The murky waters are darker at the bottom
He flicked his ears as he was awoken by an odd yet familiar sound. His body felt heavy and slow, his mind spinning as he tried to open his eyes. When he failed at the first try, he forced himself to move his head, upsetting something laying behind him.
He didn't remember when he'd fallen asleep, the last thing he'd done was close his eyes and had slipped away into a deep and dreamless sleep. It felt as if he'd been gone for an eternity, remaining in a still and quiet place. The blanket hadn't been warm, and the pillow had been firm, though the bed remained luxurious as he'd had to come to terms with the cold, hard ground in the past.
When he opened his eyes, he let out a groan without knowing, his ears flicking again when his disoriented mind remembered the sound of running water.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" A whisper sounded from somewhere in the bathroom on the other end of the room.
He had already recognized the hedgehog's voice, sounding chipper and awakened, as if he'd been up for hours already. Tails let out a sound which he hoped translated to some kind of answer, blinking at the wall in front of him. The hedgehog's sleeping spot remained empty with the blanket scrunched at the foot of the bed, the pillow on the floor. He couldn't make out anything else as his vision was blurry, his eyes heavy, only wanting to go back to sleep.
The fox was aware Sonic was a morning person, and he'd been one as well when he lived as a pick pocketer in Croford and couldn't sleep for many hours at a time without being woken up by the tiniest sound. Now, he felt as if he was catching up on the sleep, he hadn't been able to acquire then, sleeping the entire night away in the hedgehog's presence.
"You can go back to sleep. I'll just be out for a bit," Sonic then answered, Tails' sluggishly turning his head and finally saw the azure blue Mobian standing in the doorway. A smile was on his lips, what kind his mind was too tired to figure out, as he turned away again.
"Alright," he slurred, his voice hoarse and thick, though didn't care as he closed his eyes again. He sighed heavily, hearing the hedgehog chuckle somewhere in the room.
"I'll see ya soon," Sonic then departed, Tails hearing as he opened the door to the room and gently closed it again.
No lock or key could keep it closed and make him feel safe, though he trusted his instincts and knew the inn was creaky and noisy enough for him to be warned ahead of time if somebody wanted to surprise him.
With that thought in mind, he turned to lay down on his back, when a loud squeak made him move. He opened his eyes barely, hearing as small wings flapped in the air, suddenly seeing the turquoise creature from the day before staring at him with an offended expression, having almost been squashed to death.
"Sorry," Tails slurred again, closing his eyes, and moving onto his back.
He tugged the blanket closer to his chin, as he could hear the chao let out a sigh, before the sound of the wings moving stopped, indicating the creature had landed somewhere. Not giving it a second thought, he settled down in the bed, fully intending on going back to sleep. He knew he could drift back into the dark realms of his mind in the matter of seconds if he wanted to, his ears flicking, though no sound disturbed him.
As he was getting closer to the realm between reality and dreams, he could hear the chao let out a sound. He ignored it, figuring it was just talking to itself, when it came again. He sighed annoyed when it seemingly began tapping on the window, opening his eyes. It was standing on its toes, looking out at the window with a wide-eyed stare, both bald hands tapping on the glass pane.
"Stop it," he demanded, closing his eyes again.
He continued disregarding the small noises it said, punching the windowpane and concentrated on going back to sleep. It was only when he could hear the sound of sliding wood, he woke up again alarmed. Turning and looking at the chao, he observed as it had successfully figured out how to open the window, its small hands being underneath the sill, slowly but surely sliding it up.
"Chao," he sighed, leaning forward to close it again.
He didn't get the chance, as the creature managed to open it completely, suddenly started flying, and sprinted out.
"Chao!" Adrenaline fueled his system, as he almost fell out of the bed, looking out of the window.
The turquoise creature flew between Mobians, people moving and yelling after it, flying down the street.
"That damn annoying thing!" Tails cursed, as he threw on his shoes, stumbling over Sonic's disregarded pillow as he ran, and swung open the door and slammed it shut.
Running down the hall, and down the stairs, he ignored the shouting of the innkeeper to keep quiet and not run around, as he made it outside. His eyes looked wildly around, ignoring the weird looks he was given as well as his stab wound pounding painfully from his quick movements. He turned toward the street where the turquoise creature had flown down, started sprinting and looking around, ears perked, eyes sharp.
He blinked against the sunlight in his eyes, moving around people, mumbling incoherent excuses as he tried to find the runaway chao. He didn't know this city, that thought coming to mind as he made it to a three-way crossing, standing, and panting as he looked from side to side.
At his right, he saw the floating turquoise chao disappear between two decks, into the back of the village again. Tails growled irritated, started running and moved around people, following the thing they'd saved yesterday.
He skidded to a stop, apologizing to a woman he almost rammed into, going down the side alley the chao had disappeared through. It had flown down the passage and gone up the stairs on a deck, staring through a window at a building.
The pick pocketer shook his head as he caught his breath, walking forward and taking the same set of stairs, his eyes scanning over the structure briefly. Dark green algae were still making out the dark green wood, the building round and large, coming up at the back of it.
He looked back at the chao, the creature staring through the window, being completely invested in something Tails didn't care for, as he grabbed its arm.
"What are you doing?!" He hissed in a low voice, the chao jumping startled, whipping around, and looking at him.
It let out a series of alarmed sounds, gesturing at the window, its expression panicked. The fox read it as easily as he'd read everybody's expression this morning, curiously walking forward and looking at the window.
Round tables were situated in different spots, chairs pulled back, empty bottles knocked over, here and there. The same kind of dark green wood, lanterns hanging in the ceiling, currently turned off in the morning sun. Tails could easily guess it was a tavern, as his eyes averted to the back end of the room.
There, he saw six individuals sitting at two round tables, being close to the bar where a disheveled looking female Mobian cat was pouring something into a glass. Her guests were hidden behind dark cloaks, wolf tails being visible, their voices loud as they demanded more to drink. He recognized two of them from yesterday.
He turned his head at the chao as he'd let go of its arm, the former having an angry frown etched into its expression, punching the air as if insinuating it wanted to fight. Tails had put the puzzle pieces together, as he'd figured the chao had seen one of them walking on the street and had decided to follow them. The fox sighed at the revelation.
"Listen, I get you're angry at them," he whispered, as his ears were flicking, hearing their voices clearly from inside. "But you can't seek revenge like this. There's no point in getting in a fight," the fox explained, the chao looking at him.
It let out a determined 'chao', punching the air again. Tails shook his head, grabbing its arm again.
"Let's go back, alright? There's nothing here for-"
"You didn't recognize him?!" The pick pocketer was interrupted by the conversation from inside.
He'd filtered it out beforehand from being mindless babble and business which wasn't his own, though turned his head back at the window from the inquiry. Laughter had ensued between the group of thugs, the wolves banging glasses and bottles on the table, one of them blinking dumbfoundedly at another.
"No! How am I suppose' to remember every damn hedgehog on the planet!"
"He was blue, you idiot!" Another bout of laughter ensued in the room from the mention, the one being laughed at still looking confused.
The wolf who had spoken firstly flopped back in his chair, for some odd reason showing the thug his middle finger, creating more laughter. Tails blinked, having never seen the gesture before.
"Shut up Emma, I didn't know he was the guy! How come you didn't do anythin'?!"
"Because I'm not the contractor! Ya heads empty or somethin'?!" The female wolf's yelling only amused the group further, though the tavern keeper looked uncomfortable by the situation.
Tails narrowed his eyes interested, crouching down and kept an eye on the group, realizing they were talking about Sonic.
"Your head's full of crap, I didn't say anythin' cause' the order is all the way from Croford! There's no way that spiny blue hedgehog would be in this hell hole!" The fox blinked, briefly sharing a glance with an equally surprised chao, before looking back.
The female wolf shook her head as she threw her bottle to the side, making it shatter without consideration.
"Does it matter if it's the right guy?! I would turn you in for that sum of money!" The four others in the room laughed, one of them yelling for another bottle, a second slamming their hand on the desk. The male wolf rolled his eyes into the ceiling, tilting on the chair, making it almost fall on the ground.
"Do ya really want to face Shadow's wrath if ya brought in the wrong dude?!"
"I would've been gone before he would've realized," the female wolf said confidently, snapping her fingers, implicitly asking for another bottle.
Tails' ears flicked, being unsure if it had been an analogy or a name for someone.
"C'mon, you wouldn't!" Another female wolf from the group argued, whipping her head. "You're afraid of the guy. I'm afraid of the guy! It's better to stick looking for those gems than haul in the wrong dude and get your ass kicked," she argued, downing a bottle of something, burping loudly into the room.
"What are those things anyway?" a third female asked, the last male wolf shrugging his shoulders.
"I dunno. But black market wants em' and I'll happily look around in the mud for the money," the wolf regarded, chugging down his own bottle of something.
Tails let the words rung through his mind for another moment, the pieces not making sense.
What did the black market want with the Chaos Emeralds? And furthermore, why were they interested in Sonic as well? He knew the web of the black market stretched far beyond the borders of Croford, but all the way back in these parts of the planet, he hadn't imagined. It took days for messages to run this far from mouth to mouth, meaning whatever sum the hedgehog's head had meant it was large enough for every criminal on the planet to hear about it.
Sonic hadn't mentioned the emeralds while they'd been here, nor indicated he'd been able to feel one being near them. And the thugs had given away they didn't have any on them either.
The mystery only got more tangled with the information, leaving Tails behind with unanswered questions. He looked back at the group, though the conversation had switched topics, the rest of their banter being uninteresting. Though, a new eeriness had settled in his fur from the statement, as Sonic seemed to be a nationwide hunted criminal with a huge price tag on his head. They had easily taken out the thugs from yesterday, and therefore the pick pocketer wasn't worried about running into them again. Though, he agreed with himself that taking off today was the wiser choice, and therefore turned to Chao.
"Let's head back now. If we find Sonic on the way we can-"
"Hey!" Tails whipped his head back at the window, his eyes widening when he realized all six of them were staring at him.
Without thinking, he rushed to his feet and started sprinting, hearing chairs and bottles crashing to the ground inside the tavern. He looked up, though the large roofs gave him no room for flying away, the only option being running out of the village and into the swamp, not wanting to disturb the entire village.
With the frantic thought in mind, his heart was racing in his chest as he sprinted down the stairs, a door slamming open behind him. His escape had been within his reach, though someone reached out and grabbed him from behind, yelping as one tail had been caught.
His chin was slammed into the wooden deck from the force, being violently dragged into the tavern as well. He lifted his chin, though saw as Chao stared at him with wide eyes, fright clearly showing in its expression, as it flew off.
Tails didn't have the time to think about the action, merely turned around on his back and kicked at the individual dragging him backwards. They let go, making the fox scramble to his feet quickly, turning around. The door slammed shut again, one criminal having their hand on the wood, the five others staring at him with an angry frown.
His eyes were at work immediately, looking at the three Mobians he hadn't seen before. They were thin, broad shouldered and had visible muscle in their arms. Their stance was relaxed though concentrated, their feet ready to strike and their demeanor calm. They were experienced kidnappers.
"Eavesdropping now, are we? That wasn't very smart of ya kid," The female wolf presumably named Emma calmly asked, resting her hands on her hips, though her dark gray wolf tail was whipping in annoyance.
Tails narrowed his eyes, standing tall and letting his own tails whip agitated. He didn't want to show them he was shaking on the inside, as all six of them were trained criminals, him being outnumbered.
"I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to hear the yelling," he answered cheekily, his eyes slowly moving to the tavern keeper behind the bar. She was staring with her hand covering her mouth, clearly not wanting to be a part of the fight. If he could avoid it, he wasn't going to drag her in.
"You were supposed to take care of your own business fox!" The female wolf continued, her eyes moving up and down his body. "Especially when you're not from around here," Emma continued, looking over her shoulder at one of her comrades.
"You said he was with the hedgehog?" A male wolf nodded, her head turning back to Tails, amber eyes looking calculated and concentrated.
The pick pocketer bit his lip as his best card had been pulled, the wolf not underestimating him. Her gaze was serious, standing ready to fight, guessing she'd heard about the rescue from yesterday and likewise how her comrades had been defeated.
"Listen kid, we all know you're outnumbered here. If you just tell us about your friend from yesterday then we'll consider letting ya out with a warning," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest.
Her gaze was stern, the side of her lip twitching, hands unmoving and standing still. She was lying. Tails decided he wasn't going to entertain her, merely shrugging his shoulders.
"I don't know who he was. I just met him yesterday and bought some food from him," he decided to lie, a part of him knowing they weren't going to fall for it. Though testing their intelligence could become essential for his escape.
"That's a bunch of crap," one of the male wolves from yesterday disregarded immediately, gesturing at the fox. "You guys were working together! Even a blind man could'a seen it!" He determinately said, his eyes narrowed, warning the fox about more sly tricks. Tails didn't heed the warning, instead focused on the female wolf again as she tsked audibly.
"Lying ain't gonna get you far in these parts of the woods fox," she explained, her eyes once again narrowed, looking at him up and down. "You know what happens with people who's lyin' to us?" Emma asked, the fox observing as the second male wolf cracked his knuckles, another female rotating her shoulders, a smirk on her lips. He turned back to the leader wolf.
"You would probably beat the crap out of them."
"That's right," she said, and without a warning turned and picked up a wooden chair to her right. She slammed it into the floor, making it splinter and lose two legs, the female bending and picking up one of them, turning back to Tails.
"I'm gonna give you one last chance to save your hide: If you tell us about your spiny blue friend, you'll walk out of here with only tiny bruises. But if you don't; I'm gonna smack this wood into your face so hard you'll be seeing stars for weeks," she warned, taking a threatening step closer.
Tails observed her stance, noticing she wasn't going to move until he'd given his answer, looking at the others briefly. Another female discretely crouched down and picked up a piece of glass in her hand, the other four having their eyes narrowed, fisting his hands, their guard up. Despite his heart beating in his chest and feeling his hands shaking without consent, he smirked at the wolf.
"I would like to see you try."
His taunt initiated the fight, as the female wolf ran forward with a battle cry.
Tails saw her move from miles away, dodging and taking a step back, avoiding the chair leg again as he aimed a punch at her shoulder. She ducked, making room for a second female who ran forward, turning to kick at him. The fox side stepped, swung around, and stiffened his tails, hitting the criminal. She fell to the ground, though he was unable to get to her when a male wolf ran at him with one fist raised.
Tails looked behind him, jumping backwards and stood on a table, making the Mobian ram his chest into the wood, knocking the wind out of him. The pick pocketer avoided another swipe from the chair leg, jumping down and turned his head at another female battle cry, seeing the glass in her hand.
He dodged a punch, reached forward, and grabbed the wolf's wrist, the former trying to bend her wrist to stab the glass into his hand. Tails gritted his teeth, swiped his tails at the wolf, making her stumble, jumping back. An unexpected punch hit him on the back of his shoulder, stumbling forward and turning around, something smacking into the back of his head.
Tails stumbled forward, twisted around, watched his hands shaking, his heart beating out of his chest as he panted heavily, trying to find an opening toward the door, trying to find his means of escape. Nothing came up as one male wolf tried to punch him again, having aimed at the wound on his side, making him kick at the criminal.
He hit him in the chest, swinging his legs around and made him tumble to the ground on his stomach. Tails stepped forward quickly, stiffened his hand and slammed the side of it into his neck, knocking him unconscious.
One down. Five to go.
Turning around earned him another punch in the chest, stumbling backwards and avoiding another kick at his side. He turned when the female came back with the glass in her hand, the fox stepped back and picked up a chair behind him. Without aiming, he turned around and threw it haphazardly at the female who had to duck, though dropped the piece of glass in the meantime.
Tails yelped and sidestepped another chair which was thrown across the room, whipping his head around at the second male who stood with an angry frown. As he concentrated on the female who was scrambling to find the glass again, he failed to see the chair leg ramming into his forehead from the side.
The force of the hit made him stumble backwards, ramming into a wall behind him and fell to sit. His vision was blurred for a moment, incoherent noises filtering through, though saw the silhouette approaching him. He kicked Emma who'd come for him, scrambling to his feet, realizing he was dizzy, concentrating on the male coming back toward him.
A punch was directed at his face again, Tails dodging it, though didn't avoid the kick in his shin from the female. He stumbled forward, turning around and swiped his tails around and made the wolf with the glass stumble. The third female had picked up another chair, throwing it at the fox, though he dove for cover behind a table.
Getting to his feet, he failed to avoid the punch in his other side, moving one hand to soothe the sore spot as he walked backwards. He didn't see Emma coming up behind him, slamming the wood into the back of his neck, making him fall forward.
He didn't have time to get up when two criminals sat on top of him, brutally bending his arms in the wrong direction, one foot stepping on a tail. As they shouted something, he grunted and wiggled to get out, one hand pushing his head into the floor.
A door slammed open somewhere, the people on top of him freezing in place for a second.
In the next moment, a gust of wind shot through the room, the weight on his back disappearing. He blinked confused, his mind not catching up with the event which had transpired, his vision still blurry. Tails almost punched the guy who helped him to his feet, turning his head and looking directly into a pair of emerald, green eyes, looking worried.
"You alright?" Sonic asked, his head turning to look at the thugs before it turned back to him.
The fox merely blinked again, the dizziness still there, a part of him wondering how the hedgehog knew he was here in the first place. When he saw Chao fluttering behind him, he could guess it. Tails grunted to himself and made an effort to stand on his own.
"I'm fine," he generically answered, swiping his hand over his mouth, and looked at the criminals in the room.
The five of them were standing and panting, one with glass in her hand, Emma still standing with the wood. Surprise was evident in her expression, as she looked from one to the other. Her decision was quick, as she focused her attention on the hedgehog, a smirk dripping with greed coming to her lips.
"Get him!" She ordered, raising the wood above her head, running toward Sonic. The hedgehog stepped forward; his steps calculated as he elegantly avoided the wood swiping at his head.
"Whouw, chill out lady, how about a chat first?" He ducked at the swing, sidestepping a punch from the male, and stepped back.
"Alright, if ya don't wanna say anything, a fight it is!" Sonic smirked, as if he was entertaining himself, kicking at the male.
He fell backwards, rolling over onto his stomach to soothe the back of his head. Tails, seeing his chance, sprinted forward, and knocked out the criminal with his hand, quickly turning around.
He avoided the glass heading for his face, letting out a yip of surprise, as he swiped at her legs instead, making her stumble. Seeing his chance, he stepped forward and punched her nose, making her slam into the wall behind her. She turned and covered her nose; mumbling noises he didn't care about as she was out for the count.
Tails turned around, seeing Sonic jumping on top of tables, running from one to the next, Emma chasing him with the wood as if he was an unwanted mouse. The fox concentrated on another female wolf headed for him, sidestepping her attack, and stepped on her cloak.
She was pulled back, making the fox swing his tails around, and send her into the floor. With a shaking hand he knocked her out as well, knowing a nasty bruise was the only evidence of their attack as he turned around. He was panting heavily, sweat dripping from his brow as he ducked when a chair was thrown across the room from the last female.
He saw Sonic jump and avoided another swipe from Emma, his eyes turning to Tails, though the fox had enough energy to continue, side stepping the female's attack. He couldn't avoid the punch on his shoulder, stumbling backwards from the hit, seeing victory glinting in her eyes as she reeled back her arm.
Tails looked over his shoulder, saw nothing he could use and decided to jump. Her own momentum carried her into the table, giving the fox an opportunity to kick her in the chest. She fell onto her back, where she laid and tried to collect her breath, rolling over to her side.
Tails panted, turning around as Sonic was dealing with the last female criminal, Emma swinging the wood again. When she failed to hit him in the face, the hedgehog narrowed his eyes momentarily, before swinging his legs at hers. She fell to the ground in an instant, Sonic landing on top and pinned her down, his knees digging into her back.
"Wait," Tails said across the room, jogging forward as the hedgehog turned his head to him confused.
The fox caught his breath, his hands still shaking as he kneeled by her head. When she tried to bite him, Sonic held her head down into the floor, Tails feeling his confused eyes on the back of his head.
The pick pocketer ignored it for now, instead narrowed his eyes and tried to concentrate through his heavy breathing. She was angry, a frown deep in her brow, her eyes wild as she tried to wiggle out of the hedgehog's hold.
"What were you talking about earlier? Who's looking for Sonic?"
"I'm not telling you anything!" She growled, trying to wiggle out again, her head shaking violently.
"What?"
"Trust me," Tails looked at Sonic to silence him, knowing the hedgehog was confused and had questions, but the fox didn't know if the criminals had any friends nearby.
The hedgehog blinked, still looking puzzled, though nodded and looked back down at the female wolf, still trying to struggle. Tails took in another deep breath, staring at her face.
"I know what life is like as a criminal. Money is limited and it can be hard to get food and water. I don't blame you for desiring the amount of money that's on his head, but getting it issued by another thief seems rather dangerous," he commented, his ears flicking, concentrating past his heart racing in his chest.
She didn't respond, still trying to wiggle out, her eyes closed. Tails racked his mind for something else, moving a bit closer.
"A thief is highly ranked on the black market, but there are higher ranked criminals there. They have people under them to protect them," her eyes averted to him, her lip twitching nervously. He was getting closer.
"An assassin perhaps? Or even higher than that?" The pick pocketer interrogated, concentrating.
She was getting annoyed, her eyes looking everywhere else but him now, wrinkles around her nose and brow. "There are higher ranks on the black market?" Tails asked, couldn't hide the bemusement in his voice.
"The leader?" When her eyes focused on him, they were sharp, a low growl in her throat as she looked exasperated, though a thick veil of greed was covering her eyes as well.
Tails looked at Sonic momentarily, the hedgehog looking like a puppy getting lost at the market, as the fox looked back at her.
"Who are they? And what do they want with Sonic?" He asked again, having caught his breath, ignoring the dizziness he was still experiencing.
She had stopped wiggling when she got tired, staring at Tails, seeing the usual surprise in her eyes when she realized he could read her like a book. The sigh she let out was one of defeat.
"I don't know," she admitted, shaking her head. "All I know is there's a good amount of money for his body."
"And the gems too?" The wolf looked at him again, though she already looked defeated, growling to herself.
"They'll double the price for each one ya bring," she continued, then whipped his head back at the fox. "But I don't know what they want with the hedgehog so let me go already!" She yelled, trying to wiggle around before she had to give up, being exhausted.
Tails narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, though she sighed to herself, licking her lips as she stared at the ground for a moment. She really didn't know. He looked at Sonic again, the hedgehog looking more serious, before he returned to the wolf.
"Tell me their name, and then we'll let you go," he said, her eyes quickly turning to him again, as if she didn't believe him. She scoffed, looking at the floor again.
"His name is Shadow. The leader of the black market with hundreds of criminals working for him. He's after the hedgehog and those gems too," the criminal admitted, peering at Tails again.
He looked at her eyes, looked at her face, though only bruises were starting to form, and a tiredness was settling in as well. She was telling the truth. The fox looked at her for another moment, though leaned away and nodded at Sonic.
The hedgehog still looked a little confused, though he let go of her head and arms, stepping back and getting to his feet. As Tails followed his lead, he observed as she got to her own feet, clutching her side for a second, before turning to look at them.
"Just pick up your pals and get out of here," Sonic instructed, pointing his thumb at the wide-open back door.
Tails looked at her face, though nothing indicated she was going to do a surprise attack, instead walked toward the first female still rubbing her chest, heaving her to her feet and instructed her to carry the others. As the three awoke criminals were carrying their last three comrades, they moved toward the door where Emma lastly looked at them. She narrowed her eyes in a warning, before slamming the door shut, leaving.
Tails let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, the adrenaline slowly seeping out of his body again. He ran a hand over his brow, the spot hurting, his entire body feeling sore from the fight.
"Now that they'd left," Sonic commented with a sigh, turning his head. "Are you hurt? They got a hit on you?" the fox had been watching as Chao had flown toward the door, blowing a raspberry at where the criminals had gone, before turning to look at Sonic.
He could see the green eyes looking him up and down, a worried gaze in his irises. The pick pocketer was still getting used to it.
"I'll be fine," he answered truthfully, hissing when he applied pressure above his eye. "Just sore, that's all," Tails dismissed, the dizziness finally going away as he turned to look at Sonic.
You didn't have to be an expert facial reader to see the critical frown he had on his brow, eyeing the spot the fox was rubbing. He didn't comment on it, instead turned, and looked around the tavern.
Chairs were broken, glass in every corner, spilled liquid on the floor, tables moved, and one knocked over. Tails realized the disaster he had caused, turning to look at the tavern keeper. She had been hiding under the bar the entire fight, though was now hesitatingly standing in the corner, looking frightened and uncertain. The fox knew from experience that talking wouldn't yield them any results and instead turned and gently elbowed Sonic.
"Let's get out of here," he encouraged, making the hedgehog blink and turn to the female cat. As if he hadn't realized she'd been here all this time, he blinked surprised, smiling at her.
"Hey. I'm sorry about the mess. We'll leave if you want us to," he awkwardly said, scratching the back of his head.
Tails resisted the urge to roll his eyes into the ceiling, instead watched as Chao flew closer to him, one hand gently running its hand down the spot above his eyes. He looked at the fox, saying a single soft 'chao' as if asking if he was okay. The fox didn't wonder about it for long, as he saw the female cat nod to Sonic's question.
"Alright then," the hedgehog said, shrugging his shoulders and walking toward the bar.
Tails saw as she scooted further away from him, though Sonic merely left a small pile of coins on the bar.
"I hope this'll cover enough," he said, as he stepped back and smiled at her.
The pick pocketer didn't have time to see if it worked, as Sonic turned on his heel and walked to the door.
The chao looked at the fox, Tails looking back, before he followed the hedgehog out.
"You're saying they were hunting me?" Sonic asked as he arched a brow at the fox, crossing his arms over his chest. Tails nodded while chugging down water from a bottle, the cool liquid calming his nerves as well.
Sitting on a barrel and collecting himself, a part of him still wanted to shake while another part of him wanted to feel proud. Facing three criminals in the alleys of Croford was bad enough but going against six of them in a singular room with no escape had been daunting. As if it had been an arena, a fight to the death, and a part of him hadn't known if it had been his end if Sonic hadn't interrupted.
He glanced at the hedgehog's leg as he'd been limping when they'd left, though hadn't said a word. He didn't want to think about it, and instead swallowed some more water when his hands began to shake again, his body sore, the spot above his eye hurting. He only glanced at the chao who was sitting by his feet, currently eating, and munching on half an apple.
"Yeah," he answered with a sigh, screwing the bottle cap back on. "They had talked about not being sure if it had been you, but one of them had gotten the message from Croford," Tails continued, looking back at Sonic.
His other brow arched to meet the other, blinking in disbelief and uncertainty. The fox let him gather his thoughts and opinion on the matter as he leaned back a little, his eyes momentarily roaming past the people who walked by.
They were still given odd glances and puzzled looks, as if they wondered what they were doing here, though nobody was standing in the corners and whispering yet. He wondered how long it would take before the word got out that the two newcomers had gone in a fight with the village's web of criminals.
"That's-" he looked at Sonic when he said something, blinking again. "That's weird," was his final determination about the matter, looking at the fox again. The pick pocketer could tell he still didn't understand the situation, leaning forward and resting his arms on his thighs.
"The web stretches far, Sonic. The black market's reputation is known almost everywhere – the word got around fast, I admit, but it's not unusual for this sort of thing to happen," the fox explained.
He'd experienced it too, when walking past other pick pocketers or hearing thimble riggers whispering in the corners, about someone being a priority for the black market, either someone they wanted revenge on or someone they wanted dead. He had promised himself long ago to never engage with anybody from there for his own safety and had therefore left quickly if somebody started mentioning it.
"Why remains the question," Tails continued, looking at the hedgehog.
Sonic looked back, his emerald eyes trained on the pick pocketer, as the fox's gaze grew sharper. As if the hedgehog could read his thoughts, he lifted both hands in surrender.
"Hey, the only thing I did was infiltrate the city walls and steal an emerald in the castle basement. I've never even heard of the black market," he quickly defended, as if the pick pocketer were accusing him of keeping a secret. It wasn't far from the truth, as he concentrated on analyzing Sonic's face.
The hedgehog let him as he placed his hands on his hips patiently. No twitches at the mouth, his brow not wrinkling, hands steady and looking confused and determined. It was easier to spot when somebody was trying to convince him he wasn't lying than if somebody was lying, though neither applied to Sonic, making Tails sigh.
"I believe you," he concluded, looking at his hands briefly, wondering.
The only option which came to mind was the group of thugs he and Sonic fought on their way to the Chaotix, but he doubted they were the cause of this. His ears flicked when he remembered back to their incident with the assassin, remembering her saying there was a large sum on Sonic's head too and that's why she was after him. But a singular assassin hired to kill him was different than the entire network knowing about it. She might've been offered a higher price, but it didn't discount the fact that the hedgehog's head was ready to be pierced and served to the highest bidder.
"I just don't get how they know. I haven't seen-" Sonic paused, looked around briefly, though most people were ignoring them. "I haven't seen any wanted posters around here," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. The pick pocketer frowned in disagreement, as the two predicaments weren't related.
"That doesn't matter," he said, looking at the hedgehog. "The posters are ordered from the royals in Croford. You're wanted for royal theft and jailbreaking; the black market doesn't want anything to do with the authorities. Besides the posters also said they wanted you alive. Whoever is hunting you wants you dead," Tails said bluntly.
He shook his head from his conclusion. "Something else is going on here. Something not even the criminals knew," the pick pocketer finished, slithering one tail beside him and saved the water bottle in there. He looked up when a small kid watched him with wide eyes, pointing at his tail though was shoved away by their mom.
"Sounds like it. And I think those gems she was talking about were the Chaos Emeralds," Sonic theorized, one foot starting to tap impatiently into the ground. "Not that I've felt any of them here. It's as if this place is dead," The fox blinked, having almost forgotten about them too, as he stared at the hedgehog.
"That might be the only connection," the ex-prisoner blinked confused, Tails letting the thought run through his mind one more time, though he was certain. "That you're a Chaos Wielder."
Understanding came across the hedgehog's eyes, as he finished the last pieces of the puzzle as well. He lifted one hand and rested it in his quills, presumably to check if the mentioned gems were still there. When his expression didn't change, Tails assumed they were safe, as Sonic pulled out his hand, shrugging his shoulders.
"I'm not sure what somebody would want with me or the Chaos Emeralds," he simply concluded, looking unconcerned about the affair. The pick pocketer didn't feel the same way, as it made him more confused.
Whoever they were, they knew about the Chaos Emeralds, might even know they had power which could be harnessed by certain individuals, and thereby knew Sonic was one of those people. If he was correct, then the questions remained why they wanted the hedgehog dead.
"And I've never heard of this Shadow person before. Have you?" He was pulled out of his thoughts from the hedgehog's question, though he was quick to shake his head.
"No," he added as well.
There had been many names roaming around in the streets, nicknames as well as birth names. His own name other criminals had given him, the name which he had chosen to adopt since he didn't like his real name. But he'd never come across the street name Shadow, not even in any variation thereof. He knew higher criminals tended to be more secretive, and given the guy was the leader of the black market, it didn't surprise him he didn't know who he was.
"Well," Sonic sighed, making Tails look at him, pulled out of his thoughts a second time. "It's nice to know I have more than one person who wants to hunt and kill me, wherever she's hiding," the hedgehog regarded, looking down and smiled at the chao who burped, as it had finished eating the apple.
Tails could feel the sarcasm as much as he could read it off the hedgehog, though had to admit there wasn't much they could do to gain answers. The criminals weren't told why they were hunting for someone, though the pick pocketer was well aware they were more interested in the sum of money than whoever they were told to go hunt. Going around and demanding answers from every criminal they stumbled upon was unwise and could get him some unwanted reputation in the network as well. He sighed from the thought, thinking he'd wanted to leave the web and never be a part of it again, though it seemed to haunt him wherever he went.
He looked up to say something to Sonic when someone walked toward them. Tails turned his head, and instantly got to his feet when he realized it was the tavern keeper from before.
She had a determined expression, her apron dirty and her dress in a dull lavender color, though was carrying a box in her hands.
The cat stopped in front of him, her expression alone making the pick pocketer mute as she looked uncertain. She sighed and reached the box toward him.
"Thank you," she merely said, Tails reaching forward and taking it as it otherwise would've fallen to the ground. Nothing more was said as the female Mobian hurried away, not looking over her shoulder as she turned back the alley, presumably to the tavern.
Tails blinked from the odd exchange, sharing a glance with Sonic, though the hedgehog was smiling warmly.
"Looks like she appreciated what you did for her," he said, the smile widening a little.
The fox blinked confused, looking at the small box in his hands. With only slight trepidation, he scooted it over into one hand, scratching against the cardboard as he lifted the lid. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the content inside.
It was a small shank of cooked ham, a cluster of grapes and two bananas. The pick pocketer looked at the food items, feeling a small tinge of guilt as she most likely had given them what she had left.
"I didn't do anything," he said out loud, closing the lid again and looking up, considering following and giving it back to her.
"What? You did a ton for her!" Tails turned his head at Sonic, the hedgehog seemingly smiling unconditionally. "You made sure she was safe in the fight you had with the thugs, and you made them leave as well! You saved her place," he encouraged, the pick pocketer looked at him.
That same seemingly unlimited warmth came back to his body whenever the hedgehog spoke like that. He had stopped analyzing him whenever it happened since he could feel the truth in every spoken word.
Sonic bumped his shoulder as he gestured toward where she had gone.
"It would be offensive to give it back," he rationalized, making Tails blink, having not thought about it in that regard. He looked at the box again, not having the heart to tell Sonic he'd never tasted ham before, though a part of him looked forward to try it.
"You're right," he said, turning to the hedgehog again. "Still, thanks for helping me, in there. I'm not sure if I'd made it out without you," Tails stated, offering the hedgehog a smile as well. Sonic smiled back, before he looked down at the chao who started fluttering in the air.
"It was this guy who searched for me." He stated, as Chao flew around the fox's head, a wide smile on its lips, happiness evident in its expression. The fox smiled back, a part of him feeling shameful he'd thought the chao had flown away. Maybe it wasn't too bad after all.
"Thanks for finding Sonic. And I'm sorry for being rude to you. I think I just need to get used to you being around until we figure out where you belong. Sounds good?" He asked the chao, hoping it could sense he meant his words.
He didn't have to worry about it as it led out a series of cheerful 'chao', fluttering around his head before it finally rested on top of his head, sitting comfortably. Well, it was better than the tight hugs it wanted to give him.
"What do you think about getting out of here? I'll buy some more supplies and then we can be on our way," Tails looked back at Sonic who had made the suggestion.
He nodded in agreement, making the hedgehog give him one last smile, before turning around, walking toward the street with the trading carts from yesterday. The pick pocketer followed easily, hiding the box with food in his tail, the chao laying down on top of his head, though it was okay.
Tails figured it would hang around for a while, especially with the ongoing mystery hovering around their shoulders.
It seems as if more questions had arrived than answers, and he didn't know where to gain his information.
A part of him was just hoping everything wouldn't get worse.
He had seen it this morning. Plastered on every wall and surface, being talked, and whispered about in the corners of the city. As if a plague was starting to spread, as if having them around was enough to give the futuristic city a bad reputation and would scare people to leave. It felt eerie, an invisible itch going down his spine every time he'd heard the whisper.
The paper crunched under his fingers as he tried to prevent himself from shaking. He'd ripped it off the first wall he'd seen, then seen the second one and taken that down as well. The action alone had earned him odd looks, making him retire to the back alleys for now.
His black eyes were staring at the emotionless faces, knowing they didn't represent them perfectly but well enough for them to be recognizable. He bit his lip as he read it one more time:
CROFORD CITY - WANTED for royal theft and jailbreaking, 5000 mobiums, alive.
He turned his head to the other poster.
CROFORD CITY - WANTED for high treason and criminality, 4500 mobiums, dead or alive.
"It's fake – isn't it Mighty?" The armadillo had a hard time moving his head away from the posters in his hands, as he turned to his best friend.
The young flying squirrel was looking at the pieces of paper as well, looking sad and defeated, as if he didn't want to believe it. Mighty didn't want to believe it either, though he looked at the posters again, shaking his head.
"These seals are real, Ray. And they're everywhere. If it was a prank then I don't know who would take it this far and why," he argued, having seen similar posters before in different cities, way before they had ever visited Croford.
The city rumors spread far beyond its own walls and when they had people they were hunting for, they relied on other systems to spread the word as well. You wanted to be on Croford's good side.
"But it doesn't make sense," Ray argued again, jumped, and pointed at the poster with Sonic's face. "He never told us about breaking out of jail or stealing stuff," he continued, as if he wanted it to be different. The armadillo didn't know, sighing slowly.
"I guess he didn't tell us everything," he concluded, looking at the poster with Tails' face as well. "I knew he was a criminal of some kind since he took food in Kroxburg, but I have no idea what he's done to the royals," the armadillo concluded, then shook his head and scrunched the pieces of paper together, throwing them over his shoulder.
"But I guess there was a reason for them to leave the city as well," he bitterly stated, walking down another alleyway to think.
He'd spoken truthfully to Ray about the seals being authentic and that it was impossible for it to be an elaborate prank or a mission of revenge. There was a part of him who wanted to know why. A part of him who thought Sonic and Tails had gained their trust enough to tell them. Then the other part said it was none of his business what they had been doing in Croford and had merely ended up in a bad situation like themselves.
When he and Ray had been taken in by the Chaotix, the big crocodile had explained they only helped people who had been tangled into something they couldn't escape. And Tails seemed to have known the purple chameleon well. If they had been helped, that meant they'd been involved in something out of their control. Though, high treason and jailbreaking were both allegations which seemed hard to fake, especially if they had been insignificant criminals like everybody else between the alleys of Croford. For some reason, they weren't.
"Are you going to tell anybody?" Mighty let the words run in his mind for another second, before turning to Ray who'd asked. He was looking at his shoes as they walked, as if he didn't want to hear his answer.
They knew where they had gone, as they had been headed along the river when they had left Kroxburg. He knew they weren't in the trading city and weren't in Croford nor here. The armadillo didn't know if any major cities were near the river, and they could be anywhere considering it had been days since they'd seen them last. But for some reason, they'd never left his mind.
Ever since Silver had taken off as well, the entire mystery regarding those Chaos Emeralds was nagging him at night, wondering what they did and why. He had a feeling there was a bigger purpose to them than any of them could know. He shook his head.
"No," he decided, making Ray look at him. "I don't know what they did in Croford, but whatever it was, they would've done it for a good reason," Mighty believed.
Nothing else made sense. Sonic had saved all of them down in the sewers, Sonic and Tails had risked their lives to save a random lady's little sister, and Tails had been the one to plan and organize their rescue mission for Sonic when he'd been trapped in a box. That they were brutal, ruthless, cold-hearted, criminals didn't fit them in the slightest.
"You're right!" His musings were interrupted by Ray's excited exclamation, turning to look at the flying squirrel. A smirk was on his lips, punching the air with his fist. "They're good people! They wouldn't hurt anyone!" Ray determinedly stated, looking at the armadillo with the same enthusiasm.
Mighty had a tough time ignoring the smirk, copying it, and nodded to the statement.
"You're right," he agreed, making the young squirrel beam. He knew his friend was right, and he trusted his own gut as well. Whatever had happened in Croford was for a reason, and he trusted Sonic and Tails had done it in good faith.
"C'mon – let's get to 4th Bridge Square before noon," he then ushered, turning another corner, Ray following in his steps.
Shita was a different city compared to Croford and Kroxburg as they remained more open minded and less judgmental of whoever decided to cross its borders, meaning they had an easier time earning money than anywhere else they'd visited. Granted, the armadillo hadn't had the chance to travel with Ray to the other part of the city, where tall silver skyscrapers erupted into the sky, the place where all the Gliders came from.
Ray had mentioned he'd wanted to try sitting in one many times, yet they hadn't had the time to explore as their money was running thin and rent was due in a couple of days. They'd been unaware they had needed a permit to perform on the street, and because they couldn't afford one, they switched between squares and earned as much money as they could.
Step one was to get enough money for rent, step two was to get money for the permit and step three was either finding a permanent place here or going exploring. The latter was more tempting to him, as he and Ray were frequent travelers and loved to explore the world. He would have to think about it some more.
"If we make a lot of tips today, can we go to that restaurant again? I want to try out the giant buns!" Mighty was glad for the interruption, as he smiled down at his enthusiastic friend.
He knew money was thin, but it was difficult saying no to a face like that – and he was rather curious about the food as well. He shrugged his shoulders as they rounded another corner.
"Sure. I think we should try out something else today though. Instead of jumping from the statue, could you-" he'd been looking at Ray to explain a new maneuver in their performance, and only stopped talking when he lifted his head.
He arched his brow, staring at the individual standing at the end of the alley. He'd never seen him before, though his demeanor alone made his blood run cold, a shiver going down his spine.
"Mighty?" He ignored Ray's careful question, as he stopped a few feet in front of the stranger, a part of him knowing they weren't going to let them pass
He'd never seen them before. Never seen a black hedgehog with red stripes down their quills around these parts.
They were male, standing with his arms crossed, a black cloak draping down from his shoulders, staring at them. His expression was emotionless, his eyes resting and looking them up and down, as if determining something.
Mighty narrowed his eyes, feeling the threatening demeanor before the hedgehog could say anything. He subconsciously took a step in front of Ray.
"Good day," Mighty introduced, arching a brow. "Can we help you with something?" He asked, briefly looking over his shoulder at Ray.
The flying squirrel was staring with wide eyes at the hedgehog, though his fur was slightly puffed, his tail whipping in agitation. Something was not right.
Mighty looked back at the stranger, the hedgehog seemingly not having heard his question, merely standing and staring at them. It felt uneasy, feeling his heart beating in his chest, as if he was intruding, as if he knew who they were.
The black hedgehog kept staring for another moment, then his gaze fastened onto Mighty's, blood red eyes piercing into his soul.
"You have some information I need," his voice made him shiver, gruff and deep, as if hell itself was situated deep in his stomach.
The tone was stern, the armadillo already figuring he couldn't be negotiated with. He narrowed his eyes, wondering how he was going to approach this.
He decided to play along for now.
"What kind of information?" He asked rather sharply, feeling Ray itching closer to his legs, both of them agreeing this wasn't a hedgehog you challenged.
The stranger stood and stared for another second, shifting calmly in his spot.
"You've been following a hedgehog named Sonic in Kroxburg. Tell me where he went and I'll be gentle with you," he warned, narrowing his eyes slightly.
Mighty felt another shiver go down his spine, realizing it was indeed about the posters.
He looked the hedgehog up and down, concluding quickly he wasn't from Shita, and looked to have traveled. A soldier from Croford? He didn't look the part and had waited in the alley specifically to interrogate the two of them. How he knew where they were was another source for concern.
He didn't want to think about that now, instead concentrated on the question. A part of him was convinced this hedgehog wasn't walking around to make friends, his entire demeanor and confident stance radiated a danger he hadn't experienced before. He was threatening, as if a black cloud was hovering over them, looking as if he wasn't going to leave before he got what he came for.
However, he wasn't going to be the one to tell him anything.
"We've never heard of him," Mighty lied, and didn't care if it was obvious to the naked eye. "Whatever you want on those posters you can forget about it. We don't know anything," Mighty continued, keeping an eye out for any movements.
He slowly looked around the alley, though soon discovered there was no exit other than turning around or going forward, walls encapsulating them on both sides. There was no means of escape.
The realization made his heart pound harder in his chest, feeling the adrenaline in his fingertips as they began to shake. He looked at the black hedgehog, who slowly shook his head.
"If only you knew what was going on behind your backs," he merely said, lifting his hand behind his quills.
Mighty took a step back, lifting one hand in front of Ray, expecting him to pull out a weapon, wanting to fight them for one reason or another. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw something else.
A gem with sharp edges, clutched into the black hedgehog's hand, a dark purple color.
He felt another shiver, though this one was different, hearing Ray let out a confused sound as well.
A surge of energy, something passing by his body the moment the emerald was shown, the armadillo guessing it was a Chaos Emerald. The black hedgehog stared into its crystal surface for a moment, before he looked at them.
His eyes focused on Ray.
"You are Chaos keepers. A long time ago you would be serving me."
Mighty blinked, having no idea what he was saying, though stepped in front of the flying squirrel, his hands fisted at his sides.
"Let me show you what your purpose is," the hedgehog said, his eyes narrowing, as he lowered his arm.
The moment the purple emerald began to glow, Mighty felt his heart skip a beat, a tingle going down his spine, his veins throbbing in his arms so violently he had to gasp.
He looked at him, the hedgehog's smirk widened, as his other arm lifted, pointing behind him.
The stranger then closed his eyes, sighed, and flicked his hand.
Mighty jumped from an agonizing scream.
He twisted around, turning to Ray, staring with wide eyes as the flying squirrel fell to the ground, clutching at his heart.
"Ray!" He all but screamed, falling to his knees.
He was curled, his legs pinwheeling and wheezing for air, his eyes closed shut. Painful tremors racking down his body, shaking and yelling again.
"Ray, what's happening?!" Mighty shouted, his hands hovering over his friend.
He tried to put a hand on his shoulder, though he yelled, falling back as if he'd been burnt. His arm went numb, his fingers stinging painfully, staring at Ray as he tried to breathe, screaming at the ground.
Mighty turned to the hedgehog. His hand had a glowing purple aura, looking satisfied as his smirk was widening.
"Stop!" He yelled, getting to his feet.
When he moved to sprint at the stranger, his hand flicked again, another painful scream coming from Ray, making the armadillo freeze in place.
"Come closer and I'll drain the life out of him."
Mighty had already turned back to the squirrel, kneeling beside him, his hands shaking. Racking his mind to try and figure out what was going on was fruitless since he knew it was due to the emerald. He could only stare at his shaking friend, trying to breathe. He was still now, merely laying on the ground, both hands clutching at his chest, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes, shaking violently, his mouth open, yet no sound escaped.
Fearing for his friend's life, the armadillo whipped his head back to the hedgehog.
"What do you want?!"
"Tell me about Sonic! You know who he is," the stranger said, his eyes glowing.
The scarlet coloring in his eyes went brighter, his entire demeanor looking lighter and powerful, the emerald shining.
Mighty swallowed something in his throat, feeling the energy in the air, feeling as it licked his body as well, trying to suck something out of him. He stared at Ray, unable to help him, his friend grunting and trying to fight it, he could tell, though he was kept down, clutching at his heart.
Mighty's eyes widened when he screamed again.
"Stop!" He yelled at the hedgehog, whipping his head around, and watching his fingers relaxing, Ray stopping screaming.
Mighty felt his body shaking as he regarded the hedgehog, looking at his friend.
He silently hoped he wasn't doing anything he was going to regret.
"Yes, we know him! We met him in Kroxburg some days ago!"
"Where did he go?" The hedgehog continued, the armadillo looking at Ray, though he remained frozen, breathing irregularly.
"Toward the mountains. But I don't know where he went from there, I promise!" He yelled, looking at the stranger again.
His eyes narrowed, as if deciding if he was lying or not, his stance remaining the same, no sympathy in his eyes. It's as if they were dead, cold, and barren, merely glowing in an eerie light.
"Did he have a gem like this one?" He continued asking, Mighty looking at the emerald.
Its bright light almost hurt his eyes, looking at Ray again, his friend fighting for his life.
Breathing, clutching, shaking.
"He had three!"
"Three?!" He whipped his head back at the hedgehog, his eyes widened in surprise, as if he hadn't expected that. They narrowed quickly.
"What color were they? Tell me!"
"One was white, another was light blue, but I didn't see the last one! He earned it after doing a mission for someone in Kroxburg! I don't know if he has any more than those three!" Mighty yelled, hearing Ray fighting for his breath.
"Now let him go, I've told you everything I know!" He all but screamed again, staring at the stranger again.
The hedgehog was seemingly pondering for himself, not looking at either of them as his eyes were narrowed in thought. Ray let out another pained sound, remaining curled and still against the ground.
Mighty was about to yell at him again, when the hedgehog looked at him, his cold dead eyes staring.
Then, he let his arm fall.
A loud gasp for breath made the armadillo whip his head back at Ray, the squirrel trying to breathe, tears going down his cheeks.
"Ray! Ray, you, okay?!" He asked frantically, being able to put his hands on him. His eyes widened in worry, his entire body shaking under his fingers.
"If I learn you lied to me, I'll come back and finish him," Mighty only looked at the hedgehog briefly, his scarlet eyes looking over them.
Then he turned around and walked away.
The armadillo didn't give him his attention, as he turned back to the yellow squirrel on the ground, being uncomfortably still.
"Ray, talk to me. Where are you hurting?" He didn't seem to hear him, his eyes closed, one hand still clutching at his heart, the other lying flat on the ground.
Not knowing what to do, Mighty picked up the squirrel's head in his hands, turning him over. He was heavy, his entire body seemingly exhausted and drained from all forms of energy, completely limp in his grasp.
"Stay with me Ray! Breathe, okay?!"
Frightened tears went down Ray's muzzle, his eyes still closed as he breathed heavily but slowly, his hands shaking. Mighty didn't know what to do, laying his hand on his chest, though his heart was beating, a thumb on his wrist, his pulse was fast.
He looked up when voices suddenly came near him, some villagers who'd heard the screaming, turned into the alley, and looked at them.
"Please! Find someone who can help!" Mighty urged, as he concentrated back on his friend, merely shaking, and breathing slowly.
He could hear someone running away and shouting, another villager coming closer to him, asking what had happened. Mighty was only shaking his head, staring at his friend whose life had almost ended in the hands of his own.
Shaking and fighting for his life, having been tortured by a stranger of power.
Another hedgehog controlling the emeralds. Another character added to the mystery.
The armadillo couldn't think about that now, instead answered a question to the villager, holding his best friend's head in his hands, and hoped he would recover.
He had to recover.