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Tangle panted as she rushed down the red and black accented corridor of steel. Alarms blared loud overhead as she skidded into a warehouse area. The ground shook, almost toppling her, before a hand reached out to help right herself. Tangle looked up to see Whisper's masked face, and a big, if slightly false grin formed on the Lemur's face.
“Guess we're really in for it now huh? Wasn't expecting Eggy to blow his own base sky high, haha!” She tried to keep her demeanor cheery and bright, even as the base shook again. “...H-how far is it now to the… the exit again?” As she said this, a far more violent force shook everything, toppling more things and shutting the main lights off, leaving them bathed in the red of the emergency alarms. The Lemur held Whisper's hand like a vice as the wolf braced against her; while it was hard to read her expressions under that mask, Tangle could feel that the wolf was struggling to find exits herself. The situation was truly beginning to feel hopeless.
The Lemur glanced around frantically. She could see pipes on the verge of bursting, and the smell of smoke began to emanate from deeper in the base as the alarms pounded against her ears more harshly. Her eyes finally landed on something though…. Something that might just be their v only way out of this. A prison egg, meant for Flickies and the like, not too far away. This one seemed empty… And it seemed sturdy. The capsule's door was open. The Lemur took a deep breath, glancing to the wolf.
“... Whisper, do you trust-”
KRAKOOOOMMM!!
The base was rattled as the explosion finally began to claim everything deeper inside, a torrent of chaos rampaging through the base. Tangle’ eyes widened as she began to see a brightness seeping through the dimmed corridors behind them. There was no time to second guess this. The Lemur grabbed Whisper closer to her with one arm, and held her tight as she tried to propel herself into the containment unit with her tail could as a spring, aiming for the trap panel on the floor of the capsule to hopefully seal it. As she passed through the door, the fiery heat brushed past her tail and caused her to gasp in pain as she just barely managed to get it inside before the door slammed shut upon landing on the center of the capsule floor. Tangle curled up tight around Whisper as the sound of what felt like an entire world collapsing in on itself filled the empty space around them, the capsule denting slightly from some debris that landed on top of it. The sound persisted for some time, each bang against the unit causing its occupants to flinch.
Soon, there was silence.
Whisper gently tried to pry Tangle off of her, her mask's eye the only light source in the room. They were trapped in a dark chamber, designed to fit a handful of animals; two people was a bit snug. The wolf looked toward the small window that was supposed to be a view of the outside… darkness. Not the most promising sight.
Tangle shuddered, looking around. It was beginning to dawn on her her just how bad things were. The walls felt so… close. She tried to remember her steps. Controlled breaths. Don't panic. She couldn't let herself lose it, not in front of Whisper.
“... Okay. Okay. We… we're alive, r-right?” She tried to move her tail, wincing as she felt the singed fur recoil at the feeling of movement. “O-Ow… okay. Alive and a little burned on my end…” she pulled back as much as she could, lookin at the glowing blue iris of Whisper's mask in front of her. “...How are you holding up Whisper?”
“...Mm. okay. Thank you.” The wolf's soft voice replied, as the canine tried to fidget back a bit. “... if not for your quick thinking… Jewel would have to cancel movie nights.” A bit of a macabre joke, but it was one way to comment on the situation.
“Hey! She'd still have Lanolin! And I think Surge… maybe? She tried to join last time, but she left early last time because the movie was, in her words, a ‘snore-fest’.” The Lemur joked with a small chuckle, and sighed as she shook her head. “...We should… probably try to find a way out. Can you get a signal?”
The wolf fiddled with her mask for a moment, before shaking her head, much to Tangle's dismay. The Lemur groaned.
“Okay… can't call for help. Maybe… maybe… we can bust out of here..? If the rubble is just blocking the door then… this is going to hurt but..” She gritted her teeth, trying not to wince as she winded her tail back. Whisper tried to reach out to Tangle, to stop her, but the Lemur was already wound up… and she struck the door full force.
This was a mistake.
The capsule shook, and more rubble crushed into the door as the pile the capsule was under began to shake and collapse inwards, the structure creaking as the damaged door buckled under the weight and shifting movement. The two girls were forced against the back wall to avoid getting crushed, a frantic scramble of movement as their small room shrank further in size. Finally, it stopped, not crushing them… but leaving them with far less room to move. After a silent moment, Whisper spoke first.
“... Need to be more careful. You almost…” the wolf didn't finish though, finally noticing how the Lemur wasn't just pushed against her, but was clinging tightly to the wolf and trembling, Tangle's breath coming in hyperventilating sobs. She could feel those powerful hands clenching the fabric of her shirt, the girl's tail starting to wrap tightly around them as a sort of comfort net. Whisper halted her warning, realizing that's not what Tangle needs right now. “... hey… Tangle. Can you look at me?” she softened her voice considerably.
The wolf shimmied as gently as possible to free one of her arms from Tangle's vice grip, acting fast. First, she gently tapped for one of her wisp companions to come out; Orange.
“...Orange. give us some light, okay?” As she heard the Wisp's voice filter into her mask, “Happy to help!” She smiled gently and reached up to pull her mask off of her face and set it aside, opening her eyes a tad so Tangle could see her pupils. “I'm here Tangle. I'm here.”
The Lemur was a mess right now, trembling with panic. She didn't want Whisper to see her like this. Tangle didn't want anyone to see her like this. Her head felt like it was pounding, almost as fast as her heart. She felt like she needed to run or explode or- or-!!
Her eyes were brimming with tears. But then she looked up into Whisper's eyes, the wolf's face cast in a warm, cozy glow as Orange settled in above them. Whisper gave her a calming smile.
“Easy there Tangle. Now…” she reached up, and offered an empty hand for the Lemur to take. After a moment, the girl quietly responded, moving one of her shaking hands to very tightly grip the awaiting one. Whisper's smile brightened a little. “ There we go. Now, please… focus on the feeling of my hand. Look into my eyes. And… breath with me. I won't leave. I won't let go of you. Now… in, and out.”
In, and out.
In, and out.
In…. And out.
The Lemur trembled a little as she breathed in tune with Whisper. Her tail began to loosen its tight grip. She laid her head against Whisper's chest, her eyelids drooping slightly as she finally felt more grounded in the moment. She wasn't trapped alone in the dark. She had Whisper. She was… she was okay. She wasn't dying.
Whisper gently ran her other hand through Tangle's pompadour as she held the shaken girl close. She smiled brightly, and motioned to Orange to come in a bit closer. Without even asking them to, the light on the capsule began to meld into a rainbow of color as the others began to come out from under her cloak too. Pink and Cyan nestled against Tangle's arms, and Orange happily chirped as they snuggled against Whisper's hair. Green meanwhile landed on top of Tangle's back, hugging the Lemur. Blue got cozy against Tangle's tuft of chest fur. The wisps seemed intent to make sure neither of the girls felt isolated. Whisper let out a soft chuckle.
“...See? We aren't alone in here. And none of us are going to leave you alone. You'll be okay, Tangle. We'll get through this.” The space they had to occupy was small for sure, but it didn't feel as overwhelming anymore.
“... not alone… right…” Tangle mumbled, holding even closer. “...I have you. Thank you Whisper.” The seven of them were cuddled up, the neon collage of colors providing a warm light that would keep them comfortable in the darkness.
The time passed, slowly but surely. It was hard to tell just how long they were waiting. Tangle stayed there; the sound of the wolf's heartbeat keeping her sane. Occasionally, a sound in the distance would catch their attention, but it seemed to just be the ruins crumbling a little, bit by bit.
“... what are you thinking about, Tangle?” Whisper finally asked; breaking the silence. She gently ruffled the Lemur's hair. “What's going on in that head of yours?”
“... thinking about… Jewel. She's probably stressed out over us being missing.” The Lemur smiled shyly. “I can see her now. Combing through a mountain of papers trying to figure out where we went and when she last heard from us. I've known that girl most of my life… she's probably going to beat herself up if she doesn't find us in time.” The wolf let out a small chuckle in response nodding.
“... She's likely got Lanolin searching high and low.” Whisper responded. Her mind began to wander, as she then thought about it, “Mm. You know… while we're trapped… I've been curious. Do you… have a family? You never mention them, or even allude to them offhand. You told me about how Jewel and you grew up together… never heard about your parents though. I figure if we're stuck here… I might as well ask. If you're comfortable, that is. I don't want to pry.” Tangle froze up for a minute. The Lemur glanced to the side, before nodding.
“It's… it's okay. Dad… he was a big loud guy. Told bad jokes. He always made me smile. I think… I think he left Mom when I was little. As for Mom…” the Lemur deflated a little. “... She's a business woman. Very strict… and… controlling. We… fight a lot when we talk. But I've not seen her in months. She… really didn't like me becoming an adventuring hero. I don't think she'd like me coming back home right now.” The Lemur sighed, and smiled softly. “...I doubt it's a pleasant story… but what about your folks? I doubt you just materialized as a full fledged mercenary one day. Although… that's kinda the only way I picture it in my head, heh.” At hearing this, the wolf sighed, and shook her head in response.
“Don't really know my folks. They were… gone when I was little. Could be dead. Could be missing. Could be living the high life without me. Not my parents to me. To me… that was Smithy. And every day I draw breath… he's watching over me, with the others. That's what I believe.” She flashed Tangle a more confident smile. “I think they would have liked you. You and Slinger would probably be nuisances to the entire group. And you might be the only person who would be capable of out-bear-hugging Smithy.” She chuckled, wiping a small, wistful tear from the corner of her eyes. Tangle was practically beaming back.
“They sound like they were one amazing family, Whisp. I'm glad we can honor them in some way. Or… well, we can if we get out of here. It'd be pretty crummy if this was how the last of the original Diamond Cutters went out, right?” The two laughed a bit together, Whisper playfully ruffling Tangle's hair and shaking her head. She playfully flicked Tangle's ear, as if to chide her for even implying they could die this way.
“And that's why I'm not going to go out like that… why we're not going out like that.” Whisper quietly sighed, and leaned back, closing her eyes. “... it's nice to talk about them. When I'm with you… I don't feel as alone as I felt that first year. It was… rough. Didn't feel like I could connect with anyone. That any of them I might try to could be… him. And he would finish me off. But… then… met you. You brought the light back.” Tangle smiled as she heard that, the Lemur simply nodding and curling up in Whisper's hold.
It was hard to tell exactly how much time had passed. It felt like ages. Things began to get… more difficult to manage. The wisps huddled up against the two. It was getting harder to breath. The limited air supply was definitely starting to reach its limits. Tangle finally spoke up.
“... Whisp… whisper…” she mumbled, glancing up at the wolf, the tip of her tail weakly flicking. “.... What if… what if this is it…? What if…” the wolf tried to shake her head in response, putting a finger to the Lemur's lips.
“... No… just have to… hold on.” Whisper responded, trying her best to control her breathing, albeit her shortness of breath was audible. “... they'll come. We know it. “
“... but… if they don't… there's something important…. Important. Need to tell you.” The Lemur weakly looked up at the wolf, trying to push herself even slightly upright. Whisper held her close, trying to stabilize her. Tangle was currently looking for not only the strength, but the words to explain herself. “... didn't realize it until… recently. But the feeling's been there all along…. Since our first adventure… together. And… and I don't want to pass out here… without saying it. In case I never get the chance.” The Lemur was trying to steel herself. Whisper nodded, holding her closer.
“Easy… I've got you. I'm listening.” The wolf responded with a weak smile. “... whatever you need to say…. Say it.”
“....I think… I think… I can't bear the idea of l-leaving you behind, ever. Whenever we're together… I feel like the world itself couldn't stop us if it tried… I feel like everything is right if I could just look at your face every day. I think…” the Lemur swallowed, having trouble finding her voice for reasons that had nothing to do with the thinning of the air. “....I… I love you… Whisper.”
The wolf froze, her cheeks turning a slight crimson as she processed Tangle's words. It took her a moment to find her response, a minute that made Tangle freeze up in fear, fear that she was going to die feeling stupid. Whisper began to snicker, a sound that made the Lemur want to look away… only for Whisper to grab her by the chin to keep her looking up.
“... I've been… trying to… think of how to admit I liked you for weeks. All that planning…” she snickered more, a little delirious from the lack of air. “...all that careful, meticulous planning… only for you to blurt it out right here!” The wolf was full on laughing now, and Tangle began to join her, the two holding each other closer as the silence of the chamber was drowned out, Whisper continuing. “I was going to… to lead you on a big mystery date… pretend it was recon… show you how I felt with a big moment… but you just let the cat out of the bag right here! Now what… what am I supposed to do?”
“Well hey, I can… pretend not to know!’ The Lemur giggled. “No need to throw your plans away!’ she practically cackled, and fidgeted until her face was right against Whisper's, nose to nose. “Do you… mean it though? You've… you felt the same way….?” her eyes were sparkling as she tried to focus on the pupils of Whisper's own. The wolf blushed, giggling as she pressed her nose against the Lemur's. She smiled weakly.
“I've known for…. For a while how I've felt. But… didn't know how to say it. You deserve… the best. The most amazing Lemur deserves… the most amazing declaration of love.” She pulled the girl in closer, sighing. “... But if… if this might be our last moments.. I want you to know that I feel the same way you do…” she mumbled softly. The wisps huddled in closer, their lights dimming slightly
Tangle closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
“... In that case… I'll show you…” she leaned in, pressing her lips against the wolf's. Whisper wrapped her arms around the Lemur, returning the kiss. They both felt like they could slip away any moment… but they wouldn't slip away from each other. In this moment… they were one.
And then, an explosion from somewhere outside shook the chamber, causing the two to stir.
“ .. not… done self destructing…? C'mon Eggman… let us… have a moment…” Tangle mumbled, before hearing a frightening shout as one much closer shook the chamber harder. The Lemur wrapped her tail more tightly around the two of them, making sure to get the wisps tucked in as well. And then… a crack of light through the damaged capsule window after another shock-wave, accompanied by the loud KLANG of a bell. The voice was getting louder… a gruff, feminine voice.
“I know they're still here! We're not giving up on them! Search harder!!” Only one sheep had lungs like that… it was Lanolin, clearly leading a rescue mission. “TANGLE!! WHISPER!! IF EITHER OF YOU CAN HEAR ME, PLEASE!! GIVE US A SIGN!!” The sheep sounded desperate.
“Need… need to…” Whisper opened one of her eyes very slightly. “... get her attention… but.. too weak to raise voice…” Tangle nodded in agreement. The wolf then looked to her wisps, getting an idea. “....Cyan… can you… can you get out through that small gap of light… and… and get her attention… please?” The tiny wisp chirped in response. It floated away from the weak girls, and took on a laser form, blasting through the tiny gap in the rubble blocking the door.
The site of the lair was devastating to behold. The building had completely collapsed in on itself. Lanolin was navigating the rubble carefully, her heart pounding as she knocked away rubble with a KL-KLAAANG of her bell. There had to be a sign. Any sign. Floating behind her filled with anxiety was a small beetle, who was currently trying her hardest to hope to find a pair of living friends, but filled with fear that they would find… well, she can't think like that. She couldn't afford to imagine finding the two cold. They were being accompanied by some volunteers from the area, who were trying to check every room.
Nearby, a mint-colored jackrabbit girl let out a yelp as a blue laser flew from a nearby pile right between her long ears. She stumbled backwards, almost tumbling backwards into Jewel before Lanolin caught her by her white tank top. The girl took a moment to catch her breath.
“Sorry Boss! There was a wisp - it must've been set off by something. I didn't know Eggman was capturing wisps again…” she shook her head, before blinking as a chirp was heard above her. Up above, the Cyan wisp had grabbed Lanolin's ear, tugging on it and getting a surprised bleat out of her. The jackrabbit blinked, “Do… do wisps not like you, Lanolin?”
“ H-hey you little-!!” Lanolin grumbled initially, but her eyes widened as realization hit her. “...Wait… Cyan? Whisper's Cyan!” She gently reached up and pried the small wisp off her ear. The rabbit tilted her head, confused. Lanolin nodded, “... This is Whisper's companion. She must be around here… she must be! Cyan!! Show us where she is!” She released Cyan from her grip, watching as the wisp circled around a certain pile of rubble. Just under it, she could see it… an egg prison capsule. Half crushed under the rubble. And the barely visible glow from inside… Lanolin's breath hitched. “Oh sweet Gaia, they're in there…” she then raised her voice, calling out to the others.
“GET THAT RUBBLE OFF OF THE CAPSULE, NOW!!” She didn't wait for them to start without her, the sheep tapping her bell, “Maggie! Help with the larger rubble, but be careful! The structure is already damaged and we can't risk it crushing them, blast away the rubble on top!” A magenta shock-wave blasted the rocks on top of the capsule as the jackrabbit and the other volunteer, a burly red mouse woman, rushed to help and grab parts of the rubble. The sheep ran in, panting as she started to pry at the pieces of ruined tech blocking the door. “Come on… move… you stupid piece of…” Jewel grabbed her by the shoulders, the beetle's wings buzzing as she tried to assist in the effort to remove the heavier objects.
With a loud clang, the rubble soon gave way, revealing the damaged capsule. The sheep shoulder tackled the broken door, which collapsed inwards, light spilling in to cover the shapes inside, a slumped pile of tail and, barely visible underneath it, a wolf and Lemur. Lanolin trembled as she stared down at the two, taking a moment to steel herself. They weren't moving, currently laying on the floor. She grabbed Tangle, since she was on top of Whisper, and shook her, causing the Lemur to let out a soft groan.
“... Lan… is that you…? You could've timed that a little better…” Tangle chucked, and Cyan gently prodded Whisper, eliciting a small grumble. With the air flow restored, they were no longer in danger of suffocating at least. Lanolin huffed, tears brimming in her eyes as she gathered the bundle of tail, wolf, and Lemur in her arms, determined to get the two out into the open air. Carrying two people was quite a bit for most, but Lanolin prided herself on her strength; besides, carrying these two was just like the heavy lifting she did on the farm growing up.
“...t-timed… better? Don't you… don't you dare!” The sheep grunted out as she finally got them through the door, setting them both down on the ground outside, propping them up right against the wall as she checked their breathing. “ Don't you even DARE t-think I would let you two leave us like that!” There were tears pricking the corners of her eyes, which she promptly wiped away, smirking. “Ill fight death itself if I have to! You two owe us an… an apology! Or or….” She clenched her fists, before sighing and letting her shoulders slump. “... I'm just glad we're not too late. You two had us… had us worried sick. I've never seen Jewel dig into my coffee stash before.”
Tangle gently leaned on Whisper, taking deep breaths. The wolf was slowly regaining her senses too, her eyes blinking open. The wisps began to wiggle free of Tangle's tail, squeaking and chirping. The Lemur kept her tail bundled tight around herself and Whisper, as if afraid the wolf might collapse into dust if she let go. She tried to think of something to say to the sheep, but Lanolin was suddenly knocked aside as a small, rainbow-shelled force of nature rushed past and wrapped herself around Tangle as tight as she could. Tangle froze up, but smiled, sighing.
“...I really had you scared, didn't I Jewel?” She tried to wrap one arm around the beetle. Her other hand was currently holding Whisper's for dear life, as if their hands might never touch again if she let go.
“...s-scared?! That doesn't begin to cover it!” The beetle cried out, wrapping her arms around tighter. “...I saw the footage… you and Whisper infiltrating… the explosion… no signs of movement from the wreckage. You two seemed to just… be gone… I'm glad you're not… I don't know what I'd do if your big smile was taken from the world…” Jewel relaxed, sighing as she leaned into the hug. She looked up at Tangle. “ you two… definitely need a medical look over. And Tangle… your tail looks… a bit singed. Are you okay?” The Lemur blinked, glancing at her tail.
“... I'm okay. It's… it's a bit sore. But I'm okay. We… we're okay.” She gave Whisper a small, knowing smile, which the wolf returned. Jewel sighed, nodding and pulling away a bit.
“I'll go have that jackrabbit girl fetch some medical supplies. In the meantime… please, relax and breath. You're both going to be alright. We'll get you to the nearest town and have you checked over.” She then flew off towards one of the volunteers, but not before taking a look back with an emotion of relief etched onto her face.
Tangle sighed, and leaned her head against Whisper's. The wolf gently leaned against get, squeezing her hand more firmly.
“...So… we know now. That we… love each other.” The Lemur's voice was quiet. She snuggles closer, before she continued. “... Where do we… where do we go from here?”
“...mm…” Whisper thought for a moment, before smiling as she locked eyes with Tangle. “... Let Lanolin and Jewel take us home. And then… we live life.” She nuzzles the Lemur's face. “... maybe first though… sleep. Cozy beds. No explosions.” Tangle could only respond with a snicker and a nod.
“.... I'm looking forward to it. To everything.”