Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Street

"There isn't a lot of things in this world that's fair. If fairness is even a concept that you can trust in anymore. Being fair means that both parties get a chance to win - or to lose. It means that no matter what happens you always have the ability to gain the upper hand, to be the shining champion. But, in this world, that concept is dead. There is nothing here that is fair, there is nothing here that can guarantee that you will win. Everything is a game. There are no rules that will assure you that you will get out alive, you have to do it yourself."'

His eyes narrowed, as he quickly disappeared around the corner, clutching the bottle tight to his chest. He drew out a relieved breath before his ears swirled around, ducking underneath a fence, jumping down to the lower level to get to the ally.

"If you think you're safe just because you have a house and a family then you're wrong. There is nothing that will make you believe that you can do as you please. You have to be wary. Have to keep thinking, to survive. I hear people keep saying that they have a good life and a nice job and all, but the fact of the matter is that no one is truly living. We're all surviving. Despite what they tell themselves."

He pressed his body against the wall, letting the Mobians run past him when he reached the alley. Using his ears rather than his eyes, he concluded that they were gone and disappeared deeper into the narrow hallway, running past shutters and barrels holding who knew what. The backs of the houses passed by him as he ran with trained feet, making as little sound as possible while shadowing around another corner, briefly looking up at the tower ahead of him.

"Of course, there are some people who know how to exploit the game. Know how to avoid the dangers and dance around the threats that this world consists of. Those people are cowards. They haven't lived among the ones who are fighting every day. They meet someone who already has exploited everything and misuse it for their own benefit. They avoid everything and everyone else because they have some charisma skills. They know how to play around the rules rather than ignoring them - it's easier to forget the rules than acknowledge that they're there."

He narrowed his eyes in disgust as he made his way around another barrel, reaching the end of the alley. A curtain hung from the wall, seemingly hiding barrels and boxes inside. With a steady hand, he pushed it away, letting himself inside, dodging another a barrel. He barely squeezed through a tower of boxes he had stacked with his own hands and arrived at a familiar sight. He let out a breath and walked to his desk.

"There is no one who is willing to help you. You have to figure everything out for yourself. There is no safety net - if you make one mistake then you've lost everything. No one is willing to help you despite who you are, what you look like and how old you are. In this world, you gotta survive by yourself, otherwise you won't make it. You need to learn how to boil water, how to get food and how to survive the gangs and the thieves. Either avoid them, run from them, or join them. There's nothing else to do."

He placed the light blue bottle on the desk as he rubbed a hand over his face, ears drawn back to listen for stranger's steps following him. As safety settled in his bones, he shook his head and pulled down his hood.

"If you want to play fair then you need to be somewhere else but here. No one will agree with you, and no one will live by the rules, despite what everyone thinks. Mobians huddle around in groups, obey to the rules they're given thinking that they're safe. But - they're wrong. Very, very wrong."

Chapter Text

Every life sought warmth and protection. It was a requirement every soul needed to adhere to or they would face harsh consequences either from mother nature herself or the darkest parts of Mobiankind. If one's needs couldn’t be fulfilled then traveling became a priority. The place to go was known worldwide; the city’s name always traveled from lip to lip no matter where you were. Every immigrant from the farthest corners of the world; they’d all get accepted behind the walls of Croford.

The city was known to have open arms, could fulfill everyone’s dreams and was modern in a world of poverty. Technology was still in its infant stages yet improvements and advancements had been made beyond belief. With its rapid evolution came time and space for those who needed it. Housing, career, potential partners and adoption were at everyone's fingertips. You were given stability; an opportunity to live rather than survive. It was paradise.

The city was nestled in the woods with villages all around though never so close they could see the towers. While their neighbors had plenty of farmland, Croford preferred to spend its space on more luxurious items. Although some citizens preferred a pet chicken or two, no one in the paradise city kept farm animals - there was enough for everyone to go around without the filth of farms. 

Croford was surrounded by a stone wall built to protect its citizens from disease, flooding and potential threats. The current one was not the first. Rather, the old stone walls divided neighborhoods and the oldest stone wall protected the castle. Each still had a functional gate and guards watching over the traffic. The giant stone gate at the entrance to the city always had a line of people waiting to get accepted into the warmth of their new homes. Soldiers stood guard, sweating in the heat of the sun yet never too tired to help the newest families. Merchants, honest working citizens and the newest immigrants always had places to go which meant the road was always buzzing. From east and west they came with carts overfilled with produce ready to be sold at the markets. 

As you entered Croford, buildings upon buildings, houses and apartments were built against one another to house as many as possible. The sound of life would drown any doubts you had of your new life. The houses had different colored bricks, half-timbered and over half of them had gables, wide roofs and chimneys to let smoke escape. Some houses were freshly whitewashed, others stood proudly naked, housing every citizen that ever dared dream.

The outer part of the city held the oldest buildings but the houses facing the main road were kept neat and presentable. No new citizen should doubt their choice.

But as you traveled further between the alleys and ventured deeper into mazes of stone and cement, the meaning behind the word ‘house’ became broader. Here resided dilapidation, broken roofs, windows without glass, doors broken on its hinges. Insulation was a joke, and one might consider sleeping outside instead. Sometimes the rain made better showers than the cold buckets that could be collected from the wells. Furthest away from the main road pushed as close as possible to the stone wall were the homes of people who lived on the edge of eviction. They ate every crumb, they kept their earnings close and skirted around the rules just to survive.

The houses behind the beautiful exteriors of the main road weren’t talked about as immigrants were encouraged not to look too close before settling. The main road made meaningless patterns in the confined and overcrowded space, filled up by street carts, markets and anyone who wished to work for their pay. No one had planned this city; it grew around its people and their lives. At times, poor people huddled around each other begging on the main road. Mercy wasn’t taught to this city’s people; they were merely told they needed to change and not waste their money.

A river divided the city in two like twins kept from each other by the cold of the harsh water. A stone bridge was the cut off for the idiom for patches of grass being greener on the other side. On the greener side, grand houses, estates and mansions held their own. Their exteriors shone in the sun and created beautiful patterns on the carefully painted bricks; the installed framework and secure foundations made them desirable.

The castle was the peak of wealth. The closer you lived to the castle, the better the house. Due to wealth. The rumors about the city’s technological advancements came from here, as it was the only places where heaters, kettles, and if you were lucky, a TV resided. No one knew who the broadcaster was but when entertainment rolled around for adults and kids, they were glued to the screen. The houses near the castle had gardens, lush and green, with lilies and roses drowning out the smell of the city. Here, the wealthiest citizens also kept horses to pull their carts, though few could afford such luxury even between the rich.

It was a very rare luxury yet gossip spread about improvements coming soon to every household in Croford. The newest gossip promised a transportation which didn't require your legs. Oh how things seemed to be improving! Advancements turned this city into something remarkable. Soon, every Mobina in this paradise of freedom would be as happy as their neighbor. As one knew, evolution was a constant amongst every Mobian despite character, wealth, and rank. No matter rich or poor, the rumors promised every immigrant a destination to spend their happily ever after.

" To hell with that lie .” He scoffed at the group of rich Mobians who had huddled together in the corner by the market stand to talk.

He was used to eavesdropping, gaining information about recent events and where the latest gang fight had taken place. His ears were trained at this point, listening to any sound, any conversation and anything that might be of use to him.

Talk about other Mobians wasn't important - he couldn't care less about Heather who had finally gotten a job, about poor John who had fallen ill and the lucky Bethany who had found someone she was interested in. Trivial things like that were a waste of time, something that didn't contribute to his survival and was therefore unnecessary to keep listening in on. Richer Mobians often talked like it was the most important news that they could get. Eavesdropping on the poor was much more useful since they were just as wary as he was.

Ducking his head low, he walked past the group, unnoticed as usual as he swiped something from a female bird's basket. She wore a long pink and white dress, feathers tied together at the top and spoke with an annoyingly high pitched voice. She was rich enough. He briefly looked at his hand and smirked when he realized he had gotten some cheese.

He quickly stuffed it into his tail, keeping it safe. He ducked his head low as his other hand clutched a bottle he had snatched earlier to his chest. His hooded cloak was long, dark green and perfect for camouflaging his short body, concealing almost the entirety of him. The golden trim had faded from his tendency to scratch at it. It was old and vaguely smelled of dust and grime from the alley's puddles and spilled drinks but it was the most important piece of fabric he had. But he also wore gloves that protected his sensitive fingers - he needed a new pair soon - and his dirty shoes that were required if he didn't want to get sick.

He rammed his shoulder into another passerby in a fake accident, mumbling a 'sorry' which he didn't mean while his hand went into the bag. He pulled out and smirked at the piece of bread he had gotten, a little stale and probably baked yesterday but now he could have cheese and bread once he got back. A good dinner indeed.

He lifted his head slightly as his eyes caught an elderly woman sitting on the ground with a basket next to her. Her Mobian clothes were ragged and dirty, an apple rested near her feet while her attention was on the basket. He walked past her.

The poor weren't his targets as they were struggling to survive just as much as he was.

His trained eyes scanned an alleyway as he passed it, ears drawn towards it but quickly faced forward again as he concluded that no one was hiding there.

He had to be aware - had to be conscious of every dark spot in this city. Doing what he did, he knew he had a lot of eyes turned towards him. Invisible eyes that he couldn't detect despite his sensitive hearing and experienced eyes. He knew the rules on the street, knew what happened here and what you needed to do to survive it.

He looked up when he reached the right place as his eyes scanned over a sign that hung from a door and immediately turned to his right into the alley that was connected to it.

He blew out an involuntary sigh of relief as the calm settled in his chest. The alleyways where he was hidden from everyone else were the only places he felt comfortable. Walking around a tower of boxes he looked up at the backdoor, a barrel beside it that smelled of liquor. He wrinkled his nose thinking that he was rather glad to get rid of this bottle as he lifted a hand and knocked on the door and immediately spun around behind the tower of barrels.

A couple of seconds passed by, his face screwed into determination, ears erect and listening. Then he heard shuffling from the wall behind him and soon something clicked on the other side and the door opened. A couple of seconds went by as the Mobian most likely tried to figure out who had knocked.

"Hello?" A female voice asked, the one he was looking for. He emerged from the barrel tower, the hood still drawn as he walked into the light that emerged from the open door. A female wolf with ragged clothes and an apron stood in the doorway.

"Oh, it's you," she said and gave him a smile. He blinked, thinking how long ago it was since someone had smiled at him before he presented the bottle he had clutched to his chest and offered it to her.

"Moonshine. As promised," he said, voice in the higher tones, indicating a young individual. She blinked at him before taking the bottle from him, sighed at the pure sight of it.

"Thank you. My husband's been asking for it for a while, but I don't have the money for it," she said, inspecting the bottle while he saw the way that she checked if the cork had been pulled off.

Automatically his eyes traveled over her eyes, irises analyzing and checking. She wasn't lying.

"Now your promise," he reminded her, knowing that he had already been standing here for too long. It was dangerous to stay still, especially in the alley, in the darkness. Her eyes somehow loosened from the bottle she was practically nursing, blinking at him before she let out an 'ah' and leaned away from the door.

His head whipped around automatically, checking for anyone, before returning to the female Mobian who held something silver colored out to him. He found himself standing and looking at it, precious seconds that he needed to use for observation rather than admiration. The small piece of machinery even had some wires sticking out from it. He quickly blinked away his daze, took it from her hand and got ready to say his goodbyes when she held a piece of sausage in front of him.

He looked at it, the red meat glistening in the light from the door, had to swallow some saliva that had conjugated but quickly looked back up at her, shaking his head.

"That wasn't the deal," he said.

Surprise, a bit of confusion.

"It's alright. You must have gotten out of your way to get the bottle. It's unfair for you to just get some metal in return that I found on the street," She smiled again. His eyes darted around her face, the twist of her lip, the slight widening of her pupils.

She was thankful but regretted her offer though she genuinely meant it. He shook his head again, taking a step back which made her redraw her hand, blinking at him.

"We're all in this. Keep it," he explained while her eyes changed again. Relief. It transferred down to her lips as another smile was on her face, warm and thankful.

"If you say so," she said, taking a step back as well in the doorway, "Be careful." The door carefully closed again.

He found himself standing and looking at the brown portal, holding on to the piece of machinery with both hands underneath his hooded cloak while he felt regret of his own creep underneath his skin. He shook his head, eyes darting around the alley once more, before he started walking, boxes and barrels in his way.

He had been on the street for a long time, a very long time, and with that time he had gained experience; a skill that made his presence known among the thieves and pickpockets. His blue eyes were trained, he could read and analyze, categorize people and their emotions purely on their facial features alone.

The eyes told him everything; every emotion played out in detail. Those never lied. He had bended a couple of Mobians who thought they were better than him, telling them that they were scared and hid their insecurities behind their façade. People had exteriors, fake masks to be able to live, but this fox could see them. He could see right through them.

He was known as the sly one, the quick dot of green that spun around corners and hid in alleys, could tell whenever you lied, whatever you were truly feeling and could reveal secrets without doing anything, without anyone saying anything. He was a pickpocket, grabbed what he could out of eyeshot, doing small favors in exchange for survival needs and items for his hobby.

The alley was where he belonged, where he was in his element and the place where he survived, where he disobeyed the rules.

The back of the houses were more dilapidated, broken exteriors, wells fallen into disrepair and wild grass that grew in between the bricks underneath his shoes as he made his way through the area. The sun had almost set, casting him into shadows. He had night vision and was able to see the world clearly from the small peddle on the ground to the high towers in the distance. It simply came with his race.

Clutching his newly acquired piece of machinery to his chest in pure fascination and interest, he quickly darted over a box, and made his way around a corner, rounded the side of a house and came into a narrower path squeezed between two buildings. Here he slowed down, his track turning into a walk in the middle of the path, making room for himself.

His ears listened tentatively as he hid his price away, his eyes focused on the path ahead.

"If you wanna ambush me you might as well do it now," he said into the empty alley.

His ears had caught the shushing, the shuffling and the quiet steps that tried to follow his own and create an almost invisible echo. He had seen it, the shadows that disappeared as soon as he moved his head just a tiny bit, hands placed on boxes and barrels to see where he went. He had tried to shake them, but somehow, they had been able to keep track.

And his suspicion was right, not a delusional image of paranoia. As he whipped his head around, he saw them emerge from behind the corner of a house. Three Mobians. He knew them. His eyes narrowed in defense, his tail whipped in premature agitation giving him no chance to calm it.

"Figured you'd heard us," a red male wolf said, dressed in a ragged brown shirt resting on broad shoulders. A strong opponent. He smirked, his eyes gaining a shine that spoke louder than if he had spoken.

Confidence. Too much confidence.

"Easy now Bruce, don't let him look at you. He might just make you tremble," a blue bird said. He had a red scarf covering his neck and a belt hung over his chest with a small pouch.

He smirked as well, though his eyes were slightly unfocused. He wasn't nervous but wary and careful.

Lastly a brown dog in dark blue overalls appeared from behind the wolf's back. His entire stance didn’t radiate confidence like the other two but instead he hovered behind the wolf like he asked for protection. He was new, only joining the other two because he had nothing else to do. The guy clearly didn't know who he was ambushing.

"I ain't afraid of someone like him," the wolf said as he took a couple of more steps that to anyone else would have been threatening, "You were on our turf yesterday - we've told you before to keep away from the market." It was a warning, but he knew from experience that a warning wasn't all the gray wolf wanted to give him.

Adrenaline started rising in the pickpocketer, hands curled into a fist underneath his hooded cloak. His ambushers were practically towering over him but that hadn’t been an issue before.

"So what? You're gonna beat a defenseless kid in the middle of an alley?" the pickpocketer asked with an edge of fierceness to his voice. He lifted his head to look at the wolf, schooling his expression into fearlessness.

The wolf crossed his arms over his chest - annoyance, offended even - as he looked down at him and took another step forward.

"You're not just any kid," the wolf leaned forward threateningly with a fierce expression, "Tails."

The pickpocketer didn't have to look closely to know what it meant; the territorial instinct drove his ambushers. They saw him as a predator threatening their grounds and their turf; someone they had to teach a lesson. It was their path for survival.

The fox squinted at the group and within seconds threw the hood off of his face and spun around, revealing another tail hidden underneath the cloak. The fluffy exterior gave the impression that they were weak and held nothing but fur and yet, when they were combined with trained and muscle laced legs, they became as strong as batons. A single whip sent the wolf into the brick wall beside him face first.

Tails turned his head, well-knowing that when the leader was getting beaten, the rest of the group would attack to defend their fallen comrade.

Both the bird and the dog charged at him. 

The bird was trained and had been in fights before as he charged with precision in his feet. The new one on the other hand, the dog, clumsily ran with a punch already thrown, as if he had expected to hit him already. He saw the pre-victory gleam in both of them nonetheless - they underestimated him.

It was his greatest weapon.

He smirked as he dodged around a punch thrown by the bird and spun around the feathered body and stood behind him as he sent a kick to the attacker’s side. The bird groaned in pain as he was thrown into the ground, momentarily defeated.

Tails turned around as the dog approached. He sidestepped the untrained one’s clumsy punch and threw one of his own making the dog stumble backwards holding on to his face. Discouragement spread across his face along with the pain of what was probably his first fight ever.

One defeated. He would flee.

A frustrated cry stole his attention, steering it back to the broad shouldered wolf who had gotten back onto his feet and was charging, one arm raised, ready to punch. Punches were usually aimed for the face when you meant serious harm and the wolf’s arm was true, going right for his nose.

Just in time, he dodged to the side just enough as the wolf’s punch missed. The momentum of the punch made the bigger guy stumble and Tails took the chance and kicked him in the back, sending him into the dirt.

The sound of wind and feathers alerted him to the bird. Recovered and on his feet, the bird was already throwing another frustrated punch.

With frustration came unfocused attacks, meaningless and full of rage, something Tails could use to his advantage.

In a swift movement, he was crouched and spun, muscles tensing in his tails and quickly swept his opponent’s legs out from under him. The bird heaved for air as he hit the ground, eyes wide with surprise.

Tails took a step back as the wolf charged at him with a frustrated cry and threw two punches that the quick fox dodged. His swift movements allowed him to quickly dart behind the wolf as he found his balance. Eyes narrowed in determination as he lifted his gloved hand, fingers straight and tense, and rammed the side of his hand into the back of the wolf’s neck. A gasp escaped as his body collapse, falling forward face first into a puddle.

Unconscious.

The fox inspected his beaten attacker to make sure his nose wasn't under the water’s surface before turning around to face the others. The dog was already scurrying away while the bird got up with confusion settling in his face.

The bird looked at where the dog was going, looked at the wolf, looked back at where his comrade had disappeared and landed back at the pickpocketer. Tails stood with fists ready to punch as dust settled around his form as both of his tails were moving in quick strides, agitation and satisfaction overruling his form.

The bird looked at the wolf again before he turned around as well, following where the dog had gone. Tails smirked. Perfect. He had no reason to give chase. Instead, his eyes wandered to his unconscious ambusher and lingered for a while on the mark that was slowly forming on the back of his neck.

"Thank you Espio," he mumbled as he turned around, lifting his cloak so it hid one tail, and disappeared behind a box before the commotion brought the soldiers to the area.

He took the opposite way of his ambushers but his ears still flicked backwards to check if they had decided to follow. Silence was around him, the shuffling was gone and the only shadow around was his own.

Once he was certain he was alone, he stopped and hid behind a cart filled with empty barrels and leaned against it.

Big gulps of air filled his chest as he held a hand over his heart as panic flared. He did it. He was safe. It wasn't often that he was ambushed by three Mobians. Usually it was only one, or even two if they felt revengeful enough. He had been around the market a lot, well-knowing it was not his territory. But the risk was worth the treasures to be gained. This place was filled with fresh food and easy products he could swipe from anyone and trade with anyone who wanted to make a deal with him.

He needed to be careful. Who knew if he’d survive the next encounter? The future was a fickle friend.

Calm started to spread as he got his breathing under control, eyes closing as he forced his lungs into deeper breaths. The hood slid into its familiar position upon his head before he dared opening his eyes again. He survived. No time to dwell on it.

He took off, striding with as much confidence as he could muster.

There was a ranking system. The only rules he obeyed were the invisible ranks of who survived on the street. They were forced upon you the moment you swiped something, however small, and they clung to you as a lifeline and as a reminder of who you had become.

Place, time and victim all mattered. The thieves were in the high ranking as they were able to avoid the soldiers and remained anonymous. Assassins were uncommon but they existed and were highly respected, far beyond what the thieves could ever achieve. A very few instances had been known around the street when a beggar or a thimble rigger had wandered too deep into areas that didn’t belong to them. Their bodies would be found on the corners of the city.

People who rigged card games and carnival wheels were on the bottom of the list, not entirely doing something illegal but at the same time didn't play by the rules of the law. Pickpockets were somewhere in between the thieves and the assassins, not being outwardly violent unless they were forced to and only took things that people didn't notice them taking.

From there, if you were known enough around the invisible web you were given street names, nicknames for who you were. You wouldn’t know if your names were given out of respect or the opposite - at least not until you met the ones who had named you.

Quick and quiet, swooping around corners and swiping food without anyone noticing, took odd deals but did the job he was told. He was one of the better pickpockets around which was why people knew who he was and why they were after him.

With his eight years of being on the street, all the years that he had lived, his reputation had only risen into the negatives, making him more aware, making him more experienced.

Whoever had nicknamed him hadn’t been very creative. It was quite obvious why he had gotten it. Tails - the sly fox who could tell when you lied and when you had a secret from one look alone.

The black worn curtain hung heavy with rain, concealing the corner Tails now called his. It was temporary, a makeshift place to hide for this week. He’d leave soon - there were better trackers than him and his only option was to move before they found him.

The fox drew the heavy curtain just enough to slip past, then squeezed past the tower of boxes he had stacked and went inside. His eyes darted around the area for intruders that might have found it, if not the fellow criminals around or a curious and adventurous kid. Though, the place was just as he had left it, a somewhat neatly organized and cluttered home.

It was a small corner, a small foldable desk just big enough for a single person with a large wooden box as his seat, and a pallet with some fabric made up his bed on the other side. Another weather worn box was tucked beside it with an old oil lantern, the only source of light he had. This place was the closest to secure as he could ever get.

Tails slumped onto the pallet. The time to move was closing in on him. If he stayed in one place too long people would recognize his pattern. They had invisible shadows and one day he might just have a visitor while he was sleeping. Now that three Mobians had ambushed him, he needed to find his next place to stay. It was time to move closer to the richer areas of town, though that was more dangerous.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, he drew back his hood and took two steps towards the box in the corner, opening it. He took some lamp oil and some matches, opened the head on the lantern and poured a small amount of oil into it, lit a match and let it ignite the wick. The flame sputtered to life before it quieted down to a small thing, spreading light in his small home..

Hunger reminded him of his earlier haul, and he quickly swept both tails in front of him, exhausted from keeping one of them still and hidden for a long amount of time. In public he’d hide one but in this cramped space, the other tail had space to move just enough to free him from the cramps for a while. The fox reached into one of his yellow appendages, taking out the machinery he had gotten from the woman as well as the cheese and bread.

Tails forced the bread to split with a dry resistance, leaving him two slices to eat which were quickly adorned with two pieces of cheese. The bread was hard to chew, but the dairy melted on his tongue. He sighed heavenly - cheese was a rarity for him.

After a couple of bites he felt queasy as a bit of nausea came to his throat which he tried to negate with his meal. He steadily began to regret that he had declined the sausage. The meat would have solved this. It had been a whole week since he last had eaten anything that truly satisfied his carnivorous needs and his stomach was scolding him.

The pickpocket would have to risk a protein swipe. Meat was scarce in the poor part of town - grains and dairy were almost always the go-to source for people with nothing to eat. Which meant he had to cross the bridge and travel to the richer part of the city. Something that he felt nervous about.

The last bite of bread disappeared into his mouth, the last cheese melting on his tongue before he swallowed. The machinery was resting on the pallet beside him. He had inspected it with his eyes while eating, calculating, an interested mind already categorizing it.

The fox got up, brushed the crumbs out of his fur and transferred the piece of machinery to his desk and sat down. He reached underneath it, opened a small box and pulled out a device.

It was precious to him. It was a gadget he had been working on since he was three, improving it over and over again. It was the size of a small book with a big screen which opened to his finger's touch, the side of it having a rubber handle while a couple of buttons were on the other side of it. The casing was gray, though he would like to paint it yellow when he got that kind of luxury.

The device was rather simple as of right now. It could only scan and hold data, though he strived for it to be able to process large amounts of data, analyze and conclude it. He had chosen to ask for a piece of machinery rather than food to upgrade his device and he was proud of his choice.

Finding a screwdriver in the same box where the device had rested in, he began taking the wires out of his traded goods, tinkering with the outer casings. Even though he was concentrated, his ears were still turned towards his entrance, always aware of anyone that might stumble upon him.

This was his only hobby, something that he enjoyed doing, something that he could do that would make his mind temporarily transfer away from his situation. Even though he was used to surviving this life, there were moments where he wished everything would just quiet down. He had one wish that he couldn't get fulfilled but would do anything for it.

He wanted to leave the city - leave the system, get out of the web that kept him ensnared. Experience a new life. He had already been here too long and his situation was getting dire every single day. There were people he could go to in case things got tight but he kept to himself. He didn't want anyone to sacrifice their own safety to aid him.

With the wires installed and the device upgraded, the fox tapped life into his gadget. He clicked on a few settings and his heart skipped a beat as a single line displayed: 'ready for scan'.

Tails immediately put it on the table and rummaged around in the box, moving around small items and books before he stopped his search as his eyes caught the shine of sky blue light. He pulled it out, admiring it in his hand as he turned it around.

It was a gem, an emerald to be specific, but it wasn't ordinary. It fitted perfectly into his hand. The light blinded as excitement spread and he felt himself get lost in it. The power pulsed at his fingertips, energy that wanted out of there with no source to pass through. The fox knew what this was. And he had one. Shaking his head, he put the gem on the table, picked up his device and scanned it. The screen loaded.

A defeated sigh washed out of him once the screen read 'undetectable' despite him knowing what it already was. It was described in one of his books, one he had found tossed on the street by someone who wasn't superstitious. He wasn't either but he believed in facts. He had seen books alike in other places, talking about something called chaos energy and emeralds that held that power. When he had stumbled upon this light blue gem in a faraway corner in the city there was no doubt.

This was a Chaos Emerald.

Books spoke about chaos wielders: Mobians who could use and harness the power inside those gems and use it in a way unimaginable. Bend nature itself with nothing but a little light. He childishly caught himself dreaming about being one when the nights grew long. He could feel the power, the way that it felt right in his hand. But he couldn’t unlock its secrets.

"Figures. Maybe the emerald is too powerful to be detected by my creation. Maybe I should take it with me tomorrow?" Tails shook the thought off him. He didn't dare take the device with him. He had fought quite a bit in the last days, and he was afraid that he might swipe his tails too much and it would fall out. The machinery part had almost been knocked away from the safety of his fur during the attacks today.

"You need to be more careful. Let's just look for a new place tomorrow and hopefully I can get it to work eventually."

The fox sighed as he packed the items away. He closed the lid and took a moment to look at it, wondering whether this could be his ticket out of the city. A childish thought since the borders of the city were guarded by soldiers. They searched everyone who came in and out of it. It was downright impossible.

A yawn escaped his mouth and soon he found himself scooting onto the pallet on his side. The rough wood wasn't comfortable by any means but it was better than the cold wet ground. With his arms underneath his head as a makeshift pillow he pulled his hooded cloak closer to himself, as his tails drew around his body as another blanket.

He wanted something else than this traditional and trivial survival. Everyday was spent looking over his shoulder, never settling down and never taking down his guard. He was always aware of his surroundings, even now as he closed his eyes. His sleep was light and aware, never so deep that he could dream.

Deep down he wished that his daily routine could change. A better life with no fear. He just wished. It was all he could do.

Chapter Text

To be caught off guard was a death sentence.

It was dangerous, especially in the alley full of dark spots full of many hiding places. It was a long time ago since Tails had felt surprised. His whole system was always on edge, every fiber in his body ready to sprint or fight. Relaxation was forbidden since it meant you took your guard down. It was not worth the risk.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

When the fox turned the corner and had expected to get a full view of the main street from the alley, he instead stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear a crowded main street and common shouts of deals and angry tones of stubborn mobians.

But instead of the main street, a soldier stood facing him, obstructing his path. Chainmail armor covered the body to the waist and armored pants completed the look with heavy boots. In the belt was a sword and on the back a round shield. The person’s face was covered by an iron helmet. Only green eyes shone beyond the darkness of the helmet’s shadow.

Soldiers didn’t typically ambush people; they were trained in combat and were sent into fights in the name of fame and royal appreciation. They were also messengers, always walking around the city listening to Mobians’ conversations and reported anything that sounded suspicious.

Soldiers in the rich parts were the knights in shining armor fighting the criminals, rarely discriminating between friend to foe. In the poor district, they weren’t protectors of the honest and the brave. They did what they had to, patrolled as they were ordered, but if anyone was in need they rarely showed up.

But Tails was closer to the bridge. Maybe that’s why a soldier was here? Though his absence of comrades and allies told the fox that he wasn't here to fight or arrest him. He was a messenger as they sometimes were.

"Tails the Fox?" The soldier asked, a mechanical and formal tone lacing his words. "The royal castle of Croford demands your assistance."

A demand? Did someone know where he lived? They had to since the guard had known where to find him.

The fox looked up.

It was a known fact that the royals knew the most common criminals around town, the nicknames scattering around crowds and gaining the soldiers attention. But that he was well-known enough for the royals to know who he was, surprised him.

And then the second problem - assistance. He had never heard of the royals asking lowlives for help. Richer Mobians sometimes sought out criminals to get something they couldn't because of their reputation, and more times than not it was to get revenge without getting blood on their own hands.

Tails had only made a deal with a rich Mobian once: Meat for the swipe of some alcohol. The meat had been halfway contaminated and inedible. That’s how they regarded him and he knew it.

Could it be a trap? No. They knew his name. This would be the poorest trap in the world and even the royals weren’t that stupid. At least he hoped so.

"If you take your helmet off we can talk," The fox replied.

The soldier sighed, and Tails strained his ears to hear him mumble 'go figure', until both of his hands took hold of the helmet, holding it in the crook of his arm.

From his face alone he could tell that he was an old soldier. His green fur was matted with age but his eyes were sharp. Determination, a thick held duty to whatever job he was assigned.

"Your assistance is requested at the royal prison ward," Tails’ eyes widened. A trap. It had to be. "We caught an intruder last night who doesn't want to talk."

Relief flooded his small body. An intruder? Any criminal who had tried to infiltrate the castle had paid the price dearly for it. No one had been able to cross the castle walls - until now.

His eyes darted over the wolf's, but his pupils were relaxed and his lips didn't quiver. He spoke the truth.

"Rumor has it you can determine whether or not mobians lie or tell the truth," Tails heard an edge of disbelief. The soldier’s eyes narrowed very slightly. Tails guessed he thought this was an unnecessary task. Confidence boosted through his veins to his childish mind. He’d show him.

"I can," the pickpocket nodded, gesturing a lazy hand towards him. "Your face is relaxed, though your pupils have shrunken a little and your lip is twitching a bit. You're telling the truth, but you don't believe in me. You don't stand erect but you're resting on your right foot while your other hand is tapping your hip. You don't plan on attacking me since you don't expect me to be able to do anything to you. You think that this is ridiculous, and you would much rather be in the other part of town. Despite this, you're still experienced and wary of your surroundings. And now your tail is whipping because you realized you made a mistake and are getting annoyed over the fact that I read you like a book."

As if he was reminded the wolf stood upright, his hand relaxing by his side though his expression changed.

He was annoyed, not offended. Slightly surprised even and impressed.

"Very well," he looked away for a moment. Uncomfortable, but reassured. "You are requested to show up at the castle this afternoon to attend the questioning of the prisoner. In exchange you will receive food, water and clothes."

The offer was intriguing.

"However, if you lie then we will execute you for royal treason."

A small smirk crossed the wolf's lip, so small that only the fox could read it. Satisfaction. He narrowed his own eyes.

Making a deal with the royals was never a safe move. But he knew he couldn't decline no matter what. If he said no then the soldier might go away and leave him alone. But then fate would decide if the soldier would seek out some thieves and pay them to hunt him down. Might even ask an assassin.

"I accept," he said. The soldier nodded. He put his helmet on, putting a hand on his sword in habit. "You need to be there at around four. When you reach the gates go around the corner and into the back way. Tell the guards who you are and they will let you through."

He promptly turned around and marched off, disappearing out into the main street. Tails raised his ears forwards and focused his hearing on the metal clanking, though it disappeared instead of going back into another ally.

He let out a breath, looking up at the sun that was shining down at him - nine in the morning. If he needed to reach the castle at around four, he needed to move soon. A warning was in the back of his head, screaming at him why the hell he had taken a deal with the royals. He might become even a hotter target.

Though, he shook his head, began to walk forward thinking that there was no way out of it now. The thrill of something else happening than his trivial hide and seek life made a smirk cross his lips.

The royals were the ones who decided what happened in the city and what changes could be made. They lived under a hidden curtain of politics, a belief that they had everything under control. Infrastructure had been the number one priority for the last year since a lot of immigrants traveled to the city. Every gate was covered with soldiers.

They claimed every citizen was their number one priority and that every single resource that the castle held was funneled into the lives of the people living and working in the city.

Traveling across town was more dangerous than staying in one territory belonging to a single thief’s guild. Outside his familiar territory, he didn’t know who to expect or where territories changed hands.

He traveled through the alleyways all the way to the bridge, hiding, listening and darting around corners. He needed to have patience which he completely lacked. But carefulness - that was easier to comply with.

After he had crossed the bridge, the slow sounds of the river underneath brought him a sense of calm. The closer he got to the palace the more he saw the houses and the Mobians change. The poverty he was used to was practically erased, like an entire new world since people walked around with smiles on their faces, clean dresses, shirts and garments, their feathers or fur twirled together with elastic bands, baskets in their hands.

They talked and walked differently. They spoke in such a tone of unbearable high notes that he got a little nauseous. Their stride was like a show, some of them walking with clear trained movements to make others notice them. But as he traveled into this part of town, he knew that he was standing out more. If the alleys were any less dangerous, he would have chosen that route. But they were even more dangerous than the open.

Despite a bowed head, he could see people in his peripheral vision look at him, stare and whisper to their friends. He highly doubted that they knew who he was since criminality in these parts of town were kept to the thieves and burglars who were greedy for higher prices. No, they whispered about how he practically screamed at everybody that he was poor and didn't belong here.

Look at him, he couldn't even afford the bread from the baker, not even a slice. His cloak with old splotches, ripped at the bottom. His dirty tail and the smell, oh the smell. Didn’t they have wells and soap? Had no one taught him better?

The other tail was cramping from being hidden for a long time but he couldn’t do anything about it. It deserved it, deep down.

His fur pricked with uncomfortability. His ears stood erect but he wished that he could pin them down to his skull and not hear the words whispered around him. They were mild, not ones he had heard before, but they still stung.

Instead, the pain in his stomach that had been bothering him since he neared the bridge, was now getting overwhelming. So he concentrated on lifting his head to look for a potential swipe since none of them kept their baskets or bags close to their body.

He swiped into a woman’s basket. When he unfolded his hand, he almost gasped in surprise when he realized he had grabbed a handful of strawberries. Carefully he bit into one underneath his hood, making it his afternoon lunch. The sweetness overwhelmed his mouth with a bitter undertone.

Quicker than he had liked, the handful of sweet fruits disappeared from his hand. Ahead of him towered the castle like never before, making him feel even more tiny than he already was.

The road ahead of him had side roads that branched into the residential areas. The middle road ended in a circle of trading carts and shops, and at the end of it was the castle gate. It was a high white castle wall cutting off traffic, only allowing entrance to those who had permission to get through.

Through the gate stood soldiers guarding the road. They stood in rows, two meters between each row and an open grass area full of flowers. It was excessive in Tails’ opinion.

A couple of girls were plucking the wild colored flowers. He was uncostumed to plants or trees. They did exist in the poor parts too. They were just sad and not very well kept. These on the other hand were shining with color, rising towards the sun. Until someone plucked it from life.

Ahead of the field was the castle, tall and slender, whitewashed and spires glinting in the sun. Splotches of vines climbed the walls and there were an abundance of balconies. Once he got close enough, he could see that the roofs were red, dirty and old. The seemingly only structure that was unclean due to it being unreachable except the occasional rain. There were six spires in total, four on one side and two on the other.

"I never thought it would be this big. How do people even live in there? They would get lost, the whole thing is so big," he shook his head. "Don't think now Tails. Concentrate on getting inside and get it over with."

He bowed his head so low it seemed like he was paying the soldiers respect as he passed them. He could feel their eyes following him though nobody stopped him. He walked faster until he reached the last wall protecting the castle. He hadn’t even noticed it while looking at the castle.

Guards stood erect at the only gate leading into the courtyard. He stopped right in front of them, and they remained silent. They didn't have to say anything. He knew they didn’t want him here. Without taking his hood down, he lifted his head to meet their eyes. He remembered the one soldier from the alleyway had told him and was about to open his mouth to say his name. But the soldier merely nodded his head to the right before he even spoke. His face was apparently enough of a recognition.

He saw a gravel pathway heading around the castle wall where a wooden door was embedded, most likely used for servants. He blinked in mild confusion before he trotted his way onto the path. He took a moment to stand in front of the door, and placed his hand on the handle, opening it without knocking. He peeked inside, saw another bed of flowers and plants growing, and a gravel pathway leading inside the walls.

The door clicked shut behind him as he heaved a sigh of relief. He was alone. Quickly, he let the other tail out of its hidden place as relief flooded through it and eased the aching pain.

Curiously, his eyes averted to a flower bed in front of him. A part of him made him crouch down and cub one of the flowers in his hand without plucking it. It was pink, big petals, with a couple of thorns on its stem. He leaned forward and took in a large sniff.

A sweetness filled the entirety of his nostrils and a calmness overwhelmed him. Smells were part of his daily life, everything from newly baked bread to alcohol, the latter being enough for him to get nauseous.

He caught himself in his daze, and immediately sprung to his feet, shaking his head. This was dangerous. He might be alone right now, but he was on castle grounds, somewhere that was unknown and not friendly towards criminals.

"Concentrate. You can't stand around like this," he reminded himself as he swung one tail back underneath his cloak and continued down the gravel path.

A small wooden shed appeared as he followed the path around a bush. It was most likely a storage area for different items. Further down the path was the castle wall with an open door where the smell of baked goods, bread, and sugar alike cloaked the area. Since there was nowhere else he could go, he walked over to the open door and stood in the doorway, looking inside.

Cabinets upon cabinets were on the walls, copper pots and pans hung on the walls and in the middle a kitchen island as big as any kitchen he had ever seen stood proud and ready. The floor was dirty with flour and grease with shoe prints marking a busy day for the servants who worked here. Two birds with aprons around their small frames stood with their backs turned to him. One of them was standing in front of an electrical stove with no real fire inside of it.

His eyes widened upon seeing it, interest immediately peaking and if he hadn't had a better grip on himself, he would have darted inside. Technology was foreign in the poor parts of town. The electrical working heating device made his fingers tingle.

One of the servants turned around with a shocked expression. The fox blinked at the woman.

"Oh," was the only word she exclaimed, until she turned around and leaned on a frame and she shouted up a staircase, "Mel, he's here!" The other servant turned their head to look at him, raised a brow and then continued stirring the contents of the bowl in their arms like he was nothing.

Steps sounded down the steps and a large yellow cat with an apron adoring her body came down, drying her hands in a cloth on the way down. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked him up and down. Annoyed, uninterested, but wary of him.

"I don't get why the princess wants a common thief to help her with an intruder for Chaos sake but I'm not one to judge," she said to no one in particular, "Follow me - and if you even think about stealing something in here then I'll hit you myself with my best cake roll!"

He didn’t doubt that the threat was sincere but he had had way worse threats and weren’t particularly scared by this one. A cake roll was a nice change of pace, actually. He decided to play along for now but his eyes still went over potential items that could be swiped as he crossed the kitchen, following the cat.

"Thieves, unworthy bastards that don't know how to have a life," she was mumbling to herself but his ears caught her sentence and immediately the anger bubbled.

First of all, he wasn't a thief, they stole and didn't care who saw it, while pickpockets on the other hand were more careful. And second of fall it wasn't his fault that he had ended up like he had.

He breathed out a desire to take her cake roll and knock her over with it - as she rightly had warned him she’d do to him. It could go both ways, he argued.

He followed her down some stairs, the walls getting significantly rougher as stones were more run down and needed replacing. The higher priced lamps disappeared and were replaced with small bulbs instead. Where did they get the electricity from?

When they reached the bottom of it, there was another door, guarded by a soldier that greeted the cat.

"He's here," she gestured towards Tails who looked at the soldier's face. He looked back at him - serious, determined, and wary - as he nodded back at the cat. It was her cue to leave. She did so after sending the fox a clear sour look and disappeared back up the stairs.

His fur pricked with warning now that he was in a smaller room alone with a soldier that looked like the exact same one he had met earlier. Except he was a rabbit instead. The sword at his hip was glistening in the low light though his hand wasn't on it, and his stance told the fox that he wasn't going to attack.

"We're only waiting for you. Remember: If you lie, we will hunt you down," the soldier warned. His eyes held an edge of sternness which was the only thing he could see since his face was obscured by the helmet.

"I hear you," the fox answered with annoyance from himself, narrowing his eyes at the Mobian. The guard’s eyes narrowed before he opened the door beside him.

At the other side of the door was a set of bars reaching from the ceiling to the floor with a door that could be opened to the left. The smell of humidity of a damp cellar tickled his nose. This was underground.

The door behind him clicked and the soldier who had stood guard outside of it now walked in front of him to greet the three other soldiers outside the cell. They stood in a row, the soldier in the middle held a piece of parchment while he looked into the cell. The pickpocket widened his eyes in surprise.

Hedgehogs weren’t common around Croford. This one was blue - a royal dark color, though his chest and arms were tan. Dirty red and white sneakers with a golden buckle covered his feet. His body was slim, though you could see the muscles underneath the fur on his legs, strong thighs rather than biceps.

But his body language was what impressed him the most. Typically soldiers made people tremble in fear but this guy wasn't. He was lying on a bed, legs crossed over each other and hands laced behind his head. One of his feet was tapping in the air, like he was listening to a song. He seemed - comfortable, relaxed. Tails wanted to rub his eyes in disbelief.

"Everything good?" The soldier with the paper in hand asked as he turned around towards Tails. The fox blinked at the question. The hedgehog was hidden in the back of the cell.

"I need to see his face," he said and saw the hedgehog's head whip towards him though he couldn't see his features from the bars.

"Sit up," the soldier commanded as the soldier to his left banged his sword against the bars. A ringing sound echoed throughout the cell and Tails shielded his poor ears by flattening them to his skull.

"Alright, sorry I was relaxing," the hedgehog’s voice was deep, definitely past puberty. But the voice had a hint of amusement. He stood up, stretched and turned towards them.

His face came into view and Tails could make out a tan muzzle, a long nose and big eyes. He had emerald green eyes that almost pierced right through the fox when they locked together for a couple of seconds. A wave of emotions ran through the hedgehog, his eyes and lips giving the smallest of tweaks and pulls that no one saw but him.

Surprise had been there, then morphed into confusion until he had seen something that he rarely saw, something that he pretty much had thought he had determined wrong since no one had that emotion anymore in his opinion - concern?

"Bringing an audience, I see? Well, I would like to do some tricks, but this cell is too– "

"Shut up hedgehog! He's none of your business," The soldier warned. The hedgehog smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, casualness practically radiating over him. Tails didn't know what he had expected from this visit but this was not it.

"Alright. We will ask a series of questions and you will answer to them. Don't try to lie to us since we will know if you do," The hedgehog rolled his eyes at the ceiling. Bored.

"Yeah fine, just hurry up so I can get out of here. I don't plan on sprouting roots here," a tinge of annoyance, no, impatience. His foot tapped rhythmically against the floor but he kept smirking like the entire thing was humorous.

"Alright," the soldier mumbled as he looked at the paper in his hands, "Are you the one who broke inside?"

Tails' senses peaked, recognizing that this was what they needed him for.

"Yeah I was. Pretty easy as well," the hedgehog’s smirk widened. His pupils didn't enlarge, no twisting at his lips and his quills were still. Confident, really confident. All soldiers suddenly turned to Tails.

"He's telling the truth," his voice sounded small compared to the older hedgehog. The soldier scribbled something down on the paper. The hedgehog locked eyes with him again, surprise, and understanding flooding through him. Mild disbelief too.

"How'd you get in?" his grin spread so wide that hedgehog's teeth flashed, confidence radiating through him.

"I just climbed the wall, sped around the place, went through your unlocked door to the kitchen - you should really put a lock on that - and went down into your little basement. Seriously, it looks like any other basement! You could have hid it a bit better. Anyway I went inside but couldn't do anything until I was ambushed by you guys. Pulled in here ever since, oh and by the way when is dinner? I'm starving," he patted his stomach as if that was the most important point he had established.

His face had held the same smug impression, confidence and even feeling proud of himself. No difference in his facial features just yet.

"Truth," he simply said as the soldier took a couple of moments to scribble his explanation down. The hedgehog's head once again turned to him, his brow furrowed just a tad. Confusion, but the disbelief was gone. Tails smirked towards the hedgehog. He could have imagined the smirk that was sent back to him.

"Were you planning on assassinating the princess?" -

"What? No! Who do you take me for?!" offended, quite a bit actually, but his façade stayed the same despite the scrunching up from disgust.

"Truth," Tails echoed, when the heads returned. This time he avoided the hedgehog's gaze.

"Were you planning on stealing anything?"

The hedgehog shook his head, standing completely still. The foot tapping stopped.

"No, I'm not trying anything dude," His pupils widened a fraction, a very slight twist of the lip. He was lying.

Before Tails could open his mouth and say something, the hedgehog's eyes averted away from the soldier to him. They pierced right through him, making him immediately stop. He was asking him something. Asking for a favor.

The importance, the sternness in his expression told him that whatever he was doing here wasn't because he needed money. He was here for a reason - an important one. Something that he was now practically begging him to not interfere in.

A couple seconds had now passed by. The soldiers were staring at the fox now.

Tails blinked, taking in the hedgehog's expression, and answered in a lower voice.

"Truth."

"What?" The soldier blurted out, had fully expected it to be a lie. Tails saw the faintest of smiles from the hedgehog, though his attention turned to the soldier, gesturing a hand towards the prisoner.

"Yeah. Can't you see his stance? He's confident, standing erect and his back straight, his quills aren't rising and he's not moving. His eyes didn't change, and his lips didn't quiver, he wasn't lying. He thinks this is hilarious though and is impatient as all hell and just wants to get out of here."

The soldier blinked as he turned back to the prisoner whose expression had changed into someone who was impressed. The soldier sighed before scribbling something down on his paper. The fox bit his lip in mild regret.

"Then what are you doing here?" The soldier then asked, impatience in his voice.

"I wanted to talk to the princess but since none of you wanted to show me to her I had to get in here somehow," -

"By going down into the basement?" -

"I got lost! This place is big," he was lying again.

Though, his expression held that same beg, that same plea that he didn't want the fox to call out on him. He didn't have to look at him. Tails looked at the soldier again.

"Truth," The soldier sighed audibly, writing something down on the paper before he leaned back, standing by the other two soldiers.

"We'll evaluate your answers and decide your fate tonight," He said, turning towards the fox. "You're dismissed," He then said, as he and the two other soldiers turned around.

"Hey, wait! When was dinner time?" The hedgehog asked almost ludicrously like he hadn't eaten in days, though his form told the fox that he was fine. The hedgehog didn't get an answer.

Tails caught the hedgehog's gaze before he was gestured out of the room. The hedgehog's previously saddened expression from denied food turned into a small smile and warmth in his eyes. Thanks. He was thanking him.

"Out," the fox was pushed the last bit when he turned around as the door slammed behind him. "Now get out before we change our minds," -

"You promised me a reward!" Tails immediately countered, getting ready for a fight if it was necessary.

"Mel will fix it up for you. Now go," he gestured towards the stairs, that edge back in his voice. Tails left without challenging him.

Once again, the smells of the kitchen hit him like a brick wall. The strawberries were definitely gone now and he was suddenly overwhelmingly hungry. The tall cat from before turned around as he took the last few steps. She visibly scoffed at him before she picked up a pouch and shoved it into his hands.

"There you go. Now scram, before I call the guards to chase you out," she nodded towards the door as the other two servants looked over their shoulders at him. His eyes narrowed in slight challenge but he left nevertheless.

The door slammed loudly behind him, making his ears pin to his skull as he continued his trek. He reached the flower bed and couldn't hold his curiosity as he opened the seam on the small pouch. His eyes widened in surprise once more. Whoever had put this together certainly hadn't been the cat and her cake roll.

The pouch held a small loaf of bread, a small jar with jam, grapes and two wrapped things in green crackling paper. A small reusable water bottle and a pair of new gloves was stuffed into the bottom of it. It was a nice haul - making the entire trip worth it, despite the dangers that most likely had followed him.

He closed it again with a satisfied smile and looked at the sun though it was dipping down into the horizon now.

"Another day, another great haul," he smirked, as he walked back out to the gravel path and down the road.

He almost ran since it was turning dark quickly.

Chapter Text

She sighed while her pink and white heels echoed through the hallway, her arms crossed over her chest.

That wasn't good news.

The soldier's reported that the prisoner was here to talk to her. About what? If he wanted to talk, he could have made an audience like any other Mobian would.

Something was wrong.

She trusted that the soldiers and the criminal had done a good job.

But it was off.

She had seen him.

When she had heard about a thief in the poor parts of town that could read you and tell you your secrets, she had been skeptical but intrigued.

The soldier that had reported to her was shaken by his presence. It confirmed her suspicion that he was the right one for the job.

She had watched the fox from the balcony. He had been standing by the flowerbeds on the pathway to the kitchen. His face was hidden by a green cloak but his twin tails - they had surprised her. Foxes weren’t a common species and they were completely absent from her staff. 

She had distrusted him at first. But as he crouched down and smelled the flowers, her heart softened a little. He was so young. His form was that of a child. Why was a child living on the streets? Where were his parents?

She shook her head dismissing the thought. She had guessed his glove size and now she was happy she had gone a size down rather than up.

She turned the corner, her eyes briefly glancing over the pictures that decorated the walls. No time for admiring them. She quickened her pace, her purple dress fluttering around her waist.

The doorknob turned and clicked open, and she quickly walked inside, closing it quietly behind her. She heaved a sigh of relief looking into the seemingly empty room.

The queen size bed stood proud in the middle of the room with an ottoman at the foot of it. The two large windows were adorned with curtains, letting light spill into the room in controlled spheres. It was one of the many guest rooms in the castle, though she hadn't had any guests to entertain, let alone overnight.

"Silver?" She called into the empty room. First a bout of nothing happened. Then a shuffling sound came from underneath it.

"Blaze?" Another voice echoed as someone scooted out from under the bed and propped himself onto his knees.

He was a hedgehog, young and full of small silvery spikes. He had chest fur covering his neck, though the fur on the rest of his buddy was stubbier. Five spikes shot straight into the air, creating a fanned silhouette. He wore a pair of white gloves with a turquoise outline while his shoes were black and white striped. A tan muzzle with a small black nose and yellow eyes that looked confused at the cat who had entered.

She breathed a sigh of relief while the hedgehog dusted himself off.

"You almost gave me a heart attack! Why were you hiding?" Her voice quivered slightly. 

"Because someone entered the room! You told me to do that when they come to clean the room.”

"But they do that every Thursday, you know that!" She managed to swallow the majority of her annoyance.

A beat of awkward silence went through the room where the hedgehog scratched the back of his head before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"So - what'd you do today?" Blaze felt herself ease into the conversation the moment he asked. This day had been frustrating enough and she just needed the comfort of familiarity.

"A lot of things. First, I had to figure out what to do with that prisoner who infiltrated the walls yesterday. An hour ago, or so the soldiers told me, that he wasn't here to steal anything or kill me but wanted to talk to me- " 

"Talk?"

"And now I don't know what to do with him. I don't think he just wants to talk to me, why infiltrate a castle to do that?"

"Why don't you just go down there and get it over with?" 

"The general won't let me," Blaze continued as she began pacing around the room. An offended scoff escaped the silver individual. "They won't even let me go down into the vault to check what he might have stolen!"

"They don’t believe you can take care of yourself, you know?" She shook her head, her eyes narrowing out the window, as if she were scrutinizing the setting sun as it painted the sky orange and yellow.

"They do but they want to be careful," she defended, though she couldn't agree more.

The king was not kind. Ever since a hoard of robots had shown up at her castle and demanded that she handed herself over in exchange for medicine and shelter for her people, she had had no choice but to give up. Her people had been suffering and she was out of resources. They were dying as she sat on her throne and the guilt had eaten her up. This was the only solution to protect her people.

She had been dressed and given responsibilities the moment she showed up. But the king? She knew nothing of him. She had walked the throne room in hopes that he would show up and greet her. But he never did.

Now an entire city rested on her shoulders alone. Of course, she had royal advisers, ladies in waiting, and generals to aid her every whim through the city. She wasn’t of age yet after all.

"I'm the only one remaining. My people are depending on me to protect Croford. Nobody knows where the king is. Rumors are spreading that he ran away-”

"Do you believe that?" Silver cut her off. Blaze bit her lip in hesitation as she leaned against the windowsill.

"I don't know what to believe. He is supposed to be caring for my people, but I've never even met him," she sighed, defeated and she closed her eyes.

Everything was a mess in itself - in the beginning she thought she was heading to prison in a foreign country. Instead she had been greeted with ladies in waiting crying her name and a people - not her people - celebrating her as if she had been missing.

She had quickly been introduced to Croford and within a week, she was ruling it. No king ever greeted her or explained the situation. No one seemed confused by her presence either. Everyone treated her as if she had simply walked out the wrong door one day and had remembered to return years later.

There were politics, regulations and rules that had been overlooked. She had taken it upon herself to set things right. But the situation had nagged her the first year. She never heard from her own people but on the other hand, no one here treated her as a prisoner.

Now she sometimes wondered if this was her home and her own country had been a dream.

"Blaze, can I ask a question?" She turned her head towards the silver hedgehog, who innocently smiled at her.

Hedgehogs weren’t part of Croford. Like foxes, actually. But hedgehogs stuck together in groups of their own. They didn’t like living in large crammed areas and they often kept to their own villages far from other people. He was the odd one out.

She nodded in approval. The hedgehog shifted on the bed, as if he thought the question would be offensive.

"Why are you staying if your people are waiting for you?" His eyes softened in sympathy. She shook her head, as she plopped down beside the hedgehog and her hands joined together in her lap.

"Because it's my duty. The people here need me as much as my own people back home. As of right now - this city is thriving. The economy is booming and people are happy. At least for the most part. I have no idea what to do with the poor area," her eyes darted over the plush red carpet on the floor. The hedgehog shifted next to her in thought.

"Can't you just give them money?" she grinned at that and slowly shook her head.

"It doesn't work like that Silver. I can't just give them money since the majority will likely end up never being used. Criminals extort each other. One or two people will end up with a lot of wealth and the rest will remain poor. And the rich ones won’t trust us. And we don’t trust them back," She explained and bit her lip as her thoughts went back to the thief she had hired.

She knew not every criminal was the same. The way that he had smelled the flower had told her everything. That brief tranquility that had washed over him like a dam from a river. It had been a luxury for him. To her, it was everyday life.

"No, I can't leave because I have responsibilities here, and so do you," He sighed at that, resting his head in his hand.

"I don't get it Blaze. I don't get why I'm here. Why you're hiding me," he said. A hand on his shoulder made him turn towards her, and the cat gave him a stern expression though she was smiling.

"Because you're special Silver. You have some amazing powers and I know you are destined for something big. I'm sorry that I have to hide you but if the royal advisors find out that I’ve been concealing a civilian for months then… " she didn't want to end the sentence and instead bit her lip. Silver wiggled the hand off of him.

"I wanna go out and explore Blaze. I know you said that it's dangerous for me out there, but I don't- "

"Silver, I don't wanna see you get hurt. There are some things that you have yet to learn and I hate to think what could happen to you. You're like a little brother to me," he looked at her in surprise though Blaze merely smiled again.

He had a secret. A power that no one else had and something that no one else would gain.  That she knew.

But there was something else. She could feel it. He had some sort of ability, something in him that could make him powerful.

In reality she had no idea why she was hiding him, but it just felt right to her.

Both of their ears swirled towards the door when a sudden shout could be heard throughout the hall.

"Princess Blaze! Princess, where are you?! He has escaped! He has escaped!"

The road was getting quieter as more people returned home. He clutched the pouch close to his chest, head bowed, concentrated. He just had to make it to the other side of town.

This was unknown territory - one invisible wrong step and he could make more enemies than he could handle. He knew the thieves from last night were here. This was their turf and if he was caught, he would meet more than he could take on.

As Mobians thinned out ahead of him, he glanced towards every alleyway and briefly dreamed of hiding in the shadows there. It was too risky. Despite the criminals' intentions, no matter what kind they were, none of them liked creating commotion and gaining attention. The middle of the road was the safest.

He had no idea what he had done. He was pretty sure that he was stupid. Actually, he was almost certain he was beyond naive and he had made his own deathbed. Lying to the royals was something they didn't take lightly. Or he thought at least.

Some part of him was amazed that they had believed him right then and there.

So why had he lied? He didn’t know the hedgehog. Yet, that expression on his face had spoken a thousand words. Which ones? He wasn’t sure. But it was enough to lie for.

Why?! Why had he been so foolish?! Was it because of the worry? The fact that a Mobian he had never met had shown a sliver of concern for someone like him?

"That's ridiculous Tails. There is no way he could have looked at you like that; you just met the guy! It doesn't matter anyway; I'll never see him again. Right now, let's just get back and move. It's too dangerous to stay where I'm at now," he heaved a sigh of relief. His familiar area drew closer as he made his way through the night.

Shouting made him turn around, ears straightened, listening.

Then running, clanking feet of soldiers in a group. 

Torches filled the path with light, and his heart pumped in his head. Did they know?

He quickly darted into the alleyway to his left, using the comfort of the barrels and the boxes around him while his mind was running.

"So many soldiers?! They couldn't be hunting for me, that’s too many Mobians for one pickpocket!"

He put a hand over his heart in a fruitless effort to calm it down as he hid behind a barrel. The soldiers passed. They were shouting, yelling orders that he couldn't comprehend while civilians were pushed aside.

His eyes widened when a group of them turned to the alleyway and adrenaline shot through him. Trained feet made as little noise as possible as he sprinted around a corner, jumped over barrels. They weren't following him. They likely just searched the area where he had just been.

He stopped and willed his mind to calm down. He needed to head the other way, get past the bridge.

Sounds drowned him. There was too much going on.

Soldiers, clanks of metal and commands getting yelled around him, making it impossible for him to figure out where they were.

He gulped as he darted around another corner and made his way further back towards the outer wall though it was a dead end.

Wrong choice. But better than straight into them.

He tripped over a stone and almost smashed head first into a wall of a house. They were near him.

Suddenly, he could hear rapid footsteps behind him and he whipped around. No one could run that fast. And he knew - he was quick on his own feet!

His eyes blurred for a minute when all he saw was blue, hanging in the air like a veil and then suddenly it all came to a stop. Surprise caught up with him. His back was pushed hard against the wall, as if he had been pushed against it.

At the corner of the wall, that same hedgehog from the prison was peaking around the corner, his small blue ears turned towards it.

The fox kept his breathing under control, suddenly understanding that it wasn't him they were after.

 Promptly, the hedgehog turned around and emerald green eyes met the fox’ as they widened as well. Surprise. Nothing more than that.

"You?!" the hedgehog blurted out, way too loud for someone in hiding.

The fox's ears swirled around again. The soldiers heard too. They were getting closer.

"I thought- '' Survival instinct kicked in and he ran over to the hedgehog and clapped a hand over his mouth. Quickly, he pulled the taller Mobian away from the corner and behind a barrel. He tugged the cloak closer to himself as a group of soldiers made it into the alley.

Clanking feet and low talk. Eight feet, four soldiers. Less than ideal if he needed to fight.

The hedgehog beside him was still, not moving a muscle. As the feet came closer to them, the fox felt his heart in his throat. It took everything in his power to calm his breathing.

His right ear turned when shouting could be heard from an ally further away. The feet stopped dead in their tracks. A command was shouted, the soldiers moved, the light disappeared.

He heaved a sigh of relief, feeling his heart almost beat out of his chest. That was close.

A slight shuffle of a foreign foot reminded him of the prisoner and he quickly snatched back his hand.

"Stay quiet," the pickpocket hissed in a whisper, "You almost revealed us."

The blue one's eyes searched his own. Surprise was the main emotion, though slight annoyance too. 

"Well excuse me for running away from them and stumble into you," the hedgehog whispered back, "I hadn't expected to find you.”

"Then what did you expect?" Tails’ snapped back in a harsh whisper. He didn't have time for this, he needed to get back to his hideout before it got too dark. Or worse, the soldiers got him.

"I don't know, kid; I just ran as quickly as I could. I'm on my way out anyway," the hedgehog explained, his green eyes almost shining.

Tails blinked at him, thinking that he must be an idiot.

"You can't do that! You're their hottest target as of right now. If you run through town without thinking, you're gonna get a lot of people in trouble. Besides, the gates are protected because of the immigrants and you can be sure as hell that a lot of more soldiers are gonna be stationed out there now- “

"Calm with the language," Tails blinked as a grin spread across the hedgehog's face.

"Alright I get it, I don't wanna bring people into trouble," the prisoner said as he listened, his ears erect, "Alright uhm I'm at a loss here kid, know a place where I could go?"

Tails bit his lip, well-knowing that there was literally no safe place for him to go. Except one.

He sighed, and saw the confusion in the hedgehog's eyes. If the prisoner ran around town, he would stir up a lot of trouble, that much he knew. If it didn't give trouble to the thieves and gamblers then it would for the poor people. But he couldn't take him with him, that would be too dangerous. If someone saw him walking around with the guy the soldiers were looking for it could mean a lot of trouble for him.

But what choice did he have?

"Alright," Tails breathed out,  "Come with me and we'll figure it out. But you're staying close and you listen to what I say, okay?

At first the hedgehog looked hesitant and looked around him. He could practically read his thoughts. He didn't want to bring him into trouble. Though, the hedgehog apparently concluded that he was out of options, sighed and then looked at him with a smile.

"Alright, your call. Thanks," Tails blinked. Gratitude?

He shook it off him and got up, the hedgehog following close behind him. The fur on his back prickled. No one ever walked that close without meaning trouble. But he was on his side, right?

He ignored the feeling and instead darted ahead, mentally winched at how much noise the hedgehog made when he followed. Looking around barrels, ears turning and head checking for sporadic shadows he disappeared around corners, going around boxes.

He was following fine, close. It was a weird sensation. He was so used to being alone that the hedgehog's presence was an automatic threat.

They stopped again behind a barrel, felt the hedgehog brush against his arm and his own fur bristled. He sighed annoyed and turned his head towards him, green eyes blinking confused at him.

"You're messing me up," he mumbled. This time around the hedgehog shook his head in complete confusion. Tails merely latched onto his wrist. "Be quiet."

Now that he could physically feel the hedgehog, his senses were somewhat calm again, eyes and ears darting around the alleys.

What was he doing?!

He breathed a sigh of relief when they got out of thieves' turf. They had been hearing shuffling and seeing fleeting shadows. It was like they were right there, just out of sight. Though, the pickpocket and the prisoner merely hid from the soldiers as their clanking metal subsided, and they were much further away than before the bridge.

His fingers still dug into the hedgehog’s fur as he stopped dead in his tracks just as he turned a familiar corner.

Luckily, the hedgehog had stayed quiet and kept up, not even needing breaks to breathe the way the fox did. He was loud on his feet but he knew how to keep hidden because of his dark blue fur. Night had fallen over the town but Tails’ night vision had kicked in as stars twinkled in the sky above them.

When he determined it was safe enough to enter, he yanked at his dubious companion’s arm as he pulled him behind the heavy curtain that marked his hideout. He let go of the hedgehog as he squeezed through his barrel tower, turning around to make sure that the prisoner didn't knock it over. The taller hedgehog had broad shoulders but was still slim. He made it fine through the barrels - didn’t even stumble between them - and his expression spoke of curiosity.

Tails slumped down on the box that stood by his desk, running his hands over his face. Exhaustion made his limbs heavy and his mind a little foggy. He had been on alert all day and now he had a sudden new visitor. Though, he somehow knew that the hedgehog wasn't a threat.

"Nice place you got," apparently he thought it was safe enough to talk at a normal volume now which earned him a scowl from the fox. Before he could hush him, the hedgehog found the bed and promptly sat down. The hedgehog’s face was relaxed, almost carefree about the whole ordeal, which made Tails mentally scoff at him. They had just been chased across town and now he looked like it had all been a fun game they had been playing with no stakes at all.

Instead of answering, Tails opened the small chest, fishing out the oil and the matches since there was no need to sit in complete darkness.

"What's your name?" he looked up from the question. The hedgehog gave him a grin - still relaxed, curious and weirdly calm. Either his eyes had played tricks on him all day or this Mobian was crazy.

He considered this. Throwing his name around like a piece of fabric could be dangerous, though he highly doubted that the hedgehog wanted to seek out thieves or any other criminal for that matter. He lit the lamp as his mind raced at possible options. After putting the items away, he sat down on the same box from before as he extracted the pouch he was given as a reward at the castle. His stomach rumbled hungrily now that they were somewhat safe.

"Tails," he said in a low voice, keeping his eyes on the pouch in his lap as he fished out the bread and the jar of jam.

A questioning 'hm' came from the bed, which made him look up though the hedgehog merely smiled at him.

"They're pretty cool."

"They?" the fox quickly asked in confusion. The hedgehog waved a lazy hand towards him.

It was at the exact same time that Tails realized that the constant pain from his cramping tail was gone. Old habits had made him take his guard down. Immediately, he pulled his tails to the ground at a panicked attempt to hide them. 

He felt the heat creep up his neck and the shame spread in his chest. He didn’t know this guy and he had let his guard down. How stupid could he be?

But then… he had said they were cool, right? No one had ever said that. Compliments weren’t ever meant for him.

"Hey, thanks for showing me through the city. You seemed to know your way around," the hedgehog scratched his head as the pickpocket broke the bread apart and spread a small amount of topping. The jar was only small enough for the two pieces though they were practically dripping with sweet red jam. Despite his hunger, the fox offered one slice to the hedgehog.

"It's not safe being in the alley without knowing what’s there," Tails explained, as the hedgehog took the bread with another thanks, "You would have messed up a lot of things.”

"Most likely," the blue one grinned as he took a generous bite of the bread.

"I'm Sonic by the way," he winked, jam all over his face from the bread, "The hedgehog. Though I don't know what I could have messed up."

Tails was too busy drowning his hunger with sweetness and fresh, crunchy bread. He could taste the freshness - it had been baked today. He hadn’t had that in forever. And two days with bread for dinner, it was luxurious.

He looked back at the hedgehog as he cleaned the crumbs off his fingers. He was a weird guy.

There was something about him that he couldn't pinpoint. His presence alone made him feel. Welcome? It was as if whatever trouble that was going on outside would eventually turn out okay. Tails blamed it on ignorance more than anything since Sonic most definitely wasn't used to the life on the streets.

"The system," Tails then answered, taking another bite of his own food, "We have different areas of operation. The thieves are around the market and the alleyways around us. Gamblers and such are more out on the road. You can't just waltz around everywhere you go, there is a system."

The hedgehog's eyes shone with interest, a question coming to his mind.

"And where are you in that system?" Tails swallowed his bite, blinking in hesitation.

"I'm a pickpocket. We're not thieves but not thimble riggers either. We don't have a specific place to be," he explained. Surprise washed over the hedgehog.

Green eyes darted over the few items in the hideout.

"And you do that alone?"

It couldn't be - was that concern yet again? He felt another bit of annoyance creep under him, thinking that he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

"Yeah, so?" he quirked an annoyed eyebrow as he ate the last bite of the bread, his hand immediately going back into the pouch to search for the grapes.

"Can I see your face?" Tails looked up in mild confusion, though the hedgehog grinned amused at him.

"You saw my face back in the prison. Isn't it fair if I see yours?" His hood had never moved from his head ever since he had left the hideout.

No one ever asked if they could see his face and now he understood how uncomfortable that was. But a part of him felt like he owed it to him. His argument stood true. It was only fair. Even if Tails had just saved this ignorant bunch of quills from treason several times.

With a sigh, he pulled his hood back with one swipe of his hand, his ears twisting into freedom. The immediate surprise in the hedgehog's eyes made Tails look back down at the grapes, plucked one and threw it into his own mouth. They were slightly acidic with a tinge of sweetness coating his tongue. Sonic must have realized that he read the surprise as he shook his head and shifted a bit.

"I'm sorry, you're just much younger than I expected. How long have you been living on the street?"

"Stop sounding concerned, it's annoying!" Tails cut him off, then realized that he had raised his voice and by instinct swirled his ears backwards. Though, no sounds reached them as the hedgehog blinked at him. Sonic shrugged and caught the three grapes that were tossed at him.

"Annoying? Dude, I'm just asking. When I see a kid out living on the street my reaction is to ask how they are. I know you must have lived here for a while and can take care of yourself but don't be mad about me being concerned."

He felt like he was getting lectured - like an adult was trying to give him advice on something that he already knew. He didn't care much of it, but as he swallowed his grape he somehow felt compelled to give him an answer.

"All my life," He said.

“How old are you? 10?” The concern was thick enough to cut through.

“No. Eight - but it doesn’t matter. I can take care of myself,” he felt his tails flick in annoyance, disobediently.

"Wow," the hedgehog breathed and immediately put both of his hands in front of him, "Don't get me wrong, I'm just impressed.”

"I know. I can read it off you," the fox deadpanned and threw the last grapes to the hedgehog who immediately ate them.

"Yeah by the way that is seriously cool, how'd you learn it?" His interest was a cause for concern. He had already told him too much about himself.

Not a lot of people knew the things that Tails had told him. Trusting Mobians was the last thing you wanted to do.

"Let's just say that people lie to me almost every day," Tails reasoned as he took out the water bottle from the pouch though.

"But now it's my turn. Who are you? What was so important that you had to infiltrate the castle?" Tails was determined to get an answer out of him.

Sonic blinked at him as he watched the determination shoot through the fox. Sonic shrugged, placed his elbows on his knees and leaned forward a bit. Still relaxed, though something else showed up in his eyes.

"Like I told ya I'm Sonic. I'm not from here, I traveled quite a bit to be honest, came here yesterday. And uh, I came because I have a mission," he scratched the back of his head. Hesitation? "My village is small but we stick together. Our chief, Tikal is - special. She gets visions sometimes."

Tails quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. Visions was a word that thimble riggers used to trick people into paying them for a story. Of course, they said it was their future. Tails knew better. The only visions you could get was from the mushrooms that were passed around the streets, though he had never had some himself. He had experienced Mobians lost in “visions”. They never made much sense.

"A couple of days ago she got a vision and wanted to talk to me. She said that Chaos had opened his eyes to me and realized that I was something special. That I, apparently, had some sort of destiny to make the world peaceful," he rolled his eyes though it was more disbelief than ridicule. Sonic didn't believe it himself. Good, that meant that he wasn't the only one around feeling like he was getting told a fairytale rather than an actual anecdote.

"So she sent me out to gather a Chaos Emerald since I apparently can do something with it. Truth be told I have no idea what she talked about but since I felt like running, I didn't deny her."

Tails managed to hold back the gasp that snaked up his throat. Chaos Emerald? He had heard of it? And he had been told that he could do something with it? He shook his head, unnoticed by the hedgehog, bringing himself back to reality. Visions weren't real.

"Then why did you do it if you don't believe in what she told you?" He found himself asking, was getting tired of the surprise that overcame the hedgehog when he practically read his thoughts. 

"Like I said I wanted to go running. I don't say no to an adventure, though I hadn't expected to get locked up while getting caught," He explained, then apparently remembered something. "By the way, thanks for covering for me. I didn't know if you could tell or something, but I really didn't want them to know."

Tails was hesitant to say 'you're welcome' since he had no idea why he had helped him in the first place. What had made him feel compelled to lie to him? He was sure it wasn't out of pity. Curiosity? He wasn't sure.

"What'd you steal?" Tails asked instead as he took a sip out of the bottle, the cold and clean liquid going satisfyingly down his throat.

Sonic’s silence was enough of a hesitation. But as the fox watched him, a smirk spread across his lips and all the doubts seemed to wash off his face. He instead reached a hand behind his quills.

"This," he announced as he pulled the item free of his spikes.

The pickpocket couldn't catch the gasp in time. He felt the bottle slip from his hand as his mind tried to comprehend the white Chaos Emerald in the hedgehog's hand.

It was pulsating very softly and radiated a very dim light in the shadows that the oil lamp didn’t manage to chase away.

Tails could feel the tingling in his fingertips. This emerald had power as well. It was real enough. He forced his hands to steady.

"You know," he found himself whispering. The hedgehog blinked at him in confusion.

"I what now?" Tails' eyes somehow averted away from the emerald and found the green orbs.

"You know about them. The Chaos Emeralds. I've read books that spoke about Chaos Wielders, Mobians who could use their powers to do something with them. I don't know what and I don't know how, but apparently they could use them to bend nature itself," his eyes were pulled back to the dim light of the emerald, his thoughts traveling to his emerald that was nestled in the bottom of the chest beside him.

There was more than one.

An impressed whistle brought him out of his thoughts, as the hedgehog carelessly threw the emerald into the air and caught it again in a practiced manner.

"You don't say," he smirked, "Maybe Tikal was right after all."

For a moment, Tails watched as his words dawned on the hedgehog.

"Wait, them? There's more than one?"

Tails suddenly realized the slip of his tongue. Sonic snuggled the emerald safely in his hand. The fox couldn't help but notice how that gesture almost fit the emerald. Like a key in a lock.

Curiosity was swarming him like crazy. Visions weren’t real but clearly Chaos Emeralds were. He barely realized what he was doing before he was rummaging around in his storage chest. The dim light was there again. There, in the very bottom of the wooden storage-compartment, a dim blue light.

He took it out and was set back by the power that was sent through his fingers. Closing the lid, he turned back towards the hedgehog. He saw the amount of surprise that filled his eyes as his gaze fell on the light blue emerald that sat in the fox's hand.

"You're kidding," Sonic exclaimed, his green emerald eyes fixated onto the emerald.

Tails slowly shook his head, not believing it himself anymore. Two emeralds. How many were there?

Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of someone coming close to the curtain. As his thoughts swirled around his head, he twisted his whole body around. He lifted his hand at the hedgehog when he heard the wood creak as the taller Mobian shifted his weight. He obeyed. Tails was concentrating on the shuffling; could feel his fur prickle with anticipation.

It lasted for a couple of moments until running could be heard, away from his hideout, away from the alley. He breathed out a sigh of relief, his heart beating out of his chest as he looked back at the hedgehog, his green eyes fixated to where they had been.

"Have someone been listening all the time?" Tails was quick to shake his head, his ears still pinned backwards to make sure that whoever had been there had been alone.

"No, they just came. Otherwise I would have heard them," he explained looking back down at his emerald.

This place wasn't safe anymore. He had meant to look for a new place to stay today, and now it was getting more and more risky to stay. The sheer thought of sleeping here tonight didn't ease his mind one bit. And he had another problem to worry about, looking up from the emerald and the hedgehog.

Sonic gaze was fastened onto their entrance, one hand scratching the back of his head while his eyes were a bit wide. Confused, bewildered but also a hint of being – impressed? Tails lightly shook his head.

"It's not safe," the fox mumbled.

"It's not what now?"

Blue orbs met green before Tails turned his head towards the desk, scanning the items he had stashed underneath.

"It's not safe. We haven't been careful enough, someone might have followed us," the fox explained, leaving the detail out that he most likely had been watched for the past week as it was. The three Mobians he had fought yesterday were evidence enough.

When the hedgehog opened his mouth to say something, he instead closed it and considered the emerald. Regret – and he felt lost as well. Sonic had regretted coming with Tails. He was worried. Tails didn’t like that.

The fox exhaled deeply. This hedgehog was a whole puddle of emotions. But he didn't want to tell him to go and leave him out in the streets – with how much noise he was making he'd go stir up a lot of trouble and make things harder for a lot of people.

His mind wandered to his contacts, furrowing his brow. He didn't like the thought of it. But he didn't have any other choice – Sonic wanted to leave the city, which was most likely for the best, but the gates were heavily guarded especially now. He was out of options.

He needed to get the hedgehog to people who could help him, and then find another place to sleep for the night.

Decision taken.

"You want to get out of here, right?" Tails asked, gaining the hedgehog's attention, "I know some people that can help us. But you need to follow my lead and for the love of Chaos stay quiet!" He demanded and could feel his tails behind him whip agitated beyond his control.

Sonic blinked again, before something else appeared in them, the first hint of annoyance he had seen all day.

"Keep quiet? I'm as quiet as a mouse!"

"If you believe that you'll be a dead mouse," Tails shot back quickly as he turned around to open the small box underneath his foldable table.

He needed to bring the valuable items with him. Everything else could wait. Pulling out the metal device he had created and the few tools he had, he turned his ears towards the hedgehog when he sputtered. The last thing he picked up was his book.

"How are you quieter than me?" Sonic protested as the fox hid his things in one of his tails.

"Your feet. You sound like you're running all the time. You need to step lighter, put your weight on your toes rather than your heel," he instructed, closing the lid on the chest, catching the sight of his battered gloves.

Mind turned back to the pouch he had left on the table and he quickly drew out the new gloves that were inside. As he did, he also withdrew the two small things wrapped in green paper and hid it away for later consumption. His own gloves were worn and dirty. He pulled them off and frowned at the smell his hands gave off from the frequently used fabric. The new gloves were a pristine white, almost too white considering that he needed to be hidden out in the darkness. He hid the water bottle in another tail, stretched his fingers into the barely worn fabric and looked at the hedgehog.

"You ready? We need to walk quite a distance and fast," he informed, pulling the hood back over his ears again.

He almost sighed at the smirk that the hedgehog gave him as he jumped up from the makeshift bed and even had the courtesy to wink at him.

"Lead the way," he declared at the fox and followed the smaller Mobian through the makeshift entrance.

Why was he still doing this? Tails had no idea.

Chapter Text

He knew living alone wasn’t the only option. He watched plenty of people on the streets, families with little kids and lots of love to spare, elderly people huddling together in front of the fire in the evening when the cold spread in the streets. But he had also at some forgotten point in his life realized that life was locked behind a gate and he didn’t have the key for it.

Sometimes he fantasized about joining a gang. Not because he liked people, not really. But protection existed in numbers and it would be worth the risk. Or that’s what he told himself on sleepless nights. But he knew better than to let childish fantasies steer his life.

Thieves were known to hustle together in groups, carry names of great importance, strive for different goals and occasionally fight each other when a specific turf seemed interesting to both parties.

Thimble riggers kept mostly to themselves since they didn't like sharing their money with anyone else, but sometimes they would reunite to run a bigger gig or exchange information to gain the upper hand.
Burglars often worked together in groups too. But he didn’t know if the assassins worked together. What was left behind was a rotting corpse in an abandoned alley where no one would find it until the stench became too overwhelming and the soldiers would haul it away. Corpses didn’t talk much and Tails really didn’t ask questions if he found them first.

Pickpockets could either be by themselves or with others. He didn't like the thought of getting anyone into danger because of him, let alone someone who was helping him. He had been targeted quite a bit ever since he had left his contacts. His reputation and name had apparently reached the royals, and the evidence was currently getting dragged behind him.

And now, he was pretty sure that he was hotter than ever, and needed to move far away from his last area if he wanted to live another day.

He hadn’t exactly opted for the best time to seek out his contacts. After the fight, he was certain someone was after him. His ears constantly sought suspicious sounds, anything to warn him of danger.

The fox was a certain enemy to the thieves now. He had after all just beat up someone pretty high up the food-chain of thieves. And he was dragging a wanted hedgehog around with him who had even participated in the beat-up.

The shaking hadn’t stopped and his heart had found comfort in his throat since they had survived. An encounter which would dramatically cut short any chance of a birthday in the future. Turning nine was wishful thinking now rather than a certainty.

He took a breath and willed calm into his body, putting all the fear into a tightly locked box in his mind. For later. For now, he needed to focus.

They had been moving faster to shake whatever was after them, heading to the west side of Croford, an area with ghostly apparitions of what once was a thriving district. A fire had ravaged the area just a week ago, and the ones who had survived had now found comforting homes on the street. Or died of starvation. Tails wasn’t actually sure what happened to people whose lives were burned to the ground but who hadn’t originally been poor.

He rushed past the ashen pillars of a bakery. People had suspected the fire had started here but to his eyes, the whole area might as well have been hit with a bomb and burned down all at once. Fortunately criminals also stayed away from here.

It was further away from the market and there was nothing left to steal. The criminal web waited for this place to flourish again. As much as people wanted homes, as much did the criminals want wealth.

He couldn't hide the frightened gasp when the hedgehog suddenly kicked a can, careening it over the cobblestone in the back area they had made their way into. He whipped his head around, not at all changing his mind at the sheepish look he got.

"Dammit Sonic, stay quiet!" he hissed in a low voice and yanked his arm to continue their trek. Their footsteps remained in the thin layer of ash with only the outer wall in the close horizon showcasing their encased prison.

"Do you mind the language?"

"Do you mind not correcting me?" Tails bit back, shushed him when the hedgehog tried to add something else and decided to deal with the offended stare he got later.

Once they got out of the burned down district, the fox purposely dragged his feet through a puddle of something suspiciously dark, stopping just long enough for the hedgehog to put both feet in too. Though the prisoner just stared dumbly at him as if he had no idea why they stopped. Or maybe he just truly hadn’t thought about the very obvious trail they’d have left if they didn’t wash off their shoes. But would he be that stupid?

As they continued, more solid houses came into view. Or well, they still stood. Very few of them still had windows and even fewer had a working door. Some had attempted to use fabric to mimic a door but the wind and rain would eventually find a way through. This was one of the poorest districts. It was poorer than where Tails had lived - and he considered that area significantly poor.

Turning the corner and running past a well with a clear sign: “DO NOT DRINK - DISEASE” which was not that uncommon. He was just glad they were warned. Few places bothered with a sign when the area was poor.

He looked around at the house he was searching for, night vision eyes seeing perfectly clear. He almost felt all his uneasiness drip out with the sight..

To anyone else it just looked like a broken house, but to him it was a sanctuary. Broken windows with missing glass, stone walls covered with age and vines and a roof missing some tiles. It wasn’t a pretty sight but despite that the house seemed in better shape than the others.

It was bigger than the surrounding houses, a couple of boards boarded up the broken windows and sacks of sand were piled in front of carefully thought out areas, prepared for anything that might attack the occupants.

Dim light could be seen through cracks in heavy fabrics designed to shut out any peering eyes. It told the fox that they were doing business despite the late hour.

He walked decisively towards the entrance, dragging the hedgehog behind him and ignored his sputtering. Once in front of it, he held his breath and listened for anyone who might have followed. When everything was still, even Sonic's shifting came to a halt. Then he lifted a hand, sighed deeply, and knocked twice on the door. The door had a small window that was boarded up on the other side, refraining from any curious souls looking in.

For a couple of seconds nothing happened. But his keen ears could hear the shuffling of steps inside and soon enough the board on the window was pushed aside. A pair of yellow eyes narrowed and looked suspiciously at whoever was on the other side, before they widened in recognition. The pickpocket simply nodded. The yellow eyes disappeared from the window, something getting unlocked on the other side like a bolt getting lifted out from its socket, before the door swung half-way open.

What looked back at the fox was a purple chameleon half a head taller than him with a yellow horn adorning the of his forehead. Dark shadows from far too many nights of no sleep hung heavily under his eyes while warm amber eyes analyzed the small fox. The same dirty old cloak hung around his shoulder and a few more wrinkles had found their way onto his brow.

"Tails?" warmth flooded his stomach as the voice - his protective voice that had guided him through so many emergencies that he didn’t even know about - simply asked his name. It was full of disbelief and so hoarse, thick with a need for sleep. He had missed him. Tails could hear it in the tone alone.

"Hey," the fox greeted and tried to hide the faint smile on his lips. He had forgotten how it felt to share space with someone who didn’t want to harm you. Then the hedgehog shuffled ever so slightly and he tightened his grip around the hedgehog's wrist. "I need your help."

Any other thoughts that the chameleon might have had in the back of his mind was negated when he saw the hedgehog. Amber eyes narrowed defensively.

"I see you’re dragging the prisoner around town," the chameleon mused and crossed his arms over his chest while the fox sighed deeply. Of course they had heard. It would have been odd if they hadn’t.

"Listen, I'll explain everything, I promise. But for now, I need you to listen to me and let us in," Tails defended softly, almost dropping his voice to a whisper, "We're being followed."

The chameleon’s pupil turned into a slit, eyes hard as steel. He scanned over the young pickpocket in front of him another time and then looked back at the hedgehog.

Tails would have understood if he turned them away, he would accept a no. But in the back of his mind, he was begging for his old acquaintance to understand. He didn't know where else to go. Sleeping outside tonight could be deadly.

It took fewer seconds than he had expected when the chameleon sighed and opened the door.

"Hurry in," Tails spent no time waiting for a reply and yanked the hedgehog inside. A startled yelp he emitted from the prisoner while the door was closed silently behind them.

The room was a repurposed living room with a large table in the middle, full of papers and books, work left for another moment. Chairs lined the wall and boxes were stacked on top of each other in one corner, full of supplies and rations. To anyone else it might look like a waiting room but to Tails it was safety. They made their way towards another door where a raised and annoyed voice sounded from the other side of it.

A shiver went through him, suddenly realizing how cold he had been. He finally let go of the hedgehog. He could trust him. His other tail revealed itself from its hiding spot, swaying lazily alongside the other while he pulled off his hood. This was the closest he had to a home.

"What are you doing here, now of all times?" the chameleon asked, though it wasn't said in an angered or annoyed tone, and his face told the fox he was surprised. Like he had been late for something.

Tails looked up at him before looking back at Sonic who thankfully remained quiet for now and was instead looking around curiously.

"I'm in a tight spot Espio," Tails answered, looking back at the chameleon.

He had helped him a lot in the past. The one who had shown him their hideout, had been the one to teach him how to treat wounds and how to fight properly. He had been the closest to a teacher that he could think of. Espio and the crew were the only ones who had accepted who he was.

The chameleon looked back at him, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes critically analyzing him.

"I see. That black eye of yours doesn't look very old," Espio stated as if he was talking about the weather. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm good," The fox quickly answered. His health didn’t matter right now. The roll of the chameleon's eyes had another opinion, but the older one dropped the topic and instead focused his attention on the hedgehog.

"What are you doing with him?" The hedgehog turned his head towards Espio as he realized the conversation now included him and he sent a confident smile his way. Tails sighed, looking back at his ally.

"He was messing up everything. Running around without thinking where he was going and brought a lot of poor people into trouble. I had to do something, or he would have taken down the whole system-"

"Hey, I didn't know there was a system to begin with!" Sonic defended with the first bit of anger the fox had heard all evening, putting his hands on his hips. Espio ignored it and instead turned back to the younger one.

"You could have ignored him. Let others do it instead-”

"I couldn't Espio, there's-!" He cut himself off, suddenly realized how much explaining there was to the whole ordeal, "It’s a long story. I need to talk to Vector.”

"He's busy," The chameleon quickly said, nodding towards the door, another raised voice reaching their ears. Tails narrowed his eyes at it and swung his free tail impatiently. Neither he nor Sonic had time for something as trivial as whatever was happening on the other side of the door.

"Not for long he isn't.”

"Tails wait!" Espio reached to grab his arm as he walked towards the door but Tails had timed it just right and opened the door before the chameleon could stop him.

A chair was in front of a table occupied by a white Mobian rabbit wearing a belt with a knife hiding in it and a blue vest over his chest. His voice had given away his gender a long time ago. Across from him sat another bigger Mobian, a crocodile in a bigger chair, his own gloved hands on the table. His scales glinted green from the light of the lantern. Red small triangular spikes were protruding out along his spine, tall and broad. A pair of yellow eyes stared straight at the white rabbit.

"... Done. Now, pay up!" The crocodile yelled, his entire stance and voice alone telling everyone that he was annoyed, anger soon starting to settle in.

"I'm not gonna give up anything, because you didn't keep your part of the deal!" The rabbit stood up, slamming both hands onto the table in front of him. His smaller size clearly didn’t steal away his courage. Since none of them seemed to have noticed the fox, he simply stood in the open door and listened.

"We kept our part of the deal! The deal was to assign a thief to steal two bottles of bourbon from the Croford inn on Greenstreet. You were assigned to keep his back covered, but when he was discovered you ran off, leaving him to chase the soldiers off himself!"

"The plan never involved any soldiers; your guy should have been more careful!"

"We can't guarantee for every mission to be successful. Sometimes things go wrong – you got the alcohol, now pay up!" Vector yelled back, his body tense with anger. It was getting dangerous now. The rabbit narrowed his eyes at him and cautiously put a hand on the knife in his belt.

Tails knew how such a situation could end and took a step forward, fully entering the room.

"The deal was to cover a thief's back, and you didn't finish the mission," The fox took a stance between them at the table looking straight at the rabbit and ignored Vector's stare. Confusion spread in the rabbit’s face, diffusing the anger enough to make him put his hand back on the table, leaving the knife in its sheath.

"Who are-”

"But I guess fear overcame you and made you scurry. Either the soldiers have you on some sort of watch list or you have done something terrible to avoid them finding you," The fox continued, his blue eyes analyzing and darting around the rabbit's face, "Stealing isn't easy anymore. Alcohol, jewelry, food, or clothes are hard to get by, so getting caught is easy. Or perhaps you're hiding someone instead? Family member? Friends?"

None of the different topics seemed to spark a reaction in the rabbit’s face. He didn't react on contacts either, making the young mind think.

"Either way, if I'm wrong there was something that made you avoid those soldiers. Maybe you got some bad reputation…"

A widening of his pupils, slight twitch at the lips.

Tails smirked, "Becoming enemies with the royals is pretty dangerous I could imagine. Stealing something from the soldiers is much more risqué than any other Mobian. Or even attacking someone for the fun of it."

The rabbit's large ears stood more erect, one hand clenched into a fist and his pupils got larger.

"Attacking soldiers for sports is really dangerous. I get why you're scared of them."

He saw the sweat droplet fall from his forehead.

"You're hot on their list if you ki-"

"Alright!" The rabbit suddenly yelled into Tails' face, slamming his hands on the table. His eyes were wide in fear, his lips twitching nervously as he looked at the crocodile and then back at the fox.

"I'll pay up if you don't tell them," The pickpocket smirked, satisfied and nodded. The rabbit proceeded to find a pouch from his belt and poured out some coins on the table, leaving the pouch behind.

"Take them. And then I'll never come back alright?"

The crocodile looked at the money, before he smirked himself looking at the rabbit as he put his feet on the table leaning back on the chair.

"Your decision pal," he replied, putting his hands behind his head in a satisfied gesture. The rabbit nodded, looked at the fox with a pair of terrified eyes before he turned around, walking past the blue hedgehog and purple chameleon who had made their way inside as well. The door in the other room to the outside opened and slammed shut afterwards.

Tails couldn't hide the satisfied smirk on his lips. Another successful secret revealed.

"As sly as ever, huh Tails?" Vector asked, making the fox shrug casually.

"I need to get my rewards somehow," he simply explained as if his performance had been as easy as swiping something from a lonely basket. Looking at the crocodile himself, he couldn't stop the faint smile that appeared on his lips, "Good to see you Vector."

A faint feeling of relief flooded his system; at least he was still here and not on the street. Tails wasn’t sure if he had consciously feared that or if he only now considered the possibility that his old friend could have been on the streets. The crocodile gave him a faint smile back, before slamming the chair back onto the floor and rose to his feet.

"Good to see you too, squirt,"  the crocodile placed his hands on his hips and earned an offended stare instead, "You've grown since last I saw ya."

Despite the fact that the fox had to crane his neck to make eye contact with his much taller friend, he felt happy to be around someone who didn't want to harm him. At least, he was pretty sure of it – you could never know who you could trust and who you couldn't.

"It's been a while," Vector said flatly, despite him knowing that 'a while' most likely didn't cover the two years that he had spent completely on his own. He glanced at the blue hedgehog who simply blinked confused back at him.

"And now you've come back to throw our entire organization into the hands of the soldiers, haven't you?" The crocodile’s tone became slightly threatening as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked back down at the fox, this time his eyes narrowed in a clear warning.

Tails opened his mouth to say something, but found himself succumbing to the crocodile's stare, making him close it again. It was true. In the panic of getting followed and the whole predicament of him visiting the castle and now hiding a prisoner, he was putting this place into more danger than he ever had before. A stone of regret planted itself into his abdomen and he looked away as shame followed the stone. This was a mistake.

"No, no this wasn't his fault," Sonic’s voice made the fox look up, "I'm the one who messed up. He's just helping me – I kinda forced him to." Vector’s attention was now fully on the hedgehog.

Tails blinked at him in pure bewilderment. Why was he defending him? He owed him nothing as far as he was concerned. But Vector did nothing but take a deep breath.

"Charmy!" He called throughout the building, the voice traveling far and wide in small rooms. The name hung in the room for a couple of seconds before something opened in the other room, a buzzing replacing the silence. Sonic had to duck when a bee flew into the room, smiling and saluting the croc.

"Yes, Vector!" the small bee chirped in the best impression a 6 year old could make of a soldier. Tails knew he didn't have to but did it for the fun of it, and it eased a bit of the shame. Enough for the fox to find himself grinning at the younger Mobian.

The bee was smaller than Tails, his round body patterned with black and yellow stripes, an orange jacket keeping his chest warm. His head was bare and black, despite two antennas sticking out from his forehead, in the same yellow and black striped pattern.

"Show our guest the basement. Give him some food and then you can take care of Tails afterwards," The bee stiffened slightly at the mention of the fox and searched the room before he met the familiar blue eyes. His grin turned into a smile, something that the pickpocket found himself mimicking.

"Tails! Good to see you!" He exclaimed, all but excitement shining through his eyes, a childlike innocence that the fox was somewhat glad he still had in situations like this. While Charmy had always been there, Tails had never had the innocence and childish playfulness that the bee had. So despite that they were closest in age, they had never been close. Charmy’s bubbling happiness for the future was one Tails had abandoned long ago - and he couldn’t bring himself to kill the bee’s hopefulness.

Then the blue hedgehog caught the bee’s eye and made him gasp out loud, "But Vector, he's the prisoner! If the soldiers have covered their tracks then we could-”

"Don't worry, nobody is gonna find us here. For now, he's our guest and we'll treat him as one," the leader reassured the bee who looked back at the hedgehog who was now smiling appreciatively at them.

"I really like that idea. Thanks for the welcome man," Sonic nodded towards the crocodile and winked at the bee. The small boy silently disagreed - Tails could tell from the slight change in the sound of his wings - but ultimately shrugged.

"Alright, your call Vector," His tone was no longer as bubbly as he buzzed out of the room, gesturing for the hedgehog to follow. Sonic briefly looked at Tails still standing by the table, before he walked out, closing the door behind him.

The fox found himself letting out a sigh of either relief or anticipation. His choice would have to be discussed. And he was now alone with two of his superiors. Vector sat back down in the chair, while Espio stepped closer into the room, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well then," The crocodile sighed out, gesturing a hand towards the fox. "I see you've gotten yourself into some trouble. That bruise looks fresh, not even a day old," Tails lifted a tentative hand to the side of his face, pressing softly on the spot where the dog had hit him and couldn't hold back the hiss when he accidentally pressed too hard.

"It's nothing," the fox lied. Espio opened his mouth to say something but the croc silenced him by waving a hand in his direction.

"If you say so," Vector declared, his eyes narrowing slightly, "What are you doing with the prisoner?"

"I didn't have a choice. It started with a soldier seeking me out and requested my assistance at the castle.”

"A soldier?" Espio interrupted, quirking an eyebrow towards him.

"Yes. They knew I could read faces," His tone was audibly regretful, "So, when I got to the castle, I was led down to a prison cell where Sonic - the hedgehog - was. They asked him some questions and then I answered if it was true or not." The experience was only a couple of hours old and the expression the hedgehog had sent him clear in his head. He had somehow made him lie for him - and Tails wasn’t sure why he had agreed to it.

"I – He had stolen something in the castle, and I said that he hadn't–”

"You what?" Espio cut across again, his entire face wide in alarm, "What were you thinking?! Is that why the soldiers are after you?" The chameleon was angry, and a part of him felt betrayed as well. Because Tails didn't want to look at him, he instead looked at Vector whose expression remained unchanged.

"No! No, that's not – or at least, I don't think that's why…" He trailed off, his thoughts stealing away his words.

He hadn't stopped to think if the soldiers were really after him, if they somehow knew that he had been lying to them and was after him as well. He knew the thieves at least were at this point, but if the soldiers were after him as well, then his situation was much more critical than he had first realized. Why hadn’t he considered it? It was a deadly mistake.

"Go on," Vector encouraged, pulling the fox back to the conversation.

"When I was done, I made it halfway to the bridge when soldiers suddenly started coming out from the castle. I hid in the alley when Sonic stumbled into me. He had already stirred up trouble, messing up the system and made things difficult for the poor. He wants to leave the city, but if I let him run around and get out on his own, he's going to get a lot of people in trouble without knowing. I couldn't let him make a bigger mess," the last few words were almost just whispers as he had run out of breath. It was hard admitting this.

"Why put yourself into that kind of trouble?" Espio asked in a calmer voice. His ability to calm himself in seconds never failed but Tails wasn’t sure how he did it, "You could have shown him the exit gate, which is closer than here, and let him figure out how to get out himself. You didn't have to bring yourself into it." Tails found himself nodding sheepishly, like a child getting scolded.

He was right. There had been easier options than what he had done. His choice had meant he had put more eyes on him than ever before. So why did he go across the city instead of just letting the hedgehog go at the nearest gate? But there was a mystery behind it, something that he wanted solved. His tails twitched nervously.

"He stole a Chaos Emerald," he mumbled softly but before he could finish, the loud sound of hands getting slammed into the table made his ears flatten to his skull automatically. The sound of a chair hitting the floor only made the fox flinch as he looked up at a now angry, towering Vector glaring down at him with fire in his eyes.

"Are you serious? You risked your life for some damn fairytale crap!"

"It’s not magic, it’s real, Vector!" The fox snapped back as pure disbelief flooded the taller Mobian, making him rub his temples.

"He – he was sent out to collect them. And I can feel it," Tails added in a lower voice, "He said that he was destined to save the world, but I don't believe that. What I do believe is that he has some kind of power. I saw the emerald in his hand, Vector. It reacted to him."

The croc’s stare was still sharp as a knife but eventually melted as he sighed in defeat, putting his hands on the table.

"Tails, you are the smartest fox I’ve ever met. And I've met criminals thrice your age, and even they don't compare themselves to you. There must be some part of you that doesn't believe any of this," Vector reasoned, his eyes darting around the fox's face, desperately trying to show him the bigger picture. The fox didn't meet his gaze but chose the floor instead.

There was a part of him that was skeptical. A part of him that believed he had read a fiction book about magical powers in old jewels, and that he had found a mere trinket. But he couldn't let the feeling escape his chest, how much he could feel the emerald, the power that it had. He could see it, sense it, something that was beyond this world, something that was different. And yet, it might just be a dream. Wishes and hopes of getting out of the web he had been tangled into as far back as he could remember.

"You're right Vector," Espio’s voice made Tails look up, "He is the most intelligent fox we know. And if he thought that coming to us was the wisest choice he could take, then there's a damn good reason for it.”

"Even if the emerald is magical or not, I bet you have a lot of trouble on your back," Espio’s voice was soft and warm. Tails felt his fur puff up from the mention as he nodded.

"I was ambushed yesterday by three people, and today we ran into five. I've been roaming around the thieves' area because my area is getting slimmer. There's sounds everywhere, and my hideout has been found. It's only a matter of time before-" He trailed off, biting his lip and sighed it out. He didn't want to think about that.

"Why didn't you come sooner?" Espio’s voice was warm with care. The fox looked back at him, blue eyes darting around the purple face before shaking his head.

"I didn't want to trouble you. Coming here tonight is dangerous enough," he explained, watching his superior carefully for a reply. But it somehow wasn’t the answer the chameleon wanted and without a reply, Espio turned and left the room, the door clicking closed behind him.

"If you didn't want to trouble us then why did you come?" Vector’s voice had softened too but was lacking warmth. He was still looking at him and somehow hadn’t paid Espio’s behavior any mind.

"I need your help getting Sonic out of the city. We can't go through the gate because of the soldiers and the wall is heavily guarded, especially now," the fox said and watched as the crocodile picked up the chair and sat back down heavily as if a huge burden had been placed on his shoulder. He rubbed his forehead with closed eyes, thinking about the situation as his tail slammed into the floorboards, like an angry cat.

"You know that's really difficult."

"I know it is. But I don't think we have a choice," The croc quirked an eye open to look at the fox but only found the fox’ blue eyes staring straight at the wooden table with a frown, like the table had offended him.

"I've been reading him. He's eager but doesn't want to bring people into danger. If he were forced to, he would be doing it himself, but he doesn't understand the system and what I'm getting is that he doesn't care about learning. He's confident and annoying as all hell but – whatever he was told to do he is determined to finish what he started.”

"As far as I can read he's going to do something with or without our help, and the way that he moves around the alley, he's going to be making even more trouble than he already has done," His blue eyes darted around the croc's. "You know I'm never wrong.”

"I know you aren't. That's why we decided to help you in the first place," Vector sighed, getting up from the chair and turned away from him, joining his hands together on his back and looking out a window, half-way boarded up and only gave him minimal visibility to the dark night.

"You're far too young to be out there alone Tails," he said under his breath but the fox's sharp hearing heard it clear enough, the blue eyes widening in slight surprise. The Chaotix had housed him, fed him and trained him for far longer than they had had to. He knew they had put way more resources into him than necessary. But the way that the croc had said it, was with a sigh, a slightly lower note and bowed head. Worry. Why, he had no idea.

"You should have someone to take care of you, instead of you taking care of yourself," Tails narrowed his eyes from the statement, an old boiling anger in his stomach temporarily sparking alive like hot lava in a dormant volcano.

"Well nobody wanted to," the fox hissed in a low voice, staring straight at the table as if he could burn through it with his eyes.

A thick silence filled the room, as tangible as smoke. The swooshing sound of a pair of agitated tails whipping up and down broke it temporarily.

"But that still doesn't change the fact that we can't get you outside the city," Vector said, getting back to the topic at hand. Tails lifted his head, rather glad to be talking about something else, and opened his mouth to retort when he was interrupted.

"There is a way," he turned his head back to the door where Espio had reappeared, standing in the doorway and looking at the crocodile, holding an empty bottle in his hand with a piece of cloth wrapped around it. "The sewers."

The chameleon seemingly ignored the sigh that the croc elicited, as he handed Tails the bottle. The coolness of the glass went through the cloth and his glove as he put it against his eye, soothing the swelling.

"That's even more dangerous than waltzing up to the guards and ask permission to get through!" Vector exclaimed, turning around on his heel to face the chameleon, "and with all of our faces engraved into every soldier in the city, I'm pretty sure that it isn't going to be a better plan."

"With my stealth and Tails' hearing it should be possible. Besides," he paused, looking back at the fox in question, "He doesn't have a choice. Tails, you can't stay here." Tails nodded with the acknowledgement, pressing the cool glass against his eye.

"I know. My plan was to search for a new hideout once Sonic was out of the city. I know I can't-”

"No," Espio shook his head, arms crossed over his chest, "You can't stay in Croford any longer."

Tails blinked at him in mild confusion, the words slowly settling into his mind.

"What?"

"It's too dangerous. Having eight mobians attack you within two days is bad enough. And now that you have lied to the royals you are in even more danger," his voice was gentle and his gaze softened slightly, his hands digging into his arms, "I don't wanna run around an alley and find a dead eight-year-old fox. But if you stay then that will be your fate. You can't escape the system, you know that."

"And I know you don't wanna stay with us," Espio shrugged, "Then there's only one option."

Tails had been listening intently, eyes narrowing in disbelief, as his mind had tried to find excuses. But as the chameleon had finished, he realized how right he was. He opened his mouth, realized that he had nothing to say and instead closed it with a sigh.

He slumped down in the chair opposite to Vector, staring at the wall as thoughts whirled around in his mind. If he stayed, no matter how careful he was, no matter where he hid and no matter where he was. Someone was out to get him, and more people than one. Forcing Sonic through the city had only enforced that destiny. He would die.

"You're right," the fox exhaled, looking at his hand in his lap, suddenly feeling more lost than he had ever felt before.

He always had a plan, was always six steps ahead and knew what he was going to do with his day. You needed to be prepared for both the expected and unexpected, but now – he had no idea what was behind Croford. What kind of world was outside the city? He had never been there. He hadn't had the chance to.

He turned his ears around when Espio walked again, lifted his head when the chameleon crouched in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder. Amber eyes determined with a gleam of softness sparkling in the corners of them.

"There was once a very young fox who asked me what was on the other side of that wall. And then he said that he wanted to go out there and explore instead of being here. This is your chance. I don't want to see you dead, Tails. You're far too special for that to happen," his  voice was low and gentle, his eyes darting around the fox's face to make sure that he listened.

For a long time, Tails had wished to get out of the web, to escape this reality and explore something else, be somewhere else than forced into this mindset of rules and regulations. This was his chance. But now, it was too real, the reality rushing at him and the more he realized it, the more he didn't want to go. He knew Croford, he knew the system and he knew how to get around. Outside was mysterious, outside was something he hadn't known before – but right now, you didn't have to be a genius to understand that the unknown is safer than the known.

He fought the lump in his throat, and the boiling anger in his stomach, and how damn scared he was. It crawled underneath his fur, the panic that was burying into his skin. But he controlled himself. He was too old to throw a tantrum. Instead, he resolutely bit his lip and nodded.

"I don't know if you can trust the hedgehog. That is up to you to figure out. But once you get outside, I know there's another city not far from here. It's a central market area, a city known as Kroxburg, close to the water and trading happens day in and day out. It should be a good place to restart. See if you can't find a simple job or something," the fox felt the chameleon’s hand squeeze his shoulder slightly.

"I don't want you to return to this system. You're smart. You'll think of something," the fox looked up to a smiling chameleon, a softness and gentle thing that tried to reassure him that everything would be okay. But Tails knew better – knew that whatever was going to happen on the other side of that wall wasn't going to be as easily done as said. But he didn't have a choice.

"Okay," Tails replied and looked at Vector, "When can we go?"

"Tomorrow," Tails' eyes widened, hadn't expected his departure to be so soon. The crocodile shrugged, then collected the coins that were still on the table from the rabbit earlier.

"There's two thimble riggers that need to get out of the city as well. One of them is young but the other is older and more experienced. You'll be traveling under the sewers with them, then when you get out you decide what you do," The crocodile explained, looking back at the fox while crossing his arms, flashing him a smile of his own.

"Now, how about you go downstairs and get some food, wash up and get some sleep. We'll talk details tomorrow," Vector concluded while Espio got up as well, Tails following close behind.

"Thanks Vector. I'm sorry I can't pay for your hospitality, but I got some-"

"Don't think about it, kid. Getting that rabbit to pay up is enough payment from you already,"  he could hear the softness in the crocodile’s voice as he watched him nod towards the chameleon, "Do one last check around the perimeter, then come back and get some sleep as well. Traveling through the sewers won’t be easy." The chameleon nodded in agreement, as Tails clutched the bottle closer to his eye and walked out the door.

"See you tomorrow," he called over his shoulder as he made his way through the familiar house.

He walked into a corner and crouched down, taking hold of a handle he remembered when he was younger and pulled it to reveal a trap door. It was soundless as he opened it but allowed the light to banish the shadows off a ladder leading into the basement.

He let out a deep sigh he didn't know he had been holding, and could feel the urge to either scream, cry or yell returning in full force. But he pushed it away. Shaking his head and steeling his nerves he put a sneaker on the ladder and went down into the cool basement.

Despite being surrounded by four walls, a hidden area with no way of someone stabbing him in the middle of the night, he still listened. He was still aware of every sound around him, especially now that every sound was completely foreign to him.

Getting some food had been a luxury; a somewhat stale piece of bread with butter and a banana. A meal had made him feel better about the situation. It had been difficult to eat his meal when the nausea had returned, reminding himself that he either needed to swipe some sausages before they took off or find the gall to ask for some. Meat was as luxurious as a working electrical lamp to the richer Mobians. He would have to make do for now.

After a brief talk with Charmy and telling him about their departure, the bee had shown him to a room where three other Mobians were sleeping. Two of them were most likely the thimble riggers Vector had talked about. The smaller one was completely hidden under a gray cover, and only a pair of blue sneakers on the floor whispered of their identity. Adjacent to them was the other Mobian; a black head with a red shell across their head and back was all Tails could make of them. They were laying on separate beds - actual beds with a thin mattress and covers. Two more beds filled the room, one of them occupied by the blue hedgehog Tails had dragged across town. The fourth was empty, practically calling for him.

Wishing the bee a good night, he had beelined over to the bed. Putting both hands on the mattress he found that his gloved fingers could push into the thin foam, hitting the furniture underneath rather quickly. He kept his shoes and cloak on as he crawled into the bed, pulling the gray covers over him and rested his head on a pillow. The soft headrest felt calm on his bruised face, and he found himself snuggling into the feather filled fabric, letting out a sigh of relief.

Tiredness quickly overcame him, and he wanted to do nothing but sleep. But there was something he needed to check before he could fall asleep. He grunted quietly to himself before sitting back up cross legged in the bed, pulling one of his tails in front of him. Fishing around in his fur he found the scanner he had been building for a long time and placed it on the covers in front of him. Fishing out a screwdriver as well, he started disassembling his machine. Somehow, the situation had not chased off the inspiration that had lurked in the back of his mind.

Recalibrating and switching out wires, he needed a new chip if he wanted the memory files to last longer and the casing needed to be replaced as well. A part of him wanted to walk around and scan everything possible, test out its limits and compare information in its database, but he was anxious about bringing it out to the world.

He had felt the machine almost swipe out of his fur during his earlier fight and had feared that it might get flung into a wall and break. Not that he couldn't repair it, just as long as the parts survived the hit, and he doubted it would. It was fragile right now, and the only purpose it held was to-

"What are you doing?" He jumped at the question, managed to swallow his gasp as he whipped his head toward the bed to his left. Suddenly, the space between them didn’t feel that wide.

Through the darkness he saw Sonic's green eyes glint in his night vision. He had either been observing him long enough for his eyes to adjust to the darkness or his eyesight was better than Tails had anticipated. A part of him wanted to hide the device back in his tail, but common sense knew that it was already too late, and claiming that it was nothing important could send him into an argument he didn't want to indulge in right now.

"Just a device I'm building," the fox whispered, trying to keep quiet as the two other occupants in the room slept soundly. He continued as if Sonic hadn't asked, screwing some chips into place and rewiring some wires. The checklist in his brain kept ticking off objectives, one thing getting finished after the next.

"I can see that Captain Obvious," the hedgehog whispered back, making the fox sigh audibly, "I didn't know technology existed in this part of town." One of the other Mobians in the room grunted something and turned around in their bed.

"Stay quiet," Tails hissed in a whisper and continued to tinker with his machine, "and it doesn't. I – trade a couple of things for the metal."

A light chuckle made his ears turn to the bed, made it in time to see the hedgehog shake his head, before laying on his back, lacing his hands behind his head.

"That's the only thing I've heard you say all night: Stay quiet," he whispered, luckily in a lower volume, turning his head back to the fox. He shrugged in response, his left tail slithering down to the side of his bed.

"You're awful at being it," Tails furrowed his brow, "You make too much noise, walk around like you're some ordinary civilian and doesn't know how to- "

"Do you always do that?" Tails blinked from the sudden interruption.

"Huh?"

"You know. Analyze. Every time something is wrong you tell me one fact after the next," Sonic grinned, a gesture that somehow made the fox feel calm.

That was the one thing he hadn't been able to deduce just yet – how this hedgehog made him feel utterly relaxed around him. He didn't know if it was his whole nonchalant behavior since it was more a cause for annoyance than anything else.

"You have to," Tails explained, returning his attention to his device, "You need to be able to categorize your situation, your surroundings. If you don't you could end up-" He bit his lip, "Dead."

When the hedgehog didn’t immediately respond, Tails stopped tinkering and looked back at the hedgehog. His green eyes had widened slightly in surprise, almost shock.

"Is it really that serious?" The hedgehog sounded bewildered, and a part of Tails wanted to sigh and facepalm his face hard. If it hadn't occurred to the hedgehog that their situation had been that dire, he doubted he was intelligent at all and instead was a walking mess of ignorance.

"Yes," he therefore simply deadpanned and returned to the scanner again, reassembling it. He’d test it in the morning if he had the time.

"Didn't those thieves give you any clues?" Tails turned his head to look at the prisoner, though the hedgehog simply shrugged. His legs moved under the covers and revealed a socket foot tapping into the air, as if he was listening to a silent song.

"Eh, they were just thugs. And we managed, didn't we?" He smirked, looking at the pickpocket with an amused gleam in his eyes, "You're a pretty tough kid, you know."

Tails found himself scoffing at the hedgehog, screwing one of the last chips into place. "You have to be. Otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here, but most likely rotting in the bottom of the river.”

"Jeez, a bit morbid don't you think?" Tails shrugged without looking at him.

"That's just reality," the fox simply explained, "One wrong step and you could lose everything."

The silence that remained afterwards, he welcomed, as he slowly put the last wires back into where they belonged.

"Well, from what I see you're certainly experienced," Sonic said from the bed, "But you should know it's okay to be scared."

Tails blinked a bit confused before he turned his head towards him again.

Once more, those eyes held a certain concern, and at the same time they were – warm. Something about them, something about him had some sort of psychological effect on him. The relief of tension that always, always kept him company somehow disappeared and he felt his shoulders drop. Air filled his lungs a little easier. Sonic smiled. It was full of that warmth and that concern that his eyes spoke of.

"I might not be a great body language reader or something, but I saw you trying to act tough against those thugs. Good idea to have the upper hand, sure, but afterwards it's fine to take a breather. I think you're more scared than you show me," he felt his fur puff slightly at the mention of fear all at the same time he still felt warm. The tension didn’t follow. Was this how people felt when he read their minds from their expressions?

He let that feeling sink in for a few seconds and let his mind wander; what were they going to do tomorrow? The mere thought of traveling to the sewers made his plans of going with them outside the wall seem more and more undesirable. He shook his head and returned to the device, leaving the hedgehog in silence.

"It's okay, you know?" Sonic apparently accepted the silent answer but felt compelled to continue.

"I got your back.”

That reply made Tails turn his head to look at him, critical blue eyes analyzing the hedgehog's face. The prisoner let him look at him, emerald green eyes meeting the cerulean colored orbs, a faint smile covering his lips as well. His quills didn't rise, his lips didn't twitch, and his eyes were rock hard. He was telling the truth.

In some weird world he apparently believed that he had his back, and that he could help him. But Tails knew the opposite was at stake. First of all because he would never see this hedgehog again after tomorrow's trip through the sewers, and second of all because he wanted to work alone. Whatever trouble he was getting himself into, he wasn't going to let others endure as well.

He wanted to tell him that it was a lie, but Sonic’s face told him the opposite, and up until now his analysis had never been wrong. Tails opened his mouth to say something but didn't know what to say and opted to sigh instead. The sigh was apparently enough of an answer, as the hedgehog chuckled lightly, pulling the covers closer to his nose.

"It's fine if you don't believe me. Just keep it in mind alright?"

"Do you two mind shutting up?" Both hedgehog and fox head turned to the gruff voice from the other side of the room.

"Sorry," Tails felt compelled to say and tugged his device back into his tail before settling down onto the pillow and glancing at Sonic. The hedgehog winked at him in what he thought was mockery before turning his back to him, emitting a sigh of his own.

The fox snuggled his head into the pillow, the soft fabric cradling his head and made the desire to sleep ever so tempting.

"Sonic?" Tails whispered in a low voice, looking at the hedgehog's back as he pulled the gray cover closer. A questioning 'hmm?' came from the bed, while Tails looked at the floor for a bit, sighed and closed his eyes.

"Thanks for helping me," the fox whispered, tiredness already wrapping around him, pulling him into a deep limbo he hadn't been in for a long while.

"Right back at ya," he heard the hedgehog say as he drifted off into the darkness.

Even then, he still occasionally registered a new sound, new movement, always listening for danger.