Chapter 3: Reflections

March 4th, 2314 – 5:30 AM – Lissof Forest, Tneicna

Lissof Forest... Largely unpolluted by the hands of men or Freedomians, it is one of the most beautiful places on Planet Freedom. Below the high, snowy peaks of the mountains lay endless valleys of tall trees. Many of these massive trees have lives extending for decades, some even centuries. The seeming immortality of Lissof Forest has impressed many generations, and it will continue to impress many more.

Over the centuries, many people have visited the forest. They are sure that it will always be there for them. Hunters come searching for a kill to put on their family table for dinner, sure that the forest will always provide some kind of prey. Hikers often come through this area when they are thirsty, believing that the melting snow in the high mountains will produce steams for them to drink from. Writers, artists, and poets also come to the forest for inspiration, believing that the beautiful scenery will give them an idea for their next work. This forest is eternal, and so is its generosity. It could be compared to the sun, which always rises every morning and sets every evening without fail.

Speaking of the sun, it began its daily climb into the sky at this moment on this day. Slowly but surely, the warm light washed over the forest once again, awakening the creatures living there as it passed over their homes. Eventually, the light reached a small tent, which was pitched near the base of one of the massive tree trunks. Inside, a young white wolf lightly slept. As the rays of sunlight pierced through the thin walls of her tent, she slowly awoke.

Another day...another day of running.

She rose up out of her sleeping bag, still not feeling fully rested even after being in it for the last eight hours. It had been days since the last time she had gotten a good night's rest in fact, since she had been constantly having to watch her back for danger. Even the tranquility of these woods had failed to soothe her, much to her dismay.

If I don't feel safe out here, far out in the woods and far away from them, then I don't know if I'll feel safe anywhere.

She changed into her hiking clothes, and exited the tent. The wolf gazed at the dead campfire before her, which she had used to make a late supper last night. She had planned to only have a granola bar and water for breakfast today, since it would be a fast meal. That way, she could quickly get started walking towards the city of Nedlo, which was her destination for this journey.
However, being groggy from lack of sleep had changed her mind. A decent breakfast would probably help wake her up. She started gathering wood for a campfire to make breakfast over. Within several minutes, her fire was going, and she was cooking a fish she had caught in a creek yesterday. The time it took for the fish to cook gave her a little more time to rest and think.

How long have they been chasing me? Eight...nine years? This has got to end. I wish someone were traveling with me right now, someone I can lean on. Someone like my brother, I think. When we were still kids and our parents were still alive, he was always there for me. At least he was, up until that time. I would still feel so much better with him at my side, even if he did leave me behind once before.

The white wolf had come through this forest, hearing the legend that it always took care of those who came into it. While it had taken care of all her physical needs, it could do nothing to ease her fear of those people who were after her. What she had wanted the most, a feeling of safety, had not been given to her by the forest. It was rather sad that the legend hadn't proven completely true for her.

She cooked her fish over the fire for a while, before taking it off of the skillet and eating it. After finishing her breakfast, she quickly cleaned up her camp and put all of her stuff in her large hiking backpack she carried with her. Another long day of walking was ahead of her. Hopefully in a few more days though, she would be able to reach Nedlo and sleep in a bed instead of in her tent.

Every time those guys find me again, I have to abandon a place I've decided to live, and run somewhere else to get away from them again. It's very sad having to say goodbye to the people I've met where I stay. Even so, I still try to make friendships with them. One day, I wish I could find some way to put a stop to this running, and finally get a permanent place to live. Then I could truly be a part of the place where I live, instead of just someone passing through.

Finally prepared to go, the wolf began her walk to the north towards Nedlo, the capital city of Tneicna. Despite the fact they had found her everywhere she went, she hoped that this time they wouldn't find her again. It was the same hope she had every time she moved into a new city. This optimistic thinking, she thought, was what kept her going. It had gotten her this far...

---

About fifty miles away in another part of the forest, the red and silver Tornado was parked in a beautiful meadow covered with a blanket of flowers. Sonic and Tails were lying down underneath the plane's wings, trying to rest. However, it was quite difficult, with what had happened just yesterday. Tails whimpered in his sleep, probably in the middle of a nightmare about Robotnik killing his parents. Meanwhile, Sonic lay down on the ground with his eyes wide open, staring at the bottom of the Tornado's left wing and unable to sleep. He was running through his head over and over what had happened after Kyle had ordered him and Tails to run away. He was unable to stop thinking about what he had seen.

Kyle ordered Tails and me to run away so that he could fight Robotnik, and we did that. We took off towards the airport where my dad's plane, the Tornado was, so that we could escape. However, on the way there, Tails started crying and he yelled at me to turn back. At first, I was determined to get to the Tornado, but Tails' crying started to get to me. His poor dad was being killed, and we were doing nothing to stop it. Finally, I realized that I'd never forgive myself if I didn't help him, and so we both ran back to the university.

But...when we got there...it was too late. Kyle's burned corpse was lying on the pavement, in the middle of all those burning cars. Tails cried his heart out over that, and so did I. Both of his parents were dead now, just like mine. I should have ignored what Kyle said and helped him. Now, just about all of our parents are dead because of Robotnik. I feel so terrible for not running to help sooner. I hate Robotnik so much now. I need to...must...KILL HIM! I will kill him one day...I swear that I will kill him for what he has done to Tails and me!

The sun had started to come out as he finished that thought, and he rose up from lying on the ground. The sun looked so beautiful, coming up from behind the mountains in the distance like that. However, with what he was going through, Sonic hated seeing the sun like that. It looked so bright and cheerful, while he was full of misery and hate. It wasn't fair. Sonic turned away from the sun, looking in the opposite direction.

After we saw Kyle's corpse, we ran back to the airport and got in the Tornado. We knew that since Robotnik was done with our parents, he'd probably come after us next. Tails got in the cockpit and did the piloting, while I rode on the wings. I watched Kyle ride on the wings a few times for fun, so I thought I could do it too. It turned out to be less scary than I thought it would be. After we were in the air, we took a warp zone here to Tneicna, and spent the rest of the day camping out in these woods. I'm a coward hiding from Robotnik like this. I should be going out and looking for him so I can kill him!

He then took a long hard look at Tails, sleeping lightly in the grass next to him.

This poor little guy...his mother was killed right in front of his eyes, and then he saw his dad burned to death. He must be suffering a lot. Well...since Kyle did look after me when my dad was dead, I think I'll look after Tails since Kyle is dead. It's only fair that I pay back Kyle for everything he's done for me. If you're watching me right now Kyle, don't worry. I'll take care of Tails the best I can.

"Tails?" Sonic whispered, kneeling next to the twin-tailed fox. "Tails...wake up."

"Uh..." Tails mumbled, his eyes opening. He raised himself up into a sitting position. "What time is it? It's still dark."

"The sun just came out."

"That early? Mom never woke me up this early before..."

Suddenly, Tails' eyes widened, as he remembered what had happened yesterday.

"Mommy...Daddy..." Tails mumbled as he started crying again. "They can't be dead...can't be...can't..."

"I'm sorry Tails," Sonic said, sitting down next to Tails and putting an arm around his shoulder.

"I can't believe that Mom and Dad are dead. That can't happen! They're my Mom and Dad!"

"Tails, I know this is hard for you, but they did die."

"They're not dead!" Tails said as he shook himself away from Sonic. He stood up and ran away from Sonic, his teardrops pattering on the ground as he moved.

"Tails! Come back!" Sonic yelled. He took off running and caught up to Tails in a split second. He grabbed Tails, causing him to slow down.

"Let me go Sonic!" Tails screamed, struggling to break free of Sonic's grip.

"Tails...look. Your parents are dead. Not believing they're dead won't bring them back. It didn't bring my dad back when he died."

Tails turned around and looked at Sonic, tears streaming down his eyes. The example of Sonic's father Swift seemed to have gotten his attention.

"Tails, when my dad died six years ago, I was just like you," Sonic said. "I had a hard time believing that he was gone. But that didn't change anything. When I did start to believe, I began to feel better after a while. Running from the truth was a lot harder than accepting it. Please, just accept that your parents died. You'll feel better after a while."

Tails just stared at Sonic quietly, not saying anything.

Finally, he bowed his head, and said, "I understand...Mom and Dad are dead, and I can't do anything to change that. And...I'll feel better if I just wait."

"That's right. I don't think Kyle would want us to be sad forever after he died to save us."

"You're right," Tails said, wiping his tears away. "Dad wouldn't like it if I stayed sad."

He started to walk back towards the Tornado. Sonic followed him.

"But..." Tails said. "Since Mom and Dad are dead, what are we supposed to do now? Who's going to take care of us?"

"We'll have to take care of ourselves," Sonic said.

"Ourselves?" Tails said, totally shocked. "We're not old enough to do that!"

"I took care of myself loads of times when I was still living with my old dad. I'm talking about Swift, not Kyle. I think I can handle it."

"But what about me?" Tails said, pointing to himself.

"I'll take care of you."

"But you're only twelve and a half!"

"Kyle asked me to take care of you before we ran away, and that's what I'm going to do Tails. He's counting on me to take care of you."

"If Daddy believes in you... I think I believe in you too."

Sonic smiled. He remembered when he had decided to be adopted into the Prower family, because of what his dad Swift had told Kyle before Swift died.

"I'm so sorry, Sonic," he told me. "Please...can you ever forgive me? I'll do anything I can for you. I want to do it to pay back Swift for everything he's done for me. He told me with his last breath to take care of you... I'll understand if you don't forgive me. I made a lot of mistakes..."

"No, I forgive you," I said back. "You must have been really good friends with Daddy if he wanted you to take care of me. So, I forgive you then, and I'll be in your family."

Tails then asked Sonic, "So...what do we do now?"

Those words brought Sonic out of his daydream.

Sonic said, "Well...uh...I think the first thing we should do is try looking for a new home."

"Why can't we just go back to our old house?" Tails said.

"Because Robotnik will probably be looking for us there," Sonic said, with a serious tone in his voice. "He killed your parents, so he might be coming after us next."

"Oh...you're right," Tails said as he looked at the ground. "We need to find some secret place to live, where Robotnik won't find us."

"That sounds like a good idea. But where?" Sonic said. He tapped his foot on the ground, while trying to think of somewhere they could go.

"I have an idea," Tails said, smiling. "Why don't we just keep flying around the planet until we find a good place to stay?"

"That's not much of a plan, but it's better than staying in these woods for the rest of our lives."

"Yeah. Well, what do you say? Let's get going!"

"Alright!"

Sonic and Tails jumped in the Tornado. Minutes later, they were flying off into the air and into the endless skies, the possibilities of their future as endless as all of that blue. They just had to find the right place in that infinity.