Tolouse's Story
A Sonic the Hedgehog story
by Kris Kelley
This story is protected by copyright laws. Feel free to distribute this
story, but the author does not allow any unauthorized alteration of the
story or distribution for profit.
Part 3.
Time went on, and the small band of refugees did the best they
could to keep living.
* * *
The 23 survivors began to pool their knowledge together, and
slowly, a village was born. The crude burrows they had slept in the
first night became a complex system of underground rooms and hallways.
They learned what plants could be used for food and medicine, and some
of the people even had hunting skills. The hovercar had had the
incredible luck of crashing near a small brook, so water was available
as well. It was not the city life they had known, but it was one they
could live.
The hovercar's radio provided their only way of knowing what was
going on. The hovercar's batteries were soon dead, but luck continued
to help them, as one of the group fashioned a hand-cranked generator out
of parts from the hovercar. By monitoring the Palace Guard and other
radio frequencies that Jean had had access to, they learned what was
happening to Mobotropolis, and it chilled them to the bone. Shirley
realized that she would never see Jean again, and her heart broke even
more.
As the years went on, the refugees' life became routine. They
tried to live as normally as they could, but it was in perpetual fear of
being found. The slightest noise from above would send everyone
scurrying underground, and nobody ever dared to venture far from the
village. Nobody, that is, except for an energetic, young fox.
Tolouse was the only child in the group, and he grew up quickly in
the underground village. His mother had been hesitant to tell him
exactly what had happened, but finally, she did. One night, when
Tolouse was seven, she sat down with him and explained why they were
living in the forest, why they were always hiding, and what she was sure
had happened to Jean. Tolouse had listened, asking no questions. When
she had left his room, he had crawled into bed, but sleep did not come
until late in the night. He thought about what his mother had told him,
and then he thought about his life here and the fear that seemed to
dictate what to do. Finally, just before sleep came, he became
determined to do something about it. He didn't know how, but he would
find a way to help them.
* * *
Nearly nine years after their escape, Shirley and the others
noticed that the transmissions they were picking up on the radio had
taken on a new tone. There was talk of a band of "freedom fighters"
somewhere in the Great Forest who were apparently putting up a good
fight for Robotnik. Shirley could not see how such a thing was even
feasible, but other villagers cheered the possibility of Robotnik being
brought down, however remote that possibility was. Some time after
these new developments occurred, the transmissions ceased all together.
It was reasoned that they were probably being scrambled now, to keep
these "freedom fighters" from picking them up as well.
Tolouse, who was now 13, had heard about the transmissions, too.
Almost immediately, he knew that this was his chance to help his mother
and the villagers, the way he had wanted to do for six years now. He
wanted to find this place, this "Knothole" that was mentioned in the
transmissions. He wanted to see Robotnik pay for taking his father and
making his mother fear for her life almost daily. He wanted to be a
freedom fighter.
"You want to *what*?" Shirley asked.
"Mother, everyday I look around here and I see us living like
prisoners because of that...jerk, Robotnik. I want to do something
about it. I want to find this Knothole place and help them fight him!"
"Tolouse, think! Robotnik has taken over the entire civilization,
on both continents! Do you really believe that a small group of people
can put up a war against somebody like that? With all his robots and
technology to back him up??"
Tolouse looked away in frustration. "But we're not even trying!
You won't even let me walk out into the forest on my own. I'm sick of
just sitting here when something could be done about it. Anything!"
Tolouse turned towards her. "Mother, I don't want to live like this!"
Shirley looked at her son. He was no longer the frightened baby
she had fled Mobotropolis with, all those years ago. A tear came to her
eye. "How would you even know where to go?"
Tolouse sighed. "I don't. But the more I think about it, the more
I want to at least try. Please, Mother." Tolouse looked into his
mother's eyes. "I've got to try."
Shirley knew that her son's mind was made up. The tears came
freely, now. "Okay, Tolouse. Okay." She hugged him as tightly as she
could.
The next day, before the Mobian sun had risen, he was gone. He had
packed some food and had said one last goodbye to his mother. Then,
looking out into the Great Forest, he began walking.
Shirley spent most of the day in her room, crying. She had lost
her husband to the cruelty of Ivo Robotnik. Now, she feared that she
had lost her son as well.
to be continued
--
*******Robin Hood (Kris Kelley) gt6005a_at_prism.gatech.edu*****************
* fnord-42-froinlaven-cowabunga-the truth is out there-get out-spin dash *
* are you pondering what I'm pondering?-welcome to the next level-yars!! *
* finish him!-i hope i've shown you how to treat a lady-i'm a character! *
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* "Don't care what people say / Just follow your own way." - Enigma *
* "I'm not sure that the world would be ready for 2 of me!" - P. O'Toole *
* "Life: Am I taking this too personally?" - me *
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Received on Sun Mar 26 1995 - 00:29:16 PST
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: Thu Mar 19 2015 - 12:17:02 PDT