Chapter 4:

A whole new land

An image of a grey, wrinkled faced fox appeared in his mind, which possessed a grey, black, and white tail. They seemed to weave a spell on his eyes, fastening his eyes on the female fox's face. There was an expression of horror on her face, as her eyes opened up wide.

"Now I can see!" Her mouth uttered, as tension filled his heart. "Everything makes sense at long last…"

Miles began to cough, and his eyes fluttered open. He nearly gasped as he looked at the sight above him. He was on beach sand, and he heard some odd cry from an unidentifiable source in the air. He turned his head to the coastline, listening to the soft sounds of the waves crashing against the shore.

Where was he? Who was that wrinkled old vixen in his dream? What did it mean that she could now see? Was he even safe? All these questions buzzed in Tails mind as he examined the palm trees with a confused look.

Miles stood up, trying to search for a castle, for an enemy lurking within the trees. Yet there was nothing, no hushed breathing, not even a tap on the ground. The only sound Tails heard was water gently caressing the beach sand.

He walked towards the water slowly, his feet pounding on the beach sand, imprinting their shape. He slowed himself as he entered the gentle water, and then collapsed on his knees, sobbing as he covered his face with his hands.

The image of his father's face as Lorenzo's twin blades plunged into his chest came into Miles' head as the tears began to mix with the salty water. Zoran, charging furiously at his brother with his blade, Selina's voice ringing from the top of the stairs in the dungeon as he fell, the three of their voices singing in harmony—all of this came into this kitsunes mind, as he began to play everything that had ever occurred there.

Several minutes later, the fox's head was down as he began to move his feet from the water, walking back to where he started. He looked far up in the distance, hoping for just one sign of something from home, but all he saw was a volcano near the center of the island. Tails sighed heavily as the tears continued to fall down his chest, resting his body against the trunk of a palm tree. No one responded to his weeping, and occasionally he would look up anyway, hoping, just hoping he wasn't alone.

A hushed wind blew against his fur, making the fox shiver. He wrapped his arms around himself, lying against the sandy ground.

The fox uttered one last groan, before closing his eyes, hoping that it was all just a dream…

Miles opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, a grey mist enveloping him. He stood up, gazing around him with curiosity. Where was he?

"So, you are back?"A voice said within the mist. The fox looked to his left, to his right, but there was no one.

"Behind you, young one." The voice instructed him. Miles turned behind him, and there she was, the grey wrinkled vixen with three tails.

"Who are you?"Miles asked her.

The old vixen let out a groan, a sad, melodious sound that made Miles heart fill with pity. "Chosen one, I am the cursed wise-vixen of your father's kingdom. I predict the prophecies of infants as tradition dictates, yet Mother Nature has connected our minds for the moment."

"Excuse me for asking," The fox began politely. "But why are you… cursed?"

The old vixen moaned, as if letting out a great fatigue. "I am sorry, chosen one, but it has been so long, too long for me to remember."Her eyes closed for a moment, the wrinkles on her face making her seem even more ancient for a moment.

"Er… my name's Miles, not chosen one." Miles corrected her.

"Destiny says otherwise, chosen one." The cursed-vixen told him. "Do you even realize how great your future will be?"

Tails shook his head. The cursed wise-vixen's eyes began to bore into a fox for a moment, and then she groaned once more, with her sad voice that filled Miles with nostalgia.

"I am forbidden to say much more than this, chosen one. Yet you hold an important place in the world's fate. Your decisions, destructive or constructive, selfish or empathetic, will shape the entire universe."

"I'm going to be… powerful?" Miles asked, afraid and perplexed. "Oh, but I'm not cut out for something like this! I'm just an ordinary fox stuck in the middle of nowhere! You must have got the wrong fox."

"You are indeed him, but I see great tragedy on your road," The wise-vixen continued, her voice booming through the fog. "On your life's path, you will struggle against overwhelming forces, but the ones that threaten your destiny the most are the inner ones."

"What?" Miles asked, confused. "You're not making any sense."

"Listen, young one, there isn't much time left for me to speak with you!" The cursed-wised vixen pleaded, her voice rising as she continued. "You must remember, oh you must remember to never give up! What you will inevitably lose can be regained only with a…"

Miles awoke against the tree. Despair filled his heart as he realized he was still in the same place he was earlier, on the beach sand, in an unknown location, away from everything he loved.

The fox rose, sighing as he pressed a claw against the tree, drawing a symbol to help mark his location. "There's no use standing around, I guess." Miles told himself, breathing in deeply as he began to explore, stepping through a dense pack of shrubs as he contemplated his dream.

As the fox began to walk thoughtfully through the island, he failed to hear a silent step of a hunter slowly making their way toward the prey…

A/N: Much shorter, but the next five are certainly going to be lengthy. Three O.C's appear next chapter, two are not mine and are credited to Lili. Reviews appreciated, particularly for this. I need all the suggestions I can get.