Roxy
Roxy
"Sparx!" I'm sorry Roxy, I have to go, I'm indebted to you,
to all of you, with my life. You and your parents have been so good to
me these past years but I have to find my real family. Who knows
what's become of them after all this time?" The white and yellow
fox nodded sadly and passed the picture she was holding to Sparx who
was busily packing her bag. It depicted a much younger version of the
two, their faces wearing the characteristically awkward smiles of a
planned photograph. A single tear rolled down her cheek, Sparx noticed
this and gave her friend a hug. She too had begun to cry but she tried
to hide it from the fox, fearing it would make her even more upset.
"It's not like I'll be gone forever Rox! I'll be back as soon as
you know I'm gone. Besides, you'll enjoy having your wardrobe to
yourself after all this time of me ing your stuff!!!" They both
tried to laugh but burst simultaneously into tears. Suddenly a figure
appeared at the door. "Now, what's all this girls?" Asked a
shaky voice. "Nothing mum." Replied Roxy. "I just can't
believe Sparx is leaving us, the house'll be so empty without
her." "I know honey, but if she feels she has to find her
parents then let her go. I knew one day this would happen but I didn't
think it would be so soon." "Sparx." The adult fox
turned to face the echidna. "You won't be disappointed by your
parents, they are two of the most wonderful people I ever met, your
mother was a very close friend of mine. They left you with me here on
Mobius so you could become more enlightened having been bought up in
the company of other species. They had only your best interests at
heart." Sparx picked up her bag and stood up. She wiped her face
with the back of her hand and kissed her adoptive mother. "She
couldn't have chosen a better family for me, I only hope she is anyway
near as good a mother as you." The echidna let go of her and
walked out of the room and down the stairs where she was met by Roxy's
father and her younger brother, Snowy. She embraced them both
tearfully and was joined by Roxy and her mother. She bid her last
farewells and left, trying not to look back as she did so.
The noise from the constant volley of rain hitting the window bought
Sparx back to the real world. She sighed heavily. She missed her old
family so much, especially Roxy. Why had she left? If only... Her
thought was cut short by the sudden high pitched tap of a small stone
hitting the window. Sparx froze. It was followed by another. She
opened the window tentatively. "SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARX!!!!!!! LET ME
INNNNNNN!!! IT'S FREEEEEEEEEZING OUT HERE!!!!!!!" Shouted the
half drowned cat below. The echidna quickly ran to the door and let a
wretched creature in. "Ava, what the hell were you doing out
there in the rain?!!!" "Having a tea party, WHAT DO YOU
THINK?!!!!! I rain!!!" She wrung out her shoulder length auburn
hair and the bottom of her short blue T-shirt. "You look like
you've just stepped off Titanic!!!" S ed Sparx, but stopped
laughing when Ava shot her an 'I'm glad this is amusing you, like
hospital food, do you?' look. "What took you so long to answer
the door any hows?" Asked Ava changing the subject. "I was
thinking about Roxy again." Answered Sparx sadly. "I sure do
miss her."
Ava was quiet for a minute. She really didn't know what to say. Sure
she'd lost her family but for the life of her she couldn't remember
who they were, let alone miss them. She had Knuckles now, and Sparx
and all the other freedom fighters. They were her kin now. Morbid
thoughts, she d morbid thoughts!!! "S'o.k chicken, you'll see her
again one day." "One day isn't soon enough!!!!" Shouted
Sparx. Ava turned and watched helplessly as her best friend ran past
her and out of the hut into the rain outside. "I tell you what
Sparx, why don't you come with me to salvage the imperial palace ruins
for emeralds, legend has it that the original emerald that all the
others were cloned from resided there." Knuckles suggested. He
was surprised to say the least when his fellow echidna had burst into
the temple he was meditating in in flows of tears. "Thanks for
the offer Knux, but you know full well that when I get to near to
chaos emeralds I start shooting off lightning everywhere. I could hurt
you." "I wouldn't mind." The Guardian replied amicably.
"No, but Ava would!" Sparx laughed half-heartedly. Knuckles
nodded in agreement. "I'm a big boy, I can look after
myself!" "So she tells me!!!" Sparx smiled slyly at him
and left, leaving a puzzled Knuckles in her wake. She arrived back to
find Knothole in chaos. At the centre of the village where the freedom
fighters usually met to discuss mission plans round an open fire a
huge brawl appeared to be taking place. Her heart sank. Where there
was trouble Ava was never too far behind, but then again, neither was
she. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Yelled Sparx as she headed at full speed
toward the fray. Later that day, the residents of Knothole nursed
their wounds and talked in hushed voices about the cause of the fight.
Sparx stood alone holding a dirty rag on the huge gash up her right
arm in an attempt to stem the blood. Due to the war, medical supplies
were scarce, she was lucky to have sustained such a minor injury. Many
were lying on the ground with bullets in their heads. She then
realised that she didn't know how the had erupted. The echidna set off
to find Ava, it was unusual if she didn't know what was going on.
After a brief search Ava was found to be admiring a black eye in the
calm water of a recently formed puddle. "Sparx!!!! Where ya bin'
chicken?"!!! Ava said, eternally cheerful. "Ohhhh, Ave, they
messed you up good and proper, didn't they!" Ava carried on
admiring her well-earnt war wounds before replying "Yeah, I
actually took them on one on one for a bit, until she knocked me for
six!!!" She said proudly. "I didn't actually see who we were
fighting." Admitted Sparx. "I think we were beating each
other up more than anything!" "You didn't see them!"
Ava was clearly amazed. "Here, I'll show you them, they're being
restrained in Her Royal Up Herself's hut for the time being until she
and Sonic decide what to do with them. It was well known that Ava had
an uneasy relationship with Princess Sally. It was probably due to her
incessant flirting with Knuckles even though she was going out with
Sonic but Ava would tell you that she "just doesn't like the
girl" all the reason Ava's ever needed! As the two approached the
make shift jail they heard a shouting in an unusual language coming
from inside. "Keth ton shay!!!! Dan miss sone lant!!! The tone
was teetering on the insane. Ava slowly opened the door and held it
open for Sparx who had prepared herself for the sight of war hardened
warriors or perhaps robotic creations of the late Ivo Robotnik. What
she saw made her gasp in surprise. In the dark recess of the hut's
interior huddled in a corner sat three small weeping figures. They
hung onto each other as if for dear life. Closer inspection revealed
that they were female furries, about the same ages as Sparx and Ava.
One, the cause of the manic shouting was a grey rabbit with long
curling black hair dressed in, well, very little actually. She wore
what looked like some sort of animal skin sewn crudely together with
thick twine and looked for all the world like the descendant of some
sort of ancient warrior race. Sparx moved closer and tried to speak
but was received with a revolver in the face, courtesy of a cat who's
shoulder length blonde hair was held off her tear stained, sweat
drenched face by a green headband. Ava leapt forward but stopped mid
pounce at Sparx's outstretched arm. Sparx shot her a grateful look at
her friend then turned her attention back to the captives. The third
prisoner who, until then had not moved a muscle but sat cross legged
gazing at her jailers moved her arm slowly and gracefully to meet her
friend's and pushed the gently down and out of Sparx's face. The
previously armed cat then burst into tears but was comforted briefly
by Sparx's saviour. The panda then pulled away and addressed Sparx in
a heavy eastern Mobian accent which explained the gold Chinese dress
she was wearing "You bring this fury on your own heads" she
said calmly in a soft monotone voice. "But why, how?"
Stuttered the amazed echidna. The Panda opened her mouth to speak but
was interupted by Princess Sally who had just burst into the hut
accompanied by Sonic and 4 of the biggest freedom fighters Knothole
possesed. "Ohhh loooook," Mocked Ava "It's
sleep-around-Sal!!!" Sally motioned to one of her party and Ava
was carried out slung over the larger of the Princess's bodygaurd's
shoulder. "Fool!!! You brainless fool!!!" Screamed Ava as she
futily kicked her captor. Sparx rolled her eyes. "Ave, ya just
can't help yourself, can ya?" she muttered under her breath.
Sally moved closer toward the three in the corner. "Take them to
the cliff, these terorists must be disposed of." She said coldly.
Sparx leaped up from her knees. "They are no more ists than
us!!!" "How can you say that? Questioned Sally. Her voive
sounded patronising "Can't you see that huge gash on your
arm?" Sparx cast her eyes quickley down to her wound. "She
seems as stupid as her friend!" Sally mentioned to Sonic.
"D'YA WANNA TAKE THIS OUTSIDE!!!???" Sparx cried at Sally.
Sparks were starting to emit from her hands due to sheer anger.
Suddenly the cat who was sitting in the corner leaped to her feet.
"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU, JUST STOP IT!!!!!!!" She screamed at
the top of her voice and then collapsed back into the arms of the
Panda who had stood up to comfort her. A shadow appeared in the
doorway. "Let them be." Knuckles said calmly. Ava, who was
at his side smiled smugly at Sally. "Why should I?" Asked
the squirrel, though clearly intimedated by the echidna. There was
nothing her bodygaurds could do to stop him. "YOU DARE DEFY
ME??!!!! Threatened Knuckles. Needless to say, Sally and friends
departed quickly. "Go Knux, go Knux!!" Sing-songed Ava as
the group bustled past her and out the door.
