I have to say, my lovely reviewers, I am grateful and surprised that I had gotten four in under twenty four hours when I first posted this. Normally I don't give out another chapter until a month out or even if I get three reviews which is rare, so this was incredible. I do hope you like cute adorable Silver and Blaze interactions, because it will happen a lot in this fic. And heck, I even decided to bring Mephiles' other self Iblis into this as well! Enjoy, and please review some more! I hope I can keep this interest going without burning out. If anything, I will attempt to always have the next chapter written out all the way or halfway before I update the previous one, same with all of my other fics. I am worried about how well I am keeping Blaze in character since I've never written her before, so I apologize in advance if she is a bit ooc!
Also I do have plans for a third 'member' for this group as they grow up, and it may actually be surprising for you all. I can't wait to reveal that but it will take a while, so let's hope you all love it as much as I do. Hopefully I can balance all these stories I am writing though. For now, read and enjoy! Also since I was having trouble writing, this is a bit rough of a chapter, so apologies!
The screech of Takers pierced the silence of the dying forest, capturing the attention of the young cat who was wandering around looking for food. Pausing, the lavender feline clutched the bag filled with the small amount of berries she had discovered close to her body, her dirtied outfit doing little to hide her from danger. Ears swiveled in each direction and every muscle was prepared to run at a moment's notice. According to what her ears caught, it seemed like they were tracking something south of her, away from the small peninsula she now called home. Relief spread through her, sagging back against the tree she hid behind and sat down to take a breather.
Although the monsters were nearby, she took inventory on how long this food could last for her and her mentor. It seemed as though they were getting less and less fruit from the trees that populated their home, and Blaze was required to constantly hunt and scavenge farther and farther away. Her mentor was unable to leave, to make sure what was left of the Master Emerald stayed stable. Ears lowered at that, remembering the day it shattered. Had it truly been months since that fateful incident? She had been unable to witness it firsthand, but she felt the energy shockwave as shards flew everywhere.
The expression on his face as the keeper of the Emerald came to her rescue when she ran back to the shrine, a Stalker leaping for her, could never be forgotten. It was anger, hatred for Mephiles, pain, sorrow - so many emotions that it led the normally stoic and reserved cat to feel overwhelmed. The few shards that had been left on the altar were all that he had left, and hunting for the rest while those monsters ran amuck was difficult. The energy from the incomplete gem was unstable and dangerous, requiring attention at all times to keep it under control until it could be rebuilt. That same energy was the only reason why many of the monsters couldn't pass into the area, something about the Emerald creating a slight barrier that rejected their kind.
'Maybe Rouge has been able to find some of those shards. If she even bothered focusing on that instead of causing the guardian to become flustered…'
Shaking her head, the feline stood up, listening once again. The screeches were nowhere to be found, and there still was plenty of ground to cover before she had to head back. Deciding it was safe for now, she ventured on to where trees still produced fruit, much farther from the city. The only worry she had was that the contamination could have already been reaching that part of the forest.
'No, focus Blaze. The trees should be safe for now.'
How wrong she was. Out of the five trees, only one had remained safe, for now, from the crippling contamination from the factories. The other four's bark were twisted and blackened, fruit withered and leaves decaying. The grass and foliage around them were in the same state, with small puddles of green liquid seeping up from the ground. Stepping back, determined not to lose face at the sight, she retreated from the area, golden eyes flashing with determination. She had to find more food, and that meant heading straight for the Takers. As silent as ever, she traversed the forest, hearing the telltale signs of the monsters around her. It was then when Blaze found out that the Takers weren't the only ones in the forest.
The sound of something rustling the grass behind her was all she needed to dodge left, a snarling beast landing where she had been standing. It was a Stalker, a black lizard-like creature with glowing purple designs that wrapped around its body. It roared and a laser beam emitted from its mouth. Leaping up, the attack was dodged, slicing through the trees behind her. Holding up one hand, flames began to coat Blaze's fingers as she dove at the Stalker. Sharp claws combined with the raging fire sliced into its hardened skin, the creature roaring in pain as it got hit a second time. Falling over, the beast became silent, fire eating away at its hide.
It was far from over, since the battle had easily drawn more attention. Screeches echoed across the forest and her eyes raised towards the sky. Takers, flying creatures that glowed with a purple aura. Conjuring up more flames around her, she threw her fist into the air to launch her back into the sky, fireballs forming in her outstretched hands. Twirling around gracefully, she targeted each of them, watching as each ball of fire hit home, continuing until they all fell to the ground, only to disappear into flakes of darkness. For her to take them all down before they had a chance to throw an energy bomb was welcoming, as she didn't want to damage the food she had taken hours to find.
It was also a relief that there were no Iblis incarnations of the monsters she had just fought. Due to her pyrokinesis, she could sense their flames. It was twisted and unnatural, the energy of the fire all wrong and evil, and the sheer power… A shudder threatened to run through her, but she squared her shoulders and stood tall. Iblis, it was a massive ball of fire that had overtaken the altar in the ruined city, a flame that burned without need for fuel. It had only shown up the day after Eggman's Empire had been destroyed, driving out all who attempted to still live in Aer.
A small sound distracted her from her thoughts, causing her to turn in that direction. It had been where the Takers had come from. But what was it? It came again, louder and frightened. Wait… Blaze thought back, they had been tracking something. Conflict rose up in her, fangs nibbling her lower lip. She didn't need to involve herself with anyone else caught up with these monsters. She came here for one reason only, and that was food. Of course she owed no other Mobian, except for a few individuals, anything. After all, she was considered a 'freak', one born with a mutation, an ability that was unnatural.
The sound was louder, childlike; it sounded like crying. The deciding factor to her conflict to stay out of it was broken when a roar, one much deeper than the Stalker's, covered up the crying. There was no mistaking that sound, and it was something she could not let live.
A Titan.
The feline's legs were already moving, fire enveloping her to increase her speed. Controlling the flames so that she wouldn't set the forest on fire, she darted between withering and healthy trees, following the crying until it suddenly stopped, the roar once more overpowering it. There was a clearing ahead.
Skidding to a stop and setting her bag aside out of the way, she faced the enormous monster. Her arrival hadn't been noticed yet, which was strange. Dodging the shockwaves as it hit the ground she moved sideways around it to see what it was attacking. Immediate confusion filled her, as there was nothing except a large tree with roots that had grown out of the ground… Though on second glance, there was a burrow within the roots, some sort of turquoise energy covering the entrance. Whatever was in there was a target for the Titan; Blaze had to act fast!
Even so, there was a small tremor in her demeanor. She had never taken one on unless she had been in a group, especially with her mentor, but there was no chance she would turn around and flee. She simply had to trust her instincts.
"Over here!" The words left her lips, easily heard by the enormous monster. The lumbering giant raised its fist and lurched forward to attack its newest target, forgetting whatever lay beneath the roots. Its slow speed proved useful for Blaze, although her concentration couldn't waver, as one hit from it could take her down for good if she wasn't careful. Seeing her simply leap over the after effects of its attack, it began to swing its arms in front of it, trying to catch her in their grasp.
She remembered what her mentor taught her. Near the top was a glowing orb that was its weak spot. It would take correct timing and patience in order to bring it down efficiently. Waiting for the orb to be revealed, she ducked underneath the first swing and danced away, flipping over the shockwaves. It only took a few more seconds until the creature began to stomp around in anger, its orb revealed on the top of its head.
This was her chance! Pushing off from the ground, she began to spin with one hand outstretched. Fire erupted into a spinning vortex around her body, the cat glowing like a falling meteor. Her gloved hands scratched the orb as she was passing it, causing its glow to sputter before it was hidden again by the protective shell. Landing hard on the ground, she nimbly flipped herself over to throw off the extra momentum and stabilized herself. Sharp eyes narrowed back onto the beast. One attack down, two more to go to defeat the Titan. Easier said than done, she thought as she spent a minute dodging the angered beast's attacks. Fighting it in the jungle slowed its movements, but didn't allow her the proper space to avoid being hit. If her mentor had been there, it would have been over in less than a minute due to their teamwork. Perhaps this could even be considered a test on how far she had came…
Another opportunity showed itself as it slammed its hands in front of itself, a shockwave heading towards her. The glowing orb was revealed again and Blaze took off, leaping over the shockwave and kicking it with one foot. The realization of her mistake came all too soon as the monster recovered too soon for her to get off of its head. A massive hand grabbed her by the leg and she went flying.
Blaze cringed at the unexpected counterattack, her side hitting the nearby tree. There was no further pain other than the bruised muscles. Her eyes darted over to the rampaging monster who was about to squash her like an insect. Rolling out of the way, ignoring the flaring pain, she positioned herself so her legs were underneath her. In an instant she leapt towards another tree in order to rebound towards the orb. She flexed her fingers, flames enveloped them and sliced through the orb. There was the crystalline sound of it shattering and a pained roar before it began to disappear. Blaze landed on all fours, fire dying around her as she made sure the beast was defeated. Ears swiveled around, senses on overdrive in case another monster decided to join the party. Hearing nothing, she was able to stand up, a hand massaging her injured side before she was startled by a sound.
The crying came again, louder and more mournful than before. The sound of it made her heart clench, breaking through the walls she normally had up. It was so pitiful and lonely, desperate to be found. Before Blaze could even realize, she had stepped towards the hole beneath the tangled roots of the tree, the strange energy from before gone. There was something in there, something that the Titan and the other monsters had attempted to kill. But what was it? Bending down and peering into the darkness, her eyes quickly became used to it. Thankful to her feline ability of night vision, what she saw astounded her.
Bright yellow eyes looked up at her, tears trickling down the peach skin. White fur was matted and clumped together, and five quills flowed away from his forehead, sticking up at odd angles. Wrapped up in a grungy cloth, she still recognized him for what he was, a hedgehog child, one that looked to be only a few months old. Reaching out, her fingers flinched away when he started crying again, obviously thinking she was going to hurt him like the Titan.
This put her in a very difficult position, as she was not one to comfort others, and she certainly didn't have a motherly intuition, she was too young for that. Trying to smile, she reached out again to stroke his cheek, wiping away the free falling tears. This time the child didn't flinch, instead staring up at her with big wide eyes, cautious and afraid.
"Hey there. Let's get you out from under here, okay?" There was something about the child that she couldn't put a finger on, and she couldn't simply leave this child to die out here alone. It was quite obvious he had been abandoned, as in this time and age, feeding one mouth was hard enough. The hedgehog whimpered as he heard a distant roar, attempting to hide beneath the folds of the blanket.
This would be harder than she thought… That was until an idea popped into her head. Withdrawing one plump berry from her sack, she held it out on the palm of her hand and waited. Two eyes reappeared from where he had been hiding, smelling something delicious. The hesitance in his eyes was still there, but the overwhelming urge to eat was more pressing. Flailing one tiny arm, he tried to grab onto it, failing time and time again. Getting frustrated, he scrunched up his nose, glaring at the berry as Blaze leaned closer to help out.
The strange energy from before surrounded the child, the light startling Blaze who pulled away to block it out with her free hand. The berry began to glow with the same color, bringing her attention to it as it floated rather unsteadily into the mouth of the child. She was shocked; that strange energy had come from the little child? The slight giggle of the younger one wasn't enough to pull her away from her thoughts. This child had a curse similar to hers; where she had pyrokinesis, this little one had psychokinesis.
It was almost ironic, something that her stubborn mentor would have pointed out right away. The possibility of there being another one who had such abilities and who wouldn't distance themselves away from her made the feline relieved.
Something that glowed floated by her nose, causing her to jerk back and fall onto her rear. Blinking her eyes quickly to focus them, her gaze locked onto two berries that were quickly eaten by the child, whose eyes were locked onto the discarded bag of food. Quickly acting and tying the bag shut, Blaze made sure that what was left could be saved until they got back. The child began to pout as the source of food was taken from him and something warm blossomed inside her.
This child… How adorable.
The roar from before echoed again, sounding much closer. Biting his lip, the little one raised his arms and Blaze gave in to his demands. Carefully wrapping her arms around the child and his blanket, she took him out of his safe hiding place and picked up her bag. Instantly the hedgehog baby giggled again, nestling closer to her dirty clothing, seeking more warmth. This action made the cat feel awkward, looking around to get her bearings. Having someone rely on her for once was a strange feeling, as she was used to acting on her own, of course under the guardianship of her mentor. But the child…
The thought of any of her other acquaintances raising this kid didn't set right with her, and it didn't look like the hedgehog was wanting to let go of her any time soon, judging by how tightly those little fists were clenching her dress. Eyes so similar to her own turned upwards and the happiness that radiated from the child was overwhelming.
"I'll need to name you. I can't keep thinking of you as a hedgehog baby." Blaze stared at the happy child in her arms, eyes roaming over his fur texture. Now that she had a closer look, what was white now looked to have a tinge of silver coloration mixed in. Silver… Knowing he would grow into his name, a small and rare smile fluttered onto her lips.
"Silver. I'll call you Silver."