Chapter Twenty-Seven
After Sonic had calmed down from his emotional breakdown, he and Shadow left the cemetery, heading towards Helen's Antiquities. Shadow was confused on why they were going there, so he asked.
"Sonic, why are we going to your friend's store?"
"Helen is the only one that can give Ryn the kind of treatment that she needs, so we're going to ask her."
Shadow smiled sheepishly, a drop of sweat rolling down his face. "Well then we're going the wrong way. She's not at the store."
"What?"
"She's at the beach house. She showed up this morning wanting to talk to us about what happened yesterday. I think she was worried."
"That makes sense. She has every right to be worried." Sonic nodded, then gave him a playful smirk, putting his hands on his hips. "You know, this would've been nice to know before we came all this way."
"Sorry. Didn't know that's who we were looking for."
The two hedgehogs laughed, both feeling like fools. Suddenly, their fun was interrupted when Sonic was suddenly splashed with water.
"Hey!" The blue hedgehog cried out, now dripping wet and irritated.
"Sonic!" Shadow gasped, afraid that the blue was about to change right then and there. When nothing happened, he sighed in relief and glared over at the culprits. A couple of kids with water blasters in their arms. "Now what did you do that for?"
"We wanted to see if Sonic really is a merhog like Dr. Eggman said." One little girl explained.
"But clearly, he's not, otherwise he would've transformed by now." An older boy deadpanned.
"Yeah, he changed pretty quick in the video yesterday." Another boy said. "Come on, let's get outta here. He's no merhog."
"Bye Sonic! Bye Shadow!" Another girl cried happily as she ran off with her friends.
"Hmph, kids." Shadow rolled his eyes as he looked at the blue hedgehog, who was shaking his fur dry. "But I don't get it. How come you didn't change?"
When he was mostly dry, Sonic stopped shaking and grinned at him. "Not my water. They sprayed me with freshwater. I only change in saltwater."
"Then how come you freaked so much when Knuckles tried to throw you in the lake on our camping trip?"
Sonic gave him a deadpan stare, as if to say if he was really asking him that question. Shadow blushed, catching on pretty quick.
"Ok. Ok. Point taken. Had to keep up the facade." The ebony chuckled sheepishly. "Come on. Let's just get to the beach house."
"Race you!" Sonic grinned and got into running position. He was just about to take off, but one forceful step on his limp and fell to the ground. "Ow."
Shadow chuckled and went up to him, picking him up in a bridal style. "You are not running mister until that limp is healed."
Sonic blushed, and as much as he was enjoying being held like this by the black and red hedgehog, he couldn't let him know. He wriggled to get out of his grasp, but the hedgehog held on. "Fine, I won't run. But I can still walk, you know."
"Your limp will never heal if you don't stay off your feet. I'm carrying you, end of discussion."
With that, Shadow began to walk home, carrying the blue hedgehog in his arms. Sonic chuckled and remained still, letting his frenemy… or maybe friend now, have his way.
He could get used to this.
…
When the two hedgehogs got back to the beach house, the gang, plus Helen, were working together to replace the windows Sonic's scream had shattered. Sonic felt guilty that he had caused such a mess, but he had no other choice. If he had not screamed, something worse could've happened.
"You know the first time I heard Sonic use a Siren's Scream was when I was teaching him to talk." Helen chuckled. "He got so frustrated and just let it all lose. I had to replace everything in the apartment and a few things in the store too."
"What word were you trying to teach him?" Cream asked.
"Actually, I was trying to teach him to say 'May I use the restroom?'." The woman smirked. "He would get so frustrated at times, and he couldn't run yet, so it was the only place where he could retreat. I eventually got tired of it and locked the bathroom and wouldn't let him in until he used his words. I assume you all can guess what happened."
Knuckles and Tails both snickered at the idea. The girls looked a little sorry, but even they couldn't help but smile in amusement. Even Shadow gave the hedgehog he was carrying a knowing smirk.
Sonic blushed brightly, covering his face and whining loudly.
"Helen! Do you have to tell them that story?!"
"Oh, Sonic, Shadow. Welcome back." Helen smiled at them.
"Goodness, Sonic!" Vanilla gasped at the condition the blue hedgehog was in. "What happened to you?!"
"Don't worry Ms. Vanilla, I'm fine."
"Yes, apparently this is just the aftermath of Siren mating." Shadow added.
"Jeez," Knuckles frowned. "What did she do to you? Use you as a punching bag?"
"Eh, more or less." Sonic blushed.
"She dominated him." Shadow chuckled.
"The females always dominate the males!" Sonic defended himself as the boys laughed at him. "They're the ones in charge of the colony! They have more power than us!"
"You're pretty banged up, hun." Rouge commented. She smirked at the fact Shadow was holding him. "What's the matter? Can't stand on your own?"
"I can stand just fine, but I have a limp so Mother Hen over here won't let me down until I'm healed."
"Hey. Be glad I actually care." Shadow chuckled.
"Well in that case let's bring him inside." Vanilla suggested, opening the door and leading everyone to the living room. "You can lay him on the couch."
"We can't stay for long." Sonic said as Shadow laid him on the couch, setting a pillow under his legs to keep them elevated. "Ryn's waiting for us at the moonpool. She needs treatment from Helen."
"What's the matter, child?" Helen asked him in full concern.
"... She defeated Tia this morning."
Helen gasped but everyone else, besides Shadow, were confused.
"Who's Tia?" Tails asked.
"Well, she was my Alpha." Sonic said. "Until Ryn challenged her and defeated her this morning."
"Goodness that's wonderful!" The old woman smiled. "A merhog has never been the Alpha before."
"Yes, we're all very proud of her, but she needs treatment. Tia showed her no mercy."
"It's true. I saw her condition myself." Shadow nodded. "She is covered in scratches and bruises. Her face is all cut up and there's a good chunk missing from her shoulder."
"Jeez, was this a battle to the death or something?" Knuckles frowned.
Sonic was silent for a minute before he spoke. "... When an Alpha is challenged for their position, it's always to the death."
