They had been walking awhile when Knuckles turned to Tails, still keeping his walking pace. "Tails, do you feel alone?"
Tails had been focusing on stepping only on the grassy patches as he walked, a game he had played even as a young little fox. "What do you mean?" He glanced up at him in wonder.
"I mean, even around all these people, haven't you always felt alone?"
He contemplated the question. "Well... I guess so. Like I never really had anyone to talk to. Sonic never listens, and he's my closest friend. So yeah, I guess so."
"Ah, I see. Well, all that is going to change." Knuckles walked up to the cliff and glanced up. "I want you to do something for me."
"What's that, Knuckles?" He trotted up next to the echidna and looked up with him. "Wow, long way up. So why did you bring me here?"
"You have a choice, Tails. One, you can do something about being alone. Two, you go off on your way and continue living in your isolation. What's your decision?"
Tails looked into Knuckle's eyes, deep in thought. Then he glanced towards the ground. "Well, the obvious choice is option One."
"But what is your choice, Tails," he asked, keeping his gaze on the fox.
"When Sonic and I were growing up, we always got along. We had slumber parties and he'd always tell me scary ghost stories that scare me even today. We'd exchange secrets and tell each other everything. But, somewhere along the way, we lost that bond. I don't know, we started growing up. We are still friends, just not as close. He gets so consumed with himself and other things that I just don't exist. And though it's not all the time, it's enough. So yes, I do want to do something about it. I don't wish to be alone so much."
Knuckles smiled. "That's the right answer." He arched his head back and pointed. "Go up to the top."
Tails broke from his trance of deep thought and looked at the echidna in bewilderment. "Say what??"
"Yeah, fly up there."
Tails thought he was making a bad joke until Knuckles turned his head and looked straight at him. He knew that look. He wasn't kidding. "What should I do when I go up there? Fly back down...?"
"Of course not. There's a reason for everything, and there's a reason for you going up there. Once you are up there, I want you to find the cave. Go into it and beware of the crater near the end. There's something in it I want you to have. Take your time up there, okay?"
Tails took in every word, not wanting to mess up. "K, flying up, cave, inside cave, crater, something inside. I think I got it." Knuckles turned his gaze back to the fox. "I know I got it," he corrected himself. "K, see ya when I get back down!"
"Wait a sec," Knuckles said quickly, stopping him before he was to fly away. He took the pack off his back and handed it to him. "Take this. There's an oil lamp and a box of matches inside." Looking up, he said thoughtfully. "It's going to get dark soon."
Though thinking Knuckles' words strange, he did not question him. "I'll be careful with the lamp."
"I trust you know your way back?"
"I do." He smiled as the echidna nodded to him. He watched as Knuckles start back home. What a weird guy. He took another glance up towards the top. I can do it. I know I can if I really try. He crouched to the ground before leaping into the air, his bushy tails twirling like a helicopter as he slowly made his way up.
Knuckles thought to himself, You are one clever echidna. Yeah, you all that and a bag of emeralds. He grinned, walking over to a tree to take a nap.
"Where is he?" Sonic asked. "Huh? Why isn't he back yet? It's been an hour!" The hedgehog was in the living room, pacing back and forth. Shadow was standing quietly in the corner of the room with his arms folded. Amy was sitting nervously on the edge of a chair, her hands fidgeting as she worried about her friend. Knuckles was lying on his back on the couch, a pillow under his head as he drifted in and out of sleep.
"He should be back by now..." Sonic took another peek out of the window. "It's almost getting too dark to see, now." He looked over at Knuckles. How can he be so calm? For all Sonic knew, Knuckles could have led Tails out there to his death. He wanted to pick a fight with the echidna. Wouldn't be the first time. He wanted him to know how much Sonic was going through. He glanced over at Amy. How much they were both going through.
He stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. Who am I trying to kid, Knuckles would never do something like that. He loves Tails as much as we do. He gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes. Come home soon, Miles.
When Tails reached the top, darkness had fallen like Knuckles said it would. He knelt down and placed the pack lightly on the ground. Taking out the box and lamp, he tried lighting the first match. It fizzled out before he could light the wick, so he pulled out the next match. If they're all going to do this, I'm in trouble.
On his third try he managed to get a better light. He lit the wick quickly and then, wetting his fingertips, snuffed out the match flame between his two fingers. He placed the burnt matches and the box back into the pack and slung it over his shoulder. He stood up and held the lamp up high. He kept his body slightly hunched over as if he'd hit his head against an invisible skyline if he stood up.
He walked slowly, not being able to see much past the lamp's circle of light. He feared that if he walked faster, he might run into the side of the cliff. Cave, cave... where is the cave...
The ground in front of him suddenly got dark, and he realized he was looker onto a lower piece of ground. He pondered which way to use to get down. Climb or fly? If he flew, the light would go out for sure. He balanced the lamp handle off one of his tails and gripped the side of the ledge tightly as he lowered himself down. The tip of his shoes brushed against the ground. Counting softly to three, he let go and landed on the ground imbalanced, nearly falling over. He corrected himself and took the lamp handle off his tail. He felt uncomfortable having flame near his fur, even from a safe distance.
Turning back to the ledge, he wondered if he'd be able to get back up. As he did, he saw a large dark mass in the side of the ledge. To see whether or not his eyes were playing tricks on him, he lifted the lantern up and stuck his hand forward, reaching into the darkness. This had to be what Knuckles was talking about. He looked around behind him but didn't feel like exploring the rest of the darkness to see if there was another cave.
Turning back towards the cave, he gulped and gathered all his courage together. You're not afraid of dark places. He repeated it in his mind as he walked slowly town the tunnel. After a while, the lamp's light fell upon the cavity. He set the lamp beside him and tried peering in. What had Knuckles wanted me to find? An artifact? He lifted the lantern back up and leaned over the side. Looking down, his eyes widened. "Oh, wow..." The echoes surrounded him and engulfed the cave. With astonished eyes, he reached down into the darkness.
Sonic sat against the wall, snoring softly. He had meant to close his eyes for a few moments to rest them. Knuckles was halfway off the couch, deep in sleep. Shadow had refused to go to his room to sleep. He was curled up in the corner with his head against the wall. Amy was fighting the sleep as best as she could. When she did, she would lightly dose until she thought she heard a noise. Looking at the grandfather clock, she calculated that it had been almost two hours since Miles was last seen.
Suddenly, the grandfather clock struck on the hour, causing Knuckles and Shadow to bolt upright. Sonic fell to his side and moaned. "No, I don't want to wake up yet... Come on, five more minutes, Mom?" Knuckles laid back down to sleep, still feeling groggy. Shadow groaned as he put his head in his hands.
Quietly the door crept open. Tails peaked his head in. Amy, seeing him out of the corner of her eye, jumped out of her chair and opened her mouth to yell his name in glee. He quickly raised a finger to his lips. "Shhhh"
He ran to his room for a moment, leaving her confused. When he returned, he was holding something wrapped in a blanket. "What's in it?" she whispered.
He knelt down by the dining room table and set the blanketed mystery down onto the table gently.
"Welcome back, Tails."
The voice made both Amy and Tails jump in fright. Shadow lifted his head from folded arms and looked to the fox.
Tails smiled, then turned to the center of the table. Slowly, he began to unroll the corners of the blanket. Amy looked quickly up at Tails, extending her hand out to Tails. "Wait, we need to wait for Sonic and Knuckles."
He folded the flaps of the blanket back up. "Can you wake everyone up, I want to show them something. And do it quietly."
Shadow moved from the corner and sat by the coffee table. He didn't dare try to wake Knuckles or Sonic up. Either one waking up to see the face of an former villain might bring about bad results. Amy walked over to Knuckles and poked him a few times until he started mumbling. "Knuckles," she whispered. "Wake up."
Dreaming of adventure in foreign lands, Knuckles reluctantly drifted back into the real world. "What do ya want?" he whispered back to the voice. Opening his eyes, he quickly shielded himself from the light. He peeked back out from behind his hands to see who was talking to him. A beautiful face was looking down at him, with wisps of light behind her making the face look soft and angelic. The sweet smell of flowers filled his nostrils, making him feel like a young echidna. He knew that heavenly face could belong to only that of his mother. He smiled, thinking of her. When he was very young, he swore to all he knew that his mother was an angel that had come down from heaven to live upon the island.
"Psst, come on, wake up!"
The face came into focus revealing a pink hedgehog. Reality hit him hard as his eyes shot upon. "What the hell?"
She smiled at him. "Come on, Tails' is back!"
Remembering what had happened during the day, he reluctantly sat up. He didn't think much of his past, and in doing so made him feel a little uneasy. Seeing the fox, he smiled. "Hey there, did ya find it?"
Tails grinned so wide and his tails were swaying and swishing about that it was obvious he had. "Wake Sonic," he repeated.
Amy went over to Sonic and poked him as well. "Come on," she whispered. Feeling this would be the only time in her life she could do so, she gave Sonic a peck on his lips.
Knuckles sighed and shook his head. "Amy, you got a problem," he smirked. Ignoring him, she continued to prod Sonic. Reaching one of his ticklish spots on his side, he lurched back away from her, his eyes wide open as he gave a cry of fright.
Tails gathered all of them around the table as he gestured to the lump covered in a blanket. "Ready?"
"Hey, you're back!" Sonic gave Tails a bear hug, knocking the breath out of him as he squeaked for air. Trying to keep his cool, he let go and acted as if everything was as normal as can be. "Umm.. so hey, what'd you get, buddy?"
Without hesitating, Tails unwrapped his finding. There, in the center of the table and in the midst of the blanket was an egg.
Most of them looked bewildered until Sonic said "Hey, a Chao egg!" He gently put his hands on the egg and paused. "Very warm, it's going to hatch soon!"
Amy crept closer to the table. "Wow, a Chao! Tails, you're so lucky!"
Sonic slapped Tails hard on the back, making him fall forward a bit. "Tails, you're going to be a mommy!" he laughed.
Tails was so happy that he was going to get to raise his first Chao that a tear rolled down his face. Turning to Knuckles, he said, "Thank you, friend."
Knuckles couldn't remember feeling this warm inside for a long time. It made him feel good to make another happy.
Shadow brushed his hand through his spikes nervously. "Looks like I'm the only one who didn't get Tails something."
"I know what you can get me," Tails said, a smile on his lips. "Come here."
Shadow, confused, got up and walked to Tails. The fox stood up and hugged him. Shadow was so shocked, he didn't know what to do. He had never been hugged by anyone, save Maria. Hesitantly, he put his arms around the fox and hugged him back. He could feel a little of Tail's happiness seep into him. He hugged him tighter and for the first time felt he was truly apart of this family.
As for the Chao egg, a day later it hatched into a little blue Chao. Tails dubbed it Staks (standing for Sonic Tails Amy Knuckles Shadow). It became a part of all their lives, and made their family come closer together. Knuckles and Sonic would go out and find small animals it would adapt to. Shadow didn't get very involved when anyone was present, but sometimes when people weren't looking he'd pet it and give it some food. Amy taught it how to draw and sing, while Tails showed it how to play the maracas. And while Tails fed it healthy meals and tasty snacks, Staks developed an unusual taste for chilidogs. But overall, it was the cleanest, most loved and well-fed Chao on the island.
The End
