In Cosmo's Shadow
By Kellie Fay
Disclaimer: Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Cosmo, and the others all belong to SEGA, Team Sonic, 4 Kids and other people not me
*waves to Whisper* I'm glad you're enjoying this. Don't worry I need to be done because I have to post another Sonic/Shadow story for April First. :) Yes this is Done! Well done but not posted.
Please Please Please Reveiw!
Chapter 16
Shadow's Challenge
During the night sometime, the rain stopped. The sun shone through the broken bits of building waking Shadow. The crimson and ebony hedgehog sat up slowly watching as stray flocks of flickys and insects went about their morning business.
The dream, while not a nightmare, to his relief, made him feel odd all the same. If the dream was real he was now in the territory of a powerful sorcerous who could speak to the dead. Could he find her? And if he did find her could she help him? He wasn't even sure what he wanted help with, only that he needed something, and he didn't know what.
"Shadow, you're awake," Pie said. The silver vixen and her chao greeted him with a brilliant smile. "Did you sleep well?"
"I had the strangest of dreams," Shadow said not sure why he chose to tell her. "I saw some acquaintances of mine. They were concerned about me. Apparently they know where I am." He glared at the little chao who looked right back at him and giggled. I thought so, he thought directly at the creature. To Pie he said, "They said that there is a powerful sorcerous in the area called Cobbler that can speak with the dead. Is that true or was it just a dream?"
Pie laughed, "the sorcerous is true enough, and you won't have to travel far to find her."
Shadow waited with one eyebrow raised. "Where do I find her?" he finally asked when she didn't say anything else.
"You've already met her," Pie answered with a giggle. "She is my grandmother."
"That explains a great deal," Shadow said. "I wish to speak to her."
Pie smiled and led him back inside the chao garden. Like before the chao descended on him, but not so enthusiastically that it overwhelmed him. He sensed that they did not wish to frighten him a second time. He greeted them absently, and slowly made his way towards the old woman.
In the year he had been away from the others he learned a few things about kitsune. Mostly he learned that kitsune with three or more tails possessed some form of magic that didn't have anything to do with chaos emeralds. He also learned that with the few exceptions that lived away from other foxes most kitsune were pompous stuck up snobs who looked down on other, non-magical, Mobians.
Pie and her grandmother didn't appear snobbish, but he kept in minds that a seven tailed kitsune had a great deal of magic.
Shadow nodded and sat down before the old woman. The ancient kitsune looked Shadow up and down then asked, "so what can I do for you laddy?"
Not sure what he wanted to ask for Shadow said, "I hear you are a sorcerous of great power," he said.
Cobbler cackled at that, "Great power did you say lad? I'm naught but a feeble old woman."
Shadow smiled, she was testing him, but this first one was easy. "There is more to you than one can see I am sure."
"Good lad," Cobbler said, "now tell me what you need."
Shadow wanted to tell her what he wanted, but like many times before, the words would not come. "I do not know," he admitted. "I only know that I am lacking in something. I have been for a very long time and I cannot find any answers on my own."
"Did ye not ask for help from your friends?" Cobbler asked.
Now Shadow knew a test when he heard it. All he could do was answer honestly. "My friends tried to help me, but I'm afraid I was not a very good friend to them."
"It took you a full year to learn that laddy?" She asked.
Not sure what he should say, Shadow lowered his head shamefully. "It is often hard for me to understand my feelings," he told her.
Cobbler looked him up and down. "A better answer than I would have hoped for, but don't forget that lesson child. 'twas always easier for you to cast out those who would do you good. Yer proud like our runner, but he knows not to let his pride blind him to others who would do him good. That is why he'd never cast you away, and he opens his heart to all. You never know who will do ye good, my boy even if they don't look it."
Not sure how to answer that, Shadow simply nodded. That seemed to meet with the old woman's approval. "All right lad. I think I can help you, but yer not ready for it yet. Ye need to do two things before I can give you what you need."
Not a surprise. This old woman seemed to be testing him for a reason known only to her. "What do you need me to do?"
Cobbler's covered eyes still seemed to bore into him. "First of all, ye need to knows yerself inside and out. You've been doing good with that since ye defeated the Dark One but ye needs to be reading that little chip inside of yer bag. Ye needs to know the whole truth on yer existence."
Shadow winced. He still carried the data chip and journal everywhere, but he never again went to look inside either. He didn't want to think about what was written in them. "The last time I tried to read those notes my sleeping mind tried to destroy them. I almost hurt a friend, and I do not remember doing so," he warned her.
"Aye, I know," Cobbler said. "Ye won't be doing that this time, lad. I'll see to it. Yer dreams may not be good afterwards, but I can hold ye down, and keeps ye from hurting others." She held out her hand to him, and he could see a pale glowing yellow light sparkling in her hands. "You'll barely feel the chains on ye once they're there, but if I needs to I can tighten them and keep ye to my will. I can't force these chains on you though lad. Ye needs to take them on by your will.
For the first time in his existence Shadow felt a twinge of fear for something other than his own destructive nature. This old woman just basically told him that she can work a spell to control him. The old nightmares about Black Doom simmered within his mind, but before he could refuse Cobbler shook her head.
"Nay nay lad! Not anything like that beast! The chains will only hold your body, not your mind child! Ye needs that mind sharp and focused. Twill be like the green one. She stopped ye, but she didn't touch yer mind."
"That is a matter of opinion," Shadow said, but he relaxed anyway. Cosmo's attack hurt his mind like nothing he ever experienced before, but she did not control his will. This old woman claimed the spell she offered him had similar properties.
"Just and so," Cobbler said holding the light before him. "Ye has to takes it from me though. I can't force it on ye."
Shadow nodded, but spent another minute looking at the spell in her hand wondering if he should. Then throwing caution to the wind, he clasped the old woman's hand in his own. He felt a slight tingle go up his wrist and along the tips of his quills. Curious he concentrated on the sensation which ended as quickly as it had begun leaving only a sparkly feeling along his wrists.
"Tis all right, you'll hardly notice it in a second," Cobbler told him.
"Very well," Shadow said still puzzled at the spell he permitted himself to fall under. He didn't feel any different at all. "If this magic of yours can keep me from harming others in my sleep I will read the professor's notes. What is the other task I must complete?"
Cobbler smiled. "Don't think I don't know the first task will be a trail for you. Afterwards ye read, and not before I wants ye to spend a day and a night here in the garden with us. It will calm yer mind and spirit for the task before ye."
Shadow sighed. "You are asking difficult things from me, old woman," he accused.
Cobbler laughed. "Aye lad I know, but if'in ye wants answers to questions ye don't even know, the task is always hard."
"I see," Shadow said. He somehow sensed these tasks were not so much as payment but preparation for what the old witch planned for him. He knew now that he was already in too deep to back out. "Well, since you would not have charged me with the task unless you had a way for me to accomplish it, I will ask you; do you have a device to read the data chip?"
Cobbler laughed. "Aye, Pie can helps ye out with that laddy" Come back to me when ye's ready.
Coming Soon chapter 17
Here we go again
"I started to sleep walk didn't I?" He said shivering. A voice behind him made him turn. There Cobbler sat looking sad.
"Aye laddy," she said. "Stopped ye before ye wandered off. Can ye tell us why ye wanted to go wandering?"
Maybe it had to do with the spell laid on him, but the words came out before he even knew what he wanted to say. Shutting his eyes tight he heard his voice say, "I had to destroy it. I had to wipe it out of existence."
He felt a hand under his chin, and pulled his head up. "Look at me lad," Cobbler's voice commanded. Somehow she still had control over some part of him, because he obeyed without question. He looked up for the first time seeing her sightless eyes without the rag covering them. He could tell that she couldn't see him, but the opaque silver white eyes still held power within them. He found he couldn't look away from her. "What did ye want to destroy? Ye needs to understand it." She demanded of him.
Shadow couldn't keep the word from coming out of his mouth. "Me," he said.