Alright everyone, it's about time for another story! This one is a little different than you're probably used to from me, but I hope you'll all enjoy it regardless! Before we officially begin however, I'd like to give a huge shout-out to the people of the r/milesprower Discord! Feel free to come check us out! I'd also like to thank DoomFox, Irritable Fabulamancer, and UntoDelirium for helping me edit and come up with this idea, they're all amazing writers! Now without further interruption, let's get started!

Feral Bonds

Introduction

Day 1:

I might as well begin my notes by explaining myself. I am renowned geneticist Ivo Robotnik, and I have been entrusted with the care of a collection of odd animals. On another note, many universities have gone to calling me Eggman, due to a particular incident in my younger years that I'd rather not put the details of here. Back to the subject at hand however… All of these animals have some method of genetic defect, and I've been instructed to examine their behavior and see what findings I can procure…

The list of included animals are as follows:

A small hedgehog with azure spines, seemingly average size and notably energetic, rather clever and evasive. It was quite difficult to catch him in order to obtain a blood sample.

A common household feline, albeit with an oddly colored lavender pelt. Rather difficult to gather a blood sample due to her aggressive nature. Gave me quite a scratch before I calmed her down.

A rose-colored hedgehog, seemed somewhat disinterested in me and more intrigued by the azure hedgehog from earlier, maybe the two of them are mates? I'll put them together tonight and explore my findings.

A bright red echidna, which is especially interesting as he was the only one of the group that had an item with him. He is very protective of a small emerald that was in his cage upon delivery. He seemed to actively resist any attempts I made to test him and gets rather distressed when not near the emerald. I'll keep watch on him to maybe figure out more about this odd behavior.

The final specimen is a bat, it appears to be suffering from a form of albinism. It was difficult to gather any information on this specimen in particular, due to its nocturnal nature. I'll have to study them more tomorrow when I have more time available…

Sonic hated cages. There was just something about them that made him despise being locked up like this. But still, here he was, and for the time being, he wasn't going anywhere. He'd been in cages for most of his life to be honest, always being studied and subjected to all manner of tests. He'd gotten good at evading the scientists who wanted to study him however, and it was entertaining to see their reactions to his slippery tendencies. Despite this, he knew he would be unable to escape them forever, and as such, eventually allowed them to capture him. The keyword being allowed... Though it seemed now that the man was trying to do something else with him.

Burrowing into the fluffy material that lined the bottom of his cage, he expertly evaded the scientist's grip. He could sense the hand groping around trying to find him. All the while the hedgehog laughed internally. He peeked his head out to look. Only to have to dart away again as the man gripped at him once more. Eventually however, he submitted and allowed himself to be picked up. Where he was going, he wasn't sure, but he figured it would be better than his cage.

The scientist carried him across the room and set him in another cage, only this time, he wasn't alone...

"Sonic..." Another voice spoke, his blood ran cold as he'd recognized it.

"Hey Amy... Looks like they put me in here on accident! I'll be going now!" He responded, taking a glance at the rose hedgehog before turning to the entryway of the cage, only to find it latched shut from the outside. "Aw crap..." He thought aloud. He instantly moved to dart away from the other hedgehog, who was now pursuing him throughout the cage.

"You can't run away from me forever Sonic!" She said, "We're destined to be together!"

Sonic mentally sighed to himself... This was going to be a long night...

Day 2:

As a note, the azure and rose hedgehogs are not mates. The cameras I had set for the night show footage of the rose one pursuing the other throughout their enclosure for most of the night. This action seemed to cause much distress to the azure hedgehog, who has spent most of the day asleep and recovering from the events of last night.

The behavior of most of the other subjects is normal as one might think, though I have decided to make an attempt at giving some of these animals names so that I might differentiate them more easily in my notes. I have gone to calling the azure one Sonic, due to his quick and reclusive nature when it comes to testing. I have also obtained more information concerning the feline specimen. She was recovered after a house fire and was the only survivor of the disaster. In this case, I have gone to calling her Blaze. A name befitting not only her history but fiery temperament.

I also had the opportunity to study more of our bat friend and gathered that she's quite the scavenger. Managed to snatch my pen while I wasn't paying attention. I'll have to think of a name for the other three subjects, though that can wait for another time. I am scheduled to receive another set of them early tomorrow.

Sonic was exhausted, he'd spent most of the night running away from Amy, and thus, had spent most of his day catching up on missed sleep. At the very least he was now rested and fully awake and energetic for the day. He figured that he'd grow more adjusted to his new surroundings, though the scientist that watched over him seemed to have other plans. Once he'd woken up, he'd been subjected to all manner of tests involving things such as his fitness and being given a thorough examination, but not before he'd had his fun evading the scientist once again.

This time however, it seemed he wasn't alone in his testing, as another red animal of sorts was with him. The animal seemed concerned, though it wasn't about Sonic, but something else. Maybe he just didn't like to be tested? Either way Sonic had his fun running around the desk when the scientist wasn't looking, much to his overseer's annoyance. Still, it gave him his daily dose of entertainment, and that was nice. The cage, while it was his personal space, left him sort of feeling cramped and lonely, and he found himself actually longing for the scientist's visits.

Maybe there'd be something for him soon, but for now, he figured he'd just continue on messing with the scientist and occasionally allowing himself to be subjected to a test or two.

Day 3:

I have received a set of five new animals. The list of included specimens are as follows:

A curiously colored black and red hedgehog, is a bit more aggressive than the other ones I have seen so far, but is still rather easy to keep track of and contain like the rest.

A white hedgehog, this seems to be the final of this species I will be receiving, though it makes me curious as to why this specific type of animal is more prone to genetic mutations. Never the less this creature seems much more docile than the others are, though that doesn't mean I can just ignore him.

A pair of rabbits, seemingly a mother and her offspring, though I am curious as to why there is only one. Another curious feature of them is that they seem to be capable of eating meat, unlike what would usually be expected of their species. More analysis of this behavior is necessary.

Our final specimen appears to be a rather unusual orange fox with a white muzzle and stomach. While the color is much more vibrant than I'm used to, the more pressing oddity is the presence of tails... Plural... Two large orange tails with white tips are present behind the animal. It seems shy and timid, and it was difficult to get it to cooperate for a sample of DNA. Though it did seem somewhat curious at its surroundings...

Another pressing concern is the fact that this fox is a predator, and could potentially view the other specimen as prey. As such, it will be contained in a secure cage away from the other animals. I will have to keep a close watch on this one...

Sonic was running around in his cage. It was late at night, but he didn't mind. He rarely got tired anyway so it wasn't really a problem for him. He could tell there was movement in a few of the other cages near him, which he suspected were the other hedgehogs, but he had no way to be sure.

As he went to make what was probably his tenth lap of his cage tonight, he heard an odd sound, almost like the sound of the door creaking open. Which was odd as the scientist visited in the morning, and not this late into the night. He couldn't get a good glimpse of the entryway from his position on the table however, so figuring out what had caused the noise would be difficult.

He could hear what sounded like quiet footsteps on the floor, and there were a lot more than two feet present. The rest of the animals were asleep as far as he was aware, so he had no idea as to what could be creating that noise. As he pushed himself up to the bars to contemplate however, the footsteps grew closer to his cage until they stopped at the base of the table it was on. Sonic's heart rate increased; he wasn't sure what was out there, but it scared him nonetheless.

Then suddenly, Sonic found himself face to face with an animal as it leaped up onto the chair and finally the desk. He felt pure fear fill his veins as he stared down the orange muzzle and into the two blue eyes and shadowy figure of a fox...

Alright everyone, that's it for today! Sorry about the short chapter, but the serious fluffiness will start next chapter! I hope you all still enjoyed it! Leave a review with your thoughts and feel free to check us out on r/milesprower! Until next time!