5 years ago

Longclaw picked her way through the abandoned structure cautiously, having already fallen twice. The area was still flooded in places and even in the absence of standing water was still wet, every stone surface and cobble coated with thick slimy algae. Vines twisted among the ruins accelerating their collapse and ferns poked up through gaps. Here and there even saplings had taken root.

Water, or decay, or scavengers had swept the place clear of the bodily remains she'd half expected to find even after this span of time but there was equally little trace of the resident she was assured by spooked locals had taken up here more recently.

There was someone here though. Someone who she could distantly sense. Someone who had a connection in some way to the energies that had once flowed here and which she'd thought had passed out of the world with Sonic's escape and the demise of the echidnas at the hands of whatever they'd unleashed in the wake of losing him.

She sighed and paused to rest. She hoped 'lost' wasn't what Sonic was. Hoped he'd found somewhere safe. Had not had to resort to one of the empty worlds on her list, had found a home and friends. Had learned patience, or at least caution.

She was too old now to chase after him with the one ring she'd retained. The chance too slim, the risk of needing it for some worse danger too great, the odds of guessing correctly where he'd gone too small.

She could only hope.

From the edge of the encroaching jungle a flicker of movement drew her attention from her thought.

There was someone here. Someone else with the ability to tap into that almost-gone power.

"I saw that," she called. It was only a slight exaggeration. "Why don't you come out and chat? I don't mean any harm."

There was a pause and then the shape among the trees resolved itself into a fox-cub and stepped out into the open.

"Hi."

"Hi," she smiled back, the mixture of wariness and challenge and eagerness reminding her unavoidably of the same youngster she'd just been musing about but who'd be no longer this young. "What's your name? I'm Longclaw."

He eyed her talons and she waggled them with a shrug.

The fox giggled.

"I'm Miles. People say Tails." His face drew into an almost comical glare. "I think they think that's funny but they can't do this!"

Longclaw's beak dropped open in surprise as the little fox leapt into the air and shot up vertically to hover above her for a moment before landing and swishing both tails – he did indeed have two – behind him. "So Tails is fine."

Longclaw smiled again. "Names are people's own. Tails then. Are you out here by yourself?"

Again the cub's face scrunched up in an expression that was more mule than fox.

"Yeah. So? I'm big enough. I can look after myself. I'm exploring."

He pulled a contraption out of the messenger bag slung across his body.

"See. There's something weird out here."

Longclaw nodded. "So I understand."

Tails grinned at her agreement.

"Wanna see a cool thing?"

"Sure."

Tails beamed and led the way into one of the least damaged buildings. What had been windows were obscured now with foliage but he pulled out a torch and led the way confidently before coming to a stop and shining it at the wall, playing it over the painted plaster.

A mural filled it from top to bottom. It was water damaged and the algae had been at work here too but the picture was still visible.

"I cleaned it off a bit," Tails said. "Is that an owl?"

"No," said Longclaw. "I think it's a machine." There was something beak-like about the head of the thing, but it was all sharp angles and straight lines, complex patterns just visible in the flaking, painted plaster. "It's a hedgehog here though." She pointed at the opposite side of the image. Opposite the machine and facing it with a shining gem between them.

"A glowing one," Tails said. "A glowing, flying, blue hedgehog. Is it a story?"

"I don't know," Longclaw said. "But I've seen it before. I think it's… a warning"

Tails tipped his head on one side. "About blue hedgehogs? There aren't any blue hedgehogs."

Longclaw smiled.

"I don't think it's a warning about blue hedgehogs. But I did know one once."

Tails looked sceptical and Longclaw laughed.

"Where are you living, Tails? How did you find this place?"

Tails shrugged. "Here and there. Wherever, really. And I found it with this." He held with the contraption he'd pulled from his bag. "It sort of glows too. I wanted to know why. It's odd here. Tingly."

Longclaw gave him a considering look. 'Tingly' was as good a word as any for the sense of fading power here but it was fascinating to discover the fox could sense it even without his instrument.

"Are you hungry?" she asked finally. "I was just about to head for home and dinner."

Tails shrugged diffidently. "I'm fine."

"I'm sure you are," Longclaw said, careful not to smile this time at the cub's wary pride. "The Invitation stands anyway. Dinner and a story about a blue hedgehog I used to know."

The fox watched her a moment longer, but curiosity won.

"Okay."