Silver stared up at the cougar in front of him with a mix of confusion and wonder. This cat…was Tone? He almost didn't believe his ears. If it wasn't for the fact the feline had held his own against Shadow, the hoglet wouldn't have believed it at all.
"So…this is the Prodigy, huh?" Tone grinned, crossing his arms smugly and flicking his black tipped tail. "Decided to replace me already?"
Shadow rolled his eyes as the cougar punched his shoulder.
"We both know it doesn't work like that." He grumbled, stepping away from the elder prodigy to pick up his discarded cloak. "Besides…my hands are tied."
"He's much younger than I thought." Tone squinted, kneeling down to look the stunned child in the face.
"Hey."
Silver blinked as Shadow snapped his fingers in front of the child's face.
"Snap out of it; we have to keep moving."
"R-right."
Holding his hands to his chest, Silver shook his head.
"He's a quiet one." Tone commented.
Walking over to his axe, the cougar gripped the handle. Having been wedged in the stone quite firmly, it took a few tugs to free the metal blade with a rather loud shing.
"For the most part." Shadow responded.
Pulling up his leather hood, the ranger continued his path - only stopping to briefly check if the two were going to follow him in a subtle turn of his head. With a tremble in his fur, Silver trotted after his mentor. The heavy footsteps of Tone's massive boots behind him sent a prickle through the hoglet's spine as he reached the elder's side. Silver had known the cougar was big, but he was not prepared for it in real life. Even when walking next to the black hedgehog, the child could still see how Tone compared. Where Shadow was the average height for a mobian, the cougar stood above that by at least a pace with a broad chest and thick hands that looked as if they could crush a floating stone with ease.
"What brings you to the fields?" Shadow asked, looking up slightly at the hero by his side. "I take it this isn't a social call."
"It never is." Tone shrugged. "I had a bit of a run in with Mephiles a few months back."
"A-are you okay?" Silver asked, leaning to peer around the ranger's body at the purple cat.
A grimace crossed Tone's face as he exhaled through his teeth. Hunching his shoulders, he sheathed his axe in its place on his back.
"Why don't you tell me what happened." Shadow said, shaking his head in a manner that made it feel as if he weren't surprised.
"I was investigating the Dragon Fissure." Tone explained. "Chasing some goliath tracks when that demon crawled out from the core."
"The core?" Silver gasped, grabbing at Shadow's cloak. "Didn't you teleport him there?"
"I assumed so." Tone answered, despite the question being addressed to the elder. "He came out making a fuss about 'that artificial scum' and 'his little time tr-"
"Did you engage him?" Shadow interrupted.
"Yeah - he must've been tired because he didn't really put up that much of a fight."
"Then what brings you here?"
"I got pretty banged up pretty bad." Came the response. "And that crystalized creepshow got fog in my lungs."
Silver shuddered.
"Woah, I saw that." Tone frowned, peering over the ranger's shoulder at the young hedgehog. "Did you get some fog in there too at some point?"
The hoglet could only nod, fur prickling up his back in a nauseating wave of anxiety.
"Silver has had several encounters with Mephiles already." Shadow pointed out, tugging his cloak loose from the child's hands. "And a phobia of fire has made things a little complicated when it comes to fog."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's fine…" Silver mumbled, staring down at the cracked dirt below.
The road was quiet for some time as the three carried on their path. Silver still felt the weight of Shadow's disappointment on his shoulders as the silence echoed on. Gradually, the sounds of distant rocks began to reach the hoglet's ivory ears. Subtle ground shaking and the occasional floating pebble told of gravitational phenomena nearby.
"Ah it's good to be back." Tone smiled, peering through the trees at the distant fields. "Do the auroras still shine?"
"Bright as ever."
With a wave of his hand, Shadow gestured for Silver to climb on his back. Happy to oblige, the young hedgehog scrambled up the cloak - grasping the elder's familiar shoulders with a tight grip.
"What - you haven't taught him to navigate the ring?" Tone frowned, gesturing to the small hoglet in slight disbelief.
"Wh- I…He isn't ready." Shadow stuttered, picking up his pace slightly. "He's only been with me for a year and a half."
"No need to get defensive." Tone grumbled, chasing after the hedgehogs. "It just looks like he's getting a little big to be riding on your back like a helpless baby."
"Just because I taught you at a younger age does not mean my methods apply to everyone." Shadow countered, picking up his pace again with a shake of his head.
"I'm not saying that."
Gravity expectedly began to grow patchy, with pushing pulls and pulling pushes in either up or down directions. Used to the irregularity, Silver only gripped tighter.
"It's just…if I heard correctly, he leveled an entire city block in Savannah - it seems like he's more than capable of handling this." Tone explained, hopping through a weightless patch.
"If I had known you had come here to pick a fight, I would have taught you a much harsher lesson earlier." Shadow growled.
"You're very tense." Tone pointed out, smacking away a floating stone with the back of his hand. "Am I poking a nerve here?"
Shadow only let out a gruff harumph as he bounced off an airborne boulder. Kicking through the lowered gravity, the ranger gained a decent amount of height. With a reach of his hand, and a knee to his chest, the ebony hedgehog clipped his cloak to the top of his boot.
"Oh, okay." Tone grumbled, chasing after the gliding ranger. "Be like that then."
Through the leather cloak, Silver could feel Shadow's muscles tense. A slight tingle of chaos energy lent a bit of unease to the situation as the ranger began to pick up speed once more, bouncing and hopping through the dense field of floating debris with the skill and reflexes the hoglet had grown so used to. Thumps and cracks echoed from behind as Tone followed them through, smacking away the weightless stones and keeping up with a decent pace.
"I wasn't trying to make you mad, Shadow."
Silver flicked his ear in confusion. Even though the greying cougar was paces and paces behind, the hero's voice was loud enough to assume he was right next to them.
"I was just making an observation."
"I'll have you know I have been training him very hard." Shadow snapped, eyes flashing briefly as he extended his arms for a glide. "He has made remarkable progress in the last eighteen months."
"We do stuff almost every day." Silver commented.
"You're getting defensive again, is something the matter?"
Shadow burst through the last of the low gravity ring, boots slamming against the ground below in a much harsher manner than usual as his cloak swung in momentum. Tone was quick to follow, although much more light on his feet upon landing.
"I'm fine." Shadow snarled, unclipping his boot and harshly adjusting his hood.
Feeling the elder's hardening shoulders, Silver decided to slide off of the ranger's back. The ebony quills twitched and trembled despite being nicely tied up, making the young hoglet fear a nasty spike lest they broke loose.
"Almost every day?" Tone frowned, looking the young hoglet in the eyes. "How hard does he work you, kid?"
"I don't know." Silver shrugged. "I'm not too tired."
"Are you two just going to stand there socializing or are we going to make it back to the house?" Shadow growled, tapping his foot and crossing his arms.
"Relax." Tone smiled, placing his hands on his hips and flicking his tail. "We're not far - if you want to go on ahead and sulk back at the firepit I'm not gonna stop you."
Silver couldn't help but smile as the older hedgehog's face melted into a look of utter annoyance.
"Fine." The hedgehog relented, raising his hands in frustration and turning on his heels. "Fine."
Yellow and gold eyes watched as the ranger began to walk towards the concrete structure, muttering words about "kids" and "comprehension". Silver blinked awkwardly, unsure of what to do or even say in the situation. Turning to face the cougar, the hoglet opened his mouth.
"What's got him so upset?"
"I was hoping you could tell me." Tone sighed, letting his arms droop from his waist.
Having nothing to say, Silver picked his feet up and began to walk. The sun would be setting soon, and although it was safe within the gravity ring, the hoglet did not fancy being out in the dark. Footsteps followed behind the hoglet as Tone also began his trek to the base. Steady crunches and thumps somehow brought a comfort to the hoglet as the faint outlines of the auroras began to shine overhead.
"So, I heard back in Crescent city that you leveled an entire block in Savannah."
Silver froze, skin rippling and fur bristling as memories of fallen buildings and screaming people filled his head.
"Oooh." Tone grimaced, reading the look on the hoglet's face. "Tough subject…."
"I didn't mean to…" Silver sniffled. "I couldn't control it…and i've been working really hard to not let it happen again…"
"Hey…it's ok." Tone consoled, reaching over and gently patting the young hoglet on the back. "When you're as powerful as you are, accidents tend to happen."
Silver looked up at the cougar with large quivering eyes.
"I have to be very careful with my voice." Tone elaborated, pointing to his throat with a soft and mournful smile on his lips. "I killed my parents when I was a mere baby because I couldn't regulate my volume."
"Volume?"
Reaching down, Tone grabbed the hoglet's hands and cupped them, guiding the fingers to the ivory ears and plugging them within. Facing away from the hoglet, the old cougar planted his feet. With a flick of his grey streaked ears, the cougar let out a mighty shout - shockwaves rippling the air and quakes shaking the ground with the mere volume of his powerful voice. Being behind the cat, Silver did not get nearly as much of the sound as if in front. However his feet still shook from the vibrating ground and his ears still felt uncomfortable from the deafening noise. Surprised, the hoglet unplugged his ears.
"As a kitten, my voice could still break the skull of anyone i tried to talk to." Tone smiled, somberly shaking his head with pain in his voice. "The only one who could survive the might of my volume was Shadow."
Silver found himself turning to the house, eyes catching on a slowly growing fire that started to stand out in the darkening sky.
"They don't call him the Ultimate Life Form for nothing…"
Silver nodded, following behind the elder cat as they began their trail back to the house.
"Don't beat yourself up about your powers, okay?" Tone asked, looking at the young prodigy softly. "You're not alone there - and you're doing just great."
With a reluctant smile, Silver continued on. Somehow Tone's words made him feel better. The cat didn't say much in particular, but even still…the emotion behind seemed to make Silver feel like the other prodigy understood. Shadow could never give the hoglet such a talk. The hedgehog was far too old and far too jaded to ever fully understand the small child's plight. But after hearing Tone's brief tale, Silver felt far less alone in his search for control.