Blackness. All around was cold, silent blackness. Even when he dreamed, there was nothing but the color black. Guyser could still feel the cool feeling of the icy home he'd been torn away from. But everything was dull... even the face of his beautiful wife and little girl... everything but the memories. The white echidna then found himself reliving the tragic day, or watching himself, as it were, while the day of his races apocalypse progressed.
"Just be careful, Guyser," Angel said, handing him his rope and spear.
"I'll be fine," her husband said, embracing her and giving her a kiss. Just then his daughter, Crystal ran in and hugged his legs.
"You be commin' home with a big catch, huh daddy?" She asked, smiling up, her sapphire eyes twinkling. Guyser smiled and hugged her.
"Of course, now you be a big girl and watch Mama for me, 'kay?" he said looking at her with utmost confidence. Crystal saluted him, her penguin skin doll dangling in her other arm. He smiled, kissed Angel again, and waved good-bye as he stepped out into the icy streets of their under-ice city. All the merchant Echidnas were in the streets selling their goods, making music, and the like. He waved to the village elder, who inclined his head before shouting at a group of boys about not doing their schooling.
Guyser chuckled at this and continued on to the ladder that led to the surface.
After he reached the top, he climbed out of the little hole and hurried to thier fishing cavern before any predator could catch his scent. He had run only a few meters when a patch of ice gave way underneath him. "Eiaaaaaa!" He cried, sliding down a frozen tunnel slide, which twisted, turned looped, and the like before shooting him into a smooth rectangular room with a hole above. He rubbed the goose-egg forming on his fore head from where he'd bashed it on the roof of the tunnel-slide. "Oh, where am I?" He mumbled, his words echoing slightly. He got up and leaned onto the wall as his feet slid from under him. Guyser let out a small "Mm!" as he landed. he sighed, glad that he didn't make it any louder. Gaining his footing, the silver Echidna edged around on the walls toward the tunnel when he noticed a door of curious and detailed craftsmanship. He made his way to the door and pushed on it. The door swung open easily as he stepped onto a frost covered floor that reflected soft golden light. Guyser looked around to see what the source was. The light emitted from a small fist-sized orb on a thin pedestal of ice in the middle of the small, round room he was in.
Guyser stepped toward it, his curiosity over-powering his judgment. The orb seemed to glow brighter with every step he took, but that only increased his curiosity. The snow crunched underneath his penguin-skin boots as he drew himself close to it.
Oh, this would make a fantastic gift for Angel, he thought, smiling to himself, and reached out his hands to grab it. He felt its warm surface seep through his gloves as he admired it. But just as he held it up, the ground jolted underneath him and loud crashing and crunching of ice told him that it was time to go.
Guyser got up and placed the orb into his hunting pack as he raced out to the tunnel. He looked up at the tunnel, then up at the hole. His mind raced as he put together a plan to get home as soon as possible. Guyser took out his spear and rope, tied the two together and threw it into the layer of ice. He tugged hard on it to make sure it was stable before climbing his way up. Once he reached the hole, he punched out the thin layer of ice covering the hole. The room shook again as another roar of rumbling took place and the entire ceiling collapsed on top of him.
Coughing and sputtering, Guyser dug his way out of the avalanche as fast as he could. He shook himself off and, seeing as the avalanche gave him a stairway, he bolted toward home.
Any bear, penguin or other creature that saw him only saw a silver white blur racing across the frozen plains.
The echidna skidded to a stop as an unexpected crack in the ice opened in front of him. Losing his footing, Guyser fell into the crack, landing in a warm, gooey substance. He tried getting free, but as he struggled, he found that it was getting harder to move until he was totally paralyzed. But he also found that he could see what was happening to his family and friends.
His eyes widened in terror as he saw little Crystal, with her miniature spear, running with Angel through the crumbling streets. Every one was screaming and rushing toward the ladder to the surface, only to find that it had collapsed, leaving them nowhere to escape. Crystal and Angel hurried to their back room, where they got their water. Angel brought her petrified daughter to the back of the room as the front of their house collapsed. She looked into the pool and gasped, before running to it and reaching her hand into it, trying to grab something... trying to grab
him. Guyser reached out to her, desperate to bring her and Crystal into the safe, warm haven he'd fallen into. But as the two were about to touch, piece of the ceiling fell and she was pulled back. Guyser's hand drifted to his side as he closed his eyes and breathed out a sighing bubble that hardened before it left his mouth.
Invisible tears ran down Guyser's mental cheeks, his mind contorted by the thought that it was his fault for taking the orb. That him taking the orb caused the earthquake, and the death of his people. And that this was his punishment for their deaths... for his family's death... and now for his.
§--------------§--------------§--------------§--------------§--------------§
Tails looked up at the chunk of stone that blocked thier escape tunnel. "When did it come down?" he asked, turning to Knuckles, who was also looking at the blocage.
"Last night," he replied, folding his arms. "But I don't thing this is a normal piece of stone." Tails raised a eyebrow before leaning his ear against it and knocking on it to see if it sounds any different.
"Hmm, it sounds like a normal rock to me," He said, looking up at Knuckles just before gasping in surprize and hurrying away from the stone wall.
"What? What is it?" Knuckles asked as he unfolded his arms, his muscles now tense.
Tails took some time to calm himself down before answering. "There's- there's something
alive in there," he breathed, still shivering his little experience. "I... There was... a heartbeat." The fox crept back to the wall and placed his hand on its rough surface. He flinched as he felt the heartbeat through the wall, but kept his hand on it.
Knuckles looked at Tails strangely, before putting his own ear to the stone.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. A small gasp escaped him as he listened for it again.
Thump-thump, thump-thump He looked up at the nervous fox, before standing up straight. "We've got to tell the others."
* * * *
"So, you're saying that there's something alive in the stone the fell, last night," Sonic said, leaning back in his chair. He leaned forward, putting his hands together. "And you expect me to believe it?"
Knuckles growled an affermative as Tails sighed. "Sonic, you have to believe us. And we need to clear that area, or dig a tunnel around it."
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