Chapter Text
Miles was not very well traveled. Not many children were, but he had hardly set foot outside his village, let alone off West Side Island. All he knew about the rest of the world came from books and passing conversation. Shining cities, great forests, vast deserts, and a whole galaxy beyond.
He had imagined what it would be like to see such wonders in person, but not in a way that he actually planned out. It was just a hypothetical. A fantasy. Leaving his village wasn’t something he could do.
Until today. Though it wasn’t exactly his choice.
It was a cloudy day, still calm but not exactly appealing for a trip out on the ocean. The quiet docks proved this fact, leaving Miles confident in taking this route instead of cutting through town. Quiet didn’t mean empty, though, as he spotted a group of older kids huddled around a boat.
He could tell when one of them noticed him, eyes widening and then waving for their friends' attention. Miles pretended not to see, keeping his gaze and walk straight forward even as he heard them call out for him.
“Hey, Tails!” the teen in the boat, another fox, yelled his nickname.
From what Miles had observed, nicknames were supposed to be between friends. So it was weird when the other kids gave him one but still never wanted to spend time with him. But he didn’t know a whole lot about friendships yet, so maybe he’d gotten something mixed up.
“You’re good at mechanics and junk, right?”
Miles couldn’t help the way his ears perked up at that. Tinkering was usually referred to as just a thing he did, not something he was good at.
Maybe the nickname actually was friendly…
Miles slowed to a stop. He took a step towards the group. Then another. They all stared at him with either wide smiles or blank expressions, but he still managed to gather his voice.
“What can I help with?”
The fox explained how the engine was struggling to start, letting Miles hop inside to take a look. He took one strap of his backpack off his shoulder so it was at his side ready for him to grab any tools. As he peered into the guts of the machine, the fox stepped out of the boat, leaving Miles in it alone.
He hummed. “I don’t see anything wrong with it…was it making any weird noises or–”
Right as he glanced up to talk to the group, he caught one of them shoving the boat away with their foot. Miles wobbled with the movement as the boat was pushed a good few feet away from the docks. And kept going.
“Um, uh, the boat isn’t tied up!” he warned.
But the big kids were too busy laughing to listen. All of them were smiling now, and not nearly as friendly as they seemed before. The fox spun the key ring on their finger with a big smirk on their face.
Miles’ ears drooped.
“Oh Gaia, look how much his fur has puffed up,” one of the teens snickered.
“We got you good!” another crowed.
Miles darted from side to side, but it was the same water in every direction. The dock was too far now to jump and it wasn’t like he had wings to fly with.
“C’mon, you can swim, right?” a kid taunted.
Miles shook his head, even though yes he could swim, but he knew what would happen when he got to shore. The water weighing down his fur would only make it harder for him to get away before the group pounced.
But the teens took his answer at face value. Several of their amused looks vanished.
“Oh shit, how are we gonna get him back?”
“Forget him, what about the boat? My parents will kill me if we lose it!”
The squabbling faded as Miles drifted further and further out of earshot. He glanced back at the engine, though now he doubted anything was wrong with it in the first place. Just a lie to lure him in.
A lie, which meant the engine still could start.
He perked up at the realization. Sure, he didn’t have the keys, but something like that had never stopped him before.
With some digging around the boat and his backpack, he began cobbling something together. The overcast sky gradually cleared away for the afternoon sun as he worked, though he was so laser focused on the engine he hardly noticed. After several minutes of adjusting and connecting parts, he snapped the last piece into place and the boat finally roared to life. The sound covered his triumphant cheer.
He lifted his head to see if any of the teens noticed his accomplishment, only to realize he couldn’t see them at all. Or the docks. Or anything except the ocean and sky. No landmarks to indicate where he was or where he should go.
Surely he just had to go back the way he came, right?
It was a struggle to reach both the wheel and the pedals, but he managed to swerve the vessel around and steady it straight again. Then he kept going forward.
The ocean was empty for a while. Longer than he had been drifting in the first place. Just as Miles was beginning to think he should change direction, something appeared on the horizon.
It wasn’t West Side Island, too small and the wrong silhouette. A steep mountain stood in the middle of the island, and as Miles got closer, he could see all the loops and arches that made up the checkered terrain.
Land was land though, so he kept chugging full speed ahead.
His speed made shoring the boat a little rough, but at least he was really sure it wouldn’t be going anywhere. Gathering up his tools and backpack, he hopped out and onto the pale sand.
The sun was behind the mountain, casting it in shadows and haloing it in gold at the same time. Miles gawked at the natural wonder, so much like the pictures and descriptions of the wider world he’d poured over. It only served to draw him further in.
Miles made his way across the island, following dirt that once seemed to be well worn but hadn’t been treaded often since. How in the world that path extended all the way up several loops, he had no idea. He collected a few discarded rings along his way, but otherwise found nothing notable. At least until he reached the end of the path.
Partway up the main mountain, across several bridges and framed by large trees, was a small building. Miles approached it slowly, but it seemed just as abandoned as the path was. One of the windows was even still broken. He poked his head over the edge of this window to peer inside.
The furniture and decorations were neatly arranged, which only added to the untouched feel. On a low stool at the back of the house, he could see a picture frame surrounded by flowers, some more wilted than others. A memorial.
Miles took a quick scan of his surroundings and spied a patch of little blue flowers not far from him. Plucking one, he then made his way back to the house and through the front door.
He approached the photograph, now able to see it was that of an elegant owl. Tucked beside it was a scribbled drawing of a blue hedgehog that read ‘IM AWESOM!!!’ underneath. Two very different works for one memorial.
Miles placed his flower with the others. There, now no one could get mad at him for just coming in to snoop.
He poked around the baskets and shelves he could reach, finding various trinkets tucked in each one. But they didn’t really interest him, any food was long since spoiled, and none of the tools were better than the ones he already had.
Then, hidden between the wall and several baskets, he found a stack of papers. They were all tied together, making it easier for him to unwedge it from its spot. Placing the stack in his lap, he untied the string, and the papers immediately went sliding everywhere. He picked up the one closest to him. Unfolding it revealed a large map which he had to stretch both of his arms all the way out just to hold it.
Spreading it out on the floor instead, he could see the outlines of two main landmasses on the left and right with a smaller one in the bottom right corner. Annotations were all over the map, mostly marking various spots as ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’.
A peek at the other papers showed different maps, though with the same notes. Several were marked as completely unsafe. Miles returned to the first map.
He didn’t recognize any of the locations, where they could be on this planet or any others. But as he ghosted his fingers over one of the ‘safe’ spots, an idea began to form. He pulled out one of the rings he had collected.
His plan had been to go back to his village. It was automatic, like a magnet attracted to another, or perhaps more like a black hole sucking in a planet. Escaping never felt like something he could do. He was just stuck there, spiraling and spiraling until he was consumed completely.
But this, this could be his chance to get out. His chance to see the world beyond like he’d imagined. He was already off the island, why not keep up the momentum? Maybe it wouldn’t be somewhere better, but it would be somewhere else. That was good enough for him.
Checking to make sure he had all his belongings, he gripped the ring tightly and stood up. His eyes roved over the map, landing on the area marked in the upper part of the left landmass. That would be his place to start.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and repeated the coordinates and the name in his head.
Earth. Take me to Earth.
And so he tossed the ring forward to his future.
—
“Excuse me, could you tell me where I am?”
Miles had quickly come to the conclusion that Earth was an entirely different planet. Everything was slightly off from what he’d read about on his own world. The flora, the architecture, the technology. But the most alien were the people.
The tall alien he was currently speaking to leaned over the counter to see him, blinking their small eyes several times. The silence stretched long enough that Miles opened his mouth to repeat his question, but the alien finally spoke up.
“What the hell are you?”
“I’m a fox.”
“A talking fox. With two tails.”
“Yes.” Miles had never interacted with someone from another planet before, but he was pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to go like this.
The alien went quiet again. They rubbed their face with gloveless hands and arms that had thin, almost no fur. “Maybe I should close up early today…”
The alien turned and walked away, ignoring Miles’ calls to wait, disappearing behind a door. He faintly heard them talking to someone about being sick.
Well, if they weren’t feeling good, maybe he shouldn’t bother them with his questions. He could find someone else.
But as it turned out, ignorance was one of the more positive reactions he could get. Some screamed and ran, others threw things at him, and more tried to chase and catch him. He quickly learned to stay out of sight, or better yet, stick to the wilderness where no one lived at all.
He should have known, really. He was already freak enough on his own planet, why would it be any better on another one?
So he kept to himself. Traveling through the woods, avoiding hiking trails and other hotspots. Figuring out what he could on his own about this strange, new world.
But then he saw something familiar.
Miles was up in the trees when it rushed by, feeling the unnatural wind below him. He caught sight of a flash of blue before it vanished over a hill.
Interest piqued, he followed.
Hopping from branch to branch more like a squirrel than a fox, he eventually caught up with the blue blur. It zipped around a small crater, crude ramps and platforms appearing in its wake. Once the apparent obstacle course had been set up, the blur came to a stop to admire its work. Miles’ eyes widened at what he saw.
A mobian, the first he had seen since coming to this planet. They were spikey and blue, a hedgehog perhaps. Just like the hedgehog from that drawing. Maybe exactly like the hedgehog from the drawing.
Miles scooted closer to get a better look, the branch dipping beneath his weight. He watched as the hedgehog got into a runner’s stance, then after a count of three nods, went off like a shot. The hedgehog whirled around the obstacle course, only defined when they were airborne, doing spins and poses before they landed and were back to running again. They went round and round like this, a broad grin on their face the whole time. Miles watched, captivated.
This was the coolest person he’d ever seen.
Finally, the hedgehog came to a stop, landing just below Miles’ branch. He heard some shuffling, but he couldn’t see what it was, so he leaned forward.
That was apparently too far for the branch to continue supporting him and it dipped sharply. Miles tumbled head over heels, hands ripping right through the leaves as he tried to keep his grip. One second the branch completely slipped away from him, and the next he was landing on something solid and prickly. Miles could already guess exactly what that something was, and he quickly rolled off onto his hands and knees.
“I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed as the hedgehog picked themself up. They shook their head as if to clear away a daze, but otherwise seemed fine.
Still, Miles had to ask, “Are you ok?”
The hedgehog gave him a thumbs up and a smile, though both fell as they did a double-take. Miles' tails twitched, but the hedgehog wasn’t even looking at them. They just started at Miles with increasingly wide eyes, before darting their gaze to the rest of the forest.
Then suddenly they jumped to their feet and disappeared in the same streak of blue they had appeared in.
“Hey, wait!” Miles called, scrambling to his feet. But there wasn’t even a hint to where the blur had gone, and they were sure to be far ahead by now.
Even though he was disappointed to have scared the one true familiarity off, it was overpowered by burning curiosity.
Just who exactly was that hedgehog?
—
That wouldn’t be the last time Miles saw the hedgehog. It was mostly fleeting glimpses. A spot of blue in the corner of his eye; an out of place breeze as he turned his head; sometimes even a tug on his arm when he got too close to being spotted by one of the aliens. He tried to chase every time, and every time he was too slow.
As frustrating as it was, it was fun in a way. Like working on a gadget that wasn’t quite coming together, but if he just messed with it a little more all the pieces would fall into place.
And it almost seemed like the hedgehog was having fun too.
Maybe Miles was just getting better at keeping up, or maybe the hedgehog was slowing down for him. Just enough for him to catch a bit clearer glance, to keep up with the blue trail a little longer. They were taunting him, Miles was sure, and that only made him more determined to succeed in the game they were playing.
One of their chases had led him to a town nestled in the mountains. They were both much less bold with their actions there, the hedgehog seemingly in the same boat of secrecy he was, so Miles instead took the time to examine what he could from the shadows.
Just like everything else, the town wasn’t much different from what he might find back home. The structures and technology were just slightly off, and of course it was populated by the aliens–humans, he had learned they called themselves. While all different, they were less varied in their features than mobians were. Miles found the fauna of the planet more recognizable, though most were much less colorful than their mobian counterparts.
Except for foxes.
The warm orange coat in the bushes across the creek snagged Miles’ attention, and it seemed his own yellow fur had done the same as the creature paused. Miles did so as well, his task of catching fish completely forgotten in exchange for observing. The two were several feet apart, but it was close enough for him to make his comparisons.
Triangular ears and snout; Wide, golden eyes; white muzzle and chest; black paws; one tail.
That was another similarity he had found in the animals of this planet. Miles hadn’t seen any with more than one tail.
Miles’ ear flicked towards a rustle behind him. The other fox ran at the sign of movement, disappearing into the greenery, but Miles stayed still. He counted in his head one, two, three seconds before spinning around as fast as he could. It was just in time to catch the afterimage of a grin.
Falling into the routine of pursuit left his other thoughts behind. He didn’t see any more foxes after that.
—
Their current chase had gone on much longer than usual. It started when Miles spotted the hedgehog on a roof across from his own perch. But it seemed like the other hadn’t taken notice of him, and Miles was not about to pass up that opportunity.
He snuck down to an alley and back up again to the next building. The hedgehog was crouched just behind the rim of the roof, watching the humans below. Miles clambered onto an AC unit, bent his legs, swished his tails, and pounced.
His prize was only the breeze left behind by the hedgehog rolling out of the way. They stuck their tongue out at him before zipping off.
Miles rushed after them, going all the way out of town and back into the rolling hills. He just managed to keep the blue blur in sight, his tails flicking behind him in a way that probably wasn’t doing anything but at least made it feel easier to hop over rocks and trees. His lungs burned from exertion.
The blur disappeared down a slope, and Miles leapt after them, letting gravity do the work of bringing him down. Except he was airborne for longer than expected, and a drawn out “EEEEAAAAH” followed him as he arced down and hit ground in a tumble. He rolled through dirt and underbrush, coming to a stop on asphalt.
“Ow,” he said as he sprawled out on the warm road. That was probably as close as he was going to get today if the way his whole body ached said anything. Maybe he’d just lie there…for a minute…
He closed his eyes, ears twitching as he listened to the sounds of the forest. The wind rustling the leaves, birds singing to each other, sticks falling, the wind getting louder. And louder.
The rumble of an engine made his eyes snap open, and he lifted his head just in time to see the vehicle swerving around the corner. Miles scrambled to his feet, but he knew he wouldn’t be fast enough, was never fast enough–
Something slammed into him, but it wasn’t the car.
Miles was once again sent tumbling into the underbrush, but this time something warm wrapped around him and blue filled almost all of his vision, leaving just enough room to see the vehicle pass by.
He could have been there.
His fur bristled and he clung to the nearest thing to him, which happened to be kind of prickly, but he didn’t care. His heart was pounding too hard at the thought that even though the danger passed him, it very nearly hadn’t.
Something jostled him, and his gaze finally peeled away from the road and towards the presence next to him. His eyes met a pair of worried green ones, surrounded by blue and peach fur.
His breath began to even out as he registered that he was staring at the hedgehog. Right in front of him, not running away, holding him in their arms. Miles had finally caught up to him. Did that mean their game was over?
…So what now?
That question was answered when those arms suddenly lifted him up, and he squeaked, instinctively balancing his weight closer. And then they were off. Wind whipped through his fur as the forest turned into a muddle of greens and browns, though the view didn’t last long as he had to squeeze his eyes shut just to keep out the sting. They went faster than Miles had ever gone, faster than any living creature should be able to go, and yet the hedgehog ran without a single misstep.
They came to a stop, and before Miles could even open his eyes, he felt himself placed on some sort of large cushion. He blinked as a blanket was thrown over him, but he was more focused on gawking at his surroundings.
It was some sort of burrow, furnished and decorated with an array of clashing items. Road signs, baskets, streamers, a whole washing machine. Collections of colorful objects dotted the space as well, organized in a way only the burrow’s owner could understand.
Miles had a pretty good idea who the owner was.
Something was shoved into his hands, ending his observations as he looked down at the water bottle he’d been given. He looked back up at the hedgehog, crouched in front of him still with that worried furrow to their brow.
“Do you live here?” Miles asked.
The hedgehog glanced away, and though hesitant, they still nodded.
“You’ve got so much stuff.” He pointed at a giant red hat. “What’s that?”
And so began the next half hour or so of Miles asking about various objects and the hedgehog showing them off. They didn’t give any verbal explanation, rather picking things up to give Miles a better look or demonstrating their function. It didn't take Miles long to get off the red cushion and start trailing the hedgehog all over the cave.
Out of place color caught his eye, and he pointed to the drawing partially hidden by a curtain of growth. “What’s that?”
This time, the hedgehog did not immediately zip over to the new curiosity. Instead they paused, smiling fading into a more solemn expression as they looked at the picture. Slowly, they walked over and pulled aside the curtain to reveal the whole drawing.
It was a plane of checkerboard dirt and green grass with trees and loop-de-loops in the background. In the center were two figures; a small, blue hedgehog and a tall, brown owl.
Miles’ eyes widened. “I’ve seen that before!”
The hedgehog’s gaze snapped to him. The intense look made him stumble a little as he elaborated.
“I-I mean, it was kinda similar. There was this island with this house, and inside was a–a memorial with a picture of an owl and a hedgehog. I already figured the hedgehog was you since I found the map for this planet there and you’re also blue.” He pointed at the owl in the mural. “Is that your…mom? Dad?” Usually adults with kids were one of those.
The hedgehog nodded, holding up a finger for the first one, then making a see-saw motion with their hand. So not quite their mom, but close enough.
“Is she here too?”
The hedgehog’s ears drooped and they shook their head.
“Oh…why not?”
They brought up their hands, but then stopped with a frown. They put one hand on their chin and started tapping their foot, a clear thinking pose. It seemed to work as they snapped their fingers, dashed to the other end of the cave, then came right back with a notepad and pencil in hand. They scribbled some things down then turned the pad towards Miles.
The hedgehog had drawn a couple pictures, the first being one of them and the owl in the house, the owl labeled ‘Longclaw’ and the hedgehog ‘Sonic’.
“Is that your name? Sonic?”
Sonic nodded with a bright grin. Then they gestured to him, brow raised in question. Oh, asking for his own name!
“I’m Miles, but everyone calls me Tails because of, you know.” He swished his twin tails behind him.
Sonic oogled at them for a second, then sent him a thumbs up, which was probably the best reaction Miles had ever gotten. It was better than a laugh or disgusted look, anyway.
Introductions out of the way, Miles turned back to the notepad. The other drawings consisted of a bunch of figures with spears and bows aimed at the house. Below that was Longclaw and Sonic again, though this time a ring portal between them and an arrow pointing through to Sonic’s side.
“So, someone attacked you guys and she sent you here?”
Sonic nodded again, then made the same raised brow asking gesture towards. This time, though, Miles didn’t get it.
“Uh…”
Sonic turned back the notepad, scratching a new drawing down, then showed it to him. It was Miles, clear by the two tails, with a pair of taller foxes next to him. Next to it was another ring portal with an arrow pointing through.
“Oh, um, no, no one sent me here.” He brought his tails around him, hugging them to his chest. “I came here on my own. I thought a new place might be…better. For me.”
Sonic stared at him with wide eyes. Then they brought the note pad back to themself, seemingly debating something as they worried their lip and tapped the eraser on the page. Finally, they put the pencil to paper.
This process was slightly slower than the last, and when they showed the drawing to Miles, they averted their eyes. Miles peered at the notepad.
It was him and Sonic next to each other, surrounded by a circle that he realized was supposed to be the cave. Sonic’s home.
“You want me to stay here? With you?”
Gaze still aside shyly, they nodded.
“Yes!” Miles exclaimed, startling Sonic as he leaned in. He drew back, toning down, “I mean, sure. If you don’t mind.”
He’d never had someone ask him to stay over, especially someone so cool. How could he refuse an offer like that?
Sonic seemed just as delighted as he was, grinning brightly as he grabbed Miles’ hands and brought them both into a spin. Miles giggled until the dizziness got to him and he had to let go, holding his head as his vision wobbled. Experiencing Sonic’s speed first hand would take some getting used to.
Even as he readjusted, he was still eager when he asked, “You’ve been here a while, right? You gotta have a lot you can teach me about this planet.”
Sonic winked and held a thumbs up as if to say, don’t worry, I’ll show you all the ropes.
Miles could hardly wait.