Hey!

Ok, I've been away for a few weeks, so to make up for the absence I'm uploading both the prologue and the first chapter of this story. I've been working on this for a few months now and I hope you enjoy it while I work on Chapter Five of Reticence, which should hopefully be updated next.

These Inhibitors' Flaws is still causing me issues, unfortunately, but I'm working on it, though I might be re-doing the whole thing. Not sure yet. Let me guys know if you'd prefer the old version to be taken down if I do end up re-writing it or if you guys would like it to stay up.

Enjoy the new story!

~Fortune

Prologue

Black boots hit the ground with a muted thud. He could no longer use the trees here to escape and he had to risk running the rest of the way to the other opening of forest. It was a risky move, but the quickest way to get to more cover. The soaked earth was fighting against him and making it almost impossible to cover his tracks. The hooded figure took care to take long strides and leaps, bouncing from the left to the right and back again to confuse anyone stupid enough to still be pursuing him in the torrential rain. It smacked against his face, stinging the scratches along his cheek and nose. He had to pull his hood closer in order to stop the wind from whipping it away from his head. A shiver shook his muddied body, momentarily knocking him off balance and making him stumble in a particularly large puddle. He growled lowly as he felt his legs get splashed, but he continued onwards, stride merely broken momentarily.

His breath came out shallow and raspy, billowing out in front of him, a bitter reminder that the warmer days were behind him. He'd been running for days, but he couldn't stop, not until he was sure he'd shaken every last one of his assailants. They were persistent, that was for sure. Unfortunately for them, so was he.

His cloak helped him to blend into the shadows along the trees, but out on the moor, it was a curse. The silver blades of grass gave away his position and he was all the more aware of the full moon rising to his left. Never had he felt more ashamed of his fur colour. Ordinarily, he'd hate being caked in mud, but the unwanted camouflage helped to conceal his bright fur so that only a few strands caught the light of the moon. Though the patches were few and far between, it was still enough to keep him tense.

Ignoring how his dirty legs cried out in protest, he put on an extra burst of speed as he spotted the tree line on the opposite end of the moor. If he could get to the trees, he'd be able to hide among the branches again and rest his achy body. He hadn't heard any footsteps behind him for a while but, while he abhorred it, he had to follow the code ingrained into him.

Stay low. Stay hidden. Stay patient. Do what you must. Don't stop running. Avoid getting caught atall costs.

He'd been made to repeat these rules over and over and over until it came to him as easily as breathing did. It ensured he didn't slip up. He'd hated having to learn every single one. That last one in particular he despised; the subtle command was only a last precaution but one that he wanted to avoid if he could. He valued his life.

As he crossed the threshold into the trees, he counted the trunks in, 'One, two, three, four…'

There. Five trees into the forest, he readied himself and jumped into the branches of the closest tree, his bow thumping against his chest as he landed, wobbling. He paused for a moment to right himself. From there, he continued to jump through the trees until he was roughly nine trees in. Only after pausing to take in the sounds all around him, his body tensed to the point of agony, did he allow himself to collapse against the branch he had landed on. His chest was on fire, his body was frozen, his limbs were numb and tingly, but he was alive.

With a shuddering sigh his body stilled, dragged into unconsciousness.

"He's been missing for four days, and you bring this up why?"

"Shadow!" The white bat cried in aggravation, "He wouldn't just disappear without telling anyone! What if he's in trouble?"

Shadow rubbed his temples, his partner's pestering starting to give him a migraine, "Yes. But it's only been four days, Rouge. That idiot can take care of himself. He's probably fine." One ruby eye opened to fix the bat with a glare, "Why exactly do you care anyway? Didn't think you two were close."

At that, Rouge shifted uncomfortably. Her dark wings fluttered as she got flustered and her massive ears twitched slightly.

"Not close per se," She began slowly, "But it's still concerning. Besides, Knuckles is getting all worked up because Tails is getting all worked up, hence making me worked up by default!" She snapped.

"So, you're upset over this because your boyfriend's got himself in a tizzy?" He looked at her pointedly.

Rouge flushed, "He's not my boyfriend!"

She huffed and glared at the wall. The nerve of her partner. Rouge stood with her arms folded over her chest. She took a deep breath and once she had collected herself, she turned back to him with a serious face.

Rouge hummed in thought, "Shadow, don't you think that we should be concerned about this?" Her aquamarine eyes narrowed, "Tails and Knuckles have known Sonic for the longest. If they of all people are worried, then we have the right to be worried to. Knuckles told me he hasn't been answering his communicator either, not even when Tails called him. That's a red flag, Shadow. He always picks up when it's his little brother."

As much as he wanted to disagree, she had a point. It was rather odd for his rival to up and disappear without telling Tails. The two practically lived together with how much time Sonic spent at the young vulpine's house. Not only that, but Rouge was right, for Tails to be so panicked about this it must be something worth looking into. He may not like his counterpart, but even he had to admit that he was good at what he did. If something really had happened to him, the whole world would feel the loss.

He sighed deeply out of his nose, catching the attention of his partner, "Fine. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I wanted to see if you could Chaos Control us to wherever Big Blue is. You know his Chaos signature, right?" Rouge proposed.

"I honestly don't think that will work, but fine." He growled dejectedly.

Shadow reached into his red stiped quills and produced a Chaos Emerald the colour of blood. He felt Rouge grasp his arm as he closed his eyes, focusing on the mystical gem's power. He knew Sonic's unique Chaos signature like the back of his hand. It should be no problem to locate him if he was on the continent, a little harder if he was somewhere else. First, he tried to latch onto his rival's Chaos signature, but the further he reached out with his own Chaos, he couldn't find it. It wasn't even faint it just seemed like it was gone completely. Shadow frowned, obsidian brows creasing in confusion. He must be far away for him to not feel it at all.

He tried again, but still he could not feel it anywhere. Deciding to try one more thing before he gave up completely, he focused on his rival. Usually, to Chaos Control to somewhere using an emerald he'd have to visualise the place he wanted to go. It was possible to go somewhere he hadn't seen but it was a challenge. With no way of knowing where Sonic could be, he attempted instead to do something he'd never tried: focusing on someone instead of someplace.

"Chaos Control!"

It was hard to describe the feeling of what was happening. It almost felt like he was being ripped from his body. He felt weightless. But as soon as the sensation began it was gone. He felt Rouge's hand against his arm and his feet were firmly planted on the floor again. That was not like the Chaos Control he was used to. He didn't open his eyes until he heard his partner gasp beside him.

"You could have warned me!" She grumbled at him.

"Wha-?!"

Thunk.