Spring Day
By Jeremy Cole
The freedom force looked around, released from their trance at
last. Their enemy had disappeared without a trace, not leaving a single
pocket of resistance. Where was the battle?
Then it hit them – they had won.
The tired fighters of the freedom force raised their voices in a
general, confused roar of elation. Every Knotholer had avenged their
fallen, every slave had gained their freedom, and every creature there
had gained a new life. United in victory, animals hugged animals that
they didn’t even know as they both raised the shout of victory. Spouses
kissed for the first time in years, and those uninjured danced with
joy. Sally and Tails shared a powerful hug over the still comatose form
of Bunnie, while Antoine felt more snapping in his chest as Rally spun
him around in happiness. Even Sonic, just reaching the battlefield,
joined in, running up a sonic boom before remembering the pain in his
leg.
But this elation didn’t last very long. Animals began looking
about for their comrades and seeing faces missing. The cry of joy died
away as every animal began to feel the first pain of the war.
The freedom fighters walked among the dead, searching for those
that they knew. There was Warrick’s right hand jackal, laid down by
three echidna bodies with his sword still stuck in one. Here was the
young bird slave that Rally had denied freedom to at the beginning of
the attack. The blood still flowed lethargically from her – she had
died in the last moments of battle.
Slowly, the creatures of the battle moved to gather their
comrades. Slowly, taking one or two dead and wounded animals with them
at a time, the survivors filed out of the battleground. The gathering
diminished unhurriedly, filtering a few animals out at a time. But soon
no movement was left at the scene. The clearing was deserted for the
first time since the echidna clan had invaded. But the dirt was far
from clean. It still held the blood of a battle, changing the dirt to a
bloody mud, and the heavy body of the echidna chief, marker of a battle
past.
The freedom fighters were a subdued group as they walked back
along the heavily shadowed path to Knothole. Sally strode out in front,
leading the reviving rabbit by her paw and fighting to keep the tears
off of her cheeks. Close behind her, Sonic dispensed with his usual run
to walk with his head down, staring at his wounded leg, and unknowingly
favoring the arm that had been damaged a year past. To his left
shuffled Tails, tails swinging irregularly back and forth, and on his
other side slumped Rotor, dragging his gear behind. Behind them all,
Antoine roughly shambled along, favoring his ribs, with Rally clinging
to him unconsciously for mutual support. Still further back, Mina
walked in a quiet daze, not looking at the path, but at the reddened
dagger in her hand. No one talked, lost in their own thoughts, each
reliving a different moment of the battle. Yet not one of them felt the
crushing sadness stronger than Sally. Her father, the one that she had
thought dead for a full year, had been within arms reach, just across
the clearing from her. Yet still, somehow, he had slipped away with the
echidnas, leaving her alone in the world once again. The world was a
hard, cruel place.
A shadow that Sally hadn’t noticed on her side fell off of her
and back onto the ground. Looking up, Sally saw a young squirrel a few
years older than her walking beside her. He wore a blue shirt with
yellow trim that turned into a cape somewhere around his shoulders. He
was tall, with a strikingly familiar stand of red hair. His faint smile
matured into reality as Sally leapt into the arms of her brother for
the first time in a year.
They came out into a clearing in the trees as Sally’s face began
to sparkle in the light. “Bro… Brother! I thought you were dead! Oh,
Elias!” The handsome squirrel prince rubbed his sister’s head, crying
on his own. But no words of greeting passed his lips.
“Brother?”
Sally stared up at him with a plaintive look on her face, wanting
to hear the voice that she thought that she would never hear again. But
Elias looked at her with sad eyes, and seeing that gaze, shook his
head. He was still a whole animal, but for the voice that had left him
one year ago.
Elias helped his sister up as the group left the clearing for the
trees once again. Giving her a last squeeze, the prince left her.
Moving along the line, Elias formally shook each freedom fighter’s hand
in turn, avoiding the blank rabbit and nodding to Mina. Then the prince
moved off, with only a short look to add a goodbye to his kin. Sally
opened her mouth to call after him. But he was gone.
Screwing up her face, Sally put her head down stoically and
struck out even faster into the forest. Even when she had gotten her
brother back, the echidnas still got the last laugh! Why… Why? A hand
on her arm jolted her out of her thoughts. The squirrel pulled away,
and tried to walk faster, away from the comfort, away from the warmth.
But a pair of blue arms enveloped her from behind, not letting her a
step further. Though he didn’t say it, Sally could feel Sonic behind
her, holding her, and no more. She tried to pull out of his grasp at
first. But abruptly, the struggles stopped, and Sally lay her head on
his arm, finally letting herself cry into his fur. Sonic just let her.
She was in a lot of pain right now, and nothing but a good cry would
solve that. All around her, the freedom fighters pressed in as a calm
mass, sending their support to Sally without words. They all stood
there for a few minutes, without a sound but Sally’s sobs. Finally the
princess took her head off of her pillow and wiped her face. Sally
looked about with gratitude written in her eyes. “Thanks, guys,” she
said, meaning it from the bottom of her heart.
Sonic tapped his foot, impatient for the others to be there. The
one meeting that he got there early to, everybody else was late!
Impatiently, he glanced around for someone to talk to. The only animal
about this early in the morning was the nameless rabbit that he had
brought with him, still staring off at something unknowable. Sonic
tried to follow her eyes, but got lost somewhere in that utterly
forlorn gaze. He frowned at the pain that he saw there. Had she really
done anything to deserve this?
For the first time since the battle, Sonic took a good look at
the rabbit. Sally had gotten Rosie to take care of her, so Bunnie
looked a bit better than she had on the battlefield. Bathed and with
the tangles combed out, her yellow coat shown bright in the sun. The
wounds that Sally had given her had healed in the week that she had
spent here, and her claws were properly clipped. Now, Sonic noticed,
the pink jumpsuit that she still wore suited her perfectly, pulling and
tucking in just the right places. The rabbit was indeed beautiful, and
could probably turn heads just by walking by. But something was
missing, something important…
An image of Sally popped into his mind for some reason, smiling a
smile that he knew belonged only to her.
Sonic shook his head and looked back at the rabbit. He might as
well do something with this time.
Sonic sat down and pulled Bunnie down with him. Automatically,
her body snapped into a sitting position. But the look, mysteriously
misty, remained on her face, still gazing into the distance. Looking at
her, Sonic got an overwhelming urge to comfort the long-eared warrior.
He wasn’t very good at this, but… awkwardly, Sonic took her hand in his
and turned her head towards him gently. Not resisting his pull, the
dead eyes of the rabbit stared right through him. It chilled him, but
Sonic held fast.
“Come on, girl. Open up to me,” he said in a soft voice. His
patient didn’t twitch. “I know that you’ve been through a lot, and that
some kind of magic got into you. But you look like you have a stubborn
streak, so don’t give up so easily. You can get through it, easy, just
like I can go through Swat Bots and chili dogs.” Very subtly, just with
just enough force to make him wonder if he imagined it, the corners of
the rabbit’s mouth twitched upwards. Dropping his tough exterior for
just a second, Sonic matched that smile, then widened it into a real
grin. Maybe he could really do something. He was getting somewhere so
far.
A hand rested lightly on his shoulder. Sonic jumped with a bark
of surprise, managing to get his feet under him. A second hand steadied
his fall, and came along with a laugh. “I caught you, Sonic Hedgehog,”
said Sally by his ear. “You do have a tender side.”
Sonic hid his embarrassment by turning back to the yellow rabbit.
The vacant look remained, and all traces of a smile were gone. “I was
making some progress before you came along, Sal,” he said, flatly
“I can see.” Grabbing Sonic’s hand and sitting, Sally pulled him
down beside her. “Sorry we got held up, but Warrick came by with some
pots and pans and caught us with holiday preparations. The others will
get here soon.”
They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, not needing
words to enjoy the spring day. For the first time since the battle,
Sonic found himself lifted of his pain. He forgot the plight of the
rabbit for the moment, and threat of Robotnik was nearly pushed all the
way to the back of his mind as he sat with his friend in the spring
morning.
He really didn’t get it… Sally sighed and glanced at Sonic. Then
she moved closer to the rabbit to try a rescue of her own. “The guys
certainly are taking their time, aren’t they. I know that they all want
to try to help you as much as they can, girl, they’re just taking a
while. I know that I can’t wait to meet the real you.”
As Sally said this, Sonic noticed her expression out of the
corner of his eye, and began to look at her curiously, noticing things
that he hadn’t before in his royal friend. The gentle caring with which
she reached out to the rabbit had always been there, staying just
within sight on her face as she talked with her friends and subjects,
but Sonic hadn’t thought anything of it before. Now, as Sonic looked at
her effortless gestures and lithe form, he saw her beauty for what it
was. Now, as Sonic saw her hair flow out behind her, he thought of a
sweep of fallen leaves, and closed his eyes, liking the image. For the
first time, Sonic felt something stir. And for the first time, Sonic
began to think of Sally as more than just his friend, which scared him
to no end.
Sonic looked up as Tails called out in greeting. Forcing his
smile back on, Sonic waved to his little bro. As Tails sat down, Rotor
walked over to the group as well, sweating from the labor that Warrick
had put them through. Sonic tossed a greeting to him too, but Rotor’s
quick discussion with Mina kept him too busy to catch it.
As it turned out, Mina had spent most of her life in captivity,
never learning about anything but being a slave. As soon as he heard
this, Rotor had taken it upon himself to find a hobby for Mina. Rotor’s
first choice, of course, had been mechanics, but something told him
that something wasn’t working. Mina didn’t seem to be taking to the
concepts of gadgetry very well. Oh well. Maybe a little bit of talking
would bring her around.
Mina adjusted her red cap for the twentieth time, trying in vain
to get the message to Rotor that way. But he kept right on talking.
Mina rolled her eyes beneath the brim. She didn’t need this. But with
all that he was trying to do… she shouldn’t hurt his feelings that way.
“Uh, Rotor, I’m sure that this is real interesting and all, but can we
talk about this later? I’ve gotta rest from all that preparation that
the dog made us do. Nailing up wreaths is hard work!”
…Oops. That was a lame excuse, and Rotor knew it, too. He was
looking at her with a look clearer than anything that he had said about
mechanics. “Yeah right,” it said. “Why don’t you try again?”
Mina glanced away for a second, then looked him in the eyes. “All
right Rotor. Mechanics isn’t doing it for me. You’ll have to try
again.” She felt bad, but it was the truth. Sitting down, she went on
with the conversation to minimize the damage.
“But Rotor, I was serious about the work. What kind of holiday do
you guys work so hard for? And what’s with all the plants everywhere?”
Rotor swapped out his look of hurt for one of misty-eyed
recollection. Rotor was remembering when Rosie had first taught him and
his friends all about Spring Day, back when he was barely old enough to
understand it all. His nanny’s remembered happiness warmed his heart,
just as the real thing had warmed it then. As he sat next to Mina by
the rabbit, he came out of his reverie and began, smile spreading.
“Spring Day goes back a long way on Mobius. They say that Spring
Day was the day of creation – when everything on Mobius was made by
some power or another. At midnight, the very beginning of Spring Day, a
light somewhere in the world flashes out across the sky, sending a wave
of light out across the world. Then the light goes out, and nothing can
ever light it again. No one is really sure what that means. But the
light signifies the light of creation... or something.” Rotor looked
thoughtful for a minute. “I can understand how the slaves might not get
to celebrate, but how did you miss the light? I thought it went
everywhere.”
“I’ve been a slave my whole life – and slaves are asleep by
midnight,” she explained bitterly. “The echidnas worked us too hard for
us to stay up late. If that light ever passed overhead, we had no
idea.”
Rotor nodded sagely, then continued on with scholarly
thoroughness. You could almost imagine the glasses perching on his
nose. “Because Spring Day has so much holy meaning, animals often
rejoiced around the world even in ancient times. Eventually, that gave
way to organized celebrations, then gift giving, and the holiday grew
to what it is today.” Rotor leaned back on his hands, staring into the
sky at nothing in particular. “Never even heard of it, huh… I guess
that means that you’ve never gotten a Spring Day gift before, have
you?”
Mina shook her head, and smiled. “So yours will be the first,
right walrus?”
Rotor smiled craftily back. “Heh. We’ll see, mongoose…”
Footsteps sounded from behind him, coming closer. Rotor glanced
behind him to see Antoine striding closer from between some huts. He
had a smile sneaking onto his face, and was walking as fast as he could
with his composure intact. Antoine sat down quickly in their little
circle and let out a breath. Casting shifty glances behind his back, he
chuckled in between greetings to the other animals there. Looking
behind him one last time, he hurriedly turned his head back around and
started up a brisk conversation with Rotor, as if he had been talking
with him the whole time.
Turning to look back at the huts, Rotor saw a very miffed Rally
coming this way, and could barely stop himself from laughing. The left
half of her fur was a mess of purple, and the strands of her hair were
clotting together in sticky clumps. Antoine pretended not to notice,
but casually shifted himself around the rabbit so that Sonic was
between him and the furious cat. Slyly, Sonic waited until the last
second, then rolled out of the way to unbar the way. Taking the
opportunity, Rally dived onto Antoine with a muted yowl. Surprised into
a laugh, the fox didn’t have time to react. The two rolled over and
over, making more noise than the sleeping citizens would have liked.
The two rolled over and over, moving around the clearing in a messy
circle. Antoine laughed the whole time, even as the paint spread itself
down his vest and onto his side. And the more Rally heard him laugh,
the less anger she was able to cling to. They finally rolled to a stop
halfway around the clearing with Rally collapsed over Antoine, laughing
just as hard as he was. Eventually the two of them dragged themselves
into the circle, still fighting back the chuckles. The last of them
died as Sally raised an eyebrow at them. It was high time to bring this
meeting to order.
The animals sat there, looking into the center of their gradual
circle at the comatose rabbit that inhabited it. She look on her face
had grown to more than just pitiful - it was a plunge into cavernous
despair, as if the happiness that the freedom fighters had just gleaned
had been sucked right out of her chest. The call for aid was plain on
that face – but what cure could they offer when they didn’t understand
the disease? Every mind turned to that question. Antoine tried first.
“We could try Dr. Quack. He might be able to take care of her.”
“Sorry Ant,” said Sonic, “but I tried Doc Quack as soon as we got
back. He looked her over top to toe, but came up with nothing. Whatever
she is, she’s not sick. But I was getting results by talking to her
before. Maybe we can snap her out of it that way?”
“We can try, but we can’t really hope for much that way, Sonic.
She hasn’t eaten for six days. If we wait for the slow way, even if you
get her out she might not make it.” Sally reached out and lifted a
yellow arm. “They probably weren’t even feeding her before this, with
how thin she is now. She might not have very long left.”
“What if we shocked her out of it, Aunt Sally?” asked Tails. “She
might wake up with a good jolt if we try hard enough.”
“That’s a little bit risky Tails. We could just as easily hurt
her as help her. We don’t know anything about her magic state, so
anything could happen. We may have to…”
Antoine had stopped listening to Sally a while ago, around the
time that she had started talking. While the rest of the freedom
fighters’ attention was stuck on the princess, Antoine’s had turned to
Rally, who had begun a thorough inspection of the rabbit. Lifting an
arm, Rally felt the fur, noting its smoothness. Pulling out a leg,
Rally examined the thick muscle, poking it for firmness. Looking in a
yellowed ear, Rally tsked at the state of her ear hair. Finally, Rally
sat back. Looking over at Antoine, she winked mischievously. Then she
turned back to her patient. “Hello. My name is Rally,” she said in a
perfectly normal voice. “While I may not be an expert in the field of
magical maladies, I do have a little experience in sheer blind luck.”
Imperceptibly at first, but increasing at a fast pace, Rally’s voice
began to grow in volume. “And so, it is my professional opinion that it
is time for you,” this was shouted at the top of her lungs “to WAKE
UP!”
The effect was immediate. Everyone in the clearing leaped to
their feet. A few pots clattered about in the nearby huts. Passerby
looked about in slight panic, wondering what the fuss was about.
Eventually calming down, the Knotholers went back about their business,
casting strange looks at the outsider cat. But the freedom fighters
ignored this. Standing in the center of their circle was the rabbit,
looking wonderingly at her surroundings and blinking for the first time
in a decade.
“Where am I?” Bunnie asked.
“Knothole village.” Sally answered, simply.
“Oh, ok.” Tilting, then accelerating, the rabbit fell forwards
into Sally’s arms, limp. Sally flipped her over and looked down in
concern. But the rabbit was sleeping peacefully, eyes closed for the
first time in a week.
The rest of the freedom fighters looked at Rally with minor awe
on their faces. Instead of noticing, Rally stooped to put Bunnie’s arms
over her shoulders and hoisted her up from the ground. “Let’s get her
to a hut, shall we?” she asked, face innocent.
The rabbit slept a great deal for the next few days. Eating
heartily every time she awoke, Bunnie didn’t leave the bed for that
first week after waking from her trance. Even in the days following
that recovery, Bunnie rarely left her hut, preferring her own thoughts
to the company of others. Anyone who tried to enter was shooed away,
unless they were carrying the food that she so craved.
Sally stared in from the outside, getting as close as she could
to the invalid without being detected. From what she could see, the
rabbit was brooding again, keeping up the pattern of yesterday. The
look on her face was as vacated as the spell had left her, as she lost
herself in the deeds of her past and forgot the world around her.
Just what was she thinking? What had she locked away, for only
her to see? Pondering, Sally pulled away, and shook her head. The
mystery of it ate at her heart. But still, she would make sure that the
other animals left her in peace, as she would herself. It was Bunnie’s
right to have her privacy, and her right to tell her story in her own
time. Besides, more important things were happening at the moment.
Sally smiled as she motioned the other freedom fighters out of
Knothole. Preparation for Spring Day…
Having already said their goodbyes, the freedom fighters set back
off to their base, leaving Bunnie behind with her past. They took
nothing with them, save an extra pallet for Mina, and a pillow for her
to sleep on.
________________________________________________________________
The full spring day was filled to the top with happy noise from
the animals of the forest. The noise spread farther and farther in the
woods as the woodland creatures increased their boisterousness the
later it got. Everywhere, nature was reminding the world that it was
spring, and the freedom fighters were no exception. For now, freedom
fighting was forgotten, as the decorations were spread about the base.
Rally looked out the open door as she spread the tinsel liberally
along the wall. The day was shaping up to be even more beautiful than
she had imagined. It might not have the crisp cold of a winter day, but
spring was when life began anew and grew into something beautiful –
almost as nice, in its own way. Spring Day was the mark of life truly
beginning, just as the rest of spring was the mark of its renewal.
Even the freedom fighter base was looking fresh and new on this
spring day. Swept clear, then filled to the top with decoration, the
base looked a forest of its own, with graduated green garland and wide
wreaths spread about. Nothing had been spared from the decoration – the
planning table had a wide patterned tablecloth adorning it, and even
the computer had a festive green sweep coloring it. Rally draped the
last of the tinsel over the wall of the living room and stepped back to
survey her work. She wiped her hands, satisfied, then flopped down on
the couch for an early nap. Spring Day… there was so much to be
thankful for… and so much happiness just waiting to be claimed. Content
for the moment, Rally snuggled into her pillow, and slept.
Halfway across the room, Antoine looked at the barely dozing cat
in an entirely different mood – one of intense agitation. What was he
going to do? Three days left – so what kind of present was he going to
get Rally?
Antoine paced about the room, avoiding his ruts from before, but
cutting new ones just as effectively. It was a thorny problem. He had
already picked out gifts for everyone else – a mirror for the princess,
a new hat for Rotor, socks for Sonic and Tails. But Rally was a
different matter entirely. Nothing he could think of seemed entirely
right – nothing he could think of really fit her personality. Antoine
slowed his gait and looked over again, trying to derive of a solution
from his peacefully slumbering problem. But Rally offered him no clues,
simply sleeping innocently, chest rising and falling with perfect
regularity. The sight calmed him. The fox moved into the next room to
sit down and think.
Why was he having so much trouble? Antoine thought back along the
months that Rally had been a freedom fighter, and sorted through the
times that he had been with her. Looking at it that way, it made sense.
Without fail, whenever she was free, Rally had always been there with a
joke for him, or to occupy him when he felt down. No one had done this
for him before, and it was something entirely new for him to
experience. He realized now that Rally had come closer to him than
anyone else in the last few weeks – much closer to being his friend.
That was why a good gift was so imperative. That was why he needed an
idea, needed it now. Spring Day was coming soon, and who knew what was
going to happen between now and then. Antoine put his mind to some hard
thinking. This was for Rally.
Sonic barely noticed Antoine flop down across the table from him.
He was too caught up in his own problems. For the past few days, he had
caught himself up with the preparations in any way he could,
sacrificing as much time as possible to make this Spring Day a perfect
one. But now, all the wreaths had been hung, all the preparations had
been made, and Sonic was stuck with the one thing that he had been
trying to avoid – time to think.
Before, Sally had just been a good friend, as genderless as Tails
or Rotor, and just as easy to be around. But now, that balance had
shifted. Now he could see the princess for the beauty that she really
was. There was nothing that could be done about it. He was simply in
love with her. Not just a crush, either. He was powerfully,
romantically, and mushily in love with the beautiful princess. But why
did he have to deal with sappy stuff like love? He wasn’t old enough
for this. Sonic dropped his face into his hands and rubbed his eyes.
What had he done to deserve this?
“Hey.” Sonic’s eyes widened at the nonchalant greeting, and he
looked around guiltily, as if caught in the act. Sally slid into the
chair next to him, turning the full force of her eyes onto his. No
escape. Sonic held that gaze for as long as he could, then looked away.
Her eyes followed his as they both traced along the tinsel.
“Sonic, is anything wrong? I noticed that you haven’t talked to me at
all for the last few days. Before I get mad, I just need to know so
there are no misunderstandings - did I do something wrong?”
Sonic’s nose twitched. He had been avoiding her, but not because
of anything that she had done. His mind was the one at fault. He had to
make sure it didn’t get any more ideas about Sally.
He finally managed to get his eyes away as hers rested back on
him. “Naw Sal, nothings wrong here. Just been busy helping with the
preparations… Its really gonna be a party this year.”
In a split second, eyebrows narrowed, chin rose, and a new
expression shifted onto her face. Something told him that his hadn’t
been the right choice. “Sonic! Why can’t you give me a real answer?”
Sonic shrunk farther into his chair, and Sally rose from her own
in chase.
“You’ve never been ‘busy’ like this before, not to the point
where you can’t even give me a simple ‘hello’!” Sighing exasperatedly,
Sally sat back down. “I’ve been trying for a chance to talk to you for
three days now. But you haven’t even let me catch your eye! Do you even
really have a reason, or are you just messing with me?”
Sonic’s chest cried out at the passionate assault. He wanted to
reach out to her and comfort her. He really did. The pain that she was
feeling now went right to his heart, as he was the sole cause, and
showed plain on his face, just as hers did. But still he remained
silent, still not trusting his mouth to lead him out of danger, and not
trusting it not to cause more pain than he could bear.
Seeing the expression, Sally let her anger leave for a moment and
rubbed her face with her hands. Dropping her hands, she bit her lip,
then looked at the ground. A moment passed, with both sides alone with
their thoughts. Finally, Sonic sensed Sally looking at him again in a
new way. He could feel the plea for him to speak on Sally’s face, and
he obligingly ventured a few awkward excuses to try to appease her.
Barely taking notice of the weak answers, Sally looked at him for a
minute more, then looked away again with a greater sadness than before.
Finally, she lifted her head and spoke again. “What is up Sonic?
What is up with you? I don’t need to know how it happened, or why, and
I don’t want to know. Just tell me – what is going on now? Please tell
me, because I want to help. Please…” She looked at Sonic with sad eyes,
honest worry plain on her face. That alone was bad enough. But another
emotion was there as well, farther back and masked from view. It was an
emotion not quite describable by words. But it was something of a mix
between supreme loneliness and longing... She finally caught his eye in
one last plea.
With that gaze, Sonic felt a deep heaviness stir in his heart.
What he was doing wasn’t fair to Sally. But what was happening to him
wasn’t fair either. She seemed so helpless right now, angry, worried
for his well-being. Right now, she wasn’t the tough leader of the
freedom fighters of Knothole. She was a fragile young princess who
could do nothing to help her friend, or help herself. He couldn’t keep
it up, he couldn’t keep up what he was doing. He felt the loneliness
too, just as sharp in his own chest as it was in hers. But… he couldn’t
tell her what he felt either. He wasn’t yet ready to confess his love.
Sonic looked away, lowering his head. Right now, he felt as weak
as he could be. But there was nothing that he could do.
A shocked second passed without a sound. Sonic’s head sagged as
the full weight of what he had just done hit him. In his mind, he
willed himself to fix the problem, to stand up and declare what he felt
with new resolve. He began to gather his will for a last ditch attempt,
but stopped as he saw movement. Too late – the damage had been done.
He saw Sally get up out of the corner of his eye. Without a
sound, and with a sense of slow gravity, she left the room. A few
seconds later, the sounds of a creaking ladder came from the next room.
The door to the base opened softly, allowing a single passenger out,
then slammed shut with the force of a storm.
Time stopped. For many minutes, Sonic didn’t move a muscle, as he
lost himself in deep thought. Then, he got up and ascended the ladder
himself. It was time for some serious running.
Rotor drove the last nail into place with the butt of his
screwdriver. The prototype surveillance system was finally in place.
Rotor sat back on the stump entrance and rubbed his sore hands. He had
been at this for hours. Who knew trees were so stubborn this time of
year?
The wood that he was sitting on rumbled a bit, with a few
confused sounds from below. Rotor was confused for a second, but as the
shifting continued, it dawned on him. Rotor hastily got off of the door
just as it exploded upward from a heavy shove below. Following right
behind, a head popped up from below and looked around for him. She saw
him flopped on the ground and grinned, but didn’t say anything about
it. “Are you done yet, walrus? C’mon, you’ve been out here forever –
and I want to try it out.” Mina lazily rested her arms on the lip of
the opening, reminding him of just how little she was doing right now.
That irked him for a second, but he knew that he couldn’t get too mad
at her.
“Yeah, I’m done, mongoose, no thanks to you. I need to test it
out, so get back down there and boot up the computer. We can start it
together.”
Mina pumped her fist in the air. “Yeah!” Mina’s hair flew up as
she jumped from the top of the ladder down. She landed with a soft
thump below, and moved for the mouse, eagerly.
Rotor moved at a slower pace back towards the ladder, taking his
time on that fine day. He thought back to what else had been on his
table for the past few weeks. It hadn’t been easy, but with what skill
he could muster, he had made a different gadget for each one of the
freedom fighters. He was almost through with the last of them, but
somehow Mina’s mechanized comb was taking a little longer than
expected. Rotor pictured the yellow mongoose as he descended the steps.
He hadn’t known her for long, but this was the first time she had ever
seen the holiday go by. That special comb would go well in her hair,
and maybe shape up her looks a bit too… It would only take a little
more work, a few hours, tops, but Rotor knew he had to hurry – Spring
Day was coming at midnight…
Sonic lay on the cushions, pondering. He had hit the couch for a
nap. But he had not slept.
He hadn’t talked with her since their chat. He hadn’t talked much
at all for those days. His speech was mechanical, his motions were
forced, and he had spent most of the last few days in a tranced,
thinking state. The pain simmered softly, taking on a clinging
constancy just at the edge of his consciousness. But that didn’t stop
the thoughts from coming. He had needed an idea, and on the third day,
it had come to him. He had made a trip to Knothole that same day to
arrange for the gift to be ready. Everything had gone smoothly and on
schedule. Now the package was in place, and all he had to do was pick
it up. But there still remained how to present it, and how to deal with
her when he had… the hard part. Clenching his fist, Sonic turned over
on the couch, frustrated at what he could not do. This wasn’t like him…
he needed to be strong.
A shout of surprise came from the computer room. Sonic was
instantly on his feet and shaking the trance from himself. The note of
urgency in the cry actually brought a smile to his face. He had needed
a breather, and action was something that he could do.
Sonic bounded into the room. Rotor was staring hard at the
computer monitor and visibly sweating. Sonic began to grow concerned
when he saw the terror on Rotor’s face.
“What’s wrong, Rote? Computer virus, or did it just crash?”
Ignoring him, Rotor pointed to the computer urgently as the
freedom fighters gathered around the screen. “Sorry for yelling, but
when I got the camera up and running, and the first thing I saw was
this!” What was on the screen looked like a screen saver to Sonic at
first, with moving metal shimmering all over. But when Rotor flipped a
switch on the back of the monitor, the view panned farther out, and
Sonic could finally see the menace in its true metallic glory.
It was a huge, metal snake, crashing through the trees at a
stunning rate. Unlike the Swatbots, this robot was completely
unpainted, with chunks sticking out to the sides and falling off as it
went. It looked like what a kid might draw in a bad mood. The
behemoth’s head reached the tops of the trees, trumping them in
strength easily and uprooted the small ones with a gigantic, blunted
nose. The front of the snake never touched the ground – instead, it
opened into a huge, spike-filled vacuum that sucked in any trees that
the serpent had felled. The long, metallic body tapered slowly off into
the distance, with rusted protrusions all along the sides, cutting
chunks into what trees that it didn’t suck in. Behind the snake, great
tracks of nothing had been left in the forest. The serpent was bent on
tearing it down, leaf by leaf.
Sally cursed mentally, shaken out of her own trance by the
general outburst and the sheer menace of the creature on the screen.
The freedom fighters hadn’t raided in weeks. They had let him build
this. “Get your gear people. I don’t know what we can do, but we need
to move right now. The great forest needs us.”
The robot felt the metal clamps slap onto it a good second before
the surge whipped through its body. Thrashing and bringing trees to the
ground, the serpent reared, and contorted its body to find the threat.
With a powerful rip of its jaws, the robot jarred the crackling magnets
from its body, flinging them back along its path of destruction in the
forest. Spying the source of the pain, the serpent moved closer,
hissing menacingly and revving the vacuum in its stomach. Its
programming mentioned something about this situation – ah, yes. Kill.
Rotor watched in dismay as his most powerful magnets flew off
into the distance. He turned to the others. “There goes our quick fix.
Any more ideas?”
Rally pointed to the sky. “Yeah, SCATTER!”
The ground shook just as the freedom fighters left it in a dive
for cover. The snake had slammed its head into their hiding place with
enough force to dent the earth. Not missing a beat, the snake slithered
along the path of the blow, body maintaining a smooth wave as it passed
the point of the hit. The freedom fighters regrouped and began to run
along the monster. But now they were genuinely frightened. They had
lost the element of surprise, and frankly, it was the only advantage
that they had.
Sally looked back over her shoulder, grasping her staff tightly.
The snake looked so much bigger than it did on camera.
“What are we gonna do?” The small fox was frightened nearly
senseless, and his tails twitched in frantic agitation.
“Calm down!” cried Sally, verging on panic herself. “We just need
to find a weak spot. Look at how haphazardly it was constructed! There
has to be something!”
The thunder of steel came crashing down. The freedom fighters
made another hasty jump, scattering in all directions. Swiftly, the
snake made a thrust towards Antoine, farthest from the group. Antoine
executed a clumsy dodge backwards, falling, then stumbling back to his
feet. Instead of the crushing that he had expected, the snake moved on,
corralling the freedom fighters into another retreating mass. One that
it could pick from.
To the side of their hasty retreat, the snake slithered in a
great circle, beginning to surround them in a wall of solid metal. The
freedom fighters ran as a mass towards the thinning opening, but the
small space disappeared with a hiss and a flicker of a spiked tongue.
“Aunt Sally! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO???” asked Tails again, truly
scared now, and barely able to stand with all the quivering that he was
doing. Seeing this, Sonic moved over to comfort him, but Sally cut him
off.
“Tails. I know that this might scare you, and I know that this
may be the most danger that we’ve ever been in. Right now, I don’t know
if there’s anything that we can do. Listen!” She shook him hard enough
for the sobs to subside into shaking. “You may be the only one that can
get us out of this now. We need you to fly us out, one by one, until
all of us are safe. We’ll distract this guy while you’re doing it, so
you’ll be safe. You are the only thing that can save us, Tails, so I
want you to know – we will keep you out of danger as best we can.
Alright Tails? Alright?” She got a nod from the tearing fox. Sally
nodded. “All right Tails, take Rotor first. Make sure he’s safe, then
make a dash back in to get more of us. Alright?” In silent answer,
Tails took both of Rotor’s hands and lifted off, still sobbing
profusely. Overhead, the snake reared back for a strike. But the rest
of the team made a dash out of their hiding place for a new clearing.
The snake followed, slithering noisily for the kill.
Sally had been lying earlier. She knew just what to do. It was
just a question of Tails knowing her intent – if he saw, he would never
be the same. From what she had seen of the inside of the vacuum, it
wasn’t armored on the inside – just spiked, sporadically and
dangerously. All she had to do was get in a few good whacks of the
circuitry, and their problem would be solved. Sally licked her lips and
did a quick calculation. Spikes aside, she had about a half chance of
surviving the attempt. Spikes aside.
Somehow, the noise of the vacuum diminished in Sally’s head as
she started her dash. The only sounds that she could hear were her
heartbeat and her voice. From behind, she thought she felt a sound like
voices crying out. But right now, all she could focus on was the metal
snake’s head, cocked in curiosity, and the vacuum just below it. Time
to be a hero.
Sound stopped in those seconds for Sonic too. Sally exploding
towards the snake, alone, and the explosion of the others just two
beats behind her. As he started his own run, four words crossed his
mind. I won’t let her.
Sonic’s super speed caught her from behind just as the vacuum
caught her vest in its pull. Together, they tumbled into the vacuum
inside the snake, disappearing from view in the spike filled tube. The
other freedom fighters called out in shock, certain at the loss of
their friends. The sound turned Tails around in mid-air to fly back in
anguish. He and Rotor touched down, just in time to join the other
freedom fighters in their frozen shock. The snake reared up again,
satisfied at any kill, however easy, and ready to dispense more death
to the animals.
But all was not lost. Tails felt his ears perk up as he noticed
that a sound was different from before. That sound, the whistle of the
vacuum sucking endless air, had changed ever so slightly as Sonic and
Sally passed the threshold. That sound had not subsided just yet. Held
sideways between two spikes by the wind, and just bridging the gap
between life and death, was Sally’s staff, lost by its owner in the
power of the vacuum, but caught by a strong, blue arm with the strength
of an iron will. And on the other end of that arm were Sonic and Sally,
gripping each other tightly as they hung on for their lives. Only just
managing to speak through the strong wind, Sonic gritting painfully
through his teeth “Grab… the staff.” Not wasting words, Sally began the
climb, clambering horizontally along the hedgehog, until she could grab
the staff in her hold. Heaving his body up in the hardest pull-up he
ever did, Sonic grasped the staff like he would a pole, and began to
swing. Slowly at first, barely managing to swing back up against the
power of the wind, Sonic swung round and round the staff, gaining
momentum in a tight ball around it. Faster he went, taking care not to
bump in to Sally, and straining the staff dangerously as he tumbled all
about it. He swung even faster then, feeling the strength ebb out of
his muscles, until at last he uncurled, letting his feet swing razor-
like through the top of the wire-filled interior. Stopped mid charge,
the snake suddenly froze. Then it fell over stiffly, hemorrhaging
sparks through a gash in its roof.
For the barest second, there was silence in the great forest.
Then Sonic and Sally, leaning on one another, staggered out from the
motionless snake, and the freedom fighters burst into cheers.
________________________________________________________________
Spring Day was approaching. This, Sonic noted by the computer
clock as he lethargically massaged arms sore from their ordeal. He lay
across half of the couch, elbows propping him up on one cushioned arm.
And on the arm facing him was the princess, quietly sleeping off the
day’s action, with her legs hugged to the side of the couch by Sonic’s.
They had lain there together since the end of the snake, just come in
and plopped down across from one another. He had been shy of the
contact at first, and grinned to cover it when she looked over. But
Sally had looked away, a shy look of her own on her face, and Sonic
knew that it was alright with her. She trusted him again. That was all
that mattered.
The princess yawned, stretching luxuriantly into a sitting
position. Smiling warmly and opening her gaze slowly, she locked eyes
with Sonic. Sonic tried hard not to move.
“Sonic…” her voice said, softly, “Thanks for saving me back
there.”
Sonic laughed nervously, trying to focus on her words and not the
rest of her. “Heh. No problem, Sal. There’s no sense in letting you be
a hero if you can’t walk away from it for the kudos.”
Sally’s face grew serious. “Frankly, Sonic, I’m surprised that I
was able to do something so dangerous so easily. I knew that I had to
take that thing out to save everyone, and that was the only solution
that came to mind…” Sally shifted uncomfortably on the couch, and Sonic
moved his legs to give her room. “It’s just… I’ve been really lonely
for the last few days… I felt like I had no one that I could really
talk to here.” She looked away. “Why… why did you start to avoid me
like that, Sonic? I need to know…” She looked him in the eyes again. “I
just want my friend back.”
The look said it all. It was time to tell her – no excuses
accepted. “Yeah, about that… um…” Stalling, Sonic nervously glanced
back at the computer clock. 11:53 it said. It’d be time for presents
really soon…
Wait…
Presents!
Sonic leaped off the couch. Alarmed, Sally started to get up.
“What…?”
Tearing his gaze away from the door, he turned to the princess
and hurriedly said “Sal, I’ll come back and talk with you in a minute,
but right now, I have to go and get something. So wait for me! I’ll be
back, I promise! Gotta juice!” He flew up the ladder, out the door, and
into the night.
The princess looked after him as the door slammed shut behind
him, in a state of silent anger for the moment. Then she got back on
the couch in a huff. “You’d better be here, Sonic Hedgehog,” she
muttered under her breath.
11:54. At least, that’s what the computer said. Antoine turned
the figurine over and over in his hand as he gazed around the room. He
looked up at the door as he saw a blur go through it, then heard it
slam shut as he looked away again. There was no reason for Sonic to
hurry like that. They would all be outside soon enough, out in the
night to see the spectacular light show of Spring Day. Antoine thought
back to years past, back to his childhood. In Knothole, they were
probably already gathered in the middle of town and counting down the
minutes to spring light – when the light would shine across the world.
He looked over at Rally, then at the figurine in his hands. It truly
was beautiful, wasn’t it. It was almost a shame to give away.
The figurine was a perfect rendering of the cat’s features,
matching his memory of the reality perfectly. The figurine was looking
up into the sky, a look of innocent happiness on her face, with one
foot slightly behind her body and the other in front. The arms looked
as if they could give a gentle hug to the air in front of them, and
reached for something unseen. The tail wrapped a lazy swirl, running
down her hips to the floor, curling just as it hit the ground. The
similarity of the figurine to its subject was remarkable. It was a true
work of art.
11:55. Antoine frowned, remembering the sculptor who had made the
figurine for him. The whittler, a beaver called Percy, had laughed
heartily at his request, then asked Antoine some pretty personal
questions about girlfriends. It was perplexing. Antoine had answered as
best he could for a while, but had to threaten to leave to get the
beaver to stop. Oh well. He looked over at the subject of the figurine,
who was laughing aloud at the comic book in her hands. Whether or not
he liked him, that beaver could really pour his soul into a piece of
work.
Sonic sped into Knothole, more out of breath than he had a right
to be. The celebration was almost at its peak, just waiting for the
moment that the light would shine. Every animal in Knothole seemed to
be there… but Sonic knew one who was not. He raced to the hut of his
nanny, hoping that he wasn’t too late. But there she was, present
ready, and draped gracefully across her knees. Rising, she handed it to
him as he came through the door. “I understand. Don’t waste your words
on an old one like me, just go.” Sonic obliged, but gave her a look of
pure gratitude that said it all before he went. He sped back out the
door, taking great care not to dirty the precious package in any way.
Rosie looked after him for a moment, mentally sighing of days past.
Then she got off the bed and wrapped a shawl around herself, going out
to join the celebration with the rest of Knothole.
11:56. Rotor put down his wrench. Talk about cutting it close! He
only had three minutes to spare. Rotor grabbed a bag and pushed the
contents of one corner of his worktable into it, pausing only to savor
the clanks of a job well done. Looked around for Mina and Tails, he
spied them over in the main room. Playing a board game. Talk about too
much free time. Walking over to them, he put his hand on Mina’s
shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt, Tails, but we don’t want to miss this
show. Let’s go, mongoose.”
“Ready when you are, walrus.” Mina nodded, and grabbed a sack of
her own. They ascended the ladder.
The moon was already casting light enough to see. The air was
cool, but not chill enough for shivers – only just enough to feel the
tingle of it in your skin. They sat there for a moment, enjoying the
other’s company as the night grew farther along. Mina glanced at Rotor
for a moment, wanting to say something, but lowered her head. The
walrus looked over at her, questioning. Seeing this, Mina shook her
head, and steeled herself to say it.
“Ok, walrus… thanks.”
Rotor raised an eyebrow. “For what?”
“For being nice to me. For paying attention to me. For telling me
about Spring Day. For everything.”
“Uh, you’re welcome.”
Mina looked over at him, showing him with her eyes that she was
serious. “I mean it, Rotor. In the slave pens… no one would want to
talk, or be nice. Everyone just wanted to sleep off the day and get to
the next one. I… really, I had no friends. You’re my very first friend,
Rotor. It means a lot to me.”
Quickly, before she lost her nerve, the mongoose reached over and
hugged him. Rotor smiled, and patted her head like a father. She
released him, and sat back sheepishly. Rotor lost his smile and looked
her straight in the eye, showing equal sincerity with his words. “No
Mina, thank you. I’ve made friends before, the group here and a few
from Knothole, and I like them fine. But before I met you, I’ve always
been shy, and I couldn’t really open up to anyone. With you… I feel
that I can be assertive, powerful maybe. I can call you ‘mongoose’
pretty easily, and you’ll just smile and call me ‘walrus’ right back. I
can relate to you, Mina. Thanks for that.” Rotor glanced at the moon,
shining down to bathe them both in light. The time wasn’t really here
yet. But that was ok. “Here,” he said, reaching into his sack. “I think
its ok for you to have your gift a little early. You deserve it.” He
smiled at the way that made her eyes shine.
11:57. Rally put down the comic book for the fourth time, then
picked it up for the fifth. She coughed once, then giggled shortly at
the sound. She was experiencing something new in her life at that very
moment. She had felt something close on the day of the battle, a
confused, swirling nervousness, but never before had she felt a
nervousness as powerful as this. This was her first real Spring Day,
though, first time getting presents, first time giving them, so no one
had more right than she.
Fur fraying, Rally dropped the comic book and reached into the
bag again, running over the contents with her hands and feeling each
gift. The binding of a book, the case of paints, the rubber, the wood…
all there, safe and sound. She withdrew her hand, silently scolding
herself for being overcautious, but at the same time, arguing her own
case. Robotnik had never let her give him anything, always discouraging
her attempts, and giving a false “Good work. Keep at it.” He never
celebrated any holidays either, preferring his own set of random
enticements, and gave her nothing at concrete times. Looking back on
her childhood, Rally realized that she had never gotten any love,
nothing concrete, and hadn’t had any friends beside herself. This was
her best chance to show her friends how much they meant to her, and
everything had to be perfect.
Rally laughed at herself again, trying to steady her nerves. It
was so silly to get worked up so easily. Everything was fine now, and
it would still be perfect in a minute! The comic book slapped to the
floor, causing Rally to jump. She glanced at the clock again. Could she
make it another minute?
11:58! What was taking him so long? Agitatedly, Sally traced a
circle in the dirt of the base with her finger, trying to decipher
Sonic’s behavior. He had said just a minute, but it was almost time
now. Was he just trying to avoid the topic? Did he really just not like
her anymore? She sighed. Time to get up there – HE was no reason to
miss spring light for.
Angry again, Sally looked around for her sack of gifts. She
started rooting through them, resolving to dash whatever she had gotten
that ingrate. Sorting angrily, she paused as what she had felt struck
her. She had hit bottom. She hadn’t gotten him anything.
Guilt set in as fast as the anger had, and rationality reclaimed
her mind as fast as it had left. They had all thought that they would
have more time today – the snake had thrown off everyone’s plans. There
was the explanation for his actions – he had remembered his presents
back in Knothole and had run to get them, risking his own holiday for
the sake of brightening another’s. A better soul than her own to be
sure...
She looked out the open door into the night sky, suddenly struck
with a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. Sonic… I’m sorry. If you
can make it, be with me for the spring light… please?
Mind clouding and body shaking, she glanced over at the clock.
How long did he have left? What time was it…
…11:59. Somehow, the numbers floated into Sonic’s mind,
galvanizing him into swifter action. But a second later, he slowed back
down in fear when a muddy clod flew from his feet and almost alighted
on the present. Unprotected as it was, the beauty of it could be
spoiled in an instant by any spare dirt clod he kicked up. For its sake
and Sally’s, he’d have to slow his feet, and take it just a tiny bit
slow.
The numbers floated by his thoughts again, reminding him just how
little time he had to go all that distance. Hoisting the light package
across his front, Sonic took his chances and sped up. For his own sake,
he just needed to be with her now, to see the spring light. And that
meant taking any chances necessary to get there in time. Time to juice!
The woods started to look more and more familiar as the seconds
ticked away in his head. He was getting closer, he knew, but the time
was ticking down, faster even than he. The familiar forest passed by as
he tore along the floor of the woods, cradling the precious garment in
his arms. Faster… Sonic pushed his legs faster than ever before. The
trees began to blur into one another as he left a smoking trail behind
in the forest. Did he have enough time? No way to tell – just keep up
the running. He was nearly there now. Just wait one second more…
He stopped… The silence stood where he had left it, covering the
forest in the midnight air. The light hadn’t hit yet. That meant… that
he had made it.
And there she was, looking expectantly at the sky with a note of
loneliness in her gaze. It was like a picture book – a forlorn maiden,
staring up into the night… He took a second to compose himself from his
hard run. Then he came up behind her in a wordless embrace. The air
from his mad sprint rushed past them as she looked back at him with a
smile of gratitude. He smiled back, just happy to be near her, as she
turned back to the sky to watch for the light. Sonic let the warmth of
her body fill his as he joined her stare at the stars. He forgot the
weight of his troubles, just for a moment, and felt an airy feeling of
happiness settle in instead. The moment stretched, just long enough for
the hope that it would last forever to be born. Then the light flashed
out across the sky, showering the world in new birth, and treating the
creatures to a spectacle like no other. The magical light lingered in
majesty, posing just long enough to form a mental picture, then was
gone, quick as a flash, in a prickling flow across the sky.
They watched the light move across the sky, staying frozen,
picture-like, and didn’t move until the last of it had left. They
looked at each other then, in the darkness. Hesitating, Sonic released
her awkwardly. Sally’s arm held on to his for a second, but, realizing
what she was doing, let it drop.
Hastily, Sonic proffered the bundle to Sally. “This is what I ran
to get, Sal. For you. Uh… happy Spring Day.” Wordlessly, Sally untied
the silken cord that held the bundle in place.
The dress spilled out in a white wave, shimmering brightly the
whole way down. It finally stopped just above the ground.
The dress was of a ghostly, smooth material that felt like water.
The color was a lightly cool blue that faded to white at the edges. The
bottom was held together loosely by a cross – hatch pattern, with
stitches getting sparser along the edge until it finally whispered away
in single, tightly braided threads. The sleeves employed a different
fade, thinning close to transparent nothingness about the wrists, but
getting thicker and more substantial as it rolled up the arms. The neck
ended in a thick thread that came all the way around, but dipped down
in the front, tracing a small diamond hole high on the chest. The dress
was subtly patterned after flickering currents of air, and rippled
smoothly at Sally’s touch.
The look of wonder on Sally’s face instantly evaporated Sonic’s
apprehension. Holding the dress to her and looking down at it, Sally
spun back and forth with it, utterly awed by the spectacular dress.
Still soundless, Sally walked off into the words purposefully,
motioning vaguely for Sonic to stay where he was. When she returned,
for a second, Sonic thought he saw a luminous spirit instead of a
squirrel. But it was the princess, clothed now in the spectacular
dress, and almost casting light onto the trees around. The look that
she wore was even more luminous though, shocking Sonic into sudden joy
at first sight.
Finally calm enough to talk, the words flowed fluidly from
Sally’s mouth, drifting to the hedgehog as if from far away. “Thank
you, Sonic. I can’t tell you how much I love your present – its like it
came from a dream.”
“I’m… glad you like it, Sal. Rosie and I really did a lot of work
on it. She wanted it to be perfect… almost as much as I did.”
Sally looked down at the ground, watching the dress swirl about
her feet. “I’ve been confused for the past few weeks, Sonic. I’ve been
lonely and sad, and I felt like I was losing you. I couldn’t tell what
you felt, and I wasn’t sure of what I felt myself.” She smiled then. “I
know now, though.”
Sally’s smile moved closer, and she took Sonic’s face in her
hands. “I didn’t get you a present, Sonic Hedgehog. But please, take
this instead.”
Then she kissed him, with all of her might. She closed her eyes,
and let herself be taken away by it. Sonic’s eyes grew large for a
second, panic fighting on his face as the unexpected kiss went on. It
was a short fight. Sonic closed his eyes as well and enveloped her with
his arms, losing himself to the sheer power of the kiss.
The act did not go without witnesses. Across the clearing,
Antoine felt the power of the kiss warm the inside of him, covering his
whole body in warmth as he watched the happiness of his two friends.
Beside him, Rally felt it too, washing her whole body in gently flaming
passion. Not wanting to disturb, the two retreated from the clearing.
Placing their presents back in their sacks, they found a nice curving
tree to call their own, and sat silently down to talk.
Rally grinned over what they had just seen. “Hmm… Kissing alone
in the woods? I think that someone is happy tonight!”
Antoine kept his smile reserved, but let a little chuckle escape.
“I think that the princess has loved him for a few years now. She was
always staring for a little too long, and touching him whenever she
could. I guessed that she would have liked to do that long ago. But the
look on Sonic’s face! It was a priceless moment, my cat. I am very glad
that I was able to witness it.”
“You were right. But it probably didn’t hurt to get that dress
from Sonic. Sally isn’t really the type to wear something like that,
but that dress – it’s just too beautiful to resist. That was a
statement of love. If I had one like that, I would wear it all the
time…”
Rally’s voice faded off as she drifted her hand into her sack.
Finding what she wanted, she smiled briefly, then turned to her
partner. “Ok Antoine, I want you to go first. I got you something very
special, so I get to go last.”
“Heh. I think my gift is pretty special as well. But who am I to
refuse a lady’s request?” He rummaged around in his own sack for a
moment, then slowly drew out his figurine. “Here. I want you to have
this.”
“Oh, oh…” There was a pause, as Rally stared. Antoine tried to
identify what it was that she was looking at so hard. The figurine was
beautiful in his hands, smooth to the eye as well as the hand. What was
the problem?
Then she started laughing. The musical laughter caused Antoine
great anxiety. Why was she laughing at his gift? It had been so long in
the making… Antoine looked at her in pleading query, bewilderedly
trying to figure out what was so funny. In answer, Rally’s shaking
hands pulled out a small wooden object, and tossed it to him. The
coyote caught it in his other hand, trying to figure out why this
answered his question, but instantly realized as his hand uncurled.
A similar figurine, carved from the same wood, and sporting his
own face, lay there in his palm, staring up at him. His sculpted face
was one of compassionate bravery and kind understanding. His arms
stretched out in a reassuring hug to an unseen other, though the figure
wore a sword at his belt, ready. He stood tall, reaching a full height
of two inches. The figure somehow managed to look amazingly strong, yet
kind and loving at the same time, as it reached with its eyes down to
his unseen comrade.
Antoine stood amazed as Rally examined her own gift. Now the
questions and hints of the craftsman made sense. Now the artisan’s
surprise seemed justified. Looking at her now, Antoine saw her eyes
begin to shine as she inspected her own figurine. He finally got his
mouth closed again as she turned to thank him for it.
“Antoine – thank you! To tell you the truth, I wanted to keep
your figurine because it was so good – but now I have mine to look at
instead! This is what I wanted! Thank you…”
Antoine shook his head to clear it. “Rally, I thought the same
thing about my own, and I almost couldn’t give it away myself! That
beaver was certainly in tune with his work. They are truly beautiful
indeed.”
Rally leaped at him for a hug, clutching her figurine in her hand
and smiling for two. Antoine returned the hug, warmed a second time,
and feeling really happy for the first time in a while.
They stayed like that for a second, then released. They looked at
each other, not done being happy with the just beginning day. An idea
struck Antoine. “Rally, lend me your figurine for a moment.”
“What do you have in mind?” she said, handing it over.
“Something is missing from these… I have a small hunch what it
is.” Taking the pieces in both hands and applying pressure, Antoine
pushed the two into each other. A moment later, they heard a click.
The two pieces fit together perfectly, with Rally’s tail curving
around Antoine’s leg, and both sets of arms holding the other. The
figurine’s smiles seemed to grow as time went on, waxing the new
sculpture into a masterpiece of happiness. The two figures radiated
that new light out of themselves, and lit the surroundings with good
will like a miniature sun.
The real versions of the pieces looked at each other then.
Solemnly, Antoine handed the completed figure to Rally. She took it
with a mocking bow, and grinned anew.
The night surrounded the two friends as the spring light vanished
until next year. All over the globe, friends and lovers were bedding
down to await the festivities of the coming day, and the use of the
presents just received. Their souls were satisfied, and they used the
rest wisely. But two animals remained, locked where they stood. Sonic
and Sally had renewed their kiss, and continued on in the darkness.
Their day would not end for a while longer, as the rest of the world
fell to sleep, in the early hours of Spring Day.
(
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