Chapter Three

Perched on the highest ledge in the centre of the bat's home was Chiroptera's base of operations. Countless pieces of yellow parchment were tacked to the walls. Jobs were assigned to every member of the colony from hunter gatherers to child care. There were hundred of names recorded including deaths and births. Chiroptera had always taken a keen interest in her people, it was important for their organisation. Everyone had a place and everyone pitched in, no exceptions. Rouge could saw her name circled in red ink and underlined several times.

It had been four years since the care free bat had last laid eyes on her the old chieftain. She looked battered and weather worn. Her once white furry body had faded to a dirty grey and her face was lined, heavy with wrinkles. The one thing that never changed however was the look of disgust she held whenever Rouge was in close range.

"So where exactly have you been all this time? Scaris had quite a job tracking you down."

"It was you who sent Scaris after me. He's been tracking my movements for months – my ex fiancé who has absolutely nothing to do with me anymore. What the hell possessed you? I've made a new life for myself and I am quite content living without you and the blasted colony!"

"Oh yes that's right, the famous treasure hunter and government spy, seducing and stealing jewels - aren't you living the high life?" The bat leader raised her spectacles even higher up her pointy nose and studied the younger bat with intense contempt. "You act and look like a whore, my grand daughter - a common tart and a thief!"

"At least I'm free." Rouge cried out flushing red with anger. Why had she come back? She knew this would happen families are the worst things to run away from. They have a habit of coming back to haunt you. She shook her head. No, this was going to be the last time. She'd been right to leave smothering herself in the chains her grandmother was so keen to hand over would only have turned her into a hollow shell.

"What do you mean by that nonsense? You've had your little holiday but now you are going to take up your duties and conform. How dare you run away leaving me with such a burden at my age! If your mother Kathleen could see you now - the Rouge Bat freak show. I can only imagine her shame bringing you up properly with manners and for what, to be betrayed and spat upon?"

Chiroptera had spread her grey crumbled wings to full span. Her deceptively fragile looking frame now towered over Rouge, as a teacher does to a child being taught a valuable lesson. Her hazel eyes burned, twisting and swirling like the flames inside a furnace as she barked out more words of venom.

Rouge folded her arms and smiled back at the old bat. It was surprisingly easy to let the words wash over her they were nothing but the ramblings of an old woman.

"You want me to produce a kid for the bloodline, Scaris wants my inheritance, the colony wants someone to shout at them and what exactly do I gain from this arrangement? Nothing I actually desire to have!"

Chiroptera felt suddenly weary, Rouge was as strong and stubborn as her mother. She couldn't believe that once upon a time they had all been so close.

"Don't be so dramatic. I appreciate that your mother should be sitting where I am but she isn't. That is a fact of life. Scaris is your future, the colony needs you both otherwise chaos will ensue. A new feud to claim the rights of a new bloodline would spell disaster. You can see for yourself that my end is coming and I can't carry on like this forever! Rouge, you were selfish and a child back then but you can still turn things around."

"Scaris is a bastard and completely unsuitable to be anything but a bully and a tyrant," she growled, "I never liked tradition and I certainly don't intend to start following it now. Marrying Scaris isn't an option and I only came back to finish severing the ties with the colony once and for all. You can think bitchy thoughts and even try good old emotional blackmail but, the truth is you're just jealous because I had the bite to leave first."

Chiroptera slapped her grand daughter across the face, it stung.

Rouge backed away still smirking but nursing her already throbbing cheek. Perhaps she gone too far this time but then it felt so very satisfying. It had been worth all the trouble just to see that her grandma was in fact capable of losing her cool. She was just an ordinary bat after all. It felt strange, like a bubble had just popped. An ordinary bat how could that be? As a youngster Rouge had looked up to her like a god.

"What of this… echidna you have brought with you?" Chiroptera snarled.

"All you care about is your retirement, so if Scaris disappears then you can choose another heir"

Chiroptera suddenly froze. She realised the loophole that the cocky bat was trying to exploit. Of course if Rouge fought Scaris and won it would be a direct challenge for leadership and she would stand down. However if a challenger was willing to dispose of Scaris on behalf of the tricky little bitch, a new heir could indeed be chosen. Rouge would be free to go and never return.

"Whatever you're scheming it won't work. You will have a very hard time convincing Scaris to simply disappear," Chiroptera's sharp gaze had returned. It probed and burrowed relentlessly seeking the truth and at this moment it had reached the conclusion of a sceptic, "besides that echidna hasn't the faintest idea what's going on does he?"

Rouge's eyes opened wide for only the slightest moment but it was enough to see Chiroptera's nod of confirmation. She was plotting another way to make her grand daughter extremely uncomfortable. Rouge may have abandoned the colony but her grandmother wasn't about to make her exit that easy.

"Fine tell him, tell him the truth so he can see what a worthless, traitorous coward you really are. I can not believe that after all this time you still haven't grown up! GET HER OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

As Rouge prepared to launch into a full scale protest she was removed from the hut and rather unceremoniously dumped outside. She was outraged, tell Knuckles about her past? No way! Feeling the stare of Chiroptera boring into her skull she picked herself up and gave her dear grandma a two fingered salute. Then she slowly dragged her way back to the stream where Knuckles was no doubt impatiently waiting.

The colony hadn't changed all that much, the nursery roosts were a hive of activity with young pups taking their first hesitant flaps into the air. A particularly nervous male brushed against Rouge's head as he made contact with the jagged rocky wall. She sniffed with disgust, remembering her first flight and how impeccable it was. Her mother had been an excellent teacher, one of the few things she actually got right. Then of course there was the cave in and everything had changed.

She could see him now, hunched over trying to skim pebbles across the stream. He wasn't very good his current pebble had plummeted to the bottom with a heavy 'thunk'. Rouge picked up another pebble and felt its smoothness. She skimmed the stone. It skipped right across the other side and landed perfectly – she still had the touch.

The echidna turned around, "Show off," he said grinning.

The bat sat down a few metres away and remained silent. Something was obviously wrong she looked deflated. Knuckles couldn't help but admire her even now. She was completely different to all the women he had ever met. His sheltered life on the island had denied him the experience or sight of the female form. Strange but powerful emotions had awakened since Rouge had exploded into his life. He had no idea what they meant and it scared him. The flip side of feeling like this was that he had never felt so alive. The master emerald was important but looking after a hunk of rock was a chore. He hated to admit it but having his routine thrown out the window felt good.

"How are the ribs?"

Rouge's hands instantly flew to her chest they still hurt but in the conflict with Chiroptera she had forgotten all about them. He'd just taken it all in his stride, no idea that Scaris was a maniac and wouldn't think twice about carving him up with his dagger. Scaris was obsessed and Rouge didn't like to think that she might be frightened of what he was capable of but it stuck out at the back of her mind. She wondered what sort of lover Knuckles would be and then felt her heart twinge. He hated lies and she was just full of them, it would be impossible.

"I need a favour," she began, "a big favour."

"I don't usually do favours for people who lie to me. They tried to throw me in the stream by the way – but do you care? No!"

Rouge smiled painfully. She was struggling now not usually being the type of person who went for straight talk. It was rather difficult to make the echidna understand without unravelling her family business. She felt physically sick unable to wear her 'Rouge' mask. She needed help but didn't have the faintest idea how to ask for it.

"Oh heck," she swallowed hard. He was looking at her again, she had to tell him, "I do care but I also need that favour. I need you to beat Scaris in a little fight for me."

Rouge wrapped her arms around herself and scowled. It was all so terribly unfair they were pretty evenly matched. Her height and lower body strength were fantastic advantages it would be over so very quickly except… if she wanted to be free of this place for good it wasn't the way to go.

"Are you trying to get away from Scaris?" Knuckles suddenly asked. His amethyst eyes were shining in the dim light, his handsome features clouded with confusion. "You took a bit of a knock back there you don't usually let people beat you up. What's going on, Rouge?"

"I just need you to do it." She gasped and then immediately turned away in embarrassment, she hadn't meant to sound so breathless. He was trying to be the knight in shining armour and she, forced to take the role of damsel in distress hated every minute. If she told him the truth what would he say? He'd been entrusted to guard the master emerald, his duty and his responsibility. Would he understand if she told him that she had run away from hers? She felt a hand on her shoulder, startled she locked eyes with the echidna.

At length she finally began her story, slowly at first. She talked about Chiroptera, the colony and Scaris watching every nod and movement he made. He seemed to be taking it all quite well there was no anger or judgement he just listened. Rouge had never spoken to anyone this way before the relief hit her like a wave. She sped up unable to stop herself her words like water pouring from a jug.

Throughout Knuckles got the distinct impression the bat was telling him some pretty personal stuff. It was just that he hardly understood two words of it. What was a traitor? What did all this talk of hierarchies and emotional blackmail mean? Rouge wanted to be a treasure hunter not a princess that was the bottom line. She was having family trouble that made sense. She didn't want to be forced to marry Scaris and for some daft reason couldn't fight him herself. He rubbed his temples softly his brain was beginning to hurt. If he wanted to get home by tonight he would have to teach Scaris a lesson first.

"Come on," he said with a deep sigh. "I can't be the best treasure hunter in the world if I've got no one to compete against right?"

Rouge leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the forehead. Before Knuckles knew what had happened she giggled and took off into the air.