Author's note: This was one of those chapters that just needed to get done. Hit a major writer's block with this one and had to push through it, hence adding a situation that might seem out of the ordinary though I'm hesitant to delete it. Parts of the reason is because this chapter is the bridge into unknown territory ;)

Don't get me wrong, I still love this story and I am determined to continue writing, but sometimes the block just hits you, you know? So sorry for the wait, and sorry if anybody got afraid that I ditched it or something. I'm gonna make a promise now, that if this ever gets on hiatus then I'll add it in the description, but I'm not planning on getting into that state. So, if it has been a while but it doesn't say 'hiatus' then it just means that I'm slow

But enough rambling: Enjoy! :D

The future might seem bright

They should be there by, now right? They had been walking for quite a while now, they should soon be there?

He couldn't tell, he had been looking at his sneakers the whole time, not daring to look up in case he locked eyes with the wrong mobian. He didn't know if anyone had already seen through their act, knew very well who he was and was following them and waiting until they reached the end of the city. He didn't know because he didn't dare look, instead followed in the armadillo's footsteps, seeing his shoes to the right of him.

No conversation had been made between them, the atmosphere tense as they kept walking quicker and quicker for every minute that passed. He had no concept of time, had just been walking and hoped that they would make it out of here. His hands were sweating and clamping with nervousness, the bandage in his left hand was damp, slightly squeezed from the small fingers of the squirrel that walked beside him. His wound had calmed just a bit, but he was still on high alert, listening for any sound, listening for anything that might make their walk to freedom to a road for death instead. At least for him – Sonic would be fine.

He didn't know if he was fine now that he thought about it, couldn't begin to imagine the cramps the hedgehog most have inside the box. Amazingly he had stayed quiet the whole way, the fox having expected that he would-

"Are we there yet?" –

"Quiet!" Tails gasped and hissed, in pure fright smacked his hand against the side of the box, harder than he thought since the armadillo stumbled a step. The hedgehog didn't answer, instead accepted his situation while Mighty tried to act that nothing had happened. The pick pocketer hoped that his action had gone unnoticed, ducking his head just a bit while a sigh escaped him.

All good things must come to an end he supposed.

He tried to take a deep breath to settle his beating heart, the small scare alone making his fur puff up underneath the cloak. A rational part of him was debating whether or not they were overacting, that those two posters Amy had found might as well only be two out of a lot less, and their existence was unknown to the majority of the city. Though, be wanted to be safe than sorry, would much rather feel ridiculous than being caught.

He was used to only having a few pair of eyes in his back which was very different from all eyes of the city. With a few, he knew who his enemies were, where to be careful and where he needed to go to hide from them. But you couldn't hide from all eyes, couldn't escape into an alley since there were eyes there to. There was nowhere he could be hidden, nowhere to settle down and he had no future here. He had pretty much established that last night and had agreed to travel with Sonic, something that he still wished to do, but the consequences and the gains of that decision wasn't clear to him right now. Right now, he was merely concentrating on taking one step after the next, walking towards their destination.

"Hey!"

Another gasp went through his lips, the three of them stopping in place since the voice was directed towards them. He could feel it, his throat closing up and the urge to hyperventilate became the desire. He wanted to sprint, bolt, just go and not look back.

"Where'd you get that box from?" It wasn't until the mobian was standing beside Mighty that he dared to peek. It was a red bird, adoring a vest and thick gloves, hands on his hips. He was taller than the armadillo, and another daring glance told the fox that he was around thirty years old, much older than any of them.

"Uuuhh-" Mighty was at a loss for words, glanced at the other two before he turned back to the mobian. Tails saw the bird raise a brow at him, nodding towards the side of the box.

"It says 'Kroxburg Transport' – and I know that the manager does not hire kids to do the transportation," His voice was gruff, but didn't sound angry for reasons unknown. Tails could start to feel his hands shaking again, looking into the ground and had no idea what was going to happen. Ray squeezed his hand slightly.

"Uhh we – we found it. You see, we're travelers and we need it for-" -

"Don't lie to me kid," He stiffened, could practically feel Mighty's fidgeting with is feet and didn't have to look at him to not understand that he was trying to figure out a way to get out of it.

A sigh then left the older mobian, though it wasn't ill-littered with anger, more of less – sympathy?

"Look. I don't care what you are or where you're going, but I can see from your clothes that you ain't got a lotta money. But stealin' stuff isn't the way to go. Give me the box and then I'll let you off the hook, 'arright? I won't fetch the authorities," He calmly explained, sounding like this kind of thing had happened before. Though, it did nothing to soothe the fox's nerves, suddenly realizing what kind of predicament he was in. Why hadn't he noticed the words before?

He glanced to get a look at the armadillo, could see him biting his lip in hesitation, looked at the two of them before looking back.

"O – okay."

Tails had to resist the urge to whip his head towards him and make the mobian look at him, instead perfectly saw in his peripheral vision Mighty pulling the box of his back and the bird taking it in his hands, grunting slightly when he got it.

"Damn, this' heavy. You did a good thing you know? Don't steal another time – There ain't a lotta nice guys around here," He simply said, pulled the box closer to his chest before he turned around and walked away.

A beat of silence passed between them, Tails' ears perking and listening for the steps, excluding any other kind of sound that made no sense to them. He looked up at Mighty, the armadillo looking after the mobian, a regretful look plastered onto his face, eyes frozen still as thoughts began to swirl around.

"C'mon!" Mighty's head whipped towards Tails, who nodded towards the bird, being well aware that he couldn't keep his head up. "Follow him!"

The armadillo blinked confused at him, before he turned his head back towards the mobian and started walking in a faster pace. The pick pocketer followed, another mindset glued to his mind as he was the one dragging Ray now, keeping the squirrel close. He kept looking at the armadillo's shoes, letting him lead the way and follow in his slipstream, could hear people around them cursing and telling Mighty to not be rude as he pushed them out of the way.

He had no sense of placement, didn't know where in Kroxburg he was and therefore couldn't determine if they were walking into the same place him and Sonic had been at the night before. He figured that there were more warehouses than those, and then another part of him thought that they might not even go to a warehouse at all. The conversations changed around them, in the sense that people got louder and were yelling, the topics different from the chitchat he had ignored throughout their pace. He turned his head up a little daring a look around as he ignored his tails cramping around his torso.

They were most definitely heading towards a workplace area, people wearing the same vests and gloves, stacks and stacks of boxes and barrels standing in rows. Not a lot of pedestrians were walking around, as he only saw a mobian wolf look at the armadillo perplexed before the fox turned his head back to the ground. He hadn't been in an area like this before, wondered if it was the main trading area or something, had no idea what he had gotten himself into. Or Sonic, or Mighty. He didn't know who to blame, but that didn't matter now.

He walked into Mighty when the armadillo suddenly stopped, making Ray tumble into him as well, hadn't realized how hard of a shell the former had on his back. He wanted to ask what was wrong when he saw the sign that read 'authorized personal only', standing tall in front of them. Tails looked ahead and saw the bird mobian from before, walking past different kinds of mobians, transporting barrels, boxes, bags and so much more back and forth, some of them standing still with papers in their hands, others arguing and talking and laughing. A small part of him was curious, wondering how everything worked out when he fetched the bird with his eyes, managed to watch him greet a couple of workers in front of a warehouse, as he disappeared inside with the box in his hands.

"Dammit," He mumbled, standing beside Mighty as Ray took back his hand, standing on the other side of the armadillo, the two of them observing the area.

"What do we do now?" The squirrel asked, the fox reading his fidgety posture, as if he was secretly asking Mighty permission to just charge in there and do whatever he wanted.

Tails looked as much as he dared around the building, watching for vulnerable areas, like a broken window or something. But it was much newer and even shined in the sun, the dilapidated warehouse from the night before resembling a ruin compared to the one, they were looking at now. The only way in was through where the bird had gone. They needed to think differently.

But first priority: Get closer and make a plan. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, the right of the building having a row of boxes with the white words of 'Kroxburg Transportation' in front of them. Sliding behind them unnoticed wasn't a challenge for him. He sighed, thinking that dragging one prisoner through millions of eyes were bad enough, now he needed to quick-teach two performers to stay quiet.

"I got a plan," He said, immediately gaining the attention from the other two, Mighty blinked at him expectantly while Ray remained focused. "Follow my lead and don't seem suspicious," He more warned than advised, narrowing his eyes.

The armadillo raised his brow in question, a both suspicious and wary expression staying there, not looking like he wanted to follow. But behind him the squirrel nodded determined, not one bit deterred. Tails decided that Mighty would trust him along the way, as he turned on his heal and started walking, hearing both of them following in his steps.

He knew that he looked suspicious enough as it was, being as concealed as he could be, the only visible trait being his shoes, but they could be unrecognizable from afar, mud and grime covering the usual white and red look they had. He paid attention to both the noises and the silence – listening for anybody whispering to their neighbor around them or conversations suddenly interrupting.

But nothing was out of the ordinary as he made his way around a row of barrels, slowly stopping to listen. The other two said nothing but their feet stopped moving, fox ears twisting and turning around to concentrate on listening. Conversations that came near them, then they dimmed, a shout, and silence remained for a second. He could hear steps, their voices, and tones, could almost feel them on the other side of the barrels, though that was anticipation. His eyes narrowed when then steps faded further away, and the conversations dimmed.

He jumped up on the barrel in front of him, jumped over the next and landed on the ground. He darted to a barrel to his right, hiding behind it, being officially in the authorized personal only area. The pick pocketer moved when the other two jumped over and hid beside him, the armadillo and him touching shoulders to be concealed. Tails waited for a bit, waited for the shouts of 'hey' and asking why they were doing there, but they had been quick. None had seen them.

He looked at Mighty, but this time his expression was determined as well, any doubt he had before was left behind as he nodded to a silent agreement. Tails scooted along the barrels, vaguely reminding him of his little hideout that he had left behind, as he made it over to the boxes. He easily jumped from barrel to box, the others following along as they closed in on the warehouse.

The pick pocketer peeked his head out, being along the side of the building, seeing four workers standing in the entrance, talking nonsense. He frowned, thinking what he was going to do now, when Mighty poked him in his side, reminding him that he wasn't alone.

"I have an idea," He whispered, the pick pocketer being secretly glad that at least the armadillo had learned the concept of whispering, compared to a certain hedgehog they were rescuing. The performer looked at the squirrel, with a raised brow, a silent conversation between the two since the latter smiled and nodded, looking enthusiastic for reasons unknown.

"Ray will provide a distraction while we head inside," He said confident. Though Tails blinked, looked at the small squirrel who didn't look scared one bit but rather ecstatic.

A distraction was the perfect element to success, though there was a high chance that they might need to save more than one person then. And he didn't want to stay in the city any longer than he had to.

"Are you sure?" The pick pocketer asked, though the squirrel had been nodding before he had uttered the question, even saluting him.

"He'll manage. Trust me," He looked at Mighty this time, the armadillo giving him a smile, that radiated calmness more than anything. Tails opened his mouth to argue, stating that they couldn't afford to lose Ray as well, though his words haltered in his retort.

Trust him. He knew he didn't, he had agreed with himself to not trust anyone but himself, but he knew that there was no time for arguments. Who knew how long Sonic could keep quiet.

"Okay," He eventually said, nodding to the both of them, opening his mouth to ask what they had in mind.

Although, it seemed like something like this had happened before, maybe not like this but something of the sorts, as Ray smirked to Mighty, the armadillo giving him a thump's up before the squirrel was nothing but a yellow blur. Tails blue eyes darted over the top of the box, watching as the squirrel padded up to the workers that stood in front of the building. They didn't even have time to ask who he was or why he was here, as the ten-year-old kicked a worker in the shin and was gone.

A 'hey!' echoed through the work area, making several other workers turn their head, as Ray darted up the long rows of boxes, gliding across the area and was squealing, doing a somersault, landed on a barrel and blew raspberries at the other workers. Immediately mobians left their post to go chase him, the squirrel moving around just fine.

Tails had been observing, complete disbelief and surprise pulling him into a daze, though he was suddenly pulled out as Mighty yanked in his arm and pulled him away from the box and towards the entrance. The force of the pull made his hood fall down, though he didn't pay attention as they darted inside the warehouse. It was much different from last night, tall metal shelves housing boxes upon boxes, barrels and barrels, bags, crates and so much more towering over the two of them.

Mighty lead the way as they hid behind a tower, mobians running from inside to out, the commotion of Ray fooling around out there gaining the attention from everybody. Tails couldn't help but feel an amused smile cross over his lips. They suddenly stopped, the pick pocketer realizing that the armadillo still had his hand latched onto his arm, yanking it away from him as he looked around, suddenly realizing that the hedgehog could be everywhere.

"No, Tails think. He's in a box – with the words 'Kroxburg Transportation' on it. Which means that it's ready for delivery. Boxes seems to be located in the right wing, and boxes you want delivered needs to be at the front. Search there first," –

"Follow me," He said to Mighty as he started to lightly sprint along the right side of the warehouse, large fox ears twisting and turning to make sure that nobody had paid attention to them or were pursuing them.

He had no idea where he was going, was merely following his sense of logic which hadn't failed him before, a thought in the back of his mind wondering why Mighty was blindly following him.

Until they ran past a whole row of boxes, making the fox screech to a halt, the armadillo almost ramming into him as Tails' eyes scanned the wooden storage crates. They were exactly the same – a rectangular wooden box that could house a hedgehog inside, with the white words of 'Kroxburg Transportation' stamped on the side of it. Both of his ears flicked backwards when something crashed outside, mentally hissed at the exclamations of 'watch out!' and 'catch that kid!' reaching his sensitive hearing.

They needed to be quick.

"Sonic? Sonic, where are you?" He began calling in a hushed tone, jogging along the rows of boxes, jumped up on a couple of ones and started knocking on some of them. No response. Mighty did the same thing, calling for him and walked towards the boxes away from the wall. Tails decided to jump down again, thinking that the bird most likely hadn't taken his time to put it at the top, but at the bottom.

He followed the line, ignored the armadillo's call for the hedgehog as the pick pocketer made his way around them. The row stopped towards the middle of the warehouse, the commotion outside clearer in the open door, knocking on a random box beside him.

"Sonic? Sonic?!" –

"Tails? Mighty? What's going on," It was after he had gasped that he realized it was out of relief, saw in the corner of his eye one of the boxes moving.

"Sonic! You in there?" –

"Yeah, dude I'm here. What's happening?" The armadillo had made his way over to them, the fox seeing him emit a sigh of relief as well.

"You eh, kinda got kidnapped," He simply answered, Tails moving out of the way as he picked it up again, taking the leather straps over his shoulder.

"Kidnapped? Well, that's a first," –

"You didn't talk when you were separated from us right?" Tails ignored the bicker, could feel his heart beating out of his chest, wanting to get the hell out of here.

"No of course not. I may be a risk taker at times but I'm not stupid," –

"I beg to differ," The pick pocketer thought in the privacy of his own mind, watching as the armadillo got the box appropriately onto his back, nodding towards him.

"Now quit talking again," –

"Again?! Dude I just got kidnapped! How do you expect me to-" –

"Shush!" The shush was hard and said through clenched teeth, his beating heart and shaking hands making him jog towards the exit with Mighty beside him.

They made it to the door, the both of them observing the mobians being in the other end of the work area, scratching their heads and small talking, the kerfuffle happening beforehand having seized. He took it as a sign that Ray had gotten away, an idea that the performer agreed upon as he sprinted towards the barrels again. The pick pocketer followed suit, immediately jumping over them before anyone noticed, was now following in Mighty's steps.

He pulled his hood over his ears again, reminding himself that he still wasn't out of harm's way, regretting that he hadn't eased up on his tails in there, since they were cramping now. The both of them ran longer than what was probably necessary away from there, before the armadillos screeched to a halt, frantically looking around for his friend.

"Ray? Ray?!" –

"Mighty!" Both fox and armadillo turned around upon the call, the latter eliciting a sigh of relief, as he saw the squirrel unhurt run towards them, his cheeks red from panting and looked practically ecstatic, fingers fidgeting from adrenaline.

"Are you hurt?" He quickly shook his head, while Tails got his own breath back, hadn't realized that he had needed it, since his heart was hurting from beating. This was too much.

"You guys alright out there?" –

"Shut up!" Tails hissed, slapping the box one more time, emitting a 'ouch' from inside of it though he promptly ignored it. He looked at Mighty who gave him a questioning stare, but the pick pocketer could feel the eyes on him and merely let out a deep breath and looked into the ground again.

"Lead the way," He mumbled, looking briefly back up at him. The black flints of eyes blinked at him, clear hesitance in his features, but he led whatever intention it was fall, and instead began walking again, in a faster pace. Ray walked beside the fox when he continued behind Mighty but retracted his hand when the squirrel reached out for it.

He didn't need it – didn't want it anymore. He just wanted to get out.

Just wanted to leave.

He hadn't felt more relived in his life when he saw the pine trees again, the buzzling of the city still surrounding him, but he could feel it. Feel the need, the heave, the longing for just sprinting out into the forest and forget this city. Forget that he was hunted and wanted dead or alive and just go. Get away into the vast… the vast unknown.

He let the thought pass, instead concentrated on looking into the ground, their goal still out of reach. A few more steps though.

Their pace had significantly quickened after their successful rescue, the hedgehog somehow keeping quiet the rest of the way – if his earlier shushing and slapping of box had been the solution only Chaos would know. He could see Mighty's stern and determined expression if he glanced at him, walking on his right side and the squirrel on his left. The latter had been biting his lip for what was most likely not healthy, keeping a steady pace and hadn't insinuated any questions.

The only conversations that had occurred was in the beginning where Ray happily told of his round-a-bout and seemed like it had been more fun than anything. Until one of the workers had almost grabbed his leg, then he had decided that it had been time to go and hoped that it had been enough time for the other two. Despite the close encounter, the ten-year-old had been smiling and smirking, looking like a devious brat who had gotten away with stealing some candy.

Childish innocence - the squirrel not understanding how horrible everything would have become if he had been caught. He could have been taken to the authorities, making it harder for him and Mighty to figure out how to get him back. A part of him wondered if they would have let him go and ignore it because of a prank. Another part believed that they could have decided to keep him and find his parents… or they could have chosen to bea-

He sighed out his thoughts, forcing himself to let the question be. They had done it; he was okay, and Sonic was okay. He thought – he must be cramping a ton right now, feeling his own tails almost shaking out of discomfort.

Instead, he was suddenly walking on soft grass, couldn't avoid the gasp that escaped him as he lifted his head looking at the pine trees in front of them. It was the same long branches of needles, the same tree, and the same forest – no eyes, no one who were out to get him. An irrational part of him felt like every person in the city was right now burning their eyes into his back, not wanting to release his tails until they were in the cover of the woods.

When they passed the tree, and another tree passed them to his right and left, his shoes leaving indents in the grass from the morning dew, he could feel the nervousness bleed out of him. From his fingertips to his beating heart and through his body, leaving a puddle of anxiety in his way.

He let out a long and deep sigh, could finally feel himself ease up as he threw the hood off his head and ran both hands through his face and pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes. Brief sparkles of starts and swirling, hypnotizing patterns appeared before him, before he let his hands fall. Mighty breathed out as well as he stopped and put the box on the ground, stretching his back. With and odd familiarity, Ray jumped onto the trunk of a tree, jumped off it and hung on one branch of needles, swinging himself up and sat on it, making it bend from his weight.

"Hey? Are we there yet?" Sonic complained from within the box, as the pick pocketer lifting his cloak and let both of his tails fall from his torso, whipping happily to release the cramps.

"Yeah. You can come out now," The armadillo said, turning the box over so the lid was on the top, opening the hasp that had been there.

The moment it happened, a foot rocketed out of it, making the lid pop up like a toy, almost smacking Mighty in the face if he hadn't moved in time. Sonic easily stood up in the box, his quills ruffled from the rough treatment, stepping out of his prison and stretched his legs and back.

"Aaah that feels better – what took you so long anyway?" He asked while stretching his arms into the air, as the armadillo closed the box again looking at the hedgehog that spoke miles of annoyance. Finally, someone else who felt what Tails did.

"You got kidnapped. A worker bird mistook the box for one we had stolen and took it with him. You were brought out to a warehouse with all off his colleagues. Though I distracted them while Mighty and Tails went in to get you," Ray happily retold, while the hedgehog was touching his shoes with his hands, keeping his legs straight, looking at the flying squirrel.

"I thought you were the victim?" Tails asked, mildly annoyed, but more than relieved that they were finally gone from the city. Sonic turned his head towards him, the fox recognizing a grin on his muzzle, nonchalant and casual, as if everything had turned out okay.

"You would get surprised about how much context you're missing when you're stuck inside of a box," He simply explained, as he was done stretching, shaking his feet and hands lastly before running a hand through his quills in the back of his head. The pick pocketer didn't comment on the matter, instead spotted the purple bruise on the hedgehog's face, and determined in the privacy of his own mind that it didn't look like it had worsened.

Beats of silence appeared between them after that, Ray fidgeting on the branch, either from the silence or the needles he was sitting on, while Mighty was scratching the back of his head. Sonic was the first to let his emeralds green eyes scan over the individuals, letting a smile come to his face as he confidently planted his hands on his hips.

"Well. I guess this is a 'see you later' huh?" He asked, looking at the performers they had been working together with for almost three days. The two of them looked at each other, the squirrel having an expression that begged to differ, though the armadillo turned his head back to the hedgehog with a small nod.

"Yes. We're taking the box back and, eh we can leave it somewhere, where they can find it again. Then we planned on heading into the other side of town, explore the eastern side of the planet," The armadillo said with a determined expression guarding his face, though his eyes shined briefly, and a smile came to his lips. "Though it is a 'see you later'. I wouldn't mind running into you guys again," He said, looking back and forth between the fox and hedgehog.

Tails let his eyes immediately go to work. He stood without fidgeting, one hand drumming his arm, stance relaxed and no twitches and pulls on his face. He was telling the truth.

"No doubt. I want to know more about the Chaos emeralds! I bet you can move a whole mountain!" Ray exclaimed, falling backwards from the branch, though he caught himself with his tail, the tip of it curling around it, as he hung upside down with an even wider grin.

Nothing but amusement was there, though deep within his dark chips of flint for eyes, the pick pocketer could see the slight – disappointment? Sorrow? Was he sad that they were departing?

Sonic hadn't noticed it, was merely laughing at the kid's antics, winking at the yellow squirrel.

"I'll send ya a letter if I ever do that, deal?" –

"Deal!" Ray agreed enthusiastically, front flipping to land gracefully back on the grass, the branch he had been occupying swaying dangerously up and down, before calming again. Mighty was smiling as well, as the fox bit his lip, scratching the back of his head, as he could feel the guilt starting to erupt.

"I'm sorry I can't pay you back," He looked up to meet the armadillo's gaze, expecting either understanding or puzzlement. The latter emotion was what shined through, black eyes blinking to try and understand the question himself, before he gave up and didn't answer Tails, a silent urge to make him explain.

"You know? For making a fire, finding food, helping us in Kroxburg and getting us out of the city," He said, read the understanding that flashed over the seventeen-year-old's face, though he could feel his own timidness overrule the fact that he was happy it was understanding instead of being disappointment.

He had always done his part in deals, agreements done with various people on the street, poor and semi-rich people asking for sugar, moonshine, and salt, getting most of the time a piece of metal out of his deals rather than food. This was the first time where he had received more than he could give them back.

Though, he was surprised when Mighty held out his hand at him, looking up to see the armadillo smiling at him.

"It's okay Tails. Don't try to hang too much in that street living alright? Sometimes people do something out of the kindness of their heart. It isn't always the case of receiving something only to expect to get something in return," He kindly explained, his voice getting a softer tone, the fox observing as a couple of wrinkles appeared above his eyes, though he was still smiling. He was telling the truth, was surprised, and perplexed but he meant what he said.

From the kindness of their heart? Who's heart? What kindness?

A part of him wanted to frown and explain to the armadillo that this was the first time that he had ever experienced getting a favor without the other demanding one back. Usually, if you couldn't give back to someone you would get a punishment for it. That is the rules. Or – was the rules. He supposed.

He didn't know, and for now he merely settled on giving Mighty a fake smile back and took his hand, shaking it in a farewell.

"Then thanks. For everything," He said, turning his head towards Ray, who were shaking hands with Sonic, the speed much quicker than the slow shake he was doing with the armadillo.

"I hope we get to see each other again!" Ray said with a smile, a twinge of sadness sitting in his eyes from the departure, as they switched hands, the pick pocketer taking hold of the flying squirrel's.

"Who knows? We might – after I find all the emeralds, I have all the time in the world to go exploring. I'll head out east afterwards and see if I can find you," Sonic winked, taking back his hand after shaking Mighty's the latter nodding in agreement. Tails caught Ray's gaze after the hedgehog's inquiry.

"You'll visit too right?"

The pick pocketer blinked in perplexity, Sonic turning his head towards him the same time that Tails looked at him. Would he? He didn't know – he could be camping in some sort of village on the way, maybe finding somewhere else to go, another big town. All the questions of the future hit him right then and there, and because that was the least of his desires to dwell on, he instead sputtered an answer to keep his thoughts at bay.

"M-maybe. We'll see," Ray looked disappointed from the answer, though he nodded with that same smile on his lips, as Mighty picked up the box again with much less difficulty, having it on his back.

He turned around as he gave the two a content smile, nodding before he turned around and walked away, Ray walking backwards while he waved at them.

"Bye! See you around!" –

"Cya Ray and Might!" Sonic departed, waving back at the squirrel, while Tails couldn't hide the smile on his face. A part of him was going to miss those two.

The hedgehog stopped waving when Ray turned around and walked somewhat normally, bouncing as he talked to Mighty, the two of them getting closer to the proximity of town again, heading off to their own adventure.

And he here was. Going on his own journey.

Sonic turned his head towards him, making the pick pocketer look at him, reading the smug grin that was on his face, seemingly happy more than nervous about the future.

"What are we waiting for? Let's head to those mountains!" He said a tad bit too enthusiastic, the hedgehog turning inelegantly on his heel, looking like he was more than thrilled to be rid of his black cloak as he started walking. Tails rolled his eyes into the sky, already finding a flaw in the hedgehog's plan as he walked after him, staying on his heels.

"And where's the mountains?" –

"Down south-west," –

"And where is that?" He asked, raising a brow in his forehead. Though Sonic turned on his heel again, walking backwards with his hands on his hips, having an equal brow raised at the younger.

"I talked to Amy while you were snoozing. If we follow the river, we should eventually get there,"

He answered, having the courtesy of giving the fox a wink before he turned around again on his heel, walking forward. Tails couldn't help but let out a 'hmpf' thinking that the hedgehog wasn't that dumb after all. Or at least, in this moment.

Their walk continued for a bit, the fox's ears twisting and turning, hearing birds chirping and singing in the trees, could see the river on their right side, a few yards from it. The sun was shining, making his face feel good and warm, his tails having a mind of their own, twirling happily behind him, his ears free from the fabric of the cloak. He looked at his left hand and lifted his glove at the wrist, looking at the bandage that was there. It had browned again where the wound was, frowning at it and thinking that he would have to change it again whenever they settled down.

They.

He looked up at the hedgehog, the blue one looking at the river with a content smile, having laced his hands behind his head. So now they were officially alone – sure, it had been only them in the alleys back at Croford, sneaking around and getting into an ambush. But this was different. They were walking in a tranquil and quiet forest, nobody was going to attack them here, they didn't need to be silent or be wary of other criminals. It was only them, in the middle of nowhere, having departed with civilizations and group members seconds ago.

He questioned whether or not he had made the right decision, thinking that it maybe have been easier to go with Mighty and Ray, travelling with them to whatever city they met, seeing if he couldn't find an alley to start a new life in. But his curiosity had won in the end, that deep, deep desire he had had for such a long time had taken over his decision in life and figured that the pros were better than the cons. The disadvantages were that they couldn't find food just like that, shelter was sparse and keeping warmth could be difficult. The advantages were that he had no enemies out here, nobody who were hunting him and for once, he could be who he was. And at the same time, he was wondering, reading, and observing the hedgehog's movements, walking casually as if everything was alright in this world.

They weren't acquaintances, he had talked too much with the hedgehog, gotten to know him and knew his purpose, have fought along his side, and had saved his life twice now. But they weren't friends either and he didn't trust him – so for now they were travelling partners, he supposed. Knowing a bit about each other but merely were together for the sake of the adventure rather than the relationship. He didn't want to share anymore for that matter.

He looked up when Sonic turned his head around to look at him, more than a smirk appearing on his muzzle.

"Whadday say that we speed it up a little?" Tails blinked from the request, thinking why as they weren't in a hurry, but a part of him didn't want to disagree, shrugging his shoulders.

"Sure," He answered, not caring that much about the pace, though the smirk that widened, a toothy grin showcasing hedgehog teeth behind his lip, told the fox that Sonic cared. A lot.

He stared to lightly jog, faster than Tails had thought he would start with, but began jogging as well, following in his pace. He was used to darting around corners, jumping and trained his feet to hit his soles the correct way to make as little noise as possible when sprinting. He didn't even break a sweat, wasn't panting and raised a brow at Sonic.

He didn't look like he was straining anything either far from – it looked like he was bored.

A childish smirk found its way onto Tails lip as he sped up, running past the hedgehog, still following the river. Only seconds passed before Sonic was suddenly ahead of him again. But faster. Much faster. He blinked perplexed, sped up again, could feel both and hear his feet stomping into the ground, nobody around to hear his steps.

His legs were burning, thighs and shins having the need to go faster. So, he did. He ran. Ran as fast as he could, had never been able to test out his own capacity for sprinting, but here he could feel it. He could feel his heart beating, in a completely other sense than being scared or anxious, no it was beating because it wanted to. He could feel his lungs heaving, asking for air as he began panting, but it felt good – it felt awesome to feel the wind ruffle his fur, his arms and hands following his running pace, could feel adrenaline rush through his body as he passed Sonic again.

He was vibrating, he was running, and he was breathing. He opened his mouth in a wide grin, while taking necessary breaths into his organs, as he heard the hedgehog come closer. Oh no you don't. He sped up.

His legs were burning, his shins hurting from missing oxygen, his heart beating. Wind appeared behind him, his entire body moving, breathing, as he could feel his feet missing touch with the ground, feeling great feeling alive! He was going, he was running, and he was having the time of his life!

He laughed, laughed out loud into the forest, feeling the wind around him, could feel how much his heart eased up, how much his hand suddenly didn't hurt anymore because he was running! Then another force of wind passed him, and he had to blink as the only thing he saw in front of him was a blue veil.

He had no idea how fast he was going, but if Sonic disappeared in a blur then that meant he was going faster than him.

"What? How did he-" He didn't get to the end of his thought, as he instead smirked to himself, his lungs screaming for air and his legs begging him to stop, but instead he sped up.

Let the logic rest and instead got drunk in the adrenaline rush, feeling his heart beating for the first time in a desire that he didn't know he needed. He was running. He was – free.

Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all…

It was always smelling down here. Smells ranging between the normal sewer water to the piss and pop that was transported down here due to the pipes and the carved-out walls. It was a shame that this was their home, the place where they could live and be someone who was accepted. Down here there were no eyes who looked at them wrongly, nobody who took a second glance at them and nobody who thought that they were merely people who didn't know how to be proper. How to treat the grounds, obey to the rules and be one with everybody else. No, that was not the reason.

Perhaps, their arrangements fitted together with what the majority of the city thought of them. Nothing but sewer scrap, tossed to the side because they were unneeded, unnecessary for the economy as well as social and technological advancements. No, they were a thorn in a rich person's life, a stain on their shirt and the crow that interrupted the beautiful singing of the birds. It was those abstract pictures that designated who they were, the stamp that they had gotten from society. They were outcasts, people who only did what they did because they had failed at being a normal citizen.

But that was not how they saw it. They were normal – they were mobians, and they were people. They were somebody, not just gremlins sent from hell, and they weren't burdens. Quite the contrary in fact. They were doing the city a favor. They just failed to see the bigger picture.

Their latest mission was a testament to their work, having successfully robbed the Robinson's estate, one of the wealthiest and most proper people of town, who were now missing a TV, kitchen appliances, expensive jewelry and so much more. Their haul had been better than expected. They might be thieves, and they might be the low life of the city, but they were the ones who was going to take everything and turn it around. Turn it into something good, into something amazing. He could feel it! All he needed was the emeralds, the only thing that was missing from the house.

He had heard the story, heard that a blue hedgehog had stolen the one that was inside the castle, ruining his most well-planned robbery of all time, meaning that he could throw it all to hell now. Chaos-dammit he needed those emeralds and now they were in some hedgehog's possession, guided out of the city by another criminal outside of their community.

The assassins had found them roaming around here but had come back empty handed. And had given him the news he had feared, the gossip confirmed, and theories verified– the hedgehog was one of them. A Chaos wielder. And now he had an emerald, and he knew how to unleash its power. He had punished them for the unsuccessful attempt, demanding that they figure out where they were, to try and get it back.

Otherwise, this could fail, otherwise this would be for nothing.

His hands were laced behind his back, staring at the picture that was hanging on the wall in his office, another wing of the sewer system they were in. He tapped his hand with one finger, considerations swirling around in his mind. He knew they weren't in the city any longer, and he had a guess to as where they were now. He had sent his best assassin out to find him. He needed him dead, and he needed the emerald.

His eyes were looking through the old frame that hung in front of him, instead moved his hand and pulled a gem out, taking it in front of himself and looked at it.

He could feel the power, could feel the urge and the desire to pull it out, to use it and to make it depleted. And he wanted to. He wanted to badly take it from it and use it, abuse that power, and use all of his energy to make it obey. He knew how, and he knew that the others could do so much more, could bend the forces of nature. This could too. But differently.

The purple color seemed to be swirling around itself, the dark contrast of the gem almost creating a vortex, seemingly pulsating with life, fitting together in is hand like a key in a lock. He just needed the others. His eyes got lost in the emerald in his hand, closed his eyes with a small sigh, reaching behind and hid the gem in his quills.

Risen in the back of his head, black and red fur making out the natural way that his quills swayed. He took a step away from the picture, large and technical advanced shoes on his feet, seemingly clumsy but was his greatest weapon. His red orbs glared at the frame in front of him, as he could hear quick feet appear behind his office door.

"Shadow! Mister Shadow!" Somebody smashed his door open; the wood hitting the brick wall and breaking it a little. "The assassin has reported! They are-" –

"Didn't I tell you?"

His voice was gruff, deep, and cold, icicles practically escaping out of his mouth, nothing but his own desires radiating out of his words alone. He turned his head, looking at the rabbit who gulped at him, his red eyes burning with annoyance, making the mobian crumble in his stance.

"Always. Knock." He finalized, clenching his hands into fists, turning around towards him, entire stance screaming authority as well as huge danger warnings to the oblivious.

This was the inner market. He was the inner market, the boss, the one who sat on the throne. Thieves came here daily, in and out, trading everything from moonshine to the finest pieces of jewelry. Haggling more than chatting, shouting more than whispering, covert as well as armed operations happened under his feet, having most of the thieves under his command.

They had the entire city swirled around his little finger, the higher powers, the presumably authoritative powers had no idea what was going on and didn't care either way. One part of the city was under their control, and slowly but steadily they were making their way onto the other side of the bridge.

He could feel it – he knew that times were about to change. He just needed that hedgehog dead, the emerald and get rid of anybody who stood in his way. There was no questioning.

This was his turf. And he was going to keep it.

Author's note: Piss and pop is not a grammatical error - it sounds better ;)