"I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are, come back down
And I won't tell 'em your name."
Only a few weeks had passed into the pair's exile and Adabat was still just as underwhelming as anyone could imagine. Hot, blistering heat. A disgusting, salty breeze that constantly blew through the air, always getting into the deepest portions of your fur. To top it all off, the sand was the worst of it by far. In fact, Infinite the Jackal was getting a big taste of it right now.
Today was the day he attempted to attack the helpless young hedgehog; it did not go according to plan. His idea to ambush Amelia had been unsuccessful, if you could believe. One second the jackal was coming in for the kill, and the next thing he knew, a giant hammer met him square in the gut and was sent flying through the air, ultimately faceplanting in the sand. Amelia sat on a boulder nearby to where Infinite laid sprawled out and in pain, his pride and ribs bruised all the same. The pink hedgehog was waiting for an apology to arise from the canine; all she was met with were soft groans of pain and the periodical spitting of sand.
"Serves you right for trying to attack me, you jerk," Amelia yells after a short time.
Infinite gave a weak growl in response. The hedgehog scoffed and hopped off her rock, making her way over to Infinite. The two still needed to get water from the river before the sun went down. The young girl looked down at the canine and gave him a nudge in his side, earning her a loud snarl.
"You're an absolute savage, oh my goodness," Amelia sighed, speaking in that high, nasally voice Infinite despised with a passion. "I didn't even hit you that hard! Consider yourself lucky!"
Infinite took in a shaky breath as he lifted his head to look at her. "You- Went e-easy on me…?"
"Technically, no. But I didn't hit you as hard as I've hit others. Just know that you could have been much worse off than you are right now." She crossed her arms as she finished her last sentence, walking away from him as she did so. The jackal let his head fall back into the sand, groaning once again. How weak he had become, he thought to himself. Slowly but surely, Infinite picked himself off the ground and his eyes shot to the hedgehog.
Amelia was picking up the water pails they had been using to collect water from the river that was deep in the jungle just ahead of them. She was starting her way down the path, leaving him behind. Having no excuse as to not go with her, he just silently followed her. He did not feel bad for attacking her, but he was certainly regretting it right about now. Ever breath he took felt as if his entire chest was a popping, crackling fire. Every step he took definitely did not ease the pain, no matter how soft the advancement he made.
By first glance, Amelia did not look like she was capable of delivering a blow as powerful as she had given him. The young hedgehog looked about as strong as a newborn child. As embarrassed as he felt about the whole ordeal, he had to admire her strength. He studied her as she walked ahead of him, obviously frustrated. Amelia was very upset that he had tried to attack her. Certainly he wasn't stupid enough to actually think he could have bested her in a fight? Apparently he had. Why else would G.U.N. actually have agreed to let her take on the job of rehabilitating and reforming him? Now he was just silently following her, perhaps he was in thought as well. Maybe he might even be planning to apologize to her.
The two soon made it to the river, further walking down to the spot Amelia had chosen as their water collecting spot. Amelia carefully stepped foot on the rocks, kneeling down onto the soft, grassy moss that covered them. The hedgehog scooped water into the few pails she had and just as quickly brought them back up. She brought the buckets up to the rocks, careful not to let them slip on the moss there, picked them up, and went back on the path towards the hut without so much as a word to Infinite.
He watched her pass him, raising his hand to offer her help but dropped it as soon as he asked himself why he cared at all. The jackal lowered his tail anyways and followed her, a few paces behind as always. When they made it back to the hut, the sun was already setting. Pinks and oranges bleeding into one another with large, fluffy clouds to accent the hues. The waves from the beach nearby were an added to the beach aesthetic that Amelia loved so dearly.
She wished that the two had gotten back sooner so that she did not have to fish in the dark. Life always had a way of changing her plans, she though as she stole a glimpse of her jackal companion. He was making himself useful by stacking wood together for the fire they were to start soon. Amelia grabbed her fishing net and bait, making her way her way down to the beach. Infinite watched as she left, turning his attention back to the wood he was stacking as soon as she was out of sight. She left him alone. The hedgehog must have finally given up on trying to be friendly with him since he had been declining her amiable advances since day one on this stupid island. It also meant that she trusted him not to run away and escape while she was away.
It made him sick how someone could just… put their trust in someone that they barely even knew. That's how you get yourself killed. If you so freely gave your trust away, most would take advantage of that in a heartbeat. Being sixteen years old, Infinite definitely knew this to be true. Working with Sonic the Hedgehog for so long must really warp the logical reasoning in one's brain, the jackal silently concluded. Soon enough, he could hear the pitter patter of boots crunch against the sand. Amelia came over the horizon, a smile on her face and small haul of fish. He had already made his way to a particular rock solely for the job that he was about to receive.
Amelia poured the fish out onto his work station and Infinite wasted no time in getting started. The jackal began the meticulous task of cleaning the quarry. Filing off the scales, splitting the creatures down the middle of their bellies, removing the innards and threw them into a bucket. He cracked a smile as he watched Amelia's face turn a faint shade of green, quickly fleeing to the hut. She liked to fish but hated to clean them. Infinite quickly cleaned the fish and got them prepared for Amelia to cook.
The hedgehog had come out of the hut at some point and proceeded to start the fire while he worked to give him some light. Amelia watched as the sky melted into a sea of blues and deep purples, the stars soon coming out, dancing in the night as they did so. The moon was but a slit in the dark blue above the clouds. She wondered how her friends were doing back home…
A clearing of the throat broke her from her thoughts. The jackal had finished gutting the fish and she came over and collected them. This was the system that they had begun. They would each take turns completing certain tasks. If Amelia fished, Infinite cleaned the catch, Amelia then cooked the fish, and Infinite would empty the gut bucket. So far, so good, as neither of them seem to have any quarrels with the system that they had started. If it's not broken, don't fix it, as Sonic would say.
Amelia began the process of skewering the fish and placing them on the hand-crafted rotisserie device that the jackal had constructed. He seemed to know a lot about survival and she really wished that he would talk about his life with her. It wasn't like he had anything to lose in telling her. They were going to be together for a while yet. As the fish roasted on the spit, the pink hedgehog attempted at making small talk.
"Infinite," she questioned. "Where did you grow up?" The jackal's head perked up, as he was starting absently at the ground. He looked her up and down, skeptical as to why she would even ask such a question.
"Why do you want to know," he replied, a dark tone dripping from his voice. The hedgehog felt the fur on the back of her neck stand on end.
"I-I just wanted to make small talk…" she trailed off with a slight stutter.
The jackal sighed. "I grew up in the harsh deserts of Shamar with a small group of other jackals. Scavenging for food, fighting to live…" he ended on a sad tone of voice. Amelia waited, a moment of silence if you will, seeing if he would continue with what he had started; he never did. She decided to gently ask another question.
"Is… Is Infinite your real name?"
"No." He replied almost instantly, like he had been expecting the question, anticipating it. His answer left her taken aback.
"Oh? What is your real name?" There was a light smile on her face.
"You are just full of questions tonight," he growled lowly with bared fangs, sniffing the air. "You should turn the fish now."
Amelia fumbled a bit as she flipped the fish on their opposite sides, noticing that the fish were becoming a bit too dark on their previous side. She then turned her attention back to the jackal near her, he had come closer to the fire now, tail wrapped around his body as he watched the fire dance.
"I just wanted to get to know you a little better, you know?" She continued her preceding conversation with Infinite.
The young woman heard him scoff, turning to look at her. The fire flickered in his eyes and she could almost say that he looked rather handsome.
"Persistent, aren't you?"
"Now who's the one asking questions?" Amelia giggled softly, a gleaming smile on her muzzle.
"My real name is… Zero," the jackal replied after a short time. Amelia tilted her head.
"Zero? That sounds a lot nicer than 'Infinite', I think." The hedgehog paused in the middle of her sentence, unsure of how to continue the conversation. She saw Zero perk up at the compliment.
"Thank you, Amelia," he said, completely sincere. He turned his head back to look at the fire, practically mesmerized by the flames rolling high.
Amelia cringed as she always did when someone referred to her by her that name. She had always hated it and secretly despised her mother for branding her with it.
"Speaking of names and all that jazz," she started, the jackal looking towards her once again. "Can you like, not call me Amelia? I'd rather go by Amy. Amelia sounds like too much of a fat old woman's name."
Whether it was how she worded it or the expression on her face, Zero could not stop himself as a laugh erupted from his chest, forgetting that he had originally turned to tell her that the fish were burning.