Chapter 8:
Flare: Master of the flame.
Shadow fell to his knees, mouth open and in terror. "We're too late..." He said silently, but they all heard him. The crackling of leaves and the sound of tree's falling, and burning hurt more than anything else, but they all knew what they had to do. "We have to go and help as many survivors as we can... Tails!" Tails looked up, tears in his eyes. "You're the only one who can help us get to Knothole, Mecha wasn't allowed in and Amy lived in Station Square. I came to Knothole once, by Chaos Control though..." Tails nodded "Follow me..." He said, and led them through the fire towards Knothole. "We need to find a way to clear this smoke!" Amy coughed out. It was true. There was a lot of smoke about, and if they kept walking like this they would die. "Tails, can you fly me above the forest?" Tails cringed. They had been damaged when Robotnik was defeated; a group of Swat bots had decided that instead of killing Knuckles and Mighty, they would kill Tails and Rotor, Rotor was killed before Tails' eyes, Tails attacked the bot, and broke both his tails on the Swat Bots metal hull. He had flown again, many times. But never carried anyone, but his friends were counting on him, Amy was counting on him. "Hold on Shadow!" Tails ordered, and picked up the black hedgehog and lifted him into the air, slowly, but certainly getting somewhere. It took around ten minutes to get fully above the forest, when Shadow told Tails to let go. "What?" Tails asked, nearly letting go anyway. "I need to do this, you have to let go though! I'll be fine!" Tails hesitated, and then released his grip on the black hedgehogs arms. Shadow plummeted towards the forest with amazing speed; he was close to hitting the trees when he pulled out from his pack a golden ring. (Authors notes: One of the rings Sonic uses in Sonic X) Harnessing it's power he began to spin, eventually flying over the forest, causing the smoke to stop, and the fire to calm. Tails gave a cheer, but felt the strain on his tails grow and he knew that he had to land. Hovering to the ground, Amy embraced him in a hug and Mach laughed and ruffled Tails' hair. Shadow touched down, and looked at the happy bunch, he was furious. "What are you celebrating?" He asked, calmly walking past the three. "Sure, Tails managed to fly, and the fires out... but did we save everyone in Knothole? I've just seen it. There's nothing there! Everyone's dead, now tell me this... Do you feel like celebrating NOW?" Mach stepped forward. "Chill Shadow..." He said calmly extending his hand in a handshake, but Shadow knocked it away and looked even more furious. "You tell me to chill again, and I'll kill you!" Shadow snarled, and then walked past the group, giving them each hateful looks. He stopped at Tails. "There is no happiness anymore..." He said, and continued his walk through the forest. Amy reluctantly followed, then Tails and then Mach.
***
The fire in the forest was calmer, but the fire in Shadow's eyes didn't go out for the next mile. If one of them said something to make another person laugh, he would look back and snarl. When Mach thought it would be funny to push Tails into a lake, Shadow grabbed him by the neck and spat in his face. "THERE IS NO TIME FOR JOKES!" He roared, and threw Mach to the ground. Later that evening, they finally reached the outskirts of Knothole village, each of them were afraid of Shadow, even Shadow was afraid, but kept walking calmly. Knothole village still had a few homes up, but they were bunt, or still burning via small embers. Shadow finally looked at his companions, and finally spoke normal again. "Take a ten minute rest. I'm going to look around... maybe there's something left that we can use..." Mach lay on his back, and looked at the sky. "What's up with Shadow?" He asked to no one, but Tails still answered. "I guess he's just feeling jet -lagged, or maybe there's something he left here that could have been burnt..." "Or someone..." Amy yawned out. Tails and Mach stared at Amy, but shrugged it off and lay back on the ashy ground.
***
Shadow leapt from one stable rooftop to the next, he had to se if one house had survived, and that house was very near the old Freedom Fighter headquarters. "If she's alive..." Shadow muttered to his self, and leaping to the side of an old building, grinded to the fresh grass. He stopped. "This grass hasn't been touched by ash... nothings burnt around here!" He yelled in triumph, and pelted as fast as his feat would go towards the row of still intact buildings. Numbers flashed by him. "27... 29... 31..." He read, he had to find 53; it was the one he had to find! "47... 49... 51..." He poured on more speed; the next house was it! "53!" He yelled in triumph, and crashed through the front door of the small hut, he heard no scream only a snarl. "What the!" Shadow screamed, and felt flames lick up around him. He was staring at another hedgehog, this one was red and yellow and instead of spines had flames. It stared at Shadow, and grinned. "You're the one who set fire to Knothole!!" "No duh, welcome Shadow, I am Flare, how would you like your girlfriend? Rare, medium or well done!" And the hedgehog pulled from a flaming closet a struggling Mina, her hair had ash in it, and her dress was torn and burnt. "Why didn't you set fire to this house!" Shadow demanded. "What's the point Shadow, I like seeing little hedgehogs burn, or mongooses... whatever comes first." Shadow stepped forward. "Let her go!" He ordered, "Why?" "Cause I'll be forced to reduce the little flame, to a pile of steam!" Shadow sniggered. "Wouldn't want to try that would you Shadow, not unless you want this baby to burn!" "You don't know me very well, I like a challenge." Flare grinned, dropped the struggling Mina and lifted one hand. "Time to turn up the heat!" He said smirking, Shadow smirked back, but he suddenly felt the ground around him burst into flames and move closer towards him very quickly. "This may present a problem." Shadow muttered, and felt the flames touch his skin. "Deep fried hedgehog Mina?" Flare asked the screaming mongoose. "SHADOW! SHADOW!" She wailed, and bounded to her feat, and headed towards the door. A flash of flame passed by her, and the door slammed. Flare stood next to it and waved his finger. "I thought mongooses we're fast..." He muttered. "They are," Came a voice, and both of them turned to the window, the glass shattered and Shadow leapt through waving a thin sword. "But they decide that it's best if they keep the speed to the hedgehogs." Mina began crying, and rushed to Shadow, embracing him. Shadow grinned at Flare and waved the sword around. "Chaos Control." He said bluntly. "Now then, can we please try that again? This time, without the burning!" Flare roared at them both a blue flame began to come form in his mouth. "Time to go!" Shadow ordered, and jumped through the broken window onto the grass. The flame soared over there heads. "Whoa, toasty." Shadow muttered, and put his hand on Mina's shoulder. "Are you ok?" Mina whimpered, and hugged Shadow again, and as the village burned around them, Shadow knew he only cared her.
Flare: Master of the flame.
Shadow fell to his knees, mouth open and in terror. "We're too late..." He said silently, but they all heard him. The crackling of leaves and the sound of tree's falling, and burning hurt more than anything else, but they all knew what they had to do. "We have to go and help as many survivors as we can... Tails!" Tails looked up, tears in his eyes. "You're the only one who can help us get to Knothole, Mecha wasn't allowed in and Amy lived in Station Square. I came to Knothole once, by Chaos Control though..." Tails nodded "Follow me..." He said, and led them through the fire towards Knothole. "We need to find a way to clear this smoke!" Amy coughed out. It was true. There was a lot of smoke about, and if they kept walking like this they would die. "Tails, can you fly me above the forest?" Tails cringed. They had been damaged when Robotnik was defeated; a group of Swat bots had decided that instead of killing Knuckles and Mighty, they would kill Tails and Rotor, Rotor was killed before Tails' eyes, Tails attacked the bot, and broke both his tails on the Swat Bots metal hull. He had flown again, many times. But never carried anyone, but his friends were counting on him, Amy was counting on him. "Hold on Shadow!" Tails ordered, and picked up the black hedgehog and lifted him into the air, slowly, but certainly getting somewhere. It took around ten minutes to get fully above the forest, when Shadow told Tails to let go. "What?" Tails asked, nearly letting go anyway. "I need to do this, you have to let go though! I'll be fine!" Tails hesitated, and then released his grip on the black hedgehogs arms. Shadow plummeted towards the forest with amazing speed; he was close to hitting the trees when he pulled out from his pack a golden ring. (Authors notes: One of the rings Sonic uses in Sonic X) Harnessing it's power he began to spin, eventually flying over the forest, causing the smoke to stop, and the fire to calm. Tails gave a cheer, but felt the strain on his tails grow and he knew that he had to land. Hovering to the ground, Amy embraced him in a hug and Mach laughed and ruffled Tails' hair. Shadow touched down, and looked at the happy bunch, he was furious. "What are you celebrating?" He asked, calmly walking past the three. "Sure, Tails managed to fly, and the fires out... but did we save everyone in Knothole? I've just seen it. There's nothing there! Everyone's dead, now tell me this... Do you feel like celebrating NOW?" Mach stepped forward. "Chill Shadow..." He said calmly extending his hand in a handshake, but Shadow knocked it away and looked even more furious. "You tell me to chill again, and I'll kill you!" Shadow snarled, and then walked past the group, giving them each hateful looks. He stopped at Tails. "There is no happiness anymore..." He said, and continued his walk through the forest. Amy reluctantly followed, then Tails and then Mach.
***
The fire in the forest was calmer, but the fire in Shadow's eyes didn't go out for the next mile. If one of them said something to make another person laugh, he would look back and snarl. When Mach thought it would be funny to push Tails into a lake, Shadow grabbed him by the neck and spat in his face. "THERE IS NO TIME FOR JOKES!" He roared, and threw Mach to the ground. Later that evening, they finally reached the outskirts of Knothole village, each of them were afraid of Shadow, even Shadow was afraid, but kept walking calmly. Knothole village still had a few homes up, but they were bunt, or still burning via small embers. Shadow finally looked at his companions, and finally spoke normal again. "Take a ten minute rest. I'm going to look around... maybe there's something left that we can use..." Mach lay on his back, and looked at the sky. "What's up with Shadow?" He asked to no one, but Tails still answered. "I guess he's just feeling jet -lagged, or maybe there's something he left here that could have been burnt..." "Or someone..." Amy yawned out. Tails and Mach stared at Amy, but shrugged it off and lay back on the ashy ground.
***
Shadow leapt from one stable rooftop to the next, he had to se if one house had survived, and that house was very near the old Freedom Fighter headquarters. "If she's alive..." Shadow muttered to his self, and leaping to the side of an old building, grinded to the fresh grass. He stopped. "This grass hasn't been touched by ash... nothings burnt around here!" He yelled in triumph, and pelted as fast as his feat would go towards the row of still intact buildings. Numbers flashed by him. "27... 29... 31..." He read, he had to find 53; it was the one he had to find! "47... 49... 51..." He poured on more speed; the next house was it! "53!" He yelled in triumph, and crashed through the front door of the small hut, he heard no scream only a snarl. "What the!" Shadow screamed, and felt flames lick up around him. He was staring at another hedgehog, this one was red and yellow and instead of spines had flames. It stared at Shadow, and grinned. "You're the one who set fire to Knothole!!" "No duh, welcome Shadow, I am Flare, how would you like your girlfriend? Rare, medium or well done!" And the hedgehog pulled from a flaming closet a struggling Mina, her hair had ash in it, and her dress was torn and burnt. "Why didn't you set fire to this house!" Shadow demanded. "What's the point Shadow, I like seeing little hedgehogs burn, or mongooses... whatever comes first." Shadow stepped forward. "Let her go!" He ordered, "Why?" "Cause I'll be forced to reduce the little flame, to a pile of steam!" Shadow sniggered. "Wouldn't want to try that would you Shadow, not unless you want this baby to burn!" "You don't know me very well, I like a challenge." Flare grinned, dropped the struggling Mina and lifted one hand. "Time to turn up the heat!" He said smirking, Shadow smirked back, but he suddenly felt the ground around him burst into flames and move closer towards him very quickly. "This may present a problem." Shadow muttered, and felt the flames touch his skin. "Deep fried hedgehog Mina?" Flare asked the screaming mongoose. "SHADOW! SHADOW!" She wailed, and bounded to her feat, and headed towards the door. A flash of flame passed by her, and the door slammed. Flare stood next to it and waved his finger. "I thought mongooses we're fast..." He muttered. "They are," Came a voice, and both of them turned to the window, the glass shattered and Shadow leapt through waving a thin sword. "But they decide that it's best if they keep the speed to the hedgehogs." Mina began crying, and rushed to Shadow, embracing him. Shadow grinned at Flare and waved the sword around. "Chaos Control." He said bluntly. "Now then, can we please try that again? This time, without the burning!" Flare roared at them both a blue flame began to come form in his mouth. "Time to go!" Shadow ordered, and jumped through the broken window onto the grass. The flame soared over there heads. "Whoa, toasty." Shadow muttered, and put his hand on Mina's shoulder. "Are you ok?" Mina whimpered, and hugged Shadow again, and as the village burned around them, Shadow knew he only cared her.