In A Just Cause: Prologue by Edward Becerra __________________________________ "In a just cause, there are no failures; there are only delayed successes." - Isaac Asimov It was a beautiful morning in Knothole, and Sally was determined to enjoy it. She took care of some minor tasks that she'd been putting off, and then took a walk around the village. After a while she found herself headed toward the forest path to Kickaha and Nightsky's lodge. She decided to drop by for a visit. *He looks so much happier, now that he's found Nightsky.* she thought. *Before, even when he was in a good mood, he seemed... grim. As if he was tired of living, and only continued out of duty. She's good for him.* When she reached the lodge, she knocked on the door. There was a surprised gasp from inside, and some scurrying sounds. Then Nightsky answered the door. Her fur was ruffled and her makeup mussed. Kickaha stood behind her, hurriedly pulling on a vest that was turned inside out. Sally blushed when she realized what she'd interrupted. "I'm sorry! I can come back later!" Kickaha noted her eyes on his vest, looked down, and quickly put it back on, right side out. "Ahhh... no problem, Princess. We were just... getting ready to go to sleep. Yes, that's it. It can wait. We're both night roamers, we _like_ to sleep by day. Uh-huh. That's right." He rambled on like this for a few moments, then waved her inside. "Please, what can we do for you, Princess?" "Well, first of all... aren't the two of you _ever_ going to start calling me Sally, like I asked you to?" They looked at each other. Nightsky answered for them both. "But you are the Princess. It wouldn't be right." Sally rolled her eyes, and gave an annoyed sigh. *It's a lost cause, I suppose.* She shook her head, and then got right to the point. "After the wedding, Old Coyote said that what we saw happen was private, but that we could ask about it, if you were willing to talk..." Nightsky steered her over to a seat near the firepit, and brought drinks from the kitchen. Then she turned to her husband. "I have no objection, my love..." "Nor I, my one. Princess, what you saw..." "Sally." Kickaha gave her a dirty look. "Princess Sally. Good enough? All right, then. Among our people, when a woman catches a man, she _really_ catches a man. After the ceremony, but before the ahhh... wedding night, so to speak, she gives him a few minutes head start, then hunts him down. The longer he can avoid her, the better. He proves his worth as a mate, this way. Then, when she catches him, the tables are turned, and he hunts _her_ down. The longer it takes, the better. There was a legend, once, of a couple who took two weeks to hunt and catch each other." "And the change? The shapeshifting?" Sally asked. "Grandfather's wedding gift to us. That _our_ Chase might be special. We chased as it was done in the old time." He smiled at Nightsky. "A very special gift, indeed. It was glorious, was it not, my love?" "Truely. I shall never forget it." She leaned over and kissed him. "We must do it again, someday." "Perhaps. When the war is over and done. Robotnik must first be defeated, and his evil removed from the land. Then, my night flyer, we will be free to do as we wish." He smiled. "Enough of that, for now. I understand that your father has returned, Princess. You must be very happy." "I am. I've missed him so very much. It's just that..." She waved her hands in frustration, not quite knowing how to say what she felt. "...that you've been in charge of everything for so very long. It's never easy to let go, when you've been the responsible one, the person everyone relies upon." He shook his head. "It's a normal feeling, child. While King Acorn's been away, you've changed. You're no longer the child he left behind, and he is not the same person, either. You can't simply step back into the same relationship, Princess. Neither can he. You must find a _new_ balance." He snorted. "Listen to me. I sound like Walks With Stars. I'm a warrior, not a shaman." "Yet you are right, love." Nightsky said quietly. "They must begin anew, as have we. Know that, and you know the beginings of truth." Sally thought that over for a while, as they sat quietly around the fire. Nightsky brought another pot of chickory and refilled their cups. Time passed in silence. "You've given me a lot to think about, Kickaha. Thank you." Kickaha reached out and took his wife's hand. "No, Princess. There's no need to thank me. All that I have, I have because you've taken me in. A home, a tribe, even the woman I love. I owe you everything. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, you only have to ask. I always pay my debts, Princess. No matter the cost." Sally finished her chickory, and left. As the door closed behind her, she thought she heard a happy, female giggle. And faintly... "...oh no help don't tickle me there i'll get you for this my husband..." She flushed again, and thought to herself, *I've _really_ got to get them a `Do Not Disturb!' sign.* ********************************** Later on... "Is there a problem, Sonia? You seem upset, Hovqulpuq." "It's Davey, Vavoy. He's still feeling pretty torn up about his fight with his father." Sonia's face was filled with frustration. "Why can't I get through to him? I don't blame him for not killing Robotnik. No one does. But he won't believe me." She looked like she wanted to cry. Nightsky patted a cushion near the fire. "Come. Sit, child. And you are not altogether correct. There are a few who do hold it against him. Greg Oppossum, for one." She sighed. "So many believed that if Robotnik was slain, the war would magically come to an end. That they could just wake up one morning, and all would be as it once was. I cannot help but feel for them. Often, this `faith' is all that keeps them going. But their belief in this falsehood hurts them, as well as David. It is ... sad, that they cannot live without such a crutch to support them." Kickaha's muzzle wrinkled thoughtfully. "He's listened to me before, perhaps I can make him understand. Blaiming the child for the sins of the father is a great wrongness. And allowing a child to believe that they _are_ responsible for such crimes is even worse." He set his jaw firmly. "I will _not_ allow him to destroy himself over something that is NOT his fault. I will speak with him about this, Sunny. I will *make* him understand. Even if I have to knock it into his head with my bat'leth." Sonia left out a deep, grateful sigh. "Thank you, Vavoy." She smiled. "So, when can Knothole expect to hear the pitter-patter of little feet around here? You're the first married couple Knothole has. Everyone is curious. They want to know if you plan to have any children of your own." Nightsky flinched, and left the room. Kickaha stared down into the fire, his golden eyes reflecting its flickering light back at Sonia. "Did I say something wrong? Why did SoSoy run away?" "It's not your fault, Sunny. Old wounds bleed as bright as new ones, sometimes." He shook his head sadly. "It seems that we are not destined to have children of our own, firechild. It was unlikely before; and now that 'Sky has been through the Roboticizer twice..." He turned away. "I'm ... I'm sorry..." "It's not your fault," he repeated. "But I think you should go, now. I'll be sure to talk with David, later. Thank you." Sonia hurried away, feeling horrible about the whole thing. ********************************** Kickaha saw David leave his hut, and motioned him toward the campfire. "Can't sleep, my friend?" "Yeah, I can't seem to do that as of late." "Still can't shake the demons from your head, I see. Still thinking about the battle?" "Yeah. I'm still stunned at what I did back there. It didn't matter to me when I play Mortal Kombat with Swatbot's. I'd figure that Robotnik would be more like a bot, too. But he was a living flesh and blood person *like I am*! I thought I was going to kill him." He hung his head in disbelief. "Hey, you put Klingons to shame, and you're afraid of actually *killing* someone? Have you forgotten what Robotnik wanted to *do* with you and your new world?" "I know all that, but . . ." His voice drifted away. "Ground control to Lt. Kintobor, hello?" He only saw Kickaha, who looked around to see if he was alone with him. "I've seen that look that's on your face before, but believe me, it is worse. You have no doubt heard of Communists?" "I do. Does this have to do with that trip to Germany Pippkin sent you on?" "Yes. While I was there, I had to help an veteran come to terms with something very similar to what you're going through right now." "What the heck happened to him?" "Well," he sighed, "He was made to, unlike you, stand by and do nothing while these Communists fired away at villagers that were trying to escape their cruelty." "Damn. Glad I'm not him." Kickaha nodded. "As I said, he was worse off than what you are at the time." "I'd bet he'd felt that he failed them." "He did. He had a *big* debt on his conscience; something that he felt incapable of paying back." "What did you say to him?" David had an intense look in his eyes, searching for answers for his own problem. "We of the Pack believe that if you can't pay a debt back with anything short of marching straight to Hell, be it some religious place or one of your own making, there is an alternative; paying the debt *forward.* Think of it as covering a bad debt with a million coats of "random acts of kindness;" lighting a candle, instead of cursing the darkness. I think you believe in this without knowing it, with what you said about "any idea being better than nothing" and all. Maybe that can help you." David did some impromptu soul-searching. "The closest thing I could ever think I have to such a 'bad debt' like what you just told me about, is the bad debt I have ... to myself. I grew up believing that I could never be good-bright-neat-fast-strong-whatever enough. To this day not a day goes by without any voices in my head telling me this. If there's anything that needs to be "paid forward," it is this. But how?" "I think it has something to do with another debt you have." "The moral responsibility I have to undo the damage my Father done--and doing, now that he's back. I'm his phracking *son!* It's my duty! It's why I'm looking for this ROCC in the first place, not waiting for someone to hack off my head--which is something that would happen to me if all this would happen back at Earth, no doubt." "I just thought of something: If the ROCC can suck the evil from a planet, maybe it'll suck all this anger from you. You might finally find peace in your soul from all this emotional baggage you carried over here." "You're right! I think it'll work. It could even work on my Dad!" "Perhaps." A pause. David sighed, then returns to the campfire. "But who would want him to?" Kickaha got up to leave, then turned back towards David. "There's two things you should remember, my friend." "What's that?" "That when good does nothing, evil wins by default." "And...?" "You should fight for Mobius because it's the right thing to do, not because you feel guilt over being a Kintobor. You don't see Julian wiping himself because he's the leftover memories of Julian Kintobor. Do what you do out of compassion for the weak, and a need to defend what's right and good from the forces of evil. If you continue to do it out of guilt, in time it will tear your soul apart." Kickaha headed for his lodge, leaving David alone with his thoughts. * * * ----------------------------------- Now for the legal stuff. Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Sally, Knothole, et cetera, (c) by Sega of America Davey Crockett, Blood and Metal, and The Wild Pack (c) 1995 David Gonterman [DGONTERMAN@aol.com] Sonia Hedgehog (c) by Emily S. Smith [SoniadaH@aol.com] Greg Oppossum (c) by Ryan Huber Kickaha and Nightsky Windrider (c) by Edward Becerra Coyote is a spirit of the native peoples of the Americas. Please respect him as you would your own beliefs.