Chapter Text
What was he going to do?! What is he going to do? Sonic paced around in his little cave. He would be throwing up but he already lost his lunch a couple of minutes ago. The taste was still stuck in his mouth but he couldn't find the strength to go to a creek. His pacing increased ever so slightly. He didn't know what to do. His eyes stung as he tried not to cry.
“Why didn't I- I could have- I didn't…” He ran his gloved hands through his quills. The plush material of the glove stopped his hands from becoming swiss cheese. Sonic felt a stinging pain and brought his hands out in front of him. In his clenched fist, there were a couple of quills. Which caused him to stop pacing. “I just need to- I just need to…” Sonic didn't know what to do. What could he do? His ears folded down flat against his head, and he squeezed his eyes shut. But the images wouldn't go away. He was just a child. A alien hedgehog child. But a child nonetheless. He couldn't have stopped what had just happened. “Yes you could have. But you were too scared. Too weak. No! I-I wasn't. I-I.”
He flopped down on the worn out mattress that he dragged to his cave. It was a pain to get but it was worth it. He curled up into a tight ball and tried to still his beating heart. But the images of blood. The sounds of pleading and a gunshot were unforgettable. He's seen stuff like that when he looked through people's windows and watched tv with them. But… Sonic knew that stuff was fake, but this? It was real, very real. And he didn't even try to stop it. And no matter how hard he tried to explain to himself that, ‘He could have been discovered.’ and ‘He could have been shot.’ The guilt still lingers in his chest. And it wasn't helped by the fact that he's not going to tell anyone about it. How could he? He’s an alien and he doubts anyone will listen or believe him. The humans would probably think that he's the one who-who killed that lady. A small whine escaped his mouth, filling the silence. Maybe he could just forget about it. Maybe it'll just go away. But as he tried to fall asleep, Sonic didn't think he could forget about it.
***
“Do you think aliens exist?” Shawn leaned back in the very comfy office chair. Sure they had to skip paying the electric bill for the month, but these chairs were so worth it.
However, Gus didn't seem to agree as he glared at him. “Shawn, you aren't going to distract me from the fact that you didn't pay the electric bill. But instead bought these-”
“Extremely plush and comfy office chairs.” He had tried to supply helpfully. That glare morphed into a somewhat agreeing look before Gus shook his head.
“Yes, they are comfy. But you know what's more comfortable?” Before he could answer that obvious rhetorical question, “Electricity. Electricity is more comfortable.”
Shawn just waved his hand. “Electricity, shmerricity. Who needs lights anyways. I can totally work on the dark. Like a bat.” He raised his brows slightly and nodded.
“Shawn! The electricity bill doesn't just cover lights. It covers anything else that uses electricity.”
“Big deal. Not like we use electricity for anything anyways.” He looked at his phone, which was plugged into a charger. But instead of being charged, it was lower then when he plugged it in. “Hold that thought Gus. I think this charger is broken. It's not charging my phone. Not even a little. Will you hand me yours?”
“First of all, the charger isn't broken. It's because you didn't pay the electric bill. Secondly-”
“Wait, that affects phone chargers? Oh no!” He looked over to Gus with over exaggerated terror. “Does that mean the espresso machine I bought won't work?” He tilted his head over to the corner where the unopened box was.
“You bought an espresso machine!?” He did. And he was going to wait until Gus got here so his friend could set it up, but it wasn't looking like the best time to ask right now.
“Uhmm. Yeah? What else was I supposed to do with the rest of the money?” Shawn acted like Gus was the crazy one. With pointing at him and making certain facial expressions.
Gua continued, unbothered, “lots of things. A 401k, a savings account,-” Gus shot him a pointed look, “the electric bill.”
“ The electric bill. Can't you just cover for me this time?”
“No. I covered for you the past 3 times you were supposed to pay for it. I won't do it again. Don't you have any money saved up?”
“You're supposed to save money?” Shawn asked, only half joking.
“Shawn!” Gus took a deep breath. “Of course you are. It's not like a case is just going to fall into your lap whenever you nee-”
Ring. Ring. Ring.
“No.” Gus can't believe it. Shawn never experiences the consequences of his actions. It's actually creepy.
As he shot a smirk over to his friend, “What were you saying.” Without even looking at the caller idea. “Jules, I sense you have a case for me. Perhaps a… murder.”
“Shawn, what the hell?!” That was definitely not Jules.
“Daaad. What's up man. I was just… pulling a prank on you?” Gus shook his head. Which Shawn couldn't let it slide, so he faked going forward. To which Gus just rolled his eyes
“Uh… sure. Are you still coming over for dinner tonight?”
“Hmm. I don't know. I'm super swamped with all my cases and everything.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yeah?” Shawn rolled his eyes. He already knew where this was going.
“Then I must have been imagining things when you were just begging Jules for a case.”
“I was not begging, okay.” He tilted the phone down and mouthed, ‘I wasn't begging.” To Gus. Who just tilted his head side to side. Neither agreeing or disagreeing. “But yes. I'll make it to dinner tonight.”
“Alright, good. Good. Also, will you finally bring back my-”
“Ohhh. You're breaking up. Can't hear you bye.”
“Sha-”
He just put his phone down when it started to ring again. But his attitude changed when he saw the caller id. “Well Guster. Looks like we have a case.” He picked up the phone and, “Hey Jules, I sense that you have a case for us.”
****
Well, a murder in the woods wasn't something that most people wanted to hear about. But Shawn was glad for the work. Well, he wasn't glad that someone was killed, but at least their murder would be solved… and he would be paid.
As he and Gus were walking through the woods to the crime scene. He already noticed a couple of peculiar things. The shrubs and some of the smaller trees. Their branches around the bottom were snapped off or bent. Of course, it could be some wild animal; probably was. But he kept a mental note of it. Soon, the sound of voices could be heard as they stumbled across the crime scene. His eyes scanned across it, looking for two people. And when he saw them, his face lit up. But when they saw him; he got a small smile and a frown.
“Hey Lassie, Jules. Good weather for a hike, yeah?” Maybe not the best time for a joke; a slap in the shoulder from Gus confirmed that. But he was the joke guy. He couldn’t just not make one.
“Shawn. Just for the record. I voted against calling you.” Yeah, he could tell.
“Wow, you have such a way with words. It’s a wonder you couldn’t get anyone else to side with you.” He held his fist out besides him and Gus net it with his own.
Lassiter took a couple of threatening steps forward and raised his hand, “You listen here, I-” He must have stopped when he realized how ridiculous he was being. “The chief just thinks that… your ‘ability’ could come in handy.” The head detective finished through gritted teeth.
“I am deeply honored a prestigious place like the SBPD would think of me-” Gus cleared his throat, “and Gus to solve this case.”
“Are you done?” Jules spoke up, no doubt drawn to his antics. And he couldn’t blame her.
“I don’t know, are we?” He looked to his partner for feedback.
“Yeah, we’re done.”
“All right then. I guess we’re done.” Enough with the antics, Shawn looked over the body. Not noticing anything too out of the ordinary. Well, besides a bullet hole. But nothing stood out to make this an open and shut case. He glanced up and noticed something off about a tree. Deciding to put that observation to the test. He stood where the body would have been before she was shot, and where the shooter would have been. And in both cases that tree was out of sight. Here he goes. “Ahhhh!” He put his hands on his head, “I’m getting something. Something… small maybe-” The detectives and Gus rushed over, “Like a dog. No! Not a dog.”
“Come on Shaw-”
“Shhh!”
“Shhh!” Carlton held his hands up as he was shushed by both Jules and Gus.
“What sound a dog makes.”
“Woof?” Gus had tried to supply helpfully. Not understanding what Shawn is trying to do next.
“No. Not that… bark. Bark!”
Jules shook her head slightly before she realized, “Tree bark! Something to do with trees!”
“Yes!” He snapped at her, “the trees are trying to communicate with me.”
Lassiter let out a small laugh of disbelief, “You can’t be ser-”
“Ahhh!” Shawn interrupted whatever Lassie was about to say. “It’s pulling me to it.” Stumbling along to the tree he noticed. With much added flair. He made it over there, while benign followed like a mother duck. “What is it tree? What are you trying to tell me?” He put his hand on the bark and acted like his eyes were closed. He peeked at where the obtrusions were on the lower tree and spotted it. Bingo. A small footprint.A witness. Maybe a dwarf. He took a couple steps back and looked behind himself to address his audience. “The tree has spoken. It told me… that there was a witness.”
He was met with uncertainty. Heartbreaking if he is benign truthful.
“Okay, so is the tree a witness?” Lassie patronized him, but he knew he was right.
“Shawn. We… do need an actual witness.” Not Jules too.
“Look closer at the base. You will find a footprint that proves someone was here.” With a roll of his eyes, Lassiter did take a closer look, and paused. No doubt seeing what the tree ‘told’ him.
The lead detective turned towards Jules, “Go ahead and get csu up here. As much as I want to ignore this. The tracks are too fresh.” With a ‘on it’, she was off, and Carlton turned towards Spencer, “ I don’t suppose the tree ‘told’ you who was here.”
“Nope, sorry. That part is still cloudy.” Lassie gave him something between a smile and a snarl before he walked off. He wasn’t too sure. Shawn turned towards Gus, “Right well, you ready to go on an adventure?”
“I don’t know Shawn. I’m quite content right here with all these police officers offering protection.”
“Come on Gus Man. Whoever was here was most likely a child.” He paused and did a dramatic gasp, “Or a dwarf.”
“How do you know that?”
“The branches are only disturbed to about 3 feet and the shoe print is small…” Shawn trailed off as he noticed something odd about the print.
Gus, already accustomed to how his friend sees things that normal people don’t, “What? What is it?”
“It’s just the shoe print. There’s lines from the indents of the soles, but there’s an empty spot. Look.” Both of the self-proclaimed detectives crouched down to get a closer look.
“That is odd. But I don’t see how it helps us.”
“Oh Gus, Gus, Gus. Find the person with the shoe, and we’ll find our witness. And judging by all the trees just like this one. I’m sure our mystery guy will be found in the forest.”
“No way Shawn. No way. I’m not going to follow you through some creepy forest where a lady was just murdered!” Oh yeah. There is a murderer on the loose.
“Scaredy cat. Scaredy cat.”
“Stop Shawn. That isn’t going to work.”
“Gus is a scaredy cat. Gu-”
“Fine! I’ll go find this… witness with you.”
He held a hand to his chest, “Oh Gus, you’re so kind.” That got a slight ego-inflating smile out of his friend.
“I am. Now, where do we begin?”
“I’m glad you asked Guster. I already have a trail that we can follow.” Honestly this mystery witness, (Who Shawn hopes is a dwarf) could be a little more careful.”We’ll just follow the broken branches to the pot of gold.”
“That’s not even the right comparison Shawn. A pot of gold is at the end of a rainbow.”
“Huh.” His brows raised slightly. “Ehh? Close enough.” He pointed in the direction where the snapped branches led. “This way.”
“If I die. I’m going to kill you.” Ahh, he wouldn’t have it any other way.