Rooster

Rooster is an anthropomorphic chicken, and an Apterix rancher from the Mobian Prairie. He rears herds of Apterix, which he drives to the Metropolis Zone where he can sell them for meat. This makes him a rival of Boss Krouch, the mayor of Backwater City, who is in the same business. He rides a green pterodactyl, as does each of the other men that work for him. He speaks in a John Wayne-style drawl.

Rooster is an honourable chicken, and unwilling to jump to conclusions about anyone. Sonic the Comic #90 identifies him as "the Good" that is referred to in the title of the story in which he appears: "The Good, the Bad and the Echidna".

History
Realising that Apterix meat was an expanding market in Metropolis City, Rooster decided to enter the business of herding Apterix. This put him in competition with Boss Krouch, who until then was the only supplier. Krouch hired a black-furred rabbit named Chito to kill Rooster. Chito joined one of Rooster's Apterix drives to Metropolis, and secretly caused a stampede while Rooster was in the middle of the herd. Nevertheless, Rooster managed to find cover just in time and survived.

In order to allay suspicion, Chito immediately accused Knuckles the Echidna (who had been caught in the stampede as well) of causing the stampede. He and another driver, a dingo, tied Knuckles up with a lasso and, despite Rooster's objections that there was no proof, knocked him unconscious with an electrified prod. Nevertheless, Rooster agreed to take Knuckles to Backwater City, where the Sheriff could decide what to do with him. He and Chito flew with the captured Knuckles to Backwater, while the rest of his men continued driving the Apterix to Metropolis.

Trivia
Rooster is modelled on and named after the character Rooster Cogburn from the films True Grit and Rooster Cogburn. In the films, Cogburn was played by John Wayne, who won his only Oscar for the portrayal. Both characters wear eyepatches, although the STC Rooster wears his eyepatch on the right whereas Rooster Cogburn wears his eyepatch on the left.