Ice the cat (fanfic)

[Ice the frosty cat]

Since this isn't eligible for the fanfic contest, I'm posting it here so people can read it <<

Chapter one

Fifteen years ago…on a cold winter’s night, a small, baby anthropomorphic cat was found on the borders of Xeaglis, the main city in the Xeagles forest which overlooked Westopolis.
A whoosh sounded through the dense trees as the royal guard for Xeaglis flew by, searching for possible danger to the forest. As would be expected, he was a Xeagle. A Xeagle was a blue fluff ball about the size of an adult human’s fist. They had green wings with doughnut like holes in the center which were shaped slightly different in every Xeagle, much like the fingerprints of a human, or the stripes of a tiger. They also had cone shaped prongs on the end of their arms, which were sticky, allowing them to pick things up without the need for fingers.
The royal guard’s name was Xargle. He took his job very seriously and had alerted Xeaglis to danger on at least three occasions.
Little did he know that this night would change his life forever.
He flew through the pouring rain, his shift nearly over and he was looking forward to getting some sleep in his warm bed.
He was wistfully thinking about this when a shriek sounded nearby. He was alerted to his senses and readied his spear. Perhaps a Xraptor had gone rouge. Xraptors were lizard-like creatures which resembled the Tyrannosaurus Rex in means of shape. However, they lacked arms and eyes. But this was made up for with the fact that they had hundreds of razor sharp teeth on each row of their mouths.
The Xeagles used them for battle but they didn’t get much danger around here.
But Xargle didn’t see one. What he did see, was a small pile of leaves, the wailing emitting from here.
Cautiously, in case of ambush, Xargle slowly flittered forward and descended a few inches away from it. He brushed a few leaves off and jumped back, in case it was a trap. What he unveiled was a purple cat anthro, wrapped in a shawl, which looked to be a year or so old. Still cautious, Xargle gave it a poke with the end of his right prong. The cat’s wailing lessened, aware that it wasn’t alone. Xargle lifted himself into the air to get a better look at it. As he came into view, the cat suddenly stopped crying and gazed at Xargle.
As the cat stared at him Xargle knew he couldn’t leave it behind. He lifted it up its head and as he did, a little slip of paper slipped out of the shawl.
Puzzled; Xargle read it.
“This is Ice…my son…
Due to circumstances out of my control, I am forced to abandon him…
I don’t want him to suffer so I’m entrusting him to the only ones I trust with him…the Xeagles
May he always remember me…his loving Mother…
Thank youâ€ÂÂ
Xargle was confused.
Circumstances out of her control? What could this possibly mean?
He didn’t know this, and he had a few other questions which couldn’t be answered.
But he did know one thing.
The cat’s name was Ice! And he had to take care of him…no matter what!

 

[EngWii]

It's good, 1000000 times better than what i could do, and it managed to keep my attention

 

[VGS]

Awesome story Ice, can't wait for part 2!

 

[Ice the frosty cat]

You don't have to wait long then
I've already written the entire story, but I'm rewriting it. I'm up to chapter 7, but once I get back to school I can continue writing =D


Chapter two

Ice sat down on his bed. He’d just got back from air boarding all day and he was knackered.
He was also starving but that could wait till morning…he just wanted to rest now.
He sat down and picked up a book. Xargle had recommended it to him, but Ice found it really boring and fell asleep after a few pages.
He was eleven years old now, and his life mostly revolved around boarding. The sheer thrill and adrenaline rush he got from it was enough to make him love it. He had little other interests…
He hated running and it tired him out, and he was useless at accuracy. Same with balance. To combat this, Ice had constructed a pair of balance bracelets. They weren’t very effective but they helped Ice improve his boarding and although he no longer needed them, he had become accustomed to them and wore them out of habit.
He had a natural gift with building boards. His current board was pretty crappy but he’d had it for five years and he couldn’t bear to build a new one.

Xargle had told him that the Xeagles had rejected Ice and he had been taken to court over it. But he won the rights for Ice to live with him in the royal house.
That was back when Xargle was the guard. He was now the lead scientist and worked in the testing center.

Ice suddenly awoke with a jolt as he heard scuffling outside and some tree branches snapping. He went to the window and saw something fleeing.
Ice was puzzled. He had no idea what it was.
Quietly, he exited the royal house and took a look behind it. In the distance he could just about make out something running off.
Anxious to know what it was, Ice ran after it, wishing he’d brought his board.
It seemed to have stopped now, seemingly thinking it wasn’t being chased.
Not wanting to alert it to his presence, Ice stepped behind a tree.
“What is it…†he asked himself as he slowly advanced towards it.
“Damn!†Ice said as he stepped on a tree branch.
The figure ahead turned around and spotted him and bounded off. Ice gave chase, all the while getting closer to it.
Just as he might have been able to identify it, a building came into view.
That’s right…a building…in the middle of the forest. It was a massive grey building that was billowing smoke like there was no
Tomorrow. It was more of a concrete cube than a building with some chimneys
and windows placed here and there. Ice’s eyes narrowed in rage.
He then remembered what he was here for and looked around wildly, gasping for breath after the chase. But he couldn’t see it anywhere.
He gave up and opened the door to the building and stepped inside.
It was pretty musty and dark and he had no idea what it was used for.
Ahead was a door with a pin-code.
“Damn!†Ice said as he noticed it.
‘Password denied!†the computer said as he typed a random number in. Ice furrowed his brow and tried again.
‘Password denied!†it repeated.
After a few more tries it said
‘Password denied! Intruder alert! Activating guard bots!’
“Crap…†Ice said as two doors opened up on both sides of him. He inched back as two masse robots stepped out.
“Target acquired!†The one to his left said in a robotic voice. It looked pretty well put together. Whoever made it was pretty skilled.
“Activating identification lights!†the other one said, raising its arm. A light suddenly turned on and almost blinded Ice. He sank to the ground and backed away.
He was in serious trouble. What could he do?

Edit: ^^ that was my 100th post *Kenny Lucario gains 100 coins*

 

[Ice the frosty cat]

Chapter 3

The two guard robots were advancing on him. If he didn’t act soon he’d be killed by them. He looked behind him. His only exit was blocked by a metal blast door. He wasn’t going down without a fight!
“Unable to identify intruder! Proceeding to capture and terminate!â€ÂÂ
Not if he could help it.
Ice reared back and jumped up, then ran down the shadowy corridor, avoiding the nets the shining robots were firing at him.
“Capture failed; proceeding to destroy!â€ÂÂ
Ice stopped right in front of them as he heard this. The guard raised its arm and a deadly plasma ball quickly began charging on the tip of the gun.
Giving it a little think over, Ice decided to use this to his advantage. He dodged behind the other robot, swivelling the aim of plasma ball.
“Energy charge complete! Firing!†It said robotically as the plasma left the tip of the gun.
“Cease fire!†the other one said. But too late. To avoid the blast, Ice leapt through the center of the two robots. The blast hit the robot’s comrade, completely incinerating both robots and the wall they were standing in front of.
Ice rubbed a hand over his forehead, wiping the sweat away.
“That was really close…†he said, stepping over the piles of ash.

He walked into the room ahead. It was pretty dark. He seemed to be on a platform of some kind. The rest of the room seemed to be dedicated to a factory. Ice walked to the rails and looked down. There were conveyor belts pulling chassis’s across with robotic arms welding pieces on. Above him he could hear grinding. Looking up showed a circular saw cutting pieces of metal, evidently for the robots. Behind him was another platform, higher up, which held three completed versions of the robots being built. One was slightly bigger than the others.
There didn’t seem to be any other place he could get to. He’d have to fly to get to the other platforms, which probably led to other room.
Ice turned around to leave and walked towards the door.
“Damn!†he said, turning the handle. The door seemed to be locked.
Before he could think up another plan, there was a huge clank behind him as something crashed onto the platform. He whipped around and came face to face with one of the completed robots. But the way it moved suggested it was being controlled manually.
“Who on earth are you?†Ice recklessly shouted.
It remained silent for a few seconds, and then a musty voice sounded through the glass cockpit. “I thought I recognised you! So…Ice…we finally meet! I missed doing your parents in, when I was so close! But you’ll do instead!â€ÂÂ
Ice’s eyes narrowed. “You tried to kill my parents! Is that why I ended up with the Xeagles?â€ÂÂ
It ignored him. “You realise that you’re not getting out of here alive? You don’t need to know this stuff!â€ÂÂ
“First of all, you’re not killing me, and second, the Xeagles will destroy this place! It’s tearing up the forest, they can’t allow it!â€ÂÂ
“So arrogant…†the robot’s controller said in annoyance “This place is protected from any means of destroying it that those pathetic fluff balls have!â€ÂÂ
“What?†Ice said in amazement “How could you know all the ways they could attack? It’s all top secret; even I don’t know anything of it,â€ÂÂ
“That’s easy!†the cockpit sprung open, and the robot’s controller left its seat and hovered in the air.
“What!?!†Ice said in shock. For the controller was in fact, a Xeagle.
“My name is Dr. Xelli!†He said in a rough voice. “I was the head scientist for little more than a few weeks, until they ripped me of my place; saying my brilliant ideas would disrupt the forest…those fools…I could have utilised the forest for energy…But that’s beside the point! Your parents destroyed important blueprints for the robots you see being built around you! If I can’t kill them then I’ll kill you instead!â€ÂÂ
He continued to ramble, but his voice faded out as Xelli mentioned the robots.
It was built pretty well, as the guard robots he’d just destroyed had been. It was a rectangular shape with four legs on each side. These didn’t have hinges and were completely straight, giving Ice the impression that they pushed the robot, rather than taking it.
“Ice!†Xelli shouted at him. “I thought you were interested to hear about this…but as you don’t seem bothered, I’ll finish you off now!†He dropped back into the robot and closed the cockpit.
Ice stepped back, grimacing. His hands found the rail and it struck him with inspiration. The robot moved towards him.
“Later!†he said as he jumped off the rail, intending to land on the platform below. But Xelli was ready for him and as soon as he jumped, a metallic claw reached out of the body and grabbed him. It dragged him back up and pinned him to the wall.
“Crap…†Ice said as he realised it was the wall with the saw on it.
“Don’t bother struggling Ice! My Spidbot has reinforced armour, you can’t budge it!â€ÂÂ
Ice desperately tried anyway, but as Xelli said, he couldn’t move. His hands were free but he was unable to use them in any way at all.
Ice shut his eyes as the saw closed in on him; Xelli laughing all the way.
“No!†Ice whimpered.
He felt it begin to cut at him. Desperate to stop it, he tried pushing at the axel.
“What!†Xelli shouted. Ice felt the saw stop and opened his eyes. It had unbelievably, turned into ice.
“I don’t know how you got yourself out of that one, but you won’t be so lucky this time!†He pressed another button and another arm reached out of the body, this one wielding yet another saw.
“I have an assortment of tools which can be exchanged at anytime in this robot,†Xelli said, noticing Ice’s expression.
Ice felt himself going faint. The last thing he saw was a flurry of blue specks.

***

Ice opened his eyes. Light streamed through the windows, forcing him to squint.
He glanced around. He seemed to be in Xyip’s hospital. Xyip was another Xeagle town, and also the town which took care of medical needs.
He looked down at himself and pulled off the quilt covering him, expecting to see no legs or something gruesome like that. Thankfully, the worst damage was a gash in his side.
“What happened?†Ice said to himself. “How did I survive?â€ÂÂ
“I’ll explain that,†A Xeagle said, noticing he was awake. “Security cameras picked up footage of you entering Xelli’s factory, Xargle was alerted and rounded up a rescue team, me included…when we found you, Xelli was about to finish you off, so we broke open the cockpit, knocked Xelli out and deactivated the robot…in doing that, the hand keeping you against the wall retracted in, leaving you to fall to the ground…Xelli recovered quickly and set two more of those robots on you, so we grabbed you and retreated out…and we brought you here…Xyip’s hospital!â€ÂÂ
“Erm…thanks,†Ice grinned at him. A nurse flew into the room.
“Ah! You’re awake…once I get this bandage on that wound; you’re free to go…but you sprained your leg when you fell…to be safe, don’t go air boarding for at least a month…you’ll just make it worse,â€ÂÂ

***

Ice sat in his room, on his bed, throwing a ping pong ball into the air and catching it.
His door opened and Xargle flew in.
“Ice…why did you go to Xelli’s factory?†he asked.
“There was something outside which woke me up, I was chasing it to try and find out what it was,â€ÂÂ
Xargle grunted. “It was reckless Ice, don’t do it again!â€ÂÂ
Ice scowled
“Anyway, I came in here to tell you…we saw the disc turn into ice,†he continued.
Ice sat up “Really?â€ÂÂ
“Yep! As a matter of fact, you did it!†Ice sat there, stunned. “Now, we could help you harness these powers, but only if you’ll co-operate…guess we know where you got your name from now,†He added, grinning.
“Sure, I’ve got to do something to contain my boredom!â€ÂÂ

 

[Ice the frosty cat]

Ice glanced around the testing center. It was essentially a large armoured hall which held a number of cool inventions. There was a machine that created slime like creatures which were mostly used for Xeagle soldiers who were training.
Speaking of which, the Xraptors were kept here. There was a pen round the back for them to run around in so that they didn’t go mad and attempt to escape… it didn’t always work though. He could remember numerous times that a Xraptor had to be put down due to it going insane.
Xeagle soldiers rode these for battle, but the scientists who worked here were working on a robot which acted as a suit of armour and was much better built for attack. It was unlikely that they’d ever need these…as the Xeagles were peaceful. But now Ice reckoned that it would be the sort of thing they fought Xelli with…
Under request, Xargle had built a virtual boarding track for him to train in without having to leave Xeaglis. Ice had used it very often
He knew Xargle was hiding a lot of top secret stuff from him. He’d only scraped the surface of what was hidden in this building.

Xargle directed him to a pad next to a wall with a super computer on either side of it, the monitor being a hologram.
Ice had seen this before but Xargle wouldn’t tell him what it was for. He’d soon find out, he guessed.
“Now Ice, this could take some time…try to keep still and don’t open your eyes! It will be way too bright and it could damage your eye-sight!†Xargle instructed him.
Ice stepped onto it.
“Right, I’m ready,†He said, closing his eyes.
Xargle put some safety goggles on. “Starting the process now!†He pressed a button. After some whirring of the machine, Ice saw the light get much lighter through his eyelids. Xargle was right. It was awfully bright.
“What the?†Ice heard Xargle say.
“What is it?†Ice said, trying to open his eyes, but the light hadn’t dimmed at all, forcing him to close them again.
“Wait till we’re finished Ice! I’ll tell you everything then!†Xargle replied.

“I’m done!†Xargle said, about half-an-hour later. The light dimmed down. Ice opened his eyes and stiffly walked round the computer to see what it was.
There was a diagram of himself, with two lines pointing at separate parts of his body, a box on the other end; one saying ‘Ice claw’ and the other saying ‘Frost floor’
“From what we’ve discovered so far, you have two different powers…to use them, you need to say a specific phrase and tap into your inner strength,â€ÂÂ
Ice glanced back at the hologram.
“I assume the phrases are on there,â€ÂÂ
“Yep!†Xargle nodded “The first; Ice claw, is a simple freezing move, made more powerful depending on how well you tap into your strength…it’s also the one you used in Xelli’s factory…â€ÂÂ
“Got it,†Ice grinned.
“The second, I assume, summons ice cold particles onto your fingertips, which you can then throw onto the floor to freeze it, allowing you to skate along it for faster movement…We’re going to keep studying this and search for any other powers you might possess, but you need to practice the ones we’ve found…they wont be much use otherwise…â€ÂÂ
“Right,†Ice said, smirking.
***

“Damnit!†Ice said as a big rock bounced off his head.
“Ice! For gods sake concentrate!†Xargle shouted at him.
Ice rubbed his temple. This was harder than he had expected.
“Do you really expect me to be any good at this already? I don’t even know how to tap into this so called “Inner strengthâ€ÂÂ
Xargle snorted. “You’ve done it before! It should come to you naturally!â€ÂÂ
Ice sighed. Was he ever going to need to use these powers?
“Right! Let’s try again!†Xargle shouted “Ready the rock catapult,â€ÂÂ
“Xargle…why don’t we just put the rock on the ground?â€ÂÂ
Xargle glared at him “We’re trying to trick your body into thinking that it’s in danger…â€ÂÂ
And without further warning, the catapult launched and sent a rock flying towards Ice’s stomach. He shrieked and put his hand in front of him to try and stop it. Strangely, he felt a wave of cold emit from his fingers and saw a sheet of ice form on the edge of the rock which promptly stopped and fell to the floor.
“Well done Ice!†Xargle cried “Do you know how to do it now?â€ÂÂ
Ice frowned “Well, no, that was an accident…â€ÂÂ
“It should be easier now; your body has an idea of what’s happening…†Xargle said, also frowning. “Let’s just keep trying, you’ll get it eventually…â€ÂÂ


***

Ice grinned. At least two months had passed. Xargle was pleased with Ice’s improvement, so he had let him go and do what he wanted. Ice was relieved at this. All day he had to practise, and by the time he could go, he was too tired to do anything else.
So he finally had a chance to go boarding.
He’d built a difficult course, which involved boarding down a fallen tree, going through a rock filled cave and going down the highest waterfall in the forest.
He was standing at the top of the tree, going over the course in his head. He didn’t want to get himself killed after all.
“Right!†Ice said to himself “I’m ready!†He clicked a button on his board and jumped on it. He was soon roaring down the tree going as fast as he could.
Ice loved the adrenaline rush he got from it.
Glancing down, he saw the cave ahead and gave a little jump to turn a few degrees left so that he’d go through it.
“Too easy!†Ice shouted, manoeuvring past all the rocks “It’s almost not a challenge!â€ÂÂ
His board moved over a bump, shaking Ice a little. He then made a big mistake and looked back. Instantly, his board collided with a rock, sending him spiralling out of control. The edge of his board collided with a smaller rock, tipping it and throwing Ice out of the exit. He desperately looked around for something to grab onto and gave a sigh of relief as he spotted a rotting branch sticking out of the cliff face. He grabbed onto it and put his feet into a nook on the cliff to lessen the weight on the branch.
He was wondering what to do next when his board bounced off his head, causing him to flinch and remove his feet from the nook. The extra weight on the branch caused it to snap, sending Ice plummeting to the ground below.
“Oh dear…†He said pathetically. He saw his board break on the rocks next to the river. If he’d have caught it, he could have saved himself by boarding down the waterfall.
“…Wait!†Ice said, suddenly obtaining an idea. He turned to the waterfall “Frost floor!†trying the best he could to activate his second power. As fate would have it, he managed to do it. It seemed a lot easier when he was in danger. The shimmering particles flew from his fingertips and landed on the gushing water, instantly freezing it. As he neared the bottom, he turned away and stuck his legs back so they were touching the ice and as it began to curve, he threw out another batch of particles to freeze another segment. This allowed him to skate. He curled his hand out again, to freeze one more patch of water to let him get back to land, but his powers failed and he splashed into the water.
ââây…†Ice breathed as he climbed out of the river, a few dozen feet later.


***

He’d have to build a new board…boarding was his life after all. He’d got all his previous parts from the testing center…best do it again.
He knocked on the door. Xargle opened a few seconds later.
“Ice, I thought we said we’d contact you if something came up…â€ÂÂ
“Yeah,†Ice said in reply “But I lost my board after an accident, I need some new parts to make a new one,â€ÂÂ
“Accident…?†Xargle asked “Never mind…just keep quiet, we’re analyzing your data,â€ÂÂ
Ice stepped in, only to be interrupted by a crash behind him. There were several hundred Spidbots standing behind him, looking a lot different to the one he’d previously fought.
He suddenly became of Xargle flittering behind him.
“Get the shields up as soon as we’ve repelled them far enough!†Xargle said, shouting to the rest of the staff “Release the Xraptors!â€ÂÂ
Doors opened on the walls of the testing center, and the dinosaur-like Xraptors jumped out. One sniff of the air and they knew who to fight.
They rampaged forward and clamped down onto the closest Spidbot and began crushing it but as it buckled, an energy shield erupted from it, throwing them back. Ice had to leap back to avoid the Xraptor hitting him.
“What!†Ice shouted “But Xargle made sure the Xraptors could take on the Spidbots!â€ÂÂ
Xargle reappeared at his side and took a good look at the advancing robots.
“He’s redesigned them!â€ÂÂ
Xargle was right; the legs were defiantly of a different fashion.
“Ice! Can you hold them off while I get the civilians in here?â€ÂÂ
Ice hesitated “Yes! Of course!â€ÂÂ

 

[Ice the frosty cat]

Four years passed.
The Spidbots were too much for the Xraptors and they were defeated.
Luckily, they’d managed to save some of the Xeagles from the nearer cities plus everyone from Xeaglis. But everyone else was toast.
Every building in the forest had been knocked down and destroyed. All except for the testing center which had reinforced armour and an energy shield protecting it.
The energy would only last so long and Xelli was waiting for it to burn out so he could begin his assault on the building, so Xargle hadn’t wasted any time on building a cannon which would devastate the Spidbots and decimate Xelli’s factory. The only problem was how to power it.
After much research, Xargle finally came up with a way to do it.

***

“That’s it!†Xargle cried joyfully. Ice’s ears pricked up and he span round to face him.
“No way!†He said in shock and excitement.
“Yes! I’ve got a way we can power this cannon! All we need is chaos energy!†Xargle replied, happily spinning in the air.
Ice frowned “What’s chaos energy?†he asked.
“Chaos energy, is the most powerful energy in existence…also the rarest…it can be used to stop or slow down time, warp and a number of other things…most of them are performed by using Chaos control…apparently,†behind Xargle was a wikipedia page entitled “Chaos energyâ€ÂÂ
“…so where do we get it from?†he asked.
“…that’s the hard part,†he replied, biting his lip “They’re only found in chaos emeralds…which are scattered around the world…â€ÂÂ
Ice raised his eyebrow “then how are we supposed to get them? We can’t get out of the forest with all these guys around…â€ÂÂ
“We should be able to get you out…after all, your air board is supposed to be much faster than your old one, which was pretty fast in itself…yet if they see you, they’ll shoot…we’ve got a bit of a predicament here…â€ÂÂ
Ice thought for a minute.
“Would either a flash bomb or a smoke bomb work?â€ÂÂ
“…Brilliant Ice! We’ve got an ancient smoke bomb lying around here…we can use that and you can make your get away!â€ÂÂ
Ice picked up his board. If it didn’t work then he was dead. After all, he hadn’t tested it. The simulator took a lot of power. They needed to conserve this for the shield…which was dying. According to the meter they had on the machinery, it would run out in about four months.
“What happens if I don’t get back in time?†Ice asked grimly.
“…The battle robots are almost complete, we’ll try and fend them off until you get back,â€ÂÂ
Ice then realised something.
“Where on earth am I going to find them?â€ÂÂ
Xargle blinked and turned back to the monitor. After a few minutes he replied
“They apparently track each other…but that wont help if you don’t have any…This guy should be able to help,†He added, clicking on a picture of a blue hedgehog to enlarge it.
“He’s an expert, and I’m sure he’ll help if you explain the circumstances to him,â€ÂÂ
Xargle picked up the smoke bomb. “You ready?â€ÂÂ
Ice gulped “Yeah…â€ÂÂ
Xargle opened the door. “Deactivate the shields!†He shouted. The scientists looked surprised but did as he said. Xargle launched the smoke bomb out and it began to engulf the air.
“Go!†he shouted. Ice jumped on his board and kicked the ignition. He boosted past the advancing Spidbots who were losing him in the thick haze. The edge of his board chipped the side of one of the remaining trees but he managed to stay on.
He was close to the outskirts now. As the city came into view, he stopped, sure that the Spidbots were no longer after him.
He gazed curiously at the city, anxious to find the emeralds as fast as he could.
He was pondering where he could find this so called “expert†when he felt something come into contact with his head. Instinctively he twisted around and shouted
“Ice claw,â€ÂÂ
Four years of almost nothing else to do, Ice had recently perfected his powers, yet Xargle hadn’t picked anything else up.
Too late, he realised, it was a Xeagle, a familiar one at that, now frozen on the ground. He picked it up and smashed the ice encasing it. It gave a little shiver and sighed.
“Suppose it’s only fair…I hit you, you freeze me…I really should look where I’m going,â€ÂÂ
Ice turned his head sideways and raised his eyebrow, to signify curiosity and confusion “Why did you leave the testing center? It’s dangerous out here,â€ÂÂ
The Xeagle glanced sideways “Just before Xargle closed the door, I persuaded him to let me go with you…I can’t stand waiting so I just had to come with you…â€ÂÂ
“…Not smart…whoever you are…†Ice said, still frowning.
“Don’t you remember me? You idiot! I’m Xeags!â€ÂÂ
Ice gave a little gasp as he remembered the little Xeagle he met in the hospital after fighting Xelli.
“You…Well…I guess if its fine with Xargle then it’s alright with me,†Ice said, grinning.
The two of them made their way down the Cliffside, to get to the town below.
“Westopolis…†Ice said, glancing at the sign board by the entrance
Something suddenly clicked in Ice’s head.
“Where are we going to stay!?!†he said in distress “I’ve got no money!â€ÂÂ
Xeags rolled his eyes and swung a tiny backpack off his shoulders.
“One of the reasons Xargle let me go was because of this…I’ve got about a thousand Xhings in here…It should convert to ten thousand dollars apparently,â€ÂÂ
“…good thinking,†Ice grinned.
“It should just about get us into a flat…not a house mind you; they’re way too expensive,â€ÂÂ
“Why don’t we just check into a hotel?†Ice said, pondering the thought.
“…we’ve got no idea how long this is going to take; we might as well buy a flat,â€ÂÂ
Ice gave a little nod, wondering how long it really was going to take.

***

Ice entered his new flat. It was pretty nice, but he didn’t like the colour scheme much. He’d prefer it if it was blue.
“Might as well get straight down to business,†Ice said, spinning around and walking out the door.

It was a pretty noisy town. Ice pondered this as he and Xeags trekked round the city, looking for the blue hedgehog Xargle had mentioned. But they had no luck.
Ice grunted “At this rate we’ll never get the emeralds! The forest’ll be…†his voice trailed off as he noticed a tattered poster in a shop window.
It had a picture of two anthros on boards with cheesy writing, advertising a competition.
Apparently the prize was a thousand dollars, but Ice wasn’t interested in that. He wanted to see how his years of boarding through the forest would fair against other professionals.
And by chance, the contest started today.
“Apply in here,†it said at the bottom. Ice looked down at his board and grinned.
“Ice! You can’t let that distract you! We’re here to get the chaos emeralds and that’s it!â€ÂÂ
Ice sighed “We’re obviously not getting anywhere…why not enjoy ourselves for the first time in years…who knows, this could help us find him…â€ÂÂ
Xeags sniffed “Fine! It’s only the whole forest at stake,†and with that, he zoomed off.
Ice stared at the corner he’d gone round for a few seconds, then shook it off and walked into the shop to enter.

***

Ice approached the track, clutching his board nervously.
There seemed to be dozens of racers, most of whom looked pretty confident and professional. A group of three birds caught his eyes in particular.
This was not going to be easy.
A bell suddenly sounded. Ice snapped to attention and took his place at the starting line as the others were doing.
Five red lights lit up on a board suspended by two blue robots hovering in the air.
They dimmed out as it counted down to the beginning of the race. Ice stepped back a bit for a run up
All five lights turned green and racers jumped on their boards. Annoyed by the surprise, he leapt forwards and onto his board sailing through a pile of novices who’d crashed a few feet from the start.
He speeded down a slope, ducking due to another racer being knocked off his board by one of the birds he saw earlier.
Barely having time to recover, he went over a ramp, span his board round himself and crashed to the ground. He caught a glimpse of his left balance bracelet rolling off his arm but couldn’t do anything about it. He was too busy trying to regain balance in the first place.
His crash to the ground caught the attention of the birds ahead of him. Not wanting to look like a fool, he boosted forward.
“Ice claw!†he shouted taking a swipe at the grey bird.
“How dare you!†the green one gasped as its friend became enveloped by ice.
Ice gave an angry expression and boosted again, took the lead and jumped onto a half-pipe.
“Jet! Don’t just stand there, do something,âââ a third one, this time purple, shouted at him.
He head Jet scowl but didn’t know what he was doing. He turned around to find out, only to be slapped by one of Jet’s wings and get knocked off the pipe.
He angrily glared at him and was about to say something, but he felt something else come into contact with his head. He didn’t need to turn around to see who it was. The purple bird moved past him, holding a rather large wrench.
Both the back of his head and cheek was smarting now. The group of birds took advantage of his pain and moved forwards.
He shook his head and boosted forward, aware of a few racers behind him.
He skidded around a turn and heard a few crashes. He guessed the turbulence he was leaving behind ended as he turned. The other racers must have been using it to catch up with him. He grinned as he worked this out and leapt over another ramp. But to his annoyance a squirrel landed in front of him, after using the flight rings above him.
He tried to manoeuvre past her, but her fluffy tail got in his way, distracting him.
He grabbed it and threw it out of the way in frustration. The squirrel gave him a quick customary glance then boosted forward skidding around the corner.
Ice scowled and attempted to catch up with her. She was right in front of him now.
He was about to freeze her, but then she stopped and he realised the race was over. He’d passed the finish line without noticing.
He looked at the scoreboard above him.
Apparently the first five racers went through.
On the board above them was a picture of Jet, the purple bird (who seemed to be called Wave) the squirrel, himself and a bear.
The squirrel caught his eye. Her name was Bushy. She seemed pretty skilled. He wondered how good she was at boarding while he was making his way back home.

***

Ice sighed as he stared at tomorrows designated track from his balcony. It didn’t look easy, but it was necessary to learn or he didn’t stand a chance.
Xeags had been ranting about the whole thing after he’d come home.
But when Ice asked if he found the hedgehog after searching all day, he blinked and shut up.
Ice grinned as he thought of this.
He heard movement from the balcony below. Leaning over revealed Bushy; the squirrel from the race earlier. What a coincidence!
He gave little thought about jumping down. Bushy gave a little gasp with shock.
“It’s you…†she frowned, obviously expecting it to be someone else.
Ice turned his head slightly “Who did you think I was?â€ÂÂ
Bushy gave a little sigh “The Babylon rouges,â€ÂÂ
“Who…?†Ice said, puzzled.
“Those birds, Jet, Wave and Storm,†she answered “Storm came sixth, and they blamed me for it…â€ÂÂ
Anger bubbled through Ice “What! How dare they…We’ll sort them out, don’t worry,†he grinned evilly

 

[Ice the frosty cat]

Chapter 6
Ice gloomily opened his eyes. He wanted to just go back to sleep, but the second race was today. He couldn’t miss that.
He took a quick glance at the clock as he walked past it. Then stopped
“This can’t be right!†He exclaimed. The clock said it was 25 past twelve. The race was about to start.
“Damnit!†he desperately cried as he grabbed his board, kicked off the wall and out of the room then hurtled down the stairs.
As he neared the course he saw the racers leap onto their boards and take off
“Shoot!†Ice shouted in frustration “They’ve already started,â€ÂÂ
He hopped onto his board, kicked the ignition and flew across the starting line, much to the delight of the audience.
The other racers were a lot further ahead. He had some serious catching up to do.
As he attempted to jump off a ramp, his board collided with the wall sending him spinning but just about landing the right way. However, he’d ended up in a power lane, knocked open by another racer. It was full of rocks and barrels, to try and deter other racers from taking the shortcut. He couldn’t turn back now, so he weaved in and out of them. He felt the back of his board bang into the rock he just passed. He heard a crack and realised that one of the spiky prongs which held the buttons had snapped off. Not only would this mean he couldn’t use a bunch of functions, it would also disrupt his balance.
Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and left the power lane behind.
Ahead was Bushy. Ice wiped the sweat off his forehead and boosted to catch up to her. Luckily that function hadn’t been disabled.
Bushy heard him coming and swivelled her head.
“Where were you?†she asked in annoyance.
“Overslept…†he replied dully as he jumped onto a half-pipe. Unfortunately; he slipped off again, due to the balance issues.
“…what?†Bushy responded bluntly.
“It was the first time in four years I’ve been able to sleep properly,†he answered. Bushy gave him a curious look.
“Tell you later…we’ve got company,†he said. Jet and Wave were right behind them.
Without saying a word, Wave moved forward and knocked Bushy down an alternative fork in the track, whilst Jet followed Ice. Jet sniggered at him.
“You two are gonna pay! It’s your fault Storm’s been knocked out of this,â€ÂÂ
“…Ice…claw!†He shouted angrily, sweeping his hand at Jet, encasing his body in a case of ice.
“What!†Jet shouted in disbelief.
“I’m not taken down in such an easy way,†he replied in a serious voice. He moved in front of Jet and clicked two buttons. The look of fear in Jet’s eyes was obvious. Ice grinned, knowing he’d won. But Jet spread out his wings, shattering the ice.
“…Even so, you’re finished…†he murmured as his board span round; unleashing a tornado out of the end.
“Finally,†Jet snarled. He leaned back on his board, sending it shooting into the air.
“Wha-?†Ice exclaimed as Jet boosted down the eye sending him flying off his board. Luckily, he landed on his feet, as cats usually do. He grabbed his board as it fell and jumped back on, attempting to catch up with Jet.
“I spent the whole night practising that!†Jet cackled at him without looking back.
He jumped onto a half-pipe trying to sneak in front of him, but Jet must have seen it coming due to the fact that he smacked Ice with one of his wings, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
He was about to loudly curse when he heard Bushy and Wave nearing him.
“Teaches you to mess with me,†Bushy shouted at Wave. There was a huge crack down her board. Bushy must have smashed it. Now content with Wave, she spotted Ice standing up. She glanced at Jet who was nearing a corner ahead, scowled and then turned towards Ice.
“Get going!†she said in distress as she pulled him up.
“You didn’t have to…†Ice replied uneasily as he jumped on his board.
By now, Wave had caught up with Jet and they’d disappeared around the corner.
By the time Ice and Bushy had got round the corner, Jet and Wave had already crossed the finish line.
“Damn…†Ice said bitterly, his heart sinking.
“Tell me about it…the cheaters,†Bushy scowled.

***

Ice was making his way back to his flat dejectedly.
Xeags appeared at a corner, looked around, spotted him and flittered over to him.
“Ice!†He yelled “I’ve found him!â€ÂÂ
“What?†He said, puzzled.
“That blue hedgehog! Follow me!â€ÂÂ
Ice followed him and sure enough, standing in front of a shop window with a hand on his chin, eyes narrowed in annoyance.
Ice gasped and ran over to him.
The hedgehog noticed him and sighed.
“No autographs please,†as he turned to run off.
“It’s not that! I’ve been told that you’re the best person to ask for help,†Ice quickly said, scared that he’d lose him.
“…and what do you need help with?†he asked suspiciously.
“Long story…but I’ll explain anyway,†he added, noticing the hedgehog’s expression.
Before he could start he was aware there was someone standing behind him. Bushy stepped in front of him.
“Ice? Why did you just run off like that?†she asked him.
“Nice timing Bushy,†he said, choosing to ignore her question “I was about to explain the situation to…erm…†he began, realizing he didn’t know the hedgehog’s name.
“That’s a first,†it said, grinning “I’m Sonic,â€ÂÂ
“Erm, yeah…†Ice said pathetically “Anyway, like I said, I was about to explain the situation…â€ÂÂ
“Get on with it…†Xeags said impatiently
“Right…Anyway, you know that forest up there,†Ice started, pointing at the forest overlooking the town
“Yeah,†Sonic replied peering up at it.
“A solitary race called the “Xeagles†live up there…something happened to my parents so they took me in and cared for me…about five years ago, I met up with an evil tyrant called Dr. Xelli…he’s a real wiz with technology…Nobody liked his ideas in the short time he was the head scientist, so he left town and set up a factory…I stumbled upon it a few years ago, as I mentioned…he attempted to kill me, but thanks to several Xeagles, including Xeags, I managed to make it out alive…he seems to have a grudge against my family, because he mentioned something about trying to kill my parents…anyway, shortly afterwards, he and his robot army attacked Xeaglis, which is the main town in the forest…Xargle, the current head scientist, and I managed to evacuate a good number of Xeagles, but he murdered countless others…we were pushed into hiding in the testing center, protected by a shield…we had to use minimal energy to keep the shield going, and now the power’s running out…Xargle has managed to build a cannon which could decimate Xelli’s entire army and his factory…but we don’t have enough energy left to power it…â€ÂÂ
Bushy blinked at this long explanation but Sonic looked furious.
“Are you serious? I can’t ignore something like that…of course I’ll help,â€ÂÂ
Ice gave a sigh of relief. Especially as he noticed that Sonic was holding a chaos emerald. If he hadn’t of agreed to help, he would have been stuck.
“I’ve located two emeralds already; it won’t take long to find the other five,â€ÂÂ
“Two?†Ice asked
“Where’s the second,†Xeags continued
Sonic grinned and gestured into the window. Sitting on a stand was another emerald, this one green. It would cost five hundred dollars; according to the sign below it.
Ice gave a snort of dismay but Bushy spoke for him.
“How are we going to get that much money?â€ÂÂ
Sonic shrugged his shoulders “Search me…†he sighed.
Ice glared at Xeags “Yeah, we should have really spent almost ten thousand on that flat,â€ÂÂ
Xeags sniffed “How was I supposed to know this was going to happen,â€ÂÂ
“Hang on guys,†Bushy said, tilting her head to indicate thinking “The prize money for the tournament is double that…if we can just win, then we’ll be able to get it,â€ÂÂ
Xeags looked at her dumbfounded “Youâââling to risk something this important on a silly little boarding tournament!?!â€ÂÂ
“It’s the only thing we can do…we’ve got no other choice…†Ice sighed
Sonic grinned “I’ve got a friend who’ll be able to help us here…â€ÂÂ
He turned and ran off; Ice and Bushy shrugged at each other and hopped on their boards. Sonic was really fast.

***

“Yo, Tails,†Sonic greeted the fox who had just opened the door.
The fox, which Ice took to be Tails, grinned in amusement “Hey Sonic…took you long enough…did you get the emerald I said was in the hillsâ€ÂÂ
“Yeah,†Sonic replied, tossing it in the air. Tails smiled happily.
“Good! That’s going to make things a lot faster! Pass it here!â€ÂÂ
Sonic tossed the emerald over to Tails.
“Who are they?†Tails asked inquisitively, gesturing Ice and Bushy.
“Oh, right…this is Ice and Bushy…†Sonic quickly summarised what Ice had told him earlier.
“Hm…well if it’s going to save an entire species, then I can’t say no,â€ÂÂ
He began walking over to a table which had something covering in a cloth on it.
“You finally gonna show us what that is?†Sonic asked. Tails nodded in reply and pulled the sheet off it.
“It’s an improved emerald detector…at the moment it can only reach a few feet, which is considerably weaker than my first one…but with six emeralds it could go round the world…†and with that he popped the emerald Sonic had passed to him into a slot. There was a quiet hum from the machine as it registered the emerald. Tails smiled; it was obviously working. He then pressed a button and a holographic world popped up. A small segment of it was red, which Ice took to be Westopolis. An area on it was flashing. Tails’ eyes lit up and he zoomed in; the hologram now showed an aisle of shops.
“Sorry Tails…we found that one…it’s in a shop for five hundred dollars,â€ÂÂ
Tails’ ears drooped.
“Don’t worry†said Bushy confidently “Me and Ice are excellent boarders, if we either of us win this tournament, we can get the emerald!â€ÂÂ
Ice looked out of the window, it was getting dark.
“Hey Bushy, it’s getting late, we’d better head back to the flat…Sonic, Tails, we’ll meet up with you tomorrow,â€ÂÂ
“Alright, we’ll see you later,â€ÂÂ

 

[Ice the frosty cat]

Ice grinned as he woke up. He was finally going to make some progress on his task to save the forest. He walked down to Bushy flat, but before he could knock on the door, she burst out, knocking him to the ground.
“Ow…†he said weakly as he picked himself up. Bushy clasped her hands on her face as she realised what she’d just done.
“Ice! Are you ok?†She said, helping him up.
“Yeah…I’m fine,†he replied. He noticed Bushy was carrying her airboard.
“Any reason for that?†he said, pointing at it “I’m fine with walking,â€ÂÂ
Bushy raised her eyebrow at him “You’re going to walk in an airboard race?â€ÂÂ
Ice stared at her for a second before his brain clicked.
“Oh crap!†he shot back to his flat and grabbed his board.
“We’re gonna have to go meet up with those two to let them know,†Ice said solemnly.
Bushy nodded and the two of them made down the stairs.

***

“Here we are,†Ice said, spotting the fountain. Hearing this, Sonic turned his head and spotted them “Yo, Ice!â€ÂÂ
“Hey Sonic…We’d love to search for the emeralds, but the semi-final race is starting in…†Ice said, stopping to look at the clock “…Ten minutes…â€ÂÂ
“Ice! We need to get there immediately!†Bushy cried anxiously.
“No sweat,†Sonic grinned “The race is only a few roads away…we’ll come and watch,â€ÂÂ

***

Ice leapt over a ramp trying to keep up with Bushy. She sighed in annoyance as he thundered past her.
She didn’t really care. She was able to get back ahead with the flight rings ahead, which lead them onto a mountain.
“There they are!†Ice heard a familiar voice yell.
“Jet…†he murmured under his breath. Jet and Wave moved next to him. He gave them an angry glare and took a swipe at Jet. He missed but Jet still wavered, obviously faking it. Ice stared at him for a second trying to work out what he was doing, but was interrupted by Bushy yelling. He felt his board being pulled out from under his feet and quickly swerved his head round, his heart thumping as he felt it leave his feet. The next thing he saw was Wave clutching his board grinning like a maniac. He rolled over the edge of the cliff, despite his attempts to dig into the grass and blacked out as he banged his head on a rock.

***

Ice groaned as he regained consciousness. He was still lying on the grass and he could hear someone speaking over a loudspeaker. The race must have just finished. He tried to get up but he was too weak.
A figure appeared over him. He couldn’t see who it was though. Without another thought, he fainted again

He regained consciousness in a building. Whoever it was must have brought him here.
His vision was still fuzzy and he couldn’t make out where he was. But before he could blink he felt himself being pounced on.
“He’s awake!†he heard Bushy yell
Well, that solved the puzzle of who pounced on him. He blinked and cleared his vision
“Bushy…†he croaked weakly “Get off me…you’re crushing my legs,â€ÂÂ
“Oops…†she blinked getting off him.
Ice looked around. From what he could make out, he was in Tails’ workshop.
Ignoring this, he asked the question he’d been dying to know since he woke up
“Who won the race?â€ÂÂ
Xeags sighed “Typical,â€ÂÂ
“Jet,†Bushy replied “Followed by a chameleon,â€ÂÂ
Ice’s heart started thumping. If Bushy hadn’t come third then they had no chance of saving the forest. But then, Bushy didn’t look upset.
“You came third…right?†Ice held his breath.
“…no…†Bushy started; Ice sat there stunned for a moment “but Wave was disqualified and since I was right behind her, I moved up to third, so I’m just about still in it,â€ÂÂ
Ice breathed and got up.
“Kinda stupid isn’t it? In a race where anything goes, you can be disqualified for knocking someone off a cliff…â€ÂÂ
“I don’t think you quite read the rules properly Ice; it said anything goes as long as it doesn’t put another racer in danger of losing their life,†Bushy explained
Ice glanced at his balance bracelets. Unless he’d been possessed while making them, it wasn’t like they were going to kill someone.
“So when’s the final race?†he said, turning back to Bushy.
Bushy look up from fixing a crack in her board
“Oh…erm…†she stuttered, struggling to remember “Tomorrow afternoon,†she blurted out the second she remembered
“Sweet!†Ice grinned “I suppose it’ll be a change from being in the action, but it’ll do,â€ÂÂ

***

Ice was wandering around the town, looking for something to do while waited for the race to start. He finished off the hotdog he was eating and sighed. There was a library nearby, he could go in there and read for a bit.
He’d barely stepped in the direction of it before there was a crash behind him. He instantaneously span around to see a robot emerging from the jewellery shop containing the emerald.
“Figures,†Ice thought. If they were really as powerful as Xargle had told him, then there would be plenty of people out to get them for the wrong causes. He wasn’t going to let them get it without a fight.
He strode up, feeling foolish
“Hey! Put that back or there’ll be consequences,â€ÂÂ
He didn’t know why he bothered. After all, why someone would put back what they were stealing just because some random guy told them to. There was no logic to it and yet he still did it
“I don’t think so,†A voice shouted back from inside the machine. Ice questioned his action once again, then jumped at the robot
“Ice claw!†he shouted as his fist made contact with the robot, freezing part of it. Ice grinned as it slowly tried to move, suppressed by the ice encasing it. It was short-lived, however, as the ice shattered, destroying the casing of the robot, revealing a bald middle-aged man wearing a red coat.
“So who are you supposed to be?†Ice chuckled.
“I’m Doctor Eggman! The greatest ruler the world will ever know,†he growled.
“You aren’t going anywhere with that emerald though!†Ice said furiously, looking at the emerald in the robots claw. Eggman ignored him and pressed a button on the control panel. A second claw emerged from the robot and grabbed him.
“Hey!†Ice struggled as claw dumped him in a glass box on the back of the robot “Let me out of here now!â€ÂÂ
He tried shoulder-barging it but the glass was too tough. The robot took off into the air.
Ice banged on the glass, trying to get Eggman’s attention. He didn’t turn around but he scribbled on a piece of paper and held it up.
“The glass is too thick for me to hear you,†Ice read out. He scowled.

***

Sonic was running towards the track to meet up with Ice and Bushy. It was almost time for the race to start and he’d promised he wouldn’t miss it.
Something large passed overhead.
“Dammit Eggman! You always pick the worst times!†he muttered, noticing the Eggman logo on the base.
There was still about ten minutes left until the race started. He could defeat Eggman and get to the race just after it started. So he skidded to a halt and turned around.
Sonic gasped as he saw Ice in a glass box fixed to the back.
“Ice!â€ÂÂ
Ice didn’t seem to hear him, so he picked up a rock and threw it at the box.
The glass didn’t even crack but it attracted Ice’s attention. He banged on the glass saying something, but Sonic couldn’t hear anything at all.
He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed to Ice that he was going back to get Tails and ran off

***

Ice tumbled into another glass container, this one without a top. He was now able to talk to Eggman.
“What do you need me for?†He spat angrily
“Nothing much; my poor engines get so overheated nowadays, they do so much work…so you’re perfect for cooling it down! It’s nothing major, but with the threat that you pose I can’t leave you at large,â€ÂÂ
“Do you really expect me to help you?†Ice laughed. Without waiting for an answer he froze the glass and tried to smash it, but it remained intact.
Eggman smirked
“Yes I do,†He pushed a button on the wall and Ice felt a surge of electricity run through his body, conducted by the melting ice.
He collapsed to the floor and began panting. This man was sick.
“Are you going to help me now?†Eggman smiled viciously. Ice sat up disheartened. He was about to nod when he saw a blue blur fly in. He looked more closely, his heart jumping. He could see Tails in a blue plane giving him the thumbs up out the window; and he could also see Sonic standing behind Eggman.
“Of course not,†Ice laughed
“That does it!†Eggman reached towards the button again but found himself sprawled on the floor.
“Don’t you dare Egghead?†Sonic shouted furiously.
“You infernal hedgehog! I’ll get you!†Eggman cursed.
Sonic ignored him and pushed a different button. The glass container lifted up and freed Ice.
Ice grinned at him and ran towards a pipe at the edge of the room.
“Ice claw!†he shouted swiping at it. Ice clogged it up, preventing anything going through it.
“Meltdown imminent!â€Ãrough the room.
“What the?†Sonic shouted in surprise.
“You fool!†Eggman retorted “This whole factory is going to explode,â€ÂÂ
“Explode!?†Ice cried.
“Ice! Come on, we’ve got to get out of here,†Sonic ordered. He turned to the window and ran towards it. Ice started after him but remembered the emeralds and turned back.
“Ice! There’s no time,â€ÂÂ
“I’ve got to get them!†Ice gritted his teeth.
Eggman hopped back into his robot “See you later suckers,†and he flew out the window, causing Tails to duck.
Ice reached the emeralds and popped them out.
“Got them!†he called back to Sonic as he ran back.
“Get in! Quickly!†Tails shouted in distress. Ice reached the window and hopped in. Tails slammed the ignition switch and the plane took off; narrowly avoiding the explosion.
“Ice, be more careful what you destroy next time,†Sonic breathed as he wiped his forehead
“Whatever,†Ice sighed “just get to the race,†he was exhausted and just wanted to watch Bushy racing.

***

Bushy was doing pretty badly. She was distracted by the fact that Ice hadn’t shown up.
She glanced up at the screen which gave her a view of the crowd. She gave it a quick scan, like she had for the past few screens; but this time Ice was there with Sonic and Tails.
She grinned at the camera and cleared her head. She couldn’t lose now.

***

“The winner! Of the fifth annual Extreme gear tournament is Sherli!â€ÂÂ
Bushy was in despair.
“I was right by the finish line and she appeared out of no-where, as if she came through the wall,†she moaned glaring at the chameleon holding up the trophy ecstatically.
“Forget about it, we got the emerald,â€ÂÂ
“I can’t forget! We won’t be-†she broke off “What?â€ÂÂ
“We’ve got the emerald,â€ÂÂ
“But where did you get the money?â€ÂÂ
“We’ll tell you on the way back to my workshop,†Tails told her

***

“So now we have three emeralds because of an idiotic villain?†Bushy asked in amusement.
“Yep,†said Sonic as Tails added the two emeralds into the tracker.
“So where’s the closest emerald?†Ice asked, noticing there were two flashing areas.
“Mount Vesuvius; that volcano in Italy,â€ÂÂ
Ice grinned
“Ok then, we’ll set out tomorrow morning,â€ÂÂ

 

[Ice the frosty cat]

Chapter 8
“Tails, this is an active volcano right?†Bushy asked Tails.
“Yeah…don’t worry, it erupted a few weeks ago; it probably won’t erupt for another fifteen to fifty years; and even if it was close to another eruption, it would be unlikely to erupt while we’re here,†Tails replied.
Bushy blinked “If you say soâ€ÂÂ
Ice, Bushy, Sonic and Tails were on a boat to Italy; in hopes of being able to secure the emerald before Eggman showed up.
Ice heard a door opened and turned around. Sonic was poking his head round the door leading to the cabins. He had a fear of water and was just staying in his room.
“Are we nearly there?†he asked.
“Yeah,†Ice replied “We can see the dock now,â€ÂÂ
“Good†Sonic breathed “I don’t know how much longer I can last on this boatâ€ÂÂ
He retreated back to his room leaving Ice alone with Bushy and Tails.
Feeling awkward, he asked the first question that came into his head.
“Hey Tails, where did you get this boat from anyway?â€ÂÂ
“Oh-I borrowed it from a friend; his name is Big…he’s a cat too, this is his fishing boat,â€ÂÂ
“Tails, we’re coming in to the dock,â€ÂÂ
“Right,†He went over to the flags and pulled them down, then walked to the helm and steered in to the dock.
Sonic came out of the door looking a little sick.
“Ugh, Tails, why didn’t we just take the tornado?†he asked, burping.
“Remember when we left Eggman’s factory?†Tails replied.
“Yeah?â€ÂÂ
“He attached a tracking device onto the Tornado, knowing we were hunting the emeralds; there wasn’t time to remove it for reasons which would confuse you, so it was quicker to take the boat,â€ÂÂ
“I’m going to get Eggman one of the days,†Sonic scowled.
“Anyway,†Tails moved on “the volcano is near here; now that we’re closer, I can tell that the emerald is at the top,â€ÂÂ
“Well that’s just great isn’t it…†Bushy grimaced; she was apparently not looking forward to climbing a volcano.

***

“I hate Eggman, I really do!†Bushy cried out for at least the seventh time during their climb.
“Give it a rest Bushy, we heard you the first time,†Ice grunted as he hoisted himself up onto a platform.
“Yeah,†added Tails “at least we were able to avoid him,â€ÂÂ
“Or so you think?†a voice sneered. The four of them turned around and saw Eggman in his Egg-o-matic.
“Eggman,†Sonic scowled “how did you find us?â€ÂÂ
“You fools are so naive! It was painfully obvious that you’d find the tracker, so I planted a bug in Ice’s hair,â€ÂÂ
Ice gasped and felt through his hair; finding it quickly and crushing it in his hand.
“You have to admit, it was a pretty clever plan!†Eggman sneered “But now, I’m off to the top of the volcano to claim what’s mine!â€ÂÂ
“You’ll never get up there before us,†Sonic glared at him before rolling up into a ball and flying towards Eggman. Eggman growled and flew downwards; Sonic quickly unfurled and grabbed the edge to stop himself falling
“Hehe!†Eggman sniggered, grabbing the opportunity to whirl his machine round. Sonic gasped and slipped off.
“Sonic!†Tails shouted, kicking off the ledge and flying over to grab Sonic. Ice held his breath but, thankfully, Tails managed to fly back to the ledge below them.
“You can’t stop me now!†Eggman screeched in delight.
“Do you underestimate me and Bushy?†Ice said coldly.
“You are no match for me; stupid cat…†Eggman replied with a similar coldness.
Ice sighed and kicked off from the ground and landed on the front of Eggman’s robot. Eggman reached for the controls, but Ice kicked the glass window covering the cockpit.
Sonic; who had been climbing back up during this; rolled into a ball again and spin-dashed into the Egg-o-matic. It crashed onto the ledge, knocking Ice and Eggman onto the ground.
“Curses!†Eggman shrieked “I’ll get you for this, Sonic!â€ÂÂ
He reached into his pocket and a beep sounded. A jetpack appeared out of his backpack and he flew off.
“…A…jetpack?†Tails said in confusion “Eggman’s a super genius; surely he can come up with something better than a jetpack…â€ÂÂ
“Like it matters,†Bushy mumbled as she continued climbing.

***

“Finally there,†Bushy panted and she pulled herself on to the rim of the Volcano.
“I can’t see the emerald,†Sonic said, looking at Tails.
“Erm…†Tails said, flustered. He turned the tracking device on and zoomed in.
“Well? Where is it?†Ice asked, sweating a little from the heat. Tails blinked and look into the volcano.
“It’s on that rock pillar down there,†He replied, pointing to it.
“How can we get down there? Even if we get the emerald we could never get back up…†Ice wiped his forehead. He seemed to be more prone to heat than the others. It was understandable he thought.
Tails opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Bushy jumped off the edge.
“Are you mad Bushy!?!†Sonic shouted. Ice’s heart started thumping. What was Bushy doing!?
She leaned back and opened her arms and glided down to the pillar.
“Of course!†Tails said in shock “She’s a flying squirrel,â€ÂÂ
“No wonder she uses flight type boards…†Ice said quietly, his heart slowing down.
He watched Bushy pick up the emerald and turn around to wave to them. He was about to return it but a huge rumble shook the volcano.
“Tails! You said it wouldn’t erupt!†Sonic shouted over the rumbling.
“I don’t understand!†Tails replied “This is unnatural!â€ÂÂ
He glanced down at Bushy who was standing there in shock.
“Of course! The previous eruption was caused by the disturbance in the energy balance caused by the chaos emerald! With the emerald removed, the balance was shaken again; causing another eruption,â€ÂÂ
“Well that’s great Tails, but that won’t help Bushy!†Ice said quickly.
“Can you fix Eggman’s machine Tails?†Sonic said, coming up with an idea.
“I don’t know…I doubt it, as it was damaged pretty badly,â€ÂÂ
“What other choice do we have Tails? Bushy’s going to die if we can’t save her!â€ÂÂ
Tails stood there stunned for a second then nodded “Right; come on!â€ÂÂ
He hovered down the Cliffside to the destroyed robot.
“I’m staying here to watch what happens,†Ice said firmly as Sonic skidded down the cliff to join Tails.

***

“This isn’t going to work!†Tails cried as Sonic joined him “The engine’s broken…otherwise the only thing wrong with it are some snapped wires and the holes where you smashed through it,â€ÂÂ
“Why don’t you just use the chaos emeralds to power it?†Sonic said bluntly.
“We could, but we’d need a container to hold them in, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to control it; they’d just fly around the body and we wouldn’t get any decent power from it†Tails replied.
“Are you sure there’s nothing in the wreckage that could substitute for one?†Sonic asked.
“I don’t think so…†he replied, peering into the body of the robot.
“…I could hold them…†Sonic said distantly.
“Wouldn’t work,†Tails replied “The pain would kill you…Although if you spin-dashed in place, you might be able to resist the pain,â€ÂÂ
“Then let’s do it…there’s no other option,†Sonic grimaced.
Tails sighed but nodded “Just let me wrap the wires together…while I’m doing that, remove the emeralds from the tracker,ââ‚d picked it up. He pressed the catch and removed the emeralds.
“You done?â€ÂÂ
“Yeah, just about,†Tails replied, retrieving his head from the machine.
Sonic climbed through the hole, curled into a ball and began spinning. Tails hopped into the Egg-o-matic and powered it on. Electricity rippled through Sonic’s body, causing him to cry out. Tails gasped.
“Are you alright Sonic!?!â€ÂÂ
“Yeah! Just get Ice and Bushy quick!â€ÂÂ
Tails quickly thrust the control backwards, making the air craft rise to the top of the volcano where they were greeted by Ice.
“Quick, the magma’s rising fast!†He screeched.
Tails nodded and lowered the craft down to Bushy. She was standing on her toes to keep herself from being burned.
“Get on! Quick!†Tails called. Without hesitation, Bushy hopped into the air and scrambled into the machine. Tails swirled around and flew back to the rim where Ice got on.
“Phew…†Tails said as they flew back to the dock.
“Tails, where’s Sonic?†Bushy asked him. She was shaking hard. It must have been a terrifying experience.
“He’s powering the machine, that’s why I’m still hurrying even though we’re out of danger,â€ÂÂ
“What!†Ice began “Doesn’t he know-â€ÂÂ
But before he could finish his sentence, there was a huge eruption spraying lava all over the city. A pile of molten rock hit the Egg-o-matic, sending them spiralling out of control. Tails managed to steer them towards the boat even though the machine was plummeting at a great speed.
They crashed onto the bough and they all tumbled out, Sonic included. Both he and Ice were unconscious.
“Sonic?†Tails said quietly, poking him. Sonic moved but didn’t wake up.
“He’s fine…†Tails sighed in relief.

***

Ice opened his eyes. The boat was moving and they were far out to sea already.
“Finally awake Ice?†Bushy grinned at him.
“Yeah…what happened?†he replied
“We got hit by fall rocks of magma and we crash landed,†she answered, gesturing to the wreckage of the Egg-o-matic.
Ice got up and looked down on the deck. Sonic was rushing around panicking.
“Oh god the water! Get me out of here!†he yelled. Ice watched him for a couple of minutes, amused. He didn’t notice Tails approach him.
“I’ve just checked the location of the next emerald; it’s in the North Pole,â€ÂÂ
Ice swirled around.
“So why are we heading back to Westopolis when it would be quicker to go straight there now?†he asked.
“Because we now have adequate time to remove the tracking device set by Eggman so we’ll be able to take the Tornado,â€ÂÂ
“Fair enough,â€ÂÂ
“The North Pole…Surely it couldn’t be as bad as what they’d just been through,†he thought to himself “I hope…,â€ÂÂ