The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word PITTER-PATTER
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
I
T
T
E
R
-
P
A
T
T
E
R
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Steps taken, by the sound of it" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case steps taken, by the sound of it = pitter-patter.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PITTER-PATTER mean?
PITTER-PATTER noun- A soft, percussive sound, as of tiny feet, or of rain on a rooftop.