"Nah, I ain't like any others, but ya did call me out here ta fight not ta fu-" She looked down at the broken down man in front of her. He was drunk. "Ya know full well I couldn't be here now if you'd want anything but finishing our fight. So, why da heck did you get all drunk and stupid?" Sandy now frowning seeing the man before her as less of an ass and more of a baby. She took a seat across from him, and at this moment he almost reminded her of her brother.

"I wasn't planning on it, but I got pulled into celebrating the return of the male heir of the Electro Family. Well... his soon return." Shadow leaned his head against the tree behind him and looked up at the strong branches above. "Give me a minute and I'll be fine for our duel."

"No." Sandy sighed before standing up.

"Yes!" He demanded as he fought to find his feet only to fight even harder to stay standing up.

"Look, Shadow... I think we both got off on da wrong foot. Let's just forget about da other night, and tonight, and try harder to avoid one another from now here on out." Sandy now walked up to him and helped him catch his balance by leaning on a tree.

"I don't think it'll be easy to avoid you." Shadow let out an amused, but very intoxicated, laugh. "Not with how fast your father ran up to us to make sure you weren't causing trouble."

"Maybe yer right, but... I can at least try ta save my trouble for some of yer other boys ta deal with." Sandy gave him a small smile before turning around to make her way back to her tent.

She became very shocked at Shadow grabbing her by the wrist and stopping her from continuing to walk off. "Please, don't." He spoke plainly. "I'm more than capable of handling you myself." He then let out a small chuckle before releasing her.

She looked back at him, luckily hiding her blush in the darkness surrounding them. She just gave him a nod of approval before making her way back to her tent again. She hoped this new found interest he had seemed to have found in her would leave once he sobered up. Then again, she did find it odd that his words caused an unpleased, yet thrilling, heat to crash about inside her lower regions before finding their way up to her throat. Had she needed to speak at the moment she would have been brought to silence from this burning feeling deep inside of her. Her breath increased as did her pace to return back to her place with her family, and hopefully find all of herself returning fully to normal.

The next few days Sandy was thankful to finally feel very normal again. She'd occasionally see Shadow watching her from afar, or going about his business, but she would quickly look away from him and keep to herself. By the third day after their last confrontation Sandy decided she should make him a peace offering, but more likely because her mother had pulled together ingredients for them to make some cornbread right outside their tent. That night the two Cheeks women whipped up a dozen cornbread cakes to give out to their new found friends. Sandy requested one for her to give out getting her mother to give her a questioning looked, but she agreed without pressing any further. Sandy wrapped the loaf in one of her few clean handkerchiefs and set it aside, so she could find it easily to take to work the next day.

Sandy went to work like the days before; happily and without worry, although about an hour before lunch she noticed Shadow lurking by a fence post looking at her, and then the other personal from time to time. The female squirrel didn't even ask permission to stop her current task as she grabbed the covered loaf and ran towards the hedgehog grabbing his, and everyone else's, attention fast. Her father and brother started running after her right after she jumped the main stables fence and slowed down panting to greet Shadow shyly.

Shadow looked down at her catching her breath as her two male family members ran up behind her. He was a bit bewildered, but couldn't hold back a small smile as she finally looked up and him and grinned herself.

"Sandy!" The two men called out more than a few times.

"She's fine. Head back to your tasks." Shadow demanded of the men now closing in on them, as he kept his eyes locked on Sandy's.

"She should come back with u-" Dean jumped as Shadow cut him off.

"Get back to your work! She'll join you soon enough." He reassured still keeping his attention on the female.

Both Dean and Randy glared at the black hedgehog before walking back to their post knowing they had no room to argue with the man that was given a higher place of power on the plantation hierarchy.

"Guess I'm gonna be in a mess of trouble tonight." She laughed as she finally stood up straight and held her bright smile.

"You made such a fuss to run up to me only to get into trouble?" He questioned while raising one of his eyebrows.

She laughed a bit more as she looked back at her male family member still walking away from them. "Nah." She then looked back to Shadow. "But I'm pretty sure I just pissed my daddy off mighty bad." Sandy then shook her head for a moment finally recalling why she had approached him and took something out of her side satchel that was wrapped in white cloth. "I made this for ya. It's nothing special, but it's the best I could do for a peace offering considering I'm still so new here."

Shadow took it from her hands in unwrapped part of it to see the yellow loaf. He then smelled before rewrapping it. "You're hoping I'll chock on it?" He asked half playfully yet half serious.

"I get poisoning is a woman's weapon, but I thought we already had da talk I ain't like other women." She now placed her hands on her hips and looked at him sternly.

"Thank you, Sandra." Shadow blandly stated as he placed the food in his own satchel. "I'm sure Rune will enjoy it." He now looked back at her just in time to see her roll her eyes in annoyance.

"So long as someone does. Goodbye Shadow." She called as she turned and started to head back to her work waiting for her.

"Hey, girl!"

Sandy looked back at Shadow.

Shadow looked at her blackly for a moment as if he had forgot what he wanted to say... after a few seconds longer her finally blurted out... "Stay safe."

Sandy smiled and nodded at him again before turning her back once more and walking away. "Stay sober!" She called back while laughing.