Chapter 3 is here! And my sincerest apologies for the wait! This is your Christmas present, readers, and I have no idea when the next chapter will be out cause rehearsals for the school musical start next month and that'll suck up a lot of my time...

I have mostly tried to base Shadow's personality after how he acts in Sonic Prime, so feedback on that would be appreciated.

Also, I have not read the original Dracula book, I have read a re-told version by Classic Starts. So if I get any vampire details wrong, let me know.

But now I welcome you to...

THE HUNT

...

Sonic and his friends had been stuck on the ground for only 5 minutes, but the blue wolf was already worried.

Not about Shadow! If anything he should be worried about Ash; that wolf had no idea what he was getting into!

No, he was worried about what would happen when Ash finally gave up and returned.

Amy and Tails had filled everyone in on Shadow's suspicions concerning the grey wolf, and it was...well, concerning, to say the least.

The main question on Sonic's mind was why? Why had Ash joined the pack if he was working for Wolfric? Had he been instructed to keep an eye on them? Did Wolfric still see him as a threat? And most of all...why?!

"Crescent?" Tails asked, "How long does the command usually have an effect?"

"About an hour, unless Ash frees us first." The silver wolf answered with a sigh.

"We can't wait that long." Sonic growled; pushing against the ground as hard as he could, but making little progress. "If Ash is on Wolfric's side, we can't be here when he gets back."

"I've been trying for 5 minutes straight!" Loki exclaimed; also fighting the command. "I've made NO progress whatsoever!"

"Wait!" Leon suddenly shouted. "Ash only told us to go down, he never told us to stay here!"

As the realization swept over the small group; Sonic felt like an idiot. The answer was so obvious! They could crawl away and hide until the effect wore off! Of course, Ash would go hunting for them, and a werewolf has the best sense of smell of any creature; but at least they would've tried.

"Maybe we should go after Shadow." Tails suggested.

"Why?" Crescent asked. "He seems like the kind of mobian who can take care of himself.

"I don't know. Something Ash said has been bugging me, and I just have this suspicion..."

"Good enough for me." Sonic interrupted. "I've never known my buddies suspicions to be wrong. I'll go find Shadow, the rest of you crawl in the opposite direction as fast as you can."

"Oh no you don't!" Both Amy and Loki shouted at the blue wolf at the same time.

"You're not going anywhere without the rest of us." Amy continued.

"And I'm not missing out on some legendary Sonic action!" Loki added enthusiastically.

Crescent and Tails nodded their agreement; and even Hope, who'd been very quiet, looked determined to help.

"If you're sure." Sonic relented. "Let's go."

They started off slowly (and might I add awkwardly) until Loki got the idea to stretch his arms out and wrap them around far away trees to pull himself forward. They were constantly hitting trees, but at least they were making better progress.

All around them were signs that the pack had gone through the forest here: muddy pawprints, broken branches, and the scent of other wolves in the area.

"How much farther do you think we have to go?" Amy asked.

"Depends on Shadow's strategy." Tails answered. "He may loop around to try and throw them off his trail."

"YAAAHOOOOOOOOOOO-GYYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The six werewolves turned their heads skyward to the source of the scream. Evidently, Loki had decided to see if slingshoting himself in the air would free him from Ash's order to stay "Down."

"Loki!" Leon yelled up at the flying white and gold wolf. "You are absolutely insane!"

"BAAAAAAAT!" Was Loki's terrified response. He started swatting at something as he fell. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

The group watched with varying levels of amusement as Loki finally reached the top of the forest and hit every branch he came across until he landed on solid earth.

The white wolf put his hands over his head as the bat swooped over him and hovered above a thick tree branch. The small creature grew larger; morphing into a more mobian shape. It was one of those "blink and you'll miss it" moments; cause in the second it took for Sonic's eyes to shut and open again, Shadow was standing on the branch.

He folded his arms and stared down at Loki with a very unamused expression. "You're worse than Sonic."

Loki leapt to his feet, lookin thoroughly embarrassed. "Oh, uh, hi. So that was you...again?"

Shadow hopped out of the tree; landing without a sound. "The rest of your pack probably turned to follow your screams the moment you yelled 'bat!'"

"Oh. Sorry."

"They're not our pack anymore." Sonic argued, still stuck on the ground.

The vampire raised an eyebrow at the wolf. "Any idiot can see you're under the influence of an Alpha command."

"Point taken." Sonic grumbled back.

"But I'm not under his influence anymore." Loki said; hopping around a bit. "I think I broke the spell! Everyone, slingshot yourself into the air!"

"Sure, that won't draw even more attention to us." Leon said sarcastically.

"But if they're coming this way anyways, we should get free so we can run and defend ourselves." Tails reasoned.

"True..."

"Me first!" Sonic declared; stretching his arms up to two adjacent branches and using them to slingshot into the air.

The rest of the gang followed his lead; and soon the air was filled with flying wolves and loud shouts from said wolves.

Being the first in the air; Sonic was also the first to hit the ground.

He faceplanted on the ground in front of Shadow. "Owww...there has got to be a better way to break an Alpha command."

"There are a lot of better ways to break an Alpha command." Shadow answered.

"I'd ask what they are, but I don't think we have time for that right now." Sonic got to his paws; wincing in pain from the wounds he'd received during the fight. "I'm just glad that way worked."

"Oh yeah!" Loki cheered. "That was my idea! I'm a genius!"

Sonic stared as the young wolf started dancing; still repeating "I'm a genius" in a sing-song tone.

"Wow. Just wow."

"You used to be worse." Shadow stated.

"I...wha...no I..." Sonic spluttered. "Okay, wow again. I know I was annoying, but there's no way I was as bad as that kid."

Sonic waved a hand at Loki, just as Leon fell from the sky and landed on the white wolf. "Hey!"

"Sorry." Leon slid off his friend.

Tails was the last one to land; using his two giant wolf tails to slow his descent. "So what do we do now?"

"We get out of here before Ash catches up to us." Shadow stated walking in the direction the others had come from, when Sonic stretched out a hand to stop him.

"You? Run from a fight?" The blue wolf asked incredulously. "Who are you, and what have you done with Shadow?"

"Very funny Sonic." The vampire smacked the stretchy hand away. "I wouldn't run if I didn't have a good reason for doing so."

"Yeah, like when the metal virus struck." Sonic muttered under his breath.

"What reason?" Tails inquired out loud.

A howl pierced the air before Shadow could respond.

"I'll explain everything later." The black hedgehog said; leading the way through the forest.

More howls sounded behind them as they ran; steadily increasing in volume. The rest of the pack was gaining.

"How are they gaining?" Sonic asked; a hint of panic evident in his voice. "Wouldn't we be moving at about the same speed?"

"Hunt adrenaline." Crescent and Shadow answered at the same time.

"I don't know what that means!"

"How do you not know what that means?!" Shadow shouted. "You've been a werewolf for a year!"

"I've been trying to ignore that fact."

"Obviously!"

"We need a way to slow them down." Tails interrupted.

"Rain." Hope suggested.

"Yes, Hope, it does look like it could start raining at any moment." Amy said kindly. "But that would be bad for us to, and it's not like we can control the weather and only make it rain behind us."

"We could knock down trees as we go." Loki said.

"That would give the others a clearer path forward." Leon rebuked.

"Then what do you suggest we..?"

"Shadow can direct the weather." Hope spoke up.

All chatter stopped and all eyes simultaneously turned to the vampire, who put a hand over his eyes. "Yes, I can. Have none of you read the original Dracula?"

"Well, uh..."

"I meant to at some point..."

"Nope!"

"Yes!" Tails practically shouted. "I should have realized this earlier...you directed the storm clouds here in the first place, didn't you?"

"Then what are you waiting for!?" Sonic interrupted. "Put those freaky powers to good use."

"Sonic." Tails started. "I don't think you under-"

"Unleash the rain, Shadz!"

"That's not how it works, you idiot." Shadow argued. "I direct the weather, I don't control it."

"So we have to wait for it to naturally start raining?" Crescent asked. "How long is that gonna take!?"

"Not long." The black hedgehog assured her. "We just need to hold out for a few more-"

"We don't have a few more minutes!" Loki shouted hysterically.

The group turned their heads and saw what Loki saw: eight wolves chasing them at speeds that made Sonic miss his hedgehog days.

Ash was at the head of the pack; grinning at the sight of his target, and not the least bit confused as to how the other wolves had gotten free.

The confusion came when a blast of rain hit him straight in the face.

The group looked at Shadow, who had a mask of concentration plastered to his face. "I was going to say a few more seconds."

Loki laughed in relief, "That gives us the advantage!"

"No," Crescent shook her head. "That just puts us on an even playing field, werewolves adapt quickly. We need a way to permanently evade them."

"That's not gonna be easy." Leon commented.

"I have an idea." Loki said, "And I think you're gonna like it."

...

Surprisingly, Sonic did like the plan.

Well, not the part where they all split up into teams of two and he had to carry Shadow on his back so the vampire could concentrate on making the storm worse.

That was torture.

And actually, that was pretty much the core of the plan, so maybe he didn't like it.

Sonic looked back into the torrent of rain and wind that lurked behind him. He knew one or two of the wolves in Ash's pack (or maybe Ash himself!) were tailing them in the tempest.

That was, after all, part of the plan.

"Try and lose the pack in the storm," Loki had said. "And make your way to the abandoned bridge over the long, deep chasm to the northeast."

"What chasm?" Crescent asked.

"The one only I've visited, because it's so far away." The white wolf answered with a grin.

That was where Sonic and Shadow were headed now. What they were supposed to do when they got there, Sonic had no idea. There had to be a second part to this plan, cause Ash and the others could simply follow them across the bridge if they wanted to.

"How much farther is this bridge?" Sonic asked in exasperation. "I've been running for-"

"10 minutes." Shadow finished; his eyes shut tight. "And shut up or I'll bring the storm over here."

"Fine fine." The werewolf huffed.

Another 10 minutes later...

"Seriously! How much farther..?!"

Sonic's complaint was cut short when he and Shadow almost went flying off the edge of an enormous chasm.

The wolf stood at the edge of the large canyon; panting hard. "That was close."

He looked to the left then to his right. There! That must be the bridge Loki had been talking about! He could already see Crescent, Hope, Amy, and Tails lingering on the other side.

Sonic ran as fast as he could along the side of the ravine, and reached the bridge at the same time as Loki and Leon. "Everyone okay?"

A chorus of yes reached his ears.

"No one was followed, right?" Loki asked; looking back out into the storm that surrounded them.

"There are few werewolves who could navigate that hurricane." Crescent answered.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; they were safe for now.

"Oh, don't celebrate yet. The hunt is not quit over."

Sonic's fur stood on end as Ash crept out of the violent storm to face them. How had he made it through!?

"Stay back Ash!" Leon growled; crouched in a pouncing position.

"Oh, come on, Leon. Do you really think I want trouble?"

"I'm pretty sure anyone who works for Wolfric wants trouble." Amy argued.

Ash took a step back in surprise. "Wha...how...Who told you that!?"

"It wasn't that hard to guess." Shadow answered.

"We trusted you, Ash!" Crescent shouted. "And now you've betrayed us and tricked the others!"

"Have I done anything until today?" The grey wolf asked. "Have I hurt anyone? Have I led the rest of Wolfric's wolves here like I was supposed to? No!"

He looked at Sonic. "I wasn't lying when I said I respected you, and I'd be lying now if I said I was never your friend. I was supposed to find you and report back to Wolfric so he could get rid of you, did I do that? No! I would've left it alone if you hadn't brought that undead thief back with you!"

Sonic looked at the hedgehog on his back, then back at Ash. What did he mean thief? "If you really are our friend, quit trying to attack my friend and let's go back to the cave and figure something out."

Ash shook his head, "I can't do that, Sonic. And if you're not going to get out of my way..."

Just as Ash opened his mouth to bark a command; a small, black dog crashed into him and started biting and scratching. Well, small compared to a werewolf, it was actually a pretty large dog.

Ash swatted the dog off him; his neck and shoulders bleeding again. The dog ran off into the raging storm; the angry werewolf at it's heels.

Sonic blinked. What had just happened? "Well, that was strange."

Loki nodded; confusion written on his face. "We should move on to the next step in my plan-Wait, where's Shadow!?"

Sonic looked around behind him, Shadow was no longer on his back! He turned his head frantically. "Shadow?!"

"He's the dog!" Hope realized.

"What!?"

Tails gasped, "She's right! Vampires don't just turn into bats, they can also turn into rats, owls, birds..."

"Dogs." Sonic finished in a panicked whisper. "And Ash is chasing him!"

The blue wolf ran toward the storm, "Stay here! I'll find Shadow!"

Without any hesitation; Sonic ran into the storm.

...

Shadow knew he couldn't evade Ash forever.

As his dog form jumped, weaved, and ran through the forest and tempest; he could feel the werewolf at his back. Ash wasn't going to let up.

All Shadow needed was, maybe, 10 seconds to change back into a mobian, and then into either a bat or a bird. If Ash didn't see him change; he could fly back to the others. 10 seconds without a werewolf on his tail.

The opportunity came in the form of a particularly windy spot in the storm. Shadow had never tried this before, but it might help.

At his direction; the wind picked up and started swirling in a funnel-like shape. Shadow strained his mind to hold the tornado together. That's when his plan fell apart.

Tornado's are notoriously difficult to control, and this one was even more slippery because of the hurricane-like storm already raging. The cyclone spun out of control; directly toward Shadow and Ash!

Well. That may not have been what he was trying to do; but it would work. Shadow flung himself out of the way at the last second; forcing Ash to leap to the other side. The vampire ran as fast as he could away from the wolf and hid behind a thick tree.

He waited. Ash never came.

'Look at me, hiding like a coward.' Shadow thought to himself as he changed back into his mobian hedgehog form. As soon as it was safe, he was going to find Ash again and...

"Got you!"

A large, furry force slammed into Shadow pinning him to the ground. The vampire growled up at Ash; his fangs bared. How could he have been so stupid to let his guard down!

"Where is it?" The werewolf demanded; sniffing at the hedgehog. "I know you have it on you."

Shadow didn't know why he did it, but he pulled a Sonic. "Where is what?"

Ash made an amused noise as he moved up to Shadow's quills. Wrong move.

The vampire lunged at the werewolves' neck and clamped down with his fangs. Ash cried out and pulled back as hard as he could; not caring that his skin was torn off, making the wound worse. The red and purple blood flowed freely from Ash's neck; he had way too many wounds there.

Shadow couldn't hold back his smirk; Ash should be scared. Too much Gaia and chaos energy combined did strange things to a person.

The werewolf's growl turned dangerous. "You think that's funny, blood-sucker?"

Shadow panicked when Ash pulled out the stake he'd carved earlier, and squirmed desperately underneath the crazy wolf. He'd only been in contact with wood once before as a vampire. Needless to say, it was not something he wanted to ever experience again.

Newly-made vampires would kill themselves over the smallest splinter because they couldn't handle the pain. That is how bad it was.

Even with the giant werewolf holding him down; Shadow managed to move enough that when Ash's arm fell, it missed his heart and drove deep into his left shoulder instead.

Shadow screamed in pain.

His vision went black, his whole body went numb, and he was vaguely aware of something warm and wet spreading out from his shoulder and soaking into his fur.

He needed to remove the stake before he went unconscious. Try as Shadow might, though, his body wouldn't respond to him. He was in too much pain.

Another, more powerful, growl echoed somewhere to his right and Ash's weight was suddenly lifted. More growls and the sounds of fighting could be heard around him. Shadow tried to sit up or open his eyes to see what was going on, but he could feel himself getting weaker by the second.

"Stay away from my FRIENDS!"

"Sonic?" Shadow whispered. It had to be him, who else could it be?

The sounds of fighting abruptly stopped, and he could hear a low voice next to him. "Shadow? Are you all right?"

Definitely Sonic.

"Take it out."

"What?"

"Take it out." Shadow said as loud as he could, still only managing to reach the level of a whisper.

"You sure?" Sonic sounded hesitant.

"Yes."

Shadow felt something tug the stake free from his shoulder and he screamed again. At least it was out, his healing factor could now kick in.

"Just hold on Shadow."

The black hedgehog could feel the blue wolf pick him up and set him on his back; he didn't resist this time.

Sonic ran back to the bridge as fast as he could with a semi-conscious Shadow on his back.

"Sonic!" Loki shouted as he neared the chasm. "Hurry!"

The blue wolf looked behind him, all of the other wolves, besides Ash, were on his tail.

"Lightning!"

"What?!" Sonic shouted back.

"Shadow needs to strike the bridge with lightning once we're all across!" Loki repeated. "Hurry!"

"But..."

"Just go." Shadow whispered in his ear. "I can handle it."

He couldn't, actually; he had no idea what would happen if he used up that much energy in his condition. But they needed to get away from the werewolves, there wasn't any other choice.

As Sonic crossed the bridge, Shadow reached his mind out into the storm to find a charge ready to bolt down to earth. Once he felt Sonic jump down onto the other side of the canyon, he let loose the strike right behind him.

The boom was deafening, and so were the cheers from Sonic and his friends.

None of them noticed the black hedgehog lose consciousness.