Floating Island, 10 p.m:
" I can't believe you guys would argue over something like this, it just doesn't make any sense."  Knuckles stood up and looked over at his friends. " It's my mom's birthday, at least try to be half-way decent"  Knuckles walked away in frustration.  " Man, what's got him all worked up?" Vector thought to himself.  " All I wanted was to know how come he's been hangin' wit Julie-su more than he has his boys".  Vector sighed uneasily.  He looked over at his friends.  Mighty was in a conversation with Ray, while Espio was trying to calm down Julie-su.  " Hey, lighten up Jules, it's o.k.  You know how Vector can get, so let's just chill for right now".  Julie-su glared at Vector with anger. "One of these days," she mumbled " one of these days and I'll rip you limb from limb" she snarled loud enough for them all to here.  " Hey," Knuckles walked in the room with his parents and step-father " here's the birth day girl".
Lara-le walked in with a huge smile on her face.  "Really Knuckles, you didn't have to do all of this just for me."  Lara-Le smiled as she looked at her son's friends.  " Well" Wynn said aloud " what are we waiting for, let's cut the cake."  "Wynn, your speaking my language." Vector said licking his lips.

 Floating Island,the kitchen 11 p.m:
" That has got to be the best birthday cake I've ever eatin'." Vector said leaning back in his chair. Julie-su looked at him disgusted "more like inhaled".  "Man, what's with you, Jules, I did nothing  to you and you come out of no where getting all mad at me for no apparent reason."  Julie-su stood up in anger " Are you kidding me?  You know exactly why I'm being the way I am, despite the rudeness and level of maturity you are at, it's the fact that you enjoy dealing with me and Knuckles' personal affairs!" Vector was about to say some thing else, but then decided not to.  They all sat in quiet.  "Well, Lara, do you think we should tell them the big news?" Lara-Le looked startled at the question " oh, yeah, I completely forgot".  Knuckles looked at the couple, " forgot  what? what big news.  Wynn cleared his throat "Well, uh, I don't know how to put it exactly"
"What" Knuckles said
" Well, uh Knuckles you see"
" Come on"
"Well, let's just say, you're going to be a big brother"
"What?!"  Knuckles' eyes were practicly jumping out there sockets. " Well, Lara, your mother, is pregnet" Knuckles couldn't believe it.  He wasn't ready for this, he had no way of knowing how to react to such a thing. That's when the anger began to build up. " he's trying to take her away from me" He glared at Wynn, he was just about to unleash into a rampaging crazy-like state until his father beat him to it. " HOW COULD YOU" He yelled in anger " YOU CAN'T DO THIS, I WON' T LET YOU" Locke  tackled Wynn sending him crashing to the floor.  Locke swung violent punches at Wynn not giving Wynn a fighing chance.  "STOP THEM!" Lara screamed in horror.  Mighty and Espio lept on Locke causing him to get even more angry " Get off of me" he yelled in anger. Knuckles didn't really want to but he felt he had to help his friends. Knuckles jumped at his dad and (along with his friends) pin him to the ground.
        Floating Island, Knuckles' room: 12 A.M
" I still can't get over how mad he got" Knuckles thought to him self. " I've never seen my dad lose his temper like that ever, not even with Vector" He chuckled at his little joke. "Man what a night it's been. I'm sure mom's never going to forget this one. Speaking of mom, I can't believe she's going to have a baby.  I'm going to be a brother" He sat up from his pillow " well half brother anyways, but it still may be pretty cool. Oh man wait til sonic here's about this."  Knuckles was just about to lay back down when he heard a noise coming from just outside  the front door. He stood up and walked into the window and peered outside. Nothing. He was just about to lay backdown when he realized the kitchen door was open. "aww man, what now" he thought as he left his room into the hall way. " Hello?" his voice was bold tough, just as he liked it. He looked in the kitchen and closed the open door. He saw footprints on the floor leading to the living room.
    As he entered the living room, he sensed a dark presence. A dark and powerful presence.  "Who's in here" he said more loudly with more boldness to it. "overrr here my dear friend"  a quiet snake-like voice came from a shadowy corner of the room. " Who the heck are you? Show your self" Knuckles was feeling pretty confident right now.  The figure stepped out of the shadows, It was a black echidna, who was a little smaller than he was, he didn' t appear very musculer but that didn't stop him from looking so scary.  His eyes were as a snake's eyes and he had a long pointy beard going strait to his chest.  He had a single claw on each one of his gloves and he had a glowing gem on his chest. " Man, what a freak" Knuckles said to himself.The Black Echidna smiled  to himself then said " a very powerful freak I may add" . Knuckles gasped in awe. " You," he choked " you can read minds!"  The black echidna slowly walked up to Knuckles.  " Knuckles, what's going on" Julie-su's voice came from the hallway. " oh no" Knuckles  thought.  His thoughts were broken as he heard Julie-su scream and he realized  that the black echidna was no longer in the living room.
    Knuckles ran to the hallway to see Julie-su lying down un-concious.  "oopsie" he heard the black echidna say.  "Look, I have no idea who  you are, or what you want but you've picked the wrong Echidna to mess with, and now that you've hurt one of my loved ones, you will pay, so prepare to get rocked."  Knuckles began to glow green, then a surging burst of chaos energy escaped him.  "Well, I see what they say about you is true. To bad I'll have to I'll have to end so quickly. The black echidna raised his  hand, and released a red blast at knuckles knocking back to regular and knocking him un-concious. "You really don't know what you're dealing with boy, I'm a pro." He took out a small black marble" Sooner or later you will see, I'll use this to capture you boy" he thought " I'll battle you and see exactly what you're capable of boy but for now, sweet dreams." He threw the black marble at knuckles, and with a flashing light Knuckles was gone.



               TO BE CONTINUED...