Through the Looking Glass: Penance: Chapter 1-A
Miles: Chapter 1
Miles Prower walked through the strange landscape, alone. He had changed quite a bit since he had left Station Square two years ago.
He was rather lean as he walked in a plain with only a few trees to provide him with company. His orange fur was a bit dirty at places, but he knew that it was because he had not come across a stream in the past few days. His eyes were considerably dim as he looked down at the ground, their blue color lost in a strange brand of melancholy that very few people had known. His two tails swished behind him softly as he walked, their sound being his only companion as he moved around.
He had also taken to wearing clothes after a certain point, too; now he wore a simple burgundy vest. On his shoulders he carried a small travel pack that he had acquired a year ago from an overly kind stranger, along with so many tools that the kitsune was now incredibly grateful that he had wondering in an area that had no people in it.
He had no set destination in mind.
The kitsune simply walked on.
He had stopped calling himself Tails; he had begun giving people his given name of Miles Prower ever since the incident two years ago. It made him feel slightly better about himself; every time he thought of the name that Sonic had given him long ago, he would tear up, and he could scarcely speak for the rest of the day.
However, with no company by him, he was in rather good hands for the rest of the day.
And as he walked along, looking for even a stream to stop for the day, he looked on, melancholic eyes gazing at the soft ground in front of him. Only the slight swish of his tails in the wind and the soft patting of his steps against the earth beneath him were his company, and he sighed softly as he moved on.
He finally did come to a stream just as the sun was setting. The kitsune set his pack down, sitting by the edge of the river as he pulled lightly on the one article of clothing that he had on. He looked out into the small body of water as it meandered its way above the earth.
Fortunately, there was a lone tree sitting by this stream, so Miles knew he would be shaded in the morning. Waking up at the same time the sun rose was never any fun at all; Miles knew that fact all too well.
Slowly, he took a reusable water bottle out of his pack as he looked listlessly down at the water. He untwisted the cap slowly, and then he dipped the bottle itself into the stream. The water flowed in, and as soon as there was a satisfiable amount in the container, he lifted it and screwed the cap shut before storing it in his bag. He leaned over the water, removing his gloves carefully. When his gloves were off, he cupped his hands together, and brought some water up to his mouth. He drank slowly, savoring what little taste there was.
As he knelt down to wash his face, however, he thought he heard something heavy fall behind him. Turning his head around quickly, he was startled to see a fairly burly snow leopard at the brink of going unconscious right behind him. The stranger seemed to stare longingly at him with piercing yellow eyes, reaching a paw out to him before passing out right in front of the kitsune's eyes.
Miles blinked uncertainly, not sure what to make of this as he stood up. He slowly worked his way to the snow leopard's side, taking note of the fact that he was not wearing a shirt but was wearing pants. Rolling the creature over so that he was on his back, the kitsune did a quick check of his body. When he opened the leopard's mouth and saw that the toungue was swollen, however, he instantly came to a conclusion.
He's severely dehydrated... he thought to himself. If I don't do something, he could die...
Looking at his pack, he nodded softly. Standing up and dragging the snow leopard to a sitting position with his back against the tree, he dove into his pack and took out his water. Unscrewing the cap and opening the cat's mouth slowly, he poured some of the liquid into the cat's mouth, nodding in satisfaction as his ragged breathing seemed to return to normal.
The kitsune filled his bottle and poured its contents into the stranger's muzzle at least four more times before nodding in satisfaction. The sun had set by this point, and the tired kitsune lay his head on his pack and fell asleep on the ground.
When he woke up the next morning, the sun was just rising over the horizon. An orange light bathed the world as the fox sat up from where he had been sleeping rather peacefully the night before. Looking over to where the leopard was still sleeping with his back to the tree, he nodded slowly.
He's in good hands... he thought.
And slowly, just as the sun was beginning to rise over the remaining height of the mountain that was blocking it, the leopard stirred slightly. He then opened his eyes slightly, looking down at the kitsune that had saved his life.
"Wha..." asked the leopard in a soft baritone that had lost some of its bravado somehow. "Where... Am I dead?"
"Close enough," replied Miles with a shrug, surprising himself with how deep his voice had gotten in the past two years. "You were severely dehydrated when you found your way over. If you had spent another day like that, you would've died."
The leopard shook his head bitterly. "Leave it to those guys at the Chohr Gom Prison to nearly kill you..." he said weakly.
Miles, who had been bending over the stream trying to get a drink of water for himself, sputtered and turned to the leopard. "Prison?" he asked. "Prison wardens did that?"
"Yeah..." replied the leopard, bitterness seeping from his voice. "I rampage once, they put me in prison. I escape and get captured, and not only do they put me in prison, but they only give me one meal per day and one drink of water every two days..."
The kitsune was disturbed more by the fact that the treatment of this man was horrible than he was what the leopard could have possibly done. "That's... that's cruelty!" he said.
The cat chuckled mirthlessly after Miles said this. "I wish the rest of China could agree with that," he said. "You don't seem to know who I am."
"I've been traveling the world..." replied the fox softly. "So no, I wouldn't know. I didn't even know that anybody actually lived in this place until recently."
"Huh," said the cat. "Most would shudder in fear at the name 'Tai Lung'. You've heard of me, no doubt?"
Miles blinked before turning over to the predatory cat. "Maybe once or twice," replied the kitsune as he probed his mind for any memories of innkeepers mentioning Tai Lung. "I don't know. They tell me that you just went on a rampage and that you also tried to steal the Dragon Scroll."
"So you have heard of me." The cat shifted where he sat, eyeing Tails as he tried to stand.
"Oh, no no no!" said Miles, jumping up and easing Tai Lung back against the tree softly. "You should get some rest before you try that. You've gotta be exhausted after all those guards did to you..."
As the snow leopard felt his back touch the hard bark again, he sighed softly. "Good to see someone who cares enough," he said.
"I've done worse than what they said you did..." said the kitsune softly, his gaze averting back to the stream. "And before you ask, no, I don't want to talk about it. It's... it's too painful for me to talk about..."
Tai Lung simply glanced at the fox out of the corner of his eye. "You've got my interest," he said. "But since you saved my life, I don't think I should ask. It's the least I can do."
"Thanks," Miles replied, dipping his hands in the water. "So, you're Tai Lung?"
"Yes," Tai Lung said, smiling. "And you are...?"
"Miles Prower." This was said almost too much to the point as the fox turned around, still wearing a morose expression on his face. "Nice to meet you..."
"Same here," said the cat as he looked at the two-tailed fox. "You... You've been the only person who's been kind to me..."
"You're asking if you can come along with me, I guess?" Miles asked, uncertainty playing with his voice a bit. "I... Well, to be honest I've never had a constant companion in a long time..."
Tai Lung shrugged softly. "Well, you seem to be a nice kid."
"I'm sixteen, thank you," replied the kitsune with a biting cynicism that caught the cat off guard. "But I'm worried about what will come after you... And I did just meet you... And... I really am not sure... if I should, you know?"
Tai Lung shrugged. "I don't know why I asked either," he admitted softly. "But... I don't know, you just look like you could use a little company. I know I could use some; I've been alone for the past twenty-one years. You're the only person in that time who's really talked to me without hating me... And I could use that. Please?"
Miles sighed uncertainly. "I don't know," he said. "I... the last time I made a friend..." He shook his head, finding it hard to continue. "You don't want to know. And I really don't want to talk about it. Long story short, bad things have happened to those that I've known really well."
"Bah, I've had bad things happen to me already," replied Tai Lung reassuringly. "Please. You would abandon a man who's been alone for twenty-one years?"
Here, the kitsune groaned, still unsure of what to do but finally making a decision. "All right," he said. "But we're just travel companions. And that's that."
Tai Lung smiled, his fangs betraying a certain quality of deception that Miles was unable to read. "Thanks," he said softly. "I... I hope you don't mind that I'm on a quest for revenge..."
"Why?" asked the kitsune.
"I have... business I want to attend to with my father," replied the snow leopard craftily as he shifted against the tree that he laid behind. "I do have some things I'd like to say to him and his student."
Although the kitsune was very confused, he decided that he had taken in enough information for a day. He was sure Tai Lung would reveal everything if he was given time to do so. Slowly, he turned and nodded. "We'll be staying here until you get better, though," he said. "Which should be by at least the end of the day, so don't worry about staying in the same place too long.
Tai Lung seemed satisfied with this answer, and as Miles dipped his bottle into the water he nodded and laid back against the tree that he was propped against.