Winter pulled in quickly, blanketing the land in several layers of snow. Pure white enveloped the land—making Knuckles and all his redness stick out like a sore thumb.
Shadow hadn't been outside in ten years; he was always cooped up in the castle. He was almost afraid to go outside—as if a haunting, malevolent force lived outside, ready to track down his every move. Besides, he thought, it's too cold to go outside.
Meera—who had just awakened from a heavy sleep—thought otherwise. Eyeing the nearest window, she let out a gasp at the sight of snow. Her nose pressed up against the glass, she exclaimed, "It looks so pretty out there!"
Taking note of the fox-girl's enthusiasm, Shadow let out a snort.
Acting almost as if she hadn't heard his contempt, Meera rushed over to Shadow and started pulling his arm. "Come on!" she urged him. "Let's go outside!"
Baffled by her words, Shadow stammered, "Ou-outside?"
"Come on, Shadow," she giggled. "It'll be fun."
"Well," Shadow sighed, unsure of the wisdom behind her choices, "If you insist."
Her eyes lighting up in joy, Meera let out a minute squeal before whispering, "Yes! Let me just get you a scarf." And with that, she rushed over to her room—leaving Shadow on his own for the moment.
Despite Meera's questionable decisions, Shadow couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she exited the room. He wasn't exactly sure what, but something within him made his heart leap in joy—the action of which warmed his blood.
"Here we go!" chimed Meera, a black scarf in her hand. It was then when she grabbed Shadow by his hand.
Feeling her hand rest in his, Shadow let a small flinch jolt through his body. She's—holding my hand, he realized, finding himself glowing slightly red.
In the midst of Shadow's awe, Meera dragged toward the castle's back door yard—throwing the scarf around his neck all the while. Knuckles and the servants followed. "Are you ready?" Meera asked through a smile.
"I—I don't know," Shadow admitted, looking down at his feet.
"Hey," Meera began, touching the hedgehog's hand once again. "It'll be alright. Just follow me and you'll be fine! Besides—" She twisted the doorknob before continuing, "You were the one who fought for me outside."
As Shadow squeezed Meera's hand, he felt as an incoming breeze swept into his castle—bristling along his spines. Strong as he was, he couldn't help but squeeze Meera tighter and tighter as the cold air's strength increased.
The hedgehog closed his eyes for a brief moment; it wasn't until reopening them when he witnessed the true beauty of the outside world. Such a sight forced a gasp from him.
It looks amazing out there! he silently exclaimed. Snowflakes fell all around him—each one falling to the ground at the speed of sound. One of them fell on his nose—making him wince.
Seeing Shadow's amazement, Meera let out a giggle before commanding, "Let's get going!" And with that, she and the scruffy hedgehog stepped through the door and into the outside world.
As the fox-girl and hedgehog walked through the open doors, Ruby—who had been watching idly by—flinched in surprise. Is Shadow going outside? She could hardly believe her eyes.
Excitement coursing through her entire being, the feather duster shouted into the castle, "Hey everyone! Shadow's going outside!"
"What?" called Silver's voice. "What's going on?"
"We are?" wondered Starling.
With all the objects confused at Ruby's words, their Master tried to have some fun outside. He acted like a puppy—curiously eyeing and touching everything.
Meera laughed at Shadow's child-like nature. Gosh, she thought, He's really starting to lighten up, isn't he?
She decided to take a new risk. Even though she knew she risked catching frostbite, Meera bent down and dug her fingers into the snow below her. Letting out a snicker, she picked up some of the snow and curled it up into a ball.
With Shadow's back turned toward her, Meera saw her chance. Snickering once more, she took a step back before thrusting her arm forward—letting go of the snowball in her hand all the while. After speedily zipping through the air, the ball of ice hit Shadow's shoulder.
Shocked by the sudden sensation of ice, Shadow flinched. It was then when he looked over his shoulder, an infuriated look in his eyes.
Such a look made Meera quiver. Oops, she thought whilst gulping. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Oh God—why did I do that?
Having seen everything with their own eyes, the servants—who were standing before the castle's opened back door—all gasped in unison. She must be mad! some of them thought. What is wrong with her? others wondered.
Upon further investigation, Meera discovered Shadow's fury was covered up in a layer of curiosity.
The angry look in his eyes cooling down a bit, Shadow turned around when he asked of Meera, "How did you do that?"
Surprised at his response, Meera felt her ears twitch when she responded, "How did I do what? Make a snowball?"
Shadow nodded in response.
Wrinkling her nose, Meera giggled, "You've never made a snowball before?"
Shadow nodded again.
Meera blinked in surprise. Did he even have a childhood? Shaking her head at the thought, she slowly approached the confused hedgehog when she began, "First you have to collect some of the snow."
Upon reaching Shadow's side, she grabbed his hand and continued, "Just pick some of it off the ground. Like this!" Holding almost total control of the hand, the fox-girl dug Shadow's claw into the snow. The feeling of ice brushing against his skin made him shiver.
Not even noticing the excessive shivering spreading through the hedgehog's body, Meera continued on with her lecture. She pulled Shadow's warm hand when she continued, "Then you take your other hand and squeeze the snow together." And with that, she used his big hands to create something of a capsule over the snow.
"Just squeeze it?" wondered Shadow, a light smile turning his lips upward.
"That's right!" Meera replied. It was then when she let go of Shadow's hands. I think he's got it. Seeing what was to come, she nervously tiptoed away.
"Hey!" Shadow cried through what sounded like an angered voice.
Hearing as Shadow's voice ricocheted into her ears, Meera froze in place. Slowly turning around, she wondered, "Yes?" It was immediately after turning around when she found herself coming face-to-face with the very snowball she had helped to create. After wiping the snow off her reddened face, Meera sneered, "Shadow!"
Shadow could only respond by doing something Meera had never seen him do: he laughed. It was more than a mere chuckle; it wasn't a giggle; it wasn't a snort; it was a genuine laugh.
Even though her face appeared red as a tomato, the fox-girl couldn't help but smile at the hedgehog. He was finally starting to lighten up.
In the midst of Meera's thoughts, a few nearby winter birds started chirping—the sound of which made her ear twitch. Turning to face the birds, she witnessed as they pecked at and swallowed birdseed—the likes of which had been spilled all over the ground. How did that get there? Meera wondered.
Shrugging at the thought, Meera watched as Shadow approached the birds. He took one step closer—then two—but only managed to scare the birds away. It was then—for the first time that day—when he finally lost his temper. "GET BACK HERE!" he screeched.
Her ears folding over her head, Meera explained, "You're going about this the wrong way, Shadow."
"What are you talking about?" the hedgehog grunted.
"I'll show you what I'm talking about," the fox-girl insisted. Hoping to keep her promise, she walked over to the pile of birdseed and picked some of it up in your hands. "It helps if you hold still," she explained, some of the seeds falling out of her hands and crashing back onto the ground.
Unable to hold the seeds any longer, Meera emptied her tiny hands—releasing its contents into Shadow's palms. Wiping her hands on her slightly tattered dress, she murmured, "And now we wait."
The waiting game? wondered Shadow, growing slightly nervous. With all due respect, the hedgehog hated this game with a passion. Never before had he viewed it as fun or even intuitive. But—regardless of such—he decided to play along.
For about five minutes—or so it seemed in his mind—he stood still. Little feckless snowflakes fell all around him and Meera, catching in his fur and breaking his concentration. Just stay still, he constantly told himself, and don't make a sound.
After what seemed like an eternity, a miracle happened. One of the birds he had earlier scared off had just returned to him—and was pecking at the birdseed in his hands. It returned! Shadow realized, suppressing a gasp. I can't believe it! In the midst of his amazement, another bird landed on his hand and started consuming the seeds.
As he fed the birds, Meera stepped behind a nearby tree. She put up her hand on her chest and thought, This feeling—it's new. It was the kind of feeling she received whenever she stuck her nose into a new book.
He's no Prince Charming, she thought whilst blinking, but…I think… Unable to finish the thought, Meera closed her eyes and blushed.
She took a peek around the tree—noticing Shadow was now covered with hungry birds. Standing as still as possible, a worried look showed in his eyes—the likes of which seemed to cry, Help me!
Finding the scenario hilarious, the fox laughed and smiled at him.
Even though it wasn't visible, a blush started spreading across Shadow's cheeks. She's never looked at me that way before. He tried to ignore what he was feeling, but a smile snuck its way onto his face—which only made him blush harder.
"Well—who'd have thought," Starling murmured from the doorway, seeing his redness. "Maybe there is hope after all!"