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Description
Elias felt conflicted as he strolled through the forest. It’s been a week since he fled from his previous life and while it was liberating, he couldn't help but be at war with himself. Was running away really such a great idea? He was a prince, it was expected of him to lead the kingdom and the citizens to a brighter new era in the place of his father.

But how could he do that if all he could bring was disappointment? He could practically feel everyone’s eyes judging him for not restoring General Armand D’Coolette’s sense of being, all of them probably thinking ‘this is our future king?’ It was...depressing and suffocating and embarrassing and it was just piling up and up and up-

The squirrel yelped as he suddenly got yanked back by his neck. He turned around and rolled his eyes. Really? His cape got caught on a branch? He sighed and undid the clasps. Not like he needed a cape anyways, but then again, it had been keeping him warm the last few nights since autumn was approaching.

“First thing I’m doing when I find civilization is buying a new set of clothes and a traveler’s pack,” he muttered to himself as he got to work on freeing his cape. He paused as his stomach rumbled quite loudly. “And perhaps a decent meal,” he amended, recalling that his rations that he took with were dwindling rapidly. Sure, he could survive on his own, heck he was raised by his surrogate parents, one of who was an expert in survival skills no less, but there was something about having a warm meal by the fire, surrounded by friends and loved ones…

“And yet, here I am, trying to the be first prince-turned-hermit; I’m surely doing my ancestors proud,” he mused. A final tug and his cape was free! ...as well as had a slightly larger hole than intended, but free nonetheless. He wrapped up the cloak and pricked his ears up to try and find the nearest running water. Surely there had to have been someone this far out, right? Robotnik may have taken over the world until recently but there must’ve been parts that must’ve laid unperturbed. And if there were, they would’ve planted themselves by a nearby (and hopefully clean) water source.

Once he was able to pinpoint in a direction, he started walking again, wondering if he should abandon the shirt he was wearing already. It just screamed ‘rob me I’m a nobleman of some sort so I must be rich!’ Then again, he didn’t exactly bring any money with him. He didn’t want to leave some sort of trail that just ended up with King Maximilian sending his guards and dragging him back home.

He took a deep breath as he made his way to the nearest river. At least he hoped it was a river. Actually, what he really hoped was that he somehow didn’t go in a giant circle and ended back in Knothole, but that was unlikely. The air was much clearer than it is over by his previous living arrangement. Sure, the air there was also clear and definitely wasn’t polluted like Robotropolis, but the air in this forest honestly reminded him of his time back on Angel Island.

He would’ve grabbed a plane and flew himself straight there, but he only knew the basics and he was certain that Colonel Sommersby would’ve alerted his father if he went straight to the Compound. So Angel Island wasn’t a great idea. But he was alright with that! He was suited more for adventure and exploration anyways. Though he was a bit curious as to how far he’ll actually go. Would he stop once he reached the ocean or find a boat and just travel beyond that?

The thought of that was….actually exhilarating! Like the possibilities were endless! He could be anyone, do anything, live his own life and not be a prince!

His heart leapt as he finally found a river! A shallow one, a creek if anything, but it was still a start! He spotted a log from a fell tree, a convenience to get across the water. Probably a stupid idea to use it to cross, but so would running away, one might think as he climbed aboard. “Seems steady,” he noted, “slippery, but sturdy. I just have to watch my footing and not slip.”

He steadily walked forward, keeping one arm out to keep his balance on the makeshift bridge, the other keeping the wrapped up cape close to his side. He was certain that he could at least sell the cape for something. “Maybe I could join a circus,” he thought, nearly laughing at the image that sprang to mind. The mental image of him in jester clothing performing in front of his father seemed fitting given one of his last experiences with him.

As he neared the other side of the bridge, he spotted a squirrel starting to pass by a with a basket of some sort. “Excuse me! Miss!” he called over, waving over to her. “I just had a few...” he trailed off as he was struck by her appearance. Sure there were some beautiful girls back in Knothole, but something about her just...struck him.

The way her dark brown hair cascaded past her shoulders, the way the sun sparkled in her light green eyes, the way her face was twisted into confusion-

Wait, confusion?

Elias felt his face flush as he realized he was not only staring but he probably looking like he was looking like a fish with how his jaw just fell while looking at her. “I-I am so sorry, m’lady- ma’am! I-I didn’t mean to be staring like that!” he stammered, trying to backpedal as he took a step back on the log. Unfortunately, his footing and balancing from his sudden movement as well as the slick log he was standing on top of, caused him to fall straight onto his backside in the shallow ends of the creek.

“Well...that...could’ve gone better,” he groaned, pushing himself up and grimacing. Yeah, there was mud stuck to him and while he didn’t mind getting dirty, he still didn’t like mud getting stuck in his fur. He contemplated on just diving straight into the creek and see if it was deep enough to submerge himself in for a few hours when he heard something strange. Well, maybe not strange, it just seemed surreal to him.
He turned to the woman who was covering her mouth at a failed attempt of keeping her giggling to herself. It definitely became more apparent that it was failing as she turned away as laughter came spilling out of her and even Elias couldn’t help but laugh a little with her. After the last few weeks if not month or two, he didn’t realize that he hasn’t laughed this hard in ages! And from the sound of it, neither did the young woman.

As their laughter died down, the woman set aside the basket and offered a hand to Elias, who gladly accepted the help up to his feet. “I-I’m sorry for laughing like that-”

“Well if I wasn’t staring-”

“I should’ve at least said something-”

The two stared at each other before giggling. Gods, he was acting like a schoolboy with a crush with how they were acting, before the woman shook her head and dried her dirty hands on her apron and went to retrieve her basket of laundry. It was then that Elias had noticed that she was pregnant and felt any slim chance he had before were gone. “I, uh, I should get going,” she said starting to bend down to get the basket.

He rolled his sleeves up and picked up the basket, being mindful of the mud that was still on him. “Ma’am, allow me. I was actually hoping you or someone could show me to the nearest town,” he explained as the squirrel stood back up and held out her hands. He looked confused as he handed the basket off to her.

“While I appreciate you picking up the basket, I can still carry it,” she stated as she started walking off. Elias stared after her, confused on if he should follow or not before she looked back at him. “Are you coming or not? Feral Forest is this way!” she called back towards him, the prince quickly catching up to her.

As they started walking together, he couldn’t help but ask himself if this was the new start he was looking for.

Description
Elias felt conflicted as he strolled through the forest. It’s been a week since he fled from his previous life and while it was liberating, he couldn't help but be at war with himself. Was running away really such a great idea? He was a prince, it was expected of him to lead the kingdom and the citizens to a brighter new era in the place of his father.

But how could he do that if all he could bring was disappointment? He could practically feel everyone’s eyes judging him for not restoring General Armand D’Coolette’s sense of being, all of them probably thinking ‘this is our future king?’ It was...depressing and suffocating and embarrassing and it was just piling up and up and up-

The squirrel yelped as he suddenly got yanked back by his neck. He turned around and rolled his eyes. Really? His cape got caught on a branch? He sighed and undid the clasps. Not like he needed a cape anyways, but then again, it had been keeping him warm the last few nights since autumn was approaching.

“First thing I’m doing when I find civilization is buying a new set of clothes and a traveler’s pack,” he muttered to himself as he got to work on freeing his cape. He paused as his stomach rumbled quite loudly. “And perhaps a decent meal,” he amended, recalling that his rations that he took with were dwindling rapidly. Sure, he could survive on his own, heck he was raised by his surrogate parents, one of who was an expert in survival skills no less, but there was something about having a warm meal by the fire, surrounded by friends and loved ones…

“And yet, here I am, trying to the be first prince-turned-hermit; I’m surely doing my ancestors proud,” he mused. A final tug and his cape was free! ...as well as had a slightly larger hole than intended, but free nonetheless. He wrapped up the cloak and pricked his ears up to try and find the nearest running water. Surely there had to have been someone this far out, right? Robotnik may have taken over the world until recently but there must’ve been parts that must’ve laid unperturbed. And if there were, they would’ve planted themselves by a nearby (and hopefully clean) water source.

Once he was able to pinpoint in a direction, he started walking again, wondering if he should abandon the shirt he was wearing already. It just screamed ‘rob me I’m a nobleman of some sort so I must be rich!’ Then again, he didn’t exactly bring any money with him. He didn’t want to leave some sort of trail that just ended up with King Maximilian sending his guards and dragging him back home.

He took a deep breath as he made his way to the nearest river. At least he hoped it was a river. Actually, what he really hoped was that he somehow didn’t go in a giant circle and ended back in Knothole, but that was unlikely. The air was much clearer than it is over by his previous living arrangement. Sure, the air there was also clear and definitely wasn’t polluted like Robotropolis, but the air in this forest honestly reminded him of his time back on Angel Island.

He would’ve grabbed a plane and flew himself straight there, but he only knew the basics and he was certain that Colonel Sommersby would’ve alerted his father if he went straight to the Compound. So Angel Island wasn’t a great idea. But he was alright with that! He was suited more for adventure and exploration anyways. Though he was a bit curious as to how far he’ll actually go. Would he stop once he reached the ocean or find a boat and just travel beyond that?

The thought of that was….actually exhilarating! Like the possibilities were endless! He could be anyone, do anything, live his own life and not be a prince!

His heart leapt as he finally found a river! A shallow one, a creek if anything, but it was still a start! He spotted a log from a fell tree, a convenience to get across the water. Probably a stupid idea to use it to cross, but so would running away, one might think as he climbed aboard. “Seems steady,” he noted, “slippery, but sturdy. I just have to watch my footing and not slip.”

He steadily walked forward, keeping one arm out to keep his balance on the makeshift bridge, the other keeping the wrapped up cape close to his side. He was certain that he could at least sell the cape for something. “Maybe I could join a circus,” he thought, nearly laughing at the image that sprang to mind. The mental image of him in jester clothing performing in front of his father seemed fitting given one of his last experiences with him.

As he neared the other side of the bridge, he spotted a squirrel starting to pass by a with a basket of some sort. “Excuse me! Miss!” he called over, waving over to her. “I just had a few...” he trailed off as he was struck by her appearance. Sure there were some beautiful girls back in Knothole, but something about her just...struck him.

The way her dark brown hair cascaded past her shoulders, the way the sun sparkled in her light green eyes, the way her face was twisted into confusion-

Wait, confusion?

Elias felt his face flush as he realized he was not only staring but he probably looking like he was looking like a fish with how his jaw just fell while looking at her. “I-I am so sorry, m’lady- ma’am! I-I didn’t mean to be staring like that!” he stammered, trying to backpedal as he took a step back on the log. Unfortunately, his footing and balancing from his sudden movement as well as the slick log he was standing on top of, caused him to fall straight onto his backside in the shallow ends of the creek.

“Well...that...could’ve gone better,” he groaned, pushing himself up and grimacing. Yeah, there was mud stuck to him and while he didn’t mind getting dirty, he still didn’t like mud getting stuck in his fur. He contemplated on just diving straight into the creek and see if it was deep enough to submerge himself in for a few hours when he heard something strange. Well, maybe not strange, it just seemed surreal to him.
He turned to the woman who was covering her mouth at a failed attempt of keeping her giggling to herself. It definitely became more apparent that it was failing as she turned away as laughter came spilling out of her and even Elias couldn’t help but laugh a little with her. After the last few weeks if not month or two, he didn’t realize that he hasn’t laughed this hard in ages! And from the sound of it, neither did the young woman.

As their laughter died down, the woman set aside the basket and offered a hand to Elias, who gladly accepted the help up to his feet. “I-I’m sorry for laughing like that-”

“Well if I wasn’t staring-”

“I should’ve at least said something-”

The two stared at each other before giggling. Gods, he was acting like a schoolboy with a crush with how they were acting, before the woman shook her head and dried her dirty hands on her apron and went to retrieve her basket of laundry. It was then that Elias had noticed that she was pregnant and felt any slim chance he had before were gone. “I, uh, I should get going,” she said starting to bend down to get the basket.

He rolled his sleeves up and picked up the basket, being mindful of the mud that was still on him. “Ma’am, allow me. I was actually hoping you or someone could show me to the nearest town,” he explained as the squirrel stood back up and held out her hands. He looked confused as he handed the basket off to her.

“While I appreciate you picking up the basket, I can still carry it,” she stated as she started walking off. Elias stared after her, confused on if he should follow or not before she looked back at him. “Are you coming or not? Feral Forest is this way!” she called back towards him, the prince quickly catching up to her.

As they started walking together, he couldn’t help but ask himself if this was the new start he was looking for.