Creeping through the woods, Adeline kept a keen eye out for any flash of orange fur. Playing hide-and-seek with most of the other kids was generally relatively simple, but with Tails you had to search in three dimensions; more likely than not, the multi-caudal vulpine would either take refuge in the canopy or simply remain hovering in mid-air too high up for anyone to hear the cacophony that the whirling of his tails produced. On this particular occasion, however, he was proving rather impossible to locate. Must have found a really excellent spot this time, Adeline thought. She'd been looking in vain for nearly ten minutes now, and she was beginning to become one very tired coyote.
Clouds were beginning to roll in; if nothing else, rain might flush out her quarry. Of course, such would also bring the game to a halt. After losing at least three dozen times in chess and forcing one draw purely by luck, Adeline was in no way looking forward to spending another day inside with Tails. Schools were scheduled to reopen in a couple of days in a new location, but at the moment most of Knothole was in chaos dealing with recent events. An eighth of the town had been reduced to ashes by the fires ensuing from the laboratory accident, including most educational facilities. The library, which held many invaluable records, had only been barely saved. As many times as Adeline had wished the school would burn down, the reality of it was not the miracle she had imagined.
The king and queen had only barely survived the incident. Sonic had taken the brunt of the blast, however, and was in far worse condition than his spouse. Still, both remained in a coma and were being looked after by Knothole's best doctors. Rotor, the scientist who's experiment had gone wrong, was also very badly hurt and even now, over a week since the explosion, was still listed in critical condition. Luckily, very few others had been awake at the time and no other major injuries were sustained in the blast itself. Moderate burns and scalds resulting from the ensuing conflagration were more common; the air had smelled of singed fur for days. Not only trained physicians were helping with the injuries, but everyone in town with a first aid kit was also volunteering in all of their spare time. It still was barely enough.
A few detectives were researching the possibility of sabotage, but poking through the charred remains of the disaster area produced no leads. Any evidence had been thoroughly burned away. For the most part, it was assumed that Rotor had merely mixed up his chemicals by accident. Rebuilding seemed more important—and, though villagers of all ages were doing their best to find ways to assist, often adults just wanted the kids to stay out of their way. Which was why Adeline was playing this frivolous game with her slightly younger friend, who persisted to remain inconspicuous. He's orange, for heaven's sake, Adeline thought. Orange does not make for good camouflage.
That pompous raptor, Laertes, had made a dignified speech as he accepted the throne pro tempore, until either Sonic or Sally was able to function as monarch. He was currently presiding over the reconstruction project, and apparently doing rather well. He seemed to Adeline to be decent enough—even if he was slightly portentous, she couldn't understand why so many people loathed him so. Sure, he had once deprecated Sonic, but wasn't that something of the distant past? The guy even looked regal (a trait which Sonic never exactly had). Plus, Sally was the political mastermind… and she had approved Laertes' selection. In the end, however, Adeline was simply too young to care much about all of that—as long as the village got repaired, she would be happy.
She halted in her tracks and took a look backwards over her shoulder. Thinking about the village had reminded her that they weren't supposed to go too far from it. However, the twelve-year-old coyote could no longer even smell the arid smoky odor still hanging over the devastated portion of the town. Checking her watch, she noticed that she'd simply been walking forward, lost in thought, for the last five minutes. Definitely time to head back, she decided. At least she could find her way… the mud still bore her shoe-prints.
However, she had to let Tails know that the game was over as well. She reached for her whistle, which she was supposed to always take with her when going into the woods—and discovered that she hadn't bothered to grab it this morning. Wonderful. "Tails!" she called out. "I give! You won! C'mon, we're headed back now!" She waited for thirty seconds, and heard nothing. That was bad; Tails knew that when she called, he was to appear at once… which meant that she must be too far away for him to hear her. To make things complete, the heavens began to let loose with a torrent that had Adeline's fur matted against her sides in seconds.
She used a word she would not have used in public.
Looking at the ground, she saw that the rain was washing her footprints away rapidly. Okay, she thought, stay calm. First things first—let's get back to Knothole in one piece. There'll be hell to pay when I tell them that I've lost Tails, but it's better than being out here in the rain. She could still see the general direction that her imprints were pointing, and decided to follow them for as long as she possibly could, then when she couldn't see them anymore, she would walk in the general way that they were pointing. The rain would prevent her from catching whiff of the town's current stench, but, with luck, she could locate some familiar landmark.
Now that she thought about it, too, she wouldn't have to be too concerned about Tails, either. At the speed that he could whip his three fantastic appendages, he would be able to keep them dry enough to maintain flight power. From the heights that he could attain, he'd be able to locate the small clearing that held the main entrance to Knothole. The location of the settlement, in accord with tradition dating back many years, was kept a tight secret from all but its inhabitants and a select few. Six months ago, this had proved extremely useful when that evil midget Snively had reappeared planning to roboticize Sonic and seize control from the ensuing chaos. It had almost worked, too…
Adeline snapped her head out of her reflective state. Half a year ago, she would not have been deep in thought in this situation—she would have been sprinting back towards Knothole as fast as she could in a mild panic. She was very well known around the village for her inexhaustible energy supply, but recent strange changes in her body were beginning to affect her personality as well. She was nearly a teenager, and over the last six months had spent less time causing chaos and more in her room, thinking, reading or writing poetry. She poured her deepest secrets into her prose, and hid it far from anyone, except for her brother, Randall. She supposed that the terrible calamity that he had undergone was, more than anything else, the reason for her extreme change in personality. For nearly a week she had lived in recluse, and when she finally rejoined society, she was a very different girl. Some adults were sympathetic and thought of it as a loss of innocence—but Adeline knew that she couldn't be young forever, and didn't see her maturity as the pity that others did.
She was jolted out of reminiscence for the third time that morning, this time by a chill of cold that ran through her body. She shivered. It was a chilly day for spring, even though the climate around Knothole was somewhat warmer than temperate. Beginning to walk back, now, she realized for the first time the seriousness of her condition. Hypothermia was no joke, and even if Tails managed to get back to the town for help, she would be a laughingstock throughout her teenage years for being rescued by a ten-year-old kit. Trying to keep herself warm, she increased the pace of her walk. At least she had eaten a good breakfast that morning.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpse of a movement in the trees. She swiveled around quickly and saw a dark silhouette kneeling next to a motionless figure lying on the ground. The former had in its hand something that bore almost undeniable resemblance to a dagger. Exactly what was happening, Adeline didn't want to know. She screamed, then, too late tried to stifle it. The kneeling form leapt to its feet and whipped around, brandishing its stiletto. Adeline ran.
Underbrush whipped at her legs as she sprinted panic-stricken in the general direction that she believed her home village lay. Muddy water sprayed against her as her black sneakers struck the surface of each puddle. She could hear splashes behind her as well, and knew that she was being pursued. The agility of her youth didn't fail her as she skirted obstacles with ease, but her chaser appeared undeterred—even closing quickly. She was far too weak and terrified to fight, and calling for help would be obviously futile. A stitch began to form in her side—and she still had to be at least a mile and a half from home.
Casting a flash glance over her shoulder, Adeline felt her right leg suddenly stop moving forward. Her momentum carried her head over heels, and she landed face first in the mire about five feet in front of the tree root that she had tripped on. For perhaps the first time in her life, Adeline knew true fatigue. Far too exhausted to rise, she groaned, struggled, and awaited her death, hoping that it would be quick. She was going to perish there, pathetically, facedown in the mud—hardly a fate worthy of the daughter of a Royal Guard. When they discovered her body, it would be the second terrible tragedy in as many weeks; could the town survive such a catastrophe?
It seemed impossible for her horror to increase, but a new wave washed over Adeline as she suddenly wondered if anyone would ever even know of her fate. Why would a killer leave evidence just lying around? Worse still, that shade had been doing something to the figure on the ground when she had interrupted with her foolish scream. Terrible thoughts of mutilation and necrophilia coursed through Adeline's mind. She wished that she had the will to scream again as she heard the wet footsteps approaching and her pursuer's panting breath. Wasn't it about now that her life was supposed to flash before her eyes?
The footfalls slowed to a stop.
"Are you all right?"
A number of things occurred to Adeline at this point. First of these was that that was a rather odd question to ask for someone who intended to murder her in cold blood. The second was that the speaker of those four words was female, and could not have been older that Adeline herself. The combination of these facts seemed to indicate that she was not about to die. Gloved hands searching through the mud for a purchase, Adeline groaned, turned over and sat up. Oddly, she happened to notice that the rain had temporarily stopped
"You okay?" the girl asked again. Adeline still couldn't see her, owing to the fact that her own eyes were still full of mud. Rubbing at them, she suddenly became aware of a shooting pain in her toe. Must have stubbed it pretty badly. Crap. Eyes finally clear, she was finally able to get a good look at the tall form standing over her. She was a young feline—black and white furred, with maroon boots that blended with the mud she stood in. Her tattered T-shirt and shorts, which bore numerous holes of assorted sizes, were also of a russet hue, though they probably owed that shade to layers of dirt. The cat herself didn't look too good either—her flesh bore nearly as many wounds as her clothing, and her fur, largely matted down by the rain, was filthy with grime, muck, and dried blood. In comparison even Adeline, with her face caked in sludge, looked better kept.
Realizing that she still hadn't responded, Adeline decided that this might be an opportune time, before the other girl decided she was a deaf-mute. "I'll be okay," she said, struggling to her feet and ignoring the protesting pain from several parts of her body. "What are you doing out here, anyhow? Where do you live?"
The girl paused for a barely noticeable moment. "I'll explain that later," she said, "but what's important right now is that we're lost and not exactly in terrific shape, as you may have noticed. Our supplies are nearly gone, too. Could you help us? Are we near a town? We've been searching for days and we haven't seen another living soul. That's why I had to chase you—I'm sorry if it frightened you," she added apologetically.
This gave Adeline herself reason for pause. Could this wandering stranger be trusted with the ultra-secret location of the village? However, she was a Mobian, and one in pretty bad shape; she was going to need medical attention pretty quickly. While thinking this one over, Adeline stalled by inquiring as to the girl's two items—the dagger (now back in its sheath on her belt) and also a roll of bandaging tape that she was holding in her other hand.
"Oh, this?" she said, apparently surprised to find the medical adhesive still in her hand—which, unlike Adeline's and those of many Mobians, was ungloved. "My brother's hurt far worse than I am; I was changing his bandages when I heard you scream." She looked startled for a moment, "Oh no, I left him!" she exclaimed. "C'mon, follow me. He'll probably be able to explain better than I can, anyhow." She dashed off with far more vigor than seemed possible her bedraggled condition.
That solved the mystery of the "corpse" for Adeline, and also explained her companion's usage of the personal plural. "Hey, wait!" she called and sprinted to catch up. Her cramps had ceased now, but her strength was sapped and her stupid toe kept slowing her down. Luckily, she could follow her own trail of footprints back to the site where she had originally spotted the spooky scene. It was clear now; the feline had drawn the knife not with any harmful intent, but rather with the purpose of cutting the tape. Adeline felt like an idiot for overreacting.
The clouds were beginning to part in time for the sun to make an appearance before sinking into the western horizon. Even so, it remained mostly dark under the leafy canopy of the Great Forest. As Adeline arrived, panting, back where she had began to run, the other girl was already there, kneeling as before, applying a dressing to a gash across the chest of her brother, a teenager—perhaps sixteen or seventeen—of the same species who grinned weakly as Adeline approached.
"Lexi," he said to his sister, "if we ever get home alive, you will never tell anyone that my life was saved by a couple of adolescent schoolgirls." Adeline was almost offended, until she remembered she had recently had a similar thought concerning one about three years her junior. "I'd never escape the humiliation." His playful tone betrayed his own status, but he winced, as if it hurt to speak. Lying propped up against a tree that bore a mattress of moss at its base, he wore no attire save for shoes, gloves, and a scarf; the former two were brown, and the latter was a mottled green. Obviously dressed for camouflage, Adeline noted.
"I'm shocked that you would even consider that I might ever cause such a stain on your public image, dear brother," she replied with similar jocularity, as well as a linguistic aptitude that she had not displayed before. "I don't believe that we've even been introduced yet," she added, looking back over her shoulder at Adeline. "I'm Alexis—you can call me Lexi."
"Griffin," the wounded boy said shortly. He was as drenched as either girl.
"My name's Adeline," the young coyote said, "and now that we can all address each other by name, would you please explain what the heck you're doing here, alone, in the middle of the Great Forest, with gashes the size of—" she paused as she searched for a suitable noun to describe the numerous severe cuts, and, failing to find one, simply stopped without completing her statement.
"We're lost," Lexi said bluntly. "We know that we're in the Great Forest somewhere—we're searching for Knothole Village; though our compass broke a little while back and the rainstorm a few days ago ruined our map. The ink's all run and we can't see a thing. But… you should be able to tell us. Where are we?" Once again, she did not even mention their injuries, but instead grabbed one of two small knapsacks that were lying beside her brother and pulled out a bottle of peroxide. Griffin hissed in pain as she poured it over yet another large cut, this one just above his hip.
The pestilent problem of Knothole's security reared its head again. The cats were both seriously in need of fast medical attention; else their wounds could become infected or, worse, gangrenous. They certainly looked like Mobians; however it was a fundamental rule, especially after the affair with the imposter robot that had managed to impersonate Princess Sabrina Acorn for a day and a half and was the cause of poor Randall's fate as an unwilling cyborg, to never judge by appearance alone. Also, even if they were true Mobians, they could still be spies… for whom, Adeline didn't know, but she was reluctant to take any chances. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm lost too," she said, managing to avoid an untruth while at the same time not disclosing any information.
Meanwhile, Griffin was turning her name over in his mouth and rubbing (bloodstained) fingers on his forehead, muttering it as if he was trying to recall something that he had heard before. There were about ten seconds of general silence as the two girls watched him ponder. He looked up at her finally, and asked, "Does the name "D'Coolette" mean anything to you?"
Adeline tried her hardest to keep a poker face, but t was impossible not to display surprise upon hearing this complete stranger speak her own surname. Griffin leapt to his feet, apparently ignoring his pain. "I knew it!" he cried. "I recognized your name from the dispatches; you're the sister of Randall D'Coolette!" Dispatches? Adeline thought. Whatever he meant by that didn't really matter—he knew who she was, and who her brother was, which surely meant that he knew where they were from, as well. Now she, Adeline, was in a very sticky situation. She hesitated. What to do?
Griffin searched her face; he was very good at reading emotions, Adeline noticed. Lexi seemed to know that she should stay silent, and was leaning against a tree watching the situation unfold. Finally, the teenage tomcat snorted in an amused manner. "I get it," he said, "security." His tone was almost derisive, as if he resented being considered a possible threat. "Well," he continued, "let's see if this sheds some light upon the situation." Then, in a dark and pseudo-mysterious tone, he began to recite. "For all those fleeing despots' cruel designs / Are safe within this village's confines." He finished, folded his arms, and grinned, knowing that he had dealt a telling blow.
That stopped Adeline dead, and she no longer gave a damn that she was gaping. The ancient creed was just as concealed as the location of the town itself; the only people to whom it was ever told were those who had lived there. It was to be used as a complete security override, and only in complete emergencies—anyone who knew it could be trusted in entirety. Yet… she had never known of either Lexi or Griffin before, and Knothole was no bustling metropolis. Most everyone knew each other, if not by name then at least by sight. Plus, from their dialogue it was obvious that they were not local… and, someone would have surely noted their absence by now, since they looked as if they had been in the wilderness for at least a week. So how did they know?
If there had been a leak, if someone who was a bit too ambitious had gotten a hold of those sacred words… well, then there was nothing to lose anyhow. So, barring calamity, the two cats had a strong enough connection to be permitted admission to the town. "All right," she said finally, exhaling audibly, "you win. Can he walk?" she added, directing the question at Lexi and pointing to Griffin, who had sank back down onto his soft resting place.
He grimaced. "Painfully." Taking a moment to collect himself, he rolled over and pushed off of the ground with both hands and feet. Adeline noticed the manner in which flexing his leg muscle contorted one of his injuries—a slashing cut along his calf—in a manner that was indubitably excruciating. Still, he hobbled only a little as he continued, "Which way do we go now?"
The question was a jarring reminder of their prevailing predicament. Adeline realized that, in the long run, she had still accomplished nothing towards finding her way home. By now, all that she had was a very general idea of their necessary direction of movement; their bearing could be anywhere inside a ninety degree arc from their current position. She almost laughed; all that she had achieved was turning a lost party of one into a lost party of three.
The feline siblings were still looking at her inquisitively. "Doing a lot of thinking about your answers, aren't you?" Lexi remarked bluntly. Griffin gave her a dirty look for the rudeness, but it was true; Adeline had been stalling after every question for nearly twenty seconds to carefully calculate her response. Lexi was right to be suspicious anyway. There didn't seem to be any point in breaking the pattern, though. Maybe they'll think I have some kind of mental disorder, she thought to her own inner amusement. They remained unaware of the fact that Adeline was just as lost as them, having probably thought her previous remark about being in the same boat a fabrication. Not desiring to enlighten them and perhaps have them lose spirit—of which their condition seemed to indicate a serious need of—she said only "Come on," and began to walk. Once again, she hoped to encounter something familiar from which she could locate Knothole… one of the paths that lead through the forest came this way, she thought.
They had barely walked a hundred yards in silence (save for squishes and splashes that their feet produced on the soggy ground) when Adeline stopped in her tracks. She could have sworn that she had just heard a distant cry. Yes, there it was again, a young voice from high above the trees calling… "Adeline! Adeline!"
"Tails!" she shouted joyously; how on earth had he found her? She began to sprint for the thinnest spot in the canopy she could find. "Tails! I'm down here!" Griffin and Lexi were trying to keep up, but it was clear that they were spent. "Don't go anywhere," Adeline called over her shoulder, this time first ensuring she would crash into no nasty obstacles while her head was turned. "I'll be right back! Tails!" She held the first vowel in the last shouted word for over five seconds, screaming the kit's name with all the air she could muster.
She wondered if she was even audible above the sixty-foot pines, and redoubled her efforts, yelling Tails' name over and over. Pausing for breath, she listened for a return cry; heard none. The thought of being directly flown over and missed was unbearable. "Tails!"
"You can, y'know, stop shouting now," he said behind her.
Adeline spun around so quickly she almost fell over. "Tails!" she cried again and threw her arms around the fox's neck in relief. He squirmed and wriggled free with a groan of embarrassment. "I was afraid you wouldn't hear me," she continued. "When did you know to search?"
Tails grinned, his three bushy red-orange tails completely dry owing to the rapid movement they underwent in flight, which completely freed him of clinging water. His body, however, was just as wet as hers; with the temperature dropping as the sun set that was likely to become a serious problem in another hour. Fur made for an excellent insulator… as long as it stayed dry. After that, it became more of a burden. "I think that the entire forest could hear you, Ade," Tails remarked, "so I certainly had no problem. I started looking for you about thirty minutes ago. My hiding spot wasn't that good."
"Where are we?" Adeline asked. "I'm completely lost, in case you hadn't figured that out by now." The young cub could, however, easily figure out their location from a hundred feet in the air. His vertical mobility afforded him a sort of aerial photograph of any location he might visit; he was a living topographical map, and this was only one of many skills afforded to him by the exaggerated version of his father's strange mutation that he bore.
Tails pointed in a direction that, by now, could have meant anywhere. He clarified, however, "We're about… um… well, a ways from home in that direction." Adeline smiled inwardly; for all his talents, Tails remained a child with relatively little sense of distance, tending to radically distort lengths. Slightly embarrassed again, the little fox continued, "The nearest path is a ways off to your right, but the forest is much thicker there. You're probably best off bushwhacking; it thins out just north of here. I can help lead you back from above."
"North is… which way?" From now on, Adeline was carrying a compass wherever she went… and maybe a backup for good measure.
Tails pointed again, this time in a direction roughly perpendicular to what he had indicated as Knothole's location. Then, all of a sudden, he slapped his own forehead. "I'm an idiot!" he cried, which was usually far from true; he had inherited a good deal of smarts alongside his useful alteration. "You don't need to walk at all; I can just fly you back. I'm good enough," he added, which was certainly not false; rather it was a severe understatement. He had more aeronautic ability than a good number of full-grown avian folks that Adeline knew of.
His suggestion would have been fine if it had only been the two of them. As it was, the proposition reminded her of her wounded companions, who by now had to be wondering where she was. "Actually, you'd better come here," she told him, and began walking back towards where she had left Griffin and Lexi. He followed without question as they traversed the short distance back, opting to remain grounded given that the foliage was rather thick for flying. Though they couldn't see it, the gathering darkness indicated that the sun was beginning to drop beyond the western horizon. Adeline quickened her pace.
The siblings were crouched, with their backs against two trees as the fox and coyote approached. Griffin did another blatant double take when he saw Tails, at which Adeline gave an amused snort. Lexi merely looked baffled. "But I thought… I thought he only had two tails," she said, studying the members in question. "And he's way too young." The others merely looked at her. Comprehension slowly came over her face, followed quickly by embarrassment. "Oh…"
"Lexi, Griffin," Adeline said formally, "this is my friend Miles Prower; but I'm sure that you both know what to call him." They nodded. "Tails, these are Griffin and Lexi—" she broke off as she realized that she didn't know their surname. She inquired it of the two felines.
Griffin looked shifty. "It's not important," he said, and Lexi nodded, which naturally raised Adeline's suspicions. At the moment, however, there were far more pressing matters. "They're really going to have trouble walking," she said to Tails. "Are you up to three trips from here to the village? If so, it saves us a long hike in the cold." Soaked as they were, that hike could turn out to be more than uncomfortable, and of course it would be far worse for the cats.
"Of course I could do it," Tails said with pride, but Griffin was shaking his head and Lexi looked just as uncomfortable. She articulated their concerns: "There's absolutely no way that either of us could survive a flight like that through open air. Have you ever taken one?" Adeline nodded, yes, they were very rough. Consistently bobbing up and down, sometimes jarringly, was strain enough on a healthy person. It could easily kill someone already in near-critical condition. So could hypothermia, though. She asked what always seemed to be the obvious question: "So, what do we do?"
"Well," Tails said, "I do have an idea…"
Twenty minutes later, the dissonant percussion of helicopter blades could be heard directly above where Adeline and Lexi stood. (Griffin had finally passed out.) Tails, in no way tired even after making the trip to and back from Knothole to alert the town of their plight, held one end of the stretcher that was lowered. Miles Prower, Sr., a renowned hero across the planet, took the other end while Adeline and Lexi helped strap the comatose teenager on. Then father and son, tails whirling, flew the litter back up, deposited its cargo to waiting physicians, and came back for a second trip. Once Lexi was securely inside the copter, Tails came back down alone to retrieve the last member of the party. He and Adeline gripped each other's wrists and the ground dropped out from underneath them. Moments later, they rejoined their new acquaintances in the back of the helicopter.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"For all practical purposes, these two have no business being alive."
The doctor, of the gopher persuasion, had spent most of the previous evening with his colleagues examining Griffin and Lexi, who had fallen sound asleep in the hospital wing the instant they had arrived. They were still out, hooked up to intravenous machines and heart monitors. The mountains and valleys that the lines that the latter displayed seemed to contradict what the practitioner believed should be true. The strangers still breathed; their pulses still beat, but if not for either random luck or divine interference such would not be the case. Nobody believed that, were they still in the woods, they could have lasted through the past night, which dipped below freezing and came close to breaking the record low temperature for the month.
As a precautionary measure, Adeline and Tails had been ordered to spend the night in the ward as well, though not in the emergency room like the others. They were now up and about, but having nothing better to do, they were loitering in the lounge awaiting news. Adeline's cyborg brother Randall had joined them. Being not only partially robotic but of an entirely different species, nobody would have ever guessed that they were related at all. Their friend Princess Sabrina Acorn had somehow managed to get off of her private lessons, and so was also hanging around in the foyer. The two newcomers had been briefed; they now knew as each other about the situation, which really wasn't too much. Now the physician stood before them and told what could be deciphered from Griffin and Lexi's condition.
"At least a dozen flesh wounds apiece," he said, "and they've both lost a lot of blood. He's taken three bullets, one in each shoulder and a third in the behind, though we were able to get them all out. She's got one lodged in her hip that we're having trouble removing without causing complications. Yet, somehow, not only are they alive but the older one's actually awake and talking. These are a couple of tough kids you've picked up here." The wonder in his voice emphasized that point. The gopher continued, "He asked to speak with you two," nodding towards Adeline and Tails. "Said that he owes you an explanation."
Sabrina looked irritated—she visibly wanted to hear the full story as well. Before she could say anything though, Randall, polite as always, nodded. "Go ahead," he told them. "You can tell us everything when you come back." Placated by his logic, Sabrina also acquiesced, if still slightly grumpily. Composed to wait, rabbit and squirrel-chipmunk hybrid retreated to the soft couches from whence they had come while the other pair followed the doctor into the unit.
Griffin was indeed awake, and chatting with another visitor while propped up against several pillows. Lexi was in the next bed over, some fifteen feet away and still sound asleep. Adeline took a closer look at the other caller—and realized that it was Laertes, the aged falcon regent. Of course, she thought, he has to know what's going on, too. She wondered why she and Tails merited being part of the same audience as the current highest member of government. Probably because we're the only other people he's met. The cat looked up as they approached his bed. "Ah, good, you're here," he said, sitting up a little straighter. "I avoided telling you anything too much about ourselves out there, for a few reasons that you can probably decipher yourselves." Adeline could guess: he didn't know if they could be trusted then, and he probably hadn't wanted to tell his story twice, either. "Now, however, I can tell the three of you my true reasons for being here—and the reasons for my condition, as well as that of my sister. Have a seat, and I will be more than glad to share our story
"I live in the land of Downunda," Griffin began, in a tone that suggested he had rehearsed this line, "far to the southeast of here; I assume that you know of it." All three nodded. "I bring news as distressing for us as the unfortunate loss of your monarchs are to you: our terrain is being held under siege."
"Siege!" Tails got the word out first, followed shortly by Laertes and Adeline. If not for history class, the younger two barely would have known the word, each having been born a few years after the Robotnik war's end. The pax mobii, as some called the past decade up to six months ago, had known no large-scale combat. This was alarming news for the entire planet; no wonder the two felines had sought out the clandestine control center of what small military forces remained on Mobius' western continent. Laertes remained calm enough to ask, "Who? And the more important question is… why?"
"That's the strange thing," said Griffin. "The attack force appears to be concentrated partially of dingoes. They, of course, have a reason for aggression—it is their original homeland. As you know, after they were banned from the Floating Island, we tried nine years to appease them by returning adequate portions of land. We could not, of course, restore all of their former living grounds due to the fact that so many others had settled there. The dingoes still harbor a deep resentment for our "stealing" their homeland; although they deserted it when they sought to take over the Island."
Laertes growled. "The idiotic echidna democracy should never have passed that legislation, the one that forbid the dingoes ever to return to the Island. Though had always been some conflict between them, the two species did manage to coexist relatively peacefully. It was the extremists on both sides that started the war. Establishing that law was merely installing a bitterness that paved the way for an occurrence like this."
Adeline remembered what she had learned in school. "The echidnas loyal to the traditional government blamed the dingoes for collaborating with the Dark Legion echidnas, the ones who rebelled. That was their rationale for the proclamation of mass exile."
"That's ridiculous," Tails said. "Why would they join forces? For the most part, they loathed each other... and still do, even more."
Griffin looked at them admiringly. "You obviously pay attention in class, that's for sure. Yet the oddity is that there are echidnas amongst the hostile forces, working side by side with their mortal enemies. Our best guess is that they are the remnants of that mutinous Legion; why remains a mystery to us as the only two prisoners of that kind that we have managed to take swallowed cyanide at the first opportunity."
"Are there any other specific large groups that we should know of?" asked Laertes.
"Weasels," Griffin spat. "Exactly what you would expect from the vicious filthy scum. Their exact motives are also indefinite, but their general malevolence is well documented. They tend to work as mercenaries, too. That just about sums it all up; a few random varieties have also been observed, but the three that I mentioned appear to be the dominant phenotypes."
"Dingoes, weasels, and echidnas," Adeline summarized. "How many?"
"Far too many," Griffin replied sourly, "and that flippancy is my way of saying that we don't have a clue—but certainly enough to isolate Downunda's entire eastern province. The west, what little of it is desirable as living space, is mostly inhabited by those who cling to a traditional and primitive lifestyle, shunning easterners as selfish and immoral. They want as little truck with us as possible; we can expect no assistance from them. The invaders are no fools—not only have they cut all cables of any significance, but they're somehow jamming our wireless communication as well. We're completely cut off from the rest of the world."
"Wouldn't somebody notice if all contact with Downunda suddenly ceased?" asked Tails.
"Our large island is mostly self-sufficient; we have so little contact with the rest of the planet that a week without news could easily be dismissed. Monthly dispatches containing news of high importance do make their way in and out, of course." Adeline had not known of such messages; now she understood what the feline had alluded to during their conversation in the forest. "In some time, someone probably would have thought the oddity strange enough to warrant inspection. By then it would have likely been too late. As I previously mentioned, we are able to survive by our own resources and a simple siege would concern us little. However, our foe does not intend to merely block imports and starve us out. Bit by bit, they are tightening their cordon, closing in on our capital: Luanyu." Griffin gestured with his hands, digits representing advancing armies, and slowly squeezed both into one collective fist. "Village after village has fallen. Like the snakes that they are, they intend to circle, squeeze, and crush us."
"An ancient battle plan," Laertes remarked, "but far from an ineffective one. Continue."
"My sister and I were one of five separate teams sent to convey the message to Knothole as quickly as possible. I know not what became of the other four, though I fear the worst. I shall spare you the tedious details of our adventure, but in essence we were forced to steal a plane of weasel design; any of our own craft would not have survived the gauntlet, but the masquerade worked for long enough."
"It can't have been as easy as you make it sound," said Tails, "or you'd be somewhere besides an emergency room right now." He indicated the wounds that Griffin had yet to explain. They were anything but insignificant.
The cat sighed. "Well, I'd still rather not talk about it, but… a pair of dingoes, an echidna and a weasel discovered us before we could make off with the airplane. Thankfully, no other enemies were nearby, but these four attacked. The dogs and rodent had guns, and they used them." He paused to rub one perforated shoulder, remembering the pain of the bullet that surely still lingered. "Lexi is an expert with knives, and can throw one accurately over twenty yards. I'm an archer, myself… and we're both well trained in martial arts. We disposed of them—I hate myself now, because I have to say it, but… we killed them." He hung his head; he obviously had no taste for bloodshed.
"They were the enemy," said Laertes, deadpan, who had known more battles than he had tail feathers. "You did what you had to."
"We thought that we had shaken all of our pursuers," Griffin continued, "but a ways in from the eastern coast of this continent, a second plane appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on us. It was like a scene out of hell; the nose of the plane exploded and the windshield shattered. Worse still, we couldn't eject because our parachutes would have made for easy targets. So we managed to slow our nose-dive enough to allow the other plane, the pilot clearly thinking us dead, to get far enough away that we could jump. I have no idea where our own aircraft crashed, but we came down in the middle of a huge forest with only our barest supplies. You know the rest."
There was silence in the ward for about ten seconds following the narrative. All attention was on Laertes, who himself was deep in thought. Finally, he said, "I will need some time to consult with my advisors. This is certainly a very dire state of affairs, and my opinion should not be the only one voiced."
Griffin looked appalled. "But the situation requires immediate action! Without assistance, Downunda may fall within a week!"
"I realize that," the falcon said, "but hasty and rash acts do more harm than good. I shall call an emergency meeting to discuss our response to this development—I can promise you a decision within twelve hours." He stood and flapped his battle-scarred wings once to stretch. "It was a pleasure to meet you, son… I hope that you heal quickly, and my best wishes for your sister as well." With that, he strode out the door.
Sighing, Griffin lay back down on his hospital bed. "He's right, of course. Yet at times I wish that some rulers had more of an impetuous streak. Downunda needs aid, and she needs aid now."
"If you wanted to meet an impetuous king," Adeline remarked dryly, "you would have been well-advised to have come about two weeks ago." The truth in that won a laugh from the boys. There was no telling exactly what Sonic would have done by now if faced with an identical situation, but sending as many forces as he could muster to crush the invaders was a likely possibility. Thankfully, he happened to be wed to just about the most levelheaded person that Knothole could boast, which distilled much of his hotheadedness. Indeed, the government had been stable before the chemical catastrophe that had resulted in Laertes' being thrust into the top position of power.
Though it was probably nearing time for Tails and Adeline to depart, one last thing occurred to the coyote. "You've solved every remaining mystery for us," she told Griffin, "except for the biggest. The code that you recited, as you must know, is completely top secret. Only those who have established permanent residence in Knothole can be taught it, and, unless I'm mistaken, you've spent your entire life in your homeland. How in the world did you learn it?"
The first genuine smile that she had seen from Griffin all morning came across the tomcat's face. It reminded her the one that he had worn in the woods just before speaking the sacred couplet; since he was about to divulge where he obtained such information, the semblance seemed appropriate. "Our parents lived here long ago, during the Robot Wars against Robotnik and his minions. On a mission to Downunda, which happens to be my father's homeland, they failed in their objective and several of their comrades needlessly lost their lives." His face sobered while saying this, the unnecessary demise of friends had to weigh heavy on his parents' consciences. "Feeling disgraced, they chose not to return, but instead remained and have lived as respected citizens ever since."
The last puzzle piece clicked into place for Adeline. "Your mother's name," she said slowly, "is Hershey."
Griffin nodded. "And our father is Geoffrey St. John."