Vines whipped around him, lashing out at his long, coarse fur, yet the tangled jungle that surrounded him from all sides was not enough to slow him. As far as he was concerned, it was nothing more than a dull, green blur around him – and the few branches that got too close to his muzzle were immediately slashed away with one large, clawed hand. Moonlight streamed through the leaves, though even this light source was occasionally interrupted by a tiny figure flying overheard, his fluttering wings hardly audible amongst the rustling of large, fanlike leaves that were brushed aside.

He ran on all fours, as fast as he possibly could… though cursed the time of day as a second scream fuelled by an all-too-familiar voice echoed throughout the jungle. He pushed his nocturnal form to go even faster, and contemplated swinging through the trees, but the foliage was too thick – and despite his nocturnal vision, he couldn't see much of what was up ahead. He had to follow his nose – and though it pained him to hear those screams – his ears.

"Sonic!"

The aptly-named 'werehog' glanced up at his current companion, who seemed to be moving slightly faster than his new friend. He also appeared to be navigating through the jungle vines more easily with his small body, the small, spherical gem around his neck giving a slight glow to give him guidance.

"I see them up ahead! Keep running, but be careful! There's a tree in the way!"

To heck with that. Sonic only continued to charge, disregarding the foliage that continued to lash out at him, and, ignoring Chip's cries of warning, crossed both of his large, muscular arms before him. Then, as soon as the tree trunk came into view, he swiped both claws in an "X"-motion, his hands and claws enlarging significantly.

The tree was splinters, and Sonic the Werehog charged into the clearing, the massive trunk crashing down backwards behind him.

He didn't have time to catch his breath. Shrieks and roars erupted around him, and he was suddenly the centre of attention.

Sonic flicked an ear, sinking one of his brows.

There was a larger crowd than he'd anticipated. Nightmares – nearly eight of them, bellowed out a unified battle cry. A swarm of Frights squeaked around, swooping back and forth, threateningly. There wasn't a lot of diversity, that was for sure…

… though one thing caught his eye that spurred him to destroy every last one at that very moment.

His eyes slowly grew wide, and focused. The oval pupils within his jade eyes appeared to slit, ever so slightly.

Every. Last. One.

Sonic let out an enraged howl, and suddenly, his elongated arms were a flurry of punches, slashes and hammers. Several Frights were taken out in the first few swipes. A whirl of darkness, occasionally streamlined with the light purple, green and blue, surrounded him in his frenzied slashing. He succumbed to his rage, even biting the nearest Nightmare as hard as he could. It was a stupid thing to do, hardly even did a thing – yet he felt himself push his form harder –

They had to pay. They all had to pay.

He let out another howl, continuously lashing at his foes, snapping at every Fright, countering every slash that each Nightmare landed on him. A cry of pain from the dimly-sentient creatures screamed in his pointed ears, yet he didn't care. For the very moment, he didn't really want to care.

And yet, in the whirlwind of battle, as his anger was unleashed from the depths of his mind, and into the open, he managed to regain himself enough to realize…

… it didn't really matter if the spawn of Dark Gaia had done what they'd done. It didn't matter if he'd wiped each and every one out…

He caught sight of the orange-and-white-furred bundle out of the corner of his eye, the usually kempt fur interrupted by ruffles, wounds and bloodstains.

Sonic took out the last Fright with a fraction of his previous rage – one, heavy blow.

… It didn't change the fact that he had been far, far too late.

888

Tails was very still. His face was relaxed, and seemingly at peace – though considering he had a few heavy head wounds, that really didn't seem to be a good sign.

"Ooohhh… Not good, not good, not good!" Chip darted around the airspace frantically, inspecting the unconscious young fox kit. "They got him real good, Sonic! Especially on the head… and his shoulders don't look so great, either..." He grasped both his ears, pulling them downwards, teeth gritted.

The earth beneath Sonic's claws gave way, as the werehog gripped at the ground, staring at his best friend with a mixture between ferocity and concern.

What had he been doing out here? He understood that Tails had a curiosity unlike hundreds of people he'd met, but even he had to be logically-minded enough to realize that the nights were not nearly as safe as they'd once been…

"We're not gonna be able to look after him alone…" He muttered, moving closer to the fox. "We have to head back to the village… There might be a doctor there…"

"Yeah, but it took us a long time to get here!" Chip argued, pointedly. "And that was with you running at full speed! … in this form, at least – but you know how tangled-up the jungle was!"

Sonic swallowed dryly. The… 'fairy thing' had a point. Tails could easily fall off, if he ran at full speed. But regardless of what speed he ran at, the fox kit be worse off, if the vines and twigs contributed to any more injuries… Plus, the chances that he would run into more of Dark Gaia's spawn were quite high. Within the darkness of the jungle, and the binding trees, it was evident that Sonic would be at a major disadvantage – especially if he was trying to defend somebody.

Worse still, Tails was bleeding quite heavily. No wound had stopped, quite yet… and piled on top of the concern that the fox's pain would create an easier trail for spawn to follow, the blood loss wouldn't be too forgiving on Tails if it was left untreated for much longer…

"… We've got to try!" Sonic countered, carefully sliding his claws underneath the limp fox-kit's body and lifting him up. "What else are we gonna do?"

Chip's ears drooped, slightly, though his brow seemed creased in thought.

"… I really… don't know, Sonic. The spawn might be cleared out of this area…" He gestured to the clearing within which they stood. "… but I dunno about the jungle."

The Werehog's ears cocked backwards, and he gave a low snarl – moreso out of irritation than actual anger. The tree that he'd knocked down to get here had been decently-sized – and had it remained standing upright, he could have at least used it as a lookout, or a starting platform to move from the treetops, and hopefully avoid any encounters…

He always acted before thinking. It had gotten him into a few pickles before, but nothing too major…

… only… this one time…

Sonic stood in silence, his formerly sharp jade eyes focused upon nothing in particular. Chip flitted nearby, remaining stationary within the air. Despite the lively jungle, full of crickets and distant cries that surrounded them, it seemed incredibly silent, minus the ongoing fluttering of Chip's wings…

The Werehog's knees slowly gave way, allowing him to sink slowly to the ground. Despite being unfocused, his expression had grown confused and deeply frustrated, coming to terms with one simple fact.

He didn't know what to do.

Sonic glanced down at Tails, his expression softening drastically.

He didn't know what to do, at all.

Chip slowly descended beside him, his fluttering wings drilling to a halt as his white feet hit the ground. His mouth twitched, but he withheld his offer of another chocolate bar to the downtrodden Werehog – he had a feeling that wouldn't quite work, this time.

Slowly, and silently, Sonic gently pulled the fox kit in close, into a hug. He wanted to tighten his hold, but he feared crushing his friend. Yet…

He bowed his head over Tails' wounded shoulder, shutting his eyes as he did so.

…he feared losing the kid even more.

When had it really mattered? When had it really begun to scare him? Sonic had always been obliged to help out others, regardless of age or circumstance. He had always been as carefree and as fast as the wind. He had always been one to shift the worries off his shoulders, yet never a burden. He never saw responsibilities as burdens, anyhow… only new possibilities.

So, when had Tails started to stand out? When had Knuckles and Amy begun to stand out, too? What made them matter to him… moreso? Why did he have stronger ties to them?

Why did he see them as his friends?

The same reason he'd helped out others. No special reason at all…

It had just happened. And he'd followed it. He'd followed his actions, the chain of events that had occurred.

He'd allowed the two-tailed fox that had been called a 'freak' and a 'pixel-brain' to run within the same race as him, after the whole crowd had opposed the action for so long.

He'd run in that race, only to realize that the strange little fox had actually managed to keep up pace with him, in contrast to the many challengers he'd raced against beforehand.

He'd lost coordination of where he was going from focusing on the fox kit for too long, and almost plummeted off a cliff-face and drowned within a river.

And then… he'd been saved by fox kit and the very features that had caused his ostracism – his twin tails had propelled them both to safety.

One thing had led to another. Simple as that.

"…Sonic?"

He couldn't explain why their bond had grown. He'd felt as if he were responsible for him, in his own carefree, aloof way. When he was younger – Sonic looked out for the fox kit most of the time, and Tails had developed admiration for him. When he grew older, and more independent, the hedgehog went off on his own more often. He trusted the kid to look out for himself alone – minus the few small incidents in which he'd flown around with faulty inventions.

Yet he trusted him. Sonic believed in Tails. That was perhaps the greatest thing he could think of to grant to the young fox. He didn't believe in just anybody.

"Hey… uh… Sonic?"

It wasn't as if he and the kid hadn't had their occasional fallouts. They were rare, of course, but sometimes the two would butt heads. Though they were close, and Sonic had even influenced the other up to a point, it became firmly established that Tails was his own person, with his own way and opinion.

Sonic had learned a lot from that argument. He'd respected the kit more from then on…

He'd learned a lot from Tails, and yet… he truly felt responsible for him. For what happened to him. He'd seen Tails go through the wars – enduring insults, fighting alongside him against Eggman, managing to steer a crashing plane to safety…

… but he'd never seen him wounded like –

"Sonic!"

The Werehog snapped out of his daze to acknowledge Chip, who was hovering directly in front of his face. The imp-like creature wore an expression of confusion, mixed with the smallest bit of disgust. Sonic blinked, questioning arising within his jade eyes – yet he couldn't help but be aware of some kind of saltiness upon his tongue.

"Um… I don't mean to be a little grossed out, and all, but…" Chip scratched his head, smiling weakly. "… what the heck are you doing?"

Sonic glanced down at Tails almost automatically. The fox kit still remained within his grasp, and unconscious – yet what was notable at a first glance was that several of his head wounds… were no longer bleeding.

They even seemed clea –

His tongue froze in mid-lick.

… Oh… Oh, man…

It retreated back into his mouth, a large claw closing over his muzzle, his eyes wide.

I did… I did not just…

But the fresh burst of metallic flavour remained strong within his mouth. He swallowed, reflexively, yet still felt rather aghast and embarrassed of the whole situation.

For the past ten minutes of sitting there, in silence…

…Sonic had been licking the fox-kit's wounds.

The Werehog would have thrown Tails clean across the clearing – but the fact that he remained heavily wounded didn't encourage this action. He settled for flinching, yet he found himself unable to let the fox drop to the ground…

It had happened entirely… subconsciously. He couldn't explain it at all. Whilst he was deep in thought, some obscure… animalistic part of him had taken over… He hadn't even realized he was doing such a thing – it had all seemed so reflexive. His ears cocked back, utterly confused.

"… I've got chocolate if you're hungry, Sonic." Chip offered meekly, earning a wide-eyed look from the former hedgehog.

"What?! No!" Sonic shook his head, rapidly. "It… It's not like that, bud…" His gaze rested back upon the fox kit, once more, and he sighed.

What had spurred him to do it?

The Werehog caught sight of a rather heavy wound upon Tails' shoulder.

The fact that he'd felt responsible for the guy? He wasn't entirely sure… and yet – what mostly got to him wasn't exactly the fact that he'd been licking his friend's wounds.

… It was morseo the fact that it all seemed… okay. Like it was natural.

He eyed the wound for a few moments longer, frowning when he realized that it was still bleeding pretty heavily… and that strange feeling, that urge… whatever it was… had started to play up within his mind, once more.

He couldn't help it.

"Sorry to gross you out, Chip." Sonic mused, quietly. "But I… really don't think I have a choice."

Consciously this time, his rough tongue began to lick away at the shoulder wound. And Chip, turning incredibly pale from the sight, withdrew slightly, yet looked on in silence. At the very least, he seemed aware of the practicality of it all…

Sonic briefly wondered if other Mobians like himself did this from time to time… It was a well-known fact that a long time ago, their species didn't exactly share the same intelligence and capacity of humans. They only had a pretty dim sentience… enough to go through the daily routines of any typical animal in the world.

He knew for a fact that hedgehogs never did it, anymore. Though when Tails was younger, he'd developed a habit of licking his own paw. The idea had both confused and slightly disgusted the hedgehog – he didn't really understand why anyone would do such a thing. He could wash his hands in a sink or a river, right?

So… why did it feel okay now?

Realizing that the shoulder wound had stopped bleeding, Sonic moved on to another head wound.

Perhaps the same reason he'd felt comfortable howling at the moon.

It was true that being a Werehog hadn't meant losing himself. Yet other things came with the form – things that seemed almost… primal. It wasn't as if he was struggling to keep this under control – he was himself around others – yet when it came to battle and being within the wilderness… he couldn't help it. Howling, letting out a bellow to psyche himself up, snarling at the foes that rose from the shadows each night… heck, he'd once even attempted to scratch his ear using one of his feet. (The cleats upon his shoes made this both the first and last desired experience.)

Was it… just instinct?

How would he have dealt with this situation if he were Sonic the iHedgehog?/i He'd be slightly smaller – he would have been able to speed through the trees with little difficulty, despite his friend's weight. He would have taken action almost instantly.

Yet , now…

There was something inside him, telling him that he couldn't risk it. That the cub had to be protected. That the bleeding had to stop.

Sonic raised his ears. 'Cub?'

He swallowed the drying blood, once more, after it became apparent that the head wound needed no more assistance. He'd felt queasy about the whole ordeal at first, but he'd acquired the taste for it, now… to the point where realizing there was only one wound left came as a slight disappointment.

He mentally hit himself for that one.

Sonic worked on the upper-back wound as he thought. He shared the same motives as his other self… He cared for his friends. He trusted them to be okay on their own, but nonetheless, he cared for them. He had the same concerns as his other self…

… so why did he act on them differently?

Did he have a choice?

As a hedgehog, he'd be there for words of encouragement, offering a helping hand if he could. He would take action, if it meant attacking or defending in his own way, encouraging others to keep at it if they were struggling. If they were unconscious – he would probably be speeding to the nearest hospital.

Right now, he just felt… protective. He was still holding Tails close, his eyes occasionally sharpening to focus on his surroundings, for any threat that dared to come this way. He was taking care of the fox kit's wounds himself…

Yet in both cases… he was still the protector. The responsible one. That's how he'd always felt, regardless of his form.

He'd always felt responsible for Tails.

Whether it was as his usual self or Werehog self… he was inclined to look out for his best friend, regardless…

Sonic's body trembled, as he finally withdrew from the unconscious fox-kit. His wounds had all stopped bleeding, his orange fur damp from the Werehog's actions. Yet Sonic felt relieved… His wounds did not look nearly as serious as they'd been beforehand…

Instead of kneeling, the Werehog shifted his legs into a proper sitting position, still holding Tails close. He was rather exhausted, now… not from before, but mostly for thinking so hard. It wasn't like the hedgehog to stop and ponder on things for very long… Yet time and time again, he'd been stuck in situations like these – and he found he'd have little choice.

"…Sonic?"

He flicked an ear, and glanced over at Chip, who now approached him from his retreat. He looked slightly cautious, still, but began to flutter into the air towards him when he noted that Tails appeared to be completely intact – even better-looking than before.

The Werehog gave a tired smile. "Hey, buddy."

He didn't quite blame the implike creature from keeping his distance – almost twenty minutes ago, the concept of licking wounds seemed unfathomable, even to him. Plus, his new and intimidating form had made the notion a tad more uncomfortable.

"… You feeling okay, now?" Chip neared him, slowly descending upon the nocturnal creature's head, his wings flitting to a stop. As an afterthought, he found the soft fur too comfortable to resist, and despite the Werehog's prior questionable actions, found himself lying down upon his crown. "… I mean, uh… That really didn't seem like you at all…"

Sonic gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I know. It's weird…" He shook his head, slightly. "I've never… done anything like that, before…"

Silence ensued, once more. Even the surrounding jungle seemed relatively tranquil… crickets were sounding less frequently. Distant cries could no longer be heard.

And the silvery presence of dawn was only just beginning to make itself known.

"Hey, Sonic?"

The Werehog glanced up to the strange little creature upon his forehead, who was now staring down at him, his amber eyes both thoughtful and curious. It was a rare look… one that had only popped up on occasion. It hadn't seemed like Chip's true personality – yet it somehow became him.

"What is Tails to you?"

… At first, Sonic couldn't answer that.

It seemed logical that they were best friends. They had known each other for a long time, supported each other in their own ways…

He cocked his ears backwards, once more.

Yet it had gone beyond that, over the years. He honestly couldn't call him a 'friend.' And it wasn't as if he'd become 'romantically involved' with the fox – that didn't feel right to him, either. (He didn't feel as if he swung that way, in all honesty – though a part of him couldn't help but notice sighs of disappointment from girl-majority crowds when he exchanged little more than a high-five with his male friends.)

It was as if he were…

… family.

How else could he describe it? He… He had to protect his family.

He glanced down at Tails, with a sigh.

It was his duty, wasn't it? As… primal and as straightforward as it sounded… he had a feeling that he would think hardly any differently if he were within his hedgehog form at the moment…

"I guess… he's my brother, Chip." Sonic said, pointedly.

He felt tiny little fingers drumming upon his head in thought.

"A brother, huh…?" The creature pondered, looking up to the skies.

The two said no more, as the stars above slowly began to fade, after the long, dark night…

888

They became braver, then. Either that, or Sonic's Werehog instincts were loosening their hold as the day approached. In any case, they began to make their way back through the jungle, at a steady pace. Tails remained asleep upon his back, and Sonic was doing everything humanely possibly to avoid any stray twigs, or anything that would threaten the fox kit's safety.

They had a run-in with a lone Nightmare, at one point, but due to the oncoming morn, it was hardly a challenge. The Werehog had slowly lowered Tails to the ground before battle, anyhow – he wasn't taking any chances.

They managed to reach the village of Adabat a lot more quickly than they had previously anticipated. Yet as the exhausted Sonic had stepped onto the familiar docks, Chip had zoomed ahead almost instantly to get help. The Werehog stood there in a daze, only half-aware now that there was still a fox-kit within his grasp… yet some commanding instinct told him not to let go… not to collapse.

A few minutes had passed, before two of the village locals, Teanchai and his daughter Rudi dashed back across the docks, over to the Werehog. They pried Tails out of Sonic's unconsciously firm grasp and ran off, into the darkness of the nearest hut.

The Werehog stood there for a few seconds longer, before deciding to follow his friend's example and collapsing to the wooden boards of the docks, unconscious.

888

A familiar surge of energy awoke him from his slumber. The thick, muscly body and fur that had weighed him down suddenly seemed to evaporate off of him, and he let out a loud gasp as the dark energy retreated back within his smaller form for another day.

His head bowed forward, his eyelids drooping heavily.

As fun as it'd been, brawling at night and speeding around in the daytime, Sonic sometimes wished he could just sleep.

It took a few moments of staring dazedly into space, when he realized something significantly out of place…

The blue hedgehog rubbed at his temples, and shook his head abruptly, giving a large, sleep-deprived yawn.

He'd changed position since he'd lost consciousness…

He stared at the silent Adabat village – which, despite the fact that it was light out – remained rather silent. It wasn't as if this place was smack-dab in the middle of the action, like Empire City – only a few people tended to leave their huts for chores and work at a time.

His eyes landed upon the dock boards upon which he'd collapsed. It wasn't hard to find – there was a small crack upon one of the planks which roughly spanned the length of his sprawled-out Werehog form.

Someone had dragged him and propped him up against a wooden wall, outside of a hut, in the shadows. The local salesboy, Kaeo, stood on the dock across from him, and was staring at him rather observantly, as business had been rather slow on him, lately…

Noting that the hedgehog was awake, he gave a small wave.

Sonic waved back, a tired smile upon his features, and briefly wondered if he had enough rings to buy a Tropical Juice… though the sound of fluttering wings approaching interrupted his train of thought, and he glanced to the left, only to be visually assaulted by a candy-wrapper being held inches from his nose.

"Want some chocolate?"

Sonic chuckled, and took the chocolate bar. "Thanks, Chip."

The creature scratched the back of his head with a smile. "N-no problem." He leaned in, inspecting the hedgehog's face closely. "Are you… feeling okay? You just kinda fell asleep on the spot…"

Sonic scratched his head, placing the chocolate bar within his quills for later. "I just felt… kinda tired." He muttered, shaking his head when his surroundings blurred through his sleepy visage, once more. "It's not like I've had time to lie down and rest, recently…"

"Well… maybe you should take it easy, today." Chip suggested. "Besides, Tails just woke up, too – you might wanna say hi."

Tails…

The hedgehog suddenly fully jolted awake, last night's events flooding through his formerly dazed mind.

"Tails!"

He leapt to his feet, eyes wide. "Is he okay, Chip?! What happened?! Where is he?!"

"Whoaaa…" The imp-like creature held up his hands, hovering backwards, raising both brows. "Calm down, Sonic. It's okay, he's fine. He woke up about ten minutes ago."

He paused, his brow suddenly furrowed in thought. "… Rudi did say something about infection… But also that he was lucky."

The hedgehog blinked. Infection? Lucky?

Slowly, subconsciously, he rose a gloved hand up to his peach muzzle, ears drooping, slightly.

…Oh, man…

888

Tails looked exhausted. Several bandages bound his head and shoulders, the occasional bandaid patched upon his facial features. Yet he perked up when he spotted the hedgehog entering the hut, his turquoise orbs clear and lively.

Well, that was a good sign…

"How're ya feeling, bud?" Sonic asked, scratching behind his ear. "You didn't look so good when we first came across you…"

Tails gave a soft chuckle. "Well, I'm a lot better now…" He flinched from a head wound, as he'd straightened his body in order to fully face the hedgehog. "… but I guess things could've been a lot worse back then…"

Sonic raised a brow. "Speakin' of that, I was wondering why you were out in the middle of the jungle in the first place." He earned a sheepish chuckle from the fox kit. "What were you up to, Tails? You were smart enough to know that it wasn't safe."

"Oh… Adabat's quite a place when it comes to wildlife specimens, Sonic!" The fox gave a weak smile at the sudden, irritated expression upon the hedgehog's features that screamed Of course. You had to. "I know you were busy, and I know that Dark Gaia is our priority and all… but you guys seemed to be taking your time, so…"

He scratched his ear.

"I kinda… went off on my own. The nocturnal life around here's supposed to be fascinating!"

"Maybe you should've brought along your navigation system, pal." Sonic muttered, shaking his head. "But really, Tails… you could've asked us to come along, you know?"

"… I did bring my navigation system…" The fox said, in meek defence. "The signal just got too weak, and I got lost…"

He glanced up to face the hedgehog, who had his arms crossed, in a slightly stern manner.

"… You didn't see it around, did you?"

The stern expression melted, slightly.

"… Sorry, Tails."

"… It's okay." The fox kit muttered, downtrodden. "I can make a new one soon, but… until I do, we're grounded for the moment, Sonic." Tails shook his head. "I'm… I'm sorry. I should've been a little more careful, huh?"

A silence closed in on the two of them. The oceans surrounding them could be heard from outside, the waves lapping at the stilts upon which the hut stood.

Then, the hedgehog smiled.

"Just as long as you're okay, bud." He reassured. "And that you don't go doing anything like that again, anytime soon." He paused. "Maybe I can teach you a thing or two."

Tails glanced up at him, wide-eyed at the dismissal. Then he, too, giggled.

"No thanks. Besides, when all this is said and done, all those monsters will be gone… Not to mention, your Werehog form."

Sonic gave a nod, uncrossing his arms. "You got a point, there…" He mused, trailing off, slightly.

Another silence.

"Hey… Sonic?"

The fox's expression was slightly hard to read when the hedgehog glanced over at him. It wasn't as if Tails was a very closed person – he never was one to guard his emotions… yet only this time, he seemed to be deep in thought. And there were never any clues to determine simply what the fox kit though of, nowadays.

"… When I woke up this morning…" he began carefully. "…I found that all the wounds that I'd gotten… were all cleaned up." He glanced up towards Sonic, who suddenly had a somewhat uncomfortable expression upon his features. He glanced away, rather stiffly.

"… and… when I went to thank the doctor… he mentioned that they'd been cleaned before I'd even got here…"

The hedgehog slowly refocused his stare back on Tails, who appeared to be the slightest bit amused at his best friend's body language.

"Sonic."

The fox kit stared hard.

"… It was you, wasn't it? You cleaned them… and at one point… I was awake enough to know how." He added, the slightest bit of confusion adorning his clear, blue, questioning eyes.

For the first time, Sonic was the one who broke his gaze first. Both ears slumped in resignation, as he scratched a finger alongside the side of his muzzle.

Back then… last night… it had felt so natural. It seemed so normal to him, and so necessary… He'd… felt as his he had to save him, or protect him in any means necessary…

Only now…

He gave a heavy sigh.

… now, he felt downright embarrassed.

"…Sorry, Tails." He mumbled, silently. "I… I really don't know what came over me, bud. It's… kinda like when I howl in battle…" The hedgehog shook his head. "It… just happened…"

"Sonic?"

The older of the Mobians glanced back over to the fox… who, to his surprise, was smiling.

"… It's okay. I mean… some of us still lick our wounds, like our ancient ancestors. It's… not considered polite…" Tails gestured with his hand, pointedly. "…but it always happens where family's concerned…"

He scratched the back of his head.

"Foxes and wolves still do it, a lot of the time…" He gave a tiny blush. "I mean, uh… When… when I was unconscious… I, uh… I thought you were… my Mom."

Both of Sonic's brows dropped into a dejected expression. "You're kidding me."

"… Not exactly." Tails glanced away, nervously.

Sonic resolved that all of a sudden, he couldn't exactly wait to get rid of this form. (Though he also couldn't help but wonder if karma was about to counter that little wish of his.) His palm found his face within little more than a millisecond.

"… I guess it might just be the wolf in you." The fox kit carried on, as if the previous subject had mattered little. "And besides… I really should be thanking you."

The hedgehog's jade eyes peered out from between one of his fingers.

"For what?"

"… well, I was wounded. Out in the middle of a jungle." Tails added, pointedly. "Adabat may have some of the most interesting wildlife… but… I also could've been… infected. And it would've been… bad. I mean, very bad." His ears drooped.

"Disease around here isn't airborne, but…" Tails shook his head at Sonic, whose eyes had grown slightly wider and more attentive. "… direct passage into the bloodstream... There was a high chance that I wouldn't be here talking to you, right now…" His gaze fell astray.

"If… if you hadn't cleaned my wounds, something would have set in, by now… A-and, things would've been so much worse…"

Sonic's hand lowered to his side.

"You… well, you saved me in more ways than you might've realized." Tails smiled. "So… uh…"

The fox kit bowed. "Thank you, Sonic."

The hedgehog stared at him, in silence. He stared hard at the younger one, thinking hard about the previous night. Thinking about how… he hadn't exactly been himself… at the very least, the way he would usually think or react…

Hadn't things been different? Had he been the same person? What had… remained the same, over those two forms? What had kept him as himself?

Sonic gave a slow blink.

He… already knew that, didn't he?

Wordlessly, he reached back into his quills.

"No need to, Tails."

The fox kit glanced up, his turquoise gaze questioning. Yet the look subsided as the older Mobian brought something into view.

"… You're family to me." Sonic smiled, handing over the chocolate bar to the chuckling Tails. "So…

… It's only natural, right?"