Miles slowly opened his eyes, his eyelids heavy, his body aching slightly from the stiff position he lay in…However it had been a significantly better night sleep than he had gotten in the previous few days…

However he could still feel the dull, throbbing pain in his broken wrist, looking down upon it for just a moment he could see that although the swelling had gone done by quite a bit, it was still painful and moving it much would be an unwise manoeuvre for the next few days, all before shutting his eyes again for a good few minutes.

Opening his eyes once more after thoroughly rubbing the sleep out of them, he looked around the living room, taking in the comforting surroundings of the room, the sunlight which slowly shone through the open curtains, the gently simmering fire in the old fireplace and the soft chirping of the birds outside…It was harmonious…The first time he had actually felt peace in a good while.

It reminded him of home…Oddly enough…Not because of the nature that surrounded him as opposed to wonderful technological marvels and the mysterious comfort deep space brought him…But because of the warmth…it felt nice feeling safe and secure…All he was missing was his beloved father…But he was long gone now…He may as well grow up and deal with it…but a part of him knew he would never forget for as long as he would live.

Slowly, ever so slowly he climbed out of his bed, stretching slightly and letting out a small yawn, a wonderful aroma wafting into his small black nose, it smelt of frying bacon.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes slowly while walking into the kitchen where lo and behold Vanilla was standing, placing down some bacon and eggs on a plate for him.

"Ah there you are Miles, have you slept well?" The kindly rabbit asked him, a warm, caring and sympathetic smile on her face.

Miles could feel his stomach rumble at just the smell of the food…It looked oh so good…An audible groan of his stomach was heard and as soon as the sound left his body he blushed with slight embarrassment.

"Yes Ms Vanilla…I'm very hungry though…It feels like I haven't eaten in ages." He chuckled awkwardly…His cheeks bright red under the fluffy snow white fur around his muzzle.

"Heh heh…Well help yourself, little fox's like you need their strength...Besides, today me and Cream thought we'd introduce you to the town and the people who live here…Does that sound good?"

Miles felt a sudden chill run down his spine…He felt…cold at the mention of those words…Meeting new people? What if they were like the people who picked on him? What if they hated him? But…He didn't want to let Vanilla or Cream down…So reluctantly, he nodded.

"Excellent! Well I cleaned and fixed the clothes you were wearing when we found you. They'll be on the old rocking chair we usually keep next to the fireplace. But I suggest doing that after you've had some bacon."

…...Miles pulled the black t-shirt over his head as he walked back into the kitchen…His belly full for the morning and a bit more hope in his little heart that today would be alright,

Vanilla stood in the doorway to the house, wearing very casual attire including a brown leather jacket, jeans and a red t-shirt,

"Ah there you are Miles, well I've decided that I should give you a little tour of the village as I've said before, so I hope you come to like it here, the more the merrier after all."

"Yeah, but where's Cream? Didn't you say she was supposed to be coming too?"

"Oh that lazy little girl hasn't woken up yet. Don't worry about it at all, you'll be fine Miles believe me. Now let's go shall we? I know the perfect person to meet first." Vanilla said with a warm smile before gently shoving the young boy out of the door.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky as it rose into the aquamarine blue abyss dotted by small ,white ,fluffy clouds, birdsong could be faintly heard being emitted from the depths of the luscious green canopy of the small oak and ash trees that dotted the sides of the street, it wasn't a particularly hot day either, in fact it was a little bit on the chilly side, but Miles didn't dare say anything about it.

Vanilla held the young boy's hand as she guided him through the empty, quiet and picturesque streets of Knothole village, the early morning sun slowly beating down on them causing the adult to let out a small sigh of relief, she always though that Knothole was one of the most beautiful places in all of Mobius…Even rivalling the grand architecture of Spagonia or the beautiful seaside views of Apotos…There was just something so…Appealing about the simplistic, natural, rustic aesthetic of the village, it was truly a treat to be able to settle down here…Especially considering the tragedies that had struck the rabbit through her life.

She turned to the small boy who's hand she was tightly holding as to him running off or trying anything funny and saw how he was looking at the floor in a rather glum manner…It was saddening seeing the boy like this, especially on a day as beautiful as that.

"So Miles…Do you have any hobbies you'd like to share with me? Anything that interests you? Want to be anything when you grow up?" she asked politely, in a small effort to try and lighten the mood.

Miles looked up at her, a small twinkling light becoming visible in the boy's bright blue eyes as he slowly stated.

"Yes…I really, really like science and mechanics…I always have…I've always wanted to be an inventor when I grow up…Me and my dad used to invent stuff together before he…he died but I can still tell you every functioning part of a toaster, how to screw and unscrew a light bulb, how the interior workings of a clock work…I also kinda like biology too…Since the inner workings of the body are just like those of a machine, but instead of gears and screws, it's bones and muscle and a lot of other stuff too."

Vanilla's jaw dropped slightly…Her mind blown by the sheer intelligence coming from such a small boy…She was expecting him to say something like play with toys or read books…But no, he enjoyed assembling machinery and was supposedly an adept mechanic…At the age of 3, whoever the boy's father was had clearly taught him well…

It was nice that Sonic had been able to bring the boy here, because of the kid's two tails and resounding intellect, she was sure that he would have been mistreated and considered a freak, she knew first hand how utterly horrid children could be to each other should they decide to single out a person…She had experienced it herself when she was young…So she was happy that she had moved away from her home town as soon as she could and found this place to live.

It was excellent that the little fox would be able to experience it too, however if Miles was going to stay in Knothole, he needed some friends to start…And she knew the perfect person.

Miles's eyes lit up in confusion as they slowly approached one of the small cottages that stood in one of the streets, it's aesthetic was clearly very different, the closed curtains were pink and floral patterned, the door a luscious pink too…And in the front garden, a bed of blood red roses were growing, the way they were organised forming a heart shaped wreath of flowers that was visually appealing…one thing was for certain…Whoever he was meeting was a girl.

Vanilla turned to Miles as they approached the door and placed a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Now Miles, before I knock on the door, just be warned that the girl you're about to meet can be a tad…eccentric and over excitable. So please try your best to stay calm and not be intimidated okay?" she asked, a warm , friendly smile once again plastered across her face, however in her eyes Miles could see a vague amount of nervousness and dread.

Not daring to point out the Rabbit's visibly uncomfortable features he nodded and then watched with caution as Vanilla turned to the door and knocked thrice.

A slightly muffled, high pitched cry of, "Coming!" signalled that it was time for Miles to meet the first of Knothole's residents, and as he heard the footsteps rapidly approaching the door…He balled up his fists and braced for impact.

The front door swung open and the figure who Miles was met with was that of a young 8 year old hedgehog, her fur was a bright strawberry pink, her eyes a lush, emerald green, she wore a deep red dress with white frills and on her feet she wore knee high boots that certainly looked cumbersome to wear.

"Ah, hello Miss Vanilla how are you today and oh-AWWWWW! Who are you?" The Hedgehog squealed, rapidly scooping up the little fox into her arms with surprising physical strength…Miles was too stunned to even let out a coherent sentence, so he just gave the Hedgehog a frightened look .

"Well…Miles, this is Amy Rose, one of our neighbours…Don't be shy you can introduce yourself."

Gently setting the toddler down, Amy knelt down to his eye level, releasing a squeal of happiness when the tiny fox let out a small, "Hi…"

"Right, well Amy…I'm going to be going out for today so could you please look after Miles for me while I go and collect the weekly shop?"

Amy nodded merrily and gave the small boy a fiercely strong hug,

"Not one hair on his head shall be harmed Miss Vanilla, I swear it!" she exclaimed, holding Miles's small and fluffy body close to her own.

The Rabbit smiled and gave a nod of approval before looking down upon the small form of Miles, gently shaking in the grip of Amy,

"Hey, cheer up…It'll only be a few hours…I'll be back soon you'll see…In the meantime, maybe you can teach Amy some of the interesting stuff you know about mechanics and science and whatnot?" she asked sweetly, giving the kid a small hug of reassurance before turning and telling the boy.

"Oh and by the way Miles, don't be worried she doesn't bite…Hopefully." Before she walked away, giving a small wave as she did so…Leaving the small boy alone with the eccentric Amy Rose.

"Right, so Miles would you like to come inside? Come in and sit down on the sofa, I'll go and make you a cup of tea is that okay by the way? Any sugar with it?"

Miles nodded and then said, "Two sugars please…And could you make it darker tea? I prefer to have stronger flavour in mine…"

The hedgehog looked down at him with a confused glance and said,

"A very refined taste for such a cute little ragamuffin like you but sure I can do it." Before taking the boy by the hand and leading him inside and into her living room.

When Miles stepped in, it was like he had been hit with a flash bang of pink…It was everywhere…The walls were pink, the carpet was pink, the sofa and cushions were pink, the curtains were pink…It was only pink…It was almost a caricature of what boys of his age thought girls were like on average.

However it wasn't Miles's position to judge, for when he sat down on the sofa…He never wanted to get off, it was so bloody comfortable…It was warm and soft…It was almost as lovely as his bed back on the Death Egg…Truly a luxurious sofa…

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad…Maybe he could manage in this strange new abode…Maybe he could even be happy in the place…However his thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise coming from the kitchen…and a shrill shriek of fear.