Chapter 4

I put my small hand above my eyes, the new light blinding in its everlasting glory. I heard the light crunch of the fading grass, and smelled their awakening perfume. The cloying wind played with my split fur, and toyed with my quills as though wanting to play with my new friend, Mura. I ignored it as I stared across the valley, my eyes wide in wonder.

It was covered with dark blooms of purple and blue, a shadowed village far in the distance. I could see the faint plumes of smoke rising from the chimneys of humble homes; the wind whispering of their occupants. The heavy sound of working wood on water filled the quiet air, and I couldn't help but stare down at the creek beside me.

It broke across the valley, and became bigger and bigger as it reached out to the village until it was a small, peaceful river. I shrunk back, the idea of being beside such a thing intimidating to me.

Ko? What happened? I heard her words, but there wasn't much to answer. I was just being silly.

"Nothing." Was my response, "I'm just not used to being without my speed." I lied about the true reason, but at the same time, I was also telling the truth. My speed was what I relied on most of all, and to be without it was terrifying. I had no clue what I was going to do if someone decided I was good for their punching bag, much less what I was going to do to get my speed back. If there was no good Samaritan in town, then I would either have to steal, or starve...I'd hate to do either.

Don't worry, child. I'll protect you if anything goes wrong, okay. How she was going to do that, I had no clue. But I was thankful for her words anyhow.

I nodded and stepped out onto the emerald sea, my eyes scanning around reflexively for anything dangerous. That's when I heard an angry growl behind me.

"Hey! Where'd you get that emerald, kid?" I froze, the tone violent, "Don't you know that stealing's wrong?" I slowly turned around, my mind racing as to who it might be. I knew that was useless though considering that I didn't really know anybody.

My mismatched eyes fell upon a red echidna with violet eyes and drooping spines arranged like dreadlocks. His muzzle was a peach color and his chest bore what looked like a boomerang-shaped white spot. His hands sported spiked knuckles with white gloves and his feet were clothed with red and yellow shoes that had green cuffs and gray sex-tuple-bolted plates on top. The wind had stopped it's joyous rant, the echidna's angry eyes enough to quell it.

"You're tall..." I mumbled, to which he nodded. He looked to be at least a foot and a half taller than me if not more. It was almost like he was built to be threatening!

"Well, out with it, tiny! Where'd you get the emerald?" He seemed a bit calmer with the compliment, but I didn't want to push it; especially without my speed.

"I-I didn't steal it, sir! I found it in the creek!" I said truthfully, but he didn't seem to buy it.

He smirked, a chortle escaping his lips as he continued, "Nice try, but I'm not dumb enough to fall for that one, kid." He crossed his arms and leaned against the tree beside him, "Either way, hand it over." He closed his eyes.

"She's not yours-" I started but he wouldn't have it.

"She? And you clearly don't know who you're talking to." I cocked my head, because no, this red terror was not familiar to me, "I am Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of the chaos emeralds," He opened his eyes as though to watch my reaction to this vain title, "and you happen to be holding one of them in your quills." My eyes opened wide, but then I remembered something. Why hadn't Mura told me of him before if this was true? This time, I was smirking.

"Liar. You just want her for yourself." I decided, my voice and face bored with his eccentric introduction. His eyes opened wide at my response, but instead of getting angry again, he stared at me in confusion.

"Why do you resemble him?" He asked, now staring into my eyes deeply, "Tell me something, tiny," I was taken off guard by this. Was it something on my face?

"Do you know Sonic the Hedgehog?" But before I could answer, he laughed, "What am I saying, of course you know him. You must be one of his fans, right?" I was about to answer again, but he continued, "That's how you could pull off his signature bored smirk!" He had closed his eyes again, this strange conversation carrying on beneath his breath, "I wish kids would get over that goof, and maybe respect a real hero...like me.."

I was shaking my head, "Um...sir..I have no clue who you're talking about..." I interjected to which his eyes became chromatic platters.

"Where have you been, tiny, under a rock?" He asked incredulously, "I haven't ever before met a single child who hasn't, and I've traveled across the world." He thought for a second, "Maybe you've seen him somewhere?"

I shrugged, "What does he look like?"

"He's a blue hedgehog with emerald eyes." He told me, and I froze. I remember someone like that…

We were running, and I was holding his hand. The walls were hazy and gray, and our footsteps echoed on the twisted air. It was so bright, but I couldn't see ahead of us.

"So close! We're almost there, *******!"

But his name wasn't Sonic.

"****, Please, hurry! They're catching up!"

He was crying.

"I won't let them get you, *******! Not now, not ever again!"

We were the same age, and he was the only thing I had.

Now the scene changed, and he was holding my hand. Behind me was darkness, and in front of me a blue light. I was being pulled by the darkness away from him.

"Please, ****, don't let go..."

He was pleading, but I knew the ending.

"Enjoy the world for me, would you? That would mean everything to me."

"****..."

"Goodbye...Maurice."

I let go, and everything fell away into a blinding white light… It was frightening, and it burned.

I was falling, falling, falling…

"Ouch!" I yelped as my eyes flew open. I was on the ground, upside-down, and my head was throbbing. I clumsily rolled into a sitting position and rubbed the affected area.

Had that been another dream? I didn't remember falling asleep...last time I checked, I had been talking to that echidna and-

My eyes widened as I remembered what had happened. Where was I?

I scanned my surroundings and found that I sitting in a large bedroom with stone walls and elegant furniture. The bed that I had apparently fallen out of was properly made with royal red blankets and pillows; the frame the mattress sat on was old, yet beautifully carved at the same time. There was a large matching wardrobe opposite the bed and a large wooden door to the left of it. A lush, crimson carpet was lain on the timber floor, and to the right of me was a dark fireplace for when this lonely room became cold.

Dust settled on my confused muzzle making me sneeze. The small sound echoed across the empty room.

Where was Knuckles?

Suddenly panic seized my innocent heart as I felt around in my quills. Relief then flooded my system as I felt the smooth surface of Mura.

Hello, precious. Are you okay?

I nodded, but the question arose, "Who was that guy, and why did he claim to be your guardian?" She chuckled.

That would be because he is.

I took her out of my quills and stared at her, "Why didn't you tell me?" I cried, "And if that's the case, then why did you want to come with me? Don't you belong to him?" She felt so warm as she responded, and I could tell that she was smiling.

Ko, just because he's my guardian doesn't mean he owns me. I can do what I please, and at this point, what pleases me is being with you, and he knows that.

"What do you mean?"

He's the one who brought you here, and he just went down to get you something to eat. I talked with him after you passed out.

"I passed out?" My mind was reeling, "For how long?"

About an hour. He knew about this abandoned castle and brought you here to avoid attention in the surrounding villages.

I placed her in my lap and played with her sharp edges, "So the tough hot-head has a soft spot?"

You have no idea! He's actually quite gullible at times. She was laughing during this response. I guess she's known him for a while. That would make sense considering his occupation.

"Why were you in the river?" This question had been bothering me for a while, and I felt her sigh.

Let's just say that my last owner lost me along with my brothers and sisters. We're all scattered at the moment, and Knucks has been trying to find us along with our previous owner. They're actually racing to see who can get more of us.

"How many of there are you?" My eyes were wide at this new development.

There are seven of us. I am Murasakino, and I have four brothers and two sisters. Their names all correspond to their colors..and personalities: Midori, Ao, Takoizu, Ki, Shiro, and Aka. They are all benevolent souls, but I know that especially Aka can become violent. To have us all in one place is dangerous. This is the reason why our previous owner separates us.

"You mean...he's done it before?" I felt like I was liking this 'owner' less and less. I couldn't understand why someone would toss such a kind crystal into a river, alone and unloved...more than once! What would have happened if a bad mobian found her first? Then what? Was he really that careless?

I think Mura noticed my scrunching nose because she glowed in understanding.

I know that he doesn't sound the best right now, but he did have a reason. Sometimes he had to separate us in order to keep us safe.

Still didn't sound right, but I decided to drop the subject, "Knuckles seems to be taking a while..."

He is...I hope he's okay.

It was the first time I had heard worry in her voice, "Were we followed?"

No...it's just that this castle doesn't seem very friendly.

I shifted, the walls seeming to listen in on the conversation, "Do you know this castle?"

Yes...and I also know that there's something wrong with it.

I carefully got up, placed her in my quills, and started walking to the door, my shoes making no noise on the luxuriant carpet.

The owners, two esteemed hedgehogs, both died one after the other after they lost their children in a freak accident. Ever since then, anyone who comes in just disappears. Knuckles doesn't believe in that stuff which is why he brought us here, but…

I felt a cold shiver go up my spine as I imagined such a thing, "I..want to go check on him.." I decided. She didn't say anything, but I could feel her warmth in agreement, and I opened the huge, elegant door.

I raced down the endless halls, Mura's direction my only map. The halls all looked the same, with blue carpets and decaying stone walls. The flights of stairs were stone, but they were jagged and dangerous to traverse. I loved it, all the excitement...but I didn't know why.

I wished that I could run faster, but my hunger kept me sedated, and slow.

I finally reached the kitchen to find one upright echidna cooking a full meal on the stove in a huge metal pot. The guy had a pink, frilly apron on that clashed against his red fur, and he had pulled his dreadlocks into a really spiky, dangerous pony tail. If anything, I had more respect for him then ever before. What kind of man is manly enough to put on pink frilly stuff and pull it off all the while cooking dinner? That echidna is manly!

He seemed to have noticed me though as he stated, "Hold your horses, tiny, it's almost ready." His voice wasn't angry anymore, but instead was just deep and very masculine. Some might perceive it as an angry voice, but it really wasn't. It was just proud.

"Thank you, Mr. Knuckles. Mura explained everything to me." He tasted the food then reach toward a little canister on the counter. It was too far to read the label.

"Mura, huh?" He grumbled busily, "Is that what she calls herself?" He just kept stirring, "I didn't know you could speak to her. There's only one other than me that I've caught doing just that, and you passed out at his description." He stopped stirring and turned off the heat, "I'm guessing...you have seen him?" He turned to look at me, but I could only stare at the dark, crumbling ligneous floor.

"I know someone like him..." My boot was rubbing into the floor, and for some reason, I felt guilty, "But 'Sonic' wasn't his name."

He raised an eyebrow, "What was his name?" He had crossed his arms and was leaning against the counter, and I had closed my eyes, desperate to remember my dream.

As I tried to remember the name from my vision, I felt something petting my ear. It was cold, yet it was also comforting. How did Knuckles get behind me from where he was? Why was he petting my ear?

This disrupted my train of thought and I opened my eyes to see him still standing there waiting for a response…

Then, what was petting my ear?

"Knuckles...is there something behind me?" I whispered, too afraid to turn around.

"No, why?" He had suddenly become alert, and strained to see anything out of the ordinary.

"I feel something petting my ear...it's cold." I shivered, hoping that it was just my imagination. That's when it started to massage both of my ears, and I knew there was something there. It was comforting, but at the same time, terrifying as I started to walk toward Knuckles, hoping for some sort of protection against this shadow.

He didn't complain as I tried to get behind him as he still leaned against the counter nonchalantly. But as soon as I touched his leg, I realized that he too had gone cold.

He was frozen.

This hit me like a rock to the face, "Knuckles?" I said his name several times, but he didn't answer. It had to have been a joke.

I jumped out in front of him and shouted his name at the top of my lungs. But he didn't respond. His eyes didn't blink, and he was still in an alert position.

"Why?" I asked, "Mura, are you there?" There was no answer. I was alone.

Silently, I sunk down to my knees. Is this how all those others disappeared? Will I disappear too? I touched my warm cheeks to find little tear drops falling down my face on my white side. My black side never cried, and I didn't really understand why.

"Oh, my child..." A female voice broke through the lonely void, and my ears pricked up immediately.

"Who's there?" I was breathing fast, and the tears wouldn't stop flowing.

"You've changed...so much.." Her voice was tired, depressed, and I felt a hand on my dark shoulder, my ear being massaged once again, "If I had known...You should never have suffered...I was to blame..." A memory was all she was now, a shadow of who she used to be holding on to one more sentence, "I'm sorry for your broken road...it was never yours to fix." An apology, held onto for the remainder of her afterlife, and a reminder to those who knew the rest of her story. I felt her hug and saw her emerald eyes, "The others have gone...only I remained." A tear fell, "Goodbye, my beautiful child."

She was gone, and I was left shivering on the floor. My crimson eye was still crying, and now, Knuckles could see it.

He looked at me in absolute shock. Time had fractured for him so he knew nothing of what had just transpired, but he could tell that it had happened.

"What happened?" He cried out in alarm, reaching out to me. However, he decided against it, and instead turned to his meal, "Umm...would a meal help?" I knew he was trying, and I was grateful. I accepted his gesture with a nod and he quickly got a bowl, washed it, and filled it with soup. He then handed it to me, and sat facing me to watch and see if I liked it.

I stared at the delicious smelling contents for a second before tasting it. Then I tasted it again...and again. Before long, I had drained the entire bowl, the echidna seemingly happy with my enthusiastic slurps and awakening smile. It was amazing! Better than anything I had eaten thus far. Of course, I didn't have much to compare it to, but the spices he used and the heat were perfect.

"Can I have some more?" He gladly got me more, and I slurped that down too. Before long, I had slurped down all but the one bowl that Knuckles got of the soup. It was so good, and filling that by the end of my twenty-second bowl, I fell over in satisfaction. I had also never been this full before. I was sure that this soup would last me at least a couple days if not more. I felt so happy. I felt like I could run forever!

"Satisfied yet?" Knuckles was still eating his first and only bowl, the show of watching me eat twenty-two of them enough to have that even set aside for a minute, "How long has it been since you've eaten?"

"A couple days." I sat up and wiped my face, the red juice now all over my arm. He promptly got me a napkin, and sat back down, cross-legged. The floor groaned slightly beneath his weight.

"A couple days, huh?" Suddenly something dawned on him, "Where's your parents?"

"I don't have any." I practically whispered, "Mura's the only one who's gotten close..I guess." It also dawned on me that I didn't really know what a parent was supposed to do, or what their purpose was.

He was suddenly very thoughtful, "Do you have anywhere to go, tiny?" I shook my head, "Then why don't you stay with me for a bit? At least until we can find you a suitable guardian." I was uncertain, so I didn't answer.

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Hey..just a hypothetical question...How fast do you run?" I was stunned, the question so random.

"Pretty fast..why?" I was truly confused.

"Could you show me..now that you're fed?" He asked this as though it were extremely important, and I saw no reason not to show him despite the small area.

I got up and started racing around the room so fast that everything became still around me. Even his face was slow as a shocked reaction started to manifest muscle by muscle. It was hilarious to watch and I broke out laughing on the roof. Safe to say, I fell to the ground still laughing, the impact cushioned by my soft, upright quills.

I turned to look at him after my giggled had subsided, and he could only stare in astonishment. At first, I had thought that he had frozen again, but he was blinking and breathing this time.

"I think I know who to ask for help." He decided, the impact of what he had just witnessed still hitting him. He regained himself after a few minutes and started to mumble to himself. I approached to listen, and sat right beside him to stare at him in wonder.

"But she's not blue...who could have been the mother? It certainly isn't Amy.." He still continued despite my listening, "He's never spoken of a sister...so...Why does she have this coloring?" He just kept mumbling on and on and on. Before long I had begun to fall asleep.

I was in darkness, a light shining from nowhere.. It was filling..the tank was filling! I couldn't breathe...I couldn't...I was screaming...I was crying….nobody was coming..

"Hey! Get ahold of yourself!" Knuckles was shaking me, and I realized that tears were flowing down my face from both eyes, "You were screaming! What happened?"

"I fell asleep." I told him, and he seemed very concerned.

"This happens every time you fall asleep?" He released my arms, and instead started to pet behind my ears. I was grateful for it, and so didn't stop him.

"Yeah..just with different nightmares." I wasn't even fazed by it, as this had happened more times than I can count. I was just happy there was someone else here this time.

I hugged him, and he allowed it. He didn't really hug me back, but he petted my spines, and that was enough.

"Come on, tiny, let's go to Sonic's. He'll know how to take care of you." He picked me up, and carried me out of the empty, Forgotten Castle.

Sorry about the wait, I've been recovering from school. But I do intend to finish this story! Thank you all for the nice comments and support. You've been amazing. This actually started as just an exercise and I had no clue that so many of you would take interest, so Thank You. And I will see you, in the next chapter! By Bye!