"Good night Miles, sleep well!" Robotnik called from the hallway outside of the little fox's bedroom. The aforementioned tiny fox was warmly snuggled under his thick, soft duvet, the fur on his head ruffled from the position he was resting in, he was certainly cosy to say the very least.
However he couldn't sleep…not even after being read a bedtime story and a mug of hot chocolate, his body and razor sharp mind refused to fall into the land of nod. He kept on…hearing things, maybe his hyper sensitive hearing was playing tricks on him but, something about those noises felt real.
It was unnerving to hear them, the noises were different each time he heard them, be it a hollow, high pitched, creak of metal, or perhaps a hollow almost breath like noise emerging from beside his bed…it was disturbing and thoughts slowly began to emerge within his tiny, fluffy head.
"Was there something in here?"
His heavy, sapphire blue eyes frantically darted around the room looking for even the smallest trace of some form of hostile intruder. But yet he couldn't see anything but it didn't take long for his eyes as well as his ears to play tricks on his imagination.
He started…seeing things, he thought on numerous occasions to see a tall ominous figure standing in the corner of the room when at a closer look it was only his wardrobe, a small whimper escaped his mouth as he saw…and heard more of these things, he wasn't safe in here, he wasn't secure, he was frightened and he wanted to know where his father was.
Slowly, he allowed himself to slip out from under the duvet and dart towards the door to his bedroom, not wanting to fall victim to whatever…things may be lurking in the dark and the mechanical, rasping sounds of the Death Egg's internal machinery was overshadowed by the little pitter-patter's of the fox's padded paws against the cold, hard metal floor.
He occasionally looked over his shoulder to see if any of those…things was there…thankfully there were none that he could see within his limited field of view. He approached closer to the dormitory of his adoptive father, however something unusual happened as he drew ever closer to the heavy, thick steel doors. He heard…talking? He could clearly hear the voice of his Father, but at the same time he heard a different voice, it was a lot heavier and gruff than his Father's yet he could tell it was at least trying to be formal. Or at least what seemed to be an attempt at formal.
"So…Doctor, have we come to an agreement?"
"Yes, yes we have. That blue rodent is a great nuisance and I believe that he'll be delighted at the prospect of finding treasures, including those of your people. So if I were you I would begin scouting out Angel Island immediately. Thank you for your cooperation Mr Knuffles…no, Knickels! Oh whatever your name is."
"For the last time…It's Knu-."
"Bye!"
A short fizzle of electricity was heard as the communication cut off and Miles's couldn't help but wonder who that mysterious stranger could be, and what was this about a blue rodent?
However he was cut off when he looked down the hallway to the left and he noticed the shadows grow longer, darker and more ominous with the second. And within them he could almost see…a figure. His fear instantaneously kicked in and he could hear the loud thumping beat of his heart.
He immediately pressed the small, shining red button on the steel door panel and he immediately rushed in, as fast as his tired little legs could carry him.
However, as soon as he ran through the steel passage his snout immediately flared up in pain as he collided with the legs of his Father.
He slowly looked up to see the smoked glasses of his father staring down at him, a patient look that practically screamed, "What's wrong son?" smeared across his face.
"Did you have another bad dream Miles?" he asked, gently scooping the little fox into his arms, one hand gently rubbing the small, sensitive spot behind his ear.
The tiny fox let out a small purr at the action that his father was doing, but in terms of the question, his answer was not the most straightforward.
"Sort of dad…" he mumbled, focussing on the feeling of that sensitive little spot being rubbed in just the right way that would make any negativity melt away instantaneously.
"Well what happened Miles? I can't reassure you if I don't know what's kept you up this late, for the 7th night in a row. Is there something bothering you?"
Miles shook his head anxiously, he was stuck on what he should say next. Should he tell his Father of those…apparitions that his mind created in the dead of night, or should he lie? If he told the truth then he might be seen as crazy and be cast out of the Death Egg…his only home. But if he lied, he knew that he would get absolutely no help for his problem.
"Well Dad…I've been…seeing things…in the corner of my eye when they're not really there and sometimes things will look like they're moving when they're not really. I don't know why it keeps happening to me late at night though, I'm sorry if I sound crazy… If you want me to g-"
Robotnik placed a single gloved finger onto his mouth, interrupting his explanation and apology for what he saw as a flaw.
"Hey, it's fine Son, sometimes people will see and hear things in their sleep that aren't there. They're called optical and audio illusions, and cases are a very common occurrence . So don't be so scared if you see something in the corner of your eyes, it's just an illusion…It's not real, end of story. Now son…What story would you like me to read you this time. I have the Iliad, the Odyssey, Beowulf, The 12 Labours Of Heracles and…The story of Jason And The Argonauts, so we you're in luck if you like Greek heroes."
"Hmmmm how about…The Iliad tonight Dad? I've never heard of that before."
