Everybody in the bedroom stood around Merlin Prower…Each of their eyes fixated intently on the wizard fox. Hungry for the knowledge of what'd happen next…Miles's eyes shining the brightest, like two great blue stars in an endless black void.
"Well now…Since you're all here, I do believe that it is time to show Miles his new home. I know better than to try and stop any of you, so you are welcome to attend…But I must warn you everyone…" Merlin stated, his voice becoming ominously low,
"Do NOT touch anything inside, I don't want to end up cleaning up what's left of you, nor do I want one of you turning into a writhing mass of tentacles."
The statement of the wizard sent a wave of mild discomfort through the party…Sally and Sonic's faces growing rather nervous…Miles, Bunnie and Antoine appearing utterly indifferent at the news that they'd meet a very grizzly end if they didn't do as they were told.
Merlin's face brightened up once again as he merrily called out to them,
"Good, glad I made myself clear…Now, stand back all of you while I just open up a quick portal…"
The group did as they were told, each taking a couple of steps back. Their eyes fixated on Merlin's hands that began to twinkle like crystals under starlight…
He formed a small orb in his hands…One that appeared…Almost like a mirror into another world, for what could be seen in the orb was not the kid's bedroom or the figures of the group…But rather what appeared to be an outcrop in some kind of…Coastline? At least that's what they thought it was…
From the small orb emitted a powerful, icy cold gust of wind that sent shivers down the spine of all who were present…The shrill cry of seagulls could be heard coming from the orb as well as the harsh crash of the ocean's waves…
"Woah…" Tails lightly whispered to himself, the thought of one day being able to do such a thing bringing him a great amount of excitement.
Merlin shifted the orb in his hands a little bit, before sending it crashing into the floor…Upon impact, the orb shifted it's form to a large oval shape around the size of the bedroom door…They could all see clearly into it now…And indeed they were all correct…Through the portal, they could see clearly, the harsh, windy and chilly conditions of a rugged coastline…
Merlin was the first to step through the portal, once on the other side beckoning the others to follow him through…
"Come on you lot! It's not that cold!"
He had to shout, wanting to be heard over the crashing waves, roaring wind and ear piercing shrieks of the gulls….
The group followed suite…Being practically blasted with the icy winds as soon as they stepped through…The young Tails shivering as the cold enveloped him…His fur billowing in the wind…Sally kept hold of him though, just to make sure that the child was at least a bit warmer.
The landscape around them…despite being absolutely freezing, was rather beautiful…The group were standing in a small grassy clearing dotted by a few ever-green shrubs.
However, just a few meters away from them, they could see over a large cliff face…Over it, there stood a large bay of shingle beach, seaweed dotted rock pools and towering columns of grey, rugged, basalt…The columns were topped with small patches of grass…And in some of the eroded grooves in the rock, there were a small series of gull's nests.
The skies above signalled that it was sometime around the late morning…The sun gently hidden behind the iron grey skies above…Wherever this island was…It was certainly far away…
However, the group did not have the time to drink in their surroundings, as Merlin's voice called out over the wind,
"This way everyone!"
Each of them turned, seeing the wizard slowly marching along a cliffside path…One that led up towards…What appeared to be some kind of old and weather beaten tower…It looked medieval and gothic In it's structure…Constructed from great blocks of basalt, likely carved from the cliffs that stood nearby.
It was roofed by small, black, clay tiles that slowly coated the roof's conical shape…Giving the structure a stereotypical 'wizard's tower' appearance…One large chimney that jutted out from the roof belching out smoke that rose into the skies above…
Besides the castle, there were two paths…Both primitive and earthen in construction…One the group was marching along now as they slowly drew closer and closer to the tower…The other slowly went winding down the cliff-side below, connecting it to the shingle beach of…Wherever it was they were…
"Sheesh…I don't like him…But I got to admit that this place looks awesome Sal…It's beautiful, freezing yes but beautiful…Like something out of a fantasy novel." Sonic whispered to his chipmunk partner who grasped onto Tails to warm not only him…But her too.
"Yeah…If it was a bit warmer then I wouldn't mind having a nice vacation over here…" The Princess responded...The freezing air causing goose-bumps to start prickling under her fur.
"UHHHH MR PROWER? WHERE EXACTLY ARE WE?" Bunnie called out to the wizard as they made their way along the coastal path, all the while holding a shivering Antoine d'Coolette in a warm embrace.
"MRS D'COOLETTE, WE ARE CURRENTLY ON THE NORTHERN ISLE OF BOREAS! IT'S 120 MILES OFF OF THE NORTH COAST OF ACORN! IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE TO HIDE AWAY AND TO DEVELOP MILES'S POWERS SAFELY AND WITHOUT ATTRACTING ANY ATTENTION!"
Sally raised a brow at the statement,
"WAIT? BOREAS ISLAND? THAT LITERALLY HAS A SMALL PORT TOWN ON IT! HOW CAN IT BE THE BEST PLACE FOR TAILS TO DEVELOP HIS POWERS IF IT'S RELATIVELY WELL POPULATED?"
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT PRINCESS! IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND. NOBODY EVER COMES UP HERE, NOW HUSH! WE'RE ALMOST THERE."
Sally did as she was instructed…Not wanting to disrupt the wizard as they slowly began to approach the tower…
…
It was far large up close then they could have ever anticipated, the door itself had to be around two times the height of Merlin himself…The aforementioned door was constructed from…rather weather beaten looking oak wood…The series of iron studs that protruded from the door, not to mention the gargoyle shaped handle being marred and discoloured slightly with rust.
Merlin turned the handle…The device letting out a rather unsavoury, raspy, scraping noise as he did so…Before opening the doorway and ushering them all inside, getting them out of the cold…
It was relatively cosy inside, the entrance hall they had gone into was rather small, with a few coat hangers on the closed side of the door, a small area to the right being designated to footwear, as that small section of the wooden flooring was organised with pairs of boots.
The light of the room came from a small light bulb that radiated a soft, warm glow over them all…It was comforting, very comforting…A very welcome relief from the harshness of the weather outside…And the relatively pleasant smell of cooking that wafted from a rather weather beaten and worm eaten looking spiral staircase that led upstairs…
The group followed Merlin up the aforementioned staircase. The old wood slowly creaking as their feet made contact with the worm-eaten material…
The staircase itself led up to a larger room than the little entry hall, being approximately 5 metres long and 5 metres wide…The furniture of the room was rather rustic…Featuring wooden cabinets and a large wooden table…A small fireplace that crackled away and bathed the room in warm light…A kettle hanging over the flames that was faintly whistling…As well as all over kitchen necessities…Albeit all with a very…Rustic and almost Medieval look…
Merlin ushered each of the group to the table…Clapping his hands as he did so and watching merrily as the small chairs shot out from below the table and neatly organised themselves in position for the others to sit down…
They did so…Merlin himself taking the head-seat of the table…And as soon as the others had settled onto the rather worm eaten furniture, he turned to Miles and flashed the boy a toothy grin,
"Right Miles…Welcome to your new home/training ground into becoming a fully fledged wizard! Now…Tell me…What do you think so far?"
the wizard's nephew gave a rather shy yet…Overwhelmed smile, like he hadn't fully processed everything that was happening around him yet…But he seemed to like it well enough…Giving his Uncle a thumb's up in response and squeaking out,
"I love it Uncle Merlin." Which elicited a small chuckle from both Sonic and Merlin…
"Good, good…Now…Let me ask…To the rest of you I mean…Is there anything I'll have to know beforehand about the boy? Does he have any unique little quirks or talents or…Interests that I'll need to be aware of? I can make arrangements if you desire."
Sally was the first to speak up, her voice informative in tone…Like a teacher educating a student,
"Well Mr Prower…There are a few things that you should take into account about Tails…Firstly he prefers to be called the nickname…Mainly because he was well…Picked on…For his birth name when he was living alone on Westside island…
Secondly, he absolutely loves to tinker with anything science related…Books, films, tv shows, games, anything of the sorts that's vaguely science related he'll adore…So I recommend that if you were to try and decorate his room…Wherever that may be in the tower…I suggest doing so like that.
Thirdly, he's a mechanic at heart, meaning he can and most likely will try and improve upon the function of any device he can get his hands on…So…Try and get him some sort of shed or room where he can freely mess around with his technology and don't be alarmed if you find him disassembling your fridge or something like that…Okay?"
Merlin nodded in response,
"Capital. Consider it done!"
The wizard clapped his hands…And a faint whooshing noise could be heard from upstairs …They all assumed it was Merlin making adjustments to the fox's desired living conditions…
He then turned his gaze to his still rather overwhelmed nephew and asked him kindly,
"Hey…Tails?…"
He mumbled the nickname a few times under his breath…Almost as if he was indulging himself in a new and exotic flavour…Just so he could get used to saying it,
"Yes Uncle Merlin?" The kid responded, looking rather excited…Visibly eager to see what would be awaiting him next.
"You look…Kinda tired kid, so I suggest I show you to your bedroom and let you get some sleep after dinner okay? We can have some first magic lessons once you're well rested…But first…I think it's time we had something to eat, wouldn't you agree?"
Antoine's brow furrowed slightly and he sat up in his chair and hazarded a question to the wizard,
"Errrmmm…Excuse me Monsieur Prower…But…There are no plates and no food in sight! Surely cooking something now would be detrimental."
Merlin chuckled at the coyote's question and gave him a warm smile in response, clapping his hands twice…
Then, from the cabinet and onto the table flew out bowls for each of them alongside rather beaten looking bronze cutlery…Then with a click of the magician's fingers he materialised a large pot of what seemed to be some sort of thick fish soup, the colour of freshly picked tomatoes and beside the pot, a basket of bread rolls.
The group happily helped themselves to the feast…Sonic being a little hesitant to taste the food before him…But when he took one bite…He started to hungrily wolf down his serving, exclaiming through a mouthful of the stew,
"Sweet Chaos Merlin…This is really good! How the hell did you learn to cook like this?!"
Sally and Bunnie shared similar sentiments to their blue-spined friend and both asked Merlin with awe and wonder in their faces,
"Yeah…This has to be some of the best food I've ever eaten…It's up there with some of the food I've had in other palaces! In fact I think it may just overshadow it…How in Chaos's name are you able to cook so well with such limited space?"
"Simple home cooking Ms Sally…Not to mention having a bit of magic tossed in as well…Just to make sure that I can make sure the job is done safely and well…And…Heh…You can see that it pays off."
…
When the group had concluded their meal…Each of them felt significantly happier than when they had first arrived on Boreas…Full and warm from the roaring fireplace…
Merlin kicked back and let out a contented sigh,
"Ahhh…Well…That was nice…Wasn't it everyone?"
The group collectively nodded at the wizard in response, hanging onto every single word that left the fox's lips.
Merlin gave a warm and friendly smile to each of them, before standing up in his seat and saying to Tails, who was slightly leaning against Sally…Rather fatigued and a little sleepy,
"Hey…Tails, don't fall asleep yet little fella. I've got to show you to your room, now…Come on, let's go."
He got up and turned to the stair case…Expecting to hear the footsteps of the smaller fox following behind him…Yet he didn't hear a thing…He turned his tail, about to try and tell the fox to get up and follow him…But all he could do was let out a quiet chuckle when he saw what had happened.
The smaller and significantly younger fox had curled up slightly into the side of Princess Sally, his face practically buried into her shoulder and his chest rising and falling ever so gently…The Princess's arm tightly wrapped around the boy to prevent him from falling off his chair…
"I forgot to mention something Merlin…" Sally whispered quietly, a small smile on her face as she looked down at the sleeping fox, then back up at the one who was wide awake,
"When he's sleepy…He goes out like a light-bulb…And it'll take a lot to wake him up…"
Merlin merely gave a nigh silent chortle in response to the boy's unconscious state…And so gently he whispered to Sally,
"Come on Ms Sally…Let's bring him upstairs to his bedroom and let him get some well deserved shut-eye."
The Chipmunk nodded…Sonic, Antoine and Bunnie giving rather saddened smiles at the knowledge that the sleeping kid would no longer be In their vision like an adorable little decoration of fuzz and brains that they loved oh so dearly.
…
The group made sure to be as quiet as possible as Merlin slowly began to lead them up the spiral staircase…Each of their steps causing the wooden stairs to let out a horrible slow creak…Merlin silently cursed himself at not being able to utilise a spell earlier to fix that problem…
But nonetheless the little fox remained unconscious in Princess Sally's warm embrace as she gently ferried him up the steps…His sleeping features causing the trio of Sonic, Sally and Antoine to quietly awe at their greatly fatigued youngest comrade…
The older fox gently swiped one hand as he was met with a small corridor…one that led to three rooms…And immediately the door to the right side of the decorated corridor slowly opened up with a low creak once more…The rest of the group following the older wizard inside…
It was an absolutely wondrous and cosy little abode…To one end of the room rested a nice and ever- roaring fireplace…The flames bathing the room in a warm, amber, glow…To the other end of the room stood an absolutely enormous bookcase, tightly packed with every kind of novel and tome that the young fox would need on his journey to becoming a brilliant arcane sorcerer.
There was a desk In the corner that was loaded up with mechanical tools, schematics, gadgets and other such devices that Miles could utilise….There was a wardrobe too…It's contents featuring a set of new robes for the fox to wear once he had awoken…Their colours a pale blue mixed with beige…
There were also a set of steam-punk looking lamps, a radiator in the same style as well…A nice woollen rug, a tv with a working game's console and more than a few posters for a wide range of different sci-fi properties…
And then, on the far end of the room, resting by an oval shaped window that out of which one could see the beautiful and rugged Borean Coast below…Was a nice and comfy looking bed…One with a tartan duvet and dark grey pillows…
Sally gently walked towards the bed and placed the small fox in it, gently pulling the tartan duvet up to his white, fluffy chest before turning to face the group,
"Well…It's quite a room huh? Thank you Mr Prower, this is better than I expected."
Merlin chortled in response and gave a small bow as he said to each of them,
'You are all welcome…It's the best I could do for the little guy…But, now he's here…Would you lot like to go home? You lot must be tired. "
"Yeah…But…Before we go…I just have to say something Merlin…" Sonic said, a warm and grateful gleam In his eye…
"And that is?" Merlin asked, a happy smile plastered on his face.
"Thank you…"