FSE

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"So, we're all caught up?" said Knuckles confirming.

"Yes," replied Dronin, "you already dealt with one thief, now to deal with the other."

"What about my sisters?"

Oddclaw's question had them turn towards the unconscious twins. The helmets that had been on them previously were now dismantled, lying in pieces across the room as the praying mantis rubbed his cheek.

"They will be fine now. The brain-controllers' effects have worn off by this point and soon they shall wake up."

"I would like to stay here until they do. I know we have a thief to chase, but I will not leave my family."

"Understood. Then perhaps it would be best that I and sir Knuckles chase after him whilst you all remain here?"

"Hmmm..."

The raptor scratched his chin in thought staring up at the exit their foe headed through. The crystal cave beyond tantalised them with promises of a trove as he looked over to his family milling about. Eggfang and Barkclaw sat with Leaf, whilst Moonclaw and Barren sat with Sand keeping a check on their bodies. Oddclaw decided when he turned back to the guardian and Dronin.

"That is a good idea. Do you want us to follow you when my sisters are awake?"

"Sup to you," said the echidna crossing his arms, "that gearhead is mine but after what he tried to do to your sisters, you got the right to chase after him too."

"Yes, then we will follow when my sisters are awake. Be careful."

"I'll make you a path to get back up first."

The guardian went over to the wall below the exit whilst Oddclaw and Dronin explained things briefly to the raptors on their plan.

"The warmblood and stonebeast will chase our enemy," said the anthro, "when Sand and Leaf awake, we shall follow them."

"Good plan," replied Eggfang, "I would rather we not separate again, and as a family we shall be stronger in synchronising our attack."

"Will you be alright?" asked Barkclaw to the robot mantis.

"I will survive, the stonebeast traitor will not escape."

"Will we...see each other again?"

"You will meet us again soon, Barkclaw. For now, take care of your family."

The brown scarfaced raptor understood with muted sounds as Knuckles punched his fists into the wall, slowly but surely creating a firm slope that crumbled across a third of the room to reach up towards the exit. With strategic punches and grinding fingers he pulled down some of the bedrock whilst pummelling the rest until a ramp was formed six minutes after.

"Phew...well, alright, that's gonna let you all get out, me an' bugboy here will head off to the battery zone."

"Please do not rush yourselves," replied Dronin with calm raised hand, _"when you are certain your sisters have healed, then you may follow us. But be prepared for a great battle." _

"We will," said Barren, "thank you for...keeping my family safe."

The mantis bowed with his steel-rimmed hat and leapt up towards the exit with Knuckles hurrying after. The sounds of the lava reef filtered through the walls as a churning rumble of the earth, the sleeping dragon of the island's heart beating with godly weight that trembled throughout their bodies. The raptors milled about sniffing the sulphurous air with wrinkled snouts, scratching the ground and testing the sharpness of their claws as Oddclaw walked over to his brother first.

"Your friend seems like a good stonebeast."

"He is," said Barkclaw sitting separate from the group, "he played with me, he...he understands me."

"Like how I understand you?"

"Yes. Will you be his friend?"

"I do not know him yet, but when we are done hunting this thief I will ask."

"Okay. I missed you."

"I missed you too." He hugged his brother gently with arms wrapped round his neck. "The first thing I worried about was you when we got separated...I am so happy to see you safe."

"Thank you Oddclaw," said Barkclaw nuzzling him with gentle licks across his scaled cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I am glad to see your mate is well," said Moonclaw walking up with a teasing smirk.

"He is not my mate, he is my brother."

"I know hmhmhaha I am just being silly."

"Oh. Do you want to mate with Oddclaw?"

"Wh-WHAT?!"

"Barkclaw!" gasped Oddie. "D-do not ask her that!"

"Why?" asked Bark.

"B-because it...you cannot just ask her that!"

"But...why?" The brother looked towards her behind him and then flicked his eyes back to him. "She is a female, you are male...do you not like her?"

"O-of course I like her, she is our friend!"

"What if she wanted to mate with you?"

"I do not want to mate with him!" said Moonclaw a little too fast.

"Why?"

"I...I-i just do not want to, I like your brother but-"

"He is a good brother." Barkclaw stood up with eyes inquisitive as he walked to stand between them. "He is strong, brave and kind and he has a great cock."

"B-B-BARKCLAW!" cried Odd.

"HHHAHAHAHAHA!" Barren cackled from nearby at her two sons. "Hhhoohohohohoho, see even your brother knows what is right for you."

"Mother do not encourage him!"

"Oh, first you want me to try to understand him, now you tell me not to encourage him, make a choice it is either one or the other with you!"

"Th-that is not what I meant, I wish you would stop trying to tell me who my mate should be! Just because she is a female friend does not mean we should mate each other, that is our choice!"

"Exactly!" Moonclaw stood up alongside him in sneering defiance. "I love Oddclaw as a friend, and I am grateful to you all for taking me in, but who I decide to mate with is my choice, it might not even be Oddclaw!"

"W-wait, what do you mean?"

"There are other males out there, and if I desire one of them then I shall mate one of them. Likewise Oddclaw has plenty females to choose from, is that not right?"

"R-...right."

Barren rolled her eyes and walked back towards her daughters still sleeping, whilst Barkclaw sat back down nonplussed in his boredom. Moonclaw pulled Oddie away with a gentle nip of his shoulder before murmuring in his ear:

"I am sorry about speaking of other males, I had to say something to her."

"Hmhmhm, no it is fine," he replied smiling with a shrug, "you have every right to choose a male and me a female."

"Do we really appear as if we are mated that much?"

"Mmmmmno, I do not think so. Barkclaw sees things like a hatchling does, and mother...well, she wants grandchildren always."

"Typical mother, yes."

Oddclaw shrugged and walked over towards the slope where he sat himself on it, finding a smooth spot to get comfortable as Moonclaw flopped down onto the dirt.

"Do you like being with my family?" Oddclaw asked.

"Hmm?" She raised her head towards him.

"I do not want you to feel as if you are forced to be with us, after our long journey."

"I want to be with you! I love your family and you are my friend, in fact you...you are my only friend left."

"I am? ...really?"

"Yes. Why else would you think I stayed so close to you?"

"I-i um...I do not know," admitted Odd rubbing the back of his neck, "I thought at first it was because you wanted me as a mate, but-"

"DO you want me as a mate? Truthfully, would you have me if I offered?"

"Absolutely."

"And yet you have never tried to force yourself on me."

"I like you Moonclaw, but I want you to like me as who I am, not as someone who just breeds you."

"Ha ha ha, well, rest assured I most certainly like you for who you are."

She smiled sitting up with a slurp across his face as a warm chirr resonated in the back of her throat. The anthro blushed gently putting his hand on her head to stroke her just behind the earholes which sent her purring to a pant.

"H-h-hmmmmm, mmmmmhhhh-"

"Hhhhahaha, maybe this is why everyone thinks we should mate."

"Mmmmm your claws do touch me in the most wonderful places that others cannot...but I can get that from a friend, yes?"

"Yes. You can."

"Do you truly want children one day Oddclaw?"

"I do. I would love to be a father, but um...most of the females in the tribe do not think I can be."

"Why?"

"W-well I can barely mate them, they are...well, I am small, I have to, stand on something to even reach-"

"Hahaha ohhhh I see...well, one day you shall find someone willing to stoop to your level."

"And that someone is not you?"

Moonclaw looked at him with a mocking snarl before biting his snout gently with a tug as he giggled.

"Watch your tongue hatchling," she said faux-warningly, "remember I am an elder to you."

"You keep up with me quite well, for an elder," he retorted poking his tongue at her.

"Hah, you show me your tongue again I will bite it off for you!"

"Ahh, so you DO like the taste of my meat hmmmm?"

"N-not like THAT!"

"HAHAHA!"

"NNnnnnnNNGH!"

The sounds of a rousing sister alerted them to the centre of the room as Sandrunner and Leafrunner started to wake. The family crowded round them as they raised their heads with weak legs.

"Nnnnngh is it day yet?"

"I dunno, my head hurts."

"Are you two alright?" said Barren nuzzling them.

"Wh-huh? Mother?"

"Where are we?"

"Still on the island," said Eggfang tutting her head, "your silly antics dragged us all the way down here to beneath the earth."

"What did we do?!" cried Leaf.

"Your damned obsession with your shiny stones brought stonebeasts towards us, who then attacked you and the rest of us!"

"Wha-...OH, sh-sh-shinies, SANDRUNNER OUR SHINIES!"

"WHERE IS IT?!" They both jumped up crying at their chests before running frantically round the room. "WHERE'S THE SHINIES?!"

"Gone," insisted Eggfang, "they were taken by the stonebeast that hurt you, and now the tribe of this island shall take them back because it was THEIRS in the first place."

"B-but, but, it was ours first!"

"YEAH!" cried Sand. "We never stole it, we found them!"

"Sisters she is right," said Oddclaw firmly with arms crossed, "I know you did not steal them, but they were dropped by a thief and the tribe of this island needs them back."

"But why!?"

"Because they belong to the island, we cannot take them."

"A-AWWWW ODDIIIIIIE!" The sisters whimpered with bubbling mewls and panting sobs. "I-i-i want the shiiiinyyyyyyyy!"

"When we return home I will find you a shiny from our own home, I promise you."

"R-r-r, really? You promise?"

"I promise. Come on, we have to help our friends."

"Friends?" asked Leaf.

"The friends who helped us," said Barkclaw swishing his tail, "they are hunting the thief that attacked you."

"OH! Oh we have to help too!"

"Yeah, let's kill a thief!" shrieked Sand. "I wanna rip his face, and SHIT all over his throat!"

"YEAAAAH THROAT-SHITTING!"

The two sisters bonked their heads against each other in excitement as the family all looked at each other. With a mixture of fatigue and relief at the twins turning back to their old selves, they headed up towards the crystal cavern's entrance. Following Knuckles' scent, they rushed along a path nestled between giant twinkling geodes and thin glinting sword shapes that captured the light from whatever direction it came. Gem-studded rows and bristling columns of emerald strata dazzled them wherever they went, especially Sand and Leaf.

Their eyes roved along the glittering sapphires and rubies that shimmered with ever-constant captivation, tongues drooling from their mouths as their small clawed arms scritched feebly at the jewels. Eggfang however kept check on them, pulling them hard by their necks with her teeth to make them focus on the path ahead as they walked through in single file. Oddclaw was out first with Barren, whilst the three sisters were in centre and Barkclaw came up from behind with Moonclaw in tow. It was not long before they found their destination.

"...what, is THAT?"

A giant old warship, cradled along a field of crystals like an old worn shoe sitting in the glass of a broken window. It stuck out horribly within the ice-blue landscape of the subterranean crevasse, a grand ancient place defiled by the machine's presence. The road between the shards of gems lead towards the Flying Battery's sanctum as the raptors stepped in through an old cargo dock where the stench of rust and oil hit them fierce. Their snouts wrinkled at the acrid scents, of raw oxidised steel and dripping liquid fire, claws clacking on the metal rampart in the odd silence. The wind bellowed through the depths of the island in a trembling murmur as they creeped through with heads bent low.

"I do not like this place," said Eggfang.

"None of us do," replied Oddclaw. "Stay close together, we do not know what enemies lie in here."

"Where did you get your new fire?"

"From the one that attacked us before. It is a new fire that can kill stonebeasts."

"Ooooh new fire?!" asked Sandrunner to his left.

"So any stonebeasts'll DIE if we face 'em?!" cried Leafrunner from his right.

"Hopefully," replied Odd.

"Do not hurt our friend!" whimpered Barkclaw dashing ahead slightly.

"I will not, do not fear Barkclaw-WHU-AAGH!"

"A-A-AAAAGH!"

Something began to move under their feet, a ferocious din of shrieking grinding metal teeth that deafened them horribly as they stumbled forth. The ground jutted and shook causing them to stagger further as the monstrous ship began to lift slightly. Angling upwards to a more stable position as if trying to float back into the sky, the raptors tried moving forwards further inside the belly of the steel beast.

"A-are we moving?!" cried Barren.

"This thing is moving!" shouted Oddclaw. "Quick, we have to find our friends, everyone stay close-A-AAAGH!"

Lights began flooding their eyes from every direction along the corridor, showing the ship's insides with warts and all as they hurried further in. Red blaring noises and rampant alarms brayed out across the cavern in their descent, the rumbling whirr of the airship's engines sending vibrations along their spines and tails. The path was straight at first, locked between scarlet signals and yellow-black barricades but then they came upon a terrifying tunnel of thickly-bound wiremesh that rotated them fully into a barrel roll.

"AAAAAAAAIIIH ODDIE!"

"KEEP RUNNING," shouted Barren, "NEVER STOP!"

"B-BUT THE STONES ARE MOVING!"

"JUST KEEP RUNNING, IF YOU STOP THEN YOU FALL!"

They trusted their mother's words as she tore ahead, the raptors leaping from the strange tube and back onto solid steel. The path would soon split ahead and they were forced to make a choice.

"We have to split up," said Eggfang.

"What, no!" cried Oddclaw.

"If we all walk into a dead end we will waste time, but we have to reach our friends even if it is only some of us. Mother, sisters, come with me, we go that way. Oddclaw, go with your brother and Moonclaw that way."

"Are you sure we will be safe?"

"We will be, so long as we fight together."

"I agree," said the mother, "whoever finds the path through shall keep going ahead and not waste their chance. Go."

With a reluctant agreement the family would split as Oddclaw, Moonclaw and Barkclaw went down along the right passageway. The rumbling grind of long-forgotten machinery kept them tense as they hopped over barricades, swerved through tunnels and leapt upon rising platforms that seemed to mimic stairs. For the time being there seemed to be no enemies as they dashed between corridors separating the giant hulls of the old battery, but there were defence systems they soon encountered in the form of roaring flamethrowers set within the floor that scorched in a wide beam across their vision.

They strafed past the crackling breaths of fire, hopping on their flat-headed tops which caused any raptor on it to suddenly become propelled straight upwards. Oddclaw panicked from the vaulted lift and grabbed onto a rectangular bar, one of several on the ceiling as he swung forwards like an ape to grab one after the other. The last one of the set extended out the ceiling to gently drop him back down to the floor.

"This place is madness!" cried Moonclaw. "What creature could construct such nonsense?"

"I hope we do not meet them," replied Oddclaw, "come on, stay close."

Onwards and upwards they went, pounding their bare feet across the metal walkways and corridors with dusty windows to the outside world within the island. Flamethrowers spun and growled threatening to char their skin as they dodged and hopped over the firey machines, spinning tunnels of latticed bronze started sequencing one after the other, sometimes even straight upwards as they rushed through as fast they could.

The raptors were stunned by these odd circular navigations, defying their sense of logic and direction when they ran to new heights and hurried across lethal gaps that went hurtling straight below to the crystal cavern floor. As the ship began to groan and move with desperate efforts they could hear the mass shattering of jewels from beneath in a crackling array of glass-shaped structures to be crushed and ground into dust.

At some points there were large gaps that none of the raptors could cross until Oddie spotted the metal bars from above, launching himself by a flamethrower's top and grabbing on to swing over to the other side and find a switch to activate a bridge. Some paths caused them to dash frighteningly fast when hitting upon a spring-loaded device, punching their feet forwards like an Olympic athlete and causing them to gather enough speed to even run up curving walls.

"Why would these things exist?!" gasped Oddclaw with his feet burning from endurance.

"I hate this place," growled Barkclaw hopping on his sore toes, "I want to leave!"

"Me too, the sooner we find our friends the sooner we can leave!"

They started to reach dizzying heights amidst jumping, rushing and swinging over gaps. Sometimes however the path would take them to outside the battleship itself, running alongside the hull's steel frame to hop across creaking suspended platforms high above the crystal cavern. Certain death met their fate below amidst dozens upon thousands of glistening shards like a sea of daggers which only made the sudden drop of one of the platforms more terrifying.

Moonclaw hopped across behind the males just before the platform broke from its support beams, snapping one then the other to swing straight off into the abyss as she landed hard with skittish claws straight into Oddclaw's arms holding her tight.

"Are you alright?!"

"Yes, yes I'm fine, this place is falling apart!"

"Come on, quickly!"

The sound of creaking further signalled them to hurry as the gasping hot wind from the turbines of the ship howled past their cheeks, the shuddering platforms starting to crumble at a faster rate behind them, and with each fresh jump they made they always seemed to cut it a little closer than before. Hanging steel plates crunched and clattered off the ship's hull just below their feet seconds after they sprang off to the next platform and headed right back into the bowels of the dying battery.

One final rush came in the form of a dizzying pillar of wiremesh that terrified them, beckoning the raptors to enter its hellish spiral with no other choice left to them. Getting a running start they tore through the last blockade in one huge long-winded tunnel run, their furious momentum keeping them sustained against the walls without falling to gravity's clutches thanks to the ever-constant torque of the strange wiry drum. Much to their surprise they caught sight of their other family, racing along a separate path by leaping onto strange hovering steel robots with serrated propellers churning underneath. It was not long before both reached the top deck within seconds of each other.

"WE DID IT!" chirruped Sand.

"WE BEAT YOUUUU!" cried Leaf. "Youuu're toooo slowwwww!"

"This was not a race!" shouted Barren. "Much as I am happy to see you two unharmed you still have to learn to take things seriously!"

"We do take it seriously, we were trying to beat you!"

"Shush!" barked Eggfang. "Look, there they are with that fiend!"

Across the other side of the floating deck was Knuckles and Dronin facing down against a bruised dented Metal Sonic. He flew circling them with cold fury in his soulless eyes as he rushed down upon Knuckles' head with devastating fist, the guardian dodgerolling hard to one side before springing back with his own dual fists to send a crushing slam into the robot's face. Almost instantly Dronin countered up with a slashing cleave from above when he leapt upon Knuckles' back and came down with his sword. The rogue hedgehog made of steel went tumbling hard across the deck, pushing himself up briskly with a sputtering jet.

"Hmph...wretched traitorous defect."

"If you call me a defect," said Dronin with sword raised to him, "what do you call one whose programming is outdated by the defect?"

"Out...dated," snarled the metal fiend, "I think not."

"More like outnumbered," added Knuckles with brandished firm fist, "now you're giving back those emeralds and I am making you leave this island either by your feet, or with my fist punching you right out into the ocean."

"Outnumbered...by only the two of you?"

"No."

Oddclaw's voice came up from behind as his family stood together, a horde of eyes, claws and teeth snarling defiantly.

"By many of us."

"Many? Typical, a tribal beast who cannot count, nor hope to understand my greatness coming soon."

"Your greatness ain't never coming tinhead," retorted Knuckles, "now hand over the damn chaos emeralds or I will personally RIP your FACE OFF and put it on my punching bag!"

"You will regret this. I would have offered you a chance to escape but your lives are now forfeit. With the Flying Battery now slowly becoming operational, I shall start on my conquest of the world from the air itself just as my former master did. Since you are so eager to challenge my ruling allow me to find you a much more suitable opponent."

The deck opened up beneath him, a large circular gate that bathed him in a pool of demon light that transfixed his gaze unholy upon them. Sirens blared once again as something rose from below his feet. A giant crown with a bubble-shaped cockpit, followed by a large rotund body of pompous chest and regal colours of red and gold almost like a steel robe. One enormous four-fingered hand held a giant scepter of fool's gold with a smiling moustached man's face embossed upon its tip, whilst the other arm ended in a tremendous lengthly cannon as the steel colossus was revealed to be a 30-foot beast. The metal faker opened the cockpit and sat himself inside at the controls, mainly to shield himself during self-repairs, the arms lifting up with a groaning strength. The raptors were terrified apart from Oddclaw who simply spread his arms wide with disbelief.

"Enjoy your rebellion short-lived at the hands of Egg-Regious. I only need to buy enough time until the battery's engines are fully engaged with the chaos emeralds acting as their power sources."

"You think a fat ball o' junk's gonna threaten me?!" roared the guardian with fists up. "Come on lessee what you got!"

"Ohhhh please, not another great stonebeast!" whined Oddclaw.

"Wh-what, what do you mean ANOTHER one?!" shouted Barren.

"Never mind, we have to fight this thing!"

"Wha-WE?!" squeaked Sandrunner. "But, but Oddie th-that thing is bigger than all of us!"

"Well we are faster, and if our father could kill a greatbeast cycles ago then so can we together! Eggfang, take Sand, Leaf and Moonclaw and get close to draw its anger."

"What are you planning?!" asked Eggfang.

"I fought a beast like this before with the hairless, and I know how to kill it. But I need you to lure it away from me. Mother, Barkclaw, stay with me, I have a plan."

"Alright. Follow Oddclaw's plan, come with me!"

"B-but it's SCARY!" whimpered Leaf.

"Trust your brother, he saved your lives before now MOVE!"

The robot came down with its powerful scepter to crush upon the deck, forcing the raptors to scatter into two groups. Eggfang led the females away around one direction, skirting close towards the burly bot's leg to coax it into attacking them as it turned to swipe with its giant cane. But it did manage to fire a parting shot towards Oddclaw's group as his mother and brother dodged with him from the giant steel boulder that came hurtling from the cannon.

The ball crunched across the deck with a bouncing motion before exploding behind them, causing some of the cavern's ceiling to come down and crumple its heavy rocks and stalactites upon the flying battery. Knuckles scuttled his way up towards Oddclaw once the egg machine was fully distracted, by Eggfang barking at it in tandem with her female troupe.

"I see you plottin' over there, what's up?!"

"I need to climb up it," said Odd, "if I can get up top I can break apart its arms!"

"Yeah, sounds good to me, but what about the legs?"

"It is not fast, but I I will need help, can you and Barkclaw's friend break its arms once I wound them?"

"Of course," replied Dronin with sword swishing out, "I will stay by your brother until then."

"I'll hang by your mom," said the guardian, "be good fer some backup yanno."

"Alright." Oddclaw nodded before turning to his family. "Mother, Barkclaw, when I call out to you, Sunwing tactics for our friends."

"OH, YES!" chirruped Barkclaw excitably.

"Wh-what?!" stammered Barren.

"I will tell you mother, it is very good!"

"Al-...alright then, you lead us son."

The guardian and Stonevoice stayed near the two raptors as Eggfang's sisters rushed towards the egg-robot's legs, slamming their heads and slicing viciously across the hunk of steel within its haunched feet. The dull tremble of their impacts caused Metal Sonic to turn and stomp hard upon them, the girls dodging away before attacking once more. Turning halfway once more he fired his arm cannon back towards Barren's group, who shrieked in scattering from the explosive iron ball that caused even more of the cave roof to start collapsing dangerously, the torrid rain of heady stone and sharp dagger lengths crashing into the ship's hull shaving steel and crushing dents into the deck surface.

With two groups attacking at the legs individually, the Egg-Regious did not notice Oddclaw sneaking round to climb onto its back. Barren became fretful but held herself fast keeping Barkclaw safe. His eyes and ears went on full alert, shouting towards her when one large stone came hurtling down as he shoved his mother out of the way. The rock went straight through the deck, falling and clattering through the interior as the Flying Battery turned into a pockmarked disaster.

Oddclaw braced himself, digging his claws into the back of the giant's knee as he clambered up onto its back. Cautiously keeping out of Metal Sonic's sight, he pulled out his laser shotgun and fired into the arm-cannon's shoulder joint where the plate metal was at its thinnest. The cracking screech of the particle shot went triple-firing into the steel with a horrid burning force, fracturing the armour's molecules to such an excitable frenzy that they came apart in a splintered snap.

"NOW!" cried Oddclaw.

"HERE WE GO!"

Knuckles and Dronin hopped onto Barren and Barkclaw's backs, before the two raptors launched them hard into the air like springs with mighty jumps in their powerful legs. The guardian and the mantisbot landed upon the arm cannon before rushing along its chrome ebony surface towards Oddclaw's position, straight to the now-exposed seam of the shoulder joint. The red echidna leapt up high before slamming both his fists hard in one hammerfist, crushing part of the joint which violently dislocated enough for Dronin to come spinning down with razor-sharp sword slicing through its weakened tendrils.

"WHAT?!"

"EAT THIS YOU FAKER!"

The guardian crowed as the cannon arm would sever itself from the Egg-Regious body, clanking upon the deck of the flying ship with a weighted sound as Metal Sonic turned towards them in shock. He readied one of his machine's feet to kick the arm hard towards the raptors like a football straight across the deck hoping to crush at least some of them. Moonclaw shrieked and charged towards Eggfang to knock her down as the huge weighted arm crumpled and spun straight over their heads, whilst Sand and Leaf panic-jumped right over the crushing deadened limb before falling awkwardly upon the deck.

"A-AAAAGH MY LEG!"

"MY LEG TOO!"

"STAY CLOSE TO ME!" shouted Eggfang. "Are you two alright?!"

"M-my leg, I-i-i think I hurt it!"

"LOOK OUT!"

The long-toothed older sister ran across the sky deck to push her sisters away just in time to evade a sweeping strike from the giant scepter, hard enough that it cracked against the cavern's wall causing more violent trembles of the roof to fall in on their heads. The battery became battered constantly, pummelling rocks that tore through its weakened hull and sent clattering down into the gears that started to force its descent. But the pilot cared little for this destruction as he now turned his brazen fury upon the intruders, shielding himself from the collapsing roof with his false golden staff.

"I can repair this vessel a thousand times but YOUR LIVES shall be broken PERMANENTLY."

Once the boulder storm had ceased he came for them once again, brandishing his giant mace to swipe more carefully in not causing another collapse, the first shafts of light piercing through from above and onto the dull-glinting ship. Oddclaw had managed to hide against Egg-Regious' back waiting for the right moment, climbing back up towards the other remaining arm whilst the beastly colossus stomped upon the decaying deck in trying to crush his family. Another blast of his shotgun weakened the shoulder before he called towards Knuckles and Dronin once again. But this time Metal Sonic was ready.

Turning to see the guardian and mantis propel themselves from the two raptors' backs, the massive mechanical beast swung his scepter with violent whoosh hard enough that the gust of wind from its force threw them off course to land back on the deck. The heavy foot raised up to crush them would barely miss after Oddclaw slammed himself against the cockpit to distract Metal Sonic.

"NNGH, YOU!"

"STINKING PIG, FIGHT ME!"

Aggressively banging his charging gun on the glass bubble, he tried to be as much a nuisance to the metal fiend to keep his eyes off the action. Knuckles however had a better idea as he turned to Dronin.

"You help Oddclaw with taking that arm, I've got a plan to crack open that head."

"Be careful."

The badnik nodded as he leapt onto Barkclaw's back who forced him upwards in a super vaulting jump, the steel samurai landing upon the staff in its brief moment of standstill. That would be Metal Sonic's mistake.

_"LET US END THIS!" _

With shining sword glistening in the sunlight from above, he made one final leap before slicing through the damaged robot joint with carving strength, a sickening scar blistering open within moments of his strike as oil gushed from the now-porous wound before the arm drooped with deadened wires of sinew. During all of this Knuckles began climbing the walls of the cavern to find an appropriate stalactite hanging just above the robotic ogre's head, a dull jagged sword of Damocles just waiting to befall him.

"You wanna break my island so bad, well HERE, have some o' THIS!"

His one solid punch cracked through the top layer as the stalactite fell towards the Metal Sonic's crowning cockpit with Knuckles riding on top of his deadly projtectile. Halfway down its descent, the crimson echidna slammed a monstrous fist straight into the top of the stalactite to further propel it downwards before it cracked powerfully into the glass dome.

The piercding strike shattered through the cockpit completely and almost hit Metal Sonic by a third of an inch to his steel skull, the looming large pointed rock pulling his machine's top forwards with the sudden weight embedded into its cranium. Without arms and rendered top-heavy, the Egg-Regious was dead but not before Metal Sonic tried to escape, only for Oddclaw to fire straight into his back and shoot him from the sky with a seizure-ridden shot of burning electro-light.

The fake hedgehog spasmed and crumpled falling onto the deck of the now-ruined Flying Battery. Knuckles landed fast rolling forwards as they realised the ship was now breaking through the cavern's ceiling.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN BELOW!"

"WAIT!" Dronin stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I must go to the controls and navigate the ship somewhere safe!"

"Wha-b-but WHERE you gonna land this?!"

"I KNOW WHERE!" shouted Oddie. "Stonevoice let me come with you, I will show you where!"

"Alright, come with!"

The rest of the family rushed down below deck with Knuckles carrying Metal Sonic over his shoulder. The crunching groan of rock versus steel was deafening throughout the entire hull as both raptor and mantis reached the control panels of the navigation deck. With one silver hand on the steering wheel Dronin pushed the ship out through the lava reef zone and upwards above the island, breeching like a whale from the sea as landslides scattered across the broken earth.

Over the island they flew with Oddclaw's directions pointing straight north in full view of the raptors' home to their left. The family gazed open-jawed with fright and wonder at their whole existence just reduced to a cluster of green far below in their first view of the crescent-shaped continent. The journey would take a little longer than they wanted to, the Flying Battery burning majestically through the sky like a half-inflated zeppelin.

"THERE!" cried Oddclaw.

"BESIDE THAT BEACH?!" questioned Dronin.

"YES, NEAR IT PLEASE!"

"VERY WELL!"

Slowly but surely the giant vessel would come landing with the last of its integrity failing out from tearing hull strips despite the engine power never dissipating. A long dreadful seven minutes of existence hung above the world gave the raptors some sense of suspended fear, wondering when or if they would ever see land again in one piece. The mothership landed with a surging slump on the waves, beaching hard upon the shallows unseen beneath the waters as a tidal wave rushed across the sands dousing them to a thick soupy brown as every single passenger shuddered forwards to almost hit their heads on something.

The raptors pulled themselves up from the floor and looked about to see that no one was injured. Oddclaw staggered up from between consoles with Dronin carefully checking his joints.

"Is that...are we safe?" asked the raptor.

"Yes," replied the robot, "we have landed...I admit, I never landed a ship before."

"You were very good! No one died and you did not hit the shining mountain!"

"I hoped that I would not...though it seems its inhabitants are none too pleased."

He pointed out to one of the windows which showed a small series of dots on the sands that came rushing out with cries of distress and fury as Oddclaw felt somewhat sheepish all of a sudden amidst their shouting.

"WH-WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"WHERE'D THIS FUCKIN' SHIP COME FROM?!"

"I-is someone IN there, we got more of these aliens now!?"

Thomas strode forwards with a megaphone to his lips and a gun in his other hand.

"ATTENTION, WHOEVER IS INSIDE THE UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL CURRENTLY ON OUR BEACH. WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF FIGHTING, BUT YOU ARE IN OUR TERRITORY AND WE DEMAND THAT YOU STAND DOWN AND RELINQUISH YOUR WEAPONRY. PLEASE EXIT YOUR VESSEL AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS OR ARMS OR UPPER APPENDAGES RAISED IN THE AIR. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY, WE WILL BE FORCED TO-"

"H-HEY, HEY HELLO, HELLOOOO!"

"......what...the fuck?"

Carefully pulling himself up out of the cockpit, Oddclaw waved at the humans leaving Thomas stunned with megaphone dropping in his hand.

"I FOUND YOU MORE STONES YOU LIKE, LOOK, IT'S A SHIP!"

"I CAN SEE THAT!" roared Brightman off-balance. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU ALMOST HIT THE DAMN BASE!"

"NO, WE DID NOT HIT YOU! MY FAMILY ARE HERE AND OUR FRIENDS TOO, CAN WE COME DOWN AND MEET YOU?!"

"ONLY IF YOU PLAN ON NOT STARTING ANY TROUBLE!"

I should warn my sisters then, thought Oddclaw to himself as he went down below.

The T.E.A.R. crew spent hours investigating the remnants of the Flying Battery with a mixture of intrigue and awe at the technology both familiar and yet startlingly advanced in some places. Oddclaw with the help of Knuckles explained all that had been happening for the past two days concerning Angel Island from its odd sudden appearance to the jewel thieves and the battle that lead to the crash landing. This also marked the first time that Oddclaw's family ever saw the human base, much to their excitement apart from Barren.

"They live HERE?!" asked Leaf.

"I-i-it's so SHINY!" stammered Sand.

"They make their own mountain," murmured Eggfang, "impressive...if one is exposed out on the shore why not make a home for yourself?"

"I do not like this place," whispered Barren.

"We are fine," assured Oddclaw, "I have been here many times before, the hairless are our friends now."

"Alright...I trust you, but I would rather not go in."

"That is fine."

"...I am proud of you."

"What?"

She turned towards him fully with a warm scent of praise radiating from her being before licking across his cheek.

"When that fearsome stonebeast came and attacked us, you did not show fear, nor did you run but you kept your wits and you planned a means of attack with the family together. When I saw you take charge I saw your father back many cycles ago when he faced down that greatbeast. I no longer fear for you."

Oddclaw smiled widely with relief as she nuzzled his face with sensitive snout.

"You are a brave and worthy hunter by yourself. No one should have to compare you to your father anymore...especially not me."

"Th-thank you. That...that was all I ever wanted mother, just to be me."

"And I now see what my son truly is."

"Hello Barren!" Jane came walking out across the sands with a warm smile. "Goodness you came all the way out here?!"

"Not by choice," said the mother through her son's translating, "I trust Oddclaw has told you all of what has happened."

"Generally speaking yes...must have been bloody exciting for you hmm?"

"More than I would have liked...I cannot wait to get home and rest, I am exhausted."

"I'll arrange someone to get our ship ready to send you all back."

"Ohhhhh noooo not another flying thing."

The therapist petted Barren with a sympathetic nod holding back a chuckle.

"I'll ask the pilots to go slowly and as low as possible to the ground so it's not as terrible."

"Thank you Warmvoice."

"Would you like to come in perhaps, get some rest?"

"No thank you, I do not like being in mountains."

"I understand, well let's get someplace out of the way and why don't I get you some meat from our kitchen, I bet you must be famished after the wild adventure you had."

"Hmhmhah, I am hungry actually, you do not mind sharing your food with me?"

"Not at all come on, we can eat outside and catch up!"

The ladies walked together towards the base until finding a spot away from the foot traffic with Oddclaw doing his best to translate between them. During this Knuckles stood by Thomas in front of the ruined ship conversing on their state of affairs.

"You know we've never had a whole island appear before," started Brightman.

"Yeah?" said the guardian. "What do you normally get?"

"Honestly, you're like the third anomaly we've really had so it's hard to say, but before we only had like ships and maybe half a facility underground."

"Huh...well, you're welcome to take this flying garbage heap, I certainly don't want it messing up my island."

"Any other parts like this on your island?"

"Oh yeah like all over the place! Sometimes they're good for propping up a shade or yanno crafting something but for the most part they're all just garbage I got no time to clean up...buuut the badnik colony are pretty nice about taking any they find and need."

Thomas stroked his chin with a pondering thought as he turned fully towards the guardian.

"I have a proposition...would you allow us to clean up your island? These resources are exceptional from this ship alone."

"H-huh, really?" Knuckles cocked his head. "This pile o' scrap is good fer you?"

"We always need more materials which are difficult to synthesise in this world for repairs and such. If you'll allow us in your home for a brief time then we can start gathering and removing such things to benefit us and also beautify your island."

"That would be pretty great...only ones that need it are the badnik colony, heck they might even have stuff to spare."

"So is that a deal?"

The red echidna put out his large white fist in offer towards the human.

"Long as you respect my island and follow my orders until you leave."

"Agreed," the Major-General gripped his hand in a firm shake, "it's a deal then mister uh-"

"Knuckles. Echidna."

"Thomas. Human."

With humans carrying refuse back and forth towards the base like ants across the dunes, Dronin sat down on a rock with Metal Sonic beside him bound and chained unconscious. Barkclaw sat down beside him shifting uncomfortably with the sand against his rump in the bleary morning sun.

"They love shiny stones."

"Indeed," replied Stonevoice, "the hairless always have such fascination with shiny things."

"Maybe my sisters are hairless too."

"Hah, perhaps."

"They are not though. What will you do now?"

"I am not certain, I can always return back to the stonebeast tribe."

"Do you want to?"

The mantis leaned back on his stone seat pondering with steel hand scratching his face. He gazed up towards the sky purest blue which shone off his green metallic carapace.

"Truly, I do not care where I go so long as I can find some place of safety, where the sun never leaves."

"You could stay here." Barkclaw leaned forwards with a hopeful chirr. "I...I like you, I would like you to stay."

"You do?"

"Yes. If you do not care where you go, you can stay with us."

"Hmmmmm...I will ask if your family will accept this."

"Yes, YES yes I hope you can stay!"

The mottled raptor became excited all of a sudden despite his efforts not to get his hopes up, bouncing on the spot as he rushed off to find his brother and mother. After a short decisive debate, a salvage plan was agreed between the island guardian and the T.E.A.R base, over the course of two weeks so long as they had guidance and supervision at all times, before the island would leave.

In turn the former badniks also gladly assisted, with some even curious in wanting to join the humans for a change of scenery as well as becoming part of something useful again. For some of the former minions, the need to have a purpose was too strong a lure as an odd multitude of beasts became part of the human group.

Legless monkeys and rhinowheels joined with dragonflies and rollerbugs, at least 20 or so of them in total amidst the constant relay of salvage being carried by boats or ship. Scratch and Grounder did not join the T.E.A.R but did send off those who did with Oddclaw acting as ambassador of his world.

"Are you sure it is alright?" he asked the robots.

"YEAH SURE!" squawked the rooster. "People wanna go an' do stuff then why not, that's what we did!"

"Yep, suuure did!" puffed the tank. "Now we's got da best cookin' class in all the sea!"

"More like the ONLY class, robots don't eat food!"

"But you like my spaghetti, you said it wuz real good!"

"Yeah...yeaaaah I guess I did," muttered Scratch fwipping his steel wing over his crested head, "what was that sauce ya used again?!"

"Tartar sauce! It's TWICE the tar than yer regular!"

"You do not want to join us?" the raptor asked once more.

"Naaah," said Scratch, "we got our own plans, we got two islands to manage, lotsa classes an' stuff, all this paperwork i-i-it's all usual."

"Alright. Thank you again for your friends helping us."

"No problem FG!"

"...eff...gee?"

"HEY!" Knuckles came up behind with a slap to Oddie's shoulder. "Sorry uh but your sisters are acting up tryin' to steal some of the salvage again."

"Ugghhhhh," the raptor reared his head with exasperating sigh, "hhhhhhhhhalright I'm coming. Goodbye Scratch, goodbye Grounder."

"LATER FG!" crowed the chicken.

"YEAH G'BYE FG!" beamed the mole.

"...wait, wait did he ALWAYS have that orange thing on his face?"

"Yeah, I think so!"

"Uhhhhhh Iiiii dunno I remember him bein' more uh, purpley."

"OOH, that's my favourite colour of juice!"

"I thought it was orange!"

"Nuh-uh, it's PURPLE!"

"You TOTALLY SAID ORANGE LIKE THIRTY MINUTES AGO!"

"NUH I DIDN'T!"

"WHAT ARE YOU COLOUR-BLIND OR JUST THAT STUPID?!"

"I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE, BOLTHEAD!"

Oddclaw was left confused by their ranting but focused on his sisters instead who were currently trying to abscond with various bright lustrous metal pieces for personal hoarding. The brother chased them all across the beach of Angel Island's shores with frantic shouting as they tittered and squealed at the chase, hoofing it across the sands whilst humans continued to work through the weeks in harvesting every scrap they were allowed to take. The badniks carried as much as they could in turn, but some of the metals were left behind for the sake of keeping their own colony's resources.

The ones who joined the T.E.A.R were met with confusion from the soldiers and wonder from the scientists, particularly Kevin and Andrea who investigated each and every one of the strange robot companions who spoke freely of their own will despite turning eager to be part of a military collective. There were few complaints and so they were relegated instantly to help with future repairs for the time being.

When all was said and done, after a hard long nineteen days of constant excavation and transportation, they had managed to clear up enough of Angel Island's refuse to be deemed adequate with the carnival zone's badniks harvesting the rest for their own supplies necessary. During all this Metal Sonic was kept bound in chains that nullified his power output, binding him to paralysis in the T.E.A.R brig until Knuckles was ready to drag him back home personally by the scruff of his steel shoulderblade. Their last meeting would be along the beach just south of the Hunters' Nest as Oddclaw's family lined up before the guardian.

"I am glad everything went well," said Oddclaw smiling in wholesome relief.

"Same," replied Knuckles tapping his nose with a large thumb, "glad your sisters turned out alright, hope they learned their lesson about uh shiny crystals."

"They have not." The raptor hung his head in defeat. "They never will."

"Hhhhahahaha...well, you guys take care and thanks again for all the help and also your human buddies in cleaning up my isle."

"They are very happy, it will help them very much."

"I sure hope so."

"OH, before you leave." Oddclaw handed him a small hard rectangle wrapped up in biodegradable fabric. "I made you some chocolate, you said you had not had any in years."

"Woah! Awww jeez thanks kid!" With rubbing fingers he peeled some of the papery fabric off to chew off a chunk of the sweet hard candy, whimpering with delight in a full cheek. "Mmm-MMMM MAN, awwwwh this stuff is GOOD!"

"You like it?!"

"I LOVE it, thanks Oddie! You really made my day."

The raptor smiled happily with beaming teeth as Knuckles pocketed the rest of his sweet treat into a cool pouch.

"So uh, the...Andrea lady explained that she can make my island go right back to where I came from?"

"Yes," replied Odd, "at least we hope so. We have never had an island here before."

"Only one way to find out. Oh and also..." The red echidna stepped forwards to offer his hand towards someone next to Oddie. "Thanks for all the help, hope you enjoy your new life here."

"As do I," said Dronin clasping Knuckles' fist, "I was honoured to make your acquaintance, guardian."

"You take care of yourself, Dronin. Alright, let's do this."

Knuckles turned tail and hoisted Metal Sonic over his shoulder, the robot seething with quiet rage at everyone in his sight as the red echidna crossed over through the shallows back onto his homestead. Oddclaw brought out his radio and called it in.

"Andrea, are you there?"

"Sure, fire away," she replied.

"We are ready. Send them home."

Some of the humans watched from the forest behind them in case of any extenuating circumstances or unplanned attacks. What they saw instead would be the most terrifyingly huge dimensional fracture any of them would ever witness, some of them even holding recording devices just for the occasion. The tearing render was immense in order to hold the island itself, reversing the energy output which had already been immense just to bring it to their world in the first place.

The raptors backed off fearing the worst as the howling wind came rushing past their feet, the cold burning smell consumed their nostrils as the trees briefly flattened their leaves in the wake of an immense pressurising gust. The giant black fissure ripped through their vision as the island was wholly swallowed by the space between dimensions. The roaring furore soon ceased leaving everybody stunned on the beach in gaping awe from raptor to human.

"Ehhh, we've already seen that," said Sandrunner swishing away.

"Yeah it's boring now," added Leaf, "can we hunt now mother?! I'm staaaaarving!"

"Only if you LISTEN from now on," barked Eggfang with stern tooth brushing their snouts, "you are hunters, not hatchlings mewling for meat!"

"Uuuuugh fiiiiine..."

"Do you want to hunt with us?" asked Barkclaw to Dronin.

"I never needed to hunt," replied the mantis, _"but I am curious as to how your family do so." _

"I will teach you! Oddclaw can we teach him?!"

"Of course," said his brother, "let us go. Have you told Stonevoice about all the smallwings we have?"

"OH! No, I must tell you about them, so, the sunwings are my favourite but they are shiny and easy to frighten-"

The family walked off back to their home with Barkclaw chittering away about all the strange bugs he had observed throughout his life as well as the new ones he discovered on the island amidst Sand and Leaf arguing away with Eggfang about the finer points of being a true hunter. Barren stepped up next to Oddclaw with Moonclaw on his other side, smiling at both of them as the humans returned back to their landed ship near the Roaring Caves far from the raptors' territory. Despite everything, Oddclaw was glad his family convinced him to go to the island for now he felt closer to them than before. His only regret, was that Fishclaw could not come.

"Shadetooth?"

He woke up within the foggy night.

"Ch-ch-children? ...Oddclaw? Mother?"

The place was barren like his mother's name without a single body throughout his lakeside home. Fishclaw stepped from his nest and walked down to the waters with his feet acting against him. He saw his own reflection in the water, the stirring fish circling between his legs almost mocking him in a dance of infinity. Blood started to drip from his eyes causing a dash of red across the surface.

"Wh-...wh-what?"

He bent down to splash the water, seeing his blood cake the top of it without ever seeping through like it was a pile of leaves before the water turned thick around his legs, sluggish like mud painted scarlet. It started to suck him in like melting tar as he struggled and fought to kick his legs free.

"N-N-NO, NOO-SHADETOOTH! M-MOTHER, O-O-ODDCLAW HELP ME!"

stop

"WH-WHAT!? WHO, WHO IS THERE?!"

it hurts when you fight

"S-SOMEONE HELP MEEEE!"

look

The voice came from below as he saw a raptor's face in the murkwater red. It was not his own face, but of some other beast that was vaguely familiar.

do you see now?

"NO, WH-WHO ARE YOU, WHY ARE YOU-P-PLEASE HELP!"

you...are gifted

"Wh-wh-what?!"

look...see your prey within

He saw the fish once again, stirring up the dirt from his feet that had become clumpened quicksand.

catch it...show me your truth

With fear ebbing towards the furthest reaches of his heart, he understood as Fishclaw stared deep down into the abyss of the lake which somehow turned much deeper than ever it could have become. Darkness swarmed through him like shadows of the night, howling beasts unseen that ripped at his flesh and tore his limbs with the frenzy of a maelstrom, gashing skin and exposed muscle as he focused harder with solid instinct.

His eyes burned through the deep black, shining harder and brighter as his focus became unreal, time slowing down to the point he now saw what shapes the shadows were in media res of attacking him. Winged freaks with curled fangs, roaring monstrosities of mangled teeth and bleak aquatic abominations that sought revenge for the many he had slaughtered. He shut them from his mind with piercing vision, tearing light through the abyss that came from his slitted pupils with rays of angelic force. He felt his head start burning, his mind melted through his eyes, nose and earholes as his flesh soon followed, scales putrefying to a liquid brown rancour as he screamed deep into a silence that consumed his voice.

He found what he had been searching for, his prey at last within the darkest nadir of existence as he saw it move. A fish like any other, but a face upon it that warped from brittle skeleton to a gasping foetid harpy, crying with horror as he tore into its flesh. It burned like lava in his throat as he consumed it, viciously devouring the raw scorching heat with foul toxic taste. He could not stop eating. He could not. Stop eating.

can you taste me

"N-n-no...n-no p-please let me f-finish-"

can you hear me

"I...I must...eat."

can you...kill me

The world turned from darkness to light with such violent sudden shift that every single bone and scale inside Fishclaw would burst into flames, a shrieking madness that echoed throughout his mind until he woke up.

"HHHH! H-hhhhh..."

He pulled up his head, staring around at the nest to see everyone was still there including his family some distance away. The smell of six dozen beasts soothed him with relief as he saw his fretful starts had not disturbed his children and mate. He curled his body back to sleep, hoping the dreams would not pull him back into that darkness once again.