not only have i learned how to make shoes from leather, but ive learned how to cook food on a spit

the stuff i do for this fic

Shadow didn't ask Silver anything. He just sat there with the hoglet around his neck; waiting patiently for him to calm down. With his mind still a haze, Silver didn't know how long he stayed there. Pure emotion that he wasn't even old enough to understand blazed through his veins as he trembled on the adult's shoulders. All he could do was shudder. Shudder and cry with the Demon's face burned inescapably into his subconscious - green eyes glaring at him whenever he blinked.

What an awful dream. What an awful experience. How could he possibly expect to sleep normally now? The cloud demon had shadowed his steps for weeks now, and the threat of him invading his dreams once more was still fresh on Silver's thoughts. It was already furious enough at him, what else would it do when it found him again? Where did it go?

A moment of panic, brought on by the rough gloves of the Ranger, bolted through the child's system at the thought of Shadow being an imposter again. Rapidly, Silver glanced up into the adult's face - expecting to see reptilian lenses staring back as he pushed away from the elder. A cold chill ran through his small body as his brain processed the colors. Why did it take so long to think? Silver's brain fumbled, trying and failing to keep up with the erratic thought process and blurry vision.

As the adult's face slowly came into focus, Silver braced himself - ready to see the demon snarling at him in horrific rage. Instead, blood red iris stared blankly back; steadily calculating the look on the child's face.

"He took my form, didn't he." Shadow sighed, eyes falling half-lidded.

Silver could only nod. His fur started to prickle up at the thought of being tricked again. As if he could sense the disquiet in the young hedgehog, Shadow began to speak once again.

"We met in your orphanage after the teen antagonized a stalker." He recalled, thinking back to the months prior. "You served me tea, and a Goliath followed me there."

Silver closed his eyes, remembering the events carefully.

"I rescued you from the burning house and took you to Twisted canyon. We found the Blue Emerald and I began your training." The ranger continued. "Yet Mephiles found us and we fought once again."

Silver opened his eyes.

"Mephiles?" He asked, sniffling slightly.

"That's his name." Shadow responded. "I don't think I've mentioned it to you before."

So the demon had a name. Silver shuddered. It was an awful sounding name. Awful enough to be carried up with the likes of Satan. What a miserable feeling the name held. Slowly, the hoglet whispered it to himself; the word leaving a disgusting taste in his mouth.

"I fought him off, and took you to Springwater Village after you got stuck in a glue pine." Shadow continued, looking down at the steadily calming child. "There I cleaned you up and got you some shoes."

Feeling calmer now, Silver rubbed at his eyes. A fatigued feeling swept over his body, leaving his skin slightly numbed and limbs slightly loose. The child could only assume he was so tired from all the fighting he had been doing. As if reacting to his thoughts, a small yawn escaped his lips while leather gloves wrapped around his waist.

"I got side tracked chasing members of the Syndicate, and lost you in the fight." Shadow continued, laying the tired hoglet down onto his bed. "But I broke you out only to meet Mephiles once again."

Silver closed his eyes as the blanket was drawn over his body. Shifting slightly, he burrowed himself into the pillow. Shadow's voice continued, drifting away in a haze of sleep.

"I defeated him once more and brought you here…"

Silver opened his eyes to ask a question, only for light to be shining through the clouds and Shadow nowhere to be found. Had...had he fallen asleep? The hoglet glanced around, seeing daytime colors and hearing daytime sounds.

"Shadow?" He asked halfheartedly, not expecting any response or return.

Sitting up, Silver realized he was fully energized and ready for the day. His eyes didn't feel heavy, nor did they feel sunken. Slowly, and carefully, the child pulled himself to his feet. His muscles did not pull against him, and instead worked better than they had before. A smile crossed his cheeks as he strode over to his shoes, pulling them on with vigor as he prepared to climb down the ladder.

A distinct smell of cooked meat filled the air as Silver touched down on the ground below. Turning to the campfire revealed Shadow - attending to a spit with a delicious meal attached. As if on cue, Silver's empty stomach rumbled. Oh how he ached for some good food…

"You're awake." Shadow observed, setting down the fire poker as the child approached him. "I thought you'd need the extra sleep."

"Was I sleeping too much?" Silver asked, sheepishly sitting down next to the fire.

"It's roughly ten in the morning." Shadow responded, looking up at the clouds. "Given the time of year."

Slightly ashamed, Silver looked at the ground. Usually Shadow had him awake at the crack of dawn amid asleep by the setting sun. Waking so late in the morning felt like a serious violation for some random reason. However, since the ranger didn't seem upset in the slightest, Silver figured it was an excusable time to sleep in.

"I ran out to the North Tundra to hunt a snow rabbit." Shadow spoke, turning the meat forty-five degrees. "It's full of nutrients - perfect for a growing body such as yours."

Silver was more intelligent than he gave himself credit. Despite the blunt "matter of fact" statement, the hoglet knew that wasn't the only reason there was a snow rabbit roasting over the fire. Shadow didn't run to entirely new biomes hundreds of days away to simply "get nutrients". This was a reward. And Silver was all for it.

As the meat turned on the spit, the young hedgehog observed the bulk of the unfortunate creature. Most animals Shadow had captured were thin and meager - only enough build to feed one small child such as Silver. However, the rabbit over the fire was thick and strong, meat full of fat and muscle as if it had stored up for a long time without food. Hungry eyes watched the rare delicacy with intensity, young mouth drooling at the thought of teeth sinking into the tender thighs. A golden film covered the exterior, as if Shadow had covered the rabbit with something special.

"It's almost done." Shadow stated, looking at the hoglet's agape jaws. "Try not to lose too much water; it's not easy to bring out here."

Silver closed his mouth, wiping the spit off his chin as he sniffed the air. His tummy pulled at his insides - begging him to consume the delicious meal in front of him. Muscles began to shake as excitement grew, leaving the hedgehog quaking in anticipation. Red eyes watched the youngling with fascination, never having seen the hedgehog so excited before.

Silver had only smelt such deliciousness. The mistress never let the kids eat anything other than bland oatmeal or maggotish slop while shipments of corn and meat still arrived to the orphanage. At night he would lay awake sniffing the air and dreaming of what such food could even taste like. Since Shadow had taken the hoglet under his wing, Silver had discovered lots of new foods and flavors. Because unlike the mistress, Shadow never took anything for himself.

As if responding to Silver's thoughts, the rabbit was removed from the fire and placed on a wooden board next to the ranger. Drawing his knife, the adult cut the strings attaching the meat to the dowel and began slicing the tender flesh into reasonable chunks. The perfectly cooked game seemed to envelop Silver's senses as the mere act of opening the meal filled the air with more smells than before. The hoglet could barely contain himself as the ranger chopped onion grass and spread it over the rabbit. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime but was in reality only a few seconds, Silver finally had a plate of food in his tiny paws.

Silver had never tasted honey before. Shadow must have sought out a bee's nest for this occasion, because the golden crust mixed with natural herbs absolutely floored the young hedgehog. He could hardly even ask what the sweet glazing was through stuffing mouthfuls of food into his gaping hole of a mouth. The ranger could only watch with an odd look on his face as the hoglet devoured his plate. Silver had also never asked for seconds before, but now was a good time for any to start.

"It's honey." Shadow finally answered, after the hoglet managed to muffle out his question. "I'd assumed you'd have had it before as there are occasional hives near your old orphanage."

Silver shook his head, finally slowing down after half of the second plate was gone.

"I see." Shadow mumbled, looking introspective as he stared into the distance.

A few minutes passed as Silver finished his second plate. Setting the wooden disc down, he poked his stomach - feeling odd as it had never been this full before. Despite the new feeling, a smile had crossed the young hedgehog's face. Food was a surefire way to make him happy. He never had enough of it back in the orphanage, and the fact Shadow was attempting to keep him well fed was way more of an effort than the mistress ever put in. It was also keeping Silver happy. Having someone who cared for his well-being was a nice feeling to have.

"Thank you…" He sniffled, feeling loved and happy at the same time.

"It's the least I could do…" Shadow somberly stated, looking away slightly.

Silver could feel an air of guilt around the adult, but he could not discern why. Shadow's face held the same blank expression as always, yet the air felt very heavy. Perhaps it was the tone of voice…

"I hate to ask now…" Shadow spoke up, looking back towards the hoglet. "But did He tell you anything last night?"

A cold wind seemed to overcome the young hedgehog as he remembered the words of the awful demon. Responding to the feeling, a few hair prickled up on his scruff. Observant red eyes looked towards the slowly puffing out pelt, catching sight of the anxiety within. Despite the circumstance, the look on the ranger's face did not waiver.

"H he said you took his soul…" Silver choked out, feeling a bit constrained by his tightening lungs. "He wanted to take Illis and burn the world or something…"

"Iblis…" Shadow muttered to himself. "Of course…"

"He wanted me to join him but…" Silver paused, looking up into the blood tinted eyes of the elder. "I said no and he tried to kill me…"

"You were very brave." Shadow spoke, trying and failing to be consoling in his tone. "You found out what I needed to know."

Silver curled up. He hated thinking about the fog demon. That horrid creature could go crawl in a hole and die. Yet, Shadow had said he was brave. Did that make him a brave person? He was awfully scared the whole time. He wanted to run away and never go back. Yet he stood up the the thing. Did that make him brave? Was that a thing brave people did?

Sonic was said to be brave. Sonic was probably never scared. The blue hedgehog laughed in the face of danger and smiled at the threat of death. How could someone like that ever be scared. Silver looked at himself. Perhaps he wasn't a brave person. Perhaps he was. There was no way to know. He was only a child after all. Maybe he would grow up into a brave person like Sonic.

"I almost forgot." Shadow blurted out, reaching into his bag. "There was a raspberry bush by the beehive."

Golden eyes dilated as a pouch of red orbs dropped into his paws. Raspberries. Silver felt he could cry. Shadow had remembered how much he liked raspberries. A new food... A sweet treat... This was the best reward he had ever had! It was beginning to seem like this was the best day he had ever had. The sugary juices filled his mouth once again as he sucked on the sweet sweet berries Shadow had gathered for him.

This was definitely the best day he ever had.