The young Bat soared through the air, messily avoiding the high trees as an inexperienced flier, until she saw the unnatural glow of green among the dark of the woods. She'd gotten accustomed to looking for it whenever Rouge took her here. But shiny things typically got Rouge's attention, so it was much easier for her.

For Ollie, though, it wasn't as easy to just find. Her eyes always seemed to be glued to the sky, making shapes into the clouds.

When the glint of green caught her eyes, she took a deep breath, preparing to land. Carefully making sure not to drop the bag of food she was holding, she steadied herself and aimed to the ground to land. The wind rushed into her ears as she dipped into the shadows on the trees, making small clicks and squeaks that bounced off of every surface and helped her see.

She soon placed her feet on the ground, a bit harder than she anticipated, which caused her to lose her balance and tumble to the grass. Another wonderful landing.

Ollie looked at the mess of plant-overrun buildings that made up the Echidna Tribe's former village. Nature had reclaimed the stone buildings, hiding the precious stones that decorated their walls.

She walked up to one of the specific huts she recognized and knocked on the wooden door. It was opened by a tall, dark-skinned, purple-eyed Echidna, his dark red dreads hanging in front of his face.

He was the last of his kind.

But to Ollie, he was just her big sister's "close friend."

He took the bag she handed to him with a grateful nod. "Hello, Ollie. Where's Rouge?" He asked, immediately noticing her absence.

Olivia-Valentine, better known as Ollie, gave him a shrug. "She went off to go clobber someone who was acting like a weirdo." She said.

The Echidna, Knuckles, hummed in understanding. "I see..."

Ollie dug through her pockets and pulled out a hair ribbon, a white, lacey bow. "She picked up this for me, though." She beamed. That most likely meant that Rouge had stolen it for her.

Knuckles snorted in amusement, sat down on the stone steps to his hut, and took out a bundle of grapes from the bag. "I see you remembered my favorite." He said, plucking one off the vine and popping it in his mouth.

Ollie nodded proudly and sat down on the grass in front of him. "You're welcome." She mused.

After a moment, Knuckles asked, "How have things been?" Though, he knew what the general answer would be from her.

Ollie shrugged at the question, resting her face in her hands. "Same old, same old." She mumbled in distaste. "Still on the streets- still thieves." Nothing had changed.

The Echidna gave her a hum, looking back at his food. He could easily hunt and forage, he'd lived in the woods his whole life. Still, Rouge had insisted that she and Ollie bring him some food. Which had introduced him to grapes, which didn't grow near him.

"Are you still insisting that you and Rouge leave the Kingdom of Infamy? It could be beneficial." He asked, to which Ollie shifted in something like discomfort.

"I still don't know what she thinks. I know it's where we both ran away to, but I find no need to stay." She sighed, crossing her arms. The Kingdom of Infamy had been the closest to where she lived when she ran away, and the same was true for Rouge. So, in a way, it was a special place for them.

But it still sucked.

"You should tell her you wish to get farther away from the Storm Lands." He suggested. "Probably tell her why."

The Bat gave him a defensive glare, though there was nothing malicious behind it. "I can't. I can't tell her why." She whispered, her voice dropping quieter. "I only told you because you'd... somewhat understand."

Knuckles shook his head. "If you tell her about your father, she could then know the dangers to befall you if he were to find you. She would surely take you far, far away from there."

Ollie laughed bitterly at that, tossing her head back as her dark blue coils shook. "He's not looking for me."

Silence consumed the two.

"Do you ever feel afraid?" He asked.

Ollie looked up at him. She'd normally shut off emotionally and give a snarky reply. She didn't know why she answered. "Well, I think so." She admitted, though that wasn't the full truth. "Do you?"

Knuckles looked above the trees, rubbing his arms like he was cold. "Yes," he admitted.

"But..." He glanced back down to Ollie. "How are things on the outside?" He asked. He didn't leave the woods, so the two Bats were the only way he could tell what was happening outside.

She shrugged. "The Kingdom of Infamy isn't the best way to tell, but I believe so." She said.

It was the second reason she wanted to leave the wretched kingdom, besides living on the streets. There was nothing good there- what with King Linus and Queen Selina ruling, and the chaos that flooded the streets each day because of their leaders' disinterest in actually ruling.

"Do you think that me showing my existence would be a good idea at this time?" Knuckles asked. He hated to use the eight-year-old as a consultant, but he knew she'd give him (mainly) honest answers.

Ollie thought for a moment, leaving the two in silence. "I heard from the grapevine that the Green Hills Kingdom is throwing a party for a few days." Knuckles didn't see how that had to do with anything. "Maybe that would be a good distraction to kind of... reenter society. All of the rulers are going- it's supposed to dissolve tensions, or something like that."

"I see..." He looked up at the sky, maybe still looking for Rouge. "Well, I am no ruler."

"You're the last of your kind, that's gotta count for something. And wasn't your dad one of the Chiefs?" Ollie asked, not noticing the way Knuckles grimaced at the mention of his quite obvious isolation.

"And if it doesn't count for something, I think you're pretty cool. So, you're a ruler in my eyes." The Bat added.

Knuckles smiled. "Well... I think that counts as something."