WHOO! Got this done before New Year's

Wow, who knows what lies beyond December 31, 2013

But be prepared because it's going to be a blast HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

Chapter 27:Protective

It grew morning fast, and soon the sun was up and shining through the waterfall. His eyes opened slowly and his eyes fluttered seeing the light coming through his eyes. He groaned and turned to his side and his eyes nearly popped out when he noticed Amy wasn't besides him. He blinked a couple of times and got up from the hard floor. The waterfall still fell hard and made roaring noises. He walked towards the water the fell down and grabbed a bit of it into his hands so he could pour it all over his sleepy face. With just a splash of water he was up and his eyes arose and like he entered he exited out onto the forest.

The forest bloomed of colorful colors above his head. Sonic shook off the water off him and yawned stretching his arms out with a howling. Birds flew out from the trees and across the small lake from the echoing of his howl. Sonic smiled and walked on each rock that led to the ground of the forest. He landed swiftly and stopped to look around again. It was calm unlike something to happen usually for him, but he didn't pay too much attention to it when Amy and Seth were missing.

He cupped his mouth with his hands and shouted, "Amy!"

Her name echoed through the forest and then it was normal again, not another voice to be heard. He frowned again and crosses his arms impatiently. "Where is that girl?"

A bush shook and Sonic turned around just as quickly getting into his fighting position, but the trees around along with the bushes were quiet. Sonic hesitated to move close to figure out what made the noise. Was it behind the buses or were their flocks of some kind of bird around here? He made up his mind and took slowly steps, like a cat would when its stock it's pray. His hands made its way to the bush's leaves and just when he was about to touch it a figure came out from the side of the tree and pounced at him. He fell to the ground and felt that heavy weight that someone was on his back.

"You usually sleep in late. Why are you up so early?"

Sonic looked up seeing Amy on him, but I wasn't her whom was heavy. It was her big white dress. Annoyed, he pushed up on his arms and she came off his back falling on the dirt. He angrily looked at her saying, "Scaring me isn't exactly smart, Amy. What were you doing behind that tree?"

She had ignored his question just as he had with hers, but only because she was fussing about her dress getting dirty and it being white. Sonic received a punch on his leg and Sonic got even more irritated, but Amy cut him off before he had something to say. "I just washed this dress and it's already dirty!"

Sonic rolled his eyes but grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet. "What were you doing?" He asked with a more courteous attitude.

"I washed my dress and was dressing up when I hear someone coming. I thought it was a shadow guy so I was planning on grabbing it, but I got you instead." She explained. Her tone at the end of her sentence sounded disappointed and irritated, but Sonic had to question her statement.

"But didn't you hear me? I called you." He proclaimed finding it hard to believe that she couldn't tell it was him around after he had screamed her name.

Amy's eyes grew surprised herself. "No,"

"Strange," Sonic muttered, but shook it off. Instead he looked around the area once more feeling he made much more of a chance with Amy right next to him. He felt comfortable. "Anyway, have you seen Seth?"

"He went to go find out the next route." Amy said walking away from him and walking towards the lake. Sonic followed and suddenly couldn't find something to say, nothing to reply with. Amy was acting strange and he couldn't tell why. Amy turned to him and raised her eyebrows. "Yes?"

Sonic opened his mouth and stuttered, but finally said. "I'm hungry. Do you think there's fish in this lake?"

Amy shrugged and looked down at the water. The water looked darker than it did yesterday and to Amy that didn't seem like a good sign. Amy shook her head and her eyes roamed to the middle of the lake where she saw darker color. "If so, they all died, because the water's too dirty."

Sonic walked next to her and smirked. He grabbed a rock that was beside his shoe and clenched it in his hands not taking it off the middle of the lake. Amy noticed him and she glanced over to him. "What are you doing?"

Sonic extended out his arm and then threw it out only the rock coming out and flying out distance into the lake. "If the lake moves after the rock then it means fishes are around."

"Really?" Amy questioned and did the following: grabbed a rock and threw it outwards.

Nothing particular happened after a while and Amy skeptically stared at him. He still threw rock by rock and for some reason, wasn't given up the hope that there were fishes around this lake. Amy narrowed her eyes and grabbed his arm, stopping him from continuing any rock-throwing.

"Stop, there aren't any fishes." She pointed out.

"Yes there are. In every lake lays a fish," He claimed pulling his arm back and grabbing more rocks.

"Not in this one. Just stop it." She said.

As they argued, they didn't see that near the middle the water moved. The dark blue water in the middle began spinning as if something were inside. Amy pouted rolled her eyes at Sonic. "Your technique stinks,"

"Your whole presence stinks," He told her wistfully, but she didn't note it.

Amy turned red and her teeth bite down on her lip. "Throughout this whole time you've only been messing around with my feelings and you're saying my presence stinks?!"

Sonic narrowed his eyes an imposing forming. "Feelings? We're in the middle of life or death and you're here, butt hurt about me messing with your feelings?"

Amy grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it to Sonic, but Sonic leaned to the side and the rock flew passed him into the water. He sighed, "Girls,"

"Now that ain't nice,"

The voice came from behind him, sending chills down his spine. Sonic turned around and there in front of his face, wet and coming out from the water was a green scaly crocodile. The crocodile smiled at Sonic its tongue sticking out at him.

Sonic yelped and jumped back his hands up and ready to fight. Amy grabbed a rock and threw it at the crocodile hitting its nose. The crocodile frowned and wiped his nose. "That also brings nothin' good of it,"

"What?" Amy questioned in a mutter.

The crocodile chuckled and came out from the water walking up to the two. Sonic backed away but Amy stayed in place squinting at the animal but broke from the trance when it stopped in front of her and lean close to Amy face. Sonic used his hand to back her away and he glared at the crocodile.

The crocodile backed away seeing Sonic's fierce green eyes that frighten him. His eyes were dark and menacing which brought him to think, "Wait! That stare…Chaos! You ought to be Sonic!"

Sonic's threatening stare faded and he quirked his head narrowing his eyes. "How do you know me?"

"Ya the Legendary ones- I know mighty of ya'll," He claimed and bowed his head smiling at them. Sonic turned to Amy but she had a grin on her face.

"I know you!" She happily said.

"You do?" Both the crocodile and Sonic exclaimed.

"You're Vector, or at least in my world you would be." She explained looking at him, but without his bling and necklaces around his neck he looked plain. Sonic gasped and saw she was right. Vector was Sally's old boyfriend, but due to complication they broke up and then she went to Sonic. He was a playboy and was known for flirting with girls around school, maybe that was why Amy acknowledged him so pleasingly. Sonic's eyes narrowed darkly at the guy. The crocodile laughed and shook his head. "Yogi's mah name. You must be Amy, correct?"

"Yea," She nodded.

Sonic sighed giving up to Amy's social nature and stayed quiet observing everything instead. Amy extended out her hand at that moment saying, "Nice to meet you Yogi,"

Sonic's eyes widened as the two touched hands and he suddenly felt nervous, but the hand shake didn't last long. Amy turned to Sonic and smiled at him reassuring him it was alright. Sonic figured out that this yogi guy was no threat, but for some reason he felt strange, similar to the feeling of fear. Amy nodded at him and Sonic allowed himself to smirk at Yogi. "Alright, Yogi, now that we know each other I have a question. What were you doing in that lake?"

"That thar be my lake." He said happily stated.

"You live here?" Amy questioned but then added, "Why is it so dirty?"

Yogi's happy features disappeared and he frowned and he looked at the lake. "It's Dyin',"

"Why?!"

"I know nothin' of why it happened, but its twigs that it must be that Yubala gal." Yogi said angrily.

"We're actually heading to Yubala's castle. Do you know the way from here?" Amy asked, but Sonic overlapped her, "Seth's already looking for the next stop to go."

"But Seth's not here and we need to go," She said hastily. Sonic wouldn't abide with her statement and declined it by grabbing her arm and pulling her behind him. Meanwhile Yogi blinked absently but he broke off their arguing off by saying, "I know the way out, I can help ya out, but not foreva."

"Why?" Sonic asked.

"Thar mighty killers deep yonder and it ain't safe." He said, sounding scared.

"Killers?" Amy parroted fearfully.

"What do mean killers?" Sonic demanded at him wanting to know what Yogi meant, but he wouldn't say. He stayed quiet and Sonic grew frustrated and shouted, "What do you mean killers?!"

"Infernal meat-lovin' fiends,"

"They eat Mobians?" Amy clarified appalled.

"I reckon so, but I can help fight 'em off, for a bit." Yogi said back into his happy self but he hadn't gotten Sonic's full attention yet. Amy, although, already felt confident about being helped by a local of the place. He couldn't convince her that anyone could be a threat, but when the time came he could show her, so all he could do really was watch if this crocodile would be trouble. Yogi bounced up and down and sang cheerfully, "Yaaa hoo!"

"But," Sonic sternly began to Yogi, stopping his dance, "If you try anything funny, you'll never see the lights of day again."

"Yup," He agreed.

... R&R