If Sonic Could Do It

I had half expected Lobo to chaperone Lyco from the clinic where she had been treated for her stun-baton related burns, but it seemed he was more interested in discussing with some of the builders. By the time I returned home with Lyco in tow, she had loosened enough to make idle conversation but had tensed back up upon hearing the rustling of paper.

"Is this a test?" Lyco asked nervously.

"Just an interview," I replied, "I'd like to know more about your society and culture," I explained with a note of professionalism.

"Oh, ok."

"Did you go to school?" I asked.

"Yes, I apprenticed under an elder," Lyco answered, watching warily as I made a note.

I looked back up from my notepad and asked another question, "Until what age?"

"Sixteen," she replied.

The interview continued in that vein for some time, until Lyco was actually holding a conversation rather than answering questions by rote. She described a life on the move: scavenging by night and finding shelter by day. She was astounded by Knothole's living standards. Although she expressed the opinion that we were entirely too reliant upon the surfeit of technology on display.

"Could Lobo find a suitable replacement?" I asked.

Lyco shook her head. "No one," she replied as sunk into her chair slightly. "Lobo has been our leader since the crisis began and is really the only one holding everything together." She answered hesitatingly. "He's not a nice person, but he says it's okay if we say that because he knows it's true."

I moved on to other topics even though there were more depths I wanted to plumb. Lobo having no successor made him eminently important to his displaced people, but it also presented a single point of failure. Lyco wasn't able to shed more light on the topic since she didn't know all that much about the pack's internal politics. That meant turning to his supposed purpose of this interview, which was to smooth cultural differences.

"Lobo intimated that I would treat the Pack badly. Why would he think that?" I asked apprehensively, though I hid that as best I could.

Lyco sat up straight and replied, "It's caution," she reasoned.

"Why? I understand if you're suspicious, but thus far we've thrown open our doors and opened our metaphorical purse strings and gotten nothing save for a chilly reception." I asked.

"I didn't mean anything by it." She replied nervously. "The elders, they have so much wisdom, that they must be right, aren't they? I mean I guess it's okay to experiment when things are safer. If you get hurt it's not so bad, but now that just doesn't work."

"Hmm, I must say, you've been a splendid conversation partner," I said as I put away my notes. "I can assure you that so long as I'm in charge you'll be treated the same as any other Freedom Fighter," I assured her.

"I just want to know one thing," Lyco asked.

"Yes?"

"Is this the end?" She asked with a waver in her voice.

I paused for a moment before answering, "Uh, no. I mean, I've gotten the basics down, but I still want to know about —"

"I mean, is this the end of… of the world?" Lyco's voice squeaked. She turned her head to face me and her eyes were very wide and moist.

I lowered the pen and cautiously rested my hands on my hips. "What are you're talking about?" I asked.

The wolf winced. "Well, it's just, I mean, the elders say that in the time of King Acorn we lived in paradise." She replied.

"Uh huh, that's one way of putting it but—" I began to remark.

"But King Acorn disappeared and a usurper took over forcing everyone to flee," Lyco said.

"Uh huh," I replied; I was beginning to get a bit annoyed at being told something I already knew.

"And a lot of people say that, someday, at the end of the world, an acorn will return to lead all the good Mobians back to Paradise." She stated.

The pen slipped out of my hand.

Lyco squeezed her eyes shut, but tears seeped from between her eyelids. She threw herself on the ground and wrapped her arms around my legs as if I were some kind of messiah, and cried, "I'm sorry if I've been bad! Please don't send me to Tartarus!" Lyco pleaded through her tears.

After blinking several times in bewilderment, I tried to step backwards, but Lyco's forearms were still around my ankles, so I tumbled to the floor. Lyco, apparently realizing she'd tripped the prophesied chosen one, put her hand to her mouth and, with an expression of terror on her face, released a strangled, high-pitched squeal.

Crawling backwards, I regained my feet and stepped outside of my home. I placed my hands on a wall, pounded my forehead against its rough surface. "I can't do it, Rosie," I murmured. "I thought maybe I could handle being their tribal folk hero, but I definitely can't handle this."

I heard footsteps tread behind me and back spun around. "Look, Lyco—"

"Heh, you're back," Sonic said and it took nearly all my self-control not to shriek with shock as he watched with a hesitant, apologetic smile. I was equal parts thrilled, relieved and angry. I wanted to embrace him, pull him close, and yet at the same time push him away, but being so confused myself, I could think of only one thing to say.

"It's you"

He moved to intercept, placing a gloved hand upon my shoulder, "Sal, stay. Let me take Pinkie back and-"

"Lyco." I corrected.

"Righto, just let me send her skedaddling along to her folks." he entreated, gripping me lightly, sending bolts of exhilaration arching through my spine.

"No," I said instantaneously. "Let me return Lyco to her people. Stay here. Don't leave again." I said in the most aggravated tone I could muster, but the speedster only smiled.

"What's wrong?" Lupe asked. "Lyco is out here crying."

"Lupe-" upon realizing that my voice sounded too shrill I paused and gathered myself, and then asked in a harsh whisper, "What exactly do you think of me?"

Lupe sighed and replied. "Oh, dear. Well—I'm sorry about this—the stories say that, under the benevolent reign of King Acorn, we lived in Paradise." She raised a hand to her breast. "Personally, I took the tales as being metaphorical. You know, just letting the younger members of the Pack know there was a time before Robotnik-" She began to elaborate.

"And what's this about me taking Mobians back there?" I asked.

Lupe laughed. "Back there? Oh, no, no. That's not it at all. The legend says that, at the end of the world, an Acorn will return to slay the usurper. Then a new Paradise will descend from the sky." The clinic was silent for almost half a minute as I stared. Lupe coughed gently and added, "I, uh, assume that's metaphorical, too." She mentioned.

"Look, I don't know if you realise this, but I definitely can't bring some city or building or whatever down out of heaven," I said.

"Well, yes. There's that, and I don't think we need to let present events get in the way of a good theory."

"I can't do this. I absolutely cannot be your . . ." I trailed off and threw up my hands up.

Lupe waved a dismissive hand in the air. "These are obviously old wives tales. Clearly, you're not quite the powerful being the stories make you out to be." She commented.

Running my tongue across my teeth to decide whether that was an insult or not, I realized my mouth was very dry. "The problem is that you've got it all wrong. I'm not some big hero, and if Robotnik really does find us, we're screwed." I explained.

Lupe nodded. "I just thought of the same thing, actually…"

I lollygagged on the way back. Yes, I may have felt conflicted, violated, angry and betrayed, yet I was equally relieved to have him back, but I had to demonstrate my displeasure because while Sonic may have been my mate, he, like everyone else, was also my child. As expected, when I returned home he was gone. I cursed myself for leaving him alone, but looking closely into the nook of my tree I found a stack of three or four TV Guides wrapped in twine. The years had not been kind to them, they had pages missing and were probably held together by some combination of spit, glue and prayer.

"Bunnie always said ya liked books and were complained how ya had ta read the ones ya had all over again. Even the ones you didn't like" Sonic said, popping into my eye-line again.

"I…I suppose that's sweet, thank you," I remarked.

Sonic pressed his hand against my bosom where my ram induced injuries still throbbed painfully. He lifted up the hair at the side of my head which was still sore and tender on the side of the head. "Man, Ari didn't numbuh on you didn't he," he said with a loud huff. "It's war now. Things are different, and I've accepted that you … kill people." His voice cracked ever so slightly with that last note.

I took a step forward, and he skittered backwards. My eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you're okay with all of this?" I asked.

Sonic opened his mouth but shut it again. He scowled and rubbed his chin. "I told ya: I understand. Maybe you can't accept it, but you're still our Sal." He replied. His face took on a pained expression, as though he feared how I would react. "Sal is a killer. I can accept that. We all did." He said in a reassuring tone.

Sensing my visible discordance, he pulled out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back, some of which I knew grew nowhere near our home. He leaned in, tangling them artlessly through my hair. Most tumbled down my shoulders and onto the ground, but one managed to stay interwoven within strands of hair. He kissed and at once, those familiar uncomfortable flutters returned in strength. Eventually, I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away gently. He lifted my face so his eyes were parallel to mine "Do you like em, my very special chipmunk gal?" He asked in a gentle voice.

"Yes, Sonic. I like them." I smiled as I replied.

"But these aren't your only gifts. There's more" he said.

"It's all right, you don't need to—"

"It's for you c'mon," he gingerly squeezed my shoulder, "I'll show you."

"Just where is it?" I protested.

"Hop on!" he offered, spreading his arms wide. I was getting angrier, the best gift he could give me would be to tell me what had made him so upset. He was being evasive, buttering me up the same way a dog would with chewed up newspapers, but what could I do? He had me wrapped around his finger.

He ran along tirelessly with me in tow. He pinned, kissed me and nuzzled me. I knew we were getting farther and farther away from my people, but paradoxically, the further we travelled, the less it felt apprehensive and more relieving. All was right in the world, and he still loved me. Eventually, he came to a stop by the 'Ring Pool' and pushed back a set of tall grass to reveal a small figurine.

"My doll?" I remarked in surprise. There it was, restored in almost pristine condition. The wood was so smooth and polished it that almost glowed in the fading sunlight; every joint and limb properly pegged and screwed in place. A faint flocking of hazelnut fibres now covered the figure in a soft fuzz that resembled genuine fur. Bright, gaily shining paint had been applied to make the doll's eyes and lips look startlingly real. The dress now blazed every bit as white as the full moon, silver and gold thread weaved in its fabric like meandering streams, looking as misty and gleaming as moonlight woven into gossamer. It was truly a work of art.

"Oh…sweet bilberries, how did you…?"

He kept silent as he handed the doll over carefully, lightly clasping my digits around the restored relic and gazing at me meaningfully. He explained how he'd taken the toy to Amy without explaining who it was for and asked her to repair the wooden figure. He elaborated on how he searched for just the right material to approximate the feel and colour of my fur. I took the doll and clutched it close to my chest, and his olive-green eyes looked genuinely surprised as I started tearing up from gratitude and joy.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

I almost moaned when I replied, "Yes."

I almost submitted to the rampaging desire, the longing unfulfilled, but then I recognized an opportunity, and I made a hasty, messy plan. "I want to face you, Sonic," I said, breath caught in my chest from anticipation. "Sit," he obeyed and I shimmied onto him, realizing how much I missed him, how badly I needed him. I pulled myself as close to him as I could, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, resting my cheek against his.

Then I attacked. "Why did you leave?" I pushed myself back, still too close to him to be entirely lucid, but far enough away to make my point. "No more of this until you tell me what happened. You left me, you hurt me, and yes, I was mad but more than any other perfect gift you have for me. I want you to tell me what's bothering you." He broke eye contact. He was pinned, literally and figuratively. It had taken hundreds of miles to entrap him, but he couldn't avoid me now. "Tell me, Sonic," I demanded.

"It's about Uncle Chuck" he began. "You know how he's in Robotropolis, living under fatso's nose, and that he said Robotnik's going through the city tearing the place apart looking for something … but whatever it is, it's beyond his ability to crack." He replied.

Oh no. I should have foreseen this.

My hand went up and lightly clasped around my throat. The frantic hedgehog stamped his feet "It's dangerous for him, but he insists in trying to figure out Lardnik's angle, and ya know how stubborn he gets. We've gotta get him out before Robuttnik finds him and ya know Rotor will need all the help he can get on the deroboticizer thingy. Sides, how's Robuttnik supposed ta know he's got one bot less in his crummy city anyhow?" Sonic explained.

"If we went ahead now," I cautioned, feeling my heart leap into my chest "If we pulled out all the stops and extricated your Uncle we'll put lives at risk. Robotnik will get an inkling on the source of his leaks-"

"We won't risk anyone's lives," Sonic claimed. "We've got that Roboticizer, Sal, use it on me after we get rid of the whole robo slave thingy. Then, I'll trout that ole egghead." Noting my shocked expression, he lightly clasped my hands and looked me straight in the eye. "If it works, then we can save everyone."

"No," I said firmly.

"Why?" he asked simply.

I nodded and tried to judge how hard it would be to talk Sonic out of it. Yes, there was not a trace of hostility or ulterior motive. So, I opted for honesty and an emotional appeal. "He'll be suspicious of any robot now, including Robians" I started listing the reasons one-by-one, feeling my stomach churn with each additional finger. "Do you accept the risks poised, that you might not make it back?" I asked.

"Every day," he said confidently.

"Do you accept the risk that the roboticization might be irreversible?" I asked.

"I think if Uncle Chuck could, I could," he replied with a hint of hesitation.

"Your friends and I will be understanding of your decision, but once you do this, nothing will ever be the same. Like it or not, you might become a pariah to the community, the first Mobian to willingly step into a Roboticizer, and even if we turn you back you won't be capable of having a normal life."

"Sal, when exactly have any of us been normal? All I'm asking for is the chance to try," he offered.

"We only get one shot at this. The slightest slip-up in our repurposing and Robotnik will get what he has always craved, a chaos wielding adept utterly enslaved to his will and -" I began to say.

"If that happens, you can stop me," he said solemnly. "I know you can. I trust you."

I gritted my teeth together "I thank you very much for your commitment, but if we messed up, then Robotnik will suspect we've subverted a Robian's programming to spy on him. He'll leave nothing to chance. You know what he'll do to the other helpless Robians we won't be able to rescue. I can't give you my blessing on this," I stated.

"Please, Sal. I don't understand," he protested.

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

Sonic nodded determinate. "Yes, Sal I trust you"

"Then, trust me to do everything I can to save your Uncle."

Sonic was quiet for a while, "I think" he began. "I don't really know you, all of you like I only know maybe your hair, or that little tuft of your tail, or-"

"You know my heart, Sonic. That's all that matters." I whispered. As I observed his downcast expression, a flare of grief and exhaustion washed over me and I knew just what to do "I don't want you to be sad, Sonic. If it makes you happy, go be with another. Whatever imagined obligation you think you owe me? Well, it doesn't exist anymore. Go," I urged. "Be with someone who you're not separated from by a canyon of intellectual difference - if that's what you want."

I was afraid to make eye contact, afraid to see consent when I offered his heart's desire, but when I did look at him, he looked troubled. "I've noticed things, things that really upset me," he said.

"Like what?" I demanded.

"You don't wanna trust anyone," he said. "I wanna be an outlet and, well, I mucked up that first time around, but now, you're acting like you want to be all alone."

"Do you think sympathetic nodding and compassion is going to make me open up?" I said, in a resigned tone. "You're right, I'm all alone. My people are short-sighted and foolish. I've no one to identify with. Please stop pretending you can relate to me," I said.

"Yeah, you're right. I haveta pretend. Because ya don't wanna give me enough ta work with." Sonic remarked.

"So, do you think being my confidant, that's what I need?" I asked.

"I think it'll help." He replied simply.

I sat back down hard, but I didn't demand that he leave and I didn't revoke his permission to touch my possessions. Nonetheless, I ripped my hand from him and turned to sob to myself. "I was not anomalous," I said through my tears. "It's a lie. It was all impossible without it. It did it all. I'm a pawn, just like Dad, just like so many."

He let me sob for a while till he found the courage to ask "Whatcha 'it'?"

"The 'Source of All'" I said, turning up towards him. "It's all it. The newer rescuees. They ask me why we never went back to save anyone else back then when we were kids? I told them it was impossible. The coup was a masterstroke and it was only through providence that we got away at all. I've posited and come to believe we only made it through the help of a higher power. An omniscient entity who deigns to intrude upon our pathetic existence as it pleases." Sonic rubbed my shoulder with his palm. I felt empty, horrible for bringing all these toxic thoughts and conclusions to the surface. "Amy's like me you know," I finally said. "The Source of All changed her. Maybe it changed us all too."

"Why this Source sounds like a pretty big a-hole," he said at last.

My sniffles turned to guffaws and I reeled from the polarity. "It won't help us in its cosmic game. Our success or failure is all incidental, we're just a sacrificial bishop or rook, so it discarded us," I said with a maudlin tone.

"Yeesh, don't go blowin a gasket on me. This is heavy stuff," Sonic sighed. "But I can't believe ya think others do the work ya do, yourself," he mentioned.

"I've done good things," I said. "I've made a difference, but fixing the future is such a huge undertaking. Can you imagine fixing all the damage Robotnik has wrought? I just can't. Not when everything that`s been fixed so far has been due to someone else's intervention," I said; fingering the doll.

"Nuh-uh, Sal. There're so many different ways that that's not true. It'll make your head spin." Sonic reassured me.

"Go ahead, try me." I challenged

"Fine," Sonic said rolling back his imaginary sleeves "Did some crummy indoor pool make you realize Buttnik was up to no good as a kid? Did some puddle ask you to rescue Pocahontas and friends? Did it give you this handsome mug to look at? Is some mumbo-jumbo really responsible for everything you did? If you're gonna keep believing in some kinda philosophical crud moi can't stop you, but I'm not gonna let ya say you're some kinda puppet. You're not alone Sal, never." He rolled toward me and scooped me into his arms before saying. "Now, I know ya gotta big speech planned, but first we'll need at making a little pit stop. Muh little buddy's missing his aunt."

"In just a minute Sonic", I said as I got to my feet and ascended the tall oak, doll tucked neatly into my boot. I returned the doll to its proper place and felt the rough bark scrape my knees as I slid down to the soft foliage below "You'll always be my hero, Sonic the Hedgehog," I whispered, toy train engine in hand.

That night`s bedtime story schedule was "Jack the Giant-Killer," though I wondered if that was too exciting. Indeed, as I read, Tails squirmed before he settled down beneath his warm quilted blanket and blinked his wide eyes. Upon finishing, I sang a lullaby. Sometimes Sally would sing songs her mother once sang. Other times, she made up a new song, as I did so tonight.

"Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to go to bed.

Drifting off to sleep, leave the exciting day behind you.

Drifting off to sleep, Let the joy of dreamland find you.

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now, quiet now,

It's time to go to bed."

As I sang, I turned off the lamps, blew out the candles, set the toy train by Tails' bedside table and pulled the blinds. By the time I finished, it was dark and Tails had slipped into a deep slumber. Yes, this, here and now was everything I wanted, but the moment quickly faded when a loud rap rang out on the door.

Tails sat up and rubbed his eyes with his good hand, "Aunt Sally?"

"Shush. Go back to sleep, Tails." I kissed him square on the forehead and tiptoed out, closing the door behind me as quietly as I could. The sky overhead was a rich purple, already dotted with stars, and an evening breeze wafted across the placid meadow, bringing with it the scent of flowers.

The coyote standing before me nervously tugged at his collar "Eet's time."

There was some muted discussion whether the meeting would be made open to the public, but it was so late in the day that only the most ardent followers of politics would be interested.

Every so often, a fresh set of sheets were hand-couriered over and Rotor was the person responsible for scanning and interpreting the sheets where NICOLE required clarification, but this occurred progressively less as she gradually adapted to Snively's handwriting. It seemed Sonic and I wasn`t the only ones running late, as Bunnie bore in her arms handwritten manuals for the proper care and upkeep of the small communal gardens along with a list of her potential successors.

"Ah shoot, forgot to mention this, but fer the ladyfinger seeds ya gotta put em out in water. The good ones meant fer planting sink to the bottom. Ah don't know really why. But it's not like mah folks could explain it either because they just bought the seeds from the store like everyone else." Bunnie said to me.

"No need to apologize, Bunnie." I interrupted. "If not for you we would probably be running short on food," I noted as I flipped through her notes. The first hour of our meeting considered the pros and cons of her potential successors, but all discussions stopped when NICOLE finished scanning Snively's notes.

"Now that everyone's here we'll take the revote after going over the details of the plan," I announced to the discussion members.

"I would like tah say somethin first. Mah ma used to luv hummingbirds. She hung a bird feeder filled with sugar water by her window so she could watch em. But one day she had to go on a trip. So, she asked cousin to keep em filled. Well, cousin was a good and proper lady and when she found out the solutions were filled with sugah, she replaced it with the artificial stuff, NutraSweet. The hummingbirds who burnt thousands of calories flapping their wings ate and ate… And starved to death with their bellies full to bursting." Bunnie coughed.

"So, mah point is, yeah cousins an idiot, but also ah had a good long think and ah decided to change mah vote. Before we started all this, ah wanted to jus be a hairdresser, but now we're playing for bigger stakes now and ah can't rightfully give this up." Bunnie said.

"Thank you Bunnie," I whispered under my breath.

Bunnie shot me the 'Don't screw this up' look as she leaned back to recover. 'I won't' I mouthed back.

"Look, we've been over this. You're asking the impossible. The moment Robotnik suspects any threats to his personage he'll just lift-off and vaporize us from an unassailable position." Rotor cautioned.

"I'm well aware of that, but look, Robotnik's at his military apogee. Sir Charles might not have all the details but what we do know is that the Death Egg will be rushed over to Robotropolis at a nominal operational status. It'll be kept berthed to Command Central to facilitate its transition into Robotnik's new mobile command centre." I elaborated.

"He might think our attack is real or a feint, but as Rotor says, regardless of what he suspects, he'll lift off and pick us off at leisure. What he won't suspect is our attack to be covering the fact that we'll already be on board." The others crowded around with piqued curiosities. "Once we overcome the garrison: the Death Egg, Robotnik, his command centre, the keys to his empire. Ours for the taking." I explained.

"That sounds like the kinda thing sugah hog might suggest, so crazy it jus might work." Bunnie gasped.

"The diversionary attack will need to be bigger than what we can muster at the moment. We'll need to reach out to other Freedom Fighting groups." I said.

"We don't do that." Geoffrey protested.

"Wait, whose side are you actually on?" Rotor inquired. "Isn't this what you've been talking about, expanding our numbers?"

"I am not on any ... side, merely pointing out that expansion may not be automatically beneficial. A bigger team will introduce new unknowns and variables. It'll be like handling an entirely new beast, different tactics and stratagems are required." Geoffrey explained.

"If we intend to expand," I began, "picking up any random ad-hoc groups isn't the way to go. As Geoffrey suggests, they'll have different agendas and goals from our own, but whatever we decide we had best do it fast. What's a known quantity is the fact that Robotnik has secluded himself in Command Central and is systemically conducting a remote inspection each of his main manufacturing hubs for any vulnerabilities his nephew's capture may have induced. Sir Charles workplace would be subject to 'loyalty testing' approximately two months from now and barring other development we should work with this."

"Isn't that rather arbitrary, Sally?" Geoffrey asked

"That's my Uncle, stink-breath," Sonic protested.

"Look I'm working with known variables here, alright. I needn't remind you of the consequences if Robotnik figured out who our actual mole within his operations is."

"Just where are these forces going to come from?" Rotor asked.

"My brother is alive. He's regrouped with Colonel Somersby, an old family associate and formed a resistance movement. By Snively's reckoning, they're about two thousand strong with maybe a fifth being fighters. Under the auspices of the truce, we should activate the radio tower in that old ranger station get in contact with them,"

"Stop it!" Geoffrey seethed. "On what basis do you still believe that balderdash? The word of a traitor or that imaginary friend you speak to on Sundays perhaps?"

"Look, I get that you would be suspicious if I had posted that question to him directly, but this piece of intel was volunteered to us and thus far his other data seems to corroborate with our sources." I said. "and if my brother is still alive, there's every chance your parents are too." I cleared my throat before continuing. "Anyway, we should use this opportunity to ease out any teething issues that may arise," I added.

"I don't really see why we're not attacking now," Amy commented. "I mean, if Eggman is tearing his own city apart I say this is prime 'keep-em-on-the-run time," she said materialising as her 'Piko-Piko-Hammer' before resting her chin upon it like a cane.

"Can we focus on Snively for now?" I asked. "Apart from generally not liking or trusting him, can you think of anything we need to be particularly worried about right now with his intel?"

"Now there's an understatement. Ah oughtta say ah can't trust that varmint as far as ah can throw him, but that would be mighty inaccurate since ah could probably manage like forty or fifty feet. Mah point is we need ta take what this fella is sayin with a lunch of salt." Bunnie coughed. "Now, ah can't rightly say ah know Elias all that well. But ah think reachin out to him is worth a shot."

"Look, I am well aware of the risks involved, but if we never took risks we would literally do nothing. Being passive is not a winning strategy. Is it really that much of an extrapolation to say that if some of his other intel checks out he's telling the truth on this occasion?"

"Sally, the best lies are those that are concealed within half-truths. There's a lot of things to consider when you're dealing with someone like him. He could be lying to us out of spite." Rotor cautioned.

"Well sure he's bald and ughlee as sin, but Snively hates his own Uncle at least as much as we do, so the enemy of my enemy is my friend right, right?" Sonic offered.

"I see your point Sonic but he was kinda our enemy too only yesterday. Let's not forget that." Rotor advised.

"Look, we're speculating because we don't have enough information, but we have finite time and resources. We need to commit to a proper plan and we need to do this now." I mentioned to the discussion members.

"I'll probably regret saying it, but I say we do this." Rotor finished.

"Well, Sally Girl looks like you've got your wish," Bunnie said.

"Looks like we've got our work all cut-out for us." I said whilst peering over at a pile of blueprints, mathematical formulae and various attack and infiltration plans."

"Think it'll work?" Bunnie asked hopefully, an element of desperation crossing her tone.

"I don't know Bunnie, what may work in theory may not necessarily function in praxis. Furthermore, axioms can still be fudged, but there's a chance, and if at all possible, we should smuggle some of this out to Sir Charles."

After the meeting adjourned and I reached home, I found Lupe waiting outside. She had taken a shower and somehow looked older since the dust, dirt and grime had been masking her features.

"I was told to come. Is this where you live?" The wolf asked me.

"Yes, what happened to Lobo," I asked in reply.

"We fought. It's normal. We'll make up in a few days." She dismissed before settling down into her new home. "Are you scared?" she asked finally.

"Every day," I whispered.

"But you've been doing this a long time?" Lupe asked.

"Since I was a child. But I still get scared." I replied.

Lupe nodded, staring the moon. The silver light accentuating the soulful depths of her blue eyes. "Japara's resting in his search, too," she said dreamily. "We should rest and regain our strength."

"Who's Japara?"

Lupe pointed at the moon. "In the time of the Dreaming, Japara was a strong hunter," she said in the singsong tone of a recitation by rote. "He provided for his wife and infant son. One day, while he was out hunting Parukapoli visited his wife. He told her a great tale, his cleverest and funniest yet. She listened and laughed for hours" Lupe smiled dolefully. "Her son, too young to understand the danger had wandered into the river and fell in. By the time Japara's wife heard his cries and pulled her child from the water, he had drowned."

Drawing a deep breath, Lupe continued. "Japara returned home to find his grief-stricken wife cradling his child. She'd been there for hours and had nearly no tears left. He asked what had happened, and she confessed her lapse in attention. Nearly mad with anger and grief, Japara accused her of murder and killed her in a fit of anger. Then, he tracked down Parukapoli and killed him, too. Japara was a fantastic hunter, and neither his wife nor Parukapoli stood a chance."

"He returned to his Pack, bleeding from the wounds Parukapoli inflicted. He told everyone what had transpired. They bandaged and nursed his wounds but were furious. 'You have taken a tragic accident and made it worse,' they scolded. 'Your wife did not mean to kill your child but in your anger, you've tripled this tragedy' Japara knew that they were right and returned to the place where he had left his wife and child. But they were gone, taken by kind spirits to live in a better place, free from his anger. He fell to his knees in great distress, begging for the spirit's forgiveness."

"The spirits heard his sincere pleas and assured him that his family was safe with them in the sky world. They told him that if he truly spoke his heart, then he too could come to the sky world. But as punishment for his rash actions, they would not bring him to them. He would have to search the sky for them and hope that they wanted to be found. They say that the moon is the reflection of Japara's campfire as he explores the sky world. Some say that he's still searching for his lost family. Others say that he reconciled with them and they explore the sky world together."

"That's… what, one of your ancestor's creation myths?" I asked

She shook her head. "That story was told to me by my step-brother... Drago. His story is different. But it fits this situation better. Don't tell Lobo I told you that version and not our version, though."

"Are you not supposed to?" I inquired.

She shrugged. "My husband is protective of the old ways, what little of it is left. He worries I don't remember them properly and takes teaching us very seriously. Generations ago, it wouldn't matter so much. If he didn't teach us, somebody else could, but there are so few of us left these days and once they're lost, they can't come back. We're too weak, I think, to fight Robotnik on top of everything else."

"Hopefully you won't have to," I assured.

"I hope you're right. But we'll prepare anyway to defend our homes." Lupe said.

"Do you have a lot of these 'creation stories'?" I asked hesitantly.

"There are Dreamtime stories for many things. Some are more important, like occasions and holidays. Others are more akin to your anecdotes and jokes. All the same, we try to keep as many as we can," Lupe replied proudly.

Important? I frowned. It was always a tragedy to lose a piece of any culture, but creation myths weren't something I considered important unless Lupe actually believed the moon was a campfire light, which I doubted. It would be rude of me to confirm my suspicions, I figured as Lupe had finished turning my bedraggled hair into a topknot braid to match her own.

"I'm done, our braids have symbolism" Lupe elaborated. "Sometimes it's to honour a favoured ancestor. Sometimes, use it to denote a position and title."

"What's mine?" I asked.

"Yours? You're a sentry. I think it suits you." Normally, Sally would only let Bunnie braid her hair and I thought Lupe's style looked silly, but I decided to keep silent. After all, I was dictating their living arrangements and I couldn't think of some reason why Lupe shouldn't be allowed some turnabout.

"Your turn," she said. "Tell me one of your stories."

...

"Well," said Lupe quietly, "one doesn't learn that from the stories."

"I don't know," I answered. "Does one?"

"One does not. That poor dear," Lupe murmured.

My hands trembled.

"We tell stories where Princess Sally is alongside her magnificent blue spiked knight battle the dictator side-by-side. When I heard those apocryphal tales, I figured you would be sitting on a throne, wearing a golden tiara and wielding either a sceptre or a sword. The version you tell it is-" Lupe regaled.

"Disappointing?" I interjected.

"Unexpected, maybe, you just went ahead, no ceremonies, fanfare or anything," Lupe corrected.

"That's how it happened," I answered. "We had a lot of parties, but not a whole lot of formal ceremonies." I looked up into the lupine's eyes. "Lupe, what I did to Antoine, was it really so bad?"

Lupe looked away and clenched her teeth. "I can empathize with someone desiring to honour their family traditions. Equally, I think I can understand why you did what you did. A little bit, maybe." She said quietly. "Really, though we think of you as a stern warrior queen, always fighting. Princess Sally at a party with cake and balloons isn't the sort of thing I would picture, not in a millennium."

"I've been trying to tell you since we met that I'm not who you think I am," I explained.

"No, you're not. You're someone much more-" Lupe waved a hand, apparently seeking the right word "-gentle. You make hard decisions. Not always the best ones, but you try."

"But what about my bad decisions?" I asked apprehensively.

"Well, as I said, Princess ... Sally. I at least, forgive you." Lupe looked over her shoulder. "But maybe you'll need to let him go so he can build something himself. It's . . . it's like a butterfly. If it doesn't struggle as it leaves its cocoon, its wings won't finish growing and it will never learn to fly,"She remarked as she walked away.

Hearing those words set my heart at peace. I fluttered my eyes and wiped a tear from my cheek. "Maybe... I. Sorry. Forgive me. I forgot."

"What? It's okay. What's wrong?" Lupe asked, turning to face me.

"I… I forget what they did to you. I figured it out now. I am an Acorn." I replied.

"And I'm a part of the Pack," she said. "They sent thugs to steal the kids, hit them for passing on our stories, shamed and ostracised them. Our elders ... they... they remember being cut off from all their choices except the ones they wanted. They remember being made to feel like choosing anything outside of that was a betrayal as if our histories somehow made us ... less" her voice caught when she said this. She turned her head away so that I couldn't see her tears glisten off her cheeks. "Sorry, it's not your burden to bear," the lupine apologized.

I was glad to drop the subject. Debating past atrocities and genocide wasn't something I really wanted to talk about. But then… who could I share my thoughts with? I couldn't have real conversations with Sally's friends.

"I'm going to try to get some rest," She said as reached out and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before standing up and curling up onto her worn sleeping mat. "Don't watch Japara's fire too long." She said as before at last drifting into slumber.

Against her advice, I watch the moon for a while. I think of Japara who had meant well but took irreconcilable actions and searched for atonement. I had killed and would do so again. I know fretting over petty issues like this was less important than any vague aftermath I hoped to achieve. But somebody had to keep thinking of what came next.

I just wished it didn't always have to be me.