Silver cautiously lowered his shield. "You made quick work of him, didn't you?"
Sonic slowly turned around, back in control. He wiped his mouth, but flecks of dark blood still spotted it. His eyes weren't black anymore, but a bright crimson red. He picked up his discarded brown cloak. "Normally, I would have taken my time, but I know you have to get back to the orphanage."
Silver nodded, but something in his eyes flickered. Normally, Sonic was so happy and carefree, even though he had physically changed. However, on Wednesdays…it was like he was a whole different person.
"Time to go, Silv! I can't keep Ames waiting!" Already, Sonic was beginning to change. The days leading up to Wednesday were also hard, because his blood supply was diminishing and he had to live off ancient tree sap in order to partly satiate his thirst. Even though he wasn't completely normal, Silver could see that he was starting to become cheerful again.
"You're the boss, big brother," Silver replied, and they walked out of the room together, leaving Minus's drained body behind.
A few hours later, Sonic was running on his weekly errand: sap collecting. However, the sap I am referring to isn't your ordinary maple-sap…it's ancient sap. The sap comes from an ancient tree that has been around since the first vampire ever walked the planet. It can satiate a vampire enough so that they don't need to rely on blood all the time. However, if the vampire wants to remain in control, they have to drink blood at least once every week or two, or terrible things could happen. Every Wednesday, after the trial, Sonic would venture to the edge of the forest to a grassy meadow adorned with flowers. At the far side of the meadow was a cluster of oak trees. All had red leaves…except one. This was the tree he walked to.
This particular tree had yellow leaves all year round. Sonic approached it, carrying two empty gallon containers. Each had a little sticky substance inside it, but that was natural. Sap wasn't so easy to get rid of.
He took out a hose from one of his cloak's pockets and inserted one end into the bottle. The other end wedged deep into the tree. He flicked a button on the hose, and dark brown sap flowed from the tree into the gallon.
Wait…dark brown? That's not right. It's usually a honey-like color.
Sonic examined the tree closer, and was taken aback. The trunk looked like it was…rotting.
The tree can't be dying, can it?! He thought desperately, but then dismissed it with a wave of his hand. This must be a natural cycle of the tree he wasn't aware of. It will all go back to normal soon.
About ten minutes later, the gallons were filled up. Sonic screwed on the caps and tucked away the hose. He then stood in front of the tree.
To completely maximize the use of the tree, he usually drank some sap directly from the tree so that he didn't suffer as much for the next week.
He located the usual holes in the tree. He didn't like damaging the tree, so he used the same fang-shaped holes in the tree.
He latched his fangs onto the tree and began drinking the sap.
Immediately, he could tell that something was off. The sap tasted too sweet. Sickly sweet. Usually it's a pleasant, mild taste, but this was overpowered.
Sonic could only bear a few more gulps before he reared back from the tree, sputtering. At first, he eyed the tree and the decaying wood suspiciously, and then he went back to his earlier assumption that this must be natural.
He heaved the gallons with barely any effort, still trying to get the taste of the sap from his mouth. He hauled them off, speeding away in the blink of an eye.
He didn't notice the circular figure that stuck his head out from behind a tree, snickering.
To be continued…
RECOMMENDED SONG: /EYXR5DT2IbY (youtube)