Chapter Text
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Sonic shoots up as he hears a howl in the distance. That was a call for help . He runs off, not thinking twice about the repercussions. That was one of his kind.
It wasn’t exactly one of his pack . His pack was Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Sticks, Shadow, and Rouge. But, that cry was that of one of his kind ; another affected by Dark Gaia.
Even though he had absorbed most of the stray energy, a little bit still got out. Some were lucky enough to “just” get possessed during the night while the god was rising to power. But, others would go through a similar transformation to himself. Albeit, they wouldn't be as large or as, uh… feral , but it was still enough for them to need to hide during the new and full moons.
He arrives at the village just in time to see a Mobian whose name he never learned get dragged to the ground. They screech and claw, giving into their wolf-ish instincts as a small, organized group attempts to subdue them. Sonic would recognize those uniforms anywhere . Well, most could probably name them, but werecreatures were especially conditioned to notice, and to stay away .
Animal Control . An organization known for “removing” any Mobians that got a little too, in their words, out of hand .
Sonic locks eyes with the struggling werecreature as their face is shoved into the ground.
“Citizens!” One of the Animal Control group turns towards the gathered townsfolk. “We have been notified of a small infestation of dangerous animals in your town. They come from the woods and hide amongst you during the day. If you know anyone who has a habit of disappearing monthly; if you know anyone who acts slightly more animalistic than your average neighbor; if you know anyone whose teeth, fur, and claws have gotten longer, please report them immediately . You could be saving your family in doing so.” He narrows his eyes, “and if any of you creatures are hiding, it is in your best interest to come forward now. Coming to us willingly will make this process a lot less difficult for everyone.”
Sonic forces his ears to stand back up. He hadn't even noticed when they had pinned themselves to his head.
Gotta stay cool.
He gives one last sad look to the shaking Mobian being loaded into the back of a van before speeding off. He really hopes they wouldn't try to tell Animal Control about him. No one knows- excluding Chip- about his… predicament, and he intends on keeping it that way. The only issue, was that werecreatures could occasionally find each other through shared Dark Gaia energy, and by signaling himself out, Sonic had made himself the perfect scapegoat. Sonic the Hedgehog, a werehog ? Oh Animal Control would love that wouldn't they? A prime example of how dangerous “these creatures” are. A normal Mobian wouldn't be able to smash through metal, right? What if he turns on the town?
Yeah. No thanks.
Sonic arrives at his shack, for once wishing he had a door. He looks in the mirror, making sure Chip’s necklace was still securely fastened to his ear. (It had been far too small to wear around his neck or as a bracelet. And it would just be odd if he started wearing a ring. So, he had just added it to his pre-existing collection of earrings.) Sonic was really hoping the Light and Dark Gaia energy would neutralize each other enough to not show up on scans. The other possible outcome was that they both came up, and that would be even messier. But, rather have Dark and Light, than just Dark. At least Chip was considered a good god.
Sonic begins modifying his shack. Animal Control would have eyes on the woods like crazy , and with the full moon coming in a few days, he would not be taking his chances out there when the transformation hits.
The knowledge that his burrow would be turned inside-out by Animal Control makes him seeth, but he knows that he can't do anything without getting caught.
Sonic shuffles his stuff around, pushing things to the walls in an attempt to clear out a big enough space. In addition to preparing for the transformation, he wanted room to, if need be, fight and hopefully escape. Just in case things get messy . He searches to find a way to easily rig his hammock up when the time comes, yelping when he hits his wrist.
This is just until things blow over .
“Sonic?”
“AAH!! ” The hedgehog’s quills shoot up in defense. “Wha- Tails? ”
“Yeah. Um… what are you doing?”
“Eh? What’da’ya mean?”
“I think you accidentally turned your Communicator on. And all I can hear is crashing.” Sonic can practically hear Tails frowning. “And you seem pretty startled. Is Eggman attacking? Do you need help?”
“NO! No - no. Don’t worry, Keed! All good here. Just doing some… uh-” Sonic looks around, “rearranging.”
“Oh… well, do you wanna take a break for the day? I have some upgrade blueprints for the Tornado. I think you’ll like them!”
“Sure thing Little Buddy! Be over in a flash!”
Before Tails even has time to hang up, his brother is standing in the doorway of his workshop. He zips over to the fox’s table and peers at the paper he had set down, humming his approval.
Tails eyes Sonic, looking him up and down. It was unlikely anyone else would have noticed, but something was definitely off. He knew the hedgehog well enough to tell when something was wrong. And if the way Sonic was standing didn't give it away, the fact that his quills were poised, ready to flare, did.
But again, Tails knew Sonic well enough to know that he wouldn't respond all that positively to prodding. So, he would just have to wait for his brother to come to him.
“What’cha think?”
“Very crafty! As always.” Sonic pats Tails’ head. “Those’ll be really useful defending against the ol’ Egg!”
The fox warms at his brother’s praise. He used to worry that he wasn't good enough to be a part of the team, especially being a lot younger, but Sonic was always quick to disprove that. The hedgehog was honest, and let everything come out eventually, so Tails was pretty confident in the fact that he was telling the truth.
Of course, the moment couldn't last. A knock at the door startles Tails, but Sonic jumps .
Weird.
The knock comes again, harder, more urgent this time. “I'm coming! I'm coming!”
“Tails-”
He sees Sonic grimace as he opens the door.
“Miles Prower?” That's one of the guys from earlier!
“Yeah?”
The Mobian didn't grace him with a response, instead, choosing to nearly blind him with a blacklight.
“Hey! What gives?!”
“Sorry about that. Protocol.” The agent peers around him. “Is there anyone else in the house with you?”
“Uuhh… yeah?” Tails frowns. “Why?”
He glances at his clipboard. “Please bring them here.”
He has a moment of hesitance- Something feels off. Something feels wrong - but, he shakes it away, greatly in favor of not pissing off the guys that tackled a (supposedly) feral Mobian just hours earlier. “Sonic! Are you still here?” Tails leans back into his workshop. “Some guys here are looking for you.”
Sonic arrives at the doorway a lot slower than one would expect of the Fastest Creature Alive. “What’s poppin’?” His grin looks more like a grimace.
“Hold still, please.”
The hedgehog’s eyes come to rest on the uniform, then travel to the blacklight in his hand. “Ah! You know I can't do that! Who do ya think I am?” Sonic leans against the doorframe. Tails notices him tripping over his feet to get there.
Sonic’s… nervous. Why? Does he know them? No that’s not right, they’re acting like they’ve never seen him before. The fox shakes himself back to reality. I’ll probably get answers later. Whether those be good… or bad. He forces a small smile. Plus, Sonic tells me everything! Eventually, at least. I’m sure it’s nothing that bad.
The agent holds up the blacklight once again, finger moving towards the switch-
“OOPS! ” Sonic falls forward, knocking it to the floor and effectively shattering it.
Tails’ head whips around. Sonic is not clumsy. That can't have been an accident .
The hand formerly holding the blacklight clenches into a fist. “I’ll have to ask you to come with us.”
Sonic was getting worse by the second. “Ah… sorry buddy, I can't do that for you. I’ve got places to be, villains to fight. Y’know…”
“You will come with us. Whether it’s on your own accord, or ours, is up to you.”
“Aaaand that’s my cue! ” The hedgehog spares a glance at Tails, “sorry, Buddy.” He takes off.
“That’s our guy.” The group spins around, and in unison, sprint after Sonic.
Only when their backs are to him, does Tails realize what “the group” is.
Through big letters across their backs, they proudly proclaim: Animal Control .