The Hedgehog's Song

Chapter Twenty-Four

The next morning, Shadow stood by the moonpool, anxiously waiting for Sonic to return. However, Sonic wasn't the only one he was waiting for. He also really wanted to see Ryn again.

The purple merhog had done something to him that he couldn't explain. Her beauty was mesmerizing. Her voice was like a drug he couldn't get enough of. Her lips... he longed to feel them on his again.

"Come on, guys. Where are you?"

"My, I've never seen you look so anxious."

Shadow jumped at the presence of a second voice. He turned to see Rouge standing behind him, her arms crossed as she stared at him smugly. "Didn't you say that there was a chance he might not come back today?"

Shadow lowered his ears and looked back at the water. "... Yes, but I didn't think it was actually possible."

"You're worried about him."

"Gee, what gave it away?"

"Hun, I'm sure Sonic can take care of himself. The ocean is his territory, after all."

"I'm not worried about how he'll fare in his own territory, I'm worried about his Alpha."

"His Alpha?"

"She banished him from the colony the other night because he wanted to rescue Ryn. She's paranoid about the surface finding out about her people, and disapproves of Sonic living in two worlds."

"Geez, reminds me of a book I once read." Rouge smirked. "Can't live with a fin in each world."

"But for Sonic, he doesn't have a choice." Shadow frowned back at her. "He has responsibilities he cannot ignore. Both on land, and in the water."

"Right, I understand that, but obviously his Alpha doesn't."

"Indeed."

Nothing else was said as Shadow continued to stare into the water. Sonic's spear, returned back to its rightful place, and the underwater tunnel was all that he could see. No quill or fin, blue or purple, looked back at him. He was starting to get really worried now.

What if the Alpha had attacked them?

Rouge came up beside Shadow and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure they're fine, hun. They'll come back when they're ready."

"They?"

"I know you're worried about Ryn too, hun. You can't hide it from me. But they'll be ok."

"... I hope you're right, Rouge."

"You know I'm right. Now come back to the beach house. There's a woman who would like to speak to you. I think it's the same old lady from the antique store yesterday."

Recognizing that it might be Sonic's friend that he mentioned, Shadow sighed and nodded. He started to follow her out of the cave, but then suddenly, his ear twitched.

He heard Ryn's song. It was just as beautiful as the first time he heard it. He looked back at the moonpool, expecting to see her there, but the water was empty. Her song started to get softer, fainter, as if she was going away. He wanted to follow it. He wanted to go in the water and swim after her. He was just about to do so, when Rouge spoke up again.

"Come on, hun, we don't have all day."

Shadow shook his head, relieved that the music was gone. He gave the moonpool one more glance before he turned tail and began running after the ivory bat, wondering why he had so suddenly heard Ryn's voice.

...

In the clearing belonging to Sonic's colony, merhogs and merpeople of all differences stood in a circle. Each one was hissing and cheering as they put all of their attention into the middle of the circle. Sonic, who was a bit banged up from mating with Ryn last night, was amongst the crowd of Sirens, also looking into the circle and feeling a bit worried about what was about to happen.

In the middle, Tia and Ryn circled around each other, hissing and snarling at the other. Neither one of them backed down, eager to prove once and for all who should be leading the colony.

"This is your last chance, Ryn." Tia hissed. "Surrender now, and I will spare your life."

"Sounds like the words of a coward to me." Ryn hissed back with a smirk. "What's wrong, Tia? Afraid you'll lose to a measly little merhog?"

Tia snapped at her. "I gave you a chance to leave with your life. You have refused my offer. Now prepare to die as a consequence."

"Bring it on, bitch."

Tia screamed and immediately charged at her, grabbing her by the shoulders before the merhog had any time to react. The Alpha pushed and scratched at the merhog, trying to get to her throat to rip her fangs into it. Ryn fought back with all the strength she had, scratching and pushing as well, getting a few bites in as well. Their tails tangled with each other, each trying to stab the other with the barbed stinger.

The Sirens on the side silenced themselves to a few hisses as they watched the two females battle. Sonic watched with filling anxiety, hoping, praying that Ryn would make it out of this. He wanted to go in and stop the fight, but he knew that would be a fatal mistake.

Once a pair of females started to fight, there was no stopping it, especially if it was for leadership.

Suddenly, Tia managed to dig her fangs into Ryn's shoulder, tearing off a good piece of flesh. Ryn screamed in pain and pushed Tia off, smacking her in the face with her tail. Blood started to flow from her shoulder, but it didn't faze the little merhog as she charged at the bigger mermaid, headbutting her and scratching at her sides, trying to damage her gills to drown her. Tia hissed and grabbed Ryn by her quills, pulling her off and slamming her onto the ocean floor, scratching at her face mercilessly.

'Come on, Ryn, she's not paying attention.' Sonic thought, clearly seeing an opening that the current Alpha was too angry to see for herself. 'Now's your chance.'

As if the purple Siren could hear her mate's thoughts, Ryn saw her opening and took it. While Tia wasn't paying attention, too busy scratching at her face, Ryn pushed one hand against Tia's neck, choking her as she tried to keep a distance between them. Meanwhile she used her other hand to search the sand around them. Her fist closed around a sharp rock, the point sticking out. She brought it up quickly and slammed the pointed end against the side of Tia's head, sliding it across her face and piercing it deep into her eye.

Tia screamed in agony and let Ryn go, backing up away from her as she put her hands over her now mutilated eye, which was pouring with blood. The distraction of such pain was all the purple Siren needed.

Without any hesitation, Ryn hissed and brought up her tail, swinging it to the side with the barbed stinger pointed inward. The stinger came into contact with the base of Tia's skull, impaling itself deep into the Alpha's spinal cord.

Immediately, Tia went limp. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream, her arms falling to her sides. Ryn took her stinger out, watching as the mermaid floated down to the floor, blood pouring out of her eye and neck. She looked up at her colony, her mouth as straight as it could be as she watched the Sirens kneel and bow their heads to her.

As serious as the situation was, Sonic couldn't help but smile as he showed his own respects to Ryn, the new Alpha of the Siren colony.