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When Shadow had heard rumors of an "Enormous Blue Beast so fast that it can't be seen with the naked eye" running around the northern forests, he instantly knew who they were talking about. True, he hadn't been present for the Dark Gaia incident, but he was aware of its effects on Sonic. And the blue hedgehog had been missing in action for a few days...this was finally the clue Shadow had been looking for.
Normal Mobians avoided the northern forest as much as they could, the nearly eternal cold and frequent snows making it inhospitable for most of the more refined creatures. Of course, there were a few small villages, but no major cities to speak of. Which would make it perfect for a hero trying to maintain a low profile because he periodically turned into a werehog: or at least that was Shadow's theory.
And that seemed to hold up, as Shadow chaos controlled his way above the trees, falling through the sky to try and get a lay of the land hidden in shadows beneath him before teleporting again, effectively flying and...yep there was a disturbance there, a rustling of leaves and needles, less than a mile to the north.
Shadow rejoined the ground and skated off towards what he'd seen, leaping over protruding roots and ignoring the chill of the night air that tried to permeate through his thick fur. His ears swiveled towards a distant crashing sound, as something large battled through the undergrowth.
He needed to exercise a little bit of caution here; on the off chance that this wasn't Sonic he would remain hidden...but as he skated silently alongside, he caught sight out of the corner of his eye of a very obvious blue coat, with an elongated but still recognizable snout. That was definitely Sonic, transformed or not.
"Sonic!" Shadow called out, and the werehog skidded to a stop, enormous ears instantly canting towards Shadow's voice. But when the blue creature turned, Shadow's breath caught. Sonic looked like his normal werehog form mostly—hulking shoulders, long nose, sharp teeth and enormous ears...except that his usually monochromatic blue fur sported odd neon pink and purple patterns that seemed to glow dimly. His eyes had lost their emerald green color, matching the neon pink streaks in his fur, and his sclera was jet black, creating a haunting, out-of-this world effect that was emphasized by the fact that his motions just...weren't quite right. Just a little too fluid, a little too alien. Shadow narrowed his eyes.
"Hi Shadow!" Sonic started out sounding almost normal, and for a beat Shadow hoped that maybe the physical transformations were just a weird side-effect of Dark Gaia's power, but then a long growl pulled out of the werehog's throat, almost seeming involuntary, "Long...grrr...long time no see!"
"Sonic?" Shadow's voice was much warier now; something was decided and definitively wrong, "Are you all right?"
"YES EVERYTHING FINE." Sonic's voice was suddenly booming, and Shadow winced, his ears flattening instinctively to his head for a moment, "N-no...need to...worry, yeah...I'M ALL GOOD." A string of saliva trailed from the side of Sonic's jaw, and he sniffed the air, "I JUST NEED TO--NEED TO BITE OR SOMETHING."
Okay this was definitely bad. But Shadow was going to try and play it off like it wasn't: the last thing either he or Sonic needed to do was panic.
"Okay. This is...probably fine." Shadow took one slow step forward, trying to see if there was any obvious starting point for whatever was currently infecting Sonic.
"ShADow," Sonic sing-songed as the black hedgehog approached, his long tail wagging slowly, "hOW ARe YOU thIS BITE--NITE--NIGHT." He tilted his head, eyes glittering.
"I'm fine." Shadow said, softly and slowly, ignoring the way his heart was speeding up from the sense of danger that surrounded the werehog, "But I don't think you are."
Sonic rolled enormous eyes, “I'M FINE. I JUST NEED TO...” and then his voice went totally deranged, morphing from something that sounded vaguely like Sonic to more reminiscent of animalistic growls, “BITE HRHHH SCRATCH CLAW KILL GHRRR.” He flashed a terrifying grin made of far too many sharp teeth at Shadow, “YOU KNOW HOW IT IS.”
In some ways, Shadow hated that he did. But he had spent his life shoving his Black Arms impulses as far down in his psyche as he could, and he wasn't going to stop now, “Uhh...nope. No I do not. That is not a normal feeling there.” As Sonic drew closer, Shadow's fur stood on end from the charged air, “You've got some uh...really weird energy signatures coming off you right now.”
“I'M FINE.” Sonic practically shouted, “YOU'RE OVERREACTING MY S-STAR.” Sonic's smile didn't go away, which made his next move all the more terrifying. Without even seeming to think about it very much, he whipped his arm out in front of himself and sank his fangs deep into fur and flesh; drops of wet, slick red dribbled down around his teeth, and nearly made Shadow gag. A low growl had started in Sonic's chest, dangerous and threatening.
“Sonic...” Shadow's voice almost broke, and it was only practiced steely will that prevented that as he automatically took another small step forward, hands up with palms out in the most nonthreatening move he could make, “Please stop. You're hurting yourself...”
It was entirely to Shadow's credit that he didn't even flinch when, very suddenly, Sonic was all up in his face, barely an inch away and looming over Shadow with his extra height and bulk. Blood still dripped from his fangs and oozed from the wound on his arm, and Shadow could smell the iron in the hot breath that blew on his face, “DoN'T you SEE ShADow?” Sonic's voice was at least slightly quieter now, and only got softer as he spoke, “If I hurt myself, I won't hurt you.”
Shadow's eyes widened, but he held his ground and kept his voice as firm and gentle as he could, “You wouldn't. Sonic. Something's not right with you right now, but you can fix it. I know you can.” Sonic's teeth, razor sharp were so close to his neck that he swallowed and had to repeat, “You wouldn't hurt me.”
“Oh but I want to.” Sonic's voice was practically a purr, and a scythe-like claw was suddenly under Shadow's chin, tilting his head up to meet the werehog's demented gaze. Sonic was still smiling too wide, still far too many teeth, and Shadow specifically didn't swallow now, half afraid that if he did, he'd slice his own throat open on Sonic's claws, “I want to sooooo bad.”
“No you don't,” Shadow whispered, not sure if he believed it right now, but willing it to be true nonetheless. “Come back to me, Sonic. The real you. I know you're there.”
Sonic growled, but stepped back a pace, and Shadow was able to breathe again, “I...HE IS...” Shadow's ears pricked up at the admission, even as the werehog folded into himself slightly, claws wrapped around his own middle, “But I doN'T know...if I can COMe back...”
“Of course you can,” Shadow murmured, calling gently, “Sonic...”
Sharp claws dug into the werehog's sides, and Shadow bit his lip as he repeated, “Please stop...don't hurt yourself, please...”
There was one more last growl from the creature in front of him, before the werehog looked back up. The darkness in his eyes was gone, and the neon-pink color faded back into emerald green that shone under the moonlight. The neon colors in his fur were gone as well, reverting to his natural blue.
And when Shadow met those emerald eyes, they were full of fear.
“Shadow...” Sonic's voice was broken, nearly a whimper, “I...I...I...I'm sorry...” He pulled his fluffy tail around himself and hunched over even more, like he was trying to disappear into the forest floor.
Shadow's heart instantly lurched, and he was at Sonic's side in an instant, his hands glowing gently as he rested them on Sonic's arm, watching the little sparks of chaos energy flow into the wound, “Hey, hey...you're okay.” He peered up, meeting Sonic's eyes with steady, reassuring crimson, “You're okay.”
Whatever little bit of madness was still left in Sonic's eyes snapped away, pure emerald looking back, and Sonic inhaled before he froze, and Shadow watched him tongue at his still-bloodstained teeth. A look of pure, unadulterated panic rose over his face, “O-oh...d-did I h...” The words weren't coming, and Sonic's face was twisted into an expression of pure horror at the thought, “Did I hurt you?” His eyes darted around Shadow's form, obviously trying to see any mark he might have made.
“Shhh....shh...it's okay,” Shadow hummed, as the last glow of chaos energy faded. Sonic's wound disappeared into nothing more than a slightly red patch of skin, and Shadow finally directed all his attention back to Sonic's face, “No, you didn't.” He reached up to gently stroke down a soft furred cheek, “I know that you never would.” Even if he'd been slightly doubtful of that in the moment.
Sonic couldn't hold his gaze though, massive head turning away, “I'm not sure of that anymore...Every night I lose a little more of a grip over my own mind...Shadow..!” Sonic's voice was starting to break, and Shadow could see tears forming in the corners of his eyes, “ I can't hide this anymore. What am I supposed to do?” Sonic swallowed thickly, finally looking back at Shadow, and admitting, “ I'm scared .”
That was the first time Shadow had ever heard the blue hedgehog admit that, and that admission made his heart skip a beat. But he wouldn't tell that to Sonic, because...well, it was Sonic, “Hey...” Shadow reached up to put his hand on Sonic's other cheek, “You. Never. Would. All right?” He stared into Sonic's eyes, “Whatever is wrong, we'll figure out a way to fix it, yes? It's okay to be scared, but I promise.” Shadow smiled softly, an expression he reserved almost solely for Sonic, “Together? We're unstoppable. No matter what.”
For several seconds, Sonic just stared back, his enormous green eyes still damp with tears, before, finally, he sniffed, a little bit of light returning to his expression, “Y-you're right...” he carefully rubbed an arm across his face, sniffing away the last of the tears, “Heh...w-when did you become so...inspiring?”
Shadow snorted, almost a laugh, “I've heard enough inspiring speeches, hanging around Sonic the Hedgehog for so long—I suppose they rubbed off on me.” He leaned just a little more, so that their noses just barely brushed together, a purely soft expression on his face, “I have to give some of that inspiration back at some point, don't I?”
He watched as Sonic's face heated up, the intricate markings on his face glowing faintly orange: Shadow wondered if Sonic was even aware of this, as the werehog chuckled a little nervously, his words tumbling over each other, “You always find a way to inspire me, Shads. I...I should be the one trying to make it all up to you ...”
“Mmm...” Shadow reached up to trace the blush on Sonic's face, marveling at how soft and warm the fur on the werehog's face was, “I think it's probably even. But.” His voice got serious again and he cradled Sonic's cheeks so their eyes were forced to meet, “Promise me. If you need help with this—whatever you need—I'll be there for you.”
It took Sonic a second, since all the air seemed to have vacated his lungs for a minute, before he whispered, “I...I promise.” Shadow didn't believe it for a second. He knew that Sonic would walk back on it the moment he possibly could, in order to spare Shadow's feelings or inconvenience. But it was the best he was going to get for now. And he would just have to make sure to keep an extra close eye on his rival in order to prevent any future incidents.
“Good,” Shadow quickly kissed the tip of Sonic's nose before he stepped back, enjoying the additional blush and obvious brain freeze the action caused, “I'm holding you to that.”
It took far too long for Sonic to reply, sounding almost dizzy, “Oh...okay...”
“For now, though,” Shadow glanced around them at the dark forest, “You need to sleep. Whatever this ailment is, being fully rested will allow you to combat it better.”
“Y-yeah,” Sonic blinked, obviously pulling his mind back together, “There's a—there's a cabin up here a ways.” He gestured with one massive paw.
“Good,” Shadow nodded, almost looking like he was about to leave, before he paused, considering something, “Do you want me to stay?”
Sonic looked shocked, and Shadow quickly added, “To keep an eye on you and make sure that you're all right. That that ...doesn't happen again.”
They both knew that wasn't the only reason, but they would never admit it.
“Y-yeah...” Sonic murmured, and Shadow caught sight of a bushy blue tail swishing gently through the grass, “That would be...that would be nice.”
“Then let's go...” Shadow started towards the direction Sonic had indicated, but was stopped when Sonic put a hand down in front of him, “What?”
“It will be easier if you ride...then I won't have to tell you where it is.” Shadow tilted his head and Sonic admitted, “You're a lot faster than me when I'm in this form.”
Shadow quirked a smile, even as he stored that tidbit away for future reference just in case, “Finally admitting I'm faster, faker? It was inevitable.”
“Hah hah,” Sonic snorted, and lowered one shoulder, “Climb on.”
Shadow hesitated for a moment before carefully clambering onto the werehog's broad back, fisting his hands in the abundance of fluffy fur around Sonic's neck. Chaos he was so fluffy like this—Shadow had a weird, fleeting desire to bury his face in Sonic's fur and stay there forever...
But such thoughts were knocked out of his head when Sonic took off. True, he was not as fast as normal in this form, but they still made plenty good time, the night air whistling around them, and Shadow shivered, unconsciously snuggling more into the warmth of Sonic's fur underneath him.
It only took a few minutes before Sonic slowed down as they came to a small clearing and a tiny cabin—not really more than a shack—situated in the center. It was dark, as Shadow (somewhat reluctantly) slid off Sonic's shoulders, “Whose is this?”
“I don't know. It was abandoned when I got here,” Sonic shrugged, as he opened the door and gestured inside. There wasn't much more than a pile of blankets, a rickety table with one chair that looked like it was about ready to disintegrate, and a fireplace full of ashes.
“I don't normally do much here except sleep,” the werehog trotted to the pile of blankets, turned around three times, and curled up, watching Shadow, “But you're free to do whatever.”
Well. Shadow was cold, at the moment, despite his ultimate lifeform-ness, and he was absolutely not fussing with getting firewood tonight. So the next logical thing was...
He trotted over to the pile of werehog, and before either of them could think about it too much, he curled up against Sonic's side, reveling in how much the temperature changed just from being near the werehog. He could feel Sonic's breathing stop for a minute, as he muttered, “You're warm. If you don't mind.”
“N-no,” Sonic whispered, and Shadow was surprised himself when, a second later, he'd was scooped into ridiculously strong arms and readjusted so that he was snuggled into Sonic's fluffy chest. Had it been anyone else, any time else, he would have protested (maybe violently), but right now his mind was tired from dealing with the weird whiplash of Sonic's attitude. And besides? What better way to keep an eye on Sonic than from right here.
“G'night, Shadow.” Sonic breathed, and a moment later he was asleep.
And if, upon realizing this, Shadow started purring softly, well. There was nobody else there to hear it.