Chapter 3
Shade ran back inside to move the chair out of the way and opened the closet with her hair. The hedgehog fell out face first still unconscious.
Shade pulled him into the center the room with the skylight shining on him. He was tied up in her hair on a chair. Espio was on his shoulder trying to wake him up. He pimp-slapped him and changed to his fur color to avoid getting hurt, but nothing happened. He used his tail to slap him and then poked him, but still nothing! Aggravated, he then faced his ear, opened his mouth, and stuck out his tongue, hitting home.
The hedgehog woke with a scream; Espio flailing his arms as he fell from his shoulder. He noticed he was tied up and tried to break free, but then saw he was covered with something. He traced the substance all around the room to find that it stopped at the ceiling.
"Is this hair?" he asked.
Shade was on one of the beams of the tower, afraid of the stranger. "Struggling...struggling will get you nowhere!"
"Huh?"
Shade jumped down from the beams into the shadows. "I know why you're here. And I'm...not afraid of you."
"What?"
Shade stepped cautiously into the light with the frying pan in hand looking determined. "Who are you and how did you find me?"
He felt like his heart had stopped beating... or maybe it was going so fast he couldn't feel it anymore… her radiant beauty stunned the normally witty hedgehog into silence.
When he didn't answer she repeated holding up the pan above her head, more demanding than questioning. "Who are you and how did you find me."
The hedgehog cleared his throat, "I know not who you are nor how I came to find you, but may I just say...hi. How ya doin'? The name's Ultimate Life-form."
"Ultimate Life-form?" Shade said sarcastically, "Really? That's your name?"
"More or less. How's your day going?"
Shade pointed the pan in his face, "Who else knows of my location,
"Ultimate Life-form"?"
"Look, Blondie-" He said this because of her hair looking very platinum blonde to him.
"Shade."
"Whatever. Here's the deal. I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest, I come across your tower and the...oh...OH NO! Where's my satchel?!"
"I've hidden it. Somewhere you'll never find it." Shade smirked confidently.
The hedgehog looked around, "It's that pot isn't it?"
Shade glanced at the pot then back at the hedgehog, her smile forming a frown. She whacked him on the head again and hid the satchel in another place.
The hedgehog woke up to find Espio's tongue still in his ear.
"AH!" Shadow jumped again making Espio fall to floor. He rubbed his ear against his shoulder hoping to clean it out. "Will you please stop that?!"
"Now," Shade said, "it's hidden where you'll never find it. Now..." Shade walked around him, "What do you want with my hair? Cut it?"
"What?"
"Sell it?"
"NO! Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair is to get out of it!"
"Wait...you don't want my hair?"
"Why on Mobius would I want your hair? I was being chased, saw a tower, climbed it. End of story."
"You're telling the truth?" Shade asked.
"Yes!"
Espio went up to his face and narrowed his eyes at him. Shade pulled him back and talked to him with her back facing the hedgehog.
"I know that I need someone to take me." She whispered.
Espio squeaked back.
"I think he's telling the truth, too."
The hedgehog tried to move the chair over to the window while they were talking.
"He doesn't have fangs... Well what choice do I have?" Shade sighed. "Okay, Ultimate Life-form, I'm prepared to offer you a deal."
"Deal?" he asked.
"Look this way." Shade tugged her hair to turn him, but he landed on his face. She opened the curtain to the picture of the lights again. "Do you know what these are?"
His voice nasal-sounding from his face to the floor, "You mean the lantern thing they do every year for the princess?"
"Lanterns...I knew they weren't stars." Shade looked back at him. "Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal."
The hedgehog lifted himself up and put the chair on its side to not be face first on the ground anymore. "Yeah. Sorry, but the kingdom and I aren't exactly simpatico at the moment, so I won't be taking you anywhere."
Shade looked at Espio on her shoulder for a suggestion. He pounded his fists together with an angry look. Shade jumped down from the wardrobe she was on top of and pulled the hedgehog up by her hair.
"Something brought you here, Ultimate Life-form. Call it what you will. Fate, destiny..."
"A blue fake."
"...but I've made the decision to trust you..."
"A horrible decision."
"...But trust me when I tell you this." She pulled him up to her face, her eyes seeming to glow fiercely. "You can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without my help you'll never find your precious satchel."
"Ahem." He cleared his throat. "Lemme get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home, and you'll give me back my satchel?"
"I promise. And when I promise something I never, EVER, break that promise. Ever."
The hedgehog made one last effort to get out of this. "Alright, I didn't wanna have to use this, but you give no me choice." He made a pouty face trying to break her deal, but Shade was hard as a rock. "This is kind of an off day for me. This doesn't normally happen. Fine! I'll take you to see the lanterns."
Shade let go of him only to hit face first on the floor again. "Yes! Oops."
The Ultimate Life-form was climbing down the tower using the arrows again. He called to Shade, "You comin', Shortie?"
Shade stood on the window ledge with her hair on the hook and Espio on her shoulder.
"Look at the world, so close and I'm halfway to it…Look at it all, so big. Do I even dare? Look at me, there at last, I just have to do it. Should I? No. Here I go."
Shade threw her hair out the window with the hedgehog dodging it. She started to slide down it, twirling around, but suddenly came to a halt when she saw the ground.
The grass was so lush and green, she didn't know what would happen if she touched it. She put one foot on the ground stretching out her toes feeling the coolness under her feet.
"Just smell the grass, the dirt, just like I dreamed they'd be. Just feel that summer breeze, the way it's calling me. For like the first time EVER, I'm completely free." Shade ran out of the canyon into the forest. "I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing, and leaping, and bounding, hair flying, heart-pounding, and splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling that's when my life begins!"
Shade started to freak out. "I can't believe I did this! I can't believe I did this. I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS! Heh-heh! Dad would be so furious."
The hedgehog would stand around waiting for her to make up her mind.
"It'll be okay right? What he dosen't know won't kill him. Oh my gosh, this would kill him. This is so fun! I am a horrible daughter, I'm going back. I am never going back! I am a despicable anthro-being. WHOO-HOO! Best day ever!"
After traveling and letting her see the forest a bit after her drama, the hedgehog talked to her. "You know, I can't help but notice you're a little at war with yourself here."
"What?"
"I'm only picking up bits and pieces. Over-protective father, forbidden road trip, this is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscience. This all part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That's good, healthy even." Espio climbed on his shoulder, but brushed him away.
"Heh. You think?"
"I know. You're way over thinking this, trust me. Does your father deserve it; no. Will this break his heart and crush his soul; of course! But you just got to do it." he picked up a berry.
"Break his heart?"
"In half."
"Crush his soul."
"Like a grape." He said as he did it.
"He would be heartbroken. You're right."
"I am, aren't I? Oh, bother. Alright, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you out of the deal."
"What?!" Shade exclaimed.
The hedgehog picked up her frying pan and Espio and gave them to her. "That's right, but don't thank me. Let's turn around and get you home - Here's your pan, here's your frog - I get back my satchel, you get back a father/daughter relationship based on mutual trust, and voila! We part ways as unlikely friends."
Shade pushed him away from her. "No! I am seeing those lanterns."
"Oh come on! What is it gonna take for me to get my satchel back!"
She shoved the pan in his face, "I will use this."
A rustling noise was heard in the bushes behind them. Shade jumped on the hedgehog's back and pointed her pan towards the foliage. "Is it ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?"
Out came a cute little bunny staring at them with big brown eyes.
"Stay calm." The hedgehog teased. "They can sense fear."
Shade got down, "Sorry. I guess I'm a bit jumpy. Usually I'm not like this."
The hedgehog got an idea, "Probably best to stay away from ruffians and thugs though."
"Yeah, that'd probably be best."
"Are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch."
"Uh, where?"
"Oh, don't you worry," he grabbed her hand and led her on, "You'll know it when you smell it."