I lay claim to no characters here save the recently deceased Bill mentioned briefly. Please read and enjoy for free.

I was under the roof of my usual hut that night. Yet even my eyes caught the wave of blue light in the sky that lasted barely a second. I blinked up at it before hearing a siren going off from Tails work-hut. It must have been difficult for him to contain himself enough to run instead of fly to me.

His eyes were wide. He might have been intercepted by villagers, had most not been asleep and others on guard were rushing to wake leaders and report what we had seen. Tails, though, first came to me first. He climbed up on my perch to whisper in my ear. "Longclaw, a flash of Blue Emerald energy came from a distant solar system."

Before he could tell me much more beyond his fears his big brother had just revealed his location, we were mobbed by villagers asking questions. The village leaders were not far behind.

Tail's frame stiffened. He bowed his head. I even heard him swallowing in a lull of silence while his questioners waited for him to speak.

He admitted, he and Bill had designed a detection device for surges in chaos emerald energy. They'd meant it to be used so warriors on other islands could be alerted if emeralds activated elsewhere on our own planet and go to the assistance of those who might have lost their emerald to guard to an enemy using it "un"-wisely. It had been Bill, not Tails', idea to make it so sensitive it could detect emerald energy use in the universe, not just on our planet in case an enemy did get away with a chaos emerald.

I knew Tails had been worried since it would be used to find his lost brother. Bill had mentioned the idea before many on the council who had asked him to go ahead with it. Perhaps I should have encouraged Tails to sabotage it. Yet, wherever my Hedgehog was, he seemed to be hiding so well many times I had feared him dead … till now … My fears though far from lessening made it hard to breathe in the next several months.

Leaders from other islands came to discuss the matter on ours on Judgement Island. It was confirmed by those who came from that Island, the blue emerald did indeed remain safely hidden there. This meant my hedgehog was the only potential source of the flash of blue emerald energy detected on another planet. Maps were put out. Soon the one who had judged me before walked to me glaring. "So … you sent him to earth?"

I kept my beak shut and stared coldly back. The echidna's wrinkled face twisted up even further. "You fool! Many intelligent beings who've fought with each other live there! It may be even now a tribe there hunts him for the power he has to use against another! They will not understand what it is! They will destroy themselves and more!"

"Even if I did send him to such a place, I doubt they could catch him any more than you could!" Perhaps my words were too strong. I had been trying to push down my fear and anger so long, but no … I still should not have let it burst out.

For so long I'd wanted to know if my hedgehog lived … Now … I wondered had he gotten into. Had he been fighting? Fleeing? Was he even now a prisoner used by the humans for energy, or for war like the elder said? I suspected even people far from earth, besides us, might have noticed his flash of energy. So people from planets other than ours and earth might hunt him.

Meanwhile, elders from across our planet debated what to do. Tails and I stood or sat or perched silently by listening. The people of earth did not use rings to travel to places on their own planet or others, did not have chaos emeralds, but they still had impressive weaponry for years to fight each other with according to Bill. Bill alone had shown us there were minds among the humans capable of creating amazing and terrifying things, of understanding, at least a little, our chaos emeralds.

Chameleon spies began to go through rings to earth. They came back saying it was worse than feared. Humans seemed to have advanced greatly in technology since Bill's time there. One said the humans were aware of the blue energy spike, but seemed to lack knowledge of its cause. I was grateful to learn this. What was even better perhaps was that though the talks finished in the night, went on the next day, and the next there were no further energy spikes … until the third day … Then another occurred. More chameleon ninja returned to say it seemed a human with very advanced technology had attempted to apprehend a hedgehog with speed greater than anything the humans had encountered before. From the descriptions they overheard, it seemed my sonic's speed continued to be something even alien technology would barely rival. The human had failed to capture Sonic.

After listening to all our chameleon spies had to say, an elder of our island spoke. "If the blue hedgehog has eluded and even defeated the best earth had to offer, he is a threat indeed."

I spoke up. "What harm has my Sonic done us or even the humans?"

Glares came my way from everyone there, but Tails'. I went on. "I have heard no one say my hedgehog is said to have harmed anyone on earth, even his hunter! Has there been a report of destruction caused by him or one death? The humans say the energy spike caused their own power systems to fail, but not that he laid hands, or feet, of quills on anyone there! They do not say he made a threat or demand of any kind! Only that they sent a hunter after him, which is something you also plan to do! Did he even kill his hunter? I have heard the man disappeared, his whereabouts unknown, but not that he died!"

Tails then shocked even me. He stood from where he'd been sitting on the ground and shouted. "Let me go find him! I have the technology and know-how to do so! I can help him control his abilities! Maybe come home and help us as a warrior to guard the chaos emeralds!"

The Yellow Emerald clan leader frowned at my Fox. "Silence child. You speak like the Owl. None with such power can be allowed to live. You are wise in the ways of technology, but not war. You have built us many things, but you have never guarded with your own life that power, which must never be used. Say or do anything this council has not demanded of you about this grave and you too will be chained like the owl who caused this crisis."

Tails clenched his fists at his side. He bowed his head. I could see him trembling with anger, my usually shy little fox! I glared over at the council. "You tried to kill one who could have helped you guard the emeralds well! Now, you threaten to chain another who has done us much good!"

The judge looked up at me. His wrinkled face was set like stone. "And you may have doomed us all owl. And you have taught the child to be rebellious as well. We never should have let you care for either of them."

What do you think now?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes