A quiet place
Rain was soothing. An almost otherworldly yet phenomenal event which coated landscapes and forests into a watery paradise. A cleansing experience, pitter-patter of rain drops falling and landing on the turquoise energy carrying him.
Sonic sighed as he closed his eyes. The pain had dimmed when pressure was released on his leg. It left behind aching spots, areas of his body he knew would sport purple and blue by tomorrow. But he knew he hadn't been the only one. The hedgehog didn't have much of a choice but to comply with the situation which made him sigh frustrated and opened his eyes again.
He had noted Silver had started to pant heavily as he saw the exhaustion clearly in his face from using energy. Quiet conversations had revealed it was a power he was born with, telekinesis, being able to move objects – and people – with his mind alone. He was afraid of what they would have said or done to him if he had told them earlier. When Sonic had asked why he would have thought such a thing he had gone quiet, his face plagued with a fatigue he hadn't seen before. He had left the question alone then.
Talking to Tails wasn't any better, yet the hedgehog could hear him panting as well, flying up and down in uneven movements. The fox was muttering about pain and exhaustion when he asked, freely telling him without hiding anything. Either from the tiredness or their earlier argument before the fight had happened. Sonic wasn't sure, and neither of them wanted to talk about it either. The kid was being quiet, heavy concentration visible in his features as he merely moved forward whilst thoughts swirled in his mind. The hedgehog could tell, and he knew he wanted to be left alone. He therefore looked at the landscape instead.
The forest had disappeared. The heavy fog and the refreshing undergrowth had gone when they had abruptly left the forest. Going in one singular direction for an undetermined amount of time was a choice which hadn't occurred to him, yet it had led them here. A large open area, larger than he had ever seen before, something which made his legs tingle just thinking about running here. No trees were in sight, just giant lands before them, shrubbery grew on the ground beneath them.
His uncle had talked about heaths before though Sonic had never been to one. If he knew how much room there was he would've been looking for something like this a long time ago. Now though, he was here with a young kid with a stab wound and a mysterious power guru with amnesia. If his uncle had told him this is where he would be standing, he would've laughed in his face. Although, nothing was quite funny at the moment.
Sonic looked down at Chao in his lap, the creature was asleep as if he had taken an afternoon nap. Color hadn't returned to his skin and had only murmured a few 'chaos' in response to some sort of pain or tiredness, the hedgehog didn't know. He was at a loss what to do, a part of him hoped sleep and rest was going to help the little Chao. He'd seen it happen, the memory alone which made the same anger resurface. He exhaled through his nose as he agreed that getting angry wasn't the solution now. They needed to do something instead.
"Look there," Sonic was glad to be pulled out of his thoughts as he looked up at Tails' words.
The fox was pointing forward; the hedgehog immediately saw what he was referring to. First, he saw the river, going down in lazy strides from their left. And then he thought he saw rows and rows of dark lumber, laying in rows and patterns. But as they got closer, he felt his jaw drop and his heart drop into his stomach.
His eyes traveled down the small village, could see where the road had been, where the center point of the city had been. But it was gone now. All burnt to a crisp.
Small houses, black and ashen gray, walls missing, roofs missing, only walls and some doors were left behind. Standing in rows, one house after the next, missing windows, the walls thin and blackened, soot and ash had become the floor.
Their silhouettes made a chill go down his spine, their ghostly appearances seemed unreal, another world, another time. Abandoned and forgotten, the small village was nothing but an image of what it once had been.
As they neared the old entrance of the place, Sonic noted he was falling, looking at Silver and observing as his hand was lowering. The hedgehog looked forward and saw Tails lowering as well, panting heavily as they were landing on the ground.
When the blue hedgehog felt his feet hit the ground, he gritted his teeth and fell to his knees instead as his leg gave in immediately. He looked up and didn't know who to catch first as Silver fell forward into the ground and Tails was trying to keep himself up on his knees.
"Take it easy guys," Sonic said to them both.
He left a hand on Silver's shoulder when he was closest to him while the other arm carried Chao. The gray hedgehog was heaving for breath, his entire body shaking as he was staring at the ground, merely concentrating on taking in oxygen. Sweat dripping from his brow, mixing with the rainwater slowly starting to wash off the blood sitting on his muzzle. The silver hedgehog didn't say anything, only closed his eyes and continued breathing heavily.
Sonic looked at Tails, saw as the fox had both hands outstretched at the ground as he stared at it and rested on his knees. Breathing just as deeply, just as fast to refill his lungs, Sonic could see him shaking just as much. His eyes traveled down the fox's side as he looked at the blood sticking to his golden fur, the bandages soaked and ruined. He noted a scar on his arm as well, though it didn't look as bad. But he knew all three of them would be sporting bruises in the morning.
The hedgehog swallowed something in his throat as he scooted closer to the fox and moved his hand to his shoulder. The pick pocketer didn't notice it, merely concentrated on breathing into the ground. Sonic decided to leave him be as he turned his head around and saw as Silver rolled over onto his back.
The blue hedgehog took another moment and blinked the rainwater out of his eyes, before he turned to look at the village again. Most of it looked broken and wouldn't do for a shelter. But he would have to look.
"Hold him," Sonic more or less deposited Chao on top of Silver which made the gray hedgehog scramble to hold him with one arm.
Amber eyes followed the blue hedgehog's movements as Sonic took in a deep breath and shakily got to his legs. He stumbled a step; the pain had subsided enough for him to walk on it, yet it was far from ideal. He gritted his teeth again, before he looked at the village with determination and limped toward it.
Every step was a fiery burn running up his leg, despite the rain cooling his being as he was moving forward slowly. The first houses were badly burned, only the stone foundation was left, the smell of soot hung in the air. The ash was running down the street from the water, as the hedgehog was looking from one burned house to the next.
He hissed and paused when his leg gave in, the fiery pain taking over for just a moment. Breathing deeply and forcing his mind to think about something else was a coping mechanism he had learned long ago. He gritted his teeth as he continued forward.
Coming to a square with larger yet still badly burned buildings, he looked around and walked down a street which didn't look as destroyed. Most of the houses were still standing, some of the roofs even remaining.
He limped down the street. His eyes scanned the haunted silhouettes. An eerie sense of being watched made his pelt prickle. He tried to ignore it and instead scanned the houses he passed. Some looked to be stable but then the walls were gone or the roof.
Sonic sighed frustrated as he looked past another smaller house. His eyes fastened on one with a roof and walls.
He limped toward it immediately as he scanned the facade. As he stood in the doorless entrance, his hope slowly dwindled from his body. It smelled of ash, soot present on every wall and surface, a choking atmosphere resided. Sonic didn't want to give up on it yet if it was the only standing house. He walked inside.
The hedgehog made footprints in the ash; his eyes looked at the ceiling yet only beams were left, the rain making puddles on the wooden floor. He stepped closer to what he figured had been a kitchen as his eyes scanned the room.
Turning and still determining whether this was a good place to rest he noticed a big lump of black in the corner. His mind went to some broken furniture though he took a closer look. A prominent silhouette became visible as his eyes got used to the light.
Long and sleek, something hung from one part, some being on the floor in the corner. And there were two, one next to it. Smaller, but with the same features. Black with soot, the only substances left behind from what Sonic realized was not furniture.
He gasped when he saw it.
The heads, the torsos, the arms, and legs. Burned to a crisp.
"They've been here for a long time."
Sonic jumped startled and twisted around toward the voice. He calmed immediately when he saw Tails standing in the doorway, the two tailed fox staring directly at the two trapped souls.
The hedgehog blinked at him, before he looked back. Bile rose to his throat in such a haste he had to look away again and back at the fox.
"How do you know?" Tails' blue eyes were still looking at the duo in the corner before turning to Sonic. His expression was unreadable, only exhaustion was left.
"This isn't the first time I see a corpse Sonic," was his empty response, one which made the hedgehog's stomach drop, "A lot of people don't make it on the street. Sometimes they… they're just at the wrong place at the wrong time. And when nobody is looking for them, they stay until enough people complain about the smell and the soldiers haul them away. I don't know where they go after that."
The hedgehog heard the coldness intertwined with the words and could hear how much regret there was from having seen something like this. Nobody should be in a position to have to stumble into something like this. Yet, Tails had.
Sonic was staring back at the fox, that realization making his fingers slightly shaking, his heart feeling colder and heavier in his chest. Standing in the doorway, one hand holding on to the frame, the glove tattered and dirtied maroon. His body suffered various scrapes, dirt and blood sitting in his pelt, a scar down his arm. His side was caked in red, the bandages destroyed.
What was most prominent was his shaking, maybe from the cold, the exhaustion in his eyes, the fright, the defeat, still visible behind the pools of blue. His chaos had forcefully been taken from him without permission, suffering in a fight which hadn't been his.
An eight-year-old kid. Far from home.
Sonic's eyes rested on Tails for another moment, the fox stared at something in the other corner, as he was still shaking. The hedgehog limped toward him, without warning stood in front of him and wrapped his arms around him.
He pulled him into the hug, despite Tails' freezing in place from the unexpected comfort. Sonic held on, not wanting to give him the chance to pull or run away. He could feel how cold he was.
The kid was stiff and rigid in his embrace for moments before he could feel him melting. Tails sighed in resignation; his own arms wrapped around Sonic's back. As he felt the fox return the squeeze, he left his chin on top of his head and ran his hand up and down his back.
It was the fright, the shaking, the experience being too close to death for comfort, the situation at hand being something he'd never experienced before. It was unfair and it shouldn't have happened. It made the hedgehog squeeze a little harder as the fox only succumbed to the hug.
No words were exchanged, Sonic could only feel his ribs under his fingers, the small squeeze and secret longing for comfort he didn't dare say out loud. Therefore, they remained.
Sonic's ears flicked when he heard Tails sigh again and pulled back. The hedgehog did the same and looked at him. The fox seemed slightly embarrassed as he stared at the floor for a second.
"Thank you," was his only words before he looked up at him, still shaking, still beaten up.
Sonic did nothing but nod and smile at him. He wrapped a single arm around his shoulders and led him out of the house. They weren't going to rest there tonight.
Outside the rain had picked up. It fell harder and faster than before as Sonic looked around for another place to rest.
"Almost everything is ruined," Tails said, as he walked out of the hedgehog's gentle hold. He looked back and forth at the houses as he walked forward while Sonic merely limped after him.
"Something's gotta still be standing, right?" He asked, despite knowing the pick pocketer didn't have an answer for him.
At the next step his leg gave in again. He hissed and paused for a second as he exhaled deeply to alleviate the pain once more. He saw Tails turn around and look at him in his peripheral vision and expected either a question or a comment.
"Hey Tails?! Sonic?!" Another voice came from the rain instead. It made the hedgehog look up and turn around.
He could see Silver standing at another intersection, looking equally as exhausted still with Chao in one of his arms.
"I've found something!" He yelled as he sounded weirdly excited. Before Sonic had time to ask what he meant, Silver turned around and walked somewhere he couldn't see.
The blue hedgehog turned to look at the fox, though he merely shook his head and followed where Silver had gone. Sonic limped after him, as he silently hoped it wasn't too far away. When he turned a corner with the kid, he looked up and only saw Silver standing in a doorway before he eagerly walked inside.
Sonic looked up as he noticed it was a considerably larger building than the others surrounding it, somehow still standing, might've been an inn back in the day. He watched as Tails walked inside, the hedgehog limped forward and held on to the doorframe as he looked around.
The place was bigger than he had expected. One side of the building was more burned and broken down than the other part. The roof had fallen which let in the rain, the floorboards were broken, and the wall was gone. The other side was relatively intact, walls, ceiling, and an actual window with glass, completely covered in soot remained. He noted nothing was sitting in the corners.
"Look," Sonic turned his head in Silver's direction.
The gray hedgehog moved toward the area with no roof as rain fell on him. As he got down on one knee Sonic moved in his direction in case he had fallen out of exhaustion. He stopped when Silver began to dig with one hand instead.
Silver was swiping and digging at what looked to be a mount of ash and soot. He cupped his hand around something Sonic couldn't see from where he was standing. He saw Tails stiffening in front of him.
The blue hedgehog opened his mouth to ask what it was, when Silver stood and turned around. Sonic blinked as he looked at the crystal shell in the hedgehog's hand. He looked at the green glow it was emanating.
Another emerald, another jewel sat neatly in Silver's hand, a Chaos Emerald as green as the jungle itself. Found in the middle of nowhere.
"Well," Sonic looked at Tails as he sighed the word, "I guess that's all seven of them."
Silver blinked in confusion from the lack of enthusiasm in the pick pocketer's voice before he looked at the emerald in his hand and blew soot off its glowing surface.
"Good job Silver," Sonic said, something which made the gray hedgehog look at him. He received a small smile in appreciation.
"I think we can rest here," The azure hedgehog then sighed. He turned around and scanned the intact area of the inn.
It consisted mostly of soot as the ash could be brushed or blown away which left behind old wooden boards. He didn't know for how long they would be staying but it would have to suffice for now.
"Do any of you have water?" Sonic turned and looked at Silver.
He had saved the newfound emerald in his quills and walked out of the rain. He slumped down against a dry wall and emitted a tired sigh. Sonic was watching with concern as the chao was still resting in one of Silver's arms, slumping and sleeping, merely breathing slowly.
"I have an empty one, but rainwater is safe to drink," the blue hedgehog looked at Tails as he pulled the mentioned plastic bottle out of his tail. He moved toward the open roof again when Silver made a noise and interrupted him.
"I have an empty one as well," "me too," Sonic echoed which made the fox turn around toward him too.
After he had received both bottles, the blue hedgehog watched Tails crouch at the perimeter of the roof and placed each bottle next to each other. Sonic was reminded of their predicament again when he saw Tails' body.
He turned around and looked at Silver. Whatever grime and blood had been stuck in his face was mostly gone, as he noticed a small scar on his jaw.
"Are you doing alright?" The silver hedgehog hadn't expected the question, as he looked at the blue hedgehog. He blinked confused, the tiredness clear in his eyes as he leaned further against the wall and carefully put Chao down in his lap.
"I'm… okay, I think. Just – hurting a little. From the punches and… all that," he mumbled.
His eyes averted to the exhausted flying creature, though Sonic could see he was looking through him. The blue hedgehog bit his lip as he remembered Silver had never been in a fight before.
"I'm sorry it happened," he said, a part of him convinced he was partially at fault, "we had no idea they were out there."
He was unsure whether or not his words helped the situation. Sonic instead shifted his weight as he looked around a place to sit.
"Did you know who they were?" He looked up from the question. Silver's eyes glued to him, as if he knew the hedgehog had the answer.
Sonic opened his mouth to say something, then remembered how much it entailed in talking about their past and what they have endured before and then he realized he was really tired as well and therefore sighed instead.
"It's a long story," he said. Silver looked disappointed at the response yet was interrupted as Tails came toward him with a filled water bottler.
Silver then seemed to accept the vague response as he didn't say anything else, merely thanked the kid for the water and took an eager swig.
Sonic observed as the fox walked away wordlessly and sat down in another corner. Ash whirled around him briefly before he let out a long-exhausted sigh. He glanced tiredly at the soaked bandages.
"Let me help you," Sonic offered immediately. He limped toward the pick pocketer before he had a chance to decline.
Tails had his mouth open to exactly decline, though no words left him as the hedgehog kneeled in front of him. He winced at the pain which shot up his leg and promised himself he would sit and relax when he was done.
"I have some rags," Sonic turned to Silver who had talked.
He pulled out some old and used cloths from his quills and reached them toward the duo. Sonic smiled and thanked him as he took them as he partially wondered where he had gotten them from but decided he would ask questions later.
The hedgehog instead looked as Tails slowly unwrapped the bandages around his stomach, the fabric easily fell to the floor as the wound was exposed once again. It looked worse than it was, as dried blood had coagulated around the injury, thick and sat in his pelt, perfect conditions for an infection to set in.
Sonic quickly decided he wasn't in the mood to go through that again and therefore took off his gloves. He took one bottle from Tails and poured water over his hands and washed his fingers to the best of his ability. He scooted closer as he carefully reached forward and poured water over the wound and scrubbed gently with a rag.
He looked up when Tails hissed, though didn't motion for him to stop and therefore Sonic continued. He worked carefully when it didn't come off easy, Tails' pelt being thicker than he had expected. He concentrated and did the best he could.
When he deemed it clean enough, Tails gave him the wax paper with the antibacterial paste. Sonic looked at him as he took it, but the kid only had an empty look in his eyes. As if giving up and committing to the situation, looking more and more exhausted by the minute.
The hedgehog didn't question it, merely smiled at him, and took some of the paste on his finger, noting there wasn't much left. As he applied it on and around the wound, he earned another painful hiss before it became a satisfied sigh which indicated the pain was easing.
When Sonic finished, he fished out the clean rolls of bandages he had bought in Plumouth and ripped off a long piece and wrapped it around the pick pocketer. Once it was secured with a knot, the hedgehog smiled and looked at Tails again.
The kid only stared at his lap for a concerning amount of time. Sonic had expected him to push the hedgehog away now or tell him he was good. Neither happened.
"You doing okay buddy?" He saw the fox's large ears flick, before a set of tired blue eyes averted to his briefly. They quickly returned to his lap.
"Just tired," he mumbled in a low voice, as if there was no energy left in him.
The hedgehog didn't blame him, as he instead looked at his face. He saw trails of dried blood which sat in his fur from his nose to his chin. Sonic ignored the flare of anger in his stomach and instead wetted another rag with water.
"I'm just gonna get this off you," he mumbled.
He leaned forward and scrubbed Tails' muzzle with the rag. Once again, the fox didn't react in the slightest as he let the hedgehog clean the blood from his face without a word. It made Sonic frown, as he stopped briefly to look at him.
He opened his mouth to ask if he really was okay when the fox's head fell forward.
The hedgehog moved both hands on his shoulders in panic. Tails caught himself and gasped in surprise. One hand latched onto his head.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sonic asked, as calm as he could be as he looked him up and down again.
An alarmed thought in the back of his mind reminded him of potential concussions and too much blood loss. He wouldn't know what to do if either was the case. Tails looked at him with wide eyes.
"I-I'm sorry… my head, it's pounding – I-,"
"Hey, hey, just take it easy alright? It's been a hard day," Sonic interrupted. As the fox didn't seem to know what had happened either, the hedgehog concluded the sudden blackout was due to pure exhaustion for the moment.
"Take a second to rest, alright? Nobody's out here, it's only us. Go to sleep if you can," he urged.
Tails looked at him. He looked worried about what had happened to him out of the blue; the same frightened look he had allowed on the battlefield returned briefly. After a thoughtful moment it disappeared again, as he seemingly nodded at the air instead of Sonic
"Alright," he agreed. Sonic smiled at him in response while he squeezed one of his shoulders reassuringly and let go.
He scooted back as the kid slowly laid down with a wince and a hiss, moving as if he was a puppet, stiff and carefully. When his head was pillowed by his arm and both tails wound around his body, his blue eyes fixated on Sonic again.
Exhaustion was clear in the pools of blue, his eyes empty of emotion. Nevertheless, Tails had a small smile on his lips
"Thank you," he practically slurred as he closed his eyes with a sigh.
Sonic smiled again, this time to himself, as he reached forward and padded the fox on his shoulder. Taking it back and looking at the kid for another moment, making sure he was comfortable enough to sleep.
He looked over in Silver's direction. He suspected the gray hedgehog had been looking at them, now, however, his eyes looked just as empty as he stared at the ashen colored wooden boards.
"Sleep too," Silver blinked as he looked at the blue hedgehog.
Sonic smiled in encouragement, before he got back to his feet, much to the dismay of his leg, and moved toward him. Without a word, he reached down and picked up Chao, as the telekinetic hedgehog blinked at him again. As if he realized what he had been asked, Silver nodded slowly to Sonic's earlier comment.
"Will you keep an eye out?" Silver asked as the blue hedgehog moved away and sat down against another wall.
He hissed out the pain before he placed Chao in his lap and left a warm hand on his back. He was still gray, still sleeping.
"Yeah. Don't worry," Sonic answered as he looked back at Silver.
Truth be told, he wouldn't mind having a nap either, though considering the other two had been flying nonstop for Chaos knew how long, they needed the rest more. The gray hedgehog seemed to agree as he nodded and thanked him before he leaned his head back against the wall. He stared out at the empty space for a second, before he pivoted his head away and closed his eyes. He remained still.
Sonic stared back since he had no other place to look, the sound of the rain being the only noise left. Pitter-patter on the roof, a calming and serene sound which eased the last of his nerves.
He sighed and leaned his head against the wall as he looked down at Chao again. Hopefully he just needed to sleep – since he didn't know what they could do if he got worse. Only time would tell.
Time they seemingly didn't have considering he had almost been killed multiple times today. Him and his friends. He blinked at the thought while he convinced himself they were safe for now.
Letting his mind whirl and letting his thoughts come forth, one after the other, made him realize a lot of questions had been answered today. More for the worse, than the better.
The sound of rain had always been calming to him. What were multiple droplets becoming one singular noise in the darkness. He had been sitting and listening for long hours at night when he couldn't fall asleep. Had been curled into a tight ball with his cloak used as a makeshift blanket as his tails had tried to keep him warm when laying on the pallet. It had been difficult to notice the cold with a sound just like this.
Many criminals didn't want to prowl at night when it rained which had made it the few cases where he had felt calm and relaxed. Like a friend coming to visit, smiling at him and telling him everything was going to be fine. He didn't know he had missed it until now.
His dreams had been pleasantly filled with the sound; whatever images had wanted to attack him had backed away from the rain drops alone. It had been pure darkness, something he otherwise wouldn't have welcomed.
He wasn't sure if it was the same noise or the voices which woke him up. Or if he woke up by himself, it was difficult to tell. His head felt heavy, the headache had receded into a throbbing. The rest of his skull and face ached, every little muscle pull stung a little. He opened his eyes slowly as he blinked when they burned.
He breathed in to sigh but quickly his nose was clogged with something. His face tensed for a second before he sneezed and spewed out ash and soot. It swirled in the air around him as the voices stopped abruptly. He blinked at the ground as he sat up on his elbow and rubbed his eyes.
"He's awake," the whisper was as loud as a scream in the small room.
The fox still blinked at the ground before he turned his head in the direction of the voice. He noticed his night vision settled in slowly as Silver's silhouette became clearer and clearer the more he looked.
The silver hedgehog looked exhausted, his amber eyes were empty and clear, his face relaxed with no wrinkles or pulls at the lip or nose. The hedgehog was mildly surprised the pick pocketer had woken up, as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have.
"You awake bud?" The voice was more familiar, which made Tails turn his head again. He felt his stomach drop when he saw Sonic.
The hedgehog leaned against the ashen colored wall, his quills slumped, his entire posture and demeanor screamed a tiredness he couldn't have imagined coming over such an adrenaline bomb. Eyes empty, body still, eyelids half closed as if he was fighting sleepiness. He could see the slight frown, one lip twitched with the tiniest of pulls only he could see. It spoke of pain.
He knew it was due to the hedgehog's leg, considering one of them was curled toward himself while the other was stretched. In one of his arms Chao slept fitfully, curled against his stomach. When Tails saw Sonic's brow furrow in worry from the lack of response, the fox sat up.
"Yeah, I am," his voice was rough, something which made him cough into the darkness.
He brushed down the side of his fur where he'd been laying though to his dismay saw as soot got stuck in his glove. There was no use to it, he would have to clean up by the river tomorrow.
"That's good. Sorry I couldn't tell, neither of us can see anything in the dark," Sonic said.
It made the fox look back at him, as the hedgehog scratched the back of his head. Tails hadn't given the issue any thought, considering they usually had a campfire at night. He figured starting a fire in one of the only houses which were still standing wasn't the wisest of choices.
"I have a lantern," the fox turned his head at Silver again.
He could see as he fumbled with something in his quills before he pulled out a brown sack. Without the hedgehog being able to look at what his hands were doing, he pulled out something and placed it on the ground.
"I only figured out how to put oil in it but not how to light it," he further explained as the pick pocketer looked at the small lantern.
It was a quality piece of light, not something you had found broken on the side of the road and had tried to patch it together again yourself. It was red, the paint not chipped or faded. The globe was clean, and the rest of its exterior spoke of a lantern which hadn't been outside before. It only confirmed Silver's supposed stay at Croford Castle, he thought.
"I know how to light it if you got any matches," Tails said as he got up on his feet.
The gray hedgehog turned his head at him in confusion as the fox stepped closer. He crouched down at the lantern and pushed down the thumb lever. He raised the globe and turned the wick raiser knob to confirm there was a usable wick inside.
"Here," he looked over his shoulder and looked at Sonic.
The hedgehog had a packet of matches in his hands which he threw in Tails' general direction. The fox caught it and opened it as he took out a match. With a quick motion he swiped it against the rough phosphor patch on the side of the box. A flame quickly came to life in his hand as he raised the globe again and moved the match toward the wick.
A tall flame appeared immediately, one he lowered with a couple of turns of the knob. A soft and warm lighting emitted from the lamp as Tails picked it up in his hand.
He looked at Silver, his face was twisted into surprise, something he chose to ignore as he turned his attention to Sonic. A small smile had appeared on his lips, yet it didn't hide the completely exhausted exterior.
"Good job kiddo," he praised as Tails left the lantern somewhere in the middle of the room.
He looked at Sonic again as the hedgehog was merely looking at the flames, his eyes looking even more tired in the light. He could see he ached, a miniscule pull at the cheeks and lip, one finger twitched, the head moved a bit.
The pick pocketer could feel his own sore body, his jaw slightly throbbing, one tail aching at every movement, feeling as if someone had been punching him like a pillow continuously without pause. It might as well have been the case.
"You hungry?" Tails looked up from the question and saw as Sonic reached his hand into his quills, "we already ate but I saved ya some."
The pick pocketer didn't know his stomach was growling angrily at him before the hedgehog produced a chunk of the ham, he'd been gifted in Plumouth as well as a bundle of grapes.
Tails took the food items with a 'thanks' before he sat back down near the wall. Taking an immediate bite of the ham a salty and silky taste hit his tongue yet his mouth watered from the food.
"How're you feeling?" He'd shoved a grape in his mouth when Sonic asked. He looked up at the hedgehog and felt as his heart arched a bit from the exhausted look in his eyes as he swallowed.
"Just tired, I guess. And sore all over," was the best description he could give him.
He didn't want to think about it too much. The feeling of something being ripped out of your chest with such intensity made him shiver. He wanted to curl into a ball just thinking about it.
"And your arm?" Tails watched as Sonic nodded toward the mentioned limb.
It made the fox look as he bit into the ham again. A clean cut ran from his elbow to his wrist, yet it was only superficial and had already crusted over with dry blood, no signs of infection.
"It's fine," he said, and looked at Sonic before the latter had time to gauge whether he was telling the truth or not, "and you?"
The questions didn't come as a surprise as the hedgehog merely snorted and moved his leg a little, one finger tapped his thigh in boredom.
"I'm beat," he snickered, a distraction to hide the pain and soreness.
The pick pocketer chose not to point it out and instead let him be in his own exhaustion as he ate another grape. Sonic turned his head at Silver.
"And you're still doing good?" He asked, which made the pick pocketer look at the gey hedgehog too. He bit his lip as he hugged his legs to his chest.
"Yeah I'm fine. Just – shocked, I think," he explained as his head rested on his knees.
The pick pocketer didn't have to read his worn-out posture, as everybody in the room could see he was just as tired. Tails' eyes narrowed when he could see something else, his eyes moved to something dark under Silver's chin.
With the soft light from the lantern, he could see a dark red cut which ran from his jaw to the side of his neck. That would explain the bleeding from earlier. But given Sonic hadn't suggested to bandage it meant it wasn't anything bad either. Tails then averted his eyes to Chao.
The small creature he'd been neglecting the last two days was now a growing worry in his stomach. His skin was as pale as the ash on the ground, sleeping against Sonic's chest, twitching, and muttering whimpering sounds under his breath. As if something was hurting or if he was eternally exhausted. Nothing had indicated he was getting better. They could only hope sleep would do the trick.
"Tails," he looked at Sonic who had sighed his name. He blinked owlishly, yet the call hadn't been urgent nor alarmed, as green eyes looked at him. "Silver wants to know what happened today. If you're cool telling him about… well, everything - then I am," he said, as the tiredness in his eyes grew stronger.
Tails blinked at him as he stared at Sonic for another moment. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to commit to when he turned his head at the gray hedgehog again. His expression was puzzled, a wondering and a confusion he wanted resolved and then Tails knew.
He wanted to know who Shadow was and why he had been dragged into the fight in the first place.
As those puzzle pieces fell into place, he looked at Sonic again. A soft and tired smile was on his lips, one with a rare seen patience. Sonic waited to tell Silver anything until he was sure Tails was alright with it too.
"Thank you," the sentiment blurted out of him without further thought. But he could see Sonic accepted it as the smile widened a little.
The fox then looked at Silver. Shadow had recognized him. For one reason or another the criminal had known who this stranger was. Though the opposite wasn't the case.
The lost puppy in the corner was looking at him with his amber eyes glowing from the lantern. Somehow, in some way, he was connected to everything as well. The pick pocketer sighed in resignation.
"Shadow is a part of a larger criminal web who's after Sonic," the pick pocketer began as he licked his lips and plopped another grape in his mouth, "Sonic and I have been chased ever since we left Croford. There's money on our heads and Sonic in particular has been an important target. When we left Kroxburg, the city you were told to seek, we were attacked by a female assassin who got a hold of me." He paused swallow and pointed at the bandaged wound at his side which made a wave of understanding come over the silver hedgehog.
"I was… uhm, badly injured, and unconscious," Tails said. He had wanted to continue yet the memories flooding in made him pause.
He clearly remembered the moment he'd woken up in the foreign cave where Sonic had sat beside him. He remembered he had been confused why the hedgehog had cared about him in the first place and hadn't believed the worry he'd shown had been genuine. He remembered the hug, remembered the warm and comforting embrace he hadn't known he'd needed before falling asleep again in Sonic's arms. At that moment he'd made a promise to himself to change and had been convinced Sonic wanted to be nothing more than his friend. And he trusted him.
When the fox had gone quiet, the blue hedgehog continued.
"Yeah, uhm, I don't know if you're gonna believe this, but I found an island floating in the sky. There was a waterfall which I think connected it to the mountain I was standing on somehow," he explained, the pick pocketer seeing the confusion returning to Silver though Sonic continued, "long story short, we met this guy called Knuckles and he helped Tails out and he could explain some stuff about the emeralds. Basically, what he said is that there's seven Chaos Emeralds which serve this giant emerald which he guards. The guy said there's chaos in everything and that the big emerald made sure it didn't go out of balance or something. He said only a Chaos Wielder can use the emeralds and that I'm apparently really special and can do stuff with them. And he said-" Sonic paused as he looked at the Tails.
The pick pocketer nodded in approval. "And he said Tails was a Chaos Keeper. I'm not sure, but what he explained was that he can't control chaos, but he has a lot of chaos in him. Which can be used," the last sentence made him trail off, as if something had connected in his mind.
The pick pocketer had realized it too, as the transpired event repeated in his mind again. Shadow had used a Chaos Emerald to rip out his own chaos. He'd been right all along. He was nothing else but a dumb battery.
Sonic didn't let him ponder about it for too long when the hedgehog cleared his throat.
"Anyway," he mumbled, as he looked back at Silver, "we left the next day and came to the ocean. Which we crossed in this little boat in the middle of nowhere. Robot fish ate it, but we made it back to shore and came to Plumouth. We spent the night, ran into some thugs, and we were told about Shadow for the first time. He's been looking to kill me for a long time." Sonic stopped again as he looked at Chao when he made a sound. He wiggled a little yet didn't wake up, only slept fitfully. The hedgehog looked at Silver again.
"I come from a village far away, and one day my chief Tikal told me Chaos had opened his eyes to me. She said I was special, and I had a destiny to save the world. She told me to travel the world and collect the Chaos Emeralds. I went to Croford, broke into the castle, and stole the emerald they had. I kinda got in jail for it and I left the city since the soldiers wanted to arrest me. Since then, Tails and I have been traveling together. I've been trying to figure out what my destiny is," he said, and looked at his lap, "and now I know."
The fox could hear the suffocating sigh deep within his soul. Tails knew what it meant as Sonic's destiny finally seemed to have a conclusion. The pick pocketer let the words and the encounter repeat in his mind as he finished the last piece of ham. He chewed slowly to remember the taste.
"Wow," he looked up from Silver's exclamation. The gray hedgehog was blinking at the lantern, as if he needed a moment to take it all in. "I didn't know you've gone through so much," he said, while looking between them both.
His sentence underestimated the journey Tails had gone through he thought as he ate the last of the grapes and threw the stem somewhere. The pick pocketer analyzed Silver's face as he was slowly trying to piece everything together.
"You didn't know Shadow?" He asked, which interrupted the gray hedgehog's thoughts. He looked at Tails as he shook his head.
"No. I had no idea who he was. Or why he knew me. I don't – I mean-" he trailed off, one hand rested on the side of his head, "I don't know he seemed… familiar but I don't know why."
Tails exchanged a tired glance with Sonic who merely shrugged his shoulders as he looked away. The latter was seemingly too exhausted to start pondering and making theories about it.
"But-," Tails turned his head when Silver had a question, "what did you say, ate that… that boat thing. Robot fish?" Slightly confused why that was the subject he wanted to focus on, the pick pocketer shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah. They came out of nowhere," he explained as he narrowed his eyes a little, "does that mean anything to you?"
Silver bit his lip as he looked at the ground briefly and rested his chin on his knees again.
"I'm not sure," he said despondently, as if it saddened him he didn't remember.
Tails could still see the lost look in his eyes, the same look he had had on full display when Sonic had told him he had no idea who he was. But some kind of connection existed. If the other emeralds could tell them that Tails wasn't sure. He instead watched as Silver's brow furrowed as a new topic came to mind. His amber eyes turned to him.
"Sonic said he left the city because he had stolen something. And that people are after you too. What did you do?" The pick pocketer, being unready for that question, sighed irritated.
"Nothing," he said sharper than intended as he looked away.
His tails whipped agitated from the thought as he didn't have the energy to talk about every part of him. The street, the pick pocketing, there was too much he didn't want to share.
However, when Silver sighed from the corner a pang of guilt latched itself in his stomach. It made Tails bit his lip, as he knew the hedgehog hadn't asked out of malice. They've all been through a lot today. He sighed.
"Listen… I'm sorry if I've been harsh or been rude to you. I guess… with how everything is I'm just a little," he shrugged his shoulders, "on edge."
He wasn't sure why he had felt the need to apologize, other than the fact he didn't have the energy to feel frustrated tonight. He could hear as the silver hedgehog shifted uncomfortably.
"No, it's okay. I get it… I think," was the hesitant answer. He hadn't expected to be apologized to either. It made Tails shake his head.
"You don't have to understand," he clarified, and looked at him, "but I'm sorry."
He meant it sincerely, something which surprised the silver hedgehog. He blinked in confusion, his fingers fidgeted as if he wasn't sure what had happened. After a moment, he merely nodded.
"It's okay," he said as he tried to smile at the fox.
It came out awkward yet the pick pocketer could tell he meant well. It made Tails look away again and stared at the lantern for another moment. He wasn't sure where to place Silver yet in his relationship catalog. Traveling partner didn't sound right nor did the stranger label. It would remain to be seen.
"But – what now?" He looked back at the gray hedgehog from the question.
He blinked owlishly; his shoulders sunk. Being tasked with the one to make the decision for tomorrow, Tails took a moment to ponder. His body was aching, the others weren't doing any better, and they had some food to spare. He nodded to himself.
"I think we need to stay. We need to recuperate from all of this. We're gonna feel worse tomorrow anyway. But we can't leave until Sonic's leg is healed and until Chao is well to travel," he decided.
He looked at the chao he had mentioned, only to realize he hadn't paid attention to Sonic's silence. The hedgehog's head was pivoted to one side as a soft snore came from his open mouth. It was for the better.
"Okay," Tails looked at Silver who sighed to himself, "I'm in."
That was seemingly the last conversation piece for the night as the gray hedgehog moved to lay his cheek on his knees and looked at a broken window. The fox let him be as he sighed to himself and turned his head to look to his left.
Someone had walked over and wiped the ash off the glass as he could see the dark night from outside. The rain was still falling, a quiet pitter-patter hitting the ceiling and the floor as he could see the rivers of ash traveling down the street. It was calming, it was relieving, a setting he hadn't known he'd needed or wished for
And as he sat and listened his thoughts whirled once more. Wondering about the day's event, wondering why it had been necessary and if everything had been like they thought. Silver was still a mystery; Shadow had an agenda and Sonic had seemingly figured out what he was supposed to do. A part of Tails believed something still wasn't connecting.
There was something bothering him in the back of his mind which he couldn't recollect.
He was too tired and too exhausted to think and instead looked forward to a day of nothing ahead of them.
Tails figured everything would make sense someday.