Now we get to some... interesting information
Silver awoke with a groan. Before he could even comprehend where he was, the young hedgehog became aware of the ravenous burning that covered his entire body. Oh how everything hurt! With a pained whine, Silver opened his eyes, trying to scan the environment for signs of danger. He was a sitting duck, after all.
Golden eyes grew wide with shock upon realizing the whereabouts of their owners. Silver was no longer buried. Frantically, he whipped his sore head around, trying to figure out where he was and what had happened. The memories from the previous night were still cloudy, but at least he remembered how he got injured. But how did he get out?
Silver attempted to push himself off the ground only for his fingers to brush into something soft. Wait what? This was no ground, it was a bed! Of sorts… to be completely accurate, it was leaves carefully wrapped into a blanket and spread across the ground to cushion it. How did he get here? An unattended fire slowly flickered nearby, bringing heat and light to the dark forest around him. What had happened last night?
What he could remember, was the fire. It raged around him, eating everything in his sight. What else… the house. It had fallen in, crushing him under debris and trapping him within the burning blaze. And… and… the monster - goliath actually. It was attacking the house? Home? Family! It was attacking his friends! Silver sat up, only for the pain to knock him back down. His bandaged ribs burned, forcing a whimper out of his lungs. Tears burned at his eyes. Wait, he was bandaged? Tiny paws raced to his side, running along the wrapping around his abdomen. Someone had fixed him up, but who?
The ranger. No, that wasn't right. He was no ranger. Silver distinctly remembered him fighting off the beast… like never seen before. Countless rangers had roamed the woods, chasing off stalkers and running wild like the ancestors of old, but the stranger? He was… precise. He fought like he had handled monsters much bigger than that goliath - not some ranger trying to defend a group of kids. He had too much knowledge behind his skills. Too much… skill. He had done this countless times before.
Crunching footsteps echoed through the woods, startling Silver out of his thoughts as a cloaked figure approached the fire. The frightened hoglet shrunk back, unsure of what to do as the person grew closer. Firewood was dropped onto the ground as the person sat down, poking at the flames and fiddling around with an object in its hands. Upon squinting through the darkness, Silver began to recognize the figure - it was the stranger from earlier! The hooded figure turned, facing the young hedgehog as it twisted the object around in his hands.
"You're awake." He commented, voice quiet and low. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd wake up."
"Wha… but….?" Silver sputtered, growing more and more nervous as the stranger approached him. "When did you?"
"I found you half dead under the rubble." The figure explained, aware of the confusion Silver was feeling. The gloved hand reached over, checking the hoglets forehead and inspecting various wounds.
"You are lucky I heard you crying."
Silver let out a whine when the stranger brushed his hands over his side. Stinging and burning sensations roared over his body, radiating away from the touch like ripples in a pool. With another groan, he smacked the hand away.
"Don't touch me!" He shrieked, bristling his young quills and backing away. He didn't know the person, and he didn't know if he was safe. If only Branch were here…
The figure moved in again, taking the young hedgehog's arm and tightening the bandage. Unwilling to cooperate, Silver let out a hiss - spitting and puffing out to make himself look bigger and more aggressive. There was no way he was letting this strange adult treat him.
"Don't touch me!" He spat again, baring his baby canines with the intention to bite. The adult retreated slightly, but not in fear.
"Calm down, Silver." He soothed, extending his gloved hands to show submission. "I can't help you if you won't let me."
"You want me to calm down?" Silver sniffed, tears threatening to fall from stress and pain. "I hurt so bad, and i'm so confused!"
The hooded figure knelt down, gingerly approaching the crying hoglet once again.
"I don't know who you are, where I am, or what happened! I just… i just…."
"Silver… just calm yourself." The stranger hummed, holding his hands out. "Just relax and I will explain everything."
"I don't want you to explain anything!" Silver sobbed. "I want… i want…"
"I want to go home!"
A silence fell over the woods as Silver continued to sob. The fire crackled on, casting strange shadows into the night as the light bounced off trees and glistened on the figure's metal shoulder guards. Sniffing and hiccups escaped the young hedgehog as he wept, curling against himself in an attempt to hide in the makeshift bed.
"I just want to go home…"
But Silver could not go home. The orphanage was destroyed, and himself separated from his group. He would never again sleep in the crowded bedroom, or clean the dusty floorboards. Even Fliss's nighttime stories and Branch's rambles were forever over. Silver shivered. All he wanted was to retreat back into Fliss's arms and let her soothe his wounds. He wanted to hear her songs, her great tales of heroes, even her arguments. He wanted to go home…
"I don't think you can…" The stranger lamented, turning and tending to the fire. The heavy leather cloak blocked Silver's view of the light, letting the cool air rustle his downy fur.
"But I can try my best to help you." He continued, turning back around. Leather gloves extended, revealing medicinal herbs and sweet smelling grasses inside. Silver stared at the contents, unsure of what to do.
"You need to let me first."
Silver contemplated his options. He could run off into the woods and get picked off by stalkers in less than a day, or he could stay behind and get treated by the "ranger" who had effortlessly fought off a goliath. The choice was very easy.
With a reluctant look, Silver scooted closer, extending his arm and allowing the stranger to undo the bandage on his ribs. Placing the herbs in his obscured mouth, the figure chewed on the plants, getting them nice and wet before placing them onto the open wound. Silver let out a pained cry, grabbing onto the thick leather cloak and grasping it tight. He squeezed his eyes shut, whimpering and twitching as he held the fabric to his face. After a minute or so, the herbs were removed, and the bandage reapplied, leaving the hoglet in a sniffling, sobbing mess.
"Thank you." The figure soothed, reaching over and stroking Silver's soft baby coat. "You were very brave."
This person clearly knew how to survive out in the woods. It was like they had spent their entire life among the wildlife, but how? How could someone be so skilled in fighting, and so skilled in survival? It was very uncommon for rangers to have that level of skill. The packs could easily hunt, fight, and survive, but they rarely did so alone. Rangers often traveled in groups of three, but never one. How was this guy so… rounded?
Who was this unidentified figure? How did he get so skilled? Was he trained by… Him?
"It's over, Silver." The stranger nodded, turning around to deal with the fire. "Now get some rest."
Wait one second…
"How do you know my name?" Silver skeptically asked. The figure froze.
"We've never met before."
A moment of silence followed as the figure stood there, paralyzed by what Silver had said. It was worrying, the quiet. Silver sat up, trying to silently prod an answer out of this figure. Finally, after a stressful few minutes, the ranger spoke.
"You may have never met me…" The stranger softly answered. "But I have met you."
"What?" Silver coughed, thoroughly confused by the words.
"I do not expect you to understand now, but answers will come in due time."
This guy was so strange. He knew many things and walked around like he was a survivalist; armed to the teeth and prepared for bad weather. Yet nothing about this guy seemed right. His posture was that of a soldier, and his speech was that of an elder. Even his fighting skills seemed ancient and complex - like a relic from a forgotten past. How did he manage so well against the goliath? If he was so odd, why was he even roaming the woods? What was he even doing?
"How did you fight off the monster?" Silver squeaked, laying himself back. "You did it so… good…"
"Many years, and harsh experiences have taught me the patterns of the beasts." The ranger cryptically answered. "They can come at me all they like, but I will always adapt."
"You've fought them before?" Silver gasped. "How many?"
"As many as He sends after me."
"Who's… He?" Silver asked. "Did He train you?"
The hooded head turned to look at the young hedgehog. Despite being unable to see his face, Silver could tell the stranger was… confused.
"To whom are you referring?"
"Uh…" Silver blue screened. He had never had to explain who the Hero was. Everyone just automatically knew who he was talking about. While he was caught up in his mind, the stranger removed his cloak, dropping it over the fire and extinguishing it in a smooth motion. Standing up, the stranger shook the smoke out, coughing slightly as bits of ash and dirt flew into the air.
"He trained Tone and Signal." Silver finally answered, looking the figure over.
"Oh." The stranger responded, dropping the cloak on the ground. "I think it's a little hard to train one's self, don't you think?"
"Huh?" Silver choked. The ranger laid himself down, undoing a band behind his head and letting his quills run wild. This guy was full of surprises
"You're… Him?" Silver wheezed, sitting completely upright.
"Again, pronouns are not a good way to refer to people." The unobscured figure sighed, pinching his brow. "Who are you talking about?"
"The Hero…" Silver whispered, suddenly unsure about his accusation. "Are you… the Hero?"
"Hero is a broad term." The ranger answered, sitting up and patting out the growing embers. "But if you are referring to Tone and Signal, yes - I trained them."
Silver froze, unsure of what to think. This guy, this hedgehog, was the Hero? Golden eyes scanned the figure skeptically. He didn't look like the "hero" type at all. While laying on the ground, the stranger looked like an ordinary… hedgehog. He couldn't see much in the darkness, but from what he could see, this guy was just… a hedgehog.
"But you're just a hedgehog?" Silver squeaked, nestling himself deeper into the bed of leaves.
"You seem surprised." The figure responded, wrapping the cloak around himself like a blanket. "Were you expecting something else?"
Silver didn't know how to respond. From the stories he had heard, Silver had assumed the Hero would be more… heroic looking. This guy looked more like a knock-off ranger than a hero. He guessed reality was often disappointing.
"Get some rest, Silver." The deep voice of the stranger spoke. "You are still healing."
With a sigh, Silver relented. He would have to save his questions for later it looked like. After all, it was late. Perhaps it would be nice to get some sleep.