Sonic X Fan Fiction ❯ The Order of Membrance ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter Three

By the time Sonic came to, he was inside what appeared to be a tent.  He found he had a sore lump on the back of his head, which annoyed him.  Suddenly he was hungry…

His drooping eyes snapped open all of a sudden as the events from last he recalled ran through his head like a rapid replay.  Getting up, he noticed a dull ache in his abdomen.  The pain he remembered was terrible.  How long had he been asleep?

“Ah, you’re awake,” said someone next to him.  Sonic turned and was met with the friendly face of an older squirrel-woman, her blue eyes lazy, relaxed.  A little kit clung to her dress, watching him with skittish eyes.  “How are you feeling?”

“Uh…” Sonic hesitated.  “Better, I guess.  How long have I been asleep?”

“Around three days.”

“Three days!?”  He tried to get up, but his headache grounded him once again.  The squirrel-woman patted his shoulder in comfort.  “Mind telling me where I am?”

“That’s for the Master to decide.” She said matter-of-factly, with a beaming smile.  Sonic felt slightly creeped out.  “You are to remain here until he comes to see your progress.  Whatever happens afterwards is up to him.”

‘Oh no,’ Sonic thought.  Another dictatorship.  Authority was so not his thing.  The only call he answered to was the wind.  He had to leave.  “Thank you for your, um, letting me crash here and all, but, uh, I should probably go—“ as he got to his feet to walk towards a sliver of light through the tent, he heard the sound of a blade leaving its sheath, and found himself staring at his reflection on the face of a thin sword.  It belonged to a squirrel-man that he had not even realized was there, whom stared him down with stern hazel eyes.

“You’re not going anywhere, whelp.” The man’s voice was deep, unmerciful.  Reluctantly, and a little afraid (which he would never admit to), Sonic backed away from the tent flap, but did not sit down.  Instead he stared the man down, unrelenting, challenging.

“Bark, take it easy now,” the woman lightly scolded, her voice a soothing balm.  “The poor young man is still a little banged up.  No need to top it off with fear.”

“Not yet,” he murmured to himself, but nonetheless obeyed and sheathed his sword.  Threat momentarily avoided, Sonic relaxed a little.

“Who are you guys?” he asked.

“Oh, forgive us!  My name is Loch.  You’ve met my husband, Bark—“ the male squirrel grunted in acknowledgment, but did not break his suspicious gaze at the blue hedgehog, “and this little scamp here is our son, Zephyr.  Say hello, sweetie.”

The young child said nothing, but gave a stiff nod of acknowledgement.  He glared at their unexpected visitor with the same wariness of his father.

“I’m Sonic the Hedgehog,” he replied with nervous courtesy.  “Ma’am, can you tell me what I’m doing here?”

“I wish I could say.  But once again, that’s for the Master to decide.”

“’Master?’”  Through his dull headache, he tried to remember.  Then it came to him.  “Oh, you mean Sparkly Guy?  Is he the one who runs things around here?”

Bark’s eyes narrowed further, while Loch laughed softly.  “Yes,” she agreed.  “That would be him.  Tell me, Sonic dear, are you hungry?”

His stomach gave a bellow in response.  “Uh…yes I am.”

“Bark, please go find something for our guest.  Zephyr, go with him.  You haven’t had lunch yet either.”  Loch smiled.  Obediently, the squirrel-man waved for his son and both exited the tent, into the watery sunlight.  For several minutes he sat with Loch, who continued to beam without a care in the world.  Watching the two go left Sonic feeling surprisingly bereft.  His feet itched to flee.  Soon his eyes kept flickering back and forth between the opening of the tent and Loch’s face.  Could he escape?  He was sure he could; it wasn’t like this woman could stop him.  However, the very moment his muscles decided to react in flight, he found himself violently jerked backward, a leg expertly sweeping to knock his to the ground with enough force to numb them without breaking bones or even bruising.  He had been looking at Loch, blinking once before he had reacted; the second time he blinked, she was no longer there.  A delicate, furred arm coiled over his throat like a snake while the other held a curved knife to his back.  The lump on his head throbbed as his heart rate accelerated.  He dared not breathe.  A soft voice, honeyed and dangerous, flew into his ear like a whisper of death.

“Easy, sweetheart.  I’m well-known as an exceptional cook here.  I can carve prime pieces of meat, regardless of where it came from,” Sonic shuddered.  Why is it that almost all women he came across were so SCARY??  “Now, be a good boy and wait patiently for the Master.  I’m going to release you now; don’t worry, I won’t harm you.  Your heart is racing, and that will make your head hurt more.  That wouldn’t be very good, as my job is to look after you until the Master arrives.  However, if you attempt to escape once more, I’m afraid I’ll have to give you a demonstration of how well I can carve.”

One moment.  Another.  Then the pressure against his larynx slowly eased, and he sank to the ground once again, his quills ruffled.  He looked behind him, but nothing was there.  Twisting back, there was Loch once again, her smile still bright and lovely, but with her knife now clearly visible in her lap.

Soon afterwards, once his hammering heart and headache had calmed, Bark returned with a plate of cooked fish, his gaze as sharp and wary as ever.  Close behind him was the kit, nibbling on his own piece.

“The Master is coming now,” he said, and Zephyr scuttled towards his mother, taking his place behind her tribal-dress once again.

Then, ceremoniously, the same one who’d nearly killed him appeared in the tent, his cloak glittering in the feathery wisps of daylight, like some celestial being in flesh-blood form.  ‘Or some douche wearing a pretty shower curtain around his shoulders,’ Sonic thought, annoyed.

“Has this cub given you any trouble?” the Master asked.

“None at all,” Loch replied, chipper.  They all noticed the bare blade in her lap, but said nothing.

“Thank you, Loch.  Thank you, Bark.  Please leave us.”

The couple bowed their heads and got up to leave.  Zephyr followed, though he stared for a moment at Sonic before hurrying behind his parents.  Now alone, Sonic looked at the man, unable to see his face clearly as his hood was still up.  He wouldn’t be afraid.  He would not be intimidated.  Sparkly or not, this person would not separate him from his freedom.

Large hands came up to push back the hood, and Sonic found himself staring into sharp, crinkled eyes the color of fresh blood.  They seemed to pierce right through him as he felt himself being examined most closely, carefully, thoroughly.  His face was a rather wild mask of white and dark green fur with a few streaks of gray here and there, and long fangs.

“This would normally be where I would welcome you, kit, but your circumstances are quite thin,” he said.  “You ought to thank me for my unwilling mercy.  We are the Order of Membrance, a tribe dedicated to doing our part in the prevention of evil taking hold of this world.  I am Alpha, Master and Chief of this Order.”

The old wolf looked at Sonic expectantly, and the blue hedgehog realized he was expected to bow or something.  ‘Too bad,’ he thought.  It wasn’t as if he asked to almost be killed not once, but twice while in the company of these people.  ‘Three,’ he said mentally, ‘if you count that weird squirrel-lady.’

“Sorry if I come across as impolite,” Sonic said in his natural smugness.  “I appreciate you guys letting me stay here, even if you guys tried to bump me off once or twice now.  So for the sake of courtesy and moving on, I think I’ll be on my way out of here, if you’d be so kind as to show me the exit.”

Alpha looked almost amused.  He chuckled; it sounded like stone rubbing against stone.  “Do you really believe that after trespassing into our territory, being fed and nursed by our people—one of which’s life you nearly put in jeopardy—that we would just smile and send you off?  I don’t think so.”  He began to circle around Sonic, eyeing him closely still.  “We do not take kindly to outsiders, even if in other parts of the world they are considered ‘heroes.’  Yes, not even you, Sonic the Hedgehog.”  Alpha stopped in his tracks, turning his gaze away from Sonic.  “Oh yes, I have heard of you.  One does not live away from the outside world and just be content with ignorance.  Fastest hedgehog alive, I hear.  Often contending with a…Dr. Robotnik, I believe, whose robotic genius matches his hunger for total dominance.  A few others like yourself oppose him as well…friends of yours, I think.  A tech-savvy two-tailed fox, a red echidna with strong fists that could break boulders.  I’m sure your adventures are rich and many.”

“Yup~” Sonic took a chance to turn to face the old wolf, challenging him.  “And I should really get back to those.  So, once again, thanks, but I think it’s time I hit the road.”  He dared to turn his back on Alpha and out of the tent.  The sunlight shone on his face warmly, gloriously…blindingly.  A little too blinding.  He didn’t remember the light being so overpowering…that is until he realized it was due to a rather large number of tribespeople, armed with various steel swords, knives and daggers that reflected the sun with a combined, angry glare.  His eye twitched with increased irritation.  He was getting pretty sick of people pointing things at him.  Unwillingly, he raised his hands above his head, wincing slightly at the small ache that still remained in his abdomen.

“I figured the famous ‘Blue Blur’ was rather…reckless,” Alpha spoke softly, gravely behind him.  “But this sort of arrogance is quite unlike any I’ve seen in recent years.  Well, how about it, kit?  Do you truly believe you can escape now?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Sonic replied, smug, but disappointingly felt himself slightly shake.  “Though I think it’s a little more arrogant that you’d expect me to take you all on by myself.  Pretty unfair, dontcha think?”
“Confidence,” Alpha chuckled.  “A rather useless quality, especially in youth.  But interesting.”  With a hand, the warriors lowered their weapons, and Sonic relaxed.  “You believe yourself capable enough to go against one of my people?”

After a short moment, Sonic nodded.  “Yeah, I don’t see why not.  I need to stretch my muscles anyway.  I’m all for a good nap, but three days is a little much.”  Then, an idea came.  “I can think of how we can make it more interesting.”

“Oh?”

“If I win, you have to let me go.”

“Hmm…simple.  Fair.  Alright.”  Alpha smiled.  “But if you should lose, then you must remain here and do our bidding.  Whether that be as a guard, a slave, or even swaddling babies; you will not leave until I permit you to.  If I ever permit you to.”

The finality in his words did nothing to rattle Sonic’s resolve.  “Hmph.  Deal.”  He stretched himself, testing his muscles.  Not too bad.  Shouldn’t be a problem.  “So who am I going up against?”

“Oh, why, I’ll leave that up to you, kit,” Alpha, held out his hands, generously.  “Feel free to choose among my warriors.  Whomever you pick shall be your opponent.”

Nodding, Sonic took a long moment to examine the group before him.  He didn’t have much to compare with.  Each were covered in those same “colorless” cloaks that told him nothing of their build, and their faces were hidden beneath long, dark hoods.  One or two were shorter in stature; he’d pick them, but it would seem cowardly to fight someone who wasn’t even as big as he was.  Finally, he pointed towards a figure standing almost directly in front of him.

“You.  Come at me.”

The chosen person stepped forward, one, two long paces until he was nearly nose-to-nose with Sonic.  Then, all of a sudden, he was gone, leaping high and nimbly through the air, flipping backwards and back onto the earth some yards behind the group.  The people parted, forming an open pathway towards his opponent.  Sonic understood, walking past them, stretching his legs while doing so.  He found the guy was standing at the outside of a ring shaped with colored stones.  Not needing to be told otherwise, he went to stand directly opposite of the other contender.  Somewhere, tribal drums were being beaten in a steady manner, anticipating.

Immediately all went silent.  For the first time, Sonic got a good look at the village.  There were many tents, each with totem poles.  Each carven stick had its own unique symbol in the form of various pictures and letters that were painted all kinds of colors.  There were also rows of scratches under each symbol, and each pole had a different number of them.  The circle was right by a large fire engorged with thick, cut logs.  The sun was fading, and soon the sky was the same fiery red as the camp flames.  The drumbeat became faster, more syncopated, like that of a speeding heartbeat.  As far as Sonic was concerned, it was the perfect mood-setter.  He crouched, ready to super-speed into action.  His opponent remained still as an oak, and held no weapons.  Sonic smirked.

Then Alpha clapped; the sound silenced the drums and all other activity.  Then he called out in a booming, ancient voice: “Are you ready?”

Sonic nodded.  The other did and said nothing.
“BEGIN!”

The millisecond the drums sounded again, Sonic disappeared from his spot, towards the other party.  His plan was to skid and knock the guy off his feet, then grab hold and pin him.  With his speed, there’d be no way he’d see him coming.

Not the case.

As the dirt he kicked up clouded the air around them, and just as his leg was about to knock his over, the challenger had crouched down and grabbed his ankle, incredibly anticipating his maneuver, and flung him in the opposite direction.  Confused, Sonic tried again.  This time, he was tossed into the air.  Frustrated, Sonic went straight for him, fists raised.  However, each of his punches were either dodged, blocked, or redirected.  Then, out of nowhere, the cloaked figure grabbed both of his wrists in one fist, pulled him to the side, extended his arm underneath Sonic’s torso and completely flipped the blue hedgehog over, having him land flat and somewhat hard on his back.  Before he could even comprehend what just happened, Sonic found himself held down with his arms girdled above his face and his chest heavily pressed against the ground, staring with shock into sharp gold eyes that held him fast in that same predator’s glare as that of the wolf-chief.

The drumbeat stopped.  Their bout had lasted only a few minutes, and Sonic had lost.  He could not contain his disbelief.  An entire life spent in freedom, going wherever the wind and his fast feet took him; it was gone.  Sonic’s brain couldn’t make sense of it, refused to acknowledge it, even as someone—he didn’t care who—dragged him away despite his lack of resistance, into a darker, smaller tent.  He kept his eyes closed and ears folded to their smirking and bad-mouthing.

He hoped that he could find a way out of this.  And then he hoped to feel hope.



Phew, this was the longest chapter yet!  Thanks for reading!  It was actually the most fun to write so far.  You will be seeing more of the killer housewife, Loch the Squirrel; I’ve given her a personality similar to that of Carol Peletier (if you follow TWD at all :P) and you can expect her character to reveal more honeyed badassery.  Other than that, I hope you are enjoying the story so far!  The plot thickens from here; please leave any suggestions if you have any.  All feedback is appreciated.

silverfeather