Beautiful Curse

Chapter 7

Sonic's Point of View

        Shots ring out from the cover of the forest, leaving their lasting echoes to fall on unsuspecting ears. I jump almost a foot into the air from surprise, my yelp adding to the sharp noise. What in the—Oh no. There is only one person I know who would be walking through the forest in the middle of the night with a gun in tow. Thinking the worst, I race deep into the woods, straight in the direction of those shots. Please don't hurt anyone...oh please...

        With my invisible speed I reach the area to where I am sure the shots had come from. Nothing is here except the drifting scent of gunpowder and the stench of fear and confusion. From who, I have no idea. All I can hope is that nobody's hurt for the time being. But that won't be the case if I dawdle too long. My somewhat sensitive hedgehog ears pick up the sounds of swift crunching off in the distance. Once again I am off, speeding through the undergrowth and dodging the small rocks and roots that I can barely see in this darkness. I know he likes to do his work at night...but this is ridiculous.

        I suddenly come screeching to a halt as the footsteps I had been following randomly change course. A dark shape barrels past me, and I have just enough time to leap out of the way before I can get rammed in the side. It's a giant (animal)! I'm not sure if it's one of the (animal)s from two days ago, since the forest is too dark to see, but I sure can tell that it is scared. Almost instantly I am proven right as another dark figure flashes by, his unmistakable red stripes glinting in the moonlight. I feel my anger begin to rise at the sight of him, but I quickly calm myself to be as I usually appear; a cool and blue hedgehog. With a last deep breath I follow after the two, keeping quiet yet gradually gaining speed.

        Another earsplitting bang catches my attention, as well as the cry of pain afterward. He shot the creature! Though it is many meters ahead, I can see a spray of dark red blood fly off the (animal)'s right leg. And yet it keeps running. It stays strong. I can't help but remember that desperate plea by the river, begging for help. Right now, this creature needs my help, and I am here to give it. Anything with a mind of its own deserves mercy, especially if it is asked for.

        Squinting my eyes against the darkness I go full speed ahead, following after those flashing red quills. With a grunt I dive for the glowing, metallic shoes and wrap my fingers around ankles. Instantly we are tumbling through the weeds and trees, kicking up great amounts of soil into the air. I feel myself roll over something hard and metal, which must be that awful gun. When we come to a halt I bounce to my feet and dash a safe distance away; about ten meters. He is definitely not going to be happy about this.

        "Sonic, what the hell?!" the other hedgehog pushes to his feet and bellows at me, crimson eyes flashing in fury. I ignore his curse, knowing that it is he who is in the wrong.

        "What are you doing, Shadow?" I ask in a light tone. However, my emerald stare is hard and serious. "I thought we agreed not to make any hasty decisions." My lips purse together, making me appear to scrutinize him like a naughty child. I close my eyes and shake my head, tutting at the hedgehog with a low chuckle. "Of course, it's just like you to run off on our agreements. Nobody can tell The Ultimate Lifeform what to do." A rumble comes from his throat, and I open my eyes to see Shadow staring daggers at me.

        "I did not agree to anything, hedgehog. I am not a part of your goody-goody community service group. Unlike you I get the job done, without procrastination! And if you hadn't noticed, I am removing the creature in a more humane way than if the humans were brought into this." Shadow turns away, his gaze imperceptibly sweeping the ground for the misplaced firearm. I laugh aloud, raising my voice to a humorous tone.

        "That's right! The people apparently don't even know about the (animal) because there hasn't been any sign of alarm yet!" A grin reaches my lips as I use his words against himself. Shadow just grunts at this and crosses his arms across his chest.

        "Well you go ahead and have a glorious adventure pursuing that monster into the populace. I have better uses for my time." The black hedgehog takes off with his knees bent low as he swipes something from the grass. Then his figure skates away into the darkness until only two glowing lights can be seen, which eventually disappear as well.

        I better follow that (animal). It's hurt and probably wandering around the streets. A long breath expels itself from my chest before I race in the direction where the animal had gone. Unfortunately (Hometown) is very near, not even half a mile away. I have to catch up to this (animal) before anyone else can spot it. 

        Only a few moments later I arrive at the outskirts of (Hometown). It is very quiet; neither cars nor pedestrians roam the streets. If I squint real hard I can make out the circular drops of blood splattered on the pavement, leading a trail to the injured creature. I follow this and soon find myself at the edge of a neighborhood.

        Strange how this street has no lights, I reflect, using the full moon as my main source of vision. The houses lining the street are dark and quiet, no doubt holding peacefully resting souls. Yet, I think I can hear shuffling somewhere ahead. Once again narrowing my eyes, I make out the shape of a human walking on the other side of the road. Who in their right mind would be out for a stroll at this time of night? With no lights whatsoever! I wonder if I should warn this person about the wild (animal) roaming around. The trail of blood was lost a few houses back, but that could mean the creature is hiding in the shadows of a house; a possible threat to anyone in the vicinity. So of course I must share the warning!

        On silent feet I scuttle across the road and zone in on the human. From the style of the (length) (color) hair, I can tell that this is a girl. She must be an adolescent as well since she isn't as tall as most adult women are. When I am behind her I cautiously reach out an arm and tap at her waist.

        "Hey," I softly say, not wanting to scare her. Still, the girl jumps in surprise and swings around to stare at me. "It's alright!" My hands rise in a submissive gesture, showing that I mean no harm. It doesn't seem to be working, however. The longer this girl stares at me, the more agitated she becomes. I am suddenly entranced as her eyes glow (eye color) in the dark. Or is it just the moonlight reflecting off them? My attention is broken away as the girl begins to breathe heavily and backs away. "Whoa, wait! I just wanted to warn you that there might be a wild animal roaming around here..."

        The girl quickly nods, swallowing. "Th-Thanks!" She runs off down the sidewalk, her gait hindered by a noticeable limp.

        "Wait!" I call out, following at a hesitant pace. "Are you hurt?" As I come near she shields her face with a hand, viciously shaking her head. The girl then races away again—quite fast for one with a limp. She turns to the side of a house, lost out of sight. Quickly I follow, and I am just in time to see a window close on the second story of the house. How...

        I am very confused. Why was that human girl acting so strange? And what about those eyes? Wait, I gasp. I remember those eyes! Slowly my head tilts up to the window. I stare at it in shock, not sure if what I had thought could be true. Down the street I notice two headlights are approaching, washing the area in a yellow light. Before the light can reach me I speed off in the opposite direction. I need to get to Tails. Surely he can provide an explanation for this...outrageous belief.