Author's note: I want to thank everyone for your patience with this chapter. Real life practically came in the way of writing in general, cobbled with the fact that I hurt my right hand pretty badly which meant I couldn't write properly. Thankfully, everything is alright once more, which means I can get back to the hobby I enjoy the most!
But with all the excuses aside, here comes a long chapter for the ones who have been waiting, the longest one yet - I hope you enjoy :D
Knowing the truth only gets you disappointed
Drowsiness was the first thing he felt the moment he regained consciousness; heavy eyelids that wanted to stay closed that opened singularly because his stomach was protesting. A deep growl could be heard as he stared into an unfamiliar grey ceiling, his sight slightly blurry. He squinted his eyes confused, slowly blinking as his mind tried to catch up to what had happened.
He had woken up once before, hadn't he? His head felt heavy like lead as he turned away from the ceiling, looking towards a wall. He saw the same shelves from before, weird jars and herbs stored there as well as the small campfire on the ground, leftover burnt wood remaining there. An abnormal stool in the corner as well as the jar with water that made him want to lick his lips, realizing that he was thirsty.
He blinked owlishly at the wall, his memories coming back in waves, remembering where he was and what had happened. The reminiscence made him run turn his head back towards the ceiling, a hand running down his side, feeling the bandages there, the wound still sore and made himself wince when he pushed it. It was going to take a while before he would completely heal, he could guess that himself.
A sigh left his lips from the conclusion in his mind, blinking one more time at the ceiling before he turned his head to look for someone who had been here prior to waking up before. He easily caught sight of the one he had expected to be here, the last vestiges of sleep ebbing out as he observed the azure hedgehog sitting against the leg of the bed, his feet planted on the ground, fiddling with his own gloveless fingers with his arms resting on his knees. His quills were ruffled, pointing in every direction possible, looking bored more than anything.
The pick pocketer's eyes narrowed slightly, thinking how much time had actually passed, and how long he had been sleeping for. His sapphire eyes caught sight of the bandages on Sonic's left leg, remembering that the assassin had kicked him there. The rods under the bandages made him consider whether or not he had broken it, then cast the thought aside since he remembered Sonic standing perfectly well the last time he had woken up.
He bit his lip from the sudden thought, looking away from the hedgehog in shame alone.
He had never felt like that before. Breaking down, pooling to the floor in his own hidden misery, all the worry and hope ramming at him all at once. He had always had a hard exterior, tough, and unbreakable, something that he had trained himself in creating. Espio hadn't directly taught it to him, but he had certainly learned from him that begging and pleading got you nowhere on the street. You had to be confident even if you didn't feel like it – otherwise you were dead.
Thinking about the chameleon, the fox hoped that he was somewhat okay. He knew that he had left the Chaotix for two years for their own protecting and had only given them little thought. But what they had done for him, helping him escape out of Croford, would have cost more than all the gold and jewelry in the entire city. Nevertheless, the chameleon had helped him get out of the city and somehow, he was now here. With a stab wound to his side, resting in a bed on a floating island.
The realization of that made a silent scoff escape his lips, shaking his head on the pillow. He had never imagined he would end up here – not that he had any specific city in mind, he had practically walked into this completely blind, unsure of what expectations he originally had.
But breaking out of the system, following a river with a prisoner and two thimble riggers, coming to a trading city, saving someone's little sister, keep following the insane hedgehog, run until his heart burst, fighting a robot, and almost dying hadn't crossed his mind. Including all the other stuff that had happened, the pick pocketer had never imagined this happening in his life, never mind learning something about himself.
The thought made him blink at the ceiling, letting out a sigh since he didn't want to think about it and made to push himself up to get some water. The sudden movement made a quick surge of pain go through his side and up to his chest, exclaiming an 'ow' before he had time to stop himself. He saw Sonic jump in his peripheral vision, the quills rattling together and turned his head around, their eyes meeting.
It was the same worried expression he had seen from the first time he woke up, the sunken eyes and the wrinkles around his lips. However, this time around the pick pocketer had a better understanding of why the hedgehog was worried and why he spent his time and energy looking like that. Because he was a friend.
The thought slowly planted itself in his mind, while the hedgehog had a smile coming to his lips, the wrinkles disappearing and a warmth coming to his eyes, though he could still see a bit of worry remaining.
"Heya Tails," he lightly greeted, with the smile remaining. "You, okay?" he asked afterwards, a minor frown appearing on his brow, his eyes quickly travelling down the fox's body to get an answer to his own question.
The pick pocketer blinked firstly, taking in the welcoming and warm expression that Sonic was showing him, the realization of the friend he had acquired becoming more and more clear to him.
"Hey – I'm alright," he greeted, not daring to move any further. "I just – tried to sit up," he continued, trying to ignore the fact that his side was pulsating, small surges of pain appearing between intervals.
"Let me help you," Tails turned his head upon the hedgehog's words, observing as he got up on his feet. He didn't miss the wince he did once he put pressure on his leg, his calf not healed just yet.
He was still paying attention to that, and therefore hadn't registered as Sonic put his hands under his armpits and slowly pulled him up to sit. The fox winced and hissed from the movement, biting his lip to prevent from yelling out the pain that surged through him. "Sorry," the hedgehog apologized as he pulled back, having noticed his expression.
"No, it's okay," The fox was quick to say, sitting against the bedrest, taking a couple of deep breaths to try and dim the pain, breathing out what he could.
As he slowly regained his senses, he carefully pulled the blanket off himself, swinging his legs out from the bed and down on the ground. The cave floor was cold against his feet, frowning as he hadn't realized how old, dirty, and worn out his socks actually were. Maybe he should consider getting a new pair soon. He looked at his hands that had rested on the edge of the bed, looking at his left palm where bandages were wrapped around his hand.
"That Knuckles fella said that you didn't need it anymore," Tails curiously looked up at the hedgehog, the blue one standing with his arms crossed, shrugging his shoulders at the moment their eyes met.
A cinch of worry was still covering the edges of his eyes, a somewhat concentrated expression that wanted to make sure that whatever movement the fox wanted to do next, he wouldn't feel pain from. However, the pick pocketer read past that, flicking his ears from the inquiry.
"He came back?" He asked, at the same time that he started to unwrap the bandages on his hand, slowly revealing the wound he had gotten days ago, despite that it felt like months.
Once he saw it, he realized why the island person had thought he could do without, observing as it was a mere scar at this point, not as deep as it once had been and the crust on the edges of the wound had disappeared. Satisfied with the conclusion, he left the bandages on the bed, looking up in time to watch Sonic nod to his question.
"Yeah. After you fell asleep a second time, he came back. He woke me up and said something about food and water and your condition before leaving. Honestly, I hardly remember, I was really tired," he answered, the frown on his brow seizing with the explanation, his concertation elsewhere.
Tails took in the words slowly, wondering why he wanted to help them in the first place. Now he understood why Sonic had, but they had essentially infiltrated the person's island as far as he had been told. He must have a reason as well, a valid one at that.
"How long was I sleeping for?" he continued, blinking as he concentrated on looking at Sonic's expression.
He remained neutral as he turned around to look at the closed door, the pick pocketer being able to guess that it was day from the light that came from under the door.
"I think for two days or something. I haven't really paid attention myself, I've been in here all the time," he answered nonchalantly, as if it wasn't that big of a deal, turning back around towards the younger.
Tails on the other hand frowned, a part of him thinking that sleeping for two days meant a lot of wasted time for someone living on the street. He had never slept for that long from the simple reason that he would be dead if he didn't move quickly. Getting a good night's sleep were rare for the pick pocketer. Now though, he had no deals that he needed to finish or move as quickly as possible. He practically had all the time in the world now. Though, as that thought settled, the frown seized, looking back at the hedgehog with a somewhat surprised expression. Sonic countered it with a smile.
"'You didn't have to stay," the fox explained, feeling somewhat guilty for making the hedgehog do that. He had observed him, knew how fidgety he was, how much adrenaline he needed to burn. Sitting still had probably been a nightmare for him.
However, the hedgehog shrugged one more time, as if it hadn't been a big deal, though he could see from the wrinkles around his eyes that he was longing for getting outside right now.
"It's alright Tails – I was worried and ya know. You needed me without even knowing," he rationalized, a lopsided grin on his lips that had no ill. He had meant it.
Tails bit his lip from the explanation, looking at his lap, his tails whipping behind him from the embarrassment that erupted in his chest.
"I'm sorry about. Uhm – about before. When I woke up the first time and had that... break down," he apologized, picking at a loose threat on the mattress, or whatever it was he had been laying on.
The memories were all too well in his mind, remembering feeling heartbroken and hurting, but at the same time protected and warm. He had never hugged anyone, despite a younger fox wondering what it felt like to hug someone. He had never thought in his wildest dreams how healing it could be, feeling protected more than anything. He knew he hadn't been lying and he knew that the hedgehog was going to keep his promise – he felt it.
"That's okay kiddo. You probably needed it," he looked up from Sonic's answer, seeing as he was smiling once more, that warm and welcoming expression reappearing on his face.
He had remembered that expression from the first moment the hedgehog had been invited inside his little hideout, back then wondering why it was like that and had no idea what to do with it. Now he understood though.
"I haven't – done that before," Tails continued, as if he wanted to rationalize his behavior, as if making it a one-time thing would make it seem like he was less vulnerable, less fragile.
He raised a brow at the hedgehog's expression, seeing as a slightly stunned and surprised expression replacing the previous one.
"Well. I can't say I blame ya – living on the street and all that," Sonic rationalized himself, making assumptions that the hard exterior came from the street life.
He wasn't wrong. Though a smirk appeared shortly after that.
"You probably wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to hurt ya or something," he continued afterwards, the smirk staying on his lips with wrinkles around his eyes, indicating that it was a joke.
Tails frowned at the comment instead, thinking about what Sonic had said.
"I never thought that you were going to hurt me," he admitted. He had never actually thought that Sonic was going to hurt him or was planning on hurting him. He just hadn't trusted his rationality nor his strategies.
"You're just really reckless and doesn't seem to think things through," the comment made his ears peak, looking up as the azure hedgehog was laughing, good naturally as if it had been Tails who had told him a joke.
"I can't argue with that – that's pretty accurate," he explained, a genuine smile appearing on his lips, fresh wrinkles that displayed his happiness, as he winked. "But I'm still glad I got through your thick head that you can trust me," the fox's ears flicked one more time from the inquiry, though it only made Tails smile
"Yes, I can," he simply agreed, nodding to the statement.
That made the smile widen on the hedgehog's lips, making a pool of warmth appear in the fox's stomach. The hedgehog looked like he wanted to ask another question, when the fox's stomach grumbled in protest, being displeased about a lack of food.
The snort Sonic let out made another bout of embarrassment appear in Tails, a certain warmth coming to his cheeks. However, the former shook his head as he turned around towards the wicker basket he had remembered seeing before. Four big fruits with colors wavering between yellow and orange were situated there, one hedgehog hand picking it up and tossed it towards the fox.
"They're actually pretty good," he explained, at the same time that the fox scrambled to catch the fruit before it hit the floor, staring at it with wide eyes.
"It's not meat but – I hope it's fine," Sonic suddenly commented at the same time that the pick pocketer had taken a bite out of the fruit, not asking questions what it was or how it tasted like, his stomach being in control of his actions.
The first taste that hit his tongue was acidic, until it slowly melted into a sweet flavor, coating his teeth as he swallowed. He remembered the hedgehog's comment, shaking his head as he took another generous bite.
"Don't think about that," he explained with food in his mouth, swallowing once more. "I can go a couple of days without it," Tails shrugged, as he kept devouring his fruit.
He looked at Sonic to make sure that he believed him, didn't want him to walk around and think about a trivial thing as that. The hedgehog shrugged his shoulders, nevertheless, his hands remaining on his hips, the pick pocketer being able to read no worry in his face.
"Whatever you say man," he explained, keeping a smile on his lips, one foot tapping on the cave floor, silently indicating that he was impatient and wanted to get out of here.
Tails didn't blame him, the room feeling a bit stuffy and had an odd smell now that he could sit properly. He concentrated on eating his fruit, being over halfway done as he observed the hedgehog's face, being satisfied with the healing process he was doing.
The purple mark he had gotten on his head from the warehouse incident was practically gone, and the cut on his cheek that the assassin had given him was slowly fading away, most likely gone in a day or two. It would take a while for his leg to heal however, the fox silently wondering if he could run at all.
As he swallowed the last bite of his food, he wiped away the juice that sat on his muzzle, looking towards the jar of water in the corner. Before he had time to get up and drink some of it, the hedgehog had apparently been following his gaze, as he sidestepped over to it, picking up a clay bowl and shoveled in some water.
"Thanks," the fox expressed as he received the water, easily bringing it to his lips. It was just as cold and pleasant as he remembered the first time, he had drunk it, the cool liquid going down his throat, feeling the cold all the way down in his stomach.
"Speaking of water," Tails lowered the bowl from Sonic's comment, licking his lips as he observed the blue blur reaching into his ruffled quills, frowning when he realized they weren't in their usual position.
His eyes widened when the fox saw what he pulled out, a part of him having forgotten about it completely.
"Like I told ya, I borrowed this to get up here," the light blue emerald shone perfectly in the hedgehog's hand, like a key that fitted in a lock.
He couldn't help but feel as if it belonged there, could feel his fingers fidgeting, feeling the power that was held within, the energy that pulsated against Sonic's hand. It was powerful, and yet he didn't know how to unleash the power himself. If he even could do that.
Carefully, he placed the bowl beside him on the bed, reaching out for the emerald. When it was deposited into his hand, he merely looked at it, could feel the energy within, could feel the power. Now he was aware of what it could do, what those powers could control if you could control it. He didn't know how and didn't know where to begin.
"Thanks," he therefore simply stated, slithering a tail around his hip and placed the emerald there beside his device, thinking to himself that he wanted to take a look at that one too.
When the gem disappeared into his fur, he suddenly realized that his hand was still naked, looking at his yellow fingers, his fur clumped and dirtied with his own blood.
"There's a river right outside," he looked up from Sonic's direction, as the hedgehog nodded towards the door. "It's clear, I washed yours and my gloves in the water," the hedgehog simply explained, as if the sky was blue.
And yet, he had done another task for the fox that he could not repay.
He shook his head. No, don't. Sonic had said that he shouldn't think like that anymore – he owed nothing.
Besides, his side felt sticky and tacky, his fur brown and dirty with more blood and dirt, making a wash feeling more and more desirable to him.
"That sounds good. I think I'll go and wash myself, I want to get this off," he explained, nodding towards his side, reaching over to his shoes.
After putting on his footwear, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would have been when standing up, the wound only stinging a little bit as he got to his feet. His legs felt wobbly and underused, as if he hadn't walked for years. It might as well have been that long, considering the fact that he had been on his feet more than laying down in all the eight years he had been alive. This was the first time that he had gotten the opportunity to lay down for two days straight.
"Sounds like a plan. Then I'll explore around, see what this island has to offer," Sonic explained, keeping a keen eye on the fox as he took the first steps towards the door.
His tails happily whipped behind him, indicating an energized and not as ill fox on the inside, despite the wince he did when he took his first steps. It felt good however to be on his feet, only casting a glance at the hedgehog in order to see the smile that was all over his lips, before putting a hand on the door in front of him, no knob being present. Like the clay bowl, it looked crudely homemade, the door not fitting perfectly in the frame, having jagged edges, and looked like it could fall over any minute. Though, he had to use quite a bit of force in order to get it open, thinking that it must be jammed pretty good in its frame.
He could hear Sonic take a step forward, most likely to open it himself, when the door gave in, the fox stumbling outside. He caught his balance effortlessly, immediately squinting his eyes at the sudden light, his irises hurting as he waited for them to get used to it. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he tried to get a look around.
At first, everything looking exceptionally ordinary, compared to the fact that Sonic had told him this was a floating island. Fresh grass was all around him, a hill to his right and a river to his left, the water snaking forward and presumably towards the edge of the island. He blinked curiously, walking towards the water, as his eyes got used to the light.
It was a pleasant breeze that passed through his fur, something fresh instead of the compact air inside the house with the smell of old herbs and other remedies. He inhaled slowly the cool air, feeling more and more refreshed the more that came into his lungs. Upon the exhale, he felt a lot lighter and calmer, despite the wound in his side throbbing painfully. He knew that Sonic was following him, he could hear it from the steps behind him, as they walked over to the edge of the island, the fox's ears twitching from some kind of obnoxious sound.
As his steps slowed, he could begin to see over the edge, biting his lip to prevent the gasp that wanted to escape badly. He could look down, down on the ground where the water was rushing past the edge of the floating island, seeing a small lake at the bottom, mountains and mountains decorating the land below him. None of them reached the island however, being able to see valleys and plateaus, the landscape having different elevations, the grass having another color of green than the plant material underneath his feet.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" He looked to his left when Sonic asked the question, having his hands on his hips as he looked down as well, the smile staying where it was.
The pick pocketer could read the adrenaline, an excited shine in his eyes from merely standing here and looking down. Tails could perfectly understand why, feeling his own heart beating in his chest. He had never seen a waterfall before, never experienced this phenomenon, as it merely cascaded down the air, obeying gravity and disappearing into the lake underneath beautifully. How Sonic made it up here with him in tow, he still couldn't completely comprehend.
"It is," he agreed with the hedgehog instead of asking his question, thinking that he could ask later, having already mentally agreed with himself that the water indeed looked inviting and clean.
"Alright, I'll take a run – won't be long," the hedgehog then announced, the fox only managing to see him smirk towards him, salute him, before a blue streak was all that was left of him.
A gust of wind passed his fur as he observed the hedgehog disappear into the landscape, suddenly seeing another mountain behind him, presumably being on the island from the distance. This place was incredible.
A part of him was longing to explore it himself, use his twin appendages and fly into the air, look around and see what this place has to offer. He agreed to do that afterwards, walking away from the edge of the island and towards the river instead.
The current was fast, considering that there was a waterfall at the end, he concluded, as he sat down with a hiss, his side not agreeing with his movements. He ignored it however, as he leaned forward and took off his shoes and socks, dipping his feet in the water. It was pleasantly cool, an enjoyable temperature that made the fox sigh satisfyingly, a smile coming to his lips. He leaned forward and cupped his hands in the water without thinking, drinking from his own hands. His suspicions were confirmed then that this water was indeed the same water that was inside the small home – this was fresher.
Satisfying himself with being hydrated, he cupped his hands once more, scooting a bit forward so his legs were in the water up to his knees, turning a bit. Pouring the water over his side, right underneath the bandages, his fur unpleasantly clumped immediately, though the scrubbing he did afterwards did the job, the dried blood and dirt washing away from his fur.
A strange sensation overcame him then, suddenly remembering that his cloak had been ripped in order to stop the bleeding from before, meaning that he had nothing to hide behind now. He supposed he needed to buy a new one in the next city they visited. Or pick one that is.
Though he bit his lips from the thought, remembering telling himself that he wouldn't do it anymore, that it was something he wanted to leave behind. Now all what remained was that he needed to figure out how to start from here – he couldn't completely quit pick pocketing, he needed something to start with didn't he? He didn't know, and the thought made him sigh and shake his head.
He was too tired and in too much pain to think about that now, concentrating on the mere fact that he was here in this gorgeous place with fresh and clean water. He wanted to cherish the moment. Therefore, he simply let the water run down his side, taking in the cool temperature and the calm atmosphere and the equilibria.
Until he yelped, something yanking him into the air from behind, getting lifted in the scruff of his neck.
"I thought I told the hedgehog to stay inside the house!" Tails didn't hear the voice nor the reasoning, was already kicking his attacker in the stomach, his characteristic appendages swinging towards his target.
What stunned him was the pure fact that it didn't bother the attacker, the pick pocketer being able to turn around so much that he could see him.
What met him was a Mobian species he had never seen before, stubby red fur and long spines going down their back. The voice had already indicated that they were male, as he had no curvatures around his hips either, a stern expression that radiated danger. A thought in the far back of the pick pocketer's mind reminded himself that Sonic had called him an echidna.
The fox's hands were latched to the single hand that was holding him up, being unable to punch his attacker since he was held at arm's length. He could already categorize him as strong, stronger than he looked like, though that meant he would lack speed. A thought in the back of his head was yelling at him, thinking that it was stupid of him to let his guard down that low, not hearing a single footstep from the island dweller.
"Let me go!" He practically growled, trying to one more time kick his attacker, aiming for his chest instead.
He saw his wet foot collide with the Mobians' torso, but he didn't move an inch, as if the attack hadn't happened at all. He kept the same stern and alarming expression however, his eyes narrowing slightly, daring the fox to do that one more time.
"You will tell me who you are and what you're doing here!"
"You're going to let me go right now or you'll regret it!" Tails threatened back, yelling to try and convince his attacker the opposite, conjuring as much fake confidence as he could, pushing back the thought in his head that told him that he was too strong to go against in hand in hand combat. He needed to be let free before he could tackle him to the ground.
Though the Mobian wasn't convinced by his threat, merely stood with the same expression, radiating a kind of alarm and danger you didn't compete against, wanting answers despite the consequences.
Tails' brain was racking for solutions already, a part of him thinking about spitting at him and aiming at his eyes, trying to kick his face or something, when a blur of blue obscured his vision. Suddenly, he fell to the ground, making him yell out in pain from the wound on his side, hissing as he put a hand on his side, sitting on the ground.
"Dude, what are you doing?!" He tried to look past the pain, looking up to observe as Sonic stood in front of him, the red Mobian getting to his feet after a possible tackle. "You know he's hurting, what the Chaos were you thinking?!"
"Do not use Chaos' name in such a manner!" The attacker suddenly lectured, his eyes narrowing dangerously, clearly considering if he should attack the hedgehog at once.
He seemed to let go of the inquiry quickly, violet eyes switching between the fox and the hedgehog in front of him. "I thought I told you to stay inside," he wasn't growling but he wasn't whispering it either, the same alarming tone in his voice that indicated he would attack any minute.
Tails was trying to take deep breaths, calming himself as the pain slowly started to dim, carefully getting to his feet.
"Dude we just wanted to take a look around! Is that not allowed?"
"No," The answer was as brunt and honest as it could be, no hesitance and no room for discussion.
Sonic glanced backwards as the fox got back to his feet, one hand on his side where the bandages were, getting himself into a battle-ready position, his behind appendages whipping in agitation. One of the hedgehog's hands reached behind him towards Tails, silently telling him to calm down.
He didn't plan to obey if the Mobian decided to attack.
"You were told to stay inside until I came back," the red echidna rationalized, a deal the fox hadn't heard of before, most likely courtesy of him sleeping. "You're not allowed to wander around," he continued, starting to sound like a broken record, as if that were the only reasoning that was needed.
Tails was observing him carefully, his eyes darting around the island dweller's face, reading every wrinkle and twitch. What amazed him was that the expression stayed the same – normally people's faces changed depending on the thought process that went through their head.
This Mobian on the other hand, either had a very good skill at not showcasing those considerations or he really didn't think of anything else, as if what he told them was the only reasoning and truth that existed.
He noticed as Sonic's quills started to deflate, a trait the pick pocketer had observed whenever he started to calm down, not looking as tense and battle-ready from before.
"Alright, look man I'm sorry. But my friend here, he needed to get out and wash, get some fresh air you know? You've been treating him yourself; you should know that's good for him," the hedgehog rationalized, a part of him apparently trusting the strange Mobian out of nowhere.
Tails wasn't that easily persuaded. Neither was the island dweller, a very small twitch in his eyes that told the fox that he didn't believe that the apology was genuine. He was still as tense and ready, as a spring that was ready to pop any minute now. Despite his expression not changing, Sonic felt it was safe enough for him to completely turn his head around towards the fox, a quick set of emerald, green eyes scanning his body in the matter of a second.
"You alright?" He asked quickly, though it was still a genuine question, wanting to know if the injury had worsened.
Tails nodded nevertheless, keeping a keen eye on the island dweller's, whose eyes were drilled into the pick pocketer's blue irises.
"I'm fine," he automatically answered without thinking, not mentioning the fact that the wound did hurt more right now, and a headache was starting to form in the back of his head from the involuntarily lift into the air.
Sonic didn't seem to want to believe him, though didn't give him enough time to consider the answer as he turned his head back towards the red one.
"We won't wander, alright? Just don't attack us again," Sonic offered, a deal that he wanted the echidna to agree on, who still hadn't changed demeanor or stance, as if he was hunting for prey.
His eyes narrowed however from the unsaid deal, some sort of thought in his mind that he didn't show on his face, though the tension in his shoulders relaxed a little.
"Don't give me a reason to," he eventually agreed, his face having the same alarming expression, though his eyes relaxed slightly, his fisted palms releasing.
Sonic nodded, Tails being unable to read his face due to looking at his back. However, the protective stance and battle-ready demeanor was replaced the moment Sonic's quills completely fell in the back of his head, standing straight and made a calm down gesture with his hands.
"Okay, that's a deal. We won't explore and we won't attack each other," he concluded, turning his head around towards the fox.
"Right?" Tails saw the raised brow in the hedgehog's face, being well aware that he was asking him to be in on that deal as well.
A part of him didn't want to, being tense himself since he could read the same demeanor from his attacker. The Mobian was ready to attack, his entire stance screaming at him that the moment he let his guard down he was going to jump at him.
And yet, he could read it in his eyes, a part of the island dweller agreeing on it, not looking as tense. He was difficult to read. Though, the fox started to relax himself, his tails' lashing movements becoming the automatic slow up and down movements instead, letting himself sigh to make the tension go away in his shoulders. His body language made the island dweller relax a bit more himself, still looking like a cork ready to pop from a bottle of moonshine.
"Right," Tails echoed, despite the answer being stern and clipped, practically telling the echidna that if he didn't hold his side of the deal then he wasn't going to either. Though he saw Sonic nod in front of him, looking back at the red Mobian.
"Good – now that that's out of the way, we came off to a bad start," Sonic suddenly restarted, gesturing a hand towards the fox.
"Knuckles this is Tails, Tails this is Knuckles," he introduced, as if this were an everyday event, someone they were talking to behind a merchant's card, not someone who lived on a floating island in the sky.
The pick pocketer still held a critical stare towards the island dweller in front of him, though he nodded at him in a greeting, nevertheless, reminding himself that this was his home, and he was a visitor. He could be thrown off any second. The echidna didn't move an inch however, had the same critical stare and hard exterior, though he could see his facial features relaxing a bit, barely noticeable to the untrained eye.
An awkward silence appeared then, the only sound being the water in the river that cascaded down the side of the island, as the pick pocketer kept his gaze locked on the island dweller. He looked at the hedgehog as he began scratching the back of his quills, looking mildly uncomfortable.
"So," he began, looking at Knuckles "Did you do that 'something'?"
The red Mobian's head whipped up as if someone had smacked him in the back of the head, his eyes narrowing dangerously. His facial expression hardly changed, but it changed enough that the two tailed fox could practically see the new topic arrive in his head, a new set of thoughts and considerations coming to mind.
"Yes," was his brunt answer, his shoulders tensing up a bit more "And I believe you," Tails turned his head to observe Sonic's expression, the hedgehog blinking confused and perplexed.
"Believe what?" he repeated, as if the words were foreign in his mouth, crossing his arms over his chest.
Knuckles narrowed his eyes slightly, though it wasn't in a warning, wrinkles appearing on his forehead, rather indicating that it was annoyance.
"That you know Tikal," he suddenly reminded, crossing his own arms over his chest. "And that Chaos has a mission for you." The strange Mobian continued, biting his lip.
"And he has advised me to help you," Tails raised a brow in curiosity, the sudden onslaught of information telling him a couple of things.
First of all, he was apparently well known on the subject and Sonic must have told him a few things while he was sleeping. Second of all, he claimed that he had spoken to the Chaos god himself. Tails had no real recollection of where he knew him from, had heard it being mentioned around the streets and people used the name in conversations, something he had picked up on while growing up. He had given it no initial thought as to who or what it actually was.
Sonic's head turned towards him, one eyebrow raised with a very critical expression targeted towards him. He was questioning whether or not he was telling the truth. Tails shrugged his shoulders.
"He's not lying," he easily confessed, the echidna not fidgeting with his feet or hands, his expression remaining neutral. Knuckles raised his brow in question, thought didn't verbally express it, accepting the odd exchange for what it was. Sonic let out a sigh, scratching his quills once more as he turned back towards the island dweller.
"Okay, so," he began, looking unsure on his choice of words. "Can you like – speak to him or something? Ask why I have to do this?" the hedgehog questioned; a series of questions that made the echidna tense a little.
His violet eyes began looking at Sonic, giving him an elevator look as if he were reconsidering him. Tails did his own research, trying to concentrate on finding the small twitches and movements in his eyes, around his lips and nose. He seemed critical more than anything, as if he were determining whether or not Sonic was worth his time and explanation. His eyes averted over to the fox secondly, his eyes narrowing slightly, coming to some sort of conclusion rather quickly.
"I will tell you what you need to know," Knuckles suddenly announced towards the hedgehog, nodding to the fox afterwards. "You have no business knowing," he agreed with himself, using that tone of voice that indicated there were no room for discussion.
Tails on the other hand wanted to, as his mind pieced together of who this Mobian was. He was someone who could explain it to him, unveil the mysteries that were about these gems and their purpose, what they could do and how they functioned. There was a possibility that he was talking to someone who could actually tell him about the Chaos wielders, the manipulation of magnetic forces, chaos energy utilized for wielders to make it obey to their command, bend the forces of nature itself.
"Tails? No, he's alright Knux, I'm sure he won't tell it to anybody else or something," Sonic explained, a part of him apparently being aware that the fox was very interested in knowing.
The fox observed as a deep frown appeared on the brow of the island dweller, opening his mouth to protest something towards the hedgehog, before Tails interrupted.
"I found an emerald," his sentence distracted the Mobian, mouth closed but the frown staying as he looked towards the fox.
A tail slithered around his hip as his hand rummaged in his fur, easily enough finding the light blue emerald, and showed it to the echidna.
"Where I came from, I found this. And I've always been curious and studied them. And I-" he cut himself off, feeling too timid and embarrassed to say what he actually wanted to know. "I want to know more. About the Chaos wielders," he continued.
He let out a breath, feeling as his heart began pounding in his chest, as he didn't want to let this chance slither out of his hands. He could feel the energy in his fingertips, he knew it was there, he could practically see the power within it, swirling around in a chaotic mass of power, a Chaos wielder being able to take that power and bend nature. He could feel it.
"I promise I won't tell anyone," he explained lastly, a part of him hating how humble he sounded like, as if he were begging him to be allowed in on the secrets.
A part of him were convinced that Sonic was going to tell him anyway, despite what promises he might give to the red Mobian, but he wanted to ask questions himself, questions he knew he would never get an answer to - until now. He had gotten an opportunity and he did not want to waste it.
He was clutching the emerald in his hand as he observed the echidna, trying to get an idea of his thought process. Despite the tone of voice from before, the Mobian seemed to be considering, the deep frown having eased a little bit and his violet eyes were observing him as well, looking at the emerald in the fox's hand. He could feel his beating heart, all the determination of wanting to know badly sitting against his chest, being more than ready to continue arguing if need be.
However, Knuckles frowned at something, looking at the emerald, observing the power within, swirling in chaotic masses, before he looked back up at the fox. Their eyes met for a couple of seconds, before he gave him a nod.
"Fine," he agreed, before he suddenly turned around on his heel and began to walk. "Follow me."
Tails found a grin appear on his lips from the conclusion, looking at Sonic who was smiling towards him, as he began to follow the echidna. The pick pocketer hid the gem away again in his tail before sitting down and put on his socks and shoes on wet feet, before catching up to the hedgehog, walking in the island dweller's steps.
He couldn't adequately guess where he was taking them to, considering the fact that he hadn't seen the entirety of the island yet, and all he could see right here was the forest and a mountain top in what seemed to be the back of the island. A thought made a frown appear on his brow as he turned his head towards the hedgehog, lowering his voice.
"Did you say he lived here alone?" He questioned, outside of earshot of the echidna they were following, making the hedgehog look towards him, before shrugging his shoulders.
"I assumed he did. He only has one bed and he seemed pretty surprised when I mentioned Tikal," he explained, in a higher volume than what the pick pocketer was comfortable with, though the one they were talking about didn't turn around or looked to have heard him. Or chose to ignore them.
Tails satisfied himself with the answer, nevertheless, looking around the area as he kept walking in the island dweller's heels. He had never seen these kinds of trees before, since they weren't growing in clusters or close to each other like in the pine forest.
These trees were further apart, still high into the sky but their branches were long and slender, draping down like a curtain, the branches longer than the tree itself. The trunks were thick and the leaves long and thin, not looking like needles but were distinguishable. The grass was soft under his feet, leaving faint footprints in his way as the sun was high in the sky. He took in a deep breath, appreciating the calm air, feeling the equilibrium and quietness once more, finding a soft smile on his lips.
"This is beautiful," he admitted, looking at the forest of trees, a childish part of him wanting to run in there or fly above them. "What is this called?"
"Angel Island," came the clipped reply from the echidna without turning his head around, ending the conversation in the matter of seconds.
Tails didn't have the patience of explaining that he had meant the trees which he had been gesturing towards. He bit his lip, while inadvertently sighing.
"These are willow trees," the hedgehog suddenly came to his rescue, turning his head towards the cobalt blue one who smiled when their eyes met, gesturing his own hand towards them. "I've only seen them grow in colder climates and around water but never in a forest like this," he questioned, more to himself than the fox who knew absolutely nothing. Though he enjoyed learning.
A part of him wanted to know more and was already forming his questions in his mind when the echidna steered them past a hill, giving them full view to something else on the island. The pick pocketer was surprised as he suddenly saw some kind of stone structure, looking dilapidated and broken, standing in seemingly the middle of nowhere.
At first he didn't know what to categorize is as, since a set of stone stairs were leading up to a platform of sorts, where more pillars were surrounding something at the top he couldn't see. The stone was cracking and falling apart, plants and moss growing here and there, what looked to be broken pillars were surrounding the base of the odd structure, the rest of them supporting everything.
Sonic whistled impressed as they walked closer, the fox trying to catch what was at the top, since he knew that something was there. He noticed that there were exactly seven pillars that surrounded the circular stone foundation, as they reached the stairs. He had half a mind to walk up there and seek an answer to as what was up there but observed as Knuckles turned around on his heel.
His entire demeanor had changed, still radiating a threatening aura, but his eyes were sterner, his hands fisted at his sides. An authority shone from him, the echidna either bearing a title or a role that he found important and took honor in, the fox could read it from his entire stance. It made the hedgehog come to a halt as well, standing beside the fox and put his hands on his hips, looking up the stairs.
"I am Knuckles the echidna," he gained their immediate attention, his entire voice laced with authority "And I am the guardian of the Master Emerald and the seven Chaos Emeralds."
Tails' ear flicked from the introduction, repeating the words in his mind once at a time. The Master Emerald? What did that mean?
He didn't get to open his mouth and ask his question as the echidna gestured his hand towards the stairs, the angle being so steep that you couldn't see what was at the top.
"Up there is the Master Emerald – you will not go near it, and you will not touch it. Alright?" He asked sternly, giving them both a critical look that warned them to even think about it.
Sonic was quick to raise his hands in defense, shrugging his shoulders.
"Whatever you say man," he agreed, while Tails nodded along with his words.
The echidna looked at the both of them like he didn't believe them for one second. Though he made up his mind quickly enough, as he nodded back towards them and started scaling the steps. Sonic followed quickly, before the fox looked at the dilapidated stairs, the steps looking older than some of the towers back in Croford, as they seemed fragile and might break under his own weight.
Though the other two seemed to be walking without any difficulty, making the pick pocketer walk behind the hedgehog, his heart starting to pound in his chest from the anticipation of it all. He had no idea what a Master Emerald was, let alone what it entailed and what it could do – but he was about to see it.
As they took each step on at a time, he noticed as Sonic's quills started to rise in the back of his head, his hands fidgeting by his side, as if he wanted to use an emerald. Maybe he could feel something that he couldn't. He perked his head once he could see something appear at the top, his ears flicking as a light green color came into view, glowing from where he approached it.
The hedgehog was walking in front, making him lean to the side to get a proper look, suddenly opening his mouth as the emerald seemed to become bigger and bigger the closer, they came.
It was huge – much larger than the emerald he had in his tail, glowing, and looked sturdy. The light green color was reflecting off the pillars, seven of them surrounding the emerald as they made it to the top.
It looked beautiful, glowing, and illuminating the stone foundation, giving everything a light green tint. It was placed in the middle of the area, sitting there as if it had been there on the day that Mobius existed. Time seemed nonexistent, as the emerald merely remained where it was, dormant and still. A sense of calm overwhelmed the fox, having to look slightly up since it was taller than him, another sense of stillness and serenity engulfing the pick pocketer. His mouth eventually closed as he looked at Sonic, trying to catch his expression.
The hedgehog was staring hard at it with his arms crossed over his chest, looking to be concentrating or focusing on something on the emerald. He could see the tips of his fingers shaking, indicating that he could definitely feel it. Tails blinked and would have asked, but Knuckles interrupted once more, stepping closer to the emerald.
One large, spiked mitten was placed on the surface of the gem, the echidna letting out a sigh as he closed his eyes. He leaned forward and left his forehead on the emerald, his tense shoulders relaxing minutely, as if he had been unsure about his decision. He leaned away again, his eyes gazing over the giant jewel before he turned back towards his guests, his eyes narrowing once more, daring them to step closer. Tails felt a bit intimidated either way.
"This is the Master Emerald," Knuckles suddenly began lecturing, gesturing a hand towards the light green surface of the gem. "It creates balance among Chaos. Chaos is everywhere – in the grass, in the trees and in the sky. We are made of Chaos," he explained, looking back at the hedgehog and fox, his violet eyes oddly relaxed.
"The Master Emerald makes sure that the scale does not get tipped – too much Chaos and the world will become corrupt. Too little and it will die," he bluntly continued, suddenly gesturing towards the pillars surrounding the emerald, the golden band on his arm shining in the green glow.
"These pillars are reserved for the Chaos Emeralds. Seven emeralds that inherent different kinds of power, power that can make nature obey to Chaos," Tails carefully repeated those words in his mind, concentrating on what the echidna was saying, as he could feel the importance in each letter, the urgency.
"Only a Chaos wielder can use this power. They are intoned with the emerald; they can control Chaos itself by using their own Chaos. The Chaos wielder and the emerald's power will intertwine, become one. The Chaos wielder can feel what the emerald can control – if the emerald can control water, then the wielder will feel every waterdrop in the ocean," the guardian explained, looking at the emerald once more.
He paused for a second, either contemplating on what to say or what secrets to reveal, as he once more laid the palm of his hand on the emerald.
"I can confess with the emerald. Chaos himself resides within in – he is the god of Chaos, he is the one who ensures peace on the planet. With this I could also find Tikal," he explained, turning his head towards Sonic. "Tikal is another echidna from this place. She left many years ago," the guardian continued, biting his lip from some sort of thought. Whatever had plunged into his mind disappeared with a shake of his head, looking back at the giant gem.
"She told me what you have already explained. Chaos has seen great things in you and gave you the task of collecting the emeralds – he wants me to help you," he repeated from his earlier explanation.
His monologue seemed to end there, as he merely kept looking at the emerald for a while before turning his head. Tails had been listening intently, taking in every word and sentence, turning it around twice in his head and doing calculations after conclusions. And was left with more questions than answers.
How did the Chaos wielder connect his own Chaos to the Chaos in the emerald? How did the emerald contain the Chaos and how did the emerald decide what type of nature it can control? Did it depend on how much Chaos was in it? Did the Chaos wielder decide? Did the Master Emerald decide?
He opened his mouth to let out his onslaught of questions, though Sonic came in advance, gesturing with both hands towards the emerald.
"What does that mean? Why do I have to find them? And what do I do with them when I have them?" the hedgehog asked, looking practically lost, as if he had wandered too far into the market and couldn't find his parents.
The fox blinked at his perplexity, as he suddenly watched that confident exterior falter a little, the hedgehog looking like a confused and lost fifteen-year-old who didn't know what to do with himself, didn't know where to go or what to do. He looked back to listen to the echidna's answer, though he was shaking his head.
"Chaos didn't tell me. He just said that you're important and are destined to save the world."
"But how? How?! And save it from what, mosquitoes?!" he suddenly asked frustrated, the fox now understanding how inconclusive the task in reality was.
Sonic had confidently told him that he would figure it out along the way, but deep inside, he was apparently unsure about it all. Unsure about the fact that a Chaos god was telling him that he was destined to save the world. Knuckles raised a brow at the hedgehog, crossing his arms over his chest.
"As I said I don't know – do not question his words."
"I'm not questioning it, I'm asking!" Sonic frustratedly explained, letting out a sigh and rubbed a hand against his forehead, closing his eyes briefly.
The pick pocketer could observe his frustration, could practically feel his struggle about everything, about being as important as he apparently was. The fox bit his lip, looking at the echidna as he tried to work around the questions, to try and acquire an answer himself.
"Did Chaos tell you what's important about him?" He decided to ask, the echidna looking at him attentively. His eyes darted around the fox's yellow face, thinking about an answer.
"That he's a Chaos wielder is important," he explained. "It means that something will happen that threatens the balance of Chaos, something that a Chaos wielder with his heart in the right place can only resolve," he further elaborated, making the pick pocketer's ears flick, looking back at Sonic.
The answer seemed to have calmed a little, his hands returning to his hips as he regarded the echidna's words. His green eyes then averted around the stone pillars, mentally counting each one.
"Then if you're the guardian of the seven Chaos emeralds, then can you tell me what all of them do?" He asked once more, his unanswered questions resolved for now. Surprisingly, the guardian slowly shook his head, gesturing towards the pillars.
"The Chaos emeralds have never been together in one place, and I am not a Chaos wielder. I only know about two of them," Knuckles answered, looking back at them. "There is not much we know about the emeralds," this alarmed the curious pick pocketer, his eyes widening from the sentence.
"So, you don't know how everything works? You don't know how Chaos gets controlled? How it controls nature and how the Chaos wielder can use the Chaos?" He asked, his questions coming out in rivers, making the echidna's brow furrow once more.
Though he shook his head after the last question.
"How Chaos functions will remain a mystery. Chaos wielders a born with their ability – how and why remains unknown," the echidna explained, looking back at the surface of the emerald.
Tails resisted the urge to scoff, coming to the conclusion that Knuckles knew about as much as the books did. A guardian who doesn't even know everything about what they guard, just perfect.
"There is another thing," the echidna suddenly continued, turning his head and locked eyes with the two tailed fox, nodding towards him. "You can feel the emeralds too?"
He asked, remaining eye contact. Tails felt uncomfortable with the intense stare, though felt as his heart began beating faster, realizing that he would finally get an answer to his question. He nodded.
"I can," he agreed, licking his lips. "But I don't know how to – use it," the fox continued, looking down at one of his hands.
He had been able to feel it, it tingled in his fingers whenever Sonic used the power, whenever he held an emerald. He could see it, and he could feel it.
"You're not a Chaos wielder," the answer was brunt and sounded grotesque in the fox's ears, whipping his head back up.
"You're a Chaos keeper."
Tails blinked.
A what now?
The echidna nodded to his most likely lost expression, looking at the Master Emerald once more.
"There are many of you down on the surface, but you're unaware. A Chaos keeper cannot control Chaos within themselves or the Chaos in the world, but your Chaos can still connect and be used. You're a vessel to Chaos that can be manipulated," Knuckles explained, nodding towards the hedgehog. "Many years ago, Chaos keepers were servers to Chaos wielders," the fox automatically turned his head towards the hedgehog, their eyes meeting, the two of them agreeing on the confusion that the both of them were sharing.
Something was disturbing Sonic, as he turned his head back towards the echidna, his quills raised in defense.
"Whouw, hold on, servers to Chaos wielders? What does that mean?" He asked confused, his own uncertainty gone and replaced with this newfound knowledge.
Tails on the other hand felt as the entire world had turned around on him, abandoned him and left him to rot. He had been so sure of it. He had been absolutely sure that everything he needed to do was just to figure out how. But no – it was all a lie. A lie that made a volcano erupt in his stomach, feeling the unfairness of everything hit him at once. He looked up as he observed Knuckles shaking his head once more, as if that was the only action, he was capable of doing, the only answers he had.
"I don't know. The translation-"
"You don't know huh? For being the guardian of Chaos, you certainly know a damn lot about it," the fox suddenly blurted without thinking, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you don't know, then how do you know in the first place?" He asked defensively, his behind appendages whipping in agitation behind him.
He could feel Sonic's burning stare, being well aware that he wasn't fond of him cussing in the first place. As expected, he could see the anger that flared up in the echidna, his brow furrowing deeply as he narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"I've protected the Master Emerald all my life and I have been told and read about the emeralds. I've collected what I could and am honored to call myself the guardian – you should be thankful enough to even see the Master Emerald," Knuckles lectured, not caring for the fox's behavior.
He had half a mind to plainly ignore him, come with another retort about not being thorough enough or demanding more answers. But he sighed out his frustration instead, closing his eyes for a second.
He knew he was right. He was a guest here, he was on somebody else's territory, on someone's place of birth and had been lucky enough that he hadn't been thrown of the island. He was acting like a spoiled little brat who didn't get his way and wanted it to change. But he wasn't a Chaos wielder, whether he liked it or not. He should be grateful for this opportunity, he was standing and arguing with someone who had origins to the emeralds he wanted to study so badly. Getting disappointed got him nowhere.
"I'm sorry," Tails expressed, looking back at the echidna. "I am grateful. Thanks for showing us and for explaining everything," the fox expressed, uncrossing his arms while he found a hesitant smile, being generally appreciative of the opportunity.
The echidna didn't smile back, but the relaxation in his face was as much forgiveness that he was going to accept, as the island dweller turned towards Sonic.
"Chaos are expecting you to do well on your mission. And he expects you to utilize the powers of Chaos in the right manner. He has faith in you," the echidna lastly explained, keeping his gaze fastened on the hedgehog. The blue one let out a heavy sigh, scratching his quills in the back of his head.
"Man, it isn't every day that you get told that Chaos believes in you," he explained, the fox observing as he became a bit nervous. Though it disappeared with the shake of his head, a grin spreading wide across his muzzle.
"I'll do what I can chief," Sonic nodded, giving the echidna a thumbs up. Knuckles raised a brow at the gesture, seemingly having no idea what it meant.
He didn't seem to think further on it however, as he looked at the emerald one more time. Tails could practically see the echidna's reflection in the gem's surface, considerations, or thoughts outside of his own understanding coming to mind.
"You can stay for one more day and recuperate," he announced, looking back at them. "I have something that you can take with you. Use that and keep the wound dry and you shouldn't get another infection," he explained towards the fox.
"But tomorrow I want you gone," he warned more than threatened, his eyes once again narrowing towards them.
Tails nodded nevertheless, was partially happy that they were allowed to stay one more day, a part of him already feeling tired again. It must be the medication.
"That sounds like a deal to me Knux," the hedgehog agreed, turning around towards the fox, a grin appearing on his lips.
"Wanna get some more breakfast?" He asked, ignoring the stare that the echidna was giving him in the back of his head.
Tails felt his stomach grumble from the mere mentioning of food, being hungrier than first anticipated.
"Sounds good," he agreed, making the hedgehog nod as he turned back towards the echidna, and saluted him.
"I'll see you later," Sonic departed, already starting to go back down the stairs.
Tails looked back at Knuckles first, as the latter turned towards the emerald, letting out a sigh. A part of him wanted to ask more questions, had more mysteries than solutions and wanted to know a lot more. But he had already offended him once, and he didn't want to pester him for information he didn't want to share. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
Therefore, he walked down the stairs and came beside Sonic, looking at the slightly worried look that he suddenly had in his eyes.
"Are you okay?" He asked, a question that was expected at this point.
Tails quickly concluded that the question both covered the incident at the river and the disappointment he had shown minutes ago. He already regretted his action, and therefore nodded to avoid his own thoughts.
"I guess. I'm just surprised. Are you okay?" He continued, having noticed the uncertainty that the hedgehog had experienced.
He didn't try to hide the fact that he had felt like that, scratching the back of his quills once more.
"Eh, it was a bit overwhelming at first," the hedgehog admitted, looking down at his shoes with some sort of thought in his mind. He decided to let it slide it seemed, as he instead looked back at the fox, the grin reappearing. "But hey, we got another day here to relax. Gotta make use of our time, right?" He easily dismissed, smiling towards the fox as they made it down the stairs, walking back towards the river and the house, remembering that there were more fruits in that wicker basket.
The pick pocketer accepted the topic change for what it was, retorted to nod in agreement instead, turning his head as the small house came back into view. He let out a sigh, biting his lip as he could feel the disappointment once more returning to him.
A part of him had hoped that he was a Chaos wielder – maybe he was just slow, or maybe it had been different from wielder to wielder. But no. Instead, he was a Chaos keeper, which initially translated into a battery, a container for the power. He couldn't use it whether or not he wanted to. He was destined to follow in Sonic's footsteps. Or that's how it would have been back in the day.
Right now, he didn't know what to think and didn't know what to do.
Had he gotten his answers? No.
But was he determined to still figure it out? Certainly.
But for now, he wanted to eat and take a nap, and let all thoughts and considerations about what he really was and what he was going to do in the future lay. Right now, he needed to keep himself together. And be prepared for their travel tomorrow.
Wherever that would take them.