Chapter 5: Greed and Pain

The night had gone and past, moving into the rebirth of the day. Shay walked along the road, his talons gripping into the soil on each step. On his back was the armadillo, fast asleep from walking most of the night. Maegan was walking next to him, bags under her eyes from her exhaustion.
"We should stop and rest." Said Shay, looking forward, not even glancing at the bunny. Maegan looked ahead at the G.U.N factory in the distance, it was far but not so far she couldnt see the big hole in the front of it.
"I..In there Shay..we rest in there.." She weakly pointed at it, smiling softly. Shay quickly nodded once. Maegan walked through the hole and sighed, colasping forward onto the floor. Shay ran to her side but couldnt pick her up due to the lazy Sam on his back.
"Can we have some help here!" Shay yelled. Almost a secound after he said it, Syaoran was there, sighing at the fact he could since it was the bunny.
"I segested you should stay..but noooo..you had to follow..stupid animals.." Syaoran mumbled, picking the grey rabbit up in his arms. Calmly walked down the hall back to the desimated control room. Shay narrowed his eyes and followed close.
"You watch what you say fox..or ill skin you alive.." Shay whispered to Syaoran.
"Herm..you my feathery friend, couldnt catch me.." Syaoran smirked as they entered it. Haru was sitting up now, looking up at the ceiling tho. Tam looked at them as they entered.
"Oooo..hewwo feather boy..." She cooed, giggling gently. Shay huffed and put Sam down ontop of some tubing. Syaoran sat down on a chard desk with Maegan in his lap. He took her scrunchy off her ears and put it aside, stroking her ears gently as he suported her in her sleep.
"Why do you punish yourself so..." Syaoran said softly to her. Shay huffed and sat down next to Sam, shutting his eyes with his arms crossed.

Shadow sat up slowly, his eyes blazing red and a smiled plastered on his face.
"We move forward my companions, there is a planet to destroy..." Shadow exclaimed proudly. He had fallen into a daze and seen the path, light up infront of himself towards a place with a very large mountain with ledges and then a flash to a sapling made completly of gold then a forest grove with a lady squirl infront of it. Shadow was going to start a war with the avians and the foresters. Shadow got to his feet and dusted himself off.
"Fuzz Butt! On your feet. Titus! Boot up. Were moving." Tails got up slowly, fixing his now onyx fur, smiling evily at his master's plan. Titus sparked as he got up, he wasnt back to full power due to the fact he didnt have the facilities to fix himself.
"Were running, since i dont want to loose my strength again." Shadow said confidently, cracking his neck with a nod to the side.
"Sure thing boss." Tails said with a salute. Shadow smirked and grabbed Tails' hand and Titus' hand, posing himself for a run. They then disapeared, on there way at Shadow's new found top speed. Shadow felt cofindent about this plan, he beleived his beloved Maria sent him this message from her heaven.

Maegan opened her eyes slowly to see the fox's sashed face. She reached up and put her hand on the purple material. Syaoran then quickly smacked her hand away, growling. She whimpered and retracted her hand, she didnt know why Syaoran hit her.
"Never touch my sash..you will regret it if you do." Syaoran's voice had a kind of sadness to it but it also was very stern. The bunny nodded and whimpered again, altho she liked being in the furry boy's lap, she was also scared. Syaoran moved her so she was sitting next to him, his tail handed her, her scrunchy. Maeagn took it and put it on, her eyes looking at him curiously. Haru stood slowly and smiled at Syaoran, her head sparking.
"R.ready to go?" She asked with another spark coming from her head. Syaoran 'looked' up and swayed.
"We need to go..farther east." He said in a musing tone. Shay's eyes shot open and he stood.
"Thats towards the mountain's of the birds! My relatives are there." Shay explained passionatly. Syaoran turned his attention to the falcon.
"Are your..relatives..honorable?" He asked.
"Oh yes, very, they beleive its the most important thing ever." Shay said more, his wings flapping softly.
"Tam, Haru, were going now." Syaoran grunted, tapping the toe part of his shoe on the ground. Haru nodded and walked over next to him, Tam flapped over and landed, shaking her long head fur about. Syaoran pushed off, followed by Tam and Haru. Maegan jumped down from the desk and went after them in a hurry. Shay sighed and grabbed Sam's tail, running with the armadillo in tow.
It took them many hours due to the fact Syaoran slowed down so the bunny could keep up. They saw a head a large forest, a grove of sanctuary. It was as if the place had a glow to it. Just as Syaoran was about to enter he fell back onto his back with a loud thump. Haru and Tam skidded to a hult behind him.
"Hey! What you doing down there?" Asked Tam, her eye brows raised. Syaoran reached up with his hand and pulled down on the almost invisble tripwire, making it snap.
"Stupid wire and trap..." Syaoran mumbled more things but they were unrecognizeable. Sudenly Syaoran reacted, putting his hands on the ground on either side of his head. He kicked up with his feet and pushed himself into the air quick as anything. Three wooden spikes shot up out of the ground, the ends shining from the sharpness. Maegan stopped just infront of the spikes, her mouth wide open.
"Move stupid rabbit!" Syaoran jumped over the spikes and tackled her without touching the ground. They both fell, tumbling a metre or so. Tam and Haru just barely got out of the way of the log that swung by, attached by a rope to the tree tops. Sam and Shay walked up to the bundel that was the fox and the rabbit. Sam smiled at the fact that they were in a strange possition.Maegan looked down at the purple sash that was now infront of her eyes, she blushed and got up off of the fox and bit her lip as she brushed her fur nervously. Syaoran grunted and got up, dusting himself off. Syaoran was embaressed but held it in, keeping his cool. Shay snorted and walked over to the log now just dangling over the spikes. Haru pulled on the string and it gave way, she let it fall and crush the spikes under it. Tam was near by, picking some flowers with her tail, she giggled and put one in her ear, making it flick. Sam looked at Tam, smiling but she didnt notice, picking more flowers. Syaoran grunted and walked to the now fallen log trap.
"Come on! Were waisting ti-" Syaoran couldnt finish his scentence, having been knocked out from above. Haru's robotic eye focused into the trees, steping back from them. Shay pushed Maegan back and flicked a long stick up with his foot, catching it and grasping it. Tam still hadnt noticed anything, throwing the bunch of flowers in the air, giggling.
"There!" Haru exclaimed, pointing her fingure at a spot amongest the leaves, her fingure uncapped and shot an energy shot into the folage. Shay at the same time threw the stick forward into the tree. There was a yell and a thump as a light brown lump fell to the ground. Tam now noticed, gasping and exclaiming.
"Oh my goodness!" Haru ran forward and put her foot on the thing's chest, examining it. It was a male squirl, fur tatoos all over his chest and head. All he was garbed in was a long warrior like skirt, on his back were long thin sticks with pointed tips. On his footpaw was a gun holster and a pistol. His eyes were shut and his tounge hung out from being unconcious. Shay used his talon to put a scratch across the squirl's cheek, he opened his eyes just as he was scatched.
"Mercinaries! Attack! Attack!" Exclaimed the squirl, trying to struggle but was unable to get up. Haru gave him a deathly glare, her eye twisting around.
"Why did you do that squirl.." Asked Shay, his head going over Haru's shoulder to look down at the fuzzy thing.
"Chakka! Kill enemy! Kill you good! You from bird mound! You come to killy!" The squirl exclaimed, chattering his teeth together at them. Syaoran sat up slowly, his hands imbetween his ears. His ears had slid down to the side of his head in his pain.
"Owwies..m..m..ow.." He whispered as he rubbed, Maegan walked up behind him slowly and put a hand on his hands. He rolled forward and stood, trying to look tough. He buckled and held his head again. Maegan walked over again and put her hand on his again.
"Give me the kit Sam.." Sam walked over slowly and handed it to her from the bag. Maegan opened it and took out a bandage.
"Uncover it..please.." She said softly again. Syaoran grunted, still holding the bump.
"You dont need to act tough.." She said again. His tail twitched and he took his hands away, she smiled and put the bandage on it gently. Haru turned and looked at the two animals.
"Oi! This guy is gonna take us to his leader!" Haru exclaimed, her robotic eye rotating 390 degrees. This sent a shiver down Maegan's spine, not liking the fact she could do that. Shay picked the squirl up and tied his hand paws with some vine. He then drew his blade, the two gems in the hilt of it shining.
"Move it brush boy." Shay gave him a small push, holding onto the vine so he didnt run. The squirl huffed and ruffled his fur, chattering his teeth as he led them off. By now, Sam had become quite emcomberd, the weight of the bag making him tired, even in his fatigue he didnt complain, he was a strong armadillo and wouldnt show weakness on their great journey.

Julia the racoon stood at two mounds in the backyard of the late Rouge the bat. One of them was fresh, and one over grown with roses. Julia sniffed and planted three seeds into the earth she had moved to burry her long time mentor. Julia had not let her hood down the whole time this event had happened, she now chose this the time to. She pulled back the purple fabric to show her face to be in purfect perportion to her body, her ears flat agenst her head in greif. Her hair was all fuzzy, curly and unkempt, with the same colour skeem of her fur.
"Goodbye Rouge, sweet dreams in the nether plane.." Julia said in a croaky voice, memories of her childhood, flooding back to her. The racoon shook her head and got a hold of herself, not letting her emotions get the better of her. Julia was going to follow through with what Rouge had told her to do, reobtain four of the seven chaos emeralds. Yes she had two, but then as Rouge always said:
"If it aint complete, its nothing!" Julia held up the two emeralds, one in each hand so she could look at them. One of them glinted green, the other white. Her eyes became mystified by the gems, her mind wandering as the colours melded her mind. At that very moment, she understood why Rouge had such an intrest in these wounderess emeralds. Julia shut her eyes and her mind flooded back to her.
"Oh my..yes..I..I must do this." Julia was convinced from the emeralds' power, she should, no, she must obtain the rest of the emeralds. She knew everything she needed to know, she had the skills, and the tools. Julia ran inside the vacant home and to her quarters. She quickly took down her traveling sack and filled it with many shiney tools, wooden objects and a couple books. Lastly she picked up a rusty set of dog tags, indented into it was Julia Balana, 39, A-. Julia had always had this set of tags, ever since she can remember. She was told by an old hamster that it was her mothers, but then she was also told it was her in a previous life by a gypsy crow. Julia put it into her bag along with the gems. Julia then undid her robe and let it fall to the floor. This showed on the back of her hair she had some strands that were together that it went all the way to the floor, barely touching it. Julia was dressed in baggy purple pants, a sideways belt with two holster knotches on the lowest side. She had a matching purple top on that showed off most of her navel but had long sleeves that were abit too big. Around her neck was a pink scarf like clothing, except it was sowed around her neck so it couldnt be removed, the end of it went down to her ankles. Halfway down her tail was a leather holder that had a dager in it that had a very strange handel. Julia reached into the sack and took out a metalic thing that was obvious to hook onto an ear. She hooked it onto her right ear, she then pressed a button on it and it grew out so a long bit of metal faced her eye, a green screen grew out of it so it covered her eye compeltly. This was the Treasure Scope, a peice of mechanical genious, it could find any kind of treasure or trap if you looked in the right place, it also can pin point objects if you had something made of the same material. This particular one was brand new, having only been used once to find a missing sock. The racoon walked slowly over to two sticks on the wall, the ones she used to hit Tikal before. She grabed them both in one hand and slid them into their holsters on her belt. She then reached back and took her scarf, tieing her sack up toght to the middle of it. Julia took out the green gem and held it infront of the scaner.
"Scan!" She said clearly, a bright light flashed and it beeped. Julia put the glinting gem away and watched the screen as it brang up directions and area scematics. The racoon smiled and ran out of the door of her room and out of the home, heading toward what the screen said to be an underground passage, where the purple emerald seems to lie.

Sam had moved ahead of everyone else, trying to show he was a strong animal. Behind him was the squirl and behind him was Haru, who had her open mechanical fingure on the middle of his back. Shay was next to Haru, the unsharp curve of his sword resting on his shoulder.
"For goodness sake! Put that bloody butter knife away!" Haru said with a very anoyed voice.
"You put away that gun fingure of yours and ill do the same with my SWORD!" He huffed back at her, his beak barely moving. He let his tail of feathers go up then down, making abit of air rush onto Syaoran and Maegan who trailed the group. Syaoran held his bag close to himself, uneasy in a place with such exotic smells. Maegan had her eyes on it, her curiousity taking her over.
"Um..Syaoran? Whats in your bag?" She asked, giving into the feeling.
"My book, my glasses, my colection of sashes, a g-" Syaoran was cut off, a spear flying past his head.