Rouge sat on the tree branch hanging over the bike path halfway between the city edge and the Redwoods Lodge. She was exhausted; having searched for the two supersonic hedgehogs across most of the forest all morning. She hopped down to the bike path and headed east, tiredly following shoeprints she only barely recognized as Sonic's and allowed her mind to wander.
It didn't get far; within moments, Sonic and Shadow were practically on top of her, having appeared out of thin air and crashed to the ground nearby. Rouge leapt into a tree, barely escaping discovery.
Sonic and Shadow shook off the shock of Chaos Control; Sonic had found a rock to lean against as Shadow stumbled up, tapped him on the shoulder, and sucker-punched him in the face when he turned around. Sonic crashed to the ground, his eyes tearing up and temporarily blinding him as he forgot what to do in case of a nosebleed, which he also had.
Sonic's head spun, he sat up and tilted his head forward, trying to clean himself up. It wasn't working so well.
Shadow had gotten her temporary vengeance, but she was already regretting the punch. Sonic was sitting on the ground, rubbing his eyes and trying not to choke on his own blood. No, she couldn't show him sympathy; it was already too late for that…
Sonic made a sort of sobbing sound as he gasped for air, coughing out some more blood that had drained down his throat.
Okay, maybe a little sympathy. Shadow dropped the Chaos Emerald into one of her apron pockets and took a few napkins out of another, kneeling down and holding the napkins in front of Sonic's face.
"Sonic? Are you okay?" asked Shadow, getting no response. "Sonic. Hello? Can you hear me?"
Sonic's ears were ringing. Everything just buzzed as he scrubbed out the last of the tears. He felt something on his face as his hearing faded back in and the clouds in his vision disappeared, revealing that Shadow was wiping Sonic's face clear of bodily fluids with a paper napkin.
He didn't appreciate it; instead reacting with embarrassment, causing the blood from his blushing muzzle to flow out his nose.
"Hey! Don't baby me- back off!" Sonic exclaimed, scooting backward to escape the situation. He bumped into a tree and could move no farther.
"Stop it Sonic! You're getting blood everywhere- I didn't even hit you that hard!"
Sonic pouted as Shadow held him against the tree with one arm while still cleaning up his muzzle. Once the job was done, she handed Sonic a clean napkin.
"Blow your nose. And relax, won't you? Sheesh. Acting like I hit you with a crowbar…"
Sonic sighed, blowing his nose and making sure it was clear before turning back to Shadow.
"I'm sorry I got you where I knew you were hurt, okay?" apologized Sonic, sounding rather childish to Shadow, "But it got us out of the vines that much faster, didn't it?"
"No buts," replied Shadow, crossing her arms. "And the ends don't always justify the means, you know. I mean, what would those plants have done to me, anyways? They were plants!"
"It was kudzu, Shadow. Mutant kudzu, in fact;" interrupted Sonic. "Released into Redwoods by accident about ten years ago. Likes to cover stuff. And I mean cover stuff. In seconds you wouldn't have been able to breathe! I saved your life!"
"Saved my life?" asked Shadow, incredulously. She paused. "Saved my life..."
Sonic looked up as Shadow tried to sort out his conundrum. The sky was starting to get cloudy and the air smelled like rain.
"We might want to find some shelter, unless you want to Chaos Control someplace."
"Where am I gonna Chaos Control to?" said Shadow, having apparently worked something out in his mind.
"There are only two places I could go right now and I don't want to be anywhere near either."
Sonic raised an eyebrow at this answer. "What?"
Shadow's response was cut off by the sound of thunder, slightly shaking the ground underneath their feet and echoing through the forest.
"Shelter it is," said Sonic, glancing around for any sort of cover.
Then glancing around for Shadow, who had disappeared.
"Shadow? Come on, man, this isn't funny!"
Shadow sighed, reaching out from under the rock Sonic had been leaning against earlier and tugging at one of his socks. When Sonic got down on his hands and knees, Shadow grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him under the rock.
It was like a freaking cave under here! Sonic looked around, wondering when this could have been hollowed out. He'd been all over this forest and he'd never seen this. How had Shadow..?
Shadow crossed her arms and leaned against the cool, stone side of the chamber. She was glad they were on top of a hill; otherwise water might have been able to seep in through the entrance.
She looked over at Sonic. He seemed to have forgotten the situation before the whole shelter-finding thing. He was examining the stone walls in what little light there was and he seemed fairly excited about it. She shrugged, curling up against the wall and deciding to take a nap.
Sonic glanced over at Shadow. He didn't seem at all interested in what he'd found and Sonic decided he might have the right idea by settling in for a short siesta. Sonic curled up against the other side of the hollow and went to sleep.