Silver is a pretty smart kid
Night in the city was eerie. Wind failed to blow and stars failed to twinkle as the hoglet clung diligently to Shadow's back. Gold eyes tracked across the cobbled ground and up the adobe buildings, watching attentively to the scenery and how the ranger was slipping through the abandoned environment. Through the empty streetways and over the vacant stalls, the two hedgehogs seemed to disappear into the night itself. Almost intentionally, Shadow's ebony black fur and brown leather cloak blended him seamlessly into the surrounding marketplace, despite how bright the night sky shone. Silent as an owl's wings, the hedgehog lurked through the darkened moonshadows - sliding against the wooden barrels and barkless beams of the near perfect color scheme to camouflage in.
"Don't make a noise." Shadow whispered, grabbing Silver by his scruff and latching him across his chest.
Silver could only nod as the elder hedgehog vaulted up a wall - using his superior speed and balance to run across the brick as if it were normal ground. Upon reaching the top, Silver took the time to adjust his arms, latching his elbows around the adult's neck and gripping his knees to the leather belt.
"You're getting a little big for this…" The ranger mumbled.
Moving like a summer breeze, Shadow swiftly darted across the low standing rooftops, feet quick and quiet like raindrops on wooden shingles. With head ducked low and cloak splayed in the wind, the adult almost seemed to glide across the sun scorched rooftop. Expertly he weaved between walls and slid under archways, hiding in the darkness and slipping across the light with the precision and prowess of a well seasoned cat. One could even say, if they wanted to be both blunt and a groaner, that he was a mere shadow.
The thrill of surveillance and stealth hung heavy in the air, sending excited shivers down Silver's fur. It had been a while since Shadow had considered being subtle. Usually the adult barged into places with his head held high and mere presence commanding the room. However, this seemed like an exciting change of pace. Fliss had told stories of the chameleon ninja clans. She had spoken of their ways of silence and religious mastery of weapons - training with the Dragon Road monks and performing the sneakiest of tasks. With how Shadow stalked the two green-hooded criminals, Silver found himself wondering if the extinct chameleons did the exact same thing once.
Speaking of criminals, the two unsuspecting individuals traveled in plain sight - leaving little place to hide that was not blatantly obvious. Shadow, however, solved this problem by not trying to keep them in his view. Always, the two hooded underlings remained within earshot - chatting about a gamble or speaking of annoying tasks; but Shadow did not worry himself with gluing his eyes to the duo. It wasn't hard to lose track of them either. The two hoods were slightly drunk and chattering about in a rather loud manner. Even so, Silver found it hard to concentrate on the words, as Shadow's leaps and soft landings demanded the utmost diligence to bracing. If the hoglet let out as much as a gasp, the two targets would be alerted to their presence and would ruin the whole operation. Every hop and sharp turn required sudden tension and adjustments on Silver's part - flexing the arms and muscles on his belly to stifle his loud breathing.
A long alleyway proved worrisome for stealth, as the uncoordinated footsteps echoed loudly in the enclosed space. Silver glanced up questioningly as Shadow let the two enter the corridor, disappearing from view once more. When the ranger did not react, the hoglet gripped tighter.
"They're gonna get away…" Silver whispered, pressing his face against Shadow's covered chest.
"I am going to take a different route." Shadow answered. "If my calculations are correct, then our paths should cross."
Scaling up another wall to reach a higher roof, Shadow fixed himself at the top of a weathervane. As the elder watched the city below, Silver found himself fascinated by the iron decoration. He had seen live chickens before, but he had never seen the likeness of one carved so intricately. Swirls and swoops implied the existence of feathers while the rooster crowed in a southwest direction - almost demanding for the hoglet to reach out and touch its sand-worn surface…
Shadow leapt off the pole and sped down into the streets. Like a whisper on the wind he slipped around corners and through broken buildings, brief turns and whiplash speed differences shaking Silver's body in uncomfortable ways. Squeaking in discomfort, he gripped the hedgehog harder - hoping pressing himself against the rigid body would help quell the sickening twists of the g-forces and momentum.
Kicking off of a building, the elder hedgehog flipped himself into the air. Twisting off the physics like a top on a string, Shadow brought himself to a gentle halt as his boots hit a protruding metal bar with a subtle clink. Carefully wrapping his cloak around his body, the elder hedgehog buried the hoglet in his arms and leather - completely shielding the child from the outside world. Silver gasped as the ranger flipped upside down, feeling the blood rush to his head in an uncomfortable ring. Drunken voices and laughing chatters filled the empty street as the underlings re-emerged from their alternate path, passing directly underneath the hedgehog duo. Silver held his breath as Shadow crushed him tighter in his wrapped grip - holding the hoglet safely in place. Silver fought his urge to whimper as the blood pounded through his head - body screaming for him to flip back upright as the two green-hooded targets walked further and further away. Nausea emerged in his throat as the child's stomach threatened to empty itself.
Fortunately, Shadow unlatched his ankles from the bar - curling up to grab it with one hand before he silently touched down on the road. As blood returned to his outer extremities, Silver let out a red-faced wheeze; just barely loud enough to earn a stern look from the elder hedgehog. With an irritated eye roll, the ranger pressed on - shadowing the two suspects with unwavering determination.
After what seemed like forever, the two individuals finally arrived at their destination, laughing amongst themselves as to who would buy who the next round. Looking above the building, Silver could spy a sign above the open door reading "Dusty Dune Tavern". Another tavern? Silver found himself confused. Why were the men spending so much time walking to another establishment that they had already been in? Laughing abrasively, the hooded duo entered the tavern. Reacting to the movement, Shadow pressed himself against the exterior wall. With a subtle head turn, the ebony hedgehog peeked into the window in a careful glance, scanning the environment before quietly cussing to himself.
"What is it?" Silver whispered.
"The tavern's mostly empty." Shadow growled, backing away from the wall and slipping into a nearby alleyway. "I can't sneak in there without getting caught."
"But you're all covered up." Silver commented, leaping off the hedgehog's chest and tugging at the cloak. "No one recognizes you when you wear this…"
"An average person wouldn't." Shadow sighed, walking over to the edge of the alleyway and gesturing to the tavern. "But Captain Phantom would."
"Captain Phantom?"
"The ground leader of the Savannah Syndicate." Shadow explained. "He's a few years shy of taking Commander Blend's position and is by far the most concerning person in the city."
Silver peered at the tavern door, listening to the rowdy noises that floated from inside.
"That tavern is crawling with off-duty Syndicate." Shadow grumbled. "There's not a civilian in sight besides the bartender, and Captain Phantom is at the center of it all."
"Is that bad?"
"Him and I have had a few…encounters..."
"Well can't you just walk in and beat them all up? Or pretend you're not who you are?"
"He knows my gear, he knows my voice, and he's looked me straight in the eyes with intent to kill." Shadow bluntly stated. "Not only are my eyes extremely unforgettable, but my mere hood is enough to alert him to my potential presence. I pray for those rangers he's killed for wearing brown…"
"So what do we do?" Silver asked, sitting on the dirty road and kicking his feet up and down.
"I'm not sure…" Shadow sighed, turning his head to watch the open door. "They're all drunk, so the likelihood of them spilling important information right now is very high…"
"But you can't walk in there without getting seen..." Silver pondered.
"If they spot me, the chances of getting in a fight are very high - and I don't want to put you at risk."
Silver looked at the tavern with questioning eyes. It truly was an interesting predicament to be in, that was for sure. Shadow seemed so certain that he would be recognized in the crowd, and thus refused to enter the establishment at all. Pursing his lips, the hoglet rubbed his hands against the dirt - feeling the granules of pebble and stone seep through his fur. With a scrunched face and tilted ears, Silver felt his gears turn. The only feasible way to enter the tavern and not be spotted was to not be themselves. But how could you change into another person? Such abilities were very rare, and Mephiles made it look downright evil. Shadow certainly couldn't do it, but those stage performers earlier at least were able to do it somewhat artificially.
Feeling too much sand between his hair follicles, the hoglet lifted his paw to brush it out - only to discover that his fur was stained a charcoal black. Someone must have lit a fire here once. Ugh, it must have been all over him…
"Do you remember the play?" Silver piped up, an idea shining in his head.
"Yes?" Shadow responded, sounding quite confused.
"Those actors decorated their faces to make themselves look different." Silver chirped, holding his hand up. "We can try to make you look different too!"
"Different?" Shadow frowned, sitting down on a nearby barrel. "What do you mean?"
"You said they recognized your cloak." Silver bubbled, leaping into the hedgehog's lap and fiddling with the gold clasp at Shadow's chest. "Why don't we just take it off?"
"I don't follow." Shadow stated, not reacting as the hoglet struggled with the cloak.
"It makes you stand out." Silver grunted, wrestling with the metal shoulder guards only to discover they were held on with powerful magnets. "If we remove the stuff that makes you stand out, you won't stand out."
Sticking out his tongue, the hoglet waved his hands - detaching the plates one by one with psychokinetic ability.
"Silver, I am the only hedgehog on the planet with stripes." Shadow frowned, flicking his ears as the excited child pulled the heavy leather cloak off his shoulders. "How do you propose you disguise that?"
"With this!" Silver chirped, holding up his blackened hand with pride.
Before the adult could protest, the hoglet had smeared his palm directly onto the scarlet striped forehead - leaving a wonderfully dark mark behind. Shadow could only raise his brows in shock as Silver jumped to the street to grab more charcoal. Running back up to the stunned ranger in glee, he clambered onto a nearby box. With a giggle of excitement, the child began rubbing the black substance all across the coarse fur. Like magic, the telltale stripes of a one-of-a-kind hedgehog faded into the mundanity of an average mobian - masking the individuality like a magic spell. Smile growing wider, Silver climbed onto a nearby barrel - grasping at the gold band around Shadow's quills with an air of-
"Don't" Shadow hissed, snatching the hoglet's paw before the ring could be removed. "That's dangerous, Silver."
"But he'll recognize you…" Silver whined. "You gotta take it out…"
"How much are you going to strip?" Shadow huffed, quite exasperated. "You know I'm carrying weapons and my eyes are blood red to top things off."
"Just take your stuff off." Silver shrugged. "We're only gonna be in the tavern…"
With an eye roll, Shadow complied - standing to his feet and removing his belt and shirt. Bunching the items up in his cloak, the elder hedgehog set them beside the barrel, sitting back down with only his boots and gloves remaining.
"Your rings are too shiny…" Silver frowned, grabbing Shadow's left wrist and poking the metal works.
"They're dangerous to remove." Shadow glared. "I don't fancy blowing up a whole city block if I can help it."
"Well, let's just cover them then." Silver chirped, reaching down and pulling out a few rolls of bandages from Shadow's pouch.
Undoing the band from his quills, Shadow re-attached the third ring around his left wrist - taking the bandages from the young hedgehog and wrapping his hand up. Winding the final pieces up his arm, the elder repeated the action on the opposite side, completely covering his arms up to the elbows in soft brown fabric.
"Now for your eyes." Silver smiled, taking a final piece of bandage and blindfolding the confused ranger. "There - we're done."
Taking a step back, Silver admired his work. What sat before him was an utterly average looking hedgehog. Plain black fur, untied quills, it was amazing how much shape the red patterns had brought to the elder's complexion - leaving the hedgehog looking almost two-dimensional without them.
"I look like an injured farmhand." Shadow commented snidely.
However, what look of disapproval that had been on the adult's face quickly melted away with a moment of visible epiphany. Gazing at his hands through the hazy fabric, Shadow began to purse his lips.
"I think your plan might work." Shadow admitted, standing up and digging through boxes of clearly discarded materials. "Now, it is very important for you to understand what I am going to say."
As the elder tossed aside a rotted wooden lid, Silver perked his ears and straightened his back.
"Acting is a very difficult task." Shadow explained, pulling out a tattered piece of gray fabric. "It is very important to sell what you are trying to portray."
Drawing his knife from his unequiped belt, the hedgehog laid the fabric on the ground.
"I am going to pretend I am an injured farmhand who lost my sight and voice in an accident." He stated, cutting a triangle in the middle of the decaying square. "I will not speak, I will not see, and I will be relying on you to do all of the talking."
"Me?" Silver gasped, voice shaking in surprise. "Why me?"
"Because if I say one word, Phantom will recognize my voice." Shadow grunted, sliding his head though the cut hole and smoothing out his improvised poncho. "My only goal at the moment is to listen to what everyone has to say. Not get into a fight, not start an incident, only to listen and gain information."
"Well what does that have to do with me?"
"You have to help me order a drink."