Prologue
Our scene opens up with a shot of the beautiful city of San Francisco. Everything was peaceful for this little state of the United States of America… that was until two streaks of color, blue and red, began to emerge to the side of the city, being in a little chase that was tearing through the streets of downtown.
The blue streak was running away from the red streak, which was the aura from a flying ship that was chasing the blue streak while firing laser beams at it. The one who was radiating the blue color was a boy with emerald green eyes, blue hair that was sharp as a hedgehog's quills, and had hedgehog ears.
The two of them were in a little chase, where the pilot of the ship was trying to shoot down the boy with animalistic features, and he was only able to avoid the lasers because of his extreme speed and incredible athletic skills.
Just as the ship fired another laser beam that made the ground explode, time slowed down and came to a halt.
"So… I know what you’re thinking: why is a boy whose hair and ears are like that of a hedgehog being chased by a madman with a mustache from the civil war?" A voice asked all of a sudden as time flows back to keep the scene going, with the boy continuing to run for his life and dodge the madman shooting him.
"Well, to be honest, it feels like I have been running my whole life… Is this too much? Am I going too fast, like I always do? Ya know what… let’s back up."
As the voice said that, the screen began to get played in reverse really quickly before showing a different planet, one that was completely different from Earth.
This is Planet Mobius. It was a lustful green and peaceful planet that existed far across the Milky Way galaxy, home to the Mobians, a race of once humanoid anthropomorphic animals that slowly became more human over time, still retaining their animalistic features.
This race of species once were living a peaceful time… that was until the Echidna warriors had attacked.
They were once a powerful clan of Mobius, having possessed the ancient and powerful artifact known as the Master Emerald, a large green emerald that had the ability to turn thoughts into reality, thus granting the user a godly amount of power that was capable of annihilating entire armies.
Knowing that a power hungry clan such as the Echidnas shouldn’t possess something so powerful, a group of multiple Mobian races came together to form the Freedom Fighters, whose goal was to take the Master Emerald away from their enemies.
That was a long time ago, and while they were successful separating the Echidnas from their precious emerald, the clan of power hungry bastards were hellbent on retrieving their artifact.
Right now, it was absolute chaos and disaster in Mobotropolis, where a full on war was happening. Multiple members of the Freedom Fighters were on the front lines, sacrificing their very lives to hold these monster back, but it was no use as each of them were slaughtered.
The leader of the Echidna clan, Pachacamac, walked up the stairs, leading to the capital of Mobius. As he removed his traditional mask, the old Echidna looked to see that castle of the royal family that ruled over Mobius itself, the Acorns, sitting on a mountain across from him and the battlefield.
Over a century ago, the first king of the royal family, Alexander Acorn, had ordered a group of Heroes to be form, which would eventually become the Freedom Fighters and take the Master Emerald from his clan.
"After so long, we can finally be reunited with the power that was once ours…" The old leader said before putting his mask back on, staring at the castle with a glare. "Prepare yourself, great grandson of Alexander. As punishment for stealing the Master Emerald, you and your people shall die at our hands."
From the castle itself, the current king, who was the previous king’s son, Elias Acorn, watches the battle continue to escalate and the body count of his soldiers continues to grow.
He gritted his teeth, not happy that they were losing this fight. Suddenly, he felt a tug at his arm, making him look down to see that it was his baby sister, Sally Acorn.
Elias frowned, but still managed to smile when seeing his little sister. It saddened him to know that she was just born a couple of days ago, just when this war was about to happen.
He then neared hurried footsteps, looking back up to see that one of his soldiers was rushing to him.
"King Elias! Huff, huff… We have an emergency!" The soldier declare with panic in his voice. "We are trying as best as we can to push them back, but the Echidnas are slowly getting to the capital! At this point, it’s only a matter of time until they make it here! What are we going to do?!"
The son of the previous king knocked some sense into the panicked soldier by karate chopping his head. "Keep your cool, soldier. We haven’t lost yet. Listen, if it comes to that, then let’s prevent by issuing an immediate evacuation. Have the other soldiers gather the civilians together out in the main courtyard of the capital, and use the rings to send them to some place safe for relocation. Also, tell mother about it and give Sally to her as you inform her."
"Understood, sir. But… what about you?" The soldier asked as he picked up the young princess, his eyes not taken off of the king, who looked at the window with a glare, seeing his men and some of the Freedom Fighters were being slain by the Echidnas.
"I will join the fight."
"Eh? Eh?! But, sir! The citizens of Mobius need their king to give orders and keep them safe! We can’t lose you just like we did with your father—"
"That’s not your decision to make, soldier!" Elias shouted, making the soldier flinch as he didn’t expect his royal highness to burst out in anger like that. Young Sally looked at her older brother with a concerned look as Elias balled his fists in rage.
"I still have a grudge against Pachacamac, for how he murdered father and grandfather back then. Beside, the citizens don’t have to worry, for they have mother, and soon, Sally."
As Elias said that, he turned back and looked at the soldier dead in the eye. "I have to do this. While I was did good as king, I have to fight for my kingdom, no matter the circumstances… even if it means I have to give up my life."
The young king looked at his little sister and patted her head before looking at the soldier. "Go… now."
Without hesitation any other choice, the soldier nodded his head and immediately left the grand hall, with baby Sally crying for her older brother, which made him feel hurt that he had to do this to his baby sister. But the young king steeled his resolve before going to battle.
At the outside of the castle, a woman with owl features stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the besieged city of Mobotropolis. The horizon was lined with billowing clouds of smoke and the flicker of flames, remnants of the destruction wrought by the invading forces of the Echidnas warriors.
Her wing flexed at her sides as her sharp eyes scanned the battlefield below. The location of the Master Emerald. That was what they were after, and it was what they would stop at nothing to get back.
If they did, not just Mobius, but the entire universe would be in danger. And if possible… the entire multiverse itself, if possible, would be in grave danger.
While she overlooks the battle, the sound of hurried footsteps behind her didn’t immediately distract her from the grim scene below.
"Longclaw!" A familiar voice called out to her, its urgency breaking through her concentration. The owl woman, now known as Longclaw, turned around to see two of the most respected members upon the Freedom Fighters and her long time friends, Jules and Bernadette Hedgehog.
They had been at her side through countless battles ever since she became one of the owl warriors and member of the Freedom Fighters.
The owl warrior noticed that Bernadette was holding onto something. It was small snd she was cradling it gently, but Longclaw couldn’t make out what it was from the distance.
Her keen owl eyes, however, picked up the strain on their faces—especially Jules, who looked more tense than usual, his lips pressed into a hard line as his fists clenched at his sides.
"Jules, Bernadette." She greeted them, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. "I’m about to join the others. We can push them back if we make our stand at the northern ridge. They’ll be expecting us to fall back here. If we can just—"
"Longclaw, wait." The female hedgehog's voice cut through hers, a tremble lacking the words. The expression on her face wasn’t just one of worry for the battle—they had faced worse odds before.
No, this was different. Something personal was at hand.
Longclaw passed, noticing the weight of Bernadette's voice, and then finally glanced down at what she was holding. When looking at it, the owl warrior was absolutely shocked.
It was a child, which was barely a baby, swaddled in cloth, with a tuft of blue hair peeking out from beneath, along with an hear that was akin to his hedgehog parents. The baby boy shifted slightly, his large emerald eyes peered up at the sky before he cooed softly, completely unaware of the danger that looked over the planet.
Her brow furrowed, but before she could ask, Jules stepped forward." The council has made a decision. And… we’re afraid it concerns you."
"The council…?" Longclaw muttered, narrowing her eyes while suspicion swirled in her mind. She had always respected the decisions made by the council of their planet, but now? With the whole battle raging and the Echidnas closing in on them? What could they possibly want from her?
Jules hesitated, for he hated what he had to say to her. "Longclaw… they decided that you aren’t going to fight." The moment he said that, the owl warrior’s feathers bristled, and her wings shifted in agitation.
"Wh… What do you mean that they decided that I can’t fight? You know as well as I do that we have to defend the city! The Echidnas are after the Master Emerald's location, and we can’t afford to let them find out! Ever available fighter is needed!"
Bernadette looked away, her eyes glistening with unspoken emotion as she gently rocked the baby in her arms. "It’s not that simple, Longclaw… The council has decided that… instead of fighting, you must leave Mobius."
"Leave… Mobius?" The owl woman muttered, with her words striking her like a physical blow. "Now…? In the middle of this war…?"
Jules nodded his head solemnly. "Yeah. They believe that the Master Emerald's safety is more important than any of us. And they’ve decided that the best chance of keeping its location is by leaving it with you…"
Longclaw was stunned. She had always known the importance of the Master Emerald—it was the most powerful artifact on the planet, since it was the former artifacts known as the Chaos Emeralds that were fused to make the Master Emerald. With it, it was capable of immense destruction or salvation depending on whose hands it fell into.
And you can definitely expect destruction if it were to end up with the Echidnas again.
But to be tasked with protecting the artifact's location, to leave the battlefield, to abandon her people…
"Why me?" She asked, her voice tight with confusion and anger, which was shown by how she gripped her weapon very tightly. "Why not someone else? Like another Freedom Fighter? I can fight! I’m not gonna let my city get destroyed!"
"You can fight." Jules said, agreeing with her. "But they trust you above anyone else to keep the emerald from falling into the wrong hands, especially if it’s the Echidnas. Not to mention how your kind were one of the original members of the Freedom Fighters. You’re not just a warrior, Longclaw. You’re someone they believe can travel far, beyond Mobius if need be, to protect it."
The male hedgehog reached into his satchel and pulled out a small, worn-looking bag. As he untied the string and opened it, several golden rings clicked softly inside, glowing faintly with otherworldly energy they held.
"These rings will help you. They can create portals based on where you think of the place you wish to travel too, taking you anywhere—anywhere far from here."
As Longclaw looked at the bag of rings with awe, Bernadette took a step forward, her grip tightening slightly on the baby.
"It’s not just the Master Emerald that we’re asking you to protect, Longclaw." Her voice cracked as she said this. "It’s our newborn son, too. His name is Izuku."
The owlette's sharp eyes snapped from the bag of rings to the baby cradled in Bernadette's arms. "Your… son?"
Jules nodded his head, with his expression hard but pained. "We don’t know why, but Izuku is… special. Days since he’s been born, he has been showing signs of having a power—something far beyond what any Mobian had ever. We brought this up to the council, who stated that even they don’t know what kind of future lies ahead of him, but they do know that if the Echidnas—or anyone else—find out about his power, he will be in grave danger l. We can’t stay with him, not with the battle or with everything else happening out there. But with you… at least we know he’s safe."
Bernadette stepped closer, her voice trembling with fear and hope as she clenched onto her infant child. "Please, Longclaw... Watch over him… and keep him safe."
The owl's chest tightened. She had fought in wars, faced off against the greatest threats Möbius had ever seen, but this… this was different. They weren’t asking her to fight. They were asking her to protect their child that she wasn’t sure she was able to do. Not to mention the fact that she also had to abandon her comrades that were sacrificing their lives to hold back the enemy forces.
Her warrior instincts screamed at her to stay and fight, but the weight of their request… It was too much for her to bear.
She took a step back, her wings shifting uncomfortably. "I…" The owl faltered, being a bit hesitant. "I don’t know if I’m the right one for this. I’m one of the owl warriors, and I don’t know the first thing about taking care of a child—"
"Please…" Bernadette pleaded, her voice thick with emotion as she held onto her baby. "He’s our son. And we trust you. No one else can do this. Not now."
Jules laid a hand on Longclaw's shoulder, his grip firm and steady. "If anyone can protect him and the emerald's location, it’s you. You’ve always been one of the bravest warriors I’ve known. But this… this is more than just bravery. It’s about doing what’s right for the future of the world."
Longclaw's eyes darted between them, then to the innocent face of baby Izuku, who looked up at her with wide, curious eyes. Could she really do this? Could she leave and abandon the battle to protect the child of her friends and the Master Emerald's location?
Just as doubt was beginning to sprout from its seed and take over her mind, the distant sound of an explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet, and Longclaw flinched.
The fight was coming closer. Time was running out.
"I…" Longclaw’s voice cracked before she composed herself. The fight was getting closer, and there was no time to doubt her actions here. The owl took a deep breath, straightening her posture as she looks both parents in the eye and she said her answer.
"I’ll do it."
Bernadette let out a soft sob of relief, tears streaming down her face as she gently handed over her baby boy to Longclaw.
The baby hedgehog cooed softly as Longclaw cradled him in her arms, his tiny grasping at the set of feathers were on her chest. Jules stepped back, his jaw clenched, his eyes betraying the sorrow of a father knowing he had to let his son go in order for him to live.
"Thank you." He said, voice thick with grief leaking out, no matter how hard he steeled his resolve. "Thank you, Longclaw."
The owl warrior nodded her head, her eyes determined but clouded with the weight of the decision. "I’ll protect him." She promised them. "I’ll protect Izuku and the emerald's location. I won’t let you down."
Jules handed her the bag of rings, and she tied it to her waist, feeling weight of the magic within them. The rings would take her far away, to a place where the Echidnas could not follow, where Izuku and the Master Emerald's location be safe. She only hoped that she could live up to their trust.
"Izuku…" Bernadette whispered softly as she kissed her son’s forehead one last time. "Be brave, my little one. Grow strong. We’ll always be with you…" She takes out something, which was a locket that she puts around her son’s neck gently. "…no matter what happens."
Tears stung Longclaw's eyes, but she blinked them back. There was no time for second-guessing now. She had a mission, and she would see it through to the very end.
Just as she took one last glance at the battlefield below, where her fellow warriors and Freedom Fighters fought with their lives, Jules stepped forward and handed her something. It was a photograph of two other children that were similar to Ixuku, except they had different colored hair.
"Before you go, I must tell you something." He said while the owl took the photo from his hand. "Izuku isn’t the only child we had. He has two siblings, a brother and a sister. They’re named Sonia and Manic."
"Where are they? Shouldn’t they be with their brother?" She asked in confusion.
"We gave them off to the others that were available at the last minute before we could give Izuku to you."
"I see… Well, I’ll promise to tell him this when he’s older and ready." She said before she took to the skies, her wings cutting through air as she soared above the battlefield.
Jules and Bernadette could only watch as their friend leaves with the map to the emerald and their son. His wife sheds tears from their tough decision while he held onto her. "Good luck… both of you."
With Longclaw, the acrid scene of smoke filled her nostrils as the distant screams of battle echoed through the field below her and Izuku, but the owl warrior forced herself to focus.
Although every instinct screamed at her to dive down and join her comrades in the fight, to fend off the advancing Echidna warriors, but now she carried a different kind of responsibility—one that was far more precious than any battle she fought.
In her arms, baby Izuku stirred but did not cry. His tiny hands clutched at what little feathers she had, his emerald eyes wide as he gazed at the smoke-filled sky. For a moment, Longclaw wondered what kind of life he would have—what kind of world would he grow up in, far away from the war-torn lands of Mobius.
The owl warrior flew for what felt like hours, the landscape of Mobius stretching out below her in rolling hills, dense forest, and jagged mountains.
The rings tied at her waist hummed with latent energy, reminding her that they were her way out of danger, her change of escape. They were what would take her and the child of her friends to safety.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally approached a secluded clearing in the Great Forest, which was a broadleaf forest that dominated the Northern region of Mobius.
Longclaw decided that it was time. With a graceful arc, she descended, her feet touching the soft grass. The area was quiet, untouched by the ravages of war, a perfect place to activate the portal.
The owl warrior shifted her arms, adjusting the baby cradled against her chest as she knelt down and reached into the bag of rings. She held out one of the golden rings between her fingers, feeling the hum of its ancient power.
These rings could take her anywhere in the universe—to another part of the planet or even to other worlds. She and her comrades had used them in the past, usually either for transport or for ambushing the enemy forces.
The owl warrior whispered a quiet prayer to the ancient guardians of Mobians and her ancestors before throwing the ring into the air, which began to expand as it flew from her hand, growing in size until it fully formed and hovered in the air as a glowing, shimmering portal that opened into a realm unknown to her.
Through the portal, she could see vast open skies, towering mountains, and a horizon that stretched endlessly into the distance. This was the place where she could take Izuku and keep him safe.
Longclaw hesitated for just a moment, casting one last look back toward the direction of Mobotropolis. She wondered how her people were fairing—if the Freedom Fighters could hold the line, if Jules and Bernadette were still alive.
She had faith in their strength, but the nagging doubt gnawed at her heart. This might be the last time she would ever see her home planet. But then Izuku stirred in her arms, his tiny hand reaching up and brushing against her feathers.
His innocent face was unmarked by the horrors of war, his eyes full of life and potential. In that moment, Longclaw knew her choice was the right one. She couldn’t be there for her people now, but she could protect him… make sure that he had a good future.
With a heavy heart, she took a deep breath… and stepped on through the portal. The world on the other side of the ring was peaceful in a way Longclaw hadn’t felt in years.
The air was crisp and clean, with the scent of fresh pine of the breeze. The sky was a perfect blue, unmarked by the black smoke of war. Rolling meadows stretched out before her, leading to towering mountains in the distance.
It was a place untouched by the conflict of Mobius, a sanctuary for them to live in.
As the ring behind shrank and vanished into gold dust, Longclaw took a moment to adjust to her new surroundings. It was everything she needed in the situation she and Izuku were in—a remote, hidden location where neither the Echidnas nor any other enemy would be able to get to them.
A safe place to raise the child of her two friends.
She glanced down at Izuku, who had fallen asleep against her chest. His breathing was soft and steady, his tiny form completely relaxed in her arms.
Longclaw smiled as her heart swelled with a fiercer sense of protectiveness. "Don’t worry, little one. You’re safe now…" She whispered to the boy. "I’ll keep you safe, just like I promised your mother and father."
Even as she said those words, doubt flickered in the mind of Longclaw. Even though they were far away from the fight, she wondered about the mention of how her friends telling her that their child was showing signs of possessing a power—a power that Jules described to be something beyond what they saw any other Mobian can do. Not to mention how he brought up of Izuku having siblings.
Sure, Longclaw did see her fair share of abilities during her time as one of the owl warriors and a member of the Freedom Fighters, but this child.. Whatever abilities his parents warned her about is… it must have been something powerful for them to warn her about it.
Nevertheless, she will make sure to help Izuku and find out what his power is.
"Right now, I need to make shelter and get a fire going. Although Izuku might give me some issues to get the wood, but I can still manage around that issue. Let’s do this." The owl warrior thought before beginning to do her job.
Taking her belt, Longclaw makes it into a makeshift harness for her to carry the child before going to work. Taking the ax from her holst of weapons, she quickly chopped down large logs of wood for the fire and the shelter, while also gathering other supplies.
While she was going to town on the wood, Izuku slept as she went to work. The owl woman collected twigs to start the fire before using the friction technique to light the wood, creating their campfire.
The young Mobian child still slept in her clutches, even after she caused loud noises from her wood chopping. It reminded her of his father, Jules. He also had his mother’s green eyes and blue hair.
While she couldn’t technically build a hut for shelter, a normal tent made out of tied up wood would have to do for now. Overtime, as she worked on getting the word for their tent, it quickly became nighttime.
As she sharpened a couple of sticks into small spears that she could use to go hunting for fish and salmon in the riverbank nearby them while the small child with hedgehog features slept on top of her, Longclaw looked to see a book poking out from her bag that she had just gotten before the Echidnas had began their attack on Mobotropolis.
It was a gift from a fellow comrade and sister-in-arms, who stated that if she ever wanted to take notes or input entries of her journeys on missions, this could be the best thing to put them in.
Seems like it was a good time to use it…
Taking the book, along with the ink and quill that were with it, the owl warrior began to mark her latest entry on their survival journey.
"Journal Entry: Day One. It has only been a few hours since Jules and Bernadette have entrusted me with their son, and we fled from the battle happening on Mobius. I have just made ourself a campfire and shelter, to keep us warm throughout the night. Currently, I can’t stop thinking about what’s happening back on Mobius.
How are my fellow owls doing? Is the war over or still going? Did Pachacamac and his forces win and slaughter everyone…? I can’t stop thinking about it… especially about the possibility of the Echidnas finding me and Izuku.
Speaking of the boy, I can’t stop thinking about what Jules told me… his power… They said it is unlike anything they’ve ever seen. If this is true, then I must keep true to my promise and help Izuku find out what his ability is, and teach him to control it. I’ll be keeping this journal full of entries as the years pass, each full of details of how our lives will go. Maybe this book can be passed down to Izuku so he can detail every event that happened in his life."
As she wrote down that last part, the owl warrior paused before looking at the baby of Jules and Bernadette, seeing how he slept on her chest, making Longclaw smile as she wrote down the last part.
"I hope Izuku can grow up into a strong man. Maybe even a hope that the universe needs one day. Maybe when the time comes, if something happens to me… I can prepare him to be the one who protects the location of the Master Emerald. But enough of that. The moment morning comes tomorrow, I’ll head out towards the riverbank to hunt for food. I know that I don’t have any baby formula, so—as embarrassing as it seems—I have no other choice but to breastfeed Izuku. It’s the only way that I can feed him, and they are going to be small chances of it happening.
I wish Bernadette would have given me something to cope with his hunger problems… Anyway, tomorrow is another day."
After writing that last sentence, Longclaw puts the quill away and shuts the book close, tightly tucking it away in her bag. She made sure to shut the entrance to the tent before clutching onto Izuku, making sure he is close so that her body temperature can keep him warm.
The child clutched onto her feathers as he slept, making Longclaw smile as she hugs him. "Good night, Izuku…" Shw whispered to the child before wrapping him in her arms as the owl warrior drifted off to sleep.