A couple days later, and one could find Drift trotting back to the cave after an hour or two spent foraging. A large piece of fabric that had been carefully wrapped around something dangled from her teeth, and she was careful to not let it drop as she jumped through the cave entrance and landed on the beanbag chair. To be honest, she was quite pleased with today's findings for food, considering some of Sonic's favorite stuff was included.

He had been in a rather mopey mood ever since movie night a couple days ago, as he usually was, and she was hoping this would cheer him up to some degree.

"Sonic?" Drift called out, her voice muffled by the fabric she carried.

"Oh hey Drift. You're back! And-whoa! That's quite the load you've got there" Sonic stated as he came out of a small room built into the side of the cave.

He had the look of fake happiness, but that quickly changed to genuine amazement when he took note of the clothe that hung from the Dragobian's teeth. Drift flashed a bright smile as she dropped the fabric and began displaying the fruits of her labour.

"Today, I present to you, fries, these croissant wrapped hot dogs, regular hot dogs, and bits of funnel cake and doughnuts from the bakery" she said as she set each piece of the bounty across the cloth.

She swore there were stars in Sonic's eyes as he eyed the feast before him.

"Wow, Drift, how did you get all of this?" he asked, looking towards his sister.

"Let's just say, humans don't see things that don't look like their actually there" she stated with a wink and a smirk as her scales rippled, her colors bleeding away to be replaced with whatever was behind her before she allowed herself to return to normal again.

Sonic gave a laugh as he shook his finger at her.

"Oh, you sneaky little thing" he said with a smile.

"Yes, I know. I'm amazing" Drift stated as she set a clawed hand to her chest and shook her shoulders a bit.

Then she clapped her hands together and aimed her pointer fingers towards the food.

"Now, let's eat. Cause I am actually quite hungry" she stated, causing her brother to give a chuckle before he sat down on the opposite side of the cloth.

The next hour or so was spent chatting about the things Drift had seen today and the things Sonic had gotten up to while she was out and about. Crazy Carl had seemed even more mopier than usual today. Probably because the two had fooled around with his traps again last night.

Sonic seemed rather amused by that, if his chuckle was anything to go by as he snacked on a french fry. Drift let him have the last bite of the remaining doughnut, and stood up to stretch herself out.

"So, what do you want to do now? Observe people, go for a run, or..." Sonic suggested before trailing off when he noticed how his sister was acting.

Her eyes were closed in an expression of concentration, and her ears were raised into a position of alertness, giving the occasional twitch as whatever else she was hearing was trying to compete for her attention. The hedgehog wasn't hearing anything out of the ordinary as he also listened intently, so he concluded that whatever Drift was picking up was something that was way out of his hearing range distance wise. Over ten plus years, and he still never got over how she was able to pick up on someone's heartbeat of all things even when the person was standing at least half a mile away.

It often made him wonder how she got through day to day life. What might've sounded quiet to him had to be really amplified to her, right? That had to apply with what he found to be loud too, right?

Why was he only thinking about those kinds of questions now?

Sonic was startled out of his thoughts when Drift began moving. Her ears were back to their normally relaxed position, and she had a smile on her face as she reached out a hand and set it at hip level. Green colored magic formed underneath the pawed appendage, taking on the partial form of a stepping stone. A couple more formed under her feet and other hand as she jumped a bit, her platforms of magic allowing her to quite literally stand in mid air.

"Drift?" Sonic asked, confused.

The Dragobian turned her head to look towards him, still keeping a light knowing smile on her lips.

"I've got something a little better than what you suggested. And you're going to love it. Now come on!"

And with that, she jumped upwards and shot herself out of the cave's entrance, leaving Sonic to scramble after her.

...

Digging her claws into the bark, Drift gave a few small grunts of effort as she pulled her body up into the leafy cover of the tree, and once she was settled on a branch that offered a good view, she shifted her colors as to mirror the different shades of green and brown around her. If anyone were to look in her general direction now, all they would find were some bunches of leaves. Letting out a quiet sigh, the Dragobian looked out at the scene before her, and gave a light smile at what she saw.

A baseball game, performed by kids and observed by who was assumed to be all the parents, was taking place in a rather large field beyond the fence that separated said field from everything else. And based off of the scoreboards, things were all tied up. One of the children, sporting a dirtied up green and white jersey shirt, was walking up to the home plate with a wooden bat in their grasp, staring down the enemy team as they approached.

"Whoa, the playoffs!"

Looking down from her spot in the branches, Drift spotted Sonic, who was half hidden behind the tree she was perched in, and staring at the action with a look of childlike amazement in his wide emerald green eyes. It was crazy, really, how that expression took off a few years and made him look like he wasn't even fifteen. She couldn't help but be reminded of, younger, days.

Days where they didn't have to hide in plain sight. Where they could curl up under the wings of owl guardians and listen to the stories they would tell to make the young creatures fall asleep. Where they could play and mess around and talk to others without having to worry if anybody was going to freak out or try to capture them.

She wouldn't admit it, but, she honestly missed those times. It was pretty great, really, having Sonic around. She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle living all these years alone.

But sometimes, even she couldn't help but want more than what they already had.

The sound of a bat making contact with a ball broke the Dragobian out of her thoughts, and she quickly looked up from a vibrating Sonic to the field, where the green and white jersey kid flung down the bat and took off running to the first base amid cheers from the team and supporting parents. Someone from the opposite team tried to catch the flying ball, but it soared out of their reach over the fence, and the cheers grew louder as the home run was registered on the scoreboard.

"Nice job kiddo" Drift quietly muttered, watching with a growing smile as the runner threw their hands and arms up in celebration.

Her attention was quickly captured by the blue colored blur that suddenly darted underneath the bleachers, and the Dragobian rolled her eyes a bit in amusement. She wasn't going to fault her brother for wanting a more up and front experience to the game. He was, after all, more of a sports creature than she was, so why not indulge that a bit?

And maybe even join in every once in a while as she was at it.

Jumping from the tree branch to the ground, the Dragobian shifted her colors, blending in with the landscape around and under her as she quickly trotted forwards, keeping her body low to the ground as she moved towards the bleachers. Judging by how Sonic's ear twitched in her direction as she approached, she assumed he had heard her coming, but that apparently didn't stop him from jumping a bit in surprise as she seemingly materialized beside him, the symphony of greens from the grass and greys from the bleachers bleeding away to reveal the usual black, grey and white of her natural color scheme.

"Dude, I thought you heard me coming!" Drift quietly muttered, smiling in amusement as she furrowed her brow ridges at him in confusion.

"I did! But I wasn't expecting you to just poof into existence right beside me!"

"Oh good grief Sonic" the Dragobian whispered, rolling her eyes again as she let out an amused chuckle.

The sight of the home runner darting past in front of them made the two creatures hush, and watch in glee and fascination as the kid hit the home plate, and was automatically enveloped in a massive group hug from their cheering teammates.

"How great would it be if we were out there?"

The question, which honestly sounded more like a statement than anything, made Drift pause, and she turned to look towards her brother, who was staring, almost hungrily, at the group of kids who had just placed the cheering and laughing home runner on their shoulders. The hedgehog's ears drooped a bit. The movement was ever so slight, but the Dragobian's sharp eyesight and keen perception picked up on it all the same.

Try as he might to convince her otherwise, she knew her brother craved the same thing she did. And right now, it seemed he yearned also for the feeling of pride that the young child and their teammates were feeling at the moment. Raising her hand, she sheathed her claws, and gently patted him on the back in a comforting manner.

"...Someday. Might not be now, or today, or tomorrow, or anytime soon for that matter, but... It will be someday" she said softly, switching from gentle pats to soft rubs, ignoring the way some of her brother's quills poked at the worn and slightly cracked leathery pads on her palm and fingers.

The hedgehog beside her let out a soft sigh, and Drift looked from him to the kids, who had finally set down their victorious teammate, and then towards the field, where an idea began to take root in her head.

"Hey, Sonic?" she asked, looking towards her brother as she dropped her hand to the ground.

She got a hum as a response, and his emerald green eyes looked towards her cerulean blue ones. Offering him a smile, she proposed her plan.

"What do you think of coming back here after dark?"

Just as she hoped, that fire she was so used to returned to her brother's eyes as they were flooded with shock and surprise.

"Wait, really?" he asked, excitement beginning to make it's way in his voice.

"No, I'm messing around with you for my own enjoyment. Yeah, really!" Drift stated as sarcastically as she could before speaking normally.

"Drift, I swear-"

"I'm being serious here Sonic. Do you want to come back here after the sun sets or not?"

"Heck yeah I do!"

"Great! Then let's-"

"What's going on down there?"

Both hedgehog and dragon froze at the sound of the curious yet concerned voice from the bleachers above them, which began to creak as whoever was above them began to move around.

"Uh oh. Sonic, let's go"

"Already ahead of you"

By the time the person could peer under the bleachers in search of whoever was talking, the two creatures were already gone, safely hidden away some distance in the forest behind the bleachers, laughing the near encounter away out of sheer shock.

...

Darkness followed after the sun set, and the lights that surrounded the baseball field began to flicker on to combat it with it's light. It was a little while before there was any sign of movement. The dirt began to shift, and strange paw prints began to imprint themselves into the dirt before they pressed down the grass.

The air distorted, and colors began to bleed through the thin air. Sniffing the air to make sure they were truly here, Drift gave a smile and turned her head towards the darkness of the forest.

"Yo Sonic! It's good. Get over here!" she called.

Not a second later, and the grey fur over her spine was ruffled by the wind that was provided by the glowing blue blur that rushed past her and came to a stop a few feet away in front of her. Sonic looked absolutely awestruck as he walked forward while slowly spinning around, taking in the sight before him.

"...So cool" the Dragobian heard him breathe out in wonder, causing her to chuckle a bit as she rose up on her back legs.

"I thought you might like this. Seeing how you've been a little down and under lately" she stated, flicking her tail a bit as she spoke.

She gave a breathy laugh at the offended sounding scoff she received.

"I have not been 'down and under' as you say!" her brother retorted, using air quotes for her own words.

Drift furrowed her brow ridges and squinted, looking at the hedgehog out of the corner of her eyes.

"I haven't!"

"Uh-huh, sure. And I'm Vin Diesel"

The Dragobian gave an accomplished smile at the groan Sonic gave before slowly spinning on her heel, taking in the sights of the baseball field herself. She had to admit it. This was pretty cool, being out here in the quiet of the night as a slightly chilled breeze fluttered by, ruffling her fur slightly.

The sound of Sonic gasping at something had her whirling a round a bit, hackles rising, but she settled down at the look of surprise and joy in his eyes as he stared intently at something. Following his gaze, the Dragobian spotted what was winding her brother up. Someone had left behind a duffle bag.

An unzipped duffle bag that had a bat, mitts, and other baseball equipment sticking out of it.

Drift's eyes widened a bit when she saw it, before slowly turning her head to look towards her brother, who looked back, and the two shared a knowing smile. A minute later, and Sonic was standing at the home plate, bat in hand, helmet on his head, and staring down the pitcher's mound.

"Bottom of the ninth, tied score, and exactly who you want at the plate with the game on the line, Sonic!" he called out, tapping the bat against his foot like he had seen other kids do before taking up a batter's position.

"Oh, but staring him down from the pitcher's mound, and heavily well known for her curved fastballs, it's Drift!" Drift called out as she stepped up on the mound, pulling on a cap and tossing a baseball into her glove covered hand, playfully glaring at her brother as her tail waved a bit from side to side behind her.

Her brother assumed a determined expression, and she pricked her ears a bit to catch what he said.

"Okay, focus Sonic. If you win this game you'll be the most beloved kid in Green Hills" he stated to himself, his tail wagging a bit.

He suddenly dashed away to one of the bases, wearing a cap, did a few nose wiping motions, smacked his hands against his jaw, mimicked a fart noise with his armpit, and mimed a bird or butterfly flying away with his hands before cupping the appendages around his mouth.

"Hit it to the ones on the left! Their real space cases!" he called out.

Outfield Sonic was simply staring up at the sky, blowing a large bubble with his gum, while Outfield Drift was merely sitting on the ground, tail waving in the air as she picked at the grass blades. They both looked over once they were mentioned, each having clueless and bewildered expressions on their faces. The hilarity of it was only added when the bubble Outfield Sonic had been blowing suddenly popped, coving the majority of his face with pink bubblegum.

Pitcher Drift gave an annoyed groan as she rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, I can't. I just can't with them" she said, motioning her ungloved hand towards the Outfielders while looking towards Baseman Sonic, who gave a nod of agreement.

Catcher Sonic took up his place behind the home plate, wearing a helmet and body armour as he smacked his fist into a catcher's glove.

"Hey Batter Sonic! Hey Batter Sonic! Suh-wing Batter Sonic!" he cried out at a fast pace as he crouched down, gloved hand extending in preparation to catch whatever Pitcher Drift threw.

The Dragobian adjusted her hat a bit with an arrogant sneer before reeling her arm back and throwing the ball as hard as she could in a small grunt of effort, adjusting her arm along the way to make it into a killer curve ball. Batter Sonic reeled the bat back, and swung it upwards, making contact with the ball and sending it flying upwards. Outfield Sonic, who had been sniffing a dandelion, took notice of the flying ball, and scrambled to his feet while raising his catcher glove.

"I got it I got it I got it!" he chanted, all while running backwards.

He collided with Outfield Drift, who had also been gunning for the ball, and both of them gave a yelp of surprise as they tripped over each other and landed in the grass. Outfield Drift gave a huff as she side eye glared Outfield Sonic, who gave a sheepish noise as he clambered off of her back and sat back on his ankles.

"I don't got it" he called out.

Batter Sonic tossed away the bat he held and began running down to first base, all while Pitcher Drift was yelling for someone to get the ball. Outfield Sonic managed to get to it right as Batter Sonic crossed the base, and upon picking it up, he flung it as hard as he could. Batter Sonic merely gave him a smug look as he jumped out of the way and continued running towards the second.

Pitcher Drift gave a low growl as she caught the ball.

"Do I have to due everything myself?!" she snapped as she flung the ball to second base.

Batter Sonic crossed it just before Baseman Drift could catch it, and he gave a victory laugh as he sped towards third base, where Coach Sonic stood.

"Go home! Go home!" Coach Sonic cried out, waving his cap like a madman while pointing towards home base.

"Get me that ball, quickly!" Pitcher Drift cried, hand outstretched.

Baseman Drift quickly picked up the ball and tossed it right as Batter Sonic crossed third base. Catching the ball that was tossed to her, Pitcher Drift didn't hesitate before flinging the ball towards Catcher Sonic, who extended his glove, ready to catch it. Except Batter Sonic jumped his way to victory, leaving the ball to pass by behind him into Catcher Sonic's waiting glove.

Batter Sonic slid his way over home plate before Catcher Sonic could tag him, his ball filled glove smacking against an empty surface as he glared at the victor.

"Safe!" Coach Sonic cried out, flinging his arms out to further declare the notion.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, I did it!" Batter Sonic cried out as Pitcher Drift gave a sigh of defeat, hanging her head while setting her pawed and gloved hands against her hips.

"Did you see that?! I did it! I did it" Batter Sonic cried, holding his hand up for a high five.

Except he never got one. It was just him and Drift, who was still standing on the pitcher's mound, removing her glove and cap.

"Good game Sonic! Good game" she called out, holding both objects in one hand.

She sounded a little disappointed herself as reality slammed itself back down on her. But she was unaware of the emotional turmoil that was quickly building up within her brother as he looked towards the empty bleachers and dugout, ears slowly drooping to the sides of his head. He dropped his hand as Drift looked up, shielding her eyes from the bright lights with her hand as she took note of the stars while turning her back on Sonic, whose hand had slowly dropped to his side.

"Well, I think it's time we turned in for the night. Unless you want to play one more game. What say you Sonic?" she said then asked, keeping her eyes on the sky as she took in the placement of the stars.

It was how she was able to tell the time after all. One of the many perks of photographic memory, though her brother would sometimes beg to differ. Speaking of the devil, he had been unnaturally silent, and it concerned her a bit.

"Sonic?" she asked, turning her head away from the stars to look over her shoulder.

Right as she did that, something rushed past her field of sight, and had her twisting her head and neck to try and keep track of it. A few seconds later, and she was surrounded by glowing blue as her brother ran around the bases, showing no signs of slowing down even in the slightest sense.

"Uh, Sonic?" Drift called out as plumes of dust and dirt began to rise into the air, slowly circling in the direction the blue speedster was running.

The Dragobian's question filled words fell on deaf ears. If anything, he actually seemed to go faster. The base pads, now quite worn out, were pushed down into the dirt, which was beginning to form trenches in the wake of Sonic's emotional release.

"Sonic, you have to slow down!" Drift cried, worry taking place of concern as she tried to focus on her brother.

All she got were simply mere flashes of his figure, but it was enough for her to take notice of the electricity that was bounding off of his quills into the ground below him as he ran. Drift's ears went back against her skull as she lightly shook her head and rotated around on the spot, opening her jaws to call out for her brother again. Before she could even make a sound, she was cut off by Sonic's pain filled yell, and a massive burst of blue colored electricity rushed from his body, rapidly expanding in a wave that went in every direction.

The lights around the baseball field sparked as they shorted out for a moment, causing Drift's bioluminescent scales to beginning glowing with a soft greenish blue color as the field was bathed in black. All she could hear was the sound of Sonic's harsh breathing. She didn't hear anymore footsteps or electricity, so she assumed he had finally stopped running for a moment.

A couple seconds later, and the lights flickered back to life, causing the Dragobian's bioluminescent glow to fade away, and allowing her to see the aftermath of the ordeal. Sonic was visibly shaking, quills raised and slightly sparking and his own ears pulled back as he looked around with panic and worry in his eyes.

"I'm sure no one noticed that giant blue explosion... right?" he asked, albeit a bit weakly as he slowly turned to look towards his sister, who was glancing around in all directions with a cautious and guarded air about her.

Her ears were no longer pinned back, but instead standing up straight with alertness as she rotated herself about, straining her hearing for any kind of noise beyond the surprised shouts of those who were still awake in the town.

"Drift?" Sonic asked, almost desperately.

"...We need to get out of here. Back to the cave. Quickly" was all he got in a grave tone before Drift rose up into the air and took off.

Sonic's ears dipped back even further at his sister's response, and he let out a sigh before crouching down a bit and speeding away after her.

...

Tom let out a grunt of effort as he stuffed another piece of clothing into the cardboard boxes beside him with one hand, using the light from his phone in his other hand as a guide into the darkness his home had become cloaked in. Of all the times for a blackout to happen, it just had to be now. Stuffing in another article of clothing, the sheriff was distracted by his phone going off.

Turning the screen towards his face, and flinching slightly from the light that suddenly flooded his eyes, he was able to make out the caller id, and pressed the green button with a sigh.

"Hey Wade" he said, sounding rather unenthused as he got up off the floor.

"Hey Tom, uh, Wade here" his fellow sheriff and coworker stated, giving a slightly nervous chuckle.

Tom could just make out the sound of a phone constantly going off in the background.

"What is going on?" Wade asked, sounding both confused and slightly frustrated at the same time.

Rolling his eyes a bit, Tom walked towards a light switch and put the phone close to it so that the male on the other end of the line could hear him flicking the switch a couple times.

"Oh gosh, I think the power's out" he said, sarcasm evident in his tone.

"Yeah, no dur! The lights are out, the whole town is freaking out, wha-what should I do?!"

"Okay, relax. Take a deep breath, call Gil" the leading sheriff stated, moving into the kitchen as he spoke.

"See if they can locate the downed line, then, call Zim and see if he can get his generator over to the super q so the food stays...fresh" he said before noticing something that made him trail off into silence.

"Call Zim before Gil?!" came the incredulous sounding response from the other end of the line.

Tom paid the male no heed as his eyes zeroed in on an odd blue glow coming from under a fruit bowl.

"Call Gil... Hello?"

"I'll call you back"

"Wait, oh wait! Hello?! Was that the end of-?!"

Hanging up the phone on his coworker and putting it in his pocket, the sheriff kept his eyes on the strange glow, and slowly reached his hand towards the fruit bowl to push it out of the way. What he saw, was almost unexplainable. The quill he had picked up a couple days ago, was quite literally glowing with enough light that it almost lit up the entire kitchen.

The white specks on the scale next to the quill also seemed to be glowing, almost appearing holographic, but the glow on the scale shifted a bit when Tom picked up the quill, leading the human to believe that the glow was merely being reflected off of the scale in some strange way. That wasn't the only thing that took him by even more surprise. Upon picking up the glowing quill, it began to spark almost, with fits of blue colored electricity coming off of it in small arcs that broke apart and faded away.

"...What the heck?"

...

Letting out a quiet sigh, Sonic shifted on the bean bag chair he had decided to sleep on, and tilted his head to look towards the tightly curled up ball of scales and fur that was hanging in the middle of a netted hammock. Bioluminescent scales on her body were glowing with a soft, pale green light that paint the wall and a bit of the ceiling. Ever since the two came back to the cave, Drift hadn't said a single word to him.

She simply just jumped up into the hammock with the help of her magic, and laid in it with her back facing towards him. That had been over a couple hours ago, and by this point, Sonic was, for lack of better term, suffocating in his guilt. He hadn't meant to cause that large electrical surge.

He didn't mean to possibly put both himself and his sister in danger. His emotions just, got the better of him, and caused him to act out, that was all.

...

Right?

Focusing on the silent Dragobian, he gave a small groan and rubbed his gloved hands over his face as he looked away from her. Oh who was he kidding? He had definitely put both Drift and himself in danger with that little electrical stunt, and now she probably hated him.

And he couldn't even fault her for it, considering it was his blame to shoulder. Just like it had been with Longclaw. Except Drift hadn't blamed him for it then.

At least, she hadn't showed it like she was now.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Sonic glanced back towards the hammock, wondering if he should say something. But what if she's asleep?, the voice in the back of his head wondered. She would be especially ticked off with you then.

The blue hedgehog quietly debated with himself, wondering on what to do, before a small voice interrupted his thoughts. It was quiet enough that he had to strain his ears a bit to even fully hear it, and yet, loud enough that it completely grabbed his attention.

"I don't hate you"

Looking towards the hammock, Sonic discovered that his sister hadn't moved from her tightly curled up position. But her chest and side seemed to be rising and father at a larger and slightly faster rate.

"...What?' he asked, sounding a little incredulous as he slipped himself off of the bean bag to walk towards the netted hammock.

"...I said I don't hate you"

Standing under the hammock, Sonic glanced upwards, and his green eyes meet the faintly glowing blue ones of his sister. Though they held a bit more green than anything thanks to her power coming through them slightly. Drift blinked at him and watched him for a second through half lidded eyes before looking straight ahead at nothing in particular.

"...You were thinking out loud again. And for the record, I'm not... mad. Not exactly anyway. I just..." she said before trailing off, furrowing her brow ridges as her eyes flicked around a bit.

For once Sonic was silent, waiting for her to try and get her thoughts in order.

"...Am I upset? Absolutely. Because not only are we probably gonna have to move to a different place tomorrow, I've just discovered that you've essentially been lying to me every time I asked you if you were okay. And what did you tell me? 'Oh, I'm fine Drift. There's absolutely nothing wrong with me. I've never been better'. You couldn't have just told me the truth, could you. Oh no! No no no. That wouldn't be good for Sonic The Hedgehog! Better to keep those emotions bottled up until they decide to quite literally explode like they did today!"

Sonic's ears drooped, and he looked away from the Dragobian towards the wall as she lectured him, slowly getting louder with every word that was spoken.

"Damn it Sonic! Why couldn't you tell me that things were getting this bad?!"

The hedgehog's eyes quickly flicked towards Drift, surprised by the expletive that had just came flying out of her mouth.

"Longclaw told us to rely on each other. That includes talking things out, dang it!" Drift practically yelled, shifting around in her hammock so that she could stare down at her brother.

Taking in his appearance, she closed her eyes and looked away, heaving a sigh through her nose for a moment before she continued talking at a softer volume.

"Look, I know, that my company alone sometimes isn't enough for that, alright?"

"And you don't need to try and convince me otherwise" she quickly added, seeing Sonic's eyes snap towards her as he started to open his mouth.

"I can see it in your eyes sometimes. How you look towards things or other people like a kid staring a particularly good piece of candy. And I'm not offended or put off by that. I know that you desperately want more than what we have here. Heck, I do too. So I'm not gonna fault you for that. I just... I just wish the loneliness was something that you told me about before it got to this point. I'm, not entirely sure what I would be able to do to comfort you, or if it would have changed anything that's happened, but at least it would be something that you got off your chest, right?"

Sonic looked away again, letting out yet another sigh. Drift had a point, as she usually did. And it somehow served to make him feel better yet worse at the same time. He was relieved, happy even, that she wasn't as upset with him as he originally thought.

But that was paired only with the realization that maybe he could have talked about this stuff to his sister instead playing a fake therapist.

"...I'm sorry" he finally said after a couple seconds of silence.

The sound of the hammock shifting around had him looking up right as Drift plopped herself on the ground in front of him, and he was thoroughly surprised when she pulled him into a hug, being mindful of his quills for both of their sakes as she lightly nuzzled her muzzle into his neck.

"I can't say it's okay, but know that I do forgive you. Just, please come and talk to me. Preferably before things get this bad" she muttered.

Sonic was still for a moment, but right as she was thinking about pulling away, his hands came up to rest against her upper back, and he hid his head away in her shoulder. So, she stayed right where she was, not even daring to think about moving until Sonic was ready to pull away.

"...Thank you" he said, a slight quiver in his voice.

The Dragobian gave him a small smile as she reached a hand up to her hammock, ignoring how her brother wiped at the water droplets that were starting to run down his fur covered cheeks.

"Don't let it happen again" she said in a playful manner, shaking her pointer finger at him like they did in cartoons.

The laugh she got as a result was better than anything. Climbing back into her netted hammock, she watched Sonic settle back down against the red bean bag chair for a moment before turning away, stretching out this time rather than curling into a tight ball again and letting out a huff of a sigh. The possibilities that tomorrow might bring didn't seem so terrifying now, she thought as she closed her eyes, rubbing her muzzle a bit into the soft rope that made up the netting below her.

Who knows, maybe things won't actually be as bad as she thought.

...

The feeling of her hammock violently shaking, paired with a low, high pitched whirring and barking that seemed to get louder by the minute, was more than enough to startle the Dragobian awake, and whirling around, she was met with the scared wide green eyes of her brother, whose pupils had constricted slightly out of fear.

"Sonic! Wha-" she started to say before he clamped a hand over her muzzle, looking rather panickedly towards the entrances of the cave.

Her own startled state had begun to give way to nervousness as she finally processed all the sounds she was beginning to hear. And if Sonic heard them too, well, that just meant they were now too close for comfort. Her own thought process was reflected in his gaze as he turned to look back at her, letting go of her muzzle.

"...We need to go"