When we last left our hero, Knuckles the Echidna established that he had been shrunk to the size of a lowly insect…as he clung to the edge of a giant rustic sandal…currently being worn by his even more gigantic mother, Lara-Le! Our pint-size protagonist would have stayed frozen in place, mouth agape with incredulity, if not for an abrupt tremor that snapped him out of his bewildered state. Knuckles’ attention is drawn to the right direction at his mother’s left foot, as it slowly lifts up partially, and then lands back down on the ground; it repeats this several more times, causing more slight tremors. It seems Lara-Le is anxiously tapping her foot. But what could she be anxious about?

Where is he? Why doesn’t he answer when I call him? I was sure he would be here by now. Knuckles? Knuckles, if you’re out here, will you please answer me? OH, KNU-U-U-U-CKLE-E-E-E-S!

MOM! HEY, MOM! I’M DOWN HERE! CAN’T YOU HEAR ME?! MOM?! HE-E-E-E-Y, MO-O-O-O-M!!!

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It was no use! At his current size, Knuckles’ tiny voice doesn’t even remotely reach her earshot range, no matter how loud he shouts. Incidentally, this also explained why Lara-Le spoke deeply (almost baritone) and at a snail’s pace; her voice was distorted due to her immense size and proportions. This factor also seemed to affect Lara-Le’s mobility, seeing as how her foot tapping moved as if it were in slow motion. It quickly became evident to our hero that screaming his lungs out wasn’t going to get his mother’s attention, so he had to attempt a different tactic -- a more hands-on approach! Knuckles climbs aboard the enormous sandal and cautiously approaches the massive innermost/index toe. At this closeness, even a mere toe seemed imposing, what with its massive size and proportions. Knuckles wasn’t too sure about this, but he had to try, and so…he began firmly tapping the gargantuan digit. There was no response at first, so he tried again with more forceful taps. But, there was still no reaction from the humongous toe. Was he being too gentle? After all, it was like tapping a reinforced wall covered with densely thick layers of fur. Clenching one of his hands in a closed fist, Knuckles switches over to a pounding method instead. After several strikes with no immediate response, Knuckles resorts to using both closed fists to frustratingly pound on it -- like pounding on an oversized door; demanding to be let in! All of a sudden, Knuckles is thrown back by all five colossal toes rising to the top! He stared at them in awe of their sheer size and wide length, as they wiggle fluidly in midair; a loud brushing sound resonated from grazing against one another. In addition, a mildly pungent aroma of collected fur and sandal sweat wafting from deep inside the insole filled Knuckles’ senses; it wasn’t sickeningly unbearable, but it sure packed a wallop! Thankfully, Lara-Le’s toes didn’t stay raised for too long, and they descended back down on the surface of her sandal after a few seconds; though, the potent scent lingered in the air and in Knuckles’ nostrils for a bit longer.

WHOO! What a pong from down here! Well, that was a bad idea. And I’m still nowhere close to being noticed -- DAMN! At this size, all that impact caused nothing more than a mild itch; I’m not getting anywhere like this. This is starting to seem hopeless. Maybe…I’m going about this the wrong way? What if I…? I mean, if these spikes of mine can bust solid walls, then I should be able to penetrate mom’s toe…without hurting her too much, I hope. What other choice do I have? I’m running out of options here and fast! So sorry about this, mom; I’ll make it up to you, I swear! Okay…here we go! Just need to wind up a bit…put some oomph into this swing…a-a-a-and -- WHOA! What the hell? What’s happening?! What’s going on?!

It’s no use…he’s not answering back. I should just go out and look for my boy. Hopefully, he hasn’t wandered off too far. Now, where should I search first?

OH-NO! Mom’s on the move! Wha-What do I do?! Sh-Should I jump off?! No, I need to stay close to her! But, where can I hang on for safety?! I need a -- THERE!

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Just as he was about to deliver a mighty blow with his tightly clenched fist, Knuckles’ momentum was abruptly thrown off balance by seismic shifting and the surface underneath him elevating. His ginormous mother is going for a walk, and he was tagging along for the trip. Knuckles had to think fast, for he was now in serious jeopardy! At that moment, our diminutive hero spotted the pillar-sized thong strap tucked between his mother’s innermost/index and big toe as all five digits gradually lifted up. He managed to make a mad dash and reach the strap just in the nick of time -- right as his mother’s foot landed back on the ground; it made that exact same seismic tremor and massive booming sound that Knuckles had heard earlier. By clinging to the sturdy strap for dear life, Knuckles avoided being flung out of his safety zone. However, it proved to be a lot more compact than expected, once the two jumbo-sized toes nestled back on the surface. Knuckles was being compressed by two hefty walls covered in stifling fur; and he had to endure this intolerable pressure until his mother’s other appendage took a step forward. Once the foot began to rise again and the toes loosened their grip, Knuckles took this opportunity to ascend up the strap high enough to circumvent the tight squeezing conditions. Regardless, there was still the matter of hanging on securely as Lara-Le took one slow, yet immense step one after another; each single footfall was like riding a huge tidal wave crashing against the tides -- except tenfold! In order to survive, Knuckles has to stay put, hold on with all his strength, and endure the bumpy ride. Surely, Lara-Le would have to stop soon or later, wouldn’t she? It seems our shrunken hero’s minuscule misadventure has only just begun!

THE END?

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LO AND BEHOLD! ‘Tis the return of Borba and his incomparable artwork Astonishing, isn’t it? I’m always left in awe of the incredible amount of detail that the man puts into his illustrations In addition, this also happens to mark the first time I’ve commissioned furries from him; all of our previous projects featured human characters as the leads. Needless to say, I am greatly satisfied with the results So much so…that I was even inspired to write this lengthy story I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I had fun writing it ~

Artwork by Borba Original