Shadow needs to work on his dramatics - you cant just ditch young kids in the hopes of being epic thats just mean
"Push and pull." Shadow directed. "Let your body move naturally; don't force your muscles. Slide through like a leaf on water."
Silver took a deep breath. Raising his arms above his small head, he jankily wobbled his small limbs through the motions the ranger directed. Awkwardly moving around the campsite as he tried to learn the set properly.
It had been a few days since they left the village. The little escapade from the rough road life left the hoglet feeling refreshed and fulfilled. He felt ready to take on the new challenges the world had to offer. All because of his new shoes.
Getting used to the feeling of his shoes was a little tricky, but he was starting to get the hang of it. At first, he felt like wearing shoes was a mistake, then the ranger sat him down and showed him how to lace them up. The once loose and slippery shoes turned tight and grippy, and suddenly the hoglet felt like running a marathon. It was a few days before he learned to lace up himself though. Traveling was much easier with the boots. His feet didn't scrape against rocks or sticks anymore, leaving his feet feeling good as new at the end of the day.
"Glide." Shadow corrected, using his hands to correct the child's stance. "Quit tightening your body and relax."
Silver relaxed, sliding his foot backwards and raising his arm above his head in a graceful arc. His other limb followed, sliding to the left, and pulling back as he continued the moves. A sliding step, another arc, and Shadow opened his mouth to speak.
"You're doing goo-"
Just as his paw slid into position, Silver's balance failed him. With a ugly squawk, he landed square on his face- legs split apart in the most uncomfortable manner. A soft groan filled the air as the hoglet retreated into a pained ball. A hefty sigh escaped the ranger's mouth as the figure crossed his arms.
Pained eyes glared up at the adult. The hoglet couldn't tell what the ranger was feeling behind that emotionless face. It was frustrating. How did Shadow really feel about him? Was every screw up going to a list of failures that he was compiling? Doubt began to creep into the young mind as he looked at himself and then the adult.
"That was a start." Shadow praised bluntly. "Master your balance on the ground, and soon you will be able to balance on sticks.
"Hhrnnngh?" Silver groaned questioningly, looking up at the ranger.
"Balance is your ultimate tool without powers or weapons." Shadow explained. "Shift your opponent off their center and you have the upper hand."
That was uncalled for. Shadow had powers. Better yet - he could control them. Silver had seen the adult fight several times already; each time accompanied by the fast, snappy, and downright effortless use of himself and his abilities. He fought like fire and even used fire stuff to fight too. Now he was talking about not using powers? There was no way that was what he meant. This entire time, the ranger had been trying to get the youngling to use his powers. How in the world did his powers not have something to do with this.
"I can't do it." Silver moaned. "I can't control my powers like you…"
Leather clad hands reached down and uprighted the child. Slowly the adult positioned Silver, placing his feet apart and setting him upright.
"Fluidity is key with your specific power." Shadow continued, ignoring the comment. "Your brain channels through your hands to create psychokinesis."
"Syko ken ess?" Silver asked.
"Psychokinesis." Shadow answered. "The power to move objects with the mind."
Silver plopped himself back on the ground with a pout. Of course this was about powers. Balance and fluidity. Shadow sure talked a lot with very little explanation. Speaking for himself it could hardly move a rock without struggling intensely. Shadow did everything with ease. How could he be even remotely proud of anything the hoglet did. It was like an ant trying to be a human. Just downright out of the question.
"Its impossible." He whined, crossing his arms. "I can't even use this stuff."
A howl echoed through the woods. Golden eyes turned to the sky to show the sun setting behind the trees. Oh great. Shadow lost track of time. If they didn't hurry up soon, those awful beasts would come and snap up a young hoglet for supper. How terrifying.
"Yes you can." Shadow retorted, re-crossing his arms.
"But I can't control my power.." Silver spoke, growing slightly worried about the oncoming night.
"You can." Shadow answered harshly. "But I acknowledge that you are not very good."
"Acknowledge?" The hoglet whispered.
"I'm teaching you things that don't need powers to be useful." Shadow spoke.
"But that's why you choosed me!" Silver whined. "I can't even use it!"
Silver smacked the adult's hands away.
"Silver, you can." Shadow hissed, baring his teeth slightly. "Just trust the process."
"I can't do it!" The child howled. "Without powers I'm not good!"
"Let me teach you a lesson."
Before the hoglet could say anything, the ranger vanished from the campsite. Silver felt the unbearable weight of being alone creep back into his veins for the thousandth time. Adrenaline rushed through the child's body. It was almost dark. The monsters were coming. Did Shadow ditch him? What kind of a lesson was that? Leaving a child alone in the middle of the woods to get eaten, on purpose, was a cruel lesson.
"Climb." Shadow's voice echoed through the trees.
Hesitantly, Silver touched the bark of the nearest tree. When his paws came off clean, he scurried.
Knowing Shadow was carefully observing didn't ease his mind. In fact, it made him even more upset. This wasn't like the times Shadow had run off to gather food and stalkers happened to show up out of the blue, this was intentional. Shadow wanted him to get chased.
Juvenile claws dug into bark and leaf in his desperate pull for the safety of the treetops. Huffing and puffing, he raced on. Trying and reaching for branch after branch after branch.
Alarmingly, his grip slipped, dropping the hoglet. His weight shifted, pulling him down as gravity took its toll. As in reflex, Silver grabbed, claws scraping into bark as he slid paces down the bark. A small squeak broke his lips as he ground to a halt, sitting gently on a branch a good distance off the ground.
"Watch." Shadow commanded from below.
Slowly, the hooded ranger emerged from the bushes. Fingers pressed into the adults mouth as a loud and high pitched whistle flew through the woods. The echoing response of stalkers' howls was enough to make Silver's skin crawl. What on earth was Shadow doing?
The snarling, drooling beasts pounded into the clearing, encircling the adult in a hunger filled ring. Shadow only looked up to the hoglet, slowly sliding his gloves off and stowing them in his pouch. The blood chilling growls hardly drowned out the hooded hedgehog's voice as he spoke.
"You do not need powers to overcome your enemies." He scolded. "I have been showing you the basics of fighting without."
The ranger stood, taking the stance Silver had been taught. With a roar, one of the beasts charged, jaws opened wide to take the adult inside.
"Step, right, step, left, up, down, stop."
Shadow stepped to the side, swiping the stalker's hide with a clawed arc. As a second beast raced towards him, the ranger lept to the left, smoothly ripping his hands across the eyes of the mutated beast. Slipping down, Shadow let a third beast pass overtop as it jumped at him, gracefully running his long claws through the soft underbelly of the creature, spilling its guts and blood. As the fourth beast charged, Shadow swiped his bare hand down, guiding himself through his motions like a leaf upon water. The injured beasts retreated, leaving the others angry and bloodthirsty from the scent of meat.
Silver watched in awe. Shadow was not using his usual quick and snappy movements Instead, the adult adopted a smooth, graceful technique that looked more like a flowing dance than a fight. As the attacks raged on, the hoglet started to recognize the moves Shadow was doing. Stepping and thrusting, pushing and pulling, doing the moves that he had been teaching without using a single spark of power.
The ranger was right. Silver didn't need powers to win a fight. He just needed to know how to move. This wasn't a punishment, this was a demonstration.
Arcing his palm under the chest of a charging stalker, Shadow dropped low, spreading his legs wide for balance as he weaved in between the monster's limbs. Rising behind it with arms stretched out, he stepped, swiped and thrusted; twisting his body and slamming his hand into its ribs with an audible crack. Legs dropped low again as the ranger raised one arm above his head, reaching with the other towards the final beast.
Golden eyes peered on, watching in suspense as the ranger and the monster circled one another. As Shadow stepped towards the beast, the creature turned and fled, leaving behind a small trail of dust as it left.
"You don't need powers to win a fight, Silver." Shadow spoke, standing up and out of the strangely fluid stance he held. "Blindly waving your hands around is going to get you killed regardless of how powerful you are."
Silver slowly crawled down the tree trunk. When his shoes touched the decaying floor of the forest, he felt the ruby eyes turn towards him. Sheepishly, Silver approached the ranger.
"I know you don't have control over your power." Shadow explained. "The lessons I have been teaching you are connected, but seperate."
"...what?" Silver asked ,confusedly grinding his heel into the rotted dirt below.
"Teaching you to control your power comes from the mind. You can't seem to use it without moving your hands, however, so I'm teaching you a fighting style that is appropriate as such." Shadow explained. "This style is useful without powers and is, in fact, mostly used by people who do not have such abilities."
"Oh." Silver exclaimed softly.
"You need to know how to move in order to create a pathway to your power." Shadow continued. "Your power is tied to emotion, and by controlling your body, you can control your feelings."
"And controlling my feelings controls my powers?" Silver asked.
"Yes." Shadow responded. "Teaching you control is two lessons. The mind, and the body."
"Follow my lead."
Taking the starting stance, Shadow stood rigid. Reluctantly, Silver did the same.
"Step, right."
In unison, both hedgehogs took a step forwards and arced their arms right, perfectly mirroring each other's movements. Another step, and arcing left, Shadow slowly guided the hoglet through the kata. Silver slowly followed, copying the basic movements with calm and coolness.
"Breathe." Shadow commanded. "Fuel your mind."
Silver inhaled deeply, slowly arcing his arm across his body to the left. Stepping forwards he slowly moved his arms again. Control the power…
"Think about your body." Shadow spoke, smoothly sliding his boot ahead of him. "Control your body."
Silver closed his eyes. Using his imagination he envisioned himself, moving as Shadow did against those monsters. Pulling his arms through the motions like a leaf upon water. Control is key.
"Very good." Shadow praised monotonously. "Now get some sleep."
