A little more than 20 and a half years before Sonic Forces, Nearly 20 years before the "Incident" at Aqua Road

Infinite- Age 8

After our not-so-smooth meeting with Clawzie and Reznor, the two wolves took me and the Squad to their hideout. The hideout was a bit too close to society for our comfort, especially Amara's, but we followed without complaint.

As we walked with them, I noticed Amara seemed to be straying from us. "Hey, Amara!" She turned her head, I thought for a second that I saw a strike of fear in her eyes. "We're over here, come join us." In nearly an instant, I felt her grip my paw and press herself close to me, forcing me to stop. "Hey, you okay, Amara? You're acting kinda jumpy."

"Pure-thugs like us aren't supposed to be here, Infi-Boss, especially Defieds like me... It feels too much like when I escaped the Slums..." Quiet whimpers slipped out of her, I turned to look at Clawzie. I wondered if she would turn around to see Amara like this. I held Amara's body close to mine, hearing her whimpers as we continued to walk. "It's okay, Mara, I'm gonna beat up all the bad guys before they can take you."

She nodded and adjusted herself to make it less like I was dragging her and more like she was walking with me. "Okay, Infinite... I believe you." With me right next to her, Amara seemed to calm down and was able to walk without gripping onto my fur or straying from the Squad.

We eventually arrived at Clawzie and Reznor's hideout, deep within a hidden criminal sanctuary called the Underground. The lighting, which was dim because of both burned out and damaged lights, provided an effect that possibly was even more intimidating than the wolves or even our location.

Amara gripped my paw again and began to press against me again. Her eyes darted around, telling me that she was severely panicking; her whimpers loud in my ear.

"Hey..." I whispered in her ear. "you're gonna be okay... I've got you." I wanted to hold onto her and not let go until she asked. I could tell she needed to have a safe place, but right then it was as dangerous to protect her than to leave her as she was.

"I wanna go home..." She squeaked. "I'm scared..."

"I know, but we gotta get some good training if we wanna grow up to be awesome mercenaries."

She seemed to squirm, brushing her paw across the side of her ponytail. "Are... you sure?"

I stuttered, her fear influencing me to feel the same way. "Y-Yeah, think about the grown-ups. They didn't just show up one day and were awesome criminals..." Although it sure seems that way...

She nodded but then looked down for a second before looking back at Infinite. "Infi-Boss? If the wolves suddenly turn around and try to kill us, will you make sure I run away with you?"

"...Sure."

"Okay, we're here." Reznor growled, glancing at the young jackal group.

Clawzie took an apparent interest in me and Amara, who was bundled close to me.

"Alright, you two! Split!" Clawzie stomped in our direction, the other little jackals gasped, Amara seemed to be stuck between gasping and sobbing. She gripped Amara's lower arm forcefully, tearing her away from me while she screamed and cried out.

"Infinite! Help me!"

Like instinct, I bounded forward. Without a thought, I bit Clawzie's arm, freeing Amara.

Clawzie cried out in pain, Reznor did nothing to help her.

Amara jumped into my arms. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"

Clawzie showed a smile, holding the wound in her lower arm. "Good boy." She patted me on the head and scratched my left ear. "You show potential after all..." She then turned to Amara, I watched her closely. "You..." She began, pulling my frightened squadmate from my arms to hers. "you're not like the others, are you?"

Amara's ears folded down and I prepared to bite her again.

"The natural feel of your fur... the almost poisoned golden color of your eyes... your size... you're Defied, aren't you?"

Amara nodded shallowly.

"Rarity sure does add an allure of beauty to one's figure; you're beautiful..." Clawzie smiled and rubbed her ear, stopping to look at a large scar slicing down her left ear. "What a scar for such a tiny thing... your ferocity makes you even more beautiful, little raven." Clawzie smiled and tickled Amara's scarred ear.

Reznor scoffed. "Don't tell me you're getting attached to that mangy mutt?"

"Oh, what's it to you? Defieds are bred to be the perfect little criminals and one has just wandered into our arms." She bopped Amara's nose with her finger, the little Defied's face cringed. "Do you even care to know how painfully rare they are outside of Hellhound Ridge? This little pup may be the first Defied ever to live outside the Ridge."

"I don't think she's pure Defied. She looks too much like the one with the blue eye for me to believe that. Even I can tell that he's not Defied; he's way too fluffy."

"It doesn't matter. She probably just came from some Bloodpooliean male getting a Defied pregnant and then disappearing."

Amara nodded again with even smaller motions.

"Hmm, drilled in your head since birth, was it? Anyway... this little squadron just got a lot more promising...

~~~~

"Enough with the biting! That's not going to get you anywhere but prison in the real world!" Reznor snarled at me, clutching a bite wound in the flesh of his upper right arm that gushed crimson blood.

"Then quit trying to hurt her!" I growled, wrapping my arms around Amara, who was gasping for air. I wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to do, all I knew was that he had clamped his paws over Amara's muzzle to the point where she couldn't breathe.

"She's legally exiled, everyone will try to hurt her!"

Clawzie sighed. "Reznor. He's just a kid, the only weapon he really knows is his teeth and we don't want to begin his training with his claws or else he'll use them every time he gets angry. When he's fully grown you can muzzle him, but you can't deweaponize his claws, so we need to teach him that those are not his weapons. Otherwise, he'll grow up and will be an untrainable danger."

I looked down at Amara, then at the rest of the Squad. You mean... if I grow up using my claws, I would hurt my squad?

"Are you saying to let him bite me?! Look at this!" He gestured to the gushing wound. "He could be diseased!"

"I'm saying to train him with something that you can confiscate. Try this." She slid a tiny broadsword over to me. "That thing's not much longer than a knife, but much smaller than one.

"Fine. But I'm taking precautions."

I felt him grab me and hold my muzzle shut. I heard something click and then I was dropped.

"Infi-Boss!"

I felt paws on my shoulders and turned my head, trying to reorient myself, and found Amara. I curled up next to her, frightened. Whatever Reznor had attached to my face was cold and rough.

"Hmmph, wouldn't be surprised if those two are having pups once they get a little older. " Clawzie noted.

"Depends on when their instincts flare up." Reznor replied.

Us? Pups? But... we're just pups!

Amara picked up the little sword, looked at it, then ran off with it.

"Hey, where'd she- OW!" Reznor swung his head around to see Amara behind him with the sword to his now-bleeding ankle.

"Hmph. Not so tough now, are you?"

Clawzie's eyes lit up with delight. "What did I tell you?" She picked Amara up proudly.

Reznor rolled his eyes and looked at me. "Girls, am I right?"

"That was sneaky awesome though. Is that what I'm supposed to do?"

"So long as it's not my foot. But yes."

"What am I supposed to do that to?" I asked, looking around for things.

"Hmm, I'll get something," Reznor replied, trying to take a step. "After I get something for what that little vixen did to me."

"She's not a vixen. She's too little. And I'll get it..." I ran off to find bandages for Reznor's foot.

"You'll have to- oh, he's already gone." Reznor called before grumbling.

As I ran, looking for something to help, I came across trouble.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be in exile?!" I turned around to face an older, angry male leopard. His fur was orange, his spots were more of a blue color and his armor black.

Uh oh. I'm in trouble. I spotted a cart with a long cloth inside, I looked back at the leopard and ran towards it, jumping up into the cart, which made a crackling sound as I landed. I tried grabbing the cloth roll with my mouth, but whatever was attached to my face was keeping me from doing so. I grabbed the cloth roll with my paws and jumped down, running as fast as my legs would carry me.

Running back to Reznor and Clawzie, I noticed that the leopard was still following me even as I got closer to what should be safety. I slid back into the room and gave the cloth to Reznor.

"That was fast." Clawzie said.

I pawed at her leg. "There's a leopard outside. He looks mean."

"Shoot. We're not supposed to have you guys here."

"Do we go home then?" Amara asked hopefully, clinging to a board on the wall.

I obviously missed something.

"No. This just makes your training even more beneficial. Amara, little raven, could you take him down?" Clawzie cooed towards Amara, wanting to see the Defied in action.

"...Sure." Amara shook her legs. "Uhhh... help?"

"You need to do it yourself, Amara Primrose." She began with voice stern. "When you're a full-grown jackal, no one will be coddling you. Remember, pull your claws back for short drops and put your weight into the surface as you climb down long ones."

Amara turned back towards the board, then dropped to the ground.

"Good girl." Clawzie praised without any change in her tone.

"C'mon, Infi-Boss! Watch this!" She dragged me out into the halls with her.

"There you are! Trying to get away with your little friend here, huh? How'd you two even get past the border anyways? You're just-"

Amara darted off to my right, turning to the left to begin running circles around him. I did the opposite motion.

Whenever he caught sight of one of us, he turned around, trying to catch us, only to miss and start chasing the other.

Eventually, he got so confused that Amara could just jump up and stab him with the sword that Clawzie had given me earlier. "Yay! We got him!" Amara pranced back inside. "All done!" Amara declared.

"See? A force to be reckoned with, just like the contact said." Reznor told Clawzie.

"Well, the contact didn't know that there was a Defied in the group." Clawzie countered, Reznor rolled his eyes. "Anyways... I think they've proven themselves."

"Yes... a little more practice and they should be ready for a test mission.

~~~~

"Ow. Ow. Ow." Amara whined, half curled up on one of the cots that Clawzie and Reznor had provided. She whimpered as her body tensed and released in an unpredictable manner.

"Are you okay, Amara?" I asked, climbing onto her cot.

"No... everything hurts."

I gently laid my head on top of her shoulder, holding her. "Does this make you feel better?"

"A little..." She continued to shudder. I held on tighter.

"Here's a blanket." I smiled as I pulled the tattered fabric over her.

She smiled back, grabbing my paw with hers, I noticed that she didn't have her gloves on, revealing many blemish-type scars on her palms and other scars etching up the top of her paw and wrist.

They had been there so long, yet they still caught my attention. I was so curious about them. I wanted to know where they came from, but every time I tried to ask, she shied away and told me that she just couldn't tell me.

Maybe someday we'd be close enough that she'll be able to tell me. Just maybe.

"What did you do today?" I needed to shift my curiosity away from her scars, but I wanted to make sure it was something that she would tell me.

"Clawzie's been teaching me how to climb and stick to walls and ceilings so I can get a more secretive reach to get jobs done. I'm getting pretty good at it, but it's really hard to do. It gets painful after a couple of times. She tells me that, as I get stronger, I'll be able to do it longer and more often without it hurting so much."

"Could you show me sometime?"

"I could show you now if you'd like, Infi-Boss."

"Can you? You seem like you hurt too much to put that strain on yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Amara hopped down, but I couldn't help but trail in concern.

Her movements seemed stiff, I couldn't help my odd feeling to get her to sit back down.

"Amara!" I found myself yelling out.

"Quiet please." Quickstrike mumbled as he stuck his head underneath a pillow.

"What?" Amara answered back.

"I'll watch later when you're training. I-I just want you to sit back down on this bed and rest." I pawed anxiously on the cot, fighting the urge to put her back myself. My own training with the wolves had made me much stronger, I could easily pick her up if I wanted, I just needed to teach myself to let her choose to do things with her own will.

None of us would survive very long if the squad were no more independent than robots.

"Oh, okay." She smiled and hopped back onto the bed. "Do you need a hug?"

"...That would be nice."

As soon as I felt Amara's arms wrap around me, I felt her twitching. I knew I had made the right choice. I pulled her closer to me, feeling the nervousness disappear.

"Clawzie keeps telling me not to be soft, but this doesn't feel so bad actually." Amara whispered into my ear.

"I'm part of your squad, you can be whatever you need when you're just with your squad."

"Okay, Infi-Boss."

"You can just call me Infinite." I felt her muzzle brush against mine. It tickled my face a little, but I wondered... Was this what Clawzie and Reznor were talking about earlier? I watched as she yawned, revealing her knife-like teeth. "Tired?"

"Mhmm..."

I released her from our hug, then climbed down, pulling the blanket back over her once she had laid down. I hopped into the open cot right next to her's, yawning myself.

As I watched her snuggle down under the tattered blanket, I felt myself feel responsible for her safety. She needs me, although I don't exactly know why yet, and I'm going to protect her.

Once Amara and the rest of the Squad fell asleep, I felt Clawzie shake my shoulder. She picked me up and carried me out of the room.

For some reason, Clawie feels familiar... even though I don't exactly know why. She set me down in her lap, stroking my shoulder. She seemed upset, forcing herself to pull her mouth into a smile. "I think you're old enough..." Her voice seemed a little broken.

I leaned up into her shoulder. "For what?"

She paused, then gripped my shoulder as a few loose tears rolled down her face. "To know what happened to your father..."

I felt confused and afraid. I didn't remember much about him, other than he left one day and never came back, leaving Mommy and me alone.

"His name was Kyron," Clawzie began with her voice breaking down further, clutching me close and running her paws through my hair. "And he loved you very much, Infinite."

"Where did he go?"

"A very far away place. He wasn't ready to go... but he was taken there."

"...Who took him?"

"A very angry kind, one that hates every one of you, one that is the reason why your world is the way it is... even though you aren't familiar with them yet, you will be soon, I can promise you that." She clutched my little body even tighter, tenderly kissing my forehead. "You don't remember, but I was the one who took care of you after your father left, you were just a baby... He loved your mother... he loved her so much... he never wanted to leave... he was taken..." She continued to mumble over and over into my ear.

"So what happened to him?"

"...He was shot."

"What?"

"...He was shot... and killed. The ones who did it call themselves G.U.N, and they are your self-proclaimed enemies..." She gripped my paws, also turning my head up to hers. "Infinite... promise me something, baby, if you see them, if you see G.U.N... run. For the safety of your life and the lives of everyone you'll grow to hold dear, run. I'm taking you back tomorrow; it's not safe for you anymore. Mobius is not safe for you."

I was overwhelmed, terrified of my future, of this enemy that I had learned of. If these enemies took Dad without anyone blinking an eye, how many others have they taken?

How many of us will they take? Will they take me, or Amara, or Hunter or any other members of our little Squad? Would they take Clawzie? And Reznor?

Was anyone even safe?

"I have something for you though. I feel that it is the right time to do so." Clawzie had Reznor grab a tanish-white bag and bring it to her. "We found the design for this in some of the last notes that your father wrote before he died." She unwrapped the bag and revealed a pristine red and blue sword, huge for my current size. "It seems only right to give it to you, his only son. You'll grow into it."

The sword was quite heavy, but I felt an instant emotional attachment to it.

It was the only piece of my dad that I had left, even my memory of him mostly gone, and I swore to never let it go.

I'll use the memory of my parents to find the strength to protect those I love. As leader of this Squad, it's my job, but it's now my mission. My purpose. My passion.

My father, and by extension my mother, were taken from me by G.U.N. and the Mobian people. They were coming for me, coming for us all, but I'm not going to let them hurt us. I looked towards the room where Amara and the rest of the Squad slept.

Although they were blessed with a naive slumber and were unaware of my conversation with Clawzie, they were still in danger. Amara especially. If G.U.N. could do what they did to a full-grown Bloodpooliean, I don't even want to know what they would do to her, a tiny Defied.

I looked down at my new sword, Dad's invention, then looked back up at Clawzie; who ruffled my hair. I made a solemn vow that day, one that would affect the rest of my life.

I was not going to let what happened to my dad happen to her.