Author's note: This is another one-shot that contains a character which I've never written before, or had actually considering writing before. However, I came up with this scenario which I wanted to utilize and I liked exploring a new character.

So without further ado, I hope you enjoy :D

Out of the ordinary

There wasn't much to be done today. It was any other day, like the one before that one and before the other one. It was the same weeks, the same months and the same years that passed by without anyone being able to stop it.

This was hardly noticeable to him however, as time seemed like a concept that didn't apply to him. Time was essential for most species, being the one thing that everybody had to obey, or they would be too late or too early. It was a simple rule, an abstraction that people deemed real or else nothing would make sense to them. For others, however, this was something that couldn't bother them since they had nothing to reach for.

That didn't mean that they didn't have any goals in life or were searching around uselessly, looking for worth or a destiny. All Big wanted to do was fish.

Therefore, the cat was sitting against his usual rock, a fishing rod in hand as he looked at the river in front of him, a windless day with the sun shining. This was a usual habit, one enjoyed and done so much that he could do it while sleeping – an action which happened sometimes. It didn't matter much to the lone cat, he merely shrugged his shoulders and yawned, thinking that the fish he had missed he would surely find at another time.

There wasn't much that could upset him, maybe his fishing line breaking or the weather being too bad for fishing, but other than that, he lived his life in the Mystic Ruins to his own comforts. Sleeping at night was most often than not where he had been sitting all day, eating fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – though he occasionally picked the berry bush if he needed to find another pond for fishing.

There were many fishing areas around in the temperature climate of the jungle, all four seasons being present, despite the monsoons and heatwaves that generated as well. A humid air was lingering, every fern, vine and flower being hydrated from the rain yesterday, a muddy terrain that didn't bother the cat.

The Mystic Ruins was as much his home as any other ordinary house was to any Mobian or human around. He enjoyed the night skies and the fresh air, walking around as he pleased. The only thing that bothered him were those robots that walked around sometimes, though as long as they stayed out of his way, he didn't mind them much.

All he wanted to do was to walk from one lake, river, or pond to the next, sit down and fling his fishing hook into the water and wait. This was his daily routine, and something he did every single month. He had no plans and had no desire to acquire any other plan for that matter.

The only reasons that would force him to walk out of the jungle was to go buy a new fishing rod or if his gloves or gear had been torn from the thorn that stuck out from a random plant. That was rare however, since he had been walking around in this jungle as far as he could remember, knew the pathways and the short cuts you could take from one pond to the other.

Sometimes he passed by a temple of sorts, though it hadn't piqued his interest enough that he wanted to go and explore them. Any activity that didn't involve fishing, he greatly avoided. Therefore, a pleasant sigh escaped his lips, as his eyes were halfway closed, a part of him wondering if he maybe should take a nap.

Though, he would like to catch a good fish here, since he hadn't fished here in a while and Froggy was napping on his stomach already. He didn't want to disturb his best friend. The frog was a companion he had found a long time ago, someone who had already been by his side for a very long time.

The moment Big had stumbled upon the frog somewhere in the Mystic Ruins, he knew that they would be best friends for all eternity. Froggy hopped after him, sometimes sat on his shoulder or talked to Big, the two of them sharing many conversations. He remembered back in the day when Froggy had been involved with some really bad stuff.

He hadn't really understood what had happened other than a giant water guy came out of nowhere and wanted to take the pretty gem away that Froggy had found. Sonic and his friends had been after the water fellow, but everything had worked out in the end. It had been a long time ago, and since then he hadn't interacted much with Sonic. He sometimes ran by in the Mystic Ruins, a blue streak passing him, before it suddenly came back and then the hedgehog would smile and wave and ask how his day had been. He liked those talks with Sonic.

It was rare that he talked to anyone, but he was really glad that he had his froggy friend to talk to. He wouldn't know what to do without Froggy, he was smart and kind and was always by his side. He couldn't get a better friend.

The river current was calm and slow today, as Big could see the small water rings that appeared on the surface of the water, indicating the fish that swam underneath. He knew that he just needed to be still and quiet, otherwise he would disturb them and not get lunch today.

His large, wide ears twitched from another sound that would disturb the fish today, the big cat lifting his head to investigate where it came from. The frog on his stomach blinked owlishly, bright yellow eyes waking up from the sound, lifting its head to see what caused it.

Big's eyes widened and blinked, observing as a trail of smoke crossed the sky, a bright red flying object slowly descending sideways towards the ground. The cat watched as it came closer and closer to the ground, the sound of the falling thing becoming louder and more defining as it neared the jungle.

"What do you think that is Froggy?" Big asked in a slow pace, taking his time pronouncing each word.

He couldn't properly see what it was in the air, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't a bird since they didn't tend to smoke like his campfire sometimes did. Before he had time to get a better look at the falling object, it disappeared behind the treetops of the Mystic Ruins, as the odd sound that had caught his attention halted.

Instead, it was replaced with a defining crash, making him squint his eyes shut and pull his ears to his skull, Froggy jumping on his stomach in fright. A deep resounding noise echoed in the forest, low and hung in the air of the vegetated area.

As the sound dissipated and became one with the wind, Big opened one eye slowly, before the other joined, looking in the direction of where the red UFO had disappeared.

A trail of smoke was hovering in the air, more than a dozen jungle trees separating him from where the object was.

"I don't know what that was Froggy," he explained to his friend, looking at his green amphibian friend. "But I hope the noise didn't disturb the fish," the cat worried, pulling out his fishing line from the lake.

Froggy was sitting on the cat's large stomach, looking towards where the UFO had hit, eyes piercing and observing. Big knew that the frog was thinking about something and wondered about what, as he threw his fishing line into the river again, hoping that he would get a catch.

An eerie stillness hung in the air from there, a sort of silence that hadn't been there before. The wind had stilled, and the jungle life had quieted, Flickies, bunnies and other animals hiding in their nooks and crannies. The silence made the cat feel drowsy once more, yawning wide as he leaned back against his rock, only glancing at his froggy friend who still seemed to be on high alert, looking towards where the sound had come from.

Big looked at the river, disappointingly realized that the water rings that had been there before were completely gone, indicating that the fish had swam far away. Maybe he should try and find a pond instead.

The drowsiness completely disappeared the moment Froggy started jumping on his stomach, letting out a 'ribbit' while looking in the same direction. Big looked at his best friend, blinking once as he took in his distress.

"What is it Froggy?" He asked mildly worried, not liking it when his friend was upset about something.

Another 'ribbit' sounded the exact same as the first one to anyone else but Big, since the cat understood that he was telling him to look at something in the river. He turned his head towards the frog's direction, suddenly paying attention to an off color.

A dull yellow or dirty brown object was floating in the river, slowly getting transported by the current. Big curiously cocked his head to the side.

"What is that Froggy? It looks like a log," he guessed, observing as the object bumped into a frail root from a jungle tree, making it turn towards the riverbank.

Yellow eyes were following its movement as it was brought to shore, the strange log's body over half-way in the water. It suddenly turned on its own, making the cat realize that it didn't seem like a log at all, since they couldn't move by themselves like that. And they didn't have arms or a head either.

A panicked 'ribbit' came from his best friend, as the frog jumped from his stomach and hopped toward the stranded something.

"Where are you going, Froggy?" The cat asked, wondering why his friend was in such a hurry, as he pulled his fishing line back and got to his feet.

His sandals were crushing the roots and bushes underneath him, as he quickly followed his hopping friend, the amphibian heading towards the odd something with arms and a head. As Big got closer, he could start to make out what it was, the frog having reached their side. The cat blinked to be sure, but a smile appeared on his lips, realizing that a friend had come to visit him

"Froggy, that is Tails!" He explained, as he came to his side, looking down at the fox.

He didn't look like his usual self, the yellow fur browner than he remembered, singed, ruffled, and was clumped. He was sleeping, it seemed like, since his eyes were closed, though a red gash was on his forehead, a trickle of red going down his brow. The cat frowned curiously.

"I think he got a boo boo Froggy," he observed, as his yellow eyes travelled down the body of the friend. His body past his chest was submerged in the water, the river current slowly pulling him back into it.

Froggy was jumping on the fox's back and looked like he was trying to nudge him in the neck. Big hummed thoughtfully, wondering why Froggy was doing that, since he hadn't seen that action before. The frog then jumped off the over half-submerged back, hopping closer to his right hand, biting in a tattered and ripped glove, and tried pulling.

Understanding what Froggy wanted, Big carefully placed his fishing rod on the ground before picking up the fox's left hand, with ease pulling him further away from the river. No sound escaped the fox's lips as Big let go of the hand again, the frog letting go of the glove and jumped back on the dirtied yellow back again, hopping in place.

Big could easily see Tails' body, his characteristic appendages on either side of him, a blue and purple bruise on his left side. When Froggy landed on his back after a jump, the fox suddenly coughed, a trickling of water coming out of his lips, though his eyes remained closed, and a sigh came afterwards.

The frog had stopped jumping, looking at the fox in the back of his head before turning his wide yellow eyes towards the cat. Big looked back at him, the amphibian's wide eyes staring at him. A 'ribbit' came from him.

"You think he's really hurt?" Big asked, confused, looking at the fox's face.

He knew Tails from a long time ago. He was usually running around or flying around with Sonic and lived in the Mystic Ruins too, though much closer to the loud and obnoxious trains. He had only talked to him on occasions, sometimes visiting him in the winter and giving him a new fishing rod for reasons he didn't understand. He was a nice guy.

"I don't know Froggy. He looks like he's sleeping," the cat explained skeptically, having experienced that if something hurt you usually said 'ow', but his friend was staying silent.

The frog let out another frustrated 'ribbit' along with a jump. The argument made the cat hum thoughtfully, looking at the river where the fox had been floating seconds beforehand.

"I wonder why he was swimming– the water is really cold in the river," he countered, since the frog had explained that you didn't have to be awake in order to be hurt.

Big's musing made the frog jump once more, the two of them regaining eye contact as the frog made a single nod.

"You think we should take him back to our camp?" He asked, looking at the fox once more. His chest was steadily rising and falling, though he seemed to be strangely hiccupping. Big mused about the suggestion for a couple of seconds, before nodding to himself.

"Okay Froggy. I think you're right. He must be cold after swimming. And when he wakes up, he can have lunch with me," he decided, enjoying the prospect of getting some company.

Therefore, he bended down and picked up the fox easily with one hand, wiggling his arm underneath his stomach and swung him onto his shoulder. Froggy let out a panicked 'ribbit' from the too quick and inattentive movement. Big left a large hand on the fox's back as he picked up the fishing rod as well.

"But I think we need to find another fishing place. The fish here are all gone," he sadly realized, as he turned around and walked back to where he had been sitting beforehand, heading towards where he had set up camp.

The frog eagerly jumped after him, hopping onto a rock, a branch and landed on the cat's other shoulder, as the two of them moved through the forest, carrying a hurting friend.

His eyes lazily travelled the small pond, intently looking at his fishing hook. He had recently caught a decently sized fish for his friend – now he only needed one for himself.

The fish in the Mystic Ruins were generally in large sizes and took a while before they started biting. However, with patience and with a bit of luck, he could catch the fish he needed to get full. Curiously, the big cat turned his head around towards the camp he had set up for the night. Despite the gloves, belt, and fishing rod, Big also owned a couple of essential items that he mostly had been given

A thermo with a filter, both a thin and a thick blanket as well as a small bag that he had been handed with some stuff he didn't know what to do about. But he appreciated the gifts nonetheless and had kept them both because his friends had been nice to him and Froggy had explained that they could come in handy.

The small cave that he had been staying in for two nights in a row had a small campfire in the middle, currently lit as the smoke dissipated into the air. A large rock was in the middle of the fire, a fish roasting and cooking on it, the smell of the cooked meat lingering in the air.

In the back of the cave lay the friend he had brought with him, on his back still sleeping, while Froggy was sitting and looking at him, maybe waiting for him to wake up. Big didn't know how much sleep he needed, but it seemed to be a lot since he hadn't woken up yet.

The cat hadn't been swimming a lot himself, but from the few times that he had, he knew that it could be quite exhausting – he didn't blame him for being tired. He did wonder how he had gotten that cut on his forehead and why it was there. He didn't want to ask Froggy since he seemed to be busy with watching his fox friend. His froggy friend did seem to have an awful lot of interest in his guest, claiming that he was hurting and had been the one to suggest that they took him back to camp. Sometimes, Big didn't understand why the amphibian did as he wanted the cat to do.

He would also tell him to go into his cave whenever it rained, saying that he shouldn't fish in a certain area because there were apparently a lot of snakes around. He was also the one to tell the cat to avoid running into those robot people, since Froggy meant that they were dangerous and could do bad things to him.

The cat listened to his green friend, nevertheless, never questioning his claims or suggestions, nine out of ten times following along in what he asked the cat to do. He was a good friend, and Big was pretty sure that he was just looking out for him. In return, the cat often let the frog eat the insects that flew around him, sleep on his stomach or shoulder and share his shelter whenever the weather got bad. He liked Froggy.

The fishing line was still and calmly bobbing in the water, no wind disturbing the pond or any wild animals around. The only sound that did disturb it, however, was both a 'ribbit' from his amphibian friend and a groan that came from behind him.

His large ears turned around towards it before his head slowly followed suit, blinking slowly. The fox in the end of the cave had curled together somewhat, the frog jumping an extra step towards his face which had a crumbled expression.

The eyes squinted for a second, before owlish and groggy sapphire irises slowly opened. They disappeared behind yellow eyelids before reappearing, a frown appearing on the forehead.

"Huh?" Was the first hoarse sound that escaped his lips, rough like sandpaper.

A rasping coughing fit hit him after he had uttered the exclamation, making the frog jump back a step, still staring at his face. Big's concentration switched from his fishing to his guest, turning his body around at the same time that Tails was done coughing, blinking at nothing in particular before switching his gaze back towards the frog.

The grogginess had seemingly disappeared, blue eyes still looking tired though they were staring back at the yellow irises of the amphibian. Tails' gaze switched from the frog and finally paid attention to the cat, eyes calculating as they squinted just a bit.

"Big?" He asked, his voice not as hoarse as before, blinking confused more than anything towards the cat.

Said cat had a smile that appeared on his lips, enjoying the prospect of having some company during lunch.

"Hello Tails," he greeted, giving the fox a small wave.

The questioning brow only seemed to deepen, as the fox's eyes scanned the small cave he had been put in, focusing on the campfire, the blankets in the corner and back to the fishing rod the cat was holding in one hand.

"Where am I?" He questioned yet again, as his eyes kept roaming the area, seemingly to get an answer to his own question himself.

"You're in the Mystic Ruins – this is one of the best fishing ponds in the area," Big proudly presented, gesturing towards the pond he was sitting by, the fishing line still bobbing gently in the water.

The fox's eyes only briefly scanned where the cat was, turning his head to seemingly explore the rest of the cave with his eyes.

When he moved his arm, a sharp hiss escaped from his lips, stiffening and took quick breaths, eyes squinting shut again. With a slow and calculated motion, he moved the arm back, clenching his teeth and let out a breath when he was still. Big had observed curiously, connecting the action with something he had seen before,

"Are you hurt Tails?" He asked calmly, at the same time that the frog jumped in the air, turning around to look at the big cat.

The fox turned his head towards him, a pained expression plastered across his face, teeth clenched as he tried to steady his breathing.

"I guess," he explained, swallowing something in his throat. "My chest hurts. And my head," Tails continued, looking into the ceiling once more, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, slowly in and out. He looked like he was hiccupping again, the normal rhythm of a rising and falling chest interrupted by a stiffening.

"That's a shame," the cat expressed, turning back around towards the pond, a thought in the back of his mind reminding him to keep an eye out for the fish.

"But Froggy did say that you were badly hurt. I hope you feel better soon," he wished, as he watched the fishing line in the pond, carefully observing the water rings that appeared around the hook he had submerged.

Tails didn't respond to his inquiry, a couple of hisses and a groan sounding from behind, as well as a 'ribbit' from the frog that translated to a wish of being careful and laying still. Big didn't know if the fox understood what he was saying, the cat seemed to be the only one around to actually understand what he meant.

"How did I get here?" Tails eventually asked, the cat still looking at the fishing line as he pondered about his answer.

"You were swimming in the river, but you fell asleep. Froggy and I had to get you out of the water," he calmly and nonchalantly explained, not thinking too much about the matter.

A short beat of silence appeared between them from there, the cat once again observing the small water rings.

"Swimming?" Tails asked, without wanting an answer. A sigh came from him afterwards, one so deep that Big turned his head back towards him, blinking in mild confusion.

"The Tornado," this was a mere whisper, as his eyes were closed, still faced towards the ceiling. "I remember now," he claimed more to himself than the large cat, another sigh coming from his lips.

"I must have been thrown out during the crash," he muttered more than anything, though Big heard it, courtesy of his large ears.

He frowned, wondering why and when that had happened and what it had to do with Tails. The frown eventually eased, thinking that he didn't want to think about it, and instead turned his attention back to the fishing rod.

"Do you have some water?" He knew that he was being talked to this time, turning his head around to look, as the fox had turned his head towards him, a pair of tired blue eyes looking at him.

"I do have some water," he blinked "Do you want some?" He asked politely, yellow eyes observing his guest.

"Yes please," Tails uttered with a hiss between his teeth, looking towards the ceiling again, laying still against the stone ground.

Big took a couple of seconds to process the answer, before putting the fishing rod on the ground, hoping that no fish bit while he was away, standing on his feet and walking into the cave. Froggy immediately began hopping in place, letting out a series of 'ribbits' that asked Big to be careful when he gave him the water and that he was hurt and needed help and that he should probably find help for him.

Big got confused in the onslaught of demands that his amphibian friend threw at him, bending down to pick up his thermo and stood again only to look at his froggy friend.

"Calm down Froggy. I don't think it's that bad," he explained, as he walked over to the fox who reached out for the water, gripping the thermo with a tattered and burnt glove.

"Thanks," Tails expressed, hissing once more by just moving his arm, letting it fall to the ground with the thermo, taking another round of quick breaths.

Big watched him carefully, being generally confused as to why he was hurting so much. He cocked his head to the side.

"Are you okay, Tails?" He asked rather innocently, as the fox had built up the tolerance to pop off the top and reached the thermo towards his mouth. Greedy gulps drank over half of the thermo, a cool liquid that went down a dry throat, before closing the top on it again.

"No," he deadpanned, a frown appearing on his forehead, turning his head towards the cat. "Can't you, like, find someone? Or something that can help me?" he asked with a frustrated tone, tail tips whipping beside him.

Big however blinked at him, his head cocking back to its usual position, blinking at the requests.

"I don't know how to do that, Tails," he simply explained, turning back around, looking at the fish on the campfire. "But the fish I'm cooking is almost ready. I hope you want to stay for lunch," he explained, as he kneeled down beside the campfire, picking up a stick he had left to the side, poking the fish he was cooking.

It still needed a little bit more time. He turned his head back towards the fox, when another deep sigh left him, one that made him clench his teeth, turning his head towards the wall.

"Never mind," he concluded, as he kept staring into the wall beside him. "It's my fault anyway. I shouldn't have followed Eggman's ship. I should have known better and turned around once they fled. Instead, I was being an idiot," he continued, a couple of deep breaths escaping his nostrils before his ears slowly fell to his skull.

Big's own ears fell once he saw Tails' did, looking at the fish in the campfire. He didn't like it when his friends were sad and would much rather have them happy. He looked towards the fox who was still looking into the wall, being unmoving for now.

"Don't be upset, Tails," he began, watching as the yellow ears twitched slightly. "Sometimes, when I go fishing, I can become impatient. And when I am impatient, the fish don't bite," he explained, relieved to see as the fox turned his head towards him.

"And when the fish don't bite then I can't have dinner with fish. But because I did that before, I know now not to be impatient when I fish. I have become much better at fishing because I have made some mistakes. We all make them," he calmly explained, keeping his gaze fastened on his hurting guest, somewhat hoping that his words were something of a comfort.

Tails' blue eyes were scanning the cat's face, still having a pained expression across his face. A small smile however, penetrated the façade for just a second, before a tiny nod was made.

"Yeah, you're right. We learn from our mistakes. I just need to remember to not keep making these mistakes," he agreed, a frown appearing on his forehead. He shook his head however and instead focused his gaze onto the cat.

"Thanks, Big," he expressed, turning his head towards the ceiling again, letting out a sigh.

Big found a smile onto his own lips as he got to his feet, walking towards the pond where he had left his fishing rod.

"You're welcome," he answered easily, sitting down by the pond once more, taking the fishing rod in hand and keeping an eye out for the fish.

A small smile was lingering on his face, being more than happy that he had managed to cheer his guest up.

"It's a really good day for fishing, you know," he continued, his ears flicking from the mosquitoes that were surrounding his ears.

"There isn't a lot of wind today. There's some fish that'll bite when it's windy, while others won't. I've not caught as many fish as I used to, but that's because it hasn't rained a lot. Fish bite a lot more when it's raining. I like rain. It sounds so pretty. And the jungle likes it too," he paused for a second, feeling his eyes becoming slightly heavy, the sun shining in his face and making him feel drowsy.

"There's hardly any fish in the winter. They don't like the cold. I often fish in the river during that time. There's different kinds of fish in the winter. They're often a little bit bigger and can be hard to catch. But they taste good as well. Have you tried fishing in the winter, Tails?" He asked calmly, catching sight of a butterfly that was on the other side of the pond, its orange wings fluttering in the green vegetation.

Instead of an answer from the fox, he heard a 'ribbit' that made him turn his head around. He observed as Tails had fallen asleep, his head turned towards the cave ceiling as even breaths escaped his nostrils, his chest still having that weird irregular motion.

Big blinked at the fox and looked towards his two blankets in the corner of his campsite, thinking that when you usually sleep you are covered by a blanket.

Therefore, the cat once more got to his feet, his amphibian friend observing him without interrupting him, as Big picked up the thinner blanket, and walked towards his guest. Crouching down and laying the blanket over his yellow battered body, he came to the conclusion that he didn't mind that he was sleeping. If he was tired, then he should sleep.

And that also meant that the fish that was ready on the campfire was for the cat to eat.

Time passed from there. A time that seemed to be going slow, being practically nonexistent to the cat, as he merely sat by the pond and kept fishing, sometimes wondering if his guest would wake up again and other times wondering if he would get a different kind of fish than one he had caught before.

The wind kept being silent and the sun shone as well. And as time went on its merry way without the bigger Mobian noticing, he did start to see an occasional blue streak that only appeared for a moment in the dense part of the jungle.

He didn't pay too much attention to it, looked up whenever he saw it, but otherwise didn't mind it. He had asked froggy what it was, whereas the amphibian had shaken its head, having returned to his position on sitting on the purple cat's stomach, catching the mosquitoes that fluttered around them.

It wasn't until the blue streak got closer to them, that Big started to wonder if it was a Mobian or not. Eventually, it suddenly passed his camp, a gust of wind disturbing the water and his fishing line, squinting his eyes shut from the pressure before it settled again. It only lasted a moment however, as the wind suddenly came back, but stopped beside him.

"Hey Big! Have you seen the Tornado around here? Or in the sky or anything?" The cat took his time to open his eyes again, blinking slowly and turned his head towards whoever had spoken to him.

It all made sense to him as he realized that it was Sonic who was standing there, his quills in the back of his head ruffled and his eyes wide, hands slightly shaking. He had been the blue streak he had been seeing.

"Oh, hey Sonic," he greeted, a smile crossing his lips. "What are you doing out here?" He questioned, cocking his head slightly to the side. The blue hedgehog let out a long and deep sigh, shaking his head before throwing his hands out at him.

"I'm looking for the Tornado. Tails was flying it, but I think it crashed somewhere around here. I can't get in contact with the Miles Electric, have you seen the Tornado?" He frantically asked, green, emerald eyes darting around the cat's face.

However, Big conjured a deep frown on his brow, before shaking his head slowly.

"I haven't seen the Tornado Sonic. But I have seen Tails," he explained, hoping that it would calm him down.

He seemed rather intense. It only got confirmed as the hedgehog's eyes widened further, taking a step towards the cat.

"Where Big?! Where have you seen him, try to remember!" he frantically asked one more time, his hands clenching into tight fists, a hopeful look appearing in his eyes.

Big blinked slowly before pointing towards the cave he knew his guest was occupying.

"He's in there," he said, though Sonic's head had whipped around the moment he had lifted his finger.

A frantic gasp escaped his lips as the hedgehog practically teleported into the cave, crouching down by the still sleeping fox. Big observed as a slightly shaking hand shook a yellow shoulder, seemingly trying to wake him.

"Tails?! Tails, buddy, can you hear me?!" He asked, though the fox remained unresponsive.

Big slowly turned his body towards his cave, the frown easing a little on his brow.

"I don't think you should wake him Sonic," he advised, making the hedgehog turn his head towards him. "He has been swimming. He seemed really tired," the cat explained, as the hedgehog was blinking towards the bigger Mobian, before turning his head back to his friend.

He didn't answer the cat's inquiry, merely ran a finger under the wound on the dirty, yellow forehead the hedgehog's gaze fastened there. He swallowed something in his throat before turning his head back towards the cat.

"He's hurting Big. I gotta take him to Station Square," he more calmly explained, though his voice was slightly shaking, looking at the blanket that was covering the fox.

The cat blinked, as Sonic carefully pulled it away, only taking a once over at the battered body before carefully hooking his hands under Tails. A groan and a hiss escaped his lips, though he didn't wake up as Sonic carefully lifted him into his arms, one hand around his back and the other supporting his knees. Two tails were carefully placed on the fox's toros before the one carrying him turned towards the cat, a somewhat determined expression plastered on his face.

"Thanks for taking care of him. I'll be back later alright?" he agreed more to himself than the cat, as he had run off before Big had a chance to answer him.

All that was left of his two visitors was the gush of wind that dissipated as well, leaving the area around the amphibian and cat quiet. Big looked at his cave where Tails had been seconds beforehand before he shrugged.

"I think Sonic is going to help Tails Froggy," he explained to his friend, turning his head towards his froggy friend who was still sitting on his stomach. "I think he's going to be alright," Big agreed with Froggy, before turning back towards the pond, looking at the fishing line, observing the water rings that luckily was still in the water.

"Though I hope Sonic lets him sleep. He was tired," he wished to the frog, as the amphibian settled down on the cat's stomach, yawning and closing his eyes, the sun shining on them.

And as the frog was slowly drifting to sleep, Big merely continued fishing, satisfied with the thought that he had plenty of time to catch some fish for dinner.

Days had probably passed. Big wasn't too sure, he really didn't pay too much attention to the days. He simply curled around his blanket and slept when it was night and sat down all day and fished when it was day.

There wasn't much more to his daily routine than that, and it was something that he enjoyed. The cat was sitting by the river again on this particular day, sitting against his favorite rock, relishing in the fact that he had caught three fish already, a smile plastered on his face.

Maybe it was because there was more wind today, the trees of the Mystic Ruins jungle swaying with the motion, the cold air ruffling his fur, making it a bit chilly. However, the cat didn't mind, and wasn't that cold often and therefore enjoyed his time by the river. It was a good day.

Froggy was once again sitting on the purple cat's stomach, eyes closed and relaxing as the amphibian was sleeping the afternoon away. However, the frog's eyes groggily blinked open as a gust of wind that didn't come from nature disturbed its sleep, lifting its head from the stomach of the cat.

"Heya Big! How're ya holding up, big guy?" The cat had noticed the wind as well, but had brushed it off as nothing, however the voice made him reconsider.

Turning his head around towards the question, a smile appeared on his lips as he realized that he had visitors once again. The blue hedgehog himself was standing with a grin on his lips, arms crossed over his chest with a relaxed posture.

The cat blinked as he lifted his head slightly to look over Sonic's shoulders, both hearing and seeing something else coming towards him. He soon recognized who it was, observing as the yellow two-tailed Mobian descended from the air, having flown using his twin appendages, and landed beside the hedgehog, the latter turning his head towards him.

Tails looked different. There was a medicine patch on his forehead where the wound had been beforehand, and bandages were around his torso as well. However, instead of the dirty and singed fur, it was shining gold in the sun's rays. His tattered gloves were fixed and clean, a wide smile on his lips as his blue eyes were shining. He didn't look tired anymore.

Big looked at him for a couple of seconds more before he looked back at Sonic to answer the hedgehog's question, nodding.

"I'm good," he answered easily enough, slowly shifting his gaze back towards the fox, behind appendages moving slowly and automatically up and down behind him.

"Did you sleep Tails?" Big asked, making a smile come to Sonic's lips. The fox however chuckled, a hand rubbing his chest momentarily before nodding to the question.

"Yes, I had plenty of rest Big, thank you," he answered, not sounding as tired or rough since the last time he had been visiting. "We were heading towards the Tornado. I gotta get it fixed up again," he explained, pointing towards seemingly nothing in the jungle, indicating where the plane approximately would have crashed.

Big looked in the direction he was pointing, looking at the river's current as it went downstream, remembering that something seemingly had landed there a couple of days ago.

"Something landed there a couple of days ago," he agreed, looking back at his two visitors. "But I hope you find your plane," the cat wished, the smile widening just a bit on his lips. He liked his friends.

Sonic snorted from his answer, the fox letting out a deep sigh and turned his head towards the spiked blue one.

"What crashed there is the Tornado Big. That's how Tails came in the river," the hedgehog concluded, one foot starting to tap on the jungle ground.

The cat blinked confused for a second, before the puzzle pieces slowly started to fall back into place, his mouth opening in surprise.

"So that's why you were swimming Tails," he concluded, "The plane crashed so you wanted to swim instead," Big confused watched as Sonic facepalmed himself, making the fox beside him snicker amused. However, the latter shook his head and looked back at the cat.

"Never mind. Listen Big," he started, looking at the ground briefly. "I, uhm, wanted to thank you for taking care of me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't saved me from the water, and taken me to your cave," he expressed, having been looking into the ground, though looked up halfway in his appreciation, a smile on his lips.

"So, again, thank you Big," He smiled, as one hand began to scratch behind his head.

The cat merely looked at him, being confused as to why he was thanked in the first place and what he meant by saving him. He hadn't done much other than listening to Froggy and brought him to his campfire.

If anything, he had been a bit sad that he hadn't been able to stay for lunch, since it had seemed like a normal visit to him. Though, he supposed that if Tails did thank him, that meant he was appreciative of something he had done, making the purple cat's heart warm just a little bit.

"You're welcome Tails," he therefore decided to say, the smile on his lips widening a bit. The frog on his stomach croaked a 'ribbit' and nodded as well, seemingly a grin on its face.

The fox's smile stayed on his lips, before he swung both tails in front of himself, one hand digging into his fur.

"I want to give you this," he suddenly offered, producing something that had been hiding in his fur, handing the object to the cat.

"I thought you might like it," Big's eyes were wide as he looked at the hat which he was offered, a straw hat to be exact, with a wide lip and yellow as hay.

The cat blinked before gently taking the hat in hand, observing it with his eyes before placing it on his head. It fitted perfectly, his ears not feeling squashed, and he had a cooling shadow. The cat smiled.

"Thank you Tails. I really like it," he expressed, looking up as if to try and look at the hat, though he looked back down to give the fox another smile.

Sonic let out a snicker, gently punching the fox on the shoulder.

"I told ya he would like it," the hedgehog winked as Tails turned his head to look at him. The fox smiled and nodded in agreement, letting out a sigh before turning his head back to Big.

"Well. We gotta get to the Tornado, only Chaos knows how long it's going to take to bring it back to the workshop," he explained, at the same time that Sonic turned around to continue running, giving the cat a large wide smile.

"Yeah, we gotta juice. See you another time, big guy!" The hedgehog departed, giving the cat and frog a wave before all that was left of him was a blue streak, a gust of wind following.

Tails let out a snicker, before his tails began spinning around, the kid taking to the air. Before he followed after Sonic, a thought occurred to him, making him turn around and look back at the cat.

"Before I forget Big. You're always welcome to visit the workshop. You can just pass by whenever you like," he invited, the same smile over his lips. "See you later Big!" He eventually departed, waving at the cat as he turned around to follow the blue hedgehog.

The cat was waving as well, looking as the blue streak had long disappeared but observed as the yellow Mobian he knew as his friend disappeared behind the jungle tree crowns.

The hand eventually fell back into his lap, at the same time that the frog let out another yawn, settling back on the cat's stomach. Big looked after where the classic duo had disappeared to, a smile appearing on his lips.

"They're nice," he concluded to himself, before turning back to his fishing rod, intently looking at the fishing line that was in the water.

And with that settled, it was yet again another normal day for Big the cat.

A day where time seemed nonexistent, a day where morning, noon and evening became one. Time that mattered to everybody else but him, time that was forgotten and wasn't useful to the large Mobian.

He merely went his merry way in the Mystic Ruins, lived among the jungle trees with his fishing rod and his very best friend, Froggy. There wasn't much that disturbed them and there wasn't anything particularly interesting that happened to them. But that was okay.

Big enjoyed fishing and he enjoyed his time with Froggy. He was very glad to have friends that he could occasionally talk to and was more than thankful when they gave him nice presents. He liked having friends.

And he liked living in the Mystic Ruins, living as the day was long.