Two days later...
Sonic sat back against the entrance of the cave. What was taking his friends so long? It should be easy to find him and plan a recuse.
He was getting even more bored then he was at Chris's house. And in the wood like environment of this fake habitat was making it harder to ignore the animal urges. Even when he was his hedgehog self.
Like what was going on right now, while Sonic was thinking he didn't even notice that one of his legs was scratching a itch on a ear.
Eggman watched though a hidden camera in a tree nearby. "Just as I predicted. His transformation is slowly affecting his mind and soon the changes will come to be too far gone to reverse."
"Doctor."
He turns around to see Decoe and Bocoe. "What is it?"
"We got what you wanted." Decoe held up a cardboard box marked 'Live Animals'
"Excellent." Eggman smiled. "Now I want you to skip the hedgehog's lunch, wait till the evening and his transformation is done. Then you let the 'surprise' loose."
"Yes Sir."
"And make sure Bokkun doesn't find it and set it free."
Both bots nods.
"When's that poor excuse for lunch coming?" Sonic tapped his foot. "I know the food stinks but it's better then nothing. ."
Man did he miss Chili Dogs...he drew a picture in the dirt and looked at it. There was a grumble and grow of his stomach just agreeing as well.
"And some chips, cookies and soda would be great too." Each of them were drawn on the ground. "Man...I'm wishing I was stuck in the house, at least I could snack there anytime I wanted. I could cook up some bacon too." Sonic brushed away the other food and drew it down then stared.
Hours pass...
Sonic had to go though his transformation yet again.
It still was painful but...
It didn't seem to hurt as much as it did...Each change brought less and less pain at the cost on occurring earlier and earlier.
"And sooner or later.." Sonic grumbled resting his head in his hands, being careful of his claws. "I'm going to be stuck as this hairy thing."
What was the poor guy going to do.
He sighs and lays back down in the dirt, with nothing to do and no plan...
~"Sir he's changed"~
~"Then let out the surprise."~
"What was that?" Sonic's eyes shot up, there was a small noise nearby.
Was it Eggman? Or the bucket heads with the food he's been waiting for?
Whatever it was it was coming closer, that's when Sonic's senses turn on and curiosity kicks in.
The instincts flowed into his body in a torrent of pent up emotions, like a river breaching a dam that had been holding it back. Sonic could do nothing to stop it. As frightened as he was by this new force fighting to wrest away control from him, Sonic felt himself becoming more curious. Not only was he interested in the enticing aroma he'd detected, but he wondered what it would feel like to simply give in to his animal urges. He'd been fighting them for so long and was admittedly growing tired of the constant struggle. "Besides", he told himself,"I don't even know what will happen. Maybe it won't be that bad."The werehog didn't bother to notice that his thoughts were already being influenced. A tiny, yet persistent, voice encouraged Sonic to let go and simply allow his transformed self to do what came natural to him.
Without another thought about the consequences, Sonic gave himself over to his instincts.
Sonic's sensitive nose quivered and the werehog lifted himself up slightly on his toes to get a better whiff of the scent that had caught his full attention. A host of images flashed through his mind. First a fuzzy image of a tree came up, followed shortly by an image of the grass around him, then the cave. Confused, Sonic tried to figure out the reason for the mental slideshow as his body continued to sniff the air. As he inhaled again, the werehog realized he was automatically matching images to whatever scents his nose detected. Suddenly, Sonic pictured a rabbit. He could pick up the subtle musk of the hare as well as the stink of its anxiety at being released in an unfamiliar territory.
The werehog's long tongue rolled across his fangs and mouth, moistening his lips in anticipation. Already a pool of saliva had built up. Sonic had been feeling the steady cramping pain that accompanied hunger but now it increased ten-fold as another wave of rabbit scent entered his nostrils. It growled and gurgled to remind the werehog that it was running on empty and needed to be filled soon.
Sonic noticed that the rabbit's odor had diminished and he felt a pang of disappointment that it had left. Dropping onto all fours, Sonic sample a few quick sniffs to determine the rough direction in which the scent had been coming from then quickly and silently dashed away into the forest. He couldn't let the bunny escape.
Weaving through the undergrowth and brambles that littered the dim forest floor, Sonic maintained his heading, guided by the scent. He'd mentally tuned out all other smells to avoid distractions. The werehog's excitement mounted. The odor had grown far stronger and despite the rabbit's nervousness, it wasn't afraid meaning it hadn't detected the werehog's strong aroma. He knew that ignorance wouldn't last. Sonic had been living in this habitat long enough that his scent would be all over the place.
The only reason the bunny hadn't discovered his presence yet was because this was an unfamiliar environment for it and it wasn't used to the new scents and sights. It would adjust soon and figure out that it wasn't alone.
Sonic's sharp eyes sighted a metal cage lying partially hidden beneath a tree nearby. He slowed and stopped. Cautiously, he approached warily in case the fat human or his mechanical helpers, which would mean it could be a trap, had placed this device there. Sonic couldn't smell the human's noxious aroma though. However, the cage reeked of the rabbit's scent. It had been in this cage then released. He saw that the dirt around the trap had been disturbed and a set of footprints to and from where it lay. He easily put two and two together and realized that the rabbit had been delivered then freed for him to hunt.
The werehog snarled in frustration then crushed the cage with a fist. He wanted to hunt, not to be fed. Sonic toned out the rabbit's scent, which was weakening again, and turned his back to the ruined cage and moved to return to the cave and rest. His stomach grumbled again. Sonic clutched at his empty gut weakly and turned his nose back to the direction he'd been headed. He could now see a small set of tracks leading from where the cage had sat off into the woods. That was where the scent was coming from. The werehog had become too hungry to stave off feeding any longer just to sate his pride. Food came first right now.
Sonic picked up the trail where he'd left off and continued to pursue his prey through the maze of trees. The werehog recalled that the stream lay in this direction. He mentally berated himself for not guessing earlier that the rabbit would head for water to sate its thirst having been caged for what most likely had been a long time.
He didn't have to travel much farther before his ears discerned the familiar sound of water gushing over rocks and splashing against branches or other obstructions that had fallen into the creek. Sonic's eyes were nearly watering with how strong the hare's aroma was now. It was very close.
Sonic moved swiftly and with uncanny silence considering his size until he reached a leafy bush that offered a view of the clearing the stream ran through. His fur coat kept the leaves that brushed against him from making any noise as he hid inside the bush. Slowly, Sonic parted a branch and peered out of his lookout.
By the edge of the stream a tiny trickled of water broke off from the main flow and ran into a small puddle. A grey rabbit sat calmly at the puddle, sipping a few drinks. It was well fed and it's body showed that well. Sonic could make out the lines that defined its strong back legs and there were no ribs showing on its sides that were most likely thick with fat.
The werehog remained motionless, enjoying the sensation of stalking his first meal. Sonic decided not to break the moment and instead to wait and revel in this new feeling for a bit longer.
Suddenly the rabbit raised its head and sniffed the air. It froze instantly.
Sonic immediately detected the shift in the small forest creature's odor as the powerful stench of fear became dominant. It knew he was here.
The werehog's hunting instincts kicked into overdrive at the thought that his prey might get away before he could make his move. Sonic growled and broke cover. His strong legs carried him half the distance to the rabbit with one leap and from there he dashed towards his prey.
Surprised by the appearance of the monstrous predator, the rabbit scrambled to flee but slipped up in the mud. This would be its last mistake.
Sonic reached the rabbit before it could get its feet back under it. He slashed at the creature and felt his long claws hook under the fur on its back then continue to pierce into it until he struck the spinal chord. Still snagged on Sonic's claws, the rabbit was helpless as it continued to flail violently. The werehog picked up the rabbit and threw it against a nearby tree. Its small skeleton shattered upon impact and the hare died instantly.
The werehog didn't pause to see if the rabbit indeed was dead as hunger overruled all thoughts of what he'd just done. Sonic fell upon the creature's carcass. His fangs easily tore into the rabbit's meat. He tore off the front leg, chewed a few times, and then swallowed it whole, bone and all. The second front leg followed shortly.
As he continued to devour the rabbit, Sonic felt his hunger lessening slightly. However his desire for the meat increased. He wanted more of this. His body was weak and he needed nourishment no matter what it came from.
Sonic's hands became slick with blood. The remainder of the carcass slipped from his hands and landed with a sickening splat on the dirt. Annoyed, the werehog reached down for the body then stopped.
A pair of tiny eyes stared lifelessly at him. Even in death the rabbit's face remained frozen in the last emotion it had experienced as its life was taken from it. It looked both surprised, and fearful. Sonic couldn't help but notice the look of innocence. This rabbit had been thrust into a cage, taken from its home, then released into Sonic's cage to feed on. It hadn't had a chance. This irritated Sonic's predator instincts. He wanted a fair hunt, not to be handed food.
That wasn't what bothered him most though. Sonic's conscious began to surface and he examined the corpse with eyes that weren't clouded by hunger. In that rabbit's innocent face, Sonic was reminded of Tails. His horror mounted at what he'd done.
Sonic stepped back from the rabbit but couldn't tear his eyes away from the bloody mess. He realized that this easily could have been Tails or any other of his friends.
That tiny growl piped up in his mind again whispering to him, tempting him to finish off what little remained of the carcass. Then it urged him to find more food. His stomach growled. Sonic saw his hands. His claws were painted with a fresh coat of gore and the light fur on his hands had been dyed red. What's wrong with me!? What am I doing?!
The werehog forced himself to run. He didn't care where he ran he wanted to get as far away from his guilt as he could. Instinct guided him towards the only safe place he knew, the cave.
Thank you Thillofthehunt for writing the hunting scene you did great!
*Darker Side of Me by Veer Union just may be the theme song for this fanstory
Please send me ideas..Read and Reveiw!
I'm also thinking of doing cover art, or looking for someone who would for me.
