Instincts (UNDER EDITING)

by CGMayra

Amy Rose is triggered into a powerful state called Instincts, ancient reflexes in the body that've evolved to adapt uncontrolled Others. Sonic's takes his freedom against his will, Shadow's is bioengineered to be clever, and Silver's too evolved to even notice his Instincts! All are triggered by Amy's perfect scent.(SonamyShadamySilvamy)CONTAINS: NO MATING/VULGAR,CLOTHES ON,KISSING

6. Chapter 6

Instincts

Ch. 6

By: Cutegirlmayra (Ohhh, is everyone ready? Shadow's story is probably the most action-packed out of them all. Sonic was emotionally intense, but Shadow's kinda more on the action and suspense side… I think xD Silver's is gonna be hard to do… cause it's not as 'appealing' as the other two. I just hope it will be enough. Well, that's enough for a random thought. Take a load of this chapter~ Whelp. I don't know about you, but I hope those groceries are reimbursed cause it's little details like that that bother me EDITED: He went back and got them cause I'm petty like that lol xD Anyway… this is... EHEM, pretty much the arc's beginning for Shadow.. the real climax for his plot will be just around the corner. Carry on! -screaming internally cause I ship sonamy but #Torn because lots of Shadamy moments coming and just what have I done..? No… the real question is…What am I going to do? I say in Instinct Shadow's voice. Find out! :D In Shadow's Arc/Story Climax! That's the next chapter, btw, lol.- EDITED: Both chapters are now one! Please let me know if you like the new edits!)

"Ohh!~" Amy held a blanket in one of the stores, "This is so soft~" She cuddled it, rubbing her cheek against it and not realizing her scent was spreading all over the fabric. It was soon draped over Shadow, and moving under the blanket, Amy poked him with her finger and giggled. "Don't you think so?" She apparently had noticed his usual silence and was 'poking' at his fault. He glared at her, a moment of annoyance at her usual 'faulty' antics he wasn't used too.

"It's hot." He complained.

"Ohh! You're no fun!" she took the blanket off of them and then raced to put it back, placing it nice and neatly with the rest of the stack.

"Are we done yet?" Shadow looked to the window of the store, "The sun's going down." He saw the sun barely peeking out from among all the city's buildings.

"Those are just the skyscrapers, it's probably early sunset." Amy looked over some jewelry that was on sale, "Half off, huh?" she mused, enjoying her freedom again. "You know, it's the littlest things that give us the greatest joys."

Shadow's countenance sank a little as he seemed to accept that her life was going to be rough around this time almost every year...

Her words were then quickly drowned out by the fact that he was tired of waiting on her. He finally stepped up and took a hold of her arm, pulling her to look at him, "I told you in the beginning that if I was going to protect you… you'd have to follow my rules… and I say it's too dark to stay."

As Amy was jerked into directly paying attention to him and his warnings, she was half-expecting to see some form of threatening alpha behavior in his eyes. Instead, the tug on her arm and the firm grip seemed to assure her that he was only thinking of her safety. He really did mean to uphold his end of the bargain, and it really was all for her sake so... she just pouted and took her bag.

"Fine! I'll buy this and we'll go, deal?" She stepped away from him. "And… and you don't have to talk to me like that." She held her arm where he had pulled her. Yes, she did need to take this seriously, but it wasn't in her nature. "I'm also not someone you should just grab either!" she bolted to the cashier, her boots stomping hard in a display of independence, but when arriving at the counter she found herself saddened again. '…Why does… why does his concern make me feel so… worried?'

"Thank you, come again!" the cashier lady sang behind the counter, it was as if she was matching the tune of the machine she worked with.

"Thanks!" Amy waved to the nice lady before Shadow followed her out of the store. Promptly, she began to take the route home but didn't dare look back at the Shadow that was cast behind her form from the light lowering beyond the straight gaps of the skyscrapers.

She thought about that a moment... a shadow that stayed quiet and mostly emotionally hidden while she went about her daily, happy tasks. What was he feeling about all this? She knew he must not be happy always tagging along on her blissful shopping sprees. Even Sonic would stare off into nothingness if she didn't engage him in some thrilling conversation every now and again.

And there she was... thinking about Sonic again.

She took a breath and lifted a fist up cutely into the air, "Alright! Ready to go!" She wouldn't let this get her down. Besides... Sonic wouldn't want her to feel so alone and trapped... it was for her safety. For now, she was going to endure with some optimism. She would see him again... she hoped.

For now... She moved with a hop in her step back to Shadow's side, wrapping an arm around his own. "You gonna run me home?" she smiled sweetly to him, trying to remain her usual, cheery self.

A bead of sweat formed on the side of his face and he slightly moved away from her gesture, not used to touch like that. Even with Rouge, who he could tolerate a little better than Amy, he didn't really like such intimacies.

but Amy wasn't fazed by this action. Even when he tried to keep a distance, she just looped her arm back in place and smiled, as if nothing had happened or changed this subtle fact that he was stuck with her now. As though not getting that he was uncomfortable with her acting so close with him, Amy continued to try and connect with him more.

"Could you not?" He seemed to let an informal side of himself slip out.

"Not what?" Amy's eyes shined up at him from the sunset's light. They were heading straight for it, after all.

"…Nevermind." he sighed, realizing then that he had no reason to feel uncomfortable. Amy wasn't meaning anything by her actions, it was just who she was. A peppy and clingy girl who liked to create messes in her spare time... at least, he thought so. "Am I supposed to deal with..." he looked at her arm. "This... for the rest of spring?"

"Lucky you." Amy tilted her head and lowered her eyes, showing him that she really did like spending the day with him.

That moment shook something in him, and he found himself entranced by her unconditional caring for him.

"Why do you act as though I'm someone of importance to you?" he seemed to be asking out of all sincerity. "I've been nothing but a-"

"Bother?" Amy chuckled into her hand, "Yeah, well... you may be my bodyguard right now... but you're also my dear friend. I can't let you forget how much that means to me... the sacrifice and goodwill of this noble and selfless deed... I won't ever forget it, Shadow." she lowered her eyes to the ground, watching her feet start matching pace with his own walking stride.

Shadow's heart twitched and he immediately pulled himself out of the situation by looking up and staring straight into the ball of fire that was the fading sun.

Something stirred silently under his skin, like a shark waiting for its time...

Shadow fidgeted, not sure why he was so affected by that statement.

"I suppose... deep down..." He felt something deep within him, but once again, ignored it. "I owed you in the end."

"Hmm?" Amy looked up but he immediately held any further reply. He looked away from her but loosened the tension in the arm she was holding onto. It relaxed into her touch, her glove against his fur... the soft scrapes of those two sliding against each other filled his mind a moment, but he didn't let it linger long.

They walked down the darkened streets as Amy started rambling on about something, doing anything to keep from the unbearable silence. Shadow enjoyed the sound of her voice, something that used to be quite an annoyance as of late, but now... a pleasant change.

The wind blew ghostly by them as Shadow swore he saw something move upon the rooftops.

He stopped and Amy was once again yanked back as her arm was still looped around his own. "W-wo-woah-woah!" she hopped on one leg back to being by his side again. "H-hey! What's wrong? Why'd you suddenly stop like that?" When he didn't respond, his eyes tracing what appeared to be more shadows flickering across the skyline of Shadow's peripheral vision. "OooOOOooohhhh!" she let out her infamous whine and puffed up the side of her cheek, narrowing her eyebrows at him. "What's the big idea? Are you ignoring me?"

"Quiet," he warned her, still looking around but keeping his head just barely turning to angle towards the shapes in the light and on the ground. They truly were vanishing so quickly and moving so rapidly, but Amy didn't seem to notice them.

Perhaps she thought they were cars.

"W-what's wrong? You don't like sushi?" She suddenly grew self-conscious, thinking maybe her last topic didn't quite land right. "It was only a joke, you smell fine. I was hungry, is all..."

"Please, quiet!" Some shadows came from the roof like before, and some from the alleyways on the long stretch home. "Something's not right." Shadow stopped, as Amy's worried rambling came to an end, surprised by his sudden interruption.

He slowly moved his hand back to her, protectively positioned as he continued scanning the streets and corners. "…No one's here."

"You don't have to shout… and isn't that obvious? It's getting dark. Of course, people would be home by now." Amy, thinking he was just being paranoid, took his hand again and smiled, as though making the moment light-hearted again.

He flinched at the touch and turned back to her, glaring.

"It's a city, Amy."

She saw the suspicion in his eyes.

"City's never sleep at night…"

His eyes returned to their searching, scouting in a trained composure she slightly recognized. It was familiar to Sonic's cool demeanor when the enemy was just around the bend. To her better judgment, she put a hand over her mouth and continued to hold his own uncaring hand, looking around herself.

He suddenly heard some rustling and pulled her behind him, his hand now encasing her own, leaving her with a slight blush.

"Show yourselves!" he called out.

"…My, my, boys. We got a hedgehog with good instincts here… and I mean the regular kind, not the 'special' ones…"

The voice was old-timey and gangster-like. It held an accent that left you under the impression that this smooth-talker was absolutely in charge.

As quickly as the voice came, a swarm of figures appeared. Over the rooftops, down by the streets, and quickly surrounding them from every direction, but no one moved to attack.

"Nobody do nothin'." the man's voice rang out, "We're not civil in the least bit, but we can toy and mess around with our jumps every now and then..."

A man in a leather trenchcoat sniffed the air and exhaled loudly, "Well, now… ain't that pleasant. Delightful even." He stated, taking the toothpick in his mouth and moving it to the other side. "I heard some stuff about your dame, Alpha. How her smell is rather appealing… as a fellow alpha… I would know how to spot a beauty."

Shadow was connecting the dots faster than Amy was, and gritted his teeth, ducking his head down in rage at their filth.

"Heathens..." He pushed the air through his teeth, the term clearly revealing his disgust in them.

The Alpha Jumper tilted his head to get a better look at Amy from behind Shadow. "Eh, she's a cute one… but not really much besides that." He looked her up and down, and 'tsk'd in disappointment. "If she smells this good though, without the season even coming up, I can't imagine how beautiful she'll smell when in full heat. Haha! Now there's something to get my mind off of her tragic appearance."

Amy suddenly ruffled up her nose, upset by that comment before her face dropped as the whole situation formed into perceptive now.

"Smell can delusion a man, even into thinking the most ugliest wench to be the most desirable dame… "

"What do you want?" Shadow glared, not liking how this man was speaking around Amy.

He could feel her hand tighten in his own, and a power soared through him.

This man, and his men,... were coming nowhere near her...

"Wench?!" Amy whispered out, super insulted and huffing out her displeasure. "I'll have you know-mphhh!" she had stepped up out away from Shadow's backside, attempting to step into the spotlight before being pulled back by Shadow, having his hand over her mouth to shut her up.

"What did I say about following my rules?!" he whispered angrily to her and kept her in front of him now. That tightened grip of her hand must have been anger, not fear... He realized that and almost instantly, the power he once felt became embarrassing to him now.

Amy felt his warm, harsh breath tickle the inside of her ear. She feigned acceptance and stopped fighting his hand upon her mouth, but her feisty attitude never left her trembling eyes...

"Heh, maybe she's not an alpha…" seeing how Shadow reacted, the Alpha Jumper seemed to make his own conclusions. "So… maybe it's you who has her on a leash, eh? I wouldn't know." He bent his head down, and pulled his hat forward, before flicking his lighter out. "I like a woman with spirit,… but I really like one who knows when to show it. Now, we can either fight all night… you against my boys," He nodded, and his men shouted and hollered loudly, proclaiming their numbers in their exuberant shouts meant to intimidate and inspire surrender. "-Or you can just let the dame go with us. Your say in the matter. But for just a cute minor beta like herself, is it really worth it?" he held his head up and shrugged, before playing with his lighter again.

The men behind and around Shadow advanced, in reaction, Shadow held Amy's waist and took his hand off her mouth. He made a tight fist by his side, looking around, clearly out-numbered.

But that didn't seem to bother him too much... it was Amy that he was concerned about.

She was a liability. She could fight robots that were mostly aiming at Sonic, but a ton of animals aiming for her?

"…The clock's ticking, mate. I would choose the wiser option." The Jumper Alpha noticed Shadow's hesitation and took out his toothpick. "I quit smoking years ago,…" he gestured to his lighter, burning the tip of his toothpick. "Best decision of my life. Saved it, too." He took the toothpick out, holding it as it burned down before it lit his own finger and he snapped it out, tossing the burnt toothpick. "I reckon your next move may save your life as well."

"S-Shadow..?" Amy looked around, it was clear now that all eyes were on her. She wanted to summon her hammer but wasn't sure if Shadow was going to grab her and try and run. She looked to him for clarity, but was clearly ready to stand if needs be.

Amy was... tough. But when it came to matters so unethical as this, she was a bit naive at the true danger before her.

Shadow could feel her heartbeat race though, the fear in her voice. She looked back over her shoulder at him, before holding her arms to his hand around her waist. "What do you need me to do?" She looked away, back at the men as they all grinned, making little comments and noises here and there to scare them.

Shadow didn't back down. He saw the courage in her eyes, and something again flare up inside him like a spark igniting a firework.

"…Alright, time's up." The man flicked the lighter to shine a flame again, taking out a match. "Bombs away!" he called, throwing the match and flicking the lighter's lid down as the men dashed towards the two. Some were on all fours, others were racing with their eyes sharpened slightly.

A huge fire blasted like dragon's breath above Shadow and Amy as the distraction seemed to be a signal for an ambush, a few debris hit Amy and Shadow as they couldn't move out of the way with the men charging them from all fronts, blocking any escape routes.

"Shadow!" Amy cried out before Shadow whipped her body away from the first man and used the momentum to punch the other guy away.

The fight commenced as Shadow kept Amy in one arm, and used the rest of his body to swing around and fight back. A kick here, then toss Amy up to switch arms and punch the other guy coming in from above.

"This guy's nuts!" Someone let out, seeing as Shadow was quite literally taking the entire army on and keeping them away.

"Hey! Offph! Let, ah! Me—Woah! Help!" Amy, being tossed left and right, was getting frustrated at not being allowed to fight either.

"Jump him all at once!" someone called out, as five men leapt forward.

Shadow looked up to see them, put Amy down below him between his legs, and jumped into a ball. Homing attacking, he spun to knock the men away and deflect their attacks.

Like a pinball, the five men were shoved into others and bounced back into the ring, getting hit by Shadow once again, and repeating the process or smashing into the surrounding walls of the streets. Bones broke, faces fell, and men all fell unconscious to the ground.

"Offph!", "Yikes!", "Boss! He's too powerful! And he hasn't even reverted to instincts yet!"—and every line under the sun was being shouted out in horror of Shadow's abilities.

'If I only had a Chaos Emerald...' Shadow mused, smirking. 'Then they'd really see my ultimate potential...'

"Well, make sure he doesn't!" The Alpha Jumper kept throwing his men into the fray as he casually walked by the ring of them, even kicking one on his fours to go and attack. "Besides, it's too early for instincts. If it weren't for our drug, we wouldn't have'em either. Poor sucker, if he only knew what he had taken." Seeming to talk about the boy who wanted Amy from before, unable to control himself. Was it all a trap? Is this how they worked?

"Then that Egg-guy wanted some for whatever experiment he was working on. Tsk, humans. What would they want with an instinct drug?"

Shadow wasn't able to pay attention, and neither was Amy. Amy wanted to summon her hammer but every time she tried too, Shadow would knock the guy she wanted to fight away. She pouted but knew he was just being extra cautious.

That's when she noticed him. How much he was fighting so she didn't have to lift a finger.

His face was full of determination, and for a moment, he was even looking like a cakewalk for him. She knew that wasn't true, but was he... could it be that he wanted her to think he had everything under control? Was all this for her benefit?

She couldn't help but watch him dash around at light-speeds, a small circle that no one could penetrate or move through, and her at its epicenter.

He was like the wind in a hurricane, and she was in his eye at all times...

"Just make sure the girl doesn't get away. We got grand for her head, remember?!" the Alpha Boss dodged the man who had once called out to him, watching him crash into a wall before ripping him off of it and throwing him back towards Shadow. "Now get out there!" he took out another toothpick, but before he could put it in his mouth, he noticed his men were all being tossed left and right.

Having stuck to the plan of surrounding the female's alpha in a circle, the men were being flung away every time they advanced forward to attack or reach Amy. In the center, below the alpha, the female seemed to watch the scene around her, wanting to strike back but not fast enough to react on her own accord.

"...What in the world..? What kind of alpha is this guy!?" The Alpha Jumper stepped back, a sign of weakness to his pack, but they were too busy getting the living daylights knocked out of them.

Amy stayed down before feeling someone grab her arm. Her eyes flashed to him, having been waiting for a moment she could engage the crowd too. He was laughing a wheezy chuckle, crawling below the herd of jumpers to reach her without Shadow seeing him. "Ugh!" She finally had a moment to summon her hammer without Shadow getting the hit first and knocked him away. "Hands off, you creep!" she shouted out and got up to lean against Shadow's back, stopping him from his battle frenzy.

"What are you doing?" Shadow seemed rather calm, but upset at her getting up from being protected beneath him. "I had everything under control."

"What am I? Food you're all fighting over? I can defend myself too! Hyah!" she swung her hammer and knocked another guy away. "Shadow, I know you agreed to this. Hyah-pyah! But you have to realize something." she continued to fight, swinging a wild, wide hook that knocked four men back and created a domino effect that took down part of the ring instantly.

"You're not alone in this!"

Her powerful swing left Shadow to grab a man and hold the other side of the ring from retaliating, but all the while he had never heard anyone besides Rouge say such things to him.

He strained a moment before feeling his power overwhelm them and shoved them back again.

"It's too dangerous! I can't fight them off while having to babysit you!" he spun around and managed a roundhouse kick that sent a man flying into his other gang members, knocking another part of the ring over. "This isn't a time to prove yourself!"

Someone came at Amy with nunchucks, and wrapped one of them around her hammer, pulling her to him. "Heeeey!" He sneered in her face.

"Amy!" Shadow turned, but by losing his focus and letting his guard down for even a moment, the men were able to jump from behind in a sneak attack. Then, like a dogpile, their bodies started swarming down on him.

"Back off! Let me go!" Amy tried to pull the hammer out of the man's grasp, but his gang grabbed him to counteract her own strength. Amy then realized what Shadow had meant.

"It wasn't him that was alone!" The rough thug stated, "It was you!"

With the strength of his pack helping him, they swung Amy up and into the pile of gang men. She hit the ground hard, laying on her back with her hands still clutching her hammer's hilt. "Whhhaaa! Offph!... ugh… now that's it..." Amy twitched at the pain, "You'll all be sorry now..."

The men laughed, thinking they had her before she thrust her arms over her head to her stomach, flinging the man with the nunchucks forward and sky-high, as though playing leap-frog with sheer strength.

Amazed, the men all stopped laughing and froze. They all followed the man with their heads get into a wall and slide painfully down the scratchy exterior, then looked back down at Amy, awestruck.

"O-o-ooh, yeah." She gloated in her feat, removing the nunchucks from her hammer and getting up, "Now who's next!?" she screamed in battle position as the men all looked to one another, and then charged her, undeterred.

"Hup! Hah! Hyah!" she hit them all away, spinning her hammer behind her back for a moment before hitting one with the front of it. One, two, three hits and that's all folks.

Pushing them away, she continued to show her expertise and strength, having her hammer crash into a bunch of men at once and fling them off to the side. "Who's just cute now?" She swung her hammer over her head and then crashed it to the ground, "Suckers!" A miniature fissure suddenly broke through the streets, rippling an earthquake as the pavement split in two. Getting the men's footing off balance, she then raced and jumped over the fissure she had created, ramming them with powerful hammer blows that they couldn't dodge now their stances were so unsteady.

"Shadow!?" Amy called, stopping her attack to turn her head around, looking everywhere for a sign of him.

"Looking for someone?" The Alpha Jumper snuck up behind her and got her arm, twisting it to her back and holding her up against him.

"Augh!"

"You really are a strong beta, but I won't let that spirit of yours lose my money." He grinned, and leaned into her quills, taking another big breath in through his nose. "Man... Even without that drug we gave the kid, you'd still be hard not to shift to."

"Ugh!" Amy moved her head away from him, shaking her quills out as the rest of the men close by could then smell the scent spread through the atmosphere. "Let me go, you weirdo!"

"Ahh…" he moved his head away and threw it back, taking a long sigh as he overdosed on her scent. "Now that's a stench!" he shouted out, laughing.

Amy knew her scent was strong but strong enough to attract these characters? It made her realize then... how bad all of this really was. Vanilla's words came back to her, but knowing Sonic wouldn't come anywhere near her...

She was starting to wonder if all of this was even worth it or not. The world was sick! Why did she have to suffer for an alluring instinct!?

"I really can't believe you smell this good before the actual season starts… if your instincts are submissive, I think I may ditch the money and keep you as one of my own." He chuckled as she continued to struggle, but he jammed her arm up in a warning. "Ah, ah, ah!" he scolded, lifting her arm up just enough to cause enough pain for her to stop. "Be a good girl and sit tight for a moment, won't you?" He turned to his men, "Where's the alpha?"

"We've got him down, boss. He seems out cold." A big brute said, holding two large sticks in his hands.

"…Where'd you get that?" The Alpha Jumper asked. Amy quickly looked to him, seeing the sticks with ripped points at the end.

'Shadow...' she thought to herself, worrying as she noticed the red stains upon it...

"Got them from some chairs,…" the man admitted, "We... We had to grab anything we could find."

"Anything?" the Alpha Jumper looked to his pack, every one of them was wobbly and exhausted. Some makeshift weapons were here and there,... but even then, he finally seemed to be realizing how strong Shadow really was. "…He was so strong you had to beat him to get him down?" The Alpha Jumper looked up at him. "But you're a good 7 feet!" he shouted out.

"He's… he's inhuman." The man, who was indeed large, looked just as beaten down as the other men. He held the sticks tighter in his hands, "He fought off most of our men, it took all of us just to hold him down long enough to knock him out."

"N-no…" Amy looked around again, trying to find a sign of him. Her eyes shook, could Shadow truly be defeated?

"Shadow!" she lunged forward, screaming out as the Alpha Jumper held her back. "Shadow, please! Wake up!" she couldn't see him, no matter how much she scanned the ground. There were too many men in her way, the light was already going out from the sun finally dropping out of sight.

She struggled to move, trying to walk forward, anything to get out of the man's grasps. "Don't leave me like this..." she was on the verge of tears, realizing that her strength wasn't enough if Shadow's couldn't even fight them all off. 'Don't leave me...' Not like Sonic...

Many men were fainted or unconscious on the ground, but their buddies had already begun to move them. Where was he? Shadow... Shadow..!

"Ah, now, what did I say?" Annoyed, the Alpha Jumper kicked one her knees out, forcing her down to her knees.

Breathing in and out rapidly, she realized what awful it was of her to move out of Shadow's protection. 'If I had listened to him... if I had taken this all more seriously like Tails keeps telling me too... then... then I wouldn't be so tired and would still have enough strength to fight back. I was too anxious to prove myself... I... I hurt Shadow... I didn't listen to him, just like I didn't listen to Sonic!' she closed her eyes, shaking in her fright.

"Put the sticks down, he's out, isn't he?" The Alpha Jumper looked to the large man, who seemed to hesitate. "He's not that strong! Put them down!"

Obeying orders from a frightening boss, he did so. However, Amy could tell it wasn't really the man's choice.

Were Instincts affected by an Alpha's command? Were they forced to submit to him and go into this terrible career? Why else would men follow this mad man? She had no idea. She didn't understand all the intricacies of instincts and its culture... but they all looked afraid to fight back against him.

"Good… at least I'm the only one who's still got his brains left in this pathetic group." He looked around at his men.

"Yeah, after Shadow busted out the rest of them."

He kicked Amy to her stomach, forcing her to eat gravel a moment as she gritted her teeth.

Was it Alpha pride to not admit the opponent is stronger than you? Either way, she zoned out of her thoughts to open her eyes again, examining the situation and looking for escape routes.

'Think about what's important right now, Amy! Think!'

"She's a scent bomb alright." After digging her into the ground a moment longer with his foot, he brought Amy back up to her feet, grabbed her head, and yanked it up so the men could see her. "What do you say, boys? Should we keep the little lady?"

The men looked around at each other, not sure how to reply…

They all still seemed shaken by Shadow...

"Ah, so your all scared of her too, eh?" He figured it was Amy, and hit her down again. He let her go as she slammed against the street's pavement.

As she fell, she held her head from the blow. "They've seen me and Shadow's strength..." she spat out pebbles from the last time she was thrown down. "They're not going to listen to you." She glared at him.

"Well, well... a beta who dares to glare at an alpha?" He raised an eyebrow, as though amazed to see that.

"Wouldn't be the first time I've heard that." Amy summoned her hammer again, but it was quickly kicked out of her hand and his foot stomped down on her arm. "Ah!"

"Stay down! If you know what's good for you..." he leaned up to address his men, "See? She's still just a girl. And if you're all yellow-belly about some chick,…"

The men shook off their fright and shouted out in an uproar, as the Alpha Jumper smiled. "That's what I thought."

"Sha…Shadow…" Amy's eyes twitched, trying to grip his shoe and rip his foot off of her. But there was something... something about his commands that did begin to affect her too.

She didn't want to give up. She wasn't one to lie down and submit like an animal!

Her vision grew blurry under her tears, still unable to see where Shadow could be. "H...help me… P-please…"

From her throat, a strong urge seemed to manifest. From her gut, she felt the need to cry out, as her eyes slightly twitched in her fear.

"Eee…!"

The men all were laughing at their victory before they heard the high pitch squeak.

"Eee!"

Amy let it out again, but to her, it felt like a forced hiccup.

"…What on earth..." The Alpha Jumper removed his foot, leaning his head back in confusion. "You only smell like a second season… Instincts shouldn't be triggered, you're not even able to summon and merge with your instincts yet! It's too early for you to have learned that call! How are you-?"

"EEE! EEE! EEE!"

Shadow lay motionless on the ground, belly down, and arms out wide, head to the side.

But then his fingers twitched.

"EEE!"

"Erk! She's calling for the Alpha!" The Alpha Jumper swung his head to his men, worry-stricken as he moved away from her. Realizing why she was forcing this sound out, he rushed to his brutish second in command, the larger beta. "I want him pinned down! If she triggers his instincts, we're done for!"

'Ah... so now he admitted it?' Amy smiled, she could sense a familiar pull from deep within her. It may be true that instincts weren't active just yet, but that didn't mean the call for help piercing from her throat didn't feel natural. She had never felt it before, but she knew it instantly.

A distress cry. An Alpha Female command.

Was her instincts silently helping her from deep within her subconscious? Was her body triggering the response without fully taking control? If she wasn't merged with her instincts and hadn't fallen back into them yet then... perhaps this was that 'genetic lotto win' Tails had once spoken of.

Even without instincts, she would still fight!

Hearing their Alpha cry out to restrain Shadow, the men quickly began to push him down, not realizing that her cry was starting to affect them too.

Gathering around him, they all desperately tried to pin him down, but Shadow could still hear her call…

"Eee! Eee!"

"Shut up!" The Alpha Jumper took the man's splintered chair leg and hit Amy over the head with it, "I'm Alpha!" his fear had overwhelmed him, and he began to pant in fright.

She stopped crying out. Her eyes seemed to roll back and she lost consciousness upon the ground.

Shadow felt an uncontrollable desire in him, building up like a fire that began to combust deep within him. It swarmed his being and forced his eyes to open.

When they did—they were normal—before immediately shifting into a full diamond.

"…Uh… boss?" the large Beta man leaned back, having his hands on Shadow's back, but seeing him start to rise from the ground as though ignoring the pressure of all the men trying to weigh him down...

"GgggggrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Shadow let out an almost animalistic roar, throwing the men on his back off of him, and spreading his arms out as his body raged with a newfound strength.

"Crap!" The Alpha Jumper took Amy in his arms and threw her over his shoulder. "Forget this! This isn't worth it! I'm getting the girl to the Romeo! You keep that… that monster away from me!" He dashed off. "You two! Come with me!" two men followed him as the rest began to try and fight Shadow off... that or run.

It was clear now that the Alpha Jumper knew he wasn't the strongest Alpha out there, and he ran with his tail between his legs. Unwilling to face the fact that he may be dethroned for this encounter... he didn't want to lose the bond with his pack.

Shadow was on all fours… breathing heavily as this was the first time he's ever shifted.

'What… what is this!? This… new power… it's soaring through me out of control… what-?' Shadow began to realize that he wasn't moving on his own. His thoughts were all he had to command, and something else was there too... something fiercer and more powerful than if he had removed his limit-enhancers. Which he would have done if he wasn't so distracted and then overwhelmed by the Alpha Jumper's pack...

"...You let her get away..."

Shadow's interest was peaked, and he tried to find what voice or thought he had just perceived.

"Who's there..? I thought I already discovered all the secrets about myself." Shadow then thought about it... was this..?

"...You let what is rightfully mine get away..."

'Rightfully yours..?' Shadow scoffed within his mind, 'You don't own anything.'

"Ours… I suppose. My… current Alpha and Queen is calling for me." Whatever voice this was, it sounded as though it lurked deep within Shadow, slithering in his speech and crawling smoothly out of whatever crevice of Shadow's being it had once dwelled in.

Instinct Shadow cocked his head to the side, seeing the men stop from their attack. They slowly began to move away, smelling his alpha scent, and some even submitting without even shifting into instincts yet.

Some egged the others to go first. Others began to flee, crying out in panic. The large Beta marveled, "He's... He's not even merged yet... He smells like-... like this is his first season..."

"This power..." Another one of the Jumper members spoke out, before darting away. "He'll kill us all!"

"Give him back the female!", "Where'd the boss go!?", "He left us to die!"—"So... many cries..."

"…Weaklings,… All of them."

Shadow leaped forward with a beast's rage and began wildly attacking everything in sight. His hands clawed the air with his jump as the incredible speed slashed the air and whiplashed the men back, having them fall with the wind knocked out of them. For the unfortunate souls in his wake, the wrathful ripping through the sea of men that tried to stop him. Claw marks trailed down their hides in gashes.

In his tracks,… a path of fallen Jumpers, seeming to line his trail as he ran like a speeding bullet in sporadic directions. He bounced off of walls and seemed to understand Shadow's powers and abilities, unlike the normal or natural intelligence of Instincts...

He gripped a building's side, tearing into it and hung there with one hand as he sniffed for Amy's scent.

'Who are you… what are you?!'

Shadow's awe and horror at his own body taking down so many men in an instant, barely breathing as they collapsed at his might, was more than enough to shake his core and conscience.

"I am you."

With refined elegance, he snarkily countered Shadow's shock. The smooth killer Instinct dropped from the building's side and began to advance towards Amy's direction.

'No, I think I would know who I am.' Shadow let out a breathy retort. 'I've spent years discovering my true identity and purpose for why I'm here... you don't make sense in Gerald's plan!' Then it hit him. The ultimate weapon... 'Of course it would be you.' Shadow suddenly realized the true reason why he failed Gerald's hopes and expectations. From within his mind, he glared toward his Instincts, 'You are what Black Doom and Gerald Robotnik really wanted... You are the seed of all their lies...'

"You're funny." Instinct Shadow seemed to be enjoying his Other's thoughts, leaving him completely unaware of his true intent... "But you still let her get away…"

'Amy,' Shadow thought back to how this all happened, the noise... the high pitch cry for help... How did his Instincts know it was for him? Or was it Shadow who was triggered by it? 'She… She must have activated my instincts! I've lost control!' Shadow desperately tried to regain himself but to no avail. No matter how much he struggled from within his own mind, he was locked tightly away from any real power or control.

"Our Amy…" The clever Instinct Shadow smirked in his reply, still hunting down her scent...

'She's not ours!' Shadow cried out, I've respected her bond!' He was losing his own composure over the confidence and calm demeanor of this dangerous new foe.

"Have you now..?"

Was he a foe?

'No... You… You helped me… We merged, did we not?' Shadow was still reaching for understanding, but his Instincts seemed to hide that information away from his reach.

"What bond do you speak of? She has yet to be claimed. There is nothing that owns her, besides... Well, what I plan to do."

'You... You can't mean-!' Shadow's imaginary body from within his mind shook at his Instincts response, feeling the tension build as his Instincts suddenly showed him his true master plan. 'I have to stop you!'

"I told her what she wanted to hear… I waited till she was ripe for the taking… Stop me?" Instinct Shadow huffed out through his nose as though the very idea was ridiculous. "You should be praising me. Though, I wouldn't care. I'll get you what we both desire. You're too weak without me to do so."

'You… You fooled her… But shouldn't I have-?' Was Shadow deceived too? He looked over his imaginary hands, then tried once again to control his own. Once again, all he could feel was them pounding against the city streets...

Chasing after Amy's lovely stench...

"…We are not like normal hedgehogs…We are unique. We are better… And we will have her." The force and power in his statement... Shadow knew he was running out of time.

All the fighting set his Instincts back in his pursuit, but it could be enough time for Shadow to—no... What about Amy? What was that Jumper going to do to her!?

'N-no… this is exactly what Tails warned me about! I was given the task to protect her! I can't turn into what Sonic has become!' Shadow gripped his imaginary head. 'I must take back control! Get out of my body!'

"I am your body..."

Instinct Shadow's eyes once again revealed the full diamond, they widened as Amy's scent drew nearer...

"Ah,.. that name. The Alpha she has chosen to be over her… for now. And what, exactly, has he become?"

'…A…' Shadow realized there was nothing he could do. He fell to an imaginary knee, his arms falling to his sides as he witnessed all that was befalling him through the windows of his soul...

'An Animal.'

"RrrrwwwwwwooooAAAAARRRRRRR!"

Instinct Shadow jumped onto one of the Alpha Jumper's men that was falling behind, biting into his shoulder and spinning himself to force them down like an animalistic style of a pro-wrestling power move.

Another man put his arm on Shadow, trying to hold him back and punch him away, but Instinct Shadow leaned his head to the left in a dodge and then crooked it back to rear up at bite him. With only his jaw strength, he swung the man into a nearby wall, still pushing the other knocked-out man down underneath him.

Amy was too hurt to try and use her high pitch voice again, completely knocked out as the Alpha Jumper continued to run from Instinct Shadow's pursuit.

"Boss! He's catching up!" A man called, running as fast as he could behind the Alpha Jumper before Instinct Shadow appeared around the corner, coming in like a wolf on the hunt for blood.

"AH!" the man was shoved against a wall as Instinct Shadow jumped off and continued to run after the Alpha Jumper.

"Amy..." He called with a dark allure. "Amy... I'm here... For you." The voice didn't sound that appealing, but rather, terrifying.

"Urk! He's in instinct form!" The Alpha Jumper looked to Amy, thinking twice before he threw her down. "How has he changed? How has he changed?!" Be kept up the race, hoping Shadow would leave him be after that. If Shadow defeated him, especially in Instinct form, then it was bye-bye to his whole operation. He would lose the pack... and that was more important to him than some broad.

But then... money made him grit his teeth.

Also, how could he face his pack and command them again if they knew he just backed down from an alpha fight?

"That's it..!" He changed his mind again, skidding to a halt. "I'm not running away like a coward anymore!" he closed his eyes and opened them to reveal a fully merged instinct form. "Come at me, you freak!" he cried out, getting on all fours and rushing forward.

Instinct Shadow stopped to pace around Amy, seeing her body roll a bit and helped it to stop. He sniffed her face, checking to see if she was claimed. When it was clear she wasn't, he licked a scratch on her cheek and rested his chin on it. "Some scratches come off as beauty, my fated mate..." He then looked up to see the Alpha Jumper, challenging his dominance.

"Oh? Have the weak come to play?"

Instinct Shadow rose to his feet, but Shadow protested heavily and Instinct Shadow was forced back to all fours.

He tsked.

"So... Although I have helped you in the past, you still refuse me?"

'I will not let myself be reduced to a filthy animal!' Shadow growled out fiercely from within.

"Heh, you may not wish to merge with me, but you cannot deny... I am you. Your desires incarnated. Your passions fury and love's fruition. Your very body is my avatar, and this female will solidify our power and overall success in this world that you and I both know hates us."

As Instinct Shadow began to ready for the attack, Shadow from within couldn't listen any longer.

'I won't adhere to this corruption! I was born to rise above it!' He clenched his imaginary fist, hissing through his gritted teeth. 'I will overcome you, demon! I won't let you hurt Amy!'

"You were born to be and live this corruption!"

Instinct Shadow roared, standing above Amy in a high dominance posture, aggressively holding himself back as he sized up his opponent.

'I wasn't made to live among the world and reproduce!' Shadow could feel himself losing hope. 'You're just the nature-side of me that I never knew I had. But that doesn't mean You can do whatever you want!' He swiped a hand out, 'I am the only Shadow! Shadow of myself, of Gerald Robotnik, and even of Black Doom! I'm the world's shadow... a shield against what I was to become! I'm Shadow, Shadow The Hedgehog!'

Instinct Shadow's head twitched violently, he tried to pull it down to the side, squinting an eye shut as he felt his Other contend against him. His power waned only slightly, but Shadow's might from within did force Instinct Shadow to focus on keeping his power and control.

Amy began to slowly come back around, adjusting her head to look up at Shadow. "...Sha...Shadow..." Seeing his piercing red eye as he strained.

Shadow from within, seeing through his own eyes, suddenly lost focus again. 'Amy...' His memory triggered to Maria, 'Nooo..!'

He lost control again, as Instinct Shadow shook his head and looked towards the Alpha Jumper, who halted after seeing Instinct Shadow's attention shift from Amy to him.

His ears jerked forward, as he placed a paw out in front of him, menacingly.

"I can deal with him... It's you who must deal with us both." as though mocking his Other's torment, Instinct Shadow ducked his head only to show he was about to charge.

"I don't summon my instincts for anyone, punk!" the Alpha Jumper spat out, marking his territory by pacing back and forth on a line where Instinct Shadow could not cross.

Instinct Shadow raised his head, seeing the obvious tactic, and kept his eyes regally looking down at the imaginary line of territory the Alpha Jumper was creating.

His eyes flicked back up to him, unimpressed.

"I'm an alpha too! I'm aggressively dominant. I have my pack! You have nothing! You don't scare me!" he growled out, but Instinct Shadow remained quite poised.

"You annoy me." Instinct Shadow grunted out for the Alpha Leader to hear. Before, he was simply talking to his Other, who he considered weaker than himself. But now... "You tried to claim my female... You will not interfere with my wishes."

"Grrr..!" The Alpha Jumper readied himself, "You won't live to see another day!" he leaped forward... as Instinct Shadow ran right under him. "W-what!?"

He quickly spun up to the first guy hanging around the Alpha Jumper, hitting his chest with his hands before transitioning to pushing off him with his feet. As he landed down, he took out the others with a simple but powerful swipe of his hand and reared up kick, spiking another as he tried to grab at him with his quills. They shook, as though warning anyone else to dare try and touch him again. The hits were luckily not going for the kill, otherwise, Instinct Shadow would have twisted their necks around with his powerful swipes at their heads. No,... Instinct Shadow seemed more interested in overthrowing and defeating the current alpha in front of him than anything else.

It also seemed as though he was showing off... maybe to Amy who was just barely getting her arms under her to lean up. She was tuning out the chaos... after all, she saw the diamond, she knew now what that meant.

She had to get out of here.

The Alpha Jumper's teeth clenched tightly together, "How is it you still have the energy to fight back!? No one is that powerful!"

Silently turning his attention to Amy, Instinct Shadow bent down after crawling over to her and sniffing her face, grunting soothingly, "There, There, my precious Queen. No need to fight. I'll handle these fools..."

When Amy turned to look at him, his eyes we're drooped as though trying to coo her back to laying down. She could barely move from the pain in her back and head, and he could see the bruises and scrapes from her being thrown to the ground so much.

"Ohh... look at your beautiful marks..." he gently nipped at her neck, helping her up to her knees and letting her get a more secure grip of herself. She looked up at him, unaware of what he was saying.

"W-what..? Shadow... you have to fight it." she didn't know what he was thinking, but it couldn't be that good.

"Grr… Face me!" The Alpha Jumper got into another challenging posture, but this one was more instincts influenced, and less like himself.

"...My alpha is injured…"

Instinct Shadow released his grip of her neck and continued to take in her scent, rubbing his own against her as she simply tried to stay up, not fall from his insistent doting.

However... it looked more like he was marking her for later...

"WHAT!?" The Alpha Jumper rose up to his feet, "You can't be serious!? That's your alpha!? The mere measly girl!?"

"She is my current alpha… as I am her beta... for now." He mused as he continued to weakly bite at her, as though already picturing something...

"Shadow... Stop..." Amy lightly batted his face away, still not fully back to her earlier strength yet. However, unlike normal instincts, this instinct was clever and knew his Other's ways... he smirked, nudging her hand firmly away with his nose, like a quick tap to not deny him, and went back to slowly nibbling behind her ears...

"It's my job to protect her… and you have hurt her…" Instinct Shadow turned his head to let her quills fall in sections from his face, looking to the pathetic alpha as he almost seemed to gloat and flaunt Amy at him. His eyes seemed to shine in the moonlight that now hung above them, a wicked sense of pleasure, "By the laws of our kind… You shall be sentenced to death."

"D…death?" The Alpha Jumper suddenly looked sorely afraid, getting up in a violent shake, from his position. "You… You wouldn't murder me… Y-you'd be a criminal!"

'What are you doing?' Shadow spoke up again from his mind, somewhat able to compose himself.

Instinct Shadow lost the expression then, reverting back deeper into his nature.

"I am not the man my Other is… I will kill you for hurting my alpha female."

"Y...You're insane! Snap out of your instincts!"

Instinct Shadow began to advance towards him, and because Amy couldn't understand the grunting, she had no idea it was for the intent to kill.

"…It can't be…"

The Alpha Jumper stepped back, connecting the dots.

Instinct Shadow gave him a cold and harsh, almost unblinking look as he continued to advance.

"He can't control his instincts."

The Alpha Jumper's eyes widened.

"How is that possible... You… How are you so strong..? When you can't even control yourself?!" He looked to Amy then, "...How strong is your scent, girl!?"

"…You die now."

Instinct Shadow wiggled himself into position before pouncing,... but his eyes suddenly shifted into one, merged hedgehog.

Shadow blinked as he landed on the ground, shaking his head, gripping the top of it as he slowly rose to his feet. Twitching, Shadow could feel his Instincts raging within him, trying to fight back for control and power, and ripping him apart inside.

"Get…Get out…" Shadow barely managed to pull himself together before the unspeakable happened. The rest of the Alpha Jumper's men behind him scurried away, terrified.

"Where are you yellow-bellies go-!" he looked and noticed he had lost all command over them now. He turned back to Shadow, slowly backing away, reverting out of his instinct form. "Y-you must have had one of our drugs... There's no way... no way you could have defeated me!"

"Get out before… before he kills you…" Shadow finished his sentence, clutching his chest, and glared up at the Alpha Jumper.

"Scram..."

The Alpha Jumper whimpered and ran, seeing that Shadow had merged instantly. The fear caused the Alpha Jumper to shift out of instincts and bolt for his life.

Shadow breathed heavily as he and his instincts were now one again, but he could still feel the thirst for vengeance in his instincts's presence.

"A…Amy..." Shadow turned around, exhausted from the fight, "I've failed you..." He moved down to her. He was able to fight for so long because he was the ultimate lifeform, but...

"Amy, wake up..." he fell by her side, still desperately trying to stay merged with his instincts. He knew he couldn't fully take over, but even with just this much... They had one goal, protect Amy. He figured out if he let his goals be motivated by the same objective, then his body would move accordingly. Now, it was all about focus and keeping his instinctual desires at bay. "Please… You must tell me you're alright or he'll-!" he felt the same soaring rush of anger through his being, of desire as he held her in an attempt to help her up.

Her scent was like a magnetic pull, strengthening his Instinct, and leaving him crippled for a moment. He was so attuned with his instincts now, he felt it overwhelm him. Her scent... it called to him far more than her cry for help ever did...

He couldn't control his grip tightening around her, her light choke on her breath as she felt the pain of his grasp...

"S...Shadow, please... don't..." Amy's cries stung his heart.

'I have to fight.' He told himself, feeling his Instincts rip through him as though hot lava through bloodstreams.

His fingers twitched, his eyes shifted, "Just a little longer..." His Instincts pinned her down.

"Shadow... please..." Amy twitched below him, her own instincts beginning to stir. "No more... I can't... please..." her desperation tore at him. On one hand, this meant he could overwhelm her and take her as his own, which was what his instincts wanted. But... the humanity in him wanted to assure it was alright, that he would never harm her.

'I'll never be able to see her again,' he tried to reason with his instincts, 'We'll never be allowed to see her again!' he cried out in his mind.

Shadow shook his head and he was merged again.

His Instincts fought hard to regain power, but Shadow lifted his head and closed his eyes, determined to free himself from the influence. 'I will never allow you to hurt her! But I can allow us to be around her, to be with her. If you and I can't settle this, then at least agree that we can't take her this night!'

He reopened his eyes and gasped, having his eyes return to their natural pupil state. 'What... did I just say?' He was amazed that his instincts actually conceded to that. But it was because of how it was worded... it almost sounded like Shadow had accepted something. But...

That would be impossible.

"S…Shadow..." Amy slowly opened her eyes, her voice soft, and her breathing minimal. "…Are you… alright now?" She pushed out of his loosened grasp, looking over his eyes.

"What..?" Shadow was overcome by her response, "You... You shouldn't worry about me. What of you?" he looked around at her scratches and bruises. "Were you-?"

She suddenly closed her eyes and fell into his arms.

As he caught her, he realized how close this all really was... to never being able to go back.

"…You couldn't control your instinct to call for help… could you?" She didn't appear to be in instinct form when that happened, because she would have remained in her instincts if she was.

She must have been influenced by it, but it was still too early to trigger a full transformation... But because Shadow wasn't a normal hedgehog, genetically modified to be the ultimate weapon,... he still couldn't wrap his mind around having his own instincts. It was preposterous. But at least he had found a way to control it, subside it somewhat... more like appease it with empty promises he never intended to keep.

But wouldn't his Instincts be able to tell his own lie? Why did it allow him to win? Did it allow him to win, or did he truly overcome it by merging with its desires?

What exactly did that mean..?

All Shadow wanted to believe was that his Instincts was gone and/or under control now.

A trait Sonic greatly desired as well… if Shadow's believed fallacy was correct after all.

"Come on, Amy… I have to get you home-Urk!" he tried to get up on his knee, but felt all the blows down to his back. This would be harder than he thought.

He felt her quills gently sway on his hand...

Her limp head lean back, then slowly roll to rest against his chest.

He could hear his instincts in his mind, saying he'll never be rid of himself... but he ignored it. Once again, he refused to believe he couldn't conquer it.

He took the last of his strength, slowly bringing her up with him in a powerful step to stand. He straightened himself out, forcing one eye shut in the pain that traveled down his back and spread out all over his body. "This is... what makes me... the ultimate... man." he fought his instincts all the way through the streets of men grabbing their fallen comrades and staring at Shadow, walking a dead man's path.

He strained to keep Amy in his arms, but as her scent spread up his nose, his grip tightened, and his eyes kept threatening to angle themselves into sharp, diamond edges... but he never allowed them to fully change again. Even if it meant he couldn't blink, he wouldn't endanger Amy's trust in him, her life, or her integrity.

Some that he passed were simply Omegas, and they're instincts nodded to Shadow, dipping their heads in sign of submission to the higher authority. Others were betas, who looked away, showing a sign of non-hostility.

Shadow didn't bother to notice, nor would he have understood any of that, anyway. It would only distract him and play to his Instincts advantage. If he lost focus, Amy would be in danger... he wouldn't allow that. He couldn't allow that to happen twice!

As the men soon took notice that he wasn't in instinct form, they let him move through unthwarted. Not daring to take him on after all they saw…

And, in a sense, if he wanted too... he had the right to assert himself their new alpha anyway. So no one dared to protest him.

Getting home slowly, he collapsed on Amy's couch, having put her in her nest to sleep. He, himself, began to quickly fall asleep too.

However... though his body and spirit exhausted...

His eyes blinked open into Instinct form, as Instinct Shadow slowly looked over to Amy...

He was too weak to take her now and didn't bother calling to her. He knew she was stubborn and wouldn't shift anyway.

"This is not how I go." he complained in muffled snorts and grunts, "I will have you... before your chosen Alpha returns for you... I will not lose. To anything...

-Or anyone."

He closed his eyes, reverting back to himself.

In that night, Shadow realized why Tails was so desperate to find protection for Amy. The dangers that really could come from being completely out of control of your own body and mind... and how Sonic must have endured to keep Amy safe. Sonic… he now understood, but couldn't wrap his mind around it. How could he have left Amy in this situation?

But it was beginning to be clearer why... he didn't trust himself to control his instincts.

Sonic's instincts had planned on taking Amy away… on betraying her... just like his own had planned.

He knew his instincts would have probably taken her away as well… and who knows how long his instincts would have fought if Shadow wasn't already exhausted.

Will the next time prove impossible to control them? Without all that fighting, would Amy have been able to save herself from-

What did they call it? Claiming?

Either way, he was worried. Amy couldn't understand what his Instinct was saying, but maybe she knew he was fully in instincts. If that was true,… she may not be allowed near him again.

"I… I can't allow that." He forced his weary eyes open again, taking another chance to look toward Amy's nest... seeing her body breathe as it moved up and down gently in her mass of bedsheets and pillow cushions. The faint purple and bluish bruise on the side of her cheek were enough to send a quiet rage through him. She undoubtedly had gotten it while being thrown onto the ground and had landed on the side of her face. It was hidden well by her quills that thinly fell in dainty strands on her muzzle.

But still… you could faintly see it. It was still there.

Shadow clutched his fist, breathing through gritted teeth as he glared in sorrowful agony, knowing he mostly failed in his mission to protect her.

Yes, she was still out of serious harm's way, but harm was still inflicted—and to him—that was a total loss, one in which he would have to redeem himself for.

She had to keep trusting him…

She had to keep depending on him…

And for that cause…

"I won't tell her." He stated.

"I won't tell her I can't control my instincts."

The, basically, useless and dirty groceries were found later. Barely anything was salvageable, but that didn't stop Shadow from trying to make it seem like nothing had happened... an impossible feat at this point.

Denial was not one of Shadow's traits... but he was learning all about the things he never knew before, like how he desperately wanted Amy to still trust him enough to depend on him.

Why was that? What had changed so significantly over the time they had spent together? Was it simply the lingering designs of his heart's pining for his friend, Maria? But Maria and Amy, although having similar pure hearts, were not influencing the same feelings in Shadow.

Another, seemingly, impossible feat did happen... and Shadow couldn't possibly erase it from time and memory.

But he would hope to try.

Amy slowly opened her eyes, blinking around the room and realizing she was in her nest. The soft cushions immediately comforted her, as her quills were bent and springing out everywhere on her head. Some stabbed like pins into the more fluffier pillows and fuzzy blankets. She felt the sheer, thin nightgown she had washed had been buried in her nest and wondered what unfortunate night she had shifted and stuffed it in there. Flinging it out, she folded it and set it down on the rim to deal with later.

Then... Worry crept over her as she quickly stumbled out, gripping her head in fear of a headache that would crash memories like jamming waves against her consciousness. She reached both hands up with a gasp to grip her skull, waiting for the painful outpour that never set in. She looked back at the nest with fear.

...But nothing.

Remembering only now that she hadn't shifted into instincts last night… She looked around the room. It was mostly clean, to be quite frank. The air conditioner was turned off due to the warm sun peeking through the closed blinds. It looked like streams of horizontal rays from heaven. In relief, she got one foot under the other and pulled the blinds up, seeing the sunlight outside. She let the warmth seep into her skin and comfort her more than her thoughts ever could. But turning back to the room, skimming her hands lightly against her arm in an attempt to keep the new warmth she had obtained, she noticed no one was there…

"...S...Shadow?" Her voice was shaky. Did she really want him there?

Her steps weren't easy, but slowly jumbled themselves to make her way to the couch, "Shadow?" She was growing more confident now, due to her increasing worry. "Shadow..!" she suddenly stumbled forward and ripped the already bare couch's temporary bedding off.

He wasn't there...

Her panic almost made her want to cry, but she shook it free of herself.

'He wouldn't just leave.' She told herself. 'He wouldn't be like... He wouldn't treat me like...'

"He's out."

Amy jumped back, terrified to be answered as she let the bedding go. It drifted like a cloud back to unravel against the bony couch which cushions had once again been relocated in preparation for the new season approaching. She didn't shift, but she still had the natural impulse to get ready for it. She remained frozen until Tails walked from the kitchen into the living room, eating something out of a bowl with chopsticks, and looking at her with a bit of fright.

"Woah, you look ter- I-I mean… you must have had a rough time… I'm sorry." Tails's ears bent back, "I should of warned you." looking to the ground, it seemed his guilt kept him from making eye-contact with her. "What befell you two was my fault. I guess there really was no 'good news' in my lesson." He tried to joke it off, but he could barely hold the food up to his mouth now. His gaze was distant, as though he had hoped to say something better than that, possibly having been thinking about what to say this whole time... but it appears Shadow had gotten to him first.

"…Tails," Feeling bad herself, she walked over to him. Pausing a moment with her arms reaching for him, seeing his hopeless dismay, she quickly gave him a comforting hug. "It's alright… How could you have known something awful like that would come my way? Besides! I had Shadow with me so-" she suddenly remembered, and the memory caused her head to ache, or was it... her heart? "Oh! That's right! Shadow was hurt too!" she turned around quickly, looking for him. "Where'd he go out too?" She had flinched and removed her arms from Tails, trying to distract herself from whatever she was feeling.

Uncertainty... or fear?

"Um, well, he had to retrieve the groceries you lost… and I think he said something about… taking care of… that gang?" Tails slowly crept farther and farther away, bending down as he did so, seeming to not want to imagine what Shadow meant by that.

Her eyes lowered a moment, shaking as she swallowed hard and tried to also not think about that.

Her hand came up to her chest, rubbing it lightly and then feeling sweat by the side of her chin, and wiping that off.

"…You let him get away?" She stated, spinning lightly back to see Tails's guilty expression hanging still in utter failure. "Saying something like that?"

Her heart felt like sinking again, just seeing her friend so torn-up about something that wasn't even his fault.

"Well, what was I suppose to do!" he rubbed his arm, then shook them both towards her, not willing to make eye contact anymore. "Besides, he's a quick healer, that recovery system could save lives, to be honest…" He finally seemed to be accepting the situation and that he wasn't held responsible for other people's awful actions, and looked back to Amy from the corner of his eyes. "It's incredible he took out the Jumpers single-handedly while also protecting you..."

Amy took a deep breath in, feeling more fluttering of nerves at those words.

She turned away and adjusted her dress again and again... why did his words bother her so much?

Tails looked up with a bit of curiosity now, seeming to dismiss her actions. "Now imagine if he had a Chaos Emerald…"

"Hey, I fought a bit too!" Amy placed her hands on her hips, huffing out her apparent offense of his words. Her typical behavior returned to her, lightly tapping a foot out as she puffed up her cheek in annoyance at his lack of praising her. "I'm a tough girl too, ya know!"

"Oh! I didn't know you fought…" he turned pretty quiet again, stepping back, but then smiled at seeing her usual self again. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings,... but Shadow did say you got pretty beat up…" He rubbed his hand behind his head, looking a bit embarrassed at saying that information.

"Hmph, well, we were kinda separated..." She looked down and backed out of the accusation. After all, Shadow was fighting his hardest to protect her... he probably thought she was making it worse by trying to prove something. "But I can't just stand idly by! It's not who I am, Tails..." She thought about Shadow shifting, how he seemed to be momentarily out of control... but then also brought her home. Nothing had happened,... right? She didn't fully shift, so...

Was he still in complete control? Was that just a fluke? Would he still be able to protect her with enough control over it?

Her hand went up to her cheek, 'I'd miss him if I couldn't see him... huh? What was that thought... just now?' she looked confused, 'I'm sorry for putting him through so much... but I don't want him to just walk away after something like that. Sonic couldn't control himself... neither could I, really...' she put her hands together in front of her, "We have to trust Shadow's strength..." she convinced herself, though Tails seemed to sigh at that.

"For now." He nodded, "I'm just relieved you're both alright." He was glad he didn't have to say anything more, but... "Some animals... fight to the death, you know?"

Amy's heart raced then, and she glared back at Tails.

He immediately saw her deep frown and jolted in spot.

"Me fighting didn't seem to do much good, but still. I couldn't just let them talk that way about me either." she scrunched up her nose and blew air out of it, annoyed by the idea of men fighting to the death over something like...

She blushed slightly, 'Would Shadow have really fought to the death..? He's my friend, of course, but...' She once again turned away from Tails, surprised by her own thoughts. 'For me..?'

She looked at her hands, then rubbed her arms together, before touching her face in embarrassment. "Men shouldn't fight over girls!" she spat out, trying to stop herself from feeling somewhat flustered by the idea of a man fighting life and death for her.

She didn't like feeling that way and hurried over to the barren couch to sit down and try and get a hold of herself.

When she removed her hands, she winced at her bruises and felt the ache of her body too. She lightly held her hand to where she felt a soreness and flinched slightly under the pressured pain, "I admire his speedy recovery system…" She thought fondly back to him, the time they spent together, but then that terrifying look of diamond in his eyes...

It wasn't as pronounced as Sonic's... was it?

"Ohh... it's hard to remember." she lightly tapped her knuckles to her noggin', trying to recall Sonic's shifted eyes but couldn't fully bring herself to remember such painful memories of him walking away either... "I guess I struggle with that, lately..." She had seen Shadow shift... right? But what if he had merged with his Instincts? What if he was in control..? Then why would he have ... no, she knew it. That was one thing she couldn't try and deny. Not now... anyway...

"Don't we all?" Tails laughed slightly, returning to his lack of preparing them by his forgetful memory. When he suddenly noticed her irritating her bruises, he emoted silently with what looked like a pushed exclamation pose of his body, then rushed to get an ice pack to help soothe her pain. "A-Anyway!" he returned quickly to her side, offering her the ice as she nodded sweetly and took the kind gesture, lightly pressing it to her cheek. "Shadow said he'd be back soon. Your instincts should start up again, pretty soon in fact, so at least remember what I said. Just…" he looked down, seeming worried.

"…Be careful… okay?"

"Of course, Tails! I-" her eyes suddenly shot open.

The last time she was alone with a hedgehog boy… things happened… and she taught her instinct how to kiss by happenstance… A complete, innocent accident that led to a horrible conclusion...

Sonic not trusting her... It was enough to bring tears to her eyes thinking she may drive another friend away.

"…I know… but just in case." Tails remembered. He knew exactly. He clearly didn't want the same thing to happen again, or something far worse.

She looked to him, He didn't know what she knew.

He had shifted, or at least, appeared to shift but maybe Shadow still...

She didn't know.

Did he have control? Why would he claim otherwise and put her at risk?

But then again... if she told Tails what really happened, would he even let Shadow remain by her side? Who would protect her if not him? When will Sonic return before...

She felt fear enter her heart and shook it away with a shake of her head. 'Bravery, Rose.' she told herself. 'Bravery... and trust.'

"In fact, I remember so well," He took a step forward, changing his tactic after seeing her shake her head. "That I wanted to make sure you would heed my warning this time. The warning I remember to say." He folded his arms, as though lightly scolding her for the last time she convinced him to bring someone to her when the time was approaching for her to shift. "If anything suspicious happens with Shadow-!"

"I'll call." She tilted her head to him, not wanting to be reminded of her naive lack of self-protection. "Don't worry. I…I mean… The Other me's pretty loyal to Sonic so-" Amy moved a bit of her quill back, then fiddled with what looked to be a piece of fabric from her dress that had some strands ripped in two. She pulled and tugged on them a bit, just cleaning the shreds up, though it really wasn't that bad.

Tails held his head high in concern, his breathing showing that even if he was younger than her, he was going to be the bigger man about this. He took a more serious foot forward, "Loyalties can change on a dime in the animal kingdom… you can't trust her as much as you think you can, Amy. I wish you could," He seemed to get depressed again, but tried to rattle his own cage deep in his core and continue on. He clearly didn't want to make any more foolish mistakes again, not wanting to condemn himself as the reason anything happened to her. She could feel that concern, and smiled up to him, though still not liking the topic he was forcing them both to discuss.

"Tails..." She wanted to comfort him. He had been helping her all this time. He had made mistakes with Sonic too... it was a learning curve even for him, but he was desperate to do something. He couldn't stand idly by either... just like her but fought in his own unique way with facts and figures. Hoping to sniff out the trouble before it came knocking... but not every battle is won through such cautions as foreknowledge.

"Until you can control her... Your instinct self... the body's intents and desires... there's no telling what she'll make you do…" He seemed to get choked up now. Was he afraid? She had always been the one to try and rid fear in her friends through hope unwavering. But now... She felt like she was losing that very special piece of her... and slipping into her own nightmare of anxiety. "Please don't underestimate her." He looked away, not really feeling it was his place to say anything, but then again, she only had him now… "Please don't underestimate yourself." He closed his eyes, wanting to shut out the truth but knowing it had to be said for her own good.

Amy was offended, but as she went to open her mouth, she paused and let it close, looking away. That was harsh, but it was probably right for him to scold her, somewhat.

Last time, he had let her walk all over him. This time, Tails was taking a stand for her sake, and although she was more than willing to let him take the lead on this one... she was more hurt by her actions in the past than anything else.

"I'm sorry, Tails." She admitted, but he just moved on and took another breath. It wasn't his place to tell her things like this, but she really left him no choice now. There was no one else... Vanilla had done all she could too, and her and Cream were gone during this time... to avoid it all.

"Shadow can control his instincts…" He stated firmly, but Amy's eyes darted around the living room, not so sure anymore. However, she didn't interrupt him, nor correct his statement. She fidgetted with her hands in her lap but didn't say anything. "But without further study, I can't tell what his instincts are even like!" He kicked the ground a bit, letting his hands follow the action with force as though Shadow had already denied him that venture. "They could still influence him… and since he's not naturally born a hedgehog, he could have very odd and different instincts. Dangerous, even." Shadow was engineered, a bio-marvel. Even then, his existence was questioned to be more evil over good, but Amy didn't want to call that out on him.

She wouldn't do such a thing. He was a person. People carry good and bad in them. She wanted to believe that Shadow, at his very center, was a good person.

"Tails." Amy got up, fists tightly held by her sides as she was done hearing that Shadow was dangerous.

The world knew that. She knew that. What difference did it make now!?

She walked over to him, trying to regain herself in the process with each determined footfall before putting her hands on his shoulders, stopping him from panicking a bit too much for her liking. "You have every right to be concerned... but I'll be okay." She wanted so desperately to comfort him.

He had watched his friends suffer. He felt he had caused some of that suffering. She wanted so desperately to remove him from this stress but knew she needed him just as much as Sonic had once needed him too.

He was the guy who knew it all, everything. But she was just discovering how little he really did know... he was just a kid, more so then all of them combined.

It was unfair, but he was desperately needed and heeded the call. Without reservation, he would be there for them, learning all he can, even before his own instincts had ever triggered.

"You're so loyal, Tails. I can't thank you enough. But let Shadow lead the rest from here on out. You've done you're best, more so than any friend should." She patted his shoulders, causing her to see his eyes gloss over with tiredness and tears. "It's time you rested, Tails. I'll have to handle my own life from here on out."

Tails's face hardened to her, but she didn't understand why.

She just tried to smile even more kindly, sweeter than ever before. In a cheery, hopeful way, she tried to get her old spunk back. "I'll be okay." she repeated again, hoping to really let that sink in for him.

It didn't.

"…Yeah… that's what you said once before too." he removed her hands from his shoulders, not taking his eyes off of her own. "And Sonic knew better."

Amy's entire expression dropped, and once again, shame flooded her face.

He looked away, knowing what he said was hard for her to hear, but he wasn't going anywhere. Last time he trusted her words, Sonic was the one to pay for them. He wasn't going to let her get away with it twice, "I-!" he turned back sharply to her, wanting to say all that was in his heart. The anger he had felt at feeling betrayed when his best friend was disappointed in him... when he couldn't do anything to help but gave in to her wishful thinking. "...I'll take my leave now." He couldn't keep looking at her anymore, she had lost his faith to some degree, and she hadn't won it back yet.

Amy could feel the world crashing down... she felt she lost another friend, but also knew he would never actually abandon her and that this was just his way of keeping everything safe... But still.

She moved back to hold the couch as a crutch. She was unable to bring any hope to him anymore.

He began to walk out the door, placing his bowl down on a stand near the door with a pot of flowers near it.

"Tails!" Amy felt more than bad about it all, she only wanted to make it right but felt like she was about to wallow in her sorrows and break from the loneliness of it all. "Please-!" feeling this was her fault… She fell into despair, watching him begin to act just as Sonic did. "I deserve this, I do, but you have to admit... I never meant for any of this to happen! I didn't know! I..." she stopped talking when it looked as though he wasn't going to listen. At the door, his tails slowly moved in their usual rhythm, up and down... swaying lightly as he kept his head down.

Nothing she would say could erase the past just yet... not till she was truly able to hold her own against these instincts.

"I'm not taking this lightly!" she blurted out, stepping forward in a desperate attempt to regain his faith in her. "I just… I don't know what else I'm supposed to do." she felt herself about to fully surrender to the hopelessness, but broke free of it and charged forward in her tears to make this all right. "But.." she fumbled a moment before regaining her composure, sticking her back out to really make sure her voice traveled to Tails's soul and heart. "But reason with her!" she exclaimed. "I really have no control over her… I can't decide anything for her!"

"…That's what I'm afraid of…"

Tails had already opened the door, and this time, he truly did let the light engulf him and left her. Completely to her own mess as she fumbled to her knees and clung to the couch. She didn't want to doubt herself, nor her words... but he did leave. He did walk out just as Sonic had done. It wasn't forever, just like Sonic. It wasn't meant to backstab her, but to truly state they had no faith in her.

She leaned against the couch with tears falling like a fountain of endless regret.

She rubbed her head against the texture of its back and tried to grip a small portion of it with her pinching fingers, squeezing to feel something that would remain and believe in her. She didn't even know how she was able to trust herself enough to continue to have faith, but her admitting her worst fear didn't help bring Tails back to helping her up out of her pity party and dusting the fall off her dress. Shadow would be here soon? What would he think of her? She had fought for nothing but her honor, and now, could she even fight for it if her Instincts had all the power over it?

Before her scent could even startup, Tails had taken into consideration to already secure the windows and make sure they were down and locked. He even pulled the door a bit to make sure it was tightly closed as well, and she could hear his extra efforts outside, shaking the windows and making sure it was safe and sound.

Sighing, he stepped back and didn't dare to look through the window. He had to leave, but it was hard too.

He finally did take his leave, but with his own tears he had to rub off onto his arm.

He wanted to be needed by his friends.

But he wanted his friends to help themselves too. Sonic had always said that there was no such thing as limitations... he wondered if he still believed in that now.

Speaking of our reckless, blue, speed demon...

Sonic hadn't fully shifted yet, but the urgings of his body to follow the alluring scent coming from Amy's home kept him traveling farther and farther away from his friends.

Sonic leaned his head against a tree, scratching his head and back-quills against it. He was trying to fight the territorial gesture, but it felt soothing to get it out when he finally let the scratching of the bark calm him down. "Come on, Sonic... Keep it together." he moved himself away from the tree and gripped his head, fighting the inner animal who was growing stronger day by day.

He kept his head constantly turned away from the wind, making it hard for him to run fast if he can't see where he's going, constantly holding his breath, until another female's scent lightly trimmed his elongated nose.

"Huh?" He was startled by it a moment but turned away again, "Tsk. False alarm." He kept walking, but his knees suddenly shook stiff a moment. "What?!" he almost lost his balance and pushed his hand to the ground, trying to remain upright. "What... what's happening?"

Instinct Sonic stirred... hissing and grunting from within his mind. 'How long do you think you can keep me from her?'

Sonic's eyes quaked a moment, then turned into a harsh glare, "She's not yours to take." he got up, shaking himself off the strange, involuntary action. he dusted off his arms before he felt the same sensation of an animal pacing the cage of his mind...

He stared off a moment,... "It's useless. Just accept your fate." Sonic muttered to himself, growing more and more agitated. It was also the season... his hormones became more aggressive, and that was another reason why he was keeping a distance from things...

'You long to fight me... but you can't win this struggle forever.' Instinct Sonic snapped at his mind, making Sonic flinch a moment before closing his eyes, gritting his teeth. 'You smelled that? That other female? You've smelled many scents... but when you first got a whiff of her's... I felt it.'

"You felt nothing!" Sonic threw his hands up, trying to distract himself and hit out the growing tension in his body. "Leave me and Amy be!" he seemed to be struggling, something waning inside himself...

'It wasn't just her sensational scent either that absorbed your thoughts... it was who it was... that's what intrigued you. That's what drew me to her. That's why we want her. There was meaning to this scent... and you and I want it. We want her now...'

"You're an animal!" Sonic punched the tree, gripping his head, "And I want no part of you!"

Instinct Sonic grew hostile hearing that, 'You have to have me! I'm you!'

"I'm whoever I want to be! Get out or I'll find a way to get rid of you!" Sonic sped off, but what he didn't realize was he began to move towards Tails's scent... seeing him off the road that lead to Amy's...

"Wait..." He paused, hiding in the trees above where the road lay. "What's he doing here..?"

'...And what's that scent!?' Instinct Sonic picked up on the scent of another male hedgehog in his territory, and Sonic's eyes flinched diamond before reverting back to normal.

He looked away, shaking his head and gripping it again. "No, that's not possible. Amy's fine! She's safer with me gone."

'Who is this!? There's someone in my territory and you're just going to say your mate is fine!?' Instinct Sonic grew restless, his desire to protect his family growing within him to unquenchable lengths. 'How can you even call yourself a man!'

"Ugh." Sonic felt a slight headache, hearing his instinct speaking out and tried to tune him out.

'If he finds her... what man could refuse such a mate?' Instinct Sonic's panic turned tender, 'How could you let her get so far from you? You, yourself, want her close. Is it not within your nature to protect your own? Or do you despise all nature..?'

"That statement couldn't be farther from the truth..!" Sonic turned away, not able to just simply drown out the noise without showing Instinct Sonic his inner thoughts and mind. He kept his mind so shut, but Instinct Sonic was testing his resilience.

"I know Tails says we need this... that somehow, we even need you. But you're untamed. Wild. Tails states you have a culture but you really don't! You only follow your instincts... what your body wants... and that's not my way." He gripped his chest.

'...Then... what is your way?' Instinct Sonic felt himself being pushed back again, but whimpered at his retreat to Sonic's overwhelming will power. 'Without me... You'd have no future... no posterity... nothing.'

"I follow... my spirit." Sonic felt himself winning and took a deep breath in, knowing Amy's scent would probably be traveling downwind and not high up here. "And you... and not my future. Without you... I still have my freedom... my choice."

Sonic began to depart,... but as he walked a moment down the hill, the stranger's scent suddenly intensified and his nostrils opened for the scent to enstrangle him with worry.

Instinct Sonic rampaged through in his momentary distraction by his senses. Enhanced, Sonic slightly merged with his desire to check on Amy being the same as his instincts.

'Now... who dares?' Instinct Sonic stated with a snuff of his nose, turning towards Amy's home and trying to sniff the direction out. He was still standing, but slowly moved to a crawl on all fours.

With the two at last one, even for a split second, Instinct Sonic was able to tap into his mind and find the location of Amy's home, and where to go...

But then, as though threatened by the sudden feeling of wanting the same things as this animalistic side of himself, Sonic took over and the merging ended as fast as it had come on. Even if Sonic did want to see Amy, he wouldn't let his Instincts have their way.

He took off towards Tails, hoping for answers on why he could sense another hedgehog in Amy's direction, and why he was leaving her to fend for herself...

A figure moved at lightning speeds beside Tails, like a gust of wind, to where not even Tails knew he was walking beside him.

"…How is she…"

"Woah! You scared me!"

"Tails, I asked a very specific question."

"...Hmph, and I gave a reaction. She's…" He hesitated, "She'll be fine."

That hesitation was all Sonic needed to feel less in control of himself. "I thought you were watching her!?" Sonic's anger at his instincts came off to strongly in his voice, and Tails spun around as though ready to fight before seeing Sonic and shyly stepping back.

"W-what? What are you doing here..?" he was surprised, to say the least, but even more so by Sonic's demeanor and aggression. "Your instincts will trigger soon, you have to stay far away from here!" Tails knew his thinking, though it hurt him to admit it being logical, and just hoped Shadow was enough for now.

"You have to leave! That's what you want, right?" He pushed against Sonic, but Sonic stuck his ground, conflicted all of a sudden.

"Who's with her? I can... I can smell him." Sonic looked away from him, embarrassed to speak such things.

Tails paused and looked up at him, "Him?" He then stopped the panicked expression on Sonic's face instantly, holding up his hands, "No-no-no, I know who's with her! Calm down, it's okay. Amy will be safe."

Sonic's breathing wasn't normal, and he tried to get a grip on his emotions and his abnormal body reactions. He looked at his tightening fists and loosened them...

Tails, seeing his friend suffering from his Instincts, immediately held a tender look in his eyes. "You've gotten through this before, right? You can do it again."

"But Amy wasn't mature then." Sonic turned away, "Her scent... it's so hard to fight." He hated admitting that, and put a hand over his face to hide his shame from his young friend and admiring fan.

"...We don't have another choice." Tails looked down. "I have to keep Shadow by Amy's side, Sonic... This is how it has to be, and the way it stands now!" he seemed to counter Sonic's aggression with his own, which threw Sonic back a moment for a loop.

"Tails..." he moved back a bit.

"I can't control her! Even if I had my own fox instincts, I can't! I'm a natural predator! I'd likely pounce at her, and that's not helpful, now, is it!?" He had been keeping his emotions so compactly together that he was now unable to keep it all to himself. He exploded on Amy... and with Sonic now like this, he couldn't help but explode too.

But he thought he had exhausted his emotions with Amy,... he was clearly wrong, and there was still some 'umph' left in him to let out.

"I believe Shadow is the only one who can control himself and her instincts."

Sonic shook his head, tightening his mouth to a flat line and keeping his eyes to Tails, upset by those words.

"You're skeptical. But you haven't been around to understand long enough to-"

Sonic quickly cut him off, "Oh, I understand, Tails!" He held out a hand to stop him, "What exactly is your reasoning? He's a hedgehog, just like the rest of us."

"He's an experiment!"

"Then why does he have a smell?" Sonic moved up to Tails's head, inches away from his glaring eyes as Tails suddenly connected something.

"...What?" His eyes shook a moment, shrinking in disbelief.

"Then why... experiment or not... does he have such a powerful, instinctual... scent?"

Tails was left speechless, falling away from Sonic and looking around him as though searching his mind for an answer.

"That's not... that can't be possible... if he doesn't have instincts, he shouldn't have a smell... but if he's in absolute control of himself then-" He grasped for a reason his conviction was still plausible, but Sonic was relentless.

"He's probably already failed, Tails." he held his own, but his instincts suddenly merged again, within a blink of an eye. "I want him away from her, Tails."

"He didn't fail," Tails tried to explain, reason with him. He was completely unaware of the momentary merger... "Necessarily," Tails held his fist over his mouth, looking away as though not wanting to admit what he heard about the Jumpers... "He faulted a little bit, I think. But it's mostly my fault for not warning them sooner."

"Warning them?" Sonic stepped forward, his eyes still gradually sharpening as Instinct Sonic began to understand more and more with Sonic's distracted mind...

He began searching about who Shadow was...

About what kinda threat he could be...

"Well, tough luck! Thanks to you bailing on us, he's all she has!" Tails tried to keep his distance from Sonic again, not liking him deflecting his only option in trying to keep Amy at bay and protected... well, as much as he could possibly do for her. "And you're darn lucky he's in control of his instincts, and was able to respect your 'bond' but to be honest, I don't see it anymore!" Tails wasn't sure why he seemed so emotional, but figured it was Amy's influence. After all, she needed Sonic, and Tails needed him to work beside both of them.

"If you were there, you could balance it out! Shadow could control your instincts, too! If he's more dominant, I suppose..." Tails let him have it, not one bit afraid anymore to call him out on his decision, but there was still that tender friendship he had with Sonic... keeping him sane.

But Sonic remained silent, unmerging. He knew he let himself slip a moment and couldn't bare to let Tails know about it. So he turned away, giving Tails an opening to speak again.

"I know bad things happened, but more drastic problems could of arose. But they didn't. If you don't trust him, or yourself, then who can we trust, Sonic? Me?! I can't even communicate with her instincts! Let alone try! Your instinct has made her believe I'm a threat! And what if a guy did show up while I'm with her!? I can't fight off an instinct! I'm 16! And most of my muscle power is centered in my brain. I'm barely able to lift more than my wrench!" He may have exaggerated his strength... but the fox boy was emotional, so drama was spilling out after having been built up so much inside him...

It was growing increasingly difficult to keep it all together.

"…Tails." Right then and there, Sonic was faltering. He could feel himself being triggered... 'Tails... Help...' he was slowly slipping... But Tails wasn't understanding.

He looked to Tails for relief, but Tails was so invested in what he felt that he kept going, slamming Sonic with his words as Instinct Sonic began to fight his way through.

"Don't- 'Tails, this is how it has to be' -me. either!" He kept going, not even noticing that Sonic was beginning to descend to the ground, and his hands reached into the dirt and drilled themselves into place... going on all fours...

"I'm tried of that excuse! Look… here's the truth, she's dying to see you again! And she'd rather have you around to protect her than Shadow, but she's grinning and baring it." He swung a fist around, his eyes closed as he had to just speak his mind. "Now, you can either man up and do the job you first said you would do, or Shadow stays and does what must be done." He felt a huge weight off his chest then, but Instinct Sonic blinked to smell something close by.

His eyes squinted in annoyance before Sonic's annoying struggle made him lose his power again... it wasn't time yet... but soon...

Sonic regained control and got back up to his feet, wobbly, and gripping his head to maintain his composure in front of Tails. "...I'm…"

The scent that Instinct Sonic picked up on was the ease-dropping Shadow... carefully hidden behind the side of Amy's house, he had come up the road earlier, listening…

Shadow didn't know what they were doing, but he could hear them… and he could hear how infuriated Tails was.

'This could be your chance...' Instinct Shadow seemed to peek out from behind Shadow's mind... leisurely coaxing him to listen. 'We've successfully convinced that fox that you're no threat... but who's to say that's enough? To secure her nest, we'll need to claim her... it's the only step you'll ever need to take. Then she's ours.'

'Your plan.' Shadow glared, not wanting to address him further. He was nervous, and he had never felt this way before. Why did he feel the need to be sneaky? He never did have an outstanding friendship with Sonic, but that shouldn't make him feel like...

'A snake in the nest?'

Shadow shook off the feeling, then heard Sonic speak up again, and for some reasons... his eyes merged slightly as both he and his Instincts honed in on what he was saying...

Would he return to Amy?

They both wanted to know that answer...

"No,.." Sonic, almost opting to tell Tails, went against his better judgement and decided not to worry him any further. 'It would only cause him grief.' he concluded, and tried to breath steady and stand up straight again, holding his head high and trying to keep his eyes at a normal, opened look. "I won't say I'm all at fault to blame. I want to protect Amy... but I know I can't. Not like... this." he gestured to himself, "And not with her acting the way she does."

"... I... also won't say I'm sorry." Tails was surprised to see Sonic's reaction, but didn't question it. "I'll only say this..." He began to move away, "Get your act together first, and then see her. I'm tried of dealing with… with two wrecks. I'm only one kid." he scratched behind his neck, feeling the tension that this stress was giving him. "I don't want to fight anymore, Sonic... But I am worried." He was growing exhausted from his outburst, and Sonic didn't know how to help him in his current state.

"You did all you could, Tails. For Amy's sake too, I appreciate it." He nodded to his enduring friend, knowing this wasn't his battle, and yet he joined it regardless to help them out.

Shadow heard feet walking on and then a burst of wind heading for the forest. He crouched himself down in Amy's flowerbeds and bushes, leaning against her house to remain unspotted.

He was still slightly merging and yet unmerging at the same time... but he couldn't tell, his desires and his instincts were shifting from being one and the same and separate. Only time could tell now...

"See you around,… Sonic…"

It was a heartbreaking departure, but it looked like Tails was done with his venting and tired with all the drama.

'Poor kid… he deserved a break.' Sonic thought to himself, taking off once again, trying to fight the urge to check on Amy... and see what Shadow was up too...

Shadow leaned out again to scan the area... making sure no one was around. 'And now... she's ours.' Instinct Shadow smirked from inside his head.

"Enough out of you." Shadow spat out from the side of his mouth, turning as though addressing him from behind. He got up slowly, instinctively sniffed the area as Instinct Shadow still had some domain over his form and actions, and headed into Amy's house.

"I'm back." He dropped the groceries on the floor much like with the drop of his voice, "I took the effort to get a refund and restock. They even felt inclined to give us more..." he didn't mention the strong stance he had to take to win that battle, but the shop keepers couldn't argue against him for long... he apparently persuaded them that his story was in fact real and they needed to replace the items Amy bought.

"They're new?" Amy turned from the couch, clutching the center of her head before switching to pushing on it with her two fingers. She looked equally disturbed... Perhaps reflecting too much on what had occurred.

"I'm sure they understood… but just in case, I didn't exactly treat them very friendly…" Shadow shut the door, double-checking to make sure it was locked securely and not easily opened.

Amy huffed out a bit of a breathy snort of humor at his words, "That's just you though,... Still, I appreciate the effort, Shadow." she turned, forlorn. She took a deep breath and rested her head to the side of the couch, saddened by the events and her selfishness. "I can't be selfish anymore... I have to think more about my actions, and make sure I control this just as much as Sonic feels the need to."

As he walked in, he turned to be in front of Amy who was sitting on the couch, leaning her head as though defeated. He looked down to see her holding her hand in her other and placing her thumb on her palm, putting pressure there now too.

Seeing his eyes begin to glance over her figure, she looked innocently up at him. Noticing her weary turn to him, he averted his restless eyes and looked out to the window, trying to feign that she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

'...Claim her... she's practically ripe, beautiful, subtly submitting in her lonely weariness... you could take her here, now, and delight in your new claim... This territory, your progeny... everything will be perfectly preserved in such a strong and exquisite female as she...'

Shadow gritted his teeth, forming tight fist as he fought her aroma and tried to push it from his mind. He folded his arms, not wanting to tip her off to his struggling. He refused to cover his nose, or show any indication that he was holding something back... a ravenous animal that he would control if it was the last thing he ever did...

She wiped some tears away, interpreting his silence to her as a way to get a grip on herself, maybe to give her some space.

She faked a smile, putting her hands properly in her lap. "Good morning, Shadow! I'm sorry about yesterday… you were right." She took a moment but got up, dusting her dress off before seeing how filthy it was and holding it out a moment, frowning. "Ehem," she looked past it for a moment, letting it drop back into place and looked back to him. "From now on, it's your rules! Not mine. I promise." She grinned, nodding her head to the words to dictated the action she proposed would now be so.

"…Hmph." Shadow couldn't help it, he looked back to her trying to act like it was all alright. He had to look away again, closing his eyes again as the temptation was almost unbearable from within him. Still... his body looked like stone, and his expression seemed extremely frozen in place.

"If you took this seriously beforehand we wouldn't be in this state."

…Was he sassing her?

Amy slightly glared at him, not liking his tone of voice with her. She wasn't a fool,… but she was somewhat too positive at times that she came off as naive.

She looked down, flexing her hands out a bit but jumped over to him, still trying to be peppy. "Alright, alright… I'm sorry." She let her hands move up for a moment, as if surrendering. "I'll wash off and then we'll just stay inside today. Deal?"

'So easily surrendering to us... this is our chance, Shadow... you'll never have another female like her...' Instinct Shadow lured with a dark pull as though swimming through Shadow's flood of discipline.

Shadow's eyes started to cease the war and turn a normal oval shape again. He would not lose so easily...

"…Wait."

She was heading upstairs when he stopped her, letting his arms go and his head returning to gaze at her again. "Hmm? More rules, Shad?" she teased.

"…Don't call me that." He glared at her, shaking his head to make it clear he didn't like that.

She rolled her eyes, and also rolled her fingers on the railing, as though remembering he didn't like to have 'fun'.

"…I'm glad you're safe. I'm sorry for not fully being…" he choose his words carefully, as he felt she didn't really know about his loss of control just yet. "…able… to protect you. It won't happen again, I was just taken off guard and-" he angrily looked away and gripped a fist up to his face, showing he was distancing himself once more and going to hone his senses better.

"…You don't have to apologize to me, Shadow."

His eyes widened... he couldn't help but turn back to her, a bit of shock on his face. She smiled warmly... too warmly, as his insides began to feel Instinct Shadow rising in power over him...

"You did nothing wrong. What happened was a fluke, a…" She kinda giggled to herself, "Hmhm," Her shoulders bounced ever so delicately as she tried to make the situation light, keeping him hopeful and perhaps wishing that he didn't beat himself up too much over this. "Fateful and... unlucky, chanced encounter of ill will and fortune. But to be honest… I'm really quite proud of you." She overlapped her hands over the railing, facing him but also looking down as though she wanted to place all the blame on herself.

"…Proud of me? But you were obviously hurt." He was being too serious again… And it made her smile even wider. He truly did want to protect her, and that did give her some comfort.

Her quills lightly draped her shoulders and Shadow couldn't look away, seeing the last of the light grace the windows and perfectly light her figure in shadows and sunbeams... "Yeeess…Hehe." She giggled, leaning herself up more, gripping the railing and moving back to off balance herself.

It was like looking at a painting,... her womanly features were well accentuated in the light from the window... her towering above him like an unreachable angel.

"Why are you…" He breathed out... but his feet began to move... as though asending the heavens to her, he made his way closer to the railing of the stairs, his pupils beginning to falter and reveal their attraction...

"Being so optimistic about it all?" she tilted her head, not even looking at him but leaning carefree towards the window's light. "I never was able to dwell on the sad things. It makes finding the brighter things in life harder to find." she thought of Sonic then... how he had taught her those important truths. "Why sit and mope when you could..." she suddenly remembered this tension... this feeling of danger.

Her fight or flight response made her breath suddenly change course and her quills stand on end. She looked to Shadow, and every one of her senses was screaming.

He was halfway up the stairs, and paused like a stalking predator at its target.

Run.

"Shadow?"

He stared at her for a moment, almost mesmerized by her statement, not realizing what his body was doing... the longing that had began to leak...

Was it his own? Merely instincts? He wasn't exactly thinking about it much now...

His pupils dilated to take in more of her, the light... his ears opened to trap her sound in them, and fingers flinched under the railing to advance again. But like an instinct, he didn't move... waiting for that split second she would look away, lose her guard...

Instinct Shadow remained silent, so close to conquering his other and claiming the ultimate reward...

It's what the ultimate life form deserves, isn't it?

The ultimate mate...

He was so used to dwell solely on the past and his life's mistakes... His creation was one thing that he felt was an abomination, and losing Maria was like losing his entire heart. Feeling like a faker or not even the real Shadow can do a lot of things to one's outlook on life. He lived his life fighting, and being untrusted by a world who feared him and his power.

But here… Standing above him… A girl who saw no error, no fault of creation, no… nothing but a man.

A man who did no wrong... He had done many things he wasn't proud of before, and yet… in her eyes… He was redeemed.

'but a man nonetheless.'

Instinct Shadow intervened, making Shadow blink his eyes and look away from her for a moment. 'What's happening?' he looked at his hands, 'This isn't like before... I'm not merged or in any form... I'm...' he touched his white tuff upon his chest, realizing that his body was moving on its own... but he was so focused on Amy, that his Instincts were starting to emerge so gently that he barely even realized it.

He was consciously being taken over... something that a normal instinct wouldn't be able to manage. It was to precise. Too well planned. This was no ordinary Instincts...

"All I saw that day was you trying to defend me." Amy felt herself lying, and suddenly sucked on her lowerlip, that feeling to flee let her know that she wasn't imagining things, he was definitely acting more... spooky then usual. "A-And you did a pretty darn good job." She stepped back, wanting to retreat from the tension his eyes had made, seeing he look away gave her a false sense of relief, but still... "I m-m-mean, look! I'm still here, right? That… disgusting riff-raff didn't get away with me, right? So all's well~ " she started her singing again, this time to comfort her own nerves, heading up the stairwell again to take a shower and get a new red dress...

Should she really risk that?

"That's cast under a spell, a spell that makes the flowers grow, and the water flow~ Spell, spell, all is well!" She awkwardly patted her dirty dress down and began to walk backwards up the stairs, maybe acting silly would help get the jumps out of her feet, the bumps off her arm's skin...

She just knew one thing...

'Don't turn your back on him.'

She freaked out a moment, wanting to dart into the bathroom as soon as she could.

'...Instincts?'

Shadow blinked his eyes, getting out of his thoughts and shaking his head to hear her song, thinking of Maria singing down the halls of the Space Colony Arc…

"I…I said no singing!" he shouted, and turned back to make his way to the couch, thinking he could tune her out with some T.V.

Tune everything out...

She stopped singing and leaned over the rail to find out what made him so mad, moving her frown to the side of her muzzle in disapproval of how he didn't like her singing… 'I'm imagining things.' she told herself again, getting down and moving swiftly to the bathroom, about to get ready before... she turned back to the door and locked it, then grabbed her bathroom stool and tried to see if it would reach the doorknob.

"Ugh, stop it!" she hit her head with her hands lightly and stopped her actions. "A nice warm bath... that will ease your troubled heart." She patted her chest, feeling the thumping of her heart at it's suspicions. "He's in control... he's in control..!" she kept telling herself, but taking off her dress... she couldn't help and cling to the cloth a little longer, dipping her nose into it.

"Please... Please be in control..."

The water was warm and flowed right off of her. It felt so nice~!

The steam of the warm water rose to tickle her nose and soothe her aching head. It was peaceful now... and she felt the lull pull at her eyelids, making her slow blink a couple of times in delight. She giggled, wishing she could stay in longer but knowing how inappropriate that would be with a man over.

And... N-not just that, but...

With the season coming along, about to be here, she decided it was about time to be more careful and less carefree. She got out of the bath, letting the water drip in droplets off of her smooth pink and grabbed her towel, drying off and rubbing her face vigorously into it to try and remain calm. 'Stupid instincts! Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

Heading to get her night gown, she hesitated... remembering the last time she wore it...

Shaking her head, she took her cleaned red dress that had been washing and wore that again, even if it was still a little damp from not being dried fully, it would have to do for now. She threw it on quickly before heading towards the sink, putting her hair up in a towel and starting to brush her teeth with her other free hand. 'Amy, you're fine! The season isn't starting just yet, remember? You're gonna be okay... No fear!'

Her mind immediately raced back to that time in her nightgown... Instinct Sonic... Tails trying his best. The memories of her Instinct Form flooded back to her in a raging headache. She gripped her head, squinting an eye at the pain. "Ohw." she said with the toothbrush still in her mouth, feeling the blush on her cheeks and just wanting to go back to being a little girl again.

Then her mind went to Shadow. His instincts...

'He saved me by running away from those men... that didn't seem like an instinct.' Amy's brush began to slowly move over her teeth, and a strange sensation came over her, it felt good... the gentle rubbing of gums against the bristles.

'Tying my Instinct form down in the trees, too... that might have been more instincts... but I thought Shadow didn't have any? Or are they just super light that he can control them?' her fingers dropped the towel from her head, letting it glaze slightly down her back, like a passing touch. Her back arched to it, her eyes growing more heavy.

'Then those evil men... the way he...' The blush in her cheeks rose to a hot fever... her, now, free hand gently moved over her cheeks and to her panting mouth...

'The first time he took me home when my heat set in...' Her eyes suddenly widened as she focused on the mirror, seeing what she was doing... feeling what was happening.

The toothbrush dropped from her mouth.

'Was the water really that hot…?' she wondered before feeling her body start wobbling and sink down, going limp.

"Oh no... not again..!"

She collapsed on the bathroom floor, but forcing herself up, she refused to be at the mercy of the elements again.

Her freshly cleaned gloves dug into her bathroom floor, sliding in the moisture as she put one knee under her and got back up off the ground. "Not... Not t-this time..." she gritted her teeth, if everything felt good, then pain must feel worse, right?

She slammed her head to the ground, "AHH!" it gave her enough adrenaline to lift herself up off the floor, sliding a bit but falling to her door and twisting herself to the grab the doorknob.

"Sha... Shadow..!" she stumbled down the stairs, mostly crawling. Once tumbling down a bit in her awkward four-legged crawl, she laid on her belly at the end of the stairs, desperately pushing herself to reach up and grab her coat. "We... we gotta go!" she instructed as she yanked the coat down, almost tumbling a few other articles of clothing off from the spot too.

"...Go?" He was watching something he obviously felt was boring on T.V, however, the steam from the bath upstairs kept her smell in check and he was able to leisurely relax from a few moments again. However... seeing her struggle on the ground, he remembered this behavior and began to quickly get up and panic slightly. He had been planning what to do next when she came out but he didn't realize his protective strategies were out the door if she was in...

"Are you in heat..?" he looked over to her with a raised eyebrow. "You're not allowed to go out." He stated, turning the T.V off and hurrying to figure out if there was a blanket he could put over her, something to block out any rising scent that may be spreading in the air around her.

He reached for her nest and paused, 'Darn.' he thought to himself, biting his teeth down. 'If I so much as go near that, it could end badly. Maybe the coat will have to do.' he looked back to her, stepping away from the nest but paused again, 'Wait... I can't go near her, either. Her scent may be strong by now...' He stepped back again, trying to be cautious, but hating the feeling that he couldn't help. "Darn it!" he gripped his hand tightly into a fist, "You couldn't have waited five minutes?! You shouldn't be triggered this early!"

Amy was trying to reach the door knob of the door, but a moan of frustration escaped her lips and she dropped back to leaning against the door. "I can't... control it..."

Shadow sighed, looking away, "Those foul men... the events you've been through today may have accelerated it's process. Though, I'm still not sure how this works."

Amy began to slid down the door, moving to her stomach and moving up and down for a moment, involuntarily...

Now wasn't the time to be arguing with her, but she closed her eyes and went to hit her head again, but the force was much less than she could muster before.

She had to get out of here...

"What are you doing?" he was pacing in his head between solutions, before seeing her raise her head up, long and back again... then slam it on the door. "Amy!" he couldn't help it, he rushed to her side, picking her up as her coat fell off her and bringing her back to the couch.

"N.. No!" she placed her hands on its frame, stopping him from moving her further.

"What?" He seemed confused, "You need to stay inside. I thought you said we'd stay and you'd obey my rules this time!" He was growing aggressive for some reason, but he wasn't even flinching at this circumstance.

That's what made him even more the worried.

Where was his instincts? 'What are you planning?' he tried to speak to it, but couldn't sense it anywhere.

"Shadow!" Amy continued to fight him in his grasp, and he let her go enough so to stand, but kept supporting her against the couch. "I don't think... you quite understand..." She was also growing agitated, knowing she wouldn't be able to keep herself in check for long... "My need to get out here!" she cried out, moving her weight from one foot to the next, desperately trying to remain upright.

She fell slightly and he caught her, the power in his touch was too much a sensation and she tried to bat him away, summoning her hammer and falling to a sitting position again. "Don't-!" she cried out, and Shadow slowly... stepped away...

She panted heavily now, she could feel the lingering wetness and tried to rub under her chin to keep it dry... maybe the water would take the scent with it.

"Amy..." He held his hands out, but withdrew them back, forming tight fist again. 'Does she know..?' he thought back to his instincts, feeling ashamed. 'Does she not trust me anymore..?'

He felt useless... and for some reason, the trigger of Maria came back to his mind and forced him to look away from Amy, closing his eyes and gripping his head with one of his hands. 'Maria... Why am I feeling like I'm failing again?'

She looked back to the door, her eyes drooping down weakly, and the heat of it all making her face flush more red than before.

How could he just act so normally around her!? Did... Did he really not get triggered by her? Was the bath helping dull the smell? Was she even smelling yet?

Could he really not tell she wasn't comfortable going into heat around him!? Yes, he seemed fine, but...

The diamond eyes haunted her mind then...

When his instincts began to pull at her ear and bite at her neck...

"S…Shadow..!" she started slowly falling downward again, her hammer gripped tightly in her arms. She felt her eyes blacking out, and felt the splitting headache from her attempts at fighting it. She threw her hammer to the top of the couch's back frame, pulling in stumbling attempts to get her feet back under herself. Her head was down, and she felt her strength give way, and her hammer poof from existence out of her hands... slowly... she slipped back to the ground. "Sh…Shadow..."

"…Hmm?" her voice's drastic change suddenly caught his attention, as he could hear panting, and looked behind him.

His eyes widened.

"Maria."

"You…you big jerk…" she fell to the ground, the same twitching image he remembered when Maria had died.

'...You couldn't save her then... not in your current state...' having waited for this moment of Shadow slipping from his secured focus, Instinct Shadow leaped to the front grounds, having hidden in waiting for this very moment. 'But I could have saved her... I could give you whatever you wanted... and I will, as soon as I get the very thing you need more than anything...'

"There you are..!" Shadow gripped his throbbing head, his eyes trying to stay open as he knew with one blink... it could be all over.

Amy felt like she might pass out, that could be better than shifting... but then she wouldn't know what was happening... that could be worse.

But something a lot worse was about to happen.

"How…how can this be…? It's the…literally… first day." She cried out through her huffs and puffs as Shadow fell back, not daring to touch her or even go near her till this battle within him of control was settled first.

"What..." She wearily looked over to him, her eyes growing dim, "...are you doing?" she stared up at him, rotating her body, feeling the need to be closer to him... "Help me up... I have to get out of..." She couldn't finish, words just stopped coming out.

Maria's trigger and with his current form shaken... he suddenly stopped struggling and lowered his hands down from their clutching grasp of his head...

"…I think the best thing for you to do... is to stay in your nest…" His voice had... changed? It was smoother, controlled. "Why go outside?" he asked, perplexed by her reasoning it seemed, or... trying to convince her it wasn't right.

"B-but… if I stay here…" she was afraid of influencing him in a tightly closed home… "If my scent is..." she felt a lapse in her voice again.

Shadow slowly turned, but kept his eyes hidden from her view. He lowered down next to her...

She let a sound carry before her voice came back, "Caaah... if it... starts up like before… then wouldn't you..?" she lost it again.

Maybe she really had washed it all off… maybe he really didn't get triggered by her scent. What a miracle that would be. But then... how did his instincts trigger before?

What she didn't realize... was that although she was starting to smell... he didn't need it.

Still... it was growing stronger.

She didn't want to take any chances, and hastily began to push herself away from him. "Erk... emm..." she was departing as fast as she could go, but Shadow caught her in her flee, reaching and feeling for the white strip at her neck...

"I realized what you must be feeling,... seeing you roll and crawl towards the door,... reaching for it's sweet release... But trust me, Amy... that's not where you'll find your haven..." She couldn't pinpoint exactly what his voice sounded like, but it wasn't his normal speaking voice, and it didn't hold the hard, cold edge it usually did. This was too caring, too soft and sweetly spoken as if breathing out a sigh of victory... It was like he was anticipating something, delightfully freaking her out...

She trembled... realizing she couldn't peer up to see his eyes and instead, looked to see him moving closer over her, and reached for the door's knob again... so far away now...

"…Amy," Shadow slowly, and lightly, pushed her hand down from weakly straining in the air. "…I can control my instincts… I've met your instincts and have dealt with you being in heat before… Why are you afraid for me?"

'No..." Amy thought to herself, bringing her hand back to herself, moving it out from his own. 'This doesn't sound like Shadow...'

His hand let her slide away... before like a viper, snatching it in a hard grasp.

"Ah..!" Amy gasped, feeling the tightening around her hand a strange pleasure from the forceful grip.

"Are you worried... Amy? Did you see something..? Are you concerned I had a momentarily lapse in my mental fortitude? That my body could be stronger than my mind? Nature more alluring then my mortal sanity?" He gave off a low, chuckling grumble from his throat, moving towards her three quills on her head, acting as her bangs and lightly opened his mouth, as though sucking in a scent from there instead of his nose... "The very thought makes you tense up,... waiting to see if I answer your worries with loving comforts... But it's I who awaits your answer, Amy... I couldn't leave your side now... even if I wanted too." he whispered hauntingly into her ear, making her eyes tremble at what he could be suggesting. "Not with you being like this…" he skimmed his open mouth over her head, ducking down to her cheek and breathing out a deep breath... then completely taking in her scent glands under her chin.

She was frozen in terror... "I remember what I saw." She had forced her voice to break those words out, but felt the dryness of her throat and her body begin to not respond to her desire to run...

Now she could feel the warmth of his breath... the coolness when he sucked in to take in more of her growing scent... directly at where it begins...

"It's true I hadn't taken you,..."

She heard him, but she knew he was fibbing now. He wasn't Shadow... but he wasn't his pure Instinct form either.

"I remember."

She glared, turning her eyes to see his own as he rapidly opened them in response to her action. He let the now barely visible light from the setting sun reveal the merged eyes... The sharpened, wider diamond... having overlapped the oval and pinched its four corners... a fat star to remind her how no one was ever truly safe from their instincts.

However, it was clear that Instinct Shadow was more in control than Shadow... something, again, normal instincts couldn't possibly pull off.

She knew he had lost control over his instincts.

"Oh, Shadow... No." she breathed out. Her eyes told the story,... she had known, but she didn't want to disappoint him. She needed him, he had tried so hard to be there for her... she wanted him to be able to so badly...

Or was it really...

That she didn't want to be utterly alone again.

'He could control himself... even if it was only in the slightest bit...' she closed her eyes, fearing the worst, 'At least he tried too, was willing to attempt... unlike Sonic... If something bad had to happen... No! I believe in Sonic, and I have to believe in Shadow too!' she couldn't move her body, feeling that if she opened her eyes, it could all be over in that very instance.

She turned her head and didn't say anything, just blocked him from trying to lick at her glands.

She had been thinking of him like Sonic… constantly fighting his instincts... but Shadow was not like Sonic.

His war must have been so different... She should have listened to him from the very get-go... but he should have been honest with her too.

Did he know he was losing control? Why didn't he say anything? What was holding him back..?

He didn't really want to be by her side anyway, right? It seemed like no one did at this point...

But she didn't want to fall into despair, though. She wanted to keep believing... that no matter what, they could win over their ancestral tendencies.

'That's right… Shadow will be able to handle his instincts. He'll snap out of it! Then I'll shift and he'll handle my instincts too… he can... he can mostly control his instincts…' She felt that same sensation of touch as Shadow still had his hand on her own, and for a moment, her mind only fixated on that. But... was she lying to herself? Was this a foolish sense of false hope?

She closed her eyes, bending her head down and trying to only focus on breathing,... no, she had to get through to Shadow!

She tried to speak again, "Sta...Stahp..." it was hard to form the sound, but as he pushed with his head to roll her over, he shoved her held hand down. Clearly, she would need a better tactic than this.

He dug into her neck and sucked, bit, and licked in a frenzy. The sensation was too much for her, but when she opened her eyes, it wasn't instincts.

'I'm still here?' she couldn't believe that,... was heat different than instincts?

She could feel some control in her legs, and began to try and kick.

Almost instantly, to deflate any hope she had, this unnatural hybrid merger Shadow slammed his hand down to her leg, forcing it to remain down as he moved from her neck up to look at her again.

"You've still yet to shift..? How interesting... am I going to need to be more alluring to her..? That valuable instinct of yours..." as he came closer, she tensed up, turning her head, closing her eyes to it again before shaking her head back and forth.

The touch was unquestionably addicting, but she wouldn't let him have the last say, that was for sure.

She fought, even though she felt her mentality slipping into a drowsy ecstasy, at least he was 'warming up' and not doing anything just yet.

He seemed to grow frustrated with her rapid head turning to block him, and gripped her head with the hand that once held her hand down, "Ah!" she was yanked back to the floor, keeping her still again.

"Where are you... Amy?" the huffs and grunts made sense to Amy, and she breathed hard to try and get power over her body again. Her arm jolted slightly, but went limp and dead again.

Was he trying to bring out her instincts? Perhaps it still was too early...

He moved down to her leg, biting it as she turned her head feeling him pull it up towards him. "This may not be your nest... but your perseverance to fight the call of your nature is disturbingly... enticing."

What could she do!? 'Instincts... you'd just give in, wouldn't you?' she tried to call out, but there was no sound. It was there before, wasn't it?! Not a voice, but a warning from earlier. If she had just left the house then... but...

Was this her fate? Was this any girl's fate with instincts..?!

Or was it just her own...

She found enough resistance in her will to have her arms surge with power again and she pushed against Shadow, making him let go of her leg and narrow his sights back to her.

"Interesting..." He dove to her and began to kiss her, driving himself to keep her firmly against the floor, unable to fight back.

She could barely breathe, the pressure destroying the flight or fight response she had momentarily maintained. The heat was making her once pushing arms grip his sides,... her bitten up leg suddenly lifting up against his force, wanting to feel his fur on it...

This had to stop!

She bit her mouth closed, still unable to make too many sounds in heat when he gripped her quills and shoved her head down again. "AH!" the pain made her open her mouth as he encased her in himself again. She couldn't break free of this... could she?

She felt her consciousness slipping again... the stored up power leaving her as his hands were stabbed by her quills, but it didn't stop him from reaching further in, clutching her head and pulling her deeper against him.

Was this... going to happen?

Did everything Tails and Sonic try to help her with... tried to prevent from happening to her... was it all about to go up in flames?

Flames that tickled before igniting all her senses and blazed a fire against her skin that brought even a man she didn't love towards her, letting him grip and tug her to him like this...

She felt tears... as he finally released her lips and moved to pull her dress up... "Sonic…" she breathed out in her gasp for air. Her body completely separate from her now... her will like a ghost that couldn't cling to control over it anymore.

A sandbag... a dead weight...

He flinched back, stopping and moving off of her a moment, staring down at her.

Her mention of him threw this merged Instinct Shadow off guard.

"…Sonic…" She started crying… but very gently, calling out for her hero. "…Sonic, I'm so sorry…"

Merged Instinct Shadow felt the true Shadow stir again, his eyes begin to shift between merged and instinct... then oval for a brief moment.

'What are you making me do to her..!?' Shadow snapped to his senses, taking his form back a moment but Instinct Shadow threw him back to the depths of his mind.

"No!" Merged Instinct Shadow threw himself back, feeling something inside him twist, Shadow felt his Instinct's disturbing feeling of envy,… and hate.

She started going further into heat, pawing at him as her eyes glazed over in a fog... her crying stopped, and body moved to be up against him again, leaning up to drape her arms around him.

"Don't you feel that?! Almost the desire to be whatever you need to be, whatever she wants you to be, just to be able to comfort her…" Merged Instinct Shadow spoke out, trying to make his desires Shadow's again, tricking the mind through the body, a clever ploy that was beginning to rock Shadow's core with a sense of right and wrong, a justice springing from him.

'But she wants Sonic.' Shadow pulled together all his strength to take back his body, charging up from within him, glaring with bared fangs at his instinct's deception and play over his emotions. 'I'm too prideful to play another man's part…'

She blinked her eyes and they were diamonds, though Instinct Amy didn't seem to be thinking clearly either. Although she could smell the scent was more like her beta, her eyes deceived her into thinking it was her Alpha. Had his scent grown? Either way, her body didn't care, and would make due with what he could offer her... Was her alpha too late? Or was this him, but his true alpha instincts coming through..?

'… Don't you want to take advance of this? Her Instincts will surely be triggered by the littlest of touches now…' Instinct Shadow felt his eyes blink into diamonds as well, Shadow's reawakening and resolve to fight and not let Amy be taken by this inner animal broke the merger that Instinct Shadow had so carefully been developing. 'No!'

He fell on top of Instinct Amy, but he wasn't mating...

She tilted her head, licking the red of his head and wondering why he was gripping her hips but not doing anything. "Is this not..?"

Shadow heard or… seemed to feel the words she spoke to him come through to understanding in his mind. 'Was this..?' He was horrified then, had she already slipped into Instincts?! 'No! Not now!' He needed to be there for Amy, not have to deal with both their Instincts!

Shadow fought with every last strand of power he had been building up, lifting his head forward and out and shouting as he felt himself gaining control over each part of his body again, Instinct Shadow lifting himself up and letting her go, looking at his arms in wild fury at being taken over.

"Nooo...!" He was so close to the ultimate prize and yet... as he reached for her, he slumped and closed his eyes...

Waking up, Shadow shook his head and moved himself up over Amy, opening his eyes and panting as he still had her taste in his mouth... and the dread of what had happened sinking in.

Instinct Shadow mentally clawed him, and took back control, slamming his hands into hers and forcing her down again.

Shadow once again shook his head and mentally punched Instinct Shadow back out, "I refuse to be possessed by feeble interests!" he spoke out, his eyes back to ovals as he removed his hand from hers. Already squatting down, he let his knees fall and roll off of her. Breathing a bit in a panic, he clutched his chest, the aching of his head reminding him of the sensations his body had just gone through... how close the terrifying conclusion had been...

Twitching with rage at almost succumbing to a foolish, pathetic voice in his head that dictated his animistic, bodily desires... he kept it all down and sealed it with his righteous indignation at being forced into such horrible waves of self-interest. He pushed the decreasing feelings of pleasure and possession down deep within himself, clenching his teeth and sweating profusely.

'I don't know what or who you think you are, but you can't control me! Where is your honor!?' he cried out in his mind. 'I won't let you cause any harm to Amy!'

Instinct Amy turned over to him, nipping at his white fur, grooming in the remaining, lingering delights her body had felt previously...

He pushed her away, still breathing hard but was kind enough to pat her forehead, letting Amy within her mind know that it was going to be okay now... "Everything... will be alright." He spoke out, his eyes showing his exhaustion as he tried to still his breathing.

'…My, how noble.' His instinct scoffed, desperately focusing on the touch she just gave him, the sensuality, hoping to lure Shadow back into a distracted state of mind. 'But tell me… why then… do you still allow a weak alpha to command her? She is in obvious need of an alpha…' Instinct Shadow gave him images of her teeth gripping his quills and pulling them up with the imaginary feeling of the joy and pleasure it would bring, her fur against his... her hands rummaging in heated passion over him and through his white fur and quills... but Shadow quickly broke it from his mind.

"Enough of this..." He forced himself up, but couldn't quite get to his knees. He heard Instinct Amy's slight coos and groans, but refused to turn and look at her. Her scent was still everywhere... he needed to figure out a way to break fully from her influence over his own, savage Instincts... "You can't have your way..."

'she needs to be sustained... and her desires? Quenched.' Instinct Shadow was an genetically engineered and modified being just like Shadow, it aroused him to look over at her... Seeing Instinct Amy wiggle as though to scratch her back on the ground, putting her hands to her small waist and tracing it up and down as her body moved to and fro...

Shadow stared... his breathing finally coming to a normal rhythm before that sensation began to overtake him again... the memory of her touch... her taste... he swallowed hard, moving back over her and looking down directly as her eyes remained closed, as though her body was waiting for more but amusing itself...

'In my world… seeing her like this… it's… cruel.' Instinct Shadow suddenly took on a tenderness that Shadow couldn't quite comprehend from the way he spoke before.

'You have no care for her...' Shadow glared within his mind to him, growling through the hate he bit down on with his teeth. 'I respect the bond! By doing so, I respect her and her wishes! This is just her body, as you claim to be mine!'

'…Look at her, Other Me…'

Shadow shut his eyes, curling a bit forward and arching his back as he now held one arm out, keeping him up off the ground. The other placed over his face, trying to strain against his powerful, aggressive instinct. 'You are not an alpha of anything!' he tried to fight, but Shadow did glance back towards Amy, looking down at her...

'How easy it could be... to get what you want. To give what she wants...'

"No!" Shadow took to his feet, shoving himself against the wall and pinning himself against it. "Enough of this... how do I destroy you!?"

Her face was out of sight, Amy's quills draped over herself as she was holding herself up on her elbows, turning herself around as he moved away. One hand extended farther than the other, gripping the flooring and dragging gently her fingernails back to herself on the ground again...

'She looks pretty terrible on the floor there... miserable.' Instinct Shadow kept provoking him, but he wouldn't turn again, no matter how tempting it all seemed.

"This isn't love. I don't love her!" he finally admitted, "This is something completely different... this is lust!"

She moved her body up before finally letting go and falling to roll herself back to her back, her face now visible as she started to make small sounds and sniffles as if she was rolling in her sleep.

'… Don't you long for her? Her happiness?' Instinct Shadow kept trying to turn his head, but this time, Shadow wouldn't budge. 'Don't you despise how he left her this way? Don't you want to remedy her grieving..? Give her someone else to cling too...' Shadow's eyes opened in a deep, unyielding glare... he could see the manipulation now, could sense where it was coming from...

His despising of Sonic.

'All because he couldn't love her…'

"You don't make yourself sound like an animal… but your suggestions are very animistic to me!" Shadow shoved his nose against the wall, hoping to breathe in even dust if it meant tuning out Instinct Amy behind him.

'…I have merged with you. I know much more than the common animal… we are better than that… don't you think she deserves better?"

"Leave me be! And stop trying to convince me of violence against her!" Shadow began to quickly walk away, deciding that if this is going to be a battle of the wills, he was going to have to take it somewhere away from Amy... She wouldn't hurt herself if she was tightly shut in her home, he just had to be in another room... the kitchen, perhaps?

'…And let her wallow in the flames of her heart?'

'I'd rather die than go back on my word.' He looked nobly up to the side of himself, standing tall, fully feeling his control returning to him now that he recognized the ploys of this highly-advanced animal. He still refused to believe it was his own body, but for now, seeing him as the enemy and needing to protect Amy was helping him calm down enough to regain necessary control over himself. 'I will not betray her trust in me. I am Shadow, the ultimate life form!'

'You are a hedgehog!"

"Urk!" Shadow's eyes shrunk in fear at the amount of power that was rising within him, ripping his consciousness back and pulling him into that deep dark place within himself that he, originally, had tried to stuff his instincts into.

"This… this can't be happening..." he gripped his head again, flinging himself around. He was in the kitchen and yet...

He opened his eyes... smelling her in the other room...

The aroma was intoxicating.

He still refused to show weakness and plug his nose, but leaned his head down and shook in his blurred vision in his want to get closer to it.

"Am I..?" He didn't want to admit it, but... it smelled so alluring...

Was he truly the common animal?

He felt his will slowly fade as his eyes closed and Amy, in her trance, looked over to him, smelling the unusual but somehow familiar scent again, recognizing at last who this was. "Wait... Does my Beta smell of Alpha?" She was beginning to come out of it, but not fully there yet. She knew that Shadow smelled strong enough to be an Alpha, but she had mistaken it for Sonic's growth and desires... now she seemed confused. "You dare to try and be my alpha?"

Instinct Shadow reared to life and thrusted Shadow's body forward, sensing his weakened moment at the thought that he really was just his instincts.

He now had both hands out in front of him, and slightly stretched his back. Smiling, he could feel the complete control he had, the diamond eyes. But also, the resistance in him was so fierce, he knew Shadow wouldn't give in to his flesh so easily...

"…You'll see it my way… when the time comes." Instinct Shadow smirked, feeling power once more after overtaking his Other, it left him with a sense of egotistical narcissism again. His instinctual grunt seemed both directed to Shadow and Instinct Amy.

He ripped through the flooring, on all fours as he seemed like an unstoppable force, jumping and tearing through the couch in his leaps and bounds in circling back to Instinct Amy, "Finally..." he lightly bent his head down to hers, checking the level of how far into heat she was, making sure he hadn't missed this most opportune moment...

Her scent was springing up quickly, with as much eagerness as a young mate should have.

He grinned bigger, using his wrist to move her head up and look into her eyes again. Diamonds,... Good...

"Now then… I have no wish to harm you, only to…" he paused a moment, totally willing to go violent if necessary to secure her to him. In a moment of wicked wisdom, he purred and lowered his head to rest by hers. "Satisfy you… my Alpha." It seems the manipulation didn't stop at Shadow... He was prepared to do anything to have her as his Alpha Female, and become the Alpha over Sonic through this union...

However... after Amy had struggled enough, she had a brief moment where her eyes did flex back to an oval. Only for a few seconds, she looked around and realized the danger had not passed, but at least she didn't seem to have done the unthinkable.

Amy couldn't understand what Instinct Shadow was saying, only hearing grunts, but even then... she was so far into her trance that she really couldn't hear anything coherently.

But she knew... that she wasn't out of the woods just yet... and as she fell back... her heat ceased almost instantly. Her diamond eyes returned with a quickened jolt, fully aware of everything now, the headache too slow to kick in as Instinct Amy wouldn't let her Other conquer her again so easily.

Instinct Shadow went for another touch on her head, gliding his head down to her shoulder, hoping to kick start her like he had hoped to last time but she hissed and swatted him away.

Reeling herself up, she was more alive and awake then ever, sniffing and seeing fully now that he was indeed, not Instinct Sonic.

In the heat of the moment Instinct Amy had taken over and defended her title as the sole Alpha.

(Edit: Stop. Please. The pun's not that funny.)

"How dare you. Try and claim me?" She bore her infamous fangs, hunching over and trying to look menacing.

She was still weak, barely able to hold her ground as she slumped back to dragging herself against the floor, huffing and puffing out complaints as the heat lingered in its defusing.

Instinct Shadow leaned his head slowly up, with majesty and power, but his light ear twitch showed he was absolutely livid, "…My apologies… My Alpha..." he bent his head to glare intensely at her, ticked that he would have to try and start the process all over again... and this time, with her fighting it.

Instinct Shadow hid his annoyance under the rug, smugly determining that although not merged with his Other, he could still have his fun and way on his own. Though better merged, he figured himself all that was needed...

Still, for her to somehow be able to break through her Other's weak mind to figure out what he was planning to do… was quite more clever than he predicted her to be.

He gave her a friendly, faking submission, smile and moved closer to her, ducking his head. 'You are just too tempting, my Alpha... I didn't want you to suffer long... without some fun to pass the time.' he tilted his head to imply the idea of him being her mate wouldn't be so bad, but she withdrew with another swat of her hand, just barely missing him, hissing out another warning again.

"You are merely a Beta! You have no right to me!"

His silence only came off as a direct threat back to her. It was looking more and more like he would just take her now, but something urged him to play around and enjoy the process of taking over her first...

He rose his body up in a slight, staring challenge for her to prove it, but she did by fearlessly sticking her head towards his own, still as hostile as ever.

"I'll rip out your throat if you dare come near me again!"

He only stared at her, watching her lose her adrenaline rush as she slowly melted back to her pants and rubbing on the floor.

He rolled his eyes back to her nest... knowing that even with her resistance now, he still had nothing stopping him from becoming Alpha...

"…Are you really in the position now… my Alpha… to make such threats to me?" He placed a hand gently to her back, sliding it as she let out a squeak of mercy, something only a submissive female would involuntarily give.

He smirked, "My, my Alpha... You act your place, but you bear your hostilities at the wrong male..." circling her, he tried to see if she would be tempted to curl up... then he could just roll her to the nest, and in due process of time, break her out of her ball and claim her at last... "Your natural nature is to give yourself to love... not feign ignorance to it." he nipped at her sides, trying to make her feel a bit more threatened and curl up defensively. "Why reproach me? Am I not willing..? Unlike your current, lazy alpha... who slept on the job..." Instinct Shadow tugged on a quill but she spiked them to get him off, though he didn't mind the brief moment of pain as he flinched away and continued his grunting and huffing as he circled endlessly around her... but it was clear his rapid pace was due to not just urgency, but impatience... "Am I not willing to give you your status..? All I ask is for my own... do I not smell more enticing than he? Show more dominance then him? Why disdain me so..."

She knew what he meant, and looked sadly down to the ground. "Your smell is greater, yes... but he has promised me marriage!" she barked out.

But the sound made him slightly squeak, his excitement growing at the prospect, his feet moving even quicker a pace around her, rubbing himself against her as she tried to swat and get her bearings again. He ran off as if in a battle, but charged back to tug on her ear or stroke a quill with his teeth again, trying to get her to fear attack and curl up...

Once she curled... it was all over.

"According to my other... you only wanted him because he agreed to Others' cultures of pleasure... Did I not kiss you?" he made an unexpected motion and reversed his circling, causing her to spike her quills and look around fearfully... her head ducked a few times, and she spat out threats at his newfound speed...

He was scaring her... good... she would curl soon...

She was naturally submissive… and his constant threats and touches didn't help her fight him, but made her want to drop it in hopes of not having him dominate over her violently... He seemed so aggressive... whereas, her Sonic seemed considerate, playful, and kind natured...

He took his time to break her, gently, and without too much force. A nudge here of his nose, and a gentle lick there to pull her back to bantering with him again.

This felt like she was prey...

She knew in her quiet whimpers that only aroused greater bites and whacks from Instinct Shadow that she wouldn't be able to fight him back if he really wanted her… He kept attacking her to force out her guard so he could break her resilience and loyalty to Sonic... It wouldn't be much longer now till the batting and nipping became more severe to where she would have to curl...

But her senses also warned her, curling would mean he would get more aggressive to break her out of it. Unlike Sonic's playful and curious approach, he seemed willing to do anything to get to her... and if she curled, it would be her doom to her promised bond with Sonic.

Instinct Shadow approached her again, beginning to show dominance as he rubbed his scent on her head, "How long must you make me wait... waiting for it... the moment you are mine... and I, yours to command." His nustling was rushed, and it wasn't thrilling or alluring at all, it was just done with brutal force that forced her deeper back, in position to curl...

He drove his insistent rubbing of his head to her own so far that he pushed her head towards her stomach, as though attempting to make her curl himself...

She growled, leaning her head back against his and then striked, but he caught it with his teeth, biting hard to make her whimper in submission.

Tilting his head, he loosened the bite and sucked on it. She withdrew back, but still refused to curl, though her quills now indicated she would start popping in and out of curls if this continued... which was close enough in his eyes.

Leaning in, he released her hand to drag a long lick across it, as though already stating she was his. He whispered in a cooing way, as though demanding with every bit of dark humor that she be his to avoid an unruly takeover...

"Where is your Sonic now… My Amy…"