After a few minutes of walking, Maria looked down curiously at the young hedgehog boy in her arms. She had noticed something strange about the boy that she hadn't noticed before. While the boy seemed like any normal child, happily waving his arms back and forth and cooing and babbling in his inaudible baby lingo, there was something that she had notice that the boy still hadn't moved...his legs.

    Curious at this new  discovery, Maria halted her journey home once more to examine the boy. She sat down. Leaning her back gingerly against the rough the rough bark of a near by tree, she brought up her knees to where they were almost touching her chest and laid the boy gently in the center of her on top of her thighs. Maria then carefully started to take the cloth surrounding the small boy off his body so she could see the problem.

     After removing the cloth Maria gasped and quickly brought her hands up to her face as a loud gasp escaped her parted lips. The boy's legs were grossly misshapen, bent in an almost backwards 'L' shape at the knees leaving them completely crippled and incapable of any and all movement even he tried. She sighed heavily while looking at the child, feeling great pity and sorrow for him while also finally understanding why he was abandoned in the first place.

     Being the time period of the medieval days, there were certain 'qualities' that a mother and father always wanted and strives for in their children. First, the child had to be bold and fearless. They could never cower at seeing a bug, or hide at seeing its shadow, or quiver at the smallest crack of lightning or the booming rumble of thunder. They were not allowed to show any sighs of fear at all or they would be punished until they had learned to face their fear head on. This rule, though not very precise in whom they were directed to, mostly referred to the male offspring, especially if they were to become knights later on in their lives. This hardly ever was directed to the females unless they were first born then certain acceptations occurred.

     The second and rather more most important quality a parent wanted in their children was that they showed no sigh on weakness of any kind. That would mean showing their fear at any given moment, refusing to honor their families, especially of high rank,  and also having any physical or metal illnesses. This last thing being what qualified the little blue hedgehog to be disposed of, for any child who did or had any of these issues were quickly ' dealt with'  is a quick and immediate manner.

     Maria stared at the boy's disfigured legs, and sighed heavily as she shook her head and slowly stood up with the boy cradled firmly in her motherly grip.  She gazed into his soft gentle green eyes and saw nothing but childhood innocence and a pure loving soul with a heart of gold. She felt sorrow well up inside her thinking about how such a free spirit  was trapped in such a restraining matter. ' I wish there was some way i could help you little one and let your spirit free to wander the valleys and hills as fast as your little heart can take you. To explore the worlds at sonic speed and to do whatever your heart desires."

     It was at that very moment when Maria stopped her rambling about her wishes and looked a little deeper into the child's eyes seeing something else...hope. Maria smiled warmly and clutched the small one tightly to her chest. " You have hope little on...i see it, and i have a dream...that is to see you walk my dear. Hope and dreams always create the best of things so hopefully our wish will come true one day little one." Maria giggled a bit as she pulled the boy away from her chest and looked at him once more, " You know i think i finally found a name for you little guy...Sonic...Sonic the hedgehog...so you may never forget the dreams that we have formed into promises this very night and in this very spot."