A Little Thing

"Aren't you sick of onions?" Latch asked as he sat down next to me.

I smiled with a chuckle, not responding as I had my mouth full. Shrugging and swallowing I shifted until I was leaning against the echidna. "You'd think I would be, if I ate as many as you said I did, but for the life of me, I don't get why not. Maybe there something in them I need." I took another bite of the raw onion, it wasn't a Walla-Walla sweet, but for some reason it just tasted so good.

"More than likely," Latch said as he pulled off his hat and wrapped his left arm around me, letting me heat leach.

"The boys still napping?" I asked, offering the large onion up and to my right, holding it as the echidna took a bite. I could feel as well as hear him rumble an affirmative. "Have anywhere in particular in mind of where we should be going?"

The echidna swallowed as I took a bite, "Yes, but it's a bit of a long shot that the guy I'm thinking will still be there. Even if Chuck isn't there, the Zone is one of the safest in that it's beyond what Robotnik would consider, but not so far out that if he were looking for," Latch tilted his head back in a quick jerk, "Them…"

"Basically out of the way but not so far out that it was obvious?"

"Yes." Latch nodded, paused and nudged me. Grinning I offered the onion again so he could take another bite. "Those are good. Anyways, I want to wait for a little bit so you can travel without keeling over after half a day."

"I did that once or twice already," I shook my head wincing, "Really don't want to do it again."

"If you feel up to a an hour's walk," Latch said looking down, "After the boys wake up, we can head down to the lake, spend the afternoon there as well as get some fresh fish for lunch and dinner."

I considered that, chewing before nodded and smiled up at the brown anthro. "I think we'd all like that." More so after... everything that had happen.

"And, while we're there you can get your hedgies to take a bath." Latch made a face and snorted.

I giggled, "A bath sounds great."

"Good."

"Got soap?"

"Yep, biodegradable and acutely works, nor takes off your fur."

"...well I sure hope not."

"You're be shocked what you find in the bigger cities."

"You'll have to show me what to avoid."

Latch glanced down, his brown eyes meeting my gaze, as I had been staring you at him as we talked instead of staring out over the forest. I watched his gaze soften and then I was pulled the few inches by the arm around me so I was against his side.

"I think I will Tallen."

Smiling, I rested my head against Latch. We sat like that, comfortable and content as we watched birds flit from the assorted trees to others. There was nothing larger then that oddly, nor any sign of the robots that had leveled the labs that were nearly all the way over on the other side of this Zone.

After a while a small yawn was heard before Silver stumbled out of out hideout. The white hedgie- who was now gray really now that he was in sunlight, stretched out his arms up and from my angle I saw his little tail arched up with the stretching motion as well and I couldn't help giggling. "Come sit with us?" I asked.

Silver smiled and nodded as he moved over to where we were sitting. The off white hedgie climbed up into Latch's lap and I noticed what he had in his hands more clearly. Silver settled down and smiled, holding an avocado out to me. "I have please?"

"Yeah, you can have it." I smiled and took it to peel off half the skin before handing it back as Silver squirmed in excitement.

"You and onions, him and avocados." Latch shook his head but was smiling as he held one hand near the hedgie incase Silver fell over.

"He could have a worse favorite food thus far." I pointed out, tweaking Silver's ear.

"Eh!" Silver ducked his head, but he was grinning as he turned his golden eyes up to me and I smiled back. Glancing over to the entrance as Shadow wandered out, eyes half lidded the boy all but staggered tiredly over to us. I pulled him up into my lap as I moved to lean against Latch. As the dark hedgie dosed with his head on my chest, Sonic emerged last and wedged himself between me and the Echidna with a deep contented sigh.

Latch reached up, finger brushing the brim of his hat as if he was going to august it but lowered his hand to rub behind Silver's ears, "By Chaos these boys are almost growing by the hour... and they eat all the time."

"Welcome to my world." I grinned, remembering the time of roughly two weeks when it was just the four of us and my sometimes desperate times of finding ripe food or something that wouldn't possibly hurt the hedgies.

"Ki-Oy? 'Atch?" Sonic tugged first at the loose cut off pants that Latch had given me (fit so much more comfortable than my now far too stiff and crusty for me to even want to think of getting back into), and the echidna's closer hand, "What now?" He asked quite clearly.

As Latch was blinking in surprise, I shifted the more awake Shadow, "Well," I started, seeing no reason to fib about plans, "We're going to a lake, where we can all get squeaky clean, play around and do some fishing."

"Mmmm." Shadow smiled and seemed to come more awake at the mention of any kind of food.

Chuckling, Latch stood, holding Silver and helping Sonic up as well, and fallowing his lead I carefully rose. I had to put Shadow down as my balance was still a little wobbly at random times. "Come on boys, you wanted to see the lake, now we can all go together."

"Yeah!" Sonic agreed, coming back to take my other hand, "Together." He added with so much feeling in his tone I looked back down at him.