A/N: Guest reviews...

Guest: Glad to hear that.

kopo: Touching? Thanks. Yes, I will continue to write-the only way to improve is to practice! "Hedgehog Lady", haha. That's cute.

My Brother the Werehog

I don't own Sonic/Sonic the Werehog or Tails. SEGA does.

It was a dark and stormy night… A young fox sat huddled beneath the covers. It was past midnight, but he could not sleep, because every flash of that hated lightning and crash of that abhorrent thunder sent him into shaking fits. Try as he might, his eyes refused to close, monsters creeping into the edges of his imagination every time he did…

"I-I-I really shouldn't have asked Sonic to let me watch that movie alone," he muttered, casting a glance every time a shadow moved. Normally, he'd have watched the movie with Sonic. His brother was the perfect comfort during anything scary, better than a blanket or toy. However, Sonic had mysteriously vanished just before sunset that evening, as he had for the past few days.

"Gotta go do something quick, bud," he'd said. "I'll be back soon."

He hadn't returned when the movie ended, and Tails had to put himself to bed, which took a lot longer, jumping at every shadow.

A loud creak interrupted his frightened thoughts, seeming to come from downstairs. What was that?

A few moments passed without any more disturbances, and Tails eased back into his covers. It was probably just his imagination.

But just as he'd had this thought, there it was again, a heavy footstep on the stairs. Tails struggled frantically to keep those monstrous thoughts of a murderer coming up the stairs out of his head.

The footsteps faded, as though they were entering Sonic's room, and the door shut with a soft click. It was just as he thought; it was probably just Sonic, coming back from…whatever he'd been doing. He relaxed once more for another moment. He couldn't be harmed, now that Sonic was back…

"AAHHWHOOO!..." A sharp howl pierced the air, forcing Tails' fur to stand on end once more. Unless something was wrong with his hearing, that didn't sound like Sonic.

Tails almost screamed when he heard yells and screaming coming from the bedroom across the hall. That sounded like Sonic.

Heavy thumps issued from the same place, along with more yells and howls. Frightened as he was, Tails jumped out of bed. If Sonic was in danger, he had to save him!

He inched towards the door, heart galloping like a horse in a jockey-race. Alarms went off all over his brain, screaming at him to flee, leave the house. This part of his brain seemed to be the logical side. What kind of crazy person was he to go into that bedroom and fight off whatever was in there?

Still, he continued to inch towards the door, the floorboards beneath the carpet squeaking with every step of his bare feet. Despite what the cautious side of his brain was telling him, another part, a braver, more loyal (and perhaps more foolish) side, that he must protect Sonic at all costs. This side of his brain insisted that Sonic would do the same for him.

Minutes crept by like hours, the battle in his mind encouraged by the shouts and howls that pierced the air. "Run!" Save Sonic! "Save yourself!" He's in danger! He tiptoed toward the door, closer, closer, creak, creak.

"AARRGGGHH!" This snarl of immense pain shot through Tails' entire shaking form, and his mind games were decided; he had to save Sonic. As fast as his feet could carry him, he raced across the landing, heart competing with his feet in speed.

He threw open the door of Sonic's room, but there was no Sonic in sight.

Instead, there was a ridiculously hairy blue-gray thing bent over Sonic's bed, long, malicious claws ripping at the covers.

He screamed.

He only looked back long enough to see the figure turn its huge, blinding eyes toward him, then he took off, screaming bloody murder. He had to get help; this thing had taken Sonic and killed him, he was sure of it…And he screamed louder and longer as he heard the dreaded beast coming after him, long strides allowing it to catch up to him quickly.

"No! No! HELP! SOMEBODY!" he shrieked in his loudest voice as he could feel the footsteps gaining, getting closer and closer... He opened his mouth to shout again, but before he could, a large, clawed, furry hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder, jerking him around to face its owner. Tails squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact of the hit he was sure he was going to get…

"Tails!" a harsh, gravelly voice called, warm breath on Tails face as he spoke. Tails struggled harder, eyes still shut.

"What do you want from me? And what have you done to Sonic?" he demanded as he squirmed.

"Tails! Please, open your eyes!" the voice replied, a slightly desperate tone in it. "You gotta listen to me, bud!"

Tails stopped squirming for a moment, caught by surprise with the term of endearment. Only one person called him that…but he was sure it was a trick…

"Tails, please!"

The voice was different, but the tone it was spoken with was one he only ever heard from one person… Thus compelled by the speaker and his own curiosity, Tails opened his eyes.

The furry blue-gray thing was looking at him straight in the face, and Tails would've stumbled back had the thing not had such a good grip on him. The creature reminded him of a werewolf, with sharp fangs poking out of its mouth, sharp enough to easily tear its victims apart. However, it wasn't looking at him as if it wanted to eat him; no, its expression was completely different, of kindness…

And the emerald green eyes were the same…

"Sonic?"

The creature that claimed to be his best friend nodded sadly. "It's me…"

Tails, the brainiac chatterbox he could be at times, could not find words for several moments. How could this be? When he finally found his voice again, he could only stutter, "What happened to you?"

"It's a really long story…" Sonic muttered quietly, flopping down onto the couch tiredly, allowing Tails to get a good glimpse of his transformed brother.

He was significantly taller now, and his cobalt blue was more navy-blue. Instead of having bare tan arms and chest, he had grayish-white fur, and his skin was a tint of blue-gray. Even his socks and shoes had transformed, the latter having grown spikes out of the bottom.

"Tell me," Tails insisted, sitting down in the armchair next to him.

Sonic briefly described how the transformation had happened: during his last battle with Eggman, the evil genius had trapped him while he had been in his Super form and drained the power out of the Chaos Emeralds. He had used this power to fire an enormous laser at the planet. In doing so, he had unleashed Dark Gaia. Some of Dark Gaia's power had infused itself with Sonic.

"So you turn into this every night?" Tails asked, appalled by this revelation.

"Yeah," Sonic said, rubbing the back of his ear with a large finger.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I…" Sonic trailed off, struggling to think of an answer. "I…guess I didn't want you to see me like this, is all. Scared you'd run away. You kind of did," he chuckled a little.

"I didn't know it was you!" Tails retorted. "But besides, I wouldn't do that to you if I had known…it looked like a monster was attacking you, by the way you were ripping at your bedcovers like that." He pondered this for a moment, then added, "Why were you doing that anyway?"

Sonic shrugged. "I have no idea. Sometimes…I get so mad…and for no good reason. Maybe it's Dark Gaia inside me. Or maybe…" He yawned, "I'm just so tired I'm not thinking straight."

Tails blinked. "You've been going day and night?"

The werehog nodded.

"You could've told me. I could've helped you."

Sonic smiled sheepishly, or at least as close to sheepish as his fangs would allow. "You got me there."

Tails smiled back and walked over to the couch, wrapping his arms around Sonic's furry torso. "You're so hairy, Sonic," he commented.

"Terrible, isn't it?" Sonic chuckled somewhat ruefully.

Tails buried his face into the thick fur. "Nah. You're still Sonic."

A furry arm wrapped around Tails in a comforting gesture. "Thanks, bud."

Tails awoke to grunts of pain.

As he opened his eyes, he noticed Sonic was no longer on the couch beside him, but instead kneeling on the floor, seeming to be in distress. As the sun was coming up, spilling light into the small living room, Sonic was doubled over, covering his face as if in fear of a great power. His eyes were squeezed shut as if he never wanted to open them again, his whole body quaking.

"Sonic!" he shouted, alarms going off all over his brain all over again. What was wrong with him?

Sonic only moaned in response as the sunlight touched him. Tails took a step forward, reaching out to help him, but then Sonic's body appeared to glow with light. The light grew stronger, getting more and more powerful, blinding him for a moment. He couldn't see for a moment, needing to shield his eyes.

When he could see again, the werehog was gone.

And Sonic was back.

No more extra fur, no more claws or nasty fangs—just Sonic, the cobalt blue hedgehog he knew so well, kneeling, gasping on the living room floor.

Tails immediately went to embrace him, and Sonic, though surprised at the sudden gesture, hugged him back for a few moments.

"I'm glad you're back."