Tails felt his heart jump up his throat as Sticks drag him to her bed, her grip strong as a bear trap. He struggled every step of the way to no avail, contemplating briefly about gnawing his own arm off in a desperate bid for freedom. But even if he somehow managed to free himself from her iron grip he'd barely make it twenty meters before he gets chased down and dragged kicking and screaming back to her burrow again.
Before he could formulate an escape plan that didn't involve chewing at his own arm, he was casually tossed onto her crude bedding with a thump. The large bed frame was meticulously woven together out of dried reeds and taut vines, simple straw stuffed in a cotton sack was used for the bedding itself while a large cut of animal fur was used as a blanket. It wasn't uncomfortable per se but it was no memory foam mattress.
Biting his lips, he watched as Sticks scrambled towards him impatiently on all fours, pinning him down atop her bed before... rubbing herself against him? Indeed, the feral badger was nuzzling herself against him, making sure to be as close as possible with each little rub.
"Uh... Sticks?" Tails uttered in bewilderment, his voice barely above a squeak. "W-what are you doing?"
"Hmm?" Sticks broke out of her impulse induced stupor and turned to face him, her expression one of hazy contentment. "Oh, I'm just, you know, mixing our scents together."
Tails swallowed thickly. His question came out hesitantly. "Er, may I ask why?"
"Well, it's part of the mating ritual," she replied a matter o' factly.
Tails gulped again, nearly choking on his own spit. "M-mating ritual?!"
"I told you you were my perfect mate," Sticks smiled dreamily. "I want to make sure all the steps get done right before we start making a whole gaggle of little foxes and badgers."
Alarm bells started going off in Tails's head. Sticks wasn't in her right mind but she was bent on making sure his bones get jumped before 'it' ends.
Thinking on his toes, he decided the best course of action was to somehow distract Sticks and then run for the hills.
"So, Sticks," Tails began, his throat uncomfortably dry. "E-exactly how many steps are there to the m-mating ritual, and what exactly do you need to do for each one?"
"Ooh, eager to get to the good part?" Sticks waggled an eyebrow suggestively.
"Heh heh, j-just curious is all," Tails chuckled sheepishly.
"Well!" Sticks pulled off him and rummaged through a nearby pile of junk, pulling out another one of her crude diagrams. "Since you're so interested in the complex intricacies of formal badger mating rituals it'd be best if I thoroughly educate you on the subject before we start bumping uglies."
"Please don't refer to it as that," he grimaced.
"Ahem," Sticks cleared her throat and pointed to the series of crudely drawn images. "In accordance to ancient jungle badger traditions, when courting a desired mate the badger in question, that's me, must perform all the steps of our sacred mating ritual before the union can be completed. Think of it as a binding contract without all the fancy words and clauses and paper."
"H-how fascinating," Tails maintained his facade. Although in truth he was quite interested in knowing the complexity of the jungle badger mating ritual he wasn't at luxury to enjoy any of the knowledge coming his way.
"Anywho," she continued, "there are around fourteen steps, give or take a couple technicalities here and there, that I must complete before we officially consummate our union. Step one: the mixing of scents. The mixing of scents is the first and most crucial step of the ritual, for it is meant to mark the couple and ward off others looking to make a move on their mate."
"Now, step two is..." Sticks became engrossed with her explanation, so much so that she didn't notice it when Tails pulled himself off the bed and propelled himself through the hole he made in the roof, making his daring escape and putting as much distance as he could between him and Sticks. By the time Sticks had concluded her presentation he was deep in the jungles of her home.
"...And that's everything about traditional jungle badger mating rituals in a nutshell. Now, do you have any questions or do you want to get started with it?" She asked, turning to face Tails only to find her bed empty. "T-Tails?" she murmured, her instincts flaring up. It began as a twitch at first, a small flick of the finger or a jerk of the knee. Then, it began spiralling out of control.
Her ears began twitching sporadically, her mouth curled into a devilish smile and her blood began to boil. Something primal had been awakened in her and she embraced the 'it' with open arms.
Tails, her one true mate, was gone, nowhere to be seen. But no matter, she was an expert when it came to tracking down people. She will find him and they can be together again.
By force if necessary.
"Oooh. Playing hard to get, are we?" she cooed, stretching her fingers. "You know how to get this badger excited, don't you, Tails? But I'll find you, and no one, not Eggman, grumpy frogglodites, or evil aliens bent on steadily enslaving everyone through sinister consumer culture are going to get in my way. Heh heh heh... Wait, who am I talking to? Why am I standing here giving a lengthy external monologue when I should be out there hunting Tails down? Come on, Sticks. Get your head in the game."
She began sniffing at the air. Her senses, which were already phenomenal to begin with, had been bolstered even further by the 'it'. She could see Tails's scent clear as day, a wispy trail of floating particles that glowed ethereally in the dimness of her burrow.
His scent was still fresh. The acrid tang of machine oil, bitter smoke and fruit scented body wash radiated off him as much as his own natural musk did, coupled with her own scent mixed among all that it created a distinct smell that Sticks could easily follow. He'll be found before he even gets a chance to reach the edge of the jungle.
Sticks's smile widened considerably.
"I'm coming for you, Tails. Heh heh... Why do I keep doing that?"
Tails ran through the dense jungle as fast as his short little legs could carry him, his twin tail having long since tired out to propel him any further after being damaged by the crash. He cursed his low stamina, feeling his heart throb against his ribcage maddeningly with each step he took. But he couldn't stop, not when Sticks could easily catch up and drag him back to her burrow.
His innocence was at stake.
"Sonic... was right..." Tails muttered in between pants, "I should've... focused more... on cardio. Curse... my insatiable... need to build!"
Eventually his vision started to blur as his stamina finally reached its peak. He slowed in his steps to catch his breath, heaving heavily as his lungs greedily took in oxygen.
"Maybe next time... I'll take up Knuckle's offer... to go to the gym... Phew!" He let out a deep sigh as he came to a complete stop, resting his hands on his knees. He barely got a moment of reprieve however as something blue slammed into him at high speeds, sending him tumbling across the jungle floor. His shock was quickly replaced by relief when he realized that it was Sonic who had crashed into him.
"Sonic!" he cheered, momentarily forgetting his fatigue.
"Tails, you're okay!" Sonic cried in relief and hugged his best friend, who responded in turn. Shortly afterwards Knuckles and Amy rushed onto the scene, helping the two up and back onto their feet.
"Looks like we made it," said Knuckles.
"And not a moment too soon," added Amy. "Did something blow up in your workshop again?" she inquired.
"Oh, that. Heh heh..." Tails grinned sheepishly, scratching at his head. "The Tornado's new parts have some kinks that need ironing out."
"Called it," Knuckles smirked smugly, crossing his arms.
"Regardless, we need to go, now!" Tails continued, feeling nervous again.
"Go? But we just found you," said Sonic.
"I don't have time to explain, but it's about-"
"Found you, Tails!" Stick's shrill voice echoed throughout the trees as she landed atop one of the larger branches with feral grace. She eyed the group below her warily, subtly gauging their capabilities despite knowing exactly what her friends could do.
"Sticks!" Tails panicked.
"Sticks?!" Knuckles, Amy, and Sonic exclaimed together, shocked by her primal appearance.
"Hey, guys! Wonderful day we're having," Sticks greeted warmly before suddenly alternating to a hostile tone. "Hand over the fox and no one gets hurt."
"Sticks, why do you want Tails?" Sonic asked, pulling the fox behind him.
"He's my mate and I've got a mating ritual to complete before we are joined in body, mind and spirit!" Sticks hotly proclaimed, getting ready to pounce.
"Whoa, dude. When I said have some grandkids I didn't mean shack it up with Sticks. Although it's not up to me to decide who you want to be your girlfriend," Sonic chided his friend.
"Guys, she isn't thinking straight! She's still suffering from the 'it'!" replied Tails, cheeks burning red.
"Taking advantage of her sickness, Tails? I expected more from you," commented Knuckles, shaking his head in disappointment.
"No, Knuckles. Sticks is the one trying to get to Tails, not the other way around," Amy corrected the echidna. She then turned to face Sticks, hammer at the ready. "Sticks, let's be civil about this. You're not well. You don't really want Tails to be your mate. The 'it' is messing with your head. Your brain is currently being flooded with a cocktail of chemicals that are making you act out in response."
"Ha! That sounds exactly what the little voice in my head said to me when I was dealing with the 'it', so I stopped listening to it!" Sticks growled back. "Besides, you already have Sonic, Amy! So keep your grubby mitts off my fox!"
"I-I' don't know what you're talking about, Sticks!" Amy replied nervously, avoiding eye contact with Sonic.
"Sticks, just back down and go home," Sonic began steadily, raising his hand in pacifism. "Don't do anything you're going to-"
"Hyaaaaaaaaaah!" Sticks leapt off the branch with reckless abandon, bellowing a vigorous warcry as she dove downward, claws at the ready.
"...Regret," Sonic mumbled lamely before taking a defensive stance. "Alright, Sticks. We don't want to hurt you, but since Tails's chastity on the line you leave us no choi- whuah!" He let out a yelp of pain as Sticks blindsided him, sending him flying backwards into a nearby patch of bramble. She vaulted off his body and landed on all fours, baring her teeth for all to see.
"Tails is coming with me!" Sticks hissed before taking off with remarkable speeds. She ran on all fours, instinctually dodging, ducking and weaving through all the blows that Amy and Knuckles were sending at her, making them look almost clumsy in the process.
"Grr... Stay still, Sticks!" Knuckles huffed.
"Make me!" Sticks retorted before leaping onto the unfortunate echidna and gnawing on his head. "Nom, nom, nom!"
"Aaaah! Get her off me! Get her off me!" Knuckles screamed, running around in circles.
"Hold on, Knuckles! I've got her!" Amy shouted as she swung her hammer. It connected with Knuckles head right as the badger mauling him had jumped off, leaving stars to orbit his gnashed noggin. Curiously the sound that came from the blow was reminiscent of tapping a hollow coconut. "Whoops, didn't mean to do that." Amy grinned sheepishly. "How're you doing big guy?"
"I gotta protect a big green rock from a greedy bat lady!" Knuckles muttered in delirium, a goofy smile plastered on his face. He then tipped forward and passed out, snoring away as his consciousness slipped into the land of dreams.
"Alright, Sticks. As your best and only other female friend this has gone only long-" Amy paused mid-sentence. She scanned the clearing around her. Sticks was nowhere to be found, and neither was Tails. "Shoot. That's not good." She grimaced, setting her hammer down.
"Ugh..." Sonic grumbled, pulling himself out of the bramble patch. He winced in pain, thorns covered him from head to toe in an ironic fashion. "What happened?"
"Sticks is gone, and so is Tails," replied Amy, helping the blue hedgehog steady himself.
"Fantastic..." Sonic frowned. "What do we do now?" He asked Amy.
"Now," Amy turned her gaze to Knuckles's unconscious form. "I think it's time we make a plan."