Tails took a deep breath as he held Cosmo. He looked into her eyes as she sat down next to him again. The two exchanged relaxed smiles as she pulled her skirt back down. He held her tightly as they looked out to the sunset as it slowly went down. Tails took all the beauty around him. From his true love, to the wonderful view in front of him.
Despite everything, he felt a great fulfillment. The likes of which he had never known before. He could never truly describe that moment good enough, could never thank Cosmo for her patience, and love she had given him. He wished he could stay there all day. But as the sun finally fell over the forest and down the horizon, they both looked at each other again.
There was no words between them, only a mutual understanding as they got up, and into the cab of the truck.
"Thank you, Mrs. Prower." Cosmo said as she scooped some of the chicken dumplings onto her plate.
"So how've you been, Cosmo?" Rosemary asked as she set the pot back down and looked at her.
"I've been fine. I was starting to worry about you when you didn't visit me." she replied. Tails quiet poked his own chicken and dumplings. When he noticed his father watching him, he stabbed one with his fork and ate it. It felt like a brick in his stomach.
"How did the harvest go?" Cosmo asked.
"Pretty good this year. Could've used a little more rain, but we did alright." he replied, cutting one of his dumpling in half.
"Good, Tails was telling me you'd already finished when he got back," she said.
"Yes, we finished last week, and my hands squared everything away for the winter Wednesday. How's the apartment coming?"
"I just finished the down payment and moved in." she said, "I was hoping to find a roommate before long to help out."
Tails felt his mother's bright eyes dawn on him. "Tails! You should move in with her. You were already spending every weekend together before."
"I thought it would be better if I got settled with you guys first." Tails replied tiredly.
"We're fine here." she said back without hesitation, "You can visit anytime."
Tails was quiet. Too quiet. It burdened Amadeus, but he wasn't sure bringing up what he knew bothered him would be wise just yet. "So, Tails, have you thought of looking for a job for the winter?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.
"I spoke to Major Shadow when I got back. He said he could put me on guard duty when I was settled." Tails said.
"Guard duty, huh. That's good. I did that for five years when I joined."
"I'll just be checking I.D.'s as people come in and out of the base." he said. "I asked about going back, and he said the war was almost over."
Everyone fell deafly silent. Tails felt all eyes on him now. "When the Reds took the Mount Eggmann, they had taken one of their last strongholds. Now they're making their last stand. I was only scared I would have to go back. But he assured me I wouldn't."
"That's good. Then we'll be able to get our boys home." Amadeus said. Tails glanced at his mother, who was still looking nervous as she looked down at her food again.
"These dumplings are good," he said. She smiled at him. "Can't say M.R.E.'s can compare to this food." He took another bite and smiled at her.
He wiped his mouth as he flushed the toilet, disappointed that he still couldn't keep entire meals down. It would be a long time before he ate chicken and dumplings, he knew that.
His mother and Cosmo were cleaning the kitchen when he walked down the hallway. He saw them, but didn't say anything. He decided to step outside. There, he found his father waiting in his wheelchair.
"Hey," he paused for a moment, "could I talk to you?" he asked, waving to the rocker next to him.
"Sure." he replied, and sat down next to him.
"Miles, I know what it's like on the battlefield. I know how it must feel when you come home." He stopped and looked at him. Tails's expression was blank as he just stared at him. "What I'm getting at is, I know something's bothering you, and I want you to know, if you want to talk, I'm here to listen."
He looked at him for a long time. It took Tails that long to think. "A medic…found me. But, not one of ours. I was taken to a mountain fortress. There I was…held for information. I thought that cell would be my grave. But then…they came…"
Tails rested on the floor for a long time. He felt sick. Whether it was the loss of blood, or he was catching something, he didn't know. They had let him rest long enough for his chest to scab over. It still hurt for him to even breathe deeply, but he knew they were only letting him live because they believed he was withholding something. Some shred of information. Why, he still didn't knew. Probably never would.
He twitched, his ear flicking as he listened. Maybe he imagined it. There was no way. Could he truly be hearing what he thought.
"He's down here." he heard the same guard's voice that'd been pulling him in and out of his cell since he arrived. He closed his eyes, dreading what he would see step into his cell. He heard the keys jingling and then felt his heart stop when his cell door open.
Someone was standing over him. He felt a boot gently kick his shoulder. He didn't move. He was kicked again, but he still didn't move. Suddenly a bucket of freezing cold water fell on him. He sat up hollering. A hand clamped over his mouth and shushed him. He recognized the very white bat that'd been tormenting him.
"Be quiet, you're getting out of here." she said. She glared at him for a long moment before slowly letting him go.
"Who the hell are you?" he snarled, not bothering to keep his voice down.
"I'm a double agent, and that's all you need to know." she said. She stepped back, and the very wolf guard he'd feared stepped up, and grabbed his arm. He heaved him over his shoulder and walked him out the door. "Lobo, did you prep the jeep like I asked?"
"Yes, ma'am." the guard replied as she took the lead.
"Where we going?" Tails asked weakly.
"You're getting in a jeep and getting out of here." the bat said.
They took him out of the building and along the wall that surrounded the building. He had no idea where he was. The bat opened a heavy metal door just behind another building. Tails wanted to look around, but the wolf told him it would be better to play dead.
When they stepped outside the wall, he saw a lone jeep resting between two trees. The wolf carried him to the passenger seat and helped him in.
"Take him to the safe zone and drop him off. Then come right back." the white bat told him as he stepped around it again.
"Yes ma'am." he said. Tails leaned back in the seat, feeling cold as the mountain air hit his wounds. He was cringing as he held back the pain. "There's a coat in the back, along with everything else you'll need."
The wolf reached back and pulled a heavy jacket from the backseat. Tails put it on slowly, trying to keep his chest from hurting as much as possible. When he zipped it up he was panting hard as it still hurt. When he finally felt it begin to sooth, he heard the engine rev up.
Tails breathed as he buckled up and the jeep was off. He looked around at the double agent. He knew he should at least wave, but from everything she had done to him. He wanted to shoot her. But all he could bring himself to do, was look back forward.
"Where's the safe zone?" Tails asked after a few quiet minutes.
"You'll be two miles from your nearest base. You should be able to walk from there." he said. "Look in the back, there's a can of beans and a knife."
Tails looked in back, and very were, that's what was lying there. It took him a few minutes to get them open and take a mouthful. Having lived on rice and water for longer than he cared to think, the beans tasted better than anything he'd ever eaten. It only took him a few minutes to finish it.
When he was done, he looked up. The jeep was going down an old road. He could tell it hadn't been used in a long time from the layer of ice covering it. He looked at the wolf, and curiosity finally got the best of him.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"None of your business." he simply replied.
"You tortured me for who knows how long, and you can't even give me a name?"
"I could shoot you to make sure you don't talk." he said, drawing his pistol and setting it on the dash.
"Fine. At least tell me what's going on."
"Rouge doesn't want you to talk. She could tell you were close to breaking. I'm to shoot you if I think you're about to be captured again." he said. Tails sat quietly for a moment.
"So you're not all total assholes, huh." he joked. The wolf glared at him.
"Don't tempt me. I'd rather shoot you than take this risk, but Rouge outranks me."
"Oh fine, Sunshine." Tails said, hanging his arm over the window and sighed when he felt the cool breeze hit his hand.
Suddenly, he heard something. Tails looked up. "Look out!" he shouted just as the first missile hit the ground behind them. The wolf floored it and began to serpentine. Tails could barely hold on as he tried to keep himself from jerking around.
One landed just close enough, Tails screamed as the jeep flew into the air, and landed upside down.
He didn't know where he was. He couldn't think. All he could do was crawl. He pushed as hard as he could, but he still couldn't get the door open. He could smell burning flesh and dried blood. Just as he was about to give up, the door opened, and a hand reached in.
It wasn't very strong, but it gave him all he needed to pull himself up. He couldn't see straight as he felt the bright sun beaming down on him. He looked up and saw a bright white figure standing over him. Just as he tried to reach up to it, he blacked out.
Tails mind drifted. He didn't know where he was. He felt a cold towel on his forehead, a thick, heavy blanket covering him from the neck down. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in a small wood room. Across it, on a desk, he saw his now clean pants, a shirt and his boots and socks resting on the floor.
He pushed the blankets aside, and saw a cast on his right arm. His chest and stomach were carefully bandaged. Just then, the door opened. He quickly pulled the blanket back, and closed his eyes. He squinted just enough to make out an adult rabbit entering the room, carrying a tray with a funnel and a bowl with a red liquid in it.
She gently petted his head as she pulled the blanket down and checked his wounds. She looked down in pity at him. He could see that she was middle aged, probably a parent. She lifted his tag and read. Tails recognized, but couldn't understand her Russian. She said what sounded like a number, and slowly shook her head, in a pitying expression.
Tails opened his eyes. She looked at him and spoke again in Russian.
"You speak English?" he asked, sitting up, but quickly falling back down when he was reminded of the predicament of his chest.
"Da, small words." she said.
"Where am I?"
"Mount Eggmann. One of our patrols picked up jeep, but mistaken enemy." she spoke broken English. "When found, you and friend taken in. Safe now, Da?"
"I guess," that's when he remembered, "Wait! Do you have a phone, or a mailing system? I need to contact my unit," he tried to sit up, biting through the pain.
"Nyet," the nurse, shook her head, "Our lines were cut in a bombing run last night, our engineers haven't fixed yet, our leader would like to speak to you however…
"The Reds weren't nice at all," Tails continued to speak. "When I could get dressed, and they realized I could still hold a gun they refused to just let me go just yet. They said I had to earn my freedom since they lost one man when another patrol heard the artillery and fired their own…
Tails slowly stepped through the heavy snow, his arms wrapped around himself as he tried to keep himself warm. He was now dressed as one of them. In a heavy winter coat and hat, and a rifle over his shoulder. It'd been two days since he finally got out of bed, and he wished he could go back to it.
They'd been putting him alone on patrol most of the time, and even when he had a partner, he never spoke enough English to help him. Today he was with a bear named Isaac The nurse had taught him a few lines he could use like 'where's the bathroom', and 'where's the food?'
Tails paused when he smelled something. He took a sniff of the air, and realized it was the smell of battle. A sickening mixture of blood and gunpowder. He drew his rifle, and ran for a tree. Isaac followed his example. He looked at his map and noticed several markings he'd also learned since he got back. It was recently marked for artillery strikes. He knew they were all done with it for the day, unless needed so his best guess was he could only hope he was safe. He trotted and paused between cover, making sure of his surroundings before moving out. Then it all came into view.
"It was one of the worst massacres I'd ever seen. Bodies were everywhere. Some so mangled you couldn't even tell what was what. Some were even frozen sitting up. I saw one who was still sitting up, trying to hold his guts in from a huge wound in his stomach. Most of the bloodstained snow had been covered up by the recent storm, but it failed to cover up everything. As I walked through the battlefield, I could see body parts, and organs strewn about. There were several lines of men who had obviously been executed."
Tails heard a moan that made him jump and nearly fire off a round into the boy. His eyes went wide with horror as he saw the small figure looking at him. He ran to him, dropping his rifle and pulling his small med kit from his pocket.
"I got you," he said sliding to his knees by his side. The boy was hit, but not bleeding anymore. He looked at his face. He was a very young wolf. No older than fifteen, if even that. He could see fear in his eyes, but he was too weak to say anything. "We need to get a medic out here!" Tails said to Isaac, though he wasn't paying attention to what the bear was doing.
Tails took his scissors, and began to cut through his coat to get to the wound. Suddenly a shot rang out. Tails dove aside since it went off a few feet from his head and looked over. Isaac was standing over the boy now, his pistol still smoking, a fresh bullet hole between the eyes of the wolf. The bear looked at Tails, and spoke clear English.
"These animals deserve no mercy." he put his gun away, turned his back, and walked away. Tails was too shocked to think straight. A boy, yes a wolf of the enemy, but a kid too young to think for himself, nonetheless now lie dead when he could've been saved. All because of he actions of his elders he was now dead, and Tails let it happen.
"He was too young to have been there. He shouldn't have been there. He was too young. If only I'd watched that damned bear…I'd," Tails' voice began to shake, and he couldn't bare to continue. Amadeus looked down as he thought. He knew the horrors that war brought. What it did to people. This Isaac, would never recover from what has happened to him. Such cruelty just didn't happen and go away. But then, neither would Tails.
"After that, they sent me back," Tails spoke again, "I told them what happened, and I refused to pick up another rifle ever again for them. Their leader, whose rank I never got, saw I was no more use to them, and let me go. I had to walk, fifty miles to one of our bases. They refused to give me anything but the bare essentials. I made it half that before a patrol nearly wiped me out by gunfire had I not the click of a rifle's safety."