Seriously, guys.

I heard wing that Carma was holding a contest for her fanfction, The Alternate. Not exactly sure if it's still going sense it's not in any recent journal, but oh hell.

The coloring was rushed, but the anatomy is hungry for critique.

And for kicks, a side story. I didn't really add all that much effort, but I just figured... Lemme know if I got the personality right, please. :3

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“Hey there, tall, dark ‘n emo.”

“Huh?” Delta twisted his head back to see who was coming. Adrenaline was already pulsing in his veins, but it died down as he saw the slender figure of Rainjha coming from behind the growth. It was a bit of a relief, but…

“I’m not emo,” he retorted flatly.

“Sure, y’er not,” Rainjha replied sarcastically. She came up and picked up a jagged rock alone the bed of gravel lowering into a lake. “Walking off while we’re all having a good time for once in a little firecamp scene is not emo. Good cover. Now really, what’s on your mind?”

“Nothing… it’s not important.”

“Anything at this time is important. Talk. I won’t judge. Judging is for court. This ain’t a trial.”

Delta sighed heavily through his nose as the vixen waited. Would she ever leave? That girl was worse than the squirrel… “Fine…” Rainjha’s ears perked and she set the stone aside. “I’m just thinking… about this whole ordeal. I can’t believe this is an alternate universe. The world is free of Eggman’s grasp.”

“Not for long,” Rainjha put in. Delta nodded. He turned back to the lake and picked up a smooth, egglike stone. He stared at it for a while.

“Not unless we stop him… I can’t let this place turn into the one like home. And I was created to make that home worse…”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it.” Rainjha came forward to put a hand on his shoulder. The porcupine stiffened, and she guess that meant she better not leave it there. “I understand. Trust me… I understand more than you know.” The vixen backed up and strode halfway to where the others where, hands in her pockets. “In fact, you’d be surprised of the small circle there is of us.”

Rainjha paused right before she heard, “Stop.” Her head turned only a bit so her left eye was lit by a column of fallen light. It was closed, but Delta still spoke, squinting to try and get her to face him. “What do you mean…”

Rainjha grinned, and Delta hid a shiver. “Sounds more like a demand then question.” She turned to face him fully, letting the leaves silently descend on her hair and shoulders. The fox easily flicked them off, letting tension rise.

“Well,” Delta pressed.

The fox raised and waved a finger. “So pushy. No manners,” Ranjha said, and let out a flat laugh towards the side while lowering her hand to hold her waist. “Eggman here at least taught us how to act around people.”

“Quit talking in riddles and say what you mean!” Delta snarled, tightening his grip on the stone still in his hands.

Rainjha sighed as the gray rock cracked. “You say Eggman created you in your parallel world? He did so here. I’m one of the creations, and so is Mist, Alexis, Spark, Sky, and Alex. You haven’t met all of them, sense Alex died while escaping…” Rainjha’s voice fractured. “… Or sense Sky went back with Eggman but disappeared… I don’t know where Spark is now…” Rainjha held back a whimper. She knew she wasn’t related to them, sense when she saw her own statistics there was no listing of any creature she was cloned from, but they were still family.

There was a long silence. Finally Rainjha spoke up again, looking Delta hard in the eye. “ Point is. Don’t think you’re alone. The others may be clones but they are still living, breathing beings with their own thoughts and emotions. I dunno ‘bout you, but I dunno what I am. If you’re the same, don’t be afraid to admit it. I know you were created sort of like Shadow, with no pre-created DNA from a living life source.”

Delta was taken aback. “How do you know? I never told you that.”

Rainjha smirked. “Shadows have their own stories to tell. They whisper everything to you if you listen. One positive thing of this blasted thing inside me, it gives me more abilities, naturally developed or not. Observe.” Rainjha pointed to a catfish within the water. Extending her wing like only a shape-shifter could, she touched the surface barely and waited for its shadow to at least brush hers.

After a little, it did, and Delta’s eyes widened as the shadows only moved, but the extension of her wings acted like many tentacles and drew the fish’s shadow in near. It was a feat to watch, sense the real poor creature was being reeled in with nothing.

“I get it,” the porcupine blurted, breaking the fox’s concentration. Her eyes opened and she looked at him, raising a stern eyebrow at him.

“A sort of mini-miracle, isn’t it? Just like how you and I were born. God works in mysterious ways.”

Delta snorted sharply at this, turning his gaze back to where the fish had retreated from. Rainjha’s other eyebrow went up in curiosity. “ Pft. How can you say that. If there was a God, none of this bullshit would have happened.”

Rainjha flinched, but didn’t retort, though she felt like it. “You could say that. I used to think similar. ‘If God is really unconditional love, he wouldn’t let tragedies like this happen.’”

“Exactly.”

“Not.” Rainjha watched Delta toss the stone into the water. It let out a ploop before sinking instantly. “I’m no religion myself, but I do know there is a God out there. I mean, look at everything around you. Isn’t that proof enough? If you’re still thinking He’s a bad guy, think of this: I was doubting God’s love myself until discovered the devil. I hate to admit it but the devil rules the world right now.”

“Then our ruler sucks.”

Rainjha let out a snort at that. “Tell me about it,” she mumbled and rolled her eyes, then realized he was looking at her intently.

“Eggman or the devil, both the same for all I care, need to be stopped. We shouldn’t stand around swapping misfortunes, but stand around swapping invasion ideas to defeat Eggman so this world can live in peace and I can get home to overthrow the Doctor in my world.”

The fox raised a hand to scratch the back of her head. “Well sheesh touchy much I was just checkin’ to see if you were alright. Apparently so so I’m leavin’.” Rainjha swirled on the tips of her bare feet and softly trotted off.

“Hey,” Delta said, and Rainjha stopped exaggeratedly with annoyance.

“Whut?” she asked lazily.

“… Thanks… I guess.”

Rainjha grinned big at that. “Well I’ll be shit, it’s a miracle. You said thanks… we cool?”

“Cool?”

“Y’know, cool—friends.”

“… Don’t push it.”

Rainjha stuck her tongue at the porcupine, even if he wasn’t looking. “Be that way,” she said, and finally left.