Chapter 1 - "Humble Beginnings"

(( Greetings. This is a new Fanfiction, about the history and "backstory" of my main sonic OC, Riku the hedgehog- and I've glad you've made the first step of selecting it to read! There should be a few drawings and sketches in my gallery, if you want a basic visual representation (though I'm not really an artist so dont expect amazing things, hehe). But I'm writing this down for practice, and to hone my skills, as it were. Please note this tale is "In character", being that the story itself plays on the idea that this fictional world is Non-fictional- if that makes any sense at all, hehe. Comments are welcomed, and I really do hope you enjoy my- well, Riku's- story.
Yours, M.D ))


Hello, dear reader.
I am truly glad you decided to pick up this book, and I can only hope you appreciate the tale hidden in its pages. My name is not of importance, but you may know that I am the scribe employed to write down the historical events regarding what you may refer to as the “main character” of this book.
I intend to chronicle the memories- both good and bad- of a certain hedgehog; one named Riku, to be exact. And I only wish I can do him justice in my writings. But.. I must cease before I start to ramble. We begin our tale in a far off section of the world- similar to a section known as the green hills, although this place was a tiny bit more serene and had far more trees…

Chapter One: Humble Beginnings


“Throw it!” a small figure yelped to another. This ones voice was high due to their tender age, but was obviously male in gender. The youngling had red fur- and indeed spikes as his species was a hedgehog- with small yellow and orange fades at the very tips of the more prominent of spikes. He wore simple clothing; ragged cloth garments and boots; but even with this apparel that visually wreaked of poverty, the lad had a large, happy smile on his face, showing on of his unusually sharp canines. Age wise, you may guess him about seven summers old, and you’d be right.
This lad was Riku the hedgehog.

The one he was yelling out to was another slightly smaller child- this one a small girl. The similarities were apparent enough to assume they were both related- she had red fur and spikes also, and wore the same kind of raggedy conditions clothing (A simplistically small pink and white dress), and the colour of her eyes- bright orange like some strange shining gem- the same as her brothers. The only difference being her spikes did not have the rapid change of colour as her sibling did, but just lightening softly into a feminine pinkish colour. “O-okay… here I go...” she mumbled, picking up the small leather ball by her side daintily and gulping. Obviously while her brother had an outgoing personality, she had a rather shy one.

“C’mon then Sophie! I ain’t got all day, ye’ know!” Riku shouted again, chuckling.
But the small hedgehog named Sophie merely gripped her ball shyly and nodded with her eyes closed. After a few seconds of getting her head straight, she attempted to hurl the ball at her brother. However, when one tries this with ones eyes closed, this idea tends to go askew.
Instead of aiming, she just blindly threw the toy, making it land about 5 feet to the right of her brother, in some nearby bushes. Although she still had her eyes shut, she could hear the rustling of those bushes as the ball collided with them, and her siblings slightly mocking laugh as he laughed at the situation.

“You daftie! Don’t close your eyes when you throw, hehe.” Riku said, trying to stop himself from hurting his little sister’s pride anymore.
“I-I’m not a boy, Riku! Girls don’t like playing catch!”
“That’s rubbish you know ‘it.” Riku replied, walking up to the site of impact and grinning. Sophie merely mumbled in response.
“Now then, I’ll go get our ball back, eh?” Riku continued crouching a little and slowly easing himself into those prickly thorns on his miniature quest to retrieve his plaything.

Sophie merely stared at the constantly shuffling bush feeling a slight twang of guilt. “Im sorry for losing your ball Riku…” she started, crossing her arms as if to subconsciously give herself a hug.
“Nah, don’t worry ‘bout it… easily fixed, he- OW!” Riku tried to say, but ending up being rather uncomfortably prodded by an extra long barb. He merely said some nasty things under his breathe and pushed on.
After a few minutes, the boy emerged once more; ball in hand. He stood up, and brushed off his clothes the small items and pieces of debris one can unwilling pick up when crawling through bushes. Riku lifted his ball triumphantly and made a cheerfully and “heroic” pose. It looked rather silly to Sophie, but this just made not smiling at him even harder.

“Riku! Sophie! Dinners ready!” a woman’s voice yelled out from a nearby cottage like structure. The two children merely shrugged at each other, and went rushing to their mother’s voice as she commanded, Riku dropping that ball immediately.
When they got inside, they were not only greeted by a warm and cosy atmosphere, crackling sounds of fresh logs on a burning fireplace and the tranquil smells of good food on an active stove- but by their parents embrace.
The children’s mother crouched down and drew them both simultaneously into her arms. Sophie returned the hug lovingly, whilst Riku just made a “yuck” sound and made a boyish pout, pretending to reject the affection.
The mother herself wore a fine dress, similar to her daughters in design and colour. Her hair was longer, and a deep scarlet in colour. She stood tall and smiled down to her children, patting her sons head and stroking her daughter’s hair in turn silently, before letting go to return to cooking.

Sophie followed suit, going to help out with her preparing the meal, and Riku went to the fireside and to a high backed chair where his father sat. This man looked very similar to Riku- he had a more ruffled fur and spikes and far more active eyes- but he was older, with a more haggard face and slight droops and wrinkles in his skin here and there to show the signs of age. However, he still had an aura of contentment, and happiness. He looked down at his boy and smiled. “Have you been nice to your sister today, Riku?” he asked, ruffling the top of his head with his hand.
“Yeah, yeah. She was a bit of a nitwit- but she IS a girl…”
Riku’s father chuckled. “Yes, girls are… fickle things.”
“Why do we put up with ‘em, then?”
“Ah, that’s the strange part. We do it because we like to.”
“Like to?”
“Yes, my boy. We like their company. After all, without them life would certainly be rather boring.” He replied, chuckling gently again and putting an old oak wooden pipe in his mouth. Riku just shook his head- to him, what his father said made no sense whatsoever, but maybe he’d know in time. Then he merely slumped down into sitting position, letting the warm glow of the growling fire overwhelm him.


That evening, both Riku and Sophie went to sleep in their beds, with filled stomachs and minds of the knowledge that their parents cared for them dearly. A true fact that so many children underestimate, and do not appreciate.
But, gentle scenes- and tranquil settings never last. Nothing lasts forever- no matter how bad, or good, it is.


“Break the door down!” a gruff voice shouted, the yelling muffled slightly but loud enough to wake Riku up with a start. He sat up, and looked around groggily. He was slightly confused, and almost ready to settle back down and dismiss what he thought he had heard, until the smashing of the houses wooden door giving in verified his thoughts.

He threw off his covers, and ran over to Sophie’s bed, rapidly using his hand to cover her mouth. This was because if she had shouted like he knew she would, she’d give away their position. Sophie woke up with a start, her mouth covered and making her panic, eyes open wide. She peered around frantically, before realising the one restraining her was her brother. She wondered if this was some sort of joke, peering at her siblings serious face as if to silently ask what he was doing.
Riku was staring at the door however. It was shut, and he wanted to keep it that way. Whoever these intruders were, it was obvious they weren’t friendly.

But those sounds- the chorus of heavy feet treading on tables and the fond ornaments and items that existed in this family home, crushing them beneath their feet as they searched around was warped, as if Riku were in some kind of other world were things like this could possibly exist. He tried to soothe his sister, ushering her to be quiet and giving her a signal by putting his finger on his lips quietly. Sophie nodded to show she understood, but her brother still didn’t dare remove his hand from her mouth, although he did ease his grip a little.
Five minutes passed, full of sounds of breaking, smashing, and tearing of their home. The intruders had searched the main room head to toe now, and were now what appeared to be going into the adult’s bedroom.

Riku heard his mother shriek and his father curse loudly as the intruders tackled and grabbed them- and he heard the scraping sounds of them being dragged across the floor, to the centre of the hallway, accompanied by the cringe worthy echoes of beatings, and fists hitting upon their parents flesh to keep them quiet and “obedient”.
The voice spoke again. “Kneel.”
Riku heard his parents obey, and his breathing was getting heavier as slight terror began to take hold of him.
“Why… why are you doing this?” he heard his mother sob. Another loud smack could be heard soon after.
“Speak when spoken to. Your house is in the way of our company. Your land is ours now.”
“No one gave you the right!” yelled Riku’s father, only to be smacked in the face by a nearby mechanical figure.
“Rights? Pah. We do not be given anything. We take.” The voice replied, laughing a little darkly.
“Leave us be!” his father shouted again.
“We can help in that respect…”

And then, he heard the struggle- the muffled and panicked sounds of both his parents being gagged against their will. But- it was that little “click” that broke the line. Riku couldn’t stand it anymore, and let go of his sister, running to the door and pushing it open.
The scene that befell him was almost hellish.
His parents were on their knees, silenced with tightly bound, old, dirty sheets- both covered in bruises and cuts that leaked small inklings of blood. Around them were tall, humanoid shapes- but made of metal. These guards’ eyes were large and light blue, glowing unnaturally, their lifeless glares piercing into him from the shadowy corners of the room. The prominent figure was a tall man. He was mainly bald, were it not for wild tufts of dirty grey hair above his ears. He was very tall and thin, with a long face, a protruding nose and beady little eyes. He was wearing a black uniform, rimmed with silver lines and buttons that looked very smart, and proper. At his side, a cane with a very fierce and posh looking silver hawk at its head, wings spread wide as if about to grab an unsuspecting rodent with its vicious talons.
“A child? Hmmm…” he said, not even breaking a sweat as he peered at Riku, casually.
He looked to his parents’ faces- his fathers gaunt and bleak and his mothers eyes flowing with tears. It they could, they would yell at him- yell at him to run.

But, he was glued to the spot in fear. He just stood there, numbly as two of those robotic monstrosities marched up to him, creaking and rattling. They towered above him, and lifted their arms to strike..
“Stop!” the man commanded. The mechanical soldiers obeyed, and parted out so that Riku could see the man and his parents once more, but both of them staying at either side of him, blocking him from escape.
“The commander told us to leave all children alive. We are to take them with us. Understand?”
“Command Understood.” The two robots said in perfect harmony, with cold, metallic voices.
“Now, apprehend him.”

They nodded, and grabbed Riku’s arms. Their grip was unbearable, and he felt his small arms were going to crack and indeed snap under the pressure of their hands. The small boy cried out in pain, which merely made the man laugh as if he had heard an obscenely funny joke or tale.
“Stop your whining boy, you get to live!” He chuckled, turning to Riku’s parents. “Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for you two.”
The mans face seemed to shadow itself, as he pulled out of his left pocket and light grey revolver pistol, engraved upon its barrel strange markings, and its handle made of fine leather and wood.
“Thank you for the land.” The man said, lifting the gun.
Riku tried to scream- but he couldn’t. He tried to stop what was gong to happen- but he couldn’t. He tried to save his family…
But he couldn’t.



All other sounds disappeared in those brief, tortured seconds. Riku frantically tried to pull himself free and tackle the man to stop him, but those damned robots were too powerful and he was too weak. Tears rolled down the young hedgehogs cheeks as the man loaded the pistol with a “click”, and pressed the barrel against his fathers head.
Those four sounds. Four, haunting sounds that would give that boy nightmares and horrifying memories for years, if not his entire life to come. These sounds were two piercingly loud gunshots, and the harmonies of two loved parental bodies, lifelessly falling to the ground with hallow thuds.

Riku dropped to his knees, eyes open wide. The man walked away, past him and toward to the room where Sophie was, looking through the door with the exact same forlorn and empty face her brothers had, speechless as she took in the sight of two loved ones limp on the floor, slowly creating a pool of expanding red blood.
“Take them both to the mines. It appears we have two new workers.”

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