Merendinoemilano: You flatter me, but I do try to make these good.
/*-*/
Dark… scary… alone. Sonic felt these things as he lived in a different style of dream. This one wasn't quite as informative as the others. Sonic wasn't a ghost in this one, just a guy, walking around… in nothing but darkness.
He called out, "Hello? Yoo-hoo, anyone there?" Sonic called out, walking through the darkness. He would have ran, but there wasn't really light, and running in the dark was not something he had good memories from doing. Far too many bruises.
Sonic turned, and started walking a different direction. It was all darkness, and as far as he could tell, empty. Sonic sighed, and kept looking around, hoping for a way out or something. This went from slightly unnerving to boring really fast.
Sonic sighed, "Alright… Can we just get to the nightmare, or something? Anything but this?" Sonic decided to pick up speed. If he hit a wall, whatever, at least he couldn't get knocked out or hungover in a dream. Sonic kept running, approaching the edged of whatever had to be his dream space.
The darkness didn't like that, and Sonic felt a shift, something was in there with him. Sonic saw a red glow that made Sonic stop. The glow split into two, making Sonic shudder in place. The two red orbs approached Sonic, slowly, like a predator coming in to attack its prey.
Sonic stepped back as they eyes approached aggressively, but Sonic decided to stand his ground. If nothing else, he could fight off this opponent and get back to the real world. If only the red orbs weren't coming so fast…
They were really picking up speed, and Sonic found himself stepping back again. The red orbs seemed to bounce as they approached, making Sonic grit his teeth… right as they stopped in front of Sonic. He got flashed of his evil wizard self from them.
Then… the world seemed to lighten. Sonic saw pointed ears… fuzzy and fluffy with grey fur. Sonic saw the muzzle from the grey fox, who's eyes were bleeding, but seemed to be more scared than sad.
"S-Sonic?" other-Tails asked, clearly surprised.
Sonic's throat caught up, "Y-you..."
"What are you doing here?" The Fox repeated, sounded so concerned for Sonic. He approached, sniffing Sonic, before Sonic heard the low purr come from the fox.
"i… uh… kind of died…" Sonic scratched his head, feeling slightly embarrassed, considering all of the work the little fox had gone through to keep him alive.
He actually felt guilty. Other-Tails had given his life for Sonic, only for Sonic to die later. Surprisingly, the little fox didn't seem so upset.
"Oh… ok, wanna play?" Other-Tails asked seemingly not fazed at all by the statement.
"I…Uh… are you ok? I just said I died." Sonic asked, slight unnerved by how carefree the fox was. The fox's purring seemed to intensify.
"I know… You can't do anything about it though, right? Besides, I wanted a friend." other-Tails smiled at Sonic.
Sonic frowned, but he opened his arms for the little guy. The fox jumped in Sonic's arms, and rubbed his face up and down Sonic's body.
Sonic smiled, and stroked other-Tails' back, the little guy was so happy and grateful, what harm would a few minutes do?
Sonic then heard a voice in his head.
Go now!
The voice sounded so thundering… it shook Sonic. "I can't stay here."
The little fox looked up at Sonic, and he immediately felt guilty. The look of sadness and betrayal in other-Tails' eyes made Sonic ache.
Then… Other-Tails frowned, "I'm supposed to keep you here. He wants you here forever. He wants you to suffer, but I would get to spend time with you… I don't want you to suffer though."
Sonic frowned, "Who?"
"The deceiver…" The fox mumbled, before smiling, sadly, "I won't keep you here, go now, and be free. Thank you for always being my friend…" Sonic felt the fur drift from his hands… as he heard purring.
Sonic's eyes creaked open. His body was covered in a cast, and everything ached all over. There was a lump that seemed to wrap around Sonic, but it was under the covers. Everything was wrapped in casts, and Sonic couldn't move.
His mouth was hooked up to a ventilator, and he immediately felt tired. His consciousness seemed to drift in and out of sleep, never seeming happy to settle in an area. The one constant was the warm on his side.
It provided a light vibration, which felt like needles through the cast around his chest. His whole body stung, and Sonic wanted to go back to sleep. He did not enjoy the annoying stinging that jabbed his chest and made his whole body hurt.
Not his whole body, actually. Sonic's legs were actually fine, no real pain or anything, just an itching feeling that seemed to sit in his calves.
Sonic opened his eyes again. It was morning, the light was just creeping through the window between curtains, and Sonic could make out a couple of shapes in the room. His mother was there, leaning against his uncle, both of them asleep… hopefully. Sonic's vision wasn't great, and the light wasn't helping.
There were a couple of other shapes, which Sonic had a hard time making out, but the thought counted…
Sonic saw a pump, filled with a creamy substance, Which seemed to go into his stomach. That made Sonic wake up a bit, but his pain was exhausting. Sonic used up all of his energy feeling freaked out, and went back to sleep. The warm vibrations were agitating and stinging.
Sonic woke up later, with the lights on, and his eyes burning.
"I just don't understand, why does this keep happening?" Sonic's mom gasped in frustration, her eyes seemed to be burning with pain.
"He'll be fine, Sonic… He's strong. He gets it from his mother." Charles seemed to joke as He hugged the dark blue hedgehog.
Sonic tried to say, "I get a lot from my mom." Instead, what came out was a light groan, with a soft pain in his chest.
The warmth on his side moved. Sonic couldn't move his head, but his eye looked down as a lump moved up the covered, and a pair of blue eyes met his. The yellow furred Fox gazed up at Sonic, who looked down at his little brother.
Sonic wasn't sure Tails knew he was awake. His eyes were barely open, which was to be expected from someone who died and came back. Sonic could hear the light whimpers from Tails, and felt the Fox's head lay on his stomach, causing it to hurt a little more than he would like.
Once the needles subsided, Sonic looked down at Tails' head resting on his casted belly. The little fox looked up to Sonic's face. Tails had been sleeping next to him for… so long.
Sonic sent commands to his fingers. They were fine… but a little slow, with every finger wiggle taking a few seconds to complete. Sonic tried to comfort the little fox with a "Hey… it's alright, I'm alright." Another wheeze came out.
Tails' ears perked up, "Sonic?"
Everyone in the room looked at the bed. Sonic saw Fiona, keeping her distance from him. She hopefully didn't blame herself. Sonic could see she was more cautious than guilty. Which meant she knew about Tails.
Sonic found himself getting stressed out. Sonic forgave the little-… the guy, but Fiona was a different story.
Sonic heard the heart monitor begin to beep aggressively. Sonic tried to ask Fiona for forgiveness, but it only came out as gasps and grunts. He was trying to keep Tails out of trouble, but why was it so hard?
"Sonic!" Tails called out, and hugged Sonic's neck, pushing his head onto Sonic's neck. Sonic gasped, his heart monitor still going ballistic.
Sonic's mom and uncle chuck both jumped forward, but then stopped, looking at his heart monitor. Sonic realized that they were worried about him, and he tried to calm down. Sonic's eyes returned to Tails, who lifted off of him with a sad, regret-filled look.
"Ok… I'll go… I'm sorry." Tails slumped, dropping down from the bed. His ears drooped with his tails slumping down as he walked towards the door slowly, seeming to look back.
Sonic grunted trying to shout for Tails to come back, using all of his strength to raise up, and try to get the fox.
"Sonic, you need to lay down!" Uncle Chuck growled, rushing over to pin Sonic down.
He didn't want Tails to think Sonic hated him. Sonic loved his brother, so much. Sonic NEEDED his brother there. Sonic struggled, trying to raise a broken form against his surprisingly strong uncle.
Fiona then walked over, and rubbed her face over Sonic's cheek, "Sonic… It'll be alright." She smiled softly at Sonic, who felt his body seem to shut down with her hand. He felt himself falling back, with his uncle trying to keep him up, and lower him down.
Bernadette looked at Sonic with concern, "Sonic… why are you so angry with Tails?" Sonic wanted her to understand that it was the opposite. "Sonic… He never left your side. Security had to remove Tails when they operated on you… Please don't push-"
The door burst open with the doctor rushing in, "HE SHOULD BE ASLEEP, GET OUT OF THE ROOM!" Doctor Quack's voice echoed in Sonic's skull, giving Sonic a firm headache. Sonic saw Nurses come in as Doctor quack got out a mask.
"Increase anesthetic to 1.15, Mr. Hedgehog, I need you to relax, and close your eyes." The Doctor's voice was so firm, and commanding. Sonic hated it, but his body was all too happy to listen. The world went silent as Sonic tasted a soft of cherry taste in the air, before the lights became fuzzy, and darkness surrounded him.
/*-*/
Frederick was… well, not over protective, as for that to be the case, there needed to be no danger. Tails had proven to Fiona that there was always danger. She never expected the little guy would have it in him. Then again, there was a lot of things she wouldn't expect.
She didn't expect for a monster to rip apart the Destructix, or to be save by a bunch of village hicks, or to be found by her long lost brother, or to forgive Sonic for a life of suffering that she had endured. She hadn't expected to rejoin the Freedom Fighters, or to rekindle a passion for her blue ex-boyfriend.
Fiona waited outside the room, with Tail slumped against Sonic's door. The idea was still not quite registering with her that the fox could become a murderer. He wasn't sorry to her, no remorse or anything in his eyes. If anything, he seemed like he regret not killing her sooner.
Then again… Fiona hadn't exactly helped their situation. She had taunted him, and embarrassed him in front of his friends. She had slapped him so long ago, and never apologized. If things were going to improve, Fiona had to take the first step.
She walked up to Tails, who was waiting at the door. Bernadette and Charles hedgehog, Sonic's family, were right in front of them. If Tails hurt Sonic… they'd react accordingly, and things would escalate. Fiona reserved that card as well. If he wasn't going to start playing nice, Fiona was going to start playing hard.
Still, she needed to start. "Tails?"
The Fox stood up, "What? He hates me, you win, congratulations." Tails growled, glaring at her with eyes full of hatred. She shivered at the sight of his furious gaze that seemed to pierce her.
"We need to talk, alone." Fiona needed to be very clear with the fox or else he might react… oddly.
Tails stood up, and held a firm gaze on her. Fiona realized he was waiting for her to lead the way, so she started walking. She went back to the supply closet, and let Tails in there.
She walked in with a hope that they could stop any future violence between the two. If he didn't agree, she would tell her brother, and Tails would be imprisoned or killed. She didn't want it, but Fiona was not going to wait for Tails to kill her. Sonic… she wasn't sure how Sonic would react, and she hoped he would never find out. Hopefully, they would resolve everything before Fiona ever needed to hurt the little fox.
Tails growled at her, "What do you want? To gloat? Screw you!" His fists were balled, and Fiona was pretty sure he was ready to fight.
"No, I don't want to gloat. I can't get between you two-" Fiona started, her voice sounding more desperate than she wanted.
"You already did!" Tails barked, his eyes tearing up, "Twice!"
Fiona shook her head, gritting her teeth, "I didn't mean to! I was not coming back to hurt you two! I came back because… I have my reasons. I want to say this: I'm sorry, for slapping you, for hurting you, for humiliating you."
Tails blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark, with a predatory view coming form them.
Fiona held out her arms, hoping for a hug, "Can we move forward? I don't want to fight with you anymore."
"Save it… you're up to something… but Sonic believes you… and I won't hurt him again!" Tails snarled, pushing past her to go back into the hallway.
Fiona was left alone in the dark. She didn't like that answer. It didn't exactly secure her safety. That left her to consider the only safe truth: locking Tails up…
/*-*/
The forest branches conceded for the Wolverine as he trudged towards the mountain. Ceawlin awaited, and Johan could use his experience. Of course, Johan felt something he was not used to feeling, an emotion that made him quite excited: Fear.
Ceawlin was quite firm in his stance, that Johan was to never return to the mountain. Ceawlin was a mask-bearing Gedriht, a title not bestowed on simple warriors. If things escalated, Johan was confident in his abilities, but all too aware of the dangers of his honor guard.
Perhaps God found humor in Johan's situation, that his former honor guard was his greatest threat in this world.
Johan felt the incline underneath his feet. He caught the scent of a traveler, walking through the woods. It was familiar, but not his enemy. A curious observer, perhaps?
If they would not attack, Johan would not either. For once, he felt a need to respect the laws of the land. Ceawlin ruled the mountain, and to break the peace without his knowledge or a fair reason was not an offense Johan wished to deal.
Johan found the pathway, and approached, again wishing to not come across as an enemy, or a schemer. The ground was soft, but clearly hand carved. Ceawlin had made this path himself, making himself clearly known, yet ignored.
Johan continued on the pathway until he saw the gateway into the monastery. The two young Rodent creatures immediately became vocal.
"Halt, you aren't allowed here!" the dark grey one stated, baring his teeth. He held up his spear with a firm and steady grip. He clearly had some discipline within him.
The paler one seemed to only hold his spear straight up, but was clearly not happy to see Johan, "You are forbidden from coming here, our Da's orders."
Johan growled, but had to acknowledge the rules of Ceawlin's domain, and pursue a more negotiable stance, "I wish to meet with Ceawlin, to discuss a proposal."
The two exchanged looks. They did not trust him, which was mildly frustrating.
The dark grey one asked, "What is it you propose?"
"I come to Ceawlin, former Gedriht for this proposal to join me in campaign, as is our custom." Johan growled, hoping to hurry the old Gedriht out.
Instead, the dark Grey rodent laughed, "What custom? You are an outcast!"
"But I am a Saxon, outcast from your tribe, but a Saxon without error." Johan affirmed, and then saw it fit to explain, "Though I am not welcome in your lands, I am still entitled to seek aid again our enemies. We deal with each other before we deal with outsiders, do we not?"
The Dark grey one looked at the pale one, before they went inside.
Johan waited for the old Wolverine to appear.
The gates opened, and the similar in size Wolverine, Ceawlin, appeared. His face was clearly displeased with Johan's presence, but Johan understood. Ceawlin crawled out towards Johan a snarl written on his face as he approached.
Johan maintained a firm, but not aggressive gaze. Ceawlin was a zealous, loyal warrior. In the mind of the Gedriht, Johan was invincible, and thus not capable of dying. It was not a foolish idea to believe that Johan was not himself, but an imposter trying to manipulate.
Still, there was no perfect way to convince Ceawlin of his honesty, not without the Saxon Crown. Still, Johan did not need to be Konigundrr for Ceawlin to aid him.
Ceawlin was followed by the two stripped rodents, and the badger girl. Ceawlin growled firmly, "You are not welcome in my lands."
Johan growled returned his growl, "I have come to seek aide in my coming battles to rule the desert. You hold the duty to aide me in those battles, as is Saxon law, and your duty as a Gedriht."
"You are not my Konigundrr!" Ceawlin growled, stamping his feet on the ground, making his stances very clear.
Johan snarled, "I am him! Do not call me a liar!" The two snarled at each other. Their claws were drawn, and foam began to leak out of their mouths. Things were getting aggressive, which was not going to help Johan at all. An injury before battle was a disaster in the making.
Johan pulled up his lips, and suppressed his growl. It was not a sign of submission, but a sign of good faith.
Ceawlin held his growl for a moment, before acknowledging Johan's restraint. He relaxed, but kept his claws out, "I will not aide you in your battle. I have obligations to protect those under my care. This mountain is my territory, and I will not abandon it for your ambition."
Johan wanted to growl and attack. He did not, however, as there was evil in such an action. If Johan were to dispute his own argument against Ceawlin, then he would side with Ceawlin. It still did nothing to prevent his desire for men.
Johan could use his slaves, but they were at work, adjusting and forging a better ship for him. Furthermore, a loss would be difficult to replace, especially in such a serious time of crisis. The Kingdom would not throw its support behind him, as they were still in the mindset of defense.
With all that being said, Johan was frustrated. Ceawlin would make any effort to control the desert rather simple, and inexpensive in terms of energy and manpower. Still, Ceawlin had his obligations, and Johan was not going to dishonor the Gedriht.
Still, Johan saw the two Rodents, and the badger. They appeared to have weapons, and were young. They required proper training an experience.
Johan growled an offer, "What of them? Are these young bloods ready for battle?"
Ceawlin's stance changed. He pushed his shoulders out to look large. He was defensive, "They are my children, which I have raised. They are not warriors to be used in combat."
"I would offer some of the loot in from battle. I only desire certain resources from the desert, all that is left is free for their taking." Johan bartered, understanding his concern. No good Saxon leader would dare bring warriors to battle without offering something for their time.
"They are not Saxons, their experience is little." Ceawlin growled, sounding rather protective.
"They need experience, do they not? I will lead them effectively, if you are so protective of their lives." Johan vowed. Obviously, Johan had no desire to waste their lives. There was no point. Furthermore, he actually found it quite invigorating to help new young to reach their full potential.
Ceawlin let out a nasal breath, before turning around, "I do not desire that they should go out to fight, but if they should choose to do so, then I cannot stop them." He walked back up the mountain, leaving the rodents and the badger.
The darker one stepped forward, his tail raised, "Da wants us to stay here, I think he knows best."
The cream one nodded, "Don't think its good for us to go out and leave here. There is much to be done."
Johan found their answers to be annoying. They weren't going to get any experience, and were going to die on the mountain without any legend being written.
"I will join you." The Badger proclaimed, raising her spear.
Johan found that to be… pleasant. He at least had one warrior to follow him.
"No, You can't. Da won't approve." The darker Rodent growled, getting in front of her.
The badger growled back, "Da said if I chose to, then I can go. I want to go out and make a legend for myself, not just sit here and stand guard, running food up and down the mountain for the rest of my life!"
Johan found himself smiling. There was a girl with ambition, she would go far in the world.
"You can't go alone!" the cream-colored rodent pleaded with her, holding out his hands.
The Badger shrugged, "I will. I am going to be the greatest warrior the world has ever seen! I'll start in the desert, then go where ever I please!" The badger cried with a fist in the air.
The darker Rodent growled, "Stoix-"
"Roht, you can't stop me! I will be remembered!" Stoix, the badger, cried out proudly.
Johan saw her enthusiasm, her drive. How he wished that every warrior in his presence had that approach. Would she be the greatest? Unlikely, as she would have to kill him, but her ambition would take her far.
The Cream rodent stepped in to avoid the growling Roht, "Please, consider waiting for Da to finish teaching you."
"I won't learn anything. He doesn't want me to be a warrior. He wants me to stay here and live a long, boring life." Stoix growled, angry and frustrated.
"Perhaps that is best." The Cream-colored elder pleaded, taking a softer, diplomatic tone, "We don't want you to get hurt. We love and care about our little sister too much."
Stoix groaned, "Life is full of pain. Didn't you listen to the stories. Johan was hurt, but never gave up, and he became a legend. Life without pain isn't fun!" Her growls turned to pleads.
Roht grumbled, "You haven't endured pain. You don't realize how much you can lose. The people we take care of lost so much to war. I won't bury your stupid hide. You can't go!" He shouted, throwing his arms.
"YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" Stoix shouted back, throwing her arms up. Johan found their arguments to be annoying. They were simply arguing and wasting time.
The Cream colored rodent pushed the two back, "Stoix, please re-consider. The desert is not a comfortable, or cool place. It gets very hot and dry, and is not good for someone who spends most of her time on the mountain."
Johan was forced to reckon with that idea. The desert would be searing, not good for someone who loved winter battles. Still, the heat would not be a problem for long.
"I am going, I am not going to waste my life on this mountain." Stoix growled, before softening her expression, "Touborn, I don't want you to worry about me. I do this of my own choice. Thank you for being a good brother to me, as to you Roht."
Johan saw for the first time, Roht, the dark rodent, actually looked sad, and tearful, before hugging his sister. Touborn embraced both of them.
Then, the two Rodents exchanged looks, before Roht finally spoke with a sigh, "We are coming."
Johan found that surprising for a moment, before it made sense. They were going to protect each other.
"Gather your things, and prepare to move out. I will provide you with armor. I will leave at Sunset." Johan stated firmly, and they nodded. The family ran back up to their mountain fortress, and gathered their gear.
They lacked effective armor, but they appeared operate as Geoguth skirmishers. Light, with a volley of javelins. The brothers appeared to be more akin to Deuguth, but lighter. Simple spearmen, but outfitted with javelins.
Johan could work with them. They set out as the sun set, Stoix seemed hesitant to continue. This warranted Johan's own concern. She needed to be focused for the fight ahead. He could not guarantee her safety fully, and if she was distracted in the middle of battle, then she would likely die to her own negligence.
"What troubles you? I do not need your aide if you will simply fall when our enemy attacks." Johan growled at her as she walked with him. The javelins swayed back and forth on her back, and Stoix glanced over at him.
"I won't hesitate, but my Da didn't want me to come. He said that I was being a fool by coming." Stoix sounded conflicted as well. Johan needed to kill that conflict before it tore her apart in the worst way possible.
"You are a fool. You seem to think that the fighting will be easy, and not challenging. That is the opposite of why we fight. We fight to be challenged, to grow and prosper. If you don't understand that, then you will not survive." Johan growled at her, which warranted her confused anger.
Stoix grumbled, "But I thought wars were easy for Saxons? Don't you conquer enemies swiftly?" She sounded so confused and angry.
Johan nodded, "We do, and we love swift victories. But true greatness comes from enemies who can last, and give us a good fight. We desire to be challenged, to grow and improve. There is no reward for simply existing." Johan left those words to her. She heard them well. She was likely told them already.
They continued until the time came to set up camp. Johan caught fish in the rivers, so rich and fertile with life. This world was beautiful where the curse of cities did not touch. Listened to the world as he allowed himself to dream.
The last of the nobles laid at his feet. The various chiefs and thegns who had gone their own way had been returned into the fold.
Johan sat on his wooden throne, gazing down at the men who held their swords over their head in submission. His nephew stood to his side, ready to with his axe to purge the traitors of their ignorance.
Perhaps he felt merciful, the vice had surfaced after fighting his fellow Saxons. Perhaps, he wanted to assert his power. Regardless, Johan waved his hand, and Odacer rested his axe on the ground.
"Enough blood has been shed between us. You know my power, my strength and will, you will not dare to betray me." Johan waved his hand at the men, "Your lands will be shrunk, but not seized entirely. You will be free to rule as you see fit, but you will aide me with men. If the people act against you, then you will be at their mercy."
The chiefs looked outraged, but they dared not reject his generous offer.
Johan waved his hand at them, "Go now, prepare for war."
The chiefs left his presence, leaving Johan with his nephew and retainers.
Odacer was not pleased, "Why did you let them live? They were weak, arrogant and foolish. They chose to fight you rather than submit."
"I do not have the patience to create feuds and deal with them. I will let them learn from their weakness, and in time, they will be grateful for my lessons. There are other reasons, it is an administrative burden to replace all who defied me. I will see who was foolish, and who was a traitor by the end of this. If they betray our people again, then I will deal with them accordingly." Johan drew his black Zwiehander, the Saxon crown of Will.
Johan opened his eyes. Parts of his dream felt… off. It was frustrating, to deal with cowards and the weak, but it would pass. He had new thegns to make, new Gesith and warriors to elevate.
They continued to his ship, where Johan was greeted by Ezra, "Who are these people?"
"They are my followers, I trust we have enough armor for them?" Johan growled at her. He had asked for several pieces of armor to be ready by his return.
"We were expecting a lot of men. This is four people." Ezra seemed to laugh. She seemed to underestimate his ability to lead.
"Actually, try ten." A familiar voice called out. Johan turned to find Gewis standing there, with a few men by his side.
"Hmmm, have you come to join me?" Johan asked, pleasantly surprised that a man of will would come to serve under him.
"Sally noticed your movement, and asked me to keep an eye on you." Gewis stated, but there was more underneath.
"You're a spy for the civilized!" Stoix growled, drawing her spear. Johan put his leg between them.
"Do you lie to me?" Johan growled, sniffing the air, smelling his doubt and conflict.
"I asked to come." Gewis growled and sighed, pointing at the men "They wanted to come too. You are crazy, but you're also the only one who seems to know how to get us out of a slump. So I'll join you, and maybe we can finally get rid of Eggman, once and for all."
Johan smiled, "That is good. Prepare yourself with new armor. We will leave in two days." Things were going quite well for Johan. He would keep winning, regardless of the world's weak attempts to stop him.
/*-*/
The journey has begun. Conflict is brewing. Sonic is in the hospital. All in good fun.
So, we begin the lovely arc I've decided to call, "The Desert Fox." For reasons that will become apparent after a while.
So leave a review and tell me what you thought, or private message me and I will respond.