Sonic: Forlorn Prophecy

Chapter 1

In the distant fields, covered in flowers and trees, a stream of blue bolted through like lightning. The people of the village looked towards the streak as a loud whooshing noise passed through the atmosphere. Amongst the crowd was an older Owl, an affectionate smile on her face as her eyes gleamed looking at the streak. She raised her talons to her beak, calling out to the wind.

"Sonic! Come to mama!" She called out, her voice echoing through to the distant hills. The streaked paused for only a brief moment, before ziplining down to her. The village made way as they watched a small blue hedgehog, grinning from ear to ear, racing towards the Owl. They embraced, swinging around in a tight embrace and affectionate giggles of love. "What new thing did you see today, my little blur?"

"You won't believe it, mama! I saw this huge waterfall, it had rocks and everything!" Sonic exclaimed, his eyes beaming with wonder. The Owl chuckled sweetly, nuzzling Sonic softly.

"What do you think you'll call it?" The Owl asked,

"Rainbow Falls!"

"For a waterfall?" The Owl questioned, her smile never leaving her face.

"Yeah, it had a rainbow as it fell! It was so beautiful, mother! Maybe we can see it one day?" Sonic answered. Before the Owl could answer her son, she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was the village chief.

"Longclaw, mind if we talk?" The chief asked, a concerned look striking Longclaw through the heart.

"No, of course, chief," Longclaw answered, setting Sonic to the ground. Sonic looked at her with confusion, "Head on home, dear. Maybe draw Rainbow Falls for me?" Longclaw instructed. Sonic jumped for joy, nodding to his mother and running off with a wave.

When he returned home, he found the paper and crayons and began to doodle the falls from his small adventure. Sonic could picture the falls vividly as he drew - the sound of the water as it crashed into the rocks below, the smell of the water, the small droplets that landed on him from where he stood, and the sights and sounds of nature all around. Wild animals drinking and playing in the water, under the protection of the falls' rainbow. Sonic took a deep breath, his lungs filling with the scent of the falls, his eyes shut in satisfied tranquility. When he opened his eyes again, on the page in front of him was his recollection of the falls. He smiled, then raced over to a wall where similar pictures were hung up from Sonic's other adventures. The first few had him and Longclaw together, as she didn't let him travel alone for a small while. It wasn't until he was 6 that he first traveled on his own, though he did miss having Longclaw on his adventures. Sure, he could speed somewhere new and back before lunch, but he liked to take it slow with Longclaw; she always pointed out the small details, things he'd miss running at the speeds he usually does. He sighed, when his ears pricked up hearing a faint shuffle. He turned to the door and saw Longclaw opening the door. He grinned and raced to her, hugging her tightly which made her laugh.

"Were you that lonely?" Longclaw teased with a smirk, caressing his cheek with her talons.

"Not really, mama. I just was thinking about our adventures!" Sonic responded. Longclaw giggled, picking up Sonic and walking over to the art wall. There, she spotted the new addition, analyzing it carefully. She sighed, looking at her longing son. She could understand his desires.

"Well, I promise that one day we'll go on another adventure. Both of us." Longclaw promised, holding out her pinkie. Sonic clasped hers with his, smiling as his heart sang. He looked deep into his mother's eyes. They smiled, laughed and embraced. Sonic was home.

His eyes awoke to the sounds of his own sobbing. He palmed at his cheeks, feeling the tears that had streamed down from his dream. He looked around, his heart sinking as reality hit him. It was a dream. A memory. Suddenly, he felt a gentle tug at his arm. He turned to see a small orange fox staring up with worry.

"Are you OK, Sonic?" The fox asked, his eyes illuminated under the soft, turquoise light of the moon. Sonic sighed, pulling the blanket back over himself and the fox, before softly urging the fox to lay back down.

"I'm fine, Tails. It was just a dream." Sonic responded. Tails still looked at him with the same expression.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Tails asked. The question struck Sonic, though he didn't let it show. Sonic forced a smile and nodded, watching as Tails turned over and fell back to sleep. Sonic waited till he was sure the fox was asleep before turning to face the moon, sighing deeply. He closed his eyes, the Owl ever present in his mind. He can't retain much of her - let alone the village language she was teaching him. Since he had slowly forgotten, it felt like a piece of him was dying. Though, what if a piece of him was already dead to begin with? Sonic tried his best not to get swallowed whole by the invasive thoughts, though he was struggling. He opened his eyes, staring at the moon. It felt like the moon was trying to talk to him. Sadly, Sonic wasn't sure how to understand it - Longclaw had promised to teach him, but... Sonic sighed, a tear escaping his tired eyes. His throat ran dry as repressed memories came to the surface as he looked out to the moon. He glanced at the sleeping fox briefly; Tails would panic if he knew Sonic had hidden issues, so he always did his best to deal with them on his own - where Tails wouldn't notice, he wouldn't worry. Sonic looked back to the moon, the only phrase he remembered from the village in his mind.

"Aftaqidk ya, Lwnjklu." Sonic whispered before laying back down, doing his best to repress the tears and memories and fall asleep. He can deal with them when he was awake, but for now, he wanted to continue resting. Continue dreaming.