Bygone Adventures: Episode 2 "Curse of the Skull"

Not A One Time Thing

     Dedicated to all of you amazing people that kept wanting me to update this. I appreciate all of your support and your persistence.

A/N: Hey gang, I'm sorry for the crazy long wait, but I had lost motivation for this story for a while, but I'm back and hoping to finish it soon. I hope this chapter makes up for my hiatus. Please let me know if anyone is OOC, since it's been a while since I've written anything in the Sonic Boom fandom.

Other than that, enjoy!
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     Sonic stared at the sun slowly setting over the sea, leaning against the doorpost of his house with his arms crossed. The night before had been a walking nightmare for the blue blur, and he was desperately hoping that tonight wouldn't be another repeat of that freaky experience. Turning into a werehog had been bad enough, but losing his speed was almost unbearable.

He just hoped it was a one time thing. Surely the effects of a skeleton that old would be minor, and fading at best, or at least, that's what he kept telling himself. Even as a strange pressure built up in his chest, he remained where he was, determined to prove to himself that what had happened was just a fluke.

But if it wasn't, he was glad that Tails was in his workshop tinkering on some new project. Sonic couldn't handle the thought of what his little brother would think if he saw his hero transforming into a beast.

The sun was almost below the horizon, and Sonic's nerves soared to new heights. Something was wrong, and he felt the need to get away from the house, away from anywhere his friends could possibly think to look for him. He stumbled down the steps of his porch with an unusual lack of grace, his coordination strangely off, as he fell on to his hands and knees. He quickly picked himself up and did the one thing he knew to do. He started running.

He didn't care if last night's episode was just a one time thing or not. He had to be sure, and that meant getting away before he could potentially hurt his friends.

As the last rays of sunlight vanished, Sonic felt himself slowing down, and he realized he was deep in the jungle far outside of town. The blue blur leaned against the thick trunk of a tree, clenching his arms around his stomach as a nauseous feeling swept over him.

"Not...not again," he grimaced as he felt his teeth growing longer and sharper, cutting his lower lip before the rest of his body could catch up with the transformation.

Sonic whimpered as he slumped on to the jungle floor, spazzing from the pain. He hated this, with every inch of his being; he despised the monster he was being forced to become.

Surprisingly, the change didn't take as long as it did that first night, though the pain still lingered. Sonic felt his now heavy body sag as he took in several deep breaths. His nose was instantly bombarded by the various scents of the jungle underbrush, and his ears rang with the symphony of the island's nocturnal inhabitants.

   A deep growl rumbled in the back of the werehog's throat. Just two nights, and he already hated it. He knew that when he opened his eyes, he would see large white paws instead of gloved hands. His fur would be thicker and a darker shade of blue. His eyes would turn everything into a sharp focus, just as his ears alerted him to every sound and his nose to every scent.

   His frustration mounted, and Sonic stood on his legs, swiping his bulky arms out on either side of him as he let out a ferocious howl, releasing all of his anger and stress for the night to hear. It felt like that was the only way for him to let out his emotions in this form.

When he finally exhausted himself, he fell back down on to all fours and stalked through the deep jungle underbrush. Last night he had been afraid of what had happened to him, but tonight...tonight he was angry.

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Black Arms Territory

Shadow glared at the wilderness west of the den. That was the second time he had heard that strange howl, but this time, it was closer. His eyes narrowed as he gazed out from his perch above the Black Arms' cavern.

   Is everything all right? Redwing called, peeking his head out of the fly hole.

"Something's going on, and I need to go check it out. If I'm not back by morning, send a search party," he ordered.

Do you want one of us to go with you? Redwing offered, not liking the serious tone his leader was using. Shadow shook his head.

    No, I'll be fine. And with that, he vanished in the flicker of a chaos control.
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Deep in the Jungle

   Sonic growled to himself as he prowled through the jungle, not caring how much noise he was making and scaring off any potential prey. He was fine with that though. He didn't feel like hunting, and he'd rather not fully succumb to the Werehog.

There was a flicker of light, and Sonic paused as a new scent wafted through the air. It was both familiar and foreign, like he knew he had sensed it before but couldn't place it. What he was certain of was that whatever it was felt dangerous.

   The werehog slowed down, taking care to step lightly and use his fur as a natural camouflage. He felt something reaching out, brushing against his mind like it was searching for something.

"I know you're here," a timbre voice growled. Sonic glared through the foliage at the outline of a familiar hedgehog. Shadow?

The blue werehog felt a growl rise up in his throat. Shadow's quills flared at the potential threat, but he forced himself to remain calm. He soon found a pair of dark green eyes locked on to him.

"I didn't come here for a fight, but you are too close to Black Arms territory. Turn back."

   Who does he think he is to command me? Sonic thought, his growl deepening. The werehog lowered himself to the ground and waited for the dark hedgehog to drop his guard.

   Shadow remained frozen where he was. He didn't know what was glaring at him, but it felt large, and it felt dangerous. He had tried to give a warning, a chance to turn back, or at least, stir its curiosity enough to lure it out of the darkness.

   But what greatly confused him was that the creature's essence felt familiar and yet somehow wrong. It was this silent alarm that kept him rooted to the spot, his eyes locked on the emerald gaze shining up at him.

Emerald?

   "Sonic?" Shadow asked. That one word seemed to spark a reaction he did not expect.

   A massive beast leaped out of the jungle undergrowth and launched itself at him. Shadow ducked and spun around to face what he could only guess was some hybrid between a hedgehog and a giant wolf or bear. He could easily see the likeness of his rival in the creature, but the sheer hostility coming from him sent alarms ringing in Shadow's mind.

    "Who else would it be?!" the beast demanded, his voice low and gravely, a clear opposite of Sonic's light tenor.

   Shadow felt his body lowering into a defensive posture. "So this is what you've gotten yourself into. How on earth did you do it?"

   "That's none of your business!" he snapped, literally clipping the sentence with a clamp of his jaws. Shadow's eyes widened. He was acting more animal than mobian.

"Sonic," he began slowly, keeping his tone even, "I'm going to need you to calm down."

   But whatever had turned him into this creature had affected the blue blur more than either of them thought. All hints of recognition fled Sonic's eyes, and it was replaced with something much more savage. Shadow grit his teeth.

Things were about to get ugly.
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A/N: Next up, the fight between Sonic and Shadow! Hopefully there won't be as long a wait for it as it was this chapter. I was trying to finish another book that I wanted to enter in the Wattys this year.

Anyways, thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!