The Fox and the Seedrian: Frontiers
by milesprower06
Chapter Nine
Chris gazed up at the clear starry night sky as he walked across his backyard towards the rear patio door. Even after nearly a decade of living here on Mobius, it was a point of pride that he didn't take beauty like this for granted, and he had always been grateful to live in such a tranquil place. Helping Sonic, Amy, Tails, and Cosmo with their families, as well as working with Tails and Bokkun on numerous tech projects for a living was all the excitement he needed.
Sliding the glass patio door open and stepping inside, he took a quick look across the dining area. Another thing he was grateful for was being able to build a home next to his best friend, and a reasonably-sized one at that, far and away from the cavernous, empty mansion he had grown up in. Now he was glad to go to work in the massive, cavernous laboratory that he shared with Tails, and come home to a place much smaller and cozy.
He wondered how much more smaller it would feel once he and Helen started this family they were now committed to trying for. The two of them hadn't opted for the adaptive polarity modular panels that Tails and Cosmo constructed their home with, so adding a room on would be a bit more complicated.
Walking down the hall, he came to the spare bedroom, which was across the hall from the bedroom he and Helen shared. He stepped in and flipped on the light, taking in the twin bed, nightstand, dresser, desk, and simple closet.
It had mainly served as a room for Lily or Aurora whenever they had a sleepover, and that would no doubt be changing in the near future.
"Trying to picture it as a nursery?" A familiar voice asked him softly from behind.
Chris turned and saw Helen, giving him a gentle smile.
"Yeah, you could say that," Chris answered, turning back to the guest bedroom, trying to mentally place the crib, changing table, and playpen, then the other furniture that would undoubtedly take their places as their child got older. "Listen, I'm sorry if I took too long to come around."
Helen stepped up, and slid her hand into his, interlocking their fingers.
"No such thing when it comes to things like this, Chris, especially with all the adventuring and dimension-hopping you and I have done. When it comes to a big life decision like this, you're not early, you're not late… You're right on time."
Chris gave her a smile, before leaning in to kiss her, squeezing her hand as his lips touched hers.
"Thanks, Helen."
Lily sat in front of the flickering campfire, which had slowly started to die down. Last she checked her watch, it was approaching ten o'clock, and her dad had already turned in for the night, seeing his prone silhouette in his tent across from the flames.
"Hey kiddo," Sonic greeted, sitting down next to her. "You gonna get to bed soon? Once the sun gets overhead, that mushroom forest is going to get more humid than you might think. You'll want some rest."
"Yeah, pretty soon. Didn't want to waste this fire, and my mind hasn't quite slowed down yet."
The three of them had spent the second half of the day making their way around the remnants of the Death Egg launch zone. They had a rather late dinner, not stopping until they were several hundred yards into the Mushroom Hills before coming to a clearing suitable enough for a campsite and fire. They had hunted for firewood by lantern light, due to not getting their campsite set up before sunset.
"Something on your mind?" Sonic asked.
"You're kidding, right?" Lily asked in return, smirking at the hedgehog. "Of course. My recurring dreams of the Master Emerald, and now these whispers that I'm hearing in my sleep now. I can't stop thinking about what it all means. I've long wondered how you do it, Sonic. How can you never be worried about the future? What's your secret?
Sonic cleared his throat as he slid closer to Lily, so he could keep his voice down and not disturb the slumbering fox in the tent on the other side of the campfire.
"My secret is, that there isn't one. I've always believed that it's silly to worry and stress about the future; because it's something that arrives no matter how badly you don't want it to. But that doesn't mean I don't worry, Lil'. Of course I do. I just don't show it a lot of the time, and you know why? Because that doesn't help my friends. Take your dad for instance. Growing up together, I saw him do some amazing things simply because he thought I had no fear. But I did. It's just something I've hid behind confidence, because that's what helps the friends around me."
Lily smiled at the hedgehog before returning her attention to the slowly dying flames of the campfire.
"Wish it was as easy for me," she commented.
"I think you're more confident than you're letting on, Lily, and you always have been. Remember Green Gate four years ago? You listened to your heart, and you helped heal an entire planet, regardless of how your mom and dad tried to shelter you and keep you out of harm's way. And what about now, hm? Yeah, we're probably dealing with forces that are far older than any of those books you've read, but you're not ignoring that; you're here, trying to learn as much as you can and face it head on. That is confidence, Lily."
"Thanks, Sonic. I'm hoping we figure it out. So we can all stop worrying," Lily told him.
"Bold of you to assume we all won't find new and exciting things to worry about after this is all said and done. Like I said, the future arrives whether you want it to or not. You're growing up, whether your mom and dad like it or not, and I can definitely say the same thing for Aurora too. If anything, this little trek of yours has been one nostalgic trip down memory lane. Thanks for that, by the way, kid."
Lily chuckled softly. She knew no matter how old she got, she figured she'd always be 'kid' to Sonic.
"Alright, I'm turning in. Hope that mind of yours can do so pretty soon too. We've got some long days ahead," Sonic told her.
Lily knew Sonic was right as the hedgehog got up and went into his tent. Getting through the Mushroom Hills would take most of tomorrow, and then after that it would be the most hazardous areas of the island; the desert surrounding the ancient city of Sandopolis, and the volcanic tunnels around the Hidden Palace.
She was hoping she would be closer to answers by then, because after that, there was nowhere else to go, as the floating Sky Sanctuary had collapsed as the Death Egg took off the second time.
So as the campfire became embers, Lily doused the last of the flames with a half-bottle of water before crawling inside her tent and sliding inside her sleeping bag, and let her head sink into her pillow.
"Alright, mysterious whispering voices… Do your thing."