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Grabbing a handful of spring onion in his paws, the wolf yanked it out of the ground and stuffed it into his sack with a single fluid motion. This wasn’t the sort of food gathering that Guntz was used to, but during his short stay on Angel Island, he had quickly learned to adapt. The bruising on his cheek, that was only now starting to fade, was a decent reminder that game hunting was off-limits here.
He had become adept at adjusting to new surroundings over his years of travelling; it was as natural to him as slipping on a new coat. Up till now, the same could be said about leaving somewhere as well, but he doubted it would be that easy this time.
Confident that he had gathered enough food to feed the two of them, he made his way back to camp, trying his best to ignore the thoughts gnawing away at the corners of his mind.
Camp was a very simple affair. A small set-up located in a cleared-out area between the trees, sheltered from the elements with some plain hand-made material. In the centre, a small campfire, made up of stones and fallen branches glowed and crackled softly, radiating just enough warmth to keep the whole set-up cosy, even against the chill that came from being so high up.
The red echidna tending the fire greeted him as he approached, and took the bag of vegetables from him. He had an old metal pot filled with water on the fire that was just starting to boil, the beginnings of that evening’s stew.
It wasn’t long before the air was filled with the smell of their slowly-cooking veggies. Normally this is where they’d pass the time in comfortable, mutual silence, or occasionally a bout of friendly sparing (while Guntz was no slouch in hand-to-hand combat, he was admittedly a gunman first and foremost, and wouldn’t stand a chance against the other in a serious fist fight). Tonight however, Knuckles spoke up, interrupting the wolf’s thoughts.
“Something on your mind?” He asked in his typical no-nonsense fashion. His years of self-imposed isolation had hardly left him a great conversationalist. Same went for his companion.
“What makes you say that?” He replied, not meeting the guardian’s eyes.
“Your ears are twitching.”
Guntz said nothing for a while, feeling exposed and, yes, a little embarrassed by this observation. It was true, he had been feeling very relaxed these past few weeks, and apparently it had shown in his body language. It was calming, staying here on the island, with no-one else around… save for the echidna.
He finally spoke, still not meeting his companions gaze. “I saw land earlier.”
Knuckle’s expression went through several emotions within a heart-beat: first confusion, then comprehension, and penultimately hurt, before settling back into a hard, neutral visage. “I see.”
They both knew what this meant. Once the island passed over land, Guntz would be free to leave, continue on his travels. With nothing keeping him here, their time together would be at its end.
The echidna continued tending the stew as an uncomfortable, stifling deadness fell over the pair. It was almost as if they were trying to ignore each other, though that was difficult to do in the confines of the small shelter.
“Knuckles, I-”
“You what? You what, Guntz?” He snapped, fixing the wolf with a glare. Their eyes locked, and Guntz sat paralysed by the look, unable to glance away.
“I never meant for us to get this close. You knew I couldn’t stay...” he began, trying to keep his speech as matter-of-fact and monotone as he could.
“Bullshit! There’s nothing stopping you from staying, and you know it! You just want to keep running, that’s all!”
“I’m not running.” He stated, with a slight growl to back it up.
“The hell you are! Why not give up the whole ‘wanderer’ act then? Stick down roots, settle down somewhere; why not here? Or is the island not good enough for you?”
“This has nothing to do with you, or this island! He’s still out there – the man that killed my father! Family may not mean anything to you-” He dodged to the side just in time as a fist barrelled into the space his face had only just vacated.
“Don’t you dare talk to me about family. Everything I do here is for my family, my tribe. The Emerald, the Island, all of it!” Knuckles barked, eyes almost glowing with his rage.
“Exactly! You get an Island, a heritage, a purpose. All I have is this,” he gestured to his rifle behind him, careful not to break eye contact with his… partner? Opponent? “You have your purpose here, and I have mine. If I don’t avenge my father, then what? What do I have Knuckles? What the fuck do I have left?”
The echidna lowered his fists and relaxed his pose, though not completely. Guntz turned his face away, small beads gathering in the corner of his eyes.
“This… this is something I have to do. Even if it takes me the rest of my life, I will track him to the ends of this world. He won’t escape justice, I won’t let him.”
Knuckles moved towards the wolf, slowly, and pulled him into an embrace, even as he tried to look away. Pushing his chin up to to look in his watery eyes, his attitude suddenly became sombre.
“You have the spirit of a warrior, I should have known. It was selfish of me to try and turn you back from that. Forgive me,” he spoke in his usual hardened manner. It was easier to conceal his own emotions that way.
Guntz just stood there, enjoying the closeness, but too afraid to reciprocate, as he was sure it would make leaving that much harder. This was what he wanted after-all; even if he had almost faltered a few times. He nodded, and Knuckles appeared to understand.
“There is something I need to do,” the echidna announced suddenly, “would you tend the food until I get back?” The wolf nodded in the affirmative, and his companion took off into the undergrowth.
By the time he returned, the food was almost ready. The guardian brought with him a number of different berries and pods, gathered from the island’s many plants. He set them in a number of bowls and settled before the fire, grinding the produce into a paste, before beckoning Guntz to kneel by him.
“These paints have been passed down by my tribe for untold generations, and were used to mark out warriors before their hunt. It seems only right you be prepared for the task ahead of you.” Guntz’s eyes grew wide, it being evident that the echidna was bestowing a great honour upon him. More than that, he seemed to be marking him as one of his family.
He held still the best he could, trying not to tremble as the echidna carefully painted intricate patterns onto his fur with the freshly made dyes. Each line applied by hand, his battle-hardened fingertips pressing into and caressing him. It was more intimate than he could have possibly imagined.
After an age, he got up to admire his work from a distance, each marking illuminated by the soft glow of the fire.
“How do I look?”
He didn’t answer for the longest time, jaw refusing to close as he took in the hunter in his newly-acquired glory.
“Perfect.”
The next morning, Guntz rose and slipped out from the embrace of his lover. He dressed quickly and silently, careful not to wait him sleeping companion as he gathered up his belongings. That’s what he pretended at any rate; the echidna was very much awake, and they both knew it. It was just easier this way.
As he reached the edge of the island, he spared one last look back. This was his home now, he realised. He was no longer running, he was now moving with a purpose. It wasn’t just about avenging his father, not any more. Once he finally tracked down Janga, his hunt would be complete, and he would be free to return home. To return here, to be with his mate.
“I won’t keep you waiting,” he murmured to himself, as he set off, a new fire lit within him.