FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The moment the raptors hit the sands of the new beach, they felt rejuvenated. The white-golden shoreline crunched like fine grains beneath their feet, the smell of bursting blossoms and tropical fruits filtered through their nostrils with fresh scents that were wholly new to the raptor family. Waterfalls as far as their eyes could see between lush thick rainforests and overarching cliffs, walls of green and the ever-constant sound of the freshest water they could taste. The more they traipsed through the new island's forests the more they fell in love with it. Soon even Oddclaw was starting to relax as they drank the sweetest water, scurried about to find new and interesting creatures to hunt and eat, and savour the glorious clean air of this strange world.

Oddclaw caught up with his brother as he watched insects he had never seen before fly away from palm trees and rock crags. He pointed them out with shrieking excitement hyperventilating at the brand new species he discovered every minute of their arrival, categorising them in his head and chasing after the ones that fascinated him the most. Crawling beetles, skittish mantises, butterflies in every colour they could know as Barkclaw almost cried with joy at the multitude of beasts so much smaller than the ones back home.

The older females formed up a threesome of exploration, Eggfang clambering up onto the tallest rocks to keep watch for any signs of danger. Instead she found herself chasing after a strange flying beast half the size of her body with black feathers and a white head she chomped out of the air and tore into, finding an incredibly juicy breast. Moonclaw and Barren found in turn a small group of pink-skinned creatures with round bellies, pudgy noses and corkscrewed tails that never stood a chance, offering them the most delicious meat they had ever tasted and the richest blood to boot. But that was all they ate for their first few hours thankfully, having filled themselves up enough despite a tingling curiosity for other tasty beasts.

Sandrunner became obsessed with a weird brown creature that swung between the trees, lanky arms and whooping sounds mocking her as she snarled and tried to jump at it. Leafrunner soon joined in but the creature grabbed coconuts to hurl down at them and chatter derisively at them. One of the coconuts knocked Sand on the head, sending her down with a whimpering sob as Oddclaw sniggered at their misfortune. But one of the shelled fruits had cracked hard enough to open, giving a rather tasty watery substance and a white meat-ish inside that he devoured ravenously. None of the other raptors wanted it so he gladly had it all to himself.

"I have never seen him eat fruit!" said Moonclaw cocking her head. "Why would he like it?!"

"He has always been odd," said Eggfang laying on her side with full belly, "my brother can eat anything it seems."

"He must have a strong stomach...mmmm I hope we find more of those warmbloods with the twisty tails."

"Oh I know they are SO deliciou-HRRP...ohhh that was better than a threehorn hatchling."

"Oh no no no no," muttered Barren sitting beneath a shady rock, "oddheads surely have better children to eat."

"Mother we have been over this before, threehorns are better, they are plump and soft when young."

"Mmmmm but oddheads have a flavour to them and their blood is sweeter."

"You said to me one-and-a-half cycles ago that you did not like oddheads, that they were too chewy!"

"Yes, when they are adults, but as children they are just ripe."

"Ugh..." Eggfang trumpeted her lips with a flatulent sound of derision before turning towards the grey female. "What about you Moonclaw, what is the best hatchling you have eaten?"

"Hunters," she answered without thinking.

"I...s-s-sorry?!"

"Hmm?" She turned her head back towards the ladies. "Wait, what were we talking about?"

"Which hatchling tastes best!"

"Wha-...OH, ohohoho I am sorry I misheard you ummm...you know I have not eaten many hatchlings."

"Really?" murmured Barren with raised brow. "I was worried you were saying our own hatchlings tasted best-"

"N-N-NO, NOOOOONONONO o-of course not I-hahahaha I-i would not even know what we tasted like, I never had to do any such thing thankfully!"

"I am glad to hear. I have known families who had to resort to such, a necessity yes but terrible nonetheless. When we get back, we will treat you to a threehorn and an oddhead and you tell us which tastes best."

"I, I would like that yes!"

Moonclaw trotted over towards Oddclaw who was licking off the inside of his coconut beneath the tree, whilst Sand and Leaf were still pestering the weird brown thing in the trees.

"COME DOWN SO I CAN EAT YOU!"

"HOOHOO, HOO-AAAAGH!"

"WHAT DID HE JUST CALL ME?!"

"I don't know!" cried Leaf. "I don't speak...whatever that thing is!"

"Well he should sleep with one eye open tonight because I'm gonna-GUH-AAAAGH, AAAAOOOWWH-HOWWWWW!"

Another coconut clonked her on the head as she rolled over sobbing on the ground. Leaf ran over towards Oddclaw with furious sneer.

"Oddie, that THING hit our sister!"

"I heard," he said passively drinking from another fruit.

"And just what are YOU going to do about it?!"

"I thought you two said you were the best hunters."

"WE ARE!"

"Well you do not need your baby brother's help now do you?"

"Bu-...Oddie pleaaaaaaaase I wanna kill iiiiit!"

"You can kill it yourself, YOU wanted to come here."

"WELL I CAN'T KILL SOMETHING THAT'S ABOVE ME!"

"Eggfang did," said Moonclaw smirking, "she caught a beast out of the sky and ate it up."

"SH-SHE...YOU...GRRRRRRRGH!"

Leafrunner stomped with fury back towards her sister wounded on the ground, not seeing the look between Moon and Odd as they giggled.

"What does that fruit taste like?" she asked.

"Do you want to try?"

"...can I?"

He offered the coconut's "meat" to her, popping it in her mouth as she chewed for a while before spitting it out with retching tongue.

"BLEH! ECHH, that tastes AWFUL!"

"Well more for me then." The raptor popped the spit-ridden coconut jelly into his mouth much to Moonclaw's shock and slight disgust.

"OH, Oddclaw I just ate that!"

"Not wasting food, nawm, num...besides...glllk, you taste good."

"H-huh?!"

Slowly grinning he leaned over towards Moonclaw and smooched her snout, slipping his tongue in to taste her saliva as she recoiled from him.

"You are not the only one who can tease," he said chuckling.

"Y-you-bu-...hhhhmmmmmhmhmhmhm, alright, I deserve that then. You truly are the most odd of beasts that I have ever known."

"You are one of many who call me that."

"GA-OWWWWWW!" shrieked Leaf with frustration in the distance. "YOU STUPID MUDBEAST I'M GONNA KILL YOUR FAMILY AND EAT EVERY ONE OF THEIR EYES, WHEN I CRUSH YOUR STUPID SKULL!"

"Should you help them?" asked Moonclaw.

"And ruin the fun of watching them?" he replied. "Hahaha no, I think this is everything they deserve after that hairless they dragged into the cave."

"Ohhhh yes...well then, let us see how long it takes for them to catch that thing."

The red-eyed raptor sat beside her friend as they watched the twins try to kill the lanky fiend. The treedweller hooted and hollered hurling fruits as they dodged and tried to slam into the tree to shake him off, but his grip was sturdy and soon he swung over to another tree causing them to follow after. The mud-coloured beast delighted in the chase, swinging over vines and crossing huge gaps between trees that the sisters would struggle to keep up with. Once they had disappeared into the forest, Oddclaw headed back to where his brother sat amidst a grove of butterflies, most of whom were perched on his body in silence. A living Buddhist statue.

Oddclaw watched with fascination as he sat down opposite of him, smiling at the peaceful Barkclaw amidst gentle wings and crawling creatures. His breathing was surprisingly silent, his eyes barely flickering from the soft dusting of beetle wings across his brow. The brothers stayed like this for the next seven minutes as more creatures crawled on them, slimy muscles and tiny feet creeping on their scales until Barkclaw spoke.

"I like it here."

"That is good," replied Odd.

"I love all the smallwings and crawlers, they touch me so little."

"You always make friends with them no matter where you are Barkclaw."

"Maybe they think I am the bark of a tree."

"Hah! Maybe we should call you Barkwing."

"Hmm. I like that."

They said nothing for another six minutes, savouring the tranquility as strange animal sounds came from beyond in the distance. Eventually Barren pushed through the leaves to watch her two sons with a look of confusion sneering.

"Wh-what are you-"

"Shhhhh." Oddclaw made the softest sound with finger raised up to her. "The smallwings are sleeping."

"...why is it every male of my family has to be like this?"

"Like what?"

"THIS, this...both of you are so odd all your sisters are out hunting things and having fun but you two are just sitting like threehorns in the mud!"

"You are not a male mother...you would not understand, right Barkclaw?"

"Yes," murmured the brother with zen-like serenity, "I am happy with my smallwings mother."

"I...ohhh I just give up, I truly do."

"Mother?" Oddclaw turned his head slightly just before she walked off. "I am sorry about before...I am happy we came to this island together, I was wrong."

"Oh...well, that is good, I will just see what the other females are doing."

"We will be here if you need us."

With that small amnesty, Barren walked off a little more pleased and forgiving for her son's humility as she traipsed back to where Moonclaw and Eggfang were. They found a rather surprising feature of the forest in the form of a roasting warm pool of water, sweltering steam that they were lying halfway inside of. Gentle chirring noises came from the blissful panting relief of hot mineral water foaming against their scales.

"Are the brothers alright?" asked Eggfang with eyes closed.

"Just being odd as usual," said Barren easing herself down into the onsen, "sitting s-still like h-hoh, hoh, hoh O-OHHHHHhhhhnnnnnrrrrhhhh...mmmmmlike trees."

"Both of them?"

"Yes...mmmmmmmm this water feels wonderful."

"The best water I have been in," gasped Moonclaw sinking her head beneath to bubble through her nostrils and re-emerge. "Not good to drink, but to clean yourself yes."

"I do not want to leave this water," murmured Eggfang with slowing voice, "mmmmmmmm and my sisters are not around to ruin it even."

"You should not talk about them like that," said Barren with tongue lolling out in an eye-rolling stupor, "even if it is true."

"You raised me to be honest mother...what else can I say?"

"A shame you are stuck with us Moonclaw."

"....mmmmmh?" Moonclaw raised her head ever so slightly with a drugged look in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Well," replied Barren, "you have seen my children, is this the tribe you wish to be with forever?"

"A tribe of odd beasts is better than no tribe."

"Is it?"

"I know it is. And your son Oddclaw is the closest friend I have."

"JUST...a friend?" The mother lifted her gaze towards the ash-grey raptor who puffed her nostrils back at her.

"Yes, a FRIEND."

"Hmhmhahahahah...alright then."

She said nothing more, too relaxed to push forth an argument as all three females slumped almost completely beneath the water.

"Alright," said Leaf, "are you ready?!"

"NNHNN!" said Sand with muffled throat.

"When that mudbeast comes back, we drop it on his head and then EAT him!"

"Hih guuna tichht juuchheh!"

"Oh he will, now just keep that fruit in your mouth until my signal."

Standing above a precipice, Sandrunner gripped a coconut within her jaws, tongue flicking against the coarse hairy hard texture whilst Leafrunner perched herself on a lower ledge watching the trees. Her sister could not see past the enormous drupe in her mouth as they waited for any sounds of approaching hairy mammals. With uncharacteristic patience, they lurched over the cliff for a good seventeen minutes bracing for the moment the beast would show up to a small pile of nuts they had gathered below a tree directly below them. Then they smelt him.

"He's coming, ready?!"

"Nnnhnn, NNNHH!"

"Ready......now!"

Sand dropped the coconut with deadly force, hurling her head downwards in release to boost its drop as it went hurtling towards the tree. But just at that very moment something drove past, a flash of steel with the revving rumble of an engine that knocked the projectile's course just slight enough to completely miss their target. With a heady thunk against steel, the coconut rolled down towards a slope, straight into a bizarre-looking plant of red, blue and yellow that made a BLUNNG sound that startled them.

"Wh-what was that?!" cried Leaf.

"I don't know!" shouted Sand. "Did we kill it!?"

"I don't...seeee i-O-OWWW, AIIIIIIIE SH-SHITTING-GAAAARGH!"

The coconut had come hurtling back after touching the round spring "plant", ruthlessly propelled back up the curving slope and hitting straight towards Leafrunner's face as she stumbled back with shrieking agony. Her face became red like an alcoholic, throbbing harshly as Sandrunner stomped with frenzy.

"YOU S-STUPID MUDBEAST I'M GONNA KILL YOUUUU!"

"SIND NUUUU!" squawked Leaf with burst nostrils.

But her sister jumped down upon the trees with fury brazen, hopping from one ledge to the other to try and reach the monkey as fast as possible. The chimp screeched with surprise and went running off through the trees as Sand chased after it, eyes piercing with swollen fury as she lunged champing at the bit for the creature's fuzzy behind through the thick forest over hilly bumps and sloping half-pipes.

"G-GET, BACK HERE YOU FILTHY SHIT I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR SKULL INTO PIECES AND DANCE ON THE-"

BLUNNG!

"A-AAAAAAAAIIIIIIE!"

In her haste to catch the beast, she ran straight into a large circular bump beneath the leaves resembling a mushroom of sorts, red and blue rings with a brazen yellow star on its centre that shot her straight back by a few hundred feet. She hit the slope behind at such a force she ended up spinning into the air like she was on a skateboard, screaming with fright before falling back down to skid and tumble on the slope hitting the spring again.

"N-NO, NO, NOOO-"

BLUNNG!

"AAAAAAAAAAIIIIH, S-SISTER, HELP MEEEE!"

"Where are you?!" shouted Leaf from afar.

"D-DOWN, HERE-"

BLUNNG!

"I CAN'T STOP IIIIIT-"

BLUNNG!

Leafrunner saw her sister being caught in a loop, unable to control herself in the air and constantly falling back down towards the spring. In a desperate move, she grabbed for a vine with her teeth and swung over to above Sandrunner's position who in a panic chomped her foot to try and escape the vicious spring cycle. She screamed from the bite which caused her to release her vine as they fell back towards the earth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Sandrunner was free from the springing trap as she stumbled through trees half-running across the top of them. Leafrunner was less lucky and fell straight into a small pit with two springs on either side, hitting one hard in the face to get vaulted back into the other one like a scaled pinball.

BLUNNG! "AAAH-" BLUNNG! "EEEH-" BLUNNG! "SAND-" BLUNNG! "HELP-" BLUNNG! "GET-" BLUNNG! "ME-" BLUNNG! "OUT-" BLUNNG! "PLEAAAASE!"

"UM OKAY JUST, STAY THERE!"

"I-" BLUNNG! "CAN'T-" BLUNNG! "WHERE-" BLUNNG! "WOULD-" BLUNNG! "I-" BLUNNG! "EVEN-" BLUNNG! "GO!?!"

The sister currently not being bounced went scrabbling along the ground for something she could use to help free her sibling. Grabbing a large fallen branch in her teeth, she dragged it towards the springy trap and jammed it into the coil. Leaf slammed into it with a dull thud, but no recoil came from it at last as she flopped on her back with a woozy head.

"Nnnnnwwwuuuuuhhhh...I don't like it heeeeeere."

"Are you alright?!"

"NO I'M NOT ALRIGHT, I CAN'T EVEN SEE ANYTHING NOW-WHU-WHOAH-WHU-WHU-WHAAAAA!"

In her struggle to stand up, Leafrunner felt her legs turn to jelly as she stumbled backwards. Sand tried to stop her, but both of them ended up falling over a small ramp and into a pool of water, which unbeknownst to them concealed yet another spring beneath its depths. With one mighty BLUNNG! they went shooting up into the sky shrieking their hearts out, grabbing each other tightly as they pushed through the canopy and witnessed for a brief second the whole of the jungle out before them. Then gravity took hold of them as they went hurtling back down and, were it not for some strange metal thing racing by which they land their feet on, their fall would have been much worse.

"WHA-AAAGH WHAT THE HECK?!"

"A-AAAAIIIGH!"

"D-DANGIT I'M LOSIN' ALTITU-AUUUGH SWEET CHEESES!"

The machine went crunching into the lower strata of the rainforest as both sisters hit the dirt, a thick muddy patch that cushioned their fall as they stood up amidst the splashing brown. They looked to each other, eyes coloured opposite as they snarled with bubbling fume from their nostrils.

"I...HATE this place," muttered Leaf.

"Can we go back now?" whimpered Sand. "I'm hungryyyy."

"Yeaaaah we should......hey, what's that?"

"Huh?"

"Under your tail, look, something shiny!"

Sandrunner looked behind her to see something half-submerged in the thick goo, sparkling with hot pink like a neon light.

"OHHHHHH issit, one of those warmblood things?!"

"Catch it catch it!"

Swiftly turning round to bite on the rosy chunk, she recoiled at the sudden crack that hit her teeth.

"O-OWWW MY TEETH!"

"What?!" sputtered Leaf.

"IT'S JUST A STUPID STONE!"

"Wait...that's a stone?"

The other twin approached the strange object and carefully unearthed it with her claws to reveal it was a glistening jewel. In fact it was two jewels. One gorgeous pink, the other a twinkling silver, both crystalline with triangular shape having a flat wide top and a thin pointed bottom that entranced both of them.

"Hhhhhhhohhhhh shhhhhiiiiiinyyyyyyyy..."

The raptors licked their lips, Leafrunner taking the pink and Sandrunner snatching up the grey before carefully walking out of the mud. They nuzzled their treasures admiring them before instantly having the same idea.

"Let's show Oddie!"

"YEAH!"

"ODDIE! ODDIE LOOK, ODDIE WE GOT SHINIES!"

"BIG SUPER SHINIES!"

The sound of sisters rushing through the forest with muffled shrieks alerted them as they saw the twins return with even more cuts and bruises than before. The shining jewels in their mouths however were the first things the family noticed.

"Wh-what are...THOSE?!" asked Barren. "I hope they are not poison!"

"BLEH!" Leaf dropped her crystal. "We found shinies!"

"BLUH!" Sand dropped hers in turn. "Super BIG shinies, can we keep 'em, can we?!?!"

"Can we pleaaaaaaase?!"

"Why would you EVER want to keep these things?!" snarled their mother.

"Buh, buh, because they're shiny!"

"Pleaaaaaase mother!?" squeaked Leaf. "I wanna keep my shiny!"

"We went through a LOT OF HUNTING to get these!" shouted Sand. "We hunted and hunted, a-a-and HUNTED-"

"Only to find two worthless stones you cannot eat," said Eggfang with head bowed in shame.

"Th-they're not worthless, look, look how shiny they are!"

"You could have found prey, something to share with the family, but no, instead you find another thing that you only keep for yourselves."

"Eggfang please," replied Moonclaw, "are we not supposed to be enjoying ourselves? I think they are allowed to have some fun."

"...hmmmph...you are right, this is not the time to start this."

"We wanted Oddie to put them on us!" chirruped Leaf. "Can you use yer claws to make something Oddie?"

"Uhhhh...let me see."

Oddclaw looked over the stones, fascinated by their glow that captured the light clearly within the grass. He looked around towards some vines and started to pull them free, taking the stones with him as Barkclaw asked:

"Where did you find them?"

"OH," started Sand raising her neck, "we were chasing that mudbeast, the one that threw fruit at us an-"

"We tried to kill it!" continued Leaf bowing forwards, "but it was fast! It went through the trees with REALLY long limbs!"

"A-and then, we went UP really high, and then fell down into the mud, and then we found the shinies."

".........okay."

Barkclaw had nothing to say whilst Barren craned her neck towards the heavens as if pleading "why me" to some ancient force up above. Eggfang walked closer with a sneering look like a disapproving schoolteacher.

"You could not even catch a warmblood but two shiny stones you come back with?"

"Uh, yeah?!" said Leaf.

"Oh, well I am so happy this family will not starve when we learn to eat stones."

"You can't EAT stones silly Eggy!"

"I KNOW that Leafrunner."

"Done!"

The anthro returned with the two jewels wrapped in vines to form a makeshift harness, placing one snugly over each of his sisters so the crystal shone from their chests like a baby in a carrier.

"Does that feel good?" their brother asked.

"Oooooooh!" They swished their bodies back and forth to feel their prize rubbing dully against their scales.

"Feels GOOD!" cried Leaf. "Thank you Oddiiiie!"

"THANK you Oddiiiie," chittered Sand, "you're the best brother."

The two slurped across his face together with long slow licks that made him blush uncomfortably, causing Moonclaw to titter.

"Well SOMEONE is popular with the females."

"B-be quiet," he muttered.

"He's the BEST brother ever," crooned Leafrunner.

"Totally iiiis," chittered Sand, "best and wonderful baby brother."

"S-s-sisters please!" whimpered Odd pushing them away like curtains on a stage. "Just please be careful with your stones."

"Don't worry Oddie, we're the fastest hunters round here!"

"If only you were the best," muttered Barren quietly to which Eggfang nodded from behind her.

The raptors decided to head further into the forest, curiosity driving them as Leaf and Sand pointed out troublesome regions and the fearsome springs with keen eye and omitting how they found them, at least when not distracted by their own lustrous shiny gems which sung slightly at their chests. Eventually they came across one of the largest waterfalls of the region, a grand ovation to the tropical orchestra of hooting cooing shrieking squawking beasts. The constant rushing flow intrigued them as they dipped their heads in to drink thickly of its cold sweetness, gulping pleasantly as they looked around upon the land bridge they stood on.

"Where do we go now?" asked Oddclaw to his mother.

"Well," she began, "if we travel southeast, it seems the land goes down and away from the trees."

"That is a good path," said Barkclaw walking forwards with Moonclaw and Eggfang, "will we find more trees with smallwings?"

"Oh they are everywhere Barkclaw I am sure you will find more."

"It smells...sweet down there."

"It does," replied Moonclaw, "that means there are more trees that way!"

"Good!" said Barren. "We will stay on the island for two days and nights, then we shall return home."

"Are you certain?" asked Oddclaw beside her. "What if the island leaves with us still on it?"

"Well YOU have seen these things appear from the stars before, how long do they take?"

"...um...a-a-actually, they...they do not leave until the hairless make them leave."

"And as I said before," she replied smugly crooking her neck to him, "the hairless are forbidden from coming here, yes? So we are leaving before this island will!"

"I...yes." He tapped his clawfingers together with a slight shame at her outwitting him. "Th-that is right, so we can st-"

"I hear something."

The cold tremble from Barkclaw's throat cut through them like a knife as they stopped talking. They stiffened slightly whilst gazing towards the trees slightly, the rushing waters ever-constant like fluid static amidst their hearing sharpened on high alert. Even the foolish twins took note with trembling eyes darting around to and fro to see what could possibly have made this alien noise they heard of something clumping through the leaves.

"LOOK OUT!"

They dodged in a scatter as something landed, punching the ground hard with trembling explosion that caused earth and stone to briefly shatter like shrapnel from around them. The raptors ducked and shrieked as fragmented rocks crumbled and shuddered underneath their feet on the bridge breaking apart. Moonclaw and Eggfang jumped upon the opposite side of the bridge with Barkclaw following in a panic, leaving the rest of their family trapped on separate lower ledges above the pile of rocks now littering the below.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" cried Moonclaw.

"YES!" shouted Oddclaw.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" shrieked Leafrunner.

"SOMETHING CAME DOWN ON US, I SAW BLOOD!"

"JUST STAY THERE!" ordered Eggfang. "WE WILL COME DOWN AND REGROUP!"

KRRRRRRRHHH!

"A-AAAAAAAAARRRGH!"

"B-BARKCLAW, BARKCLAW WAIT!"

"N-NO, NUUUU, N-N-NNRRRAAAAA AAAAAARGH!"

"BARKCLAW COME BACK WE ARE FINE!"

"BARKCLAW WAIT!" screamed Oddclaw. "STOP, PLEASE!"

But it was too late. The shocking blast from the mountain of stones below had pierced Barkclaw's sensitive hearing causing him to run in fearfully-intense pain driving through his skull like a hot nine-inch nail. A clear white fist punched through the rubble before bursting through the multitude of heavy stones as the four remaining raptors looked onwards. The fist was connected to a blood-red arm that slammed through twice more before punching downwards. The shockwave sent small boulders scattering across the green like paper balls as they saw the fiend himself.

Crimson thin arms ending in huge white gloves with spikes upon the knuckles, a set of dreadlocks tapering across the shoulders to frame a peach-coloured chin hidden beneath a ranger's hat. A brown survival vest over a black tight suit with a necklace-shaped crescent of white around the neck. The creature turned towards Sand and Leaf with piercing eyes upon their gleaming jewels.

"You two. Drop, those emeralds, now."

"WH-what is THAT?!" shouted Barren. "Is it speaking like the hairless does?!"

"WAIT!" cried Oddclaw in English. "Wh-who are you?! What are you doing?!"

"I'm the guardian of this island," said the stranger without turning his head, "and these two right here are thieves that unless they give back those emeralds I am gonna take matters into my own fists."

"ODDIE DO SOMETHING!" cried Sand.

"H-HE'S LOOKIN' AT ME AN' I DON' LIKE IT!" squabbled Leaf.

"He wants your shiny stones!" replied Oddclaw.

"WHAT, NO WE FOUND THEM!"

"He says you stole them!"

"WE DID NOT STEAL ANYTHING!" shrieked Sandrunner stomping her foot. "Oddie we swear, we did NOT steal these, we found them in the mud!"

"I think they are telling the truth," said Barren almost shocked to even say such.

"Excuse me!" Oddclaw directed his voice back to the stranger. "My sisters said they did not steal your ehm-murralds, they found them in the mud."

"That's a lie," retorted the guardian, "those belong to the island, if they don't drop them then I will take them BACK."

"What is he saying?!" snarled the mother.

"He does not believe Sand and Leaf."

"WH-h-how DARE he, first he tries to attack us now he calls my children liars, and THIEVES?!"

"MOTHER, NO!"

Barren lunged from her reach towards the foreigner with claws out and ready, her shrieking fury only cut short by the enemy turning fast to crack his fist right into her jaw and knock her clean to the dirt.

"MOTHERRRR!"

Her children leapt down with furious worry, ganging up around her as they snarled towards the guardian who put up his fists. The older female stumbled back up with Oddie's help showing a clean shining bruise on her jaw as they made a universal decision.

"Kill, him," she ordered.

"Already plan to," breathed Oddclaw harshly.

The three siblings made a mutual plan to spread out into a triangular formation around the stranger, circling like sharks within the pool as the red furry brute scanned his eyes across each of his enemies. Barren waited at the back looking wounded as Oddclaw made the first rush, lunging forwards with a punching slash two-hit combo that missed as the foe dodged the first punch, grabbing the second with his hand to drive an elbow across the raptor's face. Knocking him back, he turned before the two sisters could strike with venomous intent, Sandrunner coming low whilst Leafrunner struck in a flying leap. He jumped over one twin and was struck instantly in the chest, claws pinning down on his black suit as she lunged for the kill with open jaws.

The red beast grabbed with his thick gloved hands around her snout to force her back, his strength much more than she realised before he threw her off in a twisting motion, driving a solid boot to her stomach to kick her fully to the side. As he shot himself up there came Barren with a tearing charge of bloodthirsty teeth from behind him as he dodgerolled fast to one side, seeing the mother scrape her feet across the dirt in turning fast like a motorcycle. But from that distance alone she leapt for him fiercely, a low-pouncing strike as he swung out his fists to knock her twice but she slammed her feet straight upon them to trap his hands.

Slathering teeth and shivering maw of rage, she chomped down directly downwards like a plunging sword as he swerved his head fast to avoid her strike, feeling her breath mist across his dreadlocked hair before headbutting hard against her eye to make her recoil with a shriek of dull pain. With Barren rearing up slightly, the foreign beast saw Oddclaw rush towards him with stomping feet as he braced his hands and feet to lift with one motion, vaulting the raptor upwards to fall forwards into the path of her son who was forced to stop and help. The twins however were free of such distraction as they tore towards him in a cross-shaped strike, tearing fangs slicing past to chomp at his shoulders and waist almost draggin him by the force. He staggered slightly with a silent wince turning round to see them rush again, squatting before they struck and coming back up with dual uppercuts from both fists smacking into their jaws, his knees bending like a coiled spring to punch ruthlessly hard as they were lifted off their feet before staggering back.

"O-OWW, YOU SHIT!"

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR STUPID HEAD INTO THE SEA!"

The twins shrieked with fury, biting towards his head before he grabbed their snouts and clonked them hard together like coconuts, following with two hammerfists to slam their skulls into the dirt. Oddclaw rushed up behind him and squeeze his neck in a chokehold, throwing himself down on top of the large-knuckled fiend and furiously crushing his throat. The red-haired beast gasped and struggled as his lungs became tight, his head not able to reach back far enough to attack Oddie who breathed into his ear.

"Either give up now...or I kill you. Make your choice."

"S-s-sorry...I...d-don't know when to QUIT!"

Pushing his hands underneath him, the attacker rolled himself hard to lay on top of Oddclaw who held on tightly still, despite the elbows punching back into his waist amidst shuddering gasps. But it wasn't until both arms slammed against him simultaneously that he forced his lungs free with a choking breath weakening his grip on the enemy's throat. The guardian pushed himself off in time to face Barren once more, stopping short of attacking him before swiping hard with a strike of her tail to lash across his face. Smacking across his eyes, he was briefly blinded giving the raptor her chance to leap for his head as she struck out both feet in a flying scissorkick, slashing at his dreads and raking across the brim of his ranger's hat as he fell and rolled swiftly to the side beneath her claws.

"STOP, MOVING YOU FILTHY WARMBLOOD!"

Her shriek did little to frighten the guardian who stepped back up beside her to slam his fist into her thigh, causing her to stumble from a throbbing pain as her leg spasmed in brief twitch. Oddclaw swung from the opposite side of the guardian with a driving fist, hammering straight into his face with a clothesline attack that sent the fiend flying back. He pushed his feet hard against the ground into a backflip, but only partway in order to coil his body like a spring with knees at his chest. Then he flung himself straight towards Oddie with both feet first, knocking both hard soles against his snout as he tumbled and rolled across the ground. The red-haired stranger felt partly winded as he cast his eye over towards the twins with jewels shining against their chests.

"LAST WARNING!" he barked with fist raised towards them. "GIVE, BACK, MY EMERALDS!"

"EMERALDS YA SAY?!"

A voice cried from above before raining fire came upon their heads, blasting shots in the form of thick purple lasers that burst powerfully upon the earth. The raptors dispersed in fright as the lasers seemed to follow Sand and Leaf who hopped and dodged between clouded flames and searing shots of violet light.

"A-AAAH, EEEH, G-GO, GO AWAY!"

"RUN, RUUUUN!"

The sisters ran into the bushes and through the smoke increasing Oddclaw could barely make out a vehicle of some descript hovering above with a droning whine and gold-plated colours around a solid blue chassis. The guardian roared at the thing with defiant voice.

"HEY, YOU, GET DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME YOU THIEF!"

"HAH, SORRY KNUCKLEHEAD!" cried the rider above. "CAN'T GET OFF 'TIL I TRAP THESE TWO AN' GET BACK MAH SCORE!"

"THOSE BELONG TO THE ISLAND!"

"NOT ANYMORE! WHY DONTCHA COOL OFF UNTIL I'M READY TO COME DOWN AT YOU!?"

A piercing whine lanced through the mist when a burning laser hit the ground and caused a deafening explosion, blasting rocks and dirt all around them as a sinkhole began to form from the weakening soil. Both Barren and Oddclaw fell before they knew along with the guardian who was swallowed by the earth itself which poured into a darkened pit. The hoverjet zoomed towards the direction of where Sand and Leaf had run off to as mother and son awaited the abyss before them with shrieking panic.

As they fell together into the deep dark shaft, the raptor's screams echoed throughout the underground as they started to pick up speed. They were so consumed by the fright of falling that they didn't even notice their descent slowing from a gripping fist latched onto their necks. Barren still kept screaming even after her son realised looking up to see the guardian grabbing onto both with a gliding plummet, swooping like a bat through the air with surprising grace as he spiralled in a circular motion, before they reached solid ground in a stumbling run amidst Barren still shrieking.

"A-A-AAAAH, AAAAAAAAGH, WH-WHA-AAAH...I...I-i-i survived?! I survi-ODDCLAW ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

"YES!" he cried in front of her. "I am here, no need to screech."

"Wh-wh-what, what ha-, th-the fire and th-then we fell but we are still-"

"He just saved us." The anthro pointed towards the dreadlocked former foe who brushed his arms clean of dirt.

"HIM?!" she snarled brazen as she stomped towards him. "That disgusting little hairblood WRETCH I will KILL YOU-"

"MOTHER WAIT!" Oddclaw slammed his hands against her chest to keep her back. "If he wanted us dead, he would have let us fall, let me talk to him."

"You cannot possibly think you can reason with him!"

"If I cannot reason with him, THEN you kill him, alright?"

"...fine."

She kept her distance with cold untrusting eyes as her son turned towards him.

"Um...thank you for saving me and my mother."

"Hmm?" The stranger looked up after adjusting his moth-eaten hat. "Oh uh, yeah, don't worry about it."

"But we do not forgive you for attacking us, why did you do that?!"

"Because I thought your sisters stole my emeralds."

"I said before my sisters are NOT thieves!" The raptor walked forwards with finger out accusing. "YOU attacked us first, you did not even let us speak!"

"When I see two weirdos on my island with two of my people's chaos emeralds, I tend not to ask questions."

"They found them in the mud, why do you care about two shiny stones?!"

"Because they're more than that!" argued the guardian who stepped forwards with a thick-gloved finger pointing still towards Oddclaw's eye. "Those emeralds are sacred to my people, and a part of this island and SOMEONE stole them."

"Well it was not my sisters, they may be stupid but they do NOT steal."

"Well I dunno about that." The stranger spread his hands and shrugged. "But I know now at the very least that your sisters could not have stolen them."

"What?! How?!"

"That guy that attacked us on the hoverbike? He stole them first, didn't really get a good look at him, but I recognise that bike. I thought your sisters were in cahoots with him-"

"My family are not inca-hoots with anyone!" barked Oddclaw with stomping sneer.

"I wasn't finished...I THOUGHT your sisters were partnered with that guy because they had the emeralds on them, like maybe he handed them those to keep them away from me, but then he came down and shot at them like crazy so that theory got shot out the water."

"So, you were wrong."

"Yes. And, I'm sorry."

The guardian offered his hand to shake with a sincere scent of apology from his aura, along with a restrained sense of shame and low-level frustration.

"I'm Knuckles, guardian of Angel Island."

"...I am Oddclaw." The raptor shook his hand with reserved caution. "I accept your apology but because of you my family have been forced apart."

"Look, I know I jumped the gun, I can't help it, lotsa people that come to this island before you usually only come for one reason. Eight to be exact, two of which are being taken by your sisters who that damn thief is off hunting now."

"Then you must help me! This is your fault, you must get my family back together and if ANYTHING should happen to them then I will make you pay!"

"...you really wanna talk like that to me?"

Swishing his long dreadlocks he tried to stand against the raptor who outmatched his height by a good half-foot, his eyes glimmering a subtle arrogance beneath the slight beginning of crow's feet. Oddclaw was not intimidated and crossed his arms in defiance.

"Your island is in my world now, and with my family you play...by OUR laws."

"Not on this island," said Knuckles with his namesake clenched, "when you're out here, you're on my turf, you're in MY territory but I don't wanna fight you every part of the way if we're searching for the same people. Listen, you help me get those emeralds back...and I'll make sure your family's safe."

"Alright, I accept."

"Also, what'd you mean by your world, there's like no other islands near here except uh West Side maybe-"

"You...but, did you not know your island arrived next to my home?"

"Huh?"

"What are you two speaking about?" muttered Barren suspiciously from behind her son.

"I am making him help us," replied Oddclaw turning his head towards her.

"Why?! We do not need his help!"

"He knows this island, I told him Sand and Leaf could not have stolen his shiny stones and he has agreed to help us find our family."

"You can tell him to go drown in the sea because I CERTAINLY do not need hel-"

She cut herself off from taking one wrong step and falling into a nearby sluice, the calm water suddenly frenzied by her frantic splashing as she half-submerged.

"A-AAAUGH, AAAAGH ODDCLAW, ODDCLAW HELP I CANNOT SWIM!"

Both raptor and echidna hurried over to grab her head and chest, pulling her free up from the clear water as she scrabbled desperately back onto dry land. The dark looming catacombs seemed to echo with the splashes she made as Oddclaw became suddenly aware of a lot of water from the dampness of the air.

"PLUH! GUH...wh-what...I-i-i did not even see-"

"Are you alright?" he asked bowing his head next to her.

"Y-yes...I am fine, get AWAY from me you filthy thing!" Her words were directed at the guardian who tried to check over her as she snapped at him. "YOU are responsible for all of this!"

"JEEZ calm down what's your deal!?" he cried.

"Her 'dee-uhl'," began Oddclaw, "is she that rightly says this is all your fault!"

"Alright I get it I'm SORRY, just I been fooled a few times in the past so it's better safe than sorry!"

"Well I want you to be sorry and my family to be safe!"

"Okay. Okay...we just, need to find a way out of this place, then we find your family, then I take back the emeralds, we got a deal?"

"...yes." Oddclaw bowed with firm understanding as he helped pull Barren back onto her feet. "Do you know where my sisters went?"

"Not really," replied Knuckles tapping his chin, "we need to get back up topside, best way to get out of Hydrocity Zone is to head out through Marble Garden."

"What are those?"

"Hydrocity is where we are, the underground city of my people back in ancient times. I know the layout though, least well enough to get us back outside."

"Do not try and trick us," warned the raptor with accusing finger, "you may have fought well against four of us, but when my family are united again we will show no mercy."

"Well...neither do I when thieves land on my island."

With words tempered between them, the three headed off into the underground caverns of the old aquatic city. Knuckles went first by Oddclaw's insistence as he stepped alongside his mother keeping an eye wary upon the guardian. His thoughts turned towards Barkclaw first and foremost in praying for his safety, fearful of his mental state whilst in a strange and foreign world.