Air whistled in Sonic's ears and whipped in his face. He tumbled through the sky, grasping for something, anything, but all he caught were clouds. The light pulsed in and out of his mind; one moment he was Sonic, frightened and confused and trying to gain control of the situation, the next it was there, at once laughing with exhilaration and shaking with fury. As he drew closer to the Earth, breath whipped from his lungs, his mind faded, and Sonic blacked out.
It filled the empty space. Fully in control now, the creature calmed its rage. There would be time enough for revenge later. It spread its wings, slowly, cautiously, hating how careful it had to be, how fragile this form was. But there would be time for it to grow stronger. In the end, he, whatever he called himself, would make a fine ally. But first, it had to make sure he survived the fall.
Closer and closer to Earth it fell, slower now. White light reached up and surrounded it, further protecting it. It looked down, eyes landing on the closest landmass. There—that place was near trees, and water. Life liked that, right?
At the sight of the green, his mind snapped to full consciousness again, surging forward in an attempt to regain control. The two minds struggled briefly before the light let him take over. His wings, no longer under the control of someone who knew how to use them, were blown back uselessly, and he crashed into the dirt.
Sonic regained consciousness to find himself already walking. He shook his head, trying to clear the fuzz. Something felt off. He blinked rapidly, trying to focus, but it only made him dizzy. He didn't get dizzy…
He kept walking. He didn't know why. The light lapped at his mind like waves on the shore, one moment controlling him, the next humming at the back of his consciousness. At one point he started running, and at another he stopped, not wanting to draw attention from the town… Town? When had he reached a town? He shook his head again, more vigorously this time, and looked up at the sky. The sun was going down, and with it, the light in his head was dimming.
Red streaks in the sky faded into the cool blues of night. The moon gleamed down, cold and clear. Sonic jumped with a start like he'd just woken up, looking around wildly. He reached up and touched one of his ears. Perfectly fine… How was he perfectly fine? He'd fallen from space.
Something flitted at the edge of his attention, distracting him. He squinted, but couldn't see anything in the dim light. Shrugging, he stored away his confusion for another day—or never, really—and started running, shoes kicking up leaves and dirt.
The sizable town was made up of sleek white buildings with cobbled roads wrapping around them. One or two large windmills stood guard. Waves softly rushed in and out on a nearby beach. Salty wind ruffled his quills, warm and wet. Light glowed in every window. Nobody stirred.
Something moved out of the corner of his eye. Sonic slowed, glancing around. He didn't see anything, but anyone could be hiding in the deep shadows cast by the archaic street lights. He picked up his pace again, not in the mood for a fight. He was tired enough as it was.
No one was around and he couldn't read the signs, so he settled beneath a tree. Suited him better than any hotel could, and he didn't have money with him, anyway. He curled into a ball and slowed his breathing, lowering his eyelids but not quite closing them. Not yet.
Waves lapped. Wind blew the tree above him, and it almost seemed like he was just being paranoid… Almost. He fought away a grin as two round, glowing green eyes appeared out of the darkness, reflecting the starlight as they drew slowly closer. They weren't robotic, certainly. In the moonlight, he could just make out pointed ears and and a long, thin body. It moved warily, back arched like a cat's, ready to run at the slightest threat. Sonic didn't give it the chance.
A gloved hand—those were pretty scratched up, he'd need a new pair—shot out and grabbed the creature behind the head. It thrashed, hissing, as he leapt to his feet.
"Let me go," it—she—snarled as he studied his pursuer. He jerked in surprise, dropping her, and without another sound she spread bat-like wings and darted back into the shadows.
I've never seen someone like that. He watched for a moment, hoping the creature would come back, but when she didn't he shrugged and curled up again. There was always the morning.