STH © SEGA
Co-written with TinyShinyy
Sarah belongs to me, Cozy Shadow.
DISCLAIMER (PLEASE READ): A ten part series of the supernatural and paranormal with the Sonic the Hedgehog characters in an Alternate Universe. This is the first story ("part") out of ten in the Encounter Series. This series is strictly AU for the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, and nothing in this will be canon or follow canon (obviously). The STH characters do not have powers in this AU. The genre ranges from Supernatural to minor Horror to implied Romance to some Comedy for relief. This story is merely for entertainment purposes and is not to be taken seriously. Research has been done for certain topics, but there's no guarantee of total accurate information as the main goal is to story tell. Each story has several chapters, and each story is a continuation of the previous one (a timeline for the AU basically). Comments and favorites are not necessary but appreciated. Thank you for the continuous support. Please enjoy!
Summary of "Part One: Beastly": Amy and Sonic are volunteers at a Ranger Station for the summer while out of college. They're trained to handle mischievous hikers, lost campers, and navigate trails. However, nothing in the training packet says anything about a four-legged dog-like creature that likes to walk on two feet and is seven feet tall.
Additional note since FF sucks at Tags: Light RougeXKnuckles mentioned. SilverXBlaze is also a primary couple in this story as well as ShadowXAmy and SonicXOC. The genre for this story for now is listed as Supernatural and General because it's not necessarily driven on Romance or Comedy, but it's kind of Friendship if anything. So I'm going to list it as Supernatural/General for now. The pairings are listed, though.
Part One: Beastly
|chapter one: the volunteers|
Amy didn't like wasting time, and neither did Sonic. So, the lady who sat at the stop sign for longer than necessary was getting on their last nerves.
Their shared impatience was one of the reasons the two got along so well, ironically. They'd been childhood best friends for ten years - strictly platonic despite that short period of time where Amy thought something was happening but they don't talk about that anymore.
"We're gonna be late on our first day." Sonic bounced his leg while he sat in the passenger seat.
Amy could see his soul dying with every second the lady waited. "Do you think she's waiting for a green light?"
"We'll be waiting forever."
After what felt like an eternity, the woman took her turn at the four-stop. Another car went across the street, and then Amy pressed the gas to scoot across. Thankfully, the lady had turned down the other road - they wouldn't have to deal with her. Although, Amy would have sped past her in a heartbeat.
"Thank God."
"Do you think we'll see any bears on the first day?"
"What? No. We're at the station today. Didn't you check the agenda, Ames?"
"Oh, right."
"And I'm the one who's usually got no plan."
His arrogant grin made her shake her head in amusement. The comfortable ride was met with equally comfortable silence the rest of the way. They drove out of the small town that neighbored their college town, and into the mountains that surrounded it. They'd been to the particular park only once or twice, but they were familiar enough with the small town of Glace. They preferred their hikes elsewhere and not as far away from usual living arrangements.
"It's beautiful out here. I'm almost sad we never tried to venture out this far."
"Yeah. Good news is, by the end of the summer, we'll know every trail through those mountains."
"Unless they stick me to the desk," Amy sighed.
"Don't be like that," Sonic interjected. He didn't like when she belittled herself and vice versa. It was another shared quality, but it bothered the both of them - they were just so good at belittling themselves. "They're not gonna take one look at you and decide that since you're a girl, you'd be better suited for a desk job."
"Sure. I keep telling myself that. New times and all that, but what if they're short-staffed? I mean, being all the way out here in the middle of nowhere would make it plausible. They might need someone to man the phone."
"I'm sure that's the first position to hire if need be," Sonic retorted, rolling his eyes and looking out the window. "Hey, Ames?"
"Hm?"
"Drive faster."
~.~
The receptionist position was filled.
By a relatively young and good looking hedgehog. Amy couldn't help but nudge Sonic closer to her, but it was a feeble attempt.
"You're the new hires?" the sage green hedgehog asked, pressing her glasses up as she typed away at the computer.
"Yes, ma'am." Amy beamed brightly at the girl who couldn't have been much older than herself. "I'm Amy Rose, and that's Sonic."
"Yeah, I could guess," she droned in a monotonous tone. She was clearly not a people pleaser, and Amy suddenly questioned why she was at the receptionist's desk if she wasn't eager to talk to people. It put Amy off, but she waved the thought away when another person walked into the room.
"Don't mind Sarah. She's always like that on a Monday," a white hedgehog winked. "Give her until tomorrow - she gets better." His smile was as captivating as Amy's. "I'm Silver, cadets."
Amy and Sonic both shook his hand. Sonic couldn't help but notice the weird way his quills stuck out, but he tried not to look like he was judging. "I'm Sonic. This is Amy. We're volunteers."
"Cadets," Sarah perked up at the desk now that a familiar face was around. "Silver's our Park Ranger Peace Officer. Blaze is our other Park Ranger - she's out right now on the trail with a group of summer camp kids."
"And then there's our Law Enforcement Ranger - Shadow. You'll meet him tonight," Silver offered more of his contagious grin.
"There's titles?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. We all do different things. Blaze is supposed to be your mentor, for the most part, this summer. I'm more involved with the law enforcement side like Shadow. He's my mentor while I'm training to be a Law Enforcement Ranger like him."
"The difference being?" Amy knew she should've brushed up on the ranks.
"Shadow's the only one around here who can carry a sidearm legally. He's training me, but we're technically all rangers of the park doing different duties to ensure it runs smoothly."
"So, he's like the supervisor?" Sonic questioned.
Silver mulled it around for a second. "Not technically. We have different titles, and he's here full time, but we do have someone that we report to. Or, well, Shadow reports to - for all of us. Right - and the word you're looking for is Superintendent," Silver corrected the blue hedgehog. "Superintendent Richwells runs the small beauty of Glace National Park, but he also runs the neighboring, much bigger and more popular Smokewood thanks to low funding and the usual overlooking of Glace in general…" Silver seemed to say the name of the other park with distaste. "He's not here on account of that and because he trusts Shadow enough to run the place."
"And that doesn't make him a supervisor - or at least the head honcho?" Sonic seemed to be amused suddenly. "Or are you just saying that to be on the same level as him?"
"Whoa, now," Silver chuckled. "Ya got me there, but it's true. We're all capable of telling each other what we think would be right or wrong to do for the park. We're all Park Rangers at the end of the day, we just do different things. Shadow's experience here makes him the one to look up to, at the least. He's been here the longest."
"And we're just here for the summer," Sonic reminded himself more than the others. "What about you?"
They turned their heads to Sarah. She pushed her glasses up again. "I help during spring to fall, but I'm a college student over in Westwood."
"Us, too," Amy smiled. "Although, I'm not surprised we didn't run into each other. It's a big campus. What's your major?"
"Computer-Aided Design. My cousin worked here a few years back and it's close to Westwood and my folks' home so that's how I'm here."
Amy made an 'o' with her mouth. Sarah paused, seeing that Amy was waiting for her to ask now. "And you two?"
"I'm going into Marine Biology, but I switched majors so I'm a little behind," Amy rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment as she answered. "Sonic's the one who got us here - he's actually aiming for a job like this."
"Something to do with the outdoors but still helping people and the environment," Sonic straightened his back as he spoke. It was the only time he actually got serious. "I take it you're not much older than us, Silver - you in this with a degree of some sorts?"
"I skipped a few grades, so I'm finishing my Bachelor's soon actually," Silver laughed nervously. "Shocks some people to figure out that I'm a total nerd."
"Well, it wouldn't shock us. We've been best friends since childhood, but we have another friend from our childhood. He's wicked smart," Amy replied. "He was doing Calculus by the time he was in sixth grade."
"Really?!" Silver's eyes widened. "That's more of a genius than a nerd."
"Don't get jealous," Sarah pointed out before going back to the computer. "Alright, guys. I got some paperwork for you to finish filling out. Then you and Silver can take a walkabout."
"I thought we were trained in the office for today?" Sonic perked up at the thought of going outside sooner than expected.
"Well, not on the trails per se. There's a small trail that walks around the whole station," Silver explained. "I'll be going through some safety procedures with you guys out there. Also some tips and tricks for visitors and how to handle certain situations. But for the remainder of the day, you guys will be in here. It's mostly just because Blaze is out for the rest of the day. But we were hoping we'd get to take you two out tonight?"
"Really? On the first day?" Amy tilted her head. "Don't you usually wait until, like, the first week or something?"
"Well, we would, but I'm out for the rest of the week on a family emergency."
"Oh, yeah," Sarah had forgotten. "Hope your grandmother's okay."
"It's fine," he waved off the issue with another smile, but it was more pathetic this time. He didn't want strangers to know about his personal life, and Sarah had no filter. "Does tonight work for you guys?"
"Sure," Sonic shrugged. "You and Blaze?"
"And Sarah and Shadow," Silver nodded his head. "So long as Sarah doesn't chicken out last minute."
"I will not."
"Will too."
"Will not."
…
"Will too."
~.~
"So, where is Blaze?"
Silver was beginning to figure out that Amy was a talker - and she loved asking questions. Sonic seemed to be more like a child in the way that he needed to be constantly moving about - not necessarily talking though. Which was fine for Silver, he could handle one talkative person such as Amy.
They walked north, away from the station. It was still visible, however. The trail would take up a good portion of their day, thankfully. So, Silver could look over the area and help teach the cadets at the same time. He called it multi-tasking. Blaze would probably think he was just trying to get on the cadets' good sides and be the favorite, though.
"She's out on the trails today with a group of summer camp kids. She'll probably be back around 3 or 4 so the kids can get home at a reasonable time. They aren't camping."
"And this...Shadow guy?" Amy danced around the name as it was rather odd - next to Silver and Blaze. At least there was another normal name like 'Sarah'. "Where's he at?"
"Also out on the trails."
"Sounds like we should've started earlier, Ames."
Silver cracked a smile at Sonic's sentence. "Nah. Shadow is getting ready to reopen an old trail. It's to an old fire watchtower. The fire watch team needed this edge of the park reopened after the only other fire watchtower further north became unusable last winter after an avalanche."
"So, he's out...clearing bushes?" Amy quizzically asked, unsure of how one reopens a closed trail.
"Sure. Technically, yes." Silver chewed the inside of his cheek. "He's going to have a lot of work cut out for him. He's going to have to rebuild some parts of the watchtower, probably. It's been out of use for years. Like years."
"Shouldn't the National Fire Service be doing that part?"
"We work pretty closely with their team since our park doesn't have a firefighter directly assigned to it, and Shadow offered. They have a grant to rebuild the majority of it this summer - and workers will eventually come help later in the summer. There will be parts of it that we can't do - like the windows. But for now, Shadow is determined to get it at least up and running. Someone has to be living in it by next month."
"Wait, they live in them?"
"Some do. This team does. There will most likely be only one person in this one - it's kind of small."
"For the whole summer? Confined to just the outdoors?" Amy shuddered a little.
Sonic smiled. "Sounds like my kind of gig."
Silver offered him a matching grin. "Maybe that's your calling, then. Who knows? But for now, let's get some of the essentials out of the way."
"Like how to survive in the woods?" Amy stumbled over a rock on the trail for just a split second, but it was noticeable enough that Sonic had to choke on his laugh to keep quiet. She glared at him a little.
The white hedgehog nodded. "Yeah. So, you might want to bring these things with you. Actually - you'll be required to. If you don't have some of the gear, or even a backpack for hiking, we'll supply it for you as a loan during the summer. You break it or lose it, you buy it, though."
"Got it," they chimed together.
"First things first, it's good to know the area we're in and what else lives here - the plants and the animals. We have poison oak in some areas by the lakes, so be cautious. You see mushrooms? Don't eat them, please. I don't care if they're good or bad - I don't want that responsibility if you start seeing shit."
Sonic cracked a smirk. "Just trying to get off easy, huh?"
"Har, har."
"What about the animals?" Amy piped in, pushing Sonic a little out of her way as the two tried to share the trail amicably. Silver walked ahead for good reason - the two seemed like rowdy siblings, but he was already fond of it.
"Deer mostly. You'll find the raccoons, skunks, and squirrels around, too. Some rabbits. Not many badgers, but there's been a few. Birds of all sorts, if you're into that bird watching thing." Silver hummed in thought as he put his finger to his chin. "Honestly, Blaze knows a lot about the wildlife in this park. From plants to animals, she's our guru on that sort of thing. I just remember the basics."
"Predators?" The rose hedgehog tilted her head. There was a little worry in her eyes. "Bear spray is one thing I did remember to buy."
"That's good," Silver nodded his head in agreement with her, but also with a reassuring tone. "There hasn't been a bear reported in the park or anywhere near for about five years, though. Not saying they aren't here or anything. Some might wander in and out of territories nearby, but I've never seen one. As far as I know, Shadow hasn't either and again - he's been here the longest. No cougars or wolves, either."
The warming smile he gave her was enough to calm Amy's worries down.
"Okay," he started his lecture as they rounded a bend. Mostly, the view was just trees. Bushes. It wasn't anything exciting to Amy or new to Silver. Sonic seemed thrilled to be there, though. "On average, nationally, 12 people get lost in the woods per day. We have significantly less than that, fortunately. We use trail markers and remind all hikers to stay on the trail at all times," he pointed at the ground below his feet for more emphasis.
"The trail markers might vary from park to park. Sometimes we have these posts sticking up," he came close to one that was merely a metal post in the ground with a yellow square metal screwed in at the top. "Or we use yellow spray paint on the trees to mark the trail. If you see a red one, that trail is closed. We have a few closed trails specifically because they lead into some old mines further in the canyon. We've since had to shut those down for...well, obvious reasons."
It might not have seemed obvious to the two cadets, but Silver didn't go into further detail on it, and they didn't ask.
"Now, Amy has bear spray."
"Yes. Correct."
"Good," Silver put a little hop in his step as a soft breeze swept through. "What else did you bring, Amy?"
"Um, my boots?" Amy motioned down to her feet where her hiking boots were firmly laced. "My backpack is back at the station with my water, though."
"Anything else?"
"...no."
Silver stopped short and looked at Sonic. "What about you, hotshot?"
"Boots," he pointed as well. "Backpack, water, some granola bars, a poncho, flashlights, my utility knife, and first aid kit. All back at the station as well."
"Well," Silver lazily looked at Amy with a smile. "Sonic wins this round for being prepared. You could all use a map of the location, a compass, other rain gear, matches, a thermal blanket, and some sunscreen. Or sunglasses," he reached to the top of his head but realized that he, too, left his belongings at the station. "Which are...on my desk."
Amy gave him a grin. "I'll pick that all up by tomorrow."
"No need. We got it all here," Silver waved her off as they continued walking down the trail. "Now, how many times have you guys gone hiking?"
"Couple times a year, with friends or family," Sonic shrugged. "Including Amy," he lightly shoved her a little, but it was enough to make her clumsily lose her balance.
She stuttered before gaining her balance and glowering at the cobalt hedgehog.
"Now children," Silver reprimanded in a joking tone. His smile faded. "Seriously, though, Blaze and Shadow have zero tolerance for that kind of stuff on the trail, just for your information. So, be careful. I get you two know each other and are familiar with one another enough to trust each other, it seems, but Blaze especially is uptight about that kind of behavior on the trail."
"Sorry," Sonic apologized as he lowered his head a little, kicking a small rock to the side. "Got it."
"No worries." The white hedgehog led them around another corner in the trail. "So, you're avid hikers, it's safe to say. Makes sense with your guys' majors and career paths. Now, have either of you been in a situation on the trail that might have caused some panic? Like a dangerous situation?"
Amy hummed in thought. "Well, my cousin got stung by a bunch of bees once on a trail for not paying attention to where he was going. But, nothing other than that, no."
Sonic shook his head as he also thought about the question. "Not that I recall. A few times I've sprained my ankle crossing precarious paths, but I was a stupid kid."
Chortling, Silver agreed with that statement. "I know the feeling. Okay, so out here, we haven't had any major issues. No dangerous situations that might cause a panic or frenzy. But take Blaze and what she's doing right now for instance. She's with a bunch of little kids. If something were to happen, any panicked child could start a domino effect of scared kids. And that would be difficult to manage."
Amy's eyes widened at the thought. Sonic brushed away a low hanging branch as they got onto a narrower part of the trail. They had to go one by one now, so he took the back while Amy took the middle. Silver was still at the lead as he spoke.
"We have this method we teach to all hikers - daytrippers or campers. It's not of our own creation, and you two might have heard about it. It's called the STOP method."
All he got was silence, so he continued.
"The STOP method stands for Stop, Think, Observe, and Plan. Stop: remain calm while you analyze the situation you've been put in. Think: decide what you need to do for survival. Obviously, certain situations vary on the level of severity. Then you have Observe: survey the terrain and look for familiar landmarks."
"Any landmarks out here?" Amy motioned to all the trees. "Besides a supposedly existing watchtower, all I've seen so far are trees. It's very thick out here, no?"
"Super thick trees," Silver agreed. "There's not much for landmarks out here. That's why we rely heavily on the trail markers. There are numbers on the back of them that work as mile markers. We rangers use our radios, which you'll receive eventually, to communicate with the station and other rangers. We give our location by using the mile marker and trail name. You're...kind of expected to learn where all of these trails go to. Most of them lead to lakes or lookouts. And the trails are conveniently named after those lakes or lookout points, so it's pretty easy to remember. The difficult part is gauging how many miles everything is. So, if Blaze were to say she's on Rainbow Trail right now, mile marker 4, I'd have to pinpoint roughly where she is if she required assistance."
"So…" Sonic droned in thought, and Silver waited patiently for the question. "You don't mark this on the map? Or a GPS?"
He cracked a small smirk. "You caught me." He pulled out a worn, used map from his back pocket of his jeans and unfolded it. Amy and Sonic could see many small markers in different colored pens- no doubt each holding a specific meaning in Silver's head. "I've been working on this bad boy for a while now. Granted, I can recall most of the trails now. When you walk them as much as I do, you get to know the land. But Blaze and Shadow could probably walk through this whole park blindfolded and know where they're at."
Folding the map back up, Silver pretended to ignore Sonic's, "Can I borrow that?"
"Alright. Where was I?"
"Landmarks - observing. STOP method," Amy reminded.
"Right! Lastly, Plan. Figure out the next best course of action - once you find anything familiar looking. And never, ever, wait until dark. Hiking at night in a dangerous situation is the fastest way to hike to your grave," he warned. "Any questions so far?"
"Have you ever not followed your own rules?"
"No. These are the rules of the park - and Shadow can and will drill them into your head. He's not fond of stupid hikers, much less stupid rangers. The last one lacked common sense. Boy, I've never seen Shadow really control his temper until then," Silver joked. "He's normally a chill guy, but I guess some people drag that anger out of you."
"Don't I know it," Amy side-eyed Sonic who stuck his tongue out at her playfully.
"You two aren't dating, are you?"
Silver's question should've caught them off guard, but it wasn't a surprise to either of them. They both were around each other so much since before they were ten that it was almost second nature for them to get these types of questions. So many relatives on either side thought the two were together, and some still did think they would get together. But if anyone knew them, they'd realize the two were more or less siblings. On good days. Bad days they were frenemies.
"No," Amy waved Silver off as he tried to apologize for so rudely asking. "Don't worry, we get it a lot."
Sonic rubbed the back of his head and awkwardly laughed. "Yeah. Ames is more like a sister to me - despite the fact that I have a sister. I guess I just felt so bad for Amy here, who has no siblings, that I decided to grace her life with my presence."
"What a joy it's been," Amy sarcastically responded.
Silver grinned as he glanced back at them. "Good. I didn't mean to offend you. It wouldn't be a bother if you were, but I was curious. You two are close. That especially helps on the trails - to be with someone you trust."
"Well, now, I wouldn't go that far," Sonic jokingly replied, which earned him a nice punch to his shoulder from Amy - who specifically turned around on the narrow trail just to do so.
Silver shook his head, smile still on his muzzle. Blaze would just love teaching these two for sure. He figured - if he knew the cat at all, which he definitely did - that she'd probably separate the two in training anyway. It was her excuse for only having to deal with one new cadet at a time. It would "get more stuff done" that way. He rolled his eyes at the thought, and thankfully the two behind couldn't see it or they'd probably question him on it.
"Alright then," the mentor cleared his throat as the trail widened out for them again. Trees got farther away, and Amy and Sonic were welcome to walk side by side again - which they did. "Do either of you know how to tell directions?"
"You mean like North?"
"Sure. How would you find North out here?"
Amy glanced around as Sonic sighed heavily. He was the first to respond, and it was clear to Silver that Amy had more to learn than Sonic did. At least in the survival tips. "Moss grows away from sunlight. You can usually find moss on the north side of trees and rocks, or it'll be thickest on the north side," he pointed at some trees a few yards away. "Like that. North is that way," Sonic pointed in the correct direction - behind them at this point after so many turns in the trail. Amy didn't want to admit she was turned around.
"Good. South?"
"No idea," Sonic shrugged. "If I can find North, I can find the others."
"What if there's no moss?"
Sonic chewed at his bottom lip. He was stuck, and Silver saw it. "I don't know that one."
"Spiderwebs."
"Ew," Amy scrunched her nose at the thought of the eight-legged beasts. "What's special about that and South?"
"Spiderwebs are woven on the southern side of trees typically." He chuckled at her disgusted response. Blaze was the same way when it came to the creepy-crawlies, despite her being the one to teach him that lesson. "Ok, what if there are no trees. No moss. No spiderwebs. Just you and the horizon and the sun."
"Shadows."
"Good job, Ames," Sonic was the first to congratulate her. "Your uncle taught us that - surprised you remembered."
"I'll take that as a sincere compliment and ignore that last part, Sonic," her tone was sweet but there was a hint of malice in it. Silver figured it was going to be a long day.
"Correct. Shadows. Know how?"
Amy pursed her lips in thought. "If I recall...if the sun is out, you can put something tall like a stick into the ground. You watch for the shadow to move?" She trailed off, no longer confident in her answer.
Silver almost finished it for her before Sonic piped in. "You mark the original shadow on the ground. Like its starting point. Wait a few minutes as the shadow moves, and mark the end of the new position. Connect the dots on the two points and that line is going to run East to West."
"Nice, you two. Working together - totally not going to rip each other's throats out," Silver teased the two. "Seriously, though, good job."
"Better than the last trainee?" Amy smugly grinned as Sonic snorted and rolled his eyes. It earned him another punch to the shoulder.
Silver could only offer a reassuring smile. "Better than the last trainee."
~.~
Silver had been right - Blaze hadn't shown up until around 3:30 p.m. It had been a full day of being trained by Silver, and honestly, Amy and Sonic couldn't wait to meet their other mentor. It wasn't that Silver was bad, but the trio got along almost too well.
"Miss Discipline," Silver's cocky smirk didn't go unnoticed by the two new cadets when a purple cat walked into the room.
She was poised - held her head high and her back straight. It made Sarah's terrible posture all the more noticeable as the sage hedgehog sat at her desk, typing away. Blaze's eyes were amber, like Silver's, yet they bore into a soul more. Amy fidgeted under her mentor's gaze. It appeared the feline was sizing her and Sonic up.
"How'd it go?"
"Swell - "
"I'm asking the cadets."
Amy frowned a little at Blaze's quick cutoff. Silver didn't seem affected by it though. He turned his head a little too quickly and eagerly to Sonic and Amy. "Well, how am I, you two? Just the best mentor you've ever had?"
Oh. It was going to be a competition between the two.
Blaze rolled her eyes.
Well, to Silver, it was a competition, Amy figured. The rose hedgehog smiled warmly at the sudden other realization in her head. She gave Sonic a knowing look, who shared the same expression. "It was nice. He taught us a lot of the basics, like the STOP method and what else I'll need to get in my backpack," Amy rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
The cat nodded curtly, satisfied with the response from Amy. She turned to Sonic. "You?"
"Same. It was nice to be out - thought we'd be tied to a desk for the first day."
"Normally just to fill out paperwork. If Silver and I are too busy to get you two out into the park, you will have to be prepared to help Sarah with whatever she needs around the office. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am." It was a collective agreement.
"Good. Well, as I'm sure you've guessed, I'm Blaze. I'm the Interpretive and Cultural Park Ranger here, but I fill in for doing the duties of an Education Specialist and regular Park Guide, as well - seeing as Glace thinks this small park can run with the bare minimum of staff," the feline introduced herself.
"I thought you were another Peace Something Another Ranger? Like Silver?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, especially as he heard Silver and Sarah both snicker.
Blaze gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes...These two like to make fun of my title, as they see it being no different than what Silver is. It's become a running gag in the office - much like how Silver could potentially be the shortest of the group if his quills weren't ridiculously taking up half his body height."
Sonic and Amy bit back laughter, but Sarah held nothing back - her donkey laugh cutting through the air.
Silver pursed his lips at the comment. "Rude. I'm the tallest, and y'all know it."
Blaze gave him a fond smile, which certainly didn't go unnoticed to the two cadets. The brain cells the two shared were working overtime at the interaction they were witnessing. "Well, we have a while before 5. Let's get you two familiar with the office work around here. Did you discuss dinner with them, Silver? Sarah?"
"Yes. Jericho's?" Silver asked the two newbies. "Small diner in town work for ya?"
The two agreed, and the problem was solved. Their training was far from over as in the remaining hour and a half of the day, Blaze would prove to be able to shove more information down their throats than Silver had all day.
~.~
"Ten bucks says they're dating."
Amy gripped at the steering wheel as she followed Sarah's car into the parking lot of Jericho's. "They left in the same vehicle, Sonic. Of course they're dating."
"We left in the same vehicle - we're not dating."
"So? Did you see the puppy dog eyes Silver gave her the rest of the time we were there?"
".."
".."
"Fine. Ten bucks says they've been dating for at least a year."
Her brows narrowed as she stared him down. She neatly pulled into an empty parking space. "You're on."
By the time they got out of the vehicle and walked with Sarah to the entrance, it was quite obvious that the feline and hedgehog were dating. Sonic stood closer to Amy with a smirk that said he knew it all along, to which Amy rolled her eyes. It didn't have him winning the bet just yet.
It was Blaze's turn to sheepishly smile at the two volunteers, now looking smaller. "He respects 'no PDA' only at work."
Silver had his hand in Blaze's, fingers entwined proudly. Amy offered a grin. "How long have you been dating?"
"And if you say less than a year, I owe Amy ten bucks, so think wisely," Sonic crossed his arms. "We're coworkers now, and I'll be respectful, but I'm pretty sure I'm older than you two," he squinted at the two.
Blaze raised an eyebrow and dodged the question. "We'll see about that."
They hung around the door outside awkwardly for about five minutes before Silver glanced down at his phone. "Shadow's running late. Let's just get a table."
Sarah led them into the restaurant gladly - as she was griping about needing food. Sonic held the door for them, and a waiter took them to a booth. The restaurant was more like a small family diner. The town closest to the park's station was quaint and tiny. It was mostly a town for retired folks.
"So, do you rent out here for the summer?" Sonic asked the couple and Sarah as he took a spot beside the sage hedgehog. Amy took the other end - putting Sonic in the middle of the girls. Silver and Blaze took the opposite side of the booth, across Sonic and Sarah. Thankfully, it was a larger booth that could easily accommodate the six people that would be attending. Hopefully.
Amy glanced at the empty spot across from her. She was secretly nervous about meeting Shadow. He definitely seemed like the head honcho - even Blaze spoke highly of him. Sonic sensed her nervous attitude, so he tried his best to lighten the mood.
"Silver and I rent a small cabin on the lake in town," the cat responded as she flipped open her menu.
Her counterpart didn't even bother opening the menu. It was clear, they'd eaten there before. But, if Amy recalled, there weren't that many options to eat in the town.
"More like a small pond," Sarah scoffed. "I rent in the town over. It's close to here and to Westwood, so I decided to live there full-time, but still close to family. Been there for almost two or three years, I think. You two?"
"Ames is living at my parents' guest house on the lake," Sonic motioned to the rose hedgehog. "Or the so-called pond," he jested but Sarah merely rolled her eyes - humor laced in her look.
"Oh, near Denbery Estate?" Blaze's ears perked forward.
"Nah, the Cloverfield Estate."
"Oh, shit," Silver whispered on his breath as he leaned in towards his girlfriend. "They're rich rich."
Sonic let out a strangled laugh. "My parents are. Trust me, I'm not entirely living off of daddy's money."
"It'd be mommy's money, but go off, I guess," Amy mumbled under her breath, catching a snicker from both Silver and Sarah.
"Fine," he interjected any more snide comments from Amy as he just gave in entirely. "Yes, my mother is quite rich on her own accord. My parents are loaded. We have a house on the lake over by the esteemed Cloverfield Estates where I'm staying this summer with my brother. Amy is staying in our guest house right next door. But, I want it made known that I got to college on a full ride scholarship."
"Yeah, for track," Amy chimed in. "I got a full ride for actually being academically ahead."
"Ok, Matilda," the cobalt male snarled playfully. "We get it. You got a 30 on the ACT. I will kindly remind you that I got a 26, so fight me."
"Hmmm, no."
Silver grinned. "Really? Amy?"
"Oh, right, you're like a nerd," the rose hedgehog remembered his words earlier. Waters were being placed at their table by the waitress.
Blaze raised an eyebrow at the name. "Is that how he described himself? Silver, don't be jealous. You only got a 28."
"Hey, now. Play nice," Silver shook his finger at her in a reprimanding way. "Anyway, same. Blaze and Sarah, however," he frowned in an overexaggerated way, "did not."
He was given the bird from the hedgehog across the table. Blaze rolled her eyes and glanced to her right. "Oh, Shadow!" she raised her hand.
Amy and Sonic's eyes snapped to the tall hedgehog that walked gracefully over to the table. For someone who seemed so...elegant, a job out in the park roughing it didn't seem to fit so far. Sonic narrowed his brows, but Amy seemed to have relaxed upon seeing this so-called Shadow. Despite his looks being somewhat intimidating, his demeanor towards the newbies was anything but. His striped red quills and red eyes made for quite the appearance though - he stuck out like a sore thumb as much as Amy did with her pink fur.
"Hey. Sorry, I'm late. Sonic? Amy?" he reached across the table to shake both of their hands respectfully. "How was your first day? Hopefully, Silver wasn't too much to handle."
A small smile reached Amy's lips. So, he could be humorous. Sonic chuckled at little, especially at Silver's pout. Blaze seemed to be enjoying the tormenting too. Silver, however, was not for it. "Guys," he whined. "It's past 5. We made the rule "no picking on Silver after 5" for a reason."
"When was that a rule?" Sarah asked as she took a sip of water. "You remember that being a rule, Shadow?"
"Nope," the black hedgehog popped the 'p' in the word as he opened his menu. He quickly closed it. "So?"
Oh. He was still expecting an answer from the two new cadets.
Amy was lost in his red eyes. Sonic was lost in seeing that Amy was lost in his eyes. Then, the blue hedgehog smirked. He propped his elbow on the table and leaned his chin against his hand. "Well, I thought it was a good day. Ames?"
He nudged her underneath the table with his foot.
"Ah - yes!" Amy hid her embarrassment by laughing suddenly and glancing down at the menu. "Yes, it was nice. Will we be with Blaze tomorrow?"
"Actually," Shadow seemed to turn serious as he looked to the cat on his left. "I was hoping to borrow one of them for the trail tomorrow. Since Silver's out the rest of the week."
"A lot of overgrowth?" Blaze nodded as soon as Shadow did. "As I predicted. I told you."
"I know you did." Shadow flagged down a waiter. The six ordered their food quickly, as most already knew what they would order upon walking into the place. Despite his parents owning a house on the other side of the lake, Sonic and Amy had never been to the diner. Or the town really - the lake house had all the provisions they needed and plus, if they ever visited before, it was to go boating or water skiing on the lake.
"So, one of us gets to go with you?" Sonic asked, fidgeting under the table a little. Amy licked her lips anxiously.
Shadow caught Sonic's stare. "Think you can help tidy up a trail and tower?"
"Sure thing," he tried to contain his grin. He'd be able to go out for sure - certainly no desk work then, despite the cute looking receptionist he was currently seated next to. He'd really rather be out all day.
"That leaves Amy with me," Blaze warmly smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm not as intense as Shadow, I can assure you." She waved off Silver's hand movements as he shook his head in warning to Amy.
"Shadow is, again, the Law Enforcement Ranger," Silver made a late introduction for the hedgehog. "Currently, he's on call for 24 hours."
"Wait, that happens? Rangers do that?" Amy perked up.
Shadow cleared his throat, capable of answering for himself despite the fact that Silver was about to jump in on the opportunity to talk. "Yes. Normally, this time in the year when fires and hikers are more likely, we have a ranger that's on call for 24 hours. There are basic living quarters in the station. Typically, though, it's Silver that's on call."
"As is my duty with my title," he beamed.
"But since he's going on leave for the rest of the week, I'll take over. Blaze is just working longer hours, but if you need to find me after hours, I'll be at the station," Shadow finished explaining. "Now, as for the cadet," he eyed Sonic. "It's quite a trek to the watchtower - you prepared? Have the correct gear?"
"Yes. Um, map and radio, though?" Sonic tilted his head and glanced between the three across from him.
"I'll set you up with them tomorrow morning before you and Shadow leave." The answer he was waiting for came from Sarah, however.
"Thanks," he offered her a small, gentle smile.
There was a silence that hung in the air between their words. Silver pretended not to notice it, and Amy was too busy taking glances at Shadow. Blaze, however, didn't want it to get too awkward. Not that it was - she could see the attraction between the two across from her. She wasn't quite sure why Amy was making herself so obvious with Shadow, though. It almost made her chuckle, but she decided to keep the conversation on topic.
"Amy, we'll start a little later than Shadow and Sonic will." The feline butt in. "It'll be nice to have the extra help, though. The number of visitors are at an all time high - and it's barely May. I can't imagine what July will be like." She looked like she was dreading the future months for work. "And I'm pretty sure some rowdy teenagers have been vandalizing the dumpsters out back."
Shadow scoffed a little. "We'd catch them on the cameras, Blaze. It happens every year," he shook his head. "It's got to be raccoons or something, I'm telling you."
"No, I haven't seen any tracks of animals," Blaze shook her head in disagreement.
"It's scratch marks and trash littered out from the dumpster," Shadow droned while Silver looked like he was strapping in for a long argument between the two. "It's just another animal. The cameras will catch it sooner or later."
"Please for the love of God, you two, let's try to enjoy dinner," Sarah interrupted. Sonic and Amy tried not to show their sighs of relief. "No need to scare off the newbies on the first day with you two bickering."
Shadow and Blaze eyed each other before giving understanding smiles to one another and changing the subject of conversation. It went from what each did in college - catching Shadow up on Amy's college major change and Sonic's indecisiveness regarding his career path - to the simple hobbies the station workers did, etc. To Silver and Blaze's surprise, Amy even got Shadow talking more than usual. Hell, even Sonic and Sarah were conversing quite well. It made Silver smirk over at his girlfriend, wiggling his eyebrows at the pairs.
Eventually, their food came, and the conversations continued.
"So, you graduated from Westwood, too?" Amy questioned the male across from her.
"No. Actually, Hale University, over in Kage," Shadow noted. "Moved to Glace after living there for five years. It'll be four years here in September."
"Damn, Hale? He definitely probably got higher than a 30 on the ACT," Sonic jokingly poked fun at Amy, who shooed him away.
"Ha ha, funny, Sonic -"
"34."
Silver almost choked on his water with how fast Shadow replied. Amy swallowed rather slowly on her sip of soda. "Impressive."
"Considering the average is only about 20 to 21, sure," Shadow shrugged as if it were no big deal. "My parents were big sticklers on academics and athletics. My brother is…" he gave an exasperated sigh, "less tolerable, in my opinion. But he only got a 31."
"Only a 31," Sonic said under his breath to Amy, who, again, swatted him away.
"Wow, so glad we're back on the topic of our ACT score - another reminder to my parents why I'm such a failure," Sarah sarcastically drained out.
"C'mon, you heard what he just said," Silver playfully said. "You got, like, a 24. You're slightly above average, Sarah, but only slightly." He put his fingers together so they were barely touching.
"Shut up, Silver."
Shadow and Amy shared a warm look with one another. "So, you both plan on staying in the area after graduation?"
"Oh, they're from the area," Silver reminded himself of something. "Sonic's family owns a cabin on the lake here - in the Cloverfield Estate. So, I mean, I'd stay if I were him."
"Again, my parents own the house. And I don't know - wherever work will take me, so long as it's not an office job 9-5. I'm good."
Amy shrugged, thinking about her answer. "I mean, I switched to Marine Biology. There's the obvious seascape towns on the coasts, but I'd rather stay more inland. Focus on lakes and rivers rather than the Big Blue."
"Less water for me," Sonic agreed. "Probably wouldn't look in the direction of towns near oceans, if I'm being honest."
"This man here has a phobia of water," Amy patted Sonic's shoulder with a beam on her muzzle, as if she were a proud little sister that just told her brother's biggest secret.
"Drowning, more so, but thanks, Ames."
"You're welcome." The sincerity made him grind his teeth. Somedays…
Their conversations kept on for another hour or so. Shadow kindly paid the bill when it came, and eventually, the group of six meandered outside. There were more cars in the parking lot as the customers had slowly trickled in after the five o' clock hour. Standing outside in the cool night air, the group looked west towards the mountains.
"Headed back to the station?" Amy quietly asked Shadow. He was taller than she expected when she stood next to him. Still, Silver liked to boast that his quills made him the tallest, to which Shadow would roll his eyes at.
"Yeah."
"But you have a home elsewhere. I'm assuming?" Amy could see out of the corner of her eye that Sonic stood near Silver and Sarah, chatting. Blaze had walked back into the restaurant, muttering about forgetting her to-go box.
Shadow gave a light chuckle under his breath. "Yes. I have a home in town actually. A friend of mine is watching it this week while Silver is out."
"So, Silver will be back on 24 hour notice when he gets back?"
"Yes. If anything, we end up taking turns throughout the summer - he and I. Considering he has Blaze to go and bother some nights, I'll gladly take some shifts for those two." A smile was tugging at the corner of his muzzle.
Amy didn't want to say she was smitten by the hedgehog, but there was something endearing about him. Maybe it was the way he held himself - just a little mysterious but also confident in himself. He wasn't some edgy college guy that she'd typically go on dates with. He was a mature adult with a stable enough job and two feet under him.
"Oh? And you just have…"
"I'm single." Shadow and Amy brought themselves both to an awkward laugh.
She tugged at her quills shyly. "I'm a little obvious, aren't I?"
"Well, if you'd like, we can step into some street light to see if you're blushing like a tomato yet."
Biting her bottom lip, she looked off to the side. Blaze was back with her box of food, and Silver was teasing her about it. Sonic was still grasping Sarah's attention in some conversation. "That won't be necessary. I can assure you, I definitely am."
Shadow chuckled lowly again. He took a step forward to get closer to the other four, clearing his throat. Amy's smile died out a little. He hadn't completely rejected her, but he hadn't reassured her either. Still, they'd only just met, and they were coworkers now. She couldn't just expect a date out of him immediately. If it went wrong or awkward, they'd still have to face each other at work, and that would be insufferable for her.
She shook the childish thoughts from her head and tried to focus.
"Well, I best be off. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Shadow," Sarah said as the couple by her just waved. Shadow walked away towards his truck, keys jingling in hand as he bounced them against his thigh. She turned to Amy with a sly grin on her face. "Well, you sure know how to make him flustered."
"What?" Amy let out a hitched breath - as if she were just caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing.
"Oh, don't 'what' me. I've known Shadow for a few years now, and I gotta say, I've never seen him a) so talkative in front of someone and b) so shy at the same time."
"Aaaaames, are you crushing on a coworker already?" Sonic said in an almost reprimanding tone. "Because that'd be weird," he whispered the last part.
Silver snorted and slapped Sonic's shoulder. "Trust me, if anyone's crushing, it was Shadow. I agree with Sarah, Amy, he's never done that before. Weird behavior, if you ask me. Good, but weird. Please continue to use this new found power for the greater evil."
"Greater evil?" Amy almost laughed as Silver took Blaze's hand and led her past the three towards their car.
"Yeah," Silver shrugged as if his answer made sense.
Blaze only turned around to look at the volunteers over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow, you two!"
"Bye," Sonic waved.
Amy's mouth gaped open and closed like a fish. She looked over at Sarah finally after a minute of silence - Silver and Blaze having left along with Shadow. "What just happened?"
"You're hot, and Shadow's into you is what happened." Her nonchalant shrug followed the bewildering statement.
"Thanks?"
"You're welcome. Goodnight," Sarah left the two with a light wave as she also walked to her vehicle.
Amy's face was broken into a smile at that point. Sonic gave her a little shove as laughs caught in both of their throats. They wandered rather slowly to the car. Sarah's taillights were now on the main road, and the two were completely left alone outside the diner.
"Wow," Sonic breathlessly shook his head as he walked to the passenger side.
"What?" Amy opened the driver door and got in. Sonic was already buckling his seatbelt.
He took a moment, putting his arm on the back of his seat, turning towards Amy. "You go for every loser guy on campus - whether it be some down-on-his-luck pothead or some drunk jock from the football team. What in the hell is so attractive about that guy?" he thrust his thumb towards the road in a gesture meaning Shadow.
"Uh," Amy licked her lips. All she could muster was a faint chuckle. "I don't know," she finally looked over at Sonic slowly as she put the keys into the ignition. "Change of pace?"
Starting the car, she did her best to ignore Sonic's cackles on the ride home.
"Hey."
"Yeah?" Sonic was either pretending to wipe away tears, or he really did laugh that hard as they got onto the main road. "What?"
"Silver and Blaze never answered our question."
"What?" he repeated, confused this time.
"How long they'd been dating."
"...Nah, Silver told me - like two years. You owe me ten bucks - "
"Sonic."
"What?"
"Sonic."
"..."
"No, he didn't. You're a liar. For that you owe me 20."
"I owe 20?! No way in hell, Ames. That's not fair -"
"You just lied to try and win!"
"No, he really did tell me for two years."
"We were together the whole night - no he didn't, Sonic -"
"Yes, he did - "
"No, that did not happen - "
"Yes, it did."
And so a new journey begins...Hope ya'll will enjoy this story as it unfolds!
Upload schedule is every Monday/Wednesday/Friday until this story is complete. :) Don't worry about any flaking on uploading either - this story is practically finished in the writing process. Big thanks to my co-writer, TinyShinyy!