Bound by Music

Uncle Chuck's

"Uncle Chuck!" Sonic exclaimed and dashed to the adult hedgehog, who had lowered his firearm and turned the safety back on. The older male was suddenly glomped by the blue triplet, and he stumbled back to keep his balance.

"Uncle Chuck! I'm so happy you're alive! Wait...," Sonic paused, "I thought that you were robotocized."

The fully organic hedgehog chuckled and ruffled his quills, "That's a bit of a long story. How 'bout you and your friends come to my place where we can talk? It's not too far from here, and you won't have to worry about sleeping in the wild tonight," he offered. Everyone agreed and hastily repacked their gear and put out the fire. Uncle Chuck then led them into the forest, his rifle cocked and ready.

"Can't be too careful 'round here. There's all kinds of nasties in the woods."

"Tell me about it," Rouge grumbled as she flicked a bug off her shoulder. It landed on Knuckles, who didn't seem fazed about it for once. He was too busy talking to Sonia to actually notice. The white bat's eyes saddened at this realization, but she kept her thoughts and emotions to herself...or so she thought.

Ouch, Manic thought, and he glanced to the back of the group to see Shadow giving the agent a curious look. He'd seen it too, but he didn't act on it immediately. Rouge unknowingly slowed her pace, falling behind to the back of the group. Manic's eyes widened when Shadow trailed beside her, keeping his strides even and noiselessly encouraging her to keep up with him. He walked close to her, but not overwhelmingly so, and Manic noticed how her mood seemed to lift with his presence.

   Though the action was small, he realized that Shadow knew that words wasn't what Rouge needed; she just needed someone there, though he doubted she would ever admit it. If there was ever a time he wanted to read someone, it was now, but he knew that would be right next to impossible at the moment.

Everyone was snapped out of their thoughts as they entered a small, sheltered glen. A cozy cabin sat in the middle, with a small brook flowing beside it and a fire pit with chopped wood nearly stacked on the front porch. The house itself wasn't large, but it looked comfortable for maybe one or two people. Sonic had no idea how it was supposed to fit all of them without a major loss of elbow room. Chuck put two fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. Did he have friends already there?

The distinct sound of metal grinding against metal reached everyone's ears as a short form ran towards them from the back of the house, and Sonic's emerald eyes lit up with joy. The machine didn't stop as it reached the group but instead tackled the blue blur to the ground. Now that it was still, they could see it was a robotic dog, and it was happy to see its long lost owner once again.

"Easy, boy!" Sonic laughed as he felt its rough metallic tongue lick his cheek, "Easy there, Muttski! Ha ha! It's good to see you too."

The robo-dog finally climbed off of his owner and sat on his hind legs, wagging his tail happily. Sonic sat up and rubbed him, happy to see his favorite pet once again.

"Come on in, folks! Don't wanna be stayin' out here after dark in the cold," the older hedgehog waved from the front porch. The air had become very chilly, signaling another cool autumn night was to come, and the group followed Sonic inside.

The interior of the cabin was far more spacious than the outside made it appear to be. The living room was wide with two couchs a single recliner, and a fireplace, as well as a much-loved wooden coffee table in the center. The kitchen molded with the living room to make it one large space, and a long dining table easily divided the two areas. A doorway to the left showed Uncle Chuck's room, and a ladder to the attic stood beside it. All in all, the place was rather comfortable and had a very "homy" feeling to it.