#he's like a wild hedgehog but without their anxiety

[wereh0gz]

I looked up hedgehog sounds because why not and all I can think about is sonic doing them

Specifically werehog sonic doing them

Idk the idea of this giant furry monster with razor sharp teeth and claws and super strength making these cute little squeaky noises when he's happy is both adorable and hilarious to me

Also hedgehog noses twitch a lot. Imagine his nose twitching when he sniffs something. Also him sniffing things more in general. He's a curious little guy and wants to know what something is before he bites into it and breaks it

[loudlypanickinginvenezolano]

Animalistic, pt 2, but I tried editing it.

Something is really wrong, and Shadow is awfully aware of that...He just... cant say what... Besides Sonic. Something is crearly wrong with that hedgehog.

Mention of a snake, animals, dead animals, and injuries, I guess. I tried editing this chapter, but I am not sure wherever it is better or not. I still like it, tho...

It took him maybe 8 seconds of confused blinking to remember why was an overgrown python chilling on his bed, but once everything loaded and pierced itself together on his mind, Shadow finally managed to find on himself the will to get out of his cozy blankets and stand, carefully picking up his moody companion, and leave him into his tank, no matter how pissed off Kaa may look. “I am, Oh so sorry for disturbing your sleep, your majesty, but that is a no-no place for you to be and you know it.” He snorted, before blinking, because, wow, he really must be tired.

Barely awake enough to remember that yes, he needed to wear some kind of paw-wear that wasn’t just socks, he jogged down the steps, groggily searching around the house the reason he had arisen from his warm, and delicious, and maaaaybee self-indulging dream, but what the hell, it was all on his head, wasn’t it? And unless it was the dream police he fucking wasn’t feeling sorry for his fantasies.

Anyway.

He was sure he had heard something…

“Well, hello there, little mister.” He cooed, picking up Baloo from where the baby bear had wandered, chucking lowly at the dispirited face of the now busted cub. Scrooge was close to the door, looking warily and keeping guard as Mowgly was being his dumb self in the middle of the living room, roaming around and pawing at everything that gained his attention, not a bit undeterred by Shadow appearance. If Something, it seemed like he was even more energetic than before, happily running to him and trying to play with the large ears and little horns of his slippers.

While Mowgly and Baloo had warmed incredibly quickly to Shadow and the secure room he had made for them during this first 2 days, Scrooge was reserved, to not be insulting, and didn’t like so much wherever Shadow came closer, pawing away his hands, sneezing or growling until she decided she wanted food. She was….a moody motherfucker, there really wasn’t a round way about it.

That was why he was certain that Ebeneeza Scrooge was a perfect name.

Though ¨¨Scary little bitch¨¨ wasn’t so far off the mark, either. It was just too long, and Scalibi was taken.

She was the real reason he feared to be stabbed during his sleep...

So far, everything normal, Right?

A calm, fresh night, or as calm as they get when you are Shadow the hedgehog and you are taking care of the very thing you may or may not have a phobia for.

Now, Can somebody explain him what the fuck happened to that “normal” he just had? Because shit, he couldn’t find it anymore and he wanted it back. For yesterday.

It all started when not so long after he ushered the bears back to where they were sleeping, his back door started being scratched on, which wasn’t such a normal occurrence and really, Shadow should have realized since that moment that something was off.

He wasn’t sure what kind of otherworldly being possessed him in that instant, but je made the mistake of opening the door without checking properly, and really, what was he? A rookie or something?

What was he thinking?!

Immediately, 12 raccoons ran in, closely followed by what he was certain were at least 18 bunnies. And then, while he had been busy gaping like a dumbass, 9 giggling foxes squeezed past, as well as-- where those squirrels?

Yes, that definitely were 23 or something squirrels.

And a rat.

A big, fat as shit, and really ugly looking greyish-black rat.

Oh sir, what disgusting creation was that?

He closed the door and put the lock on it, leaning heavily on its surfaces and racking his brain while trying to decide wherever he had ingested something strange or not during the day, but nothing came. He could not find any coherent reason about why had these animals decided to invade his house like this.

Well…

They had come searching for refuge in the past, that was true, but it was because of storms or something of the like….

Oh. Maybe it was what all of this was about? But, he hadn’t heard any thunder, and there was no rain, nor wind picking up.

Come to think about it, it hadn’t rained in like 6 days.

He didn’t… he didn’t have time to this.

Just as he was doing his best at calming down what looked like a hurt raccoon having a panic attack, if that even makes sense, and was actually and surprisingly succeeding in doing so, all hell broke loose when the window of his living room broke in a splash of glass accompanied by a very manly screech, and 7 scared deer’s jumped into the house, cuts and stuck glass pieces making their blood come say hi. The rabbits went crazy, and the foxes started screeching and doing that weird pat-pat thing dogs do while happy, just that the foxes weren’t happy, and neither was Shadow.

He was sure the raccoon he was holding died of a heart attack for 4 agonizing seconds.

<<Same, buddy. >>

This was… this was bad.

Like really, really bad.

And of course, it just got worse when wolves jumped in, and the growling, or screaming in that fox’s case, started once again.

Was that fox… peeing in his floor!? OH SHIT IT WAS! IT PEED ALL OVER HIS BLACK STELLAR RUG!

It wasn’t even 8 pm, what the actual fucking shit?!

Shadow felt like screaming. He actually was going to scream like a bitch or a scared child he didn’t care anymore. He was done, oh shit.

Shadow breathed deeply, resisted the urge of biting his forearm or screeching like a banshee into his coffin like cushion, and exhaled, trying not to scare any of the already panicking animals around him, and to not succumb to his own panic in the middle of this disaster. He breathed once again.

He was better than this.

This…this was nothing compared to some of the things he had been through in the past.

This was fine. He totally wasn’t hyperventilating over such a thing.

Right. Cool head. Everything was going to be alright for as long as he didn’t succumb to his panic. It was easy. Totally.

Mh-hm…

Once he made sure the raccoon was actually breathing, he left it clung to his back as he made his way to his window, carefully stepping between the glass, rodents, and paws, as he had noticed that the smell of blood was thicker in that part after sniffing around.

Shadow wasn’t that surprised to see two heavily injured wolves in his front porch, panting as 3 young deers warily made their way over.

This was… going to be a long night of no sleep, right?

Thank god he didn’t need to go to the G.U.N. headquarters or the FF central for the whole week. Were he to see their faces tomorrow, at least someone was bound to get a fucking punch in the mouth.

He was betting Silver.

Maybe Amy.

A while later, when he finished with the first wolf, he looked up to find Gumdrop looking back at him. Other 14 ravens and like 8 Macaws and who-has-the-time-to-count other birds he didn’t knew the name of were trying to sleep in the couch support, and there were frogs hiding under his chairs and couch, a few even jumping up to his small coffee table.

6 wild cats and their 9 cubs where chilling by the door, and it seemed the wolves, deer’s, and Foxes came to an understanding and were keeping to themselves, not moving an inch into the others space, and thanks heaven, having no discussions over territory, as he wasn’t sure about how would thing end if his unexpected visitors decided to break a brawl into his house in such a time.

Shadow wondered if he could offer the rat or whatever that thingwas to the wolves as a reward for not peeing, unlike others he was glaring to. He decided they were his favorites and it had totally nothing to do with how one of them decided that lying next to him was a wonderful idea… as well as licking his thigh with abandon [which on second though may be a way to express their anxiety and shouldn’t be so cute.]

Nothing to do with that overgrown puppy he was dying to pet. Not at all.

He wasn’t so stupid as to try and touch an actual wild wolf he had never come in contact before.

Convincing the deer´s to let him heal their injuries was tricky, nervous, scared, and certainly put off by Shadow himself and his med kit as they were, but he managed after a long while of murmuring softly, yummy treats, and petting. He noticed that some of the cuts were made by claws, thick, strange claws he remembered still, and not only by glass, as he had though initially.

It was a big “oh.” Moment. He…he really hadn’t thought about that. But, why would he, right? Shadow had been so sure that it was just a one-time incidence, an isolated occurrence, something that came across the place, and maybe left after, once everything was done. It had happened before…

The proof of how careless he had been, how innocent, if you may, how wrongin his believe was laying right in front him, like an accusing hand directly thrown in his face.

He had to manually re-start the heart of 4 cubs, two raccoons, 3 wolves, and 6 rabbits that night.

He found 5 quills into the fur of the animals that night.

They matched the one on his bedside table completely, no doubt they were from the same animal or the same kind, at least.

Shit.

Shit shit shit, shit.

He wanted to punch something so bad on his frustration. How had he been so naïve? How? He had fucked up big time, there wasn’t space for a doubt now. What was he going to do? How could he make up for this disgrace?

Shit.

Should he hunt?

Shadow… He really didn’t sleep that night, even though he knew he needed to. Attending wound after wound, getting bitten, scratched, throw off his paws, and even being thrown up on became a routine somewhere down the line, the fact that he was running out of pots to put clean water on, bandages and other necessities never out of his mind as more and more scared animals came to his door.

What was out there?

How could he sleep in a moment like that?

Had the animal’s sounds or injuries left him, the bone chilling howling he heard at 1 AM, and then later at 4 AM really gave no option. He would have woken up anyway, startled and panicking as much as the animals around him, and it would just have been a more difficult scenario to handle.

Even the wolves shuddered and searched for comfort, scared and intimidated by what they heard and saw, most likely.

It was better this way. Even if he felt a bit sluggish and rather tired, he could hold. He was trained for this, wasn’t he?

He just…wondered why he felt so affect about this. Almost… sick.

Once the time came, he went out to run like every day, undeterred, stepping into the thick foliage like usual. The sunlight barely made it to the ground, so everything was gloomy and humid still, not really reliable to walk around unless you knew the territory.

He found 4 strange dips into the earth, like the one he previously slipped on, and 1 wolf and 3 deer’s corpses.

One was destroyed, as if attacked in a fit of rage, and 2 of the deers were nothing but bones by now, munched on by this new creature he had not seen yet, and others scavengers of the zone. It had been clearly full by then, or at least coming closer to it, as the remaining one still had a lot on…Well.

Maybe saying “a lot” was being too generous. But there was some fur still attached. Fur he could use… maybe?

Ugh.

Shadow couldn’t help but compare his own bite to it.

The difference was jarring and unpleasant to find. His lethal fangs were small in comparison, and his claws were but a joke.

He knew it could also mean nothing. Even if the creature was big, Shadow could still take it on, and win.

It was okay.

He breathed out slowly.

Shadow went back home early that day, cutting his trip short, trying to stop feeling as if something was staring at him from the top of the trees, following his steps in such a quiet manner he couldn’t place from where he was being followed exactly.

Mocking, maybe, but intense.

He fed the bears, and did his best to help the animals inside eat something and lure them out.

A few looked scared, still. Wary. And Shadow, with a sinking emotion in his stomach, found he couldn’t blame them.

He wondered why he hadn’t stopped feeling sick.

[sonicfanj]

Sonic Ring Bond - The Eyes of the World - Ch.1 [PREVIEW]

[PREVIEW]

Yup, I'm finally writing a story for my AU and I've got a preview for everyone to get an idea of what I'm trying to set up! This is my first real time though trying to write Sonic fan fiction so I would really appreciate all of the feedback everyone is willing to offer ^^ I'd really appreciate it to be honest! For now though, enjoy, and please share your thoughts in the comments below or share them on my Sonic Ring Bond Discord Server - https://discord.gg/aVjNUyG . Thank you everyone \"(^o^)"/

Sonic RING BOND

– THE EYES OF THE WORLD –

Current Status: In Progress

Story Idea: SonicFanJ – Inspired by Cutegirlmayra

Main Author: SonicFanJ

Secondary Authors: None Currently

Story Expanding Authors: None Currently

Editors: None Currently

Chapter Number: 1

Chapter Title: Anxiety of a Rose

Primary Chapter Author: SonicFanJ

Chapter Idea: SonicFanJ

 At the heart of the world, binding an ever-changing surface together and allowing civilization to hold any form at all are none other than the Golden Rings. Appearing spontaneously like some landmasses appear and disappear, the loops of golden hue spin in perpetual motion wherever the do appear, just like the masses of land of the world also constantly shift and give rise to new adventures. In this wild world what few cities exists are joined more often than not by ancient ill understood technology that turns Rings into a gateway between two set locations rather than the whim of the Rings. Such whimsey was fine to the adventurers of Checkpoint, the most successful and famous adventuring supporting company, as they had access to a beacon that would always turn their Ring Gates home. As such, the joining of the world brought about by the rings made them things of unmatched value, and though not all could see them, all felt their effects. Many even made their living gathering them for the government and adventuring companies who used them. One such adventurer, a hedgehog girl of pink hue even dreamed of them much as she would rather dream of running with the speed she was once gifted through a bond forged by the Rings, the Ring Bond.

 The dreaming pink hedgehog girl was known far and wide as Rosy the Rascal, for both her perpetual good cheer and optimism as well these days her tendency to find trouble. As it was, Rosy was finding trouble even in her dreams as it was not lush meadows she ran through with Rings dangling in the air in various rows and patterns spinning freely on their axes waiting for her to collect them but rather a field of endless darkness devoid of any Rings. All save one. A ring of pitch-black hue which spun on its axis ominously, seeming to slow the longer she rested her eyes upon its malevolent form. But her blue eyes which matched the hedgehog of her dreams in hue were not the only eyes within her dream, as soon two very familiar “eyes” of red light glared out at her from within the Black Ring. The intensity of the glare upon her made her desire to retreat back, to flee as far her legs would take, reaching for speeds nearing that of sound itself, overwhelming. But her body was like gelatin and the pull of the Black Ring left her both without life and strength. She could only stare into it and the eyes that hid within its twirling form as she lay helplessly in the dark. But she refused to give in, to give up. If she could just take her eyes off of the Black Ring, she could wake from this nightmare. Alas, even the darkness above offered her no refuge for seven emerald eyes opened from within the dark and looked down upon her, almost pleading her to save them as they threatened to consumer her and her world before even the Black Ring did. But neither the owner of those seven eyes or the Black Ring would consume the world for her blue hedgehog hero would save the day. Now if only it was Sonic the Hedgehog himself and not his robotic doppelganger, Metal Sonic, who crushed the Black Ring in his claw like hand and scattered the eyes with a swipe of the other. All save one which he took firmly in hand before glaring back over his shoulder at where Rosy lay helpless. There was strangely an emotion in the machine’s eyes, but she could not make it out as the one remaining emerald eye looked at her with a desperation for release that made her shudder with its terror.

 ­–|–

 Rosy’s shuddering shook loose the black soil from her quills and it dusted down her eyes, here eyelashes trying to playfully resist the waterfall before her eyes snapped open and tossed the soil away. Rosy was wide awake now but blinked a few times before trying to move as she felt horribly pinned as she lay on her belly and chin. It was not an uncomfortable pinning however and if she were not so shaken from her dream she would have fought to curl up and into and return to her slumber. As it was her cheeks puffed up as she pouted before complaining with a high-pitched voice that was pleasantly soft and cheerful.

 “Hmm! Why did I dream about Metal Sonic! If I was going to dream about Sonic why couldn’t it have been something romantic with the real Sonic! We could have been running together along the beach and holding hands and ­– Eee!”

 Squealing with delight Rosy held her balled hands to her reddening face as she rolled over and kicked her legs playfully. Just as her dreams of Metal Sonic ruined her sleep, her daydreaming about Sonic ruined any last chance she had of returning comfortably to sleep. Her sudden twisting had dislodged the sides of the bed of soil she had ben lying in and she found herself with more weight on her body than she preferred as only her head and feet stuck out of the soil pile she lay at the bottom of. A cute frown turned her expression into an inverted smile, and she remembered where it was she had settled in for the night. Again her thoughts drifted from a Sonic to a complaint.

 “Ooo! Soil beds are so comfy with the right soil, but they’re such a mess!” Straining her head back Rosy took in the burrow she had fallen asleep in for the night and couldn’t help but laugh at the dissonance of the soil she lay in contrasting the brick and mortar wall which hid a shower and wardrobe beyond ornate yet cute wooden doors of circular shape. ‘But how lucky am I to find a hotel that caters to so many different peoples at once! Hehehe! Normally I’d have to stay longer to clean up the mess I make in a regular room to save the wait staff some trouble, but I cant help it if I find a loose nest more comfortable. Though I guess pillows and bedding are less trouble than a soil nest. But it feels so nice!’

 With a happy sigh that was almost a contented snort through her nose Rosy finally extracted herself from the nest she had made in the loose soil of the unusual hotel room. Standing up she stretched her arms well above her head and stiffened and relaxed her quills a few times to try and shake as much of the soil out of her quills as she could. It was a valiant effort, but she soon enough emerged from the hidden shower with a hotel bathrobe wrapped around her and joined her happy humming with the bird song filtering in with the morning light from well-hidden sun lights. A big smile on her face she let the filtered in light guide her eyes to the wardrobe and playfully tossed the circular double door aside to reveal a leotard of a pretty white color hanging withing. Her smile grew ever bigger accompanied by her wanderlust as she looked at the garment that she always wore as she went adventuring like her hero.

 “Hehehe,” she laughed to herself nearly as much as swooned at the prospect of putting it on and setting out in search of the day’s adventure. She managed to control herself though and simply reached for one of the shoulder puffs that served as the garment’s sleeves. Reaching inside she carefully extracted a small waterproof container that seemed like it might be uncomfortable to store withing while wearing. “Can’t give in to my desires though until I see what you have to say about the day first.”

 Talking to a deck of tarot cards might have seemed unusually to most, but to Rosy they were her oldest friends and deserved as much care as all of her sapient friends. They had even led her to her first encounter with Sonic the Hedgehog and had proven their loyalty and being deserving of hers. Not That she hadn’t been on many of an adventure before then with them helping her make Fang the Snipers treasure hunts most lucrative.

 “I wonder where he went after our last meeting. We didn’t even get to talk after not seeing each other for so long.” The pleasant memories her tarot card case was bringing her were pushed aside as she pondered aloud about the wellbeing of the jerboa-wolf hybrid who had taken her from her tiny little adventures into her first real ones. He was so kind to her, and she could not understand why people distrusted him so much. As far as she could remember he was as under attack by Metal Sonic as she and Sonic had been in their last meeting so he obviously wasn’t bad. “I wonder what he was doing on Angel Island though. I hope he didn’t hear that there was treasure there. Poor Fang, Knuckles would have punched him in the nose without a second thought. I guess it was almost a good thing Metal Sonic – Kyaa⁈”

 A sudden jolt brought Rosy’s musings to an end with a cry as her hand grew freezing cold and numb all at once, her tarot card case falling to the ground. “Ah!”

 Pulling her suddenly very cold and very numb hand to her chest Rosy reached for her cards as the case hit the ground and bounced, the cards within sprung free from  the impact and tossed about the room as the case spun. “Noooo~… I’m so sorry I didn’t mean–”

 Involuntarily stopping mid-apology, a chill ran down Rosy’s spine and her quills quivered as she looked at the spilt cards upon the ground. She swallowed very slowly as she looked at the natural pattern they fell in. It was not a spread she was familiar with and she consciously felt she should not consider it a spread, but something told her that it was. But where would she even begin with such a painful looking expression looking back at her. It was so ominous that not one card had landed face up so as to maybe even give her one clue on where to start, but the message of pain was obvious even without turning over a single card. The powers that influenced her cards and allowed her to so accurately find treasure and know what the day ahead would hold, or maybe even give her a directive to follow were in unquestionable pain. It reminded her almost of the eye from her dream, the pleading emerald eye.

 No sooner did she remember the eye Metal Sonic held mercilessly in her dream did the entire earth shift violently collapsing the entire hotel room burrow into the darkness below.

[disrepairhouse]

::Return - Chapter 1

Metal clanged and screeched as the steel barrier attempted to open for the first time in several years, fighting against the heavy wear and tear.  Plating cracked as the massive structure jerked and stuck; the mechanisms pulled against the deep dents on the iron walls and gave in with an ear-shattering crack.  Scorched earth fell away from the outer edges, revealing the damaged and clanking mechanics of the battered base while the house inside filled with an angry red glow – the first natural light the residents had seen in eight years.

“What happened?”

A tall, slim blue hedgehog with glowing red eyes and long, white-striped quills pulled back into a low ponytail crossed from one side of the darkened basement lab to the other.  The only light in the room came from the giant computer screen, one of the few that remained intact on the long wall of scratched and worn computer screens. A desk stretched across the wall underneath with two sets of keyboards: One built into the desk that had long since stopped working and another that had been salvaged and hooked up to replace the first.  A bright red error flashed across the working screen, glinting off the silvery metallic right arm of the red-eyed hedgehog as he reached the two other figures that stood beside the desk.

He scanned the error screens and opened dialogue boxes across the monitor before his gaze returned to the other two, one of whom had moved to the keyboard to try and fix the problem.  The smaller of the two, who barely reached the hip of the other, was a burgundy hedgehog with teal streaks down her spines and large, wild, purple and green eyes that looked up at him when he approached.  The red echidna beside her not only dwarfed her in height, but the red-eyed hedgehog in build.  His one good eye glowed green against the emergency reds of the computer while a simple black eyepatch covered the other.  Two long, metal claws protruded from the back of his right hand, leaving several indents and scratches on the table as he fought the malfunctioning system, the keyboard fairing no better against the hook attached to the opposite hand.  He gave a grunt of a reply and continued poring through the defense system’s error codes to find the answer the hedgehog was seeking.

With another set of footsteps on the stairs behind them, the echidna sighed in frustration and turned to the others to address the issue, “The shield is too damaged.  The mechanisms can’t open it on their own anymore.  We may have to force them open ourselves.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem, should it?” the blue hedgehog questioned, raising an eyebrow as he scanned the four bodies around the room, “I think between the three of us, we should be able to manage.”

“It’s not getting it open that’s going to be the problem,” the echidna sighed, “it’s getting it closed again afterwards.  I’m going to have to see how bad the damage actually is, but if we break it further, we’ll be without any defenses.”

The approaching figure stepped into the light of the screens, revealing a yet taller, more humanoid figure with long, blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and a sword hilt strapped to his back.  Though his overall shape was more human than the others, his body was covered in thick red and white robotic armor, from his torso, to his arms, to his legs.  On his head, he wore a sharp, though scuffed and dented, red and white helmet.  He had several inches on the echidna, dwarfing the small girl beside them further.

“So how do we fix it?” his voice was sharp and curt, a trait the household had gotten used to over the years yet the anxiety was still plain as day.

“Manually, likely,” the echidna explained, grabbing a thick bag of tools near the stairs as the others followed after.  The smallest of the four stayed behind to examine the computers, watching with silent apprehension.  It had been the most activity the household had seen in a great many years.  Once the other members quieted down and accepted the state of the ruined world, it grew quiet and mostly uneventful.  She was correct so far about the base being safe and the iron shield holding up despite the destruction outside, though it clearly took a number of heavy hits that took their toll.  Their supplies also held out, as she said they would.  All in all, they were likely the safest and most well-prepared the world over for the destruction that came eight years ago.  How lucky, for them, to know a time traveler.

But now it was finally time to open up again.  The answer to their problem was near and they could hide no longer.  They were as ecstatic as they were wary.  They couldn’t run off after the source right away, they needed to track down another surviving group first, but at least her powers made them easier to find.  Though, none of them were overly pleased at having to face the occupants of the other group, especially after so long.  It would be no easy conversation, but it was a necessary step to saving the world.

First, though, they needed to be able to get out of their own protected base.

 ---

It had been eight years since the Ancient Gods reawakened and wreaked havoc on the world.  What started with roaming monsters across Soleanna, turned to drowned coastlines, ravaging fires, and craters the size of cities opening across the world.  Chaos was the first to rise, consuming all seven of the Chaos Emeralds to destroy Station Square once more.  Dark Gaia was next, flattening Spagonia with earthquakes for weeks before finally opening a hole to the middle of the earth and swallowing it whole.  The final God, the most destructive of them all, was Solaris. Soleanna fell to the fires first, but the rest of the world wasn’t far behind.  The fires consumed everything: the land, the seas, even the sky.  The air grew hot and dry and day and night ceased to exist.  Mobians and humans, alike, fought back however they could.  G.U.N. organized.  The Freedom Fighters rose once again.  Sonic was everywhere and nowhere.

But none of it mattered.

G.U.N. fell.

The Freedom Fighters were reduced to scraps.

With the world in-between, the Gods clashed and Crisis City returned.

Several miles east of what was once Soleanna, in one of the last remaining safe zones, a group of survivor mobians were gathering in a panel room.  A barely functioning computer console sat in the center of the room, blinking lazily with several broken screens, an exhausted, heavily bandaged fox stood above it, fighting against the damaged keys to bring up a map of the area. Around the edges of the room, several small groups stood about, tending to wounds, mumbling quietly to themselves, watching the computer in tired desperation, or simply resting and waiting. A white bat fought with a black and red hedgehog about bandaging a gash on his arm.  A red echidna stood near the fox, bouncing from foot to foot with obvious irritation but remained silent to let him work.  A pink hedgehog sat near the wall going through a medical supply box to take inventory with a purple chameleon, though their supplies were running thin.

The room was silent besides the heavy clacking of the console’s buttons, the echidna’s shoes against the concrete floor, and the quiet argument at the back of the room.  Several pairs of ears turned towards the door, however, as a whirlwind of clanking and boisterous chatter filled the hallway outside.  The heavy steel door slid back with a noisy clatter, revealing the banged up blue hedgehog with a forced grin and a bulky black and red robot following closely behind.  The others quickly dropped what they were doing as the two appeared with sighs of relief and concern.

“Sonic!  Thank goodness you’re back,” the fox sighed, jumping from the console to join his friend’s side.  The robot crossed the room in silence to join the bat and black hedgehog.

“Told ya I would be, buddy,” Sonic grinned, though the usual levels of cocksure certainty had diminished over the years and even the hero hedgehog appeared tired and ready to fall apart, for those who looked close enough.  He did his best to hide it, to remain optimistic as he’d always done, but it became increasingly difficult even for him as the world around them fell to ruin and nothing they did could stop it.

“Omega, sweety, we’re glad to see you back in one piece,” the bat smiled up at the towering robot, “how are things looking out there?”

“Outlook negative,” the bot responded, gaining him several wary looks from around the room, though they turned back to Sonic once they caught sight of the scowl on the black hedgehog’s face.  He already looked ready to fight, no one wanted to push their luck today.

“It’s not as bad as all that,” Sonic reassured them, though quietly.  He looked up towards the map that was projected on the wall-sized screen, “there are some… slightly less desecrated sections of land over here,” he explained, pointing south of their location, “the monsters are thinner but…” He trailed off and the echidna stepped up to nudge him on.  “There’s a crater beside it about the size of a Gaia hole.  It’s… possible it’s one of his retreats.”

Silence filled the room again until the black hedgehog finally stood and approached the console.  “I’ve had about enough of this running and hiding.  We ought to focus on one of these Gods to take out first and go through them one by one.  If we take care of Chaos first, we can get the emeralds back.  It’ll be easy from there,” he growled, his temper boiling as the others moved well out of his way on his path to the blue hedgehog.

“Shadow, we’ve talked about this,” Tails sighed, though was quickly interrupted.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but for once I’m agreeing with Shadow,” Knuckles huffed, though twisted his face up in displeasure afterwards, “I’m tired of this.  We haven’t gotten anywhere with anything else, maybe it’s time we just take them head-on.”

“We tried that, remember?  You nearly got snapped in half by Gaia, and Chaos almost drowned Sonic,” Tails huffed in annoyance.

“Yeah but…”

“C’mon, Tails, we could try again.  Surely, they’ve gotta be getting tired, fighting each other this long.  We tried when they first showed up, maybe if we tried again,” Sonic nearly pleaded, the desperation more prevalent with every word.  Even he was at his wit’s end and wanted an answer.  He’d always found an answer, no matter how dire the situation. The guilt of doing nothing to help for so long was becoming too much to bear.

Tails sighed again, but remained silent as he turned away from his friend’s pleading eyes.  He didn’t know how to respond.  It was dangerous and they still had so little information.  Not to mention, they weren’t at their strongest anymore, either.  Everyone was injured and exhausted, fighting every day to find the solution to the rampaging Gods, their only rewards being more injuries every time.  But what else could they do?  There didn’t seem to be an end in sight and they were getting nowhere. Maybe they should give it one last, good fight.

However, as the room silently debated what course of action was best, a notification popped up on the gadget around Tails’ wrist, informing him of a presence outside the base.  He pulled the screen up to find out who, or what, it was, secretly grateful for the distraction, brief as it likely was.  There were no other bases that had survived near them.  They’d either been smoked out, buried, or destroyed, so the motion sensor was more than likely picking up another monster. However, once the camera feed cleared enough for him to make out what it was, his brows furrowed.  It wasn’t monsters.  It was three mobians, one of which looked to be a small child.  He showed Sonic the video feed when he approached and even Sonic looked surprised to see living people again.

“I didn’t see anyone at all on my way back,” but he shook his head and jumped for the door, “let’s get them in here before any monsters show up!”

“Hold up,” Shadow growled, grabbing the speedster on his way out, “how do we know they’re safe to let in here?  If you didn’t see them, where did they come from?”

“C’mon, Shads, this isn’t the time for suspicion.” Shadow scowled at the nickname, for likely the umpteenth time.  “They’ve got a kid with them.”  Sonic wriggled free and darted for the door, gone before anyone else could argue further. Shadow growled again and stiffened into a defensive posture, knowing Sonic would do as he pleased, as he always had. If the strangers tried to attack once inside, at least they wouldn’t get far.   The room had no shortage of fighters available, it’d be three on eight and one of them was a child.

The others waited on bated breath for Sonic’s return, curious but wary about the strangers, for a variety of reasons. Their concern was anything but relieved as Sonic returned with a look of obvious discomfort, leading the three back to the console room.  He said nothing, but his eyes darted back and forth between the group and the room, almost seeming to keep from ever turning his back fully to them.  Tails gave him a questioning look, but turned his attention back to the three new arrivals.

The group was led by the small child he’d seen on the screen. Even for a young mobian, she was small and thin, with dark burgundy fur striped in teal, oddly similar in pattern to Shadow.  She wore a short, tattered purple dress with scuffed up tennis shoes and her wild spines barely contained in pigtails.  Despite her size, she looked strangely confident and calm and her enormous green and purple eyes blinked with an unreadable, deadpan stare.  She briefly scanned the room as she entered, her expression hitched ever so slightly when her gaze fell over Shadow, but quickly moved on and returned to the calm stare.

But it wasn’t the strange girl that put the rest of the room on edge.  It was her companions, one of which being the obvious source of discomfort for Sonic. The two ‘mobians’ that followed close behind the little girl entered, one after the other, both studying the room and others present in silence.  The one closest to the little girl was a tall, fluffy red echidna with one glowing, green eye, the whites of his eyes a shiny black.  He wore loose and torn black pants, tall black boots, a blank tank top, and a torn grey jacket.  He remained closest to the small child, almost protectively so, and kept the sharpest eye on the others, though his gaze seemed to all but avoid Knuckles.

However, while the other two no one was entirely certain of their identity, the third ‘stranger’ was no stranger at all.  The tall blue hedgehog with one metallic arm and bright red eyes was recognized immediately by everyone present and garnered exactly the defensive reactions that would be expected from Metal Sonic waltzing into the room.  He acknowledged the recognition by grinning and crossing his arms, though remained equally silent.  Sonic inched further away from the group while Tails watched them closely and Knuckles stared the other echidna down with heavy suspicion.

Shadow was the first to break the tense silence, “Metal Sonic, so you’ve survived this long.”

“Of course.  You think even ancient gods can defeat me?” Metal grinned, which got a side-eyed glance from the small child.

“So why are you here, Metal?” Sonic challenged, though continued to keep his distance.

“Well, obviously to-,” though he was cut off shortly by the small child stepping forward and interrupting.

“We’re here to help,” she stated quickly, though her expression didn’t change much.  The room fell to uncomfortable silence once more as attention moved to the tiny, apparently very brave little girl.  She glanced around a moment, though avoided Shadow this time around, and turned back to Sonic and Tails, “well, perhaps ‘stop you from doing something stupid’ is a more accurate description.”  Her dead stare turned dark as she centered on Sonic, “Do not fight the Gods. Not yet.  You’ll lose and everyone involved will die.”

Sonic’s expression twisted to confusion, but before the conversation could go any further, realization struck Knuckles as he glared wildly over at the other echidna, “You’re Metal Knuckles, aren’t you?!”

Once again, attention was brought back to the robots as RK resisted his own smirk.  “I am, though I’ll be honest, you’re one of only two people who have realized in a few hundred years.”  Mumbles and whispers broke out around the room.  The already on-edge mobians only further bristled at the realization that they let two of the most dangerous of Robotnik’s creations waltz into their safe zone.  Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and even Amy and Espio dropped what they were doing to go on the defensive.  The only one who didn’t make further commotion, ironically, was Shadow, who only stared the three down.

The others debated what to do and how to respond, every suggestion from ‘two on eight’ to ‘maybe they aren’t here to fight’ echoed around the increasingly panicked meeting room.  But once again, it was Shadow who finally broke the atmosphere as he turned to the small, sighing child that apparently led the two robots. “So, we’ve got Metal Sonic and Metal Knuckles, walking into the middle of our base, outnumbered and mostly unresponsive.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re no mere child, either.  There’s trouble written all over your face and I suggest you come clean immediately.”

His threat silenced the others and drew attention from the small girl who had been otherwise avoiding eye contact with him. Sonic frowned at the insinuation and offered a small, “c’mon, Shadow, she’s just a kid…”

Shadow scowled at him, barely missing the brief distracted look on the girl’s face, before she shook her head rather quickly and spoke up again, “No, he’s right.  I’m no child. In fact, I’d hazard a guess… you may even know me, Shadow.”  Her voice remained calm, but there was a small hint of unease in her claim.  The black hedgehog turned back to study her closely, though the sharp gaze of the notoriously violent being put RK on edge enough to inch closer to her, just in case.  When Shadow said nothing, however, she smiled and explained, “you saved me from one of Gaia’s Nightmares before all this started.  On the rooftop of my school.  Remember?”

Shadow’s brows furrowed in confusion, giving a brief rest to his dangerous scowl, but the small girl only sighed and continued, “though, that was the last of many interactions we’ve had.  Through many timelines.  Solaris is active again and I thought, of anyone, you’d be the most likely to remember.  Normally I wouldn’t put this so bluntly, I used to work more… subtly, but this is an emergency situation, we should get right to the point.”  Without further explanation, the purple and green in the girl’s eyes swapped and the whites became a molten red as her quills shifted and rose, crystals consuming every inch of her fur as her muzzle greyed out.

Confusion and gasps filled the room and Shadow took an immediate step back.  His eyes swam with vague memories rushing back, nearly splitting his head as he reached up to grab hold of it.  Rouge moved beside him, casting the strange girl sideways glances.  Finally, Shadow seemed to remember what she wanted as a name slipped through the tense air:

“Mephiles.”

The girl nodded and explained, “Thought so.”  The crystals retracted, but the girl’s eyes remained the same, “We’ve never formally met, though, so let me introduce myself for the first time in several timelines.  My name is Itara, I was originally created in one of Robotnik’s labs from a separated part of Mephiles’ power, put into the body of a mobian child. I was created just before you and Rouge stole that scepter, the day Mephiles was released.  I wandered the world for two-hundred years in the original Crisis City timeline before he taught me to use my powers and I spent the next several timelines assisting him in releasing Iblis so they could become Solaris again.  But my mobian vessel was also killed that day and my shard of power returned to him. After the battle, he gave me a body of my own again and I’ve been living, without my powers, without him, since.

“Also, now that you’re aware of my identity,” her deadpan stare finally broke into a scowl, “I didn’t much appreciate you laughing at me that day on the roof!  That was the second time I tripped that day and I had half a mind to tell you how stupid you were for not knowing who I was!”  Shadow narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but said nothing as her expression calmed again, “But I couldn’t.  Because I didn’t even have my powers at the time.  I wasn’t scared of the Nightmare, that day, I was worried that you would recognize me and I was relieved when you didn’t.”

Shadow scoffed and crossed his arms, but Tails spoke up first, “Wait, so you’re… part of Solaris?”

Itara nodded, “I’m sure you don’t believe me but,” she turned back to Shadow, “you remember me now, don’t you?”

“If what you say is true,” Shadow growled, having regained his composure much quicker than even she expected, “then destroying you will be a start to my plan, the easiest of the three.”

RK moved between them at the threat, though she showed no hint of concern, despite knowing better than most that Shadow wasn’t one for empty threats.  “Destroying me would only give my tiny shard of his power back to him.  It would, in fact, do the opposite of what you hope,” she explained.  Admittedly, she knew her father gave her a body again for a reason and that he very much wanted her alive, but she wasn’t about to offer that information so freely.

“Why are you here, then?” Sonic questioned, stepping up to try and keep Shadow down.

“As I said, we’re here to help.  You may not believe me right away, but I don’t want what my father wants anymore.  I helped him once and died for it.  I have no doubt he’ll do the same thing once the threats are dealt with,” she turned back to Shadow again and scowled, “which is why you can’t attack the Gods outright.  You take one of them out of the equation, it’ll only make the other two worse. Their ongoing battle is the only thing keeping the timelines intact, we need their focus to remain on each other for the time being.”

“Why would we ever believe the likes of you?” Shadow hissed, despite Sonic’s attempts to make him back down.  “You’re part of Mephiles, you helped him destroy the world once before, you walked in here with two of Robotnik’s most powerful robots.”

“And you nearly destroyed the world for Black Doom,” Itara countered, getting a moment of shocked silence from the group, “We’ve both got pasts we’re not overly fond of.”

“Also, I’ll have you know neither of us work for Robotnik any longer,” Metal Sonic snapped, “and neither is the tiny child working for that manipulative Sun God.  We’re all on our own these days and as much as I loathe the lot of you, it’s going to require more power than the three of us have to defeat the Gods.  Why else would I come and not immediately eradicate the faker?”

Sonic’s scowl returned while Shadow’s shifted into bitter consideration.  Before anyone else had the opportunity to interject, Itara stepped out from behind RK and spoke up again, “Listen, let me explain in full,” her eyes returned to their normal colors and she motioned towards the map projected on the far wall, “Believe us or not, right now is a crucial point of the battle and if we don’t all move carefully, all really will be lost for good.  Since Solaris’ return, I’ve had access to my powers again and I’ve been keeping an eye on the timelines.  For the past eight years, it’s been an unwinnable battle, which is why we’ve been in lockdown in the meantime.  But there’s a change.  Something is happening, to the timelines, to the energy of the universe, itself.  If I can find the source of that energy, I think it’ll lead me to the end of this battle.  I can’t say for sure what it is yet, but something in the near future is going to upset the balance of Chaos Energy.  I suspect, those closest to it like Shadow and Sonic, have already felt the effects.”

She glanced between the two and nodded in confirmation when they both avoided her gaze, then continued, “and like Sparky said, we don’t have enough power to find it on our own.  Why else would we literally walk into the lion’s den like this?  As strong as Sparky and RK are, it’d be eight on three and my powers are extremely limited and not meant for direct fights. As battered as you all are, it’d still be a losing battle if we started anything.  We’re not here to fight, despite Sparky’s highest hopes,” she shot the blue bot a sideways glare, “we just want to help save the world.  For once.  It’s down to just us.  So please… help me save the only family I’ve ever truly had.”

[zoe-yamamoto-blog]

Zoe’s father Fuyuki Yamamoto is a world renowned magizoologist most often noted as being a great expert, but terribly eccentric and somewhat grumpy and antisocial. Rather than have any kind of home base, he always preferred to go from one expedition to the next- something he told Zoe he did mainly to avoid ‘the tiresome wars and other such politics of humans.’. He changed nothing when his daughter was born. When she was still a baby he would leave her with his sister, Zoe’s aunt Akemi at her home in London for months at a time. However Zoe showed to be an extremely intelligent child, with a love of the outdoors, and as young as five years old he was bringing her along on shorter week long journeys, carrying her on his back when she was too tired or slow to keep up with him and whatever colleagues traveled with them. When she goes home for the summer, Zoe tends to spend it all helping her father study the breeding habits of Irish fairies, or the migration habits of demiguises.

She knows nothing of her mother, and no one will tell her anything either. Her aunt claims never to have met her, her father’s colleagues/friends either confess to know nothing or grow suspiciously tight lipped when she asks, and her father point blank refuses to speak of her. The only things Zoe has to remember her by are her wand, and a note she found once while rifling through her father’s things. It reads, in French: “I’m sorry, please do not hate me for this. Shield our daughter from the evil in the world, and give her my wand so in a way I might protect her too. It contains a veela hair given to me by my grandmother- she should at least have something of her heritage, given it seems she will lack a mother. Zoe my little flower, should you ever read this, know that I do only what I think is best. I go to places I would not have you follow. All of my love, Aemela.”

Zoe is an insomniac, and likes to wander the halls when she can’t sleep, or simply needs an escape. Occasionally she’ll take her bedding to an empty classroom, or somewhere on the grounds, and sleep there.

Zoe is graysexual bordering on asexual and bi-romantic, but has pretty much resigned herself to being single forever, as she figures the consent issues involved would be wonky at it’s best, abhorrent at worst.

Zoe knows bits and pieces of many different languages, having spent months in foreign countries before, but knows three fluently- Japanese which is her mother tongue, English which her aunt taught as a child while she was staying with her in London, and French, which her father also speaks and which Zoe learned to feel closer to her mother.

Whenever Zoe starts missing her dad or needs solitude, her favorite thing to do is go for a hike. Once she got lost while hiking and ended up having to climb a very tall tree so she could figure out what direction Hogwarts was and head back in that direction.

She has several pets, both magical and mundane, that she has somehow managed to sneak in past groundskeepers year after year. These pets include two Pygmy Puffs named Soleil and Lune, a one eyed garter snake affectionately named L’bitte, a blind hedgehog named Poppet, an extremely skittish moke named Otoko, four finches she simply calls les petits chanteurs, a great grey owl named Etoile, an old Siamese cat who hates everyone except her that she calls Grandma, and a one armed fairy named Yōsei- all of which she rescued and couldn’t release back into the wild or rehome for one reason or another- save Etoile who was a gift from her father when she was nine. 

The amount of pets she has has caused issues with her roommates multiple times- despite the fact that Etoile stays in the Owlery and Grandma tends to stay in the Ravenclaw common room- not because any of them are poorly behaved, but because Zoe has a habit of letting one or two loose at a time to roam the room.

Zoe has intense anxiety, and has had several panic attacks during school because someone’s come up behind her too quietly, or touched her without warning.

At any given time Zoe normally has an animal somewhere on her person

[stephsnycmumumuses]

𝓓𝓪𝓲𝓼𝔂 𝓐𝓷𝓭𝓻𝓮𝔀𝓼

Daisy Jean Andrews, her parents beloved ‘DJ’, was treated like a little miracle from the moment that she was born with a head full of hair and bright blue eyes that already sparkled with ambition. Daddy’s little girl was a lot of personality in a tiny package that only served to grow as her body did the same. It wasn’t difficult for her to figure out what she wanted to do when she grew up, she was always glued to her mom’s fashion magazines and ate up every bit of it that she could. She knew how to match shades and pair an outfit with ease, even as a child. She wanted to share that love with others, to show people that your clothing could say much more than just being something you slipped on in the morning.

Leaving her family was a nearly impossible decision, but the girl knew that if she ever wanted her own line, New York City was the place to be. So with her little hatchback filled to the brim with her belongings, she made her way to the city that now owns her heart. While there, however, she fell for a pretty face with a heart that did not match. Jason Taylor was everything she had wanted in a man - a handsome face, a towering figure that made her feel tiny in comparison, all of the charm and humor that came with being a sports broadcaster. Behind closed doors, however, he was someone different - someone that controlled her and her every move. Naturally, she became pregnant and they ended up getting married. The marriage, however, didn’t last. Jason’s wandering eye led to an affair and Daisy coming home to find him in her bed with another woman. Now, she’s on her own and trying to raise their son the best that she can without much in the way of help from him. 

Basic Information

Full Name: daisy jean andrews.

Nickname(s): DJ, dais.

Age: twenty-nine

Date of Birth: december 12th, 1989. 

Hometown: louisville, kentucky

Current Location: new york city, new york.

Ethnicity: caucasian. 

Nationality: northern european.

Gender: cis-female.

Pronouns: she/her.

Orientation: pansexual / panromantic.

Religion: non-denominational christianity. 

Political Affiliation: democrat, left wing.

Occupation: personal assistant / aspiring fashion designer. 

Living Arrangements: small apartment with her son.

Language(s) Spoken: english, a tiny bit of spanish. 

Accent: slight southern accent. 

Physical Appearance

Face Claim: jennifer lawrence.

Hair Colour: blonde.

Eye Colour: blue.

Height: 5′5″

Weight: 150 lb.

Build: curvy, but slender.

Tattoos: a tiny daisy on her ribcage, birds flying on her right wrist. 

Piercings: two in each earlobe, helix on the left. 

Clothing Style: cute, feminine, romantic.

Usual Expression: smiling.

Health

Physical Ailments: osteoarthritis, hypertension.

Neurological Conditions: generalized anxiety disorder.

Allergies: seasonal allergies, shellfish.

Sleeping Habits: it all depends on her 18 month old. slim to none most days.

Eating Habits: eats when she can and whatever she wants.

Exercise Habits: loves to take walks with her son, does workouts on her television.

Emotional Stability: 5. middle of the road. 

Sociability: very outgoing, bubbly, and sociable. 

Body Temperature: warm nature. 

Addictions: none.

Drug Use: social cigarette smoker.

Alcohol Use: wine mom.

Personality

Label: the wild child. 

Positive Traits: kind, humorous, outgoing, witty, loving.

Negative Traits: loud, blunt, disorganized, moody, wild.

Goals/Desires: to be a good mother to her son, become a respected fashion designer.

Fears: anything happening to her son, her ex-husband, being an assistant forever.

Hobbies: writing, singing, reading, shopping, spending time with her son.

Habits: picking at her nails. 

Favourites

Weather: bright sunshine, poolside days.

Colour: purple of all shades.

Music: every single thing.

Movies: comedies, horror, cheesy chick flicks.

Sport: tennis, track and field, volleyball.

Beverage: red wine, chilled to a cold perfection.

Food: anything with extra cheese - pasta and pizza are at the top of the list.

Animal: hedgehogs.

Family

Father: benjamin ‘bucky’ andrews, 60, pharmacist. 

Mother: miranda ‘mandy’ andrews, 55, homemaker.

Sibling(s): benjamin andews jr, 28. bar owner. 

Children: finn michael taylor, 18 months. 

Pet(s): a hedgehog named rufus and a tiny yorkie named minnie.

Ex Husband: Jason Taylor, 32, sports broadcaster.

Family’s Financial Status: middle class, well off. 

Extra

Zodiac Sign: sagittarius. ‘ (+) optimistic and freedom loving. Jovial and good-humored. honest and straightforward. intellectual and philosophical. (-) blindly optimistic and careless. irresponsible and superficial. tactless and restless. ‘

MBTI: esfj. “the provider”. ( extroversion (I), Sensing (S), feeling (F), Judgment (J) )

Hogwarts House: gryffindor.

[olwog]

Today we learn that being afraid of heights can be defeated with a little bit of help from friends and not everyone has the same expectations from a walk.

We’re in a large house in Newlands Valley. It’s regarded as one of the most beautiful and quiet places in the otherwise busy area new Keswick and, with the exception of the ‘interesting’ manoeuvring that is necessary as car passes car or any vehicle overtaking mountain bike, it really is quiet and, at the risk of being repetitive, very, very beautiful. 

Our temporary residence sits above a small hamlet descriptively called Little Town and we’re surrounded by Causey Pike, Barrow, Robinson, Hindscarth, Catbells, Maiden Moor and Dale Head but the ones we can see are where we’re walking today.

Catbells, Maiden Moor and Causey Pike are three of many peaks just across the valley and whilst we’re looking forward to walking them, it looks challenging. The weather is forecast to be showery with some likely to be heavy and we’re at 2000 feet so it’s going to be cold so hail could also be an issue.

As we have breakfast the clouds drift around the peaks. There is very little wind so they’re in no hurry and Carol is telling us that “…if you get a shower, it could hang about for a while as there is very little wind”. Well, that’s bad in one sense but it’s a positive too as we don’t have to contend with too much wind chill – maybe.

    The plan is to get me up Catbells. In July 2015, we visited this lovely area and the team walked to the peak but I was nursing an aortic aneurysm so was restricted to a shorter loop walk that wouldn’t include too much exertion. 

I didn’t know it at the time but six weeks later I would be lying in James Cook hospital following major surgery that fixed it and since then, the team have been trying to arrange a return visit to get me up there and, to say I’m looking forward to it, is an understatement. 

The name Cat Bells may have come from a corruption of ‘cat’s bield’ meaning a wild cat’s shelter and may stem from days gone by when wild cats still roamed our countryside

The first kilometre of walking is along a quiet road that traverses the length of the valley and would normally be boring but when you’re int he Lakes there’s always something to look at. Even at night, this is such a dark area that when cloudless, the stars and planets are vivid and pin-shape against the backdrop of black.

    We turn off the road and immediately down, we’ve grown accustomed to feeling a bit cheated when we go down having not gone up because we all know the consequence! It is; however, across a delightful piece of land followed by the appropriately named Newland Beck and a bridge, we like a bridge, then we’re on the ‘up’. It’s not vicious and gives us a good opening workout as we look at the double peaks of Catbells so far above.

Our track takes us through Skelgill then we contour around the end of Gutherscale and after passing a couple of dog walkers reach the steps the top of which were the maximum height that I could achieve before my operation. If you have been saddled with a triple ‘A’ aneurysm please take care before the op.; however, after the op., in the words of the Nike ad. ‘just do it’.

I’ve looked forward to this for nearly four years when I saw the rest of the team disappear over the scramble at the top of the steps and I peeled away with a couple who didn’t want to go to the top because they had an issue with heights. I enjoyed the walk that I did that year and the views that it afforded but I still envied my mates going to the top. Now it’s my day and, whilst we’ve done a lot of things since then, this is the one to which I’ve really looked forward. (I’ve put a link to 2015 walk at the end).

It’s a bit of a zig-zag slog initially but the first scramble appears sooner than expected along with the first rain and hailstones. The hailstones are insignificant in size and far more acceptable than rain which makes the scramble moist producing a slippery surface and as a Catbells virgin it’s an irony I can do without!  No sooner had I thought these words than the rain came and zips had to be zipped and hoods put on the words that resonated with me were spoken by a mountain rescue friend who said, “It’s easier to keep warm than to re-establish warmth when chilled” and added that the latter is a near impossibility. So wrapped up and hooded I return to the scramble and watch the people in front who seem clueless so I pick my own route with encouragement from Dave.

    The real challenge is when you raise a foot higher than your thigh and establish a foothold then pull yourself up. All of this is mechanically, no problem except, at our age, the ability to make that haul is a mystery. You know you used to be able to do it but not quite sure now. The other challenge is that you know that once your trailing foot leaves its place of safety, you have no idea where it was so going back is, at best, a guess and, at worst, a near miss. I go for the haul and slip, oh, and yes, my trailing foot has left its place of safety and is hovering in mid-air. Now here is the wonderful imaginative power of the human mind. Minutes earlier I’d been surveying the most beautiful vista. Derwentwater in all its glory surrounded by fabulous stone-scarred mountains cloaked in woods and capped by the moodiest cloud-filled sky but, most of all, it was a long way down. What is now going through my mind is the fact that I’m on a scramble a long way up; the reality is that, yes, I’m on wet rocks but they’re only ten feet up so if I do fall off, all I have to do is spread my legs and arms to avoid rolling and I’ll be fine; however, that would mean staying conscious. I do think about using my teeth on the piece of bracken sticking out of cracks between the huge stones then dismiss that in favour of concentrating on re-establishing my grip on the slippery stone and finding a crack into which I could lodge my trailing foot. Dave realises there is an issue and calls, “You all right?” By now I’m flat against the stones and my trailing foot is indeed hovering in mid-air and there’s a pain in my chest where a particularly large stone is digging into my ribs. “Yeah, I’m fine”, I say to Dave still with worrying thoughts about the height. I give another push with the leading foot that had slipped and this time I’m up and safe, “Yeah, thanks, I’m OK, well I am now”. I think my second response is met with more acceptance and Dave watches as I regain my composure and begin the scramble over the rest of the rocks. At the top of the scree/rocks, I check on Dave and he’s making good progress on what looks like a better route and I vow to do a little more analysis on the next scramble up to the summit.

    At the top of the first peak, there’s a saddle with a wide track and any anxiety regarding height would subside as the width is such that there is no feeling of ‘Striding Edge” and the next two or three hundred metres is covered with ease. The final rise is a scramble like the previous one, it’s much higher but not as challenging and by adopting a more analytical approach and a bit of advice from Dave who’s already been this way a couple of days ago, we reach the top. We’re just in time to see clouds clear and blue sky is revealed with sunbeams scooting across the dales and villages nearly 1500 feet below (451 metres); in short, this is sublime.

We celebrate with the others up there and a wonderful lady from Ireland named Laura takes a photograph so that we can all be on it. I ask about the North of Northern Ireland and she tells us it’s wonderful – note to self – put it on the list for future walking!

We stop for a while and take in the views from all compass points although there is significant cloud in the North and rain or hail can be seen falling like mist out of the bottom of the dark mass hovering above the mountains in the distance.

Someone says that it’s a bit of scramble up the last bit and that they’re surprised that it’s considered a good ‘family’ walk for children and grandparents alike, there is an implied question until Dave makes the observation, “We are grandparents, in fact some of us could easily be great-grandparents” – it’s a great walk and I’d urge you to do it.

          We set off down Black Crag and start the long haul up Maiden Moor with only a couple of short scrambles to challenge us. At the top, we settle down to a bite to eat and talk about the views which are phenomenal. We decide on a split where three of the long-distance walkers will carry on to Dale Head whilst the others will return via Little Town.

    As we descend Brunt Crag we meet our temporary neighbours who are living in the smaller of the two houses next to ours. They’re a wonderful family and we see them heading towards old slate mine workings about 200 metres from us. It’s slightly up and we can do without that at this late stage but decide to explore as I’d read about Beatrix Potter and her Mrs Tiggy-Winkle stories about the hedgehog washerwoman. The front of one of the lead mines on this moor is said to be the inspiration for her front door and it matters not whether this is the one – we make the decision that it is – regardless of fact and go in.

It’s pitch dark inside and our neighbours and new friends lend us a powerful torch so that we can go in and explore. It comes with some sage advice as we’re told to be careful 20 or 30 metres in as there is a vertical shaft covered only by a single plank. We resolve to walk to that and return without any dangerous jumping manoeuvres to test its springiness. The shaft not particularly high and I hit my head on the roof several times as I negotiate my way towards the shaft. Dave’s already been there and is making his way back when we find a place wide enough to pass and he gives me the torch to continue the adventure. It’s an eerie site cast in the round beam of the torch, a single plank over a shaft of unknown depth one end of which is sitting on loose spoil. My plan was to go and look down it but the moving spoil beneath my feet helps me reconsider and I make my way towards the beams of light being emitted by the ‘phones of George and Dave who have taken up strategic positions along the passageway to maintain safety.

We return to the bright light of afternoon sunshine and squint for a while as our eyes adjust and we joke about graffiti that depicts Mrs Tiggy-Winkle as a ‘bit of a goer’ apparently. I’m not sure that Beatrix wrote that into any of her stories but there you go, ‘Peter Rabbit and the House of the Rising Sun’. Not an expected combination!

    We continue the descent into Little Town and a tiny cafe shields us from what is becoming a damp, cold day where nice hot pea soup is enjoyed with huge freshly baked bread buns. You’d need to eat this on the way down, after a meal of this size, you’d never get up but it looks and smells spectacular and comes highly recommended.

The final leg of the walk is only a couple of kilometres (just over a mile) but it’s always a struggle. It’s an observation that we’ve made several times; the walk can be long or short, it matters not, the last mile is the hardest.

  Thank you, George Renwick, Dave Rider, Bill Humphrey, Robin Wright, Peter Hymer, Dave Bowman and Chris Richardson.

Enjoy the snaps…G..x

Feel free to ‘share’ and comment, I love comments.

A great walk up Catbells and on to Maiden Moor with great photos Today we learn that being afraid of heights can be defeated with a little bit of help from friends and not everyone has the same expectations from a walk.