|chapter two: the tower|

The nice part about staying at the station was that it was quiet compared to his neighborhood he lived in. Granted, the neighborhood was quiet - except for one person in particular, but Shadow was just waiting for that neighbor to either move or die.

He found solace that either one would happen eventually.

The clock said 5 a.m. when he heard a vehicle pull up. He was tying his shoelaces together when Sarah waltzed in, looking half-dead as usual for that early in the morning. Despite being an early bird, she was not a morning talkative person. So, he knew better than to talk unless spoken to.

But there was one thing he wanted prepared before Sonic would arrive within the hour. The sun wasn't up yet, so they'd need flashlights going up the trail for the beginning part, but it made for cooler hours to work. And they were about to be sweating up a storm for the day.

"You - "

"Getting the radio and the map prepared as soon as I set my stuff down." Her groggy voice cut him off sharply, but he knew not to take it personally. She was half-awake as is and was probably barely aware of her environment, much less remembering how she got to work in the first place.

The black hedgehog stood from the chair, shoes tied. He rested his hands on his hips for a moment, watching the female set her bag down in her chair and then disappearing into a room off to the side.

The station wasn't humongous.

It had a welcome center past the vestibule, where Sarah's desk was. Chairs were placed around a coffee table like a waiting room. Their old printer was on Sarah's desk. The desk was long enough that it ran across the room almost entirely, and wrapped around in an 'L' on the left side of the building. The continuous desk ran to the back wall - creating more room for Silver and Blaze to have their own spaces. Two rooms were off to the right - one with their equipment where Sarah ventured sluggishly off to. The other was a break room where Shadow had already poured himself his second cup of coffee.

There was a third room closer to the back, down a narrow hallway, across from their single bathroom they had (which was on the left side of the building behind the reception area). The third room had two beds that were more or less just cots. It also had a small, portable TV, and a heater. Extra equipment was packed into the storage locker in the room. It wasn't much, but it would do. The break room had a full sized fridge, counter space with a sink, and a microwave. So, when Silver or Shadow had to stay, it wasn't like they were in prison. Granted the station's Wi-Fi wasn't the best, but they were up further in the mountains than the rest of the town. And it's not like the town had the best reception either. It made the precariously stacked books on the only nightstand between the cots all the more enjoyable.

Sarah came back shortly with a radio and a map in hand. "They showed their packs to us yesterday. Honestly, Sonic was well prepared. Seems like whenever Amy hikes though, she's either relying on others for stuff, or she's just winging it and getting lucky."

The pink hedgehog raced through Shadow's mind. He frowned a little at the statement. "Well, I'm not going to bank on being lucky every time. Set her up with what she needs by the time she gets here, would ya?"

"Sure thing," Sarah yawned as she set the radio and map on the reception desk. Shadow walked over to her and put his elbows up on the taller side of the desk - where visitors would be. Sarah sat in her chair, slumping into the cushions as her bag fell to the floor.

Shadow could tell from the happy lazy look in her eyes that Sarah was about to say something she really wanted to say - meaning it was either going to be sarcastic or it was going to be to poke fun at Shadow.

"Didn't know you were into younger women, Shadow. If I had known, I would've shot my shot a long time ago."

And there it was.

Shadow rolled his eyes and stood straight, walking away from the woman who was now happy with herself. "Ha. Very funny, Sarah."

"Oh, I'm being serious, Shadow. Completely serious."

He leaned against the door frame of the equipment room, looking across at her. "Oh? You were interested in me?"

"Listen, Shadow. You're hot," she held out her right hand, fingers bent. "She's hot." She held out her left hand, fingers bent as well. "Both of you were getting along last night swimmingly. So, I think it's safe to say that you two are sympatico." She clasped her hands together, her eyes now more awake.

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Alright. So…you and Sonic?"

Sarah whined as she put her head back. "This isn't about my love life, Shadow. We're talking about yours."

"No, no, no. You get the same treatment as me here. You were into him," Shadow noted. "I saw you two last night - "

"My goodness, are you implying you were watching me, Shadow?" Sarah almost seemed to flirt with him, batting her eyes playfully. "You could just ask me out."

"I'll take my chances with Amy first, thanks."

It was only a second later did he realize what he said. His eyes widened as he pointed at Sarah who pointed at him in return - knowing she had just caught him.

"Sarah, no -"

"HA!" She exclaimed, rather loudly, so early in the morning. Shadow had never seen her this awake before. It was almost unsettling.

"Let's make a deal," Sarah hummed as Shadow relaxed against the door frame again.

"Hm?"

"You ask Amy out, and I'll ask Sonic out."

"No. We're coworkers, they're new. Let's not ruin anything just yet. Richwells would question what the hell kind of show I'm running here while he "pretends to run this place"," Shadow did the quotation marks motion with his fingers.

"Nevermind Richwells. Let's take them both out to dinner, you and I together. Then halfway through, we ask if they're enjoying the double date," she grinned widely.

"That's...a worse plan than the first idea, actually." Shadow pointed out, leaning more towards the first idea in all honesty. "Look, Sarah. You feel free to ask Sonic out if they're still here in a month. But I'm going to play it safe."

"Scaredy-cat."

"I am not."

"Hmhm." She smiled knowingly at him before becoming straight-faced. "You thought Amy and Sonic were dating last night, didn't you?"

"It was the first thought that came to mind, but I couldn't be sure," Shadow shrugged. He motioned towards her. "Eventually, I took a guess later in the night that he was more interested in you."

"I could take that guess too."

"Wasn't entirely sure until a minute ago though," he nodded towards her. "Thanks for the confirmation."

"You actually thought Amy was dating Sonic, yet flirting with you? Who flirts with someone else while their boyfriend is right in front of them?"

"Lots of people. Cheaters, mostly," Shadow remarked. "So, I couldn't be too sure. She seems like a sweet girl, though."

"Then ask her out."

There was a pause before he sighed. "Maybe. We'll see. Let's just get through the summer first," he went to go grab his backpack, leaving Sarah in the main area by herself.

But, unfortunately, it was a small building.

"CHICKEN!"

~.~

By the time Amy arrived, Shadow and Sonic were long gone. Sonic had taken his brother's car separately, so Amy could still have time to sleep in or get ready - whatever it was that she did. He figured that he and Shadow might also be working later than her and Blaze, or it might just take longer for hiking in and out each day. So, it seemed like the best idea to drive separately. Amy only agreed because she didn't like the sound of having to show up at the station by 6 in the morning. Something about that didn't appeal to her.

Blaze greeted her warmly, cup of coffee in hand. There was a radio and a map in the other. She handed the pink hedgehog the new equipment. "Sarah set some stuff aside on the coffee table for you to put in your backpack, as well."

Amy gave Sarah a look of gratitude. The sage hedgehog nodded before returning to her computer work.

"Good morning," Amy said to both of them. "Where are we off to today?"

"Well, we need to go up the trail I was on yesterday with the kids. There's a few broken branches on the trail from a bad windy night two days ago. No one notified me earlier until I saw it walking the kids up yesterday," Blaze said in disappointment. "Big enough to be a burden, so they need to be cleared. Then, I figured while we're up there, we can go up to Rainbow Lake. Ever been?"

"No. Most hiking we've done here is on the other side of the lake," Amy remarked as she packed the essentials Sarah had left out for her in her backpack. She left the radio and the map out for now.

"You mentioned your major is now in Marine Biology. I figured we could go up there and check out the lake. The bass are spawning this time of the year up there."

"Really?" Amy didn't want to put her hopes up too high, but something that pointed towards her major was always a plus. "That'd be nice. Thanks."

"No worries," Blaze waved her off. "We do try to teach volunteers more about their majors - if it's something we're familiar with - even if technically, we're all just college students minus Shadow. We do have the experience, which is the nice thing."

"Silver did say something about you being the wildlife and nature guru."

The purple cat let out a small laugh, holding onto the cup with both hands. Her hair was up in a ponytail again as it was the day before, so it did nothing to conceal her blush. "I've taken a couple courses myself - extra classes since I was fifteen. He's kind to say that, but I've been studying for years, even before college."

"It's sweet he does that though," Amy remarked, zipping her backpack closed. She slung it over her shoulders and grabbed the map and radio. "So, when do we leave?"

Blaze looked at her up and down before motioning to the cup of coffee in her hands. "Once I'm finished with this."

~.~

In all honesty, Sonic wasn't sure about the arriving-before-dawn work hours either now.

Maybe Amy had been onto something with the thought of being able to sleep in. Still, the two hedgehogs had trekked up into the forest before coming at a fork in the trail. For the most part, Shadow led the way. Actually, for the whole way. Sonic could barely keep his eyes open at the halfway point. Any adrenaline he had had in the morning, excited about getting to be outdoors for the day, was beginning to wear off.

He stopped short, just behind Shadow before he accidentally bumped him a little. The dark hedgehog didn't seem to care about the small nudge. Sonic backed off a little, looking at the trails in front of them.

The fork was actually three trails. The middle one was so subtle of a trail that Sonic had barely noticed it.

"Is this where the trail technically is closed off currently?"

"Yes," Shadow replied in almost a hushed voice - his breath visible. A few crickets were still chirping every now and then, but other than that, it was quiet. "The one to the right takes you down to Black Creek. You follow it back downstream, you'll end up on another trail that'll take you to the station. It's a longer hike than the trail we took. The trail on the left here takes you up onto the ridge of the mountain - more like a hill compared to all the others around it - up to a place we call Half Point. There's a camp site up there. It'll also meet back onto this trail," he motioned to the one in the middle. "Which will take you to the watchtower."

"So, both of these lead to the tower?"

"Correct. Just Half Point is longer. So, we're cutting across. If we go up, we have a huge incline and then across. The middle just takes us gradually up. The meeting point on the Half Point trail doesn't go all the way to the tower, anyway. This trail does."

"So, Half Point trail is really just a scenic route that turned into the main route when this trail closed."

"Exactly. If we ever have to stay the night to get ahead on this renovation, which is plausible, we'll go up to Half Point and stay there," Shadow motioned. "We can take it back on the way down today so you're familiar with the area a little. It's not terribly longer than the other trail, but I personally like this trail better," he said as he started walking the middle trail. "That and we need to actually make it a trail again."

With that brief educational moment, Sonic did his best to make note of the trails. The posts that stood as markers on the trail were all there, as well. He tiredly trudged after Shadow, hoping they'd be at the tower sooner rather than later. Fortunately, his wish was granted...eventually.

The sun was just poking up over the tallest mountain to their east, behind them. Sonic could see the roof of the watchtower before anything else. His calves only slightly burned - he reminded himself to go on hikes a bit more this summer. Shadow, on the other hand, was practically flying up the mountain. The man knew how to hike, it was clear. Sonic tried to pin down the competitive side of him for the sake of his muscles later.

Once they got up on the saddle of the mountain, Sonic's breath hitched. It was quite a view. Beautiful was the only thing that came to mind. For miles, it was mountainous wilderness - just the kind of world he liked. Shadow didn't let him rest or admire the view for long as his sight was set on the tower. More of it was visible now, and Sonic could see just how dilapidated it was.

Oh, boy. I might have my work cut out for me.

Sonic didn't want to judge Shadow so quickly, but the hedgehog was clearly a mad man. Firstly, he was suddenly Amy's new type of guy - which Sonic could still not wrap his head around. The male seemed too reserved for a girl like Amy. Secondly, he was hiking up the mountains so damn fast, Sonic wondered if he had wings. And lastly, he wanted to renovate an entire fire watch tower in a span of what? A month or two?

Yeah. He's crazy. Perfect for Ames.

"So, that's it?" Sonic tried to sound impressed or at least interested. He most certainly tried to hide his heavy breathing.

"That's it." Trees were further downhill from the tower. The tower was probably only thirty feet up in the air, but it didn't need much height to overlook the valley below it. It was placed just perfectly to view the horizon.

"How old is it? I thought they were made of metal," Sonic asked as they came closer to it. The trail was narrowing as bushes were overgrown onto the path now. He was several steps behind Shadow at that point, but he was keeping pace.

"The newer ones most certainly are. But this one is quite old - all wood. There are several different types of towers existing. This one was the most popular back in the day. It's called an L-4. It was suitable to live in and had windows all the way around," Shadow motioned up to the tower as they got closer to the base of it.

Sure enough, windows were all around the building up at the top. Some of the bays were broken, and the glass would certainly need to be replaced. The wood around the top wasn't as bad as near the base - or Sonic just didn't have the best eyesight to tell. But considering the base didn't have many stairs to begin with anymore and the top did, he figured his thought was at least 60% correct.

"So, we've got to redo the whole thing?"

Shadow cracked a smile a little. The cadet already seemed to be on the brink of running away. It reminded him of the last volunteer, although Sonic was definitely way more prepared for hiking and didn't appear to lack common sense. "More or less. I have a friend in the construction business - he's got connections that'll help us out with both procuring the material we need and the manpower we need to do it."

"Then what exactly are we doing?"

"We're clearing the way for them when the time comes," Shadow replied. "Won't be until late June probably. So, we have plenty of time to clear out all of this overgrown vegetation here," he motioned around.

Some areas made it barely visible to see their own feet. Sonic sighed heavily, not looking forward to the work ahead of them today. Shadow had packed some gear in his pack this morning - tools to help them and such. The cobalt hedgehog slugged off his backpack and set it down near one of the wooden posts in the ground. Shadow followed suit, but stopped shortly.

There, on one of the wooden beams near his arm level were long scratch marks. At first, he figured the wood was splitting.

But those are definitely claw marks… Red eyes narrowed a little as something became painfully clear to his ears.

The air was silent.

No birds chirping. The sunrise is just over that mountain top - they should be chirping by now.

It unsettled him, and he didn't know why. His ears perked up at any sound, but all he could hear was Sonic stumbling around the brush like a newborn deer. He frowned a little as a foul odor wafted into the air. He scrunched his nose and stood straight, looking around. The brush was almost five feet tall in some areas. The only clear area was near the beginning of the stairs to the top of the tower - which were all rotten or completely missing. It would take quite an impressive leap to make it to the first available stair.

Shadow didn't mind the trees around him, but something about this area put him on high alert. Any badger hole or stupid raccoon could be hiding in the brush nearby. Snakes, too. He scowled at the thought of the slithery bastards before turning to the new cadet. "Smell rotten out here to you?"

"I was just gonna say. Did it smell like this yesterday?"

"No," Shadow's voice turned soft as he tried to think back. He hadn't gotten close to the tower yesterday. "I stayed mostly on the trail yesterday, clearing out heavier brush there first."

"Makes sense," Sonic trailed off as he looked around. "Dead animal maybe?"

"Probably." Shadow held his head higher. His nose to the sky, he breathed in the foul smell as the breeze swept through his quills, rustling them to the west. "We must be downhill of it. The wind is coming towards us."

"Well, at least it makes for a nice breeze, no matter the smell," Sonic furrowed his brows and scrunched his nose. He started to take off the light sweater he was wearing. "We'll get used to it, probably. Hopefully."

Shadow's shoulders relaxed at the joke. "Well, if you need to hurl, you have the whole woods here to do so."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sonic wrapped his sweater around his waist, feeling hot already despite the breeze. "Now, where do we start?" He put his hands on his hips and stared at the work they had ahead of them.

Shadow joined him after grabbing a pair of weed clippers and gloves from his backpack, standing side by side. He handed the tool and gloves to Sonic. "At your feet."

~.~

Amy only managed to trip over her feet twice that day. She was currently standing in the shallow waters with waders on, smiling at the view before her.

The lake wasn't particularly big, but it was still a beautiful sight. The sun shone bright overhead, and Amy couldn't imagine the day getting any better. No one was around the lake that day - it was just Blaze and her on the trail that morning. They'd taken care of the debris just as Blaze had said, and then ventured on their way to Rainbow Lake. Amy could see why it was called that - there was a tiny set of waterfalls to the western side of the lake. When the sun hit it just right, she could see the colors dancing in the mist.

"It's gorgeous out here," she noted out loud - more to herself than to her mentor.

Blaze still heard her though. She was standing only a few feet away in her own pair of waders. They had strapped them to their packs. "It's probably one of my favorite lakes. Although Dew Point is my favorite place to visit. It overlooks the whole town."

"Will we go up there eventually?" Amy decided to keep the conversation going. It wasn't a difficult decision for her really, but she found herself dancing around conversations with Blaze. The cat was peculiar, and Amy got the feeling she might be easy to offend or get annoyed. Amy didn't want to cause a rift in any sort of way, so she did her best to be as friendly as possible.

"Possibly," Blaze shrugged. "Shadow might request us to help with the tower renovation."

"It's really that big of a deal, huh?" The rose hedgehog's interest lifted as the sound of Shadow. She hadn't tried to make it obvious that she was somewhat intrigued by the ranger, but she had tried to get information about him out of Blaze. That was certainly a conversation she'd keep going.

"Yes." The cat stood tall in the water, watching the fish leap further out near some low hanging trees. They had already spent time on the other side of the lake, looking at the shallow cooler areas where the bass were. Blaze had even stopped to take water samples for her own research, not bass related as she had told Amy. "For the park, it offers more help. We had to contain a big fire up north last year during July."

"I heard about that. We were down south for the summer," Amy recalled, pulling at her long sleeved gray shirt. She walked through the water slowly with the waders on, coming back to Blaze. "I remember Sonic's parents being concerned when it passed the highway onto their side. It was going around the park then, no?"

"Yes. But it still threatened the town, as you said. This will help the park in the long run. Eventually, they want to add another on the east side, on Dew Point actually. Since it overlooks the town and all. But that's a future project. If this one goes smoothly and they get people to run it, maybe we can get the funds for the other tower."

"I'm sure you could get a fundraiser or a grant."

"Hopefully. For now, let's focus on one thing at a time," she warmly smiled at her colleague. "Shadow has taken on a lot of responsibility for this park in the last few years he's been here, especially with Superintendent Richwells gone so much of the time - he checks in every now and then but he's running Smokewood Park, too, which is significantly bigger and gets more attraction with tourists."

"Right, Silver mentioned that," Amy recalled.

"The higher ups are happy with our work, as is the Superintendent, but it's Shadow we should all be grateful for. He works hard."

"You and Silver keep the campers and hikers at bay though. You keep tabs on the environment - the wildlife and such. You two do beneficial and crucial work here as well. Don't sell yourself short. And Sarah, well…" Amy trailed off as she put her finger to her lips. "I'm not sure what she does, but I'm sure it's important, too!"

Blaze let out a small laugh. "Yes. We're all here doing our parts for the park and for the people. However, the point I was trying to make was that Shadow has a lot on his shoulders even without this renovation happening."

The rose hedgehog tilted her head in curiosity. "So...you think he's taking on too much?"

"Sometimes…" Blaze sighed. "He's here throughout the whole year. Silver and I aren't."

"What about Sarah?"

"She'll work almost year round at the desk. Once it hits November though, she takes time off and comes back before us - in March or April. For those months she's out in the field sometimes too - how she manages to balance school during all that is beyond me. But there are other workers and volunteers that we never see that Shadow does. The station is understanding of our situation as college students. Plus, they need the help, especially with Richwells off at Smokewood, and we've been nothing but loyal to them when we come back every year for work."

"So, there are obviously people higher up than Shadow."

She nodded. "Yeah. I've only met two of them - the Superintendent Richwells and a director of sorts, but I can't recall where he was located exactly. You probably won't see them around much, though. Some other rangers come to help work in the slower months in the fall. The park may close in the winter, but the station doesn't. There's more work to it than just keeping track of hikers and keeping the peace."

"So, if Shadow needs help this summer, we can do it," Amy offered an encouraging grin. "Be it keeping the peace or renovating an old watchtower," she said as she flexed her arm to show off some muscle.

"Yes, well…" Blaze sighed, staring down at the water. She pursed her lips and stood straighter before turning to Amy. "I need to be completely transparent with you, Amy. Silver suggested that I didn't do this immediately, but someone has to keep the professionalism running around here."

Suddenly, Amy was beginning to feel less confident in the turn the conversation was taking.

"O...okay?"

"I need you to be present and ready to work. Not flirt."

She could feel the blush creeping up on her muzzle. "I-I'm so sorry! Am I that obvious?"

Warm, amber eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Blaze appeared to be anything but upset. She was merely giving Amy some advice but also giving a warning. "Only a little. Granted, we were both surprised to see Shadow so talkative. I don't think I've ever heard him mention anything about his love life - although I know Silver has tried to get it out of him once or twice."

"I...I get it," Amy looked down at the water. "I'm here to learn, Blaze," she immediately surprised the cat by looking back up and locking eyes. "I promise, I won't let that kind of stuff get in the way again."

"Oh, well, I-I mean. It's fine if you two...you know, end up dating or something. I'm not your mother," Blaze coughed awkwardly and waved her off. "Shadow seemed just as interested, and I'm not about to stop him from dating anyone. I just want you to not be...you know, one of those girls stuck in lala land. If that's not offensive to say?"

"I totally get it, Blaze. Thank you," Amy vigorously agreed, shaking her head in understanding. Although the idea of dating Shadow by the end of the summer was making her blush more. Hell, even one date with the guy was enough to make her a tomato. "I did come here originally to learn and volunteer, ya know. I'm not about to switch gears for some guy...no matter how attractive he is," she added the last part slightly as a joke.

Both laughed a little. Blaze smiled and patted Amy's shoulder. "You'll be a good addition for the summer, Amy. Plus, it's nice to have another girl around - and one that can be in the field, too. Sarah's nice and all, but she's glued to the station, and I can only handle Silver for so many hours of the day. C'mon, let's get going."

They walked out of the lake, and then took the waders off. Amy wasn't quite as much of a pro when it came to quickly tying up her boots like Blaze, though. Strapping the waders back on their backpacks, the girls gathered the rest of their belongings. Slinging her pack over her shoulders, Amy took in a deep breath. "Do you think I have a shot with him?"

"Who? Shadow?" Blaze seemed to buffer for a moment before responding, "I mean, maybe? Again, he showed more interest in talking to you than Silver and I have ever seen him show to...well, anyone. I say your odds are pretty good."

Amy found the trail with Blaze right behind her. Eventually, the trail widened out enough between the trees that they could walk side by side. Amy let her arms swing at her sides while Blaze remained composed even when hiking. "How'd you and Silver meet?"

"Oh. Um...here, actually."

"Really?" Amy tried to hide her surprised tone.

"Yeah. I started before him by a week. Shadow was training me when we walked into the station one morning. Silver was sitting at one of the chairs. Took him a week to gather the courage to ask me out. Turns out, he had asked Shadow for some kind of...blessing, I guess? Like permission to date?"

"Well, I know some work environments frown upon that sort of thing," Amy shrugged. "So, what'd he say?"

"Shadow?" Blaze snorted. "He apparently told Silver that he didn't care what we did, so long as we came to work and actually did work. If he ever caught us slacking or being intimate on the clock, he'd can us."

"Well, to be fair, I don't think I would want to walk in on coworkers doing the dirty, either," Amy noted as Blaze laughed along with her.

"That's a fair point. I think Shadow came around to the idea a bit more when he realized how much I dislike public displays of affection. Hell, I don't think Superintendent Richwells ever figured us out with how little he's here." Blaze leaned towards her with a sly grin that made Amy a little nervous. "But, if you and Shadow date, I am definitely using his own words against him. Considering he just loves when we do that to him."

Amy bit her lip to keep from smiling. "I'll try to make it happen then. Just for you, Blaze." She winked at the feline who only laughed some more.

"How thoughtful, cadet."

~.~

By the end of their session that day, Sonic was sweating like a pig. He groaned in discomfort as he sat lazily on the ground, brushing some loose weeds away from poking into his legs. Granted, he had worn jeans and a thin long sleeve shirt like Shadow had suggested. He was grateful for the tip considering the bushes up on that mountain definitely had some thorns.

The cobalt hedgehog sloppily took a swig of his water, catching his breath. Shadow had stopped, too, but Sonic was too tired to even notice his mentor's movements. All day the other male had seemed on edge, especially when it got too quiet. Sonic knew that the lack of birds chirping or any other animals making sounds nearby was sometimes an indicator of a predator, but he'd never been concerned about it before considering most of the time, they were considered the predator. At least, that's what he figured. But Shadow became easily unnerved whenever the birds stopped singing.

At first, it didn't bother Sonic. But the more Shadow would stop during the day to glance around the tall brush, ears twitching to every direction for any sound, the more Sonic became just as anxious.

I thought this guy practically lived in the mountains. Why is he being so damn nervous? Should I be?

Finally looking over at the ranger, Sonic could see Shadow staring off into the eastern distance. It was where he'd spent a lot of time looking. The foul odor that had come from up north of them had dissipated some time by noon. Or, they'd gotten too used to the smell to notice. Sonic sighed, and looked at their handiwork for the day.

The vegetation that had been near the opening of the trail that led back to the station had been cleared out entirely by Shadow. Piles of twigs and branches were set aside, off the trail. Sonic had made quick work of clearing out the area underneath the tower, although it wasn't much work to begin with. Everything else around the perimeter of the tower's area, however, proved to be a challenge. Sonic hadn't realized how tall some of the bushes had gotten until he ran into an old picnic table - quite literally. It wasn't usable anymore, and he didn't dare sit on it. But there was also an old ring of stones nearby, indicating a small campfire had once roared to life there. He could just imagine what the tower looked like back in its heyday. He wondered what it would be like to have to live in the tower for the summer, cook at the campfire, watch the stars - he honestly wouldn't mind it.

Sonic licked his lips and took another sip of water, still staring at their work.

Shadow, on the other hand, wasn't off daydreaming. He had stopped glancing over to the east and north by the time Sonic was trying to stand and stretch. The whole day had felt off to the black hedgehog. It wasn't like yesterday - calm and peaceful while he'd been on the lower part of the trail making quick work to clear that out first. No. This was different. The whole day went by and not once did he feel like he was alone. And he wasn't talking about Sonic's presence. It was easy to tune out the cadet's incessant humming to his loud music coming from his headphones.

I feel like I have eyes watching me. Shadow chewed his bottom lip for a moment before reaching down to grab his water bottle. Unscrewing the lid, he tilted his head back as he drank - looking up along the side of the tower.

It will certainly need new wood to reinforce the bottom. I'll have to double check on the metal order that should be coming in to replace the beams, though. I need to call the contractor -

Snap.

Snap. Snap.

Snap.

His ears twitched at the sound of snapping twigs.

All day, his ears had been on overdrive. They had waited to hear a bird chirp, a frog croak, or a snake's hiss. Just anything. Not Sonic, though. He could distinguish the hedgehog's movements from the rest of nature's. So. Why was there a series of snapping twigs, and yet Sonic wasn't moving?

Shadow had his eyes locked on the hedgehog. He had stood up, but he was looking at his phone - checking the time or shuffling his music - whatever. He wasn't moving, though. But that sound was so easily identifiable to Shadow.

That was something heavy breaking twigs - walking. That wasn't a bird breaking a thin branch piece off sound. Those were footsteps. The black hedgehog swallowed his water and screwed the cap back on. There was a tense silence as Sonic took out his single wireless earbud and turned to Shadow.

"You asked me thirty minutes ago to warn you when it's four. It's four."

He tried to show no irritation to the cadet, but Shadow was so desperately trying to hear where exactly the sound had come from. It was certainly close - but he couldn't pinpoint a direction. Had it been towards his right? Or towards Sonic on his left? Or was it straight ahead, past the tower?

It certainly didn't help that mountains tended to cause an echo. It always made it harder for him to pinpoint a location. He could recall a time when a lost hiker had done nothing but yell and holler down in the valley, at the base between mountains, for help, and the search and rescue team were completely annoyed by the end of it because half of them had gone the wrong way. This wasn't as extreme, but when he felt like he had something watching him, Shadow wanted to be able to watch it right back.

He sighed. "Fine. Pack your stuff." Shadow stumbled across from branches he'd missed, heading back towards the tower where he had set his backpack. Sonic made his way to him.

Snap.

Snap.

Snap.

There. He could distinguish, just as he knew he could, Sonic's and his movements. Three steps and he was back by the tower. They were longer apart in sound as he'd been on two legs. The ones before almost sounded like a four-legged animal, which was what Shadow had figured anyway.

Too heavy sounding earlier to be a badger or a fox, though. Shadow picked his pack up and swung it across his shoulders just as Sonic made a move to reach down for his. He was quick about it - suddenly the idea of having both their backs turned didn't make him feel comfortable.

Sonic seemed to notice the quick movement. "You good?" he said after he'd stood back up with his pack over his shoulders.

Green eyes followed to where red were watching - somewhere west in the brush. Sonic looked, trying to find anything in the thick vegetation that Shadow might have seen that he couldn't. But there was nothing. So, he turned back to his mentor, and again asked, "You good?" This time, he made a move to shove Shadow out of his trance a little.

"Yes. Let's get back before the sun sets over the other ridge," Shadow grunted his response as he set out rather immediately toward the trail.

Sonic rushed after him upon noticing how far in the dust Shadow was already leaving him. "Why? You sure you're okay? I mean, I figured we'd at least stay until five."

Shadow didn't stop walking. "Because it feels like I'm being watched. And I don't appreciate it."

The blue hedgehog halted upon hearing the words. Now, he knew he wasn't completely unaware of his surroundings like Amy would have been, but Sonic hadn't felt weird that whole day. In fact, it hadn't even occurred to him. But Shadow's words and body language were beginning to create more unease in Sonic.

If the guy was so used to the park and these trails, why was he acting nervous? Sonic figured he probably had good reason to be a little concerned if Shadow, of all people, was practically gunning it to get off that mountain before dark.

Snap.

Sonic swung his head back around to his right, looking over his shoulder. The twig that had snapped was close to him. He moved to point his body in that direction, as he scrutinized the thick brush up and down. It was taller than him, but too dense to see anything through it. They'd have to cut through it tomorrow. But for now, it hid whatever had moved.

Suddenly, as if heeding Shadow's words, Sonic's heart began to race a little. His nose scrunched up at an unpleasant yet familiar smell. It was the foul odor that had clung onto the air that morning. But now it was...getting stronger?

That's not right. Unless it's a skunk or something, but it doesn't smell like a skunk. Smells like death and bad body odor. Sonic frowned, trying not to throw up as the smell became overbearing.

"Sonic! Let's go!" Shadow hollered, now quite a ways down the trail.

The cadet suddenly didn't want to turn his back on the tower - or anywhere near where the sound came from. So, he walked backwards for a few feet, watching behind him for any bumps in the trail so he wouldn't trip, but keeping an eye on the space in front of him. He looked for any movement of the bushes. His ears searched for any more twigs snapping. But there was nothing.

When he felt comfortable to turn back around, he found Shadow only about five feet away from him.

"C'mon, let's go."

His mentor hadn't even questioned him, but Sonic was sure that Shadow had noticed the widened eyes of his volunteer. So, if anything was troubling Sonic, Shadow had chosen not to ask. But he did acknowledge one thing.

"You stink."

~.~

"No, you, like, really stink, Sonic."

"Thank you, Ames." Sonic was seated on the couch as his brother, Manic, sifted through channels on the television. They had cable and streaming services, which meant that Manic would need at least an hour to choose what they'd watch for thirty minutes before it was time for bed.

"Did you fall in mud or something?" Amy was wasting time painting her toenails, which drove Sonic up the wall because the smell of nail polish was just about as unbearable as his apparent stench.

"No. Jesus - do you have to do that now? In here?" Sonic griped, glowering at her. "Don't you have a whole guest house you can do this in?"

"Your sister needed, and I quote, "Some quiet, alone time." Whatever that means," Amy snorted. "She was busy talking on the phone with this new mystery guy, and I so do not want to hear them having phone sex."

"Thanks - thanks for the god awful nail polish odor and for shoving the thought of my sister having phone sex in my head now," Sonic thinly smiled as he continued to glare daggers at the female sitting on the recliner chair.

"You're welcome for both." Amy screwed the lid onto her nail polish and stuck her feet straight on the coffee table in front of her to let them dry. She leaned back and groaned as Manic kept scrolling through. The green hedgehog was lying down on the giant bean bag in front of them, ignoring the conversation.

"What's up your ass, though?" the pink hedgehog continued to pry. "You seemed off after you got down from the mountain today. Everything go okay with Shadow?"

"Oh, don't pretend like you're not asking just to know about your loverboy - "

"Sonic."

Her tone was serious. Sonic knew better than to be rude at this point, looking over at her slowly and a little apologetically when he saw her sincere look. He sighed and curled back into the side of the couch, rubbing his eyes and letting out a groan. "Sorry. It's just…." he folded his arms. "Shadow acted weird today."

"Weird? You barely know the guy - what constitutes weird?"

"For starters, you'd think the man was on constant edge. It was like he was worried about something - watching us or whatever. By the end of the day, he was almost running off that mountain. You didn't think he was odd when we came back to the station?"

"Not really...He didn't really acknowledge me," she tugged at one of her quills anxiously. "Just went to the breakroom."

"Yeah. Then shut himself in the spare room," Sonic snorted. "The guy's a weirdo, Ames. There was nothing out there."

"Kinda sounds like there was."

The sentence came from Manic. So, he was listening in on their conversation - granted he was right there in the room with them. Sonic frowned at his younger brother, half-tempted to throw a pillow at him for either eavesdropping or taking too damn long to pick a movie. "What did you say?"

Manic turned, his quills messier than usual after a long day of napping around. Someone of the family certainly was living off of their mother's money and it wasn't Sonic or their sister, Sonia. His dark eyes caught Sonic's gaze as he smirked. "Kinda sounds like there was," he repeated. "Like you're the one that's afraid to admit it."

"Well...There was something."

"Really?" Amy wiggled her toes as they dried. She frowned. "Like what? I thought Silver said there weren't any predators in the area - "

"No, I don't know. Whatever it was had Shadow on edge the whole day though." Sonic shook his head. "You're right, I can't call that behavior weird for him. I don't know him. But something about it has me unsettled. Even more so because I didn't even acknowledge it the whole day - like my subconscious just put it to the back of my mind, ya know?"

"And you're just now thinking maybe there was something? Watching you?" Manic whispered in a sing-song voice teasingly enough that Sonic grabbed the pillow closest and hurled it at him.

"Oh, yeah? You wouldn't think it was so funny if you were the one out there," Sonic grit his teeth. Manic caught the pillow as he laughed. Sonic, however, didn't find the situation funny. "I'm serious - something about it really...bothers me, and I don't know why. You would think someone like Shadow, with that much experience out there in those woods, wouldn't be so anxious out there. And yet he was - so that brings up the question as to why? Why was he acting like that and not telling me why until we were leaving? Why bother hiding that? What if there was a predator out there? - "

"Sonic, you're overthinking," Amy butt in, reaching across the couch he was on to hold onto his ankle - the only thing exposed and close enough for her to reassuringly latch onto. "Breathe. I'm sure Shadow had his reasons. What's got you so worked up? Something else happen?"

He licked his lips. Manic's stare turned serious as he realized his brother was actually...afraid? Or just unnerved? It put him a little on edge to see his older sibling like that. Sonic tried his best to remain stoic. "I smell."

There was a stifled chuckle from Manic. "You smell? That's what's got you the most?"

"Do I smell like bad BO? Or like something else?" Sonic asked Amy, ignoring his brother's remark.

The pink hedgehog scrunched her nose. "You smell like...I don't know, sweat, which is understandable. But kind of something else - I can't place it."

"Like a dead animal?"

Amy slinked back at the sentence. She hummed. "No? Maybe like bad eggs? No. That's not it, either. I don't know, I've never really smelled dead animal before. I'd place it more towards a skunk, but that's not it either."

"Dude, why don't you just go shower?" Manic tiredly droned, now bored of the conversation.

"I did. Twice." Sonic glared. "I even borrowed Sonia's stupid, flowery body wash the second time. But this scent is stuck on me like glue. It was the same smell that we caught in the morning. Shadow figured it was coming up north, and we were downwind of it. Made sense at the time. Then at the end of the day, when Shadow and I were leaving and he was practically hightailing it out of there, I heard something moving around in the bushes. Shadow had just said that he felt like something was watching him. And then as he was leaving me behind, I heard something, and it was like instincts kicked in. I swear to God, I almost froze there on the spot. It was like something was watching me. And then the smell, ugh. It was back and stronger. But it smelled like a rotten, dead animal."

"Ok. And?" Manic rolled his eyes.

"Why would it smell so strongly so quickly, after it'd been up north of us all day? Sure, it could have been around us the whole day, and we just got used to the smell. But then why would it suddenly overcome the area and me in a matter of seconds, just as we're leaving and as soon as I hear something moving in the bushes if it smells like a dead animal?"

"Skunk? Badger?" Amy questioned, shaking her head in misunderstanding. "I don't get it, Sonic. It could just be a smelly animal. It's not like a dead animal is going to zombie itself towards you guys in the middle of the afternoon. It has to make some plausible sense."

"Yeah. You would think."

"Well, tomorrow just start swinging a large branch like a bat into the bushes," Manic shrugged as if it were a no-brainer. "You'll probably whack a skunk's skull and then come home really smelly."

"I can't just waltz into the bushes."

"Why not?" the green hedgehog continued to press, as if the situation were stupid to even be concerned about to begin with, and maybe he was correct. But maybe he wasn't.

"Because the bushes are taller than me. Thicker and tougher to break through, we literally need machetes to get through them. Thorns that would've scratched the hell out of me if I hadn't worn long sleeves."

Manic sighed. "Bushes that are taller than you, huh? My, oh, my, whatever will you do against a skunk and a tall bush?"

"Ok, Manic." Sonic stood up. He grabbed another pillow from the couch. "I'm about to kick your ass."

"I don't know, man. You sure you can handle me if you can't even handle a wittle skunk?"

Amy smiled as she watched the brothers roughhouse. Sonic immediately threw the pillow as Manic grabbed the one he threw earlier and tossed it at the same time. The pillows met and fell to the ground just as Sonic threw himself at his brother. They rolled off the bean bag chair and hit the hardwood floor.

The pink hedgehog remained in her chair, patiently waiting for her nail polish to dry. Sonic's words only mildly concerned her.

Sure, Shadow might have seemed a little off today, but that could be for a number of reasons. Although the smell thing is a little odd. I've never been sprayed by a skunk before, but since the only way to get rid of the smell, so I've heard, is a tomato juice bath, maybe that's why it's stuck to Sonic? It doesn't quite smell like a skunk, but still...could be.

She hummed in thought. "We should give you a tomato juice bath tonight."

"What?!" Sonic might as well have screeched.

"Hey, that might work!"

"Shut up, Manic!"

~.~

The TV didn't work - that or Shadow didn't know how to properly move the antenna just right to get the one channel that Silver always managed to get. He was going to blame the TV though.

Sighing, the black hedgehog stood up from one of the cots. He chose to ignore the books available to him to read - he'd read them all before twice. Normally, he would pass the time at the station by catching up on reports at his computer, or he'd clean. But there was something different that night.

He couldn't gather exactly why.

I can't shake the feeling still. Something else was up there with us.

He didn't want to alarm the new cadet by informing him on the matter, either, but a part of Shadow knew that Sonic should know. In case there was something up there, they would need to be prepared. While Shadow had a tranquilizer gun powerful enough for a bear, he also had a revolver that could similarly do the job. He was the only one of the rangers that could legally carry a firearm, so it gave him some sort of extra protection when he was out on the trails. But that didn't give Sonic a blanket of safety, and he figured the intern should have at least that.

He seemed frustrated when he left the station. Whether it was with me because I didn't say anything or if it was with the job in general of being a glorified landscaper today - I couldn't tell for sure.

Shadow figured that if the blue hedgehog showed up at 6 a.m. again, it would be considered a miracle. He knew he would probably have quit.

Then again, I bet so long as Amy stays, Sonic will, too.

He wandered into the main room, walking around the receptionist's side. He sat down in Sarah's usual chair and leaned back, watching the monitor in front of him. It showed several camera views around the station. Cameras had been installed two years ago all around the building due to vandalizing teens. Originally, they only had the one camera that showed the front of the building and a partial view of the small parking lot.

Now, he could watch the back of the building and the sides. The back had the dumpsters visible to be able to spot potential raccoons. They were a common threat and shooing them away was something to do to pass the time. One side of the building showed nothing much but a dark abyss of pavement and the tail end of the farthest dumpster that was more visible on the back camera. The other side camera had the lamp post outside in view, along with the start of the main trail and the trail board. It wasn't as well lit as he would've liked, as it was somewhat entertaining to see the raccoons wander around at night.

God, maybe Sarah's right.

He leaned further back into the chair and groaned, rubbing his eyes. "I need a hobby."

That or a girlfriend. Maybe Amy would be interested. He pondered the thought for a second. The pink hedgehog had been interesting and had equally been interested in him.

Shadow wasn't an idiot - he knew about the opposite sex. It'd be a while, sure, but he sort of became a workaholic and forgot what it was like to date. Even his construction buddy tried to set him up with someone last fall. It didn't last.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. "Speak of the Devil."

There was a text from said friend. They'd become gym buddies thanks to a mutual friend - who happened to be said friend's now girlfriend. They were also the ones kindly watching his house on his 24 hour stay - although he could only imagine what they were up to in his own home. Shadow frowned at the text.

Knuckles: Lead times have the wood here at the end of May. Can't hold the material in the yard for longer than a week. We need a schedule for laborers to send.

He didn't like the sound of that. That meant they didn't have all the time in the world to clear up the watchtower. That meant the first stage of the rebuilding was going to happen sooner. Shadow sighed as he typed back.

Shadow: I'll get you a schedule by tomorrow. We just started clean-up. Might take longer than that. Can we store it at the station until we're ready?

There was a slight buzz of the fan that kept going on the desk beside him. Without it, the world would be too quiet. He needed the white noise, and the fan would surely follow him to the makeshift bedroom when he would go to bed. Eventually.

Setting the phone on the desk, he groaned again and stretched his neck back. He was regretting not grabbing the stupid sleeping gummies Knuckles' girlfriend had teased him with. Although, now, he was beginning to realize she had been serious about the added melatonin in Shadow's life - which was odd considering he spent most of his time outside. Shadow, however, dealt with the insomnia by staying up as he refused to believe that was what it was. No, right now - specifically - was because of something entirely different.

Whatever was going on up there…I hope it was just for today. He glanced at the time on his phone as it lit up with a response from Knuckles. 12:38.

Well, yesterday, then. Whatever that smell was had to have been like a dead animal. It wasn't skunk-like at all. Maybe Blaze would know better. She'd probably want to go find the carcass. If it means a predator is around here, then we need to know.

It was just another thing to add to the to-do list. He figured he would leave Blaze a post-it note about it if he didn't see her come dawn.

Knuckles: It's on you to lock it up then. We had people steal some wood last week from a job site. Or try to at least.

There was a moment of pause. Shadow figured they could probably at least hide the wood somehow with a tarp or something. He also figured that the last place the people who wanted to steal precut wood would think of going would be to the forest.

Knuckles: I thought you had new recruits to help with this for the summer? How late are we going to be?

Shadow: We can make a spot for it. We do. Only 2 tho. Might be about 2 weeks just for clean-up

He set the phone back on the desk and glanced at the monitor. Just as usual, the cameras showed absolutely nothing going on outside. Not a raccoon in sight, and honestly it kind of bummed Shadow out. He was used to the regular ones Sarah had deemed 'absolute chonker Henry' and 'moody Matilda.'

A buzz.

Knuckles: K definitely schedule then

Shadow: Got it

"So much for all the time in the world," Shadow sat up and kept the phone in his hand this time.

He leaned against the desk and watched the monitor. The front building could be seen from his view at the desk without looking at the camera, but the camera gave a new view for him to see almost around the building on the north side as well - the start of the side camera showing the trail.

He was going to have to tell Sonic to kick it into gear. And he was going to have to make sure that nothing else was up there with them - the sooner the better. He figured Blaze could help though. He was banking on finding a carcass closer than he originally thought. That was the only solution that Shadow could think of by the time he got another text.

Knuckles: Rouge wants to know if any of them are hot this year.

Shadow instantly rolled his eyes at his phone. From the corner of his eye as he typed, he felt a difference in the monitor. Glancing up from his forgotten text, he stared at the screen. He thought for a moment there had been a blur of something on the front camera. But when he looked at the monitor now - all the camera views had been the same as they had been all night: normal.

Red eyes glanced up a little too quickly at the front door. It had glass, but the door vestibule was two doors. Still, he could see outside to the lamp post and the lit sidewalk. He could see his vehicle from the parking lot in the front space next to the handicap spot. Nothing else unusual, but he still felt his quills quiver instinctively.

Relax. No need for an overactive imagination at one in the morning. Shadow frowned at the monitor before glancing back at his phone.

Shadow: Tell her yes

He was going to leave his friend on a cliffhanger and refuse to respond. He was sure she would separately text him once he didn't respond to Knuckles. For now, he was going to go to bed in the semi-uncomfortable cot.

By the time that Shadow moved the fan into the "bedroom" and turned off all the main room lights, it was closer to 1:10 in the morning. He glanced once more at the monitor of the cameras - the only thing lighting up the room besides a plug-in air freshener that also had a light in it (courtesy of Sarah). Everything was in order and as it should be - everything except the nagging feeling in the back of his head. Normally, he wouldn't ignore instinct, but he was exhausted and the doors were locked securely.

The station equaled safety, and if raccoons wanted in the dumpster badly enough, then by Tikal, they could fight for that right. Shadow would give them that win after the many additions Blaze put on the dumpster to keep any animals out of it, including the infamous Henry and Matilda.

He walked down the narrow hallway to his room, stretching as he went. His phone had buzzed several times as he had predicted, but Shadow had ignored all of it - merely texting once a simple goodnight message to conclude their conversation at least on one end.

Scrrr

His ears suddenly perked as he gripped the doorknob of the room, almost shutting the door as he had entered the room. Poking his head out into the hallway, Shadow stared at the back door. Unlike the front doors, it didn't have glass in it. Like at all. It merely had an 'Employees Only' sign on the interior and exterior sides. So, he didn't have the advantage of looking out the glass into the darkness to spy on raccoons.

Grumbling, Shadow took a moment to listen for anything else.

It had been a scratching sound - sort of. At least, that's how he would describe it. Probably the raccoons scratching against the dumpster lids or numerous contraptions Blaze added. After several seconds of nothing but silence, Shadow sighed and walked out into the hallway and back to the monitor.

His focus pointed him to the back camera.

Nothing.

Nothing? No raccoons. Shadow was only slightly puzzled. He knew he had heard something and that it came from outside. But considering he hadn't been sure where he was hearing the sounds on the mountain today, he couldn't be positive that his hearing wasn't going with age.

"Hm…" he hummed to himself as he locked onto the monitor, hoping for any slight movement - any excitement.

Nothing.

"Well, alright then." He placed his hands on his hips, gave the monitor a scowl of disappointment, and then trudged back to his room.

This time, he closed the door without any other noise interrupting him. He even tried to replicate the sound himself with the door in case it had been him, but he couldn't find the source.

Maybe we have mice in the walls. I'm sure Sarah will enjoy hearing that.

With that thought, Shadow climbed into one of the cots and turned off the lamp. The fan hummed in the room - distracting him from total silence. It was a good thing, too.

The silence always irked him.