-The next day-
Nearly twenty-four hours passed since Sonic had his encounter with Eggman and his new partner, Raze. The hedgehog laid in bed as he looked out the window in his room with the necklace in his hand, still confused about how White Fang was able to pull off such an attack on the dark wolf, and stand up to the scientist despite not knowing how to fight. Just then he realized the star pendant on the pup's necklace was glowing right before pulling off the attack. 'Could the pendant on his necklace have something to do with what White Fang was able to pull off yesterday? If so, then I really should have Tails look at it closely. Last time Tails said the necklace could serve as a memory to White Fang's mother, but now it could be something completely different.' Sonic wondered, growing curious as to why the pendant glowed like it did yesterday as he got up out of bed.
As Sonic headed out of his room and was about to head outside, he then heard White Fang coming out of the room, "Sonic? Where are you going?"
"I'm heading over to Tails' house. There's something I want to ask him personally." The hedgehog replied.
White Fang's ears perked up in curiosity as he asked, "Can I come with you?"
"Sorry White Fang, this is personal. I can take you to Angel Island though so you can learn a couple things from Knuckles." Sonic said in response, knowing that the pup loved to learn new things and was full of curiosity at his age.
The white pup beamed in excitement as Sonic grabbed a blue chaos emerald that he had found four months ago. "When are we leaving?" he asked, tail wagging in excitement.
"Right now. Stay close so you won't get left behind." the blue hedgehog said as he held the emerald in his hand. Once the pup was close, Sonic then raised his hand up and yelled out, "Chaos Control!"
As quickly as they vanished, they quickly reappeared on Angel Island. A red echidna looked over to the two in surprise, not expecting their arrival at all. "Sonic? What brings you here so suddenly? You could at least give a call or let me know ahead of time." the echidna asked, raising a brow in confusion.
"Sorry, Knux. Do you mind watching White Fang for a little while? I need to ask Tails about something personal and I don't want to leave White Fang by himself when Eggman could be out and about." The hedgehog asked, giving a sheepish smile before giving a serious face.
"Sonic, you know I'm not a babysitter, and I'm already looking after two other wolf pups who wandered too far from their home." Knuckles replied as he turned his head towards two other pups in which Sonic quickly recognized as he looked at them.
"Blade? Rosebud? What are you two doing here on Angel Island?" the hedgehog asked in surprise while White Fang approached the two pups out of curiosity.
"We were checking out the land until we wandered a bit too far from home, and got lost." Blade explained, smiling sheepishly and letting out an embarrassed chuckle while his sister gave him a small glare.
"I found them when I was taking a quick break from guarding the Master Emerald, and decided to bring them here until I can find their guardians." Knuckles said.
Sonic raised a brow in confusion upon hearing the word 'guardians'. While the three pups started playing with each other, Sonic decided it was best to ask what the echidna meant while the pups were distracted.
"Guardians? What do you mean by that Knux? Don't they have any parents?" he asked, confused.
"From what they told me, their mother died two months ago when their pack was attacked, and they don't know who or where their father is. Since then, they have been raised by their older brother, and grandparents." The red echidna explained as he looked over at the pups.
Sonic's eyes widened in surprise upon the discovery of Blade and Rosebud being orphans to, but he was unsure of whether the mother who had died was the same wolf that died when he found White Fang or not. "Hold up. Do they at least remember what their mother looked like?" he asked in hopes of an answer.
"They do, but not too well. From what they told me, their mother was a white wolf with yellow eyes. Why?" Knuckles said in response before realizing what the hedgehog was getting at, "Wait! Are you saying that all three pups might be siblings?"
Sonic nodded before replying, "Possibly, but I don't want to jump to conclusions too quickly. I'm not the patient type, but I think it's best if we wait until we have any sort of confirmation."
The red echidna thought about what Sonic was saying for a moment, looking at the three pups who were playing with each other. He knew that there was no way to actually know if they were truly siblings unless another relative or someone who knows them well gives a confirmation. Eventually, he nods in agreement, "Right. I might as well look after all three of them since I have to find some way to find either the older brother or the grandfather. Could you keep an eye out for either one while you're at Tails' house? From what I know, wolves do like to wander in towns when in search of food or something they need, so I wouldn't be surprised if one of them came by."
"Sure thing. I should get going so that way I can be back before dark." Sonic replied, giving a thumbs up before calling out to the white wolf pup, "I'll be back later White Fang. Make sure you don't cause too much trouble for Knuckles."
The white pup nodded just before Blade pounced on him, catching the white pup off guard. Sonic smiled before taking out the Chaos Emerald and using Chaos Control to leave Angel Island.
In the outskirts of the forest, an elderly white wolf with brown eyes wondered about, as if in search of something or someone. 'Where could Blade and Rosebud be? Surely they couldn't have gone too far from the territory already.' he questioned himself, eyes creasing in worry. He looked in the direction of the grass plains near Station Square where he saw a two-tailed Mobian fox kit working on something outside of his house when he saw a familiar blue hedgehog appear in front of the house.
"Yo Tails!" the hedgehog greeted the young fox. Something was familiar about the hedgehog, but the wolf couldn't figure out what it was.
"Hey Sonic." the fox greeted, but quickly realized that someone was missing, "Where's White Fang?"
"He's on Angel Island with Knuckles right now. I needed to ask you about something involving this necklace." Sonic said as he showed the necklace to his buddy. The wolf quickly recognized it as soon as he saw it in the hedgehog's hands. 'That's the necklace that Aeneas was given many centuries ago after he defeated Kieron! How did that hedgehog get a hold of it!? Did he randomly find it on the day of the attack?' questions whirled around the elderly wolf's mind but he was quickly cut off from his thoughts as the conversation continued.
"About the necklace?" Tails asked, raising a brow in confusion.
"Yeah. Yesterday I gave it to White Fang for him to wear. However, when Eggman ambushed me, White Fang didn't run and something seemed to have cause him to snap. He charged at Eggman and even landed a big blow on his new assistant. I'm not sure what it was, but I think it might be something to do with this necklace." Sonic explained. 'Eggman's new assistant? I need to get some answers here.' the white wolf thought as he listened to the conversation.
"Hmm.. The last time you had me look at it, I couldn't find much on it. Perhaps now that something has happened that may involve it, I may be able to find something that could be the source of what happened." Tails said. The elderly white wolf took the opportunity to make himself known as he knew more about the necklace than either of the two Mobians, "Perhaps I can help you out, kid."
The blue hedgehog turned to see where the voice came from, eyes widening in surprise upon seeing the elderly white wolf, "Who are you?"
"My name is Krypto. I am the leader of a large pack that has centuries of history bestowed upon it, including history of that necklace you're holding." the white wolf introduced himself, staring intently at the necklace Sonic was holding before continuing, "That necklace is an important asset to those of my pack, especially those who are born with white fur and blue eyes."
"Wait, really?" Tails asked, who was just as shocked as Sonic.
"Yes." Krypto responded before he began explaining, "This necklace has existed for many centuries and has been worn by myself, my daughter, and many of my ancestors in honor of the very wolf who saved Mobius so long ago."
"Your daughter?" Sonic questioned, interrupting the elder wolf.
"Yes, but two months ago she was killed by Eggman's robots and two of her sons went missing, her eldest and current leader, and her youngest who was barely a month old at the time along with the necklace." the white wolf said, catching the hedgehog and the fox by surprise from how open he was, "Her sudden death hit the pack hard. The pack was left without a leader with her death and her eldest son's disappearance, so I had to take over until one of my three remaining grandchildren is old enough and able to take my place as leader."
'His daughter was killed by Eggman's robots and two of his grandsons disappeared two months ago? That's the same day I found White Fang and his mother..' Sonic wondered, noticing how similar Krypto's story of Eggman's attack was to the story Blade and Rosebud gave to Knuckles outside the fact that a leader and a younger brother disappeared at the same time as a female wolf's death. The blue hedgehog started to think hard considering the similarities that both stories have, 'Should I tell him the truth about White Fang?'
Before Sonic could come to an answer, Tails said, "I'm really sorry to hear that. We'll make sure we get payback for you guys."
Krypto nodded, "Thank you. I'm sure you're curious about the necklace, correct?"
'Guess I'll have to decide later.' Sonic thought, a bit upset he couldn't decide anything before his best friend spoke. Sonic and Tails both nodded, figuring that they could perhaps find something in regards to the necklace that can really help them out.
"Alright." Krypto said before he began explaining, "As I mentioned before, this necklace has existed for many centuries and has been worn by many of my ancestors. Initially, this necklace was made for a wolf who had saved Mobius many centuries ago. This wolf was known as Aeneas. He was a white wolf with bright, blue eyes. During his early years, Mobius was in the mercy of a black wolf with red markings, and blood reddish-brown eyes known as Kieron. Kieron was a cruel, cunning, and ruthless wolf who had the residents of Mobius living in fear. Whenever he sought more territory, he never hesitated to kill anybody who dared to try to get in his way. He mercilessly killed thousands of innocent Mobians, both young and old when he invaded parts of the planet that he had not claimed, and very few escaped alive. Those that did escape swore revenge, and looked up to Aeneas as a leader and the one to defeat the evil wolf. Aeneas challenged Kieron one day after months of training, determined to free Mobius of the tyrant. The two wolves fought relentlessly until Kieron got the upper hand, and landed a deadly blow on Aeneas. The blow seemed to have done the job, and just as Kieron was about to announce his victory, Aeneas stood up, miraculously alive. The white wolf roared as he suddenly began to glow, causing everyone including Kieron to shield their eyes from the light. When the light died down, Aeneas appeared as a completely different wolf, healed of his fatal injuries, and even had blue flames on his shoulders and paws along with bright blue markings along his body. Kieron attempted to take down the white wolf, but was knocked down easily thanks to Aeneas's quick speed. The two wolves went in for a final blow, using their full power. However, in the end, Kieron fell with a deep slash in his neck caused by Aeneas's signature spin attack, ultimately dying from the wounds and declaring Aeneas as the winner of the duel. Many Mobian residents celebrated the fall of the tyrant, and made a special necklace with a blue star pendant as a gift that allowed his descendants to maintain Aeneas's power especially if one of them was born with white fur and blue eyes. Since then, the necklace has been the symbol of Aeneas's victory and heroism over the course of the centuries, even long after Aeneas had passed on in life."
Tails gaped in awe as he heard the story of the legend. He couldn't believe that the very necklace his best found two months ago was tied with an ancient legend. Sonic on the other hand, was eyeing the necklace curiously.
'Is this why White Fang was always so curious about it?' the hedgehog wondered.
"However," Krypto continued to explain, "the leaders must be careful when they choose who they want to succeed. Much like the chaos emeralds, if it falls into the wrong hands, it could spell doom for not just the packs, but Mobius as a whole."
"You're saying if someone like Eggman gets a hold of this, Mobius would be done for?" Sonic asked in disbelief.
"Yes. The necklace is a powerful tool that contains energy similar to the chaos emeralds. However, unlike the emeralds, the necklace will react based on one's emotion if it's not harnessed. Rumor has that when the necklace starts glowing, those wearing it can hear the voices of past leaders who have worn it." the elderly wolf said.
"So that explains it.." Sonic muttered, unaware that Krypto had heard him.
"Explains what?" the elderly wolf questioned, raising a brow in confusion.
'I guess I better tell him the truth..' Sonic thought regretfully as Tails looked at him, knowing how much it will hurt.
"Two months ago, I was doing my usual run and keeping an eye out for Eggman's robots. I heard gunshots and decided to investigate. Right before I got to the scene, I heard a loud yelp. At first I didn't know what it was, but when I arrived I saw his robots surrounding something. It didn't take long for me to take care of the robots, but once they were taken care of, I heard whimpering. That's when I saw a white wolf pup making its way towards me. Outside of being dirty, it was unscathed, but I didn't know where its mother was. However, it didn't take long to find her, and.. the sight wasn't pretty.. By the time I found its mother, it was too late to save her.. Her wounds were too fatal, even if I got her to a hospital she wouldn't have survived the night… Since then, I've been taking care of her pup for the last two months. I held on to the necklace so the pup could remember his mother." the hedgehog explained, barely holding back tears that threatened to form.
"So that's why it went missing two months ago along with my youngest grandson.." Krypto said with a bit of relief, but clearly devastated. "This whole time, my daughter's youngest pup was alive and safe.."
"Yesterday, Eggman ambushed me with his new partner, and I wasn't able to fight back at all with how powerful his partner was. Who knows what would've happened to me if the necklace triggered White Fang to attack Eggman's partner." Sonic said, still troubled by what had happened twenty-four hours ago.
"Eggman's partner? What did his partner look like?" Krypto asked, confused as to what the blue hedgehog was saying.
"He has a point, you never told me what Eggman's new assistant looked like, Sonic." Tails said, agreeing with the elderly white wolf.
"His partner from what I saw was a large black wolf with red eyes and markings all over his body. Eggman said his partner's name was Raze." Sonic said.
Krypto's eyes widened as he heard the description of Eggman's new partner, realizing just how serious Eggman is. "Mobius is in grave danger! That wolf is without a doubt a descendant of Kieron if this Raze fellow is as strong as you say he is!" he warned with a serious tone.
"A descendant of Kieron!?" Tails questioned, shocked at the white wolf's sudden realization.
"Yes. The description matches Kieron's appearance! The fact that Dr. Eggman has allied himself with such a being puts Mobius in grave danger. Sonic. You said you were taking care of a white wolf pup, correct?" Krypto said in a serious tone.
The blue hedgehog nodded, surprised at the fact that the elderly wolf knows his name, 'How does this wolf know my name when we've never introduced ourselves? Does he know me from somewhere?'
"I want to see him." the elderly wolf demanded.
Sonic was thrown off guard by the wolf's demand, but pulled out the chaos emerald regardless. "Alright then." he said before turning to his best friend, "Thanks for the help Tails."
"No problem Sonic. I'll see you later!" the fox smirked, giving the hedgehog a fist bump.
The blue hedgehog winked before turning to Krypto, "Stay close."
The white wolf nodded, getting close before Sonic yelled out, "Chaos Control!"
Back on Angel Island, the three pups were tussling with each other. Knuckles smiled as he watched them play. 'Those three sure know how to keep things entertaining while I'm guarding the Master Emerald.' he thought. As the red echidna looked up, he saw how late it was starting to get as the sun was starting to set.
However, before he could speak, there was a bright flash that appeared for a second before fading. There, Sonic was standing not far from the Master Emerald with an elderly white wolf that Knuckles did not recognize.
"Sonic! You're back!" White Fang cried out, being the first to notice their arrival. He ran towards the hedgehog in excitement and pounced on him, catching Sonic off guard for a brief second and knocking him to the ground.
"Grandpa!" Blade and Rosebud called upon noticing the elderly white wolf, following White Fang.
"Whoa! Hey White Fang. Had fun?" Sonic greeted, sitting up once the white pup got off of him.
"Yeah! You should've seen me earlier Sonic! Blade and Rosebud couldn't even catch up with how fast I was going!" the white pup exclaimed, tail wagging in excitement as he showed off his moves.
"He's not wrong. There were a few times White Fang had to slow down just to even the odds while they were playing." Knuckles said
"Blade? Rosebud? What are you two doing here? The pack has been searching for you all day! Your brother was starting to get worried sick!" Krypto asked, relieved and confused about why the two siblings were on Angel Island.
"Sorry Grandpa.." the two siblings said in unison, ears drooping upon the realization of just how worried their pack had been.
"I found them when they got themselves lost while I was taking a quick break from guarding the Master Emerald. Since they couldn't find their way home, I decided to look after them until I got any word of anybody looking for them." Knuckles explained before asking the elderly wolf, "I'm assuming you're their grandfather?"
"That's right. My name is Krypto. Thank you for watching my grand-children." Krypto responded, dipping his head in respect.
"It was no problem. Watching pups is a lot easier than watching the Master Emerald." the red echidna said.
"Even though you've let Baldy McNosehair steal it multiple times." Sonic said teasingly.
"Oh come on! He only stole it three times!" Knuckles retorted, barely keeping his cool.
While the pups were laughing at the bickering, Krypto used the opportunity to take a look at White Fang. 'So this is the white pup Sonic said he was taking care of. Without a doubt, he's my grandson. His mark is unmistakable. He's so much like his mother and yet he looks almost identical to Aeneas! Could the prophecy be true after all?' the elderly wolf wondered, surprised at the similarities White Fang had to both his mother and his ancestor.
"He sure is a lively one, huh?" the elderly wolf questioned Sonic with a warm smile once the hedgehog was done bickering with Knuckles.
"Yeah. White Fang is quite a handful." the blue hedgehog responded.
"He's a lot faster than most pups, if anything, he's about as fast as an adult wolf right now. That talent alone is rare in pups, and they usually grow up to be some of the fastest wolves on Mobius. You should teach him how to fight and harness his abilities, Sonic. They could be useful for when Eggman were to strike again." Krypto said, seeing a lot of potential in White Fang.
Sonic took a moment to think realizing that the older male was right. If Dr. Eggman was to attack again at any given moment, and he was not there to protect Mobius, he would have to rely on his friends to be able to fend the mad doctor off and keep Mobius safe.
"You're right. With the threat of Eggman around, Mobius is going to need all the fighters it can get. Plus, White Fang has been dying to learn how to fight the past few days. It's a matter of when to start now." the hedgehog said.
"I think you should start tomorrow, Sonic." Knuckles replied, turning towards the three pups who were close to falling asleep, "It's getting pretty late and the pups are about ready to pass out."
Sonic walked over and gently grabbed White Fang before pulling out the blue chaos emerald. "I guess we better get back home then especially when it'll be a long day tomorrow." he said.
With a nod, Krypto walked over to the two remaining pups, gently placing one on his back and carrying the other gently by its scruff.
"If you need anything Sonic, you know where to find me." Knuckles said, smirking.
Sonic nodded as he raised the emerald to activate Chaos Control. Once the five disappeared, the echidna then looked up at the night sky.
"From what it seems like, I'm not the only one who got the warning about Mobius being in danger. With Eggman in the mix, the safety of the Master Emerald is also at risk. Knowing him, he might try to steal it for his own evil plans. When the time comes, we'll have to be ready if we're going to keep Mobius safe." Knuckles said to himself in a serious tone before heading back to the Master Emerald to continue his role as guardian.