Hey everyone! Yes, I know this is another update here rather than Hidden Scars, but I think I'm going to try focusing on one story at a time and see how that works out for me! On to the reviews!

AndTails: Thanks! I tried my best to convey his emotions and I'm happy to see that it went over well! Tails has certainly found himself in an unfamiliar location and we'll have to figure out how the rest of that goes for him!

UntoDelirium: Nice eye! There are certainly some differences in where the narrative is heading! I plan to have some new original content for this story soon!

Obliviblur: It's cool to be writing an updated version as well!

Noonui: Sonic is bound to be in for a surprise, as is everyone!

TheGameNguyener: I've been trying to make it different enough from the original while keeping to its spirit and idea! It's been an absolute blast adding detail to these scenes and adapting them to my more modern writing style! Thank you so much for the review!

HavalTheRock: It's one of my favorites as well, so getting to write it all over again has been an experience!

Cashlin Snow: I try my best, but it just slips by! Glad you're enjoying it regardless!

Let's get going!

The Kitsune Legacy

Edge of Extinction

"So, anything else I should know?" Tails asked, continuing to trail behind Amadeus.

The elder kitsune seemingly paused for a moment to think over his response, "What would you like to know?"

"How do we manipulate Chaos Energy? I mean, how can I even use these illusions?"

"Our species has always had a natural talent with it. We've been able to bend and change it for millennia, many show traits of their powers at a young age, as inept as they may be at the time."

Tails thought it over for a moment, seemingly caught on something.

"What's on your mind?" The elder asked, wondering what he was so caught up with.

"Well... I guess if there are any others like me... Where are all the other kitsune and why am I not with them?"

Amadeus sighed, "The others are all dead..."

Tails was taken aback for a moment, stumbling to put together a coherent response. "T-That's not possible, my parents would have had to have been kitsune right? They're still out there! Maybe we could find them and-"

"Your parents are dead Miles..."

"N-No... That's not... That's not possible I-"

"I'm afraid it is... You're the last surviving kitsune, and it's only through a miracle of sorts that it's even such."

"What do you mean?"

Amadeus paused; was he ready for the truth? The kit was so full of hope that he was afraid that even telling him what had happened would completely break him. Still, he owed it to the kit to explain why he was the last of their kind.

"Centuries ago, we were at war with a tribe on Mobius, the Echidnas."

"Over what?"

"The greatest source of Chaos Energy on the planet, the Master Emerald. To think about what we could accomplish with its power, we could have sent our civilization to a new golden age... However, things took a turn for the worst. A brutal loss sent most of us back to our temples and sanctuaries. With their natural abilities to locate sources and users of Chaos Energy, it didn't take long for them to find us. In our poor crippled state, we didn't stand a chance... They slaughtered everyone... However, your mother was special... Rarely, we have one born among our species without a proper connection to Chaos Energy. They possess none of the natural abilities of our kind. Your mother was one of these oddities. While normally we conduct a temple ritual utilizing a special gemstone to awaken their abilities once they reach maturity, we simply didn't have the time... While this was unfortunate, it was also a blessing of sorts..."

"What do you mean?"

"Without a connection to Chaos Energy, they were unable to track her, and she fled away from the rest of her people. However, she took a gamble as she did, exchanging her life for a chance that our species might live. She brought along her husband, a kitsune with the ability to manipulate ice, in hopes that they might have a child to continue the survival of our kind."

"Me?"

"Precisely, luckily you inherited a natural lack of connection from your mother. However, she couldn't risk keeping you, you'd be discovered once they came to hunt down your father. So, she did what she thought gave you the best chance for your survival."

"Abandoning me on an island far away from any civilization so that they couldn't find me."

"Precisely."

"So that's why I haven't had these powers before I touched that gem..."

"Correct, however, now that you have, you'll certainly be hunted down. You'll need to be prepared."

"Um... About that..." Tails responded, "The Echidna been extinct for years... Well, almost extinct that is..."

"Really? Well then the-"

"The last one may or may not be one of my friends..."

Amadeus was silent for a moment, "So you're saying that a member of the species who wiped us out is one of your friends... How have they not killed you by now? Surely they're aware of what you are!"

Tails was now forced to think over the question. Eventually, however, the thoughts were too much for him to handle. "I just... Need a second... Stomach this whole thing..."

"I understand, this is a big revelation and change. Just remember your new abilities and be wary of those who might seek you out for it. I will await our next meeting."

The younger kitsune instantly felt a wave of fatigue wash over him as he collapsed to his knees, closing his eyes and letting his body fall limply to the ground...

-X-

Knuckles took a deep breath before beginning, "I've had this suspicion for a long time... I always thought it couldn't be true, that it simply wasn't possible... But now that I've got the evidence in front of me..."

"Well, what is it?" Sonic asked, eager for any explanation as to what had happened to his brother.

"The temple we were at earlier was in territory controlled by an ancient tribe of a species called the Kitsune." The echidna responded, grabbing one of his manuscripts to verify this information to himself. "They were a race of beings known for their unique connection to Chaos Energy, one much stronger than any normal Mobian. Using this they could influence the world around them, creating almost magical properties like the ability to influence fire, ice, and even the very ground itself."

"Ok, so what does this have to do with Tails?"

"The Kitsune had one defining trait... The fact that they had foxlike characteristics, and most importantly... Multiple tails..."

"So, what you're saying is... Tails is a kitsune!?"

"Well, yeah... I mean..."

"And why didn't you tell any of us sooner!?" Sonic exclaimed, "You know Tails was always curious about what happened to him!"

"Calm down, the thing that confuses me here, is that Tails doesn't have any of their abilities, at least, not that we've seen right? On top of this, the kitsune went extinct years ago!"

"That doesn't make sense then!" Amy chimed in, "How would Tails even be one then?"

"Now you see why I never said anything, I was never sure. What happened in that temple however confirmed my thoughts I'd had since we met. Though how he's alive and why he doesn't have powers is something I just don't understand..."

"Why aren't there any left? Do you know?"

Knuckles sighed before beginning, "Centuries ago, my ancestors were attacked by the Kitsune. We had no warning, and while they managed to stop their attack, it incited a centuries-long war between the two tribes and species."

"Over what?" Sonic asked.

"The Master Emerald, the strongest source of Chaos Energy on the planet. Of course they'd want it! Kitsune manipulate it to use their abilities. If it were to fall into their hands, it could have meant the end of Mobius as we knew it..."

"What happened to them?"

"During the war, they made a risky move to attack Angel Island directly, only this time, the Echidna knew they were coming. This was the mistake that ended the war once and for all. After driving them back and heavily crippling their ability to fight back. The Echidna tribes descended on them, and killed them all..."

"Oh..."

"Yeah... It's not a part of my tribes' history that I'm particularly proud of... I hadn't even been born yet though, so I don't know what could have been done differently. As far as they were aware, there were no survivors... Shortly afterward however, they descended into a civil war. Fracturing into dozens of different tribes, vying for control. You could say the war was the end of both our species..."

"Is there any chance that some of them got away?" Sonic continued, now somewhat satisfied with the explanation. "Also how did the war go on for centuries?"

"While echidna can decent the signatures of uses of Chaos Energy, and some who fled were hunted down, I'm not sure if they got all of them... There's a chance that in the civil war after, they were completely forgotten. Tails may be the descendant of some of them... As to how the war lasted for as long as it did, kitsune are known for having incredibly long lifespans."

"How long are we talking?"

"About a thousand years..."

"A thousand years!? That's..."

"Very long, long enough to facilitate a war like that."

"So how old is Tails then?"

"You don't know?" Knuckles asked, taken aback by the question.

"Well... We've always just guessed; he didn't have any parents when I found him. He looked young but knowing that he might live for that long..."

"We'll have to ask him when he wakes up..." Amy mused, also still somewhat in shock at the revelation.

"That's assuming he even knows..." Knuckles added.

"So what's with the gemstone Sonic talked about?" The rose hedgehog questioned.

"Honestly, I don't know... We never got to figure out all the specifics of their culture before..."

"Hopefully we can figure that out then... Maybe Tails would know... But I guess that-"

Amy was interrupted by a soft groan from the couch. Sonic instantly dashed over to the kit's side. "Hey bud... You awake?"

The kit was silent for a moment, so the hedgehog spoke again, lightly gripping the kitsune's hand. "You can do it, just open your eyes..."

The fox's eyes opened slightly, the blue irises drowsily taking in his surroundings. "Where am I?" He asked, his voice even sounding disoriented.

"You're at Amy's house," The hedgehog responded, pulling him into a hug. "You scared me there..."

It took a few minutes, but the fox slowly adjusted back to a conscious state. Until eventually, he seemed fully coherent.

"I just had the weirdest thing happen..." Tails commented. "I was in a dream with this fox, he looked kind of like me, but he had seven tails... He told me I have powers of some sort and-"

As the fox went to sit up, Sonic gently put a hand to his chest and pushed him back down. "About that Tails... We need to talk..."

Alright everyone, that's it for today! What are your thoughts? Are you enjoying the new take on this story? Let me know in a review! I'll see you next time!