B.C.E.

[Time skip]

[I say timeskip. But do I have to be excluded now?]

[ok. g2g and no you can reenter your ocs at other jobs.]

6 years........6 long years.........

slam

Shadow the hedgehog, now 14 outright colapsed on the floor. He did without whatever meal was dserved at whatever time he missed it at. Lord help him he didn't even know what time it was. He cursed those intructors at the school. They thought if they were given enough homework he and his brother would quit. But they made a pact not too. Unfortunately a pact can't keep you from dying and that's what Shadow felt like he was doing.

At least he had friends. Next to the all boys school was an all girls school and someone had the idea that if an athletic field was built between them it would be easier for the young girls to catch the eye of some potential husbands. He and his brother were able to see Sunny and on occasion when no one was near, Star; Usually right before the entire school was ordered to pulverise the hedgehogs.

"Wake up!" He heard his borther snap him out of his near coma.

"Is it sun-up yet?" Yes poor echo and shadow worked from morn till night and often through the night and into morn again, all in the teachers' hopes they will fail.

"Not yet." Echo said, handing him a scroll.

"Read."

The hedgecat tapped their window with her tail. She knew their routine well, watched them as closely as she could. And she knew Shadow was hungry, which worried her. Echo, too, but... Mm...

It was besides the point. She'd gotten food and wanted to share. Sunny was already beside her, eyeing the basket Star held greedily.

Echo turned around.

"Oh look, nightengales." He mused. Shadow turned and let them in.

"Guess what?" he told Star, helping her inside.

"Today the teachers realised in their rage they made us do the entire ciriculum in half the time, so they're making us learn stuff they dont even know about." He laughed weakly.

Star frowned. "Can I help?" She enjoyed learning so very much... And as often as people mistook Sunny for being a boy, she was able to sneak into the school most of the year. The hedgecat generally always did the work and loved every bit of it.

Echo nodded.

"Yeah. See if you can decifer that scroll." He pointed to the parchment in shadow's hand labled 'why tide occurs'. He gave it to her.

"Okay." She took the scroll, handing them the basket of food. "I managed to find enough for all of us."

"You're awesome." Shadow said, taking out some food.

"You can stop drooling now Sunny." Echo mused, handing the dog some fruit.

"I was not," she defended, taking a bite. Star sat on Shadow's bed, the scroll in her hand. She worked on deciphering that while her friends ate.

"You need some too." Shadow said, handing her a loaf of bread.

%

"Were too!" Echo said, pointing to some dribble on her lips.

"Oh, it's okay. I can eat once I finish."

*

"Shush," Sunny muttered, wiping her chin on her sleeve.

Shadow nodded and put it down, he couldn't help but begin to stare at her growing body illuminated perfectly by the candle light.....

^

"I think Shadow likes Star," Echo whispered to Sunny, pointing to the two of them.

Star smiled sadly. "I wish I could go to school..."

*

The dog looked over, shrugged. She knew for a fact that Star liked Shadow. But the hedgecat would never act on something like that - the hedgehog was in enough trouble as it was. She wouldn't add courting a mixed breed to the list.

"It's too bad you can't." He remarked, looking down.

%

"Maybe we should change that when we grow up." Echo suggested. Shadow turned around.

"I don't think we can." Echo put a finger in his face.

"Wrether you think you can or think you can't, your right!"

Star looked up, clueless. "What are you guy's talking about?"

Echo sweatdropped.

"Nothing..." He said guiltily.

[where did alex go? He could have reintroed his characters as something else.]

[He's probably waiting for a chance to re-introduce them?]

She smiled slightly. "Okay. I finished the scroll."

[Yeah, I have a plan that will come soon. Make sure your characters go to school next time instead of just skipping over the day.]

"Great. That's the end of it!" He threw another papyrus onto a large pile and fell into sunny's arms.

"The night is young..."

Sunny looked down, dropping him unceremoniously. "Nice try."

Star smiled, taking a piece of bread and nibbling on it.

Shadow smiled, watching Star eat. He always felt odd wen she was around...sort of..happy. Maybe he should hug her.....no...not now...maybe later.

&

Echo laughed, staying on her feet.

"Say 'woof'. I like it when you go 'WOOF' like you do in your sleep."

[Woudl you mind joining 'Ragnarok'? ^^:]

[consider him in.]

The hedgecat paused, feeling light-headed.

*

She barely kept the blush at bay. "No."

"Are you alright?" Shadw asked, putting an arm around her.

*

"Woof!" Echo tease, seeing in her eyes how much she was fighting herself.

[you mean 'me' or alex or...im confused.]

[No, Ragnarok. I assumed that was one of your charas?]

"Um... Uh-huh..." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Just felt dizzy for a minute there..."

*

She punched him, scowling. "Shut up."