Knight of the Moon: Chapter 47

Chapter 47
Animal

(Bedivere)

The bull cringed both from pain but mostly pleasure as he drove his meaty fist through the machine's face. Tiny pieces of bent metal cut into his flesh as the heavy steel gave way under the tremendous force behind the blow. Sparks and electricity spewed from the fresh hole as Bedivere withdrew his hand from the defeated mech. Without a further sound, save for a few sputtering wires and clanking gears, the robot collapsed into a heap at the Knight's hooves. Bedivere raised his hand up to his face for inspection before he then jammed it into his mouth and sucked on it a bit much like a child with an aching thumb would do.

"Mmmm….dat hurt," mumbled the bull from around his fist.

"Are you serious? Get your hand out of your mouth, you look ridiculous," stated a gruff voice from somewhere behind Bedivere.

He turned around and saw Gawain standing on top of a mech he'd just downed. The echidna let out a slight grunt as he yanked his blades free of the machine's tough steel torso.

"But it hurts," replied the bull. "And this is what my momma always told me to do."

Gawain rolled his eyes. "You punched a fully armored walking suit of steel, of course it's going to hurt! Although I do have to admit, sucking on your fist is probably the most normal remedy that your mother had for you. Comparing it to all the other stories you told me," said Gawain. "Did she really tell you to suck on a wound? Because I'd love to see what happens if you would have bruised your foot."

Bedivere looked thoughtfully up to the sky as he tried to recall what his mother had exactly told him to do. Then he pulled his fist out of his mouth. "Well….when I was a wee little calf and I'd get a scrape, I'd cry for mother to come. She'd always look at it and say suck it up. So that's what I do."

The echidna groaned and slapped a palm to his face. "I never thought I'd say this to you Bedivere but you've been thinking too hard."

Turning back to the fallen robot, Bedivere tugged his hammer free from where he'd imbedded it in it's thigh region. The hammer had gotten stuck during the blow which had been why he had to resort to his fist to finish the machine off. With the sound of straining metal, the hammer came free and Bedivere slung it up and rested it upon his thick shoulder. He then scanned the interior of the castle keep.

The knights and Camelot's army had finally managed to fight their way to the gates that Bedivere himself broke down. Immediately after that, Galahad had taken a division of troops to storm the structure where the metal warriors were coming from while Gawain and Bedivere had held off the machines outside the building. The Blacksmith and Percival had arrived just in time to help finish off the last few stragglers as the building that was producing the mechs went up in flames. However the victory was short lived as Percival informed Bedivere, Gawain, and Galahad that Sonic had turned werewolf again and was going after the Doctor with Lancelot and Caliburn in tow.

He and Gawain had gone ahead of the other knights who were busy tending to the wounded and found the keep gates already open and the mess of robot bits and pieces that Sonic had left behind. Inside the keep tower, though, the two knights were jumped by a couple of mechs that had been spared Sonic's wrath only to fall to Gawain's blades and Bedivere's brute strength.

"The king hardly left anything for us to have a crack at," complained the bull with a small grin.

Gawain grunted. "Speak for yourself, I've had my fill of these things for the day."

Just then a muffled, high-pitched scream echoed down the stairwell on the far back wall.

Both Knights glanced at each other. Gawain's face was a mask of concern and Bedivere knew his own probably matched it as they registered and recognized the tone.

"That sounded like Merlina!" said the Echidna.

"Wasn't Sonic supposed to be trying to rescue her?"

The Echidna's eyes swept up to the top of the keep where a blast of fire out the top window and rained shards of glass upon the knights as they stooped over to try and avoid the hazardous down pour. Immediately after the explosion a monstrous roar echoed from the window and into the courtyard.

The Echidna slapped his visor back over his face. "Sounds like Merlina needs saving from her rescuer," replied Gawain grimly. "Come on!"

Bedivere and the echidna raced for the stairwell that dominated the center of the keep. Unfortunately both Knights reached the first flight off roughly cut stairs at the same moment; as Bedivere's bear like frame took up most of the space, Gawain was forced to the edge of the stairwell and up against the wall. Struggling to keep up with the bull and avoiding being pan caked into the wall proved difficult as they got up the first few flights of steps. He didn't have any maneuvering space and therefore was denied any chance to avoid the bull's elbow as it swung backwards while Bedivere was running upwards. Gawain blacked out for a second as the ball of Bedivere's elbow connected fully with the center of his facemask and the echidna was knocked off balance and tumbled in reverse down the stairs sounding like a soup can being thrown at the sidewalk. The clanking of his armor as it scraped and clattered against the stone was only punctuated by brief, choppy cursing that was broken by a grunt with every impact until the knight landed hard on the tile floor back at the base of the stair column.

"Gawain? I think we're being followed," hollered the bull over the racket. He didn't get a response. Bedivere looked backwards and saw that he'd lost his companion. He stopped by a torch bracket then winced as he heard one last crash. "…Um…Gawain?"

"YOU GREAT FUR BRAINED OAF!!"

The bull's face reddened a bit as he caught a few more obscenities in the mix of Gawain's swearing before the echidna finally got quiet.

"Did ya fall?"

Again there was more silence but Bedivere was sure he'd heard an exasperated groan.

"Just get going! I'll meet you at the top as soon as I find the rest of my armor!!" answered the echidna gruffly.

Bedivere shrugged then resumed his sprint up the stairs.

Before too long the bull was wheezing and his thigh and calf muscles were seemingly aflame from the effort. How much farther do these blasted steps go? I thought this doctor fellow was a chunky fellow. There's now way he'd make it up these things. A few more stairs and the bull found it hard to even bother thinking so instead he focused solely on keeping his legs pumping and his lungs breathing to fuel his tiring body. Another scream bounced down the stairwell spurring on the bull again to greater effort, as he knew Merlina didn't have a lot of time left. It felt like it was taking forever to reach her and if what he knew of Sonic's werewolf habits, he only played with his food for a little bit. Of course this was assuming it WAS Sonic attacking Merlina. Maybe some of Eggman's robots had captured Sonic and Merlina both.

"Whoa! That's one way to let in a breeze!" stated the bull as he ran past a rugged and immense hole in the wall of the stairwell, which had been scorched black by some kind of fire. Judging by the damage he figured he was on Sonic's trail.

Rounding the next bend, Bedivere found a gaping space where a door used to reside in the center column that the stair wrapped around. The bull gazed in and had to wait a moment for his eyes to adjust to the flickering and uncertain light cast off by the sparsely placed torches. Bedivere quickly spotted the cages lining the roughly cut stonewalls and discerned that this was a dungeon of some sort. He then spied the remains of two more machines that had been torn apart and their black, sticky blood had pooled beneath the shattered and still smoking bodies.

The bull whistled respectfully then grinned a little as he heard it echo. "Sonic sure did a number on you two lug nuts," he chuckled to himself. His merriment came to an abrupt halt as a dull liquid substance that was smeared on a far wall just a foot above the floor and the trail ran off towards a destroyed doorway at the back of the dungeon, caught his attention. It wasn't blood from the mechanical warriors. This blood was red…and fresh and it made the bull's run cold as he felt a small pinch of fear grip his heart.   Where's Lancelot?

Not waiting any longer, Bedivere sprinted for the smaller stairway and squeezed his bulky form through the gap that had been torn through a set of bars and the stone itself. Once inside, the stairwell was spacious enough and the bull was not hindered as he made his way up the tight spiral. At last he reached the top and was faced by another large hole where a secret entrance had existed.

Beyond the hidden stairway that Bedivere stood in had been a study; now it looked as though a tornado had gone through. A large oak desk had been reduced to slinters and planks against one wall while the wreckage of a few bookshelves lay strew across the floor with their contents seemingly vomited out beneath them. Papers and scrolls coated everything almost like a grungy and patchy fur coat. The bull only took in these details from the edges of his vision since his eyes were warily focused upon the beast dominating the center of the study. It was Sonic.

At first the bull made a half motion to rush in and greet his king, but something flashed warning lights as his own instincts told him to stay back. Then the hefty knight noted the fresh blood on Sonic's claws and hands as well as the red stained into his lush pelt of dark fur. Near the room's main entrance a woman in a torn purple gown was huddled against the oak doors as she cradled her cut arm. The werehog was slightly hunched over with claws outstretched. He towered over a bloodied black and red striped hedgehog wearing a rag tag assortment of what had been a suit of armor;  Bedivere immediately recognized the anthro as Lancelot. He watched as the brave knight struggled to keep his torso upright with one arm while swinging wildly at the monster. Lazily, the werehog caught the steel blade with one hand then wrenched it from the hedgehog's weakening grip. Bedivere heard distinct words coming from the sword as the beast played with it a bit before casting it to the side.

"Sonic! Get control of yourself!!" yelled the blade that Bedivere now knew to be Caliburn. "Before you do something you'll regret later!"

As if in response, the werehog delivered a thunderous kick into Lancelot's side as he tried to crawl away; the knight was lifted off the floor and sent airborne into one of the few bookcases left standing. Lancelot flopped to the floor as a rain of books fell with him then buried the hedgehog in a pile.  He groaned once then was silent. A deep guttural chuckle came from the werehog Sonic as he then turned back to his original meal…the girl.

Bedivere slid his hammer quietly from its belt loop on his right hip. He hasn't seen me yet…must be to occupied with Merlina. Still…. The bull hesitated as he recalled that the werehog was far from just a dumb mindless beast, it was clever and violent towards anything that got between it and whatever the monster wanted to pick its teeth with. The bull glanced around then cupped a large chunk of busted stone to use as another blunt weapon. Better safe than sorry.

"I-I….please…." Merlina managed to wheeze out between her gasping breaths. Bedivere guessed that the blood loss from her wound was putting her into shock and she was running out of time.

Sonic was in no hurry; he lowered himself onto all fours and prowled low to the floor closer and closer to her until he was practically on top of Merlina. Saliva ran in great slimy streams from his open maw and he growled warningly. She tried to slide out from beneath the werehog but Sonic gave her a solid punch to her ribs deterring further movement. Sonic brought his head down sharply as if to bite but then withdrew when she flinched. The watching bull had a glimmer of hope that maybe Sonic would not be able to follow through with harming her anymore but that was dashed as the werehog laughed, his eyes shining with the same enjoyment that a cat would have as it played with its food.

Knowing that the werehog was more than likely done screwing around, Bedivere decided it was high time that he acted. Bedivere slid from the cover of the ruined secret passage and quickly made his way across the study towards Sonic. Of course, thanks to the werehog's heightened senses, he hadn't made it more than a few feet from the entrance before Sonic's ears perked up and the thick muscles on his back tensed. Taking careful aim, Bedivere hurled the stone piece he'd been holding at the middle of the beast's broad back. Even as he threw it though the bull picked up his speed reaching the monster just seconds after the rock collided with him turning to powder from the impact. It slightly staggered Sonic but not as much as the blow from a huge black bull running with full momentum slamming into him. Bedivere's charge knocked the monster off of Merlina and crushed him against a wall; the bull had dropped off at the last second and skidded to a stop so he wouldn't end up like Sonic who was now growling angrily as he pulled himself from the crater in the study wall.
"You must be Merlina," said the bull as he reached for her delicate hand to help her up. Slowly she got her legs beneath her; Bedivere didn't let go of her until he was certain that they would take her weight. Not thinking he then clutched both of her hands in his brutish grip and proceeded to shake her hand vigorously nearly making her fall over. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person my lady."

"Um…excuse….me but…." Stammered Merlina as the bull continued his ecstatic greeting.

The big knight let go and let out a dramatic sigh,"Ah forgot me manners again. The name's Bedivere the Bull. Sir Bedivere the Bull actually I'm one of the Knights of the Round table now and…."

Her eyes gradually shifted from looking up at the cheery bull to glancing past his bulky torso and then they widened in terror. "Look out!" she cried.

"Wuh…" WHAM! The angered werehog returned Bedivere's charging attack with even more aggression and did not hold back like the bull had. Both of them collided with the wall; Sonic however used the knight as a cushion allowing him to absorb most of the crash. Bedivere felt the stone behind him give way and fall. Luckily the beast hadn't put all his strength into the berserker charge or else the bull might have found himself knocked clean through the wall where he would fall several stories to the courtyard below. The bull recovered a little bit quicker than Sonic did and he took advantage of the slightly dazed werehog by punching him a few times in his lower torso; Bedivere than braced his legs between Sonic and him then shoved back hard forcing the monster away from him where he rolled into a big furry heap on the floor. Extricating himself from the hole in the wall, the bull got up and dusted off the stone dust then looked back to see the barely lit dawn outside. The sun was just beginning its ascent all that was visible was the first shimmering rays that turned the horizon a strange orange hue. An idea popped into the bull's brain. He'll beat me eventually if we keep the fight up….but….maybe I can keep him occupied until the sun comes up.

"RAAAWWRRR!!!!"

The bull whirled around and brought his hammer down in a guess where the werehog was at. It was a miss as the steel weapon bashed only the air. Sonic had dodged aside at the last second and stepped quickly behind Bedivere. He then slashed the knight across his broad chest carving bloody trenches across his right pec and even a few of his upper ab muscles. The werehog didn't give him any time to catch his breath as Sonic then picked up the bull lifting his hooves a few inches off the floor. Bedivere may have been a very burly tall anthro, but Sonic was slightly larger now and was going to make full use of that fact. Snarling, Sonic tensed his arm muscles then twisted round and slammed Bedivere down onto the wreckage of Eggman's oak desk.

Grunting, the bull took a busted wooden leg from the pile of the desk and knocked Sonic over the head with it. "Sorry, Sonic….this is going to hurt," warned the bull just before he staked Sonic through his meaty right bicep. It pierced the flesh and muscle easily and exited through the other side; for a little added time, the big knight twisted the piece and snapped off the end he was holding leaving that part jagged which would make it painful to remove. Howling in anguish Sonic leapt away nursing his wound and glaring hatefully at the bull who got back to his feet and recovered his hammer from the ruined pile of the desk. The werehog reached for the wood splinter and tugged hard, the wrong way, and instead only managed to cause more pain as the rough edge Bedivere had created dug into the wound. A mixture of blood and venom poured from the room in spurts as his body tried to heal the wound but was interrupted every time the angered werehog tugged on the stake.
The knight bellowed as he rushed Sonic bringing his hammer in an upwards swing that connected with his jaw; a sharp crack could be heard over the werehog's roars and Bedivere's battle cry. As the bull pulled away he stomped down on one of Sonic's paws then admired his handy-work as the powerful beast tumbled to the floor now whimpering with the pain.

"There! That was payback for the walloping you gave me a few days ago back in Camelot. Oh and if you can still hear me Sonic, I'm sorry it wasn't anything personal," the bull added as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "We'll get you back to normal again, sir! Just stay there for a few more….OOMPH!"

Sonic had been playing possum. Once the bull was busy rattling on he moved and stuck fast; Sonic had slid himself across the floor and then yanked the bull off his feet. The werehog tore at every bare inch of Bedivere that he could get his bloodied claws on. Trying to get back to his feet, the knight drove his fists into Sonic's muscled chest trying to give himself some room away from those slashing talons. But, the werehog drove his knee up into Bedivere's ribs winding him and severely bruising a few parts of his ribcage. At least that's what the bull guessed the damage was. He didn't even want to see what the rest of his body looked like after Sonic's claws were through with him.

"Agh…gack! Get offa me!" growled the bull.

The monster replied with a deafening roar then punched him again as he rolled off of Bedivere and then picked the bull up again. The werehog opened his jaws ready to bite.

I'm gonna end up as a steak if I don't to something! Figuring that this was his last chance to get away, Bedivere mustered all of his remaining strength. He brought his arms up and slammed the down elbow first right into the joints of Sonic's arms causing them to buckle and weakening his grip on the feisty bull. Bedivere then grabbed the werehog's shoulders as he kicked his right hoof into Sonic's left shin dropping him to his knees and putting him just a little below Bedivere's height. Now that the monster's head was at Bedivere's level, the bull snorted as he head-butted the werehog putting all the strength his thick neck had to offer into the blow. A bull anthro's skull is extremely heavy-duty; it was meant for fighting and causing some severe damage. Needless to say, Sonic felt the attack a lot more than Bedivere did. Sonic's eyes crossed momentarily and he swayed on his knees as Bedivere swung his hammer down on the furry beast's shoulder and dropping him onto his face…hard.

The werehog twitched a little as he drooled on the paper-littered floor but showed no signs of getting up anytime soon. Just to make sure it wasn't another trick, Bedivere cautiously stepped closer than gave Sonic a little shove with his hoof then stepped back quickly waiting for those claws to take another swipe. A grunt was all the reaction the monster could manage right now.

"Now sit….play dead," taunted the bull as he pounded his chest. "Good boy!"

"Um…Bedivere….that IS still your king," said a hoarse voice from across the room.

The bull stopped mid-pounding and faced Merlina sheepishly. "Sorry, got a little carried away."

"Understandable," the sorceress replied as she stepped all the way out from behind one of the ruined bookshelves where she'd taken cover during the brawl.

Slowly she made her way over to a golden rod that bore an emerald stone at the top; Bedivere guessed it was the staff that Gawain had mentioned to him. Then a thought dawned on him.

"Oh shoot! I forgot about Gawain!" he exclaimed as he ran towards the secret stairway.

Merlina frowned, "Gawain? Is he in danger?" her eyes got a little wider.

"Nah. He tripped on the stairs and fell all the way back down," Bedivere responded over his shoulder as he reached the first step going down. A grouchy looking echidna was standing there, arms crossed.

"You brick-brained lummox," said the knight sharply, "When we were running up YOUR elbow knocked me all the way back down. Do you have an idea how tiring that was to get back up ALL of those BLOODY stairs….again!?!"

Bedivere was quiet for just a second then a grin broke out as he pointed at the fallen werehog. "I took care of Sonic," he said ecstatically. Gawain's yelling had gone right over his head.

Gawain's face took on a slightly less redish tint as he tipped sideways a bit to get a better look at the beast. His face changed from angry to something bordering surprise as well as respect.

"Well….um….congrats," he muttered quietly.

Merlina was busy tending to Lancelot who she'd helped sit up and get him at least halfway coherent. She had torn a shred of fabric from her gown then used it as a bind to cover up a few of his more serious wounds that the beast had dealt him. There wasn't a lot she could do though for his internal damages since the sorceress was tired out at the moment and probably didn't have the energy to make a spark let alone heal broken bones.

Bedivere and Gawain gathered to the side of Lancelot.

"What happened to you," asked the bull sincerely.

Lancelot gazed up slowly and merely scowled.

"Ooookaay…forget I asked," said Bedivere as he spread his hands defensively.

"Urrrgghh…"

Four heads spun quickly and looked in alarm as the werehog began to stir. Sonic pressed his hands down and worked his way onto his knees with his palms still flat on the floor. Glaring up at them, the beast growled hatefully as his eyes shimmered emerald.

Figuring he was still in the best condition out of all of them, the bull drew his hammer and stood between the monster and his friends. Lancelot stretched his arm out and grabbed Caliburn who'd been laying face down this whole time.

"Ah finally! What happened? Did you beat….oh," the sword trailed off as the black hedgehog gripped Caliburn's hilt loosely in his weak hand.

Staggering back to his feet, the werehog reached for the stake still lodged in his shoulder and with a sharp yank, removed the splintered table leg tearing more flesh and taking parts of his muscle with it. He hurled the piece to the floor. Sonic rolled that shoulder and flexed his arm a bit as the wound finally closed itself up and his punctured muscle reformed. A wicked grin spread across his muzzle as he showed off his daunting set of blood-stained fangs. The monster took a single step towards them then fell to his knees again as he clawed at his skull yowling like a beaten mongrel.

Confused the bull lowered his hammer a bit then noticed the window behind Sonic as warming rays of the dawn crept through and striking the werehog's back. Bedivere smiled and put his weapon away knowing that they'd have their king back shortly.

Sonic's muscles bubbled beneath his furry hide swelling slightly then started to deform and shrink. Drawing his arms tight against his bulky chest and whimpered as the bones cracked then began to revert back to their regular size. Veins stood out on his neck and in sporadic patterns across his entire body as the werehog tried to resist the changes; he strained to move his body out of the sunlight as if reaching the shadows would help. Sonic's right arm popped and shot away from his side as his bicep gurgled then deflated followed by his tricep and finally his forearm. A similar thing was happening to his other arm although in a slightly different order. The werehog stood up and stomped his paw against the floor as his toes stretched out and the bones in his feet narrowed. His ankles snapped and then shrank and lowered themselves to the floor putting Sonic once again back on normal feet. Sonic's roars soon turned to screams as his vocal chords shifted and he quickly shrank from his immense height back to the typical size of a hedgehog anthro. His quills shortened along with the heavy pelt over his entire body. However his fur remained a dark grayish blue tint. The long fangs slid back into his jaws but still jutted out more than normal as the hedgehog's muzzle merged back with the rest of his skull, flattening until there was no sign of it. Finally, his bones had returned to normal and his bulk had all but disappeared; although his body was still well defined and he'd retained some of the added muscle. With one last cry, Sonic fell to the floor heaving as his lungs struggled to fill with air.

Bedivere, Merlina, and Gawain rushed to get the king back to his feet.

"Sonic, are you alright?" asked Merlina, concerned as she laid her hands on his back.

Gawain squatted down in front of Sonic's still downcast face. He snapped his fingers. "My king. Come on, say something," said the echidna.

A growl rumbled through Sonic's form as he whipped around and knocked Merlina's hands off of him then clawed at the girl missing her face by just an inch. She threw herself backwards and slid away from the crazed Sonic as he then turned on Gawain. He caught the red knight with a solid punch to the nose.

Bedivere reacted quickly as he dove on top of Sonic and pinning him flat against the wooden floor. The hedgehog fought like a caged beast trying to get away. The bull actually felt Sonic push upwards and lift him slightly. He was still very strong compared to his normal abilities, but not nearly as powerful as he had been minutes ago.  Without the strength to lift Bedivere, he could do nothing but snarl and try to cut the heavy knight; to prevent that the bull pressed his big hands down onto the hedgehog's arms.

"Sit still would ya!" demanded the bull. He grunted as the hedgehog thrashed about again managing to kick Bedivere.

Gawain got closer to the stuggling Sonic. The king ceased fighting against the bull and instead watched the echidna.

"Gawain, ya might not want to…."

The psychotic hedgehog lunged as far as his neck would go and snapped out the knight's face. Luckily for the knight he'd managed to jump back in time before he lost his nose. He muttered a curse under his breath. Bedivere shifted his weight a bit and squashed the king's face into the floor boards.

The bull let go of one of Sonic's arms and pointed at him. "HEY no biting!"

"What's wrong with him!?!" demanded Gawain. "Shouldn't he be normal now and…and not drooling and…biting?"

Merlina approached the trapped Sonic and she motioned for Bedivere to let the hedgehog 's head go so he could look up. The bull shrugged his shoulders and slid back a bit putting most of his mass on top of Sonic's torso. Immediately the hedgehog started barking at Merlina, much like a dog warning strangers off would. Except, this bark was more guttural and beast-like. Even from on top of the king, the bull noted that Sonic's eyes were still that dangerous emerald color.

The girl's features seemingly fell as she studied Sonic. "We…may be too late. I'm going to try and reach him; maybe there's still a fragment of the king left in there…" Sonic growled in response. "…somewhere."

Gawain, Lancelot, Caliburn, and Bedivere were all silent. Then Bedivere swallowed back the knot in his throat.

"What if…what if he IS gone? Can't you still do the…ritual thingy?"

Merlina shook her head but Caliburn answered the bull's question.

"He'll have to be put down," said the blade grimly. "If Sonic is truly gone, then there will be no way to safely restrain him. We cannot allow the beast to spread its curse if it gets lose."

Put him down. repeated the bull in his mind as his mouth went slack.

"Let us pray it will not come to that," stated Merlina firmly as she set her staff down. The sorceress sat in front of Sonic with her legs crossed and hands rested calmly upon her lap. Her face became relaxed and she closed her eyes.

(Merlina's POV)

Due to her lack of strength at the moment, she found it annoyingly difficult to reach that internal flow of magic. At last though, she fought over her weariness and tapped into the source of her power, which was located in the far recesses of her mind. Using that magic, she freed her conscious and felt herself drift away from her frozen body. Then, she sought out Sonic's mind.

As she connected with the still feral Sonic, she immediately felt the werehog's instincts wash over her. For a brief second, Merlina almost lost herself in the torrent of raw emotions. But, she refocused herself and pressed on deeper into the king's brain looking for a sign that he was still here. She was in awe over the changes that had reforged Sonic's conscious. The sorceress had of course been in the hedgehog's thoughts before and knew what it felt and should look like. This place had become something entirely different and something….not natural.

The old workings of his mind were dimmed and shrouded in a shadowy substance that flowed like a cloud. This dark substance existed in every part of Sonic's brain that Merlina could see. Curious as to what this was, she reached for a strand then discovered her mistake quickly. The moment her spirit probe contacted the black wispy material Merlina began to forget her purpose for being here at all. It was causing a sort of amnesia and along with that came primal urges that overwhelmed all other logical senses. She pulled away worried that there might be permanent damage but the second she'd let go, her own mind returned to normal. This….stuff….is causing Sonic's mood swings, his instincts, and his forgetfulness. If we can remove this without harming the king, it should bring him back. But how they were going to do it, Merlina had no clues.

"….Merlina….."

The girl heard a faint voice calling her name from somewhere beyond this dark chasm she had found herself in.

"….Merlina…" said the voice faintly again.

Recognizing the voice the sorceress frantically sought where it was coming from exactly.

"Sonic!?! Where are you?"

The hedgehog's voice seemed to be getting weaker."….I'm….here…"

The sorceress struggled to discern the direction that his voice was coming from but then decided it was off to her right somewhere as he called out again. She frowned as she moved in that direction. The darkness is stronger here.

A rumbling chuckle came from the mist as a pair of emerald eyes loomed ahead of her. Merlina had no magical powers in her spiritual form but she could easily fight back with her own mind. However, she wasn't so sure about this thing blocking her way. It radiated a sort of feeling that made her real skin crawl.

"He's mine…witch," growled the being. Merlina quickly realized that THIS thing….was the curse itself. The true evil that was busy corrupting and overtaking Sonic's brain.

"We're not done fighting for him, so make it easy on yourself and just get out now," she threatened.

Her warning was answered by another menacing chuckle.

"Foolish little girl," the beast taunted as the two eyes shifted to her left, circling her, sizing her up. "Your king has already given up to me…he's accepted this gift that had been bestowed upon him...it's time you accept that as well."

"You're lying. Now let me through!!"

"You don't believe me?" asked the werewolf in mock surprise. "Fine then. Go and see for yourself." Then the two eyes blinked out of existence as a horrible laughter echoed through the blackness.

Merlina was momentarily frozen in place, afraid that the werewolf had set a trap of some sort. But, when nothing happened, she slowly dared to move forwards to where she'd hopefully find Sonic. The sorceress, though, felt a cold grip of fear as she thought about how easily the beast had let her go. He wants me to see Sonic….I wonder what's happened to him?

She didn't have to go far to find her answer; her progress through the black fog was halted as she bumped into a solid wall of grey smoke. Merlina budged her shoulder into it trying to make it yield and give out but it remained hard. Ceasing her attempts, the girl noticed how the black smoke was thick around this wall and seemed to be pushing up against it as well. It's trying to get in. The sorceress worked her way along the wall until at last she came to a spot where a glimmer of light was escaping from beneath the unbreakable cloud. Right at head level was a sort of handle. Curious, she grabbed and twisted. Suddenly a large human sized section of the wall gave out and swung inwards like a door. Blinding light poured from the hole and Merlina was forced to hide her still sensitive eyes until they adjusted to the change from darkness.

"What the….what is this place," whispered the human in awe as she peered out into this totally new area.

"Quick shut the door!!" cried out a familiar voice of Sonic.

"Wait…what…" The girl turned round and saw the blackness flooding in like water. It was as if a damn had opened and the fluid was seeking new territory to drown. "She threw herself against the door piece and slammed it shut on the mist. But, some had still managed to get in. It curled into a thick tail of snake-like smoke and curled up near the edge of the wall, almost as if it couldn't bear to go any farther into the beautiful land she now stood in.

"Cool spot isn't it," stated a voice from in front of her. There was nothing there though, until bit-by-bit a figure materialized. He stood tall with his arms crossed, tapping one of his classic red shoes impatiently on the grass. His fur was a deep cobalt blue and when he grinned, his teeth were all level. No fangs in sight. The hedgehog was lean and thin as well; this king looked nothing like the rabid, evil Sonic that Merlina knew was still fighting to get out from beneath Bedivere's hefty form. This was the real Sonic…the one that had vanished the second that the venom of the werewolf had entered his system.
Merlina grinned then embraced the blue hedgehog. He returned her friendly hug and then stepped back. Gazing out across the luscious green valley she now stood in, Merlin asked, "Where…or I should ask….what is this place? It looks kind of like the plains of Camelot but…there's something different."

Sonic smirked. "You wouldn't recognize it. This place exists back on Mobius. Welcome to the Green Hills!" He said enthusiastically while sweeping his arm out as if to show it off.

Taking another moment to admire the area's beauty, she then became serious and turned back to the reason she had come here.

"Sonic, what's happened to you?"

Instantly, the king's cheery face died away as he seemed to age on the spot. His shoulders slumped a little and his perky ears drooped.

"I don't have much time," he muttered. He must have seen the confused look on Merlina face because he sighed and decided to elaborate. "When I lost control and…bit Eggman…I could feel…him….starting to take hold again. Typically, when the beast starts to take hold, I just kept myself focused and fought off any instincts," he explained. "But….after that....after tasting his blood. I truly realized how far I was going. I realized that the more I tried to learn and control my instincts, the more I was letting myself bond with it."

"But…why are you stuck in here? Did the creature put you here?"

He held up his hand to ward off her questions. "I put myself here. That thing was getting into my head faster than I'd thought. Unless I shut myself off from him completely…I would have vanished completely right there. Instead I locked myself up in here. I guess this place is sort of where all my favorite memories go. That wall you ran into…at least from what I can tell….seems to be made up of all the things I've treasured and memorized over the years," said Sonic as he stepped away. He inhaled deeply then straightened himself up. "The second I left my body and put myself into this…prison of memories…the beast took full control of all my bodily functions. Instincts are the only thing that are driving the me you guys are dealing with."

Merlina nodded slowly as she understood what he was talking about. "So are you safe in here?"

"No," the king said sadly as he shook his head then kicked the grass angrily. "I thought that by trapping my mind here…I'd be safe from it. But that isn't the case." Sonic pointed at the grayish wall of flickering images and lights that surrounded them. Cracks had appeared since she'd first arrived and the darkness was greedily seeping in. Like the strand that had followed her through the door, the misty formed a thick line of black at the base but as more joined it, the substance seemed to be growing braver as thin fingers of the werewolf's corruption reached out trying to tear away Sonic's last refuge.  "I'm starting to forget things…he's stealing everything that makes me…ME!!" he yelled angrily. The hedgehog picked up a chunk of rock and hurled it with a grunt at the mist. The darkness caught the stone and swallowed it into its folds. "I can't do a damn thing about it," he muttered.

"Don't give up yet, Sonic. Bedivere has the beast pinned right now and the sun has just risen. We have time to get you back to Nimue before you transform again. And even if we don't make it, Tails can chain you up for one more night," she said quickly.

Sonic interrupted her, "If I change again….that'll be it for me. You have to get me back to the Lady of the Lake before the moon rises again. Please….please hurry! I'll hold the beast off as long as I can…but I can't do anything to stop what my body will do." He grew quiet. "Did….did I hurt anyone? Besides Eggman I mean."

Knowing that they could afford to have Sonic feeling guilty about anything, she shook her head. "No…Bedivere arrived just a few moments after the werewolf took control."

He eyed her suspiciously for a moment.

He knows I'm lying. But she kept her face neutral and the hedgehog glanced away seeming to accept what she'd told him.

"I'll keep fighting Merlina, don't worry about that. But tell Lancelot to get his feet moving please….I'd really like to NOT end up as a big hairy monster for the rest of my life," he added with a quick thumbs up.

"We'll run with the winds," she responeded.

The hero then dashed off towards a spot where the darkness was thickening. As he approached it pulled away, afraid of him.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Merlina's spirit form closed her eyes then receded back out of Sonic's memories, out of his brain, and finally settled back into her own body. Merlina gasped for breath as she broke out of the trance. In front of her the mutated Sonic kept nipping in her direction, salivating all over the floor and on Bedivere's fur. The others were watching her anxiously.

"Well?" asked Caliburn.

"We need to get back to the lake before nightfall, or else Sonic will be lost forever."