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Sonic Knowbians - The Butterfly Effect (Chapter 8),In the darkness of her top secret hideaway, Agysnowys’ face was illuminated by the light coming from the strange device she had… borrowed, after Stain had left it on the kitchen table. There was something about this tablet like device that Agysnowy just sensed was… otherworldly. She had always believed that things were never as they appeared on the outside. A seedless watermelon appeared to be an innocent, succulent piece of fruit, but her research had told her otherwise.Not that people took her seriously. When she tried to explain her theories to the world, she copped a range of responses, ranging from condescending smiles to uncontrolled laughter. There were a few who seemed to believe her, but most of them she only knew by their usernames on some website or other. But this device… she had a feeling about it. Like it could hold the answers she sought. The proof that would see her theories exonerated… If only she could figure out how to use it.The device turned on easily enough, but the interface was very complicated. To Agysnowy, it looked like you’d need a degree in higher mathematics to understand the home page. There were so many options available to her, and everytime she tapped one of the screen, it simply gave her more options. Add to that, all the available options were written in shorthand, and she wasn’t able to understand what they meant.It certainly wasn’t English or Polish, that much she knew.All this did was increase her determination to figure out the devices secrets. Something this complicated must hold the information she was looking for.She fiddled with the device for a while, pressing whatever button looked particularly guilty at the time. She decided she would keep pressing buttons until something interesting happened.She pressed on particularly suspicious looking on screen prompt, and the device let out a low humming sound. Looking at the screen, Agysnowy saw the words “Scanning”. She turned the device around in her hands, trying to see it anything on its exterior had changed.The device let out a happy sounding beep. The winged wolf turned the device back so she could see the screen. Much to her surprise, the device was now showing what appeared to be some sort of data entry.“Winged Canine” Agysnowy read the title aloud. The device had scanner her, and identified what species she was. Below that was several pages of data, describing all manner of facts and notes about Winged Canines.Excitedly, Snowy skimmed through the data trying to find some juicy nuggets of truth buried in the veritable mountain of text. Her eyes caught on one piece of text that caught her interest.“This particular version of the species did not occur naturally, but was the result of alien interference. A Garvonigan science vessel abducted some wolves, and after doing some DNA splicing, they had created Winged Species of Canines.”This information was so mind blowing to Snowy, that she hadn’t realised that the information she had just read was talking about a different universe, not her own. For the page of information she was reading was the Knowbian database entry on Winged Wolves across all the multiverse, and she had skipped to a segment about a universe that was not her own.But Agysnowy didn’t know that. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends online about this find. She tried to read more, but her paw accidentally brushed a button which took her off the entry she was reading.Panicked, the wolf tried desperately to bring back the page she was just on, but she knew it was a lost cause when she somehow wound up on a page about the invasive species known as “The Ovoid Collective of Ova 6.”But she wasn’t disappointed for long. The article that she had just stumbled upon had gotten her interest. Once again, she had failed to realise that the information she was reading didn’t apply to her universe, but to one several dimensions away.“Mind Controlling Eggs from outer space?” Agysnowy said, processing the thought. “I should have known!”For the next half an hour she continued reading through the various entries she managed to stumble upon. They ranged from gems such as a list of worlds where it is possible to fly by throwing yourself at the ground and missing, an entry about pink holes in space, poisonous building bricks, and the top fashion brands as voted for by teddy bears.Agysnowy was beginning to get overwhelmed. There was so much here, so much to take in. Her head was spinning… This was too much! She knew this device held secrets, but this was blowing her mind!Annoyingly, none of what she had stumbled upon had proven any of her theories, but now she was going to need to wear gloves next time she handled building bricks…She looked up from the device, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to process all she had read. Feeling her hiding place was suddenly feeling rather stuffy, she decided to risk venturing outside. She emerged from the wooden cubby house, which was one of the main attractions of her local park, and took a seat on one of the swings. She rocked gently back and forth, letting the motion of the swing soothe her.After a while of sitting on the park swing, she saw a figure crossing the park in the moonlight. Its blue eyes glowed from within the hood that covered the rest of the creatures face. ,It didn’t take Agysnowy long to realise that the figure in question was Deacon. He was finally returning home, his eyes betraying the fact that he was feeling very troubled.Agysnowy didn’t really seem to pick up on that. Instead, she pondered about Deacon. He was a mysterious person indeed. He, she was certain, had secrets to share. Big ones. Like, who even was he, really? If only she had something that could, I dunno, scan him and tell her what he was.Remembering what the device she held in her hands had done earlier, she quickly brought it to life and desperately tried to remember what she had done to get the device to scan her earlier.Deacon was making his way past, completely oblivious to the fact that Agysnowy was even there. But he became aware when Agysnowy let out a frustrated “Come on, you stupid thing! Work!”“Who’s there?” Deacon jumped, before twitchily checking his surroundings. “Oh, its you.” He said with a tone of both relief and disappointment. A squinted at what Agysnowy was struggling with. It looked innocuous enough. But something about it seemed… suspicious.“What is that you’re holding?” Deacon asked in an almost demanding tone.“None of your business, mister!” Agysnowy said, holding the device close to herself.Deacon pondered Agysnowy’s reaction… Normally she wasn’t this protective of things unless they were precious to her, or they had something to do with those theory thingies she was so fascinated with. He got the worrying suspicion that what Agysnowy had in her hands was linked to the Dimension ship he’d seen upon the beach a short while ago… He had to have it. He needed to be sure.“That device.” He demanded, holding an outstretched hand towards the winged wolf. “Give it to me.”Agysnowy shirked back from the hand, trying to conceal the device under one of her wings.“No way!”Deacon put his hand to his chin. There had to be some way to negotiate with this young wolf. He thought about what he knew about his neighbour. Apart from being into conspiracies, what else was she into… Something that he could use as leverage. Suddenly, it came to him.“Young Winged Wolfdog,” Deacon announced. “I am prepared to bargain with you. In exchange for that device, I promise to…” He paused, trying to think of what environmentally friendly lie he could tell to the wolf that would satisfy her.“I promise to switch to an all organic diet!”Agysnowy looked up, a look of hopeful excitement in her eyes. If there was one thing she cared for more than her crusade to get the truth heard, it was protecting the environment. “You will?” She asked, trying to gauge whether or not Deacon was lying.“Of course!” Deacon said honestly. He never at anything that wasn’t organic. He was pretty sure it was actually impossible to eat something that wasn’t. Even the most processed piece of… whatever it was that they called meat used in fast food chains, that was still technically organic. Its not like he was going to be eating any steel any time soon.Agysnowy, trying to decide if Deacons offer was enough to warrant the trade, let out a loud hmmm. She came to a decision.“Promise me one more thing.” She said.Deacon cursed silently. He had hoped his not really an offer would have been enough. She was a shrewd one, this wolf.“What?” Deacon asked, concerned as to what lifestyle change he was probably but not really committing to.“Before throwing your plastic bottles in the recycling, promise me you’ll remove the plastic ring where the bottle cap screws on.” Agysnowy demanded. “Most people seem to forget to do that. It makes it’s a harder job for those at the recycling plant.”“Very well” Deacon said, crossing his fingers on the hand behind his back. “I promise.”Smiling with satisfaction, Agysnowy handed the device to Deacon before cheerfully wandering off into town.Deacon turned the device over and over in his hands.“What do you think Jason?” He asked his butterfly companion. The butterfly fluttered calmly.“Yes…” Deacon agreed. “I think you’re right. But I must make sure.”He pressed a few on screen buttons, struggling to comprehend the interface. But when he stumbled upon a list of species across the multiverse to which tea was a deadly poison, he knew his suspicions were correct.This device belonged to whoever had come from that ship. “They won’t take this from me…” He muttered to himself. He continued fiddling with the device as he slowly made his way home.***“No joy?” Nick asked as the party returned to the bar.“Afraid not.” Amelia replied. “No sign of her so far.”Stain spoke for a bit. This time, the Knowbians were certain they could see some sort of speech bubble above his head. Unfortunately, the speech bubble only had symbols and punctuation marks in it, so they still had no idea what he was saying.“I see.” Nick said after Stain had finished talking. “What about the other places I suggested.”“She wasn’t at the library…” Snaffe started.“Must say, I wasn’t expecting the librarian to be a fighting machine shaped like a cat from another dimension…” Miles interrupted, “But, I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point.”“Nice chap though.” Amelia added. “Actually, he’s just from another planet, not another dimension. Two systems away, so I’ve been told” Nick interrupted, correcting the Knowbian. Miles was a little disappointed in himself for getting that fact wrong, but it was hardly a concern at this moment.“We checked her favourite internet café,” Snaffe continued, keeping a eye out in the event of further interruptions. “We even checked the dumpster behind the harbor masters office to see if she was searching for ‘condemning evidence.’ She’s nowhere to be seen.”“That’s Agy all right.” Nick nodded, as he finished drying some of the bars recently cleaned glassware. “Never take her on in a game of hide and seek.”Stain seemed excited at the prospect of a game of hide and seek, but Snaffe placed a calming tail on his head. “Aw, you’re sweet Stain…” Snaffe said kindly. “But we can’t play hide and seek now… We’ve got to find Snowy!”“Haven’t we technically been playing hide and seek with her anyway?” Miles asked.Stain, in response, seemed to put on his most intellectual expression, placing one of his goopy hands to his goopy chin and nodding in agreement, in the most aristocratic fashion he could manage.Nick placed the now dry glasses in a cupboard under the bar, before turning his attention to some new customers entering the bar.“Well, that’s all the places I can think of, I’m sorry to say…” Nick said apologetically. “Sorry, gotta run!” He quickly made his way to take the customers orders.“So… what do we do now?” Miles asked, at a loss.“I honestly don’t know.” Snaffe said sadly. “It feels like we’re on a wild goose chase.”Stain seemed to shudder, emitting and sound resembling a gurgling stomach.“Oh Stain, you poor thing…” Snaffe said, concerned for her friend. “All this running around must mean you’re starving! And I haven’t been able to finish making dinner yet.”“Well, we may as well return to the house…” Amelia said, somewhat defeated. “We don’t have much to gain staying here.”Stain let out an excited cheery sound, and quickly made his way to the door, eager at the prospect of getting some food inside him. He was fast through the door, so far ahead that the other lost sight of him.Before they caught up, they hear the sound of a squeal of surprise, followed by a sound of something fluidic hitting something solid, culminating in the voice of a young woman saying “Oh, not again!”Exiting the bar, the crew saw that in his hurry to get home, Stain had collided with someone making their way inside. The person in question was searching herself over, trying to asses how much of Stain was now lodged in her fur. Stain for his part was apologetically removing as much of himself from her person as he could.“Urgh, Stain! Watch where you’re going!” The young lady said angrily. Stain replied with another series of apologetic sounds, delicately helping her to her feet. It was dark, but the others could now make out what Stain had collided with. It was a wolf with wings, wearing some sort of headgear, and highlights in her hair.“Agysnowy?!” Snaffe said in surprise. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”Agysnowy, distracted from her attempts to clean of stains residue, looked with a look which said “Oh no, what have I done this time?”“This is Agysnowy?” Amelia asked, a bit flummoxed by the recent turn of events.“Who wants to know?” Agysnowy asked defensively. “I was just popping by to see Nicky. He’s not gonna believe what I learnt today.”“Ah… you got the datapad working, did you?” Mile guessed. Agysnowy looked the two knowbians up and down, as if noticing them for the first time.“Now… who are you guys supposed to be? Wait… are you friends of… um…” She paused, having already forgotten the names of the Knowbians she had met earlier that day.“This is Miles and Amelia.” Snaffe said, introducing the duo. “You remember that device Stain brought home earlier? It belongs to them, and they would like it back please.”The two Knowbians nodded, backing up Snaffes story.“Wait, that thing was yours?” Agysnowy said, wide eyed. She leant over conspiratorially to Snaffe, whispering in her ear. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think these guys aren’t from this world.”“We know.” Snaffe said simply. Agysnowy was taken aback. Normally she’d get a polite smile and maybe a small chuckle as a reply to a statement like that, not a confirmation of it. She honestly didn’t know how to react to that…“So, um…” Amelia asked awkwardly, “Can I have my datapad back?”“Oh…” Agysnowy suddenly felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. “I uh, don’t have it anymore.”“What?” Miles exclaimed in frustrated horror. “What happened to it?”“I uh…” Agysnowy rubbed the fur on the back of her neck in embarrassment, “I traded it…”“Oh, Snowy…” Snaffe said, disappointed in her for trading something that wasn’t hers to begin with. “Who did you trade it with?”“Mister Deacon.” Miles and Amelia looked at each other. Did that name ring a bell?Stain gave a little yelp at the mention of Deacon, but it was impossible to determine what he was trying to convey. Even Snaffe didn’t know what that sound meant. But Snaffe did seem worried.“So, you said that device of yours could be dangerous in the wrong hands?” Snaffe asked slowly.“Very.” Amelia nodded.“Oh dear…” Snaffe sighed. “I’m afraid that the wrong hands is right where your device has just landed…”***“Got any threes?” “Go fish.”In the ‘comfort’ of their bush, Maurice and Double U were engaged in the battle of wits known as the game of ‘Go Fish’. Both combatants clutched their cards close to their chest, not letting the other see what was in their hands.Frankly, Maurice was just impressed that his Wolf competitor was able to hold the cards in one paw without any thumbs.Whilst the two were playing, they had been engaged in small talk. Which, when Maurice was involved, could lead to interesting discussions.“So you’ve met yourself?” Double U asked, impressed. “Like, another version of you, I mean.”“Oh, several versions now. Some less pleasant than others.” Maurice replied. “Got any queens?”Double U Sighed before handing over a card. Maurice put the received card with another card from his hand on a pile beside him.“So what’s it like, meeting yourself?” Double U asked, curiously.Maurice stopped for a moment, not sure of the answer to her question.“Hmmm… Well as far as other me’s go, I stick out like a sore thumb, really. They are usually all ‘gotta go fast’ and all that Jazz, were I’m more ‘gotta make a scientific journal.’”“I… see…” Double U said, clearly not seeing it. “So does that mean there should be another you somewhere around here? You said you were a Hedgehog, right?”“Not Necessarily. There are plenty of universes without a version of me in them. There are even ones without hedgehogs in them either.”Maurice returned his attention to the cards in his hand. “Hmmm… got any… Nines?”“Go fish.” The wolf replied.Maurice drew a card from the deck. He was really feeling quite comfortable in Double U’s company. He felt relaxed, like the weight of his previous adventures was beginning to ease. Being here with the Wolf and her bizarre group of friends was a real breath of fresh air for him.He could feel that his adventurous spirit was returning to him. He felt the desire to learn, to explore once more. He had been quizzing Double U about life here on Above-the-sea-level Isle. Seems that they are somewhat used to people from other dimensions here. One dimensional traveller, someone named “Pic Shell” was somewhat of a celebrity, it seemed. He was going to need to look him up at some point.“Got any… Sevens?” Double U asked. Maurice handed her the card from his hand, and she happily paired them together. So engaged in their game and conversation, they had completely failed to notice that their target had finally returned home.Deacon, for his part, was somewhat distracted trying to figure out how to get the datapad working that at first he didn’t notice the pair playing Go fish in his bush. But when he heard a call of “got any… aces?” he jumped with surprise.“What the… Who’s there?” Deacon demanded to know.Double U and Maurice froze, and slowly turned their heads to see Deacon peering down at them.“Oh…” Maurice said, in an understated way.“Whoops…” The Wolf concurred.“Get out of my bush!” Deacon said angrily. “I spent a lot of time trimming it! What are you even doing in there anyway?”“Would you believe that there was no vacancy in the tree?” Maurice asked hopefully.“Well… obviously. I have an existing rent agreement with the sparrows. It helps having an extra source of income these days. Now, get out of my bush!”Slowly, Maurice and Double U made their way awkwardly from the bush. The cards they had been using would probably remain there for a long time…Maurice’s eye spotted the device in Deacons gloved hand.“I say, Isn’t that Amelia’s Datapad you’ve got there?”Deacons eyes widened from inside his hooded cloak. He felt a sudden wave of panic overwhelm him.“He knows what this is” He thought to himself. “He must be one of… them!”As quick as a flash, he reached his gloved hand into his pocket, searching for something to defend himself with. Feeling something vaguely resembling a weapon, he pulled out… of all things, an apple core.Embarrassed, he threw the remains over his shoulder and retrieved something else from his pocket. This time, it was a weapon.It was a small pistol of some sort. He pointed it at the two in a manner that indicated he was not accustomed to using such things.“Stay back!” He yelled at the two, but primarily at the stunned Hedgehog.“Woah woah woah!” Double U said holding her paws up… “What’s gotten into you Deacon? Is that a gun? You know Jet banned us from using guns on screen!”“This is a written story! One mainly written by someone else!”“But the illustrations? Think of the artist Deacon!”Deacon ignored the wolf, focusing all his attention on the Hedgehog, who had raised his arms above his head.“I saw your ship… on the beach.” Deacon said, staring unconvincingly at the hedgehog. “I’ve got your device here… What do you know of me?”“Ey?” Maurice asked, confused.“Don’t lie to me!” Deacon said, panicked. “You’ve come for me, haven’t you! You’ve come to take me back!” He shook a wobbly hand at Maurice, gun aimed between his eyes.Maurice was very, very confused. “My dear fellow, what are you talking about?”“What he said.” Double U concurred.“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” Deacon said angrily.“I’m not pretending.” Maurice replied, suddenly feeling a wave of confidence fill his soul. “He’s not here to… what was it you said? ‘Take you back?’” Double U spoke up, not feeling quite the same confidence as Maurice. “I’ve gotta say, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”“Oh don’t you?” Deacon said, almost feeling dizzy as he did so. “And yet, I find you hiding in my bush, clearly waiting to ambush me! What else could you be here for!”Deacon took a step back. His body was shaking with fear, but the gun was still pointed squarely at Maurice. Maurice for his part, was taking the time to observe Deacon. He wracked his brains, trying to figure out a way out of this confrontation. Finally, it clicked.“You’re not from this world either, are you?” Maurice asked.“As you well know.” Deacon replied. “I came here to escape. I’ve made a life for myself on this world. I won’t let you take this from me!”“Steady on, old boy.” Maurice said, trying to calm his opponent down. “I can assure you, I have no intention of taking you back to wherever it was you came from.”“Really?” Deacon asked, raising an eyebrow. “How can I believe that?”“Sir, I am an explorer. I’m only here because a friend wanted to study butterflies…”Deacon was now feeling very confused. He wanted to believe Maurice, but how could he be sure it wasn’t a trick?He suddenly felt a rummaging in his back. He turned sharply to see Double U searching his person for something.“What?” She said frustratedly. “You don’t even have it?”“Have what?” Deacon asked, confused.“The Scarlet Speckled Skipper!” Double U said, crankily. “We’ve been waiting here to take it back and you haven’t even got it!”“Ey?” Deacon said, mind fuzzy. “What… wait, I don’t have it?”“Well… that’s an evening wasted…” Double U said, disappointed.Deacon stood there confused, before remembering he had a gun in his hand.“Enough of this! Leave me! I don’t know what’s going on here, but I want you out of here!”“Certainly, old boy.” Maurice said kindly. “Do you think you can give me my friends datapad back?”Deacon looked at the device in his hand, before re-aiming his gun at Maurice.“No!” He said defiantly. “This device… It contains information about the multiverse… I need to know if anyone is on to me… I will defend what I have here, and I must know If they are coming for me!”Maurice was confused by Deacons reasoning. Double U was confused also. This wasn’t like Deacon at all… he really was worried.Maurice finally decided to play his trump card. He couldn’t risk Deacon having access to the Knowbian Database. He didn’t know much about him, but he knew enough to know that he was probably not the safest pair of hands to hold such information.“Deacon.” Maurice said sternly. “I may not be one for you to fear, but I’m friends with those who are.”“What do you mean?” Deacon said, fear reasserting itself.“I’m currently in a working relationship with the Zone Cops.”“No way. You’re bluffing! THE z-z-zone cops?”“Yes, the Zone cops.” Maurice said, confident smile on his face. “I dunno what world you ran from, but I’m willing to bet they do. And I happen to have them on speed dial.”,Deacon looked around desperately, panic clearly evident in his expression.“No!” Deacon cried. “Please, don’t! You don’t get it! I don’t want to lose what I have here… I’m happy on this world… please don’t let them take me back there!”“Well, give me back the datapad, and we’ll say no more about it.” Maurice offered.Deacon barely hesitated a moment. He thrust the device into Maurice’s hand before taking a sigh of relief.“You promise you won’t tell?”“If you behave yourself, Mums the word.” Maurice promised.“Phew…” Deacon finally relaxed. “Sorry about this…” He said, showing Maurice the gun he was holding. “You weren’t actually in any danger, you see. Its actually just a water pistol.”“Oh, I knew we weren’t in any real danger.” Maurice replied. “You were holding it back to front.”“Oh…” Deacon said, embarrassed.“Well, I’m glad that’s settled.” Double U said, not really sure what to make of what just happened. She decided to ignore it for the most part. “But what about the butterfly?”“Butterfly?” The two asked her. Double U sighed.“You know? The Scarlet Speckled Skipper? The reason we sat in that bush for the last few hours?”“Oh, that thing…” Maurice said, remembering.“I can’t understand it…” Deacon said… “I remember having it with me… Did you see where it went Jason?”“Looking for this?” said someone triumphantly as they approached.Sarah and Cheesecake returned, triumphantly holding the precious butterfly.“My butterfly!” Double U said excitedly. She eagerly ran to Sarah and gently took hold of the jar, admiring the beautiful creature inside.“Found it just sitting on a clifftop” Cheesecake explained simply.“Oh…” Deacon said, finally twigging on to what he had done… “Whoops.”“Guys!” Everyone looked to where this new voice had come. Sprinting towards them was Miles, Amelia and Snaffe. Stain was riding on her back as a jockey would ride a horse, and was clearly enjoying the trip.Miles, out of breath, took hold of Maurice.“Maurice! Amelia’s datapad! Deacon has it!” “I know.” Maurice said, producing the device. He tossed it to a stunned Amelia, who gratefully put it into her pocket, this time making sure it was securely inside, unlikely to fall out again.“Oh…” Miles said, taken aback. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”“Oh I dunno.” Maurice admitted. “Sometimes, I prefer a good old anticlimax. Helps with the blood pressure.”“Yeah, as if my blood pressure was low today…” Deacon mumbled to himself.“He look guys!” Double U said excitedly, holding the Scarlet Speckled Skipper for all to see. “I got my butterfly back!”“Was it missing?” Snaffe said, perplexed.Stain, seeing that all was well, decided this was a moment of celebration. Stretching out his gooey arms to lengths previously unseen, he embraced everyone present in an awkward celebratory hug. He let out a sound that indicated his content and happiness.Everyone in the unexpected embrace just felt remarkably awkward.“Uh, Stain?” Miles said, tentatively, not sure how to ask Stain to stop.Deacon, stuck right in the middle of the hug, was beginning to lose his temper.“Okay, okay, I get it, alls well that end well.” He began trying to pry himself free of Stains grip. “But can you all PLEASE GET OFF MY LAWN!!!”

Multiverse is full of bizzare worlds and different art styles. This little winged canine has gotten her paws on something important. But she won't be the only one trying to use it for their own gain.

Click the link above to see the full chapter and find out what's the story's about! I highly recommend it! (It may or may not contain some additional information about my characters and their world. It's a crossover after all!)

***

New artwork for my collab with
Another night scenery. Working with few light sources is always interesting for me. While making those I use very little of cel-shading. And lots of blurred shading!

To summarise this scene... Agysnowy's enjoying her time on the playground while trying to uncover secrets of the multiverse, while Deacon is on his way to story's climax. At least that's what the signs say.

I hope you all like this piece! Feedback/critique is appreciated!

All the characters belong to their respective owners. Do not use my characters without my permission. Do not trace/edit/reupload/redistribute my art without my permission.

Description

CHECK OUT THE STORY HERE:

Sonic Knowbians - The Butterfly Effect (Chapter 8),In the darkness of her top secret hideaway, Agysnowys’ face was illuminated by the light coming from the strange device she had… borrowed, after Stain had left it on the kitchen table. There was something about this tablet like device that Agysnowy just sensed was… otherworldly. She had always believed that things were never as they appeared on the outside. A seedless watermelon appeared to be an innocent, succulent piece of fruit, but her research had told her otherwise.Not that people took her seriously. When she tried to explain her theories to the world, she copped a range of responses, ranging from condescending smiles to uncontrolled laughter. There were a few who seemed to believe her, but most of them she only knew by their usernames on some website or other. But this device… she had a feeling about it. Like it could hold the answers she sought. The proof that would see her theories exonerated… If only she could figure out how to use it.The device turned on easily enough, but the interface was very complicated. To Agysnowy, it looked like you’d need a degree in higher mathematics to understand the home page. There were so many options available to her, and everytime she tapped one of the screen, it simply gave her more options. Add to that, all the available options were written in shorthand, and she wasn’t able to understand what they meant.It certainly wasn’t English or Polish, that much she knew.All this did was increase her determination to figure out the devices secrets. Something this complicated must hold the information she was looking for.She fiddled with the device for a while, pressing whatever button looked particularly guilty at the time. She decided she would keep pressing buttons until something interesting happened.She pressed on particularly suspicious looking on screen prompt, and the device let out a low humming sound. Looking at the screen, Agysnowy saw the words “Scanning”. She turned the device around in her hands, trying to see it anything on its exterior had changed.The device let out a happy sounding beep. The winged wolf turned the device back so she could see the screen. Much to her surprise, the device was now showing what appeared to be some sort of data entry.“Winged Canine” Agysnowy read the title aloud. The device had scanner her, and identified what species she was. Below that was several pages of data, describing all manner of facts and notes about Winged Canines.Excitedly, Snowy skimmed through the data trying to find some juicy nuggets of truth buried in the veritable mountain of text. Her eyes caught on one piece of text that caught her interest.“This particular version of the species did not occur naturally, but was the result of alien interference. A Garvonigan science vessel abducted some wolves, and after doing some DNA splicing, they had created Winged Species of Canines.”This information was so mind blowing to Snowy, that she hadn’t realised that the information she had just read was talking about a different universe, not her own. For the page of information she was reading was the Knowbian database entry on Winged Wolves across all the multiverse, and she had skipped to a segment about a universe that was not her own.But Agysnowy didn’t know that. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends online about this find. She tried to read more, but her paw accidentally brushed a button which took her off the entry she was reading.Panicked, the wolf tried desperately to bring back the page she was just on, but she knew it was a lost cause when she somehow wound up on a page about the invasive species known as “The Ovoid Collective of Ova 6.”But she wasn’t disappointed for long. The article that she had just stumbled upon had gotten her interest. Once again, she had failed to realise that the information she was reading didn’t apply to her universe, but to one several dimensions away.“Mind Controlling Eggs from outer space?” Agysnowy said, processing the thought. “I should have known!”For the next half an hour she continued reading through the various entries she managed to stumble upon. They ranged from gems such as a list of worlds where it is possible to fly by throwing yourself at the ground and missing, an entry about pink holes in space, poisonous building bricks, and the top fashion brands as voted for by teddy bears.Agysnowy was beginning to get overwhelmed. There was so much here, so much to take in. Her head was spinning… This was too much! She knew this device held secrets, but this was blowing her mind!Annoyingly, none of what she had stumbled upon had proven any of her theories, but now she was going to need to wear gloves next time she handled building bricks…She looked up from the device, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to process all she had read. Feeling her hiding place was suddenly feeling rather stuffy, she decided to risk venturing outside. She emerged from the wooden cubby house, which was one of the main attractions of her local park, and took a seat on one of the swings. She rocked gently back and forth, letting the motion of the swing soothe her.After a while of sitting on the park swing, she saw a figure crossing the park in the moonlight. Its blue eyes glowed from within the hood that covered the rest of the creatures face. ,It didn’t take Agysnowy long to realise that the figure in question was Deacon. He was finally returning home, his eyes betraying the fact that he was feeling very troubled.Agysnowy didn’t really seem to pick up on that. Instead, she pondered about Deacon. He was a mysterious person indeed. He, she was certain, had secrets to share. Big ones. Like, who even was he, really? If only she had something that could, I dunno, scan him and tell her what he was.Remembering what the device she held in her hands had done earlier, she quickly brought it to life and desperately tried to remember what she had done to get the device to scan her earlier.Deacon was making his way past, completely oblivious to the fact that Agysnowy was even there. But he became aware when Agysnowy let out a frustrated “Come on, you stupid thing! Work!”“Who’s there?” Deacon jumped, before twitchily checking his surroundings. “Oh, its you.” He said with a tone of both relief and disappointment. A squinted at what Agysnowy was struggling with. It looked innocuous enough. But something about it seemed… suspicious.“What is that you’re holding?” Deacon asked in an almost demanding tone.“None of your business, mister!” Agysnowy said, holding the device close to herself.Deacon pondered Agysnowy’s reaction… Normally she wasn’t this protective of things unless they were precious to her, or they had something to do with those theory thingies she was so fascinated with. He got the worrying suspicion that what Agysnowy had in her hands was linked to the Dimension ship he’d seen upon the beach a short while ago… He had to have it. He needed to be sure.“That device.” He demanded, holding an outstretched hand towards the winged wolf. “Give it to me.”Agysnowy shirked back from the hand, trying to conceal the device under one of her wings.“No way!”Deacon put his hand to his chin. There had to be some way to negotiate with this young wolf. He thought about what he knew about his neighbour. Apart from being into conspiracies, what else was she into… Something that he could use as leverage. Suddenly, it came to him.“Young Winged Wolfdog,” Deacon announced. “I am prepared to bargain with you. In exchange for that device, I promise to…” He paused, trying to think of what environmentally friendly lie he could tell to the wolf that would satisfy her.“I promise to switch to an all organic diet!”Agysnowy looked up, a look of hopeful excitement in her eyes. If there was one thing she cared for more than her crusade to get the truth heard, it was protecting the environment. “You will?” She asked, trying to gauge whether or not Deacon was lying.“Of course!” Deacon said honestly. He never at anything that wasn’t organic. He was pretty sure it was actually impossible to eat something that wasn’t. Even the most processed piece of… whatever it was that they called meat used in fast food chains, that was still technically organic. Its not like he was going to be eating any steel any time soon.Agysnowy, trying to decide if Deacons offer was enough to warrant the trade, let out a loud hmmm. She came to a decision.“Promise me one more thing.” She said.Deacon cursed silently. He had hoped his not really an offer would have been enough. She was a shrewd one, this wolf.“What?” Deacon asked, concerned as to what lifestyle change he was probably but not really committing to.“Before throwing your plastic bottles in the recycling, promise me you’ll remove the plastic ring where the bottle cap screws on.” Agysnowy demanded. “Most people seem to forget to do that. It makes it’s a harder job for those at the recycling plant.”“Very well” Deacon said, crossing his fingers on the hand behind his back. “I promise.”Smiling with satisfaction, Agysnowy handed the device to Deacon before cheerfully wandering off into town.Deacon turned the device over and over in his hands.“What do you think Jason?” He asked his butterfly companion. The butterfly fluttered calmly.“Yes…” Deacon agreed. “I think you’re right. But I must make sure.”He pressed a few on screen buttons, struggling to comprehend the interface. But when he stumbled upon a list of species across the multiverse to which tea was a deadly poison, he knew his suspicions were correct.This device belonged to whoever had come from that ship. “They won’t take this from me…” He muttered to himself. He continued fiddling with the device as he slowly made his way home.***“No joy?” Nick asked as the party returned to the bar.“Afraid not.” Amelia replied. “No sign of her so far.”Stain spoke for a bit. This time, the Knowbians were certain they could see some sort of speech bubble above his head. Unfortunately, the speech bubble only had symbols and punctuation marks in it, so they still had no idea what he was saying.“I see.” Nick said after Stain had finished talking. “What about the other places I suggested.”“She wasn’t at the library…” Snaffe started.“Must say, I wasn’t expecting the librarian to be a fighting machine shaped like a cat from another dimension…” Miles interrupted, “But, I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point.”“Nice chap though.” Amelia added. “Actually, he’s just from another planet, not another dimension. Two systems away, so I’ve been told” Nick interrupted, correcting the Knowbian. Miles was a little disappointed in himself for getting that fact wrong, but it was hardly a concern at this moment.“We checked her favourite internet café,” Snaffe continued, keeping a eye out in the event of further interruptions. “We even checked the dumpster behind the harbor masters office to see if she was searching for ‘condemning evidence.’ She’s nowhere to be seen.”“That’s Agy all right.” Nick nodded, as he finished drying some of the bars recently cleaned glassware. “Never take her on in a game of hide and seek.”Stain seemed excited at the prospect of a game of hide and seek, but Snaffe placed a calming tail on his head. “Aw, you’re sweet Stain…” Snaffe said kindly. “But we can’t play hide and seek now… We’ve got to find Snowy!”“Haven’t we technically been playing hide and seek with her anyway?” Miles asked.Stain, in response, seemed to put on his most intellectual expression, placing one of his goopy hands to his goopy chin and nodding in agreement, in the most aristocratic fashion he could manage.Nick placed the now dry glasses in a cupboard under the bar, before turning his attention to some new customers entering the bar.“Well, that’s all the places I can think of, I’m sorry to say…” Nick said apologetically. “Sorry, gotta run!” He quickly made his way to take the customers orders.“So… what do we do now?” Miles asked, at a loss.“I honestly don’t know.” Snaffe said sadly. “It feels like we’re on a wild goose chase.”Stain seemed to shudder, emitting and sound resembling a gurgling stomach.“Oh Stain, you poor thing…” Snaffe said, concerned for her friend. “All this running around must mean you’re starving! And I haven’t been able to finish making dinner yet.”“Well, we may as well return to the house…” Amelia said, somewhat defeated. “We don’t have much to gain staying here.”Stain let out an excited cheery sound, and quickly made his way to the door, eager at the prospect of getting some food inside him. He was fast through the door, so far ahead that the other lost sight of him.Before they caught up, they hear the sound of a squeal of surprise, followed by a sound of something fluidic hitting something solid, culminating in the voice of a young woman saying “Oh, not again!”Exiting the bar, the crew saw that in his hurry to get home, Stain had collided with someone making their way inside. The person in question was searching herself over, trying to asses how much of Stain was now lodged in her fur. Stain for his part was apologetically removing as much of himself from her person as he could.“Urgh, Stain! Watch where you’re going!” The young lady said angrily. Stain replied with another series of apologetic sounds, delicately helping her to her feet. It was dark, but the others could now make out what Stain had collided with. It was a wolf with wings, wearing some sort of headgear, and highlights in her hair.“Agysnowy?!” Snaffe said in surprise. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”Agysnowy, distracted from her attempts to clean of stains residue, looked with a look which said “Oh no, what have I done this time?”“This is Agysnowy?” Amelia asked, a bit flummoxed by the recent turn of events.“Who wants to know?” Agysnowy asked defensively. “I was just popping by to see Nicky. He’s not gonna believe what I learnt today.”“Ah… you got the datapad working, did you?” Mile guessed. Agysnowy looked the two knowbians up and down, as if noticing them for the first time.“Now… who are you guys supposed to be? Wait… are you friends of… um…” She paused, having already forgotten the names of the Knowbians she had met earlier that day.“This is Miles and Amelia.” Snaffe said, introducing the duo. “You remember that device Stain brought home earlier? It belongs to them, and they would like it back please.”The two Knowbians nodded, backing up Snaffes story.“Wait, that thing was yours?” Agysnowy said, wide eyed. She leant over conspiratorially to Snaffe, whispering in her ear. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think these guys aren’t from this world.”“We know.” Snaffe said simply. Agysnowy was taken aback. Normally she’d get a polite smile and maybe a small chuckle as a reply to a statement like that, not a confirmation of it. She honestly didn’t know how to react to that…“So, um…” Amelia asked awkwardly, “Can I have my datapad back?”“Oh…” Agysnowy suddenly felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. “I uh, don’t have it anymore.”“What?” Miles exclaimed in frustrated horror. “What happened to it?”“I uh…” Agysnowy rubbed the fur on the back of her neck in embarrassment, “I traded it…”“Oh, Snowy…” Snaffe said, disappointed in her for trading something that wasn’t hers to begin with. “Who did you trade it with?”“Mister Deacon.” Miles and Amelia looked at each other. Did that name ring a bell?Stain gave a little yelp at the mention of Deacon, but it was impossible to determine what he was trying to convey. Even Snaffe didn’t know what that sound meant. But Snaffe did seem worried.“So, you said that device of yours could be dangerous in the wrong hands?” Snaffe asked slowly.“Very.” Amelia nodded.“Oh dear…” Snaffe sighed. “I’m afraid that the wrong hands is right where your device has just landed…”***“Got any threes?” “Go fish.”In the ‘comfort’ of their bush, Maurice and Double U were engaged in the battle of wits known as the game of ‘Go Fish’. Both combatants clutched their cards close to their chest, not letting the other see what was in their hands.Frankly, Maurice was just impressed that his Wolf competitor was able to hold the cards in one paw without any thumbs.Whilst the two were playing, they had been engaged in small talk. Which, when Maurice was involved, could lead to interesting discussions.“So you’ve met yourself?” Double U asked, impressed. “Like, another version of you, I mean.”“Oh, several versions now. Some less pleasant than others.” Maurice replied. “Got any queens?”Double U Sighed before handing over a card. Maurice put the received card with another card from his hand on a pile beside him.“So what’s it like, meeting yourself?” Double U asked, curiously.Maurice stopped for a moment, not sure of the answer to her question.“Hmmm… Well as far as other me’s go, I stick out like a sore thumb, really. They are usually all ‘gotta go fast’ and all that Jazz, were I’m more ‘gotta make a scientific journal.’”“I… see…” Double U said, clearly not seeing it. “So does that mean there should be another you somewhere around here? You said you were a Hedgehog, right?”“Not Necessarily. There are plenty of universes without a version of me in them. There are even ones without hedgehogs in them either.”Maurice returned his attention to the cards in his hand. “Hmmm… got any… Nines?”“Go fish.” The wolf replied.Maurice drew a card from the deck. He was really feeling quite comfortable in Double U’s company. He felt relaxed, like the weight of his previous adventures was beginning to ease. Being here with the Wolf and her bizarre group of friends was a real breath of fresh air for him.He could feel that his adventurous spirit was returning to him. He felt the desire to learn, to explore once more. He had been quizzing Double U about life here on Above-the-sea-level Isle. Seems that they are somewhat used to people from other dimensions here. One dimensional traveller, someone named “Pic Shell” was somewhat of a celebrity, it seemed. He was going to need to look him up at some point.“Got any… Sevens?” Double U asked. Maurice handed her the card from his hand, and she happily paired them together. So engaged in their game and conversation, they had completely failed to notice that their target had finally returned home.Deacon, for his part, was somewhat distracted trying to figure out how to get the datapad working that at first he didn’t notice the pair playing Go fish in his bush. But when he heard a call of “got any… aces?” he jumped with surprise.“What the… Who’s there?” Deacon demanded to know.Double U and Maurice froze, and slowly turned their heads to see Deacon peering down at them.“Oh…” Maurice said, in an understated way.“Whoops…” The Wolf concurred.“Get out of my bush!” Deacon said angrily. “I spent a lot of time trimming it! What are you even doing in there anyway?”“Would you believe that there was no vacancy in the tree?” Maurice asked hopefully.“Well… obviously. I have an existing rent agreement with the sparrows. It helps having an extra source of income these days. Now, get out of my bush!”Slowly, Maurice and Double U made their way awkwardly from the bush. The cards they had been using would probably remain there for a long time…Maurice’s eye spotted the device in Deacons gloved hand.“I say, Isn’t that Amelia’s Datapad you’ve got there?”Deacons eyes widened from inside his hooded cloak. He felt a sudden wave of panic overwhelm him.“He knows what this is” He thought to himself. “He must be one of… them!”As quick as a flash, he reached his gloved hand into his pocket, searching for something to defend himself with. Feeling something vaguely resembling a weapon, he pulled out… of all things, an apple core.Embarrassed, he threw the remains over his shoulder and retrieved something else from his pocket. This time, it was a weapon.It was a small pistol of some sort. He pointed it at the two in a manner that indicated he was not accustomed to using such things.“Stay back!” He yelled at the two, but primarily at the stunned Hedgehog.“Woah woah woah!” Double U said holding her paws up… “What’s gotten into you Deacon? Is that a gun? You know Jet banned us from using guns on screen!”“This is a written story! One mainly written by someone else!”“But the illustrations? Think of the artist Deacon!”Deacon ignored the wolf, focusing all his attention on the Hedgehog, who had raised his arms above his head.“I saw your ship… on the beach.” Deacon said, staring unconvincingly at the hedgehog. “I’ve got your device here… What do you know of me?”“Ey?” Maurice asked, confused.“Don’t lie to me!” Deacon said, panicked. “You’ve come for me, haven’t you! You’ve come to take me back!” He shook a wobbly hand at Maurice, gun aimed between his eyes.Maurice was very, very confused. “My dear fellow, what are you talking about?”“What he said.” Double U concurred.“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” Deacon said angrily.“I’m not pretending.” Maurice replied, suddenly feeling a wave of confidence fill his soul. “He’s not here to… what was it you said? ‘Take you back?’” Double U spoke up, not feeling quite the same confidence as Maurice. “I’ve gotta say, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”“Oh don’t you?” Deacon said, almost feeling dizzy as he did so. “And yet, I find you hiding in my bush, clearly waiting to ambush me! What else could you be here for!”Deacon took a step back. His body was shaking with fear, but the gun was still pointed squarely at Maurice. Maurice for his part, was taking the time to observe Deacon. He wracked his brains, trying to figure out a way out of this confrontation. Finally, it clicked.“You’re not from this world either, are you?” Maurice asked.“As you well know.” Deacon replied. “I came here to escape. I’ve made a life for myself on this world. I won’t let you take this from me!”“Steady on, old boy.” Maurice said, trying to calm his opponent down. “I can assure you, I have no intention of taking you back to wherever it was you came from.”“Really?” Deacon asked, raising an eyebrow. “How can I believe that?”“Sir, I am an explorer. I’m only here because a friend wanted to study butterflies…”Deacon was now feeling very confused. He wanted to believe Maurice, but how could he be sure it wasn’t a trick?He suddenly felt a rummaging in his back. He turned sharply to see Double U searching his person for something.“What?” She said frustratedly. “You don’t even have it?”“Have what?” Deacon asked, confused.“The Scarlet Speckled Skipper!” Double U said, crankily. “We’ve been waiting here to take it back and you haven’t even got it!”“Ey?” Deacon said, mind fuzzy. “What… wait, I don’t have it?”“Well… that’s an evening wasted…” Double U said, disappointed.Deacon stood there confused, before remembering he had a gun in his hand.“Enough of this! Leave me! I don’t know what’s going on here, but I want you out of here!”“Certainly, old boy.” Maurice said kindly. “Do you think you can give me my friends datapad back?”Deacon looked at the device in his hand, before re-aiming his gun at Maurice.“No!” He said defiantly. “This device… It contains information about the multiverse… I need to know if anyone is on to me… I will defend what I have here, and I must know If they are coming for me!”Maurice was confused by Deacons reasoning. Double U was confused also. This wasn’t like Deacon at all… he really was worried.Maurice finally decided to play his trump card. He couldn’t risk Deacon having access to the Knowbian Database. He didn’t know much about him, but he knew enough to know that he was probably not the safest pair of hands to hold such information.“Deacon.” Maurice said sternly. “I may not be one for you to fear, but I’m friends with those who are.”“What do you mean?” Deacon said, fear reasserting itself.“I’m currently in a working relationship with the Zone Cops.”“No way. You’re bluffing! THE z-z-zone cops?”“Yes, the Zone cops.” Maurice said, confident smile on his face. “I dunno what world you ran from, but I’m willing to bet they do. And I happen to have them on speed dial.”,Deacon looked around desperately, panic clearly evident in his expression.“No!” Deacon cried. “Please, don’t! You don’t get it! I don’t want to lose what I have here… I’m happy on this world… please don’t let them take me back there!”“Well, give me back the datapad, and we’ll say no more about it.” Maurice offered.Deacon barely hesitated a moment. He thrust the device into Maurice’s hand before taking a sigh of relief.“You promise you won’t tell?”“If you behave yourself, Mums the word.” Maurice promised.“Phew…” Deacon finally relaxed. “Sorry about this…” He said, showing Maurice the gun he was holding. “You weren’t actually in any danger, you see. Its actually just a water pistol.”“Oh, I knew we weren’t in any real danger.” Maurice replied. “You were holding it back to front.”“Oh…” Deacon said, embarrassed.“Well, I’m glad that’s settled.” Double U said, not really sure what to make of what just happened. She decided to ignore it for the most part. “But what about the butterfly?”“Butterfly?” The two asked her. Double U sighed.“You know? The Scarlet Speckled Skipper? The reason we sat in that bush for the last few hours?”“Oh, that thing…” Maurice said, remembering.“I can’t understand it…” Deacon said… “I remember having it with me… Did you see where it went Jason?”“Looking for this?” said someone triumphantly as they approached.Sarah and Cheesecake returned, triumphantly holding the precious butterfly.“My butterfly!” Double U said excitedly. She eagerly ran to Sarah and gently took hold of the jar, admiring the beautiful creature inside.“Found it just sitting on a clifftop” Cheesecake explained simply.“Oh…” Deacon said, finally twigging on to what he had done… “Whoops.”“Guys!” Everyone looked to where this new voice had come. Sprinting towards them was Miles, Amelia and Snaffe. Stain was riding on her back as a jockey would ride a horse, and was clearly enjoying the trip.Miles, out of breath, took hold of Maurice.“Maurice! Amelia’s datapad! Deacon has it!” “I know.” Maurice said, producing the device. He tossed it to a stunned Amelia, who gratefully put it into her pocket, this time making sure it was securely inside, unlikely to fall out again.“Oh…” Miles said, taken aback. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”“Oh I dunno.” Maurice admitted. “Sometimes, I prefer a good old anticlimax. Helps with the blood pressure.”“Yeah, as if my blood pressure was low today…” Deacon mumbled to himself.“He look guys!” Double U said excitedly, holding the Scarlet Speckled Skipper for all to see. “I got my butterfly back!”“Was it missing?” Snaffe said, perplexed.Stain, seeing that all was well, decided this was a moment of celebration. Stretching out his gooey arms to lengths previously unseen, he embraced everyone present in an awkward celebratory hug. He let out a sound that indicated his content and happiness.Everyone in the unexpected embrace just felt remarkably awkward.“Uh, Stain?” Miles said, tentatively, not sure how to ask Stain to stop.Deacon, stuck right in the middle of the hug, was beginning to lose his temper.“Okay, okay, I get it, alls well that end well.” He began trying to pry himself free of Stains grip. “But can you all PLEASE GET OFF MY LAWN!!!”

Multiverse is full of bizzare worlds and different art styles. This little winged canine has gotten her paws on something important. But she won't be the only one trying to use it for their own gain.

Click the link above to see the full chapter and find out what's the story's about! I highly recommend it! (It may or may not contain some additional information about my characters and their world. It's a crossover after all!)

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New artwork for my collab with
Another night scenery. Working with few light sources is always interesting for me. While making those I use very little of cel-shading. And lots of blurred shading!

To summarise this scene... Agysnowy's enjoying her time on the playground while trying to uncover secrets of the multiverse, while Deacon is on his way to story's climax. At least that's what the signs say.

I hope you all like this piece! Feedback/critique is appreciated!

All the characters belong to their respective owners. Do not use my characters without my permission. Do not trace/edit/reupload/redistribute my art without my permission.