[WOO! I FINALLY got the 180th emblem for SA2. Because I am so overjoyed, I am uploading Chapter Six early. Enjoy!!]
PROJECT: Nightmare
Chapter Six: The Secret of White Island
North and east of Station Square lay a lush, green isle known fondly as White Island. Everyone knew about it, yet no one ever went there, except to stray on the beaches, never venturing past the shore. That was fine with the Chao.
Laying towards the center of the island was a paradise called Chao World, where Chao of all shapes, sizes, ages and colours gathered to live in harmony, while having the occasional friendly race.
The secret of this island lay within Chao World, inside the basic garden. It was a small, pretty place, with a lake, a waterfall, a field to play in, a hill to roll on, two Everlasting Nut Trees, and a spaceous cave to hide in when it rained. This garden was the current home of seven Chao - and a hedgehog.
Shadow the Hedgehog sat underneath the waterfall in front of the cave, letting the water splash on his forehead. Drops of water soaked in his fur; the rest sliding down his face and wetting the back of his hands. He sat with his eyes closed, contemplating to himself.
It had been seven months and 10 days since he had landed in the chao garden after falling from the ARK. His hyper form had lasted until after he entered the earth's atmosphere, but he still suffered many windburns and scars from the fall. He was surprised that many of his wounds had actually healed, but in this garden, anything is possible.
There were seven Chao for a reason. They were all neutral-coloured Chao, but each had a different coloured Chao thing (the little ball above its head) to represent one of the Chaos Emeralds. Shadow had even given them nicknames. The red Chao was Flame; the turquoise Chao was Wave; the green Chao was Emerald; the purple Chao was Violet; the yellow Chao was Sunny; the silver Chao was Shimmer, and the blue Chao was Cobalt. Each had their own personalities and healing properties, but when brought together...
Shadow remembered that day as if he had lived it that morning....
He was falling, and burning, oh the burn! It seemed to last forever. Suddenly, the falling stopped. As he hit the ground, he felt something round and squishy slap his back before he made impact on harder ground, though it was soft grass, so it could've been worse.
The squishy thing went flying. Shadow weakly opened his eyes and saw the beautiful surroundings, hoping he had gone to Heaven. But an angry blue Chao with a yellow ball told him otherwise. The Chao shouted something to him in an unintelligible language and kicked his side.
As light as the kick was, it still caused an unbearable amount of pain to the weakened Shadow. The Chao gasped in shock, not knowing that Shadow had been injured. She turned her head and shouted something in her language again, and before Shadow could blink, he was surrounded by seven Chao, including the one he had fallen on.
They started to chant. The Chao things atop their heads began to turn white. They glowed brightly and their chanting grew louder. Shadow had to close his eyes; it was too bright! He felt a strange warmth envelope him, and very quickly he relaxed.
The next morning he awoke fully healed.
The Chao healed him. Their chaos properties healed him. And it had been seven months and ten days since it happened.
At times Shadow wished they didn't heal him, that they had left him for dead; or better yet, that he could've landed somewhere where nothing could find him. More than anthing he just wanted to die. But he had been cursed with the gift of immortality. Something he always found ironic. "It's ironic how I can live forever, and I just want to die; yet there are so many mortals who would do anything to have my gift."
But when he thought about it, life in the Chao garden was kinda like being dead. No one knew that he was still alive, and life in the garden was very peaceful. He had everything he could want: the Chao kept him company; in fact Sunny, his complete Chao opposite, was his best friend. The two nut trees provided food, and the cave kept them warm on rainy nights.
Sometimes, however, with seven Chao and a hedgehog, two trees didn't seem to be enough. There were seeds scattered all over White Island, but the Chao didn't like to leave their gardens unless it was absolutely necessary. It was up to Shadow to collect the seeds for them. On a good day he could find about 10 seeds.
He hoped today would be a good day, because Sunny interrupted his train of thought to show him the seed basket was almost empty. She squeaked and dragged him inside the cave, pointing frantically.
He chuckled. "Okay, okay... get me my sack, and I'll get right on it!"
Flame walked to the other side of the cave and picked up a small reddish-orange bag. It had one carry strap, which Shadow flung over his shoulder. The bag sat on his opposite hip. He used this sack to carry the seeds. He made sure it was empty. "Hey look!" He held out his hand to Sunny. "I found two more."
She squeaked at him.
He sighed. "I can't win with you, can I?"
She giggled, shook her head, and raised her arms.
He picked her up and gave her a quick cuddle. "Aww... I love you too, but I really got to get moving if I want to be back before nightfall." He set her down and walked out of the cave. Grabbing a nut to munch on as a snack, he waved to the rest of the Chao and left.
The Chao became nervous whenever Shadow left the garden. At first they thought he may never come back. Now their fear was that someone may try to attack them. See, getting the seeds was something the Chao asked him to do. Protecting them was Shadow's own choice. While he didn't care for living, the Chao did what they could to save him from death, plus they cared for him and tended to his wounds. In turn for their care, he became their protectorate. While no evil forces had ever tried to come into Chao World, in case they did try, Shadow vowed to be there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh, here's a good one."
Shadow picked up another seed and put in his his sack. "That's four already. Not a bad haul so far." He looked around for more.
After searching for another half-hour with no luck, Shadow sat down on a log. He usually found plenty of seeds in this area. He looked around and noticed a bush. On the other side of that bush was an area he had never been in before. And luck have it, there were dozens of seeds scattered around! "How perfect." He made his way through the brush and into a new area.
There were many many trees, as there were all around the island. But here, there was a small patch of woods without trees, and a pond. Shadow took in the area, smelling the sweet air, and then went back to his work of gathering food for his friends.
*snap*
Shadow froze. A twig snapped. He looked at his feet. It wasn't him. Someone else was in the forest, right near where he was standing. He kept his breathing slow, so as not to be discovered. He head the sound of laughing, and talk of revenge. (Strange...) Shadow thought, (That person sounds a lot like me.)
Shadow kept on his guard, looking around for signs of another being. There was another snap, but it was in the distance. Shadow exhaled and went back to picking up seeds.
He found a Tasty Seed right near the bush. "Great. The Chao love these." As he reached over to pick it up, he looked throught the branches of the bush and noticed something moving. A closer peer and he was able to see that it was coming closer.
Shadow bit his lip. He had to do something. He had to hide. (Oh shit, oh shit... what do I do?) Shadow looked around. "Aha!" He knew what to do.
He jumped in the pond.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Heh heh heh heh... those idiots will learn to mess with me."
*splash*
Nightmare stopped in his tracks. "What was that?" He ran through a bush and noticed harsh ripples on the pond. He leaned over to see in. "Hmm.... nothing down there but my reflection..." He frowned. "Are my cheeks that big?" He stood up and headed back to his home, prodding his face. "Maybe I should lay off the cheeze puffs...."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shadow held his breath as he looked up. He tried not to gasp when he looked at the person outside the pond. He looked like him!! Shadow thought quickly and decided to use this to his advantage, and mimicked the movements of the person outside the pond. Then the other being walked away.
Slowly, very slowly, Shadow resurfaced, dumbfounded. "He... he looked just like me!! Oh well. That made pretending to be his reflection easy." He climbed out of the pond carefully, so as not to make a sound. Up ahead, on a very small path, the other black hedgehog was walking, poking his cheek. Shadow had to grin. Hey, he had to hold his breath somehow...
Shadow was about to follow this other hedgehog when he remembered about the Chao. Hedgehog, Chao, hedgehog, Chao... well, he'd follow until he knew where this imposter was going. Slowly, Shadow crept along behind his "twin", ducking behind from tree to bush and back again, until the hedgehog stopped.
He looked around to make sure no one was watching. Then he walked to a tree - a very BIG tree - and pulled on a vine. Part of the bark slid back, revealing a staircase that went underground. The hedgehog walked inside and pulled on another vine, dissapearing behind the bark-door that slid back into place.
This was all very intruguing to Shadow. He walked around the tree, looking for a special marking other than it's immense size. He found part of the bark carved off, into the shape of a chicken egg. "No..."
He was back.
He was here.
"Eggman..."
Why here?
Why now?
"He's returned..." Shadow felt the sack of seeds resting on his hip.
A gasp.
"The Chao!"
He's too close.
He might find them!
Then what?
"No... oh my God, no!!" Shadow turned and ran back the way he came. What might Eggman want with the Chao, if anything at all? Whether he was going to use them or not, he still had a vow to keep. Shadow hurried his way back to Chao World, hoping wishing praying, that they would be alright when he returned.
PROJECT: Nightmare
Chapter Six: The Secret of White Island
North and east of Station Square lay a lush, green isle known fondly as White Island. Everyone knew about it, yet no one ever went there, except to stray on the beaches, never venturing past the shore. That was fine with the Chao.
Laying towards the center of the island was a paradise called Chao World, where Chao of all shapes, sizes, ages and colours gathered to live in harmony, while having the occasional friendly race.
The secret of this island lay within Chao World, inside the basic garden. It was a small, pretty place, with a lake, a waterfall, a field to play in, a hill to roll on, two Everlasting Nut Trees, and a spaceous cave to hide in when it rained. This garden was the current home of seven Chao - and a hedgehog.
Shadow the Hedgehog sat underneath the waterfall in front of the cave, letting the water splash on his forehead. Drops of water soaked in his fur; the rest sliding down his face and wetting the back of his hands. He sat with his eyes closed, contemplating to himself.
It had been seven months and 10 days since he had landed in the chao garden after falling from the ARK. His hyper form had lasted until after he entered the earth's atmosphere, but he still suffered many windburns and scars from the fall. He was surprised that many of his wounds had actually healed, but in this garden, anything is possible.
There were seven Chao for a reason. They were all neutral-coloured Chao, but each had a different coloured Chao thing (the little ball above its head) to represent one of the Chaos Emeralds. Shadow had even given them nicknames. The red Chao was Flame; the turquoise Chao was Wave; the green Chao was Emerald; the purple Chao was Violet; the yellow Chao was Sunny; the silver Chao was Shimmer, and the blue Chao was Cobalt. Each had their own personalities and healing properties, but when brought together...
Shadow remembered that day as if he had lived it that morning....
He was falling, and burning, oh the burn! It seemed to last forever. Suddenly, the falling stopped. As he hit the ground, he felt something round and squishy slap his back before he made impact on harder ground, though it was soft grass, so it could've been worse.
The squishy thing went flying. Shadow weakly opened his eyes and saw the beautiful surroundings, hoping he had gone to Heaven. But an angry blue Chao with a yellow ball told him otherwise. The Chao shouted something to him in an unintelligible language and kicked his side.
As light as the kick was, it still caused an unbearable amount of pain to the weakened Shadow. The Chao gasped in shock, not knowing that Shadow had been injured. She turned her head and shouted something in her language again, and before Shadow could blink, he was surrounded by seven Chao, including the one he had fallen on.
They started to chant. The Chao things atop their heads began to turn white. They glowed brightly and their chanting grew louder. Shadow had to close his eyes; it was too bright! He felt a strange warmth envelope him, and very quickly he relaxed.
The next morning he awoke fully healed.
The Chao healed him. Their chaos properties healed him. And it had been seven months and ten days since it happened.
At times Shadow wished they didn't heal him, that they had left him for dead; or better yet, that he could've landed somewhere where nothing could find him. More than anthing he just wanted to die. But he had been cursed with the gift of immortality. Something he always found ironic. "It's ironic how I can live forever, and I just want to die; yet there are so many mortals who would do anything to have my gift."
But when he thought about it, life in the Chao garden was kinda like being dead. No one knew that he was still alive, and life in the garden was very peaceful. He had everything he could want: the Chao kept him company; in fact Sunny, his complete Chao opposite, was his best friend. The two nut trees provided food, and the cave kept them warm on rainy nights.
Sometimes, however, with seven Chao and a hedgehog, two trees didn't seem to be enough. There were seeds scattered all over White Island, but the Chao didn't like to leave their gardens unless it was absolutely necessary. It was up to Shadow to collect the seeds for them. On a good day he could find about 10 seeds.
He hoped today would be a good day, because Sunny interrupted his train of thought to show him the seed basket was almost empty. She squeaked and dragged him inside the cave, pointing frantically.
He chuckled. "Okay, okay... get me my sack, and I'll get right on it!"
Flame walked to the other side of the cave and picked up a small reddish-orange bag. It had one carry strap, which Shadow flung over his shoulder. The bag sat on his opposite hip. He used this sack to carry the seeds. He made sure it was empty. "Hey look!" He held out his hand to Sunny. "I found two more."
She squeaked at him.
He sighed. "I can't win with you, can I?"
She giggled, shook her head, and raised her arms.
He picked her up and gave her a quick cuddle. "Aww... I love you too, but I really got to get moving if I want to be back before nightfall." He set her down and walked out of the cave. Grabbing a nut to munch on as a snack, he waved to the rest of the Chao and left.
The Chao became nervous whenever Shadow left the garden. At first they thought he may never come back. Now their fear was that someone may try to attack them. See, getting the seeds was something the Chao asked him to do. Protecting them was Shadow's own choice. While he didn't care for living, the Chao did what they could to save him from death, plus they cared for him and tended to his wounds. In turn for their care, he became their protectorate. While no evil forces had ever tried to come into Chao World, in case they did try, Shadow vowed to be there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh, here's a good one."
Shadow picked up another seed and put in his his sack. "That's four already. Not a bad haul so far." He looked around for more.
After searching for another half-hour with no luck, Shadow sat down on a log. He usually found plenty of seeds in this area. He looked around and noticed a bush. On the other side of that bush was an area he had never been in before. And luck have it, there were dozens of seeds scattered around! "How perfect." He made his way through the brush and into a new area.
There were many many trees, as there were all around the island. But here, there was a small patch of woods without trees, and a pond. Shadow took in the area, smelling the sweet air, and then went back to his work of gathering food for his friends.
*snap*
Shadow froze. A twig snapped. He looked at his feet. It wasn't him. Someone else was in the forest, right near where he was standing. He kept his breathing slow, so as not to be discovered. He head the sound of laughing, and talk of revenge. (Strange...) Shadow thought, (That person sounds a lot like me.)
Shadow kept on his guard, looking around for signs of another being. There was another snap, but it was in the distance. Shadow exhaled and went back to picking up seeds.
He found a Tasty Seed right near the bush. "Great. The Chao love these." As he reached over to pick it up, he looked throught the branches of the bush and noticed something moving. A closer peer and he was able to see that it was coming closer.
Shadow bit his lip. He had to do something. He had to hide. (Oh shit, oh shit... what do I do?) Shadow looked around. "Aha!" He knew what to do.
He jumped in the pond.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Heh heh heh heh... those idiots will learn to mess with me."
*splash*
Nightmare stopped in his tracks. "What was that?" He ran through a bush and noticed harsh ripples on the pond. He leaned over to see in. "Hmm.... nothing down there but my reflection..." He frowned. "Are my cheeks that big?" He stood up and headed back to his home, prodding his face. "Maybe I should lay off the cheeze puffs...."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shadow held his breath as he looked up. He tried not to gasp when he looked at the person outside the pond. He looked like him!! Shadow thought quickly and decided to use this to his advantage, and mimicked the movements of the person outside the pond. Then the other being walked away.
Slowly, very slowly, Shadow resurfaced, dumbfounded. "He... he looked just like me!! Oh well. That made pretending to be his reflection easy." He climbed out of the pond carefully, so as not to make a sound. Up ahead, on a very small path, the other black hedgehog was walking, poking his cheek. Shadow had to grin. Hey, he had to hold his breath somehow...
Shadow was about to follow this other hedgehog when he remembered about the Chao. Hedgehog, Chao, hedgehog, Chao... well, he'd follow until he knew where this imposter was going. Slowly, Shadow crept along behind his "twin", ducking behind from tree to bush and back again, until the hedgehog stopped.
He looked around to make sure no one was watching. Then he walked to a tree - a very BIG tree - and pulled on a vine. Part of the bark slid back, revealing a staircase that went underground. The hedgehog walked inside and pulled on another vine, dissapearing behind the bark-door that slid back into place.
This was all very intruguing to Shadow. He walked around the tree, looking for a special marking other than it's immense size. He found part of the bark carved off, into the shape of a chicken egg. "No..."
He was back.
He was here.
"Eggman..."
Why here?
Why now?
"He's returned..." Shadow felt the sack of seeds resting on his hip.
A gasp.
"The Chao!"
He's too close.
He might find them!
Then what?
"No... oh my God, no!!" Shadow turned and ran back the way he came. What might Eggman want with the Chao, if anything at all? Whether he was going to use them or not, he still had a vow to keep. Shadow hurried his way back to Chao World, hoping wishing praying, that they would be alright when he returned.