I just spent 5 days making an animatic for part of ch 44 because someone on ao3 thought it would be neat
please kill me
"Krch- this is agent Bushwack, reporting the target has moved; over."
"Crsh- agents Lightwave and Sundown, observing target; over."
Silver shuffled back, a wave of glee washing over him from his place behind the barrels. Skip also leaned back on his heels. It only took a moment of eye contact for the two to burst out into mischievous giggles. Having dropped it in the excitement, Skip snatched his rock back up - holding it to his face with a gap-toothed grin.
"Krssh- agent bushwack. Do you copy? Over." He spoke, blue eyes darting to a shrub next to the inn.
"Affirmative. Over." Aster spoke back, voice barely audible across the distance.
"Permission to move in? Over?"
"Krrch - make it quick boys."
Silver slapped his paws over his mouth to avoid laughing as the two boys snuck from behind the barrels. Slowly they crept on; grabbing a bucket from its nail as they slid across the wall. Silver could feel his quills scraping against the wood siding as they slipped forwards, working their way around the back of the Inn where the adults gathered nightly for song and drink. Fortunately, it was afternoon and almost no one was there. Almost.
"Quick - help me up!" Skip hissed, trying to be quiet as they stopped at the large wooden fence. Its boards were placed tightly together, making it nigh impossible to see what was on the other side. Silver took Skip's bare paws in his hands and hoisted him upwards. Now was as great a time as ever to be thankful Shadow had been working him so well. His muscles gave almost no resistance as the gold puppy rose into the air.
"I can't reach." The young dog sighed, claws scraping at the wall as he tried to grasp the top. "We're too short."
"Crsck- this is agent lightwave." Silver spoke, lifting a rock to his face as Skip jumped off his hands."let's switch to plan B, over."
"Operation Buckethead B-1 will commence, over." Aster spoke back, sounding even fainter as his bush was further away.
Pulling himself to a jog, Silver and Skip ran along the Inn once more, this time making their way to the main road. The click-clack of soles against cobble rang in the young hedgehog's ears as his boots hit the stone highway. It was easy to decide it was a sound he liked.
Aster bolted up alongside the two kids, keeping pace easily as they ran around the front of the Inn and to the other side. All three dropped to a crouch, turning from speed to stealth in the same brainwave. Mischievous giggles filled the air once more as they approached a window. Yes, this was definitely a more dangerous option.
"Sundown go." Aster hissed, quietly opening the window just wide enough for Skip to slide through. Tail wagging and feet kicking, the puppy squeezed in through the opening, blue eyes bright and wide for signs of any adults. Children were not allowed in the back room of the lower Inn.
"Lightwave go." Aster whispered, ushering Silver through the window as Skip hit the floor. Ivory quills brushed against the frame as the hedgehog slid through - leather shoes hitting the wooden floorboards with a not so quiet thump.
It definitely did not look like an Inn. Sure this was the Inn building, but whatever hospitality and coziness was saved for the lobby and the upstairs rooms. This looked more like a meeting place. Tables and chairs filled the room, clearly meant to hold a whole village for whatever event or gathering. A long counter with rows upon rows of bottles and glasses took an entire length of the room. The tall stools and cushioned seats seemed very enticing for a young group of troublemakers. Especially ones with a bucket. Gold eyes peered around curiously as they scanned for any signs of grown-ups. Fortunately, the Innkeeper was not in this room at the moment, leaving the scheming trio to do what they wanted.
"Be quiet." Aster whispered, pulling the bucket in after him as he entered the large back room. "Kids aren't allowed in the tavern without a grown-up."
The thrill of doing something against the rules filled Silver's body as he looked around once more. Oh he would be in trouble if he was caught. For some reason, that made the operation even more exciting. The children could barely contain their giggles as they snuck around to the back door.
Humming was in the air as three juvenile heads poked out of the door. Of course. The innkeeper was in the back doing dishes. It was afternoon of course, and since the night before was full of excitement - plenty of adults would be coming back to party. An evil grin simultaneously crossed the scheming kids. This would be hilarious.
The barren tree swayed in the wind as the Bartender broke out into a solo, enthusiastically singing into a fork as the kids slowly brought out the bucket. Gold eyes glanced at the picnic tables and yard games before snapping back to the two other kids. Nodding shook their heads violently as they excitedly urged the Prodigy to continue with the plan.
"Do it." Aster whispered, setting the metal container on the ground.
Stifling a giggle, Silver snatched the bucket in his aura, slowly lifting it off the ground with a raised hand. Pushing his palm forward, he maneuvered the metal object onwards - flipping it upside down as he prepared for the action. The two other kids clamped their mouths shut with their hands, tears threatening to fall from their eyes as holding back laughter suddenly became very painful.
The innkeeper was blissfully unaware of the metal thing hovering over his head as he let out a rather impressive low note. Scrubbing and splashing sounded from the outdoor tub as he worked against some hardened grease, song lulling to a slower one as he strained with the dirty dish. Now was the perfect time.
An echoing thrung, followed by peals of laughter filled the air as Silver released the bucket from his hold. Confusion was thick as the working man stumbled, arms flinging up and bringing a huge wave of water with them. Coming to his senses and turning around, the wet barkeep whipped the bucket off his head, spying the rolling kids in the doorway.
"ASTER!" He shouted, spotting the bear cub in the doorway.
"RUN!" The child in question hollered, turning from the doorway and bolting into the tavern.
The absolute euphoria of being chased by someone who wasn't going to kill him was enthralling. Silver couldn't contain his laughter as he shot past the older child, feet fast and legs strong as he slammed against the bar door. Two additional thumps greeted the wooden door as Aster and Skip rammed against it as well. Turning to see the angry Innkeeper storming through the backdoor, SIlver shot his hand up and turned the knob.
"GO! GO! GO!" He shrieked, mouth open with laughter as he flung open the door.
The giggling children burst through the lobby and into the street, wet bartender on their tails as they bolted down the main road. Looking behind him, Silver could only laugh as he kept a decent pace. The angry rat had a bad ankle, and therefore was slightly slower than the fleeing children. Shrieks of joy and mischief escaped the trio as they bolted on, eyes glued to the bartender behind.
Wind was knocked out of the prodigy's lungs as he hit a solid object, sending him wheezing as he fell backwards onto the cobble. Surprised by the sudden impact of their friend, the other two children slid to a stop - halting just a few paces behind him. Dazed, Silver picked himself up. It took a few seconds, but when his large eyes finally focused; he was laying right in the shadow of his mentor.
The innkeeper also slowed, stopping a few paces behind the kids and slapping his hands to his knees in a cough. Slowly, red eyes slid between the now nervous children and the exhausted bartender; assessing the situation in a methodical manner.
"Silver?" Shadow spoke, voice monotonous and emotions unclear. "What happened here?"
"Well…I…uh…well…"
"These dang kids broke into my tavern and dumped a bucket on my head." The wheezing rat coughed, shaking his wet arms slightly. "I chased them out and was gonna bring them to their parents."
"Is this true?" Shadow asked, head turning to address the bear cub. It was highly obvious that the brown child was the ringleader by how he shuffled and fiddled with his hands.
"Well…yeah…but…"
"Silver." Shadow interrupted, satisfied with the unfinished answer. "Why did you join in on this activity?"
"They were trying to teach me how to play…" Silver mumbled, slowly picking himself up and standing with his head turned low.
"I want you to apologize to this man." Shadow ordered, disappointment lacing his voice as he crossed his arms.
"Sorry…" Silver mumbled.
"Do it properly."
Silver turned around, head still low and guilt heavy on body. Nervously he raised his eyes, meeting the barkeeper in a nervous stare. The Inn owner crossed his arms, significantly calmer since the ranger had arrived.
"I'm sorry for putting a bucket on your head…" Silver apologized, holding his fists to his chest. "It won't happen again…."
"You are forgiven." The rat spoke, eyes frowning yet not nearly as angry.
"You two as well." Shadow spoke, shooting the other children a stern look.
Mumbled apologies and nervous statements simultaneously flooded out of the other two. Both Shadow and the Innkeeper looked at each other in confusion as excuses and apologies kept pouring out. Finally, a sigh escaped the bartender.
"Alright, you're forgiven." He conceded, scratching his head. "Your parents are still finding out about this."
As Skip and Aster bolted off into the town, the tavern owner gave a mumbled thanks to the ranger and turned. Silver found himself watching as the rat disappeared into his business - no doubt to return to his dishes. It was safe to say the ivory hedgehog was feeling guilty. He had counted on having a good time, but he hadn't counted on having to face Shadow with the consequences of his actions.
"Even though you are trying to play…" Shadow spoke, posture falling slightly as the hoglet turned around. "You should still take other people's emotions and pain into account before you make decisions."
Silver found himself looking the adult over with fascination. Shadow was…well to put it bluntly… not in the best shape. His clothes were displaced, with his shirt having a nice tear just below his belt and his left boot slightly unlaced. What was most interesting to the young hoglet was the fact Shadow's hood was skewed. Messed quills had pulled it out of place and left one side pulled upward - leaving one red eye visible to the public. It was…not a very becoming look.
"This is my fault I suppose." Shadow grumbled, looking towards the tavern in a disappointed sigh. "Signal wasn't properly socialized and it left him…a little odd."
"Soshal ized?" Silver asked, tilting his head.
"He never got to play with other kids." Shadow clarified.
Slowly, the adult wandered over to a wood pile - sitting down on one of the stumps and pulling his hood off. Silver plopped himself down next to the ranger, looking up curiously as Shadow began messing with himself. What was he doing?
"At least I found out the reason for the drought." Shadow mumbled, pulling the cloak off completely and neatly stacking the shoulder guards on the ground. "There's a dam built upstream."
"What's that?" Silver asked, watching as Shadow undid his belt and pulled his shirt off. Gold eyes caught at the massive scar once more. What on earth could have caused that?
"It's a structure that holds back water." Shadow responded, opening his pouch and pulling out a needle and thread. "In this case, there are stones sealing the waterfall off."
The needle bounced between the two sides of a nasty tear, slowly drawing the rip shut as Shadow repaired the damaged cloth. Gold eyes followed the dancing metal - completely entranced by the way it sealed the damage.
"I'm going to need your help with this one." Shadow mumbled, biting the knotted string and sliding his shirt back on. "I can't get the structure to break, so I'm going to have you remove load-bearing stones."
"Oh….uh…ok." Silver agreed.
Shadow pulled on his band, quills springing free as the metal unclamped. A burst of energy hit Silver's senses as the ebony hedgehog brushed his spines, freeing leaves and pebbles in smooth motions. The hoglet had rarely seen Shadow without his quills up. The best thing he could compare the feeling he felt looking at the preening adult was when the mistress had taken her glasses off. It was definitely her face, but something just felt off. Silver felt relieved as Shadow redid the band, sliding half the casing over itself and clinking it shut around his ponied quills. The excess energy faded from the air, leaving Silver feeling much…odder.
"I need a bit of rest." Shadow stated, standing up to reattach his belt and cloak. "In the meantime, why don't you get a bit of rest yourself - it could be a long night."