Snowflakes gently float to the ground. Besides them, everything is still. It's very quiet.

A tiny white snowflake shoots up a tiny black nose, barely half an hour old. The little baby sneezes and wakes up in the cold place. He can't see yet. It's cold, very quiet. Mama and Dada aren't nearby; he can't sense anything because everything is still.

Snowflakes turn red when they land on Mama's glass-embedded forehead. Her face is pale, still and full of fear. Her body is broken around a pole.

Dada's head has a dent in it from the steering wheel. He's as quiet and still as the car crumpled around the hard object.

The baby stays silent, since there's nothing wrong. Mama and Dada are probably sleeping in their room. Nothing's wrong. He lets out a little yawn, and drifts off to sleep as a blanket of snowflakes cover him.

Silver the Hedgehog picked up a piece of sushi from his basket and ate it as he sat on the bench. He swayed his head with closed eyes and a closed smile as he finished it off. Warm-water sushi is delicious! Are all the seafood dishes here as yummy as this?

The eager hedgehog had just swallowed the last piece when Venice the Hedgehog strolled along holding some dumplings on sticks. "I see you like warm-water sushi," he said, then took a bite out of the right dumpling. "Well," he said through the mouthful,-"you haven't had everything. This, for example,"- he held out the other dumpling. It was covered in all sorts of sauces and toppings. "I got the works for you. Try 'em."

Silver took the dumpling skeptically. "Oh, come on, buddy, dumplings aren't that bad! Just eat it." After a few moments he bit into it. Tangy, crunchy and "not bad, I guess," he admitted. "I think the soy sauce overdoes it, though."

"Whatever, man," Venice said as he plopped down on the bench, downing the rest of his dumpling. "I love Hydro City Festivals. The food's awesome and I can beat you at all the games here," he said. A Hydro City Festival was like a Renaissance Festival for Selstice City residents. Hydrokinetics would set up shops, games and shows for their neighbors and everyone, especially Venice, a hydro himself, had a great time. December 1st was the last day for the fest, and the sun had already set.

"All right, bro, we're going, just after I check out the cheesecake tent," Venice said, darting off like his ancestor to the stand. Silver just sat on the bench near the exit patiently and glanced around curiously. He had about thirty dollars left to burn from the other visits so-

He froze up when he saw something, or someone he didn't think he knew. There was a flash of long platinum-white hair that triggered the déjà vu. White hair and fur...? What did it…?

A bottle shattered from somewhere far away, and he could hear a woman crying, and then a baby- A baby? Why would I hear a-

"Yo, Silv!" Venice snapped the hedgehog out of the daydream, and there was no white-haired Mobian in sight. Venice had cheesecake bits all over him.

"What happened to you?" he asked as he stood up.

"Dude-dude-dude, I was standing at the entrance, basking in the scent of the tent, when something rams into me and I open my eyes,"-Venice loved pausing for dramatic effect, but Silver tapped his foot, "and there was this cute blonde chick on top of me!" He whispered, "We almost kissed."

Silver growled and walked away from him. "Here I thought you got into a fight." The elder hog turned him around and fixed the hedgehog to face him.

His eyes were wide with awe as he whispered, "Her name is Sicily. She's a cat, but her tail's bushy like a fox, dude, this is a match made in Hybrid-Heaven!"

"Why are hybrids separate from everyone else?" he wondered. "And cats tend to be pyros, Ven."

"The game of life's no fun if there aren't hurdles to jump, my friend." Silver gave an unimpressed stare for a minute and then the hedgehog-mink hybrid sighed. "All right, all right, let's go home before Mom freaks out."

Venice and Silver were brothers roughly a year apart. They could've been twins, if Silver had sky blue eyes with black skin around the bottom of his eyes and an orange curly, thin-haired mane instead of a thick-haired white one. Their parents were Florence and Vienna, and they all lived in a quaint two-story house in the suburb within walking distance of the city. Dad was a half-mink half-hedgehog with fiery orange fur, and due to his hydrokinesis, a great swimmer. He was a great dad to the two boys, always rubbing their hair and calling them "sport," "squirt," and "kid." Dad had three quills arranged like that of Sonic's, and a tail with mink fur.

Mom was a gray, ordinary hedgehog with green eyes, the nice kind of stay-at-home moms you'd expect and more. She loved both Venice and Silver equally, like Dad, but because Venice was on the swim team, Mom was more Silver's parent. She was nosy in a good way, and always made sure there weren't any problems unsolved between anyone.

I'm lucky, Silver thought as he walked up the steps to the porch, to have such a nice family.

"Welcome home, boys!" Mom called, finishing unloading the dishwasher. "Did you two have fun?"

"Venice fell in love," Silver groaned, then proceeding into a mock Venice voice, "Ohhhh, she's so bea-ewwww-tiefulll, Silver…"

The elder put the younger in a headlock and noogie'd him, "I don't sound like that, Silver!"

"Be gentle!" he protested, "Hurt me and I'll bite you!"

"Break it up," Mom commanded, and they stood at attention immediately. "Now, go brush your teeth and go to bed."

"'Night, Mom," Venice yawned with a wave.

"Goodnight, Mom," Silver echoed as he walked down the hall into his room. He pulled off his boots and crawled into bed. Nice warm bed…

Suddenly, he felt very cold, and couldn't hear a thing, but after he shook his head it went away. Just a chill. He soon fell asleep without a worry in the world.