His train of thought was suddenly stopped as something caught his attention, making his bright blue ears flick in surprise. What was that noise? He paused, trying to focus on it. Then, it rang loud and clear.
A pained, fearful "Help!".
Something about that yelp (The tone, the word, the feeling of dread?) triggered a reflex he didn't know he had.
Without any semblance of thought, Sonic bolted in the direction of the cry. It didn't take long for him to find the source, being the fastest thing alive and all. He nearly screamed at what he saw, however.
Two fifteen year old hybrids were laughing at a five year old Fox hybrid.
The child himself had curly and tangled blond hair, clumps of it stained with dirt and dried blood. His pale skin was covered in bruises and wounds, just hardly covered by ragged jeans and a too-small sweater. He was barefoot, his feet scraped by the rocky sidewalk and prickly weeds that dotted the neighborhood. His ears were tucked down, his nose was quivering, and he was wailing as he clung to his tail...s.
A curious thing, but not something to be tormented over, Sonic decided, fury rising in his green eyes.
One of the teens grabbed the Fox hybrid's wrist, making him let out another scream of fear and pain. "Shut it, you two-tailed freak!" The other warned, grabbing him by one of the said tails. The bully threw him down, causing a harsh cough from the latter.
Sonic had enough of watching, engulfed by anger. He sped over, scooping up the frightened child and staring at the bullies. He carefully set down the Fox next to him. The tormentors were shocked at first, but then more uneased that they were being faced with the same Hedgehog that had taken down Dr. Eggman.
"Stay out of this." The first one said, trying to act unbothered. The other nodded, "Yea, we're just having a little fun."
Sonic felt sick. They had no right to treat anyone like this. They had no right to treat a child like this. It was horrific.
He wanted to clobber them then and there. Toss them to Eggman and have him deal with them. But, the little Fox gripped onto his leg, making his nerves settle. So, instead of fighting or yelling, the Hedgehog simply picked up the kid and took him away.
He went back to where others were, and where he knew he could quickly reach any of his friends if he needed.
He set the Fox down and began asking questions. "What's your name, buddy?"
The child wiped his nose on the tight sweater sleeve. "M-Miles Prower." He said.
"I'm Sonic. How old are you? Shouldn't your parents be with you?" The other continued, growing more concerned.
"Five, almost six." Miles said, trying to keep his voice from wavering.
Sonic took a moment, then warily asked again about parents of any kind.