Instincts
Ch. 11
By: Cutegirlmayra (Ohhh, is everyone ready? Shadow's story is probably the most action filled out of all of them. Sonic was emotionally intense, but Shadow's kinda more on the action and suspense side… I think xD Silver's is gonna be hard to do… cause it's not as 'appealing' as the other two. I just hope it will be enough. Well, that's enough for a random thought. Take a load of this chapter~)
"Ohh!~ This is so soft~" Amy held a blanket in one of the stores, cuddling it as she then draped it over Shadow, getting under it and poking him. "Don't you think so?" She giggled, as he glared at her.
"It's hot." He complained.
"Ohh! Your no fun!" she took the blanket off of them and raced to put it back.
"Are we done yet? The sun's going down and-" Shadow looked to the window of the store, seeing the sun barely peeking out from all the buildings.
"Those are just the skyscrapers, it's probably just early sunset." Amy looked over some jewelry that was half off.
Shadow finally stepped up and took a hold of her arm, pulling her to look at him. "I told you in the beginning, that if I was to protect you… you'd have to follow my rules… and I saw, it's too dark to stay." His threatening demeanor made her a bit frightened, but she knew he was only trying to keep her safe, so she just pouted and took her bag.
"Fine! I'll buy this and we'll go, deal?" She stepped away from him. "And… and you don't have to talk to me like that. I'm also not someone you should just grab, either!" she bolted to the cashier, and held her arm that he had grabbed. '…why does… why does his concern make me feel so… worried?'
"Thank you, come again!"
"Thanks!"
Amy waved to the nice lady behind the counter as her and Shadow left the store.
"Alright! Ready to go!" she lifted a fist up, cutely, and then wrapped her arm around his. "You gonna run me home, or..?"
"Eh.." he moved slightly away, but Amy didn't move her arm from his, as if not getting that he was uncomfortable with her acting so close with him. "Could you not?"
"Not what?"
"….Nevermind." he sighed, realizing he had no reason to feel uncomfortable as Amy wasn't meaning anything by her actions. It was just who she was, peppy and clingy, and he now had to deal with that for all of this spring…
Lucky him…
They walked down the darkened streets as Amy started rambling on about something, the wind blew ghostly by them as Shadow swore he saw something moving upon the rooftops.
More shadows began to flicker by in Shadow's peripheral vision. Some from the roof like before, and some from the alleyways on the long stretch home. "Something's not right." Shadow stopped, as Amy's rambling came to an end as she seemed surprised by his sudden interruption.
"W-what's wrong? You don't like sushi?"
"Please, quiet!" he moved his hand back to her, looking around and scanning the streets and corners. "…No one's here."
"…well, you don't have to shout… and isn't that obvious? It's getting dark, of course people would be home by now-"
"It's a city, Amy." Shadow glared her way, and she saw the suspicion in his eyes. "City's never sleep at night…" his eyes returned to their searching, as he suddenly heard some rustling and pulled her behind him. "Show yourselves!" he called out.
"…My, my, boys. We got a hedgehog with good instincts here… and I mean the regular kind, not the 'special' ones…"
Suddenly a swarm of figures appeared, over the rooftops, down by the streets, and quickly coming upon them to surround them, but no body moved to attack or anything.
A man in a leather trenchcoat sniffed the air, and exhaled loudly. "Well, now… ain't that pleasant. Delightful even." He stated, taking the tooth pick in his mouth and moving it to the other side. "I heard some stuff about your dame, alpha. How her smell is rather appealing… as a fellow Alpha… I would know how to spot a beauty." He tilted his head to get a better look at Amy from behind Shadow. "Eh, she's a cute one… but not really much besides that." He looked her up and down, and 'tsk'd in disappointment. "If she smells this good though, without the season even coming up, I can't imagine how beautiful she'll smell when in full heat. Haha! Now there's something to get my mind off of her just her alright appearance. Smell can delusion a man into thinking the most ugliest wench into the most desirable dame… "
"What do you want?" Shadow glared, not liking how this man was speaking.
"Wench?!" Amy whispered out, super insulted and huffing out her displeasure. "I'll have you know-mphhh!" she had stepped up out away from Shadow's backside, going into the spotlight a little bit before being pulled back by Shadow, having his hand over her mouth to shut her up.
"What did I say about following my rules?!" he whispered angrily to her, and kept her in front of him now.
"Heh, maybe she's not an alpha…" seeing how Shadow reacted, the other man seemed to make his own conclusions. "So… maybe it's you who has her on a leash, eh? I wouldn't know." He bent his head down, and pulled his hat forward, before flicking his lighter out. "I like a woman with spirit,… but I really like one who knows when to show it. Now, we can either fight all night… you against my boys." He nodded, and his men shouted and hollered loudly, proclaiming their numbers in their loud shouts. "Or you can just let the dame go. Your say in the matter, but for just a cute beta, is it really worth it?" he held his head up and shrugged, before playing with his lighter again.
The men behind and around Shadow advanced, as Shadow held Amy's waist, and took his hand off her mouth and held it at a tight fist by his side, looking around.
"…The clock's ticking, mate. I would choose the wiser option." The man took out his tooth pick. "I quit smoking years ago,… best decision of my life. Saved it too. I reckon your next move may save your life too."
"S-Shadow..?" Amy looked around, and Shadow could feel her heart beat race, and the fear in her voice. She looked back over her shoulder at him, before holding her arms to his hand around her waist. "What are we gonna do?" She looked away, back at the men as they all grinned, making little comments and noises here and there to scare them, but Shadow didn't back down.
"…Alright, time's up." The man flicked the lighter on, having the flame show, and lit his tooth pick on fire. "Bombs away!" he called and blew on the tooth pick.
A huge fire combusted above him like Dragon's breath as the gang men all leapt toward Shadow.
"SHADOW!" Amy cried out, before Shadow whipped her body away from the first man and used the momentum to punch the other guy away.
The fight commenced, as Shadow kept Amy in one arm, and used the rest of his body to swing around and fight back. A kick here, then toss Amy up to switch arms, and punch the other guy coming in from above.
"This guy's nutts!" Someone let out, seeing as Shadow was quite literally taking the entire army on and keeping them away.
"Jump him at once!" someone called out, as five men jumped forward.
Shadow looked up to see them, and put Amy below him, between his legs as he jumped up and spun into a ball.
Like a pinball, the five men were shoved away and back into the ring of men or into the surrounding streets walls.
"Offph!"
"Yikes!"
"Boss! He's too powerful! And he hasn't even reverted to instincts yet!"
"Well, make sure he doesn't! Besides, it's too early for instincts, just make sure the girl doesn't get away. We got grand for her head, remember?!" the boss kicked the man who was speaking to him. "Now get out there!" he took out another tooth pick, but before he put it in his mouth, he noticed his men being tossed left and right. Having surrounded Shadow in a circle, but being flung away every time they advanced forward to attack.
"..What in the world..? What kind of alpha is this guy!?"
Amy stayed down, before feeling someone grab her arm, laughing a wheezy chuckle before she summoned her hammer and hit him away. "Hands off, you creep!" she shouted out, and got up with Shadow, leaning against his back.
"What are you doing?" Shadow seemed rather calm, but upset at her getting up from being protected below him.
"What am I? Food you're all fighting over? I can defend myself too! Hyah!" she swung her hammer and knocked another guy away.
"It's too dangerous! I can't fight them off while making sure you're alright as well!" he spun around and managed a round house kick that sent a man flying into his other gang members, knocking them down like dominos.
Someone came at Amy with nunchucks, and wrapped one of them around her hammer, pulling her to him. "Hey!"
"Amy!" Shadow turned for a moment, but letting his guard down, the men jumped him, and started swarming in on the moment he lost his focus.
"Back off! Let me go!" He had swung Amy into the pile of gang men, as she was now on her back, feeling the pain of that hit. "Offph!... ugh… now that's it.." the men laughed, thinking they had her before she thrusted her arms over her head to her stomach, flinging the man with the nunchucks forward and sky high.
The men all stopped and then looked down at her, awestruck.
"O-o-ooh, yeah." She smiled, and removed the nunchucks from her hammer and got up, "Now whose next!?" she screamed, in battle position as the men look to one another, and then charged her, not deterred.
"Hup! Hah! Hyah!" she hit them all away, spinning her hammer behind her back for a moment before hitting one with the front of it, pushing them away as she then swung the sides to the right, having her hammer crash into a bunch of men at once and flinging them off to the side. "Whose just cute now? Suckers!" she swung her hammer over her head and then crashed it to the ground, causing a miniature fissure in the streets and an earthquake to get the men's footing off before ramming them with powerful hammer blows that they couldn't dodge now.
"Shadow!?" Amy called, stopping her attack to turn her head around, looking everywhere for a sign of him.
"Looking for someone?" The boss snuck up behind her and got her arm, twisting it to her back and holding her up against him.
"Augh!"
"You really are a strong beta, but I won't let that spirit of yours lose my money." He grinned, and leaned into her quills, taking another big breath in through his nose.
"Ugh!" Amy moved her head away from him. "Let me go, you weirdo!"
"Ahh…" he moved his head away and threw it back. "Now that's a stench!" he shouted out, laughing. "I really can't believe you smell this good before the actual season starts… if your instincts are submissive, I think I may ditch the money and keep you as one of my own." He chuckled, as she continued to struggle. "Ah, ah, ah!" he scolded, lifting her arm up and causing her to stop, due to the pain that came with it. "Be a good girl and sit tight for a moment, won't you?" He turned to his men, "Where's the alpha?"
"We've got him down, boss. He seems out cold." A big brute said, holding two large sticks in his hands.
"…Where'd you get that?" The boss asked, as Amy quickly looked to him, seeing the sticks with ripped points at the end.
"Got them from some chairs,…" the man admitted.
"…He was so strong you had to beat him to get him down?" The boss looked up at him. "But you're a good 7 feet!" he shouted out.
"He's… he's inhuman." The man looked exhausted, and held the sticks tighter in his hands. "He fought off most of are men, it took all of us just to hold him down long enough to knock him out."
"N-no…" Amy looked away, her eyes shaking. "SHADOW!" she screamed out, "SHADOW, PLEASE! WAKE UP!" she couldn't see him, not with all the figures around them, but struggled to move forward, and get out of the man's grasps.
"Ah, now, what did I say?" The boss kicked one her knees, forcing her down as she collapsed, breathing in and out rapidly as she realized what this all could mean.
"Put the sticks down, he's out, isn't he?" The boss looked to the man, who seemed to hesitate. "He's not that strong! Put them down!"
Obeying orders from a frightened boss, he did so.
"Good… at least I'm the only one whose still got his brains left in this pathetic group." He looked around at his men. "She's a scent bomb alright." He got Amy back on her feet, and grabbed her head, moving it up so the men could see her. "What do you say? Should we keep the little lady?"
The men looked around at each other, not sure how to reply…
"Ah, so your all scared of her too, eh?" He hit Amy down, as she fell, holding her head from the blow. He stomped on her head, keeping her down, "See? She's still just a girl. And if you're all yellow-belly about some chick,…"
The men shook off their fright and shouted out in an uproar, as the boss smiled. "That's what I thought."
"Sha…Shadow…" Amy's eyes twitched, as her vision grew blurry. "H..help me… p-please…"
"Eee…!"
The men all were laughing at their victory before they heard the high pitch squeak.
"Eee!" Amy let it out again, but to her, it felt like a forced hiccup.
"…What on earth.." The man moved his head. "You're a second season… but your not even able to summon instincts yet, it's to early, how are you-?"
"EEE! EEE! EEE!"
Shadow lay motionless on the ground, belly down, and arms out wide, head to the side. His fingers twitched.
"EEE!"
"Erk! She's calling for the Alpha!" The boss realized why she was forcing this sound out, and rushed to his brutish second in command. "I want him pinned down! If she triggers his instincts, we're done for!"
The men all gathered around Shadow and pushed him down, but Shadow could still hear…
"Eee! Eee!"
"Shut up!" The boss hit her over the head again, as she stopped crying out.
Shadow felt an uncontrollable desire in him build up, a fire that burst from deep within him, swarmed him being, and forced his eyes opened.
When they did, they were normal, before shifting immediately into a fully diamond.
"…Uh… sir?" A man leaned back.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Shadow let out an animal roar almost, and threw the men on his back off of him, spreading his arms out as his body raged with new found strength.
"..! Crap!" The boss took Amy in his arm and threw her over his shoulder. "Forget this! This isn't worth it! I'm getting the girl to the Romeo! You keep that… that monster away from me!" He dashed off. "You two! Come with me!" two men followed him, as the rest began to try and fight Shadow off.
He was on all fours… breathing heavily, as this was the first time he's ever shifted.
What… what is this!? This… new power… it's soaring through me out of control… what-?
..You let her get away...
?
..You let what is rightfully mine get away..
Rightfully yours..?
Ours… I suppose. My… current alpha and queen is calling for us.
Instinct Shadow cocked his head to the side, seeing the men stop from attacking him and frightfully moving away from him, egging the other to go first.
…Weaklings… all of them.
He leaped forward with a beast's rage, and began wildly attacking everything in sight, moving with incredible speed and slashing or ripping through the sea of men that tried to stop him. In his tracks,… a path of fallen men, trailing him as he ran and sniffed for Amy's scent.
Who are you… what are you?
I am you.
No, I think I would know who I am.
You're funny. But you still let her get away…
Amy… she… she must of activated my instincts! I've lost control!
Our Amy…
She's not ours! I've respected her bond!
Have you now..?
You… you helped me… we merged, did we not?
I told her what she wanted to hear… I waited till she was ripe for the taking…
You… you fooled her… but shouldn't I have-?
…We are not like normal hedgehogs…We are unique. We are better….. And we will have her.
N-no… this is exactly what Tails has warned me about! I was given the task to protect her! I can't turn into what Sonic has become!
Ah,.. the current Alpha over her… and what, exactly, has he become?
…A…
An Animal.
"RRRWWWWOOOOARRR!"
Instinct Shadow jumped onto someone, spinning himself and forcing them to fall before he knocked them out. (Author's note: Like a wrestling move! :D Or how Black Widow did it in Avengers… okay, sorry, interrupting and distracting, right? Sorry…sorry…)
A man put his arm on Shadow, trying to hold him back and punch him, but Instinct Shadow just reared his head back, bit the man's arm, and literally swung him only using his mouth over and throwing him into the wall near them.
He continued to hunt down the boss with Amy, as Amy was to hurt to try and use her high pitch voice again.
"Sir! He's catching up!" A boy called, running as fast as he could to his boss, before Shadow appeared around the corner, coming in like a wolf on the hunt for blood.
"Urk! He's in instinct form!" The boss threw Amy down. "That's it… I'm not running away like a coward anymore!" he closed his eyes, and opened them to reveal a fully merged instinct form. "Come at me, you freak!" he cried out, getting on all fours and rushing forward.
Amy slowly adjusted her head to turn and look at Shadow, seeing his piercing red eyes as he halted and moved his ears forward, standing with high dominance in his posture, and looking greatly aggressive but holding it back a moment to size up his opponent.
"I don't summon my instincts for anyone, punk!" the boss spat out, marking his territory by pacing back and forth on a line where Shadow could not cross.
Shadow looked down at the imaginary line of territory he was creating, and back up at the man.
"I'm an alpha too! I'm aggressively dominant and an alpha of my pack! You don't scare me!" he growled out, and leaped forward, as Instinct Shadow ran right under him. "W-what!?"
He quickly spun up to the first guy, hitting his chest and pushing off him with his feet to get him to fall down, and then took out the others with a simple but powerful swipe of his hand, almost twisting the boy's head to break off with his neck. Luckily, Instinct Shadow wasn't going for a kill, and was more interested in overthrowing and defeating the current alpha in front of him.
The boss's teeth clinched tightly together. "How is it you still have the energy to fight back!? No one is that powerful!"
"…" Instinct Shadow turned his attention to Amy, bending down after crawling over to her and sniffing her face, grunting something soothing.
When Amy turned to look at him, her eyes we're drooped, she could barely move from the pain in her back and head, and he could see the bruises and scraps from being thrown to the ground so much.
"Grr… FACE ME!" The man got into another battle posture, but this one was more instincts influenced, and less like himself.
...My alpha is injured…
"WHAT!?"
She is my current alpha… as I am her beta. It's my job to protect her… and you have hurt her…
Instinct Shadow turned his head to the man, his eyes seeming to shine in the moonlight that now hang above them.
By the laws of our kind… you shall be sentenced to death.
"D…death?" The man suddenly looked sorely afraid, getting up, shakily, from his position. "You… you wouldn't murder me… you'd be a criminal!"
What are you doing?
I am not the man my other is… I will kill you for hurting my alpha female.
"Y..You're insane! Snap out of your instincts!"
….
"…it can't be…"
The man stepped back, realizing as Instinct Shadow gave him a cold and harsh, almost unblinking look, that he could not control his instincts at this time.
"You… how are you so strong… when you can't even control your instincts?!"
…You die now.
Shadow leaped forward before his eyes shifted, one into a merged hedgehog, and landed on the ground, shaking his head.
Shadow twitched, feeling his Instinct fighting back for control and power, and ripping him apart inside.
"Get…Get out…" Shadow barely managed. The two men behind him scurried away, terrified. "Get out before… before he kills you…" Shadow stated, and glared up at the man, as he himself, clutched his chest.
"NOW!"
"Eeee, you'll pay for this! Shadow the Hedgehog!"
The man had gotten his name from Amy, and quickly ran away, shifting out of instincts and bolting for his life.
Shadow breathed heavily as him and his instincts were now one again, but he could still feel the thirst for vengeance in his instincts's presence.
"A…Amy.." Shadow turned around, exhausted from the fight, but able to fight for so long because he was the ultimate lifeform. "Amy, wake up.." he fell by her side, and moved up to himself. "Please… you must tell me your alright or he'll-!" he felt the same soaring rush of anger through his being, of desire as he held her, and her scent being stronger now that he was more attuned with his instincts.
His Instincts fought hard to regain power, but Shadow lifted his head and closed his eyes, determined to free himself from the influence as he reopened his eyes and gasped, having his eyes return to their natural pupil state.
"S…Shadow.." Amy slowly opened her eyes, her voice soft, and her breathing minimal. "…Are you… alright?"
"What..?" Shadow was overcome by her response, completely flabbergasted that she would ask about HIS health rather than think about her own. "You.."
She quickly closed her eyes, falling back to sleep.
"…you couldn't control your instinct to call for help… could you?" he realized she wasn't in instinct when that happened, because she would of remained in instinct, instead of being able to fight it off like he could.
A trait Sonic greatly desired as well…
"Come on, Amy… I have to get you hom-URK!" he tried to get up on his knee, but felt all the blows down to his back, and realized this would be harder than he thought.
He slowly got up, and straightened himself out. Forcing one eye shut, he walked through the streets of men grabbing their fallen comrades, and staring at Shadow. Some were Omegas, and they're instincts nodded to Shadow, dipping their heads in sign of submission to the higher authority, and others were betas, who looked away, showing a sign of non-hostility.
Shadow didn't realize any of this, as the men soon realized he wasn't in instinct form, but let him get away anyway. Not daring to take him on after all they saw…
Getting home slowly, he collapsed on Amy's couch, having put her in her nest to sleep, as he himself, began to quickly fall asleep.
In that night, Shadow realized why Tails was so desperate to find protection for Amy, and the dangers that really could come from being completely out of control of your own body and mind. Sonic… he now understood what he must of felt, but couldn't wrap his mind on how he could of left Amy in this situation, but he could see why.
His instinct planned on taking Amy away… on betraying her.
He knew he would of probably had her as well…
What did they call it?
Claiming?
Either way, he was worried. Amy couldn't understand what his Instinct was saying, but maybe she knew he was fully in instincts. If that was true,… she may not be allowed near him again.
"I…I can't allow that." He looked to Amy, sleeping in her bed and the faint purple and bluish bruise on the side of her cheek, where undoubtedly she had fallen on when being thrown to the ground and landed on the side of her left face. It was on her cheek, but hidden well by her quill that fell on her muzzle there… still… you could faintly see it, but it was still there.
Shadow clutched his fist, breathing through gritted teeth as he glared, realizing he had mostly failed in his mission to protect her.
Yes, she was still out of serious harms way, but harm was still inflicted, and to him, that was a total loss. One in which he would have to regain himself for.
She had to keep trusting him…
She had to keep depending on him…
And for that cause…
"I won't tell her." He stated.
"I won't tell her I lost control of my instincts."
