Illusions (Infinite x Oc) Hiatus

Chapter 1 - Finding Help

(Tails' POV)

     I held onto my scanner tight, not wanting it to get lost in these woods. Ever since Sonic was captured, all hope of the rebellion has dropped dramatically. But after doing some research over the next few months, I found out that he was alive. Everyone was relieved that he was well. But then, a file popped on the screen. It said there was an attack on one of Eggman's search robots and lost its signal. I started getting curious and started to search for any history around the robot's last location. After what seemed like hours, I finally found something. And that's where I am now with some friends.

     "Are we there yet? I'm so hungry my stomach's gonna eat itself," Silver whined after tripping over a tree root.

     "Don't worry," I said, looking forward into the thick forest before looking back at my scanner. "My scanner says we're getting close." Knuckles groaned to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose before saying, "We've been out here for hours, Tails! This is a waste of time! Eggman could've attacked base by now! We can't look for this mysterious village in the middle of nowhere to end this war!"

     Amy pops in saying, "Okay, Knuckles. I think you need to calm down. We haven't gotten any distress signals from base yet. We're okay. And if Tails is telling the truth, we can use their help to stop Eggman. It's the best we can get." Knuckles sighs and walks forward. I smiled at Amy as she smiled back.

-

     It started getting dark, so we decided to set camp for the night. And, with Knuckles' permission, if we can't find anything in the morning, we're on our own. I continued to scan the area, wishing and hoping to find something. Something about this village Eggman's file talked about. Amy and Knuckles were practically falling asleep as Silver kept moving from his spot in the grass. Finally, with a frustrated grunt, he stands up and walks off saying, "I have to pee."

     I giggled to myself and continued scanning. Just then, my scanner picked something up on a tree stump near the fire. I walked closer and shined a flashlight on it. It showed some kind of symbol. Similar to the one I found in Eggman's file.

     A picture of a grapevine.

     I scratched my head, thinking of what it meant. Does it mean we're getting close to the village or we're getting close to one of Eggman's lairs? Then, my ear flicked at the sound of a twig snapping and running feet. I ran over to Knuckles and Amy. "Guys! Guys! Wake up!"

     Knuckles jumps to his feet, ready to fight. "Where?" Amy quickly grabbed her hammer, startled by Knuckles' loud voice. I turned to face whoever or whatever was coming toward us. I readied my scanner's laser function. Knuckles tightens his fists. Amy stands strong, ready to swing. As we were about to attack, we stopped as we see Silver panting and sweating like he ran a mile.

     "Silver? What's going on?" Knuckles asked, walking up to the white hedgehog with concern. But before he could say anything, a metal claw grabbed his leg and pulled him into the darkness of the forest with a cry. We all jumped back in surprise. "What was that thing?!" Amy said, pointing her hammer where Silver was dragged into.

     "I don't-"

     A metal claw jumped out of the branches above us, grabbed onto Knuckles' leg, and pulled him up. Knuckles quickly grabbed a nearby branch and tried to pull himself away from the metal claw but failed. Disappearing into the thick leaves. Amy and I screamed in fear, pressing our backs together. Looking around every corner to see if another metal claw would jump out.

     "It must be one of Eggman's machines," I whispered. "But he usually makes them appear in the open. Why the sudden change?"

     "Maybe he's trying to-"

     Amy was cut off by a metal claw grabbing her leg. She screamed as she gets pulled into the shadows. I yelped and accidentally dropped my scanner. The metal claw quickly dropped from the trees and broke it. I tried to reach and grab it but the claw rushes toward me, ready to grab me. I closed my eyes and curled myself into a ball in fear.

     I wish Sonic was here.

     Suddenly, I heard a small whistle and a snap of a tight string. Then I heard some machine power down. I slowly opened my eyes to see the metal claw hand limb, hanging from the trees. As I slowly stood on my feet, I heard a branch above me creak. Like something heavy has been sitting on a loose branch. I slowly looked up to see nothing. Then I heard it. A snap. Something was falling. I wanted to move away but my body froze. I couldn't move. My heart was telling me to move as I heard its loud heartbeats. But I was stuck like a dumb slow loading screen. As soon as I saw the shine of the fire on the metal surface of the machine, I was pushed to the side just in time to miss the falling machine.

     My eyes were on the broken machine. It had long thin limbs but had the size of a bull. My eyes finally took notice of my savior. I quickly pushed them away as they started to move. They looked weird. They had the quills of a hedgehog but the tail of a fox or a wolf. They had a lot of stripes and spots surrounding their body. Their clothes were a mix of leather, leaves, and robotic parts. And what's worst is their face. They wore a blank wooden mask with black holes for their eyes. Green and black paint were displayed in lines and circles. Without thinking, I started backing away from them as they started to crawl toward me. I continued backing up, but the hedgehog stopped after seeing my distressed situation. They looked down at themself before pulling out a pretty large fruit. It was orange but had little bumps covered in purple.

     I squinted my eyes at them, thinking of what they were doing. Are they trying to get me to trust them to eat something probably poisonous? Or, are they actually trying to help me?

     Before I could question, my stomach loudly growled. My face grew hot and I quickly hid my face with my hands. I heard them let out a soft giggle. Their voice sounded calm and peaceful like a mother's laugh. I blushed more as my tails started to wag. Just then, I felt a hand on my head. I looked up to see the hedgehog, now seeing more features like her fur color is a nice clover green. Even though I can't see her face, I had a good feeling she was smiling at me.

     Questions were in my head, running around, wanting to get out. But she stopped me by looking up in the trees. She pointed up, wanting me to look. I looked up to see my friends safely wrapped in tree branches sleeping. I let out a sigh, relieved my friends were okay.

     "You have questions, I know," the green hedgehog spoke. Her voice was still calm. Like this wasn't her first time. She stood up, dusting herself off before offering her hand to help me up. I took it. Once I was on my feet, she quickly dusted me off before patting my head. I bashfully laughed, my tails wagging behind me. "Your questions will have to wait, little fox," the green hedgehog said, jumping into the trees. I was confused for a second before watching her safely place my friends on the ground. "We can't stay too long. The doctor will send more after losing the signal of his toy."

     And just like that, she started dragging my friends behind her. Amy on her back, Silver on her right arm, and Knuckles on her left. I blinked a few times, still thinking of what's gonna happen. That's when she stopped and looked at me. "You are looking for the village from the doctor's file, right?" She asked.

     My ears perked at the subject.

     "Y-Yes! How-"

     "Questions will be answered at another time, little fox," she interrupted as she adjusted her grip on my friends. "Follow me and I'll answer all of your questions tomorrow. Okay?"

     I nodded. She motioned her head to follow her. I started walking over to follow her but stopped and grabbed my broken scanner. I carefully pass Eggman's new robot before walking beside the hedgehog. And Knuckles thought the village was fake.