The Fox and The Echidna

An collaborative Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction by Sonicworld35 and Wrath Of The Heavens.
Disclaimer: We don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any associated works.

Order Sonicworld35 started first

Beginning

Tails was trying to work on his plane, but his sick stomach and coughing kept slowing him down.

Giving it up as a bad job he turned everything off then relocated to the couch for a brief rest.

Sonic came to check on him and saw him on the couch sleeping. "Tails?" He gently felt his head. "Oh my he's burning up."

Suddenly a crash from outside the workshop and the obnoxiously loud yelling and bragging of the supersonic hedgehogs archenemy informed Sonic that duty was at the door. With a quick glance at the slumbering fox Sonic reached for the phone.

"Hello?" Said the voice of Knuckles.

Sonic tried to ignore the smashes and crashes from outside with much wincing as he spoke to the echidna "Hey! Knuckles glad I caught you, listen Eggman's being a pest again so I'm probably going to be gone for a while, can you come over and look after Tails for me? I think he's caught the flu or something."

"Oh dear! Sure Sonic. I'll be right there!" Knuckles hung up fast.

Sonic scowled briefly at the phone slightly indignant before turning to Tails "I think he likes you more than me bud, if it were me he'd complain about the Master Emerald and make up some excuse" a boom reverberated through the house and Sonic paused a moment to pull up a blanket over Tails before he zoomed out the door.

Knuckles came in at that moment.

"K...Knuckles?" He sickly said.

Tails had been sleeping until the moment the wind as Knuckles opened the door roused him to wakefulness. Tails blinked blearily at the indistinct blurry form of the echidna.

"Knuckles...it's you..." He tiredly said, coughing.

"Yeah, it's me, buddy." He pats his head, and felt it. "You're burning up, man.

Tails cringed away from the cool tough curling up carefully under the blanket so as not to upset his uneasy stomach. Knuckles bit his lip at the foxes sorry state before making a suggestion "Kiddo do you think you can make it to your bed, its probably a lot more comfortable."

"I'll try..." Tails sickly said, getting up, but the more he moved, the worse he felt the need to throw up.

Knuckles quickly realised Tail's state and gently lifted the fox, blanket and all and carried him carefully without much jostling to the foxes room. Tails sighed softly already feeling better on the soft bed, pulling the duvet over himself but unable to sleep.

"Knuckles...? I'm sorry to ask, but I can't sleep...can you sing me a song, please?" He softly asked.

Knuckles grimaced remembering the last time he sang, The Chaotix Detectives Agency had laughed "Wouldn't you rather have a story?"

"Well, alright." Tails nods.

Knuckles moved the desk chair to the bed so he could sit near Tail's bed and began thinking of a good story to tell him, one that he probably hadn't heard before. Then Knuckles remembered something Hawk, his old friend on Earth told him.

"How would you like to hear a story from earth?"

"Ok..."

'How did Hawk tell it again?' Knuckles began the narration "This story originated in china and its called The Fox and The Tiger,

Once day a fox met a tiger.

The tiger bared his teeth, unsheathed his claws, and was about to devour him.

But the fox spoke and said: "My dear sir, you must not think that you are the only king of beasts.

Your courage does not compare with my own.

Let us walk together and keep behind me.

If men up ahead catch sight of me and do not fear me, then you may devour me."

The tiger was willing, and so the fox led him along a broad highway.

But the travellers, when they saw the tiger in the distance, were all frightened and ran away.

Then the fox said: "How about it? I went in advance and the men saw me and had not as yet seen you."

And thereupon the tiger drew in his tail and ran away.

The tiger had thought that the men were afraid of the fox, but he had not noticed that the fox had borrowed that same sense of terror from the tiger."

"Oh...wow." Tails said.

"Did you like it?" asked Knuckles feeling somewhat self conscious also slightly thirsty and a bit tired from his earlier teleportation from Angel Island to Mystic Ruins.

Tails had fallen asleep that moment.

Knuckles sighed and gave a small smile.

"Never heard that one before" Knuckles startled at the voice of Sonic behind him.

"OH, you're back." Knuckles sighed.

"Yeah...I never heard that story, either." Sonic smiled. "That was a really awesome thing I heard."

"Really? Thanks." Knuckles chuckled.

"Well" Sonic yawned "Do you want to get something to eat or drink? I for one am starving"

Knuckles grinned "Eggman give you trouble?"

"Nope. Shadow helped out. He's gonna be in pain for a good long time."

Knuckles chuckled "Don't expect me to look after him too" He went to the door "I've got to get back, I left The Chaotix in charge of The Master Emerald."

Sonic winced.

"Okay." Sonic paid him 300 rings, too.

Sonic watched as Knuckles vanished in a flash of green, "I don't think your as rough as you make yourself out to be Knuckles, Goodnight"

THE END!