It was a long time before the rumbling stopped in its constant storm, the last of the pebbles and boulders clattering to a stop. If it was an hour or ten minutes, Knuckles wasn't sure. But when the rocks stopped, they didn't bring silence. In the distance, between the gaps of the rocks, he could hear quiet sobbing.

Worry pulsed in Knuckle's chest, and he thanked the Master Emerald that he hadn't been injured – he could easily break out of this rocky imprisonment and make it top side. He fixated his gaze upwards, planting his fists together in the best punch he could muster in the tight space, relieved when the rock crunching angrily over him. Knuckles placed one hand against the rock and pushed it upwards a bit, climbing up the boulders to either side best as he was able, pushing the rock up as much as he could. With one hand, it was near impossible, so Knuckles kept crawling until he could get the stone to rest against his back, then focused completely on climbing and pushing off of what handholds he could, his back much more sturdy then a hand, and moving the rock effectively. The boulder whined in protest, grinding angrily against his spine, but it kept moving.

When Knuckles finally pushed the boulder out of the way, he was greeted by blue sky, the sun moved just enough to let him know about half an hour had passed. His back was absolutely rubbed raw, and pain clawed at him with every movement, but Knuckles shook it off. He didn't have time to be concerned with himself – his back was a trivial matter, even if he could feel a few drops of blood slide down his skin.

The crying was a little clearer above ground, not quite as many layers of rock separating the two of them. Knuckles knew without a doubt that it was Tails trapped elsewhere – the four-year-old had been several meters away from Knuckles and Sonic when the rock slide happened, and the first boulder that had landed had cut the cub off from the two of them. Sonic had wasted no time in trying to get over to Tails, but the hoglet had been knocked further into the ravine by an unluckily placed stone, washing him out of Knuckles' sight.

While Knuckles was relieved that he could hear Tails and properly locate the toddler, he was worried that the cub was running himself out of air. The possibility probably hadn't even occurred to the cub – his sobs sounded scared, hurt, and… something else Knuckles couldn't pinpoint. While they had been traveling together for a whole month, Knuckles had only heard Tails cry once, and that was just because he thought he was slowing them down because his arm had gotten dislocated.

Knuckles found himself beside a small hole by the time the sobs reached their zenith, and when he peered in, he could barely see two large, furry, light orange ears pushed back against the skull. "Tails?" He called out with uncharacteristic gentleness, concern for the cub's well being rising up in the puggle's chest. At least with this hole, there really had been no chance of the kit suffocating.

The todd's head snapped upwards, the whimpering cutting off suddenly at the sight of Knuckles. "Kn-Knuck-Knuckles?" He choked out, shivering into himself from the fear.

"In the flesh." Knuckles returned, kneeling down to extend his hand down the tiny hole, his large hand barely making it, closing out all visibility into the hole below. But, he felt Tails' tiny hand curl around one his finger pad, the little one clinging on tightly as sobs of relief racked his body. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm okay now!" Tails whispered, voice growing a bit more high. "You-you're here, s-so it's oh-okay!"

"I'm going to get you out of there." Knuckles promised, letting Tails cling on for a second more before gently shaking him off and withdrawing his hand. "Nothing's trapped, right? Arms, legs, tails? Or anything injured?"

"N-no…" Tails paused for a beat, then trembled as he peered upwards, shaking. "Part-part of m-my tail was tra-trapped earlier, bu-but it's okay, now. I-I freed it a-all by my-myself!"

Knuckles didn't miss the way his tiny chest puffed out in pride, happy that he had managed to free himself at least a little bit. Knuckles felt a flicker of fondness rise up in his chest, but he swallowed it down, reminding himself to stay focused on the situation. "Nicely done, kid." He grunted out. "One last question, as I move this rock… did you see where Sonic went?" Knuckles ground his fingers tightly into the boulder above Tails, feeling it splinter under his fingers, but it held tight, and didn't break until he cast it aside. His back still seethed at him, but he shrugged back the pain.

"I…" Tails swallowed thickly, glancing at his toes with an upset expression, then looked up again, tails spinning as they helped propelled him upwards, and he landed unsteadily beside Knuckles. The cub's brow tightened, and he folded his arms protectively over his chest. "I-I didn't, but...he's gone, isn't he? He-he ran away. From you. From me. Left us."

Knuckles could only stare at Tails, alarmed.

"I-I mean, he was with you, wasn't he?" Tails continued, seeming to feel the weight of Knuckle's gaze on him, ears flattening back against his skull sorrowfully, but he didn't look up. "And-and now he's not. He left, and he ran. And-and we've been trapped for so long but-but he didn't come back, did he?" Tears began to fall anew, and the kit pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes, sobbing numbly into them. "He-he said, when we first met, that he would… said that if he had to, he'd run… save himself before anyone else… said I should, too. Save my-myself, I me-mean. I-I guess he meant it, because he's gone now, and we're here, and-and-and…"

"Woah, woah," Knuckles interrupted, not used to crying kids and not completely sure how to handle it. "Kiddo, kid… Tails, I don't think he did. Or would. He's not like that, Tails! I'm not sure why he'd tell you he would. I saw him run towards you, and he was calling your name. Didn't you hear that?"

"N-no…" Tails whispered, peering out at Knuckles between his fingers. "I-I didn't… he… he called for me? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Knuckles promised him, taking a knee beside the kid, even though there wasn't a very big height difference between them. "I saw him get hit by a rock when he was running towards you – I hoped you saw where he landed, 'cause I didn't. But he definitely was going towards you. He's not the type to leave his friends behind. Obviously, I haven't known him long, but it never crossed my mind that he might leave anyone – least of all you."

"Then-then where is he? Why can't we hear him right now?"

"He might be unconscious?" Knuckles shrugged helplessly, not a hundred percent sure, but it didn't do much to ease the look of fear on Tails' face. "...or not. He might just be too far down for us to hear."

"That's-that's not better! What if he's not okay?! What if he's really, really hurt, or what if he's-!" Tails cut himself off, worrying his lip.

Knuckles didn't really know what to say, so he turned his attention elsewhere, staring out at the landscape, trying to figure out where to first begin looking for Sonic in all the rubble.

"Knuckles... if he's… gone forever..." Tails squirmed nervously, staring over the rocky landscape. "If he is, and you're wrong… about him running away, or… or just being... sleeping... who's gonna… you know... take care of me…? I-I-I can't go back to being alone! I just can't! I-I… what am I supposed to do, Knuckles, if nobody wants m-"

"I will."

The words were said so casually, so simply, that it took Knuckles a moment to realize it was himself who spoke the sentence. "I'll take care of you." Knuckles repeated, a bit slower, testing the words with every breath. "I'll be your big brother instead."

Tails' head snapped up, huge blue eyes staring deep into into Knuckle's, and it felt like he was peering into the echidna's soul. Knuckles barely suppressed a shudder at the expression, shifting from one foot to the other.

"...really? You'd be my picket fence?" Tails blinked, staring at him in fascination. "You'd want to be?"

"I don't know what a picket fence is." Knuckles deadpanned, "but yes. I'd be willing. You're a…" he paused for a beat, tearing his gaze away from Tails'. "You're a good kid. I wouldn't mind it." Knuckles felt Tails' fingers curl around his again, yet he didn't look back over. "But," he said softly, rising to his feet. "We've got to try to find Sonic first, before we settle anything, okay?"

Tails' grip tightened around Knuckles, following after the puggle as he stared around. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He implored.

"I'm not sure." Knuckles glanced up at one of the three stone walls bordering them, pursing his lips. "I think he was knocked in this direction," he pointed towards the direction where the walls weren't, glaring at the horizon in frustration. "But I can't say for sure."

"We-we should probably follow a system." Tails suggested, biting his lip. "If-if we're not careful, we could completely miss him, or check the same area again and again!"

"What kind of system?" Knuckles grunted, glancing at him worriedly. "Like, from left to right or something?"

"Mmhmm." Tails nodded, his namesakes sweeping around his legs nervously. "Like a grid. Mark it into rows or somethin'. Then move up one every time we finish one bit!"

"Good plan." Knuckles congratulated, punching Tails as gently as he possibly could in the arm, relieved when Tails didn't even flinch, punching him back with equal gentleness. "Alright, then, Tails, where should we start?"

(:)

Two hours passed, Knuckles moving heavy rocks to the side while Tails scurried ahead and scrapped out the smaller rocks. Knuckles wasn't sure what the kit's actions really did, but as long as Tails thought he was helping, he wasn't going to comment.

"We've hardly covered any area at all." Tails whined, looking up to regard the large expanse ahead of them, and Knuckles knew what he meant. They had started on the far end of the rock pile, and were moving towards, gradually, where Knuckles had dug himself out then located Tails, but it was taking a long time. They had moved about a third of the rocks out of the way thus far, so it wasn't quite as hopeless as the cub was making it out to be, but the sun was starting to set, and before too long they'd have to stop for the night. Not only for the sake of Tails needing to sleep at some point – his need for a bedtime becoming increasingly frustrating for Knuckles as time went on, despite knowing it was unavoidable – but also because it would be impossible to see anything past the thick shadows layering the rocks once it got dark, even if it was a bright blue hedgehog.

"We won't be able to search very well once it gets dark." Knuckles huffed, voicing his thoughts aloud. "But we'll have all day tomorrow."

"Y-yeah, but if he's hurt, or doesn't have much air…" Tails yanked uncomfortably at his arm, pursing his lips as he stared out at the landscape. "If we don't find him tonight…"

"Then we'll keep working like there's no tomorrow." Knuckles flexed his hands experimentally, cracking his wrists as he moved on to the next boulder. "We've gotta go fast – okay, kid? Like… Super Sonic speed, if you know what I'm saying."

"Right!" Tails agreed wholeheartedly, clambering a few sections ahead to continue shrugging tiny rocks out of the way. "We'll find him in no time!" His eyebrows crinkled after a few seconds, and he turned to look at Knuckles again. "Why haven't we tried calling him?"

Knuckles paused for only a second, tossing the boulder he was hefting to the side carelessly as he frowned in thought. He looked into the pit below the rock, determined nobody was buried underneath, and moved on. "I don't know. I doubt he'd answer, if we haven't heard him in all this time-"

"SOOONIIIC!" Apparently, Tails wasn't one to listen to doubt, because he had already clambered on top of a slightly higher boulder and was calling into the ravine, cupping his hands together. "ARE YOU THERE? SOOONIIIC!"

Knuckles couldn't stop the frown that pulled at his lips, but he let the cub try, hefting another rock to the side as Tails continued hollering for his best friend.

He worked restlessly and in complete silence, listening to Tails call to nothing. He was beginning to fear the worst – fear that Sonic had been crushed, that his infamous speed (and luck) had failed him. Worse yet, that Sonic had suffocated, and they hadn't been able to hear him. That he had died awake… and alone.

Ironic, how slowly the day had passed, but now that the fear was starting to get to him, the sun set quicker and quicker, nearly gone from the sky by the time Tails returned to him, exhaustion pulling at the kit's eyes.

"We're not going to find him." Tails whimpered softly, eyes going downcast. "He's… he's gone. He really did run, or he… he… got hurt trying to save me." Knuckles could see the guilt pulling at the young figure, twin-tails going limp.

"Hey, woah," Knuckles interrupted, kneeling down beside Tails, cupping his cheek best as he was able, feeling his brows soften as he stared at the fox child. "We can't give up yet – we'll track him down, I promise, if it's the last thing I-"

Through the wind, echoing against the canyon walls, Knuckles heard it then.
A call.

A reply.

Tails heard it too, ears flickering backwards to listen, blue eyes gone wide. Amethyst and sapphire met, and the two pivoted as one and took off running further into the ravine, both listening keenly. A few meters in, the cub's namesakes whipped up and he started flying, too. Knuckles wished there was a strong enough current to pick him up, so he could glide after the fox, but he resolved that he'd just keep running and let Tails reach there first.

Reach the area they heard the call come from first he did, the pup circling around it make sure it was indeed the right place, then landed, taking several steps back as Knuckles approached, pointing eagerly to the boulder hiding their mutual friend from them. "Here, here!" He chimed, and the cry Sonic had been releasing fell silent.

"Good job, kid." Knuckles congratulated, scooping up the boulder and tossing it as far away from them as he could, getting down on his hands and knees to peer down.

Sonic stared back up, looking dazed, and one leg was bloody, though it looked like it had stopped bleeding long before. A cough hit him hard, and he took a moment to rasp for breath, "Hi, guys? What's up?" He greeted with forced cheerfulness, blinking away the stars that likely sat on his vision.

"Sonic, you're alright! I knew it!" Tails cheered, even though he totally didn't 'know it', taking a step to the side as Knuckles reached a hand down, the hoglet reaching up as well to grasp it, the former pulling the latter up with practiced ease. Sonic hissed slightly as he was lifted, and Knuckles took note again of his leg, wondering how much pain it was giving the hedgehog.

Knuckles settled Sonic back down, making sure he was slightly propped up against a rock before taking a step back to regard his leg properly. "How long have you been awake?" Knuckles inquired after a moment, peering up at Sonic curiously.

"Just a few minutes." Sonic grinned, then took note of the sun, smile falling immediately. "...how long has it been?"

"A few hours. You're probably lucky you didn't run out of air before we found you." Knuckles deadpanned, patting Sonic's knee. The hero hissed sharply, yanking his leg away in pain. "How badly does it hurt?"

"Dunno." Sonic grunted, brow furrowing. "Never been hurt before, really. It hurts, but I can't exactly give it a scale." Sonic's gaze flickered over to Tails, and his smile suddenly became gentle and genuine instead of looking forced. "Hey, buddy! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Anything accounted for?"

Tails wasted no time in sitting cross-legged beside Sonic, leaning in close. "I'm okay! I was super worried for you, though! When we couldn't find you… I began to get a little scared, but you're okay, now! I was wrong to be afraid, huh?"

"Well, you were the one who woke me up." Sonic informed him, ruffling his best friend's bangs. "So I'm really glad you were worried enough to call!"

"Mmhmm!" Tails chimed, beaming up at him. "I am, too!"

"Your leg will probably be fine, but it'll be better once we can patch it up properly."

"There's a town kinda closed." Sonic huffed, gesturing slowly into the distance. "Probably about five minutes away my speed."

Knuckles did the math. "So if we leave at first dawn tomorrow we'll reach there around noon."

"Yeah." Sonic agreed, brow pinching, though Knuckles could tell he didn't actually know. He didn't care enough to figure out the distance and speed. "Probably."

"We should find some shelter for tonight – I doubt we can go far, and the darkness won't allow us to be necessarily careful around the cliffs." Knuckles determined, brow furrowing. "It's times like this that I wish you let me carry my first aid kit with us."

"We travel light." Sonic dismissed, waving it off. "You know this!"

"And now it's slowing us down." Knuckles deadpanned.

"Well," Sonic announced, crossing his arms over his chest. "How was I supposed to know this would happen?"

"You didn't! But it's good to be carefu-"

"Stop fighting!" Tails interrupted, left tail lashing angrily while his other one wrapped protectively around Sonic. "It's not fun right now! It's annoying, and not helpful at all! So please be quiet, both of you!"

Knuckles and Sonic fell silent in surprise, casting matching alarmed looks at Tails, then at each other.

"Right." Sonic coughed awkwardly, looking around. "So, um, where should we go from here?"

"I saw a cave back where Knuckles and I first started digging." Tails climbed off of Sonic's lap as he pointed towards the general direction. He kept a serious look on his face, taking his roll as 'the mature one' Very Seriously. "We can stay there tonight."

"Sounds good, little buddy." Sonic agreed, not protesting when Knuckles scooped him up, one hand under his legs and the other around his back. "Onward, noble steed!"

"How you can be so cheerful is beyond me." Knuckles deadpanned, but he advanced onward as instructed.

"It's part of my charm." Sonic returned, beaming at Knuckles. "You'll get used to it, dude."

If Knuckles breathed out a sigh, but it wasn't of exasperation like Sonic likely thought. Inside, relief was bubbling up, that both his friends were alive and accounted for. If they hadn't been… well, Knuckles wasn't sure if he actually would've been able to take care of Tails if Sonic had truly run or died, or if he could've handled taking care of Sonic's grief if Tails was gone.

But both brothers were alive, and both of his friends were still standing. Knuckles couldn't be more relieved.