A lot longer of a chapter compared to last!

Hope ya'll enjoy!


|chapter nine: the smiling dog|

Screeching woke Silver.

"Is it illegal to shoot an owl?" he mumbled next to the slumbering Shadow. He knew the ebony hedgehog probably wasn't asleep with the damn bird screeching in a nearby pine tree.

"Yes."

"I won't tell if you don't tell."

"Silver."

"Man, even half asleep, you can't take a joke," Silver grumbled, tossing and turning in his sleeping bag. Awkwardly, their quills would touch as the tent was slightly too small for the rangers. It was the best they could do - so long as they didn't wake up cuddling with one another, Silver was fine with his space being shared. Shadow, however, was not. He tried to put any moments like this out of his mind. He told himself to buy a bigger tent for the love of Tikal.

The owl screeched again before it was like a silent swoosh of noise, and then silence.

It felt like five minutes, but Silver couldn't be sure. It was quiet. The owl had finally gone off to hunt and leave them be. Their campfire had died out long ago, as Shadow had glared at Silver to go to bed. Silver wasn't about to complain or be disobedient. The lead ranger couldn't sleep unless the rest of his rangers were also asleep - Silver found it amusing.

"Adorable," he had said. Shadow had rolled his eyes.

The heat in the tent was nearly impossible to deal with. He didn't want to start sweating, but he was thinking about either getting out of the sleeping bag or getting out of the tent for just a bit. The cool night air would surely cool him off.

After another moment of thinking about it and complete silence, Silver sat up and unzipped the tent. Shadow grumbled again, questioning what Silver was doing. The white hedgehog told him to go back to sleep as he slipped out of the tent.

Standing, he stretched his legs. He had forgotten how cramped it was in the tent until the moment he got into open space. He glanced off to the right, by their still-warm campfire. There wasn't much light, as the moon was only a half moon. Silver sighed, taking a deep breath in.

It was then that his nose was hit with something.

Huh. Smells like a skunk.

Silver glanced around, his ears pricked for any sudden movement.

At least, I think skunk. No. Maybe not. Like…dead skunk? He couldn't place the smell - it was barely in the air and not strong enough for him to catch it normally. He had to take in deep breaths and by the time he did it three times, he was getting lightheaded. He quit.

Silver stood for a minute more in the silence. Not even a cricket chirped. "Hm…"

He was relaxed and tired. He wasn't on edge and his hair wasn't sticking up in fright. Silver was calm - and figured there was no reason for alarm. Nothing in the environment made him worry if there was a wandering predator around their campsite.

Probably passed through the park again after trying out the dumpsters one more time…Or, it's at a lower ground. It'd definitely be out and about at night, though.

The thought was the only thing that made him wary of his surroundings. But the lack of sound from anything around him made him feel a false comfort of safety. He knew that Shadow would constantly be on guard in complete silence - the man couldn't sleep without a fan going on.

As if on cue, Shadow poked his head out with a tired, annoyed glare. "Silver?" his voice was hoarse, deep, and rude.

Silver turned to look at him over his shoulder. He could barely see the outline of Shadow. "Oh, did I bother you, your Highness?"

"What are you doing?" The silence did bother Shadow, and it was the first thing he noticed. If anything, he was about to plead for Silver to come back to sleep so the white hedgehog would start snoring and create some sort of white noise for him. Then maybe the ranger could pretend everything was fine.

"It was getting hot in there," Silver protested like a child as Shadow clearly wanted him back in the tent.

"Sleep."

"Fine," Silver said, trudging back into the tent as Shadow backed away for him to get in. They zipped the tent shut and Shadow bunkered down into his sleeping bag. How the hedgehog wasn't boiling at this point, Silver wouldn't know.

He laid on top of his own sleeping bag, refusing to get back into it. "Happy?"

There was a silence, and he figured Shadow was listening to the ringing in his ears or something.

"No."

"We can always ask the owl to come back."

"Shut up," Shadow wanted to roll his eyes, but unlike Silver, his instincts were on high alert. And he wasn't sure why. The owl had been a nuisance, sure, but at least it had been something. Now, there was nothing, and he had to try and calm himself. Tell himself that it was nothing.

But instinct never lied to him.

~.~

Sonic, flashlight in hand, knew he was biting off more than he could chew.

There, trekking along in the dark on the trail, everything became eerie to him. He swallowed any fears down at the parking lot once he made the fateful decision to leave. He had seen the lights on in the station, and even saw Blaze and Sarah sitting in the main room through the window. How they hadn't noticed him, he didn't know.

Sure, he had purposefully turned off his headlights and creeped into the parking lot, True, he had done his best to sneak through the parking lot without being noticed. Undeniably, his car was parked in a spot where the campers' were meant to pay to park, and he was hiking at night in the park - all things strictly frowned upon when he read the rules and regulations pamphlet at the station.

But he had his reasons.

His foolish, stubborn, pig-headed reasons.

He wanted to be of help, and he wanted so desperately to prove to Shadow that he wasn't incompetent, that he was willing to go out at night into the park. Granted, he didn't have any plans past that.

How was he supposed to confront Shadow at night? What if he made it to Half Point and they were just sleeping in their tent?

Sonic had thought about it on the silent drive over in his car. He had planned, in the end, to hike all the way to the tower instead and pitch his own tent there. He had borrowed his dad's. If Shadow and Silver stumbled upon him in the morning at the tower already and saw how willing he was as a new cadet, then they'd surely be impressed and let him help.

At least, that's what Sonic had decided in his mind.

Maybe, Amy was correct in thinking he was entitled enough to believe he was in the right, but what right did Shadow have to kick him out of the overnight trip like he was trash? No, there certainly was an entitlement to that thought.

Even so, he couldn't back out now. If he went home, his parents would be confused. He had told them that plans changed, and that he was needed up on the mountain. His mother had smiled proudly at him - and he couldn't disappoint her. His dad had offered some of his hiking gear that Sonic didn't even realize he had. Manic had hidden away in his room, playing his drums as loud as possible - something he did constantly when his parents were around nowadays. And Sonia - well, her behavior had been peculiar.

"Have fun!" She had said, without even looking at him from her gardening. Dad and Mom had gone back to packing the boat on the dock with snacks for an evening ride with their fishing poles. They were trying to convince the other two hedgehogs to come along.

"You're not going with them?"

"Nah. Amy and I have plans."

"Oh?" Sonic had tried to disappear from Amy's sight, as he knew she was against his plan. He feared she had let it slip to his parents in order to get him to stay - but instead, the rose hedgehog wasn't found anywhere. It made him all the more wary. Sure, he planned things constantly, and sometimes those plans fell through. But Amy's plans? Ten times more likely to fall apart, according to Sonic.

"Movie night," was all Sonia had said in return, and Sonic had left it at that. He decided to split quickly before Amy appeared out of nowhere.

Luck seemed to be on his side for the night, as Amy hadn't even bothered him to say goodbye when he peeled out of the driveway as fast as he could. Now, walking in the dark through the looming trees on the dirt trail with nothing but the crickets chirping, Sonic missed her company.

Maybe this summer isn't going to be what we thought it would be.

When they took the volunteer work, Sonic and Amy were excited. Sure, they had thought they'd be spending more time together than they actually had for the first week, but they saw each other enough at the Hedgehog residence that it didn't seem to bother the two. Now, Sonic was wondering if the job was going to put a strain on their friendship, considering the decision he had just made.

Even if things worked out - which they would because they had to work out - and Sonic wasn't on Shadow's shit list anymore, what would Amy say? Would she be disappointed in him for doing this like she clearly was at the house when the idea first crossed his mind?

Sonic frowned a little, kicking a little rock in front of him with his boot. "She'll get over it," he decided out loud into the night, to no one but himself.

There was no response, clearly.

A part of him wished there had been though - he was lonely suddenly. A feeling of being all alone in the deep woods crept up on him, and he found himself coming to a halt. His ears picked up the sound of a stream nearby, and he knew exactly where he was.

He and Shadow had been walking the same trail religiously every day to the tower - trying to clear up the old trail as much as possible - where the three trails forked. The one on the left would lead to Half Point, he remembered. The middle would take him to the tower. He couldn't remember where the lower one went, but he didn't care. It wasn't the important one. He knew he was coming close to the three-forked area in the trail, so he decided to pick up the pace.

Suddenly, his flashlight was not the only light shining on the trees.

And hurried footsteps raced behind him.

"Sonic!"

He startled, turning backwards in such a sharp movement that he tripped over his own feet and fell on his ass. Sonic stared up at the intruder, but the voice was familiar - even with the light blaring into his eyes. He put his hand up to his face to block out the light, which was eventually placed a little off to his right.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" Blaze hissed at him. Her ears were flattened against her head, her amber eyes were narrowed, and her tail twitched constantly.

She. Was. Pissed.

The realization started kicking into Sonic at that moment. Maybe, his plan hadn't been so well thought out as he had hoped. So, she had seen him after all - or she had seen his car eventually. She was hot on his trail, so it hadn't been long that he was on the trail before she noticed he was there. At the park. Sneaking in. At night.

"Answer me." She was stern and harsh, her voice darkening in a way that Sonic hadn't heard before, and he knew he had stepped in deep shit.

Still, there was something insane about the hedgehog. He stood up stubbornly, puffing his chest a bit as he tightened his backpack straps on his shoulders and picking up his flashlight from the ground. He had dropped it once she had raced up behind him. She was panting, but that didn't stop her from being furious.

"I'm going up there," Sonic spoke with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Oh, no, you're not," Blaze immediately shook her head and spoke to him as if she were his mother.

Sonic scoffed with a scrunched up nose. "I can help!"

"We don't want your help right now - don't you get it?!" Blaze hissed quietly, becoming increasingly aware of her surroundings. The run into the woods had gotten her mind off the thing that lurked in it, but not for long. The crickets had stopped chirping.

"Then why have Amy and I here in the first place?!" Sonic yelled in return to her quiet demeanor. It honestly pissed him off that she was acting so reserved yet reprimanding him. He knew it wasn't the correct way to handle the situation, so he took a deep breath. "Why then?" he spoke more calmly.

Blaze didn't like the area they were in. It was too crowded with trees for her to see any horizon, even with her better eyes. She knew that she would be able to spot something first before Sonic, but how was she going to help the cadet if something did pop out? She wouldn't have the time to react, either, she just knew it.

She was bracing herself for impact - for Sonic to either storm back off the mountain in a huff and quit, or for the wolf to come out grinning.

"Sonic, I mean right now specifically. Silver and Shadow had the tower covered for the weekend, but Shadow did try to call you. He wanted to let you know that he changed his mind and you can come up in the afternoon," Blaze tried to speak clearly and talk Sonic out of the woods. Her ears were straining for any sound at all.

"If he's behind on the schedule, then why can't I go?" Sonic's voice strained in a crack - he was clearly upset about the situation.

Blaze tried to give him sympathy. "Sonic, I know you want to help, but this is not the way to do it. I promise you, this will only piss Shadow off. Come back to the station, you can stay the night there, and we can both go up in the morning. Shadow and Silver can manage the tower work on their own to catch up, and Shadow thought you'd enjoy - "

"That's bullshit," Sonic hissed suddenly, cutting her off. "I know he didn't really think about giving us a weekend off. What's the real reason?"

So, he wasn't as dumb as he looked, Blaze thought. He sure had seemed like it to her the moment she saw his car in the parking lot that night. Any smart thing the hedgehog had said before was tossed out the window the moment she realized just what Sonic had done. She was only glad to see that it was just Sonic out there and not Amy, too. He hadn't talked her into doing something this foolish.

Blaze had to decide whether or not to be straight with Sonic, and she knew the truth wasn't going to hurt in this situation. Especially, if something did happen. "Okay. If I tell you, you promise to come back to the station with me?" there was a slight pleading tone in her voice that made Sonic question some things.

Why sound worried like that? Just what was he supposed to not know?

"Okay - Okay," he shuffled in his spot, lying through his teeth. There was still the thick-skulled part of him that was mapping out how many more steps until the three-forks of the trail. He knew that he could outrun Blaze - he was a track runner for Tikal's sake. It was what he went to college for - he'd won state championships and had broken records all before the age of seventeen thanks to his love and talent for running. Beating Blaze in a race would be a cake walk, even if it was slightly uphill. "What is it?"

"It's the wolf."

Sonic gave her a confused look. "The wolf? The one Shadow said probably went into the next park by now?"

"Yes. Except it didn't. It showed up again last night while Shadow and I were on watch. It…" She swallowed, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her as a single, small twig snapped off to her left. Her eyes saw nothing though, but would they be able to see anything in the thick vegetation? She could only hope. "Please, Sonic."

Suddenly, he felt panic sink in. Just what had he walked into? "What do you mean? It's dangerous? It's just a lone wolf - wouldn't it run away by now, or look for another pack or - "

"Sonic, please. It's not safe," Blaze whispered.

Silence fell between them. Crickets were long gone. No owls. Nothing but the staggered breathing from Blaze as she desperately tried convincing the blue hedgehog to come back with her.

"What happened last night?" Sonic took a step backwards, away from Blaze as if she were the thing to be frightened of. "Why not tell Amy and I about it? That's the reason Shadow sent us home? Bullshit."

She had just told him the truth and he was calling bullshit again? Just how pig-headed was this guy, Blaze thought.

"What? Sonic, that's - "

"No. Because if it was something to actually be concerned about, then Shadow and Silver wouldn't be camping up at Half Point," Sonic pointed upwards along the mountain side behind him, in the direction he had been heading. "I call bullshit. The wolf is just some dumb wolf - Shadow was worried the first day, sure, but it's gone now. If you want to keep lying to me, then at least make it a good one."

"I am not lying," Blaze sternly growled at him. Her tail flicked impatiently. Her radio was silent - Sarah had given up after her first try, it seemed. Shadow and Silver no doubt had their radios turned off while they slept. It wasn't unusual, but it also wasn't usual at the same time. Shadow, such a creature of habit, was inconsistent when turning on his radio. He always seemed to forget about its existence when he entered the forest, and now was not the best time to have done so. "Sonic, it's not an ordinary animal that we get in the park, and we have no idea what its intentions are. Shadow is taking the precautions with Silver, and he wants you and Amy to stay out of this for your own safety and lack of knowledge and experience. Granted, Shadow is just as tunnel-visioned as you. He wants to finish the project he started, but he's still being cautious about all of this. That is the truth. Now, please, come back to the station."

He seemed to pause to think about it - that or he was giving a dramatic flair.

The purple cat waited as patiently as she could, but it was wearing thin by the millisecond. She wanted to strangle the damn cadet, drag him back to the station, and spend the rest of the night chewing him out. She had every right to fire him, but she knew that he was useful. He was just trying to help, and he was confused and felt rejected by Shadow, who hadn't handled the situation well either. But how was she going to get him to come with her?

"And yet Shadow changed his mind and was going to let me come up in the morning anyway?" Sonic crossed his arms and glared at her. "None of this adds up, Blaze."

"Does it have to?" Blaze spoke quietly still. "He felt bad about your argument - we like having you here with us, Sonic. You and Amy are great additions to the team and good cadets. You two have a lot of potential to help out with the park, but is this really the way to try and prove that? You really think Shadow is going to see this as a positive when he strictly told you that you would not be on the overnight trip? Is it really that important to your pride?"

It stung him a little. No. It stung him a lot.

Sonic frowned and side stepped away. "This is ridiculous, Blaze. Just let me go camp up there with them, it'll be fine. You'll see," he huffed.

Blaze took a step forward, her ears picking up the distinct sound of another small twig snap to her left. She heard it all the time on hikes - twigs fell and trees creaked naturally. It was normal. What wasn't normal was the sheer silence at which it was occurring now.

She'd give anything to hear a cricket. A frog. An owl.

"Sonic, please."

"Fine." He finally gave in, it seemed. She felt a wave of relief come over her as she watched him walk past her, towards the station.

He didn't walk far.

Blaze turned and bumped into him. "Oh!" she held out her hands, gripping on the flashlight as his light was locked in front of him.

She stared at the back of his head, noticing his quills seemed to be quivering in the same way that Shadow's or Silver's would when they were caught off guard or angry. It was a defense mechanism - an animalistic trait still brought down through generations of hedgehog Mobians in the same way that her fur would puff up the moment she felt frightened. It made them look bigger, and more menacing.

It was a warning.

Her blood ran cold as she peered around him. Neither spoke, but she knew what to expect and she still wasn't ready for it.

There, in the trail, as if it just belonged there, was certainly something that resembled a wolf. Yet, she knew in her gut that the lanky creature staring at them with unblinking yellow eyes was not a wolf. Its teeth were too large for it, poking out in a creepy looking grin. Its eyes appeared too human-like, glancing up and down at them as if judging whether or not they'd run or fight. Its legs were too long for its body as it was clearly hunched over.

Sarah was right. Blaze thought as they stood their ground against the creature. It is hunched over, and its front legs aren't touching the ground.

Its front legs would be more classified as arms, which terrified Blaze even more. They were standing several feet away from it, but it was still clearly visible to her and Sonic that it was resting all of its weight on its back legs, just hunching down to the ground. Its shaggy brown hair was matted in mud, clearly still wet - as if it had just been rolling around in it.

Blaze took in a shaky breath through her nose.

No smell noticeable right away. It covered itself. She knew it was an insane thought - one would call it impossible for the animal to have known what to do. But staring at it, and it staring back with those eyes, Blaze couldn't determine its intelligence.

It certainly was waiting for Blaze and Sonic to move first.

How had Sonic not noticed it standing behind her sooner, though? Because his flashlight had been turned away and so had hers? Because his eyesight was worse than hers in the dark? Because he had been clearly facing towards the north, hoping to still hike to the tower?

Now, Blaze saw no choice in which direction they would head.

"What the hell is that?" Sonic managed out, his flashlight still locked onto it.

He wasn't shining the light directly into the creature's eyes, which the creature seemed fine with. It looked more caught off guard or disappointed that it had been caught in the light for once - at least to Blaze. In that moment, she knew that it had some sort of awareness that frightened her to her core. It had been hunting her from behind, and was probably seconds away from attacking if Sonic had not started walking.

"Blaze?" Sonic asked again, suddenly aware of how quiet the cat was. He was beginning to piece together Blaze's behavior over the past couple of days. She'd been tired, somewhat jumpy during the day today - had she already seen this thing on the cameras last night? It came to the station while she and Shadow watched? Had they known what it was?

No, he told himself. They would have shut down the park with something like this walking around at night.

Just, what the hell was it, though?

Sonic didn't dare move. He figured they had to stand their ground. He was waiting for it to make a bluff charge. Hell, part of him was waiting for it to speak. Its eyes seemed to be looking back and forth between the two - it was contemplating something. Sonic was freaked out at the sight of it, sure. But they had to deal with this, didn't they? How was one supposed to react to this?

A part of Sonic was positive this was his last stand. He regretted coming now. He should have listened to his superiors. He should have gone out on the boat with his family. He should have just done as Shadow had said. It clicked now - the ebony hedgehog had tried to keep Sonic and Amy clear because of whatever this thing was. And now, Sonic wasn't sure if he'd ever see his family or friends again. He was in the deep woods with this thing and Blaze.

His heart was surely pounding right out of his chest. The thing no doubt smelled their fear.

"Blaze?!" Sonic hissed under his breath. The creature's ears twitched and it hunkered lower to the ground. Its front legs connected to the dirt - so, maybe it did walk on all fours. It didn't mean it looked natural. It's back was arched at an uncomfortable degree.

Suddenly, her radio beeped.

"Iris Doe, we have a problem," Sarah's voice chimed through. It was slow, as if Sarah was in the middle of thinking about something.

The creature's muzzle twitched - it looked like it was about to snarl at the sudden sound of the radio. Its ears were perked towards the two rangers. Sonic was already getting ready to fling his backpack at the damn thing and make a break for it, but he couldn't leave Blaze on her own.

The radio beeped again. "Iris Doe? You there?"

The snarl was beginning to form. Sonic felt his backpack straps loosening down his arms.

Another beep. "Blaze? You there?"

It took a matter of seconds, and the wolf-like monstrosity snarled a growl so low and guttural it shook through Blaze and Sonic's chests. They felt it from several feet away as the beast picked its front legs up again, rising.

And it kept rising.

Sonic swallowed heavily as they watched. Its yellow eyes never broke eye contact with them, even as it stood to their height. It still wasn't standing all the way from their guesses - its back legs still bent like a canine's. They waited - prepared for the next move it would make and getting ready to run.

In a moment of pause, it stopped moving. It stared them down.

Then a bellowing howl broke through the mountains and pierced their ears.

It was time to run.

~.~

"Ok, Amy, slow down and tell me one more time." Sarah had just let Amy into the station, after she had gotten over the pink hedgehog startling her.

Said cadet wasn't in the mood to explain things for the third time. Sarah was clearly not paying attention for some unknown reason to Amy, but how was that Amy's problem? The rose Mobian stood at the front desk, hands on her hips, backpack strapped on her back, and a look of determination across her face.

"Look, Sonic came up with this ridiculously stupid and foolish idea that he could impress Silver and Shadow by going up there himself and camping. I'm not sure if he was going to go to Half Point or to the tower itself, but I tried to talk him out of it," Amy explained. "He's stubborn when he gets like this - Shadow hurt his ego and he had to prove himself. Shadow has to understand this is all miscommunication and poor handling of the situation! No biggie!"

"Ok…" Sarah thought about radioing Blaze once more just to tell her that Amy was suddenly there too, but the cat had literally just left. And if Blaze heard that Amy was also there, would she continue on to get Sonic? She thought better of radioing Blaze for just a minute - maybe Amy could explain this a bit better. "And you stayed behind…why? How? Blaze looked in Sonic's car, she said there was nothing."

"I was under a blanket, or a bag, or something," Amy rolled her eyes at the mention of it. "I don't know, Sonic never cleans out the back of his car despite loving the exterior to death. It was almost too easy for me to sneak in while he wasn't looking. He was silent all the way back to the station, and I didn't know when exactly to pop up."

"Why not just do so when he got to the station? You could've talked him out of it then," Sarah thought the whole thing was stupid.

"Well…true. But, look - when Sonic sets his mind on something, he follows through," Amy paced the front room, hands still on hips as Sarah stood on the other side of the reception desk. "I knew that if I popped up, he'd just order me to drive the car back."

"You could have just walked into the station, warned us, and we could've sent you both packing," Sarah wanted to yell. She hadn't ever seen cadets such as Sonic and Amy - and she prayed she never would again. They were hard workers, but they were proving to be rather selfish and dumb. "Hiking at night in these woods is dangerous, ya know? You could've stopped him physically any time."

"I know," Amy pleaded with her to listen. "But he would've just gone on without me. Even if you try to stop him now, he's just going to go to the tower - don't you get it? He just wants to help and make sure that you all know he's capable of it - "

"That's not the problem!"

Amy was taken aback at the sudden shout. Her ears folded back as she flinched, recoiling from the sage hedgehog across the room. Her eyes were wide. Sarah realized the possibilities now, and she didn't bother to care if Amy got her feelings hurt in the process. "You two are incredibly foolish for doing this, ya know. Thanks to Sonic, Blaze is out there now tracking him down. She just left. Thanks to you, he was never stopped. You could've warned us beforehand and we could have blocked his car off."

"He would've just found another way into the park."

"I would like to see him try and go against Shadow. I really would," Sarah tested as she grit her teeth. "The both of you don't realize the potential danger out there, especially now."

"What? The wolf?" Amy raised an eyebrow. "It's just a lone wolf…"

"It's not just that, Amy. You and Sonic disobeyed orders. Shadow was trying to keep the two of you out of this situation. The moment Shadow sees Sonic, we won't have to worry about whether or not Sonic quits," Sarah didn't even want to think about the reaction Shadow would give. She knew it would be worse than the one he gave this afternoon.

"But what's so dangerous about this? C'mon, let's go catch up with Blaze and find Sonic together. We'll smooth this over, and save everyone from experiencing the wrath of Shadow," Amy tried to lighten up, but the outburst from Sarah had rubbed her the wrong way. Sure, she could have done some things differently, and they could have had Sonic already out of the woods, but she was so worried about what her best friend would do, that she hadn't done much herself. Any action she would have made in the car to stop him, would have just driven him away farther.

"What?" Sarah looked at Amy as if she had two heads. "You want to do what?"

"Let's go," Amy moved to the front door. "Grab some gear and we'll catch up with Blaze. I saw her leave as I got out of the car - if we hurry, we can catch up to her!"

"Amy, that's the worst idea you could have come up with," Sarah groaned.

Now, she thought about radioing Blaze. But what would she say? What could she do? What if Amy just waltzed out of the station and into the park with that thing roaming around? What then? It's not like Sarah could take Amy on physically and drag her to the station. She could get arrested for that, and not to mention, she was pretty sure that Amy could kick her ass. The thinner girl had some muscle to her.

"But you're not completely arguing with it," Amy smiled again, trying to coax Sarah into joining her plan. Her completely unplanned plan. She had no steps to it, and no idea what to do should things get supposedly "dangerous."

"Amy…" Sarah didn't know what to do anymore.

She wasn't a full-fledged ranger. She didn't know how to handle people outside of the station. She knew how to greet hikers, educate fourth graders on what plants not to eat, and check in campers. She didn't know how to handle rogue cadets in the middle of the night in the park. It wasn't what she signed up for, and yet, she knew that Blaze hadn't hesitated the moment she saw Sonic was gone. But would Blaze want Sarah to leave the station?

No. Absolutely not, of course she wouldn't. Sarah shook her head. "Someone needs to be here at the station, Amy."

"Then I'll go myself!"

"Wait!" Sarah didn't hesitate this time. Any logic in the sound of Blaze's voice was erased from her mind. This was a new problem, and she wasn't even sure if Blaze knew how to handle it. But, Sarah started with putting on her radio belt and grabbing her coat. "Let me grab my bag."

Her backpack wasn't really hers - it was just a spare already packed for these situations. Well, similar situations, she assumed. It had a first-aid kit, extra water and snacks, extra unisex clothes, and some hand warmers. She took the sleeping bag off - there was no way she'd be sleeping. This was going to be a simple check in the woods. She grabbed two flashlights, handed one to Amy and cinched the other one to her belt. She grabbed an extra one as Amy marched back to the front door, having followed Sarah into the side room. Amy had done her best to pack her own backpack this time, but she hadn't ever done any actual night hiking - she didn't know what to expect.

"Let's go!"

"Amy, quiet," Sarah whispered as the chill air hit her. She locked the front door. "C'mon, we stay quiet and we move fast. Maybe we can catch up to Blaze."

"Yes, ma'am," Amy said with a small laugh. There was something about it that was exhilarating to her. It was a rescue mission, but also a night hike. Who knows? Amy thought. Maybe it'll be fun! At least until we find Sonic, hopefully before Shadow finds him, and then we get down to business. Amy was serious at the thought of reprimanding Sonic, and hoped he would get a punishment for his foolish decision that had them all hiking into the deep dark woods. But, she was also giddy.

Yet to Sarah, all she could think about was the creature on the camera. The thing in the woods. Lurking around the station. She didn't know where it was - but she knew the moment she and Amy started on the trail to Half Point that every instinct in her was telling her to turn around and leave. The woods during the day were just the woods to her. The woods during the night? Well, that's when it became someone else's woods. And she didn't want to figure out who.

Five minutes passed, and the hair on the back of her neck was still rising.

Her breath was visible every time she took a step. She hadn't been hiking much recently, and was easily falling behind Amy. The rose hedgehog didn't seem to know the exact way, but it was one main trail to follow. Plus, with their flashlights bouncing off of the vegetation and dirt, how hard would it be to miss a purple cat?

"Amy?"

"Yes?" the cadet was quiet, having calmed down a little. Maybe it was the eerier way the flashlights could only show a few feet in front of them, and the rest would become a dark abyss around them. Or maybe it was how the trees loomed over the rangers as if they were watching the women walk to their doom.

"I'm sorry about snapping earlier. Shadow didn't handle Sonic very well, and I understand that Sonic just wants to help. But you two have to understand who's in charge here. I get that we're all relatively the same age - hell, we all go to the same college together without even knowing. But Shadow? Shadow's the outlier. He's the boss around here, and he's older with more experience out here. If he thinks it's dangerous, then it's dangerous. I want you to know just what you're getting yourself into."

"Are you talking about Shadow or the wolf?" Amy still had some humor in her, trying to lighten up the creepiness surrounding them.

"Hm," Sarah smiled a little, but it faded quickly. "I'm serious, though. Shadow won't be happy we're all doing this. It's not just you and Sonic that will get the brunt of this from him. I've just enabled your behavior, and Blaze is going off on her own out at night with - yes, a wolf roaming around. But, Amy, I want you to know that you didn't see the image the camera caught of this thing. It's not…normal."

Amy could sense the way Sarah's tone shifted. It started off welcoming, truly apologetic to the hedgehog. Now, it was scared and timid. Sarah didn't want to go after Blaze and Sonic - not because someone needed to stay at the station but because she was scared of the wolf. Amy was beginning to let realization sink in. "What do you mean? How's it not normal? Like rabies?"

She thought she and Sarah had already discussed this when Amy had been confined to the station for the day - when Blaze had gone off on her own at Birch Pass and Copperhead. But Sarah had portrayed many terrified emotions then. Why now? Just because they were out in the forest now?

"No. Not rabies," Sarah danced around the truth. Well, what she imagined was the truth. "It's just, um, not normal looking. It came back last night, and it's got Shadow and Blaze worried. Shadow wanted you and Sonic out of the way, out of harm's way."

Oh. That's sweet of him. Amy thought. It's also his job, I suppose. Shouldn't think too much of it, but why not just tell us then? "So, how come you guys just didn't tell us the truth then? If there's some wolf out there that's got even Shadow and Blaze concerned, shouldn't you tell the cadets with no experience so they know what they're up against? So, they can have the opportunity to opt out? How is that fair to us? It almost makes me think this whole thing between Shadow and Sonic butting heads is, well…your guys' faults. You could have just told us outright. We'd understand."

"Would you have, though? Would Sonic have, really? The moment he heard that he wasn't going on the trip, but that Silver was, it was like his mind was already made up. You said so yourself, once he's set his mind to something, he goes after it. How do we know that telling him about this predator that potentially is a threat would have made him stay home?"

"You're right, but I think if Shadow had explained it like that before," Amy tried not to trip over her own feet after a large rock caught her off guard, "then Sonic would have stayed home."

Sarah sighed. There was no arguing with Sonic, apparently. And there clearly was no arguing with Amy. The two would believe what they wanted to believe. They didn't have experience out here in the park, and frankly, Sarah didn't have much either. She looked down at her feet, the flashlight guiding her way as she stayed behind Amy. The darkness around her felt like it was closing in.

Time for attempt two.

"Look…Do you know about the old echidna tribes?"

"Hm?" Amy thought it was an oddball question. "Sure. I think I had an echidna classmate last semester with the tribal tattoos on his dreads. Looked cool and all, but what's that got to do with this?"

"Well, you know about their legends?"

"Sure…" Amy bit her lip - moving her flashlight over their surroundings. She didn't need her eyes to play tricks on her. The bushes and leaves moved slightly with the wind. It was barely visible, but it was enough for a constant sound of the leaves moving to hit her ears. Other than that, it was calm. There was something peaceful about this walk, but she hoped to run into Blaze soon.

"Well, you know about some of their legends of…like, shapeshifters?"

"What?" Amy snorted as she glanced back at Sarah. Brown eyes met green. They looked serious, which caught Amy off guard. "Yeah, I've heard a few. But what's that got to do with this, Sarah?" her patience was wearing thin. "If this is some stupid scary campfire story, I don't wanna hear it."

"It's not a normal wolf!" Sarah hissed in a hushed tone after her.

Amy stopped and turned back at her. The sage hedgehog had also stopped the moment she spoke. Amy was trying to piece it together, but she was coming up short. Sarah was clearly distraught and getting nervous the longer they hiked. Sure, it was dark and their eyes could make shapes out of nothing, but what was there to be afraid of? Amy didn't see it. It was a lone wolf, sure. But what wasn't normal about it? How did that tie into old echidna legends?

"Okay," Amy spoke slowly as she put her hands on her hips once more, looking the same as did in the station that night, but this time she was waiting for Sarah to explain. The flashlight beamed at the ground. Sarah immediately put hers past Amy instinctively. There was nothing.

"I'll humor you and listen," Amy continued, but her voice was dry. Sarah knew that she thought she was just making shit up at this point, but Sarah also knew that if scary things did exist out there, she figured she could at least warn Amy about it before they walked into a trap.

"Well…I saw the image, Amy. The wolf - or what we could tell. I contrasted it up to see it better. This thing," Sarah tried to put it into words, "was lanky. Tall, but hunched over. It had teeth so big, it looked like it was smiling. It stopped to stare at the camera specifically for just a few seconds before it disappeared out of view. That was only the first time we caught it on camera. Blaze and Shadow experienced something last night, and I think they're denying any illogical ideas because it sounds ridiculous, but what if the legends are true?"

"A shapeshifting wolf?" Amy scrunched her nose. The words sounded ridiculous, but Sarah seemed genuine in her body language. It made Amy wary of her surroundings now. She trusted Sarah enough - the receptionist did hiking of her own in the park and had worked at the station. The pink hedgehog had to give her the benefit of the doubt. But a shapeshifting wolf? Wasn't that just a fairytale? "Like a werewolf?"

Sarah couldn't help but shiver. She wasn't sure if it were the words or if it was the chill. She hoped it was the latter. "Yes…"

"Ok," Amy played along for her sake. "Well…what do we do then?"

"I don't know," Sarah shrugged, somewhat taken aback that Amy actually listened to her. Granted, she should have guessed Amy would have done so - the pink hedgehog seemed to be open-minded enough. "Get the hell out of Dodge?"

"What about Blaze and Sonic? You haven't shared this theory with anyone?" Amy pried. "Do you actually believe in that stuff?"

"Well…a little," Sarah mumbled. "My mother came from echidna descent, so some of the stories have passed on. I've always been a believer of the unknown - who are we to say that we know they don't exist? Know-it-alls? To believe that we're the only ones in the universe is equally just as ridiculous. Why can't there be things that exist out there that we don't know of?"

"Because it's…crazy," Amy tossed the word around. "But it makes sense with your family history then as to how you know about the legends and stories."

"How do you?"

"I think we had an old echidna neighbor in Westwood that was from some northern tribe - always told us kids in the neighborhood to not play in the streets after dark or whistle at sundown, whatever that meant," Amy shrugged as if it didn't matter anymore. Sarah seemed to understand the words though. "Do you know what she was talking about?"

"Yes. But she wasn't talking about this kind of thing though. This is a wolf," Sarah said. "Some kind of wolf. It practically flew by the building in two bounds in a matter of seconds on camera. It's been avoiding the cameras on purpose. It's not normal, Amy, you have to believe me."

"Okay, okay," Amy calmed her. "Let's leave it open for interpretation. But, if you, Shadow, and Blaze are all concerned, even if for different things, then we should take that seriously, no?"

"Right. You're right," Sarah caught her breath, trying to keep calm. The darkness felt too overwhelming to her. "Either way, we need to get Blaze, get Sonic, and get back to the station."

"What about Silver and Shadow?"

"They're all the way up at Half Point. If this…wolf is showing up at the station, then maybe they'll be fine?" Sarah had to guess. "I mean, I know it could just wander around, and it's probably already been through their campsite, but apparently, it has a distinct smell."

"The dead smell?" Amy cringed at the memory of Sonic's stench. He had smelled like a skunk or roadkill or something for almost two days.

"Yes. Look, if you're even remotely interested in the cryptid world like I am, then you'll find stories popping up with similar attributes. A stench like a dead animal is one of them for these things."

"I'm sorry, but if we're assuming it to be this werewolf thing," Amy decided to continue their conversation and walk. Sarah quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind. Amy continued talking, "then what am I supposed to believe in? Silver bullets?"

"I don't know," Sarah stammered, trying to follow Amy's quickened pace. "I'm just stating my belief. You can believe what you want, especially if we never even see the damn thing."

"I hope not." Amy didn't even want to think about the possibility. "Wolf or werewolf or whatever - I just want to find Sonic and Blaze now."

Her determination and focus both intimidated and impressed Sarah. Amy, on some level, was correct. "You're right. I need to stop worrying about what it may or may not be, and focus on catching up with Blaze and finding Sonic."

"Right, and then when we do find them, we can - Ugh!" Amy stepped in mud suddenly, unaware that it was in her path as they descended down a small hill. It wasn't even really a hill, but it was enough that Amy hadn't pointed her flashlight at the ground and had waltzed right into mud. Her boots were covered in it, and some watery mud splashed all the way up to her face. "Great. Just great!"

Sarah made sure to not walk in, but she stopped short. Her blood ran cold.

"Uh…Amy?" Her flashlight pointed ahead about two feet.

"What?"

There, in the mud, were distinct prints. Wolf prints. Big wolf prints, and yet something didn't look right about them. Amy pondered at them, both pointing their lights at it. She frowned as she glanced up at Sarah. "No smell, huh?"

"No smell," she agreed. There was no dead skunk smell. No stench at all. "Maybe it recently rained…the mud. Maybe," Sarah wondered out loud as she stared at the prints.

"They don't…look right?" Amy nearly bent down all the way just to see the footprints clearly. "I mean, it could just be the mud and how slippery it is, but the prints look like…well, different. You see?" she pointed at the prints closest. "Longer paws here, but clear normal-wolf paws here," she pointed at the ones away from them.

The prints showed that the creature had walked into the nearby bushes. Sarah had to think about whether or not it was still there. She gulped, suddenly not enjoying the feeling of being so alone. Even with Amy out there with her, she felt like she was being watched. Must've been her imagination, though.

"You think back paws," Amy motioned to the longer set, "and then front?" She went to the others. "It walked on four paws, though, not two," she deduced as she followed the prints. She stopped at the side of the trail and the bushes. "And it went into the woods. Looks like it just crossed the trail here."

"Hm," Sarah couldn't swallow the lump in her throat. She glanced around - the whole trail was muddy. The prints were only visible at the end of the trail on their left. So, where had the creature started? "The rest of the trail across is just…well, it looks like something laid down or rolled or something, doesn't it?"

Amy turned to see what the hedgehog was talking about. Sure enough, the muddy trail looked like something had rolled around. The prints started awkwardly at the end of a watery puddle of mud, like the wolf had slipped or struggled getting out of the mud. The image made her want to laugh, but she knew it was probably in bad taste to do so with Sarah so nervous about their current environment. "Hmhm," she agreed. "Like it rolled around in some mud?"

"Sure. But why?"

"Maybe to cool off," Amy shrugged. "Do wolves roll around in mud?"

"Hell if I know," Sarah said. She didn't want to say what she actually thought. Amy already didn't believe the cryptid theory, but she was at least willing to listen. She knew she couldn't push it any further with other theories - that the mud wasn't just for cooling off but for covering up its stench. The rain smell still lingered in the air, but the mud might have masked its smell well enough if the rain hadn't already.

"Maybe you should try to radio Blaze," Amy pointed at a set of footprints, clearly from either Blaze or Sonic. "Looks like she walked through recently. There! There's Sonic's, too," she raced forward a bit, or tried to as the mud got thicker. It was only for a short strip in the trail, as she saw it ended soon, but she saw a larger boot print in the mud. Several, actually. "Looks like Blaze and Sonic both saw the puddle before I did," she tried to laugh. "Blaze stepped back on the trail when she saw Sonic's, by the looks of it," she saw how the smaller prints seemed to walk over the bigger ones at certain points before finally, the mud ceased.

She stood straight and turned back to Sarah. "You gonna radio her to see where she's at?"

"Sure," Sarah grabbed the radio, still thinking as she stared at the clear indent in the mud. Something had laid down there and rolled around, but there was no indication as to what besides the wolf prints - no fur left behind or smell. "Iris Doe, we have a problem," Sarah spoke into the radio albeit still distracted.

The radio went silent and Sarah furrowed her eyebrows. Amy had raised hers in question. "Problem? What problem? How is this a problem?"

Sarah raised the radio to her mouth again. "Iris Doe? You there?"

Nothing. Silence.

She gave Amy a confused look. That wasn't normal for Blaze to not answer - to not have the radio on. But they hadn't heard from her earlier, either, so maybe she was close on Sonic's trail and didn't want to lose him. Or maybe she had found him and was busy lecturing him.

Again, she raised the radio. "Blaze? You there?"

No answer.

"Huh," Amy put her hands on her hips in equal confusion. "She usually answers so quickly when Shadow or you radio her during the hikes we took."

"Yeah…" Sarah pointed her flashlight around her. An instinct crept upon her - it blared like an alarm in her head. Every fiber in her being was suddenly on edge, as if something were about to happen. She didn't dare move. "Maybe she found Sonic."

"Hopefully," the rose hedgehog was oblivious to Sarah's lack of movement. She wanted to continue onwards. "Hopefully he isn't at Half Point by now."

"He's not. Can't be."

She noticed her short responses she was getting. Amy glanced back at her companion and tilted her head. "Hey, you okay?"

"No. Something's not right. Something's - Amy, we've got to move - "

"Relax, Sarah," Amy turned to face her, trying to persuade her that everything was okay. She saw Sarah's sudden frightened stance. Her quills jut up a little, in her own little way of trying to look big and intimidating, but it wasn't much when she was clearly scared out of her mind all of a sudden. "Look, it's okay. We'll find them and leave. You'll see - "

"No, we've got to move now - "

"Don't do anything rash. Remember the STOP method? Let's go over it," Amy tried to remember it, truly, but her mind was running blank.

"No - Let's. Go. Now."

"Sarah - "

"Something's gonna happen - "

"Nothing's going to happen - "

As if on some unfortunate que, a god awful scream of a howl erupted through the night.

And it was too close for comfort.

~.~

Honestly, he thought the owl had come back.

But the second scream jolted Silver awake. That wasn't an owl - he just knew it. Immediate panic made him wide awake as he punched Shadow's arm.

"Ow! What the hell?" the ebony hedgehog snarled, not in the mood for games.

"Get up," Silver hissed in an seriousness, which alerted Shadow that it wasn't a game. Silver unzipped the tent rapidly and was out of the tent before Shadow had any time to question what he was doing.

Thankfully, he had slept in his work pants. It was uncomfortable, but so was the possibility of accidentally cuddling with Shadow the Hedgehog in his sleep. He stared off into the darkness, waiting to hear it again. Shadow stood beside him after a moment of trying to catch his breath.

"What the hell was that for?" Shadow snapped quietly at him. He was getting some good sleep finally and Silver had the audacity to punch him awake and for what? Silence?

"There was a scream. Or something," Silver stared off into the distance. He hurried back to the tent and grabbed his flashlight, coming back to point it down in the woods.

Half Point was on the mountain's side, close to the saddle of the mountain, somewhere on the hillside of it where the ground grew flatter. It was odd terrain, but Half Point became a good outlook for campers to see down into the ravine of trees. But at night, it was eerily dark. Like staring into an abyss of a hole that was threatening to swallow them.

"The owl?" Shadow rubbed his eyes. He wasn't prepared for this - his ranger mind didn't even know how to react. "I don't hear anything," he paused, trying to listen in every direction but his ears picked nothing up.

"It…It wasn't the owl," Silver tripped over his words as his mind raced. What had he just heard? "It was indescribable but noticeable. Like a…screaming banshee groan or something."

"So…a number of possibilities," Shadow muttered out. "An owl, a coyote, something."

"The wolf?" Silver offered. "It was kind of like a howl, I guess. But not terribly similar, if I'm being honest. But it was shrill - it woke me up. It didn't wake you?"

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I haven't been getting eight hours of beauty sleep recently," Shadow droned tiredly. "I feel about ready to sleep through a tornado."

"Hm, you're no help," Silver said as he pointed back towards the dark sea of woods down below. The trail to Half Point was off to their right, and it ventured down into those woods and back to the station. They couldn't see the station from where they were at, though. Too many tall pines blocked their view plus the fact that the station was at a lower elevation, down in a pocket, but Silver had the feeling that he might be able to see the lights of the station if the trees weren't there.

The sound rang in his ears and made him question it. Had he actually heard anything at all? What had he been dreaming about? Anything that could have caused that in his subconscious? No. That was definitely out there - in the park.

"Nevermind," Silver decided, turning back to the tent and walking towards it.

Suddenly, Shadow caught his arm. "Wait. Listen."

He strained his ears to do so. He couldn't hear anything at first, but he trusted Shadow. Maybe it was just the owl, and Shadow had heard it. But why stop him to try and hear it again? No, it must have been something else, but he couldn't hear it now. Silver frowned as he tried. "I don't hear anything anymore. Let's just go back to - "

"Shush."

He wanted to glare at his partner, but something stopped him. Shadow had nearly whispered it, but one glimpse over at him was enough for the hair to stand on the back of Silver's neck. Shadow's eyes were wider than he had ever seen them before. Shadow had heard something else than what Silver had heard - he was positive.

"Listen."

He waited. Silence followed.

Until, there.

He got out of Shadow's hold to face him entirely. Red eyes looked at him with sudden concern, still wide as ever, as the two came to the realization of what they were hearing.

"Screams. Someone's screaming."