✭✮✯DEFENDERS (4)✭✮✯

✭✮✯ DEFENDERS ✭✮✯

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:warning: Warning: this story contains intense themes. :warning:

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First

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Part Four

Dinner and a Show

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Flitter jumped back as the concoction of vegetables were tossed into the large pot, the steaming mixture bouncing and bubbling into the air. Grabbing the lid of the pot, she quickly placed it over the top.

It was getting late, and she was helping the villagers prepare for dinner. The other Defenders, ever since they left in the morning, hadn’t returned yet.

I hope everything is alright.

Flitter thought, turning to face the villager beside her.

“Could you keep an eye on this for me while I’m gone?” She asked her. The villager nodded politely in response, smiling.

“Great. This will only take a few moments.” Flitter thanked the villager before walking back through the maze of tents.

Spotting a familiar blotch of grey, Flitter directed her attention towards a massive elephant that was ing through. Its wavy ears and small yellow bowtie waved in the air as it stomped around the tents.

As expected, a tan villager rushed after the elephant. His messy black hair pointed in all sorts of different directions as he chased the giant. “Wait up, boy!” He called after it.

Of course he’d be chasing him, they can’t ever catch up with each other.

Flitter placed a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

The villager’s blue eyes widened as he saw that Flitter was watching him, halting. His elephant eventually sighted her as well, and the two of them walked towards her together.

“H-hey, Flit! Nice to uhh- see you…?” He grinned nervously.

“Hey, Bruce.” Flitter greeted. “Mind going to the river outside? There are buckets in the front of the cavern, we could really use some more water.”

He lifted his hand, giving off a solute. “You can count on us!”

“Be careful, and don’t forget to bring someone else with you too!” Flitter yelled as he jumped onto the back of the elephant. Just like that, they disappeared into the maze of tents once more.

Flitter sighed, smiling as she continued onwards. Soon enough, she reached the tent she was looking for.

Slowly and quietly, she untied the rope that coned the two entrance pieces of the tent. Once the knot was untied, she peeked through the tiny crack in the entrance.

Still sleeping.

Flitter sighed, stepping inside the tent.

Sonic was laying there on a makeshift bed, in the same position that they left her since the morning. She was covered in a long, fluffy blanket, and her sides gently rose and fell with each breath.

Flitter cautiously made her way to the side of the tent, kneeling down by Sonic’s right leg. She maneuvered the blanket to where she could see the bandages around her leg, grabbing her satchel and pulling out a fresh roll of bandages.

Time to replace the old with the new.

Flitter thought to herself, removing and replacing the bandages with new ones. When she was finished, she grabbed the old bandages and placed them in a tiny bucket in the corner.

Unexpectedly, a coughing fit was heard. Flitter jolted upwards, looking around to see who or what made the noise.

Her eyes widened as she spotted the all-too-recognizable blue orbs concentrated on her.

She’s up.

“Flitter- you’re not-- you’re--” Sonic stammered, coughing once more. “You- you’re okay…”

She attempted to stand, but Flitter rushed up beside her.

“Woah woah waoh, simmer down now.” Flitter said to her, guiding her back to her resting spot. “Stay down for a while until you fully wake up.”

Sonic squinted her eyes, rubbing the back of her head. “Was that… all a dream? Augh, my head is killing me…”

“How’re you feeling?” Flitter asked quietly, changing the subject as she sat beside the confused Defender.

“Well…” Sonic sat up straight, stretching her arms out as far as she could. “Exhausted, for one thing.”

Flitter nodded. “That was expected.”

“How long was I… out for?” Sonic asked her, examining the minor cuts and bruises on her hands and arms.

An idea popped into her head, and she faked a frown. “Ahh, it’s been… quite a while.”

Sonic jerked her head upwards, the statement grabbing her full attention. “What do you mean..?”

“I can barely even how much time has ed.” Flitter began, biting her lip to prevent herself from smiling. “Two days…? A week…? Months, maybe? It seems like it has been forever.”

“Holy Mother of Mira.” Sonic whispered in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m just joking.” Flitter grinned from ear to ear. “It’s only been about a day, kid.”

“Flitter!” Sonic exclaimed, hitting her on the shoulder while smirking. “Don’t joke around with me like that, and most importantly- don’t call me that nickname!”

Flitter burst into laughter.

Sonic disliked being called a “kid,” so Flitter was the one who always picked on her for it. After the first couple of times, Flitter was used to calling most of the Defenders her “children,” especially since she was the “Mother” of the group.

“Hey, at least I know you’re a little more awake now.” She laughed again.

Sonic crossed her arms, shaking her head as she smiled.

“Alright, now that you’re up, let’s try to get you to stand.” Flitter rose from her place, walking to the side of Sonic in case if she needed any . “Go easy on the right leg.”

“Got it.” She replied, carefully rising from her spot on the ground. She grabbed onto Flitter’s hand, setting her left leg down first. Then, slowly, she moved the right one to the floor. She winced a little once pressure was applied, but as Flitter let her go they realized that she was indeed able to stand.

“Be extra careful with it. Your most major injury is on that leg.” Flitter warned her yet another time as she opened the tent.

Sonic’s eyes widened as they exited, gasping. “The caverns…”

“So it wasn’t a dream.” She diverted her vision towards Flitter. “All that stuff really happened…”

“Yep.” Flitter responded, making a small popping noise when saying the letter “P.”

“Flitter, what-” Sonic began, but was stopped before she could speak any more.

“Shhh,” Flitter whispered. “I’ll answer all your questions eventually. However, we have more important things to do right now, which includes getting you something to eat.”

Sonic took in a deep breath to protest, but stopped herself.

Don’t try arguing with your Mama Llama, kiddo.

Being the “Mother” of the group, she knew much more about healing and medicine than any of them did. She knew what precisely to do in situations like this one, which was another reason why she was left behind in the first place while the others went out in the morning.

Flitter lead the way back to the cooking area, where the same villager from before was still watching her pot.

“Sorry that took so long.” She smiled apologetically, opening the pot. A cloud of smoke rose from the mixture inside, and Flitter waved her hands around it. Grabbing a small wooden bowl from the villager’s hand, she dipped it into the mix. When she pulled it back up, the bowl was filled with the concoction from inside the pot.

She grabbed a tiny wooden spoon and handed both the bowl and spoon to Sonic, who sat on a nearby blanket that was covering the floor. She walked over to the corner of the room, grabbing a miniscule cup and dunking it into a bucket of water.

Once she filled the cup, Flitter walked back to Sonic, who was showing off a confused expression as she looked into the bowl.

“What's this?” Sonic asked, puzzled.

“Soup.” Flitter replied. “Or as I like to call it, food. I should also mention that you need to eat the entire thing in order for you to regain your strength.”

Sonic’s eyebrows rose. “Okay, but as long as I get to ask questions.”

“What ha-” She began, but Flitter once again stopped her.

Flitter shook her head, knowing exactly what to do next. “Take one bite of that and you can ask a question. Take another, and I'll answer.”

Sonic sighed, smiling. “Flit, you know I'm really not a kid? I'll eat, you don't need to bribe me like that.”

Flitter made a “tsking” noise, shaking her head at Sonic. “Please, Sonic. We all know how you get when you’re anxious. You barely even eat whenever that happens.”

Sonic smiled, shaking her head as she sighed yet again. “Alright, I get your point.”

She took the spoon, dipped it into the mix of soup, and took a bite.

“What happened at the invasion after I ed out?” She asked, taking another bite afterwards so Flitter could answer.

“Well, in short, after you ed out… The one with the cloak attacked us, all the Defenders. The villagers were left alone, but we were the main target.”

Sonic took two more bites. “How'd you guys escape?”

“That was all Kumorii.” Flitter explained. “She came up with a fast plan, and we surprisingly managed to escape with her distraction.”

Two more bites yet again. “What did she do?”

“She stole that staff right out of the person with the cloak’s hands and used it to grab the animals’ and the dragon’s attention. After that she just led them away from us momentarily while me and Zy got to you, and the others guided the villagers to the caverns.” Flitter responded.

Sonic’s eyes widened as she dropped the spoon into the bowl, looking directly into Flitter’s eyes. “What happened to our animals…? Where are they..?”

Flitter sighed, frowning. “Sonic, take a bite for a question, ?”

“Flitter, I-”

“Sonic, listen.” Flitter interrupted. “Take a bite.”

Sonic grabbed the spoon quickly and took two bites.

Flitter sighed for yet another time. “They took them, the cloaked one.”

The spoon dropped out of Sonic’s hands yet another time, landing directly into the small bowl. The soup splashed a little as the spoon hit into it. “N- no… No no no no no…” Sonic repeated, eyes widened with disbelief. “This can't be true… No…”

Flitter placed her hands on Sonic’s shoulders, bringing her head up to make eye with her. “Sonic, it's going to be alright. We will get them back. Plus, they're strong animals, they know how to fend for themselves.”

Sonic only shook her head. “I should've done something. I could've stopped this.”

Flitter frowned as Sonic stared at the cloth they were sitting on, deep in her own thoughts with her expression grim.

“Sonic, look at me.” Flitter said to her, but she didn't listen.

”Sonic.”

Flitter raised her voice a little this time, and Sonic raised her head up slowly.

“We can't always be as strong as we wish we could be.” Flitter continued. “However, that doesn't mean that we can't get stronger.”

Sonic was taken aback the second she heard what Flitter said.

“That's a quote from… It's- I recognize it…” Sonic was lost in her thoughts once more, trying to .

Flitter showed a small smile, taking her hands away from Sonic’s shoulders. “Don't you what we learned from our History Books back in school?”

Sonic gasped, looking at Flitter in awe. “I now… We had the same school together when we were younger, but different classes... We both loved History… That quote, it's from-”

“History of Jamaa: The Battle of Territory.” Flitter named the book and the battle the quote came from. “I still .”

She jumped a bit in surprise as Sonic jolted towards her, careful not to step on the items underneath. She wrapped her arms around Flitter, embracing her in a hug.

“Thanks for everything, Flit.” Sonic sniffled.

Flitter returned the hug. “Everything is going to be alright, kiddo.”

They went back to their normal places, and Flitter grinned. “Now, more important matters: you need to eat the rest of your food…”

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Flitter watched as the boulders to the cavern entrance were moved.

It was getting extremely late, especially since Flitter took the night watch. She wanted to be there for when the Defenders returned.

“How was it?” Flitter asked the obviously exhausted Defenders as they walked inside.

“Well, let's just say…” Zymite replied, placing the boulders back in front of the entrance. “I hope your day was better.”

Uh oh. That doesn't sound too good.

“How's Sonic?” Zymite asked, rising from the entrance.

“Oh, actually..” Flitter began, facing them. “She's doing great.”

All at once, they turned, staring at Flitter.

“You mean…?” Mimi gasped as the realization struck her.

Flitter let out a small laugh. “She's been up for a while now. I got her to eat, and she drank plenty of water, so she's recovering well.”

“Is she able to speak with us?” Kumorii asked suddenly. “Or does she need more rest?”

Flitter thought for a moment. “That really all depends on what Sonic decides. She might even be sleeping now, I'm not sure. All I know is that she's inside her tent.”

“Alright, that makes sense.” Kumorii nodded her head.

“Flit, I’m going with the others to see if we can find some leftovers to eat. Ask Sonic if she's ready to talk with us if possible, please.” Zymite told her.

Flitter smiled. “Alright.”

They separated, the Defenders heading to the area where dinner was served while Flitter rushed off towards a nearby tent where a villager was sleeping.

“Hey, it's your watch time.” She spoke to him.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes. Giving a thumbs up, the villager stretched before walking out of the tent.

Flitter rubbed her hands together, making her way to Sonic’s tent.

“Hey, Sonic.” She greeted her, stepping inside the tent to find her doodling on the back of her map.

“Hey Flit.” Sonic greeted back, folding her map and placing it, with a small writing utensil, back inside of her satchel. “What's up?”

“The others are back. It's your choice whether you'd like to speak to them yet or not.” Flitter explained. “Just a warning, though: I'm pretty sure they want to ask you lots of questions.”

Sonic instantly stood from her place without a second thought about it. “I can definitely handle questions.”

Flitter smiled. “I thought so.”

They walked to the area where they ate dinner, finding the other Defenders scattered on a long yellow cloth that covered the ground. They each had a small bowl of soup, a spoon, and a cup filled to the brim with water in their hands.

All eyes turned to Sonic as they entered the area. Her face flustered a little bit seeing she was the center of attention.

“Sonic!” Mimi’s expression brightened, placing her bowl, cup, and spoon down onto the ground. She jumped over to Sonic, wrapping her hands around her in a tight hug. “How’re you feeling?”

“Pretty alright.” Sonic replied, hugging her back.

As soon as it began, the moment was gone. They walked back to the cloth, Mimi returning to her spot with Sonic at her side, while Flitter sat between Zymite and Ana.

“So,” Flitter began the conversation. “What happened out there?”

Grim silence filled the area around them. Flitter looked towards Zymite, concern in her eyes.

“It was… not good.” Zymite began, taking a sip of water. “We got to the neighboring village as expected, but what we found there was completely the opposite of what we thought..”

“You should’ve seen it, Flit. It was absolutely terrible.” Kumorii continued. “Defender Weapons, stuck into the ground like poles. The one in the middle was clearly the sword of a Lead Defender, and it had their village flag tied around its handle. it looked like a... “ She paused, thinking of the right word.

“Warning.” Vintage finished Kumorii’s sentence. “It was a warning to us, saying that if we interfered with them that we would be dealt with in the same way.”

Mother of Mira.

Flitter’s eyes widened as the story was processed in her mind.

Zymite sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hand. “We were intercepted by a gang of villagers when we were about to leave. Both the people and their animals were extremely hostile towards us, saying they worked for “The Nameless” and that capturing us was going to make them rich.”

“Who is “The Nameless?”” Flitter asked, puzzled.

“We are assuming it’s the person with the cloak, from the Invasion.” Mercuree explained.

Flitter frowned, narrowing her eyes at the mere mentioning of the cloaked individual.

“Wait a second.” Sherlovi spoke up out of the blue. “Those villagers said The Nameless was after a specific person…”

Silence filled the room yet another time. Flitter watched as most of the Defenders stole quick glances or peered over to where Sonic was sitting.

Oh Zios.

Flitter thought, biting her lip nervously.

They’re after Sonic.

Sonic stared at them, wearing a straight face as she saw them looking at her. Eventually, she got the message.

“Sonic…” Paradox broke the silence, placing her bowl down onto the ground. “Why is The Nameless after you?”

She sat there silent for a moment, immersed in her own thoughts. It seemed like she was having trouble figuring out what to say next…

Finally, Sonic let out a long sigh, closing her eyes in defeat.

“I swore on my life to Malina that I would never tell anyone else about this… ” She began. “However, this time is an exception. You guys need to know this, and you deserve to know after all this time.”

Malina…

Flitter looked to the ground, speechless when the very name was mentioned.

Sonic’s old Mentor, the Lead Defender before her…

“Not too long before Malina ed, she brought me to a place I had never seen before. I left Mythical at the village, since she told me what she was going to show me only was to be shared between us.” Sonic eyed the area around them, making sure that no villagers were around. She lowered her voice as she continued with her explanation. “We walked for days until we finally arrived at a mountain. She directed me inside, and there it was. A beautiful, bright blue stone, carved in the shape of a heart.”

Flitter stared at her in awe, imagining the stone in her mind.

It sounds so magnificent.

“She told me it was our village heartstone.” Sonic continued. “Malina said it needed to be protected very carefully, since it was filled with so much power. I was told that I would be the next one to protect it, but the catch was the fact I couldn’t tell anyone else about the stone’s location, and the stone in general. Too many people would steal it and would use it for their own.”

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle were connected. Everything made sense to Flitter.

“They are after the heartstone.” Flitter gasped.

“It all makes sense now…” Gum whispered in shock. “Sonic is the only one who knew about the heartstone, of course The Nameless would be after her..”

“Sonic, if you don’t mind me asking…” Zymite spoke up. “What happened to you during the Invasion, when you first met The Nameless?”

Sonic was rendered speechless yet another time before beginning to explain her side of the story. “Mythical and I, after speaking to Zymite, viewed the fighting from the air. I spotted The Nameless standing under a shady section of a house, and of course we flew over there. I asked, like we were taught, if they were hurt…”

She paused before continuing. “They started to speak in an odd fashion, and I knew that they weren’t from our village… They called the creatures “Phantoms,” and explained to me that they were the one controlling them. Then… they asked me to them as they set out to conquer the world. Of course, I rejected the very idea… However, that’s when we were surrounded… and..” She clenched her fists tightly. “The dragon appeared… After that, Mythical and I started hearing voices, like the village square on a busy afternoon… I couldn’t stop it, she couldn’t stop it, and we were left completely vulnerable. I tried my best to fight back, but grabbing my staff was impossible…”

“They were going to force me to destroy the village… Then, when that was done… I was going to be used as a guide to the heartstone..” She hid her face in between her knees and arms. “I’m… so glad that I didn’t…”

“Mira have Mercy…” Kumorii whispered in shock. “This is… worse than I imagined..”

“Kumorii, you were right..” Paradox whispered. “That dragon… it can control minds..”

“That’s why we need to get out there.” Zymite said with hope. “We need to find more villages and warn them about The Nameless, while also teaming up with them. Together with other villages, we can stop The Nameless once and for all.”

A strong sense of agreement was spread throughout the group.

“That just about settles it, then.” Zymite decided. “We shall search the other villages tomorrow. Flitter and Sonic will stay behind, just like today. Any objections?”

“Zy, wait-” Sonic began. “How come Flitter and I need to stay behind?”

“Simple.” Zymite explained, standing from her spot. “You are still recovering, and Flitter volunteered to stay behind to watch you and the villagers while we are gone.”

“I can still fight, Zymite.” Sonic urged. “There’s no reason to leave me here, I’m perfectly fine.”

“It’s for your safety.” Zymite continued as they all stood from their places, stacking the empty bowls and cups together neatly. “You can’t fight like that, and you need to give yourself some time to heal.”

“I’m perfectly capable of fighting.” Sonic urged once more, determined to change their minds on leaving her behind. “I want to help you guys.”

“Sonic, you need to stay.” Zymite shook her head. “No one wants you to get hurt again when you haven’t even fully recovered.”

Oh boy.

Flitter thought, rolling her eyes.

This argument seems far from over.

“Here, I’ll even show you.” Sonic pressed on, grabbing her staff from her satchel and opening it. “I am capable of defending myself, with or without my injuries.”

Zymite pulled out her own sword in response. “I’ll prove you otherwise.”

“So…” Sonic’s eyebrows rose. “You’re saying I can’t fight in my current state?”

They’re as stubborn as mules.

Flitter crossed her arms, spotting the familiar spark of flame in both of their eyes. They seemed to be filled with new energy as they readied themselves, getting into battle stances.

Sonic rushed forward, but Zymite swerved to the side, using her sword to knock Sonic’s weapon to the ground and far from her reach.

“I’m sorry Sonic, but that proves my point.” Zymite shook her head as Sonic walked to where her staff was lying. She bent down, retrieving it.

“I’m also sorry, Zymite.” Sonic showed off a grin, twisting her staff. “I’m just getting started.”

Aaaaaaaand here we go…

The two ran towards each other, sword and staff colliding. They twisted in all sorts of different directions, dodging and attacking, but at the same time made sure that they weren’t hurting one another.

Sonic lifted her staff at an alarming speed that caused Zymite to jerk backwards. Momentarily, her tight grip was lost on her sword, and it was tossed into the air. Sonic used her staff to hit it right back towards her, using her open hand to grab the weapon.

In a flash, Sonic was facing Zymite, the two weapons in hand.

“I can fight.” Sonic urged once more, handing Zymite her sword. “Did that prove it?”

Zymite smiled a bit. “I do it that was fun. It made me all the times when we were first becoming a Defender and all the training we had to go through.” Her expression straightened as she made eye with Sonic. “However, you still need time to recover. Whether you can fight or not does not determine this outcome.”

“Zy-” Sonic began, but was interrupted by Flitter as she stepped in between them.

“Sonic, she is right.” Flitter said calmly. “Give yourself some time to heal.”

Sonic took in a breath to say something, but remained silent.

“Come on, kiddo.” Flitter grabbed onto Sonic’s shoulder, guiding her back to her tent. “Let’s get you back so you can sleep.”

A long sigh was heard from Sonic as they walked back.

“I guess there’s no use in arguing, huh?” She frowned.

“We care about you, Sonic.” Flitter told her. “Zymite was only trying to protect you, just like all of us.”

Another sigh.

“I want to help protect you guys though, too…”

“It’ll be alright, Sonic.” Flitter tried her best to comfort her.

They made it back to the tent, and she opened the entrance.

“Give yourself a little bit of time.” She said once Sonic was inside.

As she was closing the entrance, she heard a quiet whisper from inside.

”Thank you.”

“Sleep well, kid.” Flitter whispered back, standing once she had the entrance closed.

She walked through the cold maze of tents once more, looking forward to a well-deserved rest.

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hi there

it is currently six in the morning

i am so excited to take my Spanish test today (jk lol im so not)

anyways

this took a long time to write

it took tres days, perhaps?

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AJ (c) National Geographic

All characters (c) belong to rightful owners

Two gifs (c) not mine

Story (c) me

Art (c) me