A/N Howdy! For anyone following this story, welcome back and please excuse my leave of absence. If youre new to the story, welcome! I hope y'all enjoy the story as much as i enjoyed writing it.

Also Shoutout to Rinpoo for helping me edit and revise this chapter. Definitley check out "Taking Up the Mantle" by Rinpoo as it is my favorite story on this site.

All characters belong to Sega/DiC Entertainment, etc. etc. A/N

Gone with the Wind

Light rain fell from the sky, the small droplets hitting the ground, teasing the downpour to come. The landscape was adorned with large oak trees, thunder rumbled in the distance and its threatening cries echoed throughout the forest, as the sun sank below the horizon.

The slight breeze occasionally kicked up with an angry whistle causing the branches of the trees to sway in untimely unison. However, despite the weather's ominous nature, few mobians were deterred from going about their day. They had things that need to be accomplished, and their daily tasks would not wait.

Amongst the stormy clatter, a voice cut through the mix of sound. It was a high=pitched laughter, that resounded happily above all else.

"Goal!" the young fox yelled to no one in particular. His blue eyes shined with pride, having finally mastered the "Sonic Slap-Shot" as he liked to call it.

Excitedly the kit's twin tails began to spin into a blur of orange and white, and as the velocity of the rotary effect increased, dust and gravel was kicked up until the boy's feet left the ground. Pumping his fists up and down he cheered, rotating in a circle with his eyes closed in a triumphant expression, but in his celebration the kit failed to hear the faint sound of twigs snapping underfoot.

Sonic chuckled at the sight of the young fox in mid celebration, "Nice shot, little buddy!"

Startled by the sudden presence, Tails plopped on the ground and his rear end kicked up a small cloud of dust as the dirt hockey rink broke the kit's fall.

The kit smiled sheepishly at the blue hedgehog, "Thanks, I've been practicing it all week!" Tails excitedly explained and demonstrated the slapshot, in which he used his bushy tails to send the puck flying into the net at tremendous speed.

"Way past cool, kid!" Sonic exclaimed, ruffling the kit's head fur. "Well come on, its almost time for dinner."

"Awe man!" Tails whined, "I wanted to stay out here and practice more!"

Sonic rolled his eyes, but failed to hold back a smile and guided the kid away from the dirt hockey rink and towards the mess hall.

The meal was simple, the freedom fighters made light conversation and Tails gleefully took the opportunity to gloat about mastering his newest hockey skill.

The others soaked up the story from the young kit, it was seldom that Tails was this outspoken. He was usually much more reserved and respectful, even more so than a certain hedgehog.

"Wow, that's somethin' Sugah!" Bunnie exclaimed, she loved seeing his eyes shimmer the way they did.

There was something so mystical about a child's wonder and innocence. The awe and curiosity that shined from the kit was so undeniable that the sight made it hard to keep a smile from the rabbit's face.

Tails' wide smile quickly morphed into a frown of concern and worry, as a loud clap of thunder roared over the ambient noise. He did his best to keep it hidden from the others, but alas, such phobias always had a way of brimming to the surface.

A hand reached over and squeezed his arm reassuringly. Tails looked to his side and saw the gentle smile of his 'Aunt' Sally. He then took a look around the table and saw the affectionate and empathetic expressions directed towards him.

He felt an all too familiar sensation rise in his face, his muzzle turning a light shade of red. Tails simply continued to try and act normal, even though he knew that the others had full knowledge of his fears.

Not long after dinner, the freedom fighters retired to their huts for the night. Tails lay in his bed happily listening the story being enthusiastically read aloud and acted out by Sally.

Another bright flash lit up the room and a subsequent crash of thunder rattled the hut, grabbing the attention of the fox and pulling his eyes to the window.

"It's just a storm, Tails," Sally reassured her young charge. "You don't need to be afraid."

Tails heard her speak, but he wasn't listening. His mind was fixed on the glass and the storm that raged just beyond the walls.

Tails listened and watched the rain pour as it slammed into the huts and soaking into the earth below, generating a thick, viscous mud. The trees swayed ominously in the fierce winds and repeatedly the sky was pierced by flashes of lighting.

To other folks it was a thunderstorm, typical of springtime, but to the active imagination of the eight-year-old the world outside seemed to be alive and putting its utmost ferocity on display.

"Tails?" Sally asked, finally bringing the fox back from his thoughts.

He turned his head to look at the princess, her piecing blue eyes and smile were always inviting There was an undeniable warmth, comfort, and most importantly, a sense of security that radiated from her.

"Yeah, Aunt Sally?" Tails asked finally giving the chipmunk his full attention.

Sally looked at the young fox with sympathy and concern, "Are you going to be okay, tonight?"

Tails paused before nodding "Yeah…I'm a big boy! I'll be fine," Tails declared attempting to flex his muscles in the style of a body builder.

"Alright, my little man," Sally giggled at the fox's macho display. She finished reading her story and bent down and kissed Tails on his right cheek, then his left cheek, and finally his nose; earning several adorable giggles from the tiny fox. She smiled in delight at the titter that sank into her ears; it was such a precious sound, that to her seemed invaluable.

Oh, how Sally loved the little fox in front of her, he was her biggest inspiration in the fight against Robotnik. His young mind was constantly full of wonder and curiosity, with a smile that rarely faded, and an uncanny sense of hope that seemed insurmountable.

Although Tails wasn't old enough to accompany the other freedom fighters on missions to Robotropolis, he was a vital member of the freedom fighters. Always present for the welcoming party, showing his appreciation and his admiration of his elders.

Even when missions went awry and no matter how bad things got, Tails was there to see the bright side of every situation, he was, to say the least, eternally optimistic.

When there was no silver lining to be had and no bright side to be seen. Tails was always available and ready to lend a hug with encouraging words saying, "We'll get ole 'Buttnick next time!"

Whether or not he knew just how vital a part he played, Tails was a beacon of hope, at times he shone like a lighthouse to a lost ship.

"Goodnight, sweetie," she said and planted one more kiss on Tails' forehead.

"Goodnight, Aunt Sally, sleep tight don't let the bed bugs bite!" Tails said as she departed.

With the flick of a switch the room was dark, and Tails sunk into his bed, resting his head on the pillow, listening to the storm outside.

It wasn't long before Tails felt a familiar sense of anxiety wash over him, and he watched the lighting spidering its way from cloud to cloud.

His sensitive ears twitched and turned as the wood of his hut creaked warily. He did his best to relax, but failed to keep his imagination from conjuring up an image of a funnel cloud.

Reaching down, like a hungry monster, ready to suck his hut into a cyclone of oblivion. Tails shuddered at the thought and did his best to cast the mental image aside.

He tossed and turned, trying to ignore the sounds of the wind, rain, and thunder raging just outside the walls of his hut, but Tails found that his own exhaustion and imagination were battling each other.

Ultimately, the tiring feeling was victorious and welcomed by the fox, as he allowed himself to be pulled underneath the shroud of an uneasy and restless sleep.

Sally jogged her way to her hut, her boots sinking and sticking into the mud with each step. The rain poured relentlessly, soaking the chipmunk thoroughly by the time she reached her hut.

Drying the dampness from her fur with a towel, Sally plopped down at her desk. A large schematic of the city laid flat across the table. Several areas were circled with red ink, each circle was allocated a note of some kind.

Planning raids in Robotropolis was a tedious and painstaking process. Every move and maneuver had to be accounted for, and every action had to have a contingency in place.

She toiled into the night, making notes and details for insertion, operations in the field, as well as an exit strategy. Finally Sally reached a stopping point and allowed herself to climb into her bed, where she promptly fell asleep.

Deep into her slumber, Sally's dreams flipped through her memories like a scrapbook. Short dreams of her closest friends and dearest family flashed before her, glimpses of the deepest peace and love enveloped her like a warm blanket.

Sadly, it was not to last as her mind came to rest on one such event; the most important day in her 25 years of life… The day she found and brought home a tiny abandoned fox cub.

Sally walked along the great river, her mind was blurred by the recent failed missions and the strained relationships said failures had caused. She found herself questioning her own abilities as a Princess and more importantly as a leader to the freedom fighters.

There had been a prolonged series of storms that caused the river to swell beyond its usual banks. Sally stopped, looking down at her complicated reflection that shone in the ever forward flowing river. Her image was curved and distorted.

She reached down allowing her fingertips to gently break the surface and she felt the gentle pull of the river on her hand. She watched with intrigue as the image was further split int two distinct halves.

The split image seemed to give Sally resolve as she allowed her mind to calm itself and simply listen to the sound of the water and the ambient noise of the forest created an almost harmonic tone.

Perhaps it was because she allowed herself to listen, that Sally heard the noise, a voice. It was in fact a small cry, a continuous wail that was barely even audible above the natural volume.

Thinking that it was some distressed mobian that had been recently injured, Sally stood with an unusual sense of urgency. Her ears twitched slightly, attempting to locate the cry.

Slowly Sally moved in the general direction of the sound. The closer she drew the louder and more defined the cry became, she listened intently attempting to locate the voice.

She called out, hoping that the individual would be coherent enough to echo back a response, but Sally had no such luck. She pressed forward and the cry became even more distinct than before, it sounded like that of a baby or an infant.

When Sally finally found the source of the cry, her eyes widened. Stowed away in the bough of a tree, adjacent to the river was a tiny fox cub.

Sally stared at the young child in disbelief, wondering who would be so cruel as to abandon a defenseless child in the middle of the Great Forest.

She closely examined the child and the cloth that swaddled the it tightly. Sally finally pulled the cub from the tree, holding it up in the fading light of the day. Her eyes fell upon a faded and torn tag that read the simple moniker "Prower"

The baby wailed and cried in Sally's grasp, obviously cold, hungry, and uncomfortable. Sally gently wiped the moisture from the kit's forehead and his small pelt was cold to the touch. Biting her lip, Sally did the only thing that her young mind could think of and brought the crying bundle of fur back to Knothole.

On the trek back, Sally shuddered at the idea of what would've become of the kit, had she not taken the time to stop and allow her mind to be eased.

There was only one fate that the infant would have faced, had Sally not found it when she did. She did her best to cast such thoughts from her mind as she approached the outskirts of the village. Hastily, Sally headed directly to the privacy of her hut.

She placed the crying child on her desk, Sally gently loosened the swaddle, her mouth dropped open when she saw that two small tails laid out beneath him.

Sally's nostrils were assaulted by a fowl stench as the baby continued to writhe and whine. Sally finally managed to set herself to work making a fresh diaper by tearing a piece of cloth from her bed sheets.

Sally gently cleaned the child and applied the fresh make-shift diaper. Despite her efforts the baby fox continued to cry, although in a lower pitch than before.

She then mashed up some berries and vegetables using her small mortar and pestle. She hoped that feeding the cub would finally end his wailing.

Ever so gently, Sally guided the mashed-up ingredients into the baby's mouth and the cub greedily accepted the food.

With a clean diaper and a full belly, the baby boy was finally calm, his small blue eyes wandered around the room. Finally meeting Sally's curious gaze. Instantly the chipmunk's heart melted and she failed to resist the urge to hold out her finger, a smile finally gracing her face as she felt the small grip slowly wrap around it.

"So, what's your name?" Sally asked, knowing full well, she wouldn't get a response.

The baby cooed happily as if to answer, "Abba!"

Sally giggled at the adorable sight, continuing on to ask, "You must be miles from home, huh?" it was then that the slight grin, widened ear to ear. "I like that name… Miles. Miles Prower."

Just as her dream began to fade, another, equally pleasant, dream took its place. A memory from only a few years prior.

"Aunt Sally?" a small voiced called and a tiny hand tugged at her bed sheets. Sally turned on the light to reveal little Miles, only four years old standing at her bedside, a small and tattered teddy bear hung loosely from his grip.

"Hmm?" Sally responded groggily, "What's wrong? Are you okay, honey?" Finally getting a good look at the kit, she could see the tears that stained his muzzle, and he seemed to be shaking a bit. He sniffled lightly as he spoke.

"I had a bad dream. Can I stay with you, please?" Miles asked softly.

Sally sighed, but her smile never dimmed. "Come here," she said, hoisting the child up to her bed.

Sally tucked Miles in and climbed under the bedsheets next to him. Her heart swelled with affection as she felt the fox snuggle up against her chest. She shut off the light and before long Miles was sound asleep in Sally's grasp.

She planted a small kiss on his forehead and the tiny smile that formed on his face told her that he'd felt it.

Deep in her sleep, Sally released a contented sigh. She wrapped herself tighter into her bedsheets and the rain lulled her deeper into sleep.

Tails tossed and turned in his sleep, with a loud crackle of thunder, Tails' eyes fluttered open. He sighed and tried to roll over on his side, but it yielded no relief. Attempting to make himself more comfortable, Tails rolled onto his back, his gaze fixated on the ceiling.

That was when he heard a jarring sound ring out. A subtle creak, it was a distinct sound, one that Tails was accustomed to. It was the creaky floorboard in the bathroom, he'd inherently memorized the sound from making the same trip to brush his teeth every morning when he woke up.

Tails tried his best to convince himself that it was just his imagination, or just the wood creaking as it often did during the changing of seasons.

Tails ignored the sound at first, but couldn't help but find himself resting on his side, his gaze fixated on the threshold of the bedroom and the empty darkness just beyond the door.

When Tails heard the same creak and the subtle shifting of weight from one foot to the other, he called out, "Aunt Sally?"

No response. Not a sound, not a creak, not a breath was heard except for the continuous rain that pattered against the roof and the window.

"S-Sonic?" the kit called out once more, "This isn't funny."

Still silence.

Tails stared at his bedroom door, doing his best not to blink, "It's just your imagination, Tails," he tried to reassure himself, but he barely believed his own comforting lie.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as lighting once again pierced the sky, illuminating the room in a fluorescent blue for a few seconds at a time, before thunder crackled loudly directly after.

Tails began to shake, his breaths became short and intense, he felt his heart rate increase and he could hear his pulse pounding in his ears.

The mere seconds of illumination gave proof to his fear, that the sounds he heard were not simply the wood expanding and shifting.

His eyes were fixated on the front door, as once more the room lit up and Tails caught the glimpse of water soaked into the wood accompanied by several muddy footprints leading to the bathroom.

He wasn't crazy after all, nor was his imagination conjuring up images and irrational fears.

Quickly Tails reached for the window, as it was his only means of escape, simultaneously a clap of thunder rolled overhead; unleashing an explosion of deafening sound.

Tails wasn't even able to scream, as a dark figure approached from behind and shoved a cloth gag in the boy's mouth muting any potential cries or pleas for help.

Tails clawed viscously for the window, tears streamed down his face, he was so afraid and distraught that he soaked his own mattress in urine.

A second cloth wrapped around Tails' muzzle, he continued to struggle for a few seconds more, before his vision began to fade. With the last hopeful glance at the window and his muscles feeling so weak and tired, his world was plunged into darkness, as everything was lost to him.

Sally rose from her slumber, feeling well rested she stretched out her lithe frame and peered out the window. The rain still fell from the sky, albeit lighter than the previous night.

The sun hadn't even poked over the horizon when Sally continued her planning of the upcoming raid. Such was normal of the princess, first one to rise in the morning, last to sleep in the evening.

Her work kept her occupied and the hours drifted by like dry leaves in the wind. By the time that Sally had looked up, the sun had already breached the top of the tree line and the clouds had given way to the sunshine and blue skies.

Sally smiled to herself as she expected Tails to poke his little head through her door to wish her a good morning or wave at her through the view of her window.

When she wasn't graced with his presence, she couldn't help but feel a little off and stepped into her boots and slipped on her blue vest. She was quickly ready to make her way to his hut to check on him.

When she turned towards the door, she was greeted by the sight of Sonic standing in the doorway. "Hey," Sally said softy, a small smile pulled at her lips. "Good morning, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog shook his head lightly, a look of concern plastered on his face. "Eh, not so good for all of us, Sal," Sonic said in response. "Looks like the storm really rattled Tails' cage last night."

As most children have experienced, Tails still occasionally wet the bed, it occurred mostly when his fear became too much to bear, almost exclusively due to lightning. Usually, so overcome with embarrassment and shame, he had a tendency to hide from the others after having an accident.

Sally frowned, "Poor thing. Have you seen him at all this morning?"

"Nah," Sonic said with a shake of his head. "Not yet at least. You know how he is; he's probably hiding on the outskirts of the village right now."

"Yeah, I know," Sally sighed, "But he hasn't wet the bed in nearly seven months, we've had worse storms without incident."

Sonic shrugged. "I don't know, Sal. But I'm sure he'll poke around here soon enough," he said with a smile.

Sally returned the gesture when Sonic invited her to join him and the others for breakfast. When they arrived the other freedom fighters had already sat down with their own plates filled with a simple mix of eggs and berry stuffed crepes.

They made pleasant but brief conversations, ranging from basic details of the upcoming raid, to how different projects around the village were progressing, finally their conversation rolled around to the storm that passed through the night before.

The rich blue canvas, with scarce cloud cover overhead, was a stark contrast to the angry clouds that had previously occupied the area.

The forest seemed to celebrate the end of the storm as the birds chirped and sang happily while they excitedly picked at the worms driven to the surface by the excess rainfall.

When the chatter ceased amongst the group, Bunnie took a quick glance around the table. "Say, where is that little sugah-fox? She asked, "I ain't even gotten a good mornin' yet!"

"Um," Sally said quietly, before leaning in and whispering loud enough that only the occupants of the table could hear. "He had an accident last night. He's probably hiding right now, I'm sure he's embarrassed out of his wits."

"Has anyone seen ze Tails zis morning?" Antoine asked

"I don't think so, Ant" Sonic replied, "He's not gonna be seen 'til he wants to."

When breakfast was finished, the freedom fighters went about their day as per usual, but between making preparations for the raid and the hasty progression of the day, nobody noticed that, in all those hours, the dirt hockey rink was vacant of its sole player.

By the time that dinner rolled around, the freedom fighters were nearly finished with their work, each assuming that at least one of the others had seen Tails or heard from him, no one had made note of the fox's extended leave of absence.

When the group sat down at the table it was revealed that in fact none of them had seen the kit all day, not even any of the civilian residents of the village could confirm the sighting of the two tailed fox.

Sonic was naturally relaxed and somewhat dismissive of the issue, reasoning that maybe the kid was seeking some independence. Unfortunately, Sally didn't buy that theory, as there was a gnawing feeling that something was wrong and it was her responsibility to figure it out.

Searching along the outskirts of the village and all of Tails' favorite hiding spots, Sally couldn't do so much as to locate a trail. She had always instructed the boy not to venture too far beyond the outskirts of the village, and being as obedient of a child as Tails was, Sally's concerns only grew when she couldn't even coax out the fox with his favorite meal.

Sally resorted to checking Tails' room, scrutinizing every detail that Sonic, had no doubt, missed given his quick moving and impatient demeanor.

As soon as she walked into the bedroom, she was assaulted by a foul stench. The scent was clearly fox urine but not exclusively so. Her eyes fell upon a discarded rag that seemed out of place, as she hadn't carried any kind of handkerchief the night before.

She picked the rag while holding her nose with her free hand. She began inspecting it closely, and a detail beyond the clothe garnered her attention causing her focus of vision to transition to the mattress and more importantly the faded stain that clung to it.

There was something peculiar about the stain; it wasn't centered in the bed where Tails' was sleeping. The stain was at the edge of the mattress and ran down to the bedframe.

It seemed to occur as if Tails was positioned at the side of the bed when his accident occurred, and Tails was never known to sleep walk or really move, save for the occasional toss and turn.

Sally's mind pondered over the details, the answers were all there, painting a picture of the scene that unfolded the night before and all she had to do was connect the dots.

When the realization came to her, Sally's eyes went as wide as saucers, tears brimmed in them and her hand rose to cover her open jaw.

She felt a wave of panic take over her as she envisioned some unknown assailant forcibly dragging the poor boy away from home.

Sally's fears were only further confirmed as she noticed the faint and dry muddy footprints that led from the front door to the bathroom.

Sally bolted from Tails' hut, as fast as her legs could carry her, she had to alert the freedom fighters of what had happened. There was no question in her mind, as the details laid out so clearly, Tails had obviously been kidnapped, and she needed to act as quickly as possible.