Shadow trudged through the dark, vast overgrown woodlands. He crunched against the leaves and sticks on the forest floor, staggering and stumbling forward. He could barely keep moving one leg in front of the other. His exhaustion was overpowering.
But he had to keep moving forward. His life depended on it.
"How did this even happen?" Shadow thought. "Who could have done something like this?"
His breath was ragged. The icy air clogged his lungs and made them burn. Thin, frosty smoke escaped his mouth with every desperate gasp for air. He winced, squeezing his eyes shut as the wind nipped and bit him in his face.
He didn't even know if he was going the right way. He felt like he was walking in circles, always passing the same plants and trees. His body felt numb and weak. He was afraid that at any given moment, he would just give out.
But then, this would be all his fault.
The dead weight he uplifted was draining. He could feel his blood flowing down his shoulder and staining the white fur on his chest. The lifelessness of his body interrogated him. The only motivation he had to keep going..was a soft heartbeat. But it grew fainter and slower as time passed.
"Don't die on me dammit!" Shadow said, voice breaking. His could feel his resolve falter, and emotions overwhelmed him.
"Just hold on….hold on."
Shadow sat on a grassy slope in the middle of an open field. He held one knee close to his soft chest, and the other was outstretched, blanketing the grassland. He leaned his back onto the stoney texture of a boulder, shifting his weight into a comfortable position.
He took a deep breath, intaking the fresh, enticing scents that surrounded him. The smell of ferns and pines along with lavender and sandalwood danced around in his nostrils. It was comforting, especially after a long day.
He had been on mission after mission with no breaks for almost two months now. He was burnt out, though he didn't show it. He has been on 12 hour graveyard shifts with only a 5 hour sleep schedule. Sometimes, it was 3, depending on conditions.
It gave him peace to know that today was his last day for a while. The President gave him much needed time off. He finally had a chance to recuperate and sleep in. He sighed heavily, as if releasing a burden.
Yes, there was rest and relaxation in the future. But he didn't want his mind to roam ahead of time. For now, he wanted to enjoy this view, and savor his reasoning for coming here.
He looked out at the burning star that slowly dipped into the horizon. It painted the sky, bold and bright with yellow and orange. White, thin clouds floated easily across the sky. Beneath the art in the sky, a beautiful, glistening ocean shimmered. The amber streaks from the sun reflected onto the usual blue sea. Sparkling waves crashed up and rippled. Sea birds soared over the water, then dove down, sending glittering droplets into the atmosphere. The sound of the ocean waves, the birds singing, and crickets chirping molded together into a single, tranquil ambience.
Shadow felt his eyes flutter close. A soft, cold breeze flowed through his quills, and circled around him. The trees swayed in the wind; their leaves broke off their restraints, and sailed free, being carried by the strong gusts. One of which landed on Shadow's muzzle, as if planting a small kiss, before being carried off once more.
The colors in the sky faltered as the sun continued its descent. The peachy colors tucked themselves away, and soon disappeared without a trace. A gentle midnight blue rose in its place, taking on the responsibility to cover the sky and make way for the night.
The wind blew again, crisp, but colder. It sliced into Shadow's fur, and chilled his bones. He shivered, before realizing that he had accidentally dozed off. He took it as his cue to go. He rose up and stretched. He brushed off any stray pieces of grass and dirt, then rubbed one of his ruby eyes.
He moved to abandon his spot and make his way back home. However, he paused when he thought he heard something. It was faint, but it sounded like an explosion. He turned around, staring off into the east.
Confirming his suspicions, he could see mixed colors of orange, white, and gray smoke rising up from the trees. He eyed it, cautiously.
It could be nothing too serious, probably just some idiots who over-lit their campfire. But if a fire started at this hour, nobody would be aware of it until at least daybreak. By that time, this entire area will have been engulfed in flames and would possibly spread even further.
He looked over the coast, past the valleys and mountains. His home was away from humanity, and he wouldn't have to worry about fire reaching him. However, this area was close to where his acquaintances lived. If they got hurt or killed in result of a fire, it would have been because of his carelessness. The last thing he needed on his shoulders was more guilt.
Shadow huffed with defeat, subtly believing that he might be overthinking the situation. However, there was no harm in checking it out. He dropped down from the slope, and began to make his way towards the smoke's source.
He skated quickly through the forest trails, ignoring the condition his overworked body was in.
"What the hell am I supposed to do if there is actually a fire?" He thought. "Put it out? How am I supposed to do that without water? Should I go back down to the beach and get some? But I have nothing to put it in. This is idiotic. I'm worrying so much over nothing. Turn back. Call someone else to deal with this. It's their problem. Not mine. Turn back and go to sleep. Turn back you fool. Turn back!"
But for some reason, he kept moving forward. It was as if he was no longer in control his movements. He dodged around bushes and leap over large logs. The smoke was thicker now. It grew more pungent and intoxicating as he drew closer. The intensity burned Shadow's eyes, causing them to water. He squinted, in an attempt to deal with the painful stinging.
He slowed down, placing his arm over his eyes as he continued to move forward. His nose flared, and the scent burned the back of his throat.
Despite everything, he was still moving forward. It was obvious that this wasn't good a sign. But he was still going. What was he even after?
His question was soon answered when he made it into a forest clearing.
He collapsed to his knees, going into a coughing fit. He held his stomach with one hand, and the other was pressed firmly on the ground. He held his head down, feeling like he was about to spontaneously combust. Sweat dripped from his forehead and ran down his chin.
He took another moment to adjust, then looked up in front of him. Though the smoke was thick enough to cut through, Shadow could the bright glow of small fires. They crackled, burning twigs and the dead leaves on the ground. Shadow tilted his head off to the side.
Surely these small flames couldn't have caused all that smoke? Maybe it was something deeper, and this was the part of the forest that was spared.
Shadow squinted, in an attempt to look out at the distance in front of him. He couldn't see anything except for the smo-
Wait a second.
He must have missed it before. It could be his imagination.
Just a foul hallucination from the smoke.
No..there was something there.
In the middle of the clearing, right in the midst of the smoke, a figure was laying down. He could hardly make out what it was.
He straighten himself up, and slowly began to walk forward. He felt weak, having inhaling a good amount of this toxic waste. He could only hope that whatever it was, wasn't looking for a fight. He didn't know he if would be able to save himself.
Shadow paused every few seconds, trying to ease his breathing. But every time this odor entered his lungs, his felt like collapsing. It was a sickening feeling.
Even though it took longer than it should have, Shadow made it. He crouched down in front of the creature, examining it.
Through misty eyes, it was hard to see. However, Shadow could tell that it wasn't a human. It was small, with pointed ears resting on the top of its head. As he took a closer look, he noticed quills covered in soot and dirt rested just short of his knees.
A hedgehog?
Shadow moved to nudge it, but stopped when he realized the familiarity of it. It blurred at first, but Shadow could see that this hedgehog was a darkened shade of blue.
Wait…
Shadow immediately grabbed hold of the creature, and turned it so it faced him. All at once, he felt feelings of despair and disbelief. He tried to avoid the grizzly sight of the condition of this hedgehog. He stared at it closer, hoping to prove himself wrong. His hands trembled as he reached out to touch its face, and instantly his heart dropped.
"S-Sonic?"