Find Your Own Truth: The Courage of Conviction by Edward Becerra & David Gonterman ______________________________________________ "...there is nothing quite as fanatically loyal as a stray that's found a home." - Robert Asprin, "Phule's Company" Kickaha was getting ready for another mission to Robotropolis, when he paused to stare at the steel knife that lay in it's sheath on his night table. The seal of the House of Acorn on the hilt drew his eye. *I have a home again. And a tribe. I'd forgotten how important that was to me. It's been so very long since I've had a people I could call my own. I owe Princess Sally and Davey so much. Yes. Whatever they need. If it's within my power to give, all they have to do is ask. Even to my life.* He pulled on the vest they'd given him, the one that looked like the old House of Acorn uniform. Davey's words echoed in his ears. "The one thing I like about Acorn, Kicker, is that he tends to take all us misfits in. Sort of like a Foreign Legion of sorts. I guess it's cause we do best when we stick together." *He's right. They took me in. I'll always be part of the Wild Pack, but I'm not of the Coyote tribe any longer. I'm of the Acorn tribe. And if the elders have a problem with that, to Gehenna with them. They began this. I didn't ask to be made part of their accursed `destiny'. They gave me no choice. Now let them lay in the bed they made for themselves.* With that thought, he pulled the broken flint knife from the pocket on his old vest. Wrapping the vest around it, he placed it in the bottom of a trunk. He took the new blade and hung it from the left side of his Acorn vest, hilt down, over his heart. He turned and headed out the door to meet the others for the raid. As he walked down the path he held his head high. "Let the past remain just that. Past and gone. Edward Two Lives is dead. Now, there is only Kickaha, of the Knothole peoples." There. He said it. No turning back. He whistled as he trotted down the trail. His heart was light. He had friends. * * * The raid went well. Davey had taken out the most Swats. No big surprise there. If Sally had been handing out cash prizes for the most Swats destroyed in a single week, Davey'd be the richest fox on Mobius. Kickaha had done pretty good himself. He'd blasted five Swats with the shotgun he'd taken from that first Swat back on the Great Plain. The new shells that Rotor made for him did a good job of blowing apart a Swat with a single shot. Not _quite_ as good as Davey's Power Rifle, but then again, what was? Elizabeth Raccoon gave him a little attitude about his collecting the Swat's heads, though. She thought it was a little savage and uncivilized. "Well, what did you expect from me, child? I _am_ a savage, you know. It's what we do, in the Pack. I'd take their scalps, but they don't have any hair. No ears, either. So I make do, and take their heads. It's a pity, though. If they _did_ have scalps for me to take, I could follow the old ways, and hang them from my vest." He grinned at her. "As it is, they DO make nice ash trays and candy dishes. I just wish Jenner Many Coups could see how many I have. Fifteen more Swats, and I'll beat his record for the most coups taken." "Speeewww!!" said the flying raccoon. "You are, like, sooo primitive!" "Yeah, well, smile when ya say that, pilgrim! Or Davey's gonna get a new tail for his baseball cap." He smirked. "I haven't taken any living coups in a while, now. But I'm part of this tribe now. So you're off-limits. Too bad." He laughed as she fumed and flew away. He finished scooping the hardware out of the Swat's skulls and stacked the empty heads on his hovercycle, tying then down with a bungee cord. He wondered if he could persuade someone back at Knothole to mount them on plaques for him. *It'd be nice if I could hang them on my wall, since I can't sew them to my vest.* he thought. *I wonder if there's a good woodcarver in town who'd be willing to try mounting them on plaques.* * * * When he got back to his lodge, he found a note stuck to his door. He'd had a visitor while he'd been on the raid. Another coyote. The note said that the visitor would be waiting for him at Antoine's. *There's only a few reasons another coyote would come to see me. And none of them good. If I'm right about this, it won't be good. But I'm not backing down now. Not when I have a family.* When he came back out of his lodge, he was barely recognizable. * * * Jaws dropped when Kickaha strode into the village. His headcrest had been woven into a long braid that hung down his back. He was wearing nothing but a breechclout, and was carrying the curved sword that Kopter had noticed hanging in his lodge. Red ocher stained his pelt. He headed straight for the coffeeshop. "nuqneH. You called for the Trickster. Now he is here. Show yourself." Another coyote exited Antoine's. Dressed in jeans, shirt and vest, he looked like a younger version of Kickaha. But Kickaha had never looked so arrogant, so prideful. The new coyote spoke. "You are called by the Elders, Edward Two Lives. Why they might still wish to pardon a quvHa' coward like yourself, I do not understand. But they do wish it, and have sent me to bring you back. You are old and weak." the newcomer sneered. "Spare yourself the shame of falling to my hand and come quietly." "If I'm so old and weak, _child_," Kickaha spat back at him, "then you should have no trouble taking me in the circle. blmoHqu' jay', Ha'DlbaH QIp!" The other coyote looked as though Kickaha had slapped him. "maghwI'! bljeghbe'chugh vaj blHegh, ghIm'ghach!" he snarled. "I don't think so. The day a pup like you can take me, is the day I move in with Rosie and start caring for the orphans. puq Dogh QIp!" The stranger screamed in rage. "Then the circle shall settle this. And all that I will return to the council will be your scalp!" "Deeds, not words, _cub_. If you think you're loD enough, then come ahead. Right here. Right now." The stranger threw his pack to the ground, ripping it open and digging inside. In the meantime, Sonic, Sally, Davey and the others had gathered around. Sally grabbed his arm. "What's going on here, Kickaha? We're supposed to be fighting Robotnik and Snively, not each other!" "This is between the two of us, my Princess. If I don't fight him, then I must return with him. I have _no_ choice in the matter. It's the way of the Pack. But you have my word. I will not kill." She looked hard into his eyes. A coyote warrior stared back at her, proud and fierce. "All right. But I want to talk to you, after this is done. I want to know just what's going on here!" "By your command, my Princess. Now, if you would, I'll need a circle. The pup looks ready." The other coyote had pulled a short staff from his pack, and a long hilt-less blade in a sheath. He screwed the two together, forming a sword-bladed spear. Sally ordered everyone but Davey, Sonic and a few others from the square in front of the coffee shop. "Excuse me," Davey said as he stepped in between the two coyotes. "We in Knothole have a place for duels such as yours. Follow me, Gentlemen." Davey led everybody to the back woods behind the hut they use for the dojo. They came upon an eight-sided platform with a chain link fence around it. "I made this octagon back when I had my first flame battle," Davey started as he opened the gate to let the coyotes in. "I still keep it here just in case. It'll be the perfect place for your little quarrel." The visiting coyote raised his eyebrows and growled a bit. Davey turned to give Kickaha the basic rules: No eye gouging, no biting, no scratching, be ready to fight when he says "Let's get it on!"-- when the visiting coyote picked Davey up and threw him into the dojo. "bljatlh 'e' ylmev, nov!" the stranger shouted. Davey was found in a heap by Bunnie, Vixie, Remy Brooks, and several other young martial art students who thought he was some alien invader. "Kicker, get that [EXPLETIVE DELETED] for me!!" he cursed. Kickaha smiled coldly. "It will be my pleasure, David. This lo'laHbe' cub needs a lesson in manners. I'll teach him to respect his elders, my friend. Sonic, we'll need a line, a circle on the platform. Would you?" Sonic did a spin dash around an imaginary circle inside the octagon, marking it for the two of them. Then he stood back. The two coyotes stepped up to it. "You're a cripple, old man. Give over. I'll treat you kindly. I may even leave you your ears." "Big words, child. Can you back them up?" "I AM NOT A CHILD!!," the stranger screamed. "I AM JON QUICK KILLS AND I HAVE NEVER LOST IN THE CIRCLE!" "Big hairy deal, cub. Look at my ears. Neither have I." They stepped over the line and had at each other. * * * The fight was short, but fierce. Their blades swirled brightly, the impact of the blows ringing through the air. Jon Quick Kills made the first mistake. He assumed that Kickaha was still stiff from the bad back and legs. He dropped to the ground and tried a leg sweep. The look of surprise on his face when Kickaha leaped high into the air to avoid it was almost comical. He was so surprised, he failed to scramble out of the way. Kickaha landed on his gut with a stomp that drove the air from his lungs. Then he kicked the spear from Jon's grasp. He spun his bat'leth in the air and swung it at Jon's head, too fast for Sonic to stop. "No! Kickaha, don't!" Sally shouted at him. The blade swept downward, cutting a notch from each of Quick Kills' ears, then severing his braid. Kickaha grinned fiendishly and put one of the hooked ends of the bat'leth under Jon's chin. "And there you go, cub. I understand it's forbidden to speak the name of Edward Two Lives in the village, now. Well then, when it's time for the females to choose, and the she's ask who gave you the mark of honor, you can tell them it was Kickaha the Trickster. It might get you some respect." "lujpu' jIH. HIrIn. HIHoH. Finish it. Finish me. Honor demands it." Quick Kills muttered. "No, I think not. I _want_ you to return. I have a message I want you to take to the elders." He stepped off the younger coyote's chest. He motioned for Jon to stand with the blade. "Look around you. What do you see?" "A filthy city. Breeds living together, mixing without any shame. Obscene." "I have news for you, _cub_. Tell this to the elders. These people, this land, they have taken me in. THIS is my village, now. THESE are my people. HERE is where I belong. THEY are my tribe, now. Not you. I will have no other. They took me in when no one else would. They asked nothing of me, save that I do what I can to aid them in their battle against the evil of Robotnik." His voice was growing deeper, becoming a thick snarl, filled with rage. "Something I would already do freely. I could do no less, and retain my honor. I will defend them and their lands with my blood, spirit and life. Edward Two Lives is _dead_! Do you understand?! Now there is only Kickaha of the tribe of Acorn!" He raised the blade under Quick Kills' chin until it broke the skin, drawing blood. "And know this. When the war is over and King Sonic and Queen Sally rule in Mobius, they won't need Kickaha anymore. I _will_ return. There _shall_ be a reckoning. bortaS blr jablu'Dl'reh QaQqu' nay'!" The last words came out in a venomous hiss. "Now go!" he shouted. "If you return here again, I'll remove more than a piece of your ears. When I'm done, you won't have to worry about the females finding you attractive. 'Cause you won't have anything of interest to them once I'm through. yI'ghoS! Begone!" The defeated coyote slowly picked up his spear and pack and trudged out of the village, without a single look back. Staring at him, Kickaha sighed heavily. Sally was by his side in an instant. She was furious. "Just what was that all about, Kickaha?" "He was sent to bring me back to face the elders of the tribe I was born to, my Princess. By ancient custom of the Pack, they have that right." His breath was coming in deep, ragged gasps. "By equally ancient custom, I have the right to Trial by the Circle. Now that I have won, if they should try again, the rest of the Pack would shun them. Even the other coyote tribes would join in. They would be banned from the Pack, as I've been banned from their tribe." "_Their_ tribe, Kickster? I thought you were one of them?" asked Sonic. "This is my tribe now, Sonic. The House of Acorn. And this is my village. The village of Knothole. You are my people. This is my home. Now, and always." He stooped, and picked up the braid he'd cut from the younger coyote's head. Sally looked thoughtful. "All right. But I want to know what went down between the two of you. And what those words about your ears meant." "As you will, my Princess. This began in front of Antoine's. How about a cup of coffee while we speak? Sonic? Davey?" "Yes." "Works for me." "I agree. But you're forgetting, Kickaha. Call me Sally." * * * "We duel in the circle, to settle feuds that nothing else can end. We also use it in matters of honor. It is... ritual. It keeps us from each other's throats." He looked embarrased. "We're a little more... savage than the rest of Mobius. I'm sorry you had to witness that. It's not something we like to show off." "That's all right, Kickaha," Sally told him. "But what was that remark about the ears?" "Yeah," added Sonic. "What do your ears have to do with a duel?" "Well, usually, duels end with first blood. And with the carnivore tribes, coyote, wolf, mountain lion and such, we mark the ears. A notch cut from the ear often means that you've lost in the circle. Un-marked ears mean one of two things." He stopped speaking and took a deep swallow of his chickory. "And that is...?" asked Davey. "Either you've never been in the circle, or you've never lost. I've been in the circle many times. In my time, I was the best. I never lost. Quick Kills knew that. But he thought I was still slow and clumsy from the arthritis. He didn't know that you and Sir Charles had cured me. Big mistake. The first rule of combat. Know yourself, know your opponent, and you will win the battle." "I see. Does that mean that your... I mean, _his_ tribe won't be coming after you again?" "They _can't_, David. At least not officially. They'd lose everything if they try. But they might try to hire someone like Sandra Nightweaver. She wouldn't take a contract on my head. But there might be others who would, if the price was right. The customs of the Pack say nothing about a stranger solving their problem for them. They couldn't pay for bringing me back, but if a stranger _did_ bring me back, the elders could thank them with a gift. That's allowed. And nothing says that the gift can't be cash." He looked grim. "And there's nothing you can do about it?" Sonic asked. "Just.. have to keep looking over my shoulder, Sonic. I'm sorry, my Princess. I had no idea I'd be dragging my personal problems into Knothole. If you give the word, I'll leave right now. They won't bother Knothole if I'm not here." Sally stood bolt upright. "I'm not going to take someone in just to turn them out again because it's become expedient. You're staying here, Kickaha. And you've got a war to fight." Anger lit up her eyes. "So go home and get yourself ready for the next raid on Robotropolis. I'll expect to see you in the front lines. Don't disappoint me." She stood up and left the coffeeshop, slaming the door behind her. Kickaha blinked. "And that's the female you're in love with, Sonic?" He laughed. "Gonna make for an interesting marrage. But it won't be boring!" Then he ducked as Sonic threw a cream-filled long john at him. He retaliated with a jelly-filled doughnut. He missed, and hit Davey, who fought back with a piece of apple pie. A few seconds later, a small food fight had broken out inside of Antoine's. Funny thing about food fights, though. It really doesn't matter who wins. Just who has to do the cleaning up. Poor Antoine. * * * When Kickaha got back to his lodge, he took a brief dip in the stream to wash the food from his fur. After toweling off, he took the braid he'd cut from the head of Quick Kills and placed it between the pages of a small book. No one else in Knothole could read it. It was written in tlhIngan. But if they could have, the words would have seemed very familiar. * * * "Will you stand for what you believe in? And find the strength to do what is right? Seek the courage of your convictions. And in that moment, you will touch perfection." * * * ----------------------------------- Now for the legal stuff. Sonic the Hedgehog, Princess Sally, Knothole, et cetera, by Sega of America Blood and Metal, Davey Crockett, and The Wild Pack by David Gonterman Kickaha and Jon Quick Kills by Edward Becerra Elizabeth Raccoon by Stephanie Johnson Coyote is a spirit of the native peoples of the Americas. Please respect him as you would your own beliefs.