Isaac woke from his slumber, the crisp forest air entering his lungs. Crawling out of his bedroll, he put on his boots and donned his cloak. He crawled out of the shelter, seeing that Lily was already awake. She was preparing breakfast, which consisted of a corn meal porridge. It was the last of the corn meal they had. They would have traded for more with Talion, but knowing they would have to leave soon, it wouldn't make sense to add weight to the remaining supplies they had to carry to the train station.
"Did you add honey?" Isaac asked.
"Of course." Lily answered, putting some into a bowl for Isaac.
"We'll need to eat quickly. We need to tear down the shelter, gather up the pelts, and make our way to the station." Isaac said.
After eating, Isaac and Lily began gathering the pelts. In the course of seven years, Isaac had hunted many different animals. Their pelts were excellent in insulating their shelter. Isaac was hoping he could trade them at the station for more funds. After moving everything out of the shelter, Isaac grabbed a wood axe and began tearing down the shelter. After doing so, he grabbed his pack and put it on his shoulders. Lily grabbed her pack, hoisting it onto her shoulders.
"Brother, how far is the station?" She asked.
"About three leagues. If we start now, we can make it to the station while it is still morning." Isaac answered.
Lily and Isaac walked down the trail towards the station, leaving behind the remains of their shelter. The morning fog was thick today, so much that it prevented Isaac from seeing the trail ahead of him more than ten feet. As they walked, they heard something in the trees. Something big! Whatever it was, it leaped from one of the branches. It landed on another, gently rustling the autumn leaves. Isaac grabbed the bow on his shoulder, notching an arrow.
"Who is there?! Show yourself!" He shouted, looking around.
The creature leaped from the branch and hit the ground, landing in the border of the fog from Isaac. The creature looked Mobian and stood at the same height as Isaac. Isaac could not tell what manner of creature this was, but he knew better than to assume there was only one of them.
"Who are you?!" Isaac shouted, wanting an answer.
The creature walked towards him, improvised armor becoming apparent. Isaac pulled back his bow, ready to fire. The creature, noticing the weapon, stopped.
"I will shoot! Now answer me! Who are you?!" Isaac shouted.
Suddenly, Lily's scream pierced the air. A pair of arms grabbed her and pulled her into the fog.
"Lily!" Isaac exclaimed, looking for his sister.
The figure took advantage of the distraction and charged towards Isaac, unsheathing a sword. Isaac heard one of the footsteps towards him and immediately fell to the ground and swept the leg. The figure hit the ground, looking up towards the sky. Isaac grabbed one of his knives and made to plunge it into the creature's chest. The figure rolled over, avoiding the attack. The creature stumbled into the fog, shrouded. Isaac listened for movements, knowing that he could be surrounded. He grabbed his bow and notched an arrow, ready to fire. A snapping of a twig alerted Isaac, letting an arrow loose. A loud, guttural yell notified him that his aim was true. Suddenly, a branch swayed in the fog. Isaac notched an arrow, pulled back the string, and let it loose on the branch. The sound of a heavy body hitting the ground was music to his ears. The fog began to dissipate. The carnage that was hidden became apparent, revealing a human male and a female Mobian were the casualties. But Lily's captor was still shrouded in the fog. Before Isaac could continue searching for her, a blade unsheathing alerted him. He quickly turned around, seeing the captor with Lily, his sword under her neck.
"We've been looking for you two! Seven years you've eluded us! But now, I'm going to bring them back your head! Right after I separate hers!" The captor said, tightening his grip on the sword handle.
"I would not do that if I were you." Isaac calmly said, unfazed.
"I'm going to kill her, demon spawn! And when I do, I'm after you next!" He said, backing up into the fog.
"I would stop if I were you. You never know who you'll meet that way." Isaac said, pointing behind him.
The captor turned his head around, seeing a hulking behemoth behind him. It reached 7 feet, unleashing a terrible roar. The captor screamed, unintentionally releasing Lily. Lily ran towards Isaac, out of danger. The behemoth tore into the captor, chomping down into his neck. His cries of pain became gurgled as blood poured from his mark, practically thrown apart by the behemoth. It threw him into a tree, the sound of his spine snapping was evident. The behemoth calmly walked towards Isaac, covered in the captor's blood. It was one of the guardians of the forest. A large troll that went by the name of 'Forráðamaður', which meant Guardian.
"I have not seen you for many moons, Forráðamaður. Thank you." Isaac said, bowing.
The troll gave a slight grunt, walking back into the fog. Isaac, deciding to hold Lily's hand to ensure she doesn't get pulled from him, walked to where the station was said to be. As he passed the corpse of the captor, Isaac grabbed the sword that was still in the death grip of the captor. Finding it to be sharp and balanced, he grabbed the sheath and put it in it, keeping the sword for himself. Soon, the fog dissipated as they walked. After travelling for two hours, they began to see the end of the trail… and the sound of a large machine. Isaac and Lily began to jog to the end of the trail, knowing they were close to their destination. To their surprise, they saw a crowd of humans and Mobians gathering around the station, trading supplies and purchasing tickets to travel to the Kingdom of Acorn.
"Brother, how are we going to get a ticket? There are so many others waiting." Lily asked.
"We will get onboard in time. Talion said the construct reaches the Kingdom in a few hours. Most likely, it will go back and forth as long as there is a steady supply of people and supplies for trade." Isaac explained.
Isaac and Lily walked to the crowd, getting in line to purchase a ticket. The time it took to move up in line to get close to purchase a ticket, the train had already left the station. But the trading of supplies and purchasing of tickets had not slowed down in the slightest.
"Next!" The vendor said, calling over Isaac and Lily.
"I have supplies to sell. I will also need two tickets for transit." Isaac said.
"Excellent! What are you selling today?" The vendor asked.
Taking off his pack, Isaac reached into his pack and brought out a large bundle of pelts tied together. They were all preserved and in good quality. They would fetch a fair price.
"My, these are good quality! You a hunter?" He asked.
"Yes. What will these take for?" Isaac asked.
"I'd say these will get you 200 rings." The vendor said.
"I accept." Isaac said.
"Excellent! Now, before I hand you your rings, would you like to use some of them to purchase your tickets now or later?" He asked.
"Now would be best." Isaac said.
"Excellent! So, deducting the price for tickets, you will get back… 75 rings." The vendor said.
"Good." Isaac said, holding out his hand.
"You're… not going to complain about the price or anything like that?" The vendor asked.
"No. I will take what I can get." Isaac said, still holding out his hand.
The vendor gave him his change and two tickets for the train.
"Now, when you get on the train, make sure to keep your ticket. The conductor will go around once it takes off to ensure everyone on board paid to travel." The vendor warned.
"Excellent." Isaac said, grinning.
The vendor caught that, smirking.
"That's my line! Have a good day, sir!" He said, waving for others in line to approach.
Isaac and Lily walked from the crowd, getting a bit of space. Isaac crouched down to Lily's level, showing her the tickets.
"I have the tickets we need to forge a new life for ourselves. Now, all we need to do is wait for the 'train' and we'll be able to head to our new home." Isaac explained.
Lily looked uneasy. She looked back to the trail they had travelled, the straightforward path to what she had known for all her life as home. Isaac knew how she felt. He didn't want to show it, but he didn't want to abandon their home as well.
"It is alright, little sister. Perhaps, one day, we will be able to return, in spite of the change of trading route. But now, we must go into the Kingdom to forge a new life for ourselves. Just remember, no matter what, wherever your heart is, you will always be home. Mother said that to me once before." Isaac said, comforting his sister.
Wiping a tear from her face, she grabbed hold of Isaac's hand, waiting for the train to arrive. Soon enough, a loud whistle pierced the air. The train, which had two locomotion engines on both ends of the chain of cars, arrived at the station. The hiss from the brakes emitted, indicating it was nearly time to board. A crowd of people exited the passenger carts, while goods for trading were carried onboard by employees of the Mobian Trading Company.
"All aboard!" The conductor bellowed, ringing a large bell.
The crowds of people who purchased tickets began boarding, showing their tickets to the conductor, who then punched a hole in them. Isaac and Lily approached, stopped by the conductor.
"Tickets, please!" He asked, holding out his hand.
Isaac revealed two, which were then punched and returned.
"Find a seat and we'll be off shortly." He said, stepping aside.
Isaac and Lily boarded the train, walking down the aisle to find an empty booth. Finding booths to be full, they moved onto the next passenger cart, finding it with more available seats. Isaac and Lily sat down in a booth that was unoccupied, taking off their packs and setting them under their seats.
"Here, Lily. Hold onto that. When the conductor comes around, make sure to show him the ticket." Isaac said, handing a ticket to Lily.
Lily put it in a small pocket in her tunic, specially designed so as to prevent pickpocketing. As time went on, the train cars were becoming more packed, until the majority of seats were taken. The train let out its whistle, the carts lurching forward as they wheels began to speed up. Soon, the train was moving towards the Kingdom of Acorn. It would be a few hours until then, so Isaac and Lily went to make themselves comfortable. Isaac removed his ranger cloak, revealing the knives around his belt. Lily did the same, taking off her traveler's cloak, revealing she had a quiver of arrows and a small bow. She wasn't as talented at archery as her brother, but she was learning quick. Isaac said that she could go hunting with him when she is older and has more control of the bowstring. As they were resting, a knock emanated from the booth door.
"It is open." Isaac said, welcoming them.
The door slid open, revealing two Mobians. One was a fox, but he had two tails. Remarkably close to the same age as Lily. But the second one was a blue hedgehog, whom was about the same age as Isaac.
"Hey, is it okay if we sit here?" The blue one asked.
Isaac nodded.
The fox and hedgehog sat down, making themselves at home.
"Hi! Name's Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog!" The blue one said, extending a hand.
Isaac shook it, but Sonic wasn't prepared by the strong grip he had.
"Yowch! Strong grip!" He exclaimed, rubbing his hand.
"Apologies. I'm not used to shaking hands." Isaac said.
"I can see that! Well, how you liking the trip so far?" Sonic asked.
"Personally, I wish I were not making this trip. But recent events have forced me to leave." Isaac said.
"Really? What happened?" Sonic asked.
"This railroad. Because of it, the trade route going through the forest was abandoned. My sister and I are headed to the Kingdom of Acorn to forge a new life for ourselves." Isaac explained.
Upon explanation, the fox had a sheepish look on his face.
"Something wrong?" Lily asked, visibly concerned.
"Well… I'd like to say I'm sorry. I'm Tails, by the way." The fox said.
"Don't be. You are not responsible for our exodus." Isaac said.
"Actually… I designed the railroad and the train. That's why we're onboard today. I wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly." Tails explained
Isaac made a grunting noise. Isaac wasn't personally mad at Tails, but he was aggravated at how his actions resulted in forcing himself and Lily to leave their home. He took in a deep breath and let it out, calming himself.
"I do not blame you. If not you, it would have been someone else. It is just an unfortunate event." Isaac said.
As the train journeyed towards the Kingdom of Acorn, Isaac noticed that Sonic was looking restless. His legs were shaking, and his hands looked jittery.
"Are you okay?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I'd rather be running instead of being cooped up in here!" Sonic said.
Tails breathed a sigh of annoyance.
"Sonic, you agreed that you wouldn't complain about being on the train! We just have to ride it twice today, and I won't have to make you ride it ever again!" Tails explained.
"Sorry, little buddy! Just not used to sitting so long!" Sonic said.
Isaac felt a tug at his shirt. Lily's hand was evident.
"Brother, I am hungry. Do you have something to eat?" She asked.
Isaac reached into his pack, rustling through his supplies. He pulled out a small burlap bag, containing their last pieces of deer jerky. He handed her a large piece, which she promptly began tearing it apart with her teeth. Isaac grabbed a piece for himself, ripping it apart before eating it.
"So, I know you said you two lived on the trail, but where'd you guys come from?" Sonic asked.
"We have always lived on the Westside Island. Just elsewhere." Isaac answered.
"Where?" Tails asked.
Isaac was hesitant to speak. While he was ten when he and his sister were left alone in the world, he himself was not familiar with where they used to live.
"I do not know." Isaac answered.
"What?! What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Sonic asked.
"I mean 'I do not know'. I cannot remember." Isaac sternly answered..
Sonic and Tails did not pursue the matter further. Seeing the knives on his belt, they didn't want to make him angry at themselves. As time passed, Lily fell asleep, her head rested on Isaac's lap. Isaac was thinking to himself, his eyes closed. While his eyes were closed, he was still fully aware of his surroundings. He heard footsteps approaching their booth. While he knew that it was most likely the conductor checking tickets, the confrontation earlier that day was still fresh in his mind. His eyes shot open and he slowly reached for his dagger. The footsteps stopped at the booth door. Suddenly, a knock on the booth door occurred.
"Come in." Isaac said.
The door opened, revealing the conductor. Isaac let go of his dagger in relief.
"Tickets, please." He requested.
Tails and Sonic were exempt, since Tails designed the train and Sonic was his guest, but Isaac and Lily were not exempt. Isaac pulled out his ticket, showing it to the conductor. He looked pleased, but then he looked towards Lily.
"Her ticket is inside her tunic. If you need it, I can wake her up quickly." Isaac offered.
The conductor held up his hand and shook his head.
"No need. I believe you. I wouldn't want to wake her up just for a ticket. Next time, it may be better if you hold on to both of them. May not be me who checks the tickets." He said, moving down to the other passenger carts.
Isaac let out a breath.
"There will not be a next time. Not as long as I have a say in it." Isaac muttered to himself.
"Do you really not like the train? You're acting like Sonic when he's on a boat." Tails said.
"Dude!" Sonic exclaimed.
"I am tired, alright. I just need some rest." Isaac said, leaning back and closing his eyes.
Isaac fell into a dreamless sleep, before a voice woke him from his slumber.
"Sir, it's time to wake up." Someone said.
Isaac's eyes flew open, seeing that Sonic and Tails had left. The conductor was in the booth, his hand on Isaac's shoulder.
"Good, you're awake! We made our destination. I was checking the booths to make sure no one fell asleep and missed their exodus." The conductor said.
"Uh… thank you." Isaac said, still a bit groggy.
Putting on his cloak and slinging his pack on his shoulder, he hoisted the still sleeping Lily up, carrying her down the aisle.