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
Yay! More Reviews! *waves to KGB* I'm glad you're enjoying the show. This chapter is a little short, but the next one will make up for that.
Chapter 18 Preparation
He woke late in the afternoon with the sun high overhead in this little universe. The moment he sat up he felt a pulling at his hands and feet. Not sure where Pie or her Grandmother were he called out into the air, "I am awake." Instantly the imagined wires around his wrists and ankles loosened. He nodded satisfied, and went to find some breakfast.
He found Cobbler feeding her chao with them surrounding her like puppies. Peaches instantly raced over to greet Shadow, who obliged the creature by scratching the back of its head. He knelt by Cobbler's side looking at the old woman whose eyes were once again bound by the red rag. "What shall I do now that I am here for a day and a night?" he asked.
Cobbler offered him some fruit which he accepted. "Ye needs to clear yer mind and yer heart before I can be opening doorways for ye," she said. "Just stay in the garden, and think on yer life. If ye wants to talk we'll listen, if you wants to be alone that's fine too. Just find a way for ye to move forwards with life not backwards. And don't' worry about finding a foundation for what yer thinking. That's what tomorrow is for."
"As you say," Shadow said. He moved away to a little hilly area in bright sunlight. He found a little sunny nook near a building. Putting the building to his back he sat down, and closed his eyes and tried to think of the things Cobbler wanted him to.
He started with the aborted sleepwalking incident that night. He opened his eyes and looked down at his writs puzzled that he couldn't feel the bindings on him unless they felt he needed to be controlled. Focusing on them made them tingle a bit, but as promised they were barely noticeable. Would that I had the benefit of this spell before Sonic and Rouge would not have gotten hurt trying to stop me. Still Sonic and Rouge were both right. What Cobbler made him do last night was face what his subconscious wanted to do. Am I self-destructive? I guess indirectly. I would push away anything and anyone who would be kind to me. I guess that's why I can't stand even a comforting touch. Pie touched him, and for the first time he didn't automatically flinch away. Touch meant comfort to the others. Slowly now on his own he could begin to understand the actions of the others.
Maybe this is why Cobbler wants me to sit here and think. Maybe I need to sort out all this. Shadow closed his eyes and continued to analyze his thoughts, motivations, and feelings.
Only when the sun faded from the sky, and the air turned cooler did Shadow opened his eyes and noticed how late it was.
"How do you feel Shadow?" Pie said coming closer to him with Peaches at her side. She knelt down next to him and offered him a wooden plate with food on it.
"Strangely empty," Shadow admitted trying to feel his emotions out. He accepted the food from Pie, and pet Peaches when the chao came to greet him. "There is plenty of food and shelter here, all physical wants are taken care of, and most of the chao put forth such simple emotions of contentment. It would be very easy to lose myself in this little paradise, and forget my past."
"Perhaps," Pie said, "But Grandmother thinks you are a warrior, you have a need to be doing things. You might lose yourself for a little while, but those on the outside would call to you until you answered."
"Perhaps," Shadow agreed. He usually didn't feel tired, but sitting for the day in this dream like setting settled a lethargy on him, and he surprised himself by yawning.
"Grandmother thinks you did very well today," Pie told him. "Tomorrow she will send you on your vision quest."
"Is that what you call it?" Shadow asked. "What will happen?"
Pie shook her head and smiled. "I do not know, everyone's quest is different. Grandmother will open doorways for your soul to pass through. Even though your mind does not know what you need one's soul always knows. You will find that which you seek."
Shadow couldn't quiet puzzle out what Pie meant by all that, but he accepted it. Laying down again that night he wondered exactly what would happen to him the next day.
Coming Soon chapter 19
Into the unknown
"Good good," Cobbler said, "now lad, keep your eyes on the gem. Don't think about anything. Just relax and watch the stone. Let me do all the work."
Shadow nodded, and fixed his eyes on the slightly glowing blue gem. Cobbler lowered her head also gazing at the chaos emerald before them. Slowly the emerald began to turn like a top. After a minute Shadow found that he could not look away from the spinning whirling gem. His body felt rooted to the spot. All he could do is look at the stone before him. After a while he felt the heaviness in his limbs move to his head. He found it hard to keep his head up, or his eyes open. Finally his head dropped to his chest and his eyes fell shut.
He struggled to open his eyes, and when he did so he found himself in a different world.