HOME | DD

Description
"Love That Gives True Peace"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 4: "Still much left to Overcome"

   Back on Angel Island, Knuckles stood silently beside the Master Emerald as the sun rose.  He stared quietly at the horizon, the palette of colors rich and vivid as the sun pierced the darkness and awoke the daytime sky.  Kelerai had curled up on the Master Emerald, grown up some but still small for a cat and purring away.  Knuckles glanced at her and smiled, petting her gently with two fingers, and stirring her out of her sleep.  She meowed almost in annoyance, as she yawned and stretched grudgingly.

   The echidna laughed and said, “Sorry Kelerai, but it’s time to wake up; I’ve already been awake for a couple hours, so you can’t complain at all.”  Kelerai sat up, and proceeded to clean herself, licking her paws and wiping them over her head, from behind her ears to her nose, as it was the only way she could clean her face.  She barely started to clean herself before she felt the cold morning dew that had formed on the Master Emerald’s surface touch her fur, upon which she abruptly jumped down to the ground beside Knuckles.

   Again Knuckles couldn’t help but laugh.  He said, “You’d think that water was like acid or something…silly cat.”  Kneeling down to pet her he said, “What do you say we go check on Amy?  She’s bound to be awake now.”  As he stood up, he looked over towards the small, cottage-style house he and Amy shared, looking at their bedroom window, and sighing heavily.

   As he walked down the stone steps towards the ground below, Kelerai walked happily beside him as she always did, never being far from his side since they met.  She sensed a veil of sadness and worry hanging over the echidna, and enveloping him, swallowing up his happiness as it did before Amy became a permanent part of his life.  She was curious as to what bothered him, knowing it couldn’t be Amy, as she was in great health and full of energy.  It was when Knuckles was depressed like this that Kelerai worried for him, as much as a cat can worry, and as much as a cat can grieve so did she.

   It was true; Knuckles wasn’t worried about Amy at all, at least, she wasn’t the source of this nagging sadness.  He worried for her as any father-to-be would, and devoted much of his time to making sure that she was properly taken care of, and not in wanting of anything.  Infact she was, besides Kelerai and his unborn child, the main sources of happiness that expelled this sadness, and whenever Amy was near him, not a hint or glimmer of misery would show.  How could it?  Whenever he was with Amy he was happy and at peace, even more so now that she was with child.  No, it was when he was alone, with the Master Emerald, having only stars, and the souls of the fallen in silent vigil with him.

   Indeed, he could still feel the souls of those that had long died, his friends, his kinsmen, and his dear mother and father; they had not left him, and he considered their presence as a barrier of protection for many years, but now that he knew his brother still lived, there was a hole in his heart that the memories of his family only made worse.  He just couldn’t be fully happy, or at peace, knowing his brother was out there…somewhere. No, until Hidama and Knuckles were reunited at last, neither of them would find peace again.

   Once Knuckles got to the bottom of the stairs, he paused, and once again a smile returned to his face.  He saw Amy sitting in a swing that hung on their porch, wrapped up in a pink, fleece bathrobe, with a long, white nightgown underneath, and wearing grey slipper socks on her feet.  It was pretty chill that morning, and the echidna quickened his steps, and ran up to the porch to sit beside her.

   Sitting down next to her, he said, “Morning Amy, did you sleep well?”  He put his arm around her and hugged her tightly.

   Amy was awake by now, but still slightly groggy, and yawned deeply, replying, “Sure did, and I’m happy to have.  For some reason I’ve been plagued with insomnia recently.  I’m feeling fine now though.”

   Kelerai ran to catch up to Knuckles, and finally did so, only to see him sitting next to Amy on the swing.  Just as she knew he would, Knuckles looked happy all over again, the longing sadness all but gone when he and Amy were together.  Kelerai couldn’t understand it, but was glad her master was happy anyway, at least for the time being.

   Knuckles laughed softly, and nodded in response.  For a brief moment, he again thought of Hidama.  It would be only a few weeks from now before his child was born.  He could see that in Amy and how she had changed over the weeks, and while this again gave him great joy, there was still a speck of sadness within him, which only his brother could heal.  However, he quickly dispelled the sadness, looked at Amy and asked, “How about some breakfast?  It’s getting too chilly out here even for me, so I’ll feel better with you inside.”

   Amy laughed and said, “Okay Knuxie, if you say so.”  After that, Knuckles ushered her inside, pretending to flee the cold, when what he was really fleeing was the vast horizon, where he was sure his brother was somewhere, but could do nothing to reach him.  He looked only for a moment at the sky and horizon, before quickly running inside, only waiting long enough for Kelerai to run in behind him, where he could shut the door, and in turn, shut out the uncertain world his brother had to face.

   Two days had passed since Shadow, Hidama, and the fox children left Radical City, and Hidama, though still not fully recovered, was beginning to think maybe Shadow was lost.  He walked next to Shadow, grinned and elbowed him, saying, “I think you’re lost Shads…why don’t you just admit it?”

   Shadow, though usually very open to Hidama and hardly cross, growled in disgust and said, “Two things, Hidama.  One, I am NOT lost, alright!?  Two, how can you be so disgustingly cheerful?  Ugh…” Shadow covered his ears and sped a few steps ahead of Hidama.

   Hidama laughed and said, “And three, we’re lost, but our bull-headed leader won’t admit it.”  Hidama was already in a better mood, and the relative peace they had had made his recovery much easier.  He was carrying a sleepy Olivia on his back, and whispered, “Hey, Olivia, you might wanna wake up…it’s morning, and,” chuckling he said, “I think your brother wants a turn.”

   Indeed, Jacob walked sluggishly beside Hidama, and Olivia, who had had a nice nap while Hidama carried her, yawned and said, “Okay Jacob, you can have your turn now.”

   Hidama laughed, and knelt down slowly, letting Olivia crawl off and Jacob crawl on his back.  Jacob, who was grumpy at this point, said, “Humph, it’s about time…ugh.”  The echidna stood up slowly, and making sure Jacob was secure, and then began to walk again, holding Olivia’s hand as they tried to catch up to Shadow.

   For awhile, everything was peaceful.  Hidama and Olivia talked about their families, or at least what they could remember about them, and in this case it was Olivia doing most of the talking, as Hidama memories were still slow to return, and his strength and power yet to take firm hold within him.  This was what troubled Shadow as he walked a few feet ahead of them.  He knew that there were still many enemies of the echidna clan yet living, hell bent on getting revenge, and taking it out on the last two survivors.  This is what Shadow feared while Hidama was still trying to recover.  If they were to be attacked, Hidama was of little help, and the last thing Shadow wanted to do was draw the enemies back to Angel Island for Knuckles’ blood, especially with Amy in her delicate condition.

   Yet while the four walked in relative peace, they were being watched.  Eyes stared at them from the tops of trees that lined the forest path they were walking.  These were a small group of Feldmort’s kind, lone mutant rebels that had escaped the fate of Feldmort and his army because they strayed from them, but they too still remembered their hatred of the echidnas, and now they had their chance for revenge over at least one, unaware he was one of the sons of the fallen guardian, only bent on killing him because he was an echidna.

   Finally, Shadow slowed, sensing the danger, and when Hidama caught up to him, he put a finger to his lips, turned to the echidna and said, “We’re being watched, and followed, and I’m sure it is not much longer before we are attacked.”

   Hidama’s eyes widened, the smile on his face disappeared, and he said, “Attacked?  What do you mean attacked?!”

   Shadow’s eyes flashed, in horror at the raised voice of Hidama.  He hushed him in a shrill, intense whisper and said, “No, Hidama!  Quiet!  You mustn’t alert them of your awareness of them!”  But it was too late at this point; tribal like war cries howled all around them, shattering the relative silence that had prevailed thus far.  Suddenly, silhouettes of bent, gruesome creatures leaped to the ground and surrounded the group.  Jacob was startled out of his sleep, Olivia brought to tears, Hidama terribly frightened, and both he and Shadow put on the defensive.

   Hidama was more than terribly frightened….the faces, appearance and presence of these followers of Lord Feldmort, his persecutor, brought back some memories that were better left forgotten.  It wasn’t just the years of pain, torture, and torment that returned, it was the memories of the sounds, sights, and terrors that the mutants brought when they slew his kin, and his own mother and father, and he was unable to stop it.  He was even named the “doomed guardian”, and the more and more he remembered and thought of his childhood, the more he felt he was responsible for the deaths of his loved ones.

   He fell to his knees; unable to control his pain and fear, and Jacob tumbled to the ground as he did so.  Shadow whipped around, ready to take out as many of these enemies as he could, but realized the important thing was protecting Hidama and the fox children.  Shadow slowly backed up to the tormented echidna, not wanting to provoke the mutants to fight just yet.

   Shadow knelt down next to Hidama, and in an intense whisper, said, “Please Hidama, I can handle them; what I need you to do is take the fox children and run.  We need to get out of this forest…,” Shadow paused.  He looked towards the sunrise, then back to Hidama.  He helped Hidama up, and pointing towards the northern edge of the forest, continued, “Flee, run and make your way to the edge of the woods.  Make sure to keep the sunrise to your right at all times, and once you get to the forest’s edge, wait for me, now go!”

   Hidama had no time to reply, for when Shadow cried out “go” the mutants let out another shrill, tribal cry and started to attack.  Shadow immediately countered their attacks, and shouted once more for Hidama and the fox children to flee.  The echidna feared for Shadow’s safety, loving him almost as a close relative, but feared for the safety of the fox children even more.  He scooped up Olivia who was crying too hard to react, and grabbed Jacob’s hand, pulling them into the woods and away from the battle, where Shadow held back any of the forces that tried to follow.

   After some minutes, Hidama slowed, realizing they were not being pursued.  He sat Olivia down on her feet, and bent over trying to regain his breath, as just that run through the woods already tired him out in his weakened state.  The small fox girl looked at her brother and Hidama as they rested, panting for breath, and said, “I’m—I’m worried about Shadow, there’s no way he could take them all out by himself.  We’ve just got to do something.”

   The echidna looked at her, and smiled weakly, saying, “I…I know we do, just…let me and your brother get our breath back okay?”  Olivia nodded, and she walked over to her brother.  While they started talking, Hidama looked around him; they were in a clearing in the woods, very close to the northern borders of the forest, where the woods met up with the beginning of a mountain range that would lead them to the Northern Kingdom, or what remained of it.  The edge of the woods was very close, and Hidama left the fox children for a moment, walking towards the mountain side, masked by trees, where he thought he heard the sound of water, desperate for a drink.

   Finding himself near the rock face of the mountain, he indeed discovered water.  A small puddle was forming from the melting snow that trickled down the mountain.  Parched and exhausted, he bent over to drink all the water he could.  Little did he know that another pair of eyes was watching him with interest, and slowly, carefully, the silhouette of a creature with wings approached him.

   Before the creature could strike, Hidama whipped around, and startled the creature as much as she startled him.  They both fell backwards, landing on the ground and trying to catch their breath.  Hidama looked up, and saw his “attacker” was not one of the mutants at all.  It was none other than Rouge the Bat, and as she stood up, she finally got a good look at the echidna, mystified at first as to who he was, but now that she could see him, she was even more surprised he was an echidna like Knuckles…in more ways than she knew.

   Walking up to him, she said, “My, my, my, what do we have here?  You’re an echidna aren’t you?”  Hidama was startled by her, and now he was a bit unnerved by her and her flirtatious manner.  She saw his confusion, and laughed saying, “Oh don’t worry, you needn’t be afraid of me.  My name is Rouge, and I’m a professional treasure hunter.  I was out looking for more gems, and well, you know what happens next.”

   Hidama raised an eyebrow and said, “You mean you meant to mug me and take whatever valuables you could run with, isn’t that right?”  To this, Rouge’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment, unsure of what to say.  Hidama shook his head, laughing softly and saying, “Well I pose no threat to you either.  I’m Hinsei Hidama, Hidama for short.  I was just trying to get a drink before taking some companions of mine to the edge of the woods.”

   Rouge was silent for a moment, and seeing Hidama looking for an answer, she said, “I’m sorry, it’s just…you remind me of someone I know.  Your face, especially your eyes…you wouldn’t happen to be another survivor of the Angel Island echidnas would you?”

   Hidama’s eyes widened as he said, “You know my brother Knuckles?  Oh wow, yes, Knuckles is my brother, and he and I are the last survivors.  Shadow was taking me back to Angel Island, and the fox children and I are waiting for him.”

   It was at this point that a whirlwind of emotions flew through Rouge.  She couldn’t believe that she was speaking to another living, breathing echidna, Knuckles’ brother no less.  But what had her the most excited was that Shadow was nearby.  The two had not seen each other for a while at this point, and considering she had developed quite a love for Shadow, she was exasperated at the thought of meeting him again.  She held her composure, and said, “Oh Shadow’s with you?  He’s a…well, good friend of mine.  Where did you say he was?”

   Before Hidama could answer, Jacob and Olivia ran through the woods to find Hidama.  Jacob shouted, “Hidama!  We heard the mutants’ tribal cries again!  They’re fleeing to the mountains, but Shadow hasn’t come back yet!”

   Rouge was immediately troubled at thinking Shadow was hurt, and as she and Hidama locked eyes she said, “You can explain to me on the way, we’ve got to find Shadow!”  Hidama replied with a nod, and the two rushed off into the woods with Jacob and Olivia on their heels.

   After a few moments, they arrived at the edge of the battle ground.  Slowed to a walk, they were silent until Rouge stopped, extending her arms out to stop the fox children and Hidama.  She murmured, “Shh, I hear him.”  After that, her ears twitched a bit as she listened, and seconds later, she ran behind a patch of bushes, where she found Shadow, covered in wounds and blood, panting for dear life as he hid.  Seeing this, Rouge cried out, “Shadow!  Are you alright?”

   Shadow looked up fast, shocked to see Rouge standing there, and yet inside he was comforted at seeing her again at all.  He struggled to his feet, holding his side, clutching his ribs as pain shot through them.  He managed a smile, and said, “Well, if my appearance alone didn’t give away how things are going, I’d say I’m just happy to see you again.”

   The two stood there for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes with sheer romance, before Shadow’s injured leg gave out, and he stumbled to the ground.  Rouge quickly caught him before he fell, and again, once things settled down, the fireworks returned.  Shadow could only smile sheepishly out of embarrassment.  Even Rouge found her face going red; while they hadn’t communicated to anyone that they had feelings like this for each other, they knew it in their hearts, and it was becoming pretty obvious to everyone else.

   After a few moments, Rouge spoke up, and asked, “My goodness, what happened Shadow?  Usually it takes more than a group of flunkies to take you down.  Are you alright?”

   Shadow laughed, and cringing a bit at the pain, he said, “Oh, you know, I wasn’t trying hard enough I suppose.  I underestimated them by a long shot.  These mutants may be long alienated from Feldmort’s army, but nonetheless they know how to fight, even without the magic of their distant cousins.  It’s their weapons and sheer power that do it for them.”  Cringing as the pain rolled through him as he was helped up by Rouge, he continued, “All I’m concerned about are some friends of mine…”

   Rouge laughed softly and said, “You mean the fox kids and, ahem, an echidna?  I could have sworn Knuckles never spoke of another survivor, let alone his own brother.  I’m assuming these attackers were after him right?

   Shadow’s eyes were wide, and he shook his head in disbelief.  “So you’ve met Hinsei Hidama, oldest son of the guardian…I see, then they are okay.”  Rouge nodded past the bushes, where Olivia and Jacob giggled at seeing him and Rouge, and Hidama continued to go red in the face, singing a song in the old echidna tongue to himself as he paced around the fox children.

   To this, Rouge laughed and said, “Oh goodness, Knuckles’ older brother eh?  Hmm, then I’m guessing he was supposed to be the guardian, and that’s why he was captured right?  Heavens, you think these mutants could find something better to do than torment the two of them.”

   The hedgehog narrowed his eyes at the fox children, who abruptly stopped and went somewhere else.  Shadow shook his head and said, “Yes he was Rouge, and I agree with you, but nonetheless these creatures want all the echidnas dead, and Knuckles and Hidama are the remaining survivors.  Amy’s child will be alright due to its mixed blood.  It’s the echidna blood they want, and I only want to get Hidama home without causing more trouble than I must.  I’m taking the fox children to their family in the Northern Kingdom first.  By then, Hidama should have recovered almost all his strength.”

   Rouge laughed softly again, and placed an arm around Shadow, saying, “Well, until then,” she laughed as she looked him over from head to toe at all his wounds, and said, “I’m thinking you might need some help.”

   Normally Shadow would be openly gracious to Rouge for accompanying him again, but with the fox children within ear shot, he growled and said, “Oh I don’t need help, you’re talking crazy if you think I need help.  Ugh…” Shadow limped off towards a spring and washed his wounds.

   Meanwhile the fox children walked up to Rouge; Olivia said, “Gee, you’d think Shadow would be a little more gracious than that.”

   Rouge glanced at the children, smiling and knowing in her heart that Shadow was already more than accepting of her help, and his annoyed and mean reply was just his way of showing it.  She spoke and said, “Well, I’m coming anyway whether he likes it or not.  I don’t care how stubborn he is, he can’t do it all by himself.”

   Now, Shadow was still in earshot, and glanced back at her and the fox children, growling softly and shaking a fist.  Yet when he turned back to the water, he chuckled softly, shaking his head, knowing that that was what Rouge was going to say all along, and there was no way he’d ever refuse her help or company.  He stood up, still putting on a show and said, “Oh fine, if you have to be so annoyingly persistent, like a damn mosquito.”

   As he walked past the fox children and started to walk past Rouge, she placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Are you sure you’re alright Shadow?  You don’t need to rest any longer?”

   The hedgehog looked to her and smiled, placing his hand on hers and whispering back, “You know me better than that, I heal fast.”

   Rouge laughed softly and whispered, “Oh, I suppose that’s because I’m not a mosquito because I’m annoying, but because I never leave your side, even if I only stray for a short time for rest, only to come back to haunt you once more.”

   “And yet even when you’re not here this “haunting” you speak of leaves your essence entangled with mine never to leave, maybe that’s why, but we can’t be too sure…so just to be safe you better stick around me a bit longer,” he replied, with a smile as happy as one he rarely showed, perhaps only to Rouge and no other.

   They locked eyes for a moment; Rouge loved to see Shadow smile, and that was lucky for her because he was rarely without one in her presence.  After a few moments, Shadow glanced at the fox children who were standing with Hidama, not paying attention to Shadow and Rouge.  After this, Shadow looked back, and kissed Rouge on her cheek, pulling back at the right time too, for after that Jacob and Olivia came running back, unaware of what had just happened.

   Shadow went rough in the face again, and said, “Well, anyway, I guess it will be nice to have more fighting power should something like this happen again.  We should get going; if we hurry it should only take us a day or so more to reach the Northern Kingdom.”

   Jacob shouted, “Alright!  Come on Hidama!  Let’s go!”  The fox children ran ahead, and Hidama ran a few paces, still singing in the echidna tongue as he walked by Shadow and Rouge.

   As Shadow and Rouge began to follow, Rouge said, “What’s that bizarre language he’s speaking, well, singing in?  I’ve never heard anything like it.”

   The hedgehog laughed and said, “With good reasons Rouge.  I myself don’t have a clue as to what he’s saying, but I do know he is speaking in the old echidna language.  I know he’s singing an old echidna lullaby, and I’m guessing it’s one his mother sang to him and Knuckles quite frequently.  As far as I know Hidama is the only living soul who can speak and understand the echidna language anymore, as he was just old enough to learn and understand it.  With his and Knuckles’ death, you can see how much will be lost to the world forever, it’s horrible.”

   Rouge frowned, and said, “Well gee, couldn’t he teach it to Knuckles?  Then Knuckles could teach it to his children, and perhaps Hidama could do the same, then at least some of the echidna heritage can be saved right?”

   Shadow nodded slowly, but said, “Well, this could in theory preserve the language and the heritage, but soon echidnas will disappear from the world forever.  The children they have will only be half echidna, then their grandchildren only a quarter echidna, then their great grandchildren only an eighth echidna and so on.  The more mix breeding occurs, the less and less true echidna blood will survive, until it is gone forever; it’s so tragic, but…echidnas will go extinct with the brothers’ passing, and they know it.  I can’t imagine the weight of pain they must carry on their shoulders.”

   After Shadow said this both of them fell silent, listening to Hidama’s song.  It sounded sweet, despite the fact they didn’t understand it.  It sounded like a sad, mournful song, yet happy and inspiring at the same time, and Hidama had a beautiful, clean, rich voice.  As they left the woods, heading north along the mountains, Rouge and Shadow walked side by side, and slowly, Shadow reached for Rouge’s hand, and they walked hand in hand as well.

   So the group, now strengthened by Rouge, began the second part of their journey; a trek through the mountains, and canyons and ravines between them, a long and arduous trek to the Northern Kingdom where the last of Olivia and Jacob’s family and friends awaited them.  For now, they walked with their spirits high, and smiles on their faces, the only sound coming from Hidama’s song, and all was well…for now.  Even now there was much ahead of them, a great deal more left to overcome.

Description
"Love That Gives True Peace"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 4: "Still much left to Overcome"

   Back on Angel Island, Knuckles stood silently beside the Master Emerald as the sun rose.  He stared quietly at the horizon, the palette of colors rich and vivid as the sun pierced the darkness and awoke the daytime sky.  Kelerai had curled up on the Master Emerald, grown up some but still small for a cat and purring away.  Knuckles glanced at her and smiled, petting her gently with two fingers, and stirring her out of her sleep.  She meowed almost in annoyance, as she yawned and stretched grudgingly.

   The echidna laughed and said, “Sorry Kelerai, but it’s time to wake up; I’ve already been awake for a couple hours, so you can’t complain at all.”  Kelerai sat up, and proceeded to clean herself, licking her paws and wiping them over her head, from behind her ears to her nose, as it was the only way she could clean her face.  She barely started to clean herself before she felt the cold morning dew that had formed on the Master Emerald’s surface touch her fur, upon which she abruptly jumped down to the ground beside Knuckles.

   Again Knuckles couldn’t help but laugh.  He said, “You’d think that water was like acid or something…silly cat.”  Kneeling down to pet her he said, “What do you say we go check on Amy?  She’s bound to be awake now.”  As he stood up, he looked over towards the small, cottage-style house he and Amy shared, looking at their bedroom window, and sighing heavily.

   As he walked down the stone steps towards the ground below, Kelerai walked happily beside him as she always did, never being far from his side since they met.  She sensed a veil of sadness and worry hanging over the echidna, and enveloping him, swallowing up his happiness as it did before Amy became a permanent part of his life.  She was curious as to what bothered him, knowing it couldn’t be Amy, as she was in great health and full of energy.  It was when Knuckles was depressed like this that Kelerai worried for him, as much as a cat can worry, and as much as a cat can grieve so did she.

   It was true; Knuckles wasn’t worried about Amy at all, at least, she wasn’t the source of this nagging sadness.  He worried for her as any father-to-be would, and devoted much of his time to making sure that she was properly taken care of, and not in wanting of anything.  Infact she was, besides Kelerai and his unborn child, the main sources of happiness that expelled this sadness, and whenever Amy was near him, not a hint or glimmer of misery would show.  How could it?  Whenever he was with Amy he was happy and at peace, even more so now that she was with child.  No, it was when he was alone, with the Master Emerald, having only stars, and the souls of the fallen in silent vigil with him.

   Indeed, he could still feel the souls of those that had long died, his friends, his kinsmen, and his dear mother and father; they had not left him, and he considered their presence as a barrier of protection for many years, but now that he knew his brother still lived, there was a hole in his heart that the memories of his family only made worse.  He just couldn’t be fully happy, or at peace, knowing his brother was out there…somewhere. No, until Hidama and Knuckles were reunited at last, neither of them would find peace again.

   Once Knuckles got to the bottom of the stairs, he paused, and once again a smile returned to his face.  He saw Amy sitting in a swing that hung on their porch, wrapped up in a pink, fleece bathrobe, with a long, white nightgown underneath, and wearing grey slipper socks on her feet.  It was pretty chill that morning, and the echidna quickened his steps, and ran up to the porch to sit beside her.

   Sitting down next to her, he said, “Morning Amy, did you sleep well?”  He put his arm around her and hugged her tightly.

   Amy was awake by now, but still slightly groggy, and yawned deeply, replying, “Sure did, and I’m happy to have.  For some reason I’ve been plagued with insomnia recently.  I’m feeling fine now though.”

   Kelerai ran to catch up to Knuckles, and finally did so, only to see him sitting next to Amy on the swing.  Just as she knew he would, Knuckles looked happy all over again, the longing sadness all but gone when he and Amy were together.  Kelerai couldn’t understand it, but was glad her master was happy anyway, at least for the time being.

   Knuckles laughed softly, and nodded in response.  For a brief moment, he again thought of Hidama.  It would be only a few weeks from now before his child was born.  He could see that in Amy and how she had changed over the weeks, and while this again gave him great joy, there was still a speck of sadness within him, which only his brother could heal.  However, he quickly dispelled the sadness, looked at Amy and asked, “How about some breakfast?  It’s getting too chilly out here even for me, so I’ll feel better with you inside.”

   Amy laughed and said, “Okay Knuxie, if you say so.”  After that, Knuckles ushered her inside, pretending to flee the cold, when what he was really fleeing was the vast horizon, where he was sure his brother was somewhere, but could do nothing to reach him.  He looked only for a moment at the sky and horizon, before quickly running inside, only waiting long enough for Kelerai to run in behind him, where he could shut the door, and in turn, shut out the uncertain world his brother had to face.

   Two days had passed since Shadow, Hidama, and the fox children left Radical City, and Hidama, though still not fully recovered, was beginning to think maybe Shadow was lost.  He walked next to Shadow, grinned and elbowed him, saying, “I think you’re lost Shads…why don’t you just admit it?”

   Shadow, though usually very open to Hidama and hardly cross, growled in disgust and said, “Two things, Hidama.  One, I am NOT lost, alright!?  Two, how can you be so disgustingly cheerful?  Ugh…” Shadow covered his ears and sped a few steps ahead of Hidama.

   Hidama laughed and said, “And three, we’re lost, but our bull-headed leader won’t admit it.”  Hidama was already in a better mood, and the relative peace they had had made his recovery much easier.  He was carrying a sleepy Olivia on his back, and whispered, “Hey, Olivia, you might wanna wake up…it’s morning, and,” chuckling he said, “I think your brother wants a turn.”

   Indeed, Jacob walked sluggishly beside Hidama, and Olivia, who had had a nice nap while Hidama carried her, yawned and said, “Okay Jacob, you can have your turn now.”

   Hidama laughed, and knelt down slowly, letting Olivia crawl off and Jacob crawl on his back.  Jacob, who was grumpy at this point, said, “Humph, it’s about time…ugh.”  The echidna stood up slowly, and making sure Jacob was secure, and then began to walk again, holding Olivia’s hand as they tried to catch up to Shadow.

   For awhile, everything was peaceful.  Hidama and Olivia talked about their families, or at least what they could remember about them, and in this case it was Olivia doing most of the talking, as Hidama memories were still slow to return, and his strength and power yet to take firm hold within him.  This was what troubled Shadow as he walked a few feet ahead of them.  He knew that there were still many enemies of the echidna clan yet living, hell bent on getting revenge, and taking it out on the last two survivors.  This is what Shadow feared while Hidama was still trying to recover.  If they were to be attacked, Hidama was of little help, and the last thing Shadow wanted to do was draw the enemies back to Angel Island for Knuckles’ blood, especially with Amy in her delicate condition.

   Yet while the four walked in relative peace, they were being watched.  Eyes stared at them from the tops of trees that lined the forest path they were walking.  These were a small group of Feldmort’s kind, lone mutant rebels that had escaped the fate of Feldmort and his army because they strayed from them, but they too still remembered their hatred of the echidnas, and now they had their chance for revenge over at least one, unaware he was one of the sons of the fallen guardian, only bent on killing him because he was an echidna.

   Finally, Shadow slowed, sensing the danger, and when Hidama caught up to him, he put a finger to his lips, turned to the echidna and said, “We’re being watched, and followed, and I’m sure it is not much longer before we are attacked.”

   Hidama’s eyes widened, the smile on his face disappeared, and he said, “Attacked?  What do you mean attacked?!”

   Shadow’s eyes flashed, in horror at the raised voice of Hidama.  He hushed him in a shrill, intense whisper and said, “No, Hidama!  Quiet!  You mustn’t alert them of your awareness of them!”  But it was too late at this point; tribal like war cries howled all around them, shattering the relative silence that had prevailed thus far.  Suddenly, silhouettes of bent, gruesome creatures leaped to the ground and surrounded the group.  Jacob was startled out of his sleep, Olivia brought to tears, Hidama terribly frightened, and both he and Shadow put on the defensive.

   Hidama was more than terribly frightened….the faces, appearance and presence of these followers of Lord Feldmort, his persecutor, brought back some memories that were better left forgotten.  It wasn’t just the years of pain, torture, and torment that returned, it was the memories of the sounds, sights, and terrors that the mutants brought when they slew his kin, and his own mother and father, and he was unable to stop it.  He was even named the “doomed guardian”, and the more and more he remembered and thought of his childhood, the more he felt he was responsible for the deaths of his loved ones.

   He fell to his knees; unable to control his pain and fear, and Jacob tumbled to the ground as he did so.  Shadow whipped around, ready to take out as many of these enemies as he could, but realized the important thing was protecting Hidama and the fox children.  Shadow slowly backed up to the tormented echidna, not wanting to provoke the mutants to fight just yet.

   Shadow knelt down next to Hidama, and in an intense whisper, said, “Please Hidama, I can handle them; what I need you to do is take the fox children and run.  We need to get out of this forest…,” Shadow paused.  He looked towards the sunrise, then back to Hidama.  He helped Hidama up, and pointing towards the northern edge of the forest, continued, “Flee, run and make your way to the edge of the woods.  Make sure to keep the sunrise to your right at all times, and once you get to the forest’s edge, wait for me, now go!”

   Hidama had no time to reply, for when Shadow cried out “go” the mutants let out another shrill, tribal cry and started to attack.  Shadow immediately countered their attacks, and shouted once more for Hidama and the fox children to flee.  The echidna feared for Shadow’s safety, loving him almost as a close relative, but feared for the safety of the fox children even more.  He scooped up Olivia who was crying too hard to react, and grabbed Jacob’s hand, pulling them into the woods and away from the battle, where Shadow held back any of the forces that tried to follow.

   After some minutes, Hidama slowed, realizing they were not being pursued.  He sat Olivia down on her feet, and bent over trying to regain his breath, as just that run through the woods already tired him out in his weakened state.  The small fox girl looked at her brother and Hidama as they rested, panting for breath, and said, “I’m—I’m worried about Shadow, there’s no way he could take them all out by himself.  We’ve just got to do something.”

   The echidna looked at her, and smiled weakly, saying, “I…I know we do, just…let me and your brother get our breath back okay?”  Olivia nodded, and she walked over to her brother.  While they started talking, Hidama looked around him; they were in a clearing in the woods, very close to the northern borders of the forest, where the woods met up with the beginning of a mountain range that would lead them to the Northern Kingdom, or what remained of it.  The edge of the woods was very close, and Hidama left the fox children for a moment, walking towards the mountain side, masked by trees, where he thought he heard the sound of water, desperate for a drink.

   Finding himself near the rock face of the mountain, he indeed discovered water.  A small puddle was forming from the melting snow that trickled down the mountain.  Parched and exhausted, he bent over to drink all the water he could.  Little did he know that another pair of eyes was watching him with interest, and slowly, carefully, the silhouette of a creature with wings approached him.

   Before the creature could strike, Hidama whipped around, and startled the creature as much as she startled him.  They both fell backwards, landing on the ground and trying to catch their breath.  Hidama looked up, and saw his “attacker” was not one of the mutants at all.  It was none other than Rouge the Bat, and as she stood up, she finally got a good look at the echidna, mystified at first as to who he was, but now that she could see him, she was even more surprised he was an echidna like Knuckles…in more ways than she knew.

   Walking up to him, she said, “My, my, my, what do we have here?  You’re an echidna aren’t you?”  Hidama was startled by her, and now he was a bit unnerved by her and her flirtatious manner.  She saw his confusion, and laughed saying, “Oh don’t worry, you needn’t be afraid of me.  My name is Rouge, and I’m a professional treasure hunter.  I was out looking for more gems, and well, you know what happens next.”

   Hidama raised an eyebrow and said, “You mean you meant to mug me and take whatever valuables you could run with, isn’t that right?”  To this, Rouge’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment, unsure of what to say.  Hidama shook his head, laughing softly and saying, “Well I pose no threat to you either.  I’m Hinsei Hidama, Hidama for short.  I was just trying to get a drink before taking some companions of mine to the edge of the woods.”

   Rouge was silent for a moment, and seeing Hidama looking for an answer, she said, “I’m sorry, it’s just…you remind me of someone I know.  Your face, especially your eyes…you wouldn’t happen to be another survivor of the Angel Island echidnas would you?”

   Hidama’s eyes widened as he said, “You know my brother Knuckles?  Oh wow, yes, Knuckles is my brother, and he and I are the last survivors.  Shadow was taking me back to Angel Island, and the fox children and I are waiting for him.”

   It was at this point that a whirlwind of emotions flew through Rouge.  She couldn’t believe that she was speaking to another living, breathing echidna, Knuckles’ brother no less.  But what had her the most excited was that Shadow was nearby.  The two had not seen each other for a while at this point, and considering she had developed quite a love for Shadow, she was exasperated at the thought of meeting him again.  She held her composure, and said, “Oh Shadow’s with you?  He’s a…well, good friend of mine.  Where did you say he was?”

   Before Hidama could answer, Jacob and Olivia ran through the woods to find Hidama.  Jacob shouted, “Hidama!  We heard the mutants’ tribal cries again!  They’re fleeing to the mountains, but Shadow hasn’t come back yet!”

   Rouge was immediately troubled at thinking Shadow was hurt, and as she and Hidama locked eyes she said, “You can explain to me on the way, we’ve got to find Shadow!”  Hidama replied with a nod, and the two rushed off into the woods with Jacob and Olivia on their heels.

   After a few moments, they arrived at the edge of the battle ground.  Slowed to a walk, they were silent until Rouge stopped, extending her arms out to stop the fox children and Hidama.  She murmured, “Shh, I hear him.”  After that, her ears twitched a bit as she listened, and seconds later, she ran behind a patch of bushes, where she found Shadow, covered in wounds and blood, panting for dear life as he hid.  Seeing this, Rouge cried out, “Shadow!  Are you alright?”

   Shadow looked up fast, shocked to see Rouge standing there, and yet inside he was comforted at seeing her again at all.  He struggled to his feet, holding his side, clutching his ribs as pain shot through them.  He managed a smile, and said, “Well, if my appearance alone didn’t give away how things are going, I’d say I’m just happy to see you again.”

   The two stood there for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes with sheer romance, before Shadow’s injured leg gave out, and he stumbled to the ground.  Rouge quickly caught him before he fell, and again, once things settled down, the fireworks returned.  Shadow could only smile sheepishly out of embarrassment.  Even Rouge found her face going red; while they hadn’t communicated to anyone that they had feelings like this for each other, they knew it in their hearts, and it was becoming pretty obvious to everyone else.

   After a few moments, Rouge spoke up, and asked, “My goodness, what happened Shadow?  Usually it takes more than a group of flunkies to take you down.  Are you alright?”

   Shadow laughed, and cringing a bit at the pain, he said, “Oh, you know, I wasn’t trying hard enough I suppose.  I underestimated them by a long shot.  These mutants may be long alienated from Feldmort’s army, but nonetheless they know how to fight, even without the magic of their distant cousins.  It’s their weapons and sheer power that do it for them.”  Cringing as the pain rolled through him as he was helped up by Rouge, he continued, “All I’m concerned about are some friends of mine…”

   Rouge laughed softly and said, “You mean the fox kids and, ahem, an echidna?  I could have sworn Knuckles never spoke of another survivor, let alone his own brother.  I’m assuming these attackers were after him right?

   Shadow’s eyes were wide, and he shook his head in disbelief.  “So you’ve met Hinsei Hidama, oldest son of the guardian…I see, then they are okay.”  Rouge nodded past the bushes, where Olivia and Jacob giggled at seeing him and Rouge, and Hidama continued to go red in the face, singing a song in the old echidna tongue to himself as he paced around the fox children.

   To this, Rouge laughed and said, “Oh goodness, Knuckles’ older brother eh?  Hmm, then I’m guessing he was supposed to be the guardian, and that’s why he was captured right?  Heavens, you think these mutants could find something better to do than torment the two of them.”

   The hedgehog narrowed his eyes at the fox children, who abruptly stopped and went somewhere else.  Shadow shook his head and said, “Yes he was Rouge, and I agree with you, but nonetheless these creatures want all the echidnas dead, and Knuckles and Hidama are the remaining survivors.  Amy’s child will be alright due to its mixed blood.  It’s the echidna blood they want, and I only want to get Hidama home without causing more trouble than I must.  I’m taking the fox children to their family in the Northern Kingdom first.  By then, Hidama should have recovered almost all his strength.”

   Rouge laughed softly again, and placed an arm around Shadow, saying, “Well, until then,” she laughed as she looked him over from head to toe at all his wounds, and said, “I’m thinking you might need some help.”

   Normally Shadow would be openly gracious to Rouge for accompanying him again, but with the fox children within ear shot, he growled and said, “Oh I don’t need help, you’re talking crazy if you think I need help.  Ugh…” Shadow limped off towards a spring and washed his wounds.

   Meanwhile the fox children walked up to Rouge; Olivia said, “Gee, you’d think Shadow would be a little more gracious than that.”

   Rouge glanced at the children, smiling and knowing in her heart that Shadow was already more than accepting of her help, and his annoyed and mean reply was just his way of showing it.  She spoke and said, “Well, I’m coming anyway whether he likes it or not.  I don’t care how stubborn he is, he can’t do it all by himself.”

   Now, Shadow was still in earshot, and glanced back at her and the fox children, growling softly and shaking a fist.  Yet when he turned back to the water, he chuckled softly, shaking his head, knowing that that was what Rouge was going to say all along, and there was no way he’d ever refuse her help or company.  He stood up, still putting on a show and said, “Oh fine, if you have to be so annoyingly persistent, like a damn mosquito.”

   As he walked past the fox children and started to walk past Rouge, she placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Are you sure you’re alright Shadow?  You don’t need to rest any longer?”

   The hedgehog looked to her and smiled, placing his hand on hers and whispering back, “You know me better than that, I heal fast.”

   Rouge laughed softly and whispered, “Oh, I suppose that’s because I’m not a mosquito because I’m annoying, but because I never leave your side, even if I only stray for a short time for rest, only to come back to haunt you once more.”

   “And yet even when you’re not here this “haunting” you speak of leaves your essence entangled with mine never to leave, maybe that’s why, but we can’t be too sure…so just to be safe you better stick around me a bit longer,” he replied, with a smile as happy as one he rarely showed, perhaps only to Rouge and no other.

   They locked eyes for a moment; Rouge loved to see Shadow smile, and that was lucky for her because he was rarely without one in her presence.  After a few moments, Shadow glanced at the fox children who were standing with Hidama, not paying attention to Shadow and Rouge.  After this, Shadow looked back, and kissed Rouge on her cheek, pulling back at the right time too, for after that Jacob and Olivia came running back, unaware of what had just happened.

   Shadow went rough in the face again, and said, “Well, anyway, I guess it will be nice to have more fighting power should something like this happen again.  We should get going; if we hurry it should only take us a day or so more to reach the Northern Kingdom.”

   Jacob shouted, “Alright!  Come on Hidama!  Let’s go!”  The fox children ran ahead, and Hidama ran a few paces, still singing in the echidna tongue as he walked by Shadow and Rouge.

   As Shadow and Rouge began to follow, Rouge said, “What’s that bizarre language he’s speaking, well, singing in?  I’ve never heard anything like it.”

   The hedgehog laughed and said, “With good reasons Rouge.  I myself don’t have a clue as to what he’s saying, but I do know he is speaking in the old echidna language.  I know he’s singing an old echidna lullaby, and I’m guessing it’s one his mother sang to him and Knuckles quite frequently.  As far as I know Hidama is the only living soul who can speak and understand the echidna language anymore, as he was just old enough to learn and understand it.  With his and Knuckles’ death, you can see how much will be lost to the world forever, it’s horrible.”

   Rouge frowned, and said, “Well gee, couldn’t he teach it to Knuckles?  Then Knuckles could teach it to his children, and perhaps Hidama could do the same, then at least some of the echidna heritage can be saved right?”

   Shadow nodded slowly, but said, “Well, this could in theory preserve the language and the heritage, but soon echidnas will disappear from the world forever.  The children they have will only be half echidna, then their grandchildren only a quarter echidna, then their great grandchildren only an eighth echidna and so on.  The more mix breeding occurs, the less and less true echidna blood will survive, until it is gone forever; it’s so tragic, but…echidnas will go extinct with the brothers’ passing, and they know it.  I can’t imagine the weight of pain they must carry on their shoulders.”

   After Shadow said this both of them fell silent, listening to Hidama’s song.  It sounded sweet, despite the fact they didn’t understand it.  It sounded like a sad, mournful song, yet happy and inspiring at the same time, and Hidama had a beautiful, clean, rich voice.  As they left the woods, heading north along the mountains, Rouge and Shadow walked side by side, and slowly, Shadow reached for Rouge’s hand, and they walked hand in hand as well.

   So the group, now strengthened by Rouge, began the second part of their journey; a trek through the mountains, and canyons and ravines between them, a long and arduous trek to the Northern Kingdom where the last of Olivia and Jacob’s family and friends awaited them.  For now, they walked with their spirits high, and smiles on their faces, the only sound coming from Hidama’s song, and all was well…for now.  Even now there was much ahead of them, a great deal more left to overcome.