𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑: 𝘕𝘢𝘨𝘢 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴

      A long time ago, in one hot country, where there was one small village, two foxes lived in one house near a river. One is the red fox Fiona, a single mother, and the second, although not her own, is her beloved son, a two-tailed fox, who has long grown up and become a teenager, about fifteen or seventeen years old. Day after day, he studied books about martial arts and the use of edged weapons, trained day after day and only became stronger. After Tails was ready, and had grown up enough, the two-tailed teenager decided to write a letter to the military school in the castle of King Merlin. It is there that new clerics are trained in the art of war. And it is there that the priests comprehend the art of sacred light. Having written a letter with his introduction and the fact that he wanted to become one of the Naga hunters, he immediately went to the post house, where the most professional and careful messengers worked. One of them, riding a black horse, who was just about to go to Merlin’s castle, agreed to accept the fox’s letter, and for the same, deliver him there. After that, he began to help his mother on the farm and gardens as usual, waiting for an answer from the military school when they would send him an answer to consent or refusal... He waited. About three weeks pass and the teenager finally receives a response letter saying that he has been accepted. King Merlin himself approved of the fact that some children dreamed of becoming naga hunters themselves when they grew up. And since Tails has already grown up and become a teenager, he is apparently ready to learn martial arts and mastery of bladed weapons in order to really become a new naga hunter. Therefore, the director of the military school approved his request and allowed him to come to their castle in a week. Tails was incredibly happy that his childhood dream had finally come true. The adoptive mother was proud of her beloved son that he could finally fulfill his dream. Having given him a parting gift of a couple of warm blankets and pillows with clothes, as well as food for the road, as much as she could prepare before his departure, she kissed the teenager goodbye and escorted him to the chariot, which took him through the forest to the palace of King Merlin. It took two days and two nights to get there. Fortunately, sometimes the groom with the chariot and Tails himself took a break from time to time, spent the night and went out for a minute.

***

      As the new early morning dawned, the two-tailed fox was already almost at the gates of King Merlin's castle. The gate was opened for the groom and he was allowed to pass on, along with the fox. Having taken his things with the remaining amount of food and paid some gold coins to the groom, the fox moved on until he found the same military school where the most talented and best warriors are taught and trained, some of whom become naga hunters. Tails couldn't wait to quickly take the first step there and start the first training day. A man with a beard, who was a captain by rank, taught and trained recruits at this school. I don’t mean captain of the navy, but captain of the army. At first it was a simple day where the captain of the army met the new recruits and recited the codes of honor of the great soldiers, and that each of them came here to faithfully serve not only the king, but also their native land, which they would protect. Someone may die in some battle, but this sacrifice will be worthy and justified if it is not in vain. And the captain also assured that every soldier should be able to not only respect his principles, but also listen to his inner voice, what he personally tells them, before even thinking before a battle with enemies or non-enemies. Of course, Tails took this into account first of all, because he always listens to his inner voice. However, now an inner voice seemed to tell him that this was probably a bad idea. After that, everyone was put to bed early, while it was still evening. This was done so that the recruits would wake up early in the morning already invigorated. The next morning, everyone got up too early, washed their faces with very cold water to cheer themselves up, and had breakfast with fresh semolina porridge. Tails especially loved semolina, so he didn’t complain. And he knew very well: Nobody said it would be easy! He, like other recruits there, was trained to crawl through barbed wire, climb over wooden and stone fences, run around sandy lands with wooden mines, which exploded with a safe explosion from confiti, but meant that the recruit was like a corpse. They also taught how to use bladed weapons, using wooden swords as an example so far, so that they would not accidentally cut each other. Sometimes these same wooden swords were used in such duels, one against one or two against two. In rare cases, they organized a team match like two or three against one, where either a lone warrior himself would find a way to survive in a battle against two or three at once, even if they decided to attack simultaneously, and not one at a time, or the team itself easily will deal with the only one. On one such day, Tails was pitted against three. By that time, he was already physically prepared and, in addition, was evasive. Therefore, even when he was attacked at the same time, he managed to dodge and, crouching, knock everyone down at once. At the last exams, recruits were given weapons in the form of crossbows and put on test roads, where they had to learn to shoot at enemies from afar without hitting civilian peasants or the king. Some people, however, sometimes failed such a test, since someone did not first keep the crossbows on the safeties and accidentally hit with arrows those who should not have been shot at. The final test was when the recruits were split into two teams and were armed with safe crossbow arrows made from dye bags for tips. The task of each team was to either stay at the base and protect it so that the enemy would not sneak into their base and not allow their flag to be raised on their territory, or attack the enemy base, break through the enemies that would get in the way and plant your flag on enemy territory. Those who were hit by arrows with dyes and received stains from the dyes were supposedly considered corpses and then lay there, pretending to be killed, until the battle was over. Tails was the first to make his way through the enemy crowd, of course, not without the help of his two friends whom he met at the same military school. Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna, who were hiding behind cover and covering their two-tailed comrade so that he could reach their destination without damage and plant their flag there. However, even though one team won, the captain was pleased with both teams for trying hard and not giving up. Afterwards, absolutely all the recruits received the honorary title of soldier. They also determined who would be a loner and who would work as a team, taking into account how they acted on the battlefield. At first they also wanted to give Tails the title of loner, but he refused: — I don't want to be alone. I want to work in a team. — Why? You alone made your way through the crowd of enemies and planted the flag. — said the captain. — Yes, but I could not have done it without the help of my two comrades. Sonic and Knuckles. They covered me so that I could get to the base safe and sound. I couldn't have done it without them. — the fox explained. The captain thought about the fox's words and decided: — Fine. Then it's decided! Since the three of you have become good friends and help each other, then the three of you will be a kind of team that will work together. Do you agree? — Yes captain! — the trio saluted, placing their right palms near their temples. — Great! Now tell me, why did you enter our school? — Since childhood, we dreamed of becoming naga hunters, looking for the nagas themselves in the forest, hunting them and killing them. — only Sonic and Knuckles said, and Tails was the only one who remained silent and only thought about the last words. — “Killing them?” — he thought. The captain also knew that even Tails wanted to become one, since he wrote about this in his letter before coming here. Therefore, he did not wait for the same answer from the fox and said: — It's decided! You receive honorary titles and titles as Naga Hunters. — HOORAY!!! — shouted the hedgehog and the echidna, hugging the fox. — And you also receive your first task, if you are ready, of course. — We are ready, captain! At least we'll go out now. — Fine. Our scouts on the towers not far from our castle in the forest noticed the rustling of several trees to the west of here. They have a suspicion that perhaps some naga is hiding there and does not want to be seen. Go there, find out what it was and figure it out. And don’t forget to take a real weapon with you to fight back if it was a naga or some kind of enemy. — We obey, captain. — in response, the trio answered simultaneously along with Tails.

***

      Armed with two new swords and their good old samurai, a gift from their mother, Tails, Sonic and Knuckles teamed up to head west into the thicket of the forest, trying to find out what was causing the swaying trees. Tails was worried, as long as it wasn’t Shadow himself. Surely maybe it was him if he suddenly missed him and came here to visit him. But how did he know that he would study here? Or maybe it wasn’t him at all? The fox was overcome with doubt and fear with every step. The partners turned their attention to their two-tailed comrade. — What happened to you? — asked the echidna. — A? No, no, I am. I remember my mother. — Tails lied so as not to accidentally give away his secret that he was friends with a naga as a child. He was even afraid that they would suddenly laugh at him and call him a disgrace to all naga hunters, if suddenly everyone found out that he was secretly friends with a naga. — A! Well, it's nothing! This is fine! — the echidna fox tried to cheer him up, smiling. — Sometimes I like to remember my beloved grandmother. — Really? You didn't tell me about your relatives. Can you tell me? — Certainly. You told us about your single mother with a farm, so why don’t we tell you? — Sonic thought. — You see, Tails? — Knuckles was the first to start telling. — I used to be a funny kid and ride a bike with the boys, and we also liked to misbehave a little and tease the guards. — Tease? — the fox asked. — Yes. We sometimes made fun of them and threw stones and acorns on their heads, and then ran away until they caught us. One such day I somehow got caught by one of them. He drove me into a dead end at the market and there was nowhere to run. I already thought that I was finished. My parents won't be snitched on and will be forced to pay a fine or worse. I'll be executed. However, that soldier was one of the naga hunters. He simply scolded me for throwing stones at him and his comrades with the boys and said that this should not be done, because they are useful and protect us all from great monsters such as nagas. It was then that I was inspired by him, and I also wanted to become like that when I grew up. I was also prompted to do this by the memory of my grandmother. — What happened to her? — I still remember her smile. I was still a baby in a stroller then. But then Naked himself appeared, caught her and ate her right in front of my eyes, leaving me alone. I even remember this monster well. He was all purple with a nose like a branch and huge, like a big guy with pumped up muscles. — “Luz Bucket!” — Tails immediately recognized that naga from the way Knuckles described him. — So, he only ate your grandmother and left you? — Yes. I myself don’t understand why he left me alive and crawled away, because he could have dealt with me as well. - explained the echidna. Suddenly, half-forgotten pictures came to life in Tails' memory. After all, what Knuckles described to him somehow reminded him of something that he had forgotten for a long time and did not remember. Memories immediately flooded before my eyes when the fox himself was still a baby. There was fire and noise everywhere. At this moment, he even heard the screams of civilians. — THE VILLAGE IS ATTACKED BY A NAGA, DEFEND YOURSELF!!! — a man shouted. — QUICKER!!! BRING A GUN AND A GUN!!! — WHERE ARE THE NAGA HUNTERS!!! WE NEED HELP!!! At that moment a large yellow fox, about thirty or forty years old, came running. She then took the baby fox in her arms, put him in a basket and ran with him. — ROMANA, RUN ACROSS THE RIVER!!! WE WILL TRY TO DELAY HIM AS MUCH AS WE CAN!!! — MILES!!! MILES!!! MILES DON'T BE AFRAID!!! JUST DO NOT CRY!!! The mother ran to the chariot itself in order to escape far from this village. However, the huge naga, with his huge purple tail, pushed the fox away. This very tail was the only thing the baby saw then. From the blow and push, the mother accidentally threw out the basket with the baby and it flew into the air and fell into the river. Now the river itself carried the baby away from the village. — MILES!!! MILES, WHERE ARE YOU??? MI-I-ILE-E-ES!!! — the last thing the baby heard then. Tails couldn't believe the visions that flashed before his eyes. Where did he get them from? And most importantly, how could he forget about them? However, that same naga tail, strangely enough, was also purple and at its end there was a sharp tip, somewhat reminiscent of a sharp knife or saber. Only Luz, a scorpion naga, had such a tip with a tail, while other nagas did not have such a tip on the end of their tails. Was it really only Luz himself who organized all these attacks on villages and eating people and Mobians? Or maybe his entire separate race of scorpion nagas were that evil? Although remembering the touching backstory about Luz that Shadow once told him, most of all the theory says that it was rather Luz himself. He killed his real parents, after which his other mother met him near the river. That is, he killed his real parents and Knuckles' grandmother. Is this all a coincidence? While he was remembering this, Sonic distracted him from his memories by snapping his fingers near the fox's eyes. — Don't sleep! We're almost there! — said the hedgehog and took his comrade by the hand and walked with him further following the echidna. He took out his sword and began to swing it, cutting off foliage and branches that stuck out in the way and prevented him from passing further. At the same time, he continued to talk about himself: — My parents, by the way, were the best gardeners. They grew the largest and most delicious blueberries, which grew on blueberry bushes and trees. We also did entertainment shows with blueberry pies. For example, we threw them in the faces of other peasants and soldiers, which was funny and not at all offensive. And sometimes I danced and sang a funny song about Jack Horner and stuck my thumbs into the pies themselves, for which they applauded me and threw us gold coins. My father, by the way, hoped that I would grow up either as a baker and inherit their tradition of growing blueberries and baking pies from them, and my mother hoped that I would become a lumberjack and make money by cutting down trees from firewood, since I grew up as the biggest and strongest in the family . However, neither of them guessed right about my future profession, because I wanted to become a naga hunter, like all of you. — I also dreamed of becoming one. — Sonic continued. — My father was once a hunter and taught me this. He hoped that I would also become the same when I grew up. And he was not mistaken. It's just a pity that he didn't live to see this day. — Let me guess! Did he die because he was eaten? — Tails asked, and Sonic sighed heavily and answered: — No. He mortally wounded one naga in an attempt to kill him. Nag fell on him and he did not have time to think of running away or dodging, as he was immediately crushed by him. I didn't see him again after that. That is, he killed the naga, but at the same time he himself died due to his stupidity. Because of this, I was initially afraid of becoming a new naga hunter and did not want to come here. — But why did you end up joining us then? — Knuckles asked. — Because of my mother. She assured me that my father was simply stupid and always acted before thinking first. However, as she later reassured me, if I think first, and only then act, then not only will everything work out, but I might also survive, unlike stupid dad. And I still decided to go, thinking that at least I would be smarter than my father and would not repeat his mistakes. — By the way, Tails, why did you decide to become a hunter? — the echidna asked the fox. He thought about it and said: — My... Mom... She... Told me before bed every night fairy tales about those great warrior warriors... And it was then that I wanted to become the same as you. — Well. We were lucky that we still met each other. I think we will get along well with each other and work well together. Wow, I can imagine how proud our moms and dads will be of us when we return home to them with our first victory. — Sonic, smiling, imagined how his mother greeted him with hugs. — Yes. — Tails answers a little shyly in support of the hedgehog. Having overcome several bushes, they came out onto a lawn where a couple of trees had been knocked down near the road. — Yeah! It was naked and he most likely tried his best on these trees here. However, he will return here. So this is where we will wait for him. — Knuckles suggested. — Then before he returns, let’s set up a couple of traps and our camp here! — Sonic suggested.

***

      Closer to night, net traps were placed between the camps along the paths, and in the center, between two fallen trees, three tents and a fire were erected, over which a wild boar was roasted. More subtly, Sonic himself fried him, and Tails sat on one fallen tree, still thinking that maybe he came here in vain? At this time, Knuckles was hitting another fallen tree with his spiked gloved fists to chop it into small firewood. — Eh! I probably shouldn’t have listened to my mother’s advice and didn’t go to work at the sawmill. I could really be useful there and be good at chopping wood. — he said out loud to himself, finishing knocking out a couple more small planks, which he also threw into a pile of dry ones, and threw two extra pieces into the fire to burn. - Let me also chop that tree for firewood? — Thank you, but these are enough for now. Let it stay. — Sonic asked. — As you say! — the echidna did not argue with the hedgehog and sat down next to him. — And you didn’t feel sorry for the boar. — It's a pity, of course! But you also want to eat meat. In addition, wild boars are not listed in the Red Book and are still able to reproduce in order to survive. Therefore, the fact that one extra boar died to feed the Mobians is nothing. — And many people also say that we are some kind of herbivores, since we are anthropomorphic animals and, logically, should not eat our own kind. Well, at least, if among us there are Mobians who are pigs or the same wild boars, then it would be somehow strange for them to eat fried boar meat. And it would look more like cannibalism, which is not welcome. — Nagas... I heard they are also different, just like the Mobians. They have subspecies, like some look like cats, others like hedgehogs, and so on. — Tails said. — Yes, but alas, this does not stop them from hunting people and Mobians like us. They don't even care what cannibalism is. In this regard, they are noticeably different from us. We are holy and innocent anthropomorphic animals, and they are soulless and voracious monsters. This has probably always been the case and will probably always be the case. — Sonic explained. — Well, in general, my dad told me that you can’t always judge people, Mobians and other creatures in such a way that we can be white and fluffy, but they can’t. Well, at least even among us Mobians there were a couple of the worst ones. For example, the same robbers or foreign enemies. Even among people there are such people. Here is our captain, although he treated us like a father, but also do not forget the story about the traitor that he told us a couple of weeks ago. — Knuckles is right. You cannot immediately judge one hundred percent who is right and completely holy and who is not. Maybe it’s the same for all of them to be naked? — the fox suggested out loud and, realizing what he had just blurted out, abruptly covered his mouth with his hands. Sonic and Knuckles widened their eyes and turned to the two-tails. — What... Did you... Just... Say? — asked the hedgehog. — What are you about? I said nothing. — Tails lied. — No no no. I clearly heard you just asked that there may be good and bad among the nagas. — the echidna said slyly and suspiciously, looking at the fox. — Tails, it seems to me that you are hiding something from us about the nagas. — Don't make things up! I just assumed and blurted out without thinking. Let's forget about it! — the fox waved him off and turned over on his side, lying on a log. Knuckles jumped over the log and stood in front of Tails' gaze. — What are you hiding from us? — It's okay, Knuckles. — the fox still tried to pretend that he didn’t know anything and turned over on his back. Sonic immediately stood above his head. — Tails, we are your friends and partners. We will understand everything if you tell us everything honestly. The Two-Tails began to ponder whether they should tell them the whole truth about themselves or not. Knuckles himself joined Sonic, enlarging his pupils in front of his eyes like watermelons. Taking a deep breath, he answers: — Fine! You must know the truth. But I will tell you everything from the very beginning, because everything that I told you about my life is only half, and I did not tell you the other. And then Tails told them again the story from his childhood, but this time in full. He said that his mother was actually adopted, since she found him near the river, and by that time he had already forgotten his real parents and did not remember them until he only remembered today when Knuckles talked about how he lost his grandmother in infancy. He told about that sudden flashback that he remembered, exactly the same naga attacked his native village, from where he then sailed down the river to another mother. And he even told the moments when he first met one naga, who looked like a black hedgehog with red stripes, and who did not want to eat him, although at first he was afraid of him. However, when he saved him from another naga, a huge purple scorpion, who himself would probably have eaten him, he then stopped being afraid of that first one. However, they met each other in secret and only at night, so that no one would know or be afraid. Because of this, he has recently begun to have doubts about whether nagas in general are all that bad or not. And should he become hunters of nagas? And don’t hunters think first of all whether it’s really worth exterminating them all? And even the same story about that same scorpion naga, which Shadow told him, that he is the only one who walks through villages and castles, killing and eating everyone and avenging his father, since he was angry with people and Mobians. Of course, Sonic and Knuckles were very surprised, since this was the first time they heard this whole story. Nevertheless, this is precisely the reaction that an adult fox should have expected. — Why didn’t you honestly admit this to us right away? — Knuckles asked. — Did you really believe him? Maybe it was a trap and he was specifically waiting for you to believe him? — Sonic asked. — Not really. If he wanted to do that, he would have eaten me a long time ago. And I'm still alive, in front of you. — Tails explained. — Besides, I personally studied it from the inside and understood why all nagas have two stomachs. — Yes? Why? — Sonic asked. — They use only one of them for digestion, while the other does not digest anything at all and serves more like a bag or backpack. — added the fox. — Studied? What do you mean you killed him? — Knuckles didn’t believe it. Tails hit himself on the forehead with his palm from what he heard and said: — No, dumbass. I just asked him to swallow me to test and then he spat me back out. And he didn’t want to eat me at all. — Wait wait! I'm confused! Let's do it all over again! — Sonic asked and asked: — That naga attacked your first village, where were your real parents? But now was not the time to chat. A rustling sound was heard behind a couple of trees and the team decided to postpone their conversation until later. The hedgehog and the echidna took swords in their hands, and Tails took his samurai. He at least hoped that there would not be a naked person there, but just some other monster to fight back. They saw huge eyes in the darkness that were clearly scared. — THIS IS NAGA!!! — Sonic shouted. The eyes immediately ran away, and the sound of rustling followed away. — FOLLOW HIM ASAP!!! — Knuckles shouted and the trio ran in pursuit. Tails also ran after the hedgehog and the echidna. Suddenly he noticed that he began to tower over them. — Wow! I fly. — he was surprised and noticed. that its two tails began to spin quickly, like a propeller. They helped him take off. To be honest, he was surprised and didn’t know that he could do this. Towering above the forest, he took out his binoculars and examined the naga who was crawling away from them. He was white and mouse-like in appearance. Tails sighed in relief. — It wasn't Shadow! God bless! However, he was still worried about him too. After all, if he runs away from them, it means he is afraid of them, and if he is afraid of them, then he did not want to attack them. The naga was lured to a dead end in the form of a rock that was impossible to climb even with one tail. Two hunters, a hedgehog and an echidna surrounded the white mouse-naga emergency exits. — You have nowhere else to run, you stupid monster! — Knuckles said threateningly. Naga did not resist, but instead curled up with her tail, pressed herself against the corner and began to cry, beginning to say goodbye to her life. Sonic and Knuckles were preparing to attack her and behead her, when they suddenly heard their comrade shout: — STOP!!! STOP!!! DONT KILL!!! Sonic and Knuckles were surprised when they saw that Tails was flying. — You can fly? But how? — Sonic asked. — I didn’t know that I could do that. — You know how to surprise us. — Knuckles said. Naga opened her eyes and did not understand why they did not attack her. Tails turned his attention to her and slowly approached her. The naga mouse began to tremble in fear. — Is she... Afraid? — Sonic was even more surprised. — Don't be afraid! We won't touch you. — Tails said calmly and squatted down and laid his samurai on the ground. — What are you doing, Tails, he will attack you and eat you. — Knuckles said. — No, he's afraid of us. He doesn't want to attack us. You're scaring him, lower your swords to the ground! — But then he will attack us. — DON’T BE OBSTANT AND THROW YOUR SWORDS TO THE GROUND NOW!!! THAT'S AN ORDER!!! — the fox shouted and Sonic and Knuckles, their eyes bulging, looked at each other, and then decided to listen to him. They also placed their swords on the ground and stood with their hands raised. — We won’t hurt you, baby! — Tails calmly said to the naga mouse and she stood up a little fearfully. — What is your name? — Rou... Rouge. — she answered him. — A! So are you a girl? — the fox smiled and the naga nodded in response. — What were you doing in the forest, next to the castle? You made such a noise and knocked down a couple of trees. Our watchmen were so afraid of you and thought that this evil naga was coming to us to eat us all. — No... I... I just crawled here for berries. My mother asked me to pick berries for a cake. The most delicious berries grow only in your forest. I... I didn’t think that I would scare you so much... Forgive me! — It's okay, Rouge. We forgive you. You can crawl home, but don’t make such a noise again and don’t scare us! — Tails politely asked and the nigina crawled back into the forest, past the trio. — Incredible! — Sonic and Knuckles said at the same time. Tails picked up his samurai from the ground and brushed the sand off its iron tip. He justified himself to the two of them. Now they believed him that he was telling the truth, that not all naked people are so evil and gluttonous. — We must tell King Merlin everything we just saw here. — Knuckles said, but Sonic shook his head in response: — He won't believe us. — What if he believes it? — Tails suggested. — I’ll go to the king myself and tell him about him. For now, you two must take an oath that you will remain silent about what you saw here until I settle everything!

***

      The next day, Tails personally approached the king, while Sonic and Knuckles themselves reported to the captain that they had carried out reconnaissance and everything was calm, but they did not mention the naga. Tails told the king that they actually saw one naga there, but did not kill him. The king did not understand why they did not kill him. Tails explained that this nigina was not evil at all, but simply crawled to pick berries. She had no intention of attacking the castle and eating people. Then he told what he and his comrades had kept silent about in front of the captain so that he would not demote them. And he himself decided to go to the king and tell him exactly, since only the king can be trusted by everyone and perhaps he will somehow influence. Of course, Tails had no evidence to confirm this. Therefore, the king did not believe him. — Go away, rookie! I don't have time to listen to your jokes. The fox lowers his head and leaves the palace. — "I did everything I could." — he thought in his thoughts and, in despair, decided to fly to his home on his own tails. This time he was not at all surprised that he could fly and decided to take advantage of it. While flying through the air, he saw some nagas from the sky. They were happy and rejoicing. Suddenly he had a thought. — "No! Not everything!" Taking out a camera made of wood, he began to follow each naga and observe them unnoticed. He took all the photographs of the Naga children, how they played together, had fun, helped each other, collected fruits for the harvest and cooked food. And so as not to be smelled, he rubbed himself with a skunk so that he could smell like this stinker. Of course, he himself couldn’t stand the smell, but he’d have to be patient. Then, when he had collected everything and was heading back to the castle towards nightfall, on the way the fox saw that same old and kind naked Luz walking through the forest. More precisely, old and angry. He was probably heading to the castle and wanted to profit. Tails, of course, saw him from above, got ahead of him and, having reached the town hall bell, began to ring the alarm. The scouts woke up first and saw that a large naga scorpion was heading towards the castle. — NAGA IS COMING, ALL ARMS!!! — A curse! — Luz cursed. He hoped to sneak into the castle unnoticed while everyone was sleeping. He knew that he could not cope with this entire army. Then he saw a fox fly into the sky on some kind of red propeller and was surprised. — What is this little fox doing here?... Hmm... It seems to me or is his smell familiar to me?... Okay, I guess I’ll get out of here while no one sees. Luz crawled away and was never found. For this they thanked the fox for waking them up in time and not allowing them to be eaten by this monster. Even the king praised Tails as a hero. The fox at that moment showed the king photographs from his camera. The king saw the images of all the good nagas and finally believed him in his words about the nagas. Was he really telling the truth and were they really no different from themselves? Of course, the king swore an oath to Tails that he would try to spread his rumors and the truth that some nagas could possibly be kind and innocent, and he himself allowed him to fly home to his mother and please her with his exploits. Before this, the army captain gave Tails a golden order for courage and bravery. Even Sonic and Knuckles swore an oath to Tails that they would henceforth be attentive and think whether it was worth killing the nagas when they caught them or not.

***

      The next morning, with a clear conscience, Tails flew to his home on his tails. By the way, he flew three times faster than before he rode in a chariot from the village to the castle. He couldn’t wait to quickly return to his adopted, but still beloved mother and tell about what happened to him and what feats he accomplished. He'll probably be a little scared or just won't believe him. On the way, towards evening, he saw the naga Shadow himself from above in a large reed field and began to descend towards him, shouting: — SHADOW!!! He was still lying with his eyes closed, and when he heard someone calling his name, he woke up. He saw Tails in the sky, slowly descending towards him and on the one hand he was surprised that he could fly, but on the other hand he was also glad to see him. — Tails! The naked hedgehog stood up and stuck out his right palm, which Tails immediately stood on. — You can fly? But how is it? — he asked the fox, and in response he raised his shoulders: — I didn’t know I could do that. Trust me! I took off for the first time when I was running in pursuit of... This is a very long time to explain. Anyway, how did you get on here while I was away? — You won't believe it. This morning Luz came to me and complained that he wanted to attack the castle and kill everyone there quietly and unnoticed while everyone was sleeping, but then you appeared and prevented him, waking everyone up. More precisely, he described you as a fox with a familiar scent, and I immediately guessed that it was you, but did not give you away. It was quite risky. You know how evil, serious and scary Luz is? — I know, but I couldn’t stand still and watch what was happening. — Tails explained. — What is that on your chest? — asked the naked man and with the index claw of his left hand he lightly raised the order that the captain had handed him. The inscription on the order was small, but he was able to see and read it. — To the bravest and bravest hunter of... Nagas?... — Shadow’s eyes widened, and Tails lowered his head guiltily. He forgot that he was hiding this from Shadow. -Have you become a naga hunter? But why, Tails? I thought you were my friend? And you?... — Shadow, I’m really your friend and I don’t wish you any harm, believe me! Just let me explain everything! Shadow made his gaze stern. — Okay, young fox. Come to my cave and there you will tell me everything.

***

      While in the cave, the fox told Shadow everything that happened to him. He confessed to him that since childhood he had dreamed of becoming a naga hunter, as his mother read bedtime stories to him. This was all before they first met and became friends. Shadow himself, having only listened to this, immediately became upset. He didn't want his best friend to suddenly attack and kill him. He was very sorry that he was doing this, but he would have to do what only Luz would do in his place. He grabs Tails and brings him to his head. — Shadow, what are you doing? — Sorry! — he answers him and opens his mouth. Of course he didn't want to do this, but he had to. It immediately went down the throat into the stomach for digestion. Although Shadow cried later because of what he had to do, he had no other choice. It was only for the good of him, for all the other nagas and for Tails himself perhaps. Tails, using his tails in time, did not have time to fall into the acid and stayed on top. He understood that Shadow was offended by him and deliberately, out of resentment, swallowed him. — Shadow, I know you can hear me from here. Please try to understand me! Believe me, I never wished you harm and did not want to offend you. You are truly my friend, just like I am yours. I used to want to become a naga hunter, but then, when you first met me and saved me from Luz, I then began to doubt my desire. I didn't know what to do now. Fulfill my dream or give up on it and stay only with you. I would never dare to raise my hands or weapons against you, even if I wanted to. You never wished me harm, just as I never wished you harm. — of course, Tails said this without shouting and a little desperately. But nevertheless, Shadow heard him perfectly from his stomach. Tails himself at that moment continued his story and explained what happened to him when he finally went to military school and became a hunter, until the moment when Luz attacked the castle. Having heard about the story about a nigina who looked like a white mouse, whom he spared and did not kill, Shadow rethought his behavior. Tails himself thought that Shadow was silent because he didn’t want to talk to him out of resentment. Sitting down on a large sausage, which had not yet been completely digested in acid, he began to finish: — I understand that you are very offended by me. You have every right! You swallowed me correctly, because it will be better and safer for you, as you yourself think. Let me digest it better here, because I deserve it! - With these words, the fox wrapped his legs with his tails and arms and began to cry. Even Shadow himself almost cried again when he heard such words. — “What have I done?” — he executed himself in his thoughts and without hesitation, he immediately sucked the fox out of his stomach, and then spat it out into his hands. The fox himself fell on his back and was stunned that he actually heard him and released him. Then the nag pressed the fox to his chest. — Forgive me, Tails! — It's okay, Shadow! The acid hasn't had time to hit me yet. — the fox explained, taking a breath. — Just don't scare me like that again! Okay! — Okay. I won't. After the hug, the nag sat him on his right shoulder and decided to walk him home. — Do you trust me that I will never hunt you and that I will not attack all of you without a second thought? — Tails asked. — I believe. — I managed to convince King Merlin that there are innocents among you. All that remains is to somehow convince all the nagas that we and the hunters will not be dangerous to them and attack them for no reason. — the fox said to himself. — Shadow, you can help me with this. Can you somehow gather all the nagas and get me there together? — I'll try, son. — Shadow answers. — Thank you. — the fox thanked his kind naga and leaned towards his head.