Chapter 9

A month of relative peace and prosperity passed in Hedgehog village. The youth went to their new school, other youth taught them at the school, and the elderly complained that such opportunities were denied them during their youth. Silver was more satisfied than ever. His cataclysmic future seemed so far away. He began to question his own memories. Maybe utopia was waiting for them. Perhaps the future had already been saved. He did not think on it long. A friend had once told him that the past and the future were meaningless. All you have is the present. He took those words to heart and decided to act by going to the one place in the village where all the real work gets done—the public library.

He found a census of the entire village and decided to look for citizens who might need his help. He took the census over to Shadow at Chaos Brews. He was sitting at a table by the window, enjoying a cup of coffee with Mariah.

"Sorry to bother you." Silver said when he noticed Shadow's annoyed gaze. "There's a citizen that I think needs our help."

"Are you really going to help everyone on the island?" Mariah asked, taking a sip from her mug.

"If it's within my power, I will. . . . Did you tell Sonic about the future?"

Shadow blinked at him. "Oh, I forgot. Sorry."

Silver slammed his fists on the table. "You forgot the planet is going to be destroyed?"

Mariah's eyes widened. "What?"

Shadow smiled slightly. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget things. Just a side effect of plummeting to Earth headfirst."

"The world is going to end?" Mariah exploded. "What's he talking about, Shadow? Am I going to destroy the world just like—"

"Calm down." he said, grabbing her hand. "Silver doesn't know anything for certain. It could be thousands of years away."

Silver stared at the odd pair. Even he knew it wasn't natural for someone to ask "is it my fault?" after hearing the world will end.

"I won't let your world die, Shadow!" she yelled, growing even more panicked. "I won't let anyone destroy it like I did mine!"

"It'll be alright, Mariah." he said, trying to smile. "Go get some air."

Her tall form glided away like a shadow herself. She slid out the door, banging against the rickety frame.

"Is she alright?" Silver asked.

"Define alright."

"Forget it. There's a shut-in living out in the forest who might need our help. The census hasn't even recorded her the past ten years. Everyone at city hall just assumes she's still living there."

Shadow sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Are you going to go door to door helping every villager?"

"Of course. That's what politicians are supposed to do, right?" Silver said, clenching his fist with determination.

Shadow shook his head and took a sip of coffee.

"Anyway, this girl's name is Whisper the Wolf. Do you know her?"

Shadow furrowed his brow. "Never heard of her, and I know everyone on this island. You sure she's real?"

"No doubt. If there ever was an infallible class of people, it's census workers."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Let's just go. You never know. Maybe she'll help us save the world."

"Great! Do you think Sonic would help?"

He laughed. "No chance. He's living the best month of his life with Amy in one of my casinos."

"Oh. . . . You're timeline has some strange heroes."

Silver thought the forest was home to no one on the island, since all its citizens seemed to require at least twelve hours of television a day. However, as he and Shadow followed a trail into its heart, they found a cabin at the crest of a hill. A weak beam of light glimmered from its window. Someone was home.

"Go on, politician." Shadow said, crossing his arms.

Silver floated up to the door and knocked. "Good afternoon. My name is Silver the Hedgehog and I've come to perform a welfare check."

There was no response.

"Whisper the Wolf, if you're home, I just want to make sure you're alright."

A gunshot rang out, and part of the drew flew off, clattering at Shadow's feet. He could not help but laugh at Silver's panic-stricken face.

"Did she just shoot me?" He screamed.

"That was a warning shot." The voice within the house was barely audible.

Silver glanced back at Shadow. "We don't want to hurt you. Please, do you need any food or supplies. I'm sure it gets cold out here."

"I've lived on my own for ten years. I don't need some bureaucrat's charity."

Shadow pushed Silver aside. "You can't be soft with these off-the-grid types." He slammed his fist on the door. "Why are you living in this wilderness? There's nothing for you here."

"There's peace." Whisper's voice was trembling. "I wasn't bothering anyone. Why are you guys harassing me?"

"She's right." Silver muttered. "Maybe we should go."

Shadow glared at him. "You're a social creature. You're not meant to live in isolation."

"You're right." Whisper said, laughing. "This is how I socialize."

Another bullet whizzed through the door, but Shadow caught it between his fingers. He stared at the bullet, grunted, and tossed it aside. With a powerful kick, he tore the door open and found a short wolf girl crouched behind an overturned table. Whisper had light brown hair that was long and disheveled. Her fur was just as unkempt, and she wore a boyish hunting vest with leather trousers that were haphazardly patched and sewn together.

Whisper's rifle trembled in her hands. "I-I knew the mayor was going to send his goons after me sooner or later. I didn't mean to hunt on his property. The forest is just the forest, you know?"

Silver stepped in front of Shadow. "This isn't a home invasion, I promise! You're just the only citizen living in this part of the island, and I thought you might need some help."

Whisper dropped her rifle and stared at Silver in awe. Despite her disheveled appearance, there was a glint of wonder in her eyes. Underneath all her savagery, Silver could see something pure.

"Yeah, I think he looks funny, too." Shadow said with a smirk.

"You're . . . You're Meness the moon god!" Whisper exclaimed.

Shadow and Silver stared at each other. Then huddled up outside her house.

"It's not too late to just leave her here." Shadow said.

"No, I have to help everyone on the island, even those who go ten years without social interaction."

Silver cleared his throat and stepped back into Whisper's house. "I think you have me confused with someone else. I'm Silver the Hedgehog, your new minister of welfare."

Whisper smiled for the first time, baring her fangs. "I know the god of the moon when I see him. My parents used to read stories to me about how you saved our ancestors from the sun god's wrath."

"The sun god. . . . Oh no."

Shadow frowned. "What's wrong? You're not entertaining her delusions, are you?"

"She's right."

"Look, I know you want to win votes, but I doubt this girl—"

"No, Shadow. Let me explain. My journey to save the future has had a lot of trial-and-error. Almost one thousand years ago, a giant meteor shower nearly destroyed half the planet. I went back in time and used my psychokinesis to save everyone. I thought it would fix the future, but it didn't. I guess her ancestors remembered what I looked like and passed down the story."

Shadow thought for a moment and smiled. "I never imagined you would create multiple personas throughout history. This might be the one person in the world who thinks you're impressive."

"Thanks, Shadow. . . ." He turned back to Whisper. "You're right. I saved your ancestors, but I'm not a god. I'm just a guy trying to make the world a better place, and now I've come to help you. Fate can be funny like that sometimes."

Carefully, Whisper reached out her hand and touched Silver's fingers. "I don't believe it. You're real."

"That's right." Silver said with a wink. "And I've come to give you real help. I'm gonna help you get a job and become a contributing member of society."

Shadow smiled. "Doesn't quite have the drama of saving the planet from a giant meteor, does it?"

Whisper stared down at herself. "I don't know. All I can do is hunt birds and forage, but I'll try. If my parents were here, I know they'd want me to listen to you."

"What happened to your parents?" Silver asked.

Whisper's face darkened. "They died in a forest fire."

Silver stared at her, feeling his eyes warm with tears. "I'm sorry. . . . I'll fix everything, I promise. You're exactly who I was elected to serve."

Shadow stepped forward. "If she needs a job, I can let her help Mariah at the café. She needs someone to watch the place while she teaches. It wouldn't be hard."

"Would she be okay with that?" Silver pulled him away. "This girl's not exactly a pack player. You think she can handle serving customers?

Shadow frowned. "She'll be fine. Mariah likes hurt people, and we're all just trying to help others . . . whatever our reasons."

Silver nodded. "Good point, Shadow. Hey, Whisper, how would you like to provide a crucial service to your community—Overpriced coffee drinks?"

Whisper stared at him and slowly smiled. "What's coffee?"

"It's like I'm drinking pure acid." Silver doubled over and coughed violently.

Shadow grabbed his cup and took a drink. "It's fine."

They were sitting at the bar in Chaos Brews, trying to teach Whisper how to brew coffee. That was all Shadow cared to teach her. Mariah would handle the rest.

"How many scoops did you put in the filter?" Silver gasped, clutching his chest.

Whisper smiled innocently. "What's a filter?"

The café door flew open and Mariah walked in, exhausted from her long day at school. She took one look at Whisper and froze.

"Um, Shadow, why is there a wild animal behind my bar?"

For the first time, Silver saw him lose his cool. Shadow actually looked nervous.

"Mariah, this is Whisper. We found her out in the forest and thought she needed a job. I knew the city life would be too stimulating for her, so I told her she could work here with you . . . if that's okay."

She stomped up to the bar and looked down at Shadow. "If it's okay with you, it's okay with me. Don't you know that by now, Shadow?"

Judging by her face, it did not look like anything was "okay."

"She's staying in the dorm." Silver said in a placating tone. "We just thought she could watch the place while you're out."

"That sounds wonderful!" Mariah said, clasping her hands together. "Come on, Whisper. Let's get you a bath and a change of clothes. What's your favorite color, dear? Do you know your colors?"

"Silver." Whisper said.

"How convenient. There's a hedgehog right here we can skin and make a nice coat for you."

Whisper jumped in front of Silver and growled at her with an animalistic rage. Sensing danger, Shadow pulled Mariah away.

"It's complicated but she thinks Silver is a god." he said. "He saved her ancestors from a meteor. Also, her parents died in a forest fire. Remember what I said about helping others? This girl's counting on you."

Mariah's eyes brightened and she danced back to the bar. "Whisper, darling, lets go upstairs and get you cleaned up. Don't worry. I won't hurt you or your friend."

She relaxed a little and followed Mariah up to her room. Silver breathed a heavy sigh and leaned against the counter.

"See?" Shadow said, downing Whisper's coffee attempt. "I told you she'd be fine."

After class, Sticks went down to Chaos Brews, hoping to ask Mariah about her journeys across time and space. You can imagine her surprise when she found behind the bar a socially maladjusted wolf instead of her human friend. Shadow was behind the bar as well, helping her with the machines.

Sticks hopped on a bar stool. "Hey, Shadow, who's your new friend? Someone who owes you money?"

Shadow glanced at her and frowned. "The sign said closed."

"But your window wasn't."

He sighed. "Sticks, this is Whisper the Wolf. She's a social outcast like you. I imagine you'll get along well."

Sticks smiled. "As long as you don't watch the news or drink tap water, you're good in my book."

Whisper looked at her bashfully. "I don't have a tv or running water."

Her eyes lit up and she jumped over the bar to hug the distraught wolf. "My sister from a different mister! Where have you been all my life? Oh, this is perfect. I was needing a new gal pal after Sonic and Amy started dating. I hardly see her anymore. Actually, those two probably got abducted by aliens. Hey, Shadow, you're an alien, right? What do you think?"

"That I should leave you two alone to stew in your paranoia." He teleported to the door and opened it. "Don't forget about my other job proposal, Whisper. You could have all the money you'd ever want."

Shadow slammed the door behind him and an oppressive silence fell over the café.

"What kind of job was he talking about?" Sticks asked, crossing her arms. "Is he trying to take advantage of you? That Shadow's a shady character and not because his name's . . . well, you know."

Whisper frowned and stared at the floor. "He asked me to be a hitman. He thinks I'm a good shot."

Sticks leaned over the bar. "Wow. You're really quiet, the exact opposite of me, and that's great. If he asks you to assassinate some politicians, I'd go for it. They're just lizard people in disguise anyway."

Whisper smiled bashfully. "I don't know. . . . There's one politician I like a lot."

"Who?" Sticks shouted. "You can't let them seduce you, Whisp. They'll steal your social security number and replace you with one of their clones."

"It's . . . Silver."

Sticks wiped her brow and returned to her seat. "Thank goodness. He doesn't get a salary, so he has to be real, but what's got him on your brain?"

"A thousand years ago, he saved my tribe from Saule the sun god."

She smiled slightly. "I knew he was a nice guy. . . . I should really disable all those traps in his office."

Mariah entered the café and tossed aside her school bag. Managing a smile, she walked up to Sticks and Whisper.

"I see you've made a friend." Mariah patted both of their heads. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off and spend some time with her, Whisper? The social interaction will benefit you more than this tedious labor."

"Alright!" Sticks grabbed Whisper by the arm. "Let's go disable those traps."

Silver groaned when Sticks and Whisper entered his office. "Sticks, I hope you're not here to lodge another complaint."

She laughed slightly. "We just came to disable my traps, oh, and sorry about the traps."

"Those primitive things?" Silver shook his head. "I took those apart with my psychokinesis on day one."

Sticks folded her hands behind her back. "Oh, great. . . . Well, Whisper wanted to say hi anyway. Go on, Whisp."

She raised her hand stiffly and put it back down. Silver smiled and walked over to them. "That white dress is beautiful, Whisper, and I love your hair. I'm so proud of you for cleaning yourself up. You've taken your first step on your path to becoming an engaged citizen."

Her face reddened and she hid behind Sticks. Silver frowned, wondering if he had said something wrong.

"Hey, way to go, Whisp. You got a compliment." Sticks said, elbowing her in the side. "She thinks you're a god by the way. That time travel really helps with the ladies, am I right?"

Silver scratched the back of his head. "Uh, it helps with a lot of things, I guess."

Sticks suddenly ran to his window. "Well, it's getting late, and I gotta help Amy with her homework. She missed Mariah's lecture on classical conditioning. Hopefully she can learn it through association with me."

She jumped out of the window and screamed when she landed in a fountain. Silver shut the window with his psychokinesis and turned to Whisper who was standing as stiff as a soldier.

"How's the job going?"

"Fine. . . . Shadow's nicer than I thought."

"Yeah, he always comes around . . . and kicks you in the head."

Whisper laughed quietly. "I might be able to buy a house soon. If I did, would you come visit me?"

"Of course!" Silver smiled. "A house, huh? I don't even have one of those. You're really climbing the social ladder."

She nodded happily. "Bye."

Whisper waved to him a little more naturally this time and skipped out of his office.