By now, the cold was expected. Finn rolled onto his side to face away from the bars, trying his hardest to sleep at least a few more minutes. He had no reason to be awake anyway, as all there was nothing to look at but the bars and the quiet, empty room.

Every day for the past two or maybe three weeks, someone new would come by to refill his bucket of water, give him a tray of three sandwiches, and leave. The one time Sonic came by, he turned and left the second he saw the jackal's fur. Sonic had sense. Of course, he didn't tell anyone that he left, so Finn was without water or food for the entire day.

He deserved it in his own mind, though, as the day progressed and his stomach began to growl every ten seconds, he recalled how much he hated starving.

One thing he found himself wishing for was some type of company. Before he was found by his squad, he was nothing. The smallest, loneliest, and kicked from his original village from stealing food. He had been so lonely for so long, but when those two other jackals found him and took him in, he never wanted anything more than that.

Vector didn't treat him nicely at all, similar to Knuckles. Rouge continued to blame him for Shadow being hurt, and even though he longed to talk, he stopped speaking for fear he would admit it. That would be a far more gruesome death than he would be prepared for if she found out. Tails did his job without a word, and Espio did it so early on in the day that the jackal woke up to the food instead of having to wait.

The one thing that they all had in common was that they left right away. Charmy showed up once unprompted, but with the first word, he was snatched away by Silver. They were probably punishing him by using the Silent Treatment; it was working substantially.

Except for when he was mad, in which he would howl and scream at the top of his lungs until someone came and yelled at him to shut up. He knew his howl was annoying- everyone knew that. It used to be his call for his squad to get back together had they been separated, but now it had a new use of annoying the hell out of his 'caregivers'... if he could even call them that. There was no care for him in their hearts. Besides Amy, she attempted to be nice.

He once bit someone, who he didn't know, for tugging on his tail for attention, His temper was still in works, clearly, so he often bit down his claws so he wouldn't hurt anyone too badly.

That was enough thinking! He needed to sleep!

Finn huffed through his nose and attempted to lay down even harder, shutting his eyes tightly and laying his tail over his face to shield any light. All the new position did be made him aware that he smelled bad and really needed a proper bath.

There was a light thud and he groaned, forgetting about sleep altogether to turn and regard whoever threw something at him. What he wasn't expecting to see was his tennis ball, stained red on one side, rolling to a stop a few feet from his cage. It was with a sudden feeling of desperate determination that he stuck his hand through the bars and tried to reach the ball, but all he managed to do was get a cramp in his arm. He didn't exactly know why he wanted the ball so much; it probably reminded him of Shadow. He tried again and cursed his now shorter claws as the ball was just inches from his grasp.

"Well, that's sad." Said hedgehog spoke, and Finn jolted his head up, eyes wide with both hope and surprise before seeing Shadow's not-so-pleased expression and calming down again.

A long pause of Finn pulling his arm back behind the bars, simply staring up at the ebony hedgehog, stretched on for far too long. Neither said anything and, eventually, Shadow sighed. Even though he loved the silence, awkward silence was something completely different.

"Apparently, you don't speak anymore. That's not my problem." Shadow stomped on the ball and it launched into the air, falling back down just for him to kick it once again similar to a soccer ball. "I'm here because I'm better and I can take you back to my house. All the construction is done."

He knew by 'all the construction is done' the other meant 'I can keep an eye on you,' but that was fine. Finn was getting pretty tired of sitting in a cage all day. That and drinking and bathing from a bucket with your only food source being the same dry bland sandwiches really wasn't such a wonderful life.

Shadow had started doing tricks with the ball by now until he stepped wrong and suppressed a hiss. Apparently, something was still wrong with him, but the resistance probably wanted the jackal out of their bunker. He imagined them pleading on their knees to take him in, as he was probably a thorn in their side from how much he annoyed them, or how bothersome it was to get up each morning just to make food for him.

"Aren't you upset at what I did...?" He croaked, eyes locked on the ball Shadow was currently balancing. It was the first time in a while he even bothered speaking, and, not surprising, it was towards Shadow. "Why are you taking me back? Aren't you afraid I'm going to do it again?"

"I am upset. But as I said, I did try to kill Sonic multiple times yet he still forgave me." The agent sighed and caught the ball, stuffing it into his quills and pulling out the keys for the lock. After a bit of messing with it, the door swung open, and Finn crawled out. Yet again, when his paws hit the cold rock floor, he shuddered and hugged himself.

"I refuse to be afraid of anything, this isn't up for discussion." Shadow finished.

Finn changed the topic immediately. "I really want shoes and gloves."

"Hmm, maybe if you hadn't tried to kill me, I would have been able to give you the shoes and gloves I bought the day before," Shadow grumbled a bit sarcastically, shaking his head somewhat to calm down. As Finn expected, he wasn't entirely over it and doubted he would ever be. The topic was dropped, luckily, and they both surrounded themselves in silence as they traversed the hallway. Many doors lead off into places he never saw and probably never would have the chance to see, but his mind couldn't help wandering over to Shadow and why exactly he was taking him back in.

They walked up the stairs and finally got above ground, in the main area everyone always recouped in. The rest of the resistance were sitting at decorated tables with drinks and snacks and a tray of sweets, all together and chatting with one another. Finn watched as Tails ran over and snatched Shadow off to the table of snacks, where he happily piled a tray high and bagged it. Sonic then roped him into a conversation, bouncing up and down until Knuckles came over and slapped him hard on the back for being too excited.

It escalated quickly, Shadow getting sucked into the party and getting congratulated on getting back to his old self along with finishing up everything. Vector was holding him close to his hip while Espio apologized for the big croc being an overbearing softie, but the real magic was Charmy offering him a very terrible looking black and red cupcake he made specifically for him that had a 'surprise inside!'

It reminded him of his squad, and how much he missed them. They were amazing, so loving and kind and funny. So strong and resilient, holding familial bonds with each of them even though they were just random Jackals that slowly banded together over time. Before his squad found out some of them were related, they held the other up like they were family anyway. But, now, he had no one. He was sure they... whoever was left, didn't want to see or talk to him again.

Well, he maybe had Shadow to turn to.

"Alright, sorry. They're a bit happy that I'm recovered and buildings are finished and my project with Tails has..." Shadow trailed off once the jackal tilted his head at him "You probably don't care in the slightest. Come on, they had to replace the floor and now I have carpet."

Thinking quickly, he huffed and followed. He had to change. He had to try, at least."I do care. What project with Tails?" his own tail twitched at the awkward way he said it, but he tried to seem serious about it.

Even that one caught Shadow off guard, opening the second door that leads to outside. It was early afternoon and the guards were off duty, also having a party of their own with the same snacks as inside. The sky was an odd colour, growing darker than it should be. The two felt the oncoming storm without having to mention it.

"Oh. The project was to create samples of my blood to see if I am a compatible blood donor, which I am. My blood also has natural healing agents that start working when in contact with an internal wound. If I'm well-fed I can produce enough blood for nearly thirty transfusions, so that's what's been keeping me busy for the past few days." He explained, all while Finn looked around in shock.

The place looked so different and clean. It really didn't feel like he was down there for so long. Shadow couldn't have finished in just over two weeks.

"That's... nice." Didn't entirely catch what Shadow said because he didn't understand how Shadow's blood could heal people, but he was still interested. He also had no clue how Shadow even survived his attack, but that was up in the air as well.

Shadow at the cupcake, mumbling that it was a bit too sweet before remembering that a bee made it and probably added Honey to the ingredients. It was very good, however. At the last bite, he frowned and fished something from his mouth, pulling out a plastic ring and laughing quietly. It was one of those cheap novelty plastic rings the Chaotix created to promote their agency. Long story short, it didn't ever work, and they kept a couple boxes of them in their building. Finn watched as Shadow rubbed it clean on his fur before slipping it onto his finger.

"...I've been wondering..." The ebony hedgehog abruptly spoke up, not continuing to watch passing people with armfuls of bags from the grocer. It felt nice to look at as he gathered his words. Sure, there was a large chunk of land lost that could not be fixed, so they let it go to nature. Hopefully.

"Wondering...?"

"Wondering about you." Shadow looked over at him. "I've been told about the howling, and how you sometimes don't eat, and I've mainly been wondering about your mental state."

Already he didn't like where this conversation was going. "If you're saying I need a counselor, I won't go." A sharp stick dug into his heel so he paused to dig it out.

"I'm not saying that I'm suggesting it. I took one for myself a while back. Not so frequent visits." Shadow stepped up onto the small porch and stopped, hand hovering over the doorknob while he forced the next words out. "I want to be your friend, but you're not letting me." and opened the door.

Indeed, the floor was carpeted. Grey carpet, too. The two walked in without a word mainly because the jackal didn't know what to say. Shadow actually wanted to be his friend? Unlikely. The carpet was warm on Finn's dirty toes.

"I'm sorry." The jackal whispered, but Shadow didn't hear it. He spoke louder and saw Shadow's ear fold back towards his voice. "I'm... sorry, for what I did to you, I mean. I'm sorry I blamed you for my squads' death, it was my fault. I shouldn't have done that, and I hate that I did, and I hate how I treated you. I am honestly, truly sorry."

Shadow turned, holding out the bag of treats. Finn had said nothing about Shadow admitting that he wanted to befriend the other, so he didn't know how to feel about it. The Jackal looked at the treats and held out his hands, him letting out a surprised grunt when Shadow let it go and the small weight landed in his palms.

"I had some already." Was all he said.

Finn sat on the couch and tore open the bag. Shadow went into the kitchen.

The sky was very dark by now, and he suspected that the guards packed up and went inside or home to finish the party. The large window showed the sky from his position, and, from it, he watched the clouds turn grey as small drops of rain dotted the glass. The rain slowly picked up until it was very heavy and the jackal curled his tail around himself. He was so lucky that the resistance bunker heard no sounds from the outside world; if he ever heard rain from inside the already dark and dreary room, his mind would have collapsed on itself.

Shadow then stoked the fire and went to the window, blocking his view as he turned his head to the fire instead. It was much calmer, and different, too. Black stone tile circled it now, along with a closed screen in front. All the fire pokers were gone. He didn't know how he felt about that information.

"I don't like the rain," Finn admitted, looking over to Shadow. He moved his ear again instead of turning. "My parents always called me stupid and worthless when I cried during storms."

Shadow leaned forward to rest his elbows on the windowsill and let his mind wander. "That's terrible. You're supposed to comfort someone when they are afraid, not scold them for showing emotions."

Finn picked up a cookie. It was shaped like a star, and without thinking of much else to say he simply bit into it. The cookie was very soft and chewy, much different than the shortbread always prepared at his village. "What was... your parents like? Are they still around?"

Shadow found himself wanting to laugh but didn't, instead smiling to himself. "Technically didn't have any, but to answer your second question, no. Dead. Hell, I technically wasn't born, I was created in a lab located in space."

"That's weird and stupid. I told the truth, you shouldn't lie." The jackal grunted quickly and glared "I was actually serious about my answer."

The hedgehog continued to stare out the window, at the ever darkening sky. Lightning crashed down and he mentally began to count. He honestly had zero comebacks to Finn's sudden and rude accusation, so he stayed silent. Thirty-six seconds passed as thunder echoed across the land. He heard Finn yelp behind him.

Finally, when he felt himself begin to cry at emotions he didn't even realize he stirred up, Shadow stood and scrubbed his wrists against his face to stave away any tears that might have fallen. Finn peeked from behind his tail at the sound, then slowly uncurled when Shadow moved across the room and towards the stairs, only getting up when he was waved to follow.

The hedgehog was entirely silent on the way up. It unnerved him. But, Shadow was lying. He was not 'created' in a lab, and he was definitely not in space, that was stupid. If he was going to lie, he'd come up with a better lie!

Even upstairs seemed so different yet the same, and, when his eyes trailed over to the door at the end of the hall, he remembered the hot water of a bath and longed for it. Shadow's silence seemed like nothing to him anymore.

"Your bedroom," Shadow growled, cutting Finn's thoughts right in half as he pointed. The door closest to the bathroom had the words 'ignorant crybaby' written on it, slightly scratched off and attempted to be painted over, but it could be clearly read. "Ignore that..." he sighed, but the jackal didn't comment on it. He was not ignorant nor was he a crybaby.

Inside was rather plain, with a normal wooden dresser, twin bed, desk with a lamp on it, and brown carpet. The walls had posters of simple pictures of scenery, or of Sonic, or just was bare.

The thing that caught his eye was something wrapped up in a box on top of his dresser which Shadow stormed in and took.

"What is that?" Finn asked and Shadow glared.

"It was a reward. Maybe next time you won't call my childhood 'weird and stupid'." He hiked up the box under his arm and held it out of reach, mentally daring the other to make a move for it.

Finn glared right back and opened his mouth, ready to argue about Shadow getting mad that he had a dumb lie when something went sailing inches away from his head.

"You can have your damn ball," Shadow hissed. "I'm tired. Goodnight."

"But it's afternoon...?"

"Take a bath, you smell horrible." Was Shadow's response, disappearing into his own room and closing the door behind him.

Finn frowned, but Shadow's mood didn't stay on his mind long as more thunder crashed loudly outside, making him freeze and his fur puff in fear.

xox

hey shit

this sat for so long unedited and so shit. This chapter had Gadget in it for a while, and all he did was grin and wag his tail the entire time he was mentioned. it was bad my guy. also, to clear some shite up;

yeah, that is a small reference to Hive Minds. deal with it, man

Shadow has a fascination with all types of weather and finds himself crying a lot when looking at it even when he doesn't realize it. it kinda just happens.

have you heard a jackal howl? they only do it to get attention from their packs but man is it shit. it's AWOWOWAOAAOAO

the resistance is easily irritated when having to take care of someone not even in the resistance, like an unwanted guest. Imagining having a rat in your house and its suddenly supposed to be your pet so now you gotta feed it so it doesn't die.

sonic/sega had a lot of novelty products that were super cheap an barely even sold because it was so shit. i Had a sonic watch that broke right away and didn't even tell proper time

yeah, Vanilla is Sonic's counselor because he didn't want a random one

Yes Shadow also had counseling.

also sending pms saying "thats not hw infinite would sound" is not helpful, bro

Moving On's last chapter comes tomorrow.