Silver held his breath, hoping against hope that Sivannah wouldn't move her knight-
"Checkmate."
He released his breath. Right there.
"I do apologize, young one," Sivannah's voice creaked sympathetically, "I should have known that this game would be a tad more difficult for one your age. Though, if it helps, I will admit that you have managed to do much better at this than I would have expected."
Silver rubbed his forehead and pulled a small blanket, which Sivannah had traded out for the towel, tighter around his shoulders. A slight headache had begun to pester him, too much thinking had finally caught up to him.
"No, don't be sorry. I just need to practice it more."
Sivannah nodded, watching him carefully as he reached over and began to reset the pieces, intermittently rubbing his achy head. They'd been halfway through their third game when Silver decided to drop down to the floor, joining Sivannah and the chessboard. It made reaching the pieces easier, as opposed to pointing to each piece and directing Sivannah on where to place them.
Silver picked up one of the tall pieces, a bishop, and began to place the yellowed wood back on its square when Sivannah's wrinkled hand came to rest on his. He didn't pull away or react, he'd become accustomed to her seeing his marks and now it didn't seem to bother him at all. He looked up at her, questioning.
"I think we should take a break from playing for today," she said.
Silver couldn't help feeling disappointed but for the sake of his aching brain he relented.
"Okay," he said, pulling back his hands and tucking them underneath the warm blanket. His golden eyes watched as Sivannah gracefully packed up the game and stowed it back where she'd got it from. When she sat back down, Silver couldn't help looking up and around the room, ears turning to hear the stubborn patter of rainfall.
"The clouds refuse to cease hmm?" The storyteller whispered.
Silver nodded slowly. He shivered and pulled the blanket closer around him.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
Though, more accurately, he was asking what he would do. He doubted Sivannah would want him to stay the whole night. But his skin had never felt so fresh nor his fur so clean. He dreaded the thought of walking through the toxic rain to get home.
The story-teller hummed thoughtfully.
"That is an excellent question," she mused.
She glanced at Silver just as he caught a yawn, his tiny canines flashing in the dim firelight.
She smiled fondly at him.
"I do have other games that we might entertain ourselves with but I do think you may be too tired for that."
Instantly, Silver perked up, shedding the tiredness in his eyes in hopes of staying longer with the old possum.
"What- No! I'm not tired! Let's play another game!"
Sivannah chuckled, amused by his childish denial. "It's alright, young Silver, there's no shame in growing tired. I do suppose the day is drawing near its eve as it is and I'm sure the events leading you to be stranded outside would already have left you weary."
Silver ducked his head, muzzle burning in misery at the memory of being chased and beaten by the bullies. Invisible bruises throbbed beneath his cleaned fur and the small scratch on his cheek stung with sharp reminder.
"Though, perhaps..."
Silver's head shot up to look at the possum.
She appeared to be pondering something.
"You say that you have no parents."
Silver's ears drooped. "Yes ma'am," he replied glumly.
How many pains in his short life could he have avoided if only he'd had parents?
"So no one will be expecting you home by any hour?"
"No."
"Well then." She gave him a gentle smile, patting the ground next to her. "Why don't you spend tonight here in the tent?"
Silver's eyes widened.
"Y-you mean it?"
She laughed. "Don't look so surprised, little one, of course I mean it!"
"But, I thought you said-"
"That was for the Tavern, child. This-" she gestured at the area around them- "is my abode. And whatever I say in here goes."
Silver felt like he could've exploded from joy.
"Oh, Sivannah!" he cried, launching himself into her and wrapping his tiny arms around her shoulders in a tight hug, "Thank you- thank you- thank you!"
He could feel the buzz inside his mind react to his excitement while his hands grew warm, but he didn't care. More importantly, Sivannah didn't care and she even wanted him to stay! In his short life he couldn't think of any night that would've been better than this one.
Sivannah's warm laugh resonated against his chest as her long, thin arms wrapped around him, returning the hug.
"You are quite welcome, young Silver."
He pulled tighter into her embrace, tail wagging.
"However, I will need to get you some things before you settle down tonight."
Silver pulled back, confused. He had a blanket, one that was softer than he'd ever felt in his entire life, the ground and even a warm fire! What else could he possibly need? He could easily curl himself up inside the folds of his blanket and fall asleep right then and there if he wanted to.
Sivannah didn't seem to notice his confusion and after he'd pulled away she set him down on the ground. She stood up before turning and disappearing out of the tent and into the Tavern shortly after.
Silver waited, picking up his blanket and halfway wrapping it around himself as he stood there. He was still confused but it was quickly drowned out by the overwhelming joy he felt that Sivannah, the Story-Teller, actually wanted him to spend the night in her story-telling tent! He giggled at the thought.
Abelle will never believe this!
It wasn't long before Sivannah returned with three more blankets and two weird fluffy things wrapped in cloth.
"Here we are," she said, setting the articles down on the ground next to Silver, "this should be more than enough to make you comfortable."
Silver poked at one of the fluffy things. It was airy and unbelievably soft. He looked up at Sivannah.
"What is this?"
"It's called a pillow," she answered. "Have you never heard of one?"
Silver looked at the fluffy thing with awe, "I've heard of them- but I've never seen one before!"
"I see..." Sivannah's voice sounded thoughtful and sad.
"They're for your head, right?" Silver asked, hoping to get her out of her sad thoughts. She'd done it a few times already tonight and he found that by asking her more questions she'd cheer up again. She smiled, just as predicted.
"Yes, but you're small enough that two will be a mattress."
Now Silver was really confused.
"A match-ress?"
She chuckled and ruffled his quills, a gesture he found to mean she was amused with him.
"To put it simply, it is a long pillow that you sleep on."
"Oooh." He looked at the two pillows on the ground then at the pile of blankets and couldn't help smiling. "This'll be the best night ever!" He declared as he clambered over the pillows and dragged the pile of blankets over them.
Sivannah watched with no small amount of amusement as the little hoglet shuffled around the pile of soft bedding, effectively burying himself in it. Giggling, the little hoglet wiggled and squirmed inside the blankets before huddling with his head just barely peeking out of the side.
Satisfied that he was comfortable and a safe distance from the fire, she turned back towards the Tavern entrance.
"Well, seeing as you are quite comfortable now, I suppose I should wish you goodnight-"
She was interrupted by an alarmed squeak and then Silver's voice calling out, "Wait-!"
He tumbled out of the pile, squeaking again when one blanket caught his foot and he had to struggle to pull it free. The moment he was out of the pile he dashed to Sivannah's side and latched onto her skirt with both hands, his marks flickering in plain view.
"Can you please stay? I'm not tired yet! Let's play another game or something first?"
Silver could clearly see the surprise on Sivannah's old face and he realized, with a sudden rush of dread, that he might have overstepped his bounds. Instantly his hands released her skirt and disappeared behind his back while his head ducked down.
"I-I'm sorry! I mean- you can do whatever you want! Don't- don't mind me. You're probly tired anyway and-"
"Silver." She dropped down to his level, cupping his muzzle in her soft hand and forcing him to look her in the eye. She smiled. "I would love to stay up later with you."
Silver instantly forgot the need to be timid and his tail wagged excitedly as both hands came back to the front of his body, marks glowing happily.
"Really? Then what should we do? Is there something you want to do?"
"Well." Sivannah glanced towards the tent door and the fading light from outside. "It is coming time to wind down for sleep but I have a feeling that playing more games will only serve to wake you further."
Silver grew thoughtful. If they couldn't play games, then what should they do? He did feel a little tired, but he didn't want to go to sleep just yet. And he certainly didn't want to have to say goodbye to Sivannah already. He had a feeling it'd take him a while to fall asleep and he really didn't want to be alone...
"I have an idea," Sivannah declared, scooping him up in her arms.
He squeaked, still not quite used to being so openly handled by adults, not to mention his bruises had become more tender over the past few hours. But it was only two quick steps and he was set back down onto his comfortable pile, with Sivannah seating herself, cross-legged, right next to him. There was a sparkle in her eyes, one that Silver recognized from Abelle. A mischievous sort of excitement that was contagious.
"What?" he asked, "What is it?"
"What would you say if, before we go to sleep for the night, I tell you a story?"
Silver's jaw dropped and his eyes shone. "Are- are you serious?"
Sivannah grinned, "Of course, child! Nothing is better right before bed than a good story." A cheeky sparkle twinkled in her eyes. "Unless you wish to do something else. I would hate to force you to-"
"WHAT?! No!" Silver shouted, earning a raised brow from the elder possum. The hedgehog quickly lowered his voice, "I mean- no. I really do want to hear a story!"
Sivannah chuckled, shifting herself so that she would be comfortable. Her story-telling was often long-winded.
"Alright. Now, is there any story in particular you'd like me to tell you?"
Silver's eyes sparkled. "You mean I get to choose?"
"But of course, little one, it is your story time after all. So? Do you have a favorite perhaps? Or one that you haven't heard in a long while?"
Instantly Silver's thoughts went to the story Sivannah had been telling the day before. The one he had partially missed because his stupid curse had begun acting up.
"Actually, there is one..." he ducked his head, somehow still feeling ashamed and embarrassed. "I love the stories you tell about the Guardian of the Wind."
"Ah yes, those are some of the most renowned legends of all time! Is there one in particular you'd like to hear? There are quite a few of them after all."
"Well, actually, yesterday you had said there was a new one you'd found out about recently and... I missed some of it." He glanced at his hands, squeezed them, then looked up at Sivannah shyly. "Do you think you could tell it again for me?"
"Of course, child, I would love to tell it again." She smiled assuringly at him, patting the pile of blankets, "What say you get yourself settled before I begin?"
"Okay!" He dove into the pile, grabbed a blanket and pulled it over his shoulders as he sidled up to the possum's side, propping his arms against her leg. "I'm ready now!"
She smiled down at him and his eyes sparkled up at her expectantly.
"Alright," she started softly, reaching down to softly pet the blanket covering his back.
The methodical weight of her hand felt so soothing to Silver and he already felt his eyes begin to grow heavy from the assuring movement. He rested his chin on his arms, feeling himself relax.
"Now, how did it start? Ah yes. Long ago, when magic and life still beat within the heart of our world, there lived a magnificent hero. The Guardian of the Wind."
Silver listed his head, ears alert and eyes trained on Sivannah's face as he listened to the story-teller retell her story.
"But heroes are not made without a villain, and even a perfect world will have those who wish to destroy it. So it was when the Guardian of the Wind first battled his arch nemesis- the Eggman. This evil man wanted nothing more than to destroy the life that blossomed on Mobius and enslave its peoples for his own gain. His very name attested to the horrible schemes he would hatch and plot in his rotted, despicable mind."
Silver remembered the name Eggman. It was familiar beyond the other times it'd come up in the story-teller's stories but he never thought too much of it. At the moment, he was simply content to listen to the story-teller's tale in comfort and warmth.
"The first plot of his making was no different from the rest. But the Guardian of the Wind was swift, and cunning. And when the whispers of the zephyrs told him of the Eggman's scheme he flew on heels of the strongest gust of wind to stop the madman. Little did he know, it would take much more than his own bare strength and wit to defeat the evil that laid before him..."
~ • • • ~
Sivannah shut her mouth, pausing her current story midway to look down at the little hedgehog fast asleep on her lap. His soft breaths were even and calm.
She was well aware of the first time he'd nodded off to her story-telling that evening, but for his sake she pretended not to notice and continued her stories until she was sure he had fallen fast asleep.
She stroked the quills on his small head, feeling how his hoglet fur mingled with his soft, young quills. No doubt the bath had helped to give his quills their sleek, smooth feel and look.
She still had a hard time believing it. A hedgehog. How long had it been since she'd last seen a hedgehog? Too long. She'd even begun to fear that the precious species had died off completely. And yet, here one was. Hiding right under her nose. Better yet, this little one was still only a hoglet, so perhaps there was still hope for the species.
Admittedly, they became very good at hiding after the Dark Age. And she wouldn't have noticed this one except for his little light show and abrupt dismissal the other day.
Ah yes. His 'episodes' as he called them.
Her gaze turned to the small hands laying openly on her lap, watching the circular markings pulse a gentle cyan. Her aged hands moved gracefully to the tiny white paws, gently picking one up and running a thumb over the mark feeling the tiny spike of warmth at the physical contact.
One of the hoglet's ears twitched and Sivannah froze, but the silver furred hedgehog showed no other signs of waking.
Relaxing, she continued to analyze the small paw in her hand.
The way he'd described his 'episodes' intrigued and excited her. She knew that hedgehogs were the chosen species, strong and powerful, somehow finding the favor of that mysterious power Chaos. Legend had it that even the Guardian of the Wind was of hedgehog descent, and she didn't doubt it for a moment.
Now not only had she found a young hedgehog, but it appeared that he had also been gifted with magnificent abilities from birth. And maybe- just maybe- with an innate connection to the life-giving Chaos that had for so long been stripped from the world.
She couldn't help but smile giddily at the thought. A poor boy rejected by everyone around him could actually be a direct link between this dead world and the slumbering energy of Chaos. And here he was, asleep on her lap.
A whimper came from the hoglet and she noticed his marks pulse brighter for a moment before dimming back to normal. Her smile disappeared at the furrowed brow and troubled expression that had suddenly come over his pale face.
His ears pulled back and his body twitched, forcing her to return his hand to her lap. The palm instantly curled in, as if insecure, and tucked closer to his body.
Pity for the poor child quickly stifled the girlish excitement she had felt moments before and she went back to stroking his quills, trying to soothe him from outside his dreams.
"It's alright, little one," she whispered, "no need to fret."
The calming whispers didn't seem to help as another whimper escaped the hoglet.
She found herself wondering what kinds of dreams the little hoglet had, if he really was a connection to Chaos. But she shook the curious thought away. She could always ask him at some later time.
He curled himself tighter, squeaking in distress, his eyelids fluttering from the active movement of his eyes.
Sivannah worried he might wake himself up. She couldn't have that. After all, he'd only just fallen asleep. She had a feeling the little hoglet was in need of much more sleep than a few minutes.
She stopped her gentle stroking to rest her wrinkled hand on his forehead. Closing her eyes she willed her calming thoughts into his with unintelligible whispers, reassuring the tiny, bright mind that he was safe.
To her surprise, the warmth she felt from his resting mind turned cold and sharp, biting back at her attempt to influence it. She quickly corrected herself, becoming more gentle and gradual with her influence. Tentatively his mind accepted her touch, and slipped into stillness.
She reopened her eyes to see the little hoglet's face relaxed and serene. The marks on his hands steadily glowed a dim cyan, no longer pulsing.
She continued her stroking, feeling weary from her direct use of energy and pondered on what she had felt from Silver's subconscious. It wasn't often she could feel another person's mind like that, considering it required much more energy than she liked to use and needed her to be much more direct with her influence. For instance, actually touching the person's head.
But in earlier years, when she had plentiful amounts of energy, it was more common for her to use her manipulation on minds more implicitly. Back then she would study the different minds she would touch, noting when some were harder to influence and others far too easy. She learned different techniques on how to properly influence emotions in all varieties of minds so that no one would notice.
She was young and foolish then.
In any case, in all that time she had never come across a mind that had threatened to attack her back. Blockade against her? Yes. Pull away from her? Yes. But retaliate? Never. She couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if she hadn't corrected herself as quickly as she had. Would it have triggered his abilities?
This little hedgehog intrigued her even more.
Still, it was obvious he wasn't completely impervious to her influence, only reactive to direct manipulation. He accepted her influence if it were gentle and gradual. But with a mind like that, she wondered if he could be trained to resist all emotional and mental influence indefinitely.
This little hoglet was giving her much to think about.
She already had some sort of idea as to what his abilities were and, considering the alertness of his mind, she was quickly drawing the conclusion that his lapses of power were of psychic descent. She would prefer to see him use his abilities first to better judge exactly how much power he actually had.
The hard part would be properly grooming and training him to tap into his full power once she figured out what he was capable of.
She looked down at his peaceful face; Innocent as a dove, with silvery-toned fur to match.
There was a flutter of fabric at the opening of her tent and her head jolted up to see a face disappearing into the darkness. Her eyes narrowed, suspicion sharpening her senses.
The rain had lessened to a light sprinkle, so it wasn't terribly uncomfortable for a person to be outside anymore. The puddles on the pavement made no sound, indicating that the person she had seen either hadn't left yet, or was very light on their feet.
Gentle as a mother with a newborn, she eased the sleeping hedgehog off of her lap and onto the makeshift bed of pillows and blankets. The hoglet stretched, a chirping sound coming from his throat before he curled up and nuzzled deeper into the blankets, still fast asleep.
Satisfied that she had not awoken the little hedgehog and that he was comfortable in his little nest, she stood and hurried to the front entrance of the tent.
Opening the flap she was greeted with specks of rain spitting on her face along with a gust of humid air. Closing the flap behind her she crossed her arms under her shawl and scoured the surrounding area. Her eyes landed on a shadowed figure, leaning leisurely against the Tavern wall, protected from the spitting clouds by the Tavern's overhang.
She was sure that he knew she had seen him and she knew that he had waited. Otherwise, he would have been long gone before she came outside.
With steady steps she walked towards him, her posture straight and demanding respect. Controlling herself in this encounter would be key.
"Identify yourself stranger," she commanded, stopping beneath the tavern overhang so that they both were protected from the flecks of rain.
The stranger, a full grown bear with a brown leather jacket, looked up at her with a cheeky smile on his muzzle.
"Come on, Sivannah. You know who I am." His voice was low and gruff.
Her eyes darted briefly to his covered bicep. She already knew the tattoo that marked his kind.
"What is it that you want?"
The tan-furred bear leaned back, closing his hazel eyes leisurely.
"You know it has nothing to do with what I want. The boss is looking for more potential, how shall we say, persons of interest. And, well, you know how that leads to me."
"I am well aware of your Master's aims," she replied coolly, "and I am aware of what your clan does for him. But this does not concern me. What does concern me is your kind stalking me and my tent. Something I cannot abide."
The bear hummed thoughtfully. "Well, a place like yours attracts all sorts of business. And I've simply been scouting the area. Hardly stalking at all I'd say."
She nodded. Face void of emotion. "Let that be your case then. But if you must continue, I will have to insist that you take your 'scouting' elsewhere."
The bear clacked his tongue to the roof of his mouth, pushing away from the wall and lazily watching the misty rain fall onto the road. "Don't worry 'bout it. I've already finished."
Sivannah felt as though she could curse at him but she wisely held her tongue.
"Quite the troop you have here, from what I found," he drawled, "should find some good ones in all this. In fact, I couldn't help but notice..." He leaned forward, pointedly looking beyond her and at the tent entrance. "You've taken a special liking to one of them."
Sivannah bristled, eyes narrowing. "You stay away from him," she said lowly.
The bear smirked, reveling the crack in her demeanor.
"You seemed quite familiar with the little one. I heard talk of there being a hedgehog 'round these parts."
Sivannah's jaw clenched.
The bear rested both hands on the back of his neck, looking up into the sky as if pondering some mystery.
"Haven't seen one of those in a long time. And from what little I've heard, there's rumor this one's cursed?"
His hazel eyes shifted to her, calculating. Sivannah dug her claws into her arm, forcing herself to remain undaunted.
The bear was unfazed. "Perhaps you didn't know... Cursed or not, an albino hedgehog is quite the find. The Master would be greatly pleased with such a promising prospect-"
"Listen here," Sivannah snarled, her composure lost to bared fangs and bristled fur, "you and yours can come in and terrorize the citizens of the Mire as much as your Master pleases- but the hedgehog is mine!"
The bear held up his hands. "Easy, Sivannah. You know how powerful the Master is. If he wants something he will get it. And you should be careful not to get in his way."
Sivannah took a menacing step forward, whispering words in her mind that enforced her manipulation of his emotions and was satisfied by the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "Well, your Master can't have this one. The hedgehog is under my protection," she growled, forcing fear into the bear's mind with such force that he staggered back from her, eyes wide. "And you can tell him that if he wants the child he will have to personally go through me. Understood?"
The bear nodded frantically.
"Good," she hissed, drawing back her manipulation magic and watching his expression go from fear, to bewilderment, to that of an offended pup trying miserably to hold to some form of dignity.
Leaning back on her heels Sivannah regained her cool composure and nodded once.
"And you will tell your fellow clansmen that under no circumstances are they to touch the hedgehog, or else they are to answer to me. And I shall take it straight to your Master."
The bear nodded glumly, eyes averted.
"Very well." Sivannah turned her back to him, already taking steps back towards the tent and her young charge.
"Be careful, possum," the bear growled bitterly, "you and the Master might have history, but don't be dumb enough to think that any respect for you will protect you from his wrath."
Sivannah stopped. Tilting her head to speak over her shoulder.
"Threaten all you want," her voice, suddenly much older, creaked, "But he knows as well as I that these times have been just as unkind to him as they have to me. And despite all his years of trying, he still has not grown as powerful as he might like to believe."
She dipped her chin down. A gentle gesture.
"Do tell him that for me."
And with that last comment she strode away, hurrying back into the familiar confines of her tent. As soon as the flap closed she stopped to take a breath, letting out a slow exhale.
Her eyes landed on the peacefully sleeping hedgehog, who had curled himself further into the blankets.
With steps as soft as a cat's, she walked back to his small form and knelt down next to him. The marks on his hands had begun to gently pulse again. Perhaps her influence had worn off and he was now in the middle of another dream. But if he wasn't distressed, she didn't want to use her ability on him again. She was already fatigued from influencing the bear.
She cast a sidelong glance at the tent door, suspicion and dread spreading like poison inside her chest.
Deciding against leaving Silver alone for the night, she made herself comfortable on his other side, keeping an eye on the entrance and placing one hand on his still form. Her eyelids were heavy but her unease kept her from sleep. The only thing that soothed her was gently kneading the ends of Silver's long, soft quills between her fingers.
Eventually, she was lulled into slumber. The return of pattering rain and the rhythmic motion of petting the precious child leading her mind into peaceful darkness.
~•~•~•~
{ Somewhere Outside the City - Several hours later... }
"She said that, did she?"
"Yes, Master."
"Hmmm. How intriguing..."
The polar bear looked up expectantly. "Would ya like us to look into this?"
A pause. The Master was thinking.
Finally, "No."
The polar bear was surprised by that answer.
"Sir?" Was all he could manage to ask.
"Let Sivannah have her pet. With so many other children in the area, I can allow her this little homage."
"But- I thought that-"
"She has claimed the boy as her own and has proclaimed that he is under her protection. But he is not under mine. That being said, it doesn't matter one way or another to me if he is collected. And because of Sivannah's request, you shall simply resist the urge to make this, hedgehog, a priority hunt. The sorceress has her reasons for keeping him. And I have no reason to provoke her without a sound cause or by means of incognizance."
"Master. Let me get this straight... I'm supposed to tell the others to stay away from the hoglet?"
"No. Not avoid. Simply- forget. Overlook. Do not let his rare breeding distract you, but rather, let him blend into the rest of the crowd. If he is collected, then it is to be by the favor of chance and fortune. Anything more and the situation with Sivannah will become unmanageable all too quickly. Does that clarify my instructions, Root?"
The bear nodded, bowing once more. "He's just a normal kid. Got it. I'll spread the word, Master."
"Good. See that you do."
With those words the bear backed out of the spacious room and closed the door behind him. Leaving the Master with his thoughts.
"Sivannah claiming a child is nothing unusual," he mused to himself, rounding his large oak desk and seating himself in a tall-backed, velvet-cushioned seat. "But it is curious that she has managed to find a hedgehog as her pledge."
He folded his hands, under his chin, brow furrowing.
"It is intriguing indeed..."