DISCLAIMER: "Sonic the Hedgehog" and most other characters and situations in the following story are copyrighted trademarks of Sega Incorporated, Archie Comics and/or DIC Productions. Permission to reproduce this specific material may be granted by the author so long as you email first. (c)2007 native_pangean@fsmail.net. Bookshire Draftwood (c) David Pitstone.

Chapter 7: The Art of Sex

Rotor followed the coyote as she wound her way through the dark passages of Greenleaf. The buildings were tall and grand, reaching high into the clear, starlit sky. The streets were wide and spacious, and some of the windows were still lit with the flicker of candlelight. Greenleaf, a city built to a similar plan to Mobotropolis, with the same stone used to build the houses and shops and the same occasional fountain sprinkling crystal clear water into the air, looked much like the capital city had before the coup, and had managed to escape the other city's fate mainly because it was nestled so deep within the Great Forest. The sound of drumming began to sound up ahead. Velvet glanced over at him and smiled reassuringly.

He was beginning to wonder why he had agreed to come to Iniquity, and he had no idea what to expect. The stories she had told him about the place were colourful enough, and it wasn't as if he didn't believe her, but surely people didn't behave like that in public? Surely everybody who came here must be much more experienced than he was. As he trotted across a road to keep up with her he began to regret coming.

"I'm not sure I wanna do this." he said quietly, his voice trembling.

"You might feel better when you see the queue," Velvet replied. "We're almost there!"

Just then, they rounded the corner and Rotor saw, ahead of them, a low, small building from which a long stream of Mobians trailed. The queue was long and varied, but that wasn't what caught his attention as they walked along its length toward the end. It was the outfits.

At the head of the line stood a boar dressed impeccably in a top hat and silken shirt, his jacket perfect black and his shoes shining. He leaned with both trotters on a silver-topped cane. He looked the picture of porcine dignity. Velvet greeted him as they passed and he glanced and nodded, but did not smile. "He's been coming here for years," she whispered to Rotor once they were out of earshot. "He comes alone and looks for somebody to be his slave."

A couple stood chatting together not far behind him. The hamster and lion each sported a pair of synthetic, fully-functioning wings, which the hamster was flexing languidly as the pair conducted their conversation.

Three animals - one a Tazmanian Devil, the other two obviously mammals but exactly what type Rotor couldn't be sure - stood facing the direction of the entrance, dressed dark and swathed in laces. One in particular - sporting a now-familiar nipped-in waist - caused Rotor to turn his head as he passed and they exchanged a smile.

Rotor continued to glance at the people in the line, and then suddenly looked forward and quickened his step, his expression worried. "I think I just saw someone I recognise," he said out of the side of his mouth to Velvet, and hurried on.

So it continued, a visual feast of diversity and sensuality until they came to the back of the queue and waited. Rotor looked at Velvet with a disbelieving expression and she couldn't help but laugh companionably. "Quite something, eh?"

"There you are, my good friend," shouted Velvet over the drums, handing Rotor a drink. "Get that down you!"

Rotor looked around. He guessed he fitted in well enough. Once inside, Velvet had taken him into a quiet corner and taken out of her backpack a roll of tape. The tape was striped with yellow and black, printed over with the word DAMAGED. She had taken his bandolier from him - he had left his cap at home at her suggestion - and then skillfully, she'd wound it around his torso and arms until he was loosely draped in it. She'd turned him toward a ceiling-high mirror and stood back to inspect her work. She'd seemed happier with the arrangement than Rotor, who just felt stupid. Not as stupid as he'd have felt had he not seen the queue, but that didn't take away all of his self-consciousness.

"You know," he called back, "I still feel a little..."

A skinny goat walked confidently by who was obviously male but had dressed in a lacy bra and panties.

"Okay, I feel normal now." And he did, compared to that.

Then she'd led him down a long flight of stairs into an underground chamber lit with iron candle-holders. The ceiling was high - not surprising after the length of the staircase - and several layers of the ground had been carved smooth to make a variety of dancefloors, pathways and seats. A warm yellow glow permeated the cave. Rotor walked over to a set of railings and looked down over the edge, where a gathering group of animals were already dancing.

All of which had brought them to where they were now. Rotor looked around at the throng, and then down at himself. I'll drink this, he decided, and if I don't like this place by the time this cup's empty, I'm going.

"Still feeling a bit out of place?" his companion called. He nodded. Then his gaze locked on a doorway to their right.

"Where does that go to?"

"The dungeon."

At this, Rotor just had to laugh. "A dungeon?! What's... What's it like down there?"

"Fancy a look?"

"Heh... O-okay. But you're going first!"

"Come on, then!"

So they did. They walked through the carved arched doorway and down another flight of steps. The air that wafted up from the dungeon was warm and a little humid, but not uncomfortably so. Other animals walked up or down the stairs. The traffic was building.

They emerged into a one-level, curved room. Over the furthest end, set in a curve that matched the wall, were a variety of wooden-and-rope devices, designed, it appeared, to stretch out an animal's body and keep their limbs out of the way. A small crowd was already gathered in front of a couple of them and Velvet led Rotor to the centre one.

A sheep, her wool shaved into a complex pattern and dyed pastel colours, was standing on a wooden platform. An assistant, a lemur with a slightly bored expression, helped her thread her hooves into a pair of wrist-locks and wound a lever so the ewe was stretched tall, her back to the audience. Then the lemur picked up a soft whip from the edge of the platform and began to spank the sheep's ass with it. The sheep wriggled and shifted her feet with delight.

Velvet gave her companion a sideways glance and a grin, and he could only do the same in response.

That had been, perhaps, an hour and a half ago, and Rotor was starting to feel the effects of the drinks they had been sipping. Which was no bad thing, he decided.

"It's really strange here," he shouted, glancing around as an otter with enormous breasts and a collar and leash around her neck passed by, led by a battle-scarred bear. "I'm not sure if this place is for m- Are they doing what I think they're doing?" he asked. Velvet looked in the direction of the opposite edge of the chamber.

"... What do you think they're doing?"

"Um... Mating."

"Yep."

"In public?"

"Yep."

Rotor paused. "Really?"

"Yep."

Rotor shook his head in disbelief. "Crazy."

Velvet waggled her head before deciding not to break the chain. "Yep." Rotor looked at her.

"Are you going to say that to everything?"

"Probably." They looked at eachother and burst out laughing. Then Rotor glanced back down to the main dancefloor, where a dense crowd were dancing enthusiastically to the edgy drumming. Suddenly the atmosphere seemed more fun than threatening and the drummers' beat was getting under his skin. He decided to relax.

"Let's dance!"

And so it passed that they spent the next several hours dancing in the thick crowd under cover of a gradually darkening cave, and when they decided they wanted a rest or a change of scenery, they moved, and when they felt thirsty they drank. That night Rotor saw many things.

He saw a lithe female bat giving a tiger a blowjob, the big cat's head resting against the damp rock of the wall and lolling with pleasure. He had tried to look away, but couldn't help but glance back, and often. But if the couple noticed at all they didn't mind. In fact, at one point the tiger started chatting to a male stood next to him. Eventually the bat had stood up and the tiger had smiled lovingly at her, murmering and wrapping her protectively in a thick pair of stripey arms.

He saw Velvet begin to dance with a female seal, the females' bodies gyrating in well-practised synchrony, their eyes locked always on eachother. And the coyote had kissed her with a confidence Rotor had not expected from the shy-looking Velvet.

He saw a pangolin in the dungeon, dressed incongruously in a metallic astronautical outfit, and he had chatted with him about this and that, and had unwittingly triggered a torrent of deep philosophy from the armoured animal about science fiction. Rotor had wondered at one point whether he would ever get away.

But what grabbed his attention most of all was a tightly-corseted reindeer. A soft-muzzled, confident female older than himself with dark eyes shrouded under long, thick eyelashes, who danced up to him in the crowd in the early morning hours, and to whom Rotor had danced back and, having thrown his self-consciousness to the wind, had put his arms around her waist and sidled up close for an electric kiss. Her soft hooves caressed his back, reaching lower down as she pressed against him, and it soon became obvious he had a partner for the night.

Separated as he now was from Velvet, who seemed to crop up occasionally, happily patting him on the shoulder and calling to ask if he was enjoying himself, he wondered if this might not be a possible course of action. They escaped to a seat at the edge and he fetched them each a drink. They sat down and looked around the busy cave. They talked, touching eachother and throwing tender smiles. He discovered that her name was Solar.

Rotor walked hand-in-hand with Solar in the direction of her nearby home. In the caves the drums and chanting had eventually ceased, leaving the crowd smiling and hugging and talking and preparing to head off toward their various destinations. He, Solar, Velvet and the seal had been dancing together, and the coyote had demurely wished the couple goodnight, understanding that Rotor would not be coming home with her.

"I'll see you when I see you," she had said and made toward the door, winking at him as she took the seal's hand and whispered something in her ear. Which had left Rotor and his reindeer companion together. She had asked him to come back with her, and he had been unable to refuse.

Presently they came to a sprawling hut, and Solar led them inside, closing the door behind them. Prancing gracefully to a tabletop, she picked up a box of matches and lit a succession of candles, so that they might see. Rotor looked around appreciatively. It was a warm, cosy home.

"Come here, sit with me," she murmured softly as she reclined on a soft sofa. Obediently, he sat down next to her and put his arm around her, as he had been doing so for half of the night.

The walk, and the relatively normal surroundings of this hut had sobered him up a little, and he realised he should tell her the truth. He took a breath.

"Solar," he said. She tilted her head, listening intently. "I gotta tell you something." He paused and glanced at the floor, feeling a little ashamed. "I haven't done this before."

She rolled her shoulders delicately. "Tell me more?" she asked, trying to clarify.

"Um," he replied, scratching his neck. "I've never... been with a woman." He turned a little red and glanced away, and sensed that she had sat up a little. He cringed slightly; he felt sure she would laugh. When he looked back at her, she was looking closely at him, but there was no ridicule in her face, only compassion.

"Your first time?" she asked, although they both knew the answer. "In that case," she whispered, leaning closer to him, "I'm going to make this very..." ...closer... "...very..." ...she brushed her lips against his... "...special."

He tried to answer that that would be very nice, but they were already locked in a kiss. So instead he responded by kissing back, tracing the edge of her corset with his finger.

Rotor shifted his weight to allow Solar's leg to pass underneath him, and lowered himself onto his elbows. He was laying on top of her, his eyes closed as he felt the rhythm of her body and inhaled her sweet, warm breath. They had been moving slowly together for some time now and he had enjoyed every second of it, but now was the big moment: his erect penis lay between her legs, brushing the soft fur around her vulva. He hesitated; he opened his eyes and looked into hers, and she understood his trepidation. Without a word, she smiled and reached down, taking a firm hold of his erection and guiding it towards her vagina. His breath shuddered and he moved his hips accordingly, and then groaned as the head of his penis passed into the warm folds of her moist flesh. Needing no more encouragement, he pushed deep inside her, and then braced his feet against the bed. He looked down at her.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, and she nodded, a sultry smile on her lips. He pulled out a little and thrusted back in then, his first pelvic thrust pleasurable in the extreme and he growled with the ecstacy of it. He pulled back out, learning where to place his weight and how far out to pull, before pushing back inside. He continued, learning instinctively how to move with each successive thrust.

She sighed appreciatively and enveloped him in her long, slim arms. Almost immediately he felt the need to speed up and he knew this embrace wouldn't last long. He hugged her in return, his grip around her shoulders strengthening. He tensed and stretched, burying his face hard into her shoulder, his tusks grinding - perhaps a little too hard - against her neck. After a couple of breaths, he relaxed. She murmured quietly into his ear, nuzzling him.

He propped himself up on his hands and looked down at her, embarrassed. He was sure he should have lasted longer than that. He opened his mouth to apologise, but she reached up and held a finger to his lips. "Relax with me a while," she whispered invitingly, patting the space on the bed next to her. He sighed and looked gratefully back at her, a lop-sided smile on his face. He pulled out of her, noting with satisfaction the wet feeling between her legs, and lay on his back beside her. She huddled up to him and they dozed together. Before Rotor fell into a shallow sleep, he looked at the ceiling and smiled to himself.

Rotor laughed, although he wasn't sure why. He just couldn't believe his luck. Solar grinned playfully and nodded toward the headboard. "Go on," she smirked.

He clambered onto his knees and knelt on the bed, straddling Solar and holding onto the headboard. Solar was already sitting with her back resting against it. She traced her hooves down his hips and along the sides of his cock, the end of which was only a whisker's width away from her mouth. Rotor looked down at her, gripping the headboard in anticipation.

She opened her mouth and wrapped her long tongue around it, languidly tasting the contours of his glans. Then she licked from the underneath to the very tip, before opening her mouth further and taking half of his length, her lips tightening against his shaft and sucking gently. Rotor's grip tightened and the breath caught in his throat. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the headboard, letting out a long, shuddering breath. It felt good, he decided. Very good.

Solar settled into a hypnotic, soothing rhythm, her head bobbing backwards and forwards, matched by the firm grip of her hoof around his shaft. The front two branches of her antlers tapped against his broad belly and he looked down at her, watching her gentle, constant movement. He reached down and stroked the edge of her ear. "You're a Goddess," he whispered, and he meant it.

Solar's eyes opened and she glanced back up at him, her dark eyes twinkling mischievously under her long lashes. Then she pushed her head further forward so that almost all of his - not modest - length was in her mouth. Shuffling her bottom backward she gulped and pushed forward again so that her warm, wet nose pressed against his groin. The walrus grunted and gripped the back of her head, panting for air, before letting go and allowing her to move as she wished. Gulping again, she stroked his haunches, before pulling back.

"Oh, man," he shuddered. Wrapping her fingers around his shaft again, she began to lick the head more thoroughly, occasionally relieving him with a skillful twist of her wrist. Rotor opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. He began to feel the familiar feeling of mounting pressure and wondered whether she would spit or swallow. He convulsed as she teasingly slid her hand along his length again and he began to thrust gently, hoping she'd get the hint and stimulate him more.

He needn't have worried. She took him into her mouth again and began to bob her head backward and forward in earnest, gradually speeding up, her own breathing quickening audibly. Rotor's abdominal muscles contracted and he groaned, breathing heavily, his eyes clamped shut. With a final contraction he faced the ceiling again and cried out as he squirted warm semen into Solar's mouth once, twice, three times, four times, before exhaustion smothered his muscles and he leaned on the headboard, his body relaxing as he got his breath back.

He felt her tongue on his glans and opened his eyes just in time to see Solar swallowing down the last trace of his sperm. He smiled weakly at her.

"That was incredible," he sighed.

Rotor freed his arm from under Solar's leg and used his fingers to part her vaginal lips. There, as she had told him, was the small nub of flesh. He glanced at her face as she smiled back at him, and then pressed his lips against it. He opened his mouth and licked it, pressing his tongue firmly against it. She gasped quietly and sat up. "A little more gentle, babe," she murmered. He threw her an apologetic smile and tried again, flicking it from side to side with the tip of his tongue. She relaxed a little more and lay back on the bed. "Mmmm," she said appreciatively. "lick in circles around it." He did, and suppressed a grin as she sighed languidly and brushed her thigh against his cheek. This seemed pretty easy, he thought.

He shifted his weight and settled more comfortably. He figured he'd be here for a while yet. Rotor alternated between the flicking that had made Solar move her hips and the circling she had asked for. After a while, he opened his mouth wider and prodded his tongue into her vagina, tasting her savoury, slippery juices and swallowing them. Almost immediately, he heard her suck air in and push her hips downwards. Lick my clitoris again, she seemed to be saying, so he did. He reared up a little and began to lick again, trying anything that came to mind.

He braced his tongue against it and sealed his lips around the front of her groin, sucking constantly, then rhythmically.

He counted one-minute intervals in his head when he gave attention to the top only, then the bottom only, and then the right, then the left.

He alternated using his tongue and pressing his cold nose against it, noting the pleasurable sigh he received in response.

Finally he moved his hand forward and took hers, the pair of them locking and re-locking their fingers as he picked the move that she had reacted to most of all and settled on it, moving his tongue gradually faster and faster until he found her optimum speed. Her breathing quickened and deepened and the muscles in her thighs began to flicker, contracting and relaxing in response to his movements.

With a gasp, she held her breath and gripped his hand hard, her whole body arching as she lifted her weight on her heels and the back of her skull, she trembled, gasping and sighing, for several seconds, before lowering herself onto the bed and pushing his head away politely but insistently. She laughed quietly and leaned forward, indulging him with a kiss. "Impressive," she murmered.

Rotor threaded his hand through the tangle of Solar's arms, brushing against her breast as he did so, until he found the surface of the bed. He shifted his weight backward so that he might lean against her better. Her hips rolled and she rested her top leg around his haunches, and he thrusted more deeply into her.

"Ah man, you're so beautiful," he whispered, leaning forward and burying his muzzle into the back of her head. She chuckled quietly in response.

He put his hand on her still-corseted belly and ground his hips harder against her. 'Spooning', she had called it, and it was a good, relaxing way to have sex. Sex like this was slow, warm, intimate; he liked it. And because he was taller than she was, he got to look down into the chasmic space of her cleavage. Silently, Rotor settled into the rhythm, closed his eyes and surrendered entirely to his sense of touch. The impossible hardness of her bound belly, the gentle, velvety tap-tap-tap of her antlers against his face, the powerful waves of pleasure travelling up and down his cock. The pleasing, cool softness of the bedsheets. He glanced up at the window and saw the dawn was coming.

The pair had been sleeping for a while. Rotor became aware of movement in the bed and opened his eyes blearily to see Solar sitting up and stretching, before standing and going through to her bathroom. He stretched too and sat on the edge of the bed.

He was amazed at all that had happened, that only 12 hours ago he had been very unsure whether he even wanted to go to Iniquity. He had only gone in an effort to cheer up Velvet. But man, had that paid off.

Solar padded back into the room. She looked beautiful, he realised, her grey fur strangely dazzling in the sunlight, the light playing on her full curves, highlighting the white fur on her rump. She was still wearing the corset but, as he watched, she slowly took it off.

She started to stroke her body, her eyes locked on Rotor's, a wicked smile playing at the corners of her lips. Once, Rotor would have been painfully shy at the scene, but not now. Pleased with this bravado, he leaned back on his hands and watched her, enraptured.

Her body rippled slowly, movement travelling from her shoulders down to her knees. Sensually, she began to dance. "Sit on your hands," she ordered huskily. He obeyed, shifting his legs and putting his hands under them. She came closer, leaning in so he could see her cleavage, shimmying into the space between his knees and teasing him, playing on the fact that he could not touch her with his hands clamped down as they were. So instead he watched and relaxed. Well, most of his body relaxed, anyway.

If watching Velvet putting on one of these garments had been sexy, he was now treated to the sight of Solar taking one off. She backed off a little distance and turned her back to him, glancing over her shoulder at him as she performed the striptease.

Gradually, little by little, she untied and loosened the cords running along her back. Slowly the strong, curved shape of her waist resolved into the gentler, but still sensuous, curves her body naturally made. She pulled the garment open so she could breathe unencumbered and lowered it to the floor, stepping out of it and turning sinuously back toward him.

Without a word, she assertively walked over to the bed and pushed his shoulder to make him lay on his back. Pulling both his wrists firmly over his head so he was in no doubt that he still must not touch her, she took hold of his erection and guided it inside her. Slowly, rhythmically, she started to rock.

Rotor closed his eyes and swallowed. The sensation was slow and warm and hypnotic. He bent his elbows so he could rest his head on his hands and watched her, taking in the sight of her softly-furred breasts, the regal tilt of her antlers, the expressions her face made.

Her hands felt his chest softly and made his skin tingle. His stomach muscles rippled ecstatically as she settled into a rhythm. She put the fingers of her right hand in his mouth and he sucked on them, wondering quite what she was going to do next. Then he found out.

She put her hand between her legs and began to stroke her clitoris. He looked down and watched, trembling again with desire as he watched her giving herself pleasure. Her face registered sultry enjoyment as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. And so they remained for a while, the slow burn of their lovemaking bonding them.

Rotor had been locked in a state of internal bliss when he realised Solar was speeding up. Her hand was still busy, and he watched as she stretched her skin with her other hand, giving herself access to more pleasure. Then he felt her come, her vagina contracting rhythmically against his cock. The expression on her face was priceless, and Rotor decided then and there he was going to learn how to make a woman look like that by himself. But there wasn't much time to think about that: she began not to rock, but to bounce, her vagina stroking his cock faster and deeper, and he gave himself over to the feeling of another orgasm.

The pair of them had collapsed into eachothers arms after that and had both snoozed a little more. Before long Rotor had woken and got out of bed to fetch himself a drink. The next few hours - that glorious late morning and afternoon - were filled easily, and Rotor felt like he was in a trance. He couldn't remember the details, but he knew they had stroked eachother, sitting together entwined, watching the world go by from her doorway. They mated twice more, and talked about everything and nothing, and Rotor had felt like he was honing his flirting skills. He had liked it.

But the time came when Solar told him she had work the next day, and would have to tidy up and prepare. He took the hint and kissed her goodbye, thanking her for an incredible night - and day. Eventually, he had picked up his bandolier and made off through the front door, waving goodbye to her and wondering if he would ever see her again.

Rotor approached his house from behind, where it backed onto the edge of a dense clump of growth in the Great Forest. He wanted to get home without talking to anybody. He felt elated, but his body was exhausted and he wanted nothing more than to get to bed and sleep. He opened the rear door that led into his bedroom and locked it behind him.

Immediately he lifted his belt off his shoulder and hung it from the corner of a chair. He walked up to his bed calmly, before leaping into the air and landing on his back on the mattress, bouncing into the air.

"Woo hoo!" he whooped and tucked his hands behind his head. He laughed and looked up at the ceiling. He was a man!

The first person he wanted to tell was Sonic. He knew how Sonic would react - they'd talked about sex before, and both knew the other wanted it. Sonic would contratulate him for his success. And he'd probably want to know the dirty details, too. Rotor chuckled to himself and wiped one eye, wondering what Sonic would make of it all. He'd certainly ask Rotor where he'd gone to to find Solar, there was no doubt about that.

Rotor stopped for a moment. He'd ask Rotor where he'd picked up Solar, but there was no way he could tell the truth. Sonic would want to know why Rotor and Velvet had gone to a fetish club. Which meant that Rotor would either have to tell Sonic that he and Velvet were an item, which Velvet wouldn't like and Antoine would know wasn't true, or tell him about his corset fetish, and there was no way he'd tell Sonic about that, or he'd have to lie about the club he'd been to, like Velvet had. Sonic would likely want to check the Boiler Room out some time and then he'd work out that Rotor had lied. Rotor's hand dropped back onto the bed.

He couldn't tell Sonic.

It was the next morning, and Rotor set to work as usual, reclaiming old electronic parts. He sat at his workbench and settled into a rhythm of loosening screws. Before long he saw a familiar fleck of blue up ahead. He glanced up at Sonic.

"Yo, Rote! How's it goin'?"

"Hey, not bad, man," the walrus replied. Sonic took a seat next to him and looked at him.

"Where'd ya get to yesterday? I was looking all over for you!"

Rotor shifted uncomfortably. "Yesterday?" he asked, playing for time. "Oh! Oh, yeah... Yesterday I went to Greenleaf and... looked around for some stuff. I needed an unusual kind of circuitboard."

Sonic seemed content enough with this; Rotor could always rely on Sonic not to know one end of a machine from another. Rotor gave Sonic what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Sonic smiled back, tapped his fingers, and then got up. "Well, gotta juice, man!" he said and sped off. Rotor watched the dust settle in Sonic's wake and sighed.

Sonic walked along the side of the river, frowning and looking at the ground. There was something up with Rotor. He'd disappeared for a whole day, which wasn't like him even when he had somewhere to go, and had looked like he was hiding something when Sonic had talked to him. Something definitely wasn't right.

He sat down on a rock and looked into the depths of the water, the calm, clear rippling helping him to focus his thoughts. Rotor's whole body posture had been saying something; there was a confidence in the way he had looked back at him that Sonic hadn't seen before. If Sonic didn't know better, he'd have said that Rotor wanted to tell him something.

Velvet had gone missing too, and he hadn't seen her at all since the meeting with the others. He wagered she was back, though. The mission was tonight and Sonic wondered whether he'd be able to speak to her before then. He decided he'd give Rotor's house another try in case she was asleep.

"Rotor!" Sonic called in a clipped tone. Rotor looked up sharply. He hadn't expected Sonic to come back.

"Yeah?"

"Velvet in?"

Rotor thought quickly. He genuinely didn't know. For all he knew she might have brought the seal here. If she was home, she'd either quietly been having sex or sleeping soundly all morning. She might still be out with the seal. But if she was home then he had to try to stop Sonic going up there. "Uhm, I dunno. She might not be home. I haven't seen her." he added.

"I'm gonna go check," Sonic said, walking toward the stairs.

"S-Sonic?" Rotor called. "I don't think you should go in there."

"Why not?" Sonic asked. And then, when Rotor didn't respond immediately, he came closer to the walrus. "What are you hiding, man?" he asked, feeling hurt.

Rotor looked edgy. "Nuthin'!"

"You are! Come on, tell me!"

At this point Rotor began to feel annoyed. He didn't like to argue, but right now he was forced to and he didn't like it. Damn, why's it gotta be like this? he stormed to himself. He frowned and looked his friend straight in the eye. "Sonic!" Rotor said irritably, "I'm. Not. Hiding. Anything. I just think she's asleep."

"Look, if she's asleep I won't wake her. Okay?" Sonic said, his tone similarly tetchy. Rotor could do nothing but watch Sonic go upstairs and knock on the door. He winced as he half-expected Velvet to reply. There was no answer. Sonic opened the door silently and peered in, and Rotor felt himself cringe as he watched Sonic. He looked irritated and shut the door again before coming back downstairs.

"She's not there. I dunno what you're up to, Rote, but I'm gonna find out what it is!"

By this time Rotor felt thoroughly annoyed and turned back to his work. "Yeah," was all he said, sulkily. Sonic leapt down the step on his porch and walked away without saying bye.

TO BE CONTINUED...