Gosh it took forever but I finally finished and hopefully you all end up liking what happens on this next one.

Bryan Adams - [Everything I Do], I Do It For You

Chapter 23: Creature

It was a regular day.

The sky was blue. The grass was green and everything seemed to be normal again. Amy was dragging herself down the small trail of marble down a hill valley. Not feeling any energy coming from her legs she hopelessly stared down at her feet. Sonic took a quick peek at her and his upper lip lifted abjectly. They had been walking for miles and still the sun was hot, the grass was the same color and the road never ended.

"Amy?" Sonic felt his lips move without his restrain.

She turned and eyed him curiously. Sonic offered her a smile and walked a little closer to her. "How you doing?"

Amy surprisingly smiled back and replied, "I'm fine,"

Sonic gave her a comforting bump on her shoulder and she giggled half-heartily. Seth suddenly plopped on to Sonic's shoulder startling the two. "I see you two are close." He pointed out.

Sonic swayed Seth off his shoulder and moved away annoyed to what he said. Amy glared at Seth who when saw her glare stared back a little confused. "I'm not saying it's bad or anything. Hey, I think it's sort of cute." He admitted.

Amy's glare faded. Sonic meanwhile stormed up to Seth who flew just on top of his head. As Sonic tried grabbing Seth, Amy stopped walking wondering why Seth said that. Everyone they encounter was either separating them or telling them not to become too close. Seth was the first to tell them that it was okay, but why?

"Come here Seth, so I can strangle you!" Sonic growled his voice deep and threating. "Why are you getting mad at me? I'm just being honest." Seth yelled down below.

Amy watched hopeless as Sonic jumped midair trying to grab Seth in his own hands, Amy's guess, kill him with his bare hands if she didn't stop it right now.

Amy rushed to Sonic's side and held him back. "Stop it both of you!" she scold, looking away from Sonic and to Seth. Seth came down to Amy's level and crossed his little arms.

"We need to stop fighting and keep walking down. We'll never get anywhere if we never arrive there." She told them. "Seth, why aren't you leading the way?"

Seth flew forwards saying, "I am!"

Amy made a disgusted face and let Sonic go with him a firm look. Almost as if he could read her mind, he sighed and relaxed his nerves. "Lead the way then," he muttered coldly.

Seth so did continue flying down the trail leaving Amy and Sonic walking behind. Amy stared at the puff ball to her great benefit. Sonic nervously rubbed his neck and chuckled. That caught Amy's attention and she slowly turned her head. Sonic didn't bother staring back and rubbed his finger against his nose. "What?"

"Nothing," he turned around stiffing up.

Nobody, again, talked. They walked and walked which felt like hours of long footwork until they reached the top of a small hill where the marble trial led. It wasn't so steep so climbing wasn't so difficult. Looking down the hill, Sonic and Amy gasped in awe at the beautiful flower patched valley they came upon with. Its flowers held beautiful colors and small animals like butterflies and other small insects. Like the other valleys that they had seen in Gemnissent, all of them had same texture in color. The kind of healthy green you'd see in good taken cared of grass. The one thing was this wasn't just a field full of grass and a few flowers. The whole area seemed to be covered in it.

"It's gorgeous," Amy squealed finally.

"It's priceless!" Sonic said, not taking his eyes off the valley.

Seth smiled and with his hand introduced the land; he bowed slightly and smoothly said, "This here is the richest land of all Gemnissent. It's called Dead Rosary."

Sonic and Amy froze. "Dead Rosary?" they questioned simultaneous.

Seth turned around with a smirk and flew. Amy's tilted her head. "That's unique," she gave a quick titter. "Such irony,"

"Yubala named this place after some of its creatures moved away." Seth said, giving them a bit of a fact as to how the name came to be. He felt it naturally come to me so it wouldn't hurt telling them.

Sonic's nose crinkled obviously feeling pestered and then he grumbled, "Figures it'd be Yubala to give it such a stupid name,"

Seth's face fell but he quickly fixed his expression with a nervous smile. Hearing then Amy add on an approval of this contradiction got him to clear his throat. "Anyway, crossing this field will get us to Lake Scream."

Amy became tense and just by hearing its name gave her shivers. Suddenly she felt gravely cold. None of these names were making her feel any better. "Well that sounds promising," she nervously chuckled. Sonic eyes narrowed from Amy's corner of the eye. She flipped her head and asked, "What?"

She followed Sonic's surprise gaze and found herself face to face with a bunny that was popping its head out from the flower patch. Like a normal bunny, it had plushy ears and wide eyes with an incredibly curious nose smelling its surroundings. It didn't take Amy long for her to fuss over its cuteness and she wanted to hold it in her arms and cuddle with it. "So cute!" She was about to walk to it but deftly Sonic grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her back forcefully. Also, Seth went in front of her, his hands extended and spread out so she won't pass. "WAIT!" Seth shouted.

Sonic caught Amy's arm fiercely pulling her to his side and held her upward so she could be facing him. His eyes pierced through her dangerously. Again, Amy was put to go through with his 'Predator's Eye' look which was beginning to scar her emotionally.

"Don't touch them. Those are the creatures that guard the land. As long as we don't bother them they won't harm us." Seth stated, lowing his tone a little.

"Harm!?" Amy gawked.

Sonic let go of her and crossed his arms. "He's right. I can feel no good coming from them." Sonic said staring out at the eyes of the bunny. In seeing Sonic the bunny quickly hide itself down in the grass leaving.

Amy pouted and crossed her arms mocking Sonic. "Well how was I supposed to know that? Seth didn't exactly say so and he's our 'guide'." She defensibly said marking quotations with her fingers while putting emphasis on the last word.

"I did say some of them still leaved around." Seth hopelessly mentioned.

"But you never said they were bad." Amy pouted.

Seth paused and rubbed the edge of his chin. "So I didn't."

"Either way you're supposed to know that these creatures are dangerous. Of course you won't even learn from your own experience with them." Sonic deadpanned.

Amy growled and death glared him. To her surprise he didn't hold back a glare and copied the exact face of ferocity. His eyes weren't all that harsh looking like before. Now he had steadier eyes that were calmer and he didn't have that dark scary glint in them. Still, it made her retract a little when he'd stare at her that way because he was still angry.

Amy turned around to face the other way and kept on walking. Seth hurried along to her side and gave Sonic a nervous stare. Sonic gave out an exasperated sigh throwing back his hand and running his fingers back through his blue quills. Amy was too naïve and that worried him too much. To get herself kill was becoming way too easy for her. She needed to be more cautious and he needed to keep a close eye on her for their sake.

The day didn't grow any darker. The more they moved it felt the lighter the sky got. It didn't seem close to becoming any closer to night, but to his relief crossing the flower patched valley didn't take long. The flowers were close about ending and they reached a small path again. Around the path weren't flowers but pine trees and grass almost looking like a forest again but there were only a bit of them. "So anyway, where's this Lake at?" Amy asked.

"Close by. Where almost there," Seth claimed not looking at her.

Sonic reached Amy's side shoulder to shoulder with her and spoke, frightening Amy a bit for suddenly being so close, "Why is the lake called Scream again?"

By this, Seth was aroused with attention. He didn't stop flying leading the way down the path around a few trees. He smiled and his head spun to meet her eyes. "Let's just say the place isn't very safe."

Amy's eyes widened and Sonic interjected her gasp, "What's there?!"

"I mean it's just a regular lake with fishes and water, but therein lies the crux. Deep beneath the waves lives a creature unlike all the other creatures around Gemnissent. This one has….problems." Seth said being able to feel he's frustration rise when he said 'problem'.

"Yea, no doubt all the mobians here have problems." Sonic deadpanned rudely while pouting to the side.

Amy ignored his comment and asked, "What kind of creature is he?"

"He's a water dragon and he protects the lake. He's known as Scales the Dragon." Seth informed.

"So how do we avoid him?" Sonic asked.

"We can't. There's no other way around the lake, because its sides are full of rocky hills and small mountains that you'd have to climb to get pass the lake."

"Then how will be get pass it?" Amy asked, suddenly feeling doubtful.

As the conversation kept going little did they know that they were approaching wet ground and so meant that the lake was only a few steps away from them.

"We cross the lake in a boat and hope for the best."

Sonic and Amy both stopped where they took their last step. Both their jaw's fell down and they didn't move when Seth mentioned for them to come, they stayed perfectly still not moving a muscle. Seth shook his head and flew back to them. "It won't be that bad. I mean, all we have to do is be careful."

Amy surveyed the area ignoring Seth completely. The lake was big and Seth was right when he said one couldn't pass through the lake's sides. They were blocked by large rocks on top of another like a mountain. It reminded her back of The Fiddles' land where they had that nature pool outside and the rocks she had crossed to find Sonic. The rocks looked exactly alike and she couldn't help but notice that

"Look a boat," Sonic said in a whisper.

The boat was old and its brown tree look was gone. They all ran to the boat which was not too far from them. The boat was up a shore without any owner and seeing that point Sonic went into it. When he landed inside the boat became too unstable and wavered. "Wait, Sonic, I don't think it's safe." Amy hollered her hand trying to reach up at him.

"Well how else are we gonna get across?!" Sonic suddenly spat once he balanced himself.

Amy flinched back quavering, "Let's rethink our plan at least. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"I don't have time to feel sorry about ourselves. We're running out of time and it's time to stop chickening out." The fury in his words were cold as acid. Sonic wasn't kidding around when he was serious and it pained her to say he was absolutely right when he said that there was not time to feel sorry. They had no other option but to cross this lake or go around the whole area and take longer maybe get caught on the way.

"He's right Amy." Seth muttered.

Amy took a long refreshing breath and exhaled it back out. "I know he's right,"

It wasn't that her words surprised him, but the way she said it. Her soft and tender voice made his breath hitch and he to think that a few months ago would have jumped up in cheer for she had agreed with his ways for once. Now, he could just stare feeling his heartbeat jiggling inside him ready to come out. His hand rested on his chest wanting for it to calm down and he looked away flushing a bit.

"Then shall we get on?" Seth regarded her mentioning for her to join him and Sonic. Amy nodded and her foot lifted up and over to reach the boat's surface. She carefully balanced herself by using her hands but before she lost her concentration Sonic caught her hand into his and pulled her in and held the back of her back so she wouldn't fall any other direction.

Amy pulled herself away from him and her eyes glared at him. "Don't you go nice after this! What happened to the guy who should be teasing me right around now?"

And now she was right. Sonic weirdly stared down and he laughed. "Hm, I am on the inside."

Amy gave him a hard gaze but didn't seem to buy it. Sonic crossed his arms and grinned mischievously at her. "You should stop living in the past Ames unless you want me winning all over you again."

Amy's face reddened and both her fist clenched in anger. "What did you say?!"

"Shh!" Seth suddenly erupted, his finger placed in front of his lips. "You both are really aiming to get us killed." He flew down to grab the long rope that was bundle wrapped on the boat and he handed it to Sonic. "Here, wrap yourself and secure." He ordered. Sonic and Amy looked somewhat concern with him.

Seth only shook his head in. 'Yubala really went wrong this time,'

Sonic pushed the boat off shore and they were off into the water slowly moving ahead on the motionless water. Amy finished tying the double knot around her waist. Sonic was eying her from the side and he couldn't help but chuckle. Amy heard this chuckle and side-glanced him. "What?"

"You scared?" he taunted.

"I am not!" she defensively stated putting her foot down and moving the boat a little bit. She squeaked and used her hands to hold on to the boat tightly.

Sonic burst out laughing. Seth turned to look behind him curious with the entire ruckus moving behind him. When suddenly the boat started roaming back and forth, left to right moving all of them. Seth, startled, flew up and Amy grabbed tightly on the boat's edge. Sonic was moving the boat by moving his body and using both his hands, tightly gripping on to the side edges, and thrusting right and left.

"Stop it, Stop it, Stop it, Stop it!" Amy cried out for dear life as if she were hanging off a cliff.

Sonic snickered in amusement. Amy's head rose up to look at him terrified, but in his eyes were more than just taunts and tease. Amy saw something more unlike anything she had seen in him before only thing was she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Sonic's smile glittered like poisonous water flashing off his grin even more.

"You two control!" Seth harshly whispered, horrified at the seeing of the two making so much noise.

Amy barely got up from the bottom of the boat once Sonic had stopped moving the boat. "How can you be so calm about this? I thought you were afraid of water!"

"I was," he said, smirking.

As the two continued their conversation they failed to see the water next to them had moved. Seth, although, heard the water's pitter patter almost too silently. Alarmed, he flew in between Sonic and Amy's talk. "Hey," Sonic moaned.

"Listen," Seth told them both and suddenly they grew quiet. Amy rose up and looked around. "What are we listening fo—ah!" A sudden move of the boat tipping over cut Amy completely off and both hedgehogs staggered to each side.

"What was that!?" Amy asked perturbed of the situation.

"It came from below us," Sonic leaned over the boat and stared down at the water. It seemed to be a regular piece of nature work. It was nice and blue, the water was perfectly still and he could see his reflection. Nothing seemed wrong, so then what was that that had bunked them from below.

"Do you think it's gone?" Amy questioned her own throat dry.

"Scales doesn't leave until one's fallen off the boat." Seth corrected her clearly not making her feel good.

"Have you guys noticed we're not moving anymore?" Sonic informed them freezing upon seeing that his fact was indeed true. They all gasped. Below Amy's corner of an eye she saw the water move again. This time it kept moving and then they were spinning. The boat whirling and whirling around. "Seth do something!" Amy cried.

"I-I can't!" he helplessly retorted.

Sonic moved to Amy and grabbed her hand into his. At a moment like this Amy was concentrating on both Sonic's hand and the rotating of the boat taunting them. Sonic kept her close to him and his eyes blazed around him. Another hit under the boat caught them to fall down on the boat. Amy began getting sick to her stomach seeing the world around her swivel. Sonic got up quickly not wasting a moment and crawled over to Amy. "Amy are you okay?"

Amy covered her mouth and closed her eyes. "Make it stop!"

"Seth do something!" Sonic shouted out unable to see him but hope he still could hear them. There was no reply and Sonic knew then that he couldn't depend on anyone. He got up lifting Amy with him just before they were hit again and the boat tipped over throwing them inside the water. Seth stayed in the air half shocked and half worried, but he didn't move.

Underwater, Amy opened her eyes. The water was blue unlike any other water pool she'd been to. It reflected the sky's blue turning it a darker shade color, but the color was clear only below her, the water got darker unable to see the bottom and that frightened her. A hand touched her shoulder and she screeched letting out some air bubbles. Sonic made a stern face to maintain with her some air. Sonic wrapped his hand around her arm and swam up. She helped by paddling her feet too because Sonic never really was good at swimming. He didn't swim!

Arriving at the surface they gasped for air and coughed a bit. "Where's the boat?"

"I don't see it!"

Sonic was going to swim ahead of her, but something grabbed his leg and pulled him underwater leaving Amy on the surface alone. "Sonic!" She dived under water and to her shock saw Sonic being strangled by a scaly tail. She followed the Tail to its owner and met face to face with the water dragon. Its scales were brightly blue camouflaging with the water. The dragon had white whiskers that twirled at its ends and little arms that held large black claws. It looked like dragons from fairy tales and all but thing was it wasn't a fairytale.

Her eyes narrowed with determination and her hands swiftly moved around the water. She was approaching the dragon when it caught her coming. It used its tail to whip Amy with it and pushed her farther away into the water. Sonic's eyes open and watching Amy be hit like that only made him fight off even more.

Amy stopped spinning and made a complete stop. She was going to try again her lungs were running out of air to breathe and she was going up the surface of the water to take a breather when her vision cleared into pitch darkness.

The flames arose from the wooden houses, eating away the straw and homemade items inside the houses. These seemed to be humans that ran out from the houses that were on top of rocks. They people piled up together safe from the fire but rocks were tumbling down from upper rocks and down into the houses and even more blow to the blue water. The lake was a pale blue from all the smoke and burned rubbish falling off the—

She opened her eyes getting out from another vision when small hands reach hers and pulled her out from the water fast enough before she ran out of breath.

"Seth?" She gasped.

He smiled but his expression changed instantly and he flew away just before the dragon came out from the water with Sonic riding on his head as he pulled on his white mustache. Totally baffled on how he got up there she set that aside and was thankful instead that he was fine. Sonic pulled harder on his white whiskers setting the dragon cringing forward and giving him a chance to jump off his head and down for a long fall to Amy's side.

"Incoming!" he yelled before slashing right next to her. Amy didn't care if she had gotten slashed all over; she swam as quickly to him when he came out.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked her hands on his cheeks.

"I'm fine, but hurry swim ashore." He said pushing her back, but he was too slow. The water dragon came out from the water, splashing water of waves down to them. Sonic jumped in front of Amy to save her some damage before the wave hit them. The dragon settled on the water waiting for the sighting if the hedgehogs and when Sonic and Amy pooped back out it growled, "You dare touch this lake!"

"We don't want to harm you sir. We only want to get across!" Amy told him while coughing.

"No one gets pass me! You hear me, NO ONE!" it roared its bloody eyes shimmering murderously.

"We only need to get across! We have to get to Yubala's castle to—!" Sonic tried to explain but was injected.

"YOU DARE SAY THOSE WORDS IN FRONT OF ME!?" It was angry and it seemed there was no other way to getting through to it, but still, Amy tried.

"Please, you've got to understand we must get there as soon—"

"ENOUGH!" It roared. It lifted his tail up, water falling down its shiny scales. Sonic and Amy's mouths opened in fear in seeing it wanted to fall upon them. "No, wait!" Amy called out again, but Sonic pushed her away from him thus causing a force on the two and making Sonic and Amy to avoid the Tail that slashed in between them. More water slashed on her and she thought it was getting annoying. When they turned around the dragon was head their way.

It was fear of losing Sonic and not of herself that she felt in her heart. She didn't know if Sonic felt the same way when he stared back at her. He looked just as scared as she did, but were those feelings she was feeling with him too? She didn't really have much hope that they were going to make it together through this, but hearing this voice, if it was for the last time, was nice to hear at a time like this.

"Amy!"

"Sonic!"

Hehehe, Cliffhanger? I don't know, I'm not really good at them but you can think whatchu'd like. Next chapters are filled with lot more surprises and...errm...you'll see ;D

Now then, Until weeks pass. Good day yall :D