Chapter Nine - Two Hearts, One Soul
Shadow was in agony. Why? Why was the world being so cruel to him? He'd ran from house in such heartache that he only made it as far as the nearby woodlands, where Sonic had transformed a few days ago. He collapsed. He was screaming. Death was an odd thing to Shadow, he could kill a stranger and think nothing of it, but if it was someone he knew who died, someone he cared about, it crucified him. He'd taken Maria's death infamously badly and now Sonic. He'd brought the mighty Werewolf back to Tails' House only to find him gone. He'd checked and rechecked him, there was no heartbeat. He'd fought so hard for him, so hard to find him, but after everything that had happened, only to loose him at the last minute. He curled into a ball on the ground, closed his eyes and screamed again.
This was where his curiosity for the new and the different had gotten him. This much heartache. He vowed to never do it again. He cared for that blue werewolf, more then he realised. He'd grown very fond of the hedgehog, he was his rival, his equal. There were very few people that Shadow considered his equal. He mourned his passing. His heart shell groaned. It was heavily fractured, on the verge of shattering. His compassion was beginning to pour out, in love for the blue werewolf. He prayed, he didn't want to shatter, not now, not when his beloved was gone, he couldn't handle the grief. Thats what happened with Maria, that why he never got over her death. He loved her too much. He tried desperately to harden himself against it. He was stronger then this, sealing his heart away inside its shell again, never to break free, cold forever. He had to move on. He lay there, shaking, for what felt like an age before he heard it.
Sonic ran into the woodlands, the sunlight beaming down on him and looked around. This was the last place he'd spent any time with Shadow. The trees were quiet and blowing in the wind. All was still. Sonic frowned as he looked around.
'He's not here!' He thought, feeling disheartened. The black hedgehog would be long gone by now. Yet his 'inner wolf' was telling him otherwise. Did he know something, he didn't? Sonic given up trying to understand his 'inner wolf' a long time ago, and had just learned to trust it. He gritted his teeth, and continued looking around. If Shadow was still here, he was going to find him.
Sonic called Shadow's name was he wondered around. The woodlands were not that large, he had to have heard him. His voice rang out across the empty woodlands, his vocal cord creating sound that sliced the air around him. Nothing. He was beginning to loose faith in his werewolf instincts. Shadow was not here.
But they still disagreed. What was with his 'inner wolf'? Why was it being so stubborn? He sighed. Shadow had been one incredible friend, recently. To lay down his life for him, and ask for nothing in return, amazed Sonic. What was going on with him? Why did he care so much about him? Did he care as much for Sonic and Sonic cared about him? Sonic's heart leapt at the thought. He would be a dream come true, if he did. But he shook his head. No, Shadow was not interested like that. Memories began to surface of their time together in the colony, when he realised something.
Ever since Shadow had learned how to use Thought Speech, he had never used his vocal cords with him. It was not his style. Shadow was such a quiet, conservative hedgehog, that Sonic could see how Thought Speech would suit him. Sonic sighed and concentrated. It was worth a try, a last attempt to find him before moving on. He closed his eyes, feeling the wind on his face. He formed the word in his mind, and projected it, not loudly, but as far around him as it would go, hoping he would be heard.
{Shadow.}
Shadow heard his name inside his mind. Sonic's voice was back to haunt him.
'Not again!' He cried in his thoughts.
{LEAVE ME ALONE!} He screamed with his mind, with all his might. Shadow couldn't take this anymore.
The Thought Speech was so loud it rang very painfully in Sonic's mind. Shadow was here after all but where? He looked desperately for him. he realised that Shadow was an expert at hiding in the shadows. He could be anywhere. Sonic didn't give up, as he continued walking.
{Shadow.}
Sonic's voice rang inside his head again. He curled his ball even tighter, screwing up his eyes. Dam the 'Powers That Be' for tormenting him, like this. Hadn't he suffered enough. Yes, he had done evil deeds in his time, but he had also done his penance. Why can't they leave this old hedgehog be?
{Shadow. I'm here. I'm alive.} Sonic called. He realised that Shadow may have believed him to be dead. Why else would be take off like this.
Shadow was shaking.
'Your dead.' He spat in his thoughts. 'I watched you die!'
{It takes more then that to kill me!} Sonic said cheerily in his mind, as he walked under a tree. He was hiding the desperation in his heart of not finding Shadow.
Shadow rolled his eyes.
'Of all the insolence, little...!' Shadow cursed in his thoughts. 'How could be so arrogant?' Only an immortal was that arrogant, and that was his job. Then it hit him, hard. This had been happening a lot to Shadow recently, as revelation after revelation keep coming in and kicking him hard in the stomach, for being so stupid. He'd kept calling Sonic a 'Hedgehog', mainly out of habit. But he wasn't a Hedgehog, he was a Werewolf, and Werewolves were...! It was like someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water over Shadow, he moved so quickly. He was up on his feet and running before he could stop himself.
'Immortal' He gasped in his thoughts, then he rolled his eyes. 'How could he be so stupid, it was obvious!' He'd read the books, all the signs were there that Sonic would come back. His injuries were not severe enough to permanently down him. Yes, it would have killed a 'mere mortal' but a Werewolf, no. He just didn't see it. Sonic was right, it would have taken more then that to kill him. Shadow cursed at himself.
Now Sonic had come for him. Shadow stopped.
'He had come for him!' Shadow thought, tears beginning to roll down his face, his heart shell straining under the fracturing. Sonic really did care. His heart was desperate to get out, desperate to get free. It had been a prisoner for far too long.
{Sonic!} Shadow called with his mind, as he ran through the woodlands.
{Shadow!} Hearing his voice in his mind. It was such a relief to Sonic, and he began to run, not really looking where he was going, desperate to find him.
Shadow turned to the main path in the woodlands just as the sun was setting on the horizon, and saw him in the fading daylight. His long blue fur coat was blowing in the wind, as he ran across the path in front of him, the sleek body with its well defined muscles, propelling him forward, his shark blue quills blowing out behind him. He was alive, and he looked fine. Shadow's heart shell heaved again, more tears fell.
{Sonic!} He cried, and saw the blue werewolf skidded to a halt in the centre at of the path. For a brief moment, they looked at each other. They had finally found one another. Then they ran, straight into each other's arms. They hugged.
Shadow's heart shell smashed to pieces the moment he felt Sonic's embrace. His heart was now beating freely in his chest, pouring compassion into every cell of his body. He fell for the blue werewolf, holding him close, never wanting to let go. Sonic was beside himself, he finally had his Shadow, and he wasn't running for the hills. He embraced the black hedgehog with all the love in the world. He kissed him.
Shadow's grip on him was firm, not painful, as they shared this moment. He never wanted it to end and didn't back off. Sonic didn't understand. Why wasn't Shadow put off by this? Sonic thought Shadow hated him.
Shadow was beside himself, the werewolf loved him back, he could feel it in his embrace. Nobody had ever loved him back, not even Maria. He pulled Sonic very close to him. He wanted him. He wanted to be with him.
They hugged and embraced so much that their bellies were touching and Sonic could feel Shadow's enormous male groin pouch up again his pelvis. He panicked. Shadow stopped and let him go as soon he felt Sonic's fear. He frowned. There wasn't an issue as far was he could see.
{Problem?} Shadow asked automatically with his mind, smiling. The Thought Speech such a part of him now, that it was his preferred method of communication. The werewolf looked beautiful in the darkness. But Sonic was in tears.
{I can't do this!} He exclaimed.
'What?' Shadow thought, he didn't understand. The werewolf was perfect as far as he could see, his compassion getting the better of him, deeply in love with him now.
{What?} He asked. Sonic lowered his head. Shadow frowned. {What?} He asked again. Nothing. Shadow sighed.
{Tell me!} He smiled, he now hated seeing something so beautiful, this upset. Sonic looked up at those dark crimson red eyes, they were sparkling at him. He couldn't resist them.
{I'm not normal!} He squealed. Shadow folded him arms looking at him, rolling his eyes.
{Yeah!} He said. {And!} Shadow already knew this and didn't care. Heck, he wasn't normal, himself. This had never been an issue before so why was it one now? He frowned at the blue werewolf.
{But I'm not exactly a 'guy'!} Sonic squealed again. But Shadow, as it happens, had noticed. He'd first noticed it in the Werewolf Colony, in the tunnels, just after they had recused him. Sonic's scent had changed. He hadn't understood what it meant until he met the other Werewolves later on, and saw the different types of non-breeding Werewolves for himself. So Sonic was a non-breeding female type werewolf who couldn't reproduce. He'd found this out by asking around in the colony. He was different. So was he. Gerald Robotnik had removed his ability to breed too. No idea why? They were in the same boat. He believed then, as now, that this was a minor issue.
So what! He remembered his curiosity for the new and the different. This was certainly that.
Shadow put a hand on his shoulders to calm him. Sonic stared.
{Wait! You knew.} He said amazed. Shadow smirked and nodded. {And your still here!} Sonic added. Shadow rolled his eyes at the blue werewolf.
{Of course I knew, I'm a Werewolf, I can smell it on you!} Sonic went red. {And as for still being here, despite the weirdness.} He added.
He told Sonic about his fascination with the new and the different. Sonic had to admit, he definitely fit that description. It explained a lot. It explained why he was still there. The crescent moon was high in the sky, on this warm, dry evening, as the two hedgehogs hugged, kissed and embraced again. They'd had one hell of an adventure getting to this point, and more adventures lay ahead of them as their relationship formed. Together hand in hand, they began to make they way back to Tails' House, it looked like a large orange on the landscape with that stupid shield. Sonic laughed, it did look silly but if it did its job, and kept Eggman out, then they could put up with it. A breeze blow across them as they walked up the hill, as Sonic's 'inner wolf' was jumping about for joy. He couldn't help but bound along the ground, inviting to Shadow to join him.
Two Lycans playing in the wind.
