Okay, I'm SO sorry for making everyone wait. If you've read my other story, which I changed the title of to "What Do I Believe? Who Should I Follow?" then you know why it took me this long.
If you haven't yet, here are my excuses:
Writer's block, unmotivation, college, a friend's/reviewer's computer dying, and real life in general.
Also, I had some trouble thinking of how to write this chapter…oh, and for the one reviewer who bashed the Tails Doll…I HAPPEN TO LIKE THE TAILS DOLL! SO DON'T SAY IT WAS UNNESSECARY! *deep breaths*
Now that I got that out of my system, I am NOT posting anymore review replies in the author's notes. If I haven't replied to your reviews, sorry, but you'll have to wait for this chapter to be updated and your next set of reviews to come in.
Note: Any minor misspelled words and grammar issues are there for reasons stated in the chapter.
Disclaimer: SEGA owns the characters; I'm just using them for fun.
Chapter 12
It had been several months since the incident with the thankfully-for-them-dead Tails Doll, and Shadow was glad he had an enormous amount of patience, for Sonic, still recovering from his amnesia, so far had the memories of the first 4 years of his life, which the artificial soul that Sonic had unconsciously created for himself had adapted to, giving Sonic the mentality of a young child. Since Shadow already had experience with a young Sonic, he thought he could handle anything the four-year-old-in-a-teenager's-body threw at him.
How wrong he was.
At the moment he was glaring at his trying-to-look-innocent-but-failing-miserably son who had decided to show off his art skills by drawing all over the walls with some markers he found.
Folding his arms, he asked, "Sonic, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"Um…wasn't me?" was Sonic's answer, though his guilty expression didn't help. Even so, he wondered why he was in trouble when all he did was decorate the bland-looking walls. As a result of the new mentality, Sonic's voice also sounded similar to that of a child; though he still retained the language skills he had before the incident, so there weren't as many grammar problems in his speech as there would normally be. Despite this, there were still some words that Sonic didn't understand or couldn't pronounce properly.
Mentally sighing, Shadow decided to play along. "Then how do you explain the drawings on the wall?"
"Magic!" Sonic grinned.
"And was it magic that also got you covered in marker ink?" Shadow asked, amused as it seemed that some of the markers had leaked ink all over Sonic's arms.
Sonic hadn't realized this, however, and as he looked himself over, his eyes widened. "Um…"
'Gotcha,' Shadow thought, smirking to himself. "Tell me the truth, Sonic. Did you use the markers I had to ruin the walls?"
"No ruined, I made 'em better!" It wasn't until he finished his sentence that Sonic realized he'd just accidentally confessed. "Oops…"
His expression sheepish, Sonic hung his head, the markers scattered across the floor near his feet only further condemning him.
Shadow sighed through his nose, closing his eyes in thought. While Sonic's confession had been accidental, the mere fact that he had tried to cover it up, even if the excuse had been as childish as Sonic's mind was at the moment, meant that the old Sonic was still there, buried deep within in the recesses of his mind.
Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Sonic glanced at the older male, as though trying to gauge just how disapproving he was. When he noticed that Shadow's eyes were closed, he grinned mischievously, scooped up the markers, and ran off to defile the downstairs' walls.
Of course, once he got to the stairs, he was grabbed from the waist, causing him to lose his grip on the markers, which rolled down the stairs.
"Don't run down the stairs, you could trip and fall, thus hurting yourself," Shadow said as though Sonic tried to do so every day, which he did.
And of course, Sonic wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead he was trying to free himself. "Lemme go!"
"Listen to me first, Sonic. Then I'll let you go."
Sonic pouted after hearing that, but continued to struggle.
'I wonder if it's a good thing his stubbornness hasn't changed one bit,' was Shadow's thought, as he reached over and tweaked Sonic's ear, a little harder then he normally would when giving his son a warning.
Then again, this time it was more than a warning.
"Ow!" Sonic cried, looking at Shadow indignantly. "Tat hurt, Da!"
Shadow almost lost his grip on his son after hearing that word, and since they were on the very edge of the stairs, the end results of that would not be pretty. Thankfully, he kept his hold on Sonic.
It was the first time since Sonic had recovered the memories from when he was young that he called Shadow 'Da' and it had been years since Shadow had heard it.
Putting those thoughts aside, he looked at Sonic, who was now staring at him with curiosity.
"Whatcha thinking bout, Da?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, son. But, since you're so eager to try running down the stairs, how about I show you what could happen if you fall?"
Shadow figured what he was about to do would be harsh, but since Sonic wouldn't listen to his warnings, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sonic, on the other hand, figured that the demonstration would be something cool, so he nodded. "Okay!"
"Alright then. Wait here." Shadow then went down the stairs, avoiding the markers along the way, and came back a few minutes later with a watermelon.
Sonic simply stared, tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy. "What's tat for? We gonna eat it?"
"You won't want to eat it after this. Pretend that the watermelon is you. Now, let's see what would happen should you fall down the stairs." And with that, Shadow dropped the giant fruit down the staircase.
As soon as it made impact with the first step, a large chunk of it was smashed off, and the process continued until the whole staircase, the floors, and the wall, were covered in watermelon bits.
"…Tat could be me?"
Sonic's voice was so small, so quiet, that Shadow almost didn't hear it, and only now after the deed had been done did he fear he had gone too far. Looking at his son, he could have sworn his heart stopped at the stricken expression Sonic now wore.
"Yes, Sonic, that could have been you, but only if you don't take my warnings about this sort of thing seriously."
Perhaps Shadow shouldn't have said anything at all, for now Sonic was trembling, large tears cascading down his face. "Da…I…I sorwy…"
"Sonic, you don't need to feel sorry. I know you can be stubborn and unwilling to listen sometimes. I just wanted to make sure you knew the dangers of running around without paying attention to what's around you," Shadow explained to the best of his abilities hopefully without confusing the boy.
While Sonic didn't understand most of the words, he understood part of what Shadow was saying.
Seeing the small glimmer of understanding in Sonic's still tear-filled eyes, Shadow smiled. "I have an idea, Sonic. If you help me clean this up," he said, pointing to the melon bits everywhere, "and then clean yourself up, I'll make you some chillidogs."
Sonic instantly brightened up at the prospect of his favorite food. "Yay!"
Of course, Sonic had missed the part about helping with the clean up, being so excited about having chillidogs, so he instantly ran off to the bathroom, momentarily forgetting about his aversion to water.
Shadow couldn't help chuckling at his son's excitement. It was a vast improvement from how he was the first few weeks. He had been unresponsive to anything Shadow said to him, and couldn't move on his own. After two and a half months, Sonic started to respond, and even twitch his limbs. Also, by then, he started gaining a few memories back.
It hadn't been long until Shadow realized that it was only every couple of months that Sonic would gain memories from one year of his life, in chronological order. While it was good that eventually Sonic would regain all of his memories, with every "year" that Sonic gained back, the one thing that would never seem to stick was his mother being gone. Of course, it could just be because most individuals don't remember events from before the age of five.
Flashback
"Da? How come Ma ain't here?" was the first question to be asked by Sonic only a few hours after receiving his four-year-old memories.
He didn't recognize where they were, but when he saw his Da and Speedy, he knew it had to be a different house they were living in.
Shadow, meanwhile, was a little confused. After the last two recoveries Sonic had gone through, the same question had been asked, and Shadow had to explain, though avoiding the term death since a child wouldn't understand, that his mother was simply gone. This time, though, it took a few minutes to realize that the explanation wasn't a part of Sonic's original memories, and thus, he would forget it every time another year's worth of memories came back.
'Hm, if I use something that's connected to his original memories to explain it again, he might remember it next time,' Shadow thought, an idea forming in his mind.
"Sonic, do you remember when I took you to go see the stars?" he asked.
He smiled when he saw his son nod. "Yeah, Da. Why?"
"Remember what I said about the stars?"
Sonic had a thoughtful expression as he concentrated on the answer. "Um…they're the sprits of people we know, and they shine brighter when they're the sprits of family, right?"
"Close, but good enough. The stars are formed when a new spirit enters the skies to watch over the ones they've left behind," Shadow explained, emphasizing the word "spirit" in an attempt to get Sonic to say it correctly.
"Sprit!"
'Always so close, yet never perfect. Such is the way a young child speaks.' "Try again, son. Repeat after me. Spi…"
Sonic, thinking this was a game, eagerly repeated, "Spi…"
"Rit."
"Rit."
"Spi-rit."
"Sprit!"
Shadow sighed, knowing that Sonic would insist on his own pronunciation of the word instead of the correct way. "As I was saying, when a new spirit enters the skies, a new star is formed. Sonic…your mother's spirit is one of the stars now."
At first, the words didn't register in Sonic's mind, but after a few seconds, his eyes widened in realization, tears already falling. "Sh-She gone?"
It nearly tore Shadow's heart in two to hear the child-like voice sound so broken. "She got sick. It happened so fast, and there was nothing the doctors could do about it." It wasn't the whole truth, but he figured it wouldn't be good to go into detail.
Sonic shook his head in denial, holding the stuffed Chao close to him.
Shadow, who had been standing nearby, instantly went to his side and pulled his son into a comforting hug, knowing it would help with soothe the emotionally distraught youth.
"Make her come back, Da! Make her come back!" Sonic sobbed into his chest.
"I wish I could, son, but I can't. It happened too fast for anyone to do anything about it. But you know what? I'm still here, and I'll always be here for you," Shadow said, rubbing circles on the boy's back.
After several minutes, Sonic's sobs died down to just sniffles and hiccups, and only then did he look up at Shadow. "Always?"
"Always, son."
End Flashback
"Da?"
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Shadow looked over at Sonic, who seemed nervous and was hiding something behind his back. He could also faintly hear the sound of running water. "Yes, Sonic?"
"Um…" Sonic fidgeted before revealing his hand, which was holding one of the sink taps. "I broke it…"
'How do you break one of those off?' Shadow thought. 'Well, it would explain why the water's still running.'
Then, Shadow also realized something else. "Sonic, did you try to stop the water from getting everywhere?"
Sonic shook his head. "Was I supposed to, Da?"
"Only if you were older, Sonic. For now, it was good thinking of you to come get me first. Come on; let's see what the damage is."
Nodding, Sonic led the way to the slowly flooding bathroom. He suddenly stopped and made a face of disgust when his bare foot came in contact with the soaked carpet. "Ew…"
Shadow just raised an eyebrow. "Where are your shoes?"
Sonic pointed to the bathroom door, water coming out from under it. "They got wet. I took 'em off," he said, as though it explained everything.
Shadow inwardly groaned, just now remembering Sonic's aversion to water. Now, Sonic wasn't hydrophobic, but he didn't like the feeling of any part of his body being wet.
"Your socks, too?"
Sonic nodded.
"Alright, then. Let me fix it. Stay out here, I don't want you slipping."
Remembering the events from earlier that involved the staircase, Sonic nodded again.
Shadow was just about to open the door, when Sonic remembered something else. "Da!" When Shadow turned to look at him, Sonic held out the bathtub tap.
Shadow smiled at his son and took the tap from him. "Thank you, Sonic. Without this, I wouldn't be able to fix the sink."
Sonic grinned, but for some reason, he felt nervous about his Da doing this alone.
"Don't worry, Sonic. I'll be fine," Shadow reassured him.
Shadow then opened the door, thus releasing a few more inches of water, which caused Sonic to step back, and after putting Sonic's shoes and socks outside next to the door, carefully made his way over to the sink.
'How to fix this…? Hm, my Chaos Energy can seal up wounds, so maybe the same principles will apply here? It's worth a shot,' Shadow thought. Attaching the tap back on and aligning it, then letting some of his Chaos Energy flow into the metal. Doing this for a few minutes just to make sure it worked, Shadow then turned the knob to the right, which effectively shut the water off.
'Huh, it actually worked.'
After hearing the water stop, Sonic tentatively stuck his head in the doorway. "Is it fixed?"
"Surprisingly, yes. How did you break it, anyway, Sonic?"
Sonic cringed slightly. "I thought it was stuck…"
"You mean, as you were turning it, it suddenly stopped?" Shadow asked.
Sonic cringed again, his nervousness suddenly increasing tenfold, though he wasn't sure why, and he nodded again.
Shadow briefly wondered why Sonic was so nervous, but he decided not to press the issue until later. "It's alright, Sonic. I was just trying to figure out what exactly happened. This was just an accident."
"Oh…okay." Sonic was relieved, but still a little nervous. Even if he didn't understand why he was nervous, at least he wasn't in trouble.
"Let me just clean up in here, okay? Then I'll make you your chillidogs."
"Yay!" Sonic cheered, doing a little happy dance for a few minutes before stopping. "Wait, what about the stairs?"
"We'll worry about that later," Shadow said, getting some towels and using them to dry the floor.
Once he was done, Shadow turned the sink back on and beckoned Sonic over. "Let's get those arms clean, alright?"
Sonic made a face at that. "But, Da…"
"Do you want your chillidogs or not, son?" Shadow replied, knowing that he frequently had to use Sonic's favorite food as a bribe.
Now Sonic was torn. Should he really get his arms wet just so he could have his beloved chillidogs? Or should he refuse only to miss out on eating them? He pouted, not really wanting to decide.
"Come on, Sonic. The sooner we wash your arms, the quicker I can get to making them."
Sonic was still deciding on what to do when his stomach decided for him by rumbling loudly. Embarrassed, he blushed and hung his head.
Shadow was just about to grab him, but Sonic sensed this, and tried to run, only to trip over his own feet. Since he was on soggy carpet, he not only got partially wet, but also minor carpet burns on his elbows and knees. "Ow!"
'Now that I think about it, Sonic could be considered accident-prone…' Shadow thought, thinking of all the times Sonic had been injured, including now. He sighed quietly, then walked over to his son and knelt beside him. "Are you okay?"
Sonic shook his head, then glared childishly at the carpet. "Stupid carpet…"
"Did you trip on the carpet?" Shadow asked.
"No…"
"Then why are you blaming it?"
"Cause it hurt me," was the only logical answer Sonic could think of.
Momentarily, a dark glint appeared in Shadow's eyes, but it disappeared as fast as it had come. At the same time, he felt an overwhelming surge of protectiveness. He blinked, briefly wondering where it had come from, but he would think about it later.
Interestingly enough, a similar glint appeared in Sonic's eyes, but less pronounced. However, since he was still facing the carpet, Shadow hadn't seen it.
Shadow, knowing he still needed to tend to his son's wounds, merely tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Come on, Sonic. Let's take care of those burns, hm?"
Sonic wasn't really paying attention, as his mind was wandering, but he knew his Da was asking something, so he simply nodded.
It wasn't until a few minutes later when he heard the sound of running water that he realized what was going on, and he tried to get off the counter.
Luckily Shadow caught him before he fell off. "Enough, Sonic," he chided gently.
Sonic was being stubborn, though, and continued to struggle.
He stopped, however, when Shadow splashed him in the face with water. He blinked a few times in surprise before pouting.
"Just be glad the ink is washable, son, instead of permanent, otherwise I'd have to use more than just water. Same with the burns being minor." Shadow then set to work not only removing the marker ink from Sonic's arms, but also cleaning the small carpet burns.
Sonic, of course, let out small yelps when his wounds were cleaned, but for the most part remained still.
20 minutes later, the ink was gone and carpet burns cleaned, and a miffed (for getting wet) yet happy (because it was now over) Sonic literally jumped off the counter.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?"
Sonic pouted again. "It was."
"Like I said, just be glad the markers were washable and the burns were minor."
"What's tat mean, Da?"
"'Minor'? It means that the burns weren't that bad."
"Oh."
Sonic's stomach rumbled again, reminding Shadow of the task ahead. "So, how many do you want me to make?"
"A lot!"
Shadow chuckled. "I'm sure you want a lot, but how many in numbers?"
"I dunno…" Sonic said with a shrug. "But I want a lot!"
"How about I just make you a few, and if you're still hungry, I'll make you some more?"
"Um…okay!"
"Grab my arm, then," Shadow instructed.
Sonic was confused, but he still did as he was told, and grabbed Shadow's arm. He couldn't help feeling that there was something familiar about this.
"Chaos…"
Now Sonic remembered this, from the back of his mind, and decided to finish the sentence. "Control!"
In a flash of light, the two hedgehogs were in the kitchen.
Shadow couldn't believe it. "Sonic, you…you remembered how to use Chaos Control!" This meant that either Sonic was starting to regain some of his other memories, or he had merely subconsciously remembered it from when they had first arrived home.
Sonic grinned at him. Then he frowned in confusion.
"Let me guess, son. You want to know what Chaos Control is." 'Looks like he doesn't fully remember what it is,' he thought.
"Yeah."
"Basically, it lets you teleport wherever you want to go."
"Like magic?"
"In a way, yes."
Sonic grinned again. "Cool." He was about to ask something else, but then his stomach rumbled again.
"Alright, alright, I'll start the chillidogs. Be patient."
After hearing those last two words, Sonic pouted, but he sat down at the table.
It took Shadow about 10 minutes to make a batch of 7 chillidogs. When he set the plate down in front of Sonic, the younger hedgehog's eyes lit up considerably, and Shadow could even see his mouth watering.
Sonic then proceeded to wolf them down so fast, Shadow was afraid he might choke. To his relief, that did not happen.
Once Sonic was done, he certainly looked satisfied, and held up the plate towards Shadow with a pleading expression. "More?"
Although Shadow inwardly thought his son was perfectly imitating the fictional orphan Oliver Twist, on the outside he simply gave him a disapproving look.
Seeing the look, Sonic rolled his eyes. "More, please?"
Shadow nodded in approval, smiled, and took the plate. While he made the next batch, he glanced out the window, and noticed that it was about a week until full moon, sending a small shiver down his spine.
Besides his work spying on GUN, there was another reason why Shadow was away for long periods of time.
It was a genetic "disease" that starts making an appearance on any afflicted family member around their 17th birthday.
Most thought it was simply a myth, but the Lycanthropy virus was, in fact, real. It was just passed down from generation to generation in, as far as Shadow knew, only one family: his. The difference between the myth and the family virus was that one could transform at will if they wished to.
Ironically, the full moon was on the same night as Sonic's birthday.
'This is going to be one very interesting birthday for Sonic…'
Lost in his thoughts, Shadow hadn't been paying attention to how he was setting the microwave, and set it too high, resulting in the chillidogs exploding.
The sudden noise startled Sonic, who fell out of his chair yet again, but instead of landing on his head like last time, he landed on his rear.
Mentally beating himself up, Shadow was quick to not only comfort him, but also clean out the microwave, all in the span of 5 minutes.
As he turned back to Sonic, he was suddenly clouted on the head with something relatively soft. Glancing at the object that was now at his feet, he saw it was Speedy the stuffed Chao. Knowing instantly who threw it at him, he mildly glared at Sonic, who was pouting and had his arms crossed, looking similar to Shadow.
"Sonic, why did you throw that at me?"
"Cause you made 'em blow up!"
"That, son, was an accident. Even I make mistakes sometimes."
"So? You still made 'em blow up!" Sonic cried angrily, his eyes darkening for a fraction of a second.
Shadow could feel his own anger rising, and since the full moon was approaching, he needed to rein it in before he shifted right in front of his son.
Sonic was already shifting. Even if a youngling hadn't gone through their first official transformation, if their Lycan parent shifts, then they would draw on the energy used and shift as well, partially.
His teeth and nails were sharpening and lengthening, and his fur became thicker and longer.
It wasn't the full shift, but Shadow knew that being at least halfway shifted meant that Sonic would still act like a full-fledged Lycan. At least he knew how to handle it from his own experiences.
When Sonic lunged at him, Shadow also shifted, quickly grabbed him by the scruff, and shook him, hard.
(A/N: Okay, from now on, whenever Sonic and Shadow are in their Lycan forms, Shadow's perspective will be in bold and italic, Sonic's will just be bold. It will alternate between them as though they are actually speaking with each other, with the regular third person POV in between, to kind of explain what is going on.)
Growl.
Insolent Pup!
Sonic, however, did not appreciate this form of discipline.
Anger.
Defiance.
Snarl.
Shadow certainly hadn't expected that. Then he remembered that fledgling Lycans don't recall most information in their lives when they first partially or fully shift, full moon or not.
Pup does not remember pack.
Must remind Pup.
Idea.
Letting go of Sonic, Shadow ran over to the old storage room, literally rammed the door open, and sniffed around.
Curious.
Want to follow.
Though, instead of following, Sonic, his anger gone and replaced with confusion and curiosity, simply sat down.
Have to find it.
Have to remind Pup of pack.
Then he did find it; it was the picture that helped Sonic remember about Shadow being his father.
Snatching the picture, he ran back to the kitchen.
Blink.
Confused.
Want the square thing.
Must take.
Sonic tried to take the picture, only Shadow didn't think it was a good idea.
Warning growl.
Item important.
Can't let Pup destroy it.
Have to show Pup.
And that's just what he did. He showed Sonic the picture of them and Sonic's mother.
Head tilt.
Confused.
Figures familiar.
Figures are…pack!
Other Male is Elder…Father.
Female…Female is Mother. Mother is…gone.
Sorrow.
Grief.
Pack incomplete.
Shadow watched the different emotions, confusion, realization, recognition, and sorrow, appearing on Sonic's face. He let the picture fall.
Pup sad.
Pup grieving.
Have to comfort pup.
Nuzzle.
Father and son grieved yet again for their lost loved one, but not as long as they had last time.
Father here.
Safe.
Father will protect.
Happy.
But still sad.
Want Mother here.
Whine.
Mother…had been ill.
Yet, was there something else?
Can't remember.
Father must know.
Have to ask Father.
Shadow had seen the confusion mingled with sadness in Sonic's eyes, and used a series of body postures and vocalizations to communicate.
"What troubles you, Pup?"
At first, Sonic hadn't understood the Lycan language, but then he instinctively recognized it and placed his paw over the image of his mother.
Whine.
"I wish to know. What happened?"
If Sonic thought that he would get an answer right away, he was wrong. Shadow knew it would not be easy tell the tale, but how to do it was the hard part.
"Shift back, Pup. Then I will explain."
Now that Sonic wasn't expecting.
Head tilt.
"Shift?"
Confused.
Wait.
Young male…is me.
I am…Lycan…and Hedgehog.
Remembering that little detail, Sonic shifted back to being a hedgehog. He hadn't even realized he had shifted in the first place until he remembered who he was.
Shadow gave a nod of approval before shifting back as well.
"Da…?"
Shadow sensed that his son was trying to absorb the events that just transpired, so he motioned for him to sit down.
"This might be hard to take in, son, but…you know how one of your drawings is a building on fire?"
Wondering where this was going, Sonic nodded. He wasn't really sure where that image had come from, but he couldn't get it out of his head.
"And you remember how I said that your mother died from an illness?"
Eyes filling up with sorrow, Sonic nodded again.
"Well, that was only half of it.
"It was?"
Shadow nodded. "The doctors were trying different ways to treat her illness, and I'm sure they were close to finding one that worked when the fire broke out."
An unexplained surge of terror flooded Sonic's body. "F-Fire?" He didn't understand why he felt so afraid, or why his head was starting to hurt.
"Yes, a fire, but I'll get back to that in a little bit," Shadow said, sensing his son's fear, and knowing that the change of topic will help settle him.
"…Da? Um…How come we changed before?"
"It's a family thing, Sonic. Almost everyone in our family can do that."
"Really?"
Shadow nodded. "Of course, it will only pass down to our kids if we marry someone from outside the clan. For some reason if we try it with someone related to us, it wouldn't work. You'll know if you meet someone from our clan, seeing as ours is the only one still around in the world."
Sonic blinked, somewhat understanding. "Okay…"
"Now, as I was saying, the first shift usually occurs on the full moon of our 17th birthday."
Sonic blinked again, this time in shock and surprise. "17? But I'm-"
Shadow held up a hand, signaling Sonic to be quiet. "I know, son, but the reason for that is because you were in an accident and lost some of your memories."
"Is tat why I don't remember us moving here? And why you haven't left for your work in a long time?"
"Yes, it is. I've earned and saved up a lot of money over the years, so it'll last for a good long while."
Unable to think of a reply, Sonic remained silent.
Thoughts drifting, Sonic's mind wandered to the drawings. Especially the drawing of the building on fire. It still wouldn't leave him alone.
A sudden jolt of pain in his forehead made him instinctively grab it. Shadow, seeing the involuntary action, knew what was about to happen, and being the protective parent he was, rushed over to him.
Heat and smoke everywhere…
"No…"
The urge to get her out…
"No."
Almost making it out. Then part of the building collapses. Trapping her.
"No!"
Needing to help, but being held back. Can only watch as the entire place collapses onto her.
"NO!"
That last yell caused Sonic's slightly unstable Chaos Energy to react to the strong emotions of pain and despair, and it built up rapidly.
Shadow sensed this reaction, and quickly used Chaos Control to warp them to a remote section of the woods their house resided in.
Just in time, too, as Sonic unleashed a large amount of Chaos Energy in a single explosion, throwing Shadow back several feet and into a tree.
After that, Sonic shifted into his Lycan form again and let out a long howl, letting out his feelings of sadness, grief, and emotional pain.
Despite nearly falling into unconsciousness due to colliding with a tree, Shadow stood up and shifted as well, joining the howl.
For the second time in an hour, they grieved.
They howled for 15 minutes before stopping, though neither shifted back yet.
Mother gone…Mother dead.
But…Father still here.
How long…until Father is also gone?
No. Can't think about it.
Still…
Worried…
Don't want Father to leave too…
Whine.
Afraid.
Don't want him to leave…Don't want Father to die…
One of the traits of being a Lycan was being able to be empathic to any pack member's feelings, so Shadow could sense what Sonic was feeling, whether in his Lycan form or not. Sonic would develop this ability once he officially transformed next week. Also, the empathy worked both ways, letting members of the pack transmit most feelings to one another. This was useful whenever younglings were afraid or uncertain and in need of comfort. It would also help them further develop the empathy ability.
Pup worried. Pup afraid.
Danger?
No.
No Danger.
There is no scent of Danger.
Must reassure Pup.
Must let Pup know he is safe.
Using the two-way empathy, Shadow emitted feelings of reassurance and comfort.
Blink.
Confused.
Other Feelings aren't my own…
Father's?
Unsure…
But feel safe.
Relaxed.
Tired…
Shadow watched as Sonic yawned, showing off rather impressive fangs. He knew that the both of them had had a long, emotional day. So, he decided that they needed to go back home and retire for the night.
Nudge.
"Shift back, Pup."
Sonic was so tired, he almost didn't feel the nudge or hear Shadow speaking to him in the Lycan language. His ears twitched, though, when he realized he was being spoken to.
Who spoke to me?
Father?
What did he say?
Wasn't listening.
Tired…
Yawn.
Shadow let out what could be considered a sigh. A tired Sonic was a usually inattentive Sonic. He knew he would have to repeat the command.
"Shift back, pup."
Although he was tired, Sonic still heard the repeated command, and since he didn't have the energy to protest or anything, he complied and shifted back into a hedgehog. Then he fell asleep right after leaning on Shadow, using him as a pillow.
Startled at first when he felt Sonic lean on him, Shadow debated if he should shift back as well or not. He decided against it, though, figuring that he would be able to better protect his son this way.
Protect.
Must protect Pup.
Will protect Pup.
Always.
With those thoughts in mind, Shadow remained alert for signs of anything unnatural to the forest. Sounds, sights, scents. It didn't matter. He would be aware for them; he would destroy the sources if he had to.
His ears twitched when he heard a small whimper coming from right beside him. Then he felt Sonic shifting, starting to thrash.
Pup dreaming.
Bad dream?
Or memory?
Must find out.
Have to wake Pup.
The goal set, Shadow shifted back into a hedgehog and started to shake Sonic's shoulder. "Sonic, wake up! Sonic!" He tried his best to stay calm, but since he wasn't sure what was afflicting his son, he sounded slightly panicked.
But Sonic wouldn't awaken. In fact, the thrashing seemed to get worse.
Not knowing what else to do, Shadow shifted back into his Lycan form and bit down on Sonic's ear, though it wasn't hard enough to draw blood.
Oddly enough, it worked and Sonic's eyes snapped open. He shot up, nearly ripping his ear to shreds from Shadow's fangs, but luckily Shadow let go before that could happen. The boy was panting heavily and shivering, pure terror etched on his face.
Shadow shifted back into a hedgehog. 'You alright, Sonic?"
His breath still coming in as sharp hitches, Sonic nodded jerkily. "I…I remember…"
"Everything?"
Sonic nodded again. "Everything…"
'He remembered 13 years of memories in a few minutes? It's a wonder he didn't overload from reabsorbing so much information in one go.'
"Are you sure you're okay, son?"
"I…I don't know…"
"Speaking from experience, I wasn't all that sure about how I felt when I recovered my memories. You're not the first one who's gone through it, and I doubt you'll be that last."
Still trembling like a leaf during a hurricane, Sonic just sat there.
Shadow sighed and yet again shifted into his Lycan form, radiating calm and comforting emotions.
Sonic was a little confused, and apprehensive, when he saw his father suddenly change like that, but then a faint memory of being able to do the same, so he visibly relaxed, somewhat.
Suddenly he felt a twinge of envy. He wanted to change like that again. If he remembered correctly, he could. He just wondered how…
He then felt an odd pulse throughout his body. Then he felt a light burning sensation. It only lasted a few seconds, and then he felt…different. Not in a bad way, but still different.
He looked over at Shadow, and saw that he was wearing an expression of approval and pride. Had he done it?
"Excellent, pup."
Sonic couldn't help bristling at that.
Anger.
Growl.
Not Pup!
While Shadow was amused at Sonic's indignation, he knew he would have to explain one of the clan customs.
"You are Pup. Even after you become Adult and officially shift, you are still my Pup. Therefore, I will still call you Pup. That is a pack custom."
Sonic couldn't believe what he was hearing. Shadow was really allowed to call him that?
Furious.
Snarl.
Slash.
If there was one thing Shadow expected from Sonic's reaction, it sure wasn't that. Unprepared for the attack, he caught the brunt of it on the side of his muzzle. The wounds weren't too deep, but they still bled.
Once the gravity of the situation sunk in for both of them, Shadow was ticked off, and Sonic was slightly afraid for his life, mostly because he hadn't the faintest idea as to what the Lycan customs would dictate about punishing someone who attacked their Elder.
Instinct took over for Sonic, however, and he flattened his ears against his head, his body to the ground, and tucked his tail between his legs. He trembled again, mostly because images of his life on the streets, how he had been treated, were playing in his head, and his thoughts were running wild as he imagined Shadow treating him the same way. His heart was pounding in his chest as he battled the urge to just run away.
Shadow, meanwhile, could practically see the fear rolling off Sonic in waves. It was enough to dissipate his anger.
Pup afraid…
No, terrified.
Of me.
Of punishment.
But punishment needn't be feared.
Why…?
Of course. Pup was hurt before, as 'punishment.'
Anger.
No one harms Pup!
Must eliminate Threat.
Shadow then ran off towards the city where he had been reunited with Sonic. It took Sonic a few minutes to realize this though, as his mind was still clouded in terror.
Where is Father going?
No punishment?
Confused.
Still afraid.
Don't want hatred.
Don't want…Father's hatred.
Nor pain.
Don't want hatred or pain…
Whine.
Unsure of what to do, Sonic simply curled up, waiting for Shadow to return, and still trembling.
With Shadow…
Have to eliminate threat.
They threat to Pup.
They caused Pup pain.
So much pain.
And fear.
They shall pay!
Those thoughts were what drove Shadow to run as fast as he could to the city, anger coursing through his veins.
He gave a wolfish grin as he heard the scream of a human who had spotted him from a distance.
It was all too easy.
He tracked down the ones who had hurt Sonic, which was really 99 percent of the city's total population, simply due to their scent. He had a large fraction of his senses in his hedgehog form, and he knew that most of the scents that had radiated off of Sonic during their first encounter had been from the ones who hurt him the most, as they were the most prominent.
He tore through the throat of a young female, feeling her warm blood on his fur, tasting it.
He did the same to many others that night. Shredding throats, slicing them in half, disemboweling, decapitating, sometimes just severely wounding them and leaving them to die. He caused so much death and destruction, that he was enjoying it. He had even gone into their dens to get access to them.
It took a few hours, but he was done. Covered in blood, but his objective was complete. All the people in the city were dead.
Tired.
But Threat eliminated.
Pup no longer has to fear.
Have to get back to Pup now.
And that's just what he did. He ran back to Sonic, not even bothering to do anything about the blood.
Sonic had been close to dozing off, but when he saw the familiar figure of his father, covered in blood and running towards him, he panicked and scrambled to get up so that he could run away, only his limbs weren't responding correctly due to his immense fear.
No!
Father coming to punish!
Have to get away!
No matter how hard he tried, though, Sonic was too afraid to move. His trembling intensified as Shadow came closer, and he let out small whimpers of fear.
Once again Shadow could see the fear rolling off of Sonic, so he stopped running and skidded to a stop.
"Do not be afraid, Pup. Threat is gone."
Although Sonic felt a small surge of anger at the term, it was quickly replaced by even more fear as he recalled that hi anger at the term had caused all this in the first place. He also wondered what Shadow meant by 'threat'.
Nervous.
Afraid.
"Threat, Father?"
Shadow figured that either Sonic didn't know of the Threat, or he was trying to forget about what he had endured during his life on the streets. Either way, he would have to explain what he meant.
"Those in the city. Threat. Danger. They have harmed you, and I made them pay. No more Danger."
Shadow was emitting calming, protective emotions as he said this, and it helped Sonic calm down. He was still trembling from the idea of Shadow possibly treating him like the people in the city had, but most of his fear had dissipated.
"No punishment?"
The only reason Sonic asked was because he still needed to know what the clan customs said about attacking an Elder.
"Pack Laws state that punishment must fit the crime only in the case of a Pup's punishment, and an Elder can punish however they choose."
Sonic's fear returned a hundred times greater than it was a minute ago.
Afraid.
So afraid.
Don't want punishment.
Don't want pain.
Sonic tried to shove the memories away, but his attempts were in vain. He kept reliving that horrible part of his life. The hate, the scorn, the beatings.
Shadow wondered how many times he would have to comfort Sonic before the night was over, but he knew that the reassurance would help with his recovery. Even if Sonic had remembered the good times in his life, he also remembered the bad, and would have to recover from that all over again.
Although their customs said that he had to punish Sonic, with what he'd been through, he knew he couldn't. Not only might it cause Sonic further psychological damage, but it might also make him think that Shadow no longer care about him. Especially since the punishment guidelines simply stated, to "be as brutal as possible without killing."
Of course, that law only went into full effect once the younglings went through their first shift. Only until then can they be punished however their Elders choose.
Even so, he didn't want Sonic to fear him.
"No, Pup. No punishment."
Sonic had never felt so relieved in his life. He was glad that he wouldn't be punished. It was bad enough when he was beaten by complete strangers who hated his guts, but if his own father, someone who cared for him, started doing the same…He shivered at the thought.
No punishment.
Good.
Only…
Still feel fear…Why?
Memories…of hate. And fear.
Don't want memories.
Soft growl.
Dizzy.
Why…?
Shadow could only watch as Sonic swayed and suddenly fainted, the younger male shifting back into a hedgehog.
Worried, Shadow, too, shifted back, and rushed over to him, ignoring the fact that he was still covered in blood.
"Sonic?"
It took a few repeats of his name before Sonic stirred, emerald and ruby eyes blinking slowly in confusion. "Da?"
"What happened, son?"
Sonic slowly sat up, still feeling a little dizzy. "I dunno…"
"Sonic, what's the last thing you remember?" Shadow asked, wondering what had brought on this sudden change in demeanor.
"Falling asleep."
'Alright, either Sonic somehow managed to develop Multiple Personality Disorder and his child self is an alter, or he tried to suppress his memories of his hard life on the streets and accidentally suppressed the rest of the ones he recovered, becoming a four year-old again,' Shadow thought.
"You don't remember anything else?"
Sonic shook his head. "Nope." Then his brows furrowed in confusion. "I think I had a dream, but I don't remember it."
"Was the dream good or bad?"
"Um…bad, I think."
"What did you see?" Shadow didn't want to push him if Sonic really had suppressed his memories, but he needed to know what was going on.
Bits and pieces of the nightmares were coming back to Sonic, but they were so faint and brief, he couldn't exactly remember what they held. "I don't…remember…" Sonic started feeling pressured, confused, and scared. Why didn't he remember? It was important that he remember! He started shaking from the overwhelming emotions, tears falling down his face.
Shadow, seeing his son's distress, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Sonic-"
"I don't remember! I just don't remember!" Sonic cried hysterically. He crumpled to the ground, sobbing.
Shadow winced, for the yell was almost loud enough to make his sensitive ears bleed, but he started rubbing circles on the youth's back, trying to soothe him. "It's okay, son. You don't have to remember it now."
"I-I don't?" came the tentative, choked question from Sonic, who was still feeling slightly pressured.
"It's okay if you don't remember. Just give it time. It'll come back to you at the right time."
Sonic looked at him apprehensively. "But…I don't think I wanna remember, Da."
'Now we're getting somewhere. I hope,' Shadow thought. "Why do you say that, son?"
"Cause if i can't remember it, and it was bad, then why should I remember it?"
'I didn't realize Sonic could be logical,' Shadow thought, smirking to himself. "That is good thinking, but you will have to remember the dream, whether you want to or not."
Sonic pouted, some of his childish nature coming back.
"None of that, Sonic. That dream will come back to you. It was a memory from before the accident, so you will remember in time."
Sonic's dual-colored eyes flashed in anger. "I don't want to remember!"
Shadow was struggling to reign in his own anger. It wouldn't do either if them any good if he were to lash out. Sure, Sonic had done the same not too long ago, but this was different. Sonic's lashing out had been an act of defiance. Shadow's would be out of pure anger, and he didn't want to make his son fear him.
The two hedgehogs continued their staring match, but Sonic's Lycan self was urging him to break eye contact. He wouldn't give in, however. He was too stubborn.
All of a sudden, both hedgehogs shifted and the newly transformed Lycans lunged at each other.
Sonic managed to strike first, his claws digging into Shadow's side, and elongated fangs sinking into his shoulder.
Shadow growled from the pain and promptly clouted Sonic in the side of the head, hard enough to make him let go.
Sonic did so with a startled yelp.
"Enough, you insolent Pup!"
Sonic stared at him, shocked that not only was the first time he'd ever seen Shadow this angry, at least in his young mind, but the hit…triggered something.
Made Father angry.
Angry like…the Others.
Others from the…memories.
Bad memories.
Of pain.
And being hated.
No!
Don't want them!
Don't want bad memories!
His pupils shrank to the point of being practically non-existent as the rest of his memories returned yet again.
He let out a howl of pain and anguish, clutching the sides of his head in his massive paws.
Shadow's eyes widened as the gravity of the situation sunk in.
Pup frightened.
Pup hurting.
Guilt.
Shouldn't have struck Pup.
Now Pup fears self.
Pup not supposed to fear…
Not supposed to hurt.
Need to eliminate source of Pup's fear and hurt…
But can't destroy self.
Then Pup would be alone.
With no pack.
No protection.
Must protect Pup…
But how to protect Pup from self?
Shadow was conflicted on what to do. He couldn't – wouldn't – leave Sonic all alone again, but his instincts were screaming for him to get rid of the source of the youngling's pain and terror.
So, he took his frustrations out on himself, mostly as a way of punishing himself for his mistake.
He didn't care that he was already covered in blood.
He didn't care that he was doing this right in front of Sonic.
All he cared about was atoning for what he'd done.
Sonic, meanwhile, had finished regaining the other 13 years of his life via memories for the second time that night, but he still retained some remembrance of the earlier events, including what had brought on the memory regain.
Shaking his head to get rid of the pain, he looked over at the older male.
Father punishing himself.
Confused.
Why should Father punish himself?
Was own punishment mistake?
Whine.
Unsure.
Shouldn't have defied.
But…Father feels guilt…
For punishing…
Father shouldn't have to feel guilt.
Father should-
Ear twitch.
Intruder.
Growl.
Sure enough, there was a rustle in the bushes, and it even caught Shadow's attention, making him stop mauling himself and get to his feet – er, paws – and in front of Sonic despite the pain from his wounds. They would heal soon enough. It was part of the Lycan bloodline to have enhanced healing abilities.
Snarl.
Threat?
Danger?
Must eliminate Threat.
Must protect Pup.
They both waited, hackles raised, and both were equally shocked, and in Sonic's case, ticked off as well, when Knuckles the Echidna stepped into view. He seemed to have recovered fully from Sonic's beating the hell out of him months ago.
He was certainly surprised when he saw the two Lycans standing right in front of him. He didn't recognize Shadow due to the fact that he was still completely covered in blood, but when he saw the dual colored eyes of Sonic, a semi-dark smirk appeared on his face.
"Well, well, well, looks like the weird eyed freak just became even more of a freak."
Sonic bristled. Although the insults made Sonic have flashbacks to the harsher part of his life, the fact that it was Knuckles insulting him made him see red.
Snarl.
Echidna is Enemy.
Have to fight.
Sonic crouched down low, getting ready to lunge, but a warning growl from Shadow made him stop. His eyes narrowed at Knuckles, however, filled with contempt before glancing back at Shadow.
"Father…he is my Enemy. Mine to fight."
Knuckles wasn't entirely sure what the new wolf-like Sonic was saying, but he could tell by the way his eyes flashed when he looked at the older, blood-covered male that Sonic was protesting something. He could also tell by the body language that Sonic wanted to fight.
"Tch, little freak. You really think you'll beat me again? Last time was just a fluke. You wont get me by surprise this time, you little street filth." Knuckles' voice was full of disdain, and it only aggravated Sonic further.
Without warning, Knuckles ran over and punched Sonic in the jaw before throwing a series of jabs at Sonic's stomach and torso, as well as kicking him in the knees, arms, head and on his back.
It all happened before either Sonic or Shadow had time to react. Of course, Knuckles had forgotten about Shadow being there as well.
Snarl.
Anger.
Pup getting hurt!
Have to protect!
Must destroy Echidna!
Shadow lunged at Knuckles, claws aiming for the throat. Knuckles saw the movement from the corner of his eye and reacted quickly, punching Shadow in the stomach with as much strength as he could muster. It was enough to knock the wind out of him, fracture his ribs, and send him flying back a few feet.
Sonic, meanwhile, was battered and bloody. Knuckles' strength made the beatings he'd gotten from the two years he was on his own seem like feathery touches. He was sure that he had more than one broken bone.
It was simply too much, and he lost consciousness, no longer having the energy to remain awake or to maintain his Lycan form, causing him to shift back into a hedgehog.
"Heh, I knew the little freak wasn't so tough. He's nothing more than street trash. No one would ever care for filth like him."
With his keen hearing, Shadow heard every word, and saw red.
Not wanting to waste energy in his Lycan form, he shifted back, stood up while ignoring the pain in his chest from his fractured ribs, and dashed over to Knuckles, giving him a right hook to the face, breaking his nose and causing it to bleed.
"You fucking no-good son of a bitch! Don't ever say that about my son, you piece of shit! Come near him again and I'll rip your fucking limbs off and then leave you to die!" Shadow's voice was dark, sending shivers down the Echidna's back. Knuckles also saw the cold fury in the older hedgehog's eyes.
Knuckles didn't like being threatened, but he could tell that Shadow would go through with his word, so he nodded once.
"Good. Now, get the hell out of here before you end up worse than Sonic," Shadow threatened, his canines bared like a rabid wolf's.
Clutching his broken nose, Knuckles ran as though the hounds of hell were on his heels.
Sighing heavily, Shadow struggled to rein in his temper.
Every breath hurt, but at the moment, he didn't care. Even if he took small breaths, he could still calm himself that way.
Once he was calm, he turned his head to look at his son. His fists clenched as he saw how badly beaten Sonic was. If he ever saw that Echidna again, he would not only live up to his threat, he would rip off Knuckles' limbs very slowly, and with a rusty saw.
He would worry about that later, though.
Right now, he needed to heal his son.
Fully turning towards Sonic, he knelt down and placed his hands over his son's torso, summoning his Chaos Energy.
It flared up like a wildfire, but it was still under enough control so that it would do whatever Shadow needed. And right now, he needed it to heal Sonic.
Leaving his hands and entering Sonic's body, the healing Energy did its job and repaired every single wound the younger hedgehog had.
It took a few minutes, but afterwards, Sonic was completely healed. He remained unconscious, however. While the physical wounds were healed, Shadow wondered about any emotional or mental wounds that his son endured, since Knuckles' words and actions were similar to what Sonic had been through for two years.
Shadow sighed, a mistake he paid for with a sharp pain in his chest, but he ignored it and picked up his son before using Chaos Control to get them back home.
Once he was there, he headed up to Sonic's room and gently placed his unconscious son on the indigo-colored bed. Knowing that it would be best if Sonic awoke to something familiar, Shadow started to walk over to pick up the stuffed Chao which was right next to the wall. He tried to walk over to it, only to find that, once again, Sonic had a hold of his arm.
'Not again…How does he even have a grip on my arm if he's unconscious?' Shadow thought.
Since he wasn't likely to get an answer anytime soon, and knowing that his arm wouldn't be free until his son woke up, he prepared for a night of no sleep and having the circulation in his arm slightly cut off. At least Sonic's grip wasn't tight enough to risk having permanently having nerve and blood flow problems.
'At least I can use the time to heal my ribs.'
He concentrated on letting his Chaos Energy flow through his body and settle in his chest in order to take care of the fractured ribs. Once that was done, he simply waited for his son to wake up. He just hoped it was soon.
Later…
It was early afternoon when Sonic decided to regain consciousness, and by then, Shadow had dozed off leaning against the bed.
It took about a minute for Sonic to recall the previous night's events, and when he did, he almost literally ran out of bed. The memories of his old life on the streets, Knuckles beating him, and even the memory of the clout he received to the head from his own father, were all jumbled and mixed together.
He suddenly grew afraid of doing something that would end up with being in that kind of pain again.
Trembling slightly, he quickly let go of his father's arm and quietly ran out of the room.
He needed to get away.
The question was, how?
He was right inches away from the front door when he stopped to think about what he was about to do.
'If I leave now, I'll just end up back where I was before Dad found me. If I don't, things might become the way they were, being alone and scorned…either way I'd go back to that.'
He clenched his fists and punched the wooden door.
"Damn it, what the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Well, for starters, you could stop hitting the door before you break your hand," a familiar voice came from the stairway.
Sonic froze, going pale. He could've sworn his heart stopped as well.
Shadow had woken up when he had heard the soft sound of footsteps. Honestly, had Sonic forgotten about his heightened sense of hearing?
It had amused him, the fact that his own son would forget that little detail.
After standing up and stretching, Shadow had taken a quick shower to wash off the dried blood before looking for Sonic.
He had just gotten to the stairs when he saw his son standing in front of the door, uncertain about something.
'Why is he…? He's not thinking of running away, is he?' Shadow thought in disbelief.
He started feeling guiltier about striking the younger male the previous night. He hadn't wanted to react that way, but his anger had gotten the best of him.
'Punishments are meant to teach, not to instill fear.'
Wondering how he was supposed to handle the situation, Shadow's train of thought was interrupted by Sonic's punching the door and shouting:
"Damn it, what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Normally, Shadow would scold his son for using vulgar language, but given his own bout of swearing the night before, he knew he probably shouldn't, even if Sonic had been unconscious for that part.
Instead, he merely expressed concerns about him hitting the door.
He grew even more concerned and guilty as he saw his son freeze. He could tell Sonic was afraid; his fear was practically a veil around him.
Sonic was shaking, though he tried to hide it.
'Shit! I'm such an idiot! I shouldn't have made any noise! Now he'll probably hit me again just for waking him.'
His memories were still mixed together, making it impossible to think of anything else.
He heard his father walking up behind him, and without thinking, he grabbed the door knob, flung the door open, and bolted out of the house, panic overtaking him.
"Sonic, wait!" Shadow called out.
But it was too late. Sonic was gone, out of sight in a matter of seconds.
And all Shadow could do was stare in the direction he went. Then, he copied his son's action from a minute ago, and punched the door, hard enough to break and splinter the wood, bits of it embedding into his fist. Silent tears were making their way down his tan muzzle as he fell to his knees.
'Sonic…I'm sorry…'
T.B.C…
Yes, yes, I know. Another cliffhanger. Sorry about that, guys. I was trying really hard not to end this with one, but I couldn't find the right place to stop. Don't worry, things will be resolved next chapter.
I worked hard on this chapter, though, and it's truly the longest I've ever written in my life. 25 pages on MS Word!
For all those Knuckles fans, please don't kill me for making him such an asshole. He won't appear much anyway. I'm not very fond of Knuckles…
Anyone else find it ironic how Shadow doesn't like Sonic cursing, yet let out a string of curses himself in this chapter? I just wanted to give him a reason to do so, and getting angry at Knuckles seemed like a good idea.
Anyway, I know you're going to have questions as to why I made Sonic and Shadow Lycanthropes when I already have a Werehog fanfic up. It's a little different from being a Werehog, as it was explained in this chapter, but I will explain the differences if you don't understand.
Werehog- Forced shifting at night, unless "born" one, then they are a permanent Werehog. Like little Werepuppy Shadow.
Lycanthrope- Only the first shift is forced. Afterwards, they can shift at will.
Werehog- Muscular, wears cleats, fluffy, can walk on hind legs, stretchy arms.
Lycanthrope- Lithe, no clothes, fluffy, walks on all fours, body structure is similar to a wolf's.
Werehog- Retains normal language skills and behaviors.
Lycanthrope- Reverts to more primal thoughts and behaviors.
That's all the differences between the two for now. I will give future information if I can of any.
So, how many of you liked the younger persona of Sonic? I tried hard to make him as childlike as possible, but I think I messed up a few times. Forgive me.
Well, goodbye for now, guys! Until next chapter/story if you following my other one. Right now it's 5:30 in the morning as I finish this, but I'm not tired yet.
Review, please!
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