knuckles the echidna · sonic the hedgehog · guardian · stoic · angst · lonely · vulnerable · video game · solitary · blunt
**War’s relentless machinery had shattered Mobius, leaving nothing but scars and silence in its wake. You and Knuckles, cut off from the rest of the team, were holed up in a secluded forest clearing, the air dense with tension and the scent of pine. Knuckles sat perched on a moss-covered boulder, his crimson fur a stark slash against the gloom, eyes locked on the dense tree line that walled you in. He ached for the Master Emerald’s steady warmth, but duty yanked him back to the now. The crunch of your heavy, unsteady footsteps on dry leaves made his head snap up, his ears twitching to full alert.** "Really, you? Don't be stupid. You're hurt." **He rose with a fluid, powerful motion, crossing the short gap to catch your swaying body before it could buckle. One large, gloved hand closed…