"Okay, do we have everything?" Sonic asked as he checked his bag for the last time. Tails was doing the same thing beside him before he slid his pack over his shoulder. It was almost sunset, which ment that they would be heading out soon.
"Yep. I think so; all we have to do now is meet up with others in front of the jungle," he answered, "Are you sure about this, Sonic? We haven't faced any predators of this caliber before."
The azure hedgehog brushed off his little brother's worry with a reassuring grin, "They can't be that much harder than Egghead. They are just animals afterall. And who knows? Maybe that farmer was wrong, and this new species is actually okay."
"But he said that they could speak plain mobian. That sounds very unusual, even for an animal."
Sonic laughed, "Maybe they're a circus act that got loose and are trying to find their crew."
Tails chuckled but remained in deep thought. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't be sure. Instead of pondering on it though, he decided to check his handheld for the weather report. His fur bristled at the results.
"Tails? What's wrong?" Sonic asked, his voice laced with concern. The kit showed him the report.
"There's supposed to be a thunderstorm tonight."
Sonic could feel the fear vibrating off his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. He knew that Tails' fear of thunder was almost as great as his fear of water, if not more so.
"Hey, don't worry, lil' bro, I'll be with ya the whole time. Besides, maybe we can get this all settled and be back home before it hits."
He grinned, which in turn made Tails cheer up as well. Sonic was right; they could handle a few carnivores and be back in time for supper. He smiled and grabbed his own pack.
"All right then! Let's do this!" he exclaimed, and the two best friends fist bumped before running out to meet their friends.
Meanwhile
"Is everything ready for tonight?" Shadow asked in their native tongue as he walked beside Dust, a Black Warrior. They were both carrying some extra food and a few large branches that still had many of the leaves attached.
"Yes, the den is secured," he replied, "We just need to cover the Fly Hole, and everything will be set."
Shadow nodded, but he could feel anxiety pulsing from his friend in massive waves. His curiosity beat his better judgement to keep quiet when he spoke.
"What's wrong?" It was a polite question, not an order, and the young male knew that he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to. But then again, he needed to talk to someone.
"It's Spark," he answered, "Her first litter is due anytime. Some of the elder females say it could even come tonight."
Shadow knew that trouble would be inevitable if the litter did come tonight of all nights, but he also knew that it was a time of celebration as well. The Black Arms weren't just surviving anymore. They were thriving, and he would never admit it, but Shadow had a deep soft spot for the little ones in the pack.
"Then I guess congratulations are in order," he smirked and repositioned the deer carcass on his shoulder, "You will be a brilliant father, and I can't wait to see them."
The warrior looked at his leader in surprise. Shadow didn't compliment someone unless he meant it, and even then it's rare to hear him say anything along those lines.
"You truly think so?"
Shadow laughed, "Yes, but if you still feel uneasy, you can speak to Fireclaw. He and Moonstreak are on their fourth."
Their conversation was cut short when they reached the clearing in front of the den. Most of the pack was outside, enjoying the remaining heat from the setting sun. Three Black Hawks flew in their direction and took the wide branches from Dust and soared above the cave to properly thatch the Fly Hole, the only opening in the top of the cavern. Shadow handed the deer to one of the females, who took it inside to add to the large store of food for the night. Since there would be no hunt that night, he had gone on his own to find enough food for everyone, using his smaller size and swifter reflexes to his advantage, even if it took more time than the hunters did together.
"And now...we wait," he said to himself and proceeded to walk further into the clearing and talk with some of the Black Arms. Storm clouds were already forming, and they knew it wouldn't be long before they would have to go inside.
A few hours later....
Sonic and his friends huddled to keep warm. The storm had hit earlier than expected, and the freezing rain was soaking through their clothes and fur rapidly. Tails was becoming more and more frightened with every flash of lightning and thunder, but the team helped him through it as best they could.
"Maybe we should head back. Sentient or not, no animal would be out in this storm," he suggested for the third time, and at this point some of them were ready to agree.
"You're right bro, we aren't gonna find anything out here," Sonic replied, "But we're too far away now to make it out of the jungle before the storm is over, so the best we can do is find a place to use as shelter for the night."
Everyone groaned loudly as they began their new search for a place to stay, but it was difficult work in the dark and rain. Sticks suddenly shushed them when an unusual sound reached her wilderness tuned ears.
"Guys! I hear something!" she said, as her ear swiveled back and forth.
"What is it?" Amy asked and rubbed her arms to brush away the cold, "A monster?"
"I don't know. It sounds like a baby animal crying."
Back at the Den
"Has anyone seen Thunder? I can't find him!" Moonstreak asked as she searched the cave. However, all of them replied with a negative answer and joined in the search. The panic swiftly caught Shadow's attention, and he went to the distraught mother for details. As it turned out, one of her pups from her most recent litter had gone missing, and no one could find him in the den.
"We'll find him. Don't worry," he said soothingly and brushed her gently, "I promise."
The obsidian hedgehog then closed his eyes and pressed his palms together as if he were praying. His senses tuned in to the chaos energy of every member of the pack with their own unique signatures, but he "felt" a small pulse outside of the den, largely hidden by the storm outside. He immediately recognized it as the missing child, but his own panic began to rise when he sensed five familiar signals surrounding it. His eyes snapped open, and everyone paused midstep.
"I need eight ground hunters, with me, now," he ordered. Moonstreak's fear climaxed at the serious and determined tone her alpha was taking.
"What's wrong? Is he hurt?!" she pleaded, and Fireclaw curled around her in an act of reassurance. Shadow shook his head, but the glare remained.
"Worse. He's been found by the mobians."
Back with the Sonic Gang
"Awe! It's so cute and tiny!" Amy squealed as she cautiously inched closer to the strange creature. It was small, with four legs and a long curvy tail and watery crimson eyes that reminded all of them of a wingless dragon. It was a dark gray, almost black, with red streaks running along its flanks.
"What is it though?" Tails asked. The animal shuffled back with all of the attention and nearly tripped over its spiky tail. "My handheld can't identify it."
"Do you think this is the monster everyone is talking about?" Sonic asked. Knuckles bent down and tried to play with it by wagging his finger.
"He's the tiniest monster I've ever seen," he laughed but suddenly yowed in pain when the creature bit his finger. He barely managed to yank it off without taking his finger with it, and he rubbed it while keeping a safe distance, "Tough little tike too," he grumbled.
It quickly ran and hid inside of a hollow tree and curled as far away from them as possible, all the while howling at a high, childish pitch resembling a wolf pup. The rain hadn't lightened, and a clap of thunder renewed its vigor to howl louder. Amy knelt down in front of the hole and opened her arms slowly in an effort to soothe it.
"C'mon little guy, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you," she said as softly as she could, sounding like mother trying to calm a frightened child. The pup cautiously poked its head out of the opening and sniffed her hand before it ran into her open arms. After the initial surprise, she laughed and picked it up, rubbing her finger on its belly playfully and speaking to it in "baby talk."
"You're just the cutest thing, aren't you? Yes, you are," she cooed and petted it.
"Uh, Ames, you might want to put it down," Sonic suggested, and she caught that his voice sounded close to frightened. She looked away from her new pet to see several pairs of fierce red eyes glaring at her. Amy squeaked and quickly but gently released the baby animal, who raced into the rain towards one of the pairs of eyes. Deep, threatening growls echoed around them, and the five realized they were completely surrounded.
"I think these are the monsters they've been talking about," Knuckles piped up, and Sonic had half a mind to elbow him in the gut.
A larger version of the kit stalked towards them, its body low to the ground like a predator ready to pounce, and it growled menacingly, baring its yellow teeth as a challenge. Sonic got into a fighting stance, even though the rain had him at a clear disadvantage. Everyone stood back to back in a ring to keep eyes on the black and red creatures prowling towards them. One was about to leap, but a deep, familiar voice cut through the air.
"Enough!" he commanded, and all of the giants stopped and backed away from the heroes. Two made an opening in the ring, and a smaller creature stalked into the circle. It took a few moments, but the mobians soon recognized him and got back into battle positions.
"Shadow? What are you doing here?" Sonic demanded. The striped hedgehog scoffed and crossed his arms in annoyance, and his rival suddenly noticed how similar his color scheme was to the monsters. Shadow stood proudly, as always, and not the least bit afraid of the animals four times his size standing close to him. It was clear that he was in complete control.
The baby ran back into the clearing and directly to Shadow, who lost his concentration and knelt to rub it, however, his air dominance never left him.
"You are in big trouble, little one," he said sternly, "I thought I told you not to leave. Your mother isn't pleased."
The kit lowered its head and moaned like a kicked puppy before brushing closer to him. The band of mobians only watched in confusion and curiosity at the odd display from who they considered a dangerous villain. Shadow stood and glared at them.
"I would advise you to leave and ensure no one comes in our territory again. I cannot guarantee safety to outsiders."
"Hang on," Sonic said, "Did you just say our?"
"Yes, got a problem with that, blue?" he growled, and his alleged enemy rapidly shook his head.
"What are they?" Tails intervened as the bizarre creatures came into view.
"A few of the remaining Black Arms," he answered courtly, "Now leave and never come back."
"About that...," Sonic laughed nervously, earning a harsh glare, "We're a bit too far from town to make it back before the storm ends. Got anywhere for us to stay the night?"
Lightning flashed close by, followed by the sound of thunder, and Tails leaped and clung to his older brother. Shadow noticed how frightened the fox was, and how all of them seemed to be shivering.
"We could take them to the den," one of the hunters suggested in Black Arms Speech. Shadow growled.
"That's insane," he replied in the same language, "we can't risk the safety of the pack. But...."
More thoughts and growls invaded his space, and he snapped to keep them quiet. When his mind was cleared, he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Will you promise to never invade on our land again, and keep all humans and mobians away from it?" he asked.
"Sure thing."
"Then...I suppose we can let you stay with us for the night, but only until the storm passes."
"Yes! Thank you, Shadow! Let's go!" Sonic cheered, and the others joined in.
The dark hedgehog rolled his eyes and ordered, "All of you, flank them. Let's get going before Moonstreak has my quills."
After several long minutes of walking and, for the mobians, almost tripping, the party reached a wide clearing in front of a cave barely large enough for one of the Black Arms to fit through at a time. Shadow held up hand for them to wait.
"Let me warn them first," he said and strode inside. A few minutes later, he came back out and motioned them inside.
They were honestly shocked at the massive size of the pack. Most of them looked in their direction warily, and the heroes noticed that Shadow looked like he had a headache. A large, more slender pack member came to meet them.
"Mobians, meet Moonstreak, the second in command's mate and the mother of our little runaway," he added with a smirk as the pup shuffled up to his mother shamefully. She glared but it soon softened, and she pulled it close to her. "The pup you found is Thunder, a member of her fourth litter."
"But if she's the mate to the second in charge," Sticks mused, "Who's the leader?,
Shadow crossed his arms, "You're talking to him."
"You?!" they exclaimed in surprise, and amused rumbles filled the cavern from Black Arms listening in on their conversation, which was pretty much the whole pack.
Tails couldn't figure it out though, "How is that even possible?"
"He is one of us," a new voice answered, as the largest creature they had ever seen joined them.
"Meet Fireclaw, one of the few that can speak in perfect mobian," Shadow stated.
Fireclaw continued, "From our first encounter, I knew that he had the blood of the Old Alphas, a part of our race we thought had died out, and he soon joined the pack and defeated the former Alpha, Bloodclaw. Under Shadow, the Black Arms have seen safety and prosperity like never before."
And he's the only Alpha to remain single for this long, Moonstreak teased telepathically, causing his muzzle to turn crimson for a brief moment.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't here that. Anyways, you five will need a place to sleep for the night. There is an alcove away from the pack. It should be large enough for all of you, and warm enough."
"Lead the way," Amy answered. The guests followed him as he climbed the ledge overlooking the rest of the cavern with a small cave towards the back. The entrance was neatly hidden by other rocks in front of it, and it was only tall enough for one mobian at a time to pass through. The room inside was large and open, with plenty of room for Sonic and his friends to sleep. A small bonfire burned in the center with a pile of sticks close by. Large furs were spread around it a few feet away like sleeping mats.
"The pack is...wary of fires," Shadow explained, and they noticed that even he bristled at the sight of it, "but it should keep you warm for the night. Good night," and with that, he sharply turned and left the mobians to get settled in.
"Okay, that guy is either a good copy of the Shadow we know, or is he an even worse copy trying to trick us!" Sticks rambled, and everyone rolled their eyes.
"She does have a point...in a twisted sort or way," Tails added, "The Shadow we know and the Alpha of the Black Arms act like two separate people."
Amy mused, "Maybe there's a reason for it. We don't know how long he was with them, and he might have taken on the role of his pack's protector before we ever met. He could have just acted the way he did to prevent any of us from wanting to seek him out."
"That's a lot of speculation," Sonic countered, "I'm not sure I trust him yet."
Outside the cove
Funny, Shadow thought, I was thinking the same about you...