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There had to be something wrong with him.
The two tails were the most obvious. But there had to be something more. There had to be something wrong with him.
Why else did no one want him?
Little Miles curled up in the small cave he'd found for himself, burrowing in a pile of leaves he'd gathered up for a nest of sorts. The cave was far enough away from the village that no one should be able to find him here.
Why did they hate him so much?
He'd taken a few things, but that couldn't be the reason. They were mean to him before that. He only snatched scraps of food when he was really hungry because no one would give him anything and he couldn't find anything in the woods that was edible. And they'd already chased him away multiple times before he'd gotten that hungry that he'd risked sneaking back into the village to grab some food.
It had to be something else. Was it just the tails? Why? He loved his tails. They were warm and good for snuggling. He loved them. Or, he could love them. If it wasn't for everyone else telling him why he should hate them. He could never really hate them.
Maybe he was just a bad kid.
Bad kids took things. Bad kids got in the way. Bad kids weren't wanted.
Even his own parents didn't want him. He had only vague memories of them now, of golden-brown fur a little darker than his and loud voices that were angry a lot. He remembered them telling him to stay and wait, and then never coming back.
Maybe... if he'd waited just a little longer, just a couple more days, they would've come back. Maybe he was just a bad kid like that.
Maybe that's why no one could care about him.
Darkness was falling outside, separating his cave from the rest of the world. The night was always so empty and quiet, with no one around to protect him. He curled his two tails closer around himself, hugging them against his chest.
Was he always going to be alone?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tails?"
The fox glanced up at the sound of his favorite voice. Sonic was staring at him, head slightly tilted as he studied his face. "You okay, pal? You zoned out there for a sec."
"Yeah, yeah! Just got distracted."
Sonic chuckled and ruffled his bangs. "Imagine getting distracted," he said with a laugh, leaning backwards to lie on the picnic blanket. "I, for one, am ALWAYS focused."
Tails chuckled as he shifted. "Yeah, right."
He glanced around. It was a beautiful day in Green Hill, perfect for the Restoration (and friends) picnic that they'd set up as a celebration of foiling yet another world-ending catastrophe together. Amy, sitting on Sonic's other side, gave him a smile before returning back to whatever she and Sonic had been chatting about a minute ago. Knuckles was leaned back against a tree looking almost peaceful, until Rouge came and started poking at him. All of Team Dark had actually shown up, even Shadow, although he was sitting at the very outskirts avoiding conversation. Cream served out slices of cake to everyone. Her mom was cutting the slices while chatting cheerfully with Vector and the other Chaotix. Silver was showing off his telekinesis for Blaze by making a kite fly even though there was no wind. The Restoration girls; Whisper, Tangle, Belle, and even Jewel and Lanolin; had found all spots in the grass where they were chatting.
Sonic gave him another look, before stretching out his arm and patting the empty spot beside him. Tails grinned and shifted over next to Sonic, curling up into the spot that fit him perfectly. He rested his head on his brother's chest, hearing the soothing thrum of his speedy heartbeat. A comforting sound. The sound of safety, of home.
"You sure you're okay, little bro?" Sonic asked quietly.
"Yeah. I am."
He was more than okay, he realized, as he looked around at his friends. His tribe. His family.
He wasn't alone anymore.