No more hiding in the shadows

It was far too early to hear the forest come live again. A light breeze rustling the branches, croaking as they rubbed against each other, feral animals running to and from deep in the woods. He flicked his ears as he could hear them, sighing, and tried to shove his head deeper into the pillow of his arms. It didn't seem to work, as his eyes were burning and heavy, his head pounding in protest, feeling exhausted.

He was still trying to fall into slumber, having his eyes closed and wanted to slip into the dark limbo of nothingness. It didn't happen and hadn't happened the entire night as he'd been awakened at every moment. Having heard one of them moving in their sleep, a grunt, a sigh, the fire's crackling had started to die in the late-night hours, before being extinguished completely. At one point he'd felt Chao snuggle into his stomach again, being the only opportunity, he might've fallen asleep for an hour or two, before begrudgingly pushing the chao away when he woke up from Silver mumbling in his sleep.

Since then, he'd heard the forest waking up, knowing Sonic was up and about, whispering to the awakened chao, and was trying to stay quiet by moving slowly through the foliage. It sounded like a thunderstorm in his ears, being more sensitive than the average Mobian, and therefore knew the opportunity to get some sleep had passed. With that thought in mind, he sighed again, turning his head and reluctantly opened his eyes.

He blinked at the campfire, nothing left but burned pieces of wood, a smell of ash hanging in the air. Momentarily confused by the lack of sunlight made him look up, only to discover the same thick veil of dark clouds were still hanging in the sky, confirming rain was on the agenda for today. Being annoyed by that fact, he averted his gaze to the other side of the burned fire, looking at the newcomer they had met yesterday.

His back was turned to him, clearly sleeping from his deep breathing and rhythmic movement. The two fins on the back of his head were large, reaching from the top of his head to his bottom, being different from normal hedgehog anatomy.

After Sonic had talked to the pick pocketer last night, the hedgehog had needed a moment and wandered as far out in the forest as he could. The fox had without question walked back to the newcomer, swiped the white emerald from him, and said he would go to sleep and had done just that.

The pick pocketer knew the stranger was the reason why he hadn't acquired sleep, his senses on high alert, listening and being on his guard behind his eyelids, not wanting to give the silver hedgehog any opportunity to attack them during the night. If there had been a plan in the first place Tails didn't know, as Silver had slept through the night. Undisturbed and peacefully.

He felt a pang of childish jealousy from the notion and opted to rub a knuckle into his eye to distract the thought, moving to lay on his back. He stopped when a surge of pain went through his body, biting his lip to prevent himself from hissing, being once again reminded of the injury he couldn't escape. He would need to reapply the paste again.

As he put the job on a mental to do list, his ears flicked again when he could hear foliage getting ruffled and kicked, turning his head slightly in its direction. Sonic was trudging through the forest floor, being back from either a walk or a surveillance of their surroundings, smiling at Chao flying next to his head. As if the hedgehog could feel the fox's gaze, their eyes met shortly after, the latter earning a smile from the former.

"Morning Tails," Sonic greeted in what was supposed to be a whisper, stepping closer to the burned fire, and stopped, putting his hands on his hips.

Chao was smiling at the fox as well, despite being shoved out of the way earlier in the night, flying toward Tails' face. The series of happy 'chao' it was saying was too loud for his pounding mind, making him wave his hand at it and moving to sit.

"Morning," he said hoarsely, knowing he was grimacing as he sat cross legged, rubbing both hands into his eyes. He saw stars and odd colors and only stopped when it began to hurt, as Sonic let out a questioning sound.

"Didn't get much sleep, huh?" He asked, as Tails left his hands in his lap, turning to look at the hedgehog.

He was still smiling, though he could see the crinkling around his eyes, a wondering, and a worry about the pick pocketer's insomnia. The latter merely shook his head in response.

"Not really," he added, not being in the mood to explain why and have Sonic tell him there was nothing to worry about regarding Silver. Being lectured wasn't on his to do list.

"Well, you can try and go back to sleep if you want. We're not in any hurry," the hedgehog shrugged, while sitting down, Chao flying back to him again and sat down on top of his head.

He still looked offended by the fox waving him off, though the latter didn't have the energy to apologize and instead shook his head to answer the hedgehog's question. He was subsequently reminded of his own predicament again when the wound pounded painfully, making him frown.

"You alright?" Sonic noticed the grimace this time around as Tails curled one of his namesakes around his leg. He momentarily dug into his fur to find the wax paper he'd saved as he mumbled: "It's just the wound."

As Sonic said a sound of understanding, the fox busied himself with untying the bandages, brushing off leaves and dirt being stuck in the fabric.

"Do you mind if I have a look?" Tails blinked as the question was unexpected, looking at Sonic.

The hedgehog was still smiling, observing the fox's actions while trying to look past him and have a look either way. The pick pocketer wasn't sure why he wanted to see, though shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Suit yourself," he mumbled tiredly, still concentrating on unrolling the bandages as he could hear the hedgehog moving from the answer, Chao remaining on his head.

When he revealed the wound to the world again, Sonic was kneeling beside him, one hedgehog hand carefully moving the fur aside, the fox shuddering from the unexpected touch. It had remained a clean round black hole of dried blood since Knuckles had cleaned it, the skin crusted around the scab, though not red nor warm. The hedgehog pulled his hand away with a satisfied sound.

"It looks good. I don't know what that stuff you're putting on is, but it's working," Sonic smiled as Tails busied himself by swiping some paste onto his finger and applying it, soothing the pain immediately. He was unfortunately running out, and since he had no idea what was in it either, his pain free luxury being on a timer.

"As long as it doesn't get infected again," he mumbled, while putting away the wax paper and unrolling the bandages around his stomach again, glancing at Sonic, "how's your leg?"

The hedgehog allowed the change of subject, sitting down, and shrugging his shoulders.

"Better when I've slept," he answered, a glance telling the pick pocketer he was truthful about the statement.

Tails frowned from the answer however, looking at the still bandaged leg with rods supporting the limb. He hadn't taken them off yet, meaning it wasn't healing as fast as he wanted it to. The pick pocketer wanted to point that out when a grunt sounded from the other side of the campfire.

He turned his head and watched as Silver turned around in his sleep, facing them momentarily, before tired amber eyes blinked open. Chao exclaimed a happy 'chao' in the same moment, fluttering and zooming toward Silver, sitting on the side of his head. He blinked confused, looking as if he'd fallen from the sky, trying to turn and look at the chao.

"Morning Silver!" Sonic said too enthusiastically, making the fox turn his ear away from him, his pounding head not enjoying the loud noises. The newcomer's attention turned to the blue hedgehog, blinking again, as if trying to determine who he was.

"How's the stomach?" The blue hedgehog's question was only met with a groggy and confused expression, as if not remembering where he was and why. It took another moment before realization hit him, mumbling an 'oh', a yawn accompanying the word.

"Good morning. It's doing a lot better," Silver answered hoarsely, rubbing a knuckle into his eyes.

He stretched his shoulders, grimacing from something and subsequently sat up as well, upsetting the chao, "I don't think I'll ever get used to sleeping on the ground."

Tails resisted the urge to roll his eyes into the sky, not caring for privileged Silver who had slept in a royal bed, while he had to settle for a pallet. Sonic decided to chuckle as Chao sat on top of Silver's head, making the pick pocketer turn to look at him, the azure hedgehog shaking his head.

"You will eventually. I don't think I can count how many times I've slept on the ground in the middle of a forest. You get used to the pinecones in your back and the sticks in your quills," he snickered, as Silver reached his hand up to said quills, pulling out a mentioned stick.

Tails, who didn't care about good morning rituals, turned to look at said forest. Oddly enough, the thick fog had returned, his vision being limited to a couple of trees ahead of them, thick as a blanket, snaking along the ground. He briefly wondered how it was possible, as a toddler memory resurfaced, reminding him asking Vector how a fog was created. He couldn't remember exactly what the crocodile had said but it had something to do with warm and cold air, but as far as he knew, it had stayed relatively cool in the moist atmosphere. How it even existed became another mystery he didn't have the patience to solve, rubbing his hand against his pounding temple.

"Should we get going?" He joined back in the conversation at a vital question, turning his head to observe Sonic looking between the two.

A smile was wide on his lips, one which was excited for the adventure ahead, seemingly all suspicion of this newcomer being gone. Though, Silver was blinking confused at the hedgehog.

"Go where?" He asked, sounding generally puzzled. Sonic shrugged his shoulders, getting to his feet.

"I don't know. We're looking for more emeralds, which means we could go anywhere," he explained, then crossed his arms over his chest, "what about you? Do you want to come with us?"

Tails whipped his head at the ex-prisoner's question, though the latter's head was turned to the stranger.

Follow along? He knew Silver had something to do with the Chaos Emeralds as well, but did he absolutely have to tag along with them?

When he couldn't gain Sonic's attention by looking at him, he turned back to the newcomer who looked timid at the same moment. Biting his lip, scratching the back of his head as he looked at the ground briefly.

"If you don't mind," he said, while looking back at them both.

The pick pocketer looked at the azure hedgehog again, this time around the latter looked back. He raised a brow in question, shrugging his shoulders. Tails could tell he wasn't worried about the stranger betraying them nor wasn't expecting him to do any harm to them. He was merely asking the pick pocketer for approval.

The fox turned to look at Silver again, the same annoyed thought from before returning to mind, though sighed it out. Yes, he absolutely had to follow along when he had something to do with the Chaos Emeralds. Maybe he knew something he couldn't tell them yet. And suddenly remembering something from his past by merely holding one remained interesting.

And more importantly – he had a yellow Chaos Emerald. One they hadn't found yet. Even if he was suspicious, he seemed to be a part of the puzzle he desperately wanted to solve. And therefore complied.

"Sure," he said, nodding, and looking at the blue hedgehog as well.

The smile he gave him was one of thanks, while reaching his hand down to the fox to help him stand. Tails took it and was helped too fast on his feet, a dizziness overcoming him monetarily. He was glad the hedgehog didn't notice it, shaking his head to make it go away, looking at Silver instead who stood. The chao seemed happy about the fact they were leaving, as he began flying in the air immediately, doing a somersault and fluttering around Sonic.

"But let's not forget about breakfast," the azure hedgehog smiled, making Chao say a series of 'chao', as the former reached his hand into his quills, "I bought this melon thing I've never seen before, but I figured we could try it. And I have some bread too. I think it's dry, but we won't have much of a meal if we don't eat it too."

Tails watched bemused as the hedgehog produced a bright yellow oval shaped melon, bigger than his hand.

"That's a honeydew melon," the pick pocketer turned to Silver, who had named the fruit without hesitation, blinking in confusion. The ex-prisoner hadn't expected him to know the name as well, as he merely looked at the gray hedgehog for another second.

"You've had this before?" He asked, while inspecting the small melon he had in his hand, seemingly trying to figure out how to open it. Tails saw Silver nodding in his peripheral vision.

"Blaze gave me different kinds of food when I was in the castle," he explained simply, looking confused himself.

The pick pocketer could tell it was because of their lack of encyclopedia knowledge regarding melons, which came as an apparent surprise. He didn't get to analyze more of Silver's expression when Sonic said a simple 'oh', tossing it in the air once, before promptly dropping it on the ground. As it landed, he forcefully rammed his heel into it and made it crack. Inside a paler shade of yellow could be seen, as well as some seeds clustered in the middle.

Sonic picked it up again, using his hands to break the rest of the melon apart, handing a smaller piece to the chao who wouldn't shut up. Tails resisted the urge to sigh his frustration about his pounding head, and instead mumbled a thanks as he was handed a piece of the melon, taking a bite without thinking. An immediate mildly sweet and earthy taste hit his tongue, unfamiliar and different from the usually tart apples he picked from Croford. He wasn't sure if he liked it, but his stomach was rumbling again and therefore took another bite, while Sonic handed him a dry piece of bread as well.

"Not too bad," Sonic was chewing on his own melon piece as he looked at the fruit, "it tastes like another kind of melon I've tried before."

The pick pocketer wasn't sure what melon the hedgehog was referring to, but changed subject completely by turning on his heel, and started to walk. Tails looked over his shoulder briefly, making sure they hadn't left anything behind, his ears flicking from leaves rustling. He turned back to the azure hedgehog.

"They're good," Silver commented, if only to try and start some kind of conversation, eating a piece of the bread.

It was chewy and didn't have much taste, though it was a different texture and nutrition to the fruit. Sonic said something about the melon again, though Tails ignored the conversation as he chewed, watching Chao for a second, letting the events of yesterday play in his mind again.

He'd been occupied with trying to gauge Silver's words as truths or lies as well as Sonic's frustration, and therefore hadn't taken the time to think about what had initially happened. He remembered the surge of energy, a powerful feeling in his chest, expanding and making his heart pound in panic. He had been sure he was about to explode.

Somehow, in some way, Silver had been able to release that kind of power, and apparently remember something about himself as well. He frowned from the thought, turning to the stranger.

"Silver?" He was sure he had interrupted Sonic in some kind of sentence as silence remained for a moment. The gray hedgehog took another bite of the melon before turning to the fox.

"Yesterday - when you remembered something about yourself. How did that happen?" Tails asked, taking a bite of his bread again.

The silver hedgehog blinked firstly, as if he needed to remember what exactly had happened, looking at the ground briefly. He narrowed his eyes, the pick pocketer being able to read the puzzlement in his expression as he slowly shook his head.

"I don't know," he said, swallowing something which wasn't the food, "I'm not sure what's happening when I do it. It also just happened back in Shita and I could just… remember I came from there. And at the fire, I… I don't know, I just blacked out and I remember what I did there, why Sonic was important."

Tails was still analyzing his face as he took another bite of the melon, being half-way done with it. Pure confusion was only evident there, no lies or malicious thoughts hidden in his eyes. He looked lost, puzzled, and wasn't sure what to do with the information.

"I didn't know the emeralds could do that," Sonic merely commented, throwing the melon rind over his shoulder when he had finished. Tails looked at him from the comment, blinking when he realized they indeed hadn't experienced them doing that before.

"Really? Then what can they do?" The gray hedgehog asked, a newfound excitement filtering through in his voice, making the pick pocketer look at him.

It only confirmed the newcomer didn't know what they could do, didn't know they had a strong power hidden inside of the crystal walls, energy able to bend nature itself. If you were a Chaos Wielder that is.

"Different stuff. The ones we have now I can bend water, wind, and electricity. And I have another one which I apparently can bend fire with, but I haven't tried it out yet," the hedgehog said casually, as if he was saying the forest was green.

Tails wasn't sure whether or not telling the stranger about that was a good idea, though turned his head as Silver gasped excitedly. His large fox ears flicked when he could hear leaves and plants being rustled again.

"Really? I didn't know that!" He exclaimed, as if a kid had been promised cake for dessert. His amber eyes turned to the pick pocketer, the same excitement showing as he said: "Can you, do it?"

Tails resisted the urge to growl at him, instead took his last bite of his melon, throwing the rind into the forest.

"No," was his bitter answer.

He didn't want to look at Silver to see his reaction, as he was annoyedly reminded he wasn't able to do what Sonic could, despite how much he wanted it. Knuckles had explained the Chaos Wielder and the Chaos Keeper traits, as well as their purpose and what they could do. He was doomed to be an insignificant coat stand in the most interesting theory of Chaos he'd wondered about ever since he got to know it existed. He was pushed aside to make room for the true heroes of the story.

He bitterly pushed the thought away, instead turned his head back to the fog in the forest, ears swirling when he could hear the same rustling from before.

There was no use in feeling sorry for himself, and instead took comfort in the fact that Knuckles wasn't sure about the entire story nor origin of either character. He'd not told them the Chaos Emeralds could restore memories. However, that worked. If it was tailored to a specific emerald remained a question too, though they had already acquired five of them if he counted Silver's emerald as theirs too. Only two remained. Wherever they were.

Tails resisted the urge to sigh from his thoughts, feeling his head pounding again, ignoring the discussion Sonic and Silver had, merely concentrating on walking.

When he realized.

He swirled his ears backwards, looking over his shoulder. The leaves, the plants getting pushed aside… it didn't come from them.

He focused his hearing, still walking as he looked backwards, swirling his ears in that direction. Was he tired enough to hallucinate sounds? Could you hallucinate sounds? He didn't know, but would rather be safe than sorry, and narrowed his eyes as he tried again.

Another moment passed, another sentence being said and ignored by Sonic before he heard it again.

He stopped abruptly, being sure he'd heard it this time.

He tried to look through the thick fog, staring straight at the misty phenomenon as he realized the sound had abruptly stopped too. They could be seen.

Tails scanned the ground, ears swirling back and forth, his heart beating in his chest. He could hear the others stopping as well, asking what was wrong, though he ignored them again. His mind was whirling, suddenly realizing his wakefulness during the night hadn't been caused by Silver alone.

His sixth sense, a constant need of knowing who was following him and if someone was sneaking up on him was active in the subconscious of the pick pocketer's mind. When someone was trying to follow him past barrels and crates, around corners, on the other side of the road.

He was trained in the act and could therefore recognize the sounds of steps. Whether by scuffing your shoe against pebbles on cobblestone road or moving through leaves and sticks on the forest floor.

He looked again.

And heard someone running.

He bolted.

The pick pocketer could hear Sonic yelling after him, but he concentrated, looking forward.

Whoever they were, they were moving fast, just past the perimeter of the fog, sprinting past branches and trees, moving swiftly. Whoever they were had run here before Tails realized, as he stumbled around the forest floor.

He wasn't going to yell after them, possibly attract more of whoever had followed and stalked them for Chaos knew how long, as he concentrated on running. Heart beating in his chest, fingers shaking, he tried to follow though stumbled again.

He looked up, realized he was losing them, running faster to catch up to them. When he convinced himself, he could see them through the fog again the ground under him disappeared.

With a yelp he tumbled downwards, frantically thrashing arms and limbs around to try and catch himself as he was rolling downhill. Eyes frantically moving, having no idea what was happening, he rolled past large plants, twigs, branches, saplings, before abruptly stopping.

His chest rammed into a tree, knocking the air out of him. The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, hearing the stalker run away as he laid still.

Immovable for a second, he inhaled as much oxygen as he could, getting it back into his lungs slowly. His body was pounding in pain in different areas, most notably his side, as well as his head, the pain there evolving into a headache.

He blinked at his blurred vision, staring into the trunk of the fir tree, before forcing himself to get up on his elbows. He swirled his ears around again, but it was too late – whoever it was were gone.

Tails sighed out the frustration begrudgingly getting to his feet far too soon and had to use the tree as leverage if he didn't want to fall again. Taking a moment to breathe and placing his hand over his chest to make his heart calm down, he swallowed something in his throat and turned to look where he'd come from.

He had tumbled down a steeper hill, the one he'd been chasing had wisely moved around it, something he'd failed to see through the fog. He turned and looked where he'd lost the one he'd been chasing. A part of him was wondering how long they had been stalked for, how long someone had been listening in on their conversation, knowing where they were. And wondered if Silver had anything to do with it.

Tails decided to go back and question him, and therefore turned to the hill he'd tumbled down, breathing deeply for a second.

When he got a hold of himself again, he began climbing up, taking hold of growing saplings, and ignoring the headache pounding in his temple angrily. When he reached the top, he breathed deeply, and looked around.

He didn't remember this area.

The fog had already concealed the way he'd come from, hindering all means of finding his way back to the others. He hadn't thought about that.

"Damn it," he mumbled to himself, while another voice in the back of his head told him he shouldn't say that, as he started walking.

The forest floor looked the same wherever he walked, large fir trees functioning as a labyrinth, every trunk looking the same, every branch similar to the other. He put a hand on his side when the stab wound started to pound painfully, his tumble down the hill not being merciful of his wounded body, trying to look for something familiar.

Nothing came up, as he might as well have passed these trees before, walking through the same foliage. He was hesitant to call out Sonic's name, his ears still swirling around, trying to listen if whoever had watched them had decided to follow him back.

His sensitive hearing didn't pick up any foreign rustling. He remained alone.

He stopped for a minute, breathing deeply as he tried to look around again, trying to get an idea as to where he was. When he couldn't see anything through the fog, he looked up, though begrudgingly realized the branches were too thick to fly through, and he doubted he would be able to look any deeper through the forest in the air either way. And getting pricked by needles wasn't on his agenda today, though neither had been getting lost in the forest.

Tails sighed annoyed, biting his lip against the anxiety growing in his stomach, knowing well the others had no idea where he'd gone either. He continued walking, despite wondering in his mind if standing still was a better idea, his ears swirling around, though couldn't pick up any distinguishable sounds.

Quickening his pace, tails whipping behind him, he was convinced the fog was getting thicker as he couldn't see anything. Biting his lip and looking up again, there was nothing which could help him out of his predicament, one he'd foolishly brought himself into.

He hadn't considered the fog, it being a visible enemy he hadn't accounted for, and hadn't thought about warning Sonic either. The headache was the perfect punishment, as he tried to continue searching yet came up with nothing. He paused, stopped, breathed, and looked up, could only see needle branches, looked down, could only see the forest floor getting thicker, foliage and saplings growing haphazardly, without any guidance to any road. He was lost.

Coming to that realization made his heart beating faster in his chest, despite how loud he was mentally yelling at himself to stop it. He tried to get a grip on himself by clenching one hand into a fist, the other still occupied by supporting his thumping side.

It didn't work as the fox spun around, though couldn't see anything, turned to the left, nothing there.

He swallowed something in his throat.

He was lost. Alone.

…

When he felt it.

A familiar sensation, the tips of his fingers twitching, his chest feeling warmer. His eyes widened when he realized what it was, turning and looking through the thick foliage, feeling hopeful. It got closer to him, the pick pocketer looking around, wondering where it came from.

The familiar sensation of a Chaos Emerald was nearing him, yet he had no idea how and no idea why. A thought in the back of his mind warned him then, feeling his hands shaking from the thought, as the energy hadn't reacted to him like that before. Meaning whatever was coming closer, was something new.

He whipped around then, strongly considered hiding behind the nearest bush, or jumping into the tallest tree.

It was too late, when the energy suddenly neared quickly, twisting around, fearing what he was going to meet.

When he heard it.

He blinked confused, his ears twitching, knowing the sound of flapping wings.

Tails didn't have the time to puzzle over the sound for too long, when he suddenly saw a silhouette traveling fast through the fog, coming closer to him.

As it escaped the fog, he quickly realized who it was.

"Chao!" He said, both in relief and confusion.

The turquoise chao was panicky, saying a series of 'chao' his arms spread wide as he practically slammed hard into the side of the fox's head. Tails' headache increased with the sudden force, the chao forcefully rubbing his face into the pick pocketer's, showcasing a world of relief.

"It's good to see you too," he said, more for the sake of the chao trying to squeeze his head, "do you know where the others are?"

As if on cue, Chao let go in the same moment, nodding enthusiastically and waved a stubby hand in a direction he didn't catch. When he began flying away, Tails stumbled to catch up, running past saplings and bushes, the chao apparently knowing exactly where the others were. For one reason or another.

The fox was still puzzled over the fact how he could feel the chao, then his thoughts faltered to nothing as his running increased the headache, concentrating on following the flying chao.

Said chao stopped periodically, giving the fox a chance to catch up as they seemingly ran without direction, back and forth between trees, stumbling over larger trunks and jumping past fallen logs. He panted as he ran through some more foliage, a twig getting stuck in his sock, rounding a tree.

His ears swirled, hearing rustling of leaves besides his own, hope shooting through him again as he looked toward the fog.

More silhouettes appeared, familiar silhouettes.

"Tails!" His name was yelled, the fox hearing the worry laced between every letter as both Sonic and Silver came into view.

He stopped as they walked toward him, briefly stopping, and leaving his hands on his knees, pulling out the twig in his sock, catching his breath. He was startled by the pairs of hands left heavily on his shoulders, looking up into emerald, green eyes.

"What're you doing running away like that?!" The worry was palpable once again, the hedgehog's eyes wide, his mouth agape.

The pick pocketer let his eyes move back and forth on his face, reading the unexpected expression. Fear, coming off as worry, as well as relief was sitting deep within his eyes, radiating off his form, his quills slightly risen. He bit his lip from the notion, didn't have the capacity to think of the why's and how's and instead swallowed something in his throat.

"I heard someone."

"What?" He was interrupted by the exclamation, making the fox nod to Sonic's word.

He took another second to collect his breath, trying to ignore the steadily increasing headache, his aching side, as he stood fully again.

"Someone had been watching us and followed us through the forest," he elaborated, still looking at Sonic, realizing his hands were still on his shoulders.

He subtly wiggled them off, as he could see the surprise evident in the hedgehog's face. A twitch at the lip, eyes widening. He didn't analyze it for long, as the pick pocketer looked over Sonic's shoulder.

Silver looked equally as shocked, having stayed back where Chao was resting on top of his head again. A frown came to Tails' brow.

"Did you know about that?!" He said sharper than intended, taking a couple of steps forward toward the silver hedgehog, pointing at him with an accusative finger. Said hedgehog's eyes widened in confusion and panic, taking a step back as he waved his hands in surrender-

"What?! No! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Hey, hey, calm down for a second, alright?" Sonic tried to calm the situation with his words, though the pick pocketer was only staring intently on the newcomer.

The stranger who had stumbled into their lives seemingly out of nowhere, and now someone had followed their trail, either trying to gather information or wanted to intercept them. Their lives could be in danger.

Yet, he didn't see any signs of betrayal, no unnatural movements, his eyes still wide with the same surprise and shock, being slightly frightened of being accused. His lip wasn't trembling, no wrinkles on his face, switching his weight to the other foot.

"Fine," Tails sighed, as he took a step back. "I believe you."

The conclusion seemed to calm Silver as well, letting his hands fall and blinking confused at the two tailed fox. Even with his guard down, no smirk or grin appeared on his lip, nothing which indicated he had fooled them perfectly. He had no idea what had happened.

"Okay. What did you say before?"' Sonic pulled him out of his musings once again, turning around toward the blue hedgehog.

His hands were on his hips, looking puzzled and confused, though seemed satisfied with the fox's conclusion as well. That Silver indeed didn't seem to have anything to do with their stalker.

"Someone had followed us. I ran after them and tried to catch up, but I fell," he explained breathlessly, his lungs catching up to the missing air, leaving a hand on his still thumbing wound.

"You fell? Are you okay?" The hedgehog asked, that same worry reappearing in his voice, making the fox look at him. Emerald eyes were glancing at the bandages around his stomach, though looked up when Tails caught his expression.

"I'm good," he lied, preventing himself from wincing at the headache, convincing himself he just needed a moment to breathe and stand still.

"What happened to whoever was following us? Did they just disappear?" Tails' ears flicked in irritation, sighing to himself, and looked back at Silver who had asked.

"Like I said, I fell. So, I don't know where they are now," he explained, his ears swirling around monetarily, "except here. They aren't here anymore."

His answer didn't seem to decrease the steadily rising panic in the stranger, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"What do we do now?" He asked, sounding like a kid who had gotten separated from his parents.

It only confirmed he indeed had no idea who they might've been, nor that they had been followed in the first place.

"We need to get out of here and out of the fog," Sonic declared then, making the pick pocketer look at him.

A newfound determination came across his expression, looking back and forth, as if trying to find something. Tails nodded in agreement, being glad his headache was calming a little, hoping the paste would eventually soothe his still aching side.

"You ready to go?" He knew the question was targeted at him, making the pick pocketer look at the blue hedgehog though nodding again.

Tails glanced at Silver then, who looked uneasily around, as if expecting someone was going to jump out at them at any moment. The pick pocketer would know if it happened.

When Sonic began walking, the fox followed, the newcomer close in his heels, seemingly anxious to get out of here. When a single 'chao' was said, the fox turned his head and looked, as Chao had flown over to him, tilting his head to the side. He could read he was asking if he was okay, and mumbled he was in response, concentrating on walking forward.

"Good job finding him Chao!" Sonic suddenly praised, making Tails turn and look at him, the hedgehog smiling at the chao.

He figured the flying creature had either in one way or another communicated he could find the fox or Sonic had asked him if he could try and find him. The fox didn't care what option was true, and instead feigned a smile at the chao when it looked at him.

"Yeah. Thank you," he said truthfully, as he hadn't known what to do at the moment.

Feeling lost, having no idea what he should do in that given moment. It had been scarier than he initially had thought.

That seemed to come across the chao as well, as he smiled and carefully placed himself on top of Tails' head again, apparently agreeing with himself to rest there.

"Tails?" His name was said in a question, though he could hear the determination in it as well, looking at Sonic who had asked. He was looking over his shoulder at the fox, his eyes sharp.

"Don't run off like that again, alright? If you chased them like that and there were a hundred of them or something I couldn't have helped you," he suggested, biting his lip.

Tails blinked, seeing that worry come forth for just a second, the sharpness in his eyes meaning he was serious, not wanting the fox to end into a situation he couldn't help him with.

Why? Maybe it was a part of this whole friendship thing. He wasn't sure, though felt bashful from the notion, not knowing why.

"I know," he said in a low voice, and felt compelled to say: "Sorry."

The fox avoided looking at him for a moment, merely staring at the ground.

"It's cool man just – think about it until next time," the end of Sonic's sentence picked up Tails' attention again, blinking at the forest floor, looking up.

The hedgehog had opted to look forward again, moving around a bush, though his quills were still bristled in the back of his head.

"Next time?" Tails asked bemused. Sonic didn't answer at first, his steps quick, his body moving swiftly through the foliage, concentrating.

"I don't know," he said, while shaking his head, "but I had a feeling something else was here too."

Tails blinked, taking in Sonic's words as he looked over his shoulder again.

"And it's not… good."

The hedgehog's eyes were sharp again, though it was different this time around.

Information concealed in a warning, asking them to be prepared. Tails curiously looked over his shoulder though Silver was staring wide-eyed at Sonic, having no clue what he meant

Neither did the pick pocketer, though he had a feeling the Chaos Wielder could sense something.

Something or someone.

The rustling and buzzling of the city had another cling to it than she remembered. Normally, it was a sound she didn't pay attention to, something she'd ignored and forgotten about. A phenomenon as ordinary as the sun shining in the sky, as people were yelling back and forth on the docks, hauling boxes and barrels back and forth, whispers in the corners, people working without thinking.

Her perspective had changed completely when she had switched profession, as she paused in her trek to let a worker walk past her with a heavy barrel, continuing when she could. Looking over her shoulder, she was only reconfirmed about her hasty decision she had made earlier in the week, being much happier in her current location. The thought made her smile as she made it past the docks, steering toward her newer home.

Amy's life had changed in a drastic manner, one she otherwise wouldn't have done, being the careful thinker she was, always wanting to be three steps ahead of herself. Though her impulse decisions – selling the house, quitting her job, getting a new house, getting a new job – seemed out of character for her. But it had been the best decision she had made in her life, and her little sister seemed to agree as well.

The pink hedgehog had acquired a habit of looking into the alleyways as she passed them, knowing well who was hiding there, what kind of deals criminals were planning to do with others. She hadn't gone to the authorities and told them the tale, too afraid they were going to question Cream and her safety and take the rabbit away from her. A part of her wanted justice for what those thugs had done, and the other part of her was trying to forget the entire affair. So was Cream, and she did that by occupying herself by reading and drawing, talking to Amy on occasion about the event, though seemed to process it faster than the hedgehog had expected.

It was a pleasant surprise to say the least, as she smiled and walked down another path, people around her thinning out, being in another part of town than she was used to. The lower salary at the sewing shop had forced them to live in a smaller place, though none of them had minded, and Amy had made some friends as well, talking and laughing as she made dresses on the regular. She got off earlier and felt more at home doing something practical than yelling at people who thought she had no idea what she was doing. And she had two people to thank that for.

She bit her lip at the thought, shaking her head subtly. She was sending those two boys a thought every night before going to sleep, both thanking them for helping in a way she hadn't imagined before and wished them good luck on their adventure. Only Chaos knew where they were and what they were doing.

Their posters were still all around Kroxburg, hanging on every possible pole, it being the main topic in any conversation. They had even been mentioned in the shop, where she had added they didn't know who they were, and they couldn't be sure they had actually done those crimes they were accused of. When people had looked at her weirdly, she had opted to not say anything, not wanting the authorities to knock on her door and ask questions.

She instead wished they were alright, the thought of Sonic which made her blush, and young Tails who had been curious about the emerald's energy and had helped rescue Cream as well. She hoped they would come back and visit someday so she could give them the proper thank you they deserve.

Amy shook her head from the thought, instead glanced at the basket she was carrying with one arm. A carton of milk, a bunch of carrots, and a raw chicken was the groceries she had bought, knowing Cream loved her recipe with chicken and carrots and wanted to surprise her with it. She was getting better at reading every single day and seemed to enjoy it as well. A treat was needed.

The female hedgehog smiled, looking forward to it as she turned another corner, looking up. At the end of the road was a small house, less dramatic than their old house though this was home. It was their haven where they had started again.

As she walked toward it, she glanced to her right and left, finding it odd no people were walking here. It wasn't abnormal for others to be walking home at this time of day, meaning she often had company at this street, though now it remained strangely empty. She shook off the eerie feeling in her stomach, telling herself they weren't here since she was a little late since she had to stop by the market first.

Her rationalization didn't work as she made it to the house. An uncanny atmosphere laid upon her home, her hand hovering over the doorknob for a second. She narrowed her eyes, sighing to herself, as she twisted the knob, and walked inside.

She only managed to take one step, before she froze in place. Her eyes wide, her fingers starting to shake, mouth agape.

"Hello honey," a recognizable voice said from the living room, "come in and close the door."

Amy had a hard time complying, merely staring at the one woman she didn't think would show up here again. She had forced herself not to give the bat any thought and had tried to forget about her ever since she had come by and threatened Cream's life. Something she feared had already been turned into reality.

Amy took a cautious step inside, slowly closing the door as she stared straight into Cream's tear-filled eyes. Two wolves stood on either side of her little sister sitting in an armchair, the criminals having dark green fur with dark hoods over their heads, a cloak covering their bodies. Four additional wolves stood in the living room, one of them having a knife in their hand, the second a hammer. The living room was connected to the kitchen, a dining table with four chairs was situated in the middle of the large space. There, sat the bat woman, her black dress reaching her black heels, her large eyelashes blinking slowly at her.

She was smiling, a smile dripping with venom, slowly twisting into a smirk. Amy glanced back at Cream watching her hands squeezing her knees tightly, making tight knots in her dress. She sniffed quietly, was scared and distressed, trying to hide her shaking.

Amy wondered how long they had been here for, narrowing her eyes as she could feel the anger bubbling in her stomach. She slowly turned to Rouge.

"What do you want?" She asked sharply, her other hand clenching into a tight fist to prevent herself from shaking. She needed to be smart about this.

The bat's smile widened a little, raising her hands in a placating gesture.

"Take it easy sister, can't you welcome a girl properly? We haven't seen each other for a while."

"I know who you are. And last I checked you weren't welcome here. What do you want?" Amy repeated, knowing she was being rude and upfront, mentally preparing herself for a fight if need be.

The bat blinked at her, as if she hadn't expected the response she had received. She said a curious hum in response, getting to her feet.

"Feisty, aren't we?" Rouge commented, crossing her arms over her chest, "very well, if you wish to get to business so be it, but I'm gonna help myself to some coffee if you don't mind."

Amy felt the anger bubbling stronger in her stomach as the bat leisurely walked into her kitchen, glancing at the still burning fireplace.

"You see sugar – I told you I had some connections last time, didn't I?" Rouge began, looking through cabinet to cabinet, before finding a mug which seemed to her liking, "well, it turns out finding that blue hedgehog wasn't enough. Some complications happened and because you seemed to know more than you wanted to tell, I was ordered to come back and ask some questions. Do you not have coffee?"

Her last question was asked in an annoyed manner as she had gone through every cabinet in the kitchen, twisting toward Amy. The female hedgehog could feel her quills bristle as she shook her head.

"I don't have coffee. I only have tea," Rouge sighed, irritated from the notion, starting to look through the cabinets again.

"I guess I'll have to settle with that," she commented, as if her dinner plans had changed, pulling out a small container from one cabinet, finding the green tea and some hot water, "anyway. What I wanted to ask you was if you ever gave that hedgehog a small gem? You might know it as a Chaos Emerald?"

Amy stiffened from her words, having no idea where she had acquired that information from, not answering immediately. It made the bat look at her, turning around and leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, jerking her head briefly to the rabbit.

The hedgehog followed her notion, watching as Cream glanced from left to right, her eyes wide with fright, her hands visibly shaking.

Amy bit her lip, as she hoped he was far gone by now.

"I did," she answered in a low voice, looking back at Rouge as she was rummaging through her cabinets again.

"Interesting," she merely commented, pulling out her expensive jar of honey, adding a glob of it to the tea, "and did that hedgehog bring two other friends with him?"

The female hedgehog angrily watched the bat put the honey back, taking a step toward her fridge and pulled out a carton of milk, as if this was her home. Amy had only met the armadillo and the flying squirrel in mere minutes before they had left as well, hardly remembering their name and had no idea who they were. Nevertheless, she hoped they weren't around in the city.

"He did," Amy answered subdued, watching as Rouge added a drop of milk to the tea, putting the carton back in the fridge. She pulled out a spoon and stirred in the filled mug, seemingly thinking to herself.

"Thanks for the information honey," Rouge said, making the female hedgehog blink, the former clanking the spoon delicately at the mug's edge, before leaving it carefully in the sink, "now, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you."

Amy felt a shiver going down her spine from her tone of voice, the bat turning around with the steaming mug in her hands, taking a sip as she looked at the female hedgehog. Said hedgehog looked back, then blinked curiously, seeing a wound going down the bat's eye she hadn't noticed before. She didn't get to wonder where it came from when Rouge pushed away from the counter, smiling at her maliciously.

"You're coming with us to Croford. And so is your little sister over there."

The bat's words rang in the room for another moment, Amy feeling her heart beating faster in her chest, her eyes widening. She swallowed something in her throat.

"Why?" Amy asked bravely, looking over at Cream.

She looked eagerly as shocked, confirming she hadn't heard it before. The hedgehog turned back to Rouge as she merely shrugged her shoulders, walking back to the middle of the room and sitting by the dinner table again.

"I'm not sure to be honest with you hun. My boss - he's kinda secretive, not talkative, and is moody and broody and not any fun. But he pays me well, so I can't complain. He wanted us to bring you to the inner black market. What he wants with you there will be his decision," she casually explained, taking another sip of her mug.

Amy felt her entire body freeze from the information, having to tighten her grip around the basket or it would've fallen to the ground. She had only heard of the inner market, not on many occasions, though knew it existed since she'd heard traders talk about it in between conversations. It was apparently a system, hard criminals working in and out to get good deals, trading with anything from food to people.

She forced herself to remain calm, taking a deep breath as she looked at Rouge again.

"And if we refuse?" She asked, making the bat look at her from her mug. She sighed to herself, shaking her head as she left the tea on the table.

"Don't play dumb sugar," she commented, looking back at Amy, "you see my guys with the weapons? If you refuse to cooperate, we'll force you to come with us. And I can't promise they'll be kind to your sister just because she's little."

Rouge's warning was palpable, one which the female hedgehog heeded as she once more glanced over at the little sister being caught in the middle. Her fear was shining bright through her glossy eyes, sniffing quietly as she only stared at Amy.

She knew she was scared, and the older hedgehog could feel the same fear steadily rising in her. The inner market was labeled as the worst place anybody could end up, though she was more scared of what their refusal could mean for them.

She didn't know how to fight, could swing a candlestick if she had to, but didn't know what to do against seven individuals. They didn't look as if this was their first time, standing casual and calm, merely observing the situation at hand.

And she had no idea what to do with Cream if she initiated a fight.

Therefore, the decision was made.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" She asked once more, looking at Rouge. The bat's smile widened in satisfaction, as she shrugged her shoulders.

"In my opinion you don't honey. I would just do as we say," she merely said, as if it was that easy to accept a destiny Amy couldn't see the end of.

The pink hedgehog bitterly watched as Rouge took another sip of her tea, before sighing to herself.

"Alright," Amy confirmed, before turning and nodding at Cream, "but can I at least sit with her?"

The bat turned her head at the mentioned family member, waving a placating hand in her direction.

"Sure, it wouldn't do any harm," she easily accepted, before pointing at two of the criminals standing in the living room, "you two; stay with the girls and make sure they sit still on the couch. Everybody else can take what they want from the kitchen. We can't leave until nightfall anyway, so we might as well make ourselves at home. Isn't that right sugar?"

Amy only turned her head to look at Rouge as she walked toward Cream immediately. She picked her up and gently placed her on the couch beside her, feeling the rabbit shaking in her arms.

"Do whatever you want," she bitterly answered, as the other cloaked wolves started to ransack her kitchen, throwing plates and glasses into the sink where they promptly broke, pulling out food from the cabinets, smashing the fridge door into the wall.

Amy felt a pang of sorrow go through her heart, seeing her home being torn apart, though turned to Cream as the rabbit stared wide-eyed at her.

"Amy?" She asked, as she blinked, her tears finally falling, going down her cheeks, "what's going to happen to us?"

The female hedgehog could hear the fear in her voice, making her sling and arm over her shoulders, gently tugging her to her side in comfort. Cream immediately sank into her side, borrowing her head into her body, sobbing quietly. Amy glanced at the two criminals who had been assigned to watch them, standing on either side of them.

The female hedgehog was fighting tears of her own, as she watched Rouge smile and take another sip of her tea, the other criminals eating bread with their hands, pulling out sausages from the fridge.

A plate broke in the sink, the rug getting spilled on and ruined, her life falling apart before her as she held Cream closer to her. The only piece of home she had left.

"I don't know Cream. But I promise nothing bad will happen to you. We'll get through this. Okay?" She tried to reassure, knowing her voice sounded thick, swallowing something in her throat.

Amy glanced at her little sister, though the rabbit remained unresponsive, silently sobbing in fright. The female hedgehog didn't know if her words were truthful, though promised herself she would do anything to keep Cream safe.

She had already lost her once.

She couldn't lose her again.