Chapter 3

Come morning, the tension still remained. As Mask went about his business cooking breakfast, he patiently awaited his two patients to join him. The white lion, he wished he had gotten his name, had yet to turn in after last night's strange events, and the fox girl had remained in her room. As he chucked one last log into his wood stove to strengthen the fire as well as setting his cast iron skillet on one of the eyes, he stepped away and made his way towards the guest rooms. He stopped in front of Fiona's door, and he rapped his knuckles against the frame.

"Rise and shine, princess. Breakfast is on."

"Go away!" came a hoarse, and muffled reply.

Mask felt inclined to kick the door down, but he quickly reminded himself that the kid was recovering from injuries and needed her rest. He instead walked away from the door and back to his skillet. As he scrambled a pair of eggs, he heard the front door open, followed by the sound of tired groaning. He looked up to see Judah completely covered with leaves and broken twigs. He clearly hadn't had a good night's sleep, but that came as no surprise given last night's fiasco. He pulled up a chair at his table, and the lion promptly sat down. He seemed to be transitioning between asleep and awake, but the instant Mask set a plate of bacon and eggs before him he perked up.

"Thank you, sir!" he cheered as he gave his lips a hungry lick. He then dove snout first into his plate and began to gobble the contents ravenously. Once again, Mask withheld the urge to commit bodily harm. He had heard about lions and that they weren't very modern. Country bums, he had heard someone call them once before. He took his own seat and began to eat his own breakfast, though he did miss the sounds of that pesky woodpecker when compared to his messy houseguest. As they finished their meal, Judah leaned back, and he pat his belly in satisfaction.

"Gotta love a hot breakfast." He sighed wistfully. "Thanks for the meal, Mr Mask, sir."

Mask leaned back in his chair, and he fixed his white haired guest with an even stare.

"Not a worry, fella. However, if you'd really like to thank me, maybe you could explain just what in the cat hair that was all about last night."

Judah's satisfied expression wilted to a look of utter shame, and he sat up in his chair while twiddling his thumbs.

"That…will be a bit difficult to explain. First of all, my name is Judah. I don't think I said that before."

"You didn't." Mask confirmed.

"Ok, gotcha. As for last night, I had heard Fiona crying in her sleep, so I tried to comfort her by sleeping on the floor. A cat's put can be real soothing, ya know."

Mask cocked his head. "You snore, don't ya?"

Judah shrunk in his seat. "As I was saying, in my attempt to be helpful, I ended up making the problem worse. I figure you've gleaned from my accent that I'm from Down Unda. Have you ever heard of something called the Dreamtime?"

Mask closed one eye, and he tilted his head back as he thought hard.

"Seems like I have from somewhere. Some kind of meditation technique, right?"

"Yes, and no." Judah replied. "I don't know any easy way to explain it, so here's the brass tacks. You see, adjacent to our own, there's this alternate plane of reality. I know how that sounds, but it's the truth. When sentient beings go to sleep, their minds enter this realm, and that's how dreams come to be. With the techniques of the Dreamtime, a master can enter the dream realm without going to sleep."

"And that's what you supposedly did?" Mask asked skeptically.

"Again, yes and no." Judah replied. "You see, I'm not a master. Heck, I'm barely a beginner. However, my teacher has always told me that I had an untapped potential, so I sometimes travel, unintentionally, from my dreams to a nearby person's. In that case, Fiona's dream. I didn't mean to do it, honest. I just have so much trouble controlling it."

Mask hummed thoughtfully, and he methodically rubbed his chin as he considered the boy's story. On the one hand, he sounded completely out of his head. It just sounded too bizarre and incredible to be real. Then again, who was he to question the supernatural? He never claimed to know everything, so who knew.

"Whether I believe you or not isn't important, I guess." He finally concluded. "However, what is important is that you apparently intruded on the poor girl's privacy. If you really are sorry, then I suggest you go to her and say so to her face."

Judah flinched. He easily recalled the slap, followed by the biting cry of "freak" aimed at him. That had hurt him the most and brought back a lot of harsh memories.

"I don't think that is such a good idea." he said timidly. "She was kind of, albeit understandably, furious. Maybe it would be better if we just stayed separate."

Mask shook his head.

"Sorry, lad, but that's how it works. The two of you are stuck here for a week, and I'd much rather you resolved this matter now so as to avoid further headaches."

Judah had sunk so low in his chair by now that he was practically lying on the floor. He could tell that he wasn't going to win this argument, but that didn't make it any easier to bear. Mask got up from his chair, rounded the table, and then he helped Judah to his feet.

"Come on, son. The sooner you get it done, the sooner we can all rest easy. Like ripping off a bandage."

Judah shot the old man a mournful look, but he nodded in understanding. He started his way towards Fiona's room, but he stopped just before the door. He tossed a quick glance back towards Mask, whom had begun to clean the breakfast dishes. Feeling eyes on him, Mask turned his head, and he made a motion with his hand for Judah to go on. Judah gulped down a large lump in his throat, and then, very gently, he tapped the door with his knuckle.

"Fiona? Hey, you awake? It's me Judah."

"I said go away!" came a snappish reply, and Judah jumped back from the door. Once again, he looked to Mask for some form of support, but the old man was tuning him out and focusing on the dishes. Judah was completely alone in this venture. Taking another deep breath and summoning his courage, Judah knocked on the door once again.

"Fiona, please let me in. I'm sorry about last night, honest!"

Judah waited for a few moments, but Fiona didn't answer.

"I know that you're angry." He continued. "You have every right to be such. But, please, won't you at least let me explain myself? You owe me that much."

It was a cheap trick on his part to call in an IOU, even he knew that, but it did yield the result he had been hoping for. He could heard the sound of the bed creaking, followed by Fiona's hobbling footsteps towards the door. As the door swung open, Judah was greeted by the very angry expression of Fiona the fox. She had ditched her signature bow from the top of her head at some point, so the hair on top of her head was standing up, and her eyes were red, puffy, and supporting some hefty bags. She hadn't slept any last night, and it was clear that it was affected her already sour mood. She looked Judah squarely in the eye, and then she held up five fingers.

"Five minutes." She said. "That's all you're getting."

"All I need." Judah replied with sigh of relief.

He followed her back into the room, and, after Fiona had seated herself on her bed, Judah once again launched himself into the explanation of the Dreamtime. Whether Fiona was buying the story or not, he couldn't quite be sure. She had her arms folded across her chest, and she stared at him with an empty expression.

"It's kinda like leaving your front door open." He said in closing. "You see, if you always leave your door open, you never realize that you've walked outside until you hit a tree. That's kinda how it works for me. It was an accident, I swear."

When he finished, he watched her expectantly and prayed desperately for mercy. She had her mouth twisted to one side, and her eyes were rolled towards the ceiling. After a few, long moments of thinking, she looked at him.

"So, you can't control it."

Judah finally released his held breath, and he bobbed his head up and down.

"That's right."

Fiona sighed, and she leaned her back against the wall next to her bed.

"Then, I guess I can let it go. In truth, I may have overreacted. I shouldn't have slapped you."

"Oh, it's no big deal." Judah quickly assured her. "Given the circumstances, I probably would have reacted the same way if I had been in your shoes. So, are we cool?"

Fiona studied him carefully, and then she shrugged.

"Sure. Why not?"

Judah visibly deflated as sweet relief flowed into him. He certainly felt better now that they had cleared the air. Satisfied, he took note of Fiona's sleepy expression, and he quietly excused himself.

However, no sooner had he reached the door did he stop. He was stiff, and his face became mired with hard thought. He hummed a wistful tune, and he he debated on whether or not to go through with what he had in mind. At last, he heaved a groan.

"No, I can't do it. I can't walk away from this!"

Fiona bolted upright, and she shot the lion a quizzical stare.

"Walk away from what, exactly?"

Judah turned back to face her, and she was surprised to see that he now wore a very critical expression. He rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling, and he took a deep breath before letting it out again.

"I am sorry for upsetting you." He said. "I meant that. But, while wholly unintended, I can't say that I'm sorry for entering your dream."

Fiona's eyes suddenly blazed with outrage, and she bolted back to her feet, biting back the pain in her ankle.

"Excuse me?"

Judah stood tall and straight. He wouldn't back now, not with what was at stake.

"I said what I said, and I meant what I said. I hate to be a pain, Fiona, but I simply can't ignore what's going on in that pretty little head of yours. Good grief, I can't recall the last time I had seen that many Nightmarens in one person's Nightopia."

Fiona quirked a brow at that.

"Night-what-ens? Night-where?"

"Never mind." Judah said curtly. "The long and short of it is that it was very dark in there. Fear, sorrow, rage, and…well, I'm not certain what that last one was. Regret, perhaps? How have you been able to sleep at all like that? I may only be an apprentice, but as a student of the Dreamtime I just can't ignore this."

Fiona's face became flushed with outrage, and she stuck her face into Judah's.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion on my sleeping habits, and quite frankly it's all none of your business. I was about to let you off the hook before, so beat it before I change my mind."

Judah remained firm in his gait, and he matched Fiona's gaze as the intensity of the moment grew.

"I'm not going anywhere. It isn't just a matter of I won't. I just can't. You may not believe me, but I know what you're going through. If you just keep those feelings bottle up, they'll just destroy you. Trust me, I've seen it happen."

That was the last straw. Fiona shoved the lion hard and knocked him to the floor.

"YOU DON'T KNOW JACK ABOUT ME, YOU LITTLE TWERP!" she roared angrily. "JUST BECAUSE YOU SAVED MY LIFE DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE ANY SWAY OVER HOW I LIVE MY LIFE! YOU PRANCE AROUND LIKE SOME STUPID HIPPY KING WITH YOUR LIFE SO FULL OF DAISIES AND DAFFODILS, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT LIFE IS REALLY LIKE! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO LOSE EVERYTHING YOU'VE KNOWN! EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER LOVED! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT'S LIKE! ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA!"

"My parents died when I was a cub."

It was like Fiona had been doused with ice water. She froze stiff, and she stared down at Judah. He was now sitting cross legged, and his face retained its stalwart expression.

"They were afflicted with some sort of sickness going on in my village." He went on, his tone never rising a single octave. "I was sick, too. The truth is, if they had of left me be and tended to themselves, they would still be here to this day."

Fiona bit her lower lip. Her anger had cooled significantly, and she wasn't quite sure how to respond. Heck, did she really have a right to respond after that little outburst? Judah struggled back to his feet, and once again he was looking Fiona in the eye.

"I understand that you've had it rough." He said. "It may not seem like it, but I do know how you feel. Survivor's remorse, Mentor called it I think, but you've got it worse than I ever did. You're right when you say I know nothing about you, so, please, just tell me. Let me help you."

Fiona remained silent, and she eyed Judah carefully.

"You sure you wanna know? You seem like a nice fella. I've done things that I'm sure you wouldn't approve of."

Judah pushed himself up, walked past her, and took a seat on the bed, patting a spot next to himself.

"Try me."

Fiona took the bait, and she sat down next to him. She took a deep breathe, and then she let it all out. She started with her childhood and what few happy memories she could recall with her mother, the only parent Fiona recalled having. Then came Robotnik's invasion, and Judah's shock didn't surprise her. Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to know what a robot was, so she dropped the whole deal about the robotisizor and went straight to her imprisonment. Being reminded of her old cell still sent shivers down Fiona's spine, though it was comforting to see a look of sympathy on Judah's face.

"So that's what you were dreaming about last night." Judah observed.

Fiona nodded, and then she continued her tale. She spoke of her escape, and then explained her brief stint as a treasure hunter. To Fiona's surprise, she didn't have as many memories of those days as she thought. There were the betrayals, though. The many times her innocence and naivety had been used against her so that those stronger than her could get ahead. That had perhaps hardened her heart worse than anything, she supposed.

Then came the big one: her joining of the freedom fighters. To better explain the setting, she gave Judah a brief overview of the freedom fighters history and their key members. To no one's surprise, Judah became immediately became infatuated by the stories of the great Sonic the hedgehog and his heroic deed. Therefore, it was even less shocking how disappointed and ashamed he looked when she betrayed them, though he said nothing for or against her reasoning. However, when she mentioned her involvement with the near resurrection of Enerjak, he became angry. Apparently, that name was known amongst even his kin, and it wasn't any more revered by then than it was by Knuckles the Echidna.

She was afraid of how he would react further now that he knew, but she decided to push forward regardless. She switched over to her living in Moebius with Scourge and meeting the Suppression Squad. Inevitably, she came to the failed invasion and Scourge's fall. To his credit, Judah didn't say or do anything to insinuate he was disgusted further, but there was a small wellspring of tension slowly bubbling between them now. So she hurriedly glossed over the final parts, barely mentioning her team up with the Fearsome Foursome, the Zone Patrol prison, escape, and ultimately Scourge dumping her and leaving her to fend for herself.

As she drew to a close, she fell silent and awaited Judah's judgement. The lion had closed his eyes and his face was still, though his nostrils flared every time he breathed out. He got up from the bed, and he began to pace across the floor in front of her. After what felt like hours, he stopped in front of her and looked up.

"Are you sorry?"

She cocked her head.

"Huh?"

"I can't deny that you weren't right about doing some terrible things. I just want to know if you're sorry about any of it."

Fiona lowered her head, and she searched herself for the answer. Did she have regrets? Of course she did. You don't go through life like she had and not pick up a few grievances along the way. However, were there any experience committed by her hand that she was genuinely repentant of?

"There are some things I wish I hadn't done." She finally admitted. "I had no idea what was going on with Enerjak, and, now that I've had time to really think about it, I was nothing but a plaything for Scourge."

Her eyes snapped upward.

"But I can't say that I'm sorry about leaving the Freedom Fighters like I did. I wish I hadn't slapped Tails, the kid didn't deserve that, but Sonic and Sally had it coming."

She paused, and then she lowered her head again.

"Or, at least, that's what I keep telling myself. The truth is, that hatred is the only thing that's kept me going. I just wanted so badly for them to know suffering like I had, and to make them sorry for never looking for me. I know how that sounds, but it's the way I feel. It's all I've really ever had."

Judah hummed at this and scratched at his chin. It was a lot to process all at once, but he had asked for it. He took a few moments to ponder Fiona's words very carefully, and he sorted through his feelings. At last, he came to a conclusion.

"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me."

When she gave him a quizzical stare, he continued.

"I said what I said, and I meant what I said." Judah repeated, his tone being more sing song and jocular this time around. "I can't say that I approve of some of the things you've done, Fiona, and, whether you like to hear it or not, you've done a lot of wrong things for the wrong reasons. However, not only have you admitted to such, but you've also admitted to being sorry for at least a big part of it. That tells me that you have the potential to be a good person, and I want to help nurture that."

"That makes two of us."

Judah whirled about, and now he and Fiona could see Mask standing in the doorway.

"Sorry for the jump scare." He apologized. "I heard screaming, and I came to investigate. I heard your whole story, missy, and I think that's the most I've cried in a long time."

Judah cracked a smile at that.

"I never pegged a tough guy like you to be like that."

Mask shrugged.

"What can I say? Even old boot leather can be worn away under the right conditions."

He walked into the room, and he took a position next to Judah.

"However, lad, I think you're being a bit too forward. A person can only be helped if they wanna be helped or think they need help."

He looked to Fiona.

"So how about it, Missy. I'm sure there's more you didn't really tell, but that's fine. It's your life, and your free to live it the way you want. Six more days and that cast comes off, and you're free to leave. But, in the meantime, this kid really cares about you, and, if I'm being truthful, I've taken a bit of an interest in you myself. It all up to you, but our help is yours if you want it."

Fiona was completely beside herself. She kept looking from Mask's face to Judah's, and she looked desperately for the usual signs. It had to be a trap, it just had to be. Why else would they want to help someone like her? Maybe the Zone Cops has already been through here and dropped her name to the locals. Or maybe they were new recruits for the Freedom Fighters, and Sally had put in a warrant for her arrest. Or maybe they worked for Mammoth Mogul. He had claimed to of gone straight, but that seldom meant anything these days.

However, the more she looked, the less she could deny what was clearly before her. No, it wasn't a trap. These two…she couldn't even think of a proper insult for them, but it seemed like they genuinely wanted to help her. Did she even need help, or, perhaps more accurately, did she deserve help? She still had the Zone patrol on her six, and they would no doubt be accused of harboring a fugitive if they caught up. Surely they understood that, and yet they still offered. Her mind began to race as she tried to think of anything these two might of wanted out of her. Nobody did anything for nothing; that's what life had taught her. However, the truth was that she had nothing to give in return, and she had revealed as much with her story. So, that couldn't be it. Ergo, in spite of her background, the lack of a reward, and the disgust shown towards her past misdeeds, they still wanted to help her. It was just…she just couldn't fathom as to why.

Just then, Fiona felt something rolling down her cheek. She gingerly tagged a hand to her face m, and she felt a streak of wet fur. A moment later, a more streaks became to form, and the realization hit her like a truck. She was crying! It wasn't like the night before, no. Her emotions had been centered solely on anger and outrage then. This…this was different. Her feelings were all over the place, and she found herself with no way how to interpret them. It made her feel small and weak, and she hated it. She quickly rubbed a hand over her eyes, and then she looked back to the two men before her.

"Alright." She said, though she couldn't hide the crack in her voice. "I'll play your stupid little game. But as soon as this cast is gone, I'm leaving. You got that?"

Both Mask and Judah nodded in unison.

"That's all we ask." The old man said.

With that said, both Mask and Judah stepped out of the room to give Fiona a moment alone with her thoughts. As Judah closed the door behind him, Mask plopped down in his easy chair.

"Oh, boy. This is more excitement than I've been used to, lately."

Judah grinned at him and nodded.

"Certainly wasn't what I was expecting when I found her in the forest the other day. By the way, thanks for stepping in. I don't know if she'll ever say it, but I think Fiona really appreciates what all you've done."

Mask shrugged, and he straightened himself up in his seat.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker when it comes to lost causes. If I can help that poor thing through a rough patch, well, I can go to the grave with a small hint of dignity I guess."

Judah laughed at that.

"That's a bit of a morbid outlook, but your heart is in the right place."

He looked back towards the door of Fiona's room, and he breathed a deep sigh. If he could make a difference in the poor girl's life he couldn't really say. But that wasn't gonna stop him from trying. It was like his father had always taught him him.

"No length is too great when it comes to making friends."