Finally got that discription updated
two years ago i wasnt as good at getting my ideas out as i am now
The river had settled significantly by the time the sun began to rise. Unable to swim, unable to move, and unable to think; Silver laid on his back in the middle of the log. It had taken a bit of trial and error to find the center of mass, but the second he had found it, Silver wasted no time in staying absolutely stock still. Eyes squeezed shut and hands gripped tight, the exhausted hedgehog floated down the river in absolute misery.
The question of how he was going to get off the log was still far from the hoglet's mind as the water drifted him further and further. It wasn't like he was going to swim anyways. Why should he even bother?
Voices spoke nearby. Ivory ears flicked slightly at the sound. Who could possibly be wandering the woods at this time? It was hardly morning after all, the sun had only barely risen. The world was still bathed in cool purples and blues from the fading night. Silver fought the urge to turn on his side. He had to stay in the middle.
There were several voices now within earshot. Whoever was out there was not alone. If he could get their attention, perhaps they could fetch him from this predicament. But Silver dared not move. He was far too tired to fight the water if he fell in - even speaking seemed to be far too risky in the precarious position he found himself. A sigh escaped the damp lips as Silver opened his eyes.
"Prodigy!" A familiar voice called. It was… that woman! Silver clamped his claws tighter to prevent himself from sitting up. Of course! He had forgotten his pelt was a brilliant white. The drenched hoglet stood out magnificently against the dark brown waters and deep gray log - especially at a dark hour such as this.
"Help!" Silver called back, not daring to lift a finger. "I'm stuck!"
Rapid fire words and shuffling rose off the bank as the villagers tried to figure out what to do. Words like "swim" and "net" were thrown around before finally - one word became dominant. "Pole."
What they were going to do with a pole was beyond Silver. A stick of wood or metal was not going to help him get off the log, and to make things worse; he was drifting further away. Sure the water moved slowly now, but he was still going fast enough that he would be out of earshot within several minutes. And the villagers were going to use a pole? Silver guessed he would float down the river until he died.
"Don't move, Prodigy." A male voice called, one unfamiliar.
Silver fought the urge to scoff. Don't move indeed. It wasn't like he was going to move anyways - anxiety kept him frozen solid. He couldn't move even if he wanted to.
A splashing ker-plunk hit the water nearby. Was someone throwing rocks at him? Silver squeezed his eyes tighter. Where was Shadow when he needed him? Oh…right…
Out of his control, Silver began to breathe harder and harder, lungs raising and falling as the anxiety he had previously forgotten came roaring back with a vengeance. Shadow was going to die. That fog demon had him…or did it? No… Shadow was holding him off. They've fought before. Shadow wouldn't die. But he was definitely not safe. Silver choked on saliva as he remembered the slicing claws racing towards his face. Wow, Mephiles was dangerous…
An object whizzed through the air - landing on the log with a barely audible thunk. Cheers erupted from the villagers as tension rocked the log slightly. More and more whizzing and plunking began to splash around, seemingly trying to hit the log as well.
Silver gasped as the driftwood lurched, threatening to roll over from the force. Something was pulling on the log. Squeezing his eyes even tighter, Silver latched his claws harder into the wood, body heaving from the force of his panicked breathing. What in the world were the villagers doing?
"Hold on, Prodigy!" The woman called. "We've got you!"
Silver could only muster out a squeak. Another object latched onto the wood as the anxious hoglet dug his adolescent claws deeper and deeper into the wood. Trenches followed behind his fingers as he grabbed, fur beginning to puff out as the log pulled faster and faster. The objects were hitting the log more accurately now, with the items fastening tight into the soaked tree. A choking gasp ran through Silver's throat as one of the little things hit his leg. Thankfully it didn't hurt him, but it was definitely metal - and pointy.
"You're almost here." The woman soothed, sounding much closer than before. "We've got you."
Hands clasped at the log, dragging it up onto the dock with a mighty heave-ho. Silver only laid there, shaking violently from adrenaline. Gold eyes opened to see several adults standing over him.
"Prodigy." The village elder asked. "Where is the Hero?"
"I…he…"
"The poor thing is clearly shocked." The woman interjected, kneeling down at his side. "Look at him - he's attached himself to the log and can't even get up."
Panic filled Silver as he realized she was right. Pulling against his hands, he felt his claws drag deeper into the wood - only securing him tighter to the deceased tree. Kicking, he struggled - shoulders wiggling and mouth hissing as he fought against his own body. A foot planted against the log, preventing it from rolling about.
"Hey-" The woman soothed, grabbing his cheeks and forcing his eyes to look into hers. "-breathe."
Closing his eyes, Silver took a deep inhale - trained lungs taking in an expert amount of air. Four seconds in. Four seconds wait. Four seconds out. Gentle hands prodded at his claws, carefully wiggling them until one by one they popped loose.
"Prodigy." The bear elder prodded once more. "Where is your mentor?"
"Shadow!" Silver squeaked, immediately jumping off the log. "He's in trouble!"
"What?" One of the bystanders asked, holding his tail to his waist.
"The Cloud Demon… Mephiles… they're fighting!" Silver piped out, jumping around nervously on his feet. "He's done it before…but I don't know how long he'll last…"
"Prodigy…" The woman spoke, nervously holding out her hand. "The Demon and the Hero have been battling for two hundred years… I'm sure he has it under control…"
"Two hundred?" Silver spoke, aghast from the information. "But they just started fighting hours ago!"
"No- not literally!" A different bystander groaned, leaning back and slapping his ungloved hand to his face. "They've been...they've…y'know what never mind…"
"We need to help him!" Silver cried, stomping his foot against the wooden deck with a muffled thump.
"No, we need to fix our gate," The elder growled. "Rise, prepare the Prodigy for your assistance."
"Yes sir." The woman conceded, reaching down and taking Silver's hand.
"I'll get the materials." Another bystander commented, jogging off down a trail.
"Come along now." The woman spoke, gently pulling Silver as she walked on. "Let's get you fixed up.
"What?" Silver asked, ears flopping downwards as he looked up into the dog's blue eyes.
"We'll get you a warm meal - a quick rest for you." She smiled, pushing through the crowd of villagers.
"Wha- but no..I…" Silver protested, pulling lightly against her grip.
"I have chicken and carrots in the pot right now." She continued, ignoring the struggling hoglet. "It's a recipe my grandmoth-"
"No!" Silver squeaked, pulling harder against the firm hand. "I have to help Shadow I-"
"It's a real bone warmer." A villager commented, speaking from the crowd following behind.
"You have to listen to me!" Silver shrieked, pulling harder. "Shadow's in trouble we-"
"It'll boost you right up." The woman smiled, tightening her grip. "Get you ready for the gate, although I wish I could give you mor-"
"No!" Silver whined, dragging his leather shoes into the dirt trail. "Let go!"
"Come on, Prodigy." A different villager sighed. "We gotta get that gate fixed."
"Stop!" Silver whimpered, soles scraping against dirt and rock.
"Yes, and get you cleaned u-"
"No!" Silver cried, arm jolting and body shaking from exertion.
"- and right and ready for the"
"I SAID STOP!" Silver screamed, stomping his foot against the ground with a flash of cyan.
The firm grip of the woman was forced away in the wave of energy. Sticks, stones, and people alike rose into the air as Silver stood; tears rolling down his face and floating off into the forest. Silence fell over the air as the stunned adults stared at the prodigy, mouths open and eyes wide. Not floating himself, Silver found himself looking at all the suspended things. However, in the wake of the split second events, it was not shock or awe that sunk into his heart. It was pain.
"You're not listening to me…" Silver sobbed, bringing his knees to his chest in a crouch and hugging them tight. "I don't want to fix the gate…I want to be with Shadow…"
"Prodigy…" The woman soothed, unable to reach down and mother the weeping child. "Is that what he would want at this moment?"
Quivering, wet eyes stared up at the woman.
"What?" Silver sniffed, hiccuping slightly from his tears.
"He must have known you would end up here… right?" The dog rephrased, gesturing to the woods around her. "He sent you back here… to help us…right?"
Silver wiped his eyes, remembering the last words Shadow had spoken to him. The ranger had told him to get back to the village, but was far too busy to specify why.
"I…I don't know…" Silver sniffled, hiding his muzzle back behind his knees.
"He wouldn't just let you out of his sight like that…" Another villager piped up. "He must have sent you to help us."
"We need your help…Prodigy." The woman spoke again, extending her hand to the quivering child. "Please…"
Silver glanced around at the pleading eyes. Helping people was usually Shadow's job. He was the one that was here to rescue the village. He was the one who rescued the kids from the flaming cave. Silver? Silver was nothing more than a sobbing child curled up on a trail who could only barely control his powers. Shadow was the grown-up. Shadow was the Hero. Shadow helped people.
"I…I…" Silver stammered, looking around at the worried faces.
But…Shadow wasn't here. Shadow was out fighting Mephiles. Shadow…wasn't able to help people….
"You are a prodigy." A villager spoke out. "You're meant to help us…"
Silver looked down, staring between his knees at the ground below. Shadow was the one who helped people….right? Shadow was supposed to tell him what to do…
"Please…" The woman pleaded, clasping her hands together. "Help us, Prodigy…"
Silver found himself staring at his belt. The scratched "BD" initials stared back at him, pleading for him to do something. No…Breeze was staring back - calling from the past to the shaking child in the future. Breeze was a prodigy too… She was well known for helping people. Heck, her most famous incident was when she fended off five goliaths and some stalkers from a village - while pregnant. Who knows what things she did while wearing this belt. She was a hero.
Breeze was like Shadow. She helped people. Signal…Breeze…Tone… they all helped people. Prodigies helped people. That's what they did.
Silver's eyes wandered to his glowing markings. He was a Prodigy too… It had never occurred to him what that meant. Shadow was training him to be just like Breeze and Tone… Shadow was training him…to help people.
Gold eyes looked up, glancing around at the villagers. They were right. Shadow did send him back to help.
"O…ok…" Silver meekly whispered, pulling himself to his feet. "I'll help you…"
A chorus of sighs and thank yous greeted his ivory ears as he shuffled awkwardly on his feet. Despite feeling extremely nervous, Silver felt a sense of…expectation. Almost as if Shadow was standing beside him now. Yes, the child could imagine it now. The unchanging face of the elder staring down at him. The ranger would tell him to pick up his feet and get going to the gate. Brown leather gloves would wave him away, eyes furrowed and impatient. Yes, that's what Shadow would do.
"Can you..uh… put us down?" A voice piped up, seemingly apologetic to be even asking.
Shadow would ask Silver to do that too.