Chapter 2: The Village of Heart Wood
Sonic swam through the thick soup of unconsciousness. He knew the surface was close but he could never quite seem to get to it. He could hear voices but did not recognize them. No, he recognized one. That fox cub...
"I saw it with my own eyes!" the boy said
"I'm telling you that would be impossible," said a gruff older voice.
"No no really! He ran really fast like shooom! And then wham! Crash! The leg flew off!" replied the younger cub
"Miles are you sure? That just doesn't…" began a female voice
"You saw the thing! Or the crater anyway, but if you had just let me show you the leg…"
"We didn't have time," said the gruff voice again. "Not if you wanted to save him."
Sonic drifted back into an uneasy sleep. Some unknown time later he felt someone touching him but faintly, almost like through a thick sweater.
"How could he have done it?" said the female voice. "We don't have anything short of weapons platforms that can damage an M class war-bot."
"That's not true, I've been known to put some dents in them and I've seen Dulcy…" said the gruff voice but was cut off
"Not like this…that leg was torn clean off like it was a toy. This hedgehog…something is different about him."
"You mean besides the fact that he is blue?"
"Your almost crimson and your saying his color is strange?"
"Well, yea..but my family has been exposed to strange energies for generations and.."
"no need to get so defensive Knuckles I was just making a point."
"Hey" said Sonic weakly. "Mind keeping it down? I'm trying to get my beauty sleep."
He hurd the female gasp and the touching stopped.
"Your awake!" she said
"Yea but just barely." Replied Sonic. He smacked his lips. "Can I get some water?"
"Sure, absolutely!" she said. "Knuckles keep an eye on him." And Sonic hurd her dash off.
A creaking sound next to him told Sonic the gruff voice, Knuckles, sat in a chair next to him.
"Where are you from hedgehog?" he said, little sympathy in his voice.
"Elsware, what's it to you?" replied Sonic
"I'm not playing games with you," said Knuckles the ice in his voice worse than if he had yelled. "I want to know how you destroyed that M class war-bot and where you are from."
"I…." it suddenly occurred to Sonic he had no idea where he was from. He had never really thought about it before. Strange really. That should be something he knew. Perhaps he was more out of it than he realized.
Quick footsteps told him the woman had returned.
"What's going on? Knuckles are you interrogating him already?" she said
"I was just trying to find out some things." He said, the chair creaked as he rose out of it.
"Good gods Knuckles the poor guy is barley conscious and you're acting like he is a criminal! He saved Miles's life you know."
"Your far too trusting Sally. What if it was a trick to get him in our ranks? I still don't believe he tore that M class up."
"Oh you paranoid Echidna, can't you just accept that he was in the right place at the right time?"
"Ok, I'll give you that. It's a possibility but…"
"Hey," croaked Sonic. "Can I get that water before we start twenty questions again?"
"Oh! right." Said the woman
Soon she was sitting next to him helping him drink. It was amazing how sore he was. Likely would have been red-hot pain, but they probably had him on a pain killer. Once the water was finished he could feel sleep covering him like a blanket again.
An unknown amount of time later he found himself awake again. Much more aware of his surroundings he was able to open his eyes and focus. He was in a small room, looked to be made of wood with a thatched roof. An Iv was sticking out of his arm and he pulled it out without even thinking about it. The bed he was on was small and appeared to be made of bamboo. Several machines sat in the room displaying various figures and charts he assumed were his vitals. Feeling like he was fine, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. After a moment or two of dizziness he was able to steady himself.
He checked his wrists for his power rings finding them still in place. Sonic found his sneakers at the end of the bed. Slipped them on and opened the door of his room. It lead to a hallway with several doors lined up on either side. At one end of the hall was an open door way that lead outside onto a small stoop. A warm breeze was blowing soothingly in from it. He decided to head outside.
Outside he was met with the sight of a small village. People went about their business carrying baskets of fruits or bread. Some were idly chatting with one another, while others were touting…guns? Sonic shook his head thinking it might have been from the painkiller but no; these people were carrying blaster rifles all right. Quite a few of them actually. Not all of them had them shouldered like guards, some had them casually slung over their backs, but there was no doubt this place was well armed.
Sonic began to stroll through the village, a feat of great patience for him, and look around. It looked like there were very few, if only small, families in this place. In fact the more he looked around the more it felt like an army base than a peaceful village. He could see an orchard with various crops in several states of harvest, an open air bakery and fire pit for cooking, a community well and some other village amenities. However he also found a workshop with several weapon platforms in various states of repair, an armory (guarded by several mean looking boars with guns) and even a shooting range that was not in use at the moment. The village was surrounded on all sides save one by steep cliffs. The village seemed to be part of the forest. Trees were every ware and seemed to grow wherever they pleased. In fact Sonic didn't see a single cut tree.
His pondering of where they had gotten the wood to build the place were interrupted by the familiar gruff voice of Knuckles.
"Feeling better hedgehog?" he said unamused.
Sonic had one foot on a rocky stairway that headed up into the cliffs. He hadn't really been paying attention ware he was going, lost in thought as he was. The Echidna's fur was indeed an interesting color of red all over his body accept his muzzle which was tan like Sonics. His quills were hanging down strait off his head much like dread locks. Most notably however were the large spikes that extended from his Knuckles, two on each hand, likely the origin of his name. He wore sneakers not unlike Sonic's, and a scowl on his face that told Sonic this was a no-nonsense type of guy.
"Oh yea, never better thanks!" he said. He approached the Echidna with what he hoped was a friendly smile, but was really more of a cocky smirk
"I'm Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog" he held out his hand to shake Knuckles's. Knuckles glanced at it but did not break eye contact for very long.
"You shouldn't be out of bed yet…Sonic. You're not fully healed yet." he said
"Oh come on, I feel fine." Said sonic stretching out his legs for emphasis, which did cause him no small amount of pain. It must have shown on his face because the Echidna did not seem impressed.
"I have a lot of questions for you." He said "Why don't you come with me and…" but he was cut off by the female voice Sonic remembered from earlier.
"Oh good Knuckles you found him!" An attractive female squirrel was running towards them. Wearing blue boots and a similarly colored open denim jacket. Her fur was a rich brown with lighter coloring on her chest and muzzle. A mane of red hair bounced on her head as she ran. Most striking of all were here luminous blue eyes.
She was panting a bit as she reached them.
"You need to get back in bed this instant." She said with genuine authority.
Knuckles seemed to be about to say something, must have thought better of it and kept his mouth shut.
"Who am I to argue with a pretty face like that?" said Sonic with a shrug. "Lead the way your highness."
Knuckles and Sally's eyes both got huge for a moment. Knuckles placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder a bit rougher than may have been called for.
"I think we should have that talk now" he said. Sonic knocked his had away.
"You can't tell me what to do Knuck Knuck, so hands off if you wana keep um."
Knuckles narrowed his eyes and looked almost like he was about to strike Sonic when Sally spoke up
"He's right Knuckles, we have no right to keep him."
"I…he…what?" said Knuckles all his fight turning to shock.
"He's not our prisoner, he is a guest. He has the right to leave when he wants." She stated flatly. Even Sonic was taken aback.
"However, Mr. Hedgehog…" she started but Sonic interrupted her.
"You can call me Sonic." He said
"Sonic then. I would ask that in gratitude for us saving your life that you do sit with us and talk for a bit. We would like to get to know you a bit more and have some of our curiosity sated."
Sonic considered for just a split second. "I would love to sit and have a chat with you. " he said
"Good." Replied Sally. "Knuckles could you please bring him back to the medical building and make sure he won't pass out in my hut, and then bring him over. See if you can't get some of those red fruits they were harvesting this morning."
Knuckles seemed a bit put out at being asked to baby sit the hedgehog but he agreed. Knuckles said nothing to Sonic as they headed back to the medical hut, which suited the hedgehog just fine. He had nothing to say to the sour puss anyway. The doctor at the hut looked Sonic over and declared him fit enough to be out of bed, but strongly recommended he take it easy for another few weeks.
Knuckles then took him to an unimpressive wooden hut, almost identical to all the others in the village. He knocked on the door and Sally called them in. She was sitting at a small table, barley big enough for two, and motioned for sonic to sit opposite her. He did so, Knuckles produced a chair from some ware and sat just off to the side.
"Knuckles did you bring any of those fruits?" she asked. Knuckles was surprised by the question as he had clearly forgotten.
"No sorry." He said
"That's all right." She said. Getting out of here chair she opened a cupboard and removed a loaf of bread, and a bit of cheese. She cut the two food items and placed them on the table. The all nibbled at the food a bit despite Sonic being ravenously hungry he tried to show some restraint.
"Now then Sonic." She said after they had eaten a few bites. "How did you come here?"
"I was just running in the Red desert and herd someone in trouble." He said. "I ran to help and found some flying kid under attack from a robot. So I ran in to help, made a stupid mistake and got hurt. You would know more about it than me from there."
"You were just running in the Red Desert? Who goes running in a barren wasteland?" said Knuckles the skepticism thick in his voice.
"Just me I think." Said Sonic. "Course I'm probably the only one who can cross it in a day."
Sally and Knuckles looked at each other in disbelief.
"How do you do that?" she asked
"I told you, I ran." Replied Sonic, leaning his chair back. All this sitting around and slow moving was getting on his nerves.
"No one is that fast." Said Knuckles.
"No one cept me." Replied Sonic.
"Exactly how fast are you?" asked Sally disbelief creeping into her voice as well.
"I can show you if you like." Replied sonic.
"Sonic I'm sure the doctor said you shouldn't…" began Sally
"No, let see just how fast this hot-shot is." Said Knuckles
"You're on Knuck Knuck." Said sonic already out of his chair.
The three went outside, where the sun was starting to go down.
"Let's say 10 laps around the orchard." Said Sonic trying to work the stiff and soreness out of his legs.
"I'm not going to be out here all night" said Knuckles "The orchard is about a mile square."
"Have faith," said Sonic with a smirk. "Be back before you know I'm gone."
Before either of them could rebut him Sonic was gone. His injuries slowed him down for sure. He was probably only going about a quarter of his top speed. This irked the blue hedgehog quite a bit, but the more he tried to push it, the more his limbs cried in protest, so he let himself keep it slow. He finished his run in just under a minute, winching as he ran back to Knuckles, sally, and what looked like about half the village.
"That, that was amazing!" said Knuckles eyes wide.
"That was nothing." Replied Sonic. "If I wasn't so banged up I would really blow you away."
"Your faster than that?" said Sally jaw agape.
"You bet your pretty blue eyes I am." Replied Sonic with a thumbs up.
Knuckles and Sally exchanged a glance.
"How fast are you exactly?" said Knuckles with what sounded like excitement in his voice.
"Can't really give you a number Knuck, but I break the sound barrier like it was glass."
Knuckles smiled for the first time Sonic had ever seen.
"Why don't you stay in Heart Wood for a while? We will make sure you heal up right and are taken care of. Food, water the package deal." Said the Echidna
Sonic was suspicious of Knuckles sudden change of disposition but was never one to turn down free food.
"Yea, all right." Said Sonic.