Sonic the Hedgehog didn't know why he was here.
Well, that wasn't really true. There was a very simple reason why he was here, and he knew it all too well; after months of abuse, his plane had finally decided to break down, stranding him on this island. Despite how it sounded, it wasn't actually all that big a problem for him. He was a self-proclaimed wanderer, a young adventurer, who went where the wind took him, all of which was really just an inspirational way of admitting he was an eleven-year-old homeless orphan. This setback really just meant that he would be stuck on this island until he raised enough money doing odd jobs to hire someone to fix the Tornado.
But for Sonic, being stuck anywhere was enough to make him antsy.
It did seem worse this time, however. This was a large island, and even his panicked once-over from a crashing plane had told him that it was both a beautiful place and ripe for exploration. But something about it felt off.
This town was called Emerald Hill, according to the sign, and it lived up to its name. It was a stunning place, full of lush plant life, between sparkling beaches and exciting-looking forests. Ordinarily, Sonic would have been thrilled to explore it, but there was a pervasive sense of unease, like everyone here was watching him, waiting for him to make a wrong move.
He avoided eye contact as he walked down the road, making a mental sketch of the area. Like he usually did when we entered a new town, he was getting a feel for it, making mental notes of useful shops and public buildings, and generally preparing for the possibility of getting stuck here. He wasn't planning on staying here the whole time, in fact he wanted to get out as soon as possible, but there was always the chance he might have to visit.
He could feel the locals staring at him. He was used to it, but that didn't mean he liked it. He ducked into an alley to avoid a group of teenagers giving him a dangerous stare, which was quite possibly the greatest decision of his life.
There was a little squeak behind him. He looked down, and saw a tiny ball of fluff hiding behind a dumpster.
It took Sonic a moment to process what he was seeing, as the child's fur was so matted with dirt that it was hard to tell exactly what he looked like. He appeared to be a very young fox boy, perhaps around four or five, with a sickly, emaciated frame. A pair of large, shaking black eyes stared at Sonic from behind a pair of ragged tails, glazed over with exhaustion yet still shining with terror.
Sonic didn't spend more than a millisecond focusing on the whole pair-of-tails thing. The scene gave him a kind of profound disgusted shock. It was so incongruous with the rest of the town's image, despite the menacing atmosphere, that for a moment Sonic froze, with no idea of what he was supposed to do.
He broke out of this shock when the shivering fox kit gave a quiet, terrified whine. The hedgehog quickly crouched down to the child's level, seemingly a bit too quickly, as he yelped and shrank back, squeezing his eyes shut. Sonic stopped dead, unsure of what to do next, and settled on giving him the warmest smile he could muster and waiting.
Slowly, the kit unravelled his little ball, looking up at Sonic curiously. The smile seemed to confuse him more than anything else, but he eventually looked up into Sonic's eyes, tilting his head slightly.
And for some reason, that little, innocent, childish gesture was the most heartbreaking thing about this whole situation. It somehow put in into perspective how young this kid was, how utterly disgusting the state he was in was, and Sonic suddenly found himself resolving to stop this, whatever it took.
"Hello." Sonic spoke quietly and slowly, as if to a skittish feral animal. The fox jumped, but didn't retreat. Sonic cast his gaze around the kid's body, now that he could see him properly. It was worse than he thought; he could clearly see the boy's ribs, and his skin was covered in cuts and bruises. Had someone actually beaten him up?
Sonic suppressed his growing rage, keeping up his calm, welcoming smile, and focused on one particularly big gash on the kid's arm. He took a moment to think about his words, then gestured towards it, careful not to make any sudden movements. "Do you want me to help you with that?"
The kit yipped, glanced down at the injury, then stared back up at Sonic, as if he didn't want to look away for too long. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, making little noises that sounded like the start of letters, then quickly halting them. He looked completely lost.
Sonic decided to continue. "It's okay, buddy. I just want to help." He wasn't quite sure where that term came from, but it seemed to be the right choice, as the kid's expression turned surprised, and he seemed to relax fractionally. Sonic carefully extended a hand. "C'mon. I've got some first aid stuff. And some food."
The fox froze. They remained there for a few minutes, Sonic trying his best to look non-threatening, the fox staring at him like he was trying to figure out how to defuse a bomb. Finally, very slowly, the kit lifted his own small hand and, carefully, flinching at the touch, placed it in Sonic's.
Sonic widened his smile, and, taking the tiny, thin hand, carefully stood up. The fox struggled to his feet, using the wall for support. Sonic helped him as best he could, but the kid seemed scared to tug on his arm.
Once they were both standing, Sonic took a small step back. After a moment's hesitation, the kit followed, and immediately collapsed into Sonic's outstretched arm.
He squealed, freezing up. He placed shaking hands on the arm, seemingly trying to push himself off, but his stick-thin arms didn't have the energy to support his own weight anymore. Sonic carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, steadying him.
The kid swayed on his feet, breathing unevenly. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, and he looked like he was about to pass out.
"Hey, it's okay!" Sonic reassured him as best he could, starting to get a little frightened himself. "It's alright. I won't hurt you. I promise."
He seemed to have gotten through to the fox, as he made eye contact again, slowly getting control of his breathing. Sonic let go of his shoulder, keeping hold of his hand. He took a small step forward, still shaky, but steadier now.
Sonic carefully led the child to the end of the alley. He stopped dead at the edge of the shadows, blinking in the light, and looked up at Sonic again, giving one small whimper of fear. Sonic gave him another smile, this one encouraging, and he swallowed before carefully stepping out onto the street.
He looked around and froze again, gaze landing on the teenagers from before. They stared back, looking surprised, and Sonic didn't like the look of malice that overtook them. He took a deep breath, and carefully tapped the kit on the shoulder. His gaze snapped up to him, and contrary to his earlier behaviour, he actually seemed to lean a little closer.
"Hey, buddy, you look like you're about to pass out. You want me to carry you?"
The kit looked between them for a moment, until a few of the others started to walk forward, menace visible in their gaits. He seemed to make up his mind quickly, looking up at Sonic and nodding nervously.
Sonic didn't waste any time. He scooped the kid up, doing his best to ignore the scared yelp, and sped past the surprised group. He turned a corner and slowed down, trying to settle the kid a little more comfortably in his arms as he ran towards the town exit.
They quickly reached the downed Tornado, where Sonic had set up his initial camp. It wasn't much – just a few partially unpacked boxes, a folding deckchair, and the makings of a fire. He set the kid down carefully on the edge of the chair.
The fox's entire body was frozen, with the occasional twitch and his rapidly moving eyes the only indication that he was still conscious. Sonic crouched down again, feeling guilty. "Are you okay?"
He jerked his head up, expression fearful. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He seemed to calm down a little at that, and glanced around, taking in his surroundings.
Sonic picked up his first aid kit. The fox whimpered, curling his tails tightly around himself until Sonic put it down again. He thought for a moment, then reached for his food supply instead, pulling out a peanut butter sandwich.
Approaching the kit, he offered the food to him. "Here you go, buddy." The fox looked apprehensive, sniffing the bread suspiciously. "It's fine, you can have it."
He took the sandwich, turning it over in his hands, and carefully nibbled at a corner. Despite the fact that it was about two days old and fairly compressed, his eyes lit up like it was the best thing he'd ever eaten. Which it probably is.
When he had finished, Sonic approached with the first aid kit again. The fox still looked apprehensive, but seemed more willing to give him a chance now.
Sonic slowly took his arm, examining the gash. It looked fairly recent, maybe a few hours old, and the fox seemed to have kept it clean. He took out a roll of disinfectant bandage, and carefully wrapped it around the wound. The fox whimpered in pain, but somehow managed not to cry.
Over the next few hours, Sonic alternated between giving the kid sandwiches and water, and carefully patching him up. By the time the hedgehog placed the last sticking plaster on his knee, he was looking a lot less pale, and sitting more upright. He still looked scared, but it was more of a general twitchiness than the previous hyperfocused terror.
Sonic sat there for a while, unsure of what to do now. The initial panic was over, but in his relief he realised that he hadn't made any plan beyond "save the kid".
"Hey," he began, and the fox looked up from his fifth sandwich, surprised but no longer terrified. "What's your name?"
He squeaked, curling up in fear again for a moment, before relaxing slightly and uncurling. Like before, he seemed to try to speak, but was unable to say anything.
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me. I get it." Sonic smiled reassuringly. "I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." The kit shifted around for a moment, before looking up and giving him a very weak smile. It was gone almost as soon as it appeared, and he quickly hid his face in his fluffy tails, but it gave Sonic hope. He carefully extended his hand towards the fox's head, who watched it apprehensively.
Sonic began to very gently pat the kit's head. He flinched at the touch, tensing, but after a little while began to relax. He curled up on the chair, swiped once at his eyes, then leaned fractionally into the affectionate touch.
Sonic grinned happily at the kid, and he gave another tiny smile.
A/N Starting a new series, and I hope you're all ready for fluff overdose. Till next time!
Also, this cover art is by AtlanticSora on DeviantArt, and it's one of my personal favourites!