Fate's Wretched Odyssey

I

Sonic bounded through his messy apartment, his pale blue shirt half buttoned up while one arm of his black blazer trailed out behind him as he scurried into the bathroom. His younger brother yawned as he watched with mild interest. He had the day off from school, yet Sonic could not seem to be quiet for the life of him. "Ack!" Sonic threw his suit out of the bathroom and suddenly came running out on all fours, much larger than he had been when he first entered.

Tails winced painfully. Sonic's steps were heavy and clumsy, and that combination was sure to bring attention to their downstairs neighbors again. "Sonic, quit it! Vector's gonna be up on us again if you keep making that noise!" He yelled in a hushed tone, which made Sonic stop in his tracks, standing on his hind legs. In the blink of an eye he had shrunk back down to a mobian size, fur still messy and lacking any clothes.

"I know... But I'm just so nervous! What if I screw this whole thing up! Argh!" He pulled at his face. His words were laced with a unique accent, slightly pushed to the back of his throat while a soft growl seemed to rumble endlessly behind his voice, though it was hardly noticeable. One would only hear it if they listened attentively, and it was clear that he wasn't doing it to be rude.

Tails folded his arms across his chest, the natural dark brown eye bag markings beneath his cerulean gaze only accentuating his disinterest in Sonic's worries and excuses. "You will be fine. You've worked hard, developed a lot of talents, got your license. It will go perfectly. Just don't stress it," the foxling wandered over, long claws clicking against the floorboards of their apartment, which was covered in scratches and scars in the wood from their seven years of living there.

Sonic bowed his head, returning to his large size and stepping lightly over a swaddle of blankets that created a randomly placed nest in the middle of the room. They had several around the flat where they could just curl up and snooze, being nocturnal creatures and all.

"Okay, okay," he grumbled, his voice deeper and more growly now. "Can we go over my script one more time?"

"Sonic!"

"Okay! Fine!" Sonic was about to go marching back over to the bathroom where he left his suit out front, but he froze upon hearing the sound of heavy knocking on the door.

"You damned varmints!" Vector. Sonic ruefully threw his head back with a groan, shrinking to his smaller form and grabbing a towel to wrap around himself so he could be at least a little presentable for his crocodilian landlord. When he had first arrived in this city, Sonic had been stopped by the police when he entered the casino. Apparently he had been displaying "public nudity", which he found absolutely absurd, even now. He had not been showing anything vulgar, yet mobians seemed to have different living standards.

That night was also the night he spoke his first words in mobian tongue. 'Sonic'. They had asked him for his name when his eyes darted around only to find a slot machine that had read the words "Super Sonic Soaring Safari!" in bright lights. He had gotten himself out of a fine, by somehow explaining in his broken accent that he had been robbed, so they had given him a blanket and sent him off with a warning.

Sonic opened the door, smiling pleasantly at the green crocodile. "What can I do you for, Vector?"

"What you can do is quit being so loud! The clients downstairs keep complaining about the noise! If you two mutts keep this shit up, I'm gonna have to evict you! Last chance!" That's what Vector always said. It was hardly a threat anymore and Sonic found it rare he was worried about such things. Deep down, he felt as if he knew Vector had grown attached to them and enjoyed them living there, but that didn't mean he wasn't harsh on them.

He charged extra for them being 'animals' and living in a pet free building, and made them pay even more so that he could guarantee their secret of being non-mobian was safe with him. He had discovered they were werebeasts when he entered their flat without knocking once, and found Sonic licking himself clean in one of the small nesting spots, which had promptly caused both of them to squeal like pig runts before Tails came in and helped explain the whole situation.