CAUTION! Amber Lamps! (PersimmonAutumn, Amber Dark, and CruzTheEchidna91)

"Ngh!" An echo of strain could be heard throughout the caverns, trickles of rubble falling from the cave ceiling follow suit. The echidna was stuck gripping a stalactite for dear life, desperately reaching out for something else to grab. "Curse... My weight!" He growled to himself, looking at his armor and solid gold chalice that hung from his belt. He was tall, green, and a little on the muscular side, dangling from the bottom of the stalactite with his left arm only, his other arm flailing wildly. He could not see the bottom of the caverns, which meant that he probably shouldn't take a chance at falling. "The things I do to pay the bills..." He began shifting his momentum back and forward, swinging on the stalactite in hopes of landing on a ledge. "Here goes..." The echidna let go, letting fate decide the outcome, but unlike most days, he actually didn't fall to his near death. Overjoyed and optimistic in this strange turn of events, he clambered his way out of the caves and back into the forest, Golden Chalice intact.

Amber Wolfe was not one for crowds. She didn't like large cities, yet she lived in one. She wasn't too fond of festivals, yet she attended them regularly. Alright, maybe she was a bit of a hypocrite too. More along the lines of inconsistent, she'd like to say. But one thing she did love was silence and open greens. And practicing her parkour through them. Indeed, being able to do parkour was a great asset to her profession. It made most jobs easy, and other jobs easier. She minimized falls because, let's face it, she didn't like messes. Everything had to be perfectly clean and neat. Including her runs.

However, he extremely sensitive ears detected another stranger on site. It was not very hard to pick up the voice, for she could hear a pin drop on a busy street. It was more of a bother than a gift, really. She constantly had to carry ear plugs. Thus, she persimmon wolf pulled her scarf up higher on her white muzzle, and Amber orbs focused, she began to maneuver her way towards the source of the sound.

Amber stood in the forest, mumbling to herself as she messed around with the hood of her hoodie, not caring that it wasn't the slightest bit cold outside, and she could honestly care less. She sighed, wishing for the cover of darkness that she had grown to love. Her foot tapped endlessly to the beat of the song that could not be heard to anyone else but her. Amber began to grow restless and stood from the tree she was leaning on and started pacing. She grew nervous to reasons unknown to her, groaning silently as her patience grew less and less for whatever she was waiting for.

"What is wrong with me? Usually I come here to relieve myself, not get built up on stress, but why is today diffrent?" Amber asked to herself, continuing her pacing. She growled in frustration as her tail flicked behind her, showing her agitation. She tried calming down, taking deep breathes. After settling down a bit she began to sort out her thoughts

Walking through the forest with the loot in his paws, the echidna grinned slightly. "Neat! Treasure Hunting around here really does lead to great finds..." He was well aware that caves and ruins were commonplace in the area of which he resided in, resulting in easy money making. Though Cruz was technically rich in terms of how much treasure he owned, he lived in a normal, 2 story cabin house in the middle of the woods. The thought of his wealth going to his head was enough to make him vomit, so he purposely stayed in a well-built but modest house.

It might not be the most socially accepted way to make a living, but with this echidna's intimidating body and face, most businesses in the city refused to give him work.

The wolf paused in mid-stride, her ears flicking about to another direction where sound was emitted. She was different from the rest of her species, she admitted. Amber had always been a lot less noisy. A lot less messy. A lot less sloppy. One would argue she was more of a big cat than an actual wolf. Or even a fox. People mistake that a lot.

Allowing a sniff to the air, she was surprised to detect a familiar scent; another wolf. Ears perked on high alert, she pulled on her hood as she began her sinuous stalk towards the scent, and sound. Upon nearing target, she soundlessly hopped upon a tree branch and observed the other canine silently, her autumn colored orbs glowing in the darkness her hood brought.

She growled lightly under her breath,trying to clear her head. Amber stopped pacing for a minute and sighed. "This ain't getting me nowhere...." Closing her eyes, she listened to the breeze blow threw, with it a familiar scent. Her ears perked up, noting that the scent was obviously a canine similar to her, maybe another wolf. She slipped her hood of to see if she could hear anything in her area.


Her green eyes carefully observed the small area she stood in, feeling that she was being watched. She let her hand slip to her side to fall on the small hatchet at her side. Amber heard some rustling above her, causing her head to turn towards the trees. She took a step back as she observed a set of eyes watching her.

The echidna dropped off his loot at his house, made a snack for his little sister Sypha for when she got home from school, and then proceeded to head out once more to take a little jog. Aside from his scary-looking face and battle attire, he was a relatively normal, young adult. He managed his own house, garden, cooked, cleaned, and took care of his younger sister, acting as her guardian. Although he was home-schooled and noticeably wise, he encouraged his younger sister to finish her schooling and take advantage of an opportunity that he never had.

"What to do now, what to do now... I've still got 2 hours before Sypha gets home, and I don't have to start making dinner until 5:00... Wow... I have really outdid myself today, being so quick with everything..."

The heat began to noticeably drop upon having the two wolves' eyes meet. Amber's pupils where shrinking, her ears pressing onto her head, and she lowered herself more upon the branch. Her eyes caught sight of the other's hand drifting towards a hatchet, and an amused smile pulled on her lips, hidden behind her scarf. 

Due to this, the heat now spiked higher, much higher to rival a savagely sunny day. Rising somewhat from her stance, she tilted her head in a 'wanna go?' manner. In a single slick, fluid movement she had pulled out two knives from a belt hidden behind the short coattail of her hood. They were both alphas. And they were both loners. Stumbling upon each other only meant battle.

Amber felt adrenaline start running through her, pulsing through her veins. She allowed a small evil smirk fall unto her muzzle as she kept her eyes on the alpha she-wolf, watching her movements carefully. Her hand resting upon the blade of her small weapon she shifted herself into a sort of fighting position.


A movement of clouds over the sun brought shadow upon the two wolves. Her ears gave a small twitch, bringing her hatchet out and rolled her shoulders. She gave the other wolf a look that said "Come at me." Smirking evilly as the silence between them carried on, neither one of them moved a muscle, waiting for the other to move

Unbeknownst to them both, the echidna could see them, and he wasn't very happy with it. "Oh boy, just what I needed to pass the time..." He huffed sarcastically. Knowing a couple of wolves back in the day, he could tell very well when there was tension brewing. This was a turf war, he thought, but he could be wrong since he wasn't a wolf, therefore he didn't quite understand. However, he knew the destruction fights could cause, and he didn't want that anywhere near his house, his forest, or his sister.

He planned to be polite when he began to walk towards the wolves and their stare-off. He was going to ask if they'd take their brawl elsewhere, in fear of damaging his home, and his property.

Waiting for the opponent to make the first move? That is bold. 

Boldly foolish.

Unfortunately for Cruz, the battle had already begun and there was no stopping it. In a blink of an eye, Amber swung her arm and let one of her knives fly. The blade flashed beneath the peeking sunlight and was followed by the throw of the other. However, the second knife throw was harder, so that it actually flew surpassing the first one. But both headed right to the gray Alpha on the ground.

A devious, cynical smile graced her own lips as while the knives were flying, she leapt and flipped ever gracefully in the air, and disappeared into the surrounding darkness of the shrubbery and greens. Her fur color was a dead giveaway, but luckily her attire covered up rather well.

Her eyes seemed to glow brighter as she gave a small smile, watching as the she-wolf threw her knives at her. She easily dodged them, whirling around with hatchet in hand. 


  Small rays of sunshine began to light up the area again, allowing her to see her opponents fur flash for a moment. Smiling, she threw the hatchet towards the legs of the alpha, knowing that if she could down her, finishing the she-wolf of would be easily.

It was already apparent that the battle had begun, the echidna catching a glimpse of the light reflecting from the airborne blades. Being the considerate, young echidna he was, Cruz charged in to not only prevent the forest from falling to the destruction, but to keep the wolves from injuring each other. He drew his chain whip from his belt, beginning to twirl the tip it a little bit. He gave off no scent of an animal to the wolves, he smelled of strong herbs and spices, anything but an animal. Although he was practically invisible to both wolves, at first, he soon gave himself up with quite a harsh cry.

"Hey! Keep your skirmishes out of the forest! What makes you feel like you're entitled to destroy this land with your violence?!" At first glance, it seemed that a lone tree had sprouted legs, taking vengeance for his fallen brothers, but with further inspection showed that it was just a tall, green creature.

There it was again.

The sound. The strong scent of herbs. It was the first thing she detected upon entry to the deep forest. What was that? And then right ahead, there it was. A walking tree? 


And then it was yelling. Was that an echidna?


Every atom in her body reacted, jerking forward through the bush to intersect his path. With a lunge, she tackled him down and pinned him to the ground. She let out a displeased growl, pressing her foot into his back. Though she wasn't speaking, it was clear she was unhappy with his yelling. Ultimately giving away her location. Ears up straight, she listened. To the rustle of Cruz's fur beneath her, the shifting steps of the other Amber far to her right. And then... Something flying. Steel. Sharp, by the way it whirred through the air. The wolf remembered the hatchet in her opponent's belt. 


That was it.


Raising her hand up, she caught the flying hatchet in midair, just before the blade touched her face. Amber's gaze remained fixed on Cruz, and with the hatchet in hand, she hacked it down into his his clothing, grazing his body, and pinned him down with it. 


With that, Amber took off once more into the shadows.

As soon as the hatchet had left her hand, she felt the vibrations of something lumbering towards them. A strong whiff of herbs and spices hit her, making her sneeze. Shaking her head trying to get rid of the strong smell that had overcome her, she caught sight of the alpha pinning a tree? No an echidna, down with her hatchet.



She growled, knowing that her target had once again vanished into the shadows. Amber walked up to the huge echidna, who had to be twice her size even if she was taller than her age allowed. Quickly yanking the small weapon away from him, she spoke, "That wasn't very smart of you." Her voice came off cool and calm, showing that she didn't mean him no harm. "Think first before you decide to run right smack into a wolf fight between to alphas alright?"

Cruz shook his head, standing up and looking down upon the wolf of which he completely towered over. His voice was pretty normal for one who looked like he'd just awoken from a thousand year's rest. "For your information, you two are on my property, and I'd like it if you two would not kill each other, right in front of my house..." He also kept his cool when he spoke. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the wolf that had reclaimed her hatchet from his back, and he recalled the events of the Bot attack that occurred not long ago. "Ah! I remember now! This is the second time you've helped me. So whether you like it, or not, I'm going to give you a hand." The echidna took his Combat Cross Whip into his hands, ready this time. "I've got the ground, you take the trees."

She shook her her head stubbornly. " I appreciate your offer, but I have to decline. This is a fight between me and her only...." She looked at him carefully, like he might attack her any second. He could if he chose to, him being huge and all. "I have an honor to keep, and you have a den- house to protect." 


Her eyes widened a bit, seeing a shadow run and collect the knives in the ground. Turning around to follow the she-wolf, something sharp grazed her cheek, causing her to jump back in surprise as another came and sliced her thigh. Playing dirty huh?

She could do that too.

The echidna, saying nothing, sprints in the direction of which the knives originated. He had to somehow convince these ladies to cease this battle of arrogance and pride. Confidence is always needed for victory in the game of life, but only in moderation, and that's what Cruz believed that all wolves didn't understand. The poor echidna, freed from most of his animal instincts, really has forgotten why all other Mobians seek power and need to prove their power to others. Mobians are selfish creatures by nature, never truly content with what they have, or what they are as a living being. They can't be happy with believing that they are strong, they must kill and take to prove it. It was very odd why this was needed, when almost all plants lived in harmony, content with what they are and who they are.

Cruz stopped right there... He was becoming distracted in his personal ocean in a storm, which he allowed himself to do no further. He got right back on track, chasing down that other Wolf. He focused back on ways that he could get both Wolves to be content with each other, and themselves. Immediately, a wicked, nasty idea erupted from his mind, which, unfortunately, required some violence, but it was so perfect! An evil grin spread across his muzzle like peanut butter, getting ready to initiate the plan.

She was just about finished setting up her back up plan when the footsteps came. Ears perked and alert, Amber craned about the source of the sound. Face flat, she took a deep breath and threw herself into mud. Yes. Mud. Of all the things to throw herself into. She fell in the thick, dark goop and rolled about in it, staining her brilliant persimmon fur and  masking her canine scent.

Out of the mud and into the leaf pile. She snorted at the mess but knew that it was necessary. Making sure everything was still in place, she smiled. A very small, hidden smile, and in turn began to approach the other source of canine scent.

Amber wiped the blood from her muzzle, staining it crimson. She growled to herself, knowing what her enemy would do. When it came to it, wolves could do anything that meant they could win. Her eyes followed the echidna as he ran after the wolf, figuring that he was up to something. 



She hurridely placed her hatchet back into her belt and grabbed the knives from the ground before running after trying to catch the smell from her canine enemy. She slowed down to a jog looking out for the persimmon fur that would stick out from the green and brown scenery of the forest.

The echidna sprinted back into his house in moments, running into his room for an unknown reason. He would be able to sense anyone that would try to break in and sneak up on him in here. He then ran into his closet, loud crashes happening inside. Whatever the echidna was planning, it was going to be a real crazy.

Cruz wasn't even sure if his crazy plan would work. He knew that if he succeeded, everything would go well, but if he didn't, the problem would get even worse! The green Goliath had butterflies in his stomach and ants in his pants. "Here goes nothing..."

She rushed through, once again, the high route. Branches rattled and leaves rattled with her violent steps, but she didn't care. Concealment was not priority at the moment. As the scent grew stronger, she peeled her eyes for any spot of orange hair.

There it was.

Leaping into the air, she twisted her body around with the agility of a cat. Discreetly, she pulled the blades off the cuffs of her gloves and the toes of her shoes, and she pounced, knocking her opponent to the ground while bouncing up, and establishing distance.

(Sorry for the long wait, guys!! I got sick lol)

Amber head the sound of rattling branches and growled, looking upwards for the sound "Oof!" She fell to the ground as someone landed on her, then the person hurridely jumped off. She smelt... mud?

Standing to her feet quickly, she observed the other alpha putting distance between them. Her fur was caked in a layer of mud. That had to be why Amber couldn't find her scent!

(its ok lol. I just got back from a 7 hour car wash fundraiser. )

The echidna somehow made it out of his home without drawing attention to himself, which was kind of hard to do with heavy as hell armor on. He had slipped into one of his old, antique armor suits, and he had grabbed his sword off of his wall mantle, in hopes of completely disguising himself to not only this new wolf, but to Amber too.

The Sword was almost as tall as he was, and the new black armor that covered his entire body made movement extremely slow. He could not jump, nor Climb, but nothing was going to get through his armor now. He had also acquired a matching helmet for the armor, which rendered his face completely invisible to any that wished to see his face. Not trying to be discrete, at all, his steps sent tremors through the forest, the branches of the surrounding trees jolting with every time he put his foot down. 

At this rate, one of the wolves would surely find him... But he was counting on that.