Everything Changes (A Sonic Boom Fanfic)

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Kay sprinted through the dark roads of the village, afraid that if she slowed down she'd lose her nerve and turn back, or abandon the idea of leaving entirely. And even once she'd made it past the village border and was heading into the forest she hurried onward, Sonic's voice echoing in her mind: If you have time to worry, then run.

Finally, however, Kay knew she couldn't go any further without risking injury, so she slowed to a walking pace. It wasn't long before she reached and then passed Sticks' abode, which was basically just a hollow dug into a small hillside in the middle of the forest. It looked cozy, though she'd never had a chance to actually go inside and find out.

Now that she was far enough away from the village and any trace of its residents, Kay found herself fighting a new type of worry: that she wasn't alone out here in the woods.

Considering that she was on Mobius rather than Earth, that fear was rather unfounded, but it still haunted her as she made her way towards the coastal village from a couple of days before, glancing up at the sky to see if there was any sign of the sun making its way back around towards them.

There wasn't.

She thought about it all rationally. When she and the girls were walking this way before they hadn't come across anyone else until they got to their destination. Sure, they'd been walking in broad daylight rather than the dead of night, but still. And even then, it only took about an hour of walking to get to where they wanted to be. She'd sprinted the first few minutes into the forest tonight. That had to have cut off some time, right?

The rest of her journey to the coastal village was spent alternating between bursting into a sprint and then slowing back down to a walk, convinced she'd heard something behind her and then convinced she'd just been imagining it. Needless to say, she got to the village in a much faster time even though it had felt much slower. Kay eventually saw a clearing ahead of her between the trees – a familiar sight even at nighttime. Relieved, she slowed to a walk again and calmly made her way out of the forest.

Once between the trees behind her and the harbor ahead, Kay paused to assess the situation. The sky was still black, but it was a lighter shade than it had been. The sun was on its way. There was a medium-sized cargo ship docked at the end of the boardwalk furthest from where she stood, but nothing else. That had to be the transport. And from where she stood, it even looked like there were Mobians moving about on deck already. They must be preparing to depart in another hour or so.

Slowly, Kay began walking again, making her way to the boardwalk. She knew that the beaver she'd bumped into a few days ago – who seemed to be the manager of the harbor – was probably not out and about yet, so her best bet for learning anything about the ship's destination and whether she could catch a ride was most likely with whomever was on board at present.

It took her a while to get to her intended location, as she was walking so slowly. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ascended the plank that had been lowered from on board as a makeshift ramp. It was flimsy beneath her, but held all the way up. She paused just before setting foot on deck, looking around for the Mobians she had seen before, but now suddenly there was no one to be found. She was just opening her mouth to ask permission to come aboard when a slight morning breeze made her sway and startled her enough to jump onto the deck whether she was allowed to or not.

Kay glanced back over her shoulder at the forest she'd just emerged from and tried not to think of the village beyond. Her heart was racing, but she pushed past the anxiety. She couldn't give up now. With a breath, she turned back around, just in time to see someone – a lynx, it looked like – climbing up onto the main deck from below. He paused for a moment when he saw her, but then his brow furrowed and he started talking...though Kay couldn't understand him in the slightest. It took her a moment to realize it wasn't just an accent; he was speaking an entirely different language.

When she didn't answer him, the lynx became agitated and started moving towards her. Kay held up her hands. "I'm sorry, I don't understand..."

The lynx's voice rose to a higher pitch and he began making a shooing motion – something Kay understood all too well. After a brief moment's hesitation, she nodded to him that she was going and then proceeded to do just that, but then a second voice spoke over the first.

"Wait."

Kay turned back, and this time it was a bat she saw walking toward her. The lynx turned to her and started talking again – most likely protesting or explaining as best he could – but the bat held up a hand and conversed with him for a moment or two. Finally, the lynx gave Kay one last glance before sauntering away to finish whatever he was doing.

The bat turned her gaze on Kay and held out her hand. "Sorry about Ayaki. He doesn't speak any western languages, so he was just trying to do his job. I'm guessing from the way that all went down you don't speak any eastern languages, do you?"

I took Spanish in high school, Kay thought, but she knew that wouldn't help her here. She shook the hand that had been offered. "No."

The bat nodded. "I'm Etsuko. I'm the captain of this cargo ship. Are you lost?"

"Um, no..." Kay shook her head slowly, feeling her heart race even faster. She pulled her hand away. "Actually, I'm wondering...well, first I'm wondering what this ship's destination is."

"Chun-Nan, of course," Etsuko replied. "That's where this island gets its supplies from."

Kay nodded. She'd figured as much. "Then I'm also wondering if you'd be willing to accept a passenger on your way back."

Etsuko tilted her head. "You?"

"Yeah."

The bat looked her up and down. "No offense, shiriai, but I doubt you'd make it on Chun-Nan. Ours is a hostile continent. There's a war going on, you know."

Kay's eyes widened. She hadn't known that. Doubt began to creep in, but then she thought about staying here until the war was over, and her strength returned to her. "I'm trained in martial arts. I think I can at least defend myself."

"Against the rogue ninja clans?"

Rogue? Kay took a breath. "Please, I just...I need to get off this island."

Etsuko paused, then shrugged. "It's none of my business if that's what you really want. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Kay felt her heart flutter with hope. "Will you take me with you?"

"Sure, shiriai. On two conditions. First being that you tell me your name."

"Oh!" Kay couldn't believe she'd forgotten. "I'm Kay."

"Second condition being that you help out around the ship. It's a three day voyage. Think you can manage that?"

"Yes, except I have no experience in sailing whatsoever."

"We'll teach you as we go, and I'll consider that your payment for safe passage to Chun-Nan. Does that sound fair?"

Kay couldn't believe what she was hearing. And just yesterday she'd been worried about finding the mobiums she needed to pay for the trip. "Yes, that sounds fair. Thank you."

Etsuko nodded once. "I'll let the crew know so there are no more confusions. Welcome aboard, Kay."