Shima Moyo stood at the edge of the lake, silently standing and taking the full barrage of the silver fox’s verbal fury. Countless years of pent-up anger and sadness were exploding from Argente, as she looked at her mother square in the eyes with a burning gaze. Sometimes shouting, other times just loud, the other animals in attendance stood nervously while they waited and listened. The little hedgehog was afraid, and had slowly scampered away from his fox friend. She was stomping her paws occasionally, and there were several times, Pudgy almost was kicked away inadvertently. However, as unknown amount of uncomfortable time passed, the coherent words stopped being spoken, and was replaced by mumbles and continuously flowing tears.
The little hedgehog remained quiet, and had been very slowly maneuvering around the group as to not attract attention. When he wanted to, Pudgy could be quite stealthy at times, and soon he had circumnavigated around Angeliki Raven, and then Dave Eagle to reach the spot beside the ethereal fox’s leg. Hesitantly, he reached out his paw to touch Shima’s leg. To his surprise, the critter could feel soft fur in his paw, as well as a leg of flesh underneath. Staring with unblinking eyes at the white fur, the hedgehog could see that each strand was glowing with magical energies. This was what gave off the effect of the ethereal glow, and had convinced many in error that she was a spirit. The soft touch of the hedgehog resulted in the newcomer to slowly look down and grin at the timid critter standing beside her. Her blue eyes were kind, and wiggled her glowing ears playfully. She spoke softly, with a hint of an accent to her otherwise understandable voice, “hello Pudgy. Yes, I am real.”
Argente immediately looked around the two birds, to see where her little critter friend had wandered off to, and her brown eyes went wide. “Pudgy, you get back here this instant! We do not know her, and can not trust her!” Shima shook her head, “daughter … we need to talk … and how my heart aches to not be able to speak at this time. However, time is short, and I have much work to do. Our hedgehog friend is very important, and that is why he had to come to this island.” In a swift motion, and without warning, Shima snatched up Pudgy by his backpack in her mouth. The mount poles that had been sewn into the backpack so the birds could carry Pudgy, made it very easy for the ethereal fox to carry him safely. As her teeth clenched down on the wooden poles, Shima quickly spun around and bolted off at full speed.
The group of animals watched as Shima was able to run across the surface of the lake. Each of her paws left a slight glowing paw print, which faded away within seconds of each step of her paw. The quick action resulted in confusion forming amongst the hedgehog’s friends, before it was replaced with concern. The eagle was first to respond, and immediately started to flap his wings, “I’m going after them!” The eagle’s wide wing span resulted in a burst of wind being blown around, as he took flight almost vertically, before heading forward. Argente barked angrily, and narrowed her brown eyes. “Darn it all to heck,” the silver fox cursed. She started to run as best as she could, but her body was absolutely exhausted from the trip to reach the summit of the mountain. This meant she was moving at hedgehog speed, and her well rested mother getting away quickly. Angeliki Raven walked beside her, “Argente, I do not think that your wayward mother will harm Pudgy. She said he is important, and undoubtedly, he is, so we do not have to worry too much I believe. Between Dave and I, one of us will fly back once we know where Shima Moyo took Pudgy. I have my suspicions that it is not very far.” The raven quickly took flight as well, and then started to fly after the eagle as he approached the edge of the cliffs that surrounded the lake as the mountain continued ever upwards.
As the silver fox was left behind, Angeliki flew as fast as he wings could muster. In time, she was able to see the eagle as he was circling overhead of the mountain peak. Both birds could see that the ghostly white fox was following a well-worn path that the humans once used to reach the summit. However, after a time of following it, she veered off, and started to run parallel with the mountain, and towards the eastern slopes of the great mountain. The raven banked off, and started to fly back to Argente, to alert her where they were heading. The demigoddess was relying on the newcomer eagle to keep a watchful gaze upon them. The eagle without instruction was doing just that, and watched as soon the fox stopped next to an enormous piece of granite that was flat on the top. It was almost as commercial fishing boat. Adjusting his wings, he started to swoop in for a landing. Extending his legs and talons, the eagle quickly landed, and moved quickly to reach the spot just behind Shima.
Dave watched as Pudgy was scampering out to the center of the large rock, and the ethereal fox was motioning with her paw to head out into the center of the semi-circular rock. “I do not think Argente will be pleased with you Shima …” Dave spoke as he continued to walk, until he was parallel with her on the right side. The white fox giggled, “add it to the list of things my daughter is mad at me about. PUDGY! IT’S TIME!” The eagle started to open his beak to ask a follow up question, but watched as suddenly the little hedgehog went rigid. Every single one of his quills began to stick out in all directions, and his body began to glow. Very slowly he began to float off from the surface of the rock, and when he turned towards them, his eyes were glowing bright white. From his vest, a small blue sapphire stone floated out of its pocket, and levitated directly overhead of the hedgehog. As the stone glowed blue, Pudgy’s body was snapped hard to face the north east, and face out into the ocean.
“Shima, what is going on? Is Pudgy all right?” Dave asked with a tone of concern to his voice, which drew no response from the fox. She pointed with her left paw at Pudgy, and the eagle watched as the entire stone began to glow with an unearthly white light that had a slight shade of blue to it. The ground beneath their paws and talons pulsed, almost as if the ground had a heartbeat. It was slight, but noticeable, and the vibrations were growing in strength and frequency. Over the course of many tense minutes, the earth tremors were so strong, that the entire island was shaking. Trees were being whipped back and forth in the jungle, and the water was sloshing around within the various ponds and streams throughout the island. Which was confirmed when an angry silver fox voice called out, “WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING? The water in the lake has waves on it now, and is cascading down the mountain! PUDGY!”
As Argente slowly padded up towards Shima, the white fox turned around and blocked the path. “Daughter, do not interfere! Pudgy is doing what needs to be done!” Angeliki quickly flew down, and landed between mother and daughter. The raven knew the temperament of Pudgy’s protector, and realized that the tremors that all were feeling, was ancient magic being activated. “Argente, we must listen to Shima Moyo! This is …. something ….” The vibrations were so strong, that the animals were being thrown down to the ground. As they struggled to stand back up, an even deeper vibration shook the mountain, and thew them the other direction. As all looked up, the hedgehog was fading out of view, and being replaced by a column of light that shot up into the sky in a violent flash. Soon, everything was a blinding white light, that even hurt one’s eyes when shut.
The little hedgehog was seeing a vision of the world. First, he saw his forest, and that it was dark. Friendship town was safe, and the fields were growing nicely. His underground home was dark, and the two bobcats were busy making kissy faces beside the river. Deep within his body, he could feel something click, and he dropped hard onto the stone. It was not long, when a scared red panda’s face appeared overhead of Pudgy and looked down. “Hello …lo …lo …lo….? Pudgy …dgy…. Dgy …. Iss….is…..is… that … that … you you…you…?” The voice of Mr. Drew could be heard, and the little hedgehog looked up and waved. “Yes, it is Pudgy! We made it safe to the Philippines! We found Argente’s mother here, and the Great Spirit!” The words of the hedgehog echoed just the same, but the message was relayed. Before a response from his friend could be sent, the visions of the forest faded away.
The hedgehog could feel his body floating again, and felt his body turn to the north by north east. He was flying across the water, and soon was passing overheard of an island covered with sea turtles. The hedgehog did not stop, and continued to fly further and further across an angry ocean. The waves were high, and the waters black. He could see all manner of creatures swimming beneath the ocean’s surface. Pudgy watched as soon he quickly stopped overhead of a series of red wooden buildings. They were ornate, with tall arches, and triangular black roofs. There were hundreds of ancient stone statues everywhere, in the shape of foxes. There was strange writing etched into the stone, in a language he had never seen before. Behind the series of buildings, there was a dense forest, and soon he could see the next stone. His entire body pulsed again, and just as quickly as friendship town faded away, the vision of the strange island disappeared.
Pudgy floated down onto the rock, and the blue sapphire stone cracked above his head. The little critter watched as a shard of the gemstone quickly shot down and lodged itself into the rock that he was standing on. The remainder of the stone floated down, and landed into his paws. The blinding white light faded slowly, while the critter put his teleportation stone back into his vest’s pocket. Securing the button to keep the stone safe, he felt his paws connect with the smooth white granite, and felt one last violently tremor shake the entirety of the island. Rubbing his eyes with the backs of his paws, Pudgy sighed as he felt the vibrations slow to an eventual stop. Sighing, the hedgehog wiggled his nose, and watched as his friends stood up. They all were looking expectantly at him, with Shima grinning the most. The ethereal fox spoke first, “were you successful Pudgy?”
The critter nodded, “yes Shima. Pudgy saw Friendship town! Mr. and Mrs. Bobcat were making kissy faces, and then Pudgy saw red panda friend Mr. Drew. His voice was all echoey, but Pudgy was able to speak to him. Then the town faded away, and Pudgy saw something strange.” Angeliki waved her wing, “what did you see Pudgy?” Pudgy turned, and started to relay his vision, “Pudgy was flying across the ocean once more. To the North-by-North East, across terrible waves, to reach an island covered by sea turtles. They were the biggest turtles Pudgy ever saw! Way bigger than the snapping turtles along the rivers back home. Then Pudgy was flying again, over an ocean so black, you can not see anything. But Pudgy did see animals swimming below the water somehow, and some were so big, it was scary. Eventually Pudgy reached a new island, a much bigger one, that had all these red and black buildings on it. There were stone statues of foxes, with funny writing on them all around the area. Then Pudgy could see another huge stone like this, that pulsed!”
Dave rubbed his beak with the tip of his right wing, “Pudgy … from what you describe, that sounds like Japan.” The ethereal fox wiggled her ears, “it is Japan. It sounds like you have to go to Okinawa first to meet the turtles. Then it is off to Fushimi Inari-taisha, which is located outside of what the humans once called Kyoto.” Argente turned and stared at her with unblinking brown eyes, “Mother … you know an awful lot about that place. How … why?” Shima nodded, “that has been my home for many years. There is a Shinto temple there, where they celebrated fox spirits. The humans were very wise, paying tribute to us foxes, with offerings.” Angeliki chirped as she giggled, “I see their tributes were acceptable to your sensibilities Shima Moyo. That would explain your name as well, and your accent to your voice. So, is it safe to assume, that our journey is not yet done?”
Pudgy nodded, “after the vision faded of this Japan place, Pudgy’s sapphire stone split a tiny bit, and a shard was shot down into this rock. Pudgy unsure why …” The raven chirped happily as she bounced up to stand on the rock beside her hedgehog friend. “I can feel the ley line’s magic flowing once more, Pudgy. I think this means that since you were able to see Friendship town, we have a way home via the ley line.” Argente’s ears perked up, “does that mean we can go home? No need for the long journey back via the sailing ship?” The demigoddess nodded, “I believe so. I need to do some research, and verify if this is indeed the case. But I believe that we have a good probability of that being true. Pudgy will need to remain here with me, as it would seem that he is the key to the stones. It does make me wonder, if he were to align with that stone in Japan, would we be able to travel there as well?”
Shima nodded, “yes that would be correct. The Great Spirit told me that there are seven of these … ley line … stones that are still accessible. Long ago, they were the main connection points between Gaia and the skies above. Over a time too long to count passed, the stones drifted around this world to rest in places scattered in every direction. The chains which once stretched from these points were destroyed in a cataclysm, which the Great Spirit would not go into further details about. His explanation was that they were sealed to ensure that their power is not misused ever again.” The raven nodded, “that would make sense, given all that has occurred to date with Pudgy. One node in Pudgy’s forest, one node here on Mt. Apo, and now one in Japan. I wonder where the other four are located? And if our little friend here were to align them all, can you imagine travelling then?”
Dave waved his wing, “I am lost, was that in the stories that Pudgy didn’t tell me?” The little hedgehog nodded, which drew a comical response and melodramatic wing movements from the eagle, “no wonder I am lost! Can I hear the full story now?” The little hedgehog looked at Angeliki, who nodded. So, the hedgehog started over from the start of the time when the humans started to disappear from the world. The two foxes eased down to settle in for story time, occasionally exchanging glances with one another. The little hedgehog told a fascinating tale of the humans disappearing, their world changing back to a natural state, of space debris raining from the sky, the moon dinosaurs attacking the great spirit, crazy talking cacti, Pudgy’s dragon friend passing away, the desperate trip to find him, finding the stronghold of the eagles, and the return trip from the dense woods. The former human man chirped happily, “one day I would very much like to visit that Iron Wood place…”
The little hedgehog then told the tale of the wolves, and the terrible destruction that started to befall the area. As the sun started to set in the distance, the atrocities of the wolves made Shima wince. The Greek god of death had accelerated a process that had been set into motion in times long since forgotten. As the tired hedgehog told the tale of Friendship town, the building of the sailing vessel, and their trip to the Philippines, both eagle and white fox listened intently. The story finished, and the hedgehog fell forward and immediately curled up to fall asleep. Dave chirped softly, “I guess story time is done. My goodness …all that has happened since the humans went away?” Shima nodded, “it was terrible in Japan. The Shinto monks were praying desperately, and the temple was overrun with their fearful neighbors and their families. As they prayed, people faded away, only furthering the chaos. Then one day …silence … like I had never heard before in any of my lives. Only the sound of the wind in the trees, and the birds chirping.”
Argente nodded as she narrowed her eyes at her mother, “it did take some getting used to. It hit Pudgy hard when his human friend Cobalt disappeared. When he came back as a dragon, it made things easier in many ways, until he passed away. I have never seen him so upset. But he came back as an eagle, so that worked itself out. So …MOTHER … when were you going to grace me with your presence? Cobalt came back to Pudgy, twice now … what’s your excuse?” The sarcasm had a wicked tone to her voice, which elicited a response from Shima. “I have lived 6 lives on this world, and have had many children. I loved all of them, as I did you. I am sorry I did not come back in my corporeal form, but I did visit you as the best way I could. If I remember correctly, you were the one who shut me out.” The two foxes stared at each other angrily, which was interrupted by Dave who was nestling down. “Quiet you two … I’m tired and want to sleep. You can argue more tomorrow, good night.”
Argente yawned, “Good night, Dave. I will continue this discussion tomorrow with you …mother.” As the silver fox closed her eyes, she immediately fell asleep. This left only the white fox and the raven awake. Angeliki was bouncing around the node, tapping it with her beak, and pulling wisps of white magical energy out of it with her wing tips. “What have you learned so far,” the fox asked the raven. Angeliki looked up at her, “this stone is just like the one back in Pudgy’s forest. It is much bigger, which I expect is due to the location of it. I can see trace images of Drew, our red panda friend from back home, but I can not activate the stone for some reason. Prior to the events of the wolves, the ley lines were numerous, and scattered all around the world. If one knew how to access them, they could be used to travel to all manner of places. But now, the nodes are sealed, and no one can use them.”
Shima nodded, “Unetlanvhi asked the earth mother Gaia to seal the ley lines, as well as the world chains as a precaution. Until Pudgy told his story, I did not know the reason why the Great Spirit did that? Now, I can see the wisdom in his actions. If you can activate the line, what will you do?” The raven rubbed her beak with her wing tip, “I suspect that many on board the ship will want to go home. It is too far a distance to have our friends walk, so perhaps Dave and I can carry them up here? But still … the prospect of opening up another connection point to Japan intrigues me. My mother told tales of that land, and how the other Gods and Goddesses avoided it for some reason. It was not that they could not go there, but for some reason they did not want to go there. I will have to ask her, the next time she is able to communicate from Mount Olympus.”
Angeliki walked with a wiggle in her tailfeathers up closer to where the white fox was sitting, “my name is Angeliki.” Shima nodded and grinned, “Shima Moyo, but you can call me Shima for short. My name means Striped Tail in Japanese. I have a suspicion that this place and its cousins do not operate in the same fashion as you are accustomed to. But we can discuss that tomorrow, after a good sleep.” The fox closed her eyes, and her ears folded down as she drifted off to sleep. The raven nestled down and did the same, nearby to the hedgehog. And as the group of animals slept under a cloudless sky, the stars twinkled faintly from far away places. In the distance to the north, the clouds flashed with electrical discharge as a storm began to form.
Hours passed, until a low rumble started to emanate from the ocean far to the east of the island. The little hedgehog was first to awake, and he turned around to face the east. The light of dawn was just starting to make its appearance, and reveal the ocean had stopped moving. Creeping closer to the edge of the ley line rock, Pudgy did not see a single wave or water movement. The water was somehow even blacker than when they were caught in that terrible storm out in the ocean. Silently the critter stood there, listening to the low rumble, and watching the water pull back from around the island’s shoreline. He stood transfixed, watching the unfolding display in front of his eyes. The sun just started to peek over the eastern horizon, and illuminated the world more, to reveal the black void extended as far as the eye could see.
A white furry leg appeared beside the hedgehog, as Shima strode up to stand beside her new little friend. “Pudgy, this was to be expected. The King of the Ocean is now aware, that actions have taken place.” The hedgehog looked up at the white fox, “who is the King of the Ocean, Shima Moyo?” She sighed, “long ago … the world was created, and the water was placed upon its surface by the Great Spirit. As the animals descended down the world chain, they reached the water, and swam forth in all directions. Many adapted for life within the water, and below its surface. The world that had been first formed was savage, and only the strong would survive. Over many generations, one animal rose to prominence and dominated the entirety of the watery lands, to rule with terror. He did not challenge the Great Spirit, but actively worked against his wishes to benefit his status within the world. He extracted power from within the chains, to extend his life, and strengthen his power.”
The little hedgehog nodded as he listened, and watched the sargasso sea spread even further out around the island in all directions. The white fox continued to speak, “there can be only one Great Spirit, so the lands were divided to above the surface and below the surface of water. The actions of Unetlanvhi, resulted in a land that was out of reach of the King. As the remaining animals descended the chain, to spread out amongst the newly created land, there was a fleeting peace. In time though, that was shattered, and hostilities between the two worlds began to spread. Some animals were able to adapt to life both above the water as well as below it, and they served as the emissaries of the king. Lands were claimed in his name, and resentments formed. To date, there has never been an outright declaration of war, but ancient grudges have been festering in the dark of the deep water.”
Pudgy wiggled his nose, “is that bad?” Shima nodded, “I am not sure how he will react? It could be that what we are seeing is just a natural process, due to the result of the numerous changes stemming from the Great Spirit’s actions.” The hedgehog nodded, “Cobalt told Pudgy a story a long time ago, when the world was flooded. All the land was covered by water, and the animals were in a big ship. Is that happening again?” Shima sighed, “I will try to explain as best as I can, given what Unetlanvhi told me. It is true that much of the world has been swallowed by the ocean. However, that process is slowing down considerably. When the world was pulled from its normal inclination, areas that had been cold became warm. The lands of the arctic north and south immediately began to melt at an accelerated pace. It did not help that the humans prior to their disappearance, had performed many actions that resulted in the world to change as well. The Great Spirit says that the rate of melt is almost complete, so the water level rise is already starting to stop.”
The hedgehog nodded again, and bounced happily while speaking, “this means the remaining lands are safe.” The white fox didn’t move her head, and just stared forward. “I hope so Pudgy. It is my understanding that in time the new polar regions will begin to form ice. The planet will continue to heal, and adjust to its new configuration.” As the two animals stared out into the ocean waters, soon they heard movement from behind them approaching. Dave, Angeliki, and Argente took positions on each side of the two. The silver fox stood next to Pudgy and wiggled her ears at him, “good morning Pudgy. I hope my wayward mother didn’t fill your head with nonsense.” Shima shot her a look, before turning her gaze back towards the ocean. Dave pointed with his right wing, “Umm … was the ocean always black?”
Shima shook her head, and re-explained what she had told Pudgy. Angeliki Raven sighed, “it would seem that we have another Kaiser to deal with … Pudgy.” The little hedgehog shook his head, “Pudgy certainly hope not.” The white fox looked at the group, and saw the looks in her daughter and the raven’s eyes. “From the way you are looking, it sounds like that was bad?” Shima asked, which drew nods in agreement, before a comment. “Whatever you have dealt with before in the past, would not compare to the fury and destructive capabilities of the King of the Ocean. The waters are deeper than the highest mountain above the water. Chasms and trenches full of deadly animals, ready to sacrifice themselves at moment’s notice to defend the oceans. It is curious that the humans were able to get away with so much, given the resources he has at his disposal.”
The little hedgehog rubbed his belly, “Pudgy hungry. But Pudgy ran out of food in pack, and doesn’t have much water left in canteen. We should head back to the landing where we moored the ship.” Argente nodded, “I agree Pudgy, let’s go.” Shima shook her head, “Argente …perhaps it would be best if either Dave or Angeliki were to take our hedgehog friend back to the ship? I would …like to … discuss certain events with you. In private, if you would not mind?” The silver fox narrowed her eyes, but nodded in agreement. “I think that would be for the best. Dave … Angeliki, would you mind?” The eagle nodded, “not at all, I would like to see this ship that has been mentioned.” The raven chirped happily, “agreed … it will also establish a flight path to get from here to the ship. I am sure once the crew is aware of what has occurred here, that they will want to come here as well.”
The little hedgehog scampered across the ley line rocky surface to jump up on a nearby higher rock that would make it easier for Dave to latch onto his backpack. As soon as Pudgy’s paws left the surface of the rock, the entire stone immediately went cold and hissed as the magical energy quickly sealed itself off once again. The raven pecked at the stone with her long black beak, “the magic is gone? No wait …I can still feel it, its just locked away. It is as I suspected, Pudgy is attuned to the ley line now.” Shima looked at Angeliki, what does that mean exactly?” The black bird rubbed her beak with the tip of her left wing, “it would mean that in order to use the ley line, Pudgy must be standing on it. He must be in direct contact. It now makes me wonder; how many animals could fit on this rock? We might be able to get the entire ship on it, and transport everyone at one time?”
Argente opened her mouth to start to speak, but was cut off when the most terrible noise began to be heard. It sounded like a roar, but muffled from being under the water. It was a sickening sound, that made her head feel like someone was hammering nails into her head. That effect was not isolated to her, and started to affect all of the animals around the ley line rock. Shima dropped hard, and whimpered in pain as her legs involuntarily twitched. Dave immediately became sick, and expelled the scant contents of his stomach beside the rock, before falling down on his back with legs stretched up. Angeliki chirped in pain, barely able to stand, “what … what …is …. going … on?” The noise only increased in volume with every second. Louder and louder, becoming clearer with each tense moment, until it was a deafening roar.
The sound spread out across the waters of the ocean, as far away as Australia to the south west. Far away from the island, a ship full of bears stared at the empty ocean behind their ship, with unblinking eyes. Words were not spoken, only looks of fear in their eyes, as the water surrounding their ship turned black as coal. In the opposite direction, animals on the mysterious islands of Japan stared as well, with a mixture of confusion and terror. The only constant was a little hedgehog, standing on the rock facing the ocean to the east. His eyes were transfixed, as a gigantic magenta glowing eye appeared in the ocean of void. Pudgy wiggled his nose, feeling the intensity of the glare coming from the King. Their eyes locked onto each other, and the little hedgehog made his determined face. Was the king an enemy, or was he misunderstood? The little critter did not know, but he would protect his friends and their homes, no matter what.
Time seemed to stand still, with the only constant being the horrible roar that blasted in all directions. No words were spoken, no visions exchanged, only the never-ending intent stare. Pudgy watched as the sun moved in the sky, and realized time was indeed progressing, and when the sun was directly overhead in the skies above, the deafening roar started to subside. The sargasso sea of black void also faded away, and the normal coloration of the ocean returned fairly quickly. The tides returned to their normal status, and the magenta eye faded away as it slowly began to sink below the surface. Once the sun had started its path towards the western skies, the roar had ceased and the animals were able to recover. Shima was first to get back to her paws, and then padded over to the hedgehog. His body was rigid, and his quills sticking out in a defensive posture.
“That was the King of the Ocean,” the white fox said clearly so all could hear. “Two ley lines connections are active, and connected to one another.” Angeliki looked up at the white fox, “Shima … does the King have access to a node such as this?” The ethereal fox nodded, “the Great Spirit is not aware of how many, but suspects many. Prior to the land rising above the water’s surface, rocks such as this one, were scattered around the ocean. Their chains extended all the way into the sky, to reach the great arch of stone that supported this world.” The raven nodded, “I see …and we just took away 2 connections …” Shima nodded, “it would seem that he is displeased with our actions. Let us hope that he does not decide to act with all of his might, fury, and malice. There would be no safe place on Gaia if that were to occur.”
As Argente looked nervously at her mother, then to Pudgy, her ears folded down. Every time she met her mother in a dream, it was a calamity. Now she met her in animal: and they found another enemy that may be worse than Blood Fang or the Kaiser. It was clear that this adventure was not going to end here. How far would they go, and where would they have to travel? Would she ever return to the forest, and her little cottage home? How the fox’s heart ached, to be safe at home, and having tea with her hedgehog friend. Her thoughts were broken, when Pudgy turned around with his determined look. “Mister Dave …can you take Pudgy to the ship?” The hedgehog turned around once again, and positioned himself to make it easy for lift off. The large eagle nodded, and quickly started to flap his wings. Picking up speed and altitude, his talons snatched the perch bars on either side of the critter’s pack. In a quick movement, the hedgehog and eagle disappeared from view as they headed down the mountain at a tremendous rate of speed. Argente sighed, “ok …mother … let us have our talk.”
Pudgy's Adventures 