Emerald Hills.
A land of golden beaches, palm trees... crystal clear waters and a bright, crisp sun gleaming through fluffy white clouds.
A land of slums, and crime, and corruption.
Coconut Bay was Emerald Hills' prime trading port. Ships filled the bay, spilling goods and sailors into the city streets. Merchants and traders sold their wares in the bustling plazas, people swarming for miles around in search of exotic and desirable goods... shady deals were made in the shadows, pickpockets scoured the crowds. Homeless folk went ignored in the streets, and woefully underpaid workers staffed the city's warehouses, and the gangs fought for control of drugs and territory... as well as less conventional goods.
Through the bustling crowds, attracting curious eyes and unsavoury attention, Squirt Prower tightly clutched his toy aeroplane to his chest and looked fearfully around at the crowds around him. The small fox, clad in his leather flight helmet and red sneakers, ducked his tails as close to his legs as he could and tried to go unnoticed.
He had memories of this place, inherited from when he and his brothers had been Tails... and he was scared. He remembered staying as far away from the crowds as he could, running into the outskirts, and being preyed on by the bullies who followed him.
He remembered it as though it were yesterday. Squirt was technically twelve years old, same as his brothers... but the smallest quintuplet was biologically five years old. Barely older than when Tails had been found by Sonic, and being back in this place was frightening for the little fox.
But he needed to be here. He needed to find his parents, and to do so, he needed to talk to people. Somebody in this town had to know where the Prowers were, or where they might have gone.
Squirt flinched as a pair of adults almost walked right over him, the larger mobians hurling curses at the boy as he rushed aside. Squirt hovered close to the stone wall of a tavern, clutching his plane to his chest. He craned his neck and looked up to the sign of the tavern, swinging above the wooden door.
He considered his options, eyeing the door to the tavern nervously, before steeling himself and pushing the heavy wooden door open and entering the tavern.
Squirt fearfully looked around the musky interior of the rowdy tavern, the public drinking house filled with inebriated folk from all across the zones. Suspicious eyes regarded the cub as he timidly stepped through the crowds of drinkers, patrons gesturing and muttering to one another at the strange little twin-tailed fox who slowly wandered toward the bar with his toy plane.
Squirt clambered onto a miraculously empty barstool, swinging his legs over and setting his hands on the bar. The bartender, a middle-aged beaver with a huge paunch and no distinguishable neck, stared at the child incredulously.
"What d'you want, kid?" the beaver grunted, when he realised the fox wasn't going to leave.
Squirt flattened his ears and looked up to the man with big, gleaming blue eyes. "Sorry mister, I..." he said lightly, looking pleadingly up at the man, "I... I'm looking fer my mommy and daddy an'... an'..."
The beaver's eyes widened, a suddenly apprehensive expression over his features. The man seemed to look shrewdly around the noisy bar, before leaning in close to the little fox.
"Listen 'ere kid..." he hissed through mismatched broken teeth, "no bugger 'ere can 'elp yer... so if I was you, ah'd get me arse right outta 'ere an' back where tha came from, y'ere?" The man again took a quick look around the tavern, as though searching for trouble. "S'not safe 'ere..."
Squirt was about to nervously ask what the man meant by that, when a large glove clapped down on his tiny shoulder.
Squirt craned his neck to find a large ragged brown wolf, clad in a scruffy trenchcoat and wearing a leering grin, glowering down at him with hungry eyes.
"Ah wou'nt worry 'bout that..." the stranger said, looking pointedly to the bartender, "Ah think me an' me pals can 'elp the lad... i'nt that right, Mick?"
The bartender swallowed hard and looked sadly to the fox boy, before nodding lightly and shrinking beneath the wolf's glare. "Yes sir, tha's right..."
"You can 'elp me find my mom an' dad?" Squirt piped up, big eyes beaming hopefully at the stranger.
The wolf grinned like a predator eyeing up a meal, and took the little fox by the hand as he led him away.
"I think we can sort summat out, little 'un..." the wolf said, leading Squirt toward another pair of mobians, a boar and a jackal, who glared at the boy grimly, "me an' me mates'll sort summat..."
"Nyoom! Brrr! Powpowpow!"
On the outskirts of the town, in a large green field framed by coconut trees, two local urchins occupied the cockpit of the gleaming red biplane that had been parked there early in the day. The two jackals, brother and sister, were busy playing pilots, pretending to dogfight with imaginary enemy aircraft.
"Oh no! We're 'it!"
"Bad guys on 'are tail!"
"bang bang bang!"
the jackal pups giggled and jabbed buttons in the inactive plane.
"This is so cool!" the boy said, jiggling the flight stick.
" 'ho leaves a plane jus' lyin' about like this?" the girl leaned over from the rear seat
"D'yer think we can start it up?"
"I'unno!" the boy began tapping at the plane's instruments, having no idea what he was doing, "let's give it a go!"
The two jackals' ears perked as a low thrumming echoed over the trees, carried by the light breeze. The looked up from the cockpit... to find a flight of four specks approaching above the forest.
The pups' jaws flapped open as, like a wing of attack helicopters, four near-identical foxes flew toward them and three touched down into the grass, a fourth landing on the wing of the biplane.
Blade folded his arms and glowered at the pups. "Get. Out."
"Blade, leave them alone..." Feather said gently, "they're just kids..."
"Hey guys!" blitz spiked up his harr and grinned at the jackals, "you having fun in out plane?"
The jackals hopped from the plane and into the grass, looking with wonder at the four foxes. "You guys can fly?" the girl said with excitement.
"Sure can!" Blitz grinned, kneeling down to meet the kids at their level while Blade hovered down from the plane. "Maybe you kids can help us! We're looking for our brother. He's about your guys' age, 'bout the same height... you seen him around?"
The jackals glanced to one another nervously. "Mister... is he on 'is own?"
"What do you think?" Blade grunted, the smaller jackals flattening their ears at the dark fox's scrutiny.
"Blade, please..." Feather rolled his eyes and leaned down beside Blitz, hands on the knees of his denim dungarees. "Yes, he took our plane and left last night..." the long-haired fox smiled sweetly, "we need to find him, because he might be in trouble... do you know where we might be able to find him?"
The jackals shuffled nervously, though they appeared to have been swayed by the gentle fox. "In't town..." the boy said, "but..."
"But what?" Feather said gently, when the jackal cub hesitated.
"If 'e's on 'is own..." the girl piped up, "kids go missin' if they're on their own..."
The brothers' faces fell, and they looked seriously into the Jackals' eyes.
"What do you mean?" Blitz said evenly, "kids go missing?"
"The gangs nick 'em!" the boy said, "they find kids an' they take 'em away!"
"We dun't go near the town! 'Are mum an' dad said not ter!"
Blade hissed a curse from behind, while Feather and Blitz looked to one another with apprehension.
"Okay guys..." Blitz said gently, doing his best to wear an appreciative grin, "thanks for your help!"
"'kay, mister!" the boy jackal said.
"Are we in trouble fer playin' in yer plane?" the girl said nervously, big brown eyes gleaming up at Blitz and reminding him far too much of his missing brother.
Feather shook his head and smiled. "No, don't be silly! We appreciate your help!"
"Thanks, miss!"
"Can we go now?"
Blade snorted humourlessly at the misused pronoun, Blitz shooting him a warning glance.
"Yeah, on your way guys!" Blitz said to the jackals, the two cubs grinning and scampering away.
"Great..." Blade muttered, kicking at a scuff of grass, "just freaking great... so the little goober's been picked up by creepos..."
"Oh dear..." Feather wrapped his arms around himself, hugging his dungarees close to his slender form, "Squirt..."
"What should be our next course of action?" Doc said, lacing his hands behind his back.
"What do you think?" Blitz growled, shooting the goggled fox a glare, "we go into town, we find him... and we kick the shit out of whatever bastards took him."
Blade grinned maliciously, a dark gleam in his eyes. "Sounds like my kinda plan!"
Squirt sniffled, hugging his fluffy tails around himself defensively as he curled in the corner of the dingy room he found himself in. He was stupid. He was so stupid. The men had tricked him. They'd led him to this place and thrown him into this room, and left him all alone. He'd cried and pleaded to no avail, being totally ignored by the men. He didn't even know why they had been so mean to him, or what they were going to do to him.
Squirt was so, so stupid.
He clutched his toy plane while he wrapped himself in his tails. His brothers wouldn't have been so stupid. His brothers would probably have found their parents by now, and wouldn't have trusted the strange men who had taken him.
And Tails... Tails would have broken out of here by now.
Squirt hated himself. His brothers had all inherited something useful from Tails. Blitz was cool and brave, Blade was tough and wouldn't take crap from anyone, Doc was hyper intelligent and could solve any problem, and Feather was the nicest and most gentle person Squirt knew. Squirt... was just a dumb little kid.
He sniffed, eyes sore from crying scanning the dingy room. There was a small air vent up in one corner he hadn't noticed yet, and Squirt climbed to his feet to tentatively investigate.
He looked up to the vent. He figured that he would be able to squeeze through if he flew up... but he had no tools. Nothing to remove the grate with.
He whimpered, feeling utterly useless.
Hey!
Squirt spun around with a yelp, eyes wide and ears perked. He could have sworn he heard somebody whisper to him from behind, a familiar voice that just couldn't be, and he had the distinct impression of somebody kneeled beside his discarded toy plane...
He wandered slowly over to the plane and inspected the toy. Thoughts ran through his brain. If he disassembled the mettalic toy... he might be able to use the parts to unscrew the vent covering...
Suddenly, Squirt didn't feel so useless. He didn't want to destroy his beloved plane... but he wasn't going to sit here and wait for the men to come back.
He removed his gloves, grabbed his precious plane, and began to work at the casing with his claws.
"Ugh... I don't miss this freaking place, that's for sure..."
Blade muttered darkly as the four foxes entered Coconut Bay, his brothers wearing equal expressions of distaste.
"For once, you and I agree on something buddy..." Blitz replied, while beside him Feather wrapped his arms around himself.
"Where should we begin?" Doc said matter-of-factly, the emotionless fox seeming otherwise unfazed by being back in this town where he and his companions had suffered as Tails.
Blitz nodded toward a nearby tavern, from which a pair of sailors drunkenly stumbled from the door. "Let's ask in there."
Blade scoffed. "What, you think our little brother went into a bar?"
"A logical conclusion," Doc said approvingly, "drinking houses are often places where gossip is exchanged."
"If anyone knows what's going on in this town..." Blitz replied, "they'll be in there. Plus I could really use a drink right about now!"
Feather clucked his tongue. "Blitz, we're underage."
"Don't be a buzzkill, dude!" Blitz winked, Feather rolling his eyes while his brothers approached the bar.
All four foxes walked through the heavy wooden door to find the tavern rowdy and filled with drinkers, all of whom ceased in their revelling and locked their eyes on the new arrivals as though it were an old cowdog movie. Blitz was unfazed, striding through the bar with his brothers in tow, Blade scowling while Feather worried and Doc wore his usual expression of mild disinterest.
The bartender, a middle aged beaver with a beer gut, fixed the foxes with a bemused look, bewilderment plastered over his face as Blitz confidently stood before him, hands on hips.
"What'd'you wan'?" the beaver grunted, suspicious eyes flicking over the foxes.
Blitz grinned. "We're looking for our little brother!" He said without hesitation, "we heard this place is... trouble for lost kids. So..." the spiky-haired fox leaned forward, one eyebrow raised. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would ya?"
The beaver swallowed, glancing between each of the foxes. "Wha's 'e look like?"
"Oh, he's a giant purple cat with brain damage and diabetes," Blade deadpanned, glaring at the man. "What do you think he looks like, dumbass?"
"Blade!" Feather scolded his brother, nudging Blade in the ribs before looking pleadingly to the beaver. "I'm sorry sir, we're just very worried about our brother... we were told that lost children often go missing in this town... if you know anything about it, could you please help us?"
Conflict seemed to run over the beaver's face, before he let out a deep sigh and looked sadly between the foxes. "I'm sorry, miss..." he said directly to Feather, who didn't appear to refute the pronoun, "but I can't 'elp you or your brothers..."
"Tha's right, 'e can't..."
The brothers turned to find a gang of mobians, led by a boar and a gorilla, bearing down on them. The men did not appear friendly, eyeing the foxes like wary predators.
Blitz grinned confidently, utterly fearless the gang. "Oh, is that right?" Blade and Doc stood to flank him, Feather worridely hovering to the side, "then maybe you boys could, huh?"
The boar glowered at Blitz, he and his cronies asserting themselves threateningly. The brothers couldn't help but notice the surrounding drinkers giving them space, moving away from the confrontation. "No, I don't think we could," the man said.
Blitz shrugged. "Then I guess we're at a little bit of an impasse, huh?"
"Where is he, you son of a bitch?" Blade growled, staring absolute death at the boar, "what've you done with our brother?"
The man set his shoulders. "Dunno what yer' talkin' about, cock."
"Boys, please..." Feather spoke up, fearfully looking between the gang members, "we just want to know where our brother is..."
"You migh' no' wan'..." the gorilla grunted, fists clenching, "ter ask ter many questions..."
The opposing mobians glowered at one another, the outcome of the confrontation never in doubt.
"Oh, fuck this..." Blade snarled, lunging forward with a punch and starting the fight.
The gang was composed of older men, each of them hardened criminals... but Tails had been fighting the forces of Robotnik since he was a cub. He was very much used to combat. And now there were four of him.
Blade continued putting harsh kicks into a fallen cyote, the crack of ribs sounding out through the bar. Blitz hopped into the air and delivered a boot to the boar's face, breaking teeth and sending the man sprawling. Doc put mechanical punches and kicks to his own enemies, and Feather screeched in alarm as a jackal reached out and grabbed him by the neck of his dungarees. The effeminate fox lashed out with claws extended, drawing blood and scrambling for cover.
The surrounding patrons jeered as the fight went on, and the battle-hardened foxes cleared the floor of their opposition.
There was a scream of fright, and the brothers ceased fighting and locked their eyes on the boar... who held his hands in surrender, a knife held at his throat. His cronies lay spread about the tavern floor, knocked unconscious in the fight.
"Blade!" Blitz raised his hands and gestured for calm, as his black-haired brother ran his knife against the boar's throat, an absolutely evil look over his face. "Let's just be calm, yeah?"
"Where is he?" Blade snarled, growling into the boar's pointed ear, "where's our brother, asshole?"
"Okay... Chaos, kid, jus' be cool..."
"You'd probably better cooperate..." Doc said matter-of-factly, "our brother is quite excitable..."
"Alrigh'! Alrigh'!" the boar's voice shook as he looked between the brothers pleadingly, "Ah'll tek yer ter where 'e's bein' 'eld! Jus' dun't 'urt me!"
Blade snorted. "Yeah, you'd better..."
Blitz shot Blade a look, before glaring into the boar's eyes. "Go on then," he said threateningly, "show us."
The boar, under duress, guided the foxes to a run-down building on the outskirts of town, yelping as Blade prodded his knife into his back.
"This the place?" Blitz said, glaring at the man.
"Yeah! 'E's bein' 'eld in there!" the boar said, apprehensively looking between he foxes, "I swear!"
Blitz leaned in close, glowering at the man... and then nodded to Blade. "Let him go."
Blade scowled. "Seriously? What if he's full of shit?"
"Let him go Blade. We don't take hostages."
Blade snorted, but complied and shoved the boar away, offering a kick to his ass for good measure. "Go on, get outta here you fucker!"
The boar squealed as Blade's foot connected, and he scarpered away through the now empty streets of the outskirts.
"Okay..." Feather said lightly, looking over the building with apprehension. "What if... what if there's more of them in there?"
"Then we'll deal with them," Blitz replied.
"Don't worry princess..." Blade said dryly, "we'll protect you..."
Feather ignored his brother, swallowing his nerves and wrapping his arms tightly around himself.
"Okay... Blitz said, gritting his teeth and balling his fists, "let's go find our lil' bro..."
Squirt yelped as he hauled himself through the now open air vent, pushing the grate away and sending the metal clattering into the alleyway outside. He grinned and squirmed out of the small opening, landing in a heap outside.
Squirt beamed triumphantly, discarding the part of his toy plane he had used to painstakingly removed the screws of the vents' grates. He had been lucky. Nobody had come to check on him, and he had been able to remove the grate and squeeze into the vent. A small while later, worming his way through the ventilation shafts... he was free.
Squirt climbed to his feet, whimpering as he registered a graze on his knee... and took off away down the alley.
Blitz and his brothers barged into the cramped, dingy room, breaking down the door with a combined effort. The brothers had swept the small building, taking down another couple of gang members, and had investigated every room they had come across to no avail. Blade held his knife ready, Blitz clenched his fists, and Feather now wielded a pipe as a blunt object.
"Oh jeez..." Blitz hissed, dropping to his knees and gathering the parts of a very familiar, disassembled toy plane, "Squirt..."
"What's happening?" Blade called, covering the door behind his brothers while Feather joined Blitz on the ground.
"His plane..." Feather whispered, "his little plane..."
"Shit..." Blade grunted, peering over at the two foxes, "what d'you think they did with him?"
"Not a thing..." came another voice, and the three foxes looked up to find Doc inspecting a discarded grate on the floor... and an open air vent above. The vent was small... but Squirt could easily squeeze through. The goggled fox turned, hands behind back, and thoughtfully regarded his siblings. "I do believe our smallest brethren has escaped."
"You fuckin' kidding me?" Blade growled, sounding almost angry, "you mean he's back *out* there while we're fuckin' around in here?!"
"If that's true," Blitz said grimly, raising to his feet and reaching out to help Feather up, "we don't have time to lose. Let's get back out there!"
Squirt tentatively rounded the corner of a red brick building, recognising the market plaza from before. The tavern was across the plaza, and he was highly reluctant to go anywhere near the place.
He retreated back behind the building. He had become lost in the winding streets, and was unsure where he was going... but he knew he had to get back to the Tornado, and get out of this place for good. He could continue his search for his parents elsewhere.
Squirt squeaked in alarm as a hand roughly grabbed his scruff, and he was lifted clean from the ground. He was spun around, feet dangling uselessly... to find the leering face of the yellow-toothed wolf, who had tricked him and locked him up.
"Well well well..." the wolf sneered, alcohol-tinted breath hitting Squirt's senses, "wha' are you doin' out 'ere?"
Squirt's ears flattened and he whimpered as his eyes met the wolf's. The man regarded him curiously, like freshly caught prey, while Squirt dangled from his gloved hand.
The little fox squeaked and began to thrash, kicking with his legs and lashing out with his claws. The wolf chuckled, holding him out at arm's length.
"I dun't like runaways..." the man growled, his pointed canines baring, "an' I ain' lettin' a tidy little profit like you get away... so ah reckon yer'd better pack it in before yer get 'urt... you understand me, yer little shit?"
Tears began to form in Squirt's eyes as he fruitlessly attempted to escape, the little fox's hopes for freedom evaporating as quickly as they'd been gained.
"Please..." he whimpered, ears flattening and lower limbs drooping, "please don' 'urt me..."
The wolf leaned close and snarled in Squirt's face, so close his nose almost touched the fox's.
"Lotta folks'll pay good for a little 'un like you..." he growled, yellow eyes boring into Squirt's, "but if I 'ave ter break yer... ah'll make yer wish yer'd stayed right put where ah left yer."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..."
The wolf turned, ears perking... and his mouth flopped open as he was faced with four near-identical foxes, glaring at him from down the street. His yellow eyes flicked between them, noting the small differences between each fox, understanding that these mobians must be the small one's family.
"Now now lads..." the wolf said tentatively, eyes briefly locking on the long-haired fox, "an' lass... this in't what it looks like, tha knows?"
"Funny..." the spiky-haired male said through grit teeth, "because it looks like you're holding our little brother and talking about beating the snot outta him..."
"Are you alright, Squirt?" the long-haired fox of indeterminate gender called out, "has he hurt you?"
"He's not gonna get the chance..." the dark-haired fox snarled, blue eyes staring death at the wolf while he flipped a knife in his hand.
"Sir, I would like to inform you that my siblings and I have already successfully incapacitated several of your apparent fellows..." the fox with the goggles said flatly, hands behind his back as though he were giving a lecture. "You can give us back our brother by choice... or we will be forced to take him from you."
The wolf looked between each fox, understanding his position. He grinned and slowly set the little fox down on his feet. "Sorry boys... I din't mean nothin' by it..."
The small fox scampered desperately back to his siblings, running right into the embrace of the long-haired fox with the dungarees. The wolf took a step back, hands raised, seemingly intent on bolting.
"What do we do with this piece of shit?" the black-haired fox glared at the wolf, gesturing with his knife. The wolf hesitated, unsure if he would be able to outrun these younger, fitter mobians.
The leader with the spiked hair stared daggers at the wolf. "Get out of here," he grunted, fists still clenched, "and don't let us see you again."
The wolf, unable to believe his luck, turned and scarpered, disappearing into the rapidly darkening evening.
The man now gone, Feather wrapped Squirt in the biggest hug he could offer, and the little fox buried himself in his larger sibling's embrace.
"Are you okay, baby?" the gentle fox cooed, running a hand through Squirt's neck fur.
The small fox nodded, tears staining Feather's dungarees. "I... I thought they were gonna take me away..." he whimpered, "I thought I'd never see you guys again..."
"Well we're here now honey..." the larger fox said softly, "you're safe..."
"Letting him go..." Doc said, moving to stand beside Blitz and adjusting his goggles, "may have been a mistake, Blitz. Who knows what these men may be up to."
"For once..." Blade snorted, sheathing his knife in his belt, "I agree with the professor. We shouldn't've let any of 'em go!"
Blitz shrugged. "It's not like there's a police force here..."
"Yeah, I wasn't thinking about arresting 'em..." Blade replied darkly, earning himself a glare and a stern finger from his brother.
"We don't. Kill people Blade..." Blitz said as evenly as he could manage, "that's not how Sonic raised us."
"Perhaps..." said Doc, "it may become practical to alter that approach..."
Blitz declined to respond, simply closing his eyes and releasing a heavy sigh.
"Come on, guys..." he said resignedly, "let's get outta this piece of shit town..."
The brothers returned home that very evening, landing the Tornado in the workshop hangar in the early hours of the morning. Fortunately for them, Sonic had yet to return from his own adventures, and so they had no uncomfortable explanations to make to their older brother.
They ordered pizza and let Squirt have whatever he wanted, spoiling their youngest sibling rotten, so happy to simply have him back safe. The boi received many hugs and fusses, and it wasn't long until the floofy little fox was noddling off to sleep.
Blitz grinned as Squirt yawned wide, reaching over and nudging Feather who still held the smallest fox in his arms. "You wanna do the honours, bro?"
Feather seemed to flinch a little, but his face fell into a warm smile and he lightly rocked Squirt in his grasp. "Come on, kiddo. Bedtime."
Squirt craned his neck and looked up at his siblings with big, scared eyes. "I dun't wanna go..."
"It's okay, little dude!" Blitz grinned, "we'll be right here, okay?"
"No..." Squirt shuffled in Feather's arms, nudging in closer to the gentle fox, "I dun't wanna..."
"Jus' let the little goober sleep here..." Blade spoke up, slouched in his usual position in his armchair, one foot resting on the coffee table while he tapped away at a video game, "where's the harm in that?"
"I'm no' a goober!" Squirt protested.
Blade smirked. "Total goober, goober!"
"Edgy-boy!"
Blade stuck his tongue out, causing his smaller sibling to giggle.
Blitz looked to his other brothers and sighed in defeat. "Sure thing little buddy..." he said, reaching out and ruffling Squirt's head, "and we'll stay right here with you, okay?"
Squirt nodded, curling up and wrapping his tails around himself. "Ye'r not gonna leave me?"
"Absolutely not, baby..." Feather said softly, adjusting Squirt's wonky flight helmet, "we'll be here all night to keep you safe..."
"Promise..." Squirt said vaguely, eyes closed as he snuggled into Feather's chest.
"Promise, little dude..." Blitz replied, watching as his smallest brother began to drift into unconsciousness.
"Blitz..."
"Yeah, little buddy?"
"C'n I... get a new plane..."
Blitz and Feather exchanged a glance, before switching their attention back to the sleepy cub. "Sure thing, kiddo..." Blitz said, "sure thing..."
Squirt said no more, no snoozing peacefully, still wrapped in Feather's embrace.
"I can't believe we almost lost him..." Feather said quietly, affectionately stroking his brother's neck.
"Well fortunately, we were able to locate him in time." replied Doc, who tapped away at a laptop.
"Yeah..." muttered Blade, "lucky for the bastards we did... nobody screws with my family..."
"Good to hear it, edgy-boi..." Blitz replied, Blade snorting with laughter.
"Whatever, faker."
Blitz smiled, looking around at his brothers.
"Crazy to think..." Feather said, looking to Blitz with soft blue eyes, "that we all used to be one person..."
"Yeah, well..." Blitz replied, "we used to be... but whatever we are now, we're a team. We're a family. And if I have anything to do with it, we'll never, ever let each other down. No matter what."
Blade smirked. "True dat," the dark fox said.
"What about mom and dad?" Feather whispered, "this whole thing started when Squirt wanted to find our parents... maybe we should try and find them? For his sake?"
Blitz grimaced, sucking in air through his teeth as he considered.
"I guess so..." he said finally, "for Squirt... I guess so."