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Humble Beginnings - Fresh Start Chp2

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"Remind me again what I'm looking for, Rotor?" Sally stared at the screen of her handheld computer NICOLE. She was only half-paying attention.

"You need to find this species of moss – see the teal highlights on the edges?" the walrus pointed to the slightly blue-toned color of the green moss, "I read in our medical book that this may be helpful for treating bone and muscle damage and infection. We don't know for sure, but it can't hurt to look."

"Alright, I'll go look now. I just finished my lunch, anyway." The chipmunk walked half-heartedly towards the woodsy edge of the clearing.

She didn't want to look for moss. She didn't want to fight Robotnik. But in both cases, it was something that had to be done. Robotnik threatened the lives of her friends while he still held power, and she could not let him win, no matter the cost. And that moss wasn't going to find itself.

Ten minutes of walking and repeated area scans by NICOLE yielded nothing. Time passed, and ten minutes grew to thirty minutes.

Sally became frustrated. Why did something so simple have to take so darn long? She could have been back at Knothole, completing the fortress model by now!

The chipmunk checked herself, and attempted to calm down. Patience is a virtue, and it was unreasonable to expect instant gratification from life.

She continued her search.

Eventually, she found what she was looking for. A small clump of green moss with teal edges was growing near the base of a rotting tree trunk, so miniscule that if her gaze had been an inch higher, she would have missed it.

"NICOLE, could you take a sample? I want to see if we can cultivate this back at Knothole. It seems impractical to run outside for five miles every day just to check up on a marble of moss."

'Affirmative, Sally,' the vaguely female electronic voice responded. A small tractor beam opened from the front of the palm pilot, and a chunk of the moss was sealed inside the machine. 'Sample collected. Begin analyzing…'

The process would take a minute or two. Rather than remain standing, Sally figured it would be better to sit down. That way, she could at least think.

No suitable log benches were present. The chipmunk started pushing through the shrubbery, hoping there was one nearby.

As soon as she passed through the bushes, her foot struck something solid, and she tumbled to the ground.

Gasping to get her breath back after the wind had been knocked out of her, Sally growled. Just my luck that I would trip over some stupid branch when the only thing I wanted was a little peace. Could this day possibly get any wo-

Her train of mental ranting screeched to a halt and flew of the rails when she glanced back at her feet.

That was no stick she had tripped over.

It was a sneaker.

A sneaker that was still very much attached to a leg. If anything else remained connected to the leg, it was concealed by a massive shrub.

Sally scrambled backwards in fright.

The leg did not move. She struggled to organize her panicking, incoherent thoughts.

The leg fur was a rich, deep blue, like the ocean near a white sandy beach, a hue the sky could never hope to match. By contrast, the sneaker was a brilliant cherry scarlet, with a white sole and a single white strap that was held by a large gold buckle.

Gathering what courage she could find, Sally slowly approached the leg to get a closer look. Upon closer examination, the fur was matted, dirty. The top of the shoe was scuffed, and the sole had a tear in it. A barely-healed scratch zigzagged down the underside of the calf. Whoever the leg belonged to must have run into trouble.

Sally grappled with the concept that she may very well be looking at a corpse. There was no blood, but that wasn't a sure sign of life. Fatalities were terrible, but not uncommon in the Great Forest. Not many feral predators resided within, but there were many high cliffs that one did not see until right on top of them, marshes with quicksand to snare the unwary traveler, and more recently, Robotnik's SWATbot and badnik patrols. That possibility seemed the most likely.

Grim determination set in her mind. She had to know for sure. NICOLE was likely done with the analyzing now, but the moss could wait. In fact, she couldn't care less about the moss right now.

Cautiously, the chipmunk pushed aside the edge of the shrub. At first, it resisted, as though caught on something. Eventually, it yielded, and Sally broke off the limb of the plant to remove it.

The leg was connected to the royal blue body of a male Mobian hedgehog, his back facing her. Six massive quills protruded from the back of his head with two slightly smaller ones on his back just above the short tail, surrounded by countless smaller ones that blended together with the blue fur. They were long and tapered to deadly points, but were limp as their owner lay still. Those must have caught on the branch, Sally thought. The other leg was now visible, in similar condition to the first. The arms were, strangely, a light peach color that was interrupted at the shoulders where the blue coat began. A pair of tattered white gloves covered his hands.

At least he's still in one piece, Sally thought with sadness. Now to find out if he is still alive.

Carefully avoiding the razor sharp spines, the chipmunk reached over to grip the hedgehog's shoulder. As gently as possible, Sally rolled the hedgehog over to face her.

She was immediately struck by how handsome he was. Even out cold, she had to admit he was a bit of a looker. His short muzzle and chest were the same peach color as his arm fur, and he had a long, thin nose. The rest of his face was, again, blue. His ears drooped listlessly, and his eyes were closed. A mammoth bruise the color of plums marred his forehead and chest. His lithe body bespoke of agility and speed, while his thin limbs were deceptively muscular. His thin frame screamed the tale of days spent without food.

Sally began to check for vital signs. With a sigh of relief, she detected the faint pulse of a heartbeat, and heard the low whistling of air moving in and out of his lungs as he breathed shallowly.

The chipmunk got to her feet and proceeded to remove the remainder of the bush covering the injured stranger. This hedgehog needs medical attention, and fast. At the very least, he's dehydrated and hungry. At the very worst, he's in a coma from whatever caused that bruise. She had heard that moving someone who was badly injured could have terrible consequences, but he certainly wasn't going to get any help way out here.

Using as much strength as she could muster, Sally hauled the hedgehog out into the open. Taking care to avoid getting pricked by the spines, she grunted as she attempted to hoist the unconscious Mobian into the air, and draped his body over her shoulders.

Chaos, this guy is HEAVY. What does he eat; bricks? Thank Chaos I took those Judo lessons, or else I'd be powerless to help him.

Grabbing NICOLE with her free hand, Sally sprinted from the clearing in the direction she had come. The best pace she could manage was a brisk jog as she remained wary of stealth branches and rocks that could further hurt the hedgehog, but it would have to do.
Raise your hand if you saw this coming.

Chapter 2, yayz! Okay, this is obviously one of my favorite chapters of HB-FS.

So, what do think of this style meeting between Sonic and Sally? Really not what you were expecting, was it? If it was- congratulations, you win a cookie:cookie:. If not- yay I'm unpredictable ashjklfdsghj.

~Mystic:iconvictiniplz:

Chapter 3:[link]
Chapter 1:[link]

All Characters (c) SEGA / SonicTeam / Archie Comics
© 2011 - 2024 MysticFeather
Comments2
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SuujiiSan's avatar
"No Sally, he doesn't eat bricks, he eats massive quantities of chilidogs."

(sorry I just had to say that XD)

btw this chapter's epic! 8D