The authors, Floofie (Skitzoism) and Scuzzle (ShotsofSunshine) have come together to bring a new offering to the realm of Sonadow. Guess who is who. (; Starting a story is never easy, but this was surprisingly effortless. I suppose it's not that hard when there are two people hauling ass and having fun poking at each other; much like a certain couple we know!
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Dawn. Ruby eyes as deep as the morning sky slid open to greet the early day. The dark figure they belonged to rose from his bed, slowly flexing his quills and muscles. Shadow the Hedgehog growled softly, trying to clear his voice of the husky baritone it gained whenever he was asleep. He looked over at the digital clock on his nightstand with a lazy flick of his eyes before he strode over to a nearby window.
The early morning sky was bleeding various shades of reds, purples, and oranges. It was a beautiful sight and Shadow simply stood there watching for a long moment, wanting nothing more than to enjoy the view before it was chased away by the bright sun.
There was something about Mondays that never ceased to surprise Shadow. The dark agent rolled his shoulders as he kept his gaze glued on the glass in front of him. Mondays were the beginning of the work week and hated by nearly every living being on the planet, Shadow included. He had to get up at the crack of dawn nearly every day of the week, and even on a day off like today he still got up early – his habits too deeply ingrained for him to ignore.
Shadow heaved a sigh through his nose. At least it would be a fairly slow Monday as he was thankfully off duty. He wouldn't have to worry about his superiors at GUN breathing down his neck or keeping an eye on his sometimes wayward partner, Rouge. Heck, GUN intelligence claimed Robotnik had recently been taken down. No doubt the work of Sonic.
This meant there was nothing trying to destroy the world, cause mahem, or otherwise demand Shadow's immediate attention. For once he could finally curl up and relax. It was a concept Shadow wasn't fully capable of understanding considering he hadn't really had a 'vacation' in a long time, but the dark agent was fully prepared to enjoy every minute of his freedom.
On the other side of town, things did not nearly look as beautiful. The sun had barely risen when Sonic woke up with a pounding headache, his eyesight dizzy; he was sure he was going to be sick. He rolled about, expecting to be in the soft confines of his bed as he let out a groan with a stretch, freezing instantly when the sound of twigs snapping filled his ears. He didn't move an inch except for flickering jade eyes open, looking frantically around as he sat up in surprise.
'Why am I outside,' thought the hedgehog internally, his head whirling about despite his light headedness. He sat up and winced despite himself, but continued to ignore the pain as he felt an array of leaves and twigs littering his quills, identifying the smell of spring time grass. Sonic had slept outside in the past, this was for sure, but Sonic could specifically remember going to bed.
'Wait,' his mind rushed and he desperately tried to stand, almost falling as he did so; Sonic couldn't remember last night; period. A twig snapped under his bare foot, which confused the hedgehog since he always ventured outside dressed with his shoves and gloves. 'Huh?' He looked down at his hands, and his voice caught in his throat before letting out a yelp; he would have held his hand over his mouth to suppress his shout, but they were currently doused in dried blood, his eyes just taking notice of the rest of his fur, the once spotless peach of his stomach stained red.
Sonic looked frantically around the wooded area. He put his hands in desperation through his head quills, pulling at them as he tried to think, feeling as if there were a number of eyes that had literally caught him red handed.
'Oh God,' he sobbed mentally as he looked down at himself; his legs had also been splattered with dried blood, his fur clumped and sticky with the bodily fluid. Sonic had never fathomed being in such a vile situation, his heart fluttering painfully at the realization that this meant he had harmed a living creature. Normally Sonic was rather passive and gentle when not in the hands of danger or a villain, and he fought not to wretch right then and there at the sickening thought. As he took a step forward, he nearly fell, but the strangeness of the occurrence meant nothing to him as his bare feet moved on their own accord. There was no body, no signs of a struggle; just Sonic stained with incriminating evidence, the hedgehog's breathing quickly becoming fast as panic consumed him.
His walk was soon replaced with a frantic run, not caring how pained his feet felt as their soles eventually found pavement, nearly tripping more than once when the worry racking his body completely dismissed any signs of grace. Although he was not able to run nearly as fast without his specifically designed shoes, the hero pushed himself with the thought that he was now entering public, stained with someone else's blood, positive this was not his own. He didn't check his form for wounds but his gut told him he didn't have to, that he was not the one injured in this unusual blackout. He fought not to wail as his blue blurred form zipped through the back alleys, trying to avoid life as much as possible as he tried to think past his dread.
'I can't go home,' he swallowed as he finally skidded to a stop since first taking off, his body unsurprisingly tense. 'Tails cannot see this.' The thought of his younger brother seeing his form coated with blood stung fresh in his pounding mind as he took off blindly. His eyes lit up the best they could in this grave circumstance, knowing someone else he was well acquainted with was only a few blocks away…
Back at home, Shadow curled up on his couch with a mug of coffee wrapped in striped hands. He was oblivious to Sonic's dilemma only a few miles away, content to enjoy his lazy Monday morning with a book.
Shadow sank further into the cushions of his comfortable sofa, his ruby eyes trailing over the pages of a book. It was one a female co-worker at GUN had recommended, 'Blood and Chocolate.' A sappy romance novel that made Shadow's lip curl in disgust. Chaos, this was nearly as bad as the hordes of young girls drooling over that 'Twilight' vampire nonsense.
The only difference was that this particular story had to do with werewolves. Oh how ironic. Shadow rolled his eyes as he continued to read on, fighting back the desire to throw it to the side and exchange it with a newspaper instead. Oh, if Rouge saw him now he'd never hear the end of it...
However, Shadow was never one to claim he disliked something solely based off of the opinions of others and thus decided to give the romantic and fanfiction-like book a chance. So far the book had did nothing to sway his judgment in either direction, so he plowed on through the fluff and gooey romance.
Shadow sipped at his coffee as he continued to get drawn into the writing, never once suspecting that his lazy Monday was soon going to shatter around his ears.
A loud crash echoed throughout Shadow's den, startling the dark hedgehog into dropping his book with a small thud. There was a hard knocking of someone at the door, obviously wanting to come in. He guiltily kicked the condemning literature under the sofa, wondering who could have possibly caught him in the act.
'Who would bother me at home,' Came Shadow's next thought as he simply stared at his door, debating whether or not he wanted to bother answering it. Soon it became clear that Shadow's efforts of ignoring his visitor were futile. Whoever was at his door was hell-bent on getting his attention, and Shadow grew annoyed with the constant pounding.
Aggravated, he strode over to the door when the knocking continued to gradually increase in tempo, becoming more and more frantic. He tore open the door, an annoyed glare chiseled like stone on his face, "What?"
His gaze landed on none other than Sonic the Hedgehog, standing at his entrance dirty, with wide eyes and slight tremors wracking through his sleek body. Shadow took one look at Sonic and was able to piece together that something was very, very wrong with the other.
Upon further inspection, what Shadow had initially mistaken as dirt was clearly blood. The dark hedgehog's eyes widened in mute shock and he took an involuntary step back out of pure surprise. Sonic was covered in blood. Everywhere. It coated every inch of the hedgehog's fur and quills, dyeingthe cobalt pelt into a strange mix of dark purple and brown.
Several questions sprang into Shadow's head at once. Whose blood was it? What had happened? Was Sonic of all people responsible?
"What..." Shadow repeated again, this time softer. He was unable to tear his gaze away from the dirty form of Sonic, caked over with dried blood and Chaos only knew what else. He trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
"Shadow," Sonic's voice cracked with something akin to desperateness, looking pleadingly at the older hedgehog, his breath ragged. He looked over his shoulder, suddenly flinching as if someone had followed him this whole time, turning to look back to the owner of the home. He watched as Shadow looked over his form in what looked like utter shock or disturbance. He didn't even think of how he appeared when he first approached the home, forgetting in his horror the blood that had mucked his fur usually radiant fur.
"I can explain," he lied; he had absolutely no explanation. "Please let me in." Sonic eyes were wide and anyone who knew Sonic well would be surprised at just how glassy they looked. "Please." He was ready to push himself in by force at this point, which probably didn't help his ally'sthoughts, Sonic not even aware that both his maw and teeth were stained red. "You need to help me." He was trembling violently at this point, feeling utterly exposed as he stood outside and reason with his friend.
Sonic was begging; Sonic rarely, if ever, begged.
Shadow remained immobile as he stared at the frantic hedgehog, the cogs in hisbrain turning at top speed so he could fully absorb what he was seeing. Sonic was obviously panicking and Shadow knew he'd be unable to get a coherent word out of the cobalt racer unless he felt at ease.
He needed to know what happened to Sonic. The pleading, emerald eyes which stared at him with such a fervent need solidified Shadow's resolve. He sighed as he realized his day was now officially over and he stepped away from the entrance, holding the door open wider for the blood coated hedgehog to come inside.
He said nothing as he turned to walk further into his den, intent on retrieving some towels for Sonic to clean himself with. He could take a shower in a bit of time, but for now Shadow wasn't going to let the other hedgehog do a damn thing without getting some answers first.
Sonic nearly tripped as he came up the steps, his thin form shivering from head to bare toes as if he was stepping in from a blizzard. He normally would have wanted to kick himself for being so klutzy, but such worries were miniscule with what was currently running through the hedgehog's head. He turned around so fast to close the door, slamming it shut by accident, the brass of the handle shaking just as hard as Sonic in his grip. It was like his body wasn't listening; overwhelmed by a plethora of negative feelings as he tried to lock the door and steady his hand, but it was no use. He finally got all the locks completed and he didn't turn to Shadow, staring at the door as he put his hot face against the cool wood for some type of comfort.
After pulling away, a very uncharacteristic whimper sounded through the room as Sonic studied the bloody imprint of his cheek staining the door, his shoulders shuddering as he bit back a sob.
"Oh God," he repeated his thoughts from earlier, the only thing that seemed rational right now as he was having more and more trouble keeping face. He couldn't even look at the other, digging his palm into his eyes as his shoulders continued to shake. "I don't even know what happened."
His muzzle twitched in the definition of a frown, his stained lips quivering like the rest of his form. "Shadow," he shook his head, finally letting out an open cry.
Shadow returned with a few dark colored towels and tossed them towards Sonic. He watched as they fell in a pile near the hedgehog's bare feet. Analytical eyes picked out the telltale tremors that shook through Sonic's frame and he felt something painful pinch in his chest at the sight. Sonic was terrified.
Had the hero honestly killed someone...?
Shadow disregarded the thought for the moment, more focused on seeing if the blood coating Sonic belonged to the hedgehog. He didn't need Sonic passing out from blood loss.
"What do you mean you don't know?" He asked deadpanned, feeling his heart thump heavily in his ribcage, "I'd hope you know why you showed up at my house covered in blood and stark naked."
He folded his arms over his chest and took a seat where he had previously been reading before Sonic's interruption.
Sonic's ears pinned to the back of his head, feeling uncomfortable now that he had a moment to remember just how he looked; covered in blood without a single article of clothing on. He felt exposed, not to mention pathetic as he took a deep breath, a trembling paw reaching forward to grab one of the towels. He instantly draped it over his shoulders and held the cloth tight to his body, giving a sniffle as he spoke. His gaze could not leave the floor; this had truly unnerved Sonic, afflicting him to the bones.
"I don't know; I don't know at all." He began to shiver violently again, his small and now red, soiled fangs clattering as he shook. "I woke up like this; I have no memory." He finally looked up at Shadow, his eyes even more glassy but conveying the truth he spoke.
"There wasn't a body-"Sonic immediately felt his intestines react, the organs clenching painfully in his gut as he his knees buckled, putting a hand to his mouth as he suppressed a gag; he couldn't even mention the idea of what had possibly caused this. He only spoke after a deep breath, tearing his hand away from his muzzle. "What am I saying; this is a nightmare. This is all a nightmare; I'm just cracking up." He shook his head. But it wasn't, looking down at his ungloved hands to see his fingers stained red, the hedgehog's wall of bravado falling again as he bit his lip, trying to silence the whimper that managed to escape.
"I've never killed anyone," he swallowed, although it was painful. "I don't kill; I do everything in my power to fight people and never kill them; hurt them if necessary, yeah, but kill them?" he spoke to Shadow, the words tumbling from his mouth before he could stop them, all these questions being asked just a failing attempt to comfort himself. "I don't kill!" His lip trembled, again forgetting his pride as he acted out purely out of sadness and fear.
He remembered the blood splattering his fur and he took the towel surrounding him, rubbing it desperately with bags under his eyes; he looked utterly exhausted, as if he was running around all night. More quiet sobs racked his body as it hurt to swallow them down, continuing to shiver as he wished the towel could absorb all the blood off his body, but it was caked on very well; it was if he had been covered in whoever's blood for some amount of time.
Shadow had seen and heard enough. Obviously Sonic wouldn't be able to see past the blood on his own hands to give him a straight answer – if that was even possible at this point. Sonic seemed to have utterly no recollection of what had happened to him. Shadow was willing to bet that if he had a chance to take a hot shower and get the crusted blood off him, things might come more clearly.
If Sonic had to scrub off a few layers of skin and fur to give him even a shallow feeling that he was clean, then so be it. Shadow crossed over the room to settle a hand on Sonic's blood soaked shoulder, uncaring that his glove was now soiled beyond repair. "C'mon," He said sternly, ruby eyes piercing into distraught emerald, "Pull yourself together Sonic – we don't have time for this."
"If you killed someone, we need to find their body," He plowed on heedlessly, saying the words he knew Sonic couldn't, "If you didn't, we still need to find out what happened to you to put you in this state of being."
Firm hands guided the trembling Sonic towards the bathroom, "Wash up. We'll deal with this when you don't look like you've been rolling around in a butcher's meat locker."
Part of him wanted to say more to Sonic. To reassure him that this was probably a misunderstanding and that everything was fine. But Shadow wasn't going to look Sonic in the eye and lie to his face. No. Everything pointed to a murder of some kind. Sonic, the hero of Mobius had killed someone.
An image of Sonic's bloody fangs and muzzle flashed in Shadow's mind's eye and he had to suppress a shudder. An over active imagination be damned! Shadow mentally swore and he shook his head to try and break free of those thoughts. Sonic hadn't eaten anyone. That was ridiculous.
'As ridiculous as Sonic killing someone...' A traitorous thought rang in his head.
Shadow sighed and fetched a spare toothbrush from one of his cabinets, "Use this for now. I'll get you something to wear." He pulled out a few new clean towels from a nearby rack as the ones Sonic were currently using would have to be thrown away. Shadow glared at the bloodstains, as if willing them to jump off the fabric through force of his evil stare alone.
"I'll be outside if you need me," Shadow muttered as he left Sonic standing alone in the bathroom, his own thoughts in turmoil.
When the hand made contact with Sonic's shoulder, he outwardly flinched, which was unusual for the always welcoming hedgehog. The bags of his eyes looked greatly pronounced as his emerald gaze locked with crimson, listening to his words. Hearing Shadow speak the phrase 'If you killed someone,' so easily made his stomach again lurch, the hurt in his eyes painfully recognizable. He swallowed down the bile with a choked breath, giving a nod towards Shadow's reasoning. 'He's 100% right,' he said, his feet moving on their own accord limply, the little life that was left in Sonic's eyes merely a dim speck.
He was relieved that Shadow had welcomed him the use of his shower; the sticky feeling of his coat was not only uncomfortable, but Sonic was sure he was beginning to smell the foul substance; if it was his mind playing tricks on him, he wasn't sure, but he none the less felt ill about it covering his body. It was as if he was in a trance, his face unusually gaunt even though his mind registered what Shadow said as being slightly cruel; it was none the less true, Sonic looking as if he had slaughtered someone brutally.
As he they entered the bathroom, Sonic stood uncharacteristically silent in the corner, his eyes tracing the lines of the tiles on the floor as he tried to focus on anything to distract himself. It was no use. 'No,' the refusal was faint though as a traitorous tear rolled free from his eye; his heart uncomfortably fluttered, as if someone was squeezing the life out of it. He closed his eyes and made sure to wipe it away when Shadow's back was to him, to not raise suspicion of its presence.
It took every fiber of Sonic's being to wait for Shadow to leave, the door shutting closed as he stood there in the chilly room, his arms wrapping around himself despite being sickened by the thought. A few more tears escaped and trailed down his bloody face, a trembling whimper sounding from his throat. He gazed over towards the mirror finally and all the sickness that plagued him came back full force; he only needed to take one look at the blood that stained his whole front and face. Sonic turned to the toilet quickly, running over to deposit whatever remained in his stomach into the porcelain. His eyes widened as he watched a deep, red liquid project from his mouth. 'That is blood!' his mind screamed, and he couldn't stop it from coming out of his quivering lips, not struggling to fight the natural desire to up heave. Sonic didn't know if this was from he himself internally, a huge amount of fear coming over him.
He openly sobbed when he finished, completely breaking down as he held his face in his hands, unable to stop his emotions from flooding out.
It was while before Sonic left the bathroom and once he did, Shadow was there and waiting with a fresh set of gloves, socks and sneakers. The shoes weren't flame-resistant like Sonic's were, but Shadow figured it was a better alternative than running over cement in bare feet.
The shower hadn't miraculously cured Sonic of his distress, but at least he looked slightly more sane and together than he had when blood was covering every inch of his body. Shadow silently passed over the clothes to the hedgehog and folded his arms over his chest, doing his best not to think about what kind of trouble the typically strong and cheerful Sonic had gotten himself into.
"Take me back to the beginning where you remember all this started," Shadow said uncompromisingly, looking over at Sonic with a carefully constructed mask. He wasn't sure if Sonic could hold on that long, but if there was even the slightest chance that Sonic was innocent it was worth investigating, "You need to take me back there."
He stood firmly, knowing that one of them had to keep a level head and some semblance of control during this insanity. And to think... he thought he was going to have an easy and calm Monday morning.
Sonic had soundlessly slipped on the articles of clothing, at first not answering Shadow's question as the hedgehog looked at him with all seriousness. A normal Sonic probably would of made light of the situation, and yet Sonic reminded himself a normal Sonic wouldn't harm an innocent soul.
His lips moved but no sound came out at first. He looked so tired, not to mention the utter devastation that had been evident since Shadow opened the door. His skin was sore from the searing hot water he used to wash away the blood, the creature sitting uncomfortably across from the hedgehog he ran to. He was playing with a string that had gone wayward from the seams of the cushion.
"I don't," he swallowed and stopped himself as he tried to regain some control over his trembling voice; he felt utterly weak, which made him only feel worse. "I don't remember."
Finally, Sonic's eyes locked with Shadow's as they stared back solemnly.
"The last thing I remember is making dinner for me and Tails. Tails left to go into the basement; he was adding new parts to the Tornado. I went upstairs, not planning on doing much since it was a quiet night."
The thought of Tails made his heart clench; 'How am I going to tell him this?' He hated how his bottom lip began to tremble, once again feeling pitiful. A huge collection of thoughts, all of them dark and unpleasant entered Sonic's mind as he tried to keep it together in front of the other.
Shadow breathed in through his nose as and he wished that he had more experience with comforting people who were upset. He only knew the sort of compassion Maria had showed him while she had been alive, and there was little to no chance of Shadow walking over to Sonic and giving him a hug. The dark hedgehog looked over at his blue rival, his hands dropping to fold over his knees.
"Sonic," Shadow said again, this time trying for a more gentle tone, "I need you to tell me what you do remember – at least from the time you realized what had happened." He never once removed his gaze from Sonic's, needing to see if there was even the slightest amount of hesitation in the hedgehog's actions.
Shadow honestly found himself believing Sonic had no recollection of events. The hero's track record spoke for itself in that regard. Shadow didn't really believe Sonic could kill someone if he was in a sane state of mind. The racer was more than capable of killing if he was so inclined.
But he wasn't inclined, nor did Shadow ever believe Sonic would ever harbor the urge to hurt another living creature much less kill them.
That was why Shadow needed to know where Sonic had woken up, in what state had he been in, or even if he remembered anything unusual when he woke up.
The fact that he was covered in blood would be the obvious exclusion.
"I'll take you," Sonic nodded. "I remember where it was. It was in the forest not too far from here." He felt like this memory would be burned into his mind forever. "And if," he hesitated, swallowing. "If we find something, you need to escort me to the police."
He studied Shadow, his tone serious. If Sonic killed, justice would be served; he was not about to let himself go unpunished for something so…
'Low,' filled in his mind, shuddering outwardly. He knew what this would mean; the press would have a field day. His stomach dropped as he imagined how disgusted the public, his fans, his friends would be. His ears folded back as he saw a mix of angry faces, people screaming at him as he is lead to the court building to rule his fate, in handcuffs as people picket to put him on death row.
He shuddered outwardly as he listened to Shadow continue speaking, but he had a whole other slew of thoughts at the moment.
"I don't remember last night at all; it was like a blackout, like someone drugged me or something." He looked at his hands as a quick image of them bloody came into his mind, and he abruptly decided to sit on it instead. "I woke up in the forest, my head was killing me. I found it kind of hard to walk, felt like I was going to throw up." He shrugged, looking at Shadow as if he knew the answer to why.
"I threw up blood before the shower."
The agent's thoughts churned with these new pieces of information. He didn't want to imagine just why Sonic had thrown up blood. Whether it had been from some internal injury or a random bout of cannibalism, all Shadow knew was that he didn't need to entertain any more thoughts of what Sonic might have done.
It was obvious that even now, Sonic was trying to atone for something he may or may not have done. The hero always tried to do what was right, no matter how condemning it was. If it was to ease his own guilty conscious or rectify a broken part of Sonic's moral code the agent didn't know, nor did he care to find out. He was interested only in finding out the truth and hopefully clearing Sonic's name so they wouldn't have to go through the hassle of an arrest.
"I'll take you in if it's necessary, but there's no point in thinking about it now," Shadow eyed the hero as he made strides for the door; "We'll deal with the rest later." He waited impatiently, crossed striped arms over the tuft of fur on his chest as he eyed Sonic, "Coming?"
As Sonic stood, his knees felt weak from both the guilt and the horror that this was all frighteningly real. He made his way quietly over to Shadow, his ears still pinned back and his eyesight stuck on the floor. He finally looked up as he left the house. A dark glare came over his face, one that was more akin to Shadow's looks as he gazed at the sunny skies and the beautiful weather. Anger welled up in his chest; anger at the world for being so gorgeous after Sonic had (possibly) committed murder, and anger at himself for whatever the hell was running through his mind at the time for him to even have an inkling of a desire to hurt someone.
"Am I a psycho?" he looked at Shadow as the other closed the door, and although this may have sounded slightly humorous, it was spoken without jest. "If this really is a nightmare, Sonic, feel free to wake up at anytime!"
He turned away from Shadow before he could receive an answer, taking off in the direction he came. He was happy at least that his footprints didn't leave a bloody trail, that some part of his body wasn't covered with blood.
Shadow tore off after Sonic and caught up. He kept pace with the other, feeling somewhat disturbed by Sonic's question. The flat and lackluster way the hero had spoken sent an odd sense of foreboding down Shadow's belly. He wasn't used to seeing Sonic so... lifeless. The dark agent kept pace with him as they ran out of Shadow's apartment complex. They kept moving past the city limits and into the surrounding forest where eventually Sonic gradually slowed down to a jog.
Shadow stood a distance away while Sonic poked around the area for a moment before visibly recoiling. The dark hedgehog walked closer to investigate and a mound of disturbed leaves with smears of blood coating the dead plants.
"This is the area," Shadow confirmed. It was more of a statement than a question as he crouched near the area.
Sonic took the lead first, even if he knew something horrible was bound to come up in his search. It only took a few minutes for him to dig through the brush and find something he didn't want to see, jumping back to see blood coating the foliage on the ground. He tried to concentrate on his breathing as Shadow crouched to investigate, trying to repeat 'It will be okay,' as a mantra in his rushing thoughts as he stepped past the other to continue. His breathing increased as more disturbed leaves became apparent, becoming more abundant and bloodier the more he moved forward.
In the quiet of the area, the sound of Sonic giving a strained up chuck could be heard from where Shadow was standing. His body couldn't help itself, trying to vomit despite nothing else being left in his stomach, only thick strings of saliva being the outcome. Sonic came across a long, winding trail of blood, which still appeared wet due to the amount saturating the ground. The sight made him ill and weak, and he turned away as he composed himself and wipe his mouth across his arm. The trail appeared to wind down a steep incline, which would mean the two would have to make their way down to see what the path held.
One of Shadow's ears swiveled over to Sonic where he could clearly make out the soft sounds of the hero's dry heaving. He turned to see what had upset the other in such a way, ruby eyes following a trail of heavily mussed up leaves and soft dirt that had been soaked through with blood. Slowly his gaze followed it down the steep hill.
Whatever was on the bottom was well out of plain sight. Shadow got up to stand near Sonic's trembling form. He took in how pale the hedgehog was underneath his deep cobalt fur and settled a gloved hand on the thick bark of a nearby tree. He looked at the thick path of blood and the disturbed vegetation, his stomach plummeting down to his feet. There were clear signs of a struggle... The scene was incriminating and damning if nothing else.
Shadow frowned as he turned towards the agitated form of Sonic. The proud hedgehog wasn't looking very well, not that Shadow really blamed him considering their circumstance. He cleared his throat to gain the other's attention and looked at him rigidly, "Maybe you should stay here while I take a look around." He suggested.
If Sonic really had killed an innocent person, the amount of blood loss and disturbed wildlife suggested the attack had been... rather violent and brutal. Shadow very much doubted Sonic would want to see the condition of body – or what was left of it.
Sonic clung desperately to a tree, digging his nails into the thick bark as Shadow joined his side, his breathing ragged. He refused to look back at him, tears welling up in those big jade eyes, rolling freely down his face. He nodded solemnly all while still refusing to look back at the other, agreeing with the idea.
"Go," he did not want Shadow to see him like this, his shoulders hunched over as his head hung. He used his gloved hand to wipe the tears quickly from his muzzle. Sickened wasn't even the proper word to describe his current feelings, knowing very well what that thick trail of blood meant, the stark crimson like a route to whatever lay at the bottom of the hill.
'I'm so fucked,' Sonic cursed internally, his mind racing. 'What have I done.' He waited for Shadow to leave, praying he was out of ear shot when he fell to his knees and sobbed, his tail going between his legs like the frightened animal he was.
Shadow cautiously made his way down the hill, careful not to disturb the surrounding area any more than it already had been. He crept his way down with practiced ease and looked around. The morbid trail lead off to the side, where a thicket of bushes were gathered. Apparently whatever Sonic had gotten his hands on had curled up behind there to die in peace.
Dread coursed through Shadow as his feet automaticallylead him over towards the bushes. He could barely hear over the pounding of his own heart as he settled gloved hands on the brambles and pushed them apart, exposing the torn and curled up body below the vegetation.
Shadow's face settled into stone and a mix of emotions hit him all at once.
"Hey Faker, get down here," Shadow shouted, his voice sounding strange to even his ears, "You need to see this!"
The wait was deadly, Sonic still on his knees as his thoughts were frantic. What was Shadow going to find down there? After so, how was he going to even look at Sonic? The thought of Shadow's reaction was making him ill again, and he fought not to up chuck as he heard Shadow call for the hero to join him.
He used the tree for support as he stood on his thin and shivering legs, making his way down the incline, having a bit of trouble as he shivered violently due to his nerves. He followed the bloody trail, his heartbeat the only sound in his ears as he made his way closer and closer to Shadow, watching him stare down at what he assumed to be the body.
He took a deep breath and leaned over Shadow's shoulder, his face falling at what he saw.
It was a deer; the throat was torn out brutally, a pool of thick blood underneath it staining a good portion of the fawn fur. One of its legs was highly mangled as well, and large claw marks had skimmed their way down its side. It was dead, and probably had been for a little while, its large, black eyes lifeless as it stared at nothing.
"It's…" Sonic continued to lean over Shadow, his eyes studying the corpse for a while. "It's a deer. I don't eat deer." He looked over at Shadow with confusion, blinking; but to say the least, the weight that had been lifted off his chest felt absolutely to die for. "I couldn't have killed that! Look… Look at those wounds!"
A rather wicked smirk flitted across Shadow's face as he eyed the confused racer, "Tsk, hunting down poor feral animals, hasn't Bambi been through enough yet?" He surveyed the rather broken looking corpse, "I don't suppose you want to contact its family, do you?" He quirked a skeptical eyeridge.
Now that Sonic's fears had been put to rest, Shadow felt more than inclined to grill Sonic over this. After all, Shadow had probably gone into early cardiac arrest about three times since the frantic Sonic had first arrived at his den covered in blood. It didn't explain how Sonic had gotten here or even why he had a mouthful of deer blood down his throat. That could have been a result of many reasons, and for now Shadow was simply relieved to know that Sonic hadn't killed anyone.
He hadn't even killed the deer. That much was obvious by the massive wounds inflicted on the deer. And it wasn't just on the poor animal alone. Large and vicious looking claw marks were scored deeply into the trunks of nearby trees. There were dug up ditches and trenches, probably done by something strong and heavy – most likely by the same beast that had been hunting the deer.
Apparently the beast had been marking out its territory and hunting grounds. Shadow observed the area, his gaze drifting around. He tore his attention away and looked over at Sonic, a smirk pulling at his lips as he remembered that he wasn't through teasing the other.
"Shut up," Sonic gave a gentle push to the other, no power behind it. His smile came back a bit for a moment, and he tried to suppress a blush. Shadow without a doubt was not going to let him live this down, so automatically he resorted to defending himself through playful banter. "Excuse me for freaking out when I saw myself covered in blood."
He pulled away from the hedgehog to step over the bloody debris, moving towards the deer's limp form. For some reason, his stomach still flipped uncomfortably. He ignored it, just thinking it was his nerves, studying the lifeless body before him. 'What a waste,' sounded through his mind, and a weird look came over his face. He didn't know where the thought came from, and he quietly kneeled in front of the creature to get a better look at the damage done.
"Jeez," he made a grimacing face. "Whatever killed this did a good job. But… why was I covered in blood?" he looked back at Shadow. "Maybe I was trying to stop it, get in the middle? But that doesn't even explain my black out!" he stood up, walking further into the wreckage of whatever did this, examining the deep claw marks afflicting one of the damaged trees. "Poor tree; what was this thing? It must be big."
"Whatever this thing was, it's probably the reason you were knocked out," Shadow settled a hand on the base of one of the torn up trees. He touched the clawed up area, looking with interest as he fit his hand in the claw marks, "It looks like you came out better than your 'victim' did." He quirked an eyeridge, "I can only assume he wasn't hungry, or didn't find hedgehogs that appealing."
He smirked wickedly at Sonic and began to walk back up the incline, "Now that this particular brand of hysteria is over, let's get out of here. As much as I love tromping around in ankle deep deer-blood, I think I'd rather get out of here."
"Yeah, after that whole joyful experience, I need a nap." The brilliant, bright smile that Sonic usually dawned flashed across his muzzle despite him still looking weary. After all the panic had melted away, his exhaustion was returning, but this was not going to deter him from his usually up beat personality.
He moved up the hill behind Shadow, and for once, he took his time as he appreciated life. As he reached the top of the hill, he took a deep breath, ignoring the blood scattering the ground. Even though the forest scene was a depressing sight, he couldn't help but feel such relief at the fact he hadn't murdered anyone, which lead to the fact that he wasn't insane, and concluded that he wouldn't need to make a trip to the police station tonight.
'Still,' thought Sonic. 'Poor deer.' At Shadow's comment on the creatures dislike for hedgehogs, his kind smile turned into a playful smirk.
"Oh, faker," he couldn't help himself, having the desire to tease of course. "This is me we're speaking about, not you. He just must have been full."
"But yeah, I've had my fill of the forest today; actually, for a few days, if you believe it or not." He sighed deeply as the two hedgehogs made their way out of the forest, and Sonic trailed a bit behind Shadow. He hesitantly put a hand on the other's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "Shadow," Sonic paused. "Faker, I guess I owe you a thank you… Or an apology for getting you so worried." He sneered once more, hoping the small joke towards the end distracted the other from the pink that was threatening to make itself noticed. He was now realizing just how worked up he appeared when he ran to the other for help.
Shadow rolled his eyes and shrugged off Sonic's hand so he could continue to walk unhindered. He was feeling no small amount of relief that Sonic was back to his bouncy and playful self. Shadow had been getting unnerved by the blank stare in the normally lively jade eyes, "I wasn't concerned, Faker." He denied, despite the fact that he had been extremely so – not that Sonic needed to know that particular detail.
An eyeridge arched towards Sonic and he sighed as they both took their time walking through the woods to get back into familiar territory, "You should probably find something to eat. You vomited everything else in your stomach. Out of worry, no doubt," Shadow shot back.
He looked up at the sunlight peeking through the thick foliage of the trees and wondered if that creature was still running around. Shadow would not relish the prospect of running into it while hungry. If it could knock Sonic out, which was their current theory why the hedgehog couldn't remember what happened, Shadow would not care to fight it.
Not that he couldn't outmatch that Faker if he wanted to, it would just put a cramp on his day. Although Sonic was right. If the creature was really hungry, it would probably aim to eat his rival before Shadow, assuming it could work its way through their spines.
He dismissed the thoughts with the slight shake of his head as he turned his gaze towards Sonic, surveying the other to see if he actually was alright.
Sonic let out a joyful laugh at the teasing, not at all bothered that Shadow shrugged his hand off, his laughter a wonderful sound compared to his past sobbing a few moments ago. "It's alright Shads, I know you were, you just need to be the Big, Bad Faker." He winked at the other, the light in his eyes blinding as the pain in his chest from before completely dissolved.
He was ready to run, dying to despite him feeling a bit tired, still speaking happily despite the insult Shadow threw towards him. "Stop trying to direct attention from the anxiety you felt for me, Shadow, it's totally not working." At this comment, he pulled ahead a bit as he expertly jogged backwards for a couple of strides, grinning tauntingly at the other; a ball breaker 'til the end.
He turned back to walk properly, his thoughts basically mimicking Shadow's. Just what type of beast caused that? He imagined a ruthless one, Sonic relieved he wasn't the cause of the deer's lost life. He thought back to Shadow's comment on his vomiting with a bit of a sideways look towards the other, but it brought up the fact he had thrown up blood; how the hell did that happen? Sonic planned on finding out just what had inhabited this forest if whatever it was planned on turning up again; he just hoped it was some pack of wild dogs or something.
'When did Station Square ever have wild dogs?' He blinked and ignored this thought, hoping that this was just some freak occurrence, that it was nothing to worry about as he had a bit of a happy bounce in his step as he trailed in front of Shadow.
Shadow eyed the excited hedgehog, unable to believe this was the same Mobian who had been seconds away from having a mental break down just a few minutes ago.
"Think what you will, there's no use reasoning with that thick skull of yours anyway," He said finally, in no hurry to quicken his pace. He cast one final look behind him as they reached civilization, watching the rapidly disappearing shapes of trees in the distance.
"Ah faker, that's the beauty of it," Sonic too looked behind him for a moment, despite feeling something irk him deep in his stomach; he tried not to think there was unfinished business left behind in the forest. "I don't think so—I know so."
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We'd like to thank Illumini for beta reading our work. (: Questions, comments,and critique is appreciated by the both of us!
-Floofie&Scuzzle