The Emerging Part I: Dream

Hawk and Santhemum leave Desert and Pork in their bed chambers as they search for Fox in the Central Complex of the Injhihato. Hawk and Santhemum separate at the great stair case where Santhemum takes the ascending stair case as Hawk takes the descending stair case.

Hawk soon finds himself in the Gallery of Rniti. He gazes up at the statues that he has often noticed but rarely examined as he eats. He begins looking through all of the statues of heroes past.

He gazes at the unknown faces of all of the statues. He crosses the highlighted face of one statue though, and feels as if a deep memory he knows is not his, stirring in the back of his mind.

He gazes at the statue with a sword strapped to the statue’s back and thunder erupting all around the alcove. He tears his gaze away just as he hears a ruffle to his right. When he glances over, he sees Fox sitting on a bench looking up at a statue.

“Fox!” Hawk exclaims.

Fox looks over, waves casually, then gazes back up at the statue before him.

“Why did you leave?” Hawk asks after sitting next to Fox on the bench.

“I was tired of the arguing,” Fox responds.

Hawk starts, “Desert and I always argue.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like it.”

“Oh, well who are you looking at?”

“Shadow,” Fox says reverently.

Hawk shakes his head, “Fox, there isn’t a name plate, how do you know that?”

“Because she is my mother,” Fox states blankly.

“Your mother was a Rniti?” Hawk asks baffled. “How could you not tell us?!”

“Because she never told me,” Fox says as he brings his knees to his chest. “I miss her, Hawk. And my father. And brother. And my sister. I think I miss her most of all.”

Fox glances back up at the statue of Shadow, and a tear strolls down his cheek.

“No, I miss my mother more than anyone.”

Fox begins sobbing into his crossed arms over his knees where Hawk places a hand on his friends shoulder.

“Its okay, Fox, let it out,” Hawk says.

After a few minutes of crying, Fox finally composes himself enough to rise from the bench and leave the Gallery with Hawk to their bed chambers. When they arrive, they see the others have already fallen asleep and tiptoe to their own beds. Fox feigns sleep as Hawk drops off into a deep slumber.