Instincts
Ch. 5
By: Cutegirlmayra (Shout out to all my lovely readers out there! :D I love each and every one of you~ And I hope my story is entertaining and pleases ya! I'm an innocent young thing, and so that's why these are mostly just 'Oh my!' moments and nothing more. I'm glad that you're okay with that lol cause that's all I'm willing to do! And even THAT makes me blush…! Sx/D/xS –flails about- lol, anyway, this is the first time I'm trying out Shadamy, even if Amy still loves Sonic, it doesn't mean Shadow can't try his hand at taking the 'hero' position, right? ;) If he wants too… that is… Here we go~ Sorry it's been so long! T-T I submitted new stories to remind myself I want to do them, but I kinda want to get this one done after Sonic Supers, which, the ending is upon us! :D But this one is FAR FROM OVER, lol xD and here we go with the next stage/arc of Shadamy, eh?)
Instinct Amy raced through the forest but was going the wrong way.
'No! No! Home is that way! That way!' Amy tried to desperately get her instincts attention, but it felt betrayed and wouldn't listen to her.
"So this! This is what my Sonic meant!" Her instinct looked back, growling and pushing herself forward as she tried to run quicker and farther away from the other hedgehog pursuing her.
'W…what?' Amy voice inside Instinct Amy's mind grew confused and concerned.
"He said I couldn't trust you! That you would take him away from me! And look! Now you place me in the hands of another alpha!"
'Another what now?' Amy mentally tilted her head, 'That word again... Do you think Shadow's an Alpha?'.
Shadow raced after her, looking forward and taking a visual off of her for only a moment to notice she was running right into the jungle parts of where they had just exited.
"Give me a break..!" he grimaced, seeming to growl the words out.
As she continued to run on all fours, she jumped up a tree and started to make her way up to its canopies.
'Can hedgehogs climb trees..?' Amy wondered before remembering that she had shared her memory with her instinct, so it probably knew the limitations of its body more than it would have if it only obeyed its pure instinct and reflexes.
Instinct Amy was now far up in the canopy, breathing hard due to exhaustion. She looked down at Shadow with a warning growl and bark.
She started to grunt, "Stay back!"
Of course, Shadow didn't understand her, and just stopped and looked up.
"…What did that darn fox say about taming her..?" he thought out loud, growing annoyed before closing his eyes. 'I have to be dominant. I don't exactly agree with these ridiculous methods. But for her sake,...' He opened his eyes with a fixed glare on Amy. 'To protect her, I must.'
"Come here. Now." He stated this as crossly as he could, but wasn't quite sure how an 'Alpha' would sound…
His words sounded demanding… but wasn't quite at the level Instinct Amy would have responded too.
Her ears flicked a bit as she stared him down.
This staring could equal her being cautious of his presence or challenging his rank. When he didn't respond, she took her nervous energy and began scratching the tree's wood, marking her territory through her claw marks. Her gloves didn't rip through because Amy usually managed her nails, but Instinct Amy still tore a bit of the tips.
Shadow's body language showed uncertainty, making her think he was a lower rank than her. She bounded up more branches on the tree, causing Shadow to awkwardly access that he'd have to climb up after her...
"Darn girl…" Shadow growled out, lowering his head slightly in frustration, but his eyes never left her frame. His fangs bit lightly against his lower lip, a bit of sweat falling at the aide of his face. 'If I don't keep her under control, she may get herself hurt, or worse... into more dangerous trouble.'
He swallowed his pride and quickly jumped up after her, following her into the canopy.
The chase continued as they swerved, leaped, scaled, and climbed over branches, vines, trees; even solid footing of large tree beds created by wood and lots of intertwined vines and matted leaves.
All the while, Amy kept clear of Shadow, balancing each step to dodge his advancements.
'This is impossible... has she gotten... faster?' Shadow noticed it was more than speed. Her physical strength, reaction, senses, everything seemed to be more enhanced. 'Is this... the power of Instincts?'
Worry and intrigue plagued Shadow with a deep conflict as Amy landed on all fours upon a sturdy branch. She looked back at him with an expression that Shadow knew was nothing like Amy.
It was as though she was possessed by her body, and he felt pity once again for the girl.
'I'm seeing more of what they meant... this is hopeless without some means of controlling her in this state. I'll have to be more direct...'
"Come here!" he called again, putting more tension in his voice, straining it to be more domineering. It wasn't his personality to act in this demeaning way, so it made him uncomfortable to shout orders at her like this.
Amy continued to sense his nerves, ignoring whatever he was doing and found a dense canopy bed above her. Hearing the cry of protesting wild monkeys, she looked up climbed with careful hops to curiously investigate, fleeing the scene in hopes of finding Sonic's scent. Plus, she didn't have her nest... and smelled that the monkeys had left some bananas and berries behind.
Amy may have just eaten, but her instincts first priority was to store any food it found. Instinct Amy quickly forgot her pursuer, thinking him a weak male she could fight off if needs be anyway and started gathering the food.
Shadow jumped up high and landed with a firm, harsh power through the treetops to the canopy's leafy flooring. The trees we're shaken up, causing loose flowers, leaves, and more fruit to fall down in his quake. He rose up from his landing position and picked up some fruit, seeing she'd be coaxed to him through it.
No avail, she just gave him a warning growl as she took more food to pile up. "What a strange hedgehog... He acts like an Other but smells strongly like an Alpha. Leave me be."
He let out a heated sigh and rose up, "This is useless. I'll have to play it by ear..." he began to slowly approach, not crouching down or anything, but holding himself high and over her.
He wasn't sure why he was doing this, other than he didn't want to disrespect himself, but something was… almost moving him to perform this behavior. He unknowingly followed the impulse, as if it was programmed into him to do so.
"What on earth are you doing?" he asked, seeing her gathering up the food not only in her arms but in her mouth too. His eyebrow rose as he noticed her completely ignore him and move to her pile.
"I'll have to use more than stance..." he stomped a foot down between her and her food pile. She immediately froze as he inadvertently had claimed her food pile as his own by adjusting his step and hovering over the pile.
"Finally," he stated when he saw the fruit in her mouth drop as a result of her shock at his clear challenge. She slowly rose her gaze to him, her cheeks still stuffed with food. "Your eyes are on me."
She growled through a muffled mouth full of banana chunks and berries before racing to the other side, hopping with her two legs like a lemur and spitting the food out like a hamster. "I'll deal with him later."
"This… is your... instincts?" he already knew she must have shifted, but this was way too weird for his taste. "You must be joking." He stated, not wanting to believe she could be this easily degraded to nothing more than a wild and unruly animal.
She began digging in the tree's leaf bed, pushing back vines and leaves and finally hitting the wood underneath. She packed the food in by straddling over it and pawing the food into the gap. She looked back at him and hissed, brisling her quills up as they shook or twitched for two seconds like a rattle on a snake's tail upward. "Alright, now give me the rest of it! I'll teach you your place!" Her quills lowered down as she continued to focus on food storage.
"Some Alpha you found me, Other. Hmph! He's weak! His smell lies."
She got into an attack position, leaning her upper torso forward but staying low to the ground. She was ready to spring at him if he didn't yield her food pile.
"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Amy worriedly shrieked back to her in her mind. "I didn't 'find' you an alpha! He's my friend and he's here to protect you!"
"Protect me?"
She looked behind her as if addressing her other self and then turning back toward Shadow. Instinct Amy puffed air out of her nose in irritation and disbelief of her Other's words and continued to hide her food, kicking leaves and pulled vines over it.
"He cannot serve any use to me. My Sonic will be my alpha. At most, this hedgehog could be a beta." she gave such strong disdain in her grunts, shaking her head at the pathetic excuse for an Alpha.
'What's a beta and how is Sonic your alpha!?' Amy, within herself, was confused by her Instinct's words. 'Ohhh! Shadow! Snap me out of this mess!'
"Shadow?"
That strange grunt sounded in Shadow's ears. His eyes widened. What did she say? Why did it feel odd to hear it? It couldn't be familiar... then why did it affect him so suddenly?
Was she... calling to him?
'That's his name…' Amy sighed in her mind, wishing they could just share information back and forth. Then she got an idea…
'Hey… if you give me information on your ranking systems and what they mean… I'll give you my memories on Shadow the Hedgehog.' She seemed cocky about her decision. 'Well? Tails could use a bit of feedback from your kind anyway.'
Instinct Amy snuffed at her Other's comment. "My kind… is your kind. Foolish other."
Instinct Amy was thinking about it though. She did hunger for more intel on her Other's world…
"Very well. Alpha's are dominant, and they protect the pack. Some are kind, and others, aggressive. They mate, usually with the Alpha females. Omega's are weak, usually, children at best, or are just at the end of the line. Beta's are in the middle, they serve as fighters and followers. Betas are the only ones who can be both Alpha and Omega, depending on how well they fight, and their ambition…" Instinct Amy took a second to groom her arm, also nibbling on her quills to clean them as well, getting any knots out while she was straining her teeth through them.
'And what are you..?' Amy asked, curious as to how her instincts knew all this ancient information, but more importantly… what was she?
Instinct Amy returned to burying her food supply, finishing with a smug nod of approval. She lifted her head and bounced her shoulders left and right a few times, showing pride in her accomplishment. Arching her back as upright as she could manage, it almost looked like the curl in her lips was the animal equivalent of a smile…
"I am a powerful Beta…" Her sound shifted as she grunted that line. "I'll most likely be an Alpha in any pack. Or I should say, I will be an Alpha when my Sonic returns to claim me."
Instinct Amy started to pat down the area she buried as Amy from within seemed to look away in her mind's eye… She didn't know… that Sonic wasn't going to come back… for a very long time.
Instinct Amy felt a twinge of grief in her and looked confusingly down at herself.
"Why does such news make you sad? You should be proud of your station."
'H-He's... He's not yours. And I told you already, no one is being claimed.'
However, Shadow was done waiting.
While Instinct Amy was talking with her Other Self, Shadow had constructed a net out of the strong vines and prepared to use it.
She seemed terribly distracted by the food and something else... Disturbed snorting was thrown into her normal, grunted pattern of speech sounds.
After creeping up, he threw it over her.
Her instinct bit and scratched at it, trying all manner of escape, but Shadow held onto his side of the net and started to quickly tie the ends together. She panicked and kept trying to free herself, straining against the vines that held her.
She flipped over onto her back, hissing and kicking in the net.
"There, that should hold you," he stated and pulled her up and over his shoulder like a sack of flour.
She growled, not liking where she was as she tried to curl and 'pop' to threaten him inside the net. The action made it difficult for him to carry her in the net with her shifting size and motioning in and out so much. He fumbled with the net a second before securing her again on his back. She snarled and swiped her hand at his back.
"Urk… you put up quite a fight…" he grumbled, feeling her scratches hurt worse than her strikes.
He started to move, only a few steps in the moderately sized canopy when she managed to tear through the vines. Coming down in a frenzy of bites and ripping the binds with sheer power from her arms and jaw, she successfully freed herself from capture. He had sworn those vines were plenty strong enough to hold her in.
"What?! How... How powerful are you?" Did instincts give her this unusual strength? She was naturally strong, but this was more than the mere girl he knew...
He underestimated more than her power, but the beast's will.
She flung herself out of the netted vines, but her foot fell through a gap and became stuck in a portion of it. She ran on all fours, ignoring her foot before Shadow leaped back behind himself and pulled on a torn section of the vine net. It tightened the hold around her leg, latching on to her ankle, and tugging her forcefully back as she lost her footing on the canopy floor of leaves.
"Yipe!" She whimpered before turning around, recovering quickly and keeping her body low to the ground as she bore her teeth at Shadow. She growled and hissed, "This Beta is persistent." She rolled up in a ball for safety and did her spitting and popping noises to warn him to go away, curling and uncurling in rapid, sporadic motions to keep him back. Her quills bristled to an absolute point as she curled and rattled herself, like the end of a snake's tail. The ultimate defense, but he was the ultimate lifeform...
"What on earth..? Is this your defensive maneuver?" he was almost mocking her at this point, finding her instinct humorous to watch, but still thinking she was very annoying.
"Give me your memories now!" She demanded of her Other self.
"Fine, fine! No need to shout…"
As Amy willingly gave her memories to her instincts again, Amy Rose suddenly saw a flashback of Sonic…
and what he had said…
"She let her instinct look inside her memories… she taught her instinct how to kiss."
Mentally, Amy Rose felt her head hurt as she remembered the pain on Tails's face, the betrayal Sonic must have felt… but she didn't mean it like that…
She was trying to teach her Instincts why she shouldn't mate! She saved them! And somehow, some way… she had to tell Sonic the truth, so he doesn't misunderstand her intent!
"W-wait… stop!"
Instinct Amy had already explored her mind and got most of what the Alpha smelling hedgehog was.
"So… he's a… odd form of... a hedgehog?"
She had broken her defensive ball formation for a moment and looked left and right at the ground, trying to get her thoughts together with the new information presented. However, as Shadow tried to approach her again, creeping slowly and half hunched down to restrain her again, she returned to rolling up and taking the offensive position once more. Spiking her quills higher up, he withdrew his hand, 'tsk'ing. He finally moved away and she settled her quills down once more. As he withdrew a bit, giving her the respect of distance between them, she calmed down a bit and didn't shake and hiss so aggressively.
"How am I suppose to…?!" he felt something in him again, something aggressively trying to burst out of his chest, or at least it felt like it. "Wh… what?"
He placed a hand on his chest before his head started wheeling around him, and her scent seemed to be more alluring to him all of a sudden. "What's... happening?"
He could sense it better… he could feel its power fully drawing him in, turning his once annoyed reaction to her as frustrated attraction…
Even if her scent wasn't as strong to him as it may have been for Sonic; it was still strong in aroma and power, in driving him to move towards her.
He clutched his head, his eyes pulsing as his pupil thinned only slightly, a faint spike on either end of it.
It wasn't a full-on diamond though, this was much wider and bigger, unlike the thin shape of full instincts…
"Oh no…" He felt control slipping, something clawing and scraping the inner walls of his mind. His heartbeat was rapid, "This... This is impossible-!"
He had morphed instantly with his instincts on a summoned shift.
Shadow's instincts were triggered by her defensiveness, common to females right before they-
"What…?" His pupil flexed until the merged form of instinct rested in his eyes, he looked over his hands, seeing them clearer than ever before. He looked up, seeing details and having a keen vision, his power felt like it was leaking through his limiters, and suddenly smells and sounds were heightened in his senses and he could feel things better too.
He felt some pain in himself, clutching his chest but still holding his head with his other hand, letting out a few grunts of agony and discomfort.
"What is this!?" He grew angry as Instinct Amy noticed his scent grow incredibly more apparent and stronger than before.
She uncurled to see what had happened, lifting her head up slightly, "He's here." She stated in a grunt that Shadow could now pick up on. Understand... "..?" She tilted her head, taking in his scent as she bobbed her head a bit. She huffed, noticing it was much more potent to her than Sonic's. "Maybe he is an Alpha…"
"S…Shadow…" Amy from within her mind clutched her hands tightly together, her eyes shaking in fear. "But I thought you said… you…?" Amy now was afraid… if Sonic couldn't control his instincts then-!
Shadow looked at his hands again; each feeling was enhanced in them, even the rays of the sunlight through the trees.
It was almost addicting... "I feel…" he felt something beside his own soul, almost like another entity driving him on, giving him this power and life, influencing him now. But it was odd, it wasn't natural as Tails had once defined it.
"More powerful."
He didn't quite understand it, but his senses were enhanced and his instincts quickly drove him to quit his pondering about himself and his newfound abilities to turn and look to Amy.
"…Amy."
Instinct Amy flicked her ears around, like sonar. Hearing her name was familiar to her, but she was still cautious about this new hedgehog…
"He is… not acting like a hedgehog."
Well, she was mostly right.
He was still on two legs, fully seeming as though he could control his instincts abilities with the merger forced upon him. Shadow The Hedgehog was still there... but now, so was his Instincts. Together, controlling one body... but unlike normal hedgehogs when they merge with their instincts, Shadow's and his Instincts's desires were very much not in sync... However, what was synced was their minds. His instincts knew everything, Shadow's will and desires... nothing was kept from him.
He knew the situation in its entirety.
And speaking of desires…
Shadow let his body move him to lower his stance, being less of a threat as he placed his hands on the ground, but wasn't fully on four legs just yet… Simply crouching down a bit.
His eyes were suddenly more intense but softer... as though on the hunt to gain more ground and get closer...
He found himself suddenly grunting, but not sure how he knew what to say. "I demand your respect." Though his stance was odd, it was showing Amy he wouldn't harm her, but it was still giving an air of power, dominance. In his form, he was still ready to pounce at a second of rebellion against his rank.
"You cannot have it." Instinct Amy narrowed her eyes, showing dominance over him by not obeying. She rose up an arch in her back like a cat, turning to her side in a warning that if he dared to strike at her, she would defend herself. Her quills spiked, but that only made him twitch more towards her, his eyes fixated on her demeanor.
"That would be..." He tilted his head, "Unwise..."
Amy inside of her mind began to panic, gripping around her mind to try and pull herself back into power. But it was no use, her body-her instincts-were already on high alert and there was no way she could weaken their power over her. "Shadow... Shadow's not himself! He's grunting and I understand him! This is bad! Stop! Please, Other me, stop!"
"You are no alpha to me." She grunted, growling in defiance at him, dipping her head down to show she was ready to brawl if needs to be too.
"Hmph, you challenge me?"
Shadow smiled, for some unknown reason, he knew she was naturally submissive by the way she held herself lower to the ground than him. She was resisting… yet, she was submitting too…
"A submissive female who fights back?"
Both Amys remembered first meeting Instinct Sonic, and how he said something similar to her at that time.
"…I have been promised to be claimed by another… Withdraw!" She barked, showing her teeth but submitting more to a lower position. He wasn't acting like a normal hedgehog with that strange smile... but she lowered herself further in preparation to strike upward if needs be. However, only prey or submissive animals used that approach instead of fighting head-on with their face held high and straight, eyes never wavering, and proudly charging into battle.
She was waiting for him to attack first, and he grinned wider as Shadow felt he wasn't exactly who he used to be… For when morphing with instincts, the mind and body combine; the Instincts persona with the person's soul, resulting in having a bit of them and a bit of their instincts becoming a single soul. However, since Shadow is no normal hedgehog, this process was changed to where two individual hungers now fight and battle for power constantly over the other.
In this case... Shadow was so new to this experience, that he only knew something else was influencing him, not that it was controlling him...
"Stand down, Amy."
Shadow growled softly, his eyes lowering as though confident in his power and abilities. "You are not prepared to stand against an Alpha like me..." but still he kept his eyes in a strict, piercing stare on her. This showed a level of dominance that even Sonic could have possessed, his eyebrows slowly narrowing to a glare when she continued to sink her hands into the ground, giving her a firmer grip and stance.
"I will not yield!" She barked again. "You are no Alpha to me!" She repeated, keeping her fighting spirit.
He closed his eyes, chuckling. Another non-hedgehog action.
"So be it!"
He opened his eyes and pounced towards her.
Shadow had spoken these words in normal language, without grunting, but it seemed Instinct Amy understood them anyway when he launched himself toward her. She yelped when he slammed into her side and they tumbled over the other.
The epic brawl over supremacy began, for Shadow knew he couldn't protect Amy unless her Instinct obeyed him, but was unaware that his Instincts wanted the same thing for different reasons... He was under the false precept that he was still in control over his instincts... when it was really his instincts in full control over him.
"If I really am controlling some form of my own instincts..." Shadow thought to himself as his body pinned Instinct Amy down only to have Instinct Amy bite at his shoulder and throw him off. Her strength doubled in her form, but so was his... the limiters were a slight blessing, vibrating like metal surging with power, but were still remaining intact... Otherwise... "Then maybe this was best since it seems the only way to tame her into listening to me."
But he felt something like a thought in his mind, telling him that was right, but it felt dark to him. Eerie...
They charged and rolled and seemed to really exhaust and hurt the other before Shadow noticed something… something an instinct would have never thought of.
Shadow dashed for the vine that was still connected to Amy's ankle and ran around her, still not on all fours, he was able to quickly use his unique shoes to maneuver and skate at lightning speeds around her to trip her up.
Now he had a grip.
She was confused by him running on two legs, and why he wasn't directly attacking her before he pulled the vine. She was then tripped as he rushed over, "Now!" he tied her hands and legs together and pinned her down like a cowboy.
"Ugh… submit!" Shadow called out, finally taking over most of the control. He could still feel something driving him, but ignored it. What was important right now was keeping her flailing and struggling Instinct form down as she tried to fight him off.
He tried to grunt it this time, something giving him the knowledge too.
"Submit!"
"N..! Never!"
She continued to scratch and bite, quickly moving in a blur as her speed was enhanced, chewing him up in gashes and leaving scars under his dark fur.
"I will not claim you!" He fell to a knee, enduring her as he held her up by his chest, letting her rip at his arms in her fight or flight reactions. "But you must trust me!"
"…?!" She kept her teeth gnawing at his arm, growling... but slowly her snarl subsided as she listened to his aching grunts, realizing he wasn't attacking her back anymore.
"I swear I will not claim you!" His grunt was a directive, but its force had enough emotion behind it that Instinct Amy began to listen.
However, she felt his grip tighten on the vines that held her body immovable, and like a caged animal, she grinded her teeth further into his flesh, feeling something warm now leak down from her teeth.
"You lie!" She grunted, sternly.
"Trust me!" His force on the vines may have tightened, but now he pushed her deeper into his chest, locking her in place. The only thing she could move now was her mouth, but she didn't loosen it from its grip on his arm.
She continued to growl and growl... her eyes twitching in fright and rage... but then something stilled...
He didn't do anything more. The hold was almost comforting. The constriction began to calm her as nothing was threatening her anymore.
"…You will not?"
Shadow was through with this, but wouldn't back down. He had to make her trust him but how?
'...The bond...'
'What?'
Something triggered a memory in Shadow's mind. Amy and Sonic... Amy mentioning her being 'bonded' to another Alpha... was that Alpha... Sonic?
Although he didn't quite understand, something moved him to mention it. Without further thought, he did so.
"I respect your stated bond!"
In ancient hedgehog culture, to respect a bond would be the same as saying you won't challenge the already current alpha, and that you'll behave as a Beta or less. This statement acknowledged that Instinct Amy had a mate, even if she wasn't mated yet. He was stating he now saw or viewed Sonic as the alpha over her, and even over him, though Shadow didn't know what he was saying, only that it was given to him. He was letting his Instincts guide him into doing what he wanted it too. A small truce... it seemed, so they could both get what they wanted...
Instinct Amy stopped struggling… and after a moment… she started to whimper.
She let go of his arm and turned up to him, nudging beneath his chin as a hoglet would to submit to a parent. It was the ultimate form of submissiveness for a grown hedgehog to do so.
Her submission caused him to let her go, his muscles relaxing as his body took the gesture well. He sighed, watching her move out of his grasp to shake off the leaves that had been pierced by her spiked up quills during the intense tussle. Once she groomed a moment, licking off the red liquid she didn't quite know the name of but knew its meaning, she rubbed against Shadow and claimed him indirectly as one of her 'pack members'. She was acting in place of her Alpha, as though doing what an Alpha female would have done.
"I accept you as our Beta."
She stated, and bit at her vines, now loosened as she tore them from her being. She couldn't get all of them, the vines too sturdy, and looked up at him with a growl and a glare, her ears bending forward in command.
"Now untie me!"
Shadow was uncomfortable at first when she rubbed her scent glands, under her chin, against him. But his instinct smirked from within. He was in.
It wasn't uncommon for a supposed 'beta' to suddenly challenge the current Alpha, but this was an unusually clever Instincts. He slipped away and gave Shadow full control, not wanting to reveal his true form just yet...
"Heh. You're a demanding little thing… aren't ya." Shadow did as he was told, though he was smiling through it at her pathetic struggles against him. He needed to take a breath, holding on to his sanity while figuring out how he knew how to speak in a strange new way, move as he should have, and even to state a degree of dominance only to lose it in the end. It made him wonder if he was controlling his instincts,... which at the moment, he was.
But now, at least, Shadow had Instinct Amy's trust. And it seemed she understood he was there to protect and guard her, as a Beta would have done anyway…
He looked at his injured arm, watching it instantly heal itself as was his body's nature, but faster in his instinct form. It was like his genetically altered body had a will of its own now that he was merged with his instincts... Or so he thought he was fully merged...
"I must have morphed with it… Which means I have instincts… they're just evolved from their natural state… due to me not being a natural-born hedgehog." He concluded and looked to Amy, who was rubbing her scent and claiming the ground as her 'turf', something an Alpha would also do. She nuzzled the ground and then laid the side of her chin down, moving her legs to drag herself forward and spread her scent across the leafy floor of the combined tree canopy. It was quite humorous actually, like a dog rubbing their head on the ground and kicking their legs forward so that they almost looked as though they were sliding across the room. She kept rubbing her head on the canopy, to get her scent all over it, and when she was satisfied got up and huffed, proud of her new turf and station being secured by another pack member.
Once done, she patted the ground and tucked her arms and legs under herself, her dress folding up and down over her figure as she sat in that unusual way, but completely in line with how an animal would rest itself.
"…And I'm guessing your acting more in the leadership position because you feel you have two crewmates, right?" he joked, and placed a hand on his head. "What does all this mean..?"
He searched his head, and suddenly, the idea just… popped up in his mind… as if someone was feeding it to him. He knew almost at once that three or more hedgehogs made a 'pack', and that sometimes if the pack leader is female, she can mate with whomever she pleases and keep everyone at the state of Beta. Her, and only her, being the sole Alpha of the pack. However, that was only if they were extremely dominant. Looking at Amy though, Shadow concluded that that was not the case, since Instinct Amy was naturally very submissive, only putting up a fight for so long before submitting. He didn't know why he just knew that, but he did. He also listened to the thought that if she mated, she would let a male Alpha rule over her and a pack, such was her natural nature.
He looked rather innocently towards Amy, seeing her begin to nap in hopes of resting from her injuries. She was pretty hurt... but it looked nothing like the gash that was on his arm, which was now fully healed over.
It seemed she wasn't so hurt that she was unable to do things, though. Instincts would naturally cause the body's self-healing abilities, even if she wasn't genetically altered for it like himself, to heal her much more rapidly than ever before.
New thoughts appeared in his mind that he took heed too, like how Instinct Amy was being forced into an 'Alpha role' against her natural nature. Something told him that she was, obviously the only female in the pack, and if placed in a normal setting of sorts, would have to face a natural Alpha female. If that happened, she may just fall to Beta, maybe even a Beta that would challenge for Alpha roles but most likely lose those battles.
A flip-floppy queen. Strong at first, but weak the next minute. Not exactly a strong Alpha pair…
If Sonic was, as Tails mentioned, highly dominant and aggressive... but unable to allow trust with his Other, then Instinct Sonic would be dumb with the things of the world.
Unlike Shadow's instinct... who baited Shadow with this free information, knowing Shadow had already merged with him and given him everything he needed to know. He wasn't a normal instinct, so he could carefully plan his next move...
Shadow felt his mind conclude that both Alphas had major weaknesses to them... But Shadow didn't understand why he was thinking like that. What did he care about Sonic's weaknesses in a foolish pack order?
Shadow was lost in thought, processing all this new information as he watched Amy gently breath in and out as she rested quietly a ways away from him. Instant trust at his words... since an animal never know a lie before...
'…Do I really respect the bond?'
The thought confused Shadow as his head moved up in a bit of a jolt, his eyes blinked as that thought didn't sound like him at all. That would normally have never even crossed his mind before, that he could have lied to secure a temporary trust with Amy's instincts.
"I suppose... it was the only way." He shook his head, the headache lingering as his senses began to fade. Almost like a goodbye, his instincts left him with that final thought, and as Shadow brushed off the feeling, the merger of his instincts disconnected with him and reverted him back to normal.
"Strange…" he looked at his hand again, feeling the enhanced sensitivity to his senses weaken to their normal capacities again. Well, normal for him, anyway.
Even his momentary seconds of knowledge vanished like a book being closed and left him with only that which he had discovered beforehand. The splitting headache had him grip his head, but the pain wasn't as bad as a normal hedgehog's reaction, even when synced correctly with their instincts. It was a flash of pain before turning to a discomfort that soon left him like a brain freeze.
He could instantly remember every event that had occurred because he was there in that moment, conscious and alert, not trapped in his mind. So the experience was quite different than Sonic and Amy's ordeals.
"I seem to be the perfect fit for you." he teased and laughed lightly. He hung his head down, 'Why did I say that?'.
"As in, I can control my instincts, as Tails had assumed." he adjusted himself, unsure of his sudden emotions that had shifted since merging. He got up, not quite feeling himself and looked back to Instinct Amy, who was awake now and licking her wounds.
"… I seem to be able to control my instinct better than Sonic can… So you won't have to worry about me. It seems… I'm not the true faker anymore." He pictured Sonic calling him that and just shook his head. "You're both extremely annoying,… you are aware, right?"
He was talking to Instinct Amy like he would an animal, knowing she couldn't understand him, but not fully understanding that she would remember later on.
He held his hand out and Amy rushed to him, sniffing it and looking up at him, grunting something he couldn't understand now. "Come, we must find my Alpha, Sonic."
He smiled, liking her in this form a lot better than her constantly dramatic side...
Less talkative…
But it was odd that he missed her sweet, peppy company too.
Even if he did have to race after her and fight her for respect and tameness, it wasn't her fault this was happening to her. He felt a bit of pity, but that quickly left when he thought maybe this would mean her Instincts would obey him from now on.
'But she thought of herself as my pack's Alpha,... would she really listen to me if I was just a Beta to her?' He thought a second, but nothing responded. 'Hmm... Tails said that dominance meant if she's not mated, that any dominant male could-...' He held out his hand, not a second thought wasted as he decided to try it.
"Sit." He stated, seeing if she listened.
She took one look at him and huffed, and he just laughed. "That's right, I'm only a Beta to you now. A simple servant under you and your precious Sonic's little group…" He rolled his eyes.
But would that change..?
Soon after that, Shadow and Amy had asked Tails what had happened, and with a bit of a hypothesis, Tails was able to teach them a bit more about what could have happened with Shadow. "Perhaps, because Shadow is a bioengineered hedgehog, that his instincts are more advanced. Maybe that's why he was easily able to sense his instincts and immediately merge with them. If so, that's fantastic! You never need to experience the hardship, Shadow." Tails scratched behind his head, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat envious."
"Hmph." Shadow closed his eyes.
"I would take the compliment, Shadow. You did great. I was scared at first, but you really did protect and secure a trust with my instincts. She, and more importantly, I can trust you now!" she seemed so kind when she tilted her head and smiled to him like that... It made him wonder why she was so trusting all of a sudden. "And, if I'm understanding Tails correctly, if you have instincts and can merge with them, then that must mean you won't ever have to worry about falling in love again." Amy put her hands behind her back and leaned a bit teasingly towards him.
His eyes opened with a blink or two, then glared at her. "Preposterous," he stated quite bluntly. "I'm immortal, and women elude me."
"Maybe, but you're the kind of guy I think likes to be needed. Maria trained you well." She muttered the last part into her hand as Shadow flicked an annoyed ear, having heard that.
"What? You're really good with women." Amy beamed, "Ah! I mean, in a good, gentlemanly way. Hehe." She grew a bit nervous and stepped away, not wanting him to interpret that weirdly.
"Or maybe I just know how to keep you under control." Shadow leered his eyes back over to her, then smiled to show he was only playing with her too.
Tails looked at the two and seemed puzzled, "Well, glad you two are suddenly getting along."
The two looked over to Tails as if spooked to hear that.
"We are not!" The two bluntly announced before turning to one another with an equally confused expression.
Tails just laughed, "Maybe, because your instincts are a pack now, you two just feel closer all of a sudden!"
His words plagued Amy and troubled Shadow, as they both looked away from one another.
The days rolled by and soon that spring had ended, and mating season was over. Shadow had no issues with other hedgehogs, simply acted as a sentinel while Amy would shift and wander from time to time. Amy's instinct had learned to appreciate Shadow's company, and the small moments they had together, Shadow learned to be kinder to her in that form too. She still didn't fully listen to him, but her Other would kindly instruct with a strict word or two and Instinct Amy usually followed along. She was still desperate to find Sonic, but Shadow would have to do for the time being. She would lay beside him and he would feel the instinctual desire to check once again to make sure no one else was around them. His territorial prowess was uncanny. His mere presence or scent would keep any curious, shifted males away from even approaching Amy's scent. It was a pretty good strategy, to say the least, and Tails liked to take all the credit for it.
Shadow waited by the door, arms folded now as Instinct Amy walked through the door, shook herself off of any dirt and dust on her, and then slowly sat down as Amy Rose returned and gripped her head, hurting again...
"It's great that because your heart and mind are working as one, that your desires of what you want to do are directly followed by swift obedience from your body or natural instincts." Tails had been on a few of their outings, observing Shadow as he merged with his instincts and would accompany Amy. "However… this worried also worries me." Tails explained, holding his clipboard out as Amy came too, getting up and smiling to him as well. "Because of the unnaturalness of it all, it could be dangerous… and further study of your unique instincts traits needs to be taken before I can really let you guard Amy again... I'm just nervous. It's so out of nature for you to be so instantly in tune with yourself... I'm worried something fishy might be below the surface to all this." He rubbed his chin, "But you haven't shown any signs of interest in Amy. So maybe she's not your type?"
Shadow refused, "I don't believe Gerald Robotnik would think I have a need for instincts. This could be a flaw in his design."
"But that would be like admitting you weren't the ultimate lifeform, Shadow." Amy piped in. "So... I think the ultimate lifeform should be able to have the ultimate grandchildren!" she placed her hands by her cheek and drifted off into lalaland. "Aww~ I can see it now! A long line of little immortal hedgehog babies!"
"That would be bad." Tails immediately stated, making Amy jolt in white at his delivery. He turned to Shadow, "Maybe it would be best if you never did mingle your genes with natural genetic counterparts. Honestly, more mutations might appear... though, it could be the opposite effect, where you actually help evolve our genetic pool to a higher chance of survival. Either way, I think the consequence would be too severe on the environment." Shadow just stared at Tails, seeming to silently agree as Amy just faked wept in her hands.
"Why do men not want to get married!?" She faked cried.
"Amy... Even if instincts did enhance my abilities,... I wouldn't be the ultimate lifeform if I needed them." Shadow spoke, but Tails quickly intervened again.
"Well... not quite." Tails rose a confident finger up, winking, "technically, instincts make natural beings their 'ultimate' self. Hee." Tails grinned from ear to ear, wagging his tails. "I mean... if you do fall in love, you could just adopt."
"Tails, your orphan side is showing." Amy stuck a tongue out at him.
"Sonic's an orphan too, you know! And for all we know, you could be as well!"
"Hey!" Amy stomped a foot down but Shadow moved his hands out between them, not taking such nonsense any longer.
"Both of you, quit it. The real question from the beginning of this mess was if it was safe for me to protect Amy or not." The two silenced themselves as Amy thought about Sonic, and looked away. He saw that reaction and turned his attention to Tails, not bothering with explaining anything unnecessary to her. "What's important to discuss is that if I'm able to control whatever these natural enchantments may resemble, forming the final stage of merging with them anyway, then regardless of what they are it still means there's nothing to worry about."
Tails and Amy looked back to him, a little unsure and a little worried, but nodded to his reasoning.
Everyone went on with their normal lives after that final goodbye… And Amy only ever saw glimpses of Sonic, who was still playing his role as a hero by defeating Eggman's latest schemes.
She worried if other hedgehogs would trigger him, but Tails reminded her he was fine before she shifted, and that Sonic's instincts were particular anyway. So other women weren't much of a worry to her anymore.
Months rolled by and they hadn't seen each other…
When she did ask Tails about him, he would only sigh, and so she told him the truth of what had happened that night, which Sonic wasn't willing to speak to him about. Tails agreed to relay the message to Sonic, but when he came back... it was only to say that Sonic needed to train himself better so that what transpired that night won't ever happen again.
"It was… too close." Tails had said, and even though Amy understood that, her heart broke a bit inside. He wasn't willing to trust her… he was only going to 'fix' himself and let her deal with her own instincts now it seemed.
She didn't tell Tails about going into heat again around Shadow, worried he may tell Sonic about Shadow becoming her bodyguard.
Surprisingly, Tails had told Sonic very little about that agreement, and only that Shadow had agreed to protect her and could control his instincts. The very news made Sonic burn with a deeper desire to control his instincts since he didn't want to feel less capable compared to Shadow.
Now, the days dragged on until a week before the next mating season…
-Tails's home-
"Okay, I've finally gotten in contact with Shadow..."
The fox looked exhausted as he clicked the phone off and walked over to the couch, flopping on it and laying his head on Amy's shoulder, not even bothering to address her with proper eye-contact.
She was nervous about seeing Shadow again but giggled lightly at Tails's display of relief and gently petted his head in praise.
He seemed to let her do so, only letting out a simple, "Hmm~" as he enjoyed the subtle praise for doing so much on her behalf.
He kept talking, "Knuckles talked to Rouge, who talked to G.U.N, who got her to find Shadow, who she then relayed the message too, and now he's off his mission and pausing his work to help you out." Tails took a deep breath in and let it out, happy they caught him on time before mating season sparked up again.
"Hehe, good boy. You did very well, Tails. I really appreciate all the help you've been giving me." She rubbed his head and he tilted it to be more on her shoulder and less down, smiling at her.
"Yeah well, I care." He laughed lightly, making a joke. "But I feel bad about what I did to Sonic during his first time shifting… so I want to make up for that with you." he honestly stated, and got off her shoulder, looking her over.
"How are you feeling?" he asked Amy, sincerely hoping she was alright still, and that nothing was creeping up on her before April truly started up.
She was too lost in thought about what Tails had said... Sonic's poor instinct being tortured. He had told her everything to prepare her for her second season of this mess, but she just hoped Sonic would find the courage to really talk to her again soon.
Well, maybe after this season, anyway.
"Uh! Oh… I've been okay." She realized Tails was waiting for a response and got quickly out of her thoughts, nodding to him. "I just… I miss Sonic." She looked away, still feeling the sting of last spring…
"…Amy." Tails felt so bad for her. He wrapped a loving arm around her and let her lean against his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"You're such a good brother." She whispered out, looking up and then cuddling up against him to get some comfort as he looked embarrassed but only laughed nervously.
"Surprisingly, you're the older one." He teased again. "But I'm glad I'm doing well, in your opinion." He smiled and they separated from their cute embrace.
"You're as good as anyone, Tails." She confirmed.
He blushed a little and looked away, "Promise... you'll be there when I start acting..." He gulped, "Weird?" he lowered his head a bit. "I'm so nervous!"
Amy laughed, "Of course! When your cute little instincts start listening for mice under your floorboards and pouncing on them, I'll be right there to cheer you on!"
"That's not what I meant!" He pulled his tails up over his red face. "And you know it too! Don't tease me! I've researched into it! How could I not?!"
Amy just continued to giggle, "I'll feed you a strawberry, just like you did to me." she poked his face through his tails.
"...What if I hurt you? You're a natural prey to me..." he whimpered out.
"You won't. Because I'll bite you if you bite me." She tugged on his ear and lowered his tails down, looking fed-up with her jokes.
"That's not comforting at all." He muttered out, his eyes lowering in his frequent pout. "You'll beat me up in instinct form!"
"You'll be in instinct form too, we might get cut up, but we'll always awaken as friends! And besides, hopefully by then, I'll already have merged with my instincts right?"
He suddenly perked up, "That's right! You might!" he seemed hopefully then, "Thank you... Amy." He seemed much more optimistic now.
"Emm. You're always my little buddy too, Tails!" She knew Sonic called him that, but with her endearing hug, she hoped he knew she felt the same way.
Tails tapped her arm, nodding with glossy eyes a moment. "I'm really blessed to have you two in my life, Amy. I just know Sonic will come back and you two can sort things out. I can maybe even promise it."
Amy's face shifted to sorrow, "Then do..." she sadly spoke out, barely a whisper but he heard it and looked heartbroken at her before a knock came to the door.
"Wow! That was fast." Tails's mind raced, wondering if it was Sonic. "…He should know you're here though…" he wondered harder, getting out of her hold and moving off the couch, slowly approaching the door.
His actions worried and confused Amy slightly, wondering what he meant. "Of course Shadow knows I'm here. That's where you told Knuckles, who told Rouge, who told G.U.N, who directed her back to Shadow, who heard her speak Knuckles's words that you told him, that I'd be here." She stated, completely following her own train of thought.
"…You're lucky you're talking to a guy who could follow that." Tails smiled, remembering her antics as she cutely giggled and kicked her feet, trying to stay optimistic about this mating season going well and not the disaster it was last time.
'The sooner I can merge with my own instincts, the better!'
She was surprisingly hopeful that she would master her instincts and that would encourage Sonic to come back. She was more than willing to try and tame her instincts this time around, no more Miss. Let-Me-Tell-Ya-This!
Tails turned back to the door and opened it, sighing in relief when he saw Shadow.
"Oh good…You're here."
"Expecting an attack?"
"N-no… well, not yet."
Tails rolled his eyes. "Sit on the couch, there's something I need to go over with you two now." Shadow did as he was told, but didn't sit next to Amy, trying to distance himself, just in case he would trigger her instincts. Which, was a possibility, since it was so close to mating season, she could be triggered at any time.
When he sat down, his smell was just beginning to come out, but Amy could pick up on it and wiggled her nose, turning away from him for a moment to snuff it out into a tissue. Held the tissue close just in case it happened again, trying not to be rude as you would if someone smelled bad. But the scent wasn't bad... so that made it even harder to conceal that she could smell it.
He looked over at her a moment but said nothing. He relaxed and rested his head on his hand, watching Tails set something up.
"I've got some bad and good news." Tails started clicked to start a powerpoint.
"Oh no." Amy lowered her head with an awkward sweat drop dripping down the side of her face. Her ears bent back as she realized he was about to teach a full-on seminar.
He glared at Amy, "Shush." He joked from the corner of his mouth but truly meant it too. "This is for you, remember?" he took a small silver thing and stretched it out.
"Oh no," Amy said again, her eyes widening, seeing the teacher's silver pointer that formed when he tugged on the tip of the once small device.
"…Amy, please." Tails looked upset with Amy's rejection of his last comment but continued on and cleared his throat. "During the second mating season, there is a chance that if females, and mostly this only goes for females mind you." he pointed to Shadow. "But you should know anyway, ehem. Females that haven't mated tend to get a little more… desperate, the next time around." He clicked a clicker in his other hand that made the powerpoint shift to a picture of a normal hedgehog. "Behold, the primitive hedgehog." Tails began, showing a small anthropomorphic hedgehog illustrated by an artist.
"Aw~" Amy let out a sound of endearment as Shadow looked to her and rolled his eyes.
"Haha, yes, it's kinda cute." Tails stated, "These brown and spiky ancestors of yours had some issues though." He continued. "Female hedgehogs, that's you, needed to mate young so that their rib cages could expand to carry young later on. After their first pregnancy, they would be safe to have more hoglets without any serious problems, or less serious problems, I should say." Tails explained and clicked the side to show ancient baby hedgehog drawings.
"AWWWW, they're all pink!" Amy raised her hands up to her cheeks, unable to handle the cuteness.
"Bored with my seminar now?" Tails proudly stated, then looked to Shadow who was clearly bored and irritated by Amy's loud outbursts and this ridiculous exercise Tails was making him sit through. "E-Ehem." Tails coughed into his hand, moving on.
"You may notice the younger hedgehogs are detailed here in pink, older hedgehogs in brown, and teenagers in white." Tails showed another slide.
"…Are you saying I'm a baby?" Amy raised an eyebrow as Tails just facepalmed.
"No, Amy. This was back in the primitive days of hedgehogs," he explained, seeming upset she couldn't follow even that concept.
"O-oh…" She looked back at the board, but Shadow stared at her again, eyes lowered as if he thought she couldn't be this naive.
"A hedgehog is usually born pink back then, then they grow white quills-"
"Silver means adolescent?"
Tails completely stopped his lesson and scratched his head, "Are you going to repeat everything I say or can I get back to the subject at hand?" he asked, giving Amy a clearly annoyed face.
"…Yes, sir." She cowered back and lowered her head slightly. "I'm just trying to make sure I get it, that's all." She puckered her lips defiantly, not liking to be talked down too. She noticed Shadow's stare and stuck her tongue out at him.
For a moment, his instincts merged but he shook it off, looking away from her. He acted as though it was an inconvenience, but it seemed he could summon it and turn it off at will too.
"…Good. Now then. Ehem, this problem has genetically gone away in hedgehogs. However, the instincts don't know that. To make sure they mate, they want to have their first pregnancy early on, which is why they're so eager to breed at first." He clicked the slide again. "Now, there is a side-effect to this, which I need to go over…" his voice seemed to grow grave… "There's a medical disorder in girls, today, that if they don't mate or at least teach their instinct to wait, they'll develop something known as Forced Virginity."
The room was silent.
Shadow seemed much more interested in this now but didn't know why. Something within him stirred...
"Let me explain." Tails saw Amy's face break and freeze, and he saw Shadow's grow more invested but also confused on the topic. "When you keep mentally telling your instinct that mating is bad-" he used the bunny ears on 'bad'. "Then over time it begins to believe it can never mate, resulting in the unfortunate circumstance that when the woman gets married, and shifts into the instinct she is now merged with, she is unable to… well… you know." Tails skipped most of the details. "Give in, would be a better way to put it. But it's a very serious thing I learned." He clicked the slide again. "For Amy's own protection, I wanted her to know this, but Shadow, I also want you to be aware that her instinct may betray Sonic's and decide it needs to just 'give in' because nature's forcing a demand on it. So keep that in mind." Tails looked to Amy, who was looking down and thinking about this. "…You okay?"
"…I'll never be able to have children?" Amy looked up at Tails. "If I can't convince her to mate when it's time too… even if I'm merged with her… I'll never be able to have a family?" she was sincerely heartbroken to hear that as the whole of the room of these two men grew stagnantly silent. Tails couldn't help but feel sorry for her, his heart sinking as he realized he needed to be more delicate with this topic.
"… I'm afraid it's a serious disorder, and not uncommon." He shook his head, trying to explain better, but at least she knew now. "Technically... Amy... Your instinct has a biological clock... if it doesn't mate, it will feel it could die if it ever does mate." He scratched behind his head. "It's a protective mechanism. It doesn't mean you have to do anything!" He quickly shook his hands out in front of him, "But it does mean... you have to somehow convince her... that it's just not the right time to..."
"So… I have to tell her it's alright to mate, but not now?" Amy asked, her expression turning serious. "If not, I could fall into... Forced Virginity?" she seemed to cringe at the name.
"...Exactly." Tails nodded, glad she caught on, but trying to be more delicate about this. "Or else... you may never be able to have that future you want." He stated, solemnly.
"Wait." Shadow stopped him. "Can't she just mate with her husband without instincts?"
Amy's head popped up, "Yeah! Oh, wait..." she remembered something Tails said.
"… Well, I found out that instincts are automatically triggered when… the 'process' is happening…" He did the bunny ears again with his fingers and sighed, "So, in other words…"
"They're trapped," Amy concluded, looking down and feeling for every woman who could never escape that fate… "That's terrible." She turned her head away from the screen, squinting her eyes closed, not wanting to hear anymore.
"…I thought you should know." Tails took his pointer and closed it down. "Just in case."
Tails took a deep breath, "Instincts, as I think I've told Amy and Sonic before, is a necessary part of reproduction. It's still part of our genetic makeup, and without it, attraction and the feelings to draw close to one another are severely hindered. Those without instincts can still fall in love and whatnot, but having a family can be difficult without a built-in-uh... guide." he thought about how to say this. "T-technically, instincts makes you feel the things, l-like pleasure, that helps you create bonds for intimacy!" Tails began to show his true age and grew embarrassed at nervous. Trying to avoid the 'terms' he wasn't comfortable saying, he blushed and flailed his arms, attempting to avoid them.
"...Thank you." Amy still didn't open her eyes, she was so full of grief for every woman who wanted to be a mother… and every time they tried their merged instincts would force them into never going through with it. The torture that must be… the terrible, terrible horror of not having the family or love you always wanted… the intimacy of you and the one you love… gone forever.
"There is a medicinal drug, Amy." Tails stated, making Amy's ears perk up as she turned to him.
"Huh?"
"Well, it's been around and works pretty well. It numbs the enhancements done by instincts, which then allows more of the woman's mind to act and not be forced to adhere to its instincts protests." He still looked away as his tails and ears lowered, "But that means it's not exactly the 'same' either… there's still a loss to be had."
"…Thank you for telling me these things, Tails." Amy quickly spoke up and drew a smile on her face for him as he smiled back to her, perking up at her for being so understanding of him just wanting to protect her.
He hmm'd a laugh, "I'm only thinking of what's best for you." He gave her a close-eyed smiled and leaned to the side, tilting his head cutely and holding the two devices behind his back. "For now, that's all I'll fill you in on."
"Ah… that's not all?" Amy grew worried.
"I'm afraid there are some more things… but I need to research 'packs' a little more before I say anything about them. The information you gave me on ranks I already had an idea on, but keep pressuring her to tell you more." Tails grinned.
"Oh! Shadow! Don't let her use a high pitch noise." Tails swiftly turned to Shadow, who was getting up before flinching from being addressed so abruptly.
"Why not?"
"It's a control mechanism. It automatically triggers instincts and forces you to obey whatever she says. Even outside of instincts, girls tend to accidentally trigger it on their second year. She won't be able to control it at first, but at least that means you won't be given a command or anything. You're Instinct, or… your merged self, I guess, will only take it as a distress signal if she doesn't give a command." Tails looked to Amy. "You won't realize it's happening. To you, you'll think your hiccupping." He explained.
"O-oh!?" Amy looked confused, sitting straight again and having her arms on the couch beside her. "…How would I give a command with a high pitched squeak?"
"It's not really a squeak, it's… well, it's kinda a squeak, we'll call it that." He winked to her as a professor would if he was simplifying something elaborate to a young child.
"Anyway, Amy says she wants to stock up on food supplies and other homely accessories and luxuries before being sealed away till Fall." Tails adjusted his gloves and put his two devices away on the table in the living room.
The projector there was then turned off as well. "So you'll need to take her to the city."
"The city?! Didn't you say that men are still a threat in your message to me? The city is crawling with them." Shadow turned to look Tails dead in the eye, which made Tails flinch a little, he didn't know if Shadow was upset with him or just asking him a question.
"U-uh, well… Yeah… that's why you're going. Amy's scent is pretty powerful when it's fully there, but for right now, it's only acting up in small measures, getting ready for spring. So it's a 'just in case' procedure..." Tails turned his hands palm-side up as if shrugging but really just explaining his thought process. He put one of his hands behind his head and scratched it nervously, "That's not a problem… is it?"
"I didn't come all this way for a 'just in case' ordeal." His voice was pretty hostile, even though he was just angry at coming a week early, and didn't mean any actual harm in it.
Tails grew afraid as Amy stepped in, bouncing up to Shadow with a giddy skip as she grabbed his arm, "Aw, don't act like that, Shadow! Now at least we can spend some more time together! And, oh! Didn't your mission go smoothly? So you don't have any more missions, right? If you stayed another week, they would have sent you off on another one, and you wouldn't have been able to help me." Amy looked up at Shadow with eyes that sparkled and shined with complete radiant innocence.
He looked away from her with a scowl and 'tck'd. Not liking her logic actually being sound for once on that last bit.
"Fine. But if I'm protecting you, you must listen and obey my rules, understand?" he seemed stern, but she was used to this since last time.
She let go of his arm and stood back, knowing he could be a big softie and straightened herself up. "Yes, sir!" She saluted him like in the army. "No problems here, sir!" she cutely stated and waved to Tails. "Bye, Tails!"
"Bye, Amy… Shadow." He waved happily to Amy, and then just nodded to Shadow, who nodded back in reply.
"Why are you so harsh to everyone, huh?" Amy skipped along the road ahead of Shadow who just finished closing the door. He didn't bother catching up to her, just stood back and kept his ears open to any sounds that could threaten their walk to the city. Holding her hands behind her back, she seemed her usual peppy self, even though Shadow figured she was hiding her fear at what was just talked about.
"…Why are you so happy?" Shadow inquired. "Just because I'm here, doesn't mean my scent is strong enough to ward off other alphas yet."
"…Well, Tails did say my mood would be changing quite a lot… kinda like my first season..." she looked up to the sky, and for a moment, she did look like some sadness still remained from the fears of last spring happening again. But she just looked down and gave him a cute smile again, closing her eyes and tilting her head, "But I'll be alright! Even if Sonic feels he needs to train a little more… I can wait. And I have you now! So all's well, that's cast under a spell~ A spell that makes the flowers grow, and the water flow~ Spell, spell, all is well!~" she started to randomly sing, turning around and walking in a straight line with her feet, holding her arms out to the side and acting very childish.
Shadow was taken off guard by her cheery mention of her being quite happy just being with him, but quickly lost the feeling once she broke into childish play. Still… she was calming him, in a sense, to believe that she may need him. And the more he saw her happy, the more he regretted having brought up that sad and lonely look to the sky. The look of regret someone like her shouldn't wear. Not upon such a sweet and innocent face.
Her singing brought back a memory of Maria's lullaby, which stopped him in his tracks, as he held his head and shook it fast.
Next to me~
You are free~
Like the water flowing, like the ocean's pleasant breeze~
Do-dodo-do-do~
Like the flowers, come spring~
Do-dodo-do-do~
I am always,~
Here.
"Shadow?"
Shadow had shaken the memory and looked back at Amy, having walked faster than her now. "I'm fine." He stated. "Just… don't sing anymore." He rudely moved on ahead as she bent her ears back, worried she had upset him and maybe even that her singing was bad.
"W-wait up!" she ran after him... as a figure hid behind a tree and watched the two interact.
The figure formed a deep frown on his face before it tightened and showed a grimace.
The figure dashed away as the wind blew in its wake and Amy stopped, feeling the breeze move her quills... It felt familiar... this feeling. She turned to look over her shoulder, daintily holding a hand up and walking back.
"…Sonic…" she breathed out as Shadow turned around, and called back to her.
"Amy!"
She continued to hold her hands by her chest, breathing shaky breaths as she tried to see through the forest in front of her. "...Are you watching over me, too..?"
"Rose!" he called, growing more angry as something in him wanted her closer... to stay by his side... needing him.
"Hmph!" Amy didn't like that, and so she turned around and pouted, holding her hands to her hips. "After all we've been put through, you can at least call me by my first name!"
"…I think you mean, you put me through…"
"Ohh! Don't make this all about you!"
Amy stomped up to him, cutely treading the ground beneath her as Shadow gave a smile, fleeting smile that he then quickly lost so she couldn't see. "It's not about me, it's quite literally all about you."
"Shadow!" She huffed out, standing beside him, not noticing he had waited for her.
"Haha…" Shadow actually let out a chuckle, which made Amy lighten up a bit, softening her look and examining his face more.
"Hey… I made you laugh. Ah! That means you can laugh! I knew you couldn't be serious all the time! Hehe!" She jumped in front of him and walked backwards, liking the fact that she had hit a soft spot on him. "I knew you weren't always annoyed with me! Otherwise, I wouldn't have memories of you letting my instinct form rest her head on your leg~" she chimed.
He frowned to her, losing the single moment of a smile he had just had and lowering his eyes in annoyance.
"…Awh." She frowned now, seeing him able to lose it so quickly.
"…Hahaha!" he laughed again, seeing her disappointment.
"Ah…Hey! You did that on purpose! Why you-! You do have a sense of humor! Hahaha!" she laughed with him and was just happy to see he wasn't being so serious around her anymore.
Even though he obviously could change so quickly back to being stern, she liked that he teased her every now and then.
"Surprisingly… You're fun to mess with, Amy." He retorted but looked to her fondly as he said her name differently this time.
Once again, something within him smirked. It was just waking up from a hibernated state. It was carefully planning, patiently waiting...
"Surprisingly," Amy joked back, wagging her head around as she walked with him, looking back to him as she faced forward and walked correctly this time. "You're actually fun, and not some stick in the mud." She looked back at him with a sly expression and held her head up high.
He just closed his eyes and shook his head, but when he opened his eyes, he was smiling behind her back. "You sound like your arrogant blue friend. Just now."
"...Well, I miss him. And maybe you need a little arrogance to rival your own." she stuck her tongue at him again.
"Perhaps you needing me isn't so bad after all.."
"Huh?" She halted and twisted her torso back to try and hear him better.
"Nothing."
"…?"
She tilted her head but watched him walk on ahead of her.
When he paused and turned his head, she knew he was waiting for her again, and this time noticed it.
She softly giggled and sweetly looked affectionally after him, "I think you need me." she admitted, and rushed after him. "Which I'll gladly give!"
She tackled into his arm and set him off balance. He grew annoyed with this action but was suddenly swept away by her uncanny strength and she dragged him towards the skyscrapers of the cityscape.
-The City-
"Ooooh! That's cute too!" Amy peeked through a window, holding her hands up to it and squishing her face against the glass. "I could use new shoes…"
"I thought this was for necessities and luxuries only…" Shadow was annoyed with being the 'hold my bags' guy. He looked like her boyfriend or something… carrying her stuff around. "All we've been buying are these disgustingly decorated deserts, articles of unnecessary clothing, and questionable magazines..." he growled out, his eyebrow twitching at how demeaning this all was. "I'm the ultimate lifeform... I'm sent on top-secret missions to stop oppressors, deliver codes, and spy on the world's most sinister plans. And you have me shopping!?"
Amy twitched a little, slowly turning her eyes back to him. Did she accidentally make him blow up?
"Oh, lighten up, Shadow! I'm going to be stuck in my house for all of the beautiful spring trying to learn to control my instincts, hopefully, with your help. At the very least I deserve more than a home movie." She stepped away from the window and saw his completely ticked off look. She bounced her shoulders, trying to stifle a laugh as she faced her back towards him, not wanting him to see that she was actually enjoying herself with his goofy complaining.
He had taken the boxes and stuffed them in the grocery bags, letting the strings bare them around his arms. He then folded his arms and had closed his eyes, a literal statue as he tried to remain calm through it all. "How insulting..." He almost hissed out, seeming to be practicing patience with her.
Feeling a bit bad for him, and clearly knowing he wasn't exactly in his element, she walked over and placed both hands on his cheeks, surprising him into jolting his head up and looking dead in her face.
"Calm," she stated the first word forcefully, "...Down~" then she let her hands go from his face, skimming her fingertips down his sides to his hands, making him hold her own. He hesistated but felt her squeeze on them to hint she wanted him to hold her back, and without understanding why, he did so. When the act was done, she then gleefully swung their hands around cutely. "Hehe~ I'm almost done! I'm just gonna need, just a little, tiny bit more stuff from the other side of the city."
She squinted one eye down, hoping he wouldn't get upset.
Now he knew why she had wanted him to hold her hand... She was trying to debilitate him from yelling in her face.
It didn't work, "The other side?!" He looked upset with that. "I've had it with your temperament, Amy Rose! Release me at once!" In an almost comical way, he tried to shake his hands free of her own, but it was a sad attempt. He was trying not to hurt her, so he didn't put too much force in it. His eyes were sharp in anger, but she could tell he had a soft spot for her,...
And she was willing to manipulate the heck out of it~
"Come on~ I promise to buy you something~? What do you want?" She tried to turn on the charm, forgetting that her instincts could be triggered if she wasn't careful. Shadow's scent was still not fully exposed yet, and neither was her own. She took advantage of him trying not to be too forceful with her and liked how he fell for her antics better than Sonic did.
"Peace… and quiet." He grumbled out as she pulled him along after her, taking both his hands along the way.
"Haha! I'll try my best, alright? But I don't know how cheap that is..." she looked up to the sky and placed her pointer finger on her lips, having let go of his hand. "We'll have to find a sale." She teased, slowly scrolling her eyes back to him, and then giggling at him again. Holding her hand that was up to her mouth now in a fist to attempt to hide her smile, she hadn't noticed that Shadow's hand had twitched when she released it.
Shadow's eyes merged but he shook it off quickly, reverting back to himself.
However... his eyes remained fixated on her hand... and then quickly turned to fixate on the one still touching his own...
He took a deep breath,...
And something told him she was almost ripe.
But as they passed... A few boys looked around the corner of some alleyway. One hit the trashcan down.
"That's her," he stated.
"You sure? The one with the huge scent bomb?" Another questioned.
"Yeah. No doubt about it. And she's with that other Alpha too… the one from before." The kid looked ticked.
"Keep your hands in your pockets, kid. We'll help ye…" the other three men all laughed.
"But we need some… motivation… first."
"I've got the money." The kid turned around to them.
"Good… then all we need now is to get you that pretty dame, yeah?" The men moved back towards the alley's shadows.
"Away from that alpha… his smell is too-" The boy shuttered. "Too intimidating for even a highly dominant Beta. My whole crew failed to even keep up with him." He looked greatly perturbed...
One of the men whistled, "This lady has a real hold on your instincts, doesn't she, kid?"
The kid took his hands out of his pockets, glaring at the men. "You haven't smelled this girl, yet. She's intoxicating. You'll dream of nothing else but your nose in her quills."
"My, my~ The doll must've got one heck of a stench for you to be messin' with him, eh? Then again, that would explain why she's with a highly dominant Alpha in the first place. The better the smell, the better you'll score. And the better smellin' the dame, the better the spring. I reckon that most with highly dominant Alpha genes are the only ones that can really wrangle them in, too. You quite sure you want to take on an Alpha's sugar puppy?" the gang boy played with his lighter as his men behind him started calling backup. Apparently… the lighter was morse code or something…
"I don't freakin' care what you do! This girl's smell has stayed with me all year! I want her and that's that." The kid threw a knife out. "Now, are you Jumpers or what?!"
"Hold your barking dogs and listen to reason." The man, most likely the boss, flicked the lighter out.
"We only serve for dough when it comes to high priced dames. Yours just sounds highly coveted, haha! We'll get him good this time, but then he'll most likely come back to seek his precious scent bomb again. You catch my drift, kid? You'll have to pay us for double the protection when he and his hormones start wanting vengeance and the dame back in his territory again." The boss moved forward, his coattails lightly flicking the side of the ground as he moved.
"…One night's all I need." The boy smiled, "Once I form the bond, she'll be submissive to me. I'll claim her and you'll have your reward."
"Ohhh~" the men laughed and cried out in their sinister sense of humor. "You really are an animal, huh, kid? Evolution just skipped passed you like the rest of us! Who knows, with how you're talking, you could join this awful business too."
The boy looked ruffled at how the men were approaching him, his instincts suddenly broke and he looked afraid. However, as he stepped back, frightened, he gripped his head and opened his eyes to reveal his diamond so sharp and pointed that he was clearly out of control of his instincts... "I'll do whatever it takes to get the girl, but I won't need anything else." he grunted out.
"Kid, you crazy. What'll be?" the man was clearly a merged person, able to speak back to him in an animal grunt before speaking normally again. "If she's been on your mind all year, there's no way you'll just want her for one, blessed night."
Another member, looking like a real street man joked and put a toothpick in his mouth to chew on. This gang member gestured by swishing his hand slowly out in front of him with some flare, "Take a note, boys. This kid in front of me has got to be the dumbest son of a gun I've ever worked with. But even so… it's cash."
"I'll pay. One night. And if I need more than that I'll let you know." He grunted again, his conviction in his twitching body.
"Stubborn punk, huh? Gee, can't wait to smell this gal of yours~ Boys! Let's move out. Dark Romeo here has already agreed to payment." The team all let out some excited howls as suddenly the young man looked up to see even more of the gang members jumping the rooftops of the buildings above as they herded away into large numbers.
"Don't worry kid. You'll have your dame." The numbers kept coming, even some pushing him to the side as they walked to get behind their boss, and his very leather jacket was soon…
Out of sight.
"Shoot! I forgot to tell Amy about the Jumpers!" Tails, remembering the most important thing about the dangerous life of spring around the city raced to get his phone. "I knew I wanted to tell her, augh! I just didn't want to load her with so much stuff it would paralyze her! But now-! Ohh! Amy! Shadow! Hold on! This is an emergency! Aw, man! I'm such an idiot!"
"Why are you an idiot, Tails?"
(Well, that was kinda fun xD Stay tuned to find out if Shadow can discover more secrets about Instincts and how these strange creatures work… Obviously, because he's genetically engineered, his instincts may work a little… differently… than those of a natural-born hedgehog ;) Also, I went back and edited, though, I kept some things cause it read better to me XP Rolls off the tongue better! lol That's how I speak… anyway :\ TENSION RISING? Lol, here you are! The next exciting chapter! :D)