echidna-enquiries

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Happy birthday Pinkie❤️💕🎉🥳🎁

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𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝗒 𝖻𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗁𝖽𝖺𝗒 𝗍𝗈 𝗄𝗇𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗅𝖾𝗌！𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗇𝗂𝖼𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝖾 𝗁𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗉𝖾𝗌 𝗋𝗇．

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Iris: Man it's been a minute heh...-scratches the back of their neck sheepishly- But I'm curious, any of you have some resolutions for this new year? or even just goals or exciting things to look forward to this year? -smiles-

Seth: Heya Iris~ (Seth gives a playful wink and wave) Good to see you doing well, hon. Seth: A good chunk of us either were elsewhere for the new years, working or like me, getting over a wicked hangover (He gives a chuckle, filled with the mild sense of regret... but also that it's going to happen again)

Seth: But resolutions, hmmm... (he tapped at his hip with his beautifully done nails) Not all of us do them, you could imagine being basically immortal can take the charm out of that. Journey: Hey! (she pokes her head into the room) Doesn't mean it's not fun to try... and it's fun to try and make bets against eachother. Seth: Ohohoho! Yes! That we do! Like I'm pretty sure a few years ago Lance tried to make a resolution to cut down on junk food... pretty sure he lasted only a few days. (snickers) Journey: He should be grateful for his guardian genes and metabolism, that diet would NOT do him justice. Seth: and yours does? (Seth smirks) Journey: Hey-HEY-HEY! That is DIFFERENT! I actually exercise and have a good diet! Iiiiii just have a weakness for sweet treats... that's all- Journey: Anywho, a little goal I have is that I wanna finally do one of the projects on my to-do list! Like finish a scrapbook, finish one of my photography projects or even try and go and explore a new spot if I can get the time of! Seth: I actually did have a little goal in mind... (he puts a hand on his velvet jacket, looking at the material) I've been thinking about looking into sewing maybe, attempt to try and make my own clothes, or at least alter some.

Cedar: I wanna try and make arrangements to run a stall at a little marketplace this year, at least once! I just haven't gotten around to doing it, it looks fun!

Lance: I don't usually try and do any of these stupid resolutions mostly cause... well... They gave you an example already but a little goal I have is trying to go through my video game list. I got a lot on my list that I haven't played yet... Salem: I'd like to do the same with my books, lots of those been on my shelf for sometime now.

Journey: Not sure if anyone else has got any, but a lot of the others are busy right now or just don't feel like talking. (grins) Oh well, hope this is a good batch of answers!

Journey: Happy new year!!

Lance:...(smirks) Almost a month late. Journey: Lance do you want your new resolution to get a black eye before February because it'll happen-

Lance: You threaten me right in front of my father? Bold move, grandma.

Salem: You're being an annoying smartarse, so if it happens, it's your own fault. Lance:...I wanna be offended but I guess I can't- Salem: No you can't. (chuckles)

[echidna-enquiries]

outfit ask meme!! but catered only to the things i like to draw a lot

send an ask with a character, letter, and a number and i’ll draw them in that outfit!! ^_^

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At the sudden onslaught of compliments for her art, that she frankly didn't think deserve such high praise, Fae put her blue jacket's hood over her head, hiding her bashful face the best she could. "...Thank you... I don't deserve all this praise but thank you...", she squeaked, holding back many noises, as she took the book back, quickly hiding it in her arms.

Fae shyly, approaches the group, a drawing book in hand. "Uh so... was having a doodle sesh with Iris and uh. They wanted me to show you guys so uh-". She bashfully looks away as she shows the drawing to them. It's of them!

Sojourner: -Grabs the drawing book bringing it closer to his face. He examines it with his usual stoic demeanor but it isn’t long until a smile creeps up on his face-

You drew this?  This… this is pretty good! I don’t think I’ve ever looked better, you even got my muscles and everything, nice! 

-he turns over to Spectre presenting him with the book- 

Look Pops she even got you in there, even got a little Iris going crazy for ya~ 

 Spectre: -gently grabs the drawing book with his chaos force, bringing it closer to hold in his hands, a soft expression appearing on his face- 

Incredible, truly. I think you captured us quite perfectly Fae, even Iris’s affinity for me, how thoughtful.

-he smiles through his eyes as his helmet covers his mouth, appearing quite content- 

Thank you for this, your art skills are lovely. Being someone’s artistic muse is always such an honor.

Thunderhawk: Oooh I want to see~

 -He obtains the drawing next from Spectre, upon looking at it his face contorts into a delighted expression. He brings a hand to his chest as he gives the wettest set of puppy dog eyes at the drawings-

 Oh. My. God! These are absolutely wonderful!! You got my hair all nice, from what I hear from Iris it can be a bit of a challenge to draw but it looks perfect! Oh these are so so incredibly lovely, and your kind words too! Thank you for this, really, you have some amazing talent. I mean you were able to capture my father’s muscles and his incredibly inflated ego all in one image.

Sojourner: AY! -side eyes his son-

Thunderhawk: -Chuckles at his father, proceeding to pass the drawing book to Sabre- Look Sabre, she even got you on there~ Ain’t that sweet?

Sabre: -Had only been half paying attention almost being surprised at being passed something. He grabbed the drawing book, adjusting his monocle, he gives it a good look. His commonly melancholic expression slowly shifting into a shaky smile. Then he begins to read the text ‘he’s my fav’ that struck a chord in him. He brings a hand up to his mouth in a poor attempt to mitigate his bashfulness, his eyes beginning to water from happiness-

This is… just.. wow.. I… Thank you, really. This is beautiful, I’m very touched that you’d draw me or even think so kindly of me… I appreciate it more than I can find words to describe it… I can’t thank you enough, you’ve truly made my day. 

-He approaches Fae, handing her back her drawing book, giving her a sheepish smile.- 

Thank you, so much Fae. 

[echidna-enquiries]

i love how almost every time knuckles is shown alone on angel island he's relaxing or napping lol

like it's a pattern he's just up there sleeping at the start of so many game plots. that's not a coincidence he just. naps a lot LOL

[echidna-enquiries]

Communication

It can get a little lonely on Angel Island

@year-of-the-echidna

[echidna-enquiries]

Marcello watched the ghost curiously, watching his body language as closely as he could. What was he trying to say?

"Two fingers-Okay two words!... uhh". He watched more, seeing him point to his eyes then to the moon his painter. "Mooneyes? Moonshade? Moonwatch-Am I getting close?!", Marcello asked awkwardly, charades was not always his strong suite. When he noticed the spirit Guardian going to a photo, then try and say something again. This one was much easier to click, "Oh! You're the second eldest too huh? Hahaha! What a coinkidink!", he giggled.

A spectral figure of an Sci-fi enamored echidna floats around the base. Phasing through walls unnoticed, he looks around the foreign space in awe and wonderment. Stopping dead in his tracks as he stumbled into a space themed room. Immediately floating inside in excitement he spots the Guardian known as Marcello.     

Moonwatcher: 👋😎 😁✨

In his colourful, celestial themed room, Marcello was painting. He enjoyed painting with watercolours, particularly sky pieces. He had been doing a fantastical space piece, with mixes of greens, blues and purples, but when he sensed some sort of presence. He turned his attention away.

At the sight of a seemingly ghostly echidna, he jumped for a second, but quickly smiled in response to this friendly attitude. "Hi there!", he grinned, giving a wave back at the guest, "You one of those other Guardians? From that other dimension... I haven't seen ya before. I love your vibes!".

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So Shepherds the leader…whod be in charge if anything happened to him? Like if he died or something

-Despite the questioning leaving him uncomfortable, Marcello still smiles, trying to laugh off the worry and smile through it- Marcello: O-oh! Well um-I'd be put in charge, according to Shepherd! As the second eldest, he says he'd trust me to take over. (He looks he away, still trying to smile through this) Even though I-...I really don't think I'd be able to do nearly as much as he can!...or even a quarter of it. Marcello: NOW!-Now I know he said that he doesn't expect me to do things his way if he happens to no longer be the leader-but it's still... it's a lot. Marcello: (he appears more nervous) A-And the idea of my dad no longer being around is really scary honestly haha... like if he retired or something, that's fine! I'd be happy for him but...if he y'know...died ahaha... oh god i don't know how i'd cope.. -Marcello continued to nervously laugh and talk but Shepherd has appeared in far behind him, giving whoever asked this question the nastiest glare he could muster up~

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A sigh escaped Shepherd, "I was afraid it was to do with the incident... I thought it was maybe an unfortunate combination of events but-", he held his head. "I know I should talk to her about it, none of us have. But if its' bothering her this much then... I don't want to risk upsetting her. She's a good employee and... a good friend of the family. I don't exactly know how to approach this though, it's-....". He stopped, for a moment, Shepherd seemed to hesitant to share this, but he figured he should mention this. "It's not exactly the first incident relating to her... but the first one, I don't think she knows about. She doesn't remember... but I did witness it".

Shepherd had come to visit this time... this seemed unlike him, especially solo. But here he was. And that look on his face, he had a mission in mind. He explored this 'Haven', until he found who he was looking for. "Excuse me, Iris, was it?", he approached the smaller hedgehog. "You're friends with Fae, aren't you? She's hasn't been acting right, and I know it might be non of my business but its' been going on for quite a while. Ever since Halloween, and I've just been concerned... has she said anything to you? Or given any indication to what's been bothering her? It's been fruitless from my side and none of us know what to do...". It was strange to see this usually serious, stoic man show genuine concern. He must be really worried...

Iris nearly jumped at the sight of Shepherd, half expecting it to be another tall fellow, but they were still pleasantly surprised by his visit, to them of all beings.

Their ears drooped at the mention of Fae’s behavior. They’ve talked before around halloween, but hearing that things were still bothering her just made Iris feel for their friend. 

“I can’t really say what might be bothering her in particular… but coming from a similar experience to her, she might be feeling overwhelmed. Maybe not so much from the work she does but… there’s just things beyond our control that can overwhelm us…”

Iris thought back to that night, how Fae came to find some escape in Haven because of that weird incident she believed she caused. Iris couldn’t help but relate to the discovery of their own powers, how massively destructive they could be, and how it made them feel. 

“Fae really has some respect for you, all of you, she really cares for your family and the last thing she’d ever want to do is hurt you even if unintentionally… I feel the same way about my own Guardians. I… Wasn’t born with my abilities so I’m still finding my path with it… and I can’t help but feel anxious that I might act besides myself and end up hurting those I care about…” Iris rubs the back of their neck pensively.

“Perhaps Fae shares in the same anxiety and worries about letting you and your family down...”

[echidna-enquiries]

What is the Year of the Echidna event?

2024 was Knuckles’ 30th anniversary, but a certain hedgehog overshadowed him.  We say: no fair!  It’s time to give Knuckles his due diligence.  2025 is going to be the Year of The Echidna!

For the next 51 weeks of this year, we will be posting a weekly prompt to inspire artists of all kinds to draw our favorite echidna.

Every Wednesday we will release a new prompt.  Creators will have the rest of the week to post their fanart, fanfic, etc. To have your piece featured on the event page, just tag @year-of-the-echidna.

Starting January 8th, 2025 with 51 prompts total, the event will go the entire year!

FAQ || Additional FAQ || Prompts

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[echidna-enquiries]

The New Year and the Returning Assistant

The new year was upon Angel Island, a fresh start to a whole new year. Although one of two things were happening with the Guardian family, those that were carrying on with work, as usual. And the others that perhaps stayed up too late or had a bit too much to drink, so now are sleeping it off. Nonetheless, Shepherd was waiting at the small airport. It was the only public plane that took people on and off the island, the warping system was still new and some citizens and visitors were not entirely comfortable; and Fae was one of them. One of the family, he couldn't remember who, had joked about her not flying with her wings off the island. She hadn't really said much about flying, only saying it'd be too heavy to carry her stuff. In fact, Shepherd had realised she's never really flied from what he's seen... hmm. Fae had notified them that she'd be returning today. She had been spending time off island with her family, and, figuring his little assistant would be tired, Shepherd had offered to pick her up.

She had been fairly quiet when it came to messaging the family, whenever they'd ask how her family or holidays were she didn't seem very enthused... In fact she didn't like talking about her family much. Sure, she was... a little shy, and awkward, but they had hoped that Fae had a nice time and kept most of the details to herself then the other, less pleasant possibility... He stood there, as usual just keeping his eyes straight ahead to avoid the few eyes he'd get from others who knew him... Oh how he wished he could just be invisible sometimes.

Eventually, Shepherd saw the his hybrid assistant from a distance, giving her his best attempt at a smile and wave... she only gave a tired one in response.

"Welcome back, Fae. How were your holidays?". "I...I don't wanna talk about it", Fae spoke flatly, rubbing her eyes. That wasn't a good sign, but it didn't help she looked exhausted. He gestured behind him, "Let's be going then. You could use some sleep". "Yeah... got any work for me today? I just wanna know in case I-". "Don't be ridiculous, Fae. Of course not", Shepherd interrupted her, "You only just returned. I can handle things, I did so for many years. You just relax for today, we'll continue as usual tomorrow. So you can unwind ", he attempted to sport a smile, the holiday season always did leave him a bit more relaxed, even if they were over. "...Okay...", was all Fae said as she started walking with him, dragging her suitcase bhind her. She lacked any enthusiasm, and didn't even smile. From the good couple of months he's hired her, it was disheartening to see her lack her small energy. She wasn't hyperactive or perky by any means but she just seemed so...depressed... It was not his place to poke and prod, but still, it did concern him...

When they got into the car, it was quiet. It was odd even, it wasn't often that Shepherd drove. But he figured it'd be better than trying to force the tired Fae to take the public transport and walk throughout the island to their estate. And teleporting with his chaos energy was not an option. He hated teleporting, it always left him wrecked to do so, it was only something he did in emergencies or if he was desperate to escape. So driving was the best bet.

Even with the slight sound of music from the radio, the drive was quiet... and while Shepherd was fine with silence. It just felt so awkward for once. He was expecting Fae to want to talk, she hadn't been around for over a week.

He of all people understood wanting to be left alone and not wanting to be social but something kept telling him he should say something to his assistant. Thinking back, she's been off since Halloween. Was the incident still bothering her? 'I'm really doing this' he thought to himself. "Fae, is everything alright?", he asked. Fae, who was browsing on her phone and staring at her cracked screen glanced back up at him, "I'm just tired, Shepherd... that's all...". "Well... I've just noticed that since Halloween you've been very... dejected. And I understand that it's not my business but I've noticed and... It's concerning. Has anything been going on as of late?". Fae looked back down onto her lap, her fingers tapping on her lap, fiddling with the fabric of her pants. "I...i'm sorry, I just.... I don't know how to even start talking about it. And some stuff I just... I dunno, your my boss. Feels weird to try and bug you with my problems. You got better things to worry about than my dumb problems... I dunno", Fae quietly spoke, her looking out the window. Shepherd glanced at her, only for a moment before his eyes returned to the road. "You're problems are not stupid, Fae...", he tried to reassure, pausing for a moment to continue. "Yes, you are my employee. And I know I probably didn't give the impression of the most friendly person, in fact you've likely become just aware of how little of a fan I am socialising and all that. But you've made a good impression on the family. You've been a good employee for... close to a year now? At least a good couple of months. But importantly. We consider you a friend of our family now, Fae, including me. We do not consider you or your problems any sort of burden. I understand not wanting to talk about your problems and stress, but the offer is there if you want to talk to anyone... even me. I'm not the best communicator but, I can and will listen and try to help if I can...". Fae shifted in her seat, listening quietly... her eyes watering a little but she tried to avoid crying. "...Thanks...", she squeaked, sniffling quietly and wiping at her face. They went back to silence for a moment, Shepherd was content with that but eventually Fae started trying to speak again. "Um... random question but... do you consider to opening presents without everyone in the family shitty?". Shepherd raised a brow, "Well, it depends. Would this be a case of not waiting for someone who was going to be there, or the fact that some people could not show up and could not be waited for". "The former". "Well then, yes. It's definitely shitty. Our family never opens presents without everyone present unless we know they're not gonna be there for whatever reason. It's inconsiderate...". He then realised why she might be asking this question. "...Fae, did your family do that with you?".

"Yep. They did...". "Are you serious?!", Shepherds face contorted in anger, "Didn't you tell them when you'd be coming?". "Yeah I gave them a rough idea... and I did tell them my plane wasn't getting in until late morning and I offered to just take a ride to their home to not bother them. I kept asking if they wanted me to show up at a specific time and they said it was no bother...and when i showed up, I noticed all the presents were opened... Mum said to 'not take it personally' and my brothers kid got into the presents and they didn't know when I was gonna show up and so they didn't keep her waiting. Which would've been fine... but they opened everyone else's except for mine... just my presents were left unopened, minus the ones I just bought with me". Shepherd shook his head, "I can't believe that... I'm so sorry, Fae. That's awful". "I mean... I get not wanting to keep the kid waiting and all... but why couldn't let her open her own? That I would've understood... and I've wait to for my brother and his family to show up when I was still living at home. My family postponed the holidays just to work for them...". Shepherd fought a twitch,"So they weren't willing to wait just a few hours for you?...what the hell. Fae, that's ridiculous. That's nto only inconsiderate of your presence and arrival and doing something as a family, it's just common decency and politeness to wait! You have every right to be upset by that, even more so that they didn't let you be... I do hope your holidays got better afterwards". "Eh, we didn't really do much. So I dunno. My family's not the most...celebratory family. Quite a few times the holidays were basically dead cause no one could be bothered... hell if it wasn't for my dad being there, there wasn't gonna be a holiday thing, even with a kid being there". Shepherd gripped the wheel of the car, this was ridiculous to hear. It was no wonder Fae didn't talk much about her family, they sounded like a miserable bunch. "...well, I'm sorry that your holidays didn't end up being that good, Fae". "Yeah, my family is... a lot to deal with. Especially my dad...", Fae sighed, "...Sorry for rambling". "Don't be", Shepherd glanced at her again, "That sounds miserable to deal with...". The cat-bat hybrid looked up, smiling a little, "Thanks for letting me talk about it... i hadn't really said anything to anyone". "Not a problem, Fae", Shepherd tried to give a supportive smile... although it was more of a face twitch then anything.

"So uh. What'd you get up to with the fam?", Fae asked, feeling a bit more comfortable talking. Shepherd smiled again as he glanced to her again, starting to talk about their holiday happenings. Even though she hadn't gotten back yet, she already was starting to feel it... Fae was glad to be home.

[echidna-enquiries]

Even though he got no verbal response, he was happy to try and pick up on the body language and expressions of the ghostly Guardian. Marcello gave a giddy giggle at the approval, "Awwr, haha thanks! I do love my painting!". That much was true... After adjusting his blue spectacles, Marcello looked the specter up and down, "I'm Marcello...I wanna ask for your name but I'm not sure how you can tell me".

A spectral figure of an Sci-fi enamored echidna floats around the base. Phasing through walls unnoticed, he looks around the foreign space in awe and wonderment. Stopping dead in his tracks as he stumbled into a space themed room. Immediately floating inside in excitement he spots the Guardian known as Marcello.     

Moonwatcher: 👋😎 😁✨

In his colourful, celestial themed room, Marcello was painting. He enjoyed painting with watercolours, particularly sky pieces. He had been doing a fantastical space piece, with mixes of greens, blues and purples, but when he sensed some sort of presence. He turned his attention away.

At the sight of a seemingly ghostly echidna, he jumped for a second, but quickly smiled in response to this friendly attitude. "Hi there!", he grinned, giving a wave back at the guest, "You one of those other Guardians? From that other dimension... I haven't seen ya before. I love your vibes!".

[echidna-enquiries]

[echidna-enquiries]

Guardian Family Gift Exchange Pt 5.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Once his eldest child sat down, Rhett stood up, stretching for the moment before going to the table, getting another little envelope that was on the table.

"It felt so funny I got one of my three children again, I feel almost guilty. I swear I'm not neglecting you two", Rhett looked to his eldest and youngest, the two giggling his comment. "Yeah, favouritism!", Johnathan raised his arms and got a laugh of the whole family, "Whatcha get me, Dad?". "Something I think you like", Rhett winked and handed him the envelope.

Johnathan opened the envelope, his tail wagging lightly in interest, and when got out two tickets, his tail skyrocketed and he let out an excited squeal, "Oh my god!! How did you get these?! This show is so hard to get tickets for and these are FRONT SEAT!". Rhett chuckled proudly, adjusting his glasses, "Well, I got a few friends and like Cedar, they hooked me up into getting my hands on these. You and whoever you wanna take can enjoy that show when it comes around". "YESSSSSSSS!!!", Johnathan cheered, "THANK YOU DAD!!!", he quickly jumped up and gave his dad a hug, almost making him fall over if he hadn't caught him.

While Rhett slowly got Johnathan off of him, Hadar stood up and grabbed his present, much like Seth it could be safe to assume what his gift would be. His perfectly wrapped, boxed up gift was scooped up into his arms as he approached Morgan, handing it to her with a gentle smile.

"Here you are, Morgan". "Thanks, gramps", she smiled, taking another sip of her next glass of wine before getting to undoing the wrapping, of her box. Her smile widened as she saw the present neatly folded in the box "Awr... how darling!", she stood up and a long knitted cardigan uncurled in her arms. It was knitted with beautiful purple wool and hints of a sparkly silver and black in the wool, almost making it look starry and sparkling. Two patches that were pockets had a star and moon symbol, that she inspected and smiled at. "This fits perfectly... did you pinch one of my cardigans to get the measurements?", Morgan asked, smirking. Hadar looked away awkwardly at the accusation, "I wouldn't call it stealing I just borrowed it! You-You didn't even notice". "Well it was worth it, this is so cuuuuute!", Morgan spun around as she tried it on, coming over and kissing Hadar on the cheek and hugging him, "Thanks grandpa". The spotted brown echidna giggle shyly in response. If anyone was paying attention, they would notice there were two items left on the table now, a large box and a small cylinder present. Marcello had scooped up the box, looking to Lance. "Here ya go, buddy! I can't wait to see your reaction to this!!". Marcello giggled as he put the large box down in front of Lance, who eyed it curiously. But the sound had gotten his attention the most. He recognised that noise that came from inside far too well. With an almost child-like excitement, Lance ripped the box open, his eyes lighting up at the sight, a large box Blocko replica of a ship from a particular sci-fi movie that Lance particularly liked. "Oh my GOOOOOOD! I FINALLY HAVE IT!!".

Marcello kicked his feet seeing how excited Lance got, "i was so worried you were gonna buy it spontaneously, oh I'm so glad you didn't. I would've been SO MAD at you!". "I couldn't even if I fucking wanted to, it was never in stores and online, it was so expensive! oh my god, oh my god-!!" Lance's hands started shaking, here come the stims, "I'M BUILDING THIS RIGHT NOW!!"

His father and son especially started laughing as he quickly opened the box, emptying many of the bags of pieces and the HUGE booklet of instructions.

Knuckles then looked up the table, that last gift must be his... he was curious to what was inside. It was an odd shape... and then realised who was the remaining Guardian who hadn't given their gift yet. His eldest... he was immediately nervous. Shepherd stood up, picking the gift carefully and eyeing Knuckles, yawning again. "I must admit, I shared your sentiment Knuckles, I for a moment couldn't decide what to get you so...I had to get quite creative. I really hope you enjoy this", Shepherd spoke, handing him the present. Knuckles held his breath, wondering what on earth his eldest grandfather could have gotten him. He hadn't particularly needed or wanted anything, so he couldn't imagine he had made this easy for him. When he slipped the item out of the paper, it revealed a wooden cylinder case... it had a lid. When he opened it, two slips of rolled up paper fell onto his lap. How curious... Even the others had stopped in their activities to watch quietly, equally curious what Shepherd had done. Knuckles picked it up, unrolling it carefully... a map. It had marks all over certain spots across the world, not even on their island, the world... and coordinates at the bottom. what could these mean? "I'd recommend you read the other if you need some...clarification. You can read it to yourself or outloud if you want". And so Knuckles did, looking it over. He could tell the rest of the family wanted to know, so he chose to say it outloud. "To my adventurous grandson. I'm very aware of your many adventures, off and on our island home. And one thing i've come to learn about you from listening is your interest and skill for finding treasures. This thought kept returning to me while plotting a gift, and then this idea came to me. So instead of a single physical gift, I figured what would be the best gift for a treasure hunter...", Knuckles stopped to read it over, "Then a treasure hunt just for you". The others looked to eachother, surprised, curious. They continued to listen in, occasionally looking at Shepherd who watched on for Knuckles' reaction. "On the map, are locations, where I've gone and hidden many items for you to find. What are they? I will not tell you specifically, only that I have found or purchased a variety of items that I felt would interest you. Historical items, gemstones, even little trinkets that might be fun. All hidden safely away for you to hunt down at your leisure. You have coordinates and hints on the back of this note. The very first one if you wish is hidden in our home right now. Feel free to go after it anytime you'd like. Happy Holidays, my grandson. Sincerely, Shepherd".

Knuckles stared over the pieces of paper in silent awe, the others around them chattering in excitement and curiosity. "Dad...is THAT what you were doing when you vanished every couple of days this past month?!", Marcello asked, visibly surprised. "And why you're so tired?", Lance asked, holding a few of the bricks in his hand. "Yes... I really wanted to try and make this idea work", Shepherd yawned again, looking to Knuckles and giving an awkward smile that almost looked like one he would give himself, "I... hope you like it". "...This... this is amazing... I...I don't deserve this. This is so much work, just for me...", Knuckles looked to the ground, not believing how much effort his grandfather put in just for him. They weren't even that close, he only just started training with him a few years ago. "Don't be ridiculous, Knuckles. You are a wonderful young man and you deserve to know that", Shepherd gave a pat to Knuckles shoulders, "You've grown a lot this year, as you have the previous years... I just know you're going to be a great Guardian when you're ready", he gave an affirming smile to his grandson, before reverting back to his usual neutral expression.

The two stood awkwardly for a moment, Knuckles decided to initial a... rather awkward hug. Adorable but visibly awkward hug. "Thank you, grandfather...Happy Holidays to you, too".

✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝ ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* END ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧༝┉˚*❋ ❋*˚┉༝✧ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ First ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ Previous ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

[echidna-enquiries]

Guardian Family Gift Exchange Pt 4.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✺✳ ┅ ⑅ ┅ ✳✺ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

While Chase was struck with laughter, Morgan had finished her second glass of wine and walked to the table, grabbing one of the small boxes and then turned and crouched down next to her nephew. "Thought you could REALLY use these, Chase", Morgan smirked, getting up and sitting back up in her chair. After catching his breath, Chase tore open the box, he looked a bit unsure at what he got. They were wireless earbuds for music, these looked expensive, but he's had some experience with small easily lost earbuds that need to be charged way too much for his liking. "Now before you make any judgements!", Morgan raised a hand, picking up a biscuit from the table, "Try them on and try and shake them out". "Pft-okay, sure Auntie". As he was instructed, Chase got the small earbuds out, they were a bright orange, already a plus in his book, and there was a small cable that split into two in there, could he attach that? Promising. Once he put them into his earholes, he began to shake his head wildly. Almost as if he was Rhett at a metal concert. When he stopped, his hair a mess and trying to hide a laugh, he realised they were still in, tucked tightly Chase couldn't help but give an excited laugh, "Damn. Okay that's cool". "And! They have a super long battery life, the little holder there can give them a booster charge if you plug it in for long enough. And yes, I got them made to that colour AND got that bonus band for you... I know what you're like and I'm making sure you aren't losing these!". The family chuckled as Chase made a face, "Damn you really coming for me, Morgan".

"My turn!", Johnathan cheered as he got up, brushing remaining crumbs from many a snack off his shirt as he got a wrapped box. When he stopped in front of Salem, he mimicked the bow he did before, "For you, sir", he said in a cheesy fancy tone. Salem couldn't help but giggle, "Why thank you, good sir". He took off the wrapping, adding it to the growing pile of wrapping paper that was being scooped up and put into a giant bag in the corner of the room.

"Awwwr...", a wide smile came to his face at the reveal of the present. It was one of those displays of a miniature scene that goes on a bookshelf. This one was fantasy themed and even had a dragon in it, he'd have to build it up later "Oh, this is great. I'm surprised I didn't have one like this yet, didn't even know they had one in this style". "Oh good! I was so worried about buying you a repeat!", Johnathan sighed in relief, "I would've been kicking myself!". "Thank you, grandfather. This will look great next to my fantasy collection", Salem smiled as he received a hug from his short spotty, grandfather.

Realising it was now his turn, Coal looked nervous, "Oh shit, okay uh-". he grabbed a tightly wrapped box and plastic container that was on the food table that had a bow on top and label that said 'DO NOT TOUCH UNTIL OPENED', and looked to Shepherd.

"Two gifts?", Shepherd asked, raising a brow, "The rules were for you to stick to one main gift or multiple small ones, mister". "I know, I know but food doesn't really count as a gift usually and this one is important", Coal handed him the present first, "This is your main gift".

Shepherd promptly opened it, the reveal of the gift leaving a small smile and nod of approval on his face. It was a documentary series surrounding prehistoric creatures. Coal had remembered his smaller interest in dinosaurs and the creatures before their time it seems. "Ahhh. I've been wanting to watch this series. But I didn't want to pay for a whole new streaming subscription for it...".

"God i know right? It's bullshit. It's why i either just buy it physically or just... find other means to watch it", Coal smirked, looking away, everyone knew what he meant. "I'm more surprised you didn't get me anything horror related, but I am still fairly happy with this".

"I mean I could've...but I know damn well enough you probably already got anything that I'd know and anything I don't' know you STILL might have... or it might be total garbage... that you also have". Shepherd fought a chuckle, clearing his throat to cover it up, "A collection is a collection. Now what is this 'not-gift' you have there?".

Coal said nothing but smiled softly putting the box on his lap, Shepherd titled his head at it, he wondered what would make this 'food gift' so special? He opened the box and was hit with a familiar smell, rows of cookies were inside. Coal was not much of a baker so this was already a surprise... but the smell and look of these. They were familiar... it almost took him back to so long ago, when he raising a young Marcello and had his wife, Eleanor to come home too... After picking one up, Shepherd took a bit and he had seemingly froze on the spot. Everyone looked on concerned at his sudden reaction, Marcello even putting a hand on his fathers shoulder, "Dad?". "...Marcello...try one...", is all he said, still looking forward as he slowly chewed the cookie. Confused, but Marcello complied, taking one and eating it... a similar expression came onto his face. "Oh my gosh...", he could feel tears coming up into his eyes, "They're...they're just like mum's...". "They're exactly hers...", Shepherd spoke quietly, already finishing the whole of the first cookie. Coal soflty laughed at the two of them, he could feel his heart warming at the very sight of their happiness, "It took me quite a few attempts, I'm not much of a baker but I wanted to try it... I saw in the book you gave me some time ago, she had a little note that said 'Sheppy's favourite'...". "...Oh god-", Shepherd put the box down and put a hand over his face, his other one following as he hid his face. "Awr no, dont' get like that!", Coal put a hand on his grandfathers shoulder. "I'm doing this so I don't start crying. I don't like crying and I'm too tired to do it!", Shepherd spoke, his voice muffled through his hands. The family around him had a mix of happy but concerned reactions, glad to see their eldest was happy but also hoping he wasn't going to cry... it wasn't a common sight and it was always weird. Shepherd took a breath, composing himself as he looked back up at Coal who remain stood, "Thank you very much, Coal... this was... this was very thoughtful. I appreciate you going out of your comfort zone for this. I'm sure Eleanor would've loved to cook with you if she could've". "Ah jeez, don't get me started...", Coal chuckled softly, wiping his own eyes to make sure no tears came out, "Hope you and Marcello enjoy them". The nervousness that Coal had immediately melted, he was far too worried that his presents wouldn't get the approval he desired. But thankfully that wasn't close to what wound up happening... Especially seeing Marcello and Shepherd quietly getting a handful of the biscuits each and munching them down.

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