bed and grabbed her robe draped over one of the lounge chairs in the room. Quickly throwing it on, Amy made her way down the hall and peeked into Faith's bedroom and smiled softly as she spotted Shadow sleeping in Faith's twin bed. Giggling quietly at the sight, she watched as one of Shadow's ears twitched to the sound of her chortle. Opening his eyes, he shot her a simple smirk before sitting up to get out of bed.
Amy waited for him to leave Faith's bedroom as she continued to sleep. Once Shadow was out of her room, he quietly closed her bedroom door behind him. "Sorry about that," he spoke quietly. "I had planned to return to bed once I had tended to her, but I must have dozed off."
Amy clutched at the front of her robe as she looked up at him. "What happened last night?" she asked quietly, trying to keep her voice down.
Shadow signaled her to follow him as they made their way downstairs. "She had a bad dream and she wanted me to stay with her until she fell asleep."
Amy walked down the steps behind him. "Poor thing…"
"Yes, well…it's all about growing up I suppose," Shadow mumbled. Once downstairs, the two headed for the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast, knowing Faith would be waking up in the next 10 to 20 minutes.
•~•
Ten minutes later, Faith came running downstairs fully dressed. The little pink hedgehog came rushing into the kitchen, bouncing with her every step. Shadow and Amy sat at the kitchen table enjoying their coffee as they spotted their daughter bounding towards them. Faith screeched to a halt and placed her hands on the table. "Good morning!"
"Morning," Amy replied. "I got you breakfast started," Amy said, reaching for the box of fruity cereal and pouring it into the empty bowl in front of her.
Faith watched as her mother continued by pouring some fresh milk from the pitcher on the table into her bowl. "Thanks, mom."
Amy smiled. "No problem, sweetheart."
Faith took a bite of her cereal, crunching on it while she stared at her parents. She swallowed before coming to another thought. "How come I never really see you guys eat food?" she pondered.
Shadow and Amy exchanged a look for a quick moment. "Oh, well, we already had a bite to eat before you woke up," Amy smiled sheepishly.
"So you don't want any of his yummy cereal," she asked offering out her bowl.
Shadow waved a dismissive hand, denying her offer. "It's not really our preference, darling." A few moments later, both Silver and Blaze sauntered in, still in their PJ's. "Morning," Blaze smiled as she headed towards the coffee pot.
"Morning," Silver yawned before walking over to the kitchen table and taking a seat.
"Uncle Silver, are you tired?" Faith asked curiously.
"A bit," he replied. Blaze walked back over towards the kitchen table and handed Silver one of the two coffee cups she held. "Thanks, love," he smiled.
Just as Faith went back to eating, two loud knocks came from the front door. "I'll get that." Getting up from the table, Shadow headed for the front door to answer it.
A few moments later, Shadow came back into the kitchen with Sally and Sonic. The couple looked troubled as they entered the room, not looking in their brightest spirits. Seeing their figures, Faith swiftly dismounted her seat and rushed over to welcome their new arrivals. "Uncle Sonic and Aunt Sally!" she rejoiced, hugging them both.
For the first time that morning, Sonic cracked a weak smile. "Hey there, kiddo," he replied, ruffling the top of her hair.
Amy stood to greet her friends. "Sonic, Sally, what brings you here?"
The cerulean hedgehog rubbed the back of his neck apprehensively, thinking about Mighty's words last night. "I can't lie, it's nothing good…"
Sensing trouble, Shadow nodded his head, signaling them to take their discussion into the next room. As much as he knew Faith enjoyed having Sonic and Sally over for company, he did not want her to hear their conversation in case it frightened her. Silver instinctively stood and followed them, taking his coffee with him. Faith watched as the four adults headed into the living room, leaving Amy, Blaze, and herself behind. Faith looked up at her mother as she remained by her side. "What's going on, mama?"
"I'm not sure, but let's leave Dad, your uncle, and the others alone to talk." Amy escorted Faith back to her seat, helping her up. "Just finish your breakfast," she softly ordered while she turned on the small kitchen TV in the corner. Amy switched it to a kid-friendly channel for Faith to watch while she finished her breakfast, but Amy walked over to the sink to finish some cleaning. As she turned on the running water, she heightened her vampire hearing to eavesdrop in on the conversations taking place in the next room over.
•~•
In the living room, Sonic and Sally sat on one of the couches together, while Shadow and Silver sat on the one opposite them. "What's going on then?" Shadow probed, wanting to get straight into business.
"Something calculated," Sally began. "Last night, Mighty came to us because their youth is going missing. We helped and searched all night, but we've been unable to track their scent or to find them. It's almost as if they've completely fallen off the face of the Earth."
"These children," Shadow began, "There's no chance they just ran away from home, is there?" Shadow theorized.
Sonic shook his head with certainty. "According to Silver and Hendrix, these children are not the types to do so. They're top of their class and generally good kids. Running away from home is out of character for them."
"How many have disappeared so far?" Shadow stroked his chin.
"As of this morning, it's up to three now," Sally answered.
"And you said you were unable to find their scents?" Silver continued.
"Yes, we've had multiple search parties and none of us can trace them," Sonic answered.
Three missing children in such a close time period was troubling. Knowing how this worked, Shadow knew they had a short amount of time before the likelihood of the missing children's survival ran up. "What clues do you have so far?"
Sonic and Sally exchanged looks for a moment before looking back at Shadow. "Well, these markings have started to appear around Station Square. We've never seen anything quite like it, but we were hoping since you've been around much longer than us, maybe you'd know something about it," Sonic explained.
"We have no time to waste then," Shadow deduced as he stood to his feet. Sonic and Sally mimicked his actions. "Silver, can you stay behind and watch over the girls?"
Silver finished taking another sip of his coffee. "Of course," he replied. "I'll handle things here."
"Thanks." Shadow looked back at Sonic and Sally. "Take me back to your camp and I'll help out the best I can."
Sonic nodded. "Thanks, Shads."
Shadow and Silver popped back into the kitchen and Faith looked over to the entrance. She watched as Sally and Sonic cut through the kitchen to head towards the front door together. "Seeya later, kiddo," Sonic saluted her way. Sally waved at Faith as she passed by.
Faith looked over to her father who was now whispering something to her mother as she stood by the sink. Amy simply nodded, comprehending whatever he was telling her and he ended the conversation with a peck on the lips.
Shadow turned on his heel just as Faith reached out to him. "Daddy, where are you going?" she said, stopping him in his tracks. Shadow turned to give her, his full attention. "I thought we could play together…"
Shadow walked back over to the kitchen table. "It'll have to be a rain check, my sweet. Sonic and Sally really need my help and I promised I'd do my best to help them out," he explained.
Her ears fell sadly. "When will you be back?"
"Hopefully before dinner time," he replied optimistically.
"—Don't worry, Aunt Blaze and I will have all sorts of fun with you today," Silver piped in, as he leaned on one of the counter's corners with a cup of coffee in hand.
Shadow bent down and kissed the top of her head. "I apologize for having to cut our morning together short, but I have to go. Stay out of trouble now." Shadow directed his attention to his brother briefly, "And Silver…keep an eye on her," he made explicit. Silver smirked, fathoming the order he was given. Shadow's eyes looked back towards his daughter. "Have fun in my absence," he waved before heading out.
•~•
In the Mystic Ruins, Sonic and Sally arrived back home with Shadow at their side. As the ebony hedgehog walked through the camp, he couldn't help but notice the camp looked in complete disarray. Members of the pack were scattered all over the place, some in groups organizing more scouting missions, while others prepared fresh meals and water stations for those coming back from long treks. The atmosphere around camp was definitely erratic with all sorts of different emotions.
"This way," Sally instructed, leading Shadow over to their lake.
Finally, they arrived at their designated location. Sally stopped before a large boulder on the edge of the water. On the front side of the stone was some sort of tribal looking, painted red, infinite square. "This is what we were telling you about earlier."
Shadow stopped in front of the large stone and stared at the illustration in awe. This was the same drawing he had seen in Faith's bedroom. But just how exactly was she aware or familiar with this design? Sonic tilted his head at Shadow's troubled prolonged stare. "Do you recognize it?"
As those words left Sonic's mouth, Shadow nodded gravely. "Yes, but you're not going to believe where I've seen it…"
Sally crossed her arms over her chest. "Where?"
"Faith drew a picture of something that looked just like this. I saw it in her bedroom," he explained. "Unfortunately, not even I have an idea what the hell this thing is supposed to mean."
Another familiar face appeared from around the other side of the lake and Mighty waved at them. "Hey, there, Shadow. You're helping us out today, too?"
Shadow nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Sonic and Sally gave me the summarized version of events. At any rate, still no progress?"
Mighty shook his head solemnly. "I've tried numerous locator spells but it's as if they've completely disappeared."
Shadow looked over to Sonic. "I'm assuming your pack has already scouted the perimeters of the Mystic Ruins, correct?"
"Yes, we have," he replied.
"Hold on," another voice intervened. The group looked to see Hendrix jog up to the group. "I just discovered a new lead!"
Mighty looked excited by the news. "What is it?"
Hendrix stopped in front of the three. "We did tracing spell of Jay's last known whereabouts. We were able to pinpoint his directions and locations just before he vanished."
"Intriguing," Shadow murmured. "So almost like a GPS navigating system?"
Hendrix nodded. "Exactly." The black cat pulled out a folded up map from his front pocket. "Anyway," he unfolded the map. "His last location was here," he said pointing to a specific red dot.
The three glanced at the spot. "I'm not familiar with this location…" Sonic noted. "Where is that?"
Shadow's eyes scanned the map as he determined the location. "That's on Angel Island," he replied in realization. "It's five miles north of Station Square."
"What in the world would a child be doing that far away from home?" Sally wondered.
"Not a clue," Hendrix shrugged. "But this is our biggest clue so far. It has at least given us a last known location. If we can scout the area we may find more answers."
"In that case, we'll split up into two groups," Shadow deduced. "Mighty and I will explore the west side, while Sonic and Sally will scout the east. Hendrix, you and your team will scout the north, and another team will scout the south. We'll meet back here at camp with our findings."
"Sounds good to me!" Sonic exclaimed.
•~•
At the house, Silver, Blaze, and Faith played outside in the backyard together, while Amy tended to the housekeeping duties. The pink hedgehog stood at the back French doors with her arms crossed as she watched what was happening outside. She couldn't help but smile as she watched both Faith and Blaze chase Silver around in a game of tag. She giggled when both Faith and Blaze successfully tackled Silver to the ground. Amy took another glance at her watch, realizing her procrastination of chore duty was slipping away by distractions.
Bending over, Amy picked up a hamper full of fresh clothes and carried them upstairs. Once on the second floor, she walked into Faith's bedroom to deposit her clean clothes. Sadly, when she entered her daughter's room, it was an absolute mess. She shook her head with a tsk. "Messy girl," Amy mumbled with a chuckle.
Sighing from the sight of toys, papers, and other knick-knacks all over the floor, Amy lowered the hamper onto the floor to pick up after her daughter. She walked around the room, picking up Faith's dolls, toys, and sorting them into the bins she had placed in the corner of the room to keep organized. Once she was finished, she walked over to Faith's bed and noticed the clutter of papers all around her bed. Bending over, Amy began to collect the papers together.
Curious as to what they were, she flipped one of the pages over and stared at the illustration her daughter had drawn. Her expression turned to confusion as she stared at the drawing though, not certain on what exactly it was supposed to be. It was some sort of glowing red infinite square, messily drawn. Amy took a seat on the edge of Faith's bed to gander at more of the drawings. She looked at the next sheet of paper that was once again, a duplicate of the drawing she had looked at before. "What…" Feeling a chill run down her spine, she filed through the rest of the papers in her hands, realizing all the papers were of that same illustration. What exactly was this thing that Faith seemed to be fascinated with?
•~•
Meanwhile, back outside the house, Silver pushed Faith on the swing set; while Blaze pushed herself on the other swing. Faith giggled playfully as her uncle pushed her higher and higher. Silver smiled seeing his niece enjoy her time outside. "Push me more, Uncle Silver, I want to go higher!" she squealed.
He gave another gentle shove. "You're already pretty high up," he noted watching the pendulum-like effect with her swinging.
"But I want to touch the sky," she smiled.
Blaze also grew a little concerned with how high up she was going. "I think that's enough now…"
Faith looked over her shoulder at her uncle. "Wanna see something cool, then?" she asked, continuing to kick her feet, to propel herself.
"Like what?" Silver inquired.
She grinned mischievously. "Watch this!" she laughed before letting go of her hold on the chains and jumping off the swing. Both Silver and Blazes' eyes went wide at the dangerous move.
Blaze lowered her legs, dragging herself to a halt on her own swing as she watched her goddaughter soar in the sky. "Faith!" she screamed.
Silver used his agility and quickly rushed over just in the knick of time as Faith came down and collided into him. Luckily for him, he caught her in his arms falling backward into the sand with a loud thud. Blaze rushed over after seeing Silver's heroic act and quick thinking. "Oh my goodness, are you okay, Faith?"
Faith just clapped as she resided in Silver's arms. "I'm fine, Aunt Blaze!" she smiled; not at all aware of the danger, she had put herself in.
Blaze dropped down to her knees and took Faith's little hands in her own. "Please don't ever scare me like that, you could have gotten seriously hurt if you didn't land properly."
Seeing how serious her Aunt was by her tone, Faith's smile dropped and her ears lowered. "I'm sorry for scaring you…"
Silver sat upright groaning slightly from his hard fall. "You didn't ask about my wellbeing, dearest," he bemoaned.
Blaze looked over at her husband. "Oh, we all know you can walk it off," she laughed.
Silver shook his head playfully and allowed Faith to climb out of his arms. He stood upright, along with Blaze's assistance.
"Look, sweetheart," he started, looking down at his niece. "I like to have fun as much as you do, but you really need to be careful when trying to perform wild acts like that. Your Aunt is right; you could have gotten seriously hurt. You're lucky I was able to catch you, because you may not have realized it, but you were pretty high up in the air for a jump like that at your age," he softly reprimanded.
Faith tucked her arms behind her back and bowed her head down. She shuffled one of her feet in the sand shyly. "I know, Uncle Silver. I'm really sorry, I won't do it again…"
Silver smiled down at her and patted the top of her head. "Good girl, now let's head inside, it's nearly lunchtime." With that said, the three headed back indoors, not realizing someone had been watching them for the past couple of minutes.
A distance away in the wooded area near their home, a white echidna in his mid-40s, wearing black spectacles, stood behind some trees in the forest off the side of their house. He waited until the three walked back indoors before reporting to his superior. Smirking by his findings, he brought his right wrist up to his mouth, revealing some sort of wristwatch device. He held down a button on the side of it. "I've located the girl."
"Good," a female voice replied on the other end. "Grab her and bring her in."
•~•
On Angel Island, Mighty and Shadow continued their search for Jay and other missing children. The two stumbled across an abandoned home on the island that was once owned by a legendary echidna guardian. Because it had been abandoned for so long, there was no electricity, forcing the two to use flashlights to navigate the darkness. It was only a one-story home, but it had quite a few rooms to explore. Alas, everything inside was pretty decrepit and dusty. There were cobwebs all over the ceiling and floors, and a few rats that scurried away when spotted.
The two entered the home and split up to cover more ground. "I'll head to the left and you can take the right," Shadow instructed.
Mighty nodded and began to walk around the different rooms. "Jay, Sam, Russel?" Mighty called as he shined his light in different corners of the room.
As he tried to listen, all that was heard in response was silence. He walked over to one corner of the room where he found an old wicker chair with a small black flashlight laid out on the seat. He allowed his light to linger on the lone item for a moment before he heard subtle whispering coming from the room across from him. Quickly, Mighty followed the sounds and entered the empty living room.
In the dead center of the room, he found a brown leather notebook. Slowly, he bent down shining his light onto the book to get a better look. When he picked it up with his other hand he noticed the leather strap keeping it locked tight. It also appeared to have the same infinite square symbol carved into the front of it.
"Strange…" He tucked the book in the back of his pants for safekeeping until he could study it in private.
Then out of nowhere, a strong vacuum effect occurred around him and winds began to pick up. "What in the..?" Mighty shielded his eyes from flying debris as the winds began to whip more erratically. The door behind him slammed shut, and Mighty spun around to see what was there when suddenly he was forced against the wall by an unseen force. "Gah!" he cried out.
The force held him against the wall for a solid minute before releasing him and allowing him to fall to the floor. Mighty grunted from his hard landing, falling on his chest. Suddenly, the door that had slammed shut slowly crept open. The faint whispers soon picked up again. Standing up, Mighty held his hurt arm. "Show yourself!" he growled.
A red hue began to creep down the hall and peek in through the open door. When he caught sight of what it was he gasped. It was a giant red orb coming into the room. The brightness was so intense that it began to burn his eyes as it got closer and closer. Yet, the closer it got to him, the more Mighty believed this thing did not have good intentions. Mighty covered his eyes with his hands and screamed, as he believed his demise was coming. "No!"
But as he waited for the end, he felt nothing harm him. He stayed frozen, too afraid to uncover his eyes. A firm grip landed on his shoulder causing him to jump. "Mighty, are you alright? I heard you screaming." Shadow asked with concern laced in his voice.
Opening his eyes, Mighty trembled slightly while he tried to re-compose himself. He looked around the room, seeing the orb nowhere in sight. The winds had also suddenly ceased. "Yuh-yes, I'm fine," he stammered. "But I saw something…"
"Saw something," he repeated. "What was it?"
Mighty rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not exactly sure what the hell it was. I heard something. So I followed it and it led me to this room where these loud winds picked up. A bright red orb appeared and it kept coming closer and closer…"
"…Huh," Shadow commented. "I didn't hear anything when I was in the other room, the only thing I heard was your screams and that's when I came running."
Mighty ran a hand over his head, still startled by the strange phenomenon. How had Shadow not heard all those winds from the other room? Shadow stared at the armadillo perturbed. He had never seen him so shaken before. Whatever he had encountered had definitely made an impression on him.
•~•
Twenty minutes later, Shadow, Mighty, Hendrix, Sonic, and Sally reconvened at their starting point on the island to discuss their findings. "We didn't find anything, did you guys?" Sonic started.
"We found a flashlight that has Jay's scent on it, but the trail for the scent dies inside the home," Shadow started as he held up the item. Sonic took a hold of the flashlight and stared down at it in his hands. "We didn't find any trace of a struggle though."
Mighty reached into the back of his pants and pulled out the leather journal. "I found this in one of the rooms," he mentioned, holding it out.
Sonic reached for the book and looked it over it in examination. "Looks old," he observed. "Have you tried opening it yet to see what's inside?"
Mighty shook his head. "Not yet, I was going to do it once I returned home to search for clues. It has a lock on it anyway, so I'll have to decipher it to get it to unlock."
"It looks like almost an old grimoire," Hendrix added. "We should open it now."
"Alrighty." Sonic reached inside his jeans pocket and flipped out a pocketknife. "Nothing a handy-dandy knife won't do to solve that problem!" he grinned arrogantly.
Using one hand to hold the book, Sonic tilted it so it exposed the leather strap with the lock. He took the knife and wedged it under the strap and started to do a cutting motion upward, to slice the leather strap in half. Once he started cutting, an unseen force shoved him violently backward, forcing him to release his hold on the book.
Sonic crashed into one of the nearby trailers, causing a loud crash and dent. Sally, Shadow, Hendrix, and Mighty came running over to see if he was okay. "Sonic!" Sally cried out, the most worried for his wellbeing. "You okay, babe?"
Sonic groaned as Shadow grabbed ahold of his arms and pulled him out of the dent. "Yeesh, what the hell was that?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I felt like a semi-truck just crashed into me."
Mighty looked over his shoulder at the leather notebook, now face down in the dirt. He wandered over and picked it up. "Clearly whatever is inside this book doesn't want you to see any of it…"
"Obviously, it just whooped my ass! Get it outta here, M," Sonic waved off.
Hendrix moved closer to the young armadillo, feeling apprehensive about the contents contained within the book. "You sure you don't want me to take a look at that thing?"
He shook his head. "Nah, if it gives me any trouble, I'll give you a call. However, I think I can handle it," he assured.
"Very well, but just be careful. Okay?"
•~•
Back at the house, Faith sat on the rug and enjoyed eating her lunch. Her mother had made her a grilled cheese sandwich that she was currently munching on. As she chewed a bite she had taken, her eyes focused on the television, feet in front of her. Nearby, Silver was stretched out on the couch passed out along with Blaze sleeping on the other end of the couch. It was only one in the afternoon, but keeping Faith active and entertained took a lot out of them. Faith glanced over to her Aunt and Uncle and giggled as she heard Silver crack a snore.
Amy popped her head into the room for a moment, just to see what Faith was up to. "Everything okay with your food, baby?" she spoke quietly, trying not to wake the others.
Faith turned to look at her mother. "Yep, it's yummy!"
Amy smiled in satisfaction. "Great, if you need me I'll be downstairs in the basement finishing folding laundry."
"Okay, mama!"
Seeing her daughter preoccupied with cartoons, Amy headed downstairs to finish the rest of the household chores. Faith finished the last bite of her sandwich just as a new cartoon came onto the screen.
"Next up, a new episode of Silly Pals!" the TV announcer introduced.
Faith made a revolted face at the new lineup announcement. "Yuck, that's a baby show," she spouted quietly. The young pink hedgehog took the remote sitting next to her and began to channel flip, but after a few minutes of channel surfing, she grew quite bored with her options. Groaning, Faith got up, collected her dirty plate and headed out of the living room to find another activity to do.
She wandered into the kitchen and pushed the stool by the sink directly in front of it. Using it as a stepping stool, Faith climbed up and placed her plate in the sink as she was told to do when finishing her meals, but just as she did, she saw a figure pass the kitchen window in front of the sink.
Gasping from the unexpected sight, Faith hopped off the stool and stared at the now empty window as she tried to determine what she had just seen. It had happened so fast, she wasn't quite sure exactly what she saw, but she knew it was a person. Cautiously walking over to the French doors in the kitchen, Faith stood in front of them and looked out past the back patio, trying to find the stranger. She looked everywhere until she spotted a strange item sat on the swings out back. Faith squinted her eyes until she realized it was a beautiful plush stuffed bear with a large red ribbon wrapped around its neck.
Her face beamed at the toy and she quickly opened the back door. Once the door was open, Faith made sure to quietly close it behind her before she ran over to her outdoor play set to examine the item more closely. "Oh wow, a teddy bear!" Faith walked over to the swing set and reached out taking the stuffed bear into her arms. She brought it towards her chest and cuddled the inanimate toy, enjoying feeling its softness.
"Do you like it then?" an older male voice asked her from behind.
Faith gasped sharply as she spun around only to look up to a white male echidna with black tribal-looking markings. She had almost forgotten that she had seen someone wandering outside. She stared up at the male and studied him for a moment. He was wearing all black and had a large katana strapped to his back. Faith held onto the stuffed animal and took a meek step back. "Who are you?"
Finitevus gave her a menacing toothy grin. He teeth were oddly sharp looking, which gave him a more frightening appearance. "Why my dear child, my name is Finitevus."
"Oh," was her only response at first. "Um, am I supposed to know you or something, mister?"
Finitevus gave out a hearty chuckle. "No, not at all. This is the first time we've met, but I do know your father."
She blinked a few times in surprise. It was a little unnerving to believe her father would befriend someone as baleful-looking at him. "You know my dad?" she repeated with uncertainty. "Are you one of his friends?"
"I don't think, friend, would be the correct term for us…" Finitevus reached behind his back, gripping the handle to unveil his sword. He brandished his katana proudly only making Faith even mousier. "Now," he spoke, lifting his arm up and wielding the sword. "Do not scream and come with me."
However, before she could answer, Finitevus felt a powerful force thwack him from the side. The force was so powerful that it sent him hurtling into the nearby jungle gym. Faith was surprised to see her mother standing protectively in front of her, now wielding her own weapon—a giant hammer. "Mama…" Faith gasped in surprise.
Amy's expression remained hardened and tough as she kept her eyes on the enemy. "You're not taking my precious daughter anywhere, you creep…"
The white echidna, groaned as he pushed himself out of the dent he had formed after colliding into the children's jungle gym. His eyes landed on the adult pink hedgehog. "Ah, so you must be the mother," he stated as he dusted himself off.
Amy tightened her grip on her hammer. "You might as well leave because if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you're going to get," Amy warned.
Finitevus rose to his feet, standing tall and firm. "I see Shadow married a strong girl," he noted while pushing his small spectacles up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it makes sense, though. Sadly, I'm not leaving until I complete my mission."
"Then you're going to have to get through us too," another female piped in. Finitevus scoffed in annoyance when he spotted both Blaze and Silver now joining Amy. In the meantime, through all this confusion, Faith remained on the ground, terrified about the echidna that appeared to have it out for her.
"I see you have reinforcements, luckily I also did not show up without comrades," he smirked. A brown and black, male lynx appeared beside him.
"You toyed with the target too long," the brown lynx scolded. "You always did love to play with your food..."
"Oh shut up, Lightning!" he barked. "If you thought I was taking too long you should have intervened sooner."
"That is not our protocol," he reminded annoyingly.
Growing frustrated, Finitevus held his sword out en guard. "Just capture the girl!"