Port Island Harbor, a large port city in the middle of an seemingly endless sea, a rest stop for adventurers and shipping crew. The city was always lively, always noisy, and always visited by sea weary men and women looking for lodging and a pint of pretty much anything with liquor, rum, or even moonshine. Children played near the harbor, throwing stones and feeding the seagulls loafs of rye bread. One particular child was using a piece of parchment he found as a makeshift rolled up telescope, looking over all the ships docked in the harbor. A young scarlet furred echidna, roughly 6 years old, wore a white ruffle shirt,a red sash tied around his waist, and black bloomers. The petite child giggled as he saw the seagulls gently squawk at the children feeding them, occasionally getting so close to the kids that they shrieked in excitement. He hopped up and raced over to join the other children in their play. Once he ran over to where the kids played the seagulls flew up in shock, making all the youth on the dock collectively giggle.
"Silly birdies!" The echidna child tittered, picking up a piece of rye bread off the ground, "Come here! Come here!"
"Careful, Knuckles! Our parents told us not to feed seagulls with our hands." One of the children warned, as seagulls were prone to random fits of violence and over-activity, especially when food was involved.
"It's okay! Birds like me. C'mere, birdies! Get the bread!" The aloof child, Knuckles, held his hand up high as a seagull flew over him and perched on his shoulder. Knuckles' eyes suddenly widened in pure unadulterated joy!
"Guys! Guys! Look! I'm a sea captain! Climb aboard me' dinghy, mates!" With a hearty laugh Knuckles brought his hand to the seagull and let it grab the bread from his hand. The gull then hopped off the child and waddled away, squawking lightly at Knuckles. The puggle imitated the gull's waddle much to the youngster's delight.
"Children, get away from the gulls. Clover, It's not safe to be around those birds when they're eating." ordered one of the parents of the children Knuckles played with. A ram whose daughter, a sheep with pink bows around her tiny horns, was halted from petting a gull with her cloven hoof when she heard her father's warning. Her friends surrounding her slowly eased away from the collecting avian, occasionally calling out for Knuckles to do the same.
"Knuckles, Clover's dad says if you get to close to those birds they'll carry you away", a tiny fawn apprised, "or they might try to eat you or feed you to their babies!"
Knuckles looked over the birds that began to collect more and more around his feet, squawking gently at their food provider. The puggle began to grow nervous and with swiftness he screamed, "Go get it!" tossing the bread crumbs to the far end of the dock. It was awe-inspiring to the echidna to see the birds, in perfect sync, fly up and away to their newly freed meal.
As the children departing back to their homes and the gulls, finishing off the last of the crumbs, Knuckles was left sitting on the dock, his feet danging off the edge. He took in the alluring sight of oranges, reds and purples, bleeding together like an oil painting. The boy watched birds disappear in the horizon, creating a sense of envy in Knuckles' heart. He sighed as he slowly stood up, brushing off his outfit from the bread crumbs littering his blouse. The young lad began to venture back home when he heard the cheers of drunken sailors fill his ears. Knuckles stared wide-eyed at the partying and against his better judgement rushed up to the pub where the noises emanated.
Knuckles peered through the wood finish door to see large groups of sailors gulp down and devour large amounts of beans, rice and pasta and, on the other side of the pub a woman sat alone in a booth looking over her saber, rubbing an odd stone along the blade. The child gently pushed himself through the crowd of boatmen, finally reaching the booth after having beer nearly spilling on him repetitively. One of the crew nudged his mate to look over at the puggle struggling to climb the bar stools.
"Oi! Runt, you need a little help?" The gentlemen, a bull raised his brow and lightly pressed his foot against Knuckles' tush and gently pushed him on top the seat, the small child now clutching onto the seat and squirming so he could sit upright. Knuckles looked over his shoulder.
"Thanks, mister!" The bull couldn't help but laugh at this small child struggling to stay seating on the bar stool with it's uneven legs. He looked around the building to see if maybe he could find this kid's parents or something. This kid didn't just walk in here on his own, did he? He noticed the pub was getting more and more crowded by the minute and the male began to worry for this child's safety as he sat in a pub full of drunk numbskulls. "Hey, kid, uh, where's your mom or dad? Do they know you'e in here or something?" Knuckles shrugged and gently spun around on his stool. "My daddy works late sometimes so I like to come here to wait until he comes back." "Oh, well, the name's Toro, kid. You mind if I keep you company til your dad comes and picks you up?"
"Okay."
"Hey, barman! get this kid some food. You hungry, niñito?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Barmen, an order of empanadas for my friend. What's up, pequeno? Your old man hasn't fed you today, huh?" Toro sipped his drink, as he watched the cooks prepare the child's dinner.
"My dad's been visiting a friend after work almost everyday so he's been really busy. He left me some bread and milk this morning for me."
"Tch, bread and milk. A growing boy like you needs a real meal! What kind of parent leaves their - what are you 6?- 6 year old with just bread an milk? Esta es loco! "
"I don't know. what kind of food do you eat?", Knuckles asked his new companion while a hot plate of empanadas was placed beside him, the mouth-watering scent filled his tiny snout and the puggle couldn't help but salivate a little.
"All the basic food groups, kid. Bread, dairy, fruit, grain, protein, and it helps if you got a back breaking job like I do to keep you in shape." Toro answered, finishing off his drink, peeking over at Knuckles who was practically wolfing down his dinner.
"What's your name little buddy?" Toro asked to which Knuckles replied with a mouth full of empanadas, "Knufl-zzz!"
"Pft, swallow your food and try again, pequeno."
Knuckles gulped hard, a mess of tomato sauce and rice, "Knuckles!" Toro raised a brow at the child and looked over the other's tiny physique. He thought to himself what on Mobius could have influenced his parents to name their kid something like that. Maybe it was some sort of cultural thing or something. Toro put his drink aside and ordered a leche con chocolate for his new friend. "Y'know, uh, Knuckles, you remind me a lot of my little girl."
"You have a daughter?"
"Sure do! She's the most beautiful little girl in all the seven seas! Her name's Lopë." Toro gently took out a locket he had tucked away in his shirt, opening it up to reveal Lopë and another girl that Knuckles assumed to be the mother. The barman suddenly coughed lightly and handed Knuckles his leche and watched with astonishment as the echidna sniffed it lightly before swallowing the whole beverage in one gulp. "Yummy!"
"Heh-heh, come to think of it, she eats like a horse and she's a little goofy like you too." Knuckles huffed a little at being called goofy, much to Toro's amusement.
"Where is she? How come you're not with her?" Toro put his locket back in his shirt, patting his chest gently. "Well, Knuckles, it just so happens to be my daughter's 8th birthday tomorrow. I've been away at sea for about 6 months and I plan to surprise her and her mother at her cumpleaños tomorrow." Toro then grinned wide in excitement for his reunion with his child. Knuckles smiled too as he noticed the adult next to him beam with joy.
Suddenly, the barman cried out, alerting the patrons in the pub.
"LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL AND FOOD."
Toro then looked over and Knuckles plates, empty and even licked clean. The large bull knocked on the counter, and raised his hand to get those barman's attention.
"Let me get one more order of empanadas, add an extra side of tortillas. Hey, pequeno. Go ahead and take this home, share with your old man. Tell him Toro said this is what a real meal should look like." Knuckles tilted his head to the side as he listened, then hopping excitedly at the mention of more food.
"Thanks! I really like emp-empanandadas-adas!" The echidna peeked over at Toro suddenly stifling bursting out laughing at the child's horrible pronunciation. The barman handed Toro a woven basket with a plate of the empanadas and the tortillas stacked on top of them. The beefy bully delicately handed it to Knuckles, then carefully picked the puggle up by the back of his shirt, lifted him up and off the bar stool.
"Get home safe, alright? Don't talk to any strangers, pequeno." Toro realized how fatherly he was talking to this child that wasn't even his, but he couldn't help it. being a father himself just make him feel more sympathetic to this child whose parent he wasn't even sure was even aware he was gone. He supposed if -god forbid- his daughter ever wandered into a pub by herself that a morally sound person would protect her and make sure she was safe.
"Thank you! Bye, Mr. Toro!" Knuckles waved frantically as he balanced the basket on his knee, he then went back to cradling the basket and left the pub, leaving Toro feeling at least happy he got to keep such a nice kid fed and safe.
It really was a dark night tonight, near pitch-black, with the only source of light was the moon, and even that was struggling to escape the cover of the cumulus clouds that filled the sullen sky. Knuckles tried to trek as fast as his tiny limbs could go, his acute case of nyctophobia creeping in slowly, a faint tingling sensation plagued the back of his neck. Knuckles wasn't terrified of the night, or anything, but his imagination made it extremely hard for him to find any comfort in it. And loose parchment looking like a large bug scuttling along the ground. The faint breeze made him imagine a large beast creeping behind him, his breath making his fur stand on edge.
The puggle tried to focus on the tasty food he carried in his basket, the faint scent of flour and cheese giving him a calm and soothing feeling. He gripped the basket close to his body as he darted down the dock, his breathing hard and almost ragged.
In the distance he could see his pueblo home, made of stone, wooden poles and thick mud from the garden his father gathered on the outskirts of the shores. Knuckles smiled wide as he started to slow his sprint, imagining the look on his father's face when he tastes the delicious food Toro has bought for him.
Suddenly, Knuckles stopped completely when his ears caught a faint voice. No, it wasn't a voice, it was more like...a cry. Knuckles recognized it to be a youthful cry, meaning it wasn't likely a stranger. Perhaps it was a child that got lost on his way home, or perhaps needed help. Knuckles quickly went to investigate. He would have been scared if it didn't sound like it was coming from something so distressed. Knuckles found himself on the edge of the harbor that surrounded the entire port city, looking around he didn't immediately see the source of the cry, much less hear it anymore. He was about to shrug and blame it on his overactive imagination again - until he heard it a bit louder.
"Is that a...?" Knuckles turned around sharp at the heel and went back on the search, the crying sounding full of more sorrow than ever before. It didn't take long before the echidna saw a barrel at the end of a extensive dock. The child tiptoed slowly and hesitated to look inside the barrel, suddenly wondering if his suspicions were correct than what he'd see in that barrel might make his stomach turn. he mustered all of his courage and lifted the top of the barrel.
Inside was a tiny blue hedgehog toddler, swaddling in a thick fleece blanket, clutching rosario in it's tiny hands like it's life depended on it. His tiny snout sniffled as he squirmed in his swaddle his small hands trying hard to reach for something around him to give him comfort. His bright blue spines were bristled, and his face looked tired and dirty. Who knows how long this baby had been all alone in this barrel. Knuckles dropped the barrel lid on the floor, startling the child and causing it to slowly start crying again.
"Aaah! N-No, no, no! Don't cry, little baby! I'm not going to hurt you! Um, um, I'll go get my daddy, okay? He'll help you find your parents." Knuckles put the top back on and started to frantically look around, seeing nothing but ships that seemed to be ported on every dock on this side of the harbor.
"Hello? Hello?! I found your baby! He's right here!" Knuckles turned around to head back towards his home but stopped so suddenly he almost fell over. He couldn't leave this hoglet all by himself, he'd have to take it with him to make sure it's kept safe and by the looks of it the poor thing was already freezing in that decrepit barrel. He looked over at the basket he still held in his hands. 'He'll be really warm in there!' Knuckles thought, kneeling down and carefully removing the plate of empanadas.
"Ouch! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" He nearly dropped the plate on the ground at the stinging burn in his palms grew more , the basket was still warm from the food so the baby shouldn't be shivering anymore.
"Don't be afraid, okay? No more crying." Knuckles reached inside, standing on his the tips of his toes to make him tall enough to full reach inside the large barrel. His hands were inches away from the baby, who finally saw his attempts to grab it. Without missing a beat the hoglet rolling itself over and wiggled itself closer to Knuckles' arms. The echidna chirped in surprise as such delicate and fragile fingers touched his own and a chilling sensation filled his chest, When he finally felt like he had a good grip on the baby he lifted him up and looked at this tiny infant he found.
Upon closer inspection the baby had beautiful seawater green eyes, his fur was as blue as the tides and his face a pale light brown like the sand. Knuckles was gently brought the child close to his chest, hugging it gently. On cue, the tiny hoglet gripped the echidna's shirt and nestled his face deep into it. Knuckles face was burning, hot and red, he almost didn't want to let go of this child. But, when a chilling breeze blew past them, making the baby start to whimper Knuckles finally remembered his task. With incredible delicacy he lowered the baby into the woven basket, the blanket itself wasn't warm at all so Knuckles then thought of grabbing the flour and corn tortillas from the dinner plate and placing them on top on the infants stomach. The baby squealed loudly in amused joy, wiggling around at the sensation, his small snout sniffing the flour while his toothless mouth gently teethed on the corn tortillas. Knuckles smiled at his good handiwork and stressed on how he should lift the basket. he decided to pick it up from the bottom, cradling it like he did the baby. He started to rush back home, but stopped suddenly when the tiny hoglet began to whine and whimper.
"Aah! Sorry! I'll be more careful, uh, you don't have a name, do you?"
The baby gave no response as it continued to gnaw on the corn tortilla. Knuckles chuckled and looked around once more, looking back at the barrel he found his knew friend and the empty and boats that were docked beside it. A lot of the boats had strange symbols written all over them, which in reality was just regular English, but since wasn't exactly a strong reader he couldn't make out any of the words. Until he saw one row boat, bobbing softly in the rising and falling calm of the ocean.
"S-s-s...Sonic." Knuckles looked down as this wonderful miracle of life he had drooling all over his tortillas and he came to a decision as he pressed his snout against the hoglet's.
"Hey, baby, I'm going to take care of you. But your a baby so you need a name. So, I think I'm going to name you Sonic! Do you like it, Baby Sonic?"
Sonic, at the sound of it's new name, began to squeak and giggle with joy as Knuckles' snout tickled his chubby face. Knuckles' face was a bright pink as he laughed gently and headed back home.
"Let's go see your new daddy, Sonic!"
"Daddy! Daddy! It's me, Knuckles! Daddy open the door! Please, Daddy!" Knuckles rubbed his arms and looked over at Sonic napping quietly in his basket. Knuckles had been knocking on his front door for what seemed like an eternity. There wasn't a single sound coming from inside his home, making the echidna panic at the thought that his father wasn't even home yet.
"Daddy! Are you home? Daddy?!" No answer. Knuckles' breath hitched and he could feel his cheeks burning, his throat tightening, and his eyes start to burn. He was scared, terrified even. He had no idea what he could do now. The puggle turned and rested his back against the door, pulling the basket close to him as he started to sob, quietly as he did not want to wake up Sonic.
"Daddy...Daddy...sniff, sniff..."
"Pequeno?"
Knuckles slowly looked up and saw a massive black figure shrouded in the dark of night, but that voice made his thoughts clear up and that sudden sense of relief made him nearly hop to his feet.
"Toro! My dad's not home and I don't know how to get in my house,"
"Ay, pequeno. Thank god, I came to check on you! Do you know if your dad said he'd be going anywhere tonight?"
"No! No, he didn't. He's supposed to be home. But, I don't know if he can hear me."
Toro looked at the large stone door in front of him and he started roughly banging on it. Once, twice, three times all with no answer.
"Hey! Open up! You're kid's out here! Hello?!" Toro looked around for something that might help them get inside, but his eyes caught on something else; something was squirming in Knuckles' dinner basket.
"Pequeno, what is that? A rat?!" Toro snatched Knuckles away from the basket as Sonic's snout peaked from under the blanket.
"No! That's not a rat! That's my baby! I found him all alone! I named him Sonic! I don't know where his parent's are and...I don't know where my dad is." Knuckles wiped his arm against his snout as his nose became runny. Toro then noticed Knuckles was clutching a large piece of parchment.
"Pequeno, what's that in your hand?"Knuckles sniffed once more before looking down at his hand.
"It's a piece of paper I found on my door this morning. I was using it as a telescope to find my daddy." Toro's chest tightened as he held out his large hand to take the parchment from him. The bull flipped it around and realized there was a large letter written out all over the back of it. He wondered how Knuckles didn't notice, but he supposed to someone so young it must've just looked like scribbles.
"There's writing on it! Maybe it's from your dad!"
"Really?! What does it say?"
Toro began to read the letter as Knuckles picked up Sonic from the basket and embraced him. What he read made him sick to his stomach.
Knuckles,
I'm afraid I will not be home for a very long time. I've left some money, some food, and plenty of clothes for you as you now must live without a father. As I'm writing this letter to you, my heart is brimming with pain. These past years, after your mother left, have been especially hard on me. I'm not sure exactly what happened to me, but when I look at your face, hold you in my arms, feed you, raise you, I realized I wasn't happy. It wasn't until a few weeks ago did I realize that this life I shared with you was not enough for my seemingly empty heart. Yesterday, I decided to speak to the sea. And for the first time ever she actually spoke back. It was incredible, son. You know, not many people will admit it so easily, but there's something about the sea. Something that creates what feels like a burning fire in my chest. Maybe it was the success of others, or the promise of uncharted land, or even the risk of venturing and having my own life be threatened. Whether it's the thrill, glory, or even riches, it doesn't really matter. The sea has been the most beautiful mistress I have ever met and until now I could only dream of exploring her. She has asked me to join her in what she has promised to be the life of adventure and happiness that I have been longing for so long. I have resisted my true nature for too long. I'm so sorry, my son. I know as you read this you will already be set on hating me, but please try to at least understand.
I truly did love you.
- Your father
Knuckles tugged on Toro's pant leg, cradling Sonic in one arm. He was concerned with how much the bull's arm was shaking and how distraught his eyes looked.
"Mr. Toro." The bull gasped lightly and looked at the children looking up at him, one too young to even read and the other too young to even speak.
"Is my daddy coming home soon?"