Chapter 15

Curious on how Amily is holding up, Sonic and Shadow head back into the ruined village. This time they don't bother trying to hide their presence, hoping to attract Amily's attention quicker. After all, she did say that the place is basically empty of anyone except her, and they can otherwise handle a measly Imp or Goblin.

It takes several minutes before Amily appears, but when they see her, the hedgehogs marvel at how she got to them as quickly as she did. Her stomach is hugely swollen; one of her hands actually cradles underneath its rounded expanse, as if trying to hold it up. She is pants-less, evidently no longer able to fit into them. Her shirt drapes loosely, barely managing to cover the upper half of her firm orb of a belly. The belt where she hangs her blowpipe and dagger has been tied around her upper chest like a sash – between her breasts and her bulge – so she can still carry her weapons effectively.

She seems to be paying more attention to her gravid midriff than to the boys, and it's several long moments before she finally speaks. "These children will be born soon. I guess I owe you my thanks for being willing to father them." She said with a smile at Shadow.

Shadow blinked and timidly stepped forward to the one carrying his pups. He looked up at her, one hand up nervously. "M… May I?"

Amily chuckled. "Of course, Shadow. They're your children after all."

Shadow smiled warmly and gently placed both hands on Amily's bulging stomach, caressing the flesh ever so lovingly. He knelt down, his smile never leaving his face.

"Hey kids." He whispered to the pregnant belly. "I'm your daddy. I can't wait to see you." He jumped a bit when he felt a kick against his hand. Amily chuckled.

"I think they like you."

Small pinpricks of tears came to Shadow's eyes as he felt his pups kicking against his hands. He gingerly kissed Amily's stomach before looking up at her. "They're growing so fast. It's barely been a week."

Amily shrugged. "Marethians develope quicker in the womb than Mobians do, I suppose."

"Indeed." Shadow nodded, kissing his children one last time before standing up. "We're sorry to bother you, my dear, but we actually came to ask you for a favor. Though, given by your condition, I don't think it's a wise idea."

"Oh please, Shadow, she's just babysitting me." Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Babysitting?" Amily tilted her head curiously.

Shadow sighed. "In a word, yes." He looked up at her. "You see, yesterday, the eggs the sandtrap had planted in Sonic hatched. Then afterwards we went to the desert again and… he… well a Naga…"

Amily nodded, stopping him. "I see."

"He's still recovering from those events, and there's still so much left to explore. I don't want to leave him alone, so I was wondering if you could watch him?"

Amily smiled and pecked his lips. "Of course I can. I'd be more than happy to."

Shadow sighed in relief. "Thank you, Amily." He then turned to Sonic and went up to him, hugging him close. "Please behave. Don't cause any trouble and allow yourself to get better."

"I will, Shadow. I promise." Sonic nodded. "And if anything happens, I'll scream for you as loud as I can."

Shadow nodded and let him go. "Ok. I'll see later then."

"See yah, Shads." Sonic waved as Shadow gave Amily one more kiss and then left. He sighed and looked at Amily shyly. He honestly didn't know what to say.

Amily rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, don't just stand there like a clumsy oaf, let's talk." she complains, but her tone is gentle – amused even, and she clearly isn't as unhappy as her words may imply. Heavily, she sits herself down unceremoniously. "But... there are things weighing on my mind. I really could use somebody to talk to."

Sonic thought for a moment, wondering what to ask her. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and sat beside her. "I… actually would like to know a little more about you, if that's ok."

Amily looks surprised... but pleased. "I... You're really interested in hearing about me?" Sonic nodded. :Well... okay. What do you want to know?"

Sonic asked her, hesitantly, how she managed to survive the destruction of her village, and how she's stayed alive ever since.

She looks not upset, like he feared, but confused. "I haven't explained that already?" She asks. "I ran. I ran as fast as I could for my house - I ran for my hunting knife and my blowpipes. And then, my parents ordered me to run into the wilderness and hide. I didn't want to go, but I obeyed. I just ran and ran all through the night, stopping only when I was exhausted - and even then, I crawled into a hollow at the roots of a tree to hide. I slept until hunger woke me, foraged for something to eat, and then I crept back to my village. I found it ruined, and I've lived here ever since."

"Oh Chaos." Sonic blinked in surprise. He couldn't imagine something like that happening to him.

"As for day to day survival..." Amily shrugs. "I do what my mother taught me. I hunt. I forage. I managed to find and store a lot of left-behind food after I was sure the village was no longer being occupied, but that was eaten or went off years ago. I managed to scavenge a few bits of alchemical equipment from my parents' home, and from the other village alchemists - not enough to do anything complicated, but enough to build a water purifier in a hidden cove, so I could distill the lake water and make it drinkable. I also have water traps set up to catch rainwater and morning condensation. I may not be a real alchemist, but I do know what plants, animals and fungi are poisonous and I can whittle new darts for my blowpipe to use them with. I have snares set up and I check them regularly."

She grins at Sonic, mischievously. "Any more questions?"

Sonic is surprised. It sounds like she's doing better at keeping a steady supply of food and water going than they thought. But if that's the case... why did she look so thin when they first met her?