Fading Shadows

Chapter XV

Crimson River

How bitter the memory is. I remember it so vividly. The memory was my nightmare. The morning was wet with drops from the departing rain, the grass was full of dew drops and I walked over the grass to the nearby woods from the clubhouse. The woods were at a time of transition. The tropical plants that inhabited Angel Island were all dead, as dead as a tombstone. Here and there a small sapling would poke out of the brown and decaying forest, showing off pleasant green shades amidst the dull surroundings of the now dead woods. I could smell wet earth and the scent of rotting wood as I continued forward to the edge of the woody skeletons. Before me, and down a slope, fully alive woods waited.

I stepped on a rotting log and it softly gave under my weight like a sponge as I continued onward. I was calmed by the shelter provided by the forest, by the tufted pines and shady oaks. The darkness of the trees seemed to soothe my mind from worry and I sighed softly to myself as I wandered in one direction. I wanted to find where I saw someone hanging out one time a few days before. In a field next to a creek, I found a certain black hedgehog camping under a giant tree. I think it was an oak, for it grew like an oak, with its massive stature and stout branches, but that did not matter at the time.

I could smell the remains of ash from a once burning fire and something else that heightened my senses. My canine ancestry has gifted me with a nose far more acute than the average person, and I could smell the oddity long before I saw it. The smell caused me to worry and I hastened my steps to get to the source as soon as possible.

Once I was there, I saw something that left my mind reeling... I could smell the sweet metallic odor of blood, and there sitting against the trunk of the giant oak was Shadow. My heart skipped a beat when I saw his black and red quills through the trees and charged forward as I called his name. "Shadow! Shadow!" He did not respond, and I crept closer to him as my ears perked intently and faced him, listening for a response. "Shadow?" He did not move from his sleep nor did his eyes open.

It was then that I saw his hands, and discovered why I smelled blood. Blood drenched his chest and the grass beneath him. Below him the grass was stained red, his black fur was stuck together in a bloody mass of fibers. I dashed forward and stopped mere feet from him and I started to gasp, panting as I realized what had happened. I stared at the ground where his hand rested on the slender and shining red blade of a stainless steel knife, and I started to sob as I crept ever closer. My heart throbbed with guilt as my throat tightened in fear. "Shadow..." The knife had been speared through the middle of his chest tuft and into his heart. A precise crimson gash remained, surrounded by his once silky white tuft, now a sickly orange, bloodstained bundle of soaking wet strands. "Oh my god... Shadow..." He was gone. As crimson trickled from his bleeding lips a faint smile remained, for finally in death he found happiness... "Shadow..." Tears dripped out of my eyes.

I stared at his hands, and poking out from beneath a glove was a folded piece of paper. He left a note. "Shadow..." I whispered his name. "No... Shadow... I'm... sorry..." I fell to my knees and hugged his body. I felt all the more distressed by one thing as I embraced the corpse. It was still warm. He died minutes ago! I screamed his name once more with all the passion I could muster, interrupting familiar silence and peace of the forest with my heart-wrenched cry. "SHAAADOOOWW!!!" I placed my head on his shoulder and sobbed...

* * * * * * *

The funeral was the following Sunday. The day was bright and sunny. Nature seemed to have a sadistic humor on this one occasion. We were lamenting, crying over a loss, and the weather was perfect for a perfect day. We were standing between two birches that were in the cemetery, and they provided moderate shade from the bright, warm sun. Wind caused the shadows from the leaves to dance gracefully with the penetrating sunlight. In front of us the coffin waited. Behind it a deep hole was excavated from the damp earth. The coffin was black and gold. Its edges were gold, and its handles were gold, but each face of the coffin was black. The coffin was open, and I teared up once again when I saw Shadow's tranquil face. Bouquets of white roses were placed on and beside the coffin, bringing bright contrast to the dark coffin in a beautiful arrangement.

Everyone showed up; Sonic and his parents showed up. Amy and her parents came. Even Knuckles, Rouge, Cream and her parents were there. I was with my Mom and Dad. I was wearing a black dress shirt with black pants. My Mom was wearing a black gown; Dad was wearing a black coat, black tie, black shoes, black socks... Sonic, for once, was dressed up in clothes similar to my own. Cream was wearing a slight black dress and held firmly onto her parent's hands with her amber eyes full of tears. Amy wore a modest black dress that had no sleeves and she had a beautiful, shiny onyx that was the deepest black I could imagine on a silver necklace. Rouge had chosen to bring herself in a black dress that had embroidery of small silver beads covering her breasts. Her aquamarine eyes lacked the life they have always contained, and Rouge was sluggish, exhausted. The pastor, a middle-aged white man with red hair closed his Bible and finished his service.

"...Remember, brothers and sisters. There is a time for everything. Everything, even Death, has a time. Dear Father, we bow our heads to you in mourning. Recently, a lonesome soul cut his life tragically short. He was a good boy. He was pure, honest, kind, and caring. These many things he was, but we did not try to help him when he was alone and heartbroken. We now must face the result of our actions. The angel now is gone from us. Receive his broken heart today, and wrap him in your arms. Give him the love that he so greatly deserves. Amen."

"I want to, no, I need to say something guys," Sonic started as we all turned to him in solemn silence. "I first met Shadow with envy. I hated him. I hated how he matched my every move, matched my speed, how he talked, the way he scoffed me. I was too busy hating him and watching how tough he seemed until I noticed something about him when he and I fought the Biolizard." Sonic swallowed and took a breath.

"What was it, Sonic?" The pastor gently urged him.

"I saw him when he was almost killed and noticed something in his eyes I never saw before. He looked like he was hiding pain, a deep pain inside. He was just a frightened teenager that was wronged by the world, and I began to respect him after he supposedly died when he fell from ARK. I knew he wasn't a villain at all. He's a hero, and a true one; he never got welcomed back, never got a medal, never made friends. He got no gratitude for his brave fight, and he's a true hero. When he returned, I thought he was better. I believed he was getting over his pain and didn't know he was still hurting inside." The rest of us started to tear up. "He was so lonely, so sad, and yet he was so tough. I was busy trying to get something done when he came to the door. I never knew how much turmoil he was enduring, and now he's gone... forever," Sonic's eyes dropped a tear as his voice broke.

"I also need to say something." Knuckles spoke up the second time. "Shadow, I never grew close to him, especially him. I felt that he wanted to be left alone, and I was right until he came to the shrine that one time. I was trying to solve a problem with the Master Emerald that seemed solvable and told him I was busy, so Shadow left me by that time. I feel so stupid... I should've seen it. I should have seen his need, but I didn't." Knuckles stared at the coffin as a gust of wind brushed through all of us and rattled the trees leaves, whipping their branches around.

Cream spoke up her tribute and it was simple and innocent. Poor Cream did not do anything to Shadow. "I want Shadow back!!" Cream broke down crying as both of her parents embraced her. "I liked Shadow. He was so nice to me... s-so n-n-nice t-to m-me!" She screamed again, and I could hold my sobs inside no longer.

Rouge decided to speak. "I've never gotten used to someone's death as an agent, but now I see I never will. I remember first meeting him, how cold he seemed to be. I insulted him before he almost died, and I regretted that bitterly. He seemed to be a monster, but inside he was pure and soft. I can't help wondering; if I could have done something differently, would it have made a difference? Would Shadow still be...?" Rouge trailed off as silent tears dripped down her cheeks.

Amy let out a quiet sob before she stated her own comment. "When Shadow interrupted my date with Sonic, my plans for that moment fell apart, and I slapped him... He ran off after I was yelling at him, and I didn't know what I had caused. I feel like this is my fault!" Amy stopped talking and clung onto her parents. "I'm so sorry, Shadow..." "Shhh. Rose, this wasn't your fault. His death isn't your fault," Mrs. Rose embraced the quivering pink female in her arms and Amy let out a pained sob. "I became a friend with Shadow. He seemed to be so happy, and he was very sweet. He was an angel. He was funny, and I thought he was cute. I never told him this, but he had gorgeous crimson eyes. I loved Shadow's ruby eyes..." Amy's voice broke.

I sobbed quietly as I wiped a hot tear from my eye. "Shadow... I should've seen your pain, Shadow. I couldn't see your pain, and I'm sorry about how I treated you." I paused to sniff my runny nose. "I remember that a tear dropped from Shadow's eye when he said hello and I was busy with something else. I don't know how to feel with inventing anymore. I make inventions to help others, and I was too focused on inventing to help Shadow... when he needed help most of all..." I had one more thing to say to the departed as one of my tears landed on the green grass at my feet while I looked at the peaceful face of the deceased. "Rest in peace, Shadow..."