Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In the corner of his eye, Shadow thought he spotted something strange. Although… it wouldn’t have been the strangest thing he’d seen all week.

Not too long since he’d “lent” Sonic his chaos emerald, the whole world seemed to have split apart. At least that’s what he’d figured. On account of the large cracks that suddenly formed around Mazuri’s plains, leading straight to the earth’s core and the floating islands he saw… clearly, they were Mazuri’s neighboring lands.

Ever since that day, every night these evil creatures had appeared. Threatening to harm the people of Mazuri. And every night Shadow held them at bay, but this creature that zoomed past him wasn’t like all the others. The others were abstract beasts, with beady yellow eyes and huge claws, but this one clearly looked like a wolf, and seemed… familiar somehow?

While the sun would transform the beast into purple plumes of smoke, just as the sun’s rays would do every morning, the huge wolf had come a little too close to a nearby village, so Shadow made chase.

The wolf charged through the forest kicking up dirt and weaving through trees. Surprisingly, Shadow could hardly keep up. He matched the wolf beat for beat, boosting himself off of tree branches, but he couldn’t gain any ground. Thankfully, the sun started rising against the early morning sky and Shadow could hear the now familiar hiss of the strange beasts disappearing.

The wolf stopped, collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Now was Shadow’s chance. He leaped up into the air, ready to deliver a satisfying kick… but had to force himself to stop. There were the plumes of smoke, the hissing… but instead of a pile of dust…

Sonic was lying in front of him.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonic opened his eyes. They still felt heavy from sleep. His body ached just like it did every night this past week. And what a strange week it had been.

Not too long after he “borrowed” Shadow’s chaos emerald, he snuck onto one of Eggman’s ships blasting into space, turned into Super Sonic and had almost managed to stop another one of Eggman’s evil schemes.

Almost.

After a high speed chase throughout Eggman’s ship, Sonic found himself and Eggman in a large control room. He thought he had Eggman cornered, but before he could react, Eggman pushed a button on his control panel and suddenly these energy rings appeared and trapped him.

Even in his Super form!

The cage violently ripped all seven chaos emeralds out of him, and used the emeralds to power Eggman’s machine that split the earth apart and awoke the god sleeping in its core. Dark Gaia.

The earth had changed, now split into seven parts, and Sonic had changed too. His fur turned a dark smoky blue, claws burst through his gloves, large fangs had grown from his mouth and he’d grown at least three times his size! The seven chaos emeralds, which used to shine and glimmer like the sun, in all colors of the rainbow… had become dull and dim.

Before Sonic could get a good look at himself, Eggman’s machine overloaded and exploded, breaking a giant hole in his spaceship’s window, throwing an unconscious Sonic into space and headed towards earth.

When he next woke up he was back on earth. He still looked like his old self. Could that have been a nightmare? But he looked around found the seven blank chaos emeralds, and a strange… furry… guy…? Did he land on him? If what he saw was true, and what he thinks happened did happen… he must’ve hit him when he fell on earth! Now he has to find out where this guy’s from and restore the chaos emeralds and the world!

Sonic had been through a lot this week.

Where am I? Sonic thought groggily. His body felt stiff. He looked down and noticed he was tightly wrapped in bandages. What happened? He tried to sit up, but winced as a sharp pain flew up his body and he flopped back down.

“Try not to move.” A familiar voice said. “The doctors gave you something to relieve your pain, but they’re not miracle workers.” Sonic turned his head and saw Shadow sitting in the corner of the hut he was sleeping in. And he didn’t look happy.

“Hey…~ what’s up Shadow?”

“Don’t ‘what’s up Shadow’ me!” He yelled angrily. ”You sneak off with my chaos emerald and not even a day later you’ve started some sort of apocalyptic event! Every single night, for the past week I’ve been off fighting these horrifying creatures! What did you do?” Shadow got up from his corner of the room. And stood by Sonic’s bed. He bent down, arms as cross as his face, and stared menacingly in Sonic’s eyes, waiting for a response.

“W-well, that’s not exactly wha—“

“Do those creatures have something to do with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then don’t act like you can shirk off your responsibilities.” Shadow’s glare was now mere inches from Sonic’s face. “Fix it.”

“Already on it!” Another familiar voice said.

Sonic was relieved to see Tails enter the hut. He ran in wearing his backpack that he used to carry the powerless chaos emeralds, his usual portable computer in his arms as well as a binder filled with hastily slapped together pages. “Tails? How did ya find me?!” Sonic excitedly shot up, but was immediately brought back down by his injuries. Shadow grabbed his waist before he fell off of his bed.

“I ran into Shadow after he took you back to this village.” Tails said, looking down. “Thank goodness! I thought it’d take forever to find him—“ Tails peeked around Shadow, saw Sonic and jumped. “Are ya ok?“ He immediately dropped what he was doing and practically shoved Shadow out of the way to get a better look at him. “I lost track of you after Chip got captured. Did somethin' happen?” Before Sonic could even ask about Chip or explain himself, Shadow interrupted him.

“He’ll be sore for a few days, but he’ll manage. I want you to tell me, plainly and clearly what you guys did and what’s happening.”

Tails worriedly looked back at Sonic. But Sonic was clearly unfazed. “Don’t worry ‘bout me. I’m fine.”

“Ok…” Tails said as he finished preparing his portable computer. He swiped his finger over the screen and images appeared related to Sonic and his past adventures. “So… long story short, Eggman woke up some kind of monster that’s been sleeping in the earth’s core called “Dark Gaia.” It’s been leaking out this evil energy all throughout the world.” Tails took off his backpack and opened it up revealing the weakened chaos emeralds. “It even got to the chaos emeralds! Non of my energy sensors can pick up anything from them.”

Shadow sifted through the bag. He knew from their size and shape that these must be the chaos emeralds. But they looked so simple and lacked the magical warmth they typically gave. “This looks bad.” he whispered to himself.

Tails nodded in agreement. “Professor Pickle and I were translating these ancient texts we call the Gaia Manuscripts…” Tails continued, “it’s a collection of all known things Gaia related from around the world, and we think we might be close to figuring out how to restore the planet and the chaos emeralds!”

Shadow nodded, soaking in the information. “Why are you here?” He asked. “Why did Sonic transform into a wolf? And who is this ‘Chip’ that you mentioned earlier?”

Tails rolled his eyes. “I was getting to that...” compared to his earlier statements, Tails seemed a little less confident. “Technically…” he started cautiously, “we don’t know that much about anything else right now. I found a translation that led us to Mazuri. Sonic and I were thinking that maybe we could use your help, so it was kind of a 'two birds with one stone' type of opportunity.”

Tails, after his proposition, looked up hopefully at Shadow, but his face gave nothing away. Awkwardly he continued. “Uh… Sonic found me after he fell back down to earth in Apotos. He told me that he thinks he might’ve hit Chip when he landed and maybe gave him a bit of amnesia.”

Shadow sighed. “I get that you like to ‘help’ people, but why would you bring a civilian like Chip all the way to Mazuri?”

Tails responded by flipping through his large binder. He stopped on a page that showed what looked like a bracelet with a glowing orb attached to it. “It’s because of this. Chip’s wearing this around his neck. I haven’t been able to translate this page yet, so I don’t know what it’s for, but after seeing this I really felt like Chip, and maybe even the werehog, might be connected.”

Shadow looked at the page. He must admit that the strange artifact looked important. They might need Chip to learn more about this bracelet. Shadow’s thoughts halted for a moment. Something that Tails had said earlier sounded… strange.
“‘Werehog?’ What is that?”

“The wolf that Sonic turns into at night.”

“Is that what you’re calling that thing?”

Tails shrugged. “What would you call it?”

Shadow… didn’t really have an answer. He waved the thought away. “I’ll help you find Chip. He seems pretty important.” Sonic and Tails beamed as Shadow made his way to the hut’s exit. “Tails,” he said without looking behind him, “you can tell me more about what’s going on. Let Sonic rest.”

Sonic was about to protest, but was interrupted by a massive yawn.

Tails scooped up his binder and followed Shadow out. “See ya later, Sonic!”

Sonic watched his best friends leave him, feeling a little bit disappointed. I wanted to talk a little more about that werehog... but I guess it’ll have to wait ‘till later.

Ever since the first night he spent as the werehog, something about it made him feel… uncomfortable. He could never remember what happened earlier, other than bits and pieces, and he didn’t seem to have any control over it. Not like his other forms.

It took him three days to find Tails, mostly because he would run to one of his workshops, the day would turn over, night would begin and then he would wake up somewhere completely different the next morning. Chip would tell him stories about how badly he beat up last night’s rotation of monsters. And it honestly worried him a little. Such raw power in his hands and he wasn’t aware while he was using it.

The morning when they landed in Mazuri, Tails told him about how difficult the werehog was. It seemed like it only really cared about fighting and wanted nothing to do with the Tornado. It took him forever to start the flight. And Sonic felt guilty giving him all that to deal with on his own.

But now that Shadow’s here, I guess he can help.

Sonic stiffly tossed over and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Now that the sun had started to set, Sonic and Shadow were making their way to Tails’ rendezvous point.

Sonic wanted to take a break, but he knew they couldn’t risk the public finding out about the werehog. Everyone was used to seeing their friendly neighborhood blue hedgehog. Who knows what they would think of the wolf-like creature?

Thankfully, Tails had already made a plan on how to rescue Chip and wanted a meeting before they headed out.

Despite his injuries, Sonic insisted they leave tonight.

“Are you sure you should be up?” Said Shadow, Sonic slowly limping beside him. He had to slow down to keep pace with him.

Sonic waved nonchalantly. “Don’t worry about it! The werehog heals up pretty quick… I think?” From what Tails told me, at least.

“You… think?” Shadow asked incredulously. “You honestly don’t remember anything when you’re in your ‘werehog’ state?”

Sonic shook his head. “Nope. Sometimes… I sort of... get a... tiny bit of a memory, but it feels… weird. Like I’m trying to remember a dream I had six months ago!” Sonic chuckled, but inside he was still a little unsettled.

‘Like a dream,’ was the easiest way he could describe it, but it felt like more than that. In a dream, you might have some control over your body, but this… whatever it was, it was like watching someone else parade around in your body. It didn’t exactly sound like him, it didn’t really feel like him. It didn’t feel… right. He would wander around in those hazy, uncanny memories, until he woke up the next day, worse for wear, a new ache or two. It seemed like a dream…

But it was real.

Sonic wanted to talk… to tell someone about this. It wasn’t normal, right? But even if he could, he really couldn’t find the words to speak. Everything about the werehog felt… too weird. Despite his earlier enthusiasm at the thought of even discussing the werehog, right now, Sonic danced around the subject.  “So… “ he started, “is there any reason why you’re here in Mazuri?”

Shadow thought for a moment as if he were debating if Sonic really needed to know, but finally he said, “Mandatory leave. I… accumulated too many vacation days.”

Sonic nodded. Of course, it’s work. “Any reason why you chose here?”

Shadow sighed. Frustrated that the conversation wasn’t over. “Rouge set up some kind of game. She blindfolded me and had me throw a dart at a world map. This is where it sent me.”

Sonic threw his hands behind his quills. “Well, it’s always good to get some R and R. Especially with your job. You’re always out on some mission helpin’ people… espionage and whatnot…” While Sonic didn’t always agree with how G.U.N did things, he still believed that their work was somewhat important, and very hard too. Only a guy like Shadow would have to be forced to take a break.

Shadow sighed. “I’d rather be there than here… or anywhere, really.”

“Jeez! Relax!” Sonic said, patting Shadow on the back. “Stuff like this only lasts, like, a week, right?”

“If it hadn’t been for this Dark Gaia mishap, it would’ve been a month.” Shadow grumbled.

“Even better!” Sonic stopped to appreciate the sunset. It’s not every day you catch a view like this! The sun’s golden rays poked through clouds in the dark red sky and flooded through the trees, creating sun dappled designs on the ground. Sonic let the sunbeams touch his blue fur. He basked in the light, Shadow, seemed unfazed by the natural beauty.

“We need to hurry. It’s getting late.”

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow and Sonic finally made it to their destination, a small forest far away from Mazuri’s villages. Their walk took so long the sky was starting to get dark. Tails, up on a nearby hill, waved them over once he saw them.

“We don’t have that much time, so I’ll try to be brief.” Tails said while sifting through his backpack. “First, I made some communicators so that we can keep in contact with each other. It also has a tracker, so I can tell where you guys are.”

Tails handed Sonic and Shadow the communicators. They were small, rounded and almost looked like camera lens at first glance. They easily clipped onto their gloves, and the moment they snapped into place a computer screen behind Tails lit up. It had a map of the general area, and two blinking lights. One blue, representing Sonic, and the other red, for Shadow.

“I’ve never seen a Dark Gaia creature like the one that stole Chip. So, sadly, I don’t have any information on how to stop it.” Tails opened a file on his computer labeled “Dark Gaia.” Instantly images popped up of horrifying shadowy creatures. “What I do know from my general research is it seems that Dark Gaia appears in the last place they disappeared from. If you head over to this forest you should run right into them.”

“Is that it?” Shadow scoffed. “We hardly needed a meeting for that.”

“Well, I wanted you to arrive here earlier, so I could get you caught up on the werehog.”

“What more would I need to know?" Shadow asked. "He turns into a wolf at night.”

Just then, the sun had finally finished setting. Immediately, Sonic fell to the ground, digging his fingers deep into the dirt. He groaned painfully as he grew in size. His teeth elongated, his fur grew thick, and large claws burst through his gloves. A dark fog covered his body and what emerged was a completely different creature.

The werehog.

It was about twice the size of Shadow and towered over Tails. The gloves on Sonic’s hands tore away leaving massive paws with claws like thorns. Sonic’s typical sneakers had grown cleats that snagged onto the ground. His quills had grown out and became thick and bristly. His fur, had turned a dark blue, easily blending in with the night sky.

On all four feet, It panted as the transformation settled. Shadow reached out with his hand, about to ask Sonic if he was ok, but before he could say anything, the werehog shot up. One ear rose as if it heard something, and then immediately it headed into the forest.

Well, that was… different than what I was expecting. Shadow watched the werehog leave him behind. Tails stood beside him.

“It… shocked me the first time I saw it too…” Tails said, sensing his shock. He peered over the hill they stood on. Something caught his eye. “He said he’s ok though.” Tails said as he walked down.

Shadow thought there was nothing “ok” about what he just saw. But if Sonic’s going to lie that’s his problem. Shadow was about to follow Sonic, but Tails grabbed his arm.

“Wait!” In his hand he held Sonic’s communicator. “He, uh… dropped this. Can ya give it to ‘im?”

Shadow rolled his eyes as he snatched it from Tails’ hand. He once again tried to leave, but Tails stopped him.

“Before you go…” Tails trailed off. He spoke carefully, seemingly unsure of what to say. “Before you go… you have to know that the werehog can be a bit of a… challenge to work with.” Tails opened up files labeled “Werehog.” It was a lot more empty than the others. “First of all, like any other Dark Gaia monster, the werehog disappears the moment the sun rises. Second, it’s really , really strong. I’ve never seen a fight with Dark Gaia that lasted more than five point two seconds. And finally, he doesn’t listen at all. He just does whatever he wants.” Tails said the last part with a little less enthusiasm.

Shadow scoffed. “Sounds no different than what I’m used to seeing from that hedgehog.”

“It’s a lot different…” Said Tails, his ears drooped sadly, his two tails in the same mood. “It took me forever to persuade him to work with me.”

Shadow wasn’t sure what Tails was so worried about. Attitude is all I really expect from him. He nodded and continued heading into the forest.

Not too long after he’d entered though, he wondered why he was needed in the first place. In the distance, he could hear the werehog’s skirmishes with the Dark Gaia beasts and by the time he made it to their arena, the ground was already lightly dusted with Dark Gaia’s ashes.

I don’t understand? Shadow stared incredulously at the growing piles. How could he have lost to these creatures? He thought back to the night he first saw Sonic in Mazuri. He was fairly beaten up. And yet… He heard the makings of another fight and immediately headed to its location, but the werehog was nowhere to be found. That hedgehog does in seconds what would’ve taken me an hour!

But then, Shadow heard a slow, methodical, thumping sound. He heard trees creak and the cries of birds who hastily escaped what was disturbing their homes. He looked up and he could swear, over the trees, that he saw the head of a Dark Gaia beast.

But that wasn’t possible, he’d never seen one that huge. Confirming what he saw, Shadow heard the werehog howl in triumph. It had finally found what it was looking for. Revenge. Instead of the usual sounds of a sudden beatdown however, for the first time, Shadow heard the werehog lose. It yelled angrily as it was thrown out into the bushes.

When Shadow made it to the clearing he saw the full size of the creature. It towered over them, its body blotting out the full moon, leaving a dark ominous shadow over the two hedgehogs. The werehog had been thrown to the ground. It gingerly stood up, carefully checking if it had really been hurt. It breathed a sigh of relief. In a sudden change of demeanor however, it crouched low to the ground fury gleaming in its green eyes as a low growl escaped from its teeth. It bunched up its muscles before exploding from the bushes, heading towards the Dark Gaia beast.

Shadow had turned his attention away from the fight and saw a strange cage hanging on the beast’s side. In it, he saw a creature sleeping. It clearly had the same bracelet that Tails was talking about wrapped around its neck. That must be Chip.  

Carefully, while the beast was distracted, Shadow skated around the clearing’s outline until he knew he couldn’t be seen. He climbed a nearby tree, leaped off of its branches and gracefully landed on the outside of the cage. The werehog screamed and the Dark Gaia beast struck down. Shadow quickly grabbed the bars tightly. The moment the monster made contact with the ground, the cage threw itself forward. For a moment, he worried that he might be thrown off, but thankfully it slowed to a stop. After catching his breath, Shadow looked forward. Chip, somehow, had not been affected by the sudden movement.

The bars were huge. Shadow, and especially Chip, could easily slip through it. So he also wondered how Chip hadn’t escaped yet. He put his foot down and immediately learned why. The ground sucked at his feet, sticking him to the ground. Shadow fell. The ground was draining his energy. Quickly, he crawled his way to the center to grab Chip. He was fast asleep. Shadow shook him, attempting to wake him. “Chip, get up!” Shadow ordered, but he hardly stirred. There must be some kind of spell, or charm somewhere. He decided that he would have to carry him out.

It was at this moment that he realized how odd Chip looked. He clearly looked like some kind of mammal with tiny white paws, a head as fluffy as his tail and striking red fur, despite all of this however, surprisingly, Shadow spotted a pair of green wings sprouting from his back. He doubted this creature could possibly even fly, but if so, it would simply reiterate how out-of-this-world Chip seemed to be.

Shadow scooped him up, and walked out without getting noticed. He jumped off of the Dark Gaia beast, nearly falling over. His legs felt as heavy as a pile of bricks thanks to that cage’s spell. Chip in his arms, he beckoned the werehog to follow, which it surprisingly agreed to. That was easier than I would’ve expected.

When the two hedgehogs were finally away from the beast, hoping it didn’t realize its captive was taken, Shadow relaxed.

“Alright, we have Chip. Now… wh—“

Out of nowhere, Shadow had to dodge a giant tree trunk, held by the werehog! Like a giant bat, It whacked the tree he was standing next to, turning them both into splinters. “What the hell was that for?!” Shadow yelled. He could’ve hurt Chip!

The werehog didn’t respond. With its massive paws, it simply grabbed another tree, slowly, it pulled it out of the ground, down to its roots, disturbing thick piles of dirt, rocks and other sorts of debris lodged in it. Once it had finished, it once again turned to Shadow, eyes glowing with hatred.

Slowly, Shadow tried to back away, but with each step he took, the werehog took two more. After he realized that the werehog wasn’t stopping, he turned around and boosted in the opposite direction.

Soon a large shadow loomed over him. Overhead, he could see the tree that the werehog picked, falling on top of him. He dodged and rolled to the side just as it would have landed. It made a loud, thunderous sound that disturbed the whole forest.

Shadow rolled through the dirt. Breaking into a run.

<<Shadow?>> A sharp noise pierced Shadow’s ears. Through his communicator on his wrist, he could hear Tails speaking. <<Shadow?! What happened? What was that noise?!>>

“It’s Sonic! Something’s wrong with him!”

Before he could explain any further, the werehog exploded through the trees, claws outstretched and ready to scratch his face. Shadow blocked the attack with his arm. Keeping the werehog clear away from Chip. The impact sent the both of them sliding away from each other. He tried to run, but immediately fell over, unable to catch his breath. The cage still had an effect on him. Damn it! Shadow shakily got back up on his feet and he picked up Chip. I have to get him out of here! He thought he could take this chance to run, but Sonic’s transformation had given him a few new abilities. The werehog stretched out its arms, much farther than organically possible, and grabbed Shadow’s wrist. Shadow heard a cracking sound, thankfully not his bones, it was the wrist communicator.

“Listen, Tails!” Shadow yelled as he struggled against the werehog. He hoped his voice would still get through. “ Do not come into the forest! Not until I tell you it’s safe!” Shadow heard another crunch. The communicator was ground to dust. After the communicator had been destroyed, the werehog’s focus had shifted from Shadow to Chip, who he was still carrying in his other arm. The werehog let go, but it’s hostility didn’t leave it.

Before it could get a second chance to attack, Shadow ran off once again. Hoping his feet could carry him. There’s no way you’re taking Chip. Not until I get to the bottom of this. Shadow contemplated taking off his inhibitor rings. An extra boost of chaos energy would surely help him, but he thought against it. If I’m going to use that, I’ll have to know I can end the fight right there. Shadow spotted a cave high up on a mountain. I’ll have to find a safe place for Chip first.

After checking to see if the werehog was following him, he climbed up and quickly set Chip by a big rock that hid him easily. He was still fast asleep despite all of the action from earlier. Shadow wondered if he should try to wake him again. Then he could at least run away, or try to fend for himself. He lightly shook him. “Chip?” Chip stirred a little bit… and then promptly turned on his side, falling back to sleep. Shadow shrugged. If his hiding spot was as well as he believed, then the werehog would never get to him. He went back to the cave’s entrance and could hear the werehog growling at the bottom, looking around for him.

Shadow quietly jumped from the cliff, into the trees and removed his inhibitor rings.

The noise alerted the werehog. It turned to face Shadow.

“Where’d you take ‘im.” It growled. It lunged at Shadow, and swiped with its claws. Shadow caught the blow with his hands.

“You’ll never find him.”

This angered the werehog. It roared as it once again tried to crush Shadow’s hands, but thanks to the extra chaos power, Shadow ignored it and threw it with ease. The werehog crashed through trees, surprised at its foe’s newfound strength.

Shadow ran in the opposite direction to guide the werehog away from Chip’s cave. Now that he felt chaos energy coursing through him, he thought he could hold up better in a fight. He didn’t have his chaos emerald, so he had to use his fists.

Once Shadow felt he was far enough away, he stopped and waited for the werehog. It pounded its feet towards him. Roaring, it sent a flurry of claw-strikes his way. He simply dodged and redirected its attacks. Shadow grabbed the werehog’s wrist and twisted it. The werehog howled in pain and pulled its hands close.

The werehog crouched down and leaped forward into a headbutt. Shadow jumped into the air and kicked it in the back of its head. The werehog yelped in surprise. It stood there on all fours, shaking its head. Shadow landed squarely on the branch of a nearby tree. His vision began to blur. What? He stumbled for a moment, before falling to the ground.

Normally, when Shadow removed his inhibitor rings, he’d get tired. His body couldn’t handle the excess energy and it would begin to break down. Normally, it would take a lot longer than this. That cage must’ve done something to him.

As Shadow tried to gain his bearings, the werehog noticed him falter. It charged at him and swiped with its massive claws. Shadow caught the blow, but was thrown to the center of the clearing. Slowly, he rose back up, but he wondered how long he could stand for.

The werehog turned and growled at him. Shadow braced himself for another one of its onslaughts, but it didn’t charge in headfirst this time. Instead, the werehog slinked into the darkness, hiding from Shadow.

Where is he? Shadow tried to chase him down, but the moment he stepped forward, a wall of exhaustion hit him. He almost fell again. Stay up! He willed himself. If he couldn’t go after the werehog, he had to let it come to him. He closed his eyes and focused, listening for any sign of the werehog.

He heard a twig snap and flinched, but nothing came. The wind whistled through the creaking tree branches... fauna escaped while they had the chance… after a little while he started to wonder if the werehog had left him alone, but just as he let his guard down, it pounced from the trees and grabbed him. It had its hands around Shadow’s neck.

“Where is he?!” The werehog barked.

Instead of answering, Shadow kicked the werehog, square in the chest, in an attempt to get it off of him. It felt like kicking a brick wall. It responded by tightening its grip. “Where did you put him?! ”

“I w-won’t tell you.” Shadow managed to cough out. The werehog started tightening its grip even further.

Once again, Shadow attempted to get it off of him. Chaos energy coursing through his body, he pushed with his legs as hard as he could. He seemed to be making progress. He felt the werehog lose its grip. He grunted with effort in between gasps of air. His body glowed as the atmosphere around them heated up. The floor began to crack. Suddenly, Shadow’s power flickered. The werehog gained the upper hand. It pushed harder and soon, slammed him further into the ground. Shadow beat its hands, he thrashed around, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t get the werehog off of him. He fought for air but couldn’t find any. The werehog was going to kill him.

Just as Shadow felt his consciousness slipping away, he saw a light flooding behind the werehog’s large frame.

It was the sun. The sun was rising.

As he heard the familiar sound of Dark Gaia’s hissing, he also felt the werehog’s grip loosening. The moment after it shrunk to its normal size and Sonic reappeared, Shadow kicked him away sending him flying.

Chapter Text

“Ow…” Sonic, once again, woke up from a very long night. His injuries from the night before had healed, but he felt sore all over again. Not only that, Shadow’s kick sent him crashing into a tree. What was that for? Wasn’t he on their side?

When he crawled out from the bushes, Sonic could hear Shadow coughing. He was hunched over on the ground, wheezing.

“Shadow?” Sonic took one step closer to him.

“Don’t move!” Shadow yelled through pained gasps.

Sonic was taken aback by Shadow’s hostility. “Shadow? Are ya’ ok?”

Shadow stood up looking like he was ready for a fight. After looking Sonic up and down for a moment, he dropped his fists. Was that relief on his face? Did I miss somethin’? Again? Suddenly, Sonic remembered what they were doing before he turned into the werehog.

“Chip! Did we find Chip?”

Shadow eyed Sonic warily. “Yes.”

I’m gonna need a little more than that! “ Where is he?”

Shadow’s eyes flickered for a moment. Sonic saw a hint of… frustration? Or was that fear? Did he say something wrong?

“I’ll go get him…” Shadow grunted. He slowly limped away.

Sonic ran ahead of him. “Wouldn’t it be faster if ya’ just told me?” Shadow didn’t say anything. “At least, lemme help—“ Sonic reached out to help support Shadow. Shadow responded by grabbing Sonic’s hand before he could get close to him.

“Don’t you dare put your hands on me .” He growled as he tightened his grip.

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Sonic said through gritted teeth, trying not to scream. What is with him today? Immediately Shadow went back to, slowly, limping to where Chip was.

Together they, slowly, made their way across the forest and up a mountain that was behind them. Past a long winding pathway, In the center of its face was a big cave. Sonic was a little frustrated that Shadow wouldn’t tell him to just turn around. He could’ve ran to there and back before Shadow had taken his first shamble. He boosted his way through the dirt path until he came up to the cave’s entrance.

“Chip? Are ya’ in here?!” Sonic called. Sonic’s voice echoed, but he didn’t hear a response. After a long walk he found Chip laying beside a rock. At first he was a little worried, but his shoulders sagged when he saw Chip stir awake when he heard his footsteps.

“Sonic...?” He said sleepily, “Is that you...?”

Sonic was relieved to see he was alright. He’s just sleepin’.

“I had this weeeeeeird dream. I was stuck in this big cage and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get out.” Chip said, as he dramatically grasped Sonic’s chest. Miming a faint, he fell at his feet.

“I’m glad you’re ok.” Sonic chuckled. Politely placing Chip away from him. “I want ya t' meet someone.”

“A new friend? Like Tails?!” Chip said, flying excitedly around him.

“I guess you could say that...” Shadow probably wouldn’t though. “He helped us get ya outtta that big cage.”

Sonic, holding Chip in his arms, ran back to Shadow. He was at the entrance of the cave. Leaning heavily against the wall and catching his breath. Just as Sonic made it to the entrance, Shadow lost his balance and fell to the ground. He didn’t get back up.

“Shadow!” Sonic tried to pick him up, but Shadow pushed him away.

“Get away from me…” Shadow said through short gasps.

“Shadow, what’s wrong?” Now that Sonic was more awake, and the morning sky was a little brighter, he could see that Shadow was hurt. Bad. That Dark Gaia monster must’ve been pretty strong. He thought, a strange wave of suspicion surrounding it for some reason. Sonic didn’t know why. Something felt… like there was something wrong. Shaking his head, he leaned in to get a closer look. Shadow flinched. Sonic softened his gaze. “Look, I won’t touch ya’, ok? But ya’ have t' tell me what’s wrong.” Shadow stayed silent.

“Sonic?” Said Chip. “Is he ok?”

“He’s gonna be fine.” Just then Sonic looked down and noticed that Shadow’s inhibitor rings were missing. “Shadow, where’re your rings?”

“My… inhibitor rings?” He said blearily. He shook his head to try to clear it. “I… had to... remove them.”

“Where are they?”

“The base of the mountain… where we just were.”

“Alright, I’ll go get ‘em.” Sonic began to run back, but noticed Chip following him. While he admired Chip’s thirst for adventure, Sonic didn’t really have the time to watch him. “Chip, can ya stay with Shadow? He could really use some company right now.”

Chip nodded his head. “Sure thing, Sonic!” He flew back to Shadow’s side.

Glad that he didn’t have to keep track of Chip and that Shadow wasn’t alone, Sonic ran back to the mountain’s base. On the way, he saw the damage of Shadow’s fight from the previous night. Smashed rocks, upturned trees … it looked like a hurricane blew through here. And on top of all that, Shadow had to take off his inhibitor rings. He only did that when he had to get serious.

Finally, Sonic made it back to the bottom of the mountain. He ran around the clearing until he spotted the shiny glint of two rings. He snatched them up and brought them back to the cave.

When he made it back, Chip was hovering worriedly over Shadow.

Sonic rushed over. He picked Shadow up, and fastened the rings to Shadow’s wrists, but that didn’t do much to help his condition. Shadow’s breathing had become really deep. “Shadow? Can ya’ hear me?” Sonic shook Shadow to try to wake him up. He didn’t respond.

“Sonic! It didn’t work!” Chip cried.

Sonic picked a now unconscious Shadow up. He needs help! Sonic remembered that Tails’ communicators typically came with maps. If he found a village, he could take him to a doctor. He looked at his glove, but his communicator wasn’t there, or on his other wrist. Where is it?! He frantically searched around. Even Shadow’s was missing. He decided to just wing it. “C’mon, Chip. We gotta get Shadow some help.” Hopefully there was a village nearby.

Sonic ran out of the forest, Chip, holding on to his quills. Thankfully, due to Sonic’s speed, it didn’t take long for him to run into a village. Sonic talked to a woman wandering around the outskirts, told her about their situation and asked her if she could find him a doctor. She led him to a hut. A group of people crowded around Shadow, whispering and murmuring to each other. As Sonic watched the group of people surrounding Shadow, Sonic sensed something disturbing.

Normally, Sonic couldn’t remember much after a night as the werehog, but ever since he woke up, he had an image, clear as day, floating around in his mind. Shadow struggling underneath him and his own hands gripped around his neck. That didn’t happen though… right? Tails had said that the werehog could be a bit… difficult, but he never said anything about it… attacking anyone. I’m probably rememberin' somethin' wrong. Maybe it was another one of those Dark Gaia guys… and I’m just… imagining that it’s Shadow? It didn’t make much sense, but Sonic was hoping that he was right.

After a long while, Sonic and Chip decided to go check on Shadow. He was inside lying down in a bed, now bandaged up. The room was so dark, Sonic almost couldn’t see him. His head was turned away. Was he already asleep?

“Shadow…?” Sonic whispered. “You up?”

“I am now ...” Shadow sighed.

“Oh, sorry. I just wanted to say… sorry… again… for last night.” Shadow turned over to look at him. Sonic continued rambling. “I know that last night was probably annoying. I… uh, probably got in your way, or somethin’—“

“‘Probably got in my way? ” Even in his tired state, Sonic could feel him glaring daggers. “Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

“No… I mean… well I’m trying t' remem—“

“Don’t. We’ll… discuss what happened later.” Shadow closed his eyes. “For right now, I need to get some sleep.”

“Ok…” Sonic turned to leave.

“Sonic...” Shadow called over.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want you out of my sight. You’ll have to stay here until I wake up.”

“What about Tails? Shouldn’t we let him know we got Chip?”

Shadow sighed. “We can both contact him later.” He turned back over. “I don’t want you going anywhere near him…” Sonic heard Shadow mumble. For some reason, he didn’t want Sonic left alone.

Instead of listening to Shadow’s instruction, the moment he thought Shadow was asleep, Sonic slowly tiptoed away. This is ridiculous! Sonic thought angrily. There’s no way I’m leavin’ Tails in the dark! He could contact Tails before Shadow even woke up.

“Where are we going?” Chip whispered.

“We’re goin’ t' find Tails.” Shadow was probably being his over dramatic self again. There was nothing to worry about.

Chip flew in front of him to block his path. “But he said he didn’t want you to leave. Shouldn’t we stay?”

“Tails is probably worried about us.” Sonic replied. “We need t' find him.”

Once Sonic made it to the exit, he looked back at Shadow, now fast asleep. Be back soon… that’s what he hoped, at least.

Sonic snatched a map from a nearby shop. And headed towards their hideout.

When he got back he found Tails about to start his plane, but he stopped once he saw Sonic.

“You’re okay!” Tails gasped.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Sonic chuckled.

“And you got Chip, too!”

“Hi, Tails!” Chip zoomed beside him.

Tails ran up and hugged Sonic. “I lost communication with Shadow about halfway through the night.”

Sonic looked at him, confused. “That was hours ago. Why didn’t ya just come in and get us?”

Tails walked around Sonic, looking him up and down. “I wanted t' help, but Shadow told me to stay away.”

Sonic awkwardly veered away. “Uh… What ‘cha doin’?”

“Before I lost contact with Shadow, he also said that there was somethin' wrong with ya.”

Somethin' wrong with me? Again the image flashed in his mind. “I just… got a little scratched up… but I’m fine, see?”

“If ya’ say so…”

“That reminds me…” Sonic trailed off. “Shadow says he wants to talk about what happened last night. I’m guessin’ I was bein’ annoyin' or somethin’ and he just wants t' complain.”

Tails peered around Sonic. “Where is he?”

Sonic showed him on his map. “We, uh, had to go look for a doctor.”

Tails gawked at him. “What? Is Shadow okay?”

“He’s fine,” Sonic reassured him, “just bein’ his grumpy self. That Dark Gaia monster that stole Chip probably got t' 'im.”

“Hm… I guess we should head on over then.” Tails went to climb into the Tornado.

Sonic stopped him. “Uh…Maybe later… Shadow said he wanted some sleep.” Plus, I’m not sure what I’ll do when he learns I left!

“Okay… well... I guess while we’re waiting…” Tails flew back down. He opened up his giant binder filled with translations of the Gaia Manuscripts and notes from Professor Pickle. “I got some pretty good news!” He flipped through the pages until he found one in particular. “I think I figured out how to properly restore the chaos emeralds.”

“Good job, buddy!” Said Sonic, patting Tails on the back.

“Heh, heh… thanks…” Tails blushed. “Um… anyway..." he continued more seriously, “if I understand correctly… this isn’t the first time the chaos emeralds lost their power.”

“Really?”

“A long time ago… somethin' happened that split up the world and made the emeralds lose their power. I’m still not exactly sure what it was though. The notes that Professor Pickle left me say that the words used are too obscure and kinda vague.“

Sonic nodded. “So the emeralds already lost their power before? How do we fix ‘em?”

“Look at these illustrations. If you look really closely here, you can see an emerald. At first it’s all dull and dim, just like ours right now…” Tails flipped to the next page. It was so worn out, you could barely tell what was on it. “The image is still pretty hard to see, but that’s the emerald, and underneath it is some kind of pedestal. After they presented the emerald on this pedestal, it’s all colorful and filled with light. I think that might be what we have to do.”

Sonic gazed at the glittery illustrations. He still wasn’t sure if he saw everything that Tails did, but it definitely looked important.

“And if you look here," Taiks continued, "these faded steps kinda look like an altar.” Tails closed his binder. “Every bit of the Gaia manuscripts references these temples they used to worship Gaia.” Tails said, opening a map on his computer. “I think I found one in Mazuri. Since we’re planning on letting Shadow sleep, we could try to find the temple, and see if we can do anything.”

Sonic wasn’t sure. The trip sounded like it might be long, and Shadow could wake up at any moment. Sonic shook his head. It won’t take that long. It might even make Shadow a little less mad if we were doin’ somethin’ important. “Sounds great!”

“I’ll get the Tornado started!”

Sonic, Chip and Tails seated themselves in the Tornado. As the wind whipped around him, Sonic leaned over the planes edge. He could see the village he dropped Shadow off at and immediately thought about him again. And once again… he squashed the thought back. It wouldn’t take that long. He didn’t have anything to worry about.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonic, Tails and Chip flew over a huge mountain. Underneath them, they saw a hint of their next destination. The first Gaia temple.

The temple was built on the side. Wrapped in large vines and hidden in thick layers of moss. It was hard to believe that this was once a place people might travel to regularly, but the dirt pathway, obscured by thick foliage, that lead to a huge stone entrance gave it away.

Sonic, Tails and Chip investigated around until they found a large switch. Together, with a lot of effort, they slowly turned it. Ancient chains clinked and groaned as they hadn’t been used in years, maybe even centuries. Eventually, the door slowly lifted, revealing… a large hall that had been caved in.

“Great.” Sonic sighed. “Wouldn’t want it to be too easy.”

Tails carefully observed the pile of rocks, jumping back when he heard a stone shift. He looked up, flew to the top and found a small hole that seemed to lead further inside. If he could just move a few more rocks, he could make it through. Chip landed beside him. He poked his head through the hole, seeing if he could make it through. Unfortunately, he got stuck.

“Uh… Tails?” Chip said as he tried to pull himself out.

“Chip?” Tails looked down. He jumped when he saw Chip. “Hold on. I’ll getcha out…” Carefully, he pulled on Chip until suddenly, he slipped out. Tails lost his footing as the ground underneath him shifted. Before he could shout for help, Sonic quickly caught him.

“Thanks, Sonic.” Tails breathed a sigh of relief.

Chip shook dust off of his head. “Sorry.”

Sonic let Tails down, not taking his eyes off of the rock pile. “You two should be more careful.”

“Sorry… but, look!” Tails pointed upwards. The shifting debris created a bigger entrance. “I bet we can fit inside now!”

Sonic looked back towards the sky. It was already midday, and it might be sunset by the time they got back. He imagined that Shadow would want to talk a lot sooner than that. He’s going to be so mad! Sonic took one more look at the sky and shrugged. “Alright, let’s go.” He figured it was already too late to appease Shadow. “But we’ll have to be quick. We still have to talk to Shadow.”

“Actually, we probably won’t even have to go inside.” From his backpack, Tails pulled out what looked like a tiny four-legged robot. “We can use this to scope out the temple before we go in.”

Tails flew back up, careful not to disturb anything. He set the robot down and let it crawl through the new entrance. He could see everything the robot saw through his portable computer. Everything was going fine, for a moment, but it was becoming obvious that the inside of the temple, or at least its entrance, had become a maze of piled up, ancient debris.

“Looks like it’ll take a long time to get through…” said Sonic.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have this figured out in no time! For right now though, maybe we should head back to Shadow.”

Tails left his “spybot” at the hole. Ready to be used later, and they all left to go meet up with Shadow.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow, Sonic, Tails and Chip all gathered by the forest the werehog fought in the other night. Shadow didn’t want Sonic, or the werehog, anywhere near a village. So they met far away from any civilization.

“ Where were you?"

The sun was setting. It was a lot later than Shadow had planned to start this talk.

I can’t believe he completely ignored me! Against Shadow’s wishes, Sonic ran off looking for Tails. What if something else happened? What if someone got hurt? Sonic and Tails clearly hadn’t realized what they’d gotten themselves into. But Shadow was willing to show them.

“Sorry we’re late…” said Sonic. “Tails figured out how t' restore the chaos emeralds.”

“We were plannin’ our next course of action.” Added Tails.

“I told you not to go look for Tails!” Shadow ignored them. He yelled at Sonic. “You shouldn’t have gone! Not without me!"

Tails looked confused. “Why?”

“It’s not that big a deal!” Sonic yelled back. “Sheesh!”

Shadow sighed. It looks like this is going to be a lot harder than I thought. “Last night, I had to deal with a whole lot more than disobedience from the werehog. Sonic almost killed me.”

Tails looked even more confused, but the look on Sonic’s face made it obvious he knew what he was talking about. “So that was real…? I really did…?” Sonic couldn’t finish his sentence, he didn’t want to believe it for a second. “Last night… I do remember… I had my hands… around… was it really you?”

Shadow nodded.

“Wait...” said Tails. “Are you sure it was—“

“Of course I am.” Shadow interrupted. Like I wouldn’t recognize Sonic when I see him! “Do you think I’m lying?” Shadow posited.

“No! It’s… well… I’ve been around the werehog longer than either of you, and I just… haven’t seen that kind of behavior from him. The werehog acts more like an annoying puppy. I’ve never really seen it get violent.” Shadow glared at Tails. Tails raised his hands to protect himself from his eyes’, icy sting. “I believe you. Really. I just… need more information. I wanna know why Sonic would do that.”

Shadow scoffed. I thought you’d be smarter than that, Tails.

Sonic was still silent.

“Well?” Said Shadow. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Sonic looked at the floor, biting his lip. “I-I don’t know… I don’t remember…”

“Earlier, you tried to apologize to me. Did that come out of thin air, or did you remember something?”

“I don’t know…”

“What do you mean you don’t know? It’s a simple question! Do you remember what happened last night?!”

Sonic didn’t respond.

Shadow was very disappointed. Clearly, neither Tails nor Sonic wanted to believe that he would do such a thing. But he did, and they had to figure out why right now. If Sonic wasn’t careful enough, he could get someone killed. They had to push their feelings aside. How could Shadow make them understand that?

Shadow took a deep breath. “We have to figure out why Sonic would do that.” He said. “If you don’t do something soon someone could get hurt. I can handle a fight against that thing, but what about the people here? What if it attacked them?”

Sonic and Tails couldn’t meet Shadow’s gaze. Sonic, still spiraling over what he’d done and Tails lost in thought.

“Excuse me, uh, Shadow?” Chip spoke up.

“What is it?” Shadow growled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… since I was kind of… asleep when all of this was happening…”

Shadow rolled his eyes. If you don’t know, than why are you speaking?!

“…but I do know that the werehog is our friend.” Chip continued, “And he wouldn’t hurt another friend.”

Chip didn’t do a good job convincing him. “And yet, he still hurt me. He almost killed me! If the sun had been a moment too late, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Shadow turned away from Chip. “I’m serious.” He said to Sonic and Tails. “There’s something wrong with the werehog .”

“Well… why don’t we ask him what happened?” Tails said.

“Him?” Shadow asked.

“The werehog.” Tails replied. “For some reason, Sonic doesn’t remember much about bein’ the werehog, but his memory might come back when he transforms.”

“What if it attacks us?” Shadow replied incredulously.

“He won’t.” Chip said matter-of-factly.

“How do you know that?” Shadow growled at Chip.

Chip shrugged. “I just don’t think he would.”

Shadow sighed in exasperation. “Chip, I don’t know why you think you’re even a part of this conversation, considering how you were asleep the whole time, and Tails—” Shadow turned to the yellow fox. He looked beyond him. “Tails…?” Shadow looked where Tails was staring. Sonic had already begun his transformation into the werehog.

Shadow’s worries hadn’t been eased in the slightest though. After his long sleep, he was able to recover his chaos energy, but he was still slowed down by his injuries from his fight with the werehog. If anything were to happen he wouldn’t be able to protect anyone. Still, he stood between Tails and Sonic, ready for anything.

Chapter Text

Sonic transformed into the werehog.

As usual, it fell on all fours, flinching and cringing as its palms touched the ground. Ugh, why does everything always feel so… wrong? The werehog thought.

Ever since the first night it awoke in Apotos, the werehog was always overwhelmed by all of the new sights and smells, the way it all felt seemed to… gross it out. The leaves, brushing in the wind seemed to scream at it. The scents were so thick, the werehog could smell everything except Chip. Still, it had to try. Carefully, it sniffed the air… and immediately gagged. It was never going to find him that way. Suddenly, despite the sounds overlapping, and filling its head, the werehog heard a thin snap.

The werehog turned around and saw the same Dark Gaia monster from the other night. The one that took Chip. Surprisingly, Tails was hiding behind it as it stood protectively in front of him. The werehog growled. Tails? I thought you were my friend! But he couldn’t have been, he was working with the enemy.

The first night the werehog awoke in Apotos, Chip was sure that Tails could help them. Together, it seemed the two had forgotten who they were, and why they were here. Supposedly, Tails had the answer… or would eventually. First they had to go to Mazuri. But the moment they landed, Dark Gaia took Chip. The werehog ran, trying to find the lost monster, until it suddenly blacked out. The next time it woke up, the werehog wasted no time leaving Tails. The next thing it knew, the Dark Gaia monster in front of it stole Chip! The werehog turned its head towards it. “ Where did you put ‘im?! ” The werehog growled.

The monster stared back, or rather, glared at the werehog.

“ Answer me! Where’s Chip?!” The werehog felt awkward demanding that Dark Gaia speak to it, but the other night it spoke in full sentences. It definitely understood the werehog.

“Sonic?” Said Tails. “Are you okay?”

Sonic? The werehog had almost forgotten. That was the name Chip gave it. He must’ve told ‘em. The werehog never said it out loud. So they must be hiding ‘im somewhere.

“Enough about Chip.” The Dark Gaia monster interrupted. “Why were you fighting me last night? I was helping you.”

The werehog ignored the stupid question. Of course they would fight. That’s what the werehog was meant to do. And the monster definitely knew that. Why else would it be picking a fight right now? And what was that about help? The werehog shook its head. It had to focus on finding Chip.

“Sonic?” The werehog heard again, but this time it was someone very familiar.

“Chip!” The werehog ran towards the sound. Chip was hiding behind Tails. The werehog grabbed and embraced him. “I thought I’d never see you again! How’d ya’ get out?”

“Shadow saved me.” Chip replied.

“Shadow?”

Chip pointed to the monster it was arguing with.

“Are they behind that Dark Gaia monster?”

Tails sighed angrily. “No. That’s Shadow . He’s your friend. Remember?”

The werehog glared at Tails. What would you know about friendship? You betrayed me! The werehog looked over at Shadow. “Don’t look friendly to me…” it growled.

“Well, he is and you shouldn’t hurt him!”

The werehog ignored Tails. What else was it supposed to do? Shadow wouldn’t give Chip back. He was in my way. If he’d just told the werehog where he put Chip, he wouldn’t have had anything to worry about.

The werehog’s ear twitched. In the woods, it saw a creature with two yellow beady eyes staring at them. Dark Gaia . The werehog crouched down and growled at the foul beast. You’re not gettin’ ‘im either! The monster did not heed the warning. It leapt from the bushes aiming straight for Tails and Chip. Shadow covered the two of them while the werehog leapt into action. It intercepted the monster and clawed at its face. The monster screeched in fear. It tried to run away, but the werehog wasn’t going to let it go. With its stretchy arms, it grabbed the monster by the neck and squeezed. Almost instantly, the monster exploded into a cloud of smoke.

The werehog looked down at the pile of enchanted ash. It sneezed as the burning smell filled its head. That was a lot easier than I expected. The other Dark Gaia creature, Shadow, was a lot tougher, similar to the monster that caged Chip. The werehog turned around. Where was Chip?

Shadow carried Chip in his arms. He tried to protect him from the Dark Gaia beast. That’s weird. Dark Gaia was their enemy. It would never preserve Chip, that is, not unless it was trying to steal him again. For a moment, the werehog was almost completely swindled by the monster, but it knew better.

The werehog stalked up to Shadow. “Give ‘im back.”

Shadow ignored it.

The werehog suddenly bit at Shadow, hoping to throw him off, but Shadow dodged out of the way. Its jaws snapped empty air.

“Guys, calm down.” Said Tails, but Shadow and the werehog ignored him.

Shadow placed Chip away from the clearing. “I won’t let you have him.”

The werehog roared furiously. It charged at Shadow. It swiped with its huge claws, but Shadow grabbed its arm, throwing it over his back and slamming it to the ground. The werehog was flipped around. It gasped as the force of the throw cracked the ground beneath it. That guy’s pretty strong! The werehog quickly flipped back up, shaking its head to clear it. It threw a barrage of punches at Shadow, but he dodged every one. Suddenly, he got down on the ground. A sweeping kick hit the werehog’s feet. It lost its balance and immediately fell to the ground.

“Give up.” Said Shadow.

For a moment, the werehog almost wanted to, but it couldn’t, it had to protect Chip. Before it could give a response though. It felt loud thumping in the ground. Shadow stopped the fight. They both looked up. Over the trees was the head of the giant Dark Gaia beast that stole Chip before. Its cage swung at its hip.

Without a second thought, the werehog charged at it. Chip wasn’t safe as long as that thing existed. It leaped and clawed at the giant’s side. The monster screamed in agony. With its massive body, it swung around, trying to cover its wound. Beyond that, it ignored the werehog. The beast got down on the ground. What’s it doin’? It sifted through, looking for something. It was trying to look for Chip. The werehog looked where Shadow placed him, but he was gone. Where is he?!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow watched as the huge Dark Gaia beast came into view. Before he could react, the werehog charged in. It attacked the beast’s side. The ground shook as it cried in frustration. Instead of attacking the werehog however, it got down on its knees. Searching for something.

What’s it looking for? Suddenly, Shadow realized. It’s looking for Chip! He turned around. Tails and Chip had disappeared. They were likely hiding from the monster. Shadow had to find them before it did.

The werehog screamed. Once again, it clawed at the beast’s side. The beast was furious. It took its fist and slammed hard on the ground. The shockwave was so powerful, it threw Shadow into the air. Something caught his eye. Chip was hiding in a patch of grass much further away. Shadow boosted in that direction, but the beast saw Chip too. It reached forward and grabbed Chip before Shadow could. Damn it! He was too slow. Now he had to figure out how to remove Chip from that creature’s clutches. While shadow didn’t want to admit it, the monster would be too strong for him. He had to work with the werehog to save Chip.

Shadow quickly skated underneath the beast to reach the werehog. He began to talk, but the moment the werehog saw him, it swiped at him. Shadow narrowly dodged it.

“Stop it!” Shadow yelled. “I’m trying to help you!”

The werehog wasn’t listening. It pinned Shadow to the ground. “Tell it to stop!”

Shadow kicked him away. “I’m not Dark Gaia. I can’t speak to it !”

Shadow and the werehog circled around. Their focus was drawn away from each other, when they heard a scream. Shadow ran out from the huge beast. He looked up and saw Tails in the monster’s hand.

“Help me!” Tails tried to escape, but the monster’s grip was too tight.

Shadow leapt upwards and kicked the monster’s gut. “Let go of him!” The monster hardly flinched. It looked down at Shadow, and ignored him. It promptly threw Tails and Chip in its cage. Tails tried to climb out, but his energy was quickly taken away. He laid on its floor not moving. Tails! Shadow desperately searched for the werehog. He jumped, surprised to see the werehog was standing right next to him, watching, horrified. They now had a common enemy. It’s not stupid. It knows it has to work with me. “We have to…“ The werehog completely ignored him.

It crouched low, growling angrily. Its bristly fur spiked up and quick as a flash, the werehog leaped forward and tore at the monster’s shadowy figure. Another wound was torn open. The monster screeched again and reached to cover the wound, now leaking huge billows of shadowy smoke. Before it could cover itself though, the werehog climbed inside. It clawed its way through until finally, it ripped through the monster’s core. The huge beast screeched in pain, falling to the floor, before suddenly exploding into a huge pile of ash.

Purple smoke filled the clearing. The cage dropped to the ground with a loud thud, before slowly fading away. Shadow covered his mouth as he ran to Tails and Chip. They weren’t moving. At first he wasn’t sure if they were okay, but soon, he noticed the subtle, slow rise and fall of Tails’ chest. He’s sleeping. Chip too. It was fine that they were resting. But Shadow didn’t like how deeply they were breathing. “Tails?” He shook the yellow fox, but he didn’t stir at all.

The werehog emerged from the pile of ashes. Immediately it set its eyes on Shadow. It glared as it walked, half fell, down the hill of ash. It glanced over and saw Chip and immediately changed its behavior. “Chip?” It slid down and immediately ran to his side. It sniffed around, sneezing from all of the ash in the air. “Chip? Are ya’ okay?” Chip still didn’t respond. “Chip? Get up!” The werehog pushed Chip over. He limply fell on his side. The werehog stared, horrified. And then it turned its gaze to Shadow. It saw Tails in his arms, in the exact same state. Its gaze hardened, tears now glistening in its eyes. “What did you do to ‘em?”

Shadow stared back. “I didn’t do anything. It was the monster’s cage.”

The werehog looked confused. “You were working with ‘im. You were trying to steal Chip.” It looked down at Tails. “Why would you hurt ‘im?”

“We’re not related to that thing. I didn’t hurt Tails. I’m not Dark Gaia. We aren’t Dark Gaia.” Before the werehog and Shadow could argue any further, they heard more noises stirring from the forest. Shadow picked up Tails and held him in his arms. “I’ll take Tails, you get Chip.” The werehog stared at him. “ Now !” Startled, it hurried over to Chip and carefully scooped him in its arms. Shadow, without looking back headed to the village that they were just in.

“Where’re you goin’?”

“To a village. I want a doctor to look at Tails and Chip.” Shadow’s mind drifted. Sonic and Tails were trying to keep the werehog a secret. He couldn’t walk up to a village with a giant, monstrous beast following him. “When we get there, you’ll have to hide. No one’s allowed to see you.”

The werehog ran in front of him and blocked him. Shadow ignored him and stepped aside, but the werehog blocked his path. “Move.” Shadow ordered, but the werehog wouldn’t listen.

“I can’t let you go near people.” The werehog blocked another step. “I won’t let you hurt ‘em.”

Shadow scoffed. You’re the dangerous one. Before he could say something he heard another sound. Two beady yellow eyes stared at them. “We have to go.” Shadow tried to move away from the werehog, but it still blocked him. “They’re going to attack us.”

“They’re not doin’ anything.” The werehog said matter-of-factly. “Not while I’m here.”

The eyes stared at them, and it definitely kept its distance. The werehog was right. Whatever was following was clearly afraid of them. “How do you know they won’t hurt us?”

“After that fight, I’d be surprised if anyone’d wanna mess with me.”

That didn’t change the fact that Tails and Chip needed medical attention. Quickly, Shadow ran around the werehog. He boosted away, but the werehog grabbed his ankles. He twisted around as he fell, trying not to hurt Tails. He slid on the ground until his back hit a tree.

“I said, you’re not goin’!” The werehog screamed.

Shadow sat up, gritting his teeth. He was about to get up, but he felt Tails stir in his arms. “Tails?” He shook him.

“Huh…?” Tails said groggily. He laid in Shadow’s arms, eyes barely open, but he was definitely awake. He still breathed very deeply.

“Tails? Are you okay?” Shadow grabbed his wrist, checking his pulse. It was slow.

“I’m… just a little sleepy… that’s all…” Tails voice drifted off, his head dropped and he snored quietly. Is he really just asleep?

“Chip?” Shadow heard the werehog whisper. Chip started stirring in his arm too. He sat up, yawned and did a big stretch.

“Hey, Sonic.” Chip mumbled.

The werehog dropped to the ground, its shoulders sagged in relief. “Hey, buddy. Are ya’ okay?”

At first Chip stared, processing the question... “…I’m tired.” He finally said. He dropped back down. He too, loudly, snored in the werehog’s arms.

The werehog breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “He’s okay.” He whispered to himself.

Shadow stared at him. Why was the werehog so focused on Chip? Why was it so worried? He had thought it might be a danger to humans, but it just tried to protect them, from him . This… creature is strange.

Tails stirred in his arms, mumbling in his sleep. Shadow was still a little worried, but he couldn’t bring Tails to a village. Not when the werehog was here. He sat underneath the tree. The werehog warily sat beside him. When it’s morning, I’ll take Tails and Chip to a doctor. Just to make sure they’re fine.

Shadow laid Tails beside him. Awkwardly, he leaned against him, his two tails curling around his body. Shadow looked up at the werehog. Like a watchdog, it stared, vigilantly watching the horizon, scanning the forest for Dark Gaia. Shadow stole one last glance before he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep too.

Chapter Text

Sonic watched helplessly as his giant claws clasped over Shadow’s neck. He didn’t know why, but he was enraged. And for some reason he felt like Shadow had something to do with it.

“Where is he?!” He yelled, but for some reason, it sounded nothing like him.

Shadow refused to answer his question, instead, squirming uselessly underneath him. He was trying to escape. But Sonic wouldn’t let him. Despite hearing his coughs as Shadow fought for air. Sonic tightened his grasp.

No!

Sonic shot up. He woke up in a cold sweat on dry grass. He looked around and saw that he was somewhere on the plains. Sleeping in the shade of a tree. He was no longer in that forest.

He grasped his arms in an attempt to comfort himself. He was shaking, like he was cold. He gasped for air, trying to calm his pounding heart. Sonic felt… weird. He had been through a bad dream or two… but usually, they didn’t feel like this. He took deep breaths. I’m okay… It’s just a dream. Eventually, Sonic calmed down. His hands stopped shaking.

It’s just a dream… was it… though?

Sonic remembered what Shadow told him last night. When he had changed into the werehog, he mistook him as an enemy. He almost killed him.

It wasn’t a dream. It was a memory .

Sonic tried to get up. He had to figure out what happened last night. Where were Shadow, Tails and Chip? His legs were sore. He felt like he had just ran a marathon all around the world twice . The same way he felt every morning from now on.

“You’re awake.”

“Yikes!” Sonic fell from shock. Shadow was right behind him. “Jeez. They should put a bell on you or somethin’!” Sonic chuckled.

Shadow was not amused.

Sonic sighed. “Yeah. I’m awake.” Sonic sat up straight. “Did ya’ figure out what happened?”

“The only thing we got was that the werehog thought I was one of those Dark Gaia monsters.” Shadow rolled his eyes. “He thought I was ‘stealing’ Chip.”

“Did he… attack ya’ again?”

“Yes.”

Sonic’s blood ran cold. He stood up and grasped his hands over Shadow’s shoulders. “Is Tails okay? Did he hurt you?” He worriedly looked Shadow over. “Where’s Chip?”

Shadow ripped Sonic off of him and sat him down. “Tails and Chip are fine. The Dark Gaia beast that stole Chip the other night reappeared and captured them for a moment in its cage. I took them to a nearby village to get seen by a doctor.”

A doctor? Many horrifying images flashed in his mind. Were those memories too? His heart started pounding again. Did he hurt Tails? He would never do that, right?

“Sonic?”

“Huh?” Sonic’s hands started shaking again.

“I was trying to tell you. The monster only made them sleep. They’re fine now and are currently back at your hideout.”

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. They’re okay. His hands still shook. He clenched them hoping that they would stop soon.

Shadow eyed Sonic suspiciously. “The werehog defended us from Dark Gaia last night.” He continued. “It fought well.”

“Yeah. Tails told me that guy’s really into fightin’. At least we won’t have to worry ‘bout those Dark Gaia guys anytime soon.”

Shadow nodded his head. “We should get back to your hideout. Tails said he wanted to talk to us about something.”

Sonic once again tried to stand up, but suddenly pain shot up his leg. What? He leaned against the other, but that one gave out too. He fell on the ground.

“Are you… ok…?” Shadow asked.

“Yeah…” Sonic said through gritted teeth. “I think it’s a cramp.” Sonic gasped.

Nothing major… or at least Sonic hoped. He hadn’t had any cramps in a while. Did they always hurt like this? The muscles in his leg twisted violently. He slowly pulled himself towards the tree he was sleeping under to sit by it, closed his eyes and took deep breaths. You’re okay… he repeated in his mind as he waited for the pain to pass.

Sonic was more shocked than anything. He always knew to stretch before a big run. Why were his legs hurting? I guess it might have somethin’ to do with the werehog. He felt a weight on his legs. Sonic slowly opened his eyes and saw Shadow massaging them. After the pain began to ease, he tried moving again, but his legs still felt tight. “Ow…”

“You probably shouldn’t move.” Shadow said as he stepped away from him. “We’ll have to wait.”

But Sonic didn’t want to wait. What Tails had to say was probably important. Maybe if he moved a little slower? Carefully he moved his legs underneath him. He slowly pushed up, but still, his legs locked in place. Sonic fell on the ground again. Shadow whipped around. “What did I just say?”

“Sorry…” maybe Sonic would have to wait after all. Shadow bent down and slipped his hands under Sonic’s knees, before he knew it Shadow was carrying him in his arms.

“Hold on.” He said as his shoes boosted them away. Of course, without another word.

Sonic wrapped his arms around Shadow’s neck. As he closed his eyes, he let the rhythmic swish of his shoes lull him to sleep.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Once again Sonic’s dreams were filled with the same memory. Over and over. He struggled to get any sleep that morning. When most of the day had passed, he decided to stay up. I just need to get my mind off of that. He thought. His legs still felt a little sore, but maybe he could get up on his own. He once again, carefully pushed himself off of the ground. His legs shook, but they looked like they would hold. He stood a little bit straighter. It didn’t feel… comfortable, but he would manage.

Sonic peeked around the corner. Behind his tent, Tails and Shadow were whispering to each other. On a table, he saw notes in Tails’ binder. It looked like more stuff to do with Chip.

“Hey Sonic!”

“Ah!” Chip suddenly flew in Sonic’s face. “Ah… I mean… uh, hey, Chip!”

“Sonic?” Tails and Shadow stopped their discussion. “Are you up?” Asked Tails.

“Uh, yeah…” Sonic said, looking past Chip at Tails’ binder. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I think I might’ve figured out what happened the other night.”

Sonic’s heart lightened. Finally, some answers!

Tails pointed to the page with Chip’s bracelet. “After I woke up from, uh… last night’s ordeal… I finished translating a little more of this page. I think that this bracelet Chip wears acts like a charm against Dark Gaia. It was thought to have soothed Dark Gaia’s rage and help ward it off, but I think that it acts more like a Dark Gaia magnet . The monster probably took Chip because it wanted Chip’s charm. So from now on, we have to keep better track of ‘im.”

Sonic looked confused. “Is that it?” Nothin’ about why the werehog went crazy?

“As far as I know, that’s it.” Tails continued. “I don’t see anything else I can get from it.”

“Huh.” It wasn’t exactly news. Of course Sonic would protect Chip.

“I also figured out this maze at the beginning of the Gaia temple. So, if ya’ wanna go tonight, you can!”

A cold chill went up Sonic’s spine. “Why tonight? Wouldn’t it be easier to go during the day?”

Tails pulled up photos of the Gaia temple. “This temple is really old. There’s a whole lot of dirt, rocks, and pillars and stuff everywhere. I think it would be a lot easier if the werehog moved all of that around.”

Especially after… what happened the other night… Sonic was still nervous about going out and doing something important like that as the werehog. What if he made things worse?

“I’ll be going in with you.” Said Shadow, standing beside him. “Tails and Chip will be watching from back here.”

Everyone waited for Sonic to give his answer. Despite his fear of the werehog, he decided he had to go. “Alright… we’ll go tonight.” Sonic said. He would’ve liked it more if they had more information about the werehog, but they didn’t have time. It had already been about a week since the world was split up, and they were the only ones who could put it back together. He couldn’t let everyone down.

“You should get some sleep. You look exhausted!” Said Tails, guiding Sonic back to his tent.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow and Sonic headed towards the Gaia temple. It was already twilight. The sun had almost finished setting and hopefully by the end of the night Mazuri would be restored. Shadow watched as Sonic ran beside him. Every once in a while he would falter, nearly tripping over himself, barely keeping his eyes open. Shadow looked angrily at him.

Earlier, he noticed that Sonic didn’t touch his food. Now he was learning he hadn’t gotten any sleep. What is he worried about? Shadow told him that Tails and Chip would stay behind. Shadow reassured him that he would back him up and stop the werehog if need be. What else could be plaguing his mind? He was less concerned about Sonic’s behavior and more annoyed. He was hoping that this mission would be smooth. But Sonic already came in distracted.

Shadow made it to the entrance of the Gaia temple. Shadow waited for Sonic, but he hadn’t shown up yet. He should have started his transformation into the werehog by now. Shadow took out the backpack filled with the dim chaos emeralds. He wondered which one was his. He picked one up, and held it into the moonlight trying to see if he could spot any color, but the gem seemed to suck in all light. There really was nothing there to speak of.

It was strange. He’d held these chaos emeralds multiple times in his life, but now they seemed completely foreign to him.

  “Chip…” Shadow heard the werehog growl. “Where’s Chip?”

“Sonic?” Shadow backed away. The werehog loomed angrily over him.

“Where’d you put ‘im this time?” The werehog rushed in front of Shadow.

Shadow felt the pile of rocks brush against his back. “He’s not with us. Tails has him.”

The werehog narrowed its eyes. “ You … You’re both workin’ together, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Ya’ wanted to take Chip away from me. Ya’ wanted to distract me! This time , I won’t let ya’ off easy…”

The werehog swiped at Shadow. He heard its claws scrape against wet rock. The werehog followed up with a pounce that Shadow narrowly dodged. After that another massive punch. This time it hit, knocking Shadow into a large switch. His backpack opened and he dropped the chaos emeralds. Shadow jumped out of the way as the werehog tried to smash him, but it broke the switch instead.

The switch bent. At first, it made an awful creaking sound before it suddenly snapped and exploded from the ground. The mechanism failed, the door fell, and crashed with a deafening boom. Shadow and the werehog were plunged into complete darkness.

Right before he lost sight, Shadow noticed a tiny hole near the ceiling. That must’ve been the entrance Tails was talking about. Slowly and carefully, he felt around for the emeralds and tried to quietly place them in his bag. The werehog growled. It sniffed around, trying to find Shadow.

Shadow hid himself behind a small pile of rocks as the werehog stalked along the floor. Once Shadow made sure he had all seven emeralds, he climbed up the pile of rocks that led to the entrance. On the ground, the werehog clawed in any random direction, hoping it could hit Shadow. Just a few more steps and Shadow would be out, but then, a tiny rock fell from underneath him. That was more than enough for the werehog to find him.

Shadow’s eyes had started to adjust and he could see the werehog climbing up after him, much faster than anticipated. It tried to grab him, but thankfully, Shadow slipped through the hole. The werehog was a lot bigger, so it couldn’t climb in after him.

“Get back here!” It angrily growled at him.

Shadow instead continued through the maze. He pressed on Tails’ communicator and it turned on. A holographic render of the inside of the Gaia temple glowed in front of him, and he could see the path that Tails plotted out for him and Sonic. He followed the line, until he was almost through. Suddenly he heard crashing and smashing sounds, and then a thick boom. The werehog was charging through the maze, breaking through the walls. Shadow picked up the pace. Finally making it to the exit.

The entrance was cramped and filled with rocks, but the inside of the Gaia temple was very open. Two large waterfalls cascaded down the temple’s walls that poured water into the building. A strong current tugged at Shadows feet that seemed to flow throughout the ruins. A thick fog filled the whole place, illuminated by moonlight peeking through cracks in the ceiling. Beyond, the inside of the temple was nearly pitch black.

Shadow looked back at the maze. I know you’re not Sonic… If he could restore his chaos emerald, he could fight the werehog. And he wouldn’t hold back.

Shadow almost fell over as another loud boom was heard. The werehog had made it out of the maze and now had its eyes set on him. Shadow used his air shoes to easily skate above the water, while the werehog struggled to keep up.

It noticed vines crawling along the walls. It jumped up, grabbed them and swung from vine to vine, attempting to catch up with Shadow. Finally, Shadow made it through the waterlogged room and was now headed through the pitch black temple.

Shadow skated through a large corridor. Thankfully, the werehog couldn’t keep up with him. He looked behind him and it disappeared. He cautiously opened up his map, hoping that the werehog hadn’t spotted him nearby. Tails said that the altar would be at the center… and sure enough, there was a large open space at the temple’s core.

Shadow’s thoughts were interrupted. He heard the werehog growling. In the temple’s walls . Where was it? He looked at the map. Sonic’s communicator kept falling off of his gloves, but it looked like attaching it to his shoes was the right idea. His icon showed on the map, but it seemed to have a hard time placing where the werehog was as well. Ignoring the werehog, Shadow ran towards the center, flying through holes and running up fallen pillars until he finally made it to a large room.

According to the map, the entrance to the altar was underneath him. There was a thin winding staircase that led down. The stairs’ supports poked through the walls. They held it up, but just barely. Each beam was cracked with decay. Shadow heard a loud crash. The werehog broke through the wall. 

Covered in rocks and dirt, it shook its fur out. It opened its eyes and locked them in on Shadow. He braced himself for a fight.

The werehog dropped into a crouch and leaped at Shadow. It bit down on his arm.

“Gah!” Shadow punched the werehog in the head. It flinched but it didn’t let go of him. It bit down harder and flung Shadow over the edge.

Shadow landed on one of the beam’s supports. He stood up, holding his sore arm. The werehog jumped and landed in front of him. Shadow heard bits of the beam slide and pour out onto the ground. It’s going to fall! He realized.

The werehog stalked forward. Shadow had his back against the wall.

“Give up.” Shadow said, catching his breath.

“Never.” The werehog panted. It stood up getting ready to strike, but the beam couldn’t handle the weight of the both of them. It cracked underneath them.

The werehog and Shadow fell.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow groaned. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the ledge that the werehog and him were standing on… or what was left of it. His arm was stiff. It looked like it was bandaged up. His back ached. He must’ve fallen directly on the chaos emeralds, but when he shifted around, he couldn’t find his bag. Slowly he stood up.

Shadow’s ear twitched. In the distance, he heard Sonic breathing heavily.

“Sonic…?” Shadow rasped. But Sonic didn’t respond. Shadow shoved the rest of the rocks out of the way and got up to check if Sonic was alright. Morning must’ve turned over. He wasn’t the werehog anymore.

Shadow had to step carefully. The bag of chaos emeralds had spilled over, and were scattered all over the floor. Sonic sat in the center of the mess. His hands were grasped around his body, his breathing shallow. He stared off into space as if his mind was somewhere else.

“Sonic?” Shadow said again. He touched Sonic’s shoulder. He was shaking.

He flinched as he looked up at Shadow. Silently, his eyes begged for help. But what was Shadow supposed to do? Is something wrong? He kneeled down and looked Sonic over, but it seemed that his wounds from last night were already healed. He didn’t have a scratch on him. So why did Sonic look like he was in pain? Why was he panicking? What does he want me to do?

Shadow’s thoughts were cut off. Sonic tightly wrapped his arms around his waist. He was hugging him. Normally, Shadow would have pushed him away, but it looked like it might be helping. He didn’t move.

He felt Sonic shudder with each breath. Was he cold? Or was it… fear? Shadow responded by wrapping his arms around him. Sonic buried his head into his chest fur and pressed further into him. Shadow’s body tensed. If he hadn’t he would have fallen over.

Shadow awkwardly looked down at Sonic. A little unsure of what he should do, or if he could do anything. He was used to working behind the scenes, away from people. He didn’t know how to handle situations like these. But Sonic seemed to, so he followed his lead, or where it felt like he was going. He pulled him closer and stayed quiet.  Eventually, he felt Sonic’s breathing slow as he began to relax. With his eyes closed, it almost looked like he was sleeping.

Shadow and Sonic sat in the altar’s entrance for a while and Shadow… was getting restless. He knew that Sonic probably wanted nothing more than to stay on the floor, but they had something important to do. Beyond where they were, the stone pillar still waited for them. They had to leave. What could Shadow say to motivate him?

“We need to go.” Shadow said bluntly.

Sonic gazed worriedly behind himself. He looked disappointed. “Oh, uh… yeah.” He loosened his grip around Shadow and slowly pushed him away.

Shadow walked around and picked up the bag for the empty chaos emeralds and cleared the floor. Making sure he had all seven.

Once he was certain, he walked up to Sonic, who was still staring at the entrance, and offered him his hand. At first, Shadow was worried he hadn’t noticed him. After a while, Sonic took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. Shadow pulled him up. Sonic stumbled for a moment. He leaned heavily against him and gasped sharply. Shadow looked down and saw Sonic’s legs were shaking. Were they still hurting? Shadow tried to set Sonic back down, but he stopped him. Instead, he slowly rose back up and took a step forward. They both walked through the entrance together, Sonic leaning heavily against Shadow.

As they walked, Shadow couldn’t help noticing Sonic glancing worriedly at his bandaged arm. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” The bite the werehog gave him was sore, but as far as Shadow knew, it didn’t draw any blood.

Eventually, the two hedgehogs came up to an altar and at the top of the stairs they found a pillar. A hole in its center. The perfect size for a chaos emerald. Sonic took out an empty chaos emerald from Shadow’s backpack and placed it down. Instantly the enchanted gemstone filled the room with light and now shined a brilliant yellow. Suddenly, the temple shook, tiny bits of rock fell from the ceiling. Shadow felt a strange sense of weightlessness, almost as if he were standing in an elevator… and finally… nothing.

What was that? Tails didn’t say anything about the temple moving.

Once the shaking stopped, Shadow picked up the yellow chaos emerald and set Sonic down.

“Last night, the werehog destroyed our only way out. I want to go find a new exit.” He said as he walked down the steps. And I need to figure out what happened outside. Suddenly, Sonic reached forward and grabbed his sore arm. Shadow winced, but he didn’t let Sonic see his face.

“Wait, Shadow…” Sonic looked uncomfortable. The moment they made eye contact, Sonic looked away. His eyes shifted around, as if he was trying to think of something. Shadow waited for him to speak, but whatever he wanted to say, he suddenly lost the confidence to say it. With a shaky hand, he let go of Shadow’s arm. “Nevermind…”

Shadow turned away and continued down the stairs, still waiting for Sonic to say something, but he stayed quiet. That’s not like him… Normally, Sonic was quite the chatterbox, much to Shadow’s dismay. While Shadow finally had the peace and quiet he’d always wanted from him… it didn’t seem right.

Even Shadow knew for a fact, it didn’t feel good to hold things back, but… he didn’t press any further. Before Shadow left, he took one more look at Sonic. He had curled up beside the stone pillar. His face pointing towards the wall. Shadow hoped he would at least try to get more sleep.

Chapter Text

Sonic curled up against the stone pillar. Shadow had left hours ago to look for a new exit while Sonic was left behind. He tried to get some sleep. Of course, he didn’t really get any. Ever since he woke up from his werehog state he felt on edge.

The morning when he woke up was terrifying. What was that? The moment Sonic awoke, he was immediately overwhelmed with sights, sounds, and other sensations. He turned his head and saw Shadow lying in a pile of rubble. He almost thought he… Sonic shook his head. He couldn’t— wouldn’t go that far. He tried to bandage Shadow up. He wasn’t sure if he did a good job. The staircase was dark, and Sonic’s hands shook so much… he just couldn’t tell. He removed the bag from Shadow’s back and through painful gasps tried to get any of the chaos emeralds, just one of them, to the altar. He tripped over a bit of rubble and dropped all of them. Pain crawled up his legs, they shook angrily, taking away the strength he had to walk. At that moment, Sonic, gingerly rubbing his sore legs, for the first time in a long time, felt like he… maybe… had lost control of the situation. 

He couldn’t stop Eggman from splitting the world. He couldn’t protect Shadow from himself. He couldn’t bring the emeralds to the altar. And then… he couldn’t breathe.

Sonic curled up tighter.

He was so… scared. When he looked up and saw Shadow he almost couldn’t believe it. He wanted to ask for help, but he couldn’t control his breathing. He couldn’t talk.

When Shadow bent down, Sonic took the opportunity. He hugged him, tightly, and pressed himself closer to him. He just wanted to make sure he was real. That it wasn’t his mind making something up.

He was really worried he wasn’t going to get back up.

Sonic wanted to talk. He needed help, but when he tried to speak to Shadow earlier, all that came out were shuddering breaths. And later, he wasn’t so sure about it. Shadow’s probably really mad. He thought. He’d probably just say something like… “you got yourself into this mess, now get yourself out.” But Shadow wasn’t like that… was he?

Sonic sighed. He should’ve asked Shadow to stay, but he just… couldn’t for some reason. He at least wanted to know if he had any experience with… whatever was going on with him, but just thinking about talking made his chest feel tight.

Why was he so scared? Nothing was happening. He should be fine. He said he  was fine… so why didn’t he feel okay? He really wished he knew. Sonic sighed as tears welled up in his eyes.

He really wished that Shadow was here.

The pillar… this… room felt so cold. He’d do anything to feel Shadow’s warmth again. Sonic curled up further to try to gain some semblance of comfort. We already have one chaos emerald… Sonic thought, just six more. He could wait that long, couldn’t he? Sonic closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would come, but it never did.

Sonic heard Shadow approach the altar. He didn’t turn around.

Shadow sat at the top of the stairs near Sonic. “I know you’re awake.”

Sonic stayed quiet.

“You should… probably eat.”

Shadow found snacks at the bottom of the backpack. It was all they had until they found a way out. Sonic looked over at the two granola bars Shadow left him. Despite his stomach growling, the thought of him eating made him feel sick. He sighed. “I’m not hungry.”

“Did you hear what Tails said… or were you asleep?”

“I… don’t know.” But Sonic did know. He heard through his communicator. He hadn’t slept at all since Shadow left, but for some reason, he didn’t want Shadow to know that. “What’d he say?”

“When we powered up the chaos emerald, Mazuri fell back into place. He’s also outside now, trying to find a way out.” Shadow paused. “It’s almost night again.”

Sonic knew that too. He wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to turn again.

“Sonic?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay?”

Sonic didn’t realize he was shaking. “Yeah.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Everything’s going to be okay. He just had to believe that… but Sonic wasn’t sure if he could.

<<Shadow! Sonic!>> Tails suddenly yelled. <<I found one! I found an exit!>>

For a moment, Sonic was happy.

<<All the way at the top, there’s a place I can dig through. It’ll take some time though.>>

“Tails? What time is it?” Shadow asked “Is it night?”

Sonic heart spiked as he waited for his answer.

<<The sun’s setting.>>

Shadow got up. Behind him, Sonic looked up at him sadly. He didn’t want him to go.

“Tails, I’ll wait somewhere deeper in the temple when Sonic changes.”

  <<Got it! I’ll let you know when I finish digging. If you wanna leave, just follow me on the map.>> Tails updated the map on the communicator. A little yellow circle at the top represented him. In the center of the map, a blue and red circle representing Sonic and Shadow respectively.

“Tails. No matter what, do not enter the temple at night. We have to wait until Sonic changes back.”

<<Chip’s charm works on Dark Gaia creatures. I was thinking that maybe it could work on the werehog too.>>

Sonic looked up hopefully. If Chip was with him…

“We don’t know that for sure.”

Sonic’s hopes were instantly crushed. Shadow was right. They didn’t know. They had to be careful.

Sonic felt a now familiar tingle on his fur. Suddenly, his head hurt. “Shadow...” he groaned. “Ya’ have ta’ go.”

Shadow turned around and realized what Sonic meant. He ran away.

Sonic’s fingers curled over the hard, rock floor. A wave of sadness covered Sonic’s heart. Threatening to push him over. He wanted Shadow to stay, but he knew he couldn’t. A spike of anxiety shot through him as he felt another wave of pain. He fell to the ground and curled his body. Couldn’t it have waited a little longer? He wanted to talk to Shadow! He didn’t even get to sleep! He groaned as his teeth began to grow. He dug his nails into the rocky floor. He screamed in pain. Did it have to hurt so much? His claws burst through his gloves, he grew, and a suffocating blanket of darkness covered his whole body.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As the dark cloud dissipated, the werehog opened its eyes. It cautiously put its hand down, scraping its claws against the floor. Feels… weird… again. The werehog couldn’t stand this strange new place. This building wasn’t as terrible as usual though. The pungent air didn’t make him feel sick, but a loud, rumbling sound echoed through the walls making him dizzy. He felt weird. Everything always felt weird. Felt weird… tasted weird… smelled weird… The werehog sniffed around, sneezing at the dust in the air, but it also caught a scent. He was here… just now.

It was angry at Shadow and Tails. I thought they were my friends… these Dark Gaia monsters are gettin’ pretty smart!

The werehog was suspicious from the start, but after last night, it was sure. Tails and Shadow must be some kind of new form of Dark Gaia. Much faster, smarter and more vile than it could ever imagine. Their friendship wasn’t real, it was a distraction. All so it could let its guard down and they could steal Chip. What did they want with him? Could it be related to what they had both forgotten about?

The werehog froze as it heard an unnatural swish on the ground. No doubt, that was the sound of Shadow’s strange shoes. At first it tentatively turned around. It hated the way the dry earth scraped against its hands, the loud slapping sound as its palm hit the ground and the way the mist gathered on its bristly fur, and now, its legs hurt, but it had to brave the wall of discomfort it felt. It had to find Chip.

The werehog steeled itself, and then it headed in the direction of Shadow’s sounds. Jumping down the flight of stairs in a single leap. No matter how fast it ran however, the sound slowly faded away. Shadow was fast. It was going to have to find another way to get to him.

As it continued to run, it found a hole in the ancient building’s walls. Immediately it jumped through. It cringed as it climbed up the slimy, mossy stone pillars and the packed earth clung to its fur.

It followed the hole through its many twists and turns. At some point, the werehog wondered if it should go back until finally it exited the hole and found itself on a walkway above the ground. Underneath it was a long pathway that led further into the building.

The werehog stopped. It shook out its fur and drank in its surroundings. The room was pitch black. There was only a small sliver of moonlight that dragged across the floor from a crack in the ceiling. It sniffed. The only thing the werehog smelled was the moss that grew along the wall, and the countless critters that lived in its cracks. It almost began to worry it wouldn’t find Shadow again. Did I miss him? But then, the werehog heard Shadow approaching it. Its plan had worked! If it just waited, it could pounce on him the same way it did that night before. I’ll grab ‘im and then he’ll have ta’ tell me where Chip is!

The werehog crouched and stayed still, hoping to blend in with the fallen rocks that surrounded it. Not too long after, it could see the silhouette of a familiar black hedgehog.

Found you! The werehog leaped from up high . A growl escaped the werehog’s mouth. Shadow looked up. He nearly jumped when he saw the werehog coming right for him.

Shadow took out a big, shiny, rock. Something about it seemed familiar, but the werehog couldn’t understand why. Instead of heeding its warning, it stretched out its arms aiming for Shadow’s neck. It heard Shadow yell out the words “Chaos control!” In an instant, Shadow disappeared. The werehog’s arms swiped over clean air. Huh? Immediately after the werehog’s wave of confusion, it felt another wave of pain in the back of its head.

Shadow had somehow teleported on top of it. His heel kicked the back of its head so hard, it face planted into the ground, leaving a huge crater. The werehog felt so dizzy, it thought it might get sick. It stumbled around, before it finally found a wall to lean on.

Shadow, with the shiny rock glowing in his hands, stood cautiously far away from the werehog. He’s still afraid of me.

The werehog chuckled. “Ya’ know…” it started. “Ya’ wouldn’t have ta’ fight me if ya’ just told me where yer’ keepin’ Chip.”

“You act like you have a chance against me.” Shadow said defiantly.

Once again, he disappeared, but a split second before Shadow’s foot made a connection, the werehog felt a breeze by its ear. Without even thinking, and with all of its strength, it reached, and grabbed. In its hands it caught Shadow. Got ‘im! Shadow was shocked, but only for a moment. He yelled, “chaos spear!” And instantly a flash of light shot from his hands hitting the werehog.

It yelped and immediately let go, or rather, it lost control of its hand. The werehog grasped its wrist and waited for the burning sting to pass away, while it was distracted, Shadow ran. Yer’ not gettin’ away! The werehog once again chased Shadow, limping on three legs. Its lungs stung as it ran as fast as it could, but still, the sound faded away. It had to find another shortcut.

The werehog ran through archways and weaved between fallen pillars. Finally, once again it could hear Shadow’s shoes. It leaped from the rubble clawing at Shadow, catching him completely by surprise. He fell on the ground and rolled.

A hole in the ceiling revealed the moon shining down on the two of them. The werehog swiped again, its claws shining in the light of the moon. Shadow dodged and threw more lightning bolts its way. The werehog screamed as electricity flashed through its body. It fell to the ground, paralyzed by pain.

Shadow sat on a fallen rock in front of the werehog. On the edge of the moonbeam.

The werehog growled. Once it could move again, it wouldn’t hesitate to stop him. Finally the pain ceased and the werehog shot up. It was about to charge, but Shadow threw another chaos spear. The werehog did hesitate.

“Don’t move.” Said Shadow. “I want you where I can see you.”

The two waited in the clearing. Almost as if Shadow was planning on waiting the whole night. The werehog wanted to strike, but every time it moved a muscle, Shadow shot another spear. It would have to wait for its moment of opportunity.

<<Shadow?>> a voice called from somewhere. The sound shocked Shadow, distracting him for a moment, and that was more than enough for the werehog. It slipped into the pitch black temple as Shadow sighed, exasperated.

“What is it?” He said through gritted teeth.

<<I finished digging the hole. Chip and I are waiting outside. At the top of the temple.>>

Chip? That strange voice it heard, it must’ve been Tails. They’re waiting outside . The werehog ran off. If it could hurry, it could make it to Chip before Shadow knew where it was. But it was too slow. Shadow immediately gained on the werehog. No matter how hard it ran, Shadow would catch up. This time the werehog would stop him. Shadow yelled “chaos control!” He teleported on top of the werehog once again attempting to hit its head. The werehog grabbed him. He yelled “chaos spear!” And once again the lightning bolts burned the werehog, but instead of letting go, the werehog threw Shadow with all of its might. Shadow was sent flying into a wall.

The werehog shakily climbed up a pillar, still affected by Shadow’s lightning bolts. It had to see if it stopped him. As the werehog clawed its way up, it saw Shadow, lying underneath a pile of rocks that was once the wall behind him. Shadow looked up, glaring daggers at the werehog. Its heart stopped when it saw Shadow take out his shiny rock. I couldn’t do it!  It braced itself for another shot to the head or another burning sting, but instead, Shadow dropped the shiny rock, falling unconscious. The werehog was about to celebrate its victory, but suddenly an aching pain traveled through its body. It collapsed onto the ground. It’s chest heaving as it tried to catch its breath.

<<Shadow?!>> The werehog heard a small voice. <<Shadow? Are you okay?>>

The werehog growled angrily. I can’t believe it. You are workin’ with ‘im! It was hoping it could at least trust Tails.

<<Don’t worry, I’m coming to help!>> It heard the voice echo.

So he’s comin’ here? If it just waited, Tails would bring Chip straight to it. The werehog wanted to hide. It tried to move its limbs, even though they begged to stay still. The moment it stood up, it flopped back down. Why can’t I move?

The werehog craned its head sullenly towards Shadow. Despite all of its efforts, it only just managed to stop him and he would still wake up later. I don’t get it. It thought angrily. Where did these dark Gaia monsters come from? They were a lot stronger than usual. A lot more than the werehog could handle. The werehog shakily got to its feet. How would it hold up in a fight against Tails?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“ Don’t worry. I’m coming to help!” Tails said into his communicator. He stared at the temple’s map. Shadow’s icon stayed still. Despite his enthusiasm to help, he peered anxiously down the pitch black hole. Tails hesitated to take a step forward… and then, he shook his head. Shadow needs me. He wasn’t moving. Something was wrong. He could be hurt.

He turned his tails to fly, but he hesitated once more. First, as a precaution, he picked up a flashlight. Dark Gaia were creatures of the night. Their eyes were very sensitive to the light. If things got bad, Tails would flash the light in Sonic’s eyes and hopefully it would stun him and he would relent. Of course, there would be no reason why Tails would have to do this. Sonic would never hurt him. It was just a precaution, hopefully, for something that would never happen.

He tied a rope to a nearby tree and dropped the other end down the hole. If Shadow was okay, he could climb up himself. He slowly climed down. His tails could alert Sonic.

“Chip!” Tails whispered. “Follow me!” He did need Chip to calm down Sonic, but a small part of him was a bit scared of the ancient building. It was dark, there were hardly any light sources, and Tails could hear a deep moan vibrating through the walls that he hoped was just the wind.

“Didn’t Shadow say we had to stay outside?” Chip said, looking around for Sonic.

“Shadow might be hurt.” Tails replied. “We have to go find him.” Hopefully before Sonic does. Tails added to himself.

Tails turned on his flashlight and they both walked through the Gaia temple’s ruins. Ivy crawled up the cracked walls, surrounded by piles of thick moss. The air was humid and foggy from the massive rivers that flowed through the building.

Tails heard something. He instantly turned his light to the source of the sound. It was a small pile of dirt and rocks that fell from the ceiling. Or… what was left of what you would call the ceiling. He saw the remains of the ancient temple scattered over the floor. For a moment, he wondered if they were caused by aging, or one of Sonic’s rampages. He shook his head. Sonic may be strong, but I don’t think he could tear through all that. Could he?

Tails and Chip had a hard time following the map, on account of how awful the building’s state was, but finally they found the last place Sonic and Shadow were seen. Strangely enough, the map said that Sonic was nearby, but Tails didn’t see him. He pointed his flashlight through the pitch black room and saw nothing but tumbled rocks. I guess he dropped his communicator again. It didn’t matter, Shadow was more important.

Rocks and boulders were scattered all over the ground. Tails looked up and saw a platform with a large crack over it. It sounded like Shadow hit something hard. Could that be…? He flew up high until he could see over the platform. He found Shadow! He was lying underneath a pile of rocks. His yellow chaos emerald glowed beside him.

Quickly, Tails flew to Shadow. He wasn’t moving. He didn’t react to Tails’ presence at all. At first, Tails assumed the worst but eventually he noticed the slow rise and fall of Shadow’s chest. It struggled against the weight of the rocks, but still, He’s alive! Tails gave a sigh of relief. Silently, he chuckled to himself. Of course Shadow’s alive. Sonic would never hurt him.

“He’s stuck!” Chip yelled.

Tails grabbed Shadow’s hand. Chip grabbed the other. Together, they pulled Shadow out from underneath the rubble.

“Shadow!” Tails shook Shadow, hoping to wake him up. He still didn’t respond.

“Is he okay?” Chip asked. “Why isn’t he moving?”

“He’s just unconscious.” Tails said. “We have to get him out of here.”

Tails picked up the chaos emerald. He slipped his hands underneath Shadow’s arms  and turned his tails to fly, but Shadow was a lot heavier than he expected, and he unceremoniously fell to the ground, dropping Shadow and his flashlight. “Ow…” Tails stepped back, wondering how long he could hold Shadow like that. He was pulled away from his thoughts when Chip tugged on his tails.

“Chip? What is it?”

Chip didn’t speak. He silently pointed in front of him. Against the edge of the flashlight’s glare. There stood Sonic, among the fallen boulders. His dark fur blended in perfectly. Was he always that… big? He towered over Tails and Chip. He was staring directly at them.

Tails stared back in horror. Sonic was glaring at him. He growled angrily, his eyes peered down at Tails, he ground his massive claws against the floor. Tails could swear Sonic thought he was the enemy.

“Chip…” the werehog growled, “you… took… Chip…”

“No! I didn’t! He’s right here. Don’t you see him?”

“Give Chip back!” It roared, advancing towards Tails.

Tails had come in hoping that just seeing Chip would be enough to have Sonic snap out of it. But it wasn’t working.

“ Give. Chip. Back !” It repeated more seriously.

Tails slowly backed away. Chip didn’t move with him. Chip! What’re you doing? Tails tried to move. He had to get Chip, but he couldn’t move. He was too scared.

“Sonic?” Said Chip.”You can calm down now. I’m okay.”

The werehog didn’t listen. “Chip. Get over here. Before he grabs you again.”

Chip slowly walked over to the werehog. Tails began to panic. Something’s wrong with Sonic! Chip wasn’t safe around him. He had to do something. Quickly, he ran over to his flashlight and turned it on. He flashed it directly in the werehog’s eyes. It screamed in pain, backing into the wall. Tails grabbed Chip, he hurriedly grabbed Shadow’s arms and hoisted him into the air.

Before the werehog could recover, Tails flew away, taking Shadow with him. He tried to fly to a higher ledge, away from the clearing, but something stopped him before he could make a landing.

“Ah!” Tails dropped Shadow and his flashlight, which shattered on the ground. He almost fell off of the ledge. He desperately tried to climb, but the werehog, with its stretched out arms, was grabbing his two tails and he couldn’t get up.

“Get back here!” The werehog roared angrily.

Tails started slipping. “Help!” Tails cried. He desperately dug his hands into the ground, but stood no chance against the werehog’s strength. Chip flew over and grabbed Tails by the ears, hoping he could pull him up, but to no avail, Tails kept slipping.

“Chaos spear!”

Just then, Tails felt a weight lift from his two tails, and he instantly fell forward and onto his back.

Illuminated by his chaos emerald, Shadow stood before him. He saved him. From Sonic. “Shadow—“

“Tails! What are you doing here!” Shadow yelled.

“I-I wanted to help.”

“You need to get away! Now!”

The werehog screamed and roared so loudly, Tails felt like he might go deaf. They both covered their ears as the temple shook. “What about you?” He noticed that Shadow was bandaged up. Something happened.

“I’m fine!” Shadow yelled. “Leave! And don’t let it see you! It’ll try to follow you.” Shadow removed his inhibitor rings, yelled, “chaos control!” And disappeared in a flash. Tails ran with Chip in his arms. He heard crashing and smashing as Shadow and the werehog’s fight continued. He crashed into walls as he desperately, blindly made his way through the temple. Without his flashlight, navigating through was nearly impossible. Thankfully however, he finally saw the rope he left behind. He tried to fly up, but his tails were still sore from trying to escape the werehog. Instead, he quickly climbed, Chip flying beside him. He pulled himself through the hole.

At first he caught his breath, lying on the grassy floor, staring up at the night sky. Then, he started thinking.

Think! think! How do we stop Sonic? He wracked his brain for answers, looking at his Tornado, he remembered something. A long time ago he was working on portable cages he could use to trap Eggman’s robots. He was trying to cut down on some of the work Sonic had to do.

Through every one of his tests, he would throw the pod, and then Sonic would get to the badnik before it could do anything. It was quickly discontinued.

Tails had a hard time throwing out even some of his failed inventions. He wondered if he still had them. Tails ran towards the Tornado and opened up its back compartment.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow grabbed the werehog’s arms and slammed it into the ground. The floor gave away, letting them fall deeper into the temple. Faster than the speed of light, Shadow dodged the rubble as the werehog was pummeled by it.

He watched the pile of debris hoping it wouldn’t move, but it shook and shifted around before exploding before him. The werehog leaped through the rocks and went to bite him. Shadow moved his leg in time. The werehog still creeped along the floor, Shadow backing away.

They circled each other, looking for an opening.

“Attacking Tails is too far!” Shadow yelled.

“If you guys just handed over Chip, none of this would be happenin’ right now!”

Shadow felt his communicator buzz. <<Shadow!>>

Shadow growled angrily. He answered without looking away from the werehog. “What is it now , Tails?”

<<I know a way we can trap Sonic! You’ll have to bring him to the exit I just made.>>

  Shadow sighed. “Are you sure this’ll work?”

<<Positive!>>

“Alright, I’m on my way!”

Shadow climbed back up the hole the both of them fell into.

“Hey! Come back!” The werehog screamed.

Shadow followed the map until he saw Tails’ rope. He used chaos control to earn him some more time. The werehog climbed the rope. A strange sound vibrated as it was pulled taught. Shadow wondered if the rope could stand the werehog’s weight. The small tree holding it dangerously leaned forward.

Not too long after, the werehog’s claws clamped over the hole’s lip and it pulled itself up. It saw Shadow and Tails waiting off to the side of it and jumped. Shadow wasn’t sure what Tails’ plan was. He took out his chaos emerald, ready to strike. Tails threw a pod into the air. There was a high pitched whine, and then a crack as the cage burst open and wrapped around the werehog.

It was a giant cube of light. The walls were so opaque, the only thing you could see was the werehog’s silhouette. The werehog bared its claws and scraped the cage’s walls but instantly pulled its hand back as it crackled. The cage shocked it. It crouched down, whipping its head around but eventually resigned when it realized there was no exit.

Tails slumped to the ground. “We did it!”

Chapter Text

Sonic laid on the grass with his eyes closed. He heard a strange humming sound that vibrated around him. What is that? Sonic opened his eyes. Or tried to. Wherever he was, was really bright. His body itched as he tried to sit up on the grassy floor. As usual, he was so sore, he could barely move. With great effort, he was able to push himself off the ground, but suddenly, he felt a sharp sting on the back of his head. “Ow!” His quills brushed up against something that shocked him. On the ground, he gingerly rubbed his singed quills.

“Sonic?” At least, that’s what he thought he heard, everything was muffled.

“Huh…? Who’s there?” He tried to look in front of him, but he could barely make out an image. What’s goin’ on? Where am I?

“It’s Shadow.” Sonic heard through the muffled walls. “Last night, Tails was able to trap you in this cage. Be careful when you move. The walls will shock you.”

Electric walls? That sounded familiar. Like one of Tails’ past inventions. So he still had that thing lyin’ around? Sonic thought. He was thankful, but still a little uneased. He never did well in tight spaces. “How long ‘til I get out?” Sonic yelled. Hoping that Shadow couldn’t hear the anxiety in his voice.

“Until Tails gets back. He went into the temple to fetch my inhibitor rings and find the chaos emeralds. He left a long time ago, so it shouldn’t be much longer.”

So he had to remove them again…. Sonic saw another silhouette beside Shadow.

“Sonic? Is that you?”

“Tails?”

Sonic heard a beep, and then instantly, the cage’s walls disappeared. Sonic squinted his eyes against the midday sun. He could barely make out Shadow and Tails. “Guys you’re…” at first, Sonic was happy to see that his friends were alive, but was shocked to see how roughed up they had gotten. Even Tails. “Tails? What happened?” Sonic ran up to him. “Are you okay?” He looked like he fell down a hole. He was covered in dirt. A few tufts of fur missing here or there.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Said Tails, looking away from Sonic. “It took a long time to find Shadow’s rings. I had to dig pretty deep.” He chuckled.

It’s just from the temple. “Good.” Sonic sighed. But still, it felt too close. First, Tails was captured by Dark Gaia and now, Sonic had to worry about what happened last night. He couldn’t take it anymore. “After we fix this werehog situation,” if there is a way to fix it… “I want you to… to take a break from this adventure.”

“Huh?” Said Tails. Even Shadow was shocked.

“I mean it… you’re going home.” Sonic said more firmly. He looked down at Tails. He was very upset, but it was for the best. Sonic decided that he wasn’t going to let the werehog get to him. Not like what he did to Shadow.

“How else are you going to find the Gaia temples?” Tails asked.

“You could take me to Spagonia.” Sonic replied. “Professor Pickle can figure it out.”

“He’s too busy! I can help!” Tails pleaded.

“No, Tails!” Sonic yelled.

Tails turned away, exasperated. Shadow put a hand on his shoulder. Possibly an attempt to comfort him.

Sonic couldn’t stand seeing Tails this upset. Maybe he was being… a little dramatic. Sonic’s hands started shaking as Images flashed in his mind. Shadow… Sonic shook his head. He had to be strong. No, he can’t come with me. Tails would be mad, but eventually, he would understand. Sonic went over to comfort him too. He reached his hand out. “Look, I know it sounds—“ Tails gasped. He stepped back. As Sonic reached for his shoulder, his two tails brushed against Sonic’s hand. He pulled them close to him. Shrinking away.

“Whoa!” Sonic said. “You alright?”

Tails laughed sheepishly. “Yeah… uh… my tails are just a bit sore from last night—“

“Last night…? Did somethin’ happen?” Tails put his hand over his mouth. He never meant to mention anything. No… please don’t tell me… Sonic grabbed Tails’ shoulders. “Tails, what happened? ”

Shadow began to rip Sonic off of Tails. He didn’t make it before Tails blurted out. “You grabbed me. That’s it.” Tails looked away. “You didn’t do anything. I’m okay.”

I didn’t do anything… ? that wasn’t true. Tails trembled in his hands. He was scared. Sonic released his grip. “N-no… I… I would never…” he mumbled as he backed away. The thought of the werehog putting his hands on Tails filled him with dread. I-I thought I… knew… The werehog had never touched Tails before. Sonic assumed that even in his cursed state, deep down he knew how important Tails was to him. But he was wrong. Suddenly the air felt thick and he found it hard to breathe. No… not again… His blood ran cold, he started shaking again.

“Sonic?” Tails reached out to him. “Are you okay?”

Immediately, Sonic dodged him. He backed away, trying to keep as much distance from him as possible. What do I do? He looked around worriedly, searching for answers. Sonic’s eyes fell on Chip, who looked just as worried as everyone else. Maybe… Sonic, before anyone could react, plucked Chip away. He ran into the forest that surrounded them.

I’ll figure this out on my own. Then Tails… and Shadow won’t have to worry about the werehog anymore. He hoped that Tails was right. That Chip could help him. When he had proof. He would come back and look for them.

As Sonic ran away from Shadow and Tails, his feet slipped and he nearly tripped. What’s wrong with me now ? Sonic thought angrily. Normally he was very quick and nimble, but right now he felt really slow and clumsy. His body was still stiff from… whatever happened the night before. He stopped to catch his breath, even though he normally wouldn’t have to by now. Why was he so tired? Why did his body hurt so much? He hated not knowing.

“Sonic? Where are we going?” Chip asked.

“Please… Chip, can you… not talk right now.”

Sonic wheezed. He sat on a nearby log, still unable to catch his breath. Why did it hurt to breathe? His heart beat so hard his chest hurt. He closed his eyes, to try to block out the pain in his head. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. You’re okay. You’re fine… he repeated in his head.

“Sonic? Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I-I just… I need a minute...” Sonic looked back at Chip with tired eyes. His vision blurred. He blinked and suddenly he was on the ground.

He tried to pick himself back up, but his splitting headache made it hard to move. What’s happening? Sonic suddenly felt a spike of anxiety. He recognized it. He had felt this pain before. It had been plaguing his nights for a while. He was transforming again.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow and Tails walked through the forest, looking for Sonic. The communicators Tails made needed to be charged . It looked like his ran out. They couldn’t find him on the map. If only we had his communicator. We would’ve tracked him down by now. He ran away before they could charge it for him.

“Sonic!” Tails yelled into the forest. There was no response other than his own echo.

After Sonic had run off and taken Chip, of course Shadow and Tails had to run off after him. After a while though, Shadow’s patience had started to run thin. He’ll come back. He thought angrily. This is a waste of time. Still, Shadow was feeling more uneasy than he wanted to admit. He’d never seen Sonic that upset before. At least, not until recently. That behavior was similar to the first morning they spent in the Gaia temple. Or even the morning before that. When he woke up under that tree.

Just then Shadow saw a red flash flying through the air. After it paused, he could clearly see who it was. Chip?

“Shadow! Tails! Help!” As soon as he spotted them, Chip flew right up to them. He crashed into Tails’ arms, completely out of breath.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Tails.

“It’s Sonic!” Chip gasped. “There’s something wrong with him.” Chip grabbed Tails’ arm. “You have to hurry.”

Shadow and Tails hurriedly followed Chip’s instruction through the forest. Pushing over big leaves and nearly tripping over vines. They finally came to a clearing. Sonic was on the ground, hunched over and clearly in pain. Shadow kneeled beside him. He didn’t look good. He was breathing heavily. With each exhale his body shook with exhaustion. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Chip…? Is that you…?” Sonic asked blearily.

“Sonic? It’s Shadow.”

“Shadow…? Ya’ have ta’ go…”

“Why?”

“W…werehog…”

Shadow wasn’t sure what he meant. “Werehog?” He looked up and over the trees. The sun was bright and the sky was clear. It’s just past noon. “Sonic, you’re not transforming. It’s not night.”

Sonic responded with a low groan. Tears streaming down his face. “Please… Shadow… go!”

“Sonic?” Tails sheepishly walked from behind Shadow. “I think this is a normal headache. You can’t be turning into the werehog.”

“Tails?” Sonic’s eyes flashed with fear. “Ya’ can’t be here. Ya’ have ta’ go. All of you!”

Shadow looked at Sonic. What’s happening? What’s wrong with him?

Tails gazed worriedly at Sonic. He stepped back. “I’ll go get some water.” He told Shadow. Quickly, he twisted his two tails together and flew off.

“I’ll go help!” Said Chip, following after.

Shadow looked up at the both of them, shocked. What?! Don’t leave me alone with this! He thought. Shadow’s attention was quickly turned away to Sonic. Still hunched over on the grass, he tried to get up. To run away again… but his legs shook. He lost his balance. Shadow quickly lunged and grabbed him.

Sonic, in his arms, twisted and flailed around. “Lemme go!” He screamed.

Shadow looked down worriedly at him. “Sonic, calm down!” Shadow yelled, but he still thrashed around. “Ya’ have ta’ let me go!” He cried.

What has gotten into him? Shadow thought. How could he convince Sonic that he wasn’t transforming? He could clearly see it was still day. Couldn’t he? Before Shadow could think of anything, he felt Sonic relax in his arms. Is he calming down?

“S-shadow…” Sonic stammered out. “I think… I think I need… help…” Suddenly, Sonic went limp. What? Shadow almost thought it was some sort of trick, but he didn’t get back up. Quickly, Shadow laid him down on the ground. Fearing the worst, he bent down to listen to his heart. It sounded… strange. Somehow erratic, it pounded through his chest. Sonic was still breathing, but his breath was quick and sharp. It didn’t sound like sleep.

What is wrong with him?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonic slowly blinked open his eyes. Where am I? He was on the ground. He turned his head and saw Shadow standing beside him. And Tails… maybe Chip too, off further away.

Sonic felt a wave of pain through his head, suddenly reminding him of his mission. I have ta’ get outta here. He looked up and saw the clear, blue sky. He was transforming into the werehog, even though it was day. He had to protect Tails and Shadow. He had to get up.

Ignoring the pain in his head, slowly he stood up. He grabbed a nearby log for support. It creaked as he put his weight on it. Shadow turned around. Sonic tried to force himself forward, but suddenly, he felt dizzy, he lost his footing, almost falling over. He grabbed the log. Trying to keep himself up. He gasped in pain as his head pulsed more from the effort. Before he had a chance to react, Shadow grabbed him.

Sonic tried to shake him off again. But he couldn’t get free. His energy was spent. His body screamed at him to stop. But he couldn’t. He had to protect them from the werehog.  Shadow couldn’t stop him. Sonic thought. What if he hurt Tails?

“Sonic.” Shadow said. “Don’t move!”

“Why won’t you let me go?” Sonic asked desperately. Shadow knew how serious a threat the werehog was. Why would he stop him? Sonic had to shake free. But no matter what he wanted, his body wouldn’t do what he wanted it to. Finally, he gave in, sobbing wearily he thought,  I’m sorry. He tried to escape. He wouldn’t be able to protect them. Shadow wouldn’t let him.

Without him realizing, Shadow guided him back to the log. “Sit.”

Without even thinking about it, Sonic sat down. He tried to stay up, but his head slumped, he almost blacked out again. When he opened his eyes, he was wrapped in Shadow’s arms.

Feeling awkward, Shadow swiftly removed Sonic and tried to lay him on the ground again.

“No, stop…” Sonic mumbled. He grabbed Shadow as hard as he could. He didn’t want to lay down in the grass, it was cold, itchy, he hated the way dirt got stuck in his quills. Sonic’s grasp weakened, but Shadow understood what he was trying to do. He held him in his arms again.

As Sonic laid against Shadow, he could hear his heart beat, feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest. With rising horror, he realized It felt nothing like how he felt. Sonic’s heart pounded so hard, he could feel it in his head. His breath came out short, his chest hurt. What’s wrong with me?

Shadow held Sonic in a tight grip. Suspicious that he might try to escape again. “Sonic. You’re not turning into the werehog. It’s daytime. It must be a normal headache.”

I’m not turning into the werehog?  Now that Sonic had thought about it, he should’ve transformed by now. It shouldn’t take this long. Shadow was probably right.

The werehog only came out at night… still, what if it was another one of those things they didn’t know about the werehog? What if he could change during the day? Sonic hoped it wasn’t true. It was bad enough having to deal with the werehog at night. He at least thought he had the day to himself.

Sonic’s hands started shaking. He held them together, trying to get them to stop. He took a deep breath. Calm down… you’re fine. You’re not turning into the werehog.

“Sonic.”

Shadow’s voice cut through his thoughts. Reaching over Sonic’s shoulder, he sifted around for something, finally, he picked up a water bottle and a pitiful pack of peanuts. “You have to eat something.”

Sonic looked down at the peanuts in his hand. The thought of eating still made his stomach turn, but the sound of his stomach growling was too loud to ignore this time.

He had to eat something.

He chewed and swallowed up the snack, hardly tasting it at all.

“Drink this.”

Shadow handed him the water bottle. Sonic grabbed it, but it immediately slipped out of his hand. They still shook. He tried to hide them. He didn’t want Shadow to see.

Shadow took the water bottle and opened it up. He held it so that Sonic could drink.

“Do you feel better?”

His stomach wasn’t exactly full, but his throat wasn’t dry. It didn’t hurt as much to breathe. Sonic silently nodded his head.

The two of them sat in silence. As Sonic began to calm down, his hands stopped, and his mind cleared as well.

The werehog. Everything about it was… scary. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t control it. He still had memories of the night before through his dreams, but something about them always felt… unsettling. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know exactly what to say, but he needed to say something.

I need to talk.

“Shadow… I need help.” Sonic started. He glanced up at Shadow.

Shadow looked down at him, but he didn’t say anything. Sonic saw that as an invitation to continue.

“I… I tried to go ‘n’ beat Eggman by myself… and now the world’s split up… the werehog… I don’t know what to do about ‘im…” Again, Sonic’s anxieties resurfaced. He looked up at Shadow again. Sometimes, he really couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but right now, he felt like it was clear. He’s… mad at me. He had every right to be. If Sonic and Tails had asked for help the moment they saw him in Mazuri, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

Sonic tried to say more, but suddenly, he felt a wave of pain through his body. His arms and legs pulsed. Against his will his hands tensed, his hands dug into Shadow’s skin. He tried to call for help, but nothing came out. He curled up and closed his eyes. A low groan escaped his mouth.

“Sonic?” Shadow asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Cramp…” was the only thing Sonic could gasp out. “I… I think it’s just a cramp.” He said through gritted teeth. He hoped it wasn’t serious, but he couldn’t explain why it felt so horrible.

Shadow laid him on the ground, gently, he touched his body. What’s he doing— Sonic’s thoughts were cut off as another wave pulsed through his limbs. He felt his muscles pull and twist around. He curled up further, his head fell back as he moaned in pain. What’s happening?! It felt like some kind of cramp, but terrible. He couldn’t control his limbs, they shook erratically. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to try to keep himself from panicking.

Sonic, with his eyes screwed shut, felt Shadow grab his head and lay it on his lap. “It’ll pass.” Sonic wanted to ask him how he knew, but another wave took hold. As his pain felt worse, he tried not to scream out, he didn’t want to scare Tails, but it hurt so much… he was starting to get dizzy. No, stay awake. He didn’t want to sleep. There was so much he wanted to say. He couldn’t let this ruin it. Sonic felt himself losing consciousness. The pain was so intense, he couldn’t breathe.

Shadow noticed. “Sonic. Breathe. ” he encouraged him.

As soon as the wave stopped, he took a deep breath. Forcing his lungs to move. Just breathe. He told himself. Shadow said it would go away.

Sonic took deep breaths, gasping every once in a while from the pain. A small scream escaped him as he tried to readjust his body.

Shadow brushed his back. “Calm down. I know it hurts, but you can’t move.”

I’m trying! Sonic wanted to call out. But he couldn’t scream. Deep… breaths. He reminded himself. No matter how much it hurt, Sonic forced himself to breathe evenly. He pushed his head into Shadow’s body. He curled his ears back, trying to block out everything he could. Shadow continued to brush his back.

Eventually, he did feel the pain in his limbs melt away. They still ached, but not as painful as before.

Shadow moved away from his head. Sonic was so exhausted, he could barely turn around to see what he was doing. He closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t fall asleep. He felt light pressure as Shadow gently touched his body. As the painful buzzing eased away from his limbs, Shadow straightened him up. Sonic felt Shadow’s hands press into his body. The ache faded away. His limbs finally began to relax. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. It’s over. He thought gratefully.

“Sonic?” Sonic opened his eyes to see Shadow sat in front of him, water bottle in hand. He lifted his head, and pushed the water bottle to him. “You need to drink.”

Sonic listened. He drank as much as he could.

Shadow laid him back down on the ground, still checking his body. He tried to relax, but he was too worried. What was that? Those cramps came without a single warning. What if it happened again? After Shadow was sure he was okay, he laid his head down on his lap again. Sonic curled his body into Shadow’s, hoping the pain wouldn’t come back.

He sighed wearily. How much longer could he take this? How long has it been? Five… seven days? It had only been about a week and already Sonic was over it. Mysterious aches and pains… I can barely sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t drink. Every time I wake up, I can barely remember anything… and everything I do remember, I wish I could forget.

Every time Sonic closed his eyes, that night flashed through his mind. The night where he almost killed Shadow. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop the werehog.” Sonic choked out. “I didn’t… I don’t want to hurt you.” Tears poured out from his eyes as he looked up at Shadow. He was very grateful for his help so far, and yet...  Sonic felt awful. Every time he looked at him, those same images flashed in his mind. Shadow on the ground, coughing. He couldn’t breathe. So why wouldn’t he just let go? Sonic wanted to help him, but no matter how much he called out, no matter how much he objected, the nightmare continued.

Sonic shakily pushed himself up. Shadow tried to lay him down again, but Sonic refused. He needed proof. He needed to know that Shadow was okay. He embraced him again, wanting to feel his heart beat.

He closed his eyes and focused. Every time his mind tried to take him back to that place, Shadow’s heartbeat would guide him back. Shadow’s okay… he’s here. Tears fell down Sonic’s face. He’s not dead. I didn’t kill him. Sonic felt Shadow shift around. His arms pulled him close. He was so warm, Sonic forgot how cold the forest was. Shadow’s alive. Sonic hoped he would never leave him.

After a while, as Sonic relaxed in Shadow’s arms, he noticed Shadow parting through his quills. Eventually, Sonic would hear a small snap. Beside them, Shadow had gathered a small pile of blue quills with black tips. At first, Sonic was confused. That’s not what my quills look like… Then, he remembered. When he first woke up, he had accidentally shocked himself with Tails’ cage. It must’ve singed his quills.

Shadow paused when he noticed Sonic staring at the pile of quills. “Did I wake you?”

Sonic shook his head. He never fell asleep.

Now that Sonic was aware of what he was doing, Shadow felt awkward. “I’ll stop if it’s disturbing you.”

“Uh… no, it’s okay.” Sonic didn’t mind it. The snap was a little jarring, but the moment before, when Shadow parted through his quills felt nice. Sonic relaxed again, and let Shadow continue his work. He still paused for a moment, as if he really wasn’t sure if he was allowed to, but once he noticed that Sonic wasn’t moving, he continued on.

Sonic watched the pile grow. Wincing every once in a while. Some of the burnt quills made it pretty far up his head, and removing them felt a little uncomfortable. Shadow would pause, wondering if he should stop, but Sonic never objected.

Over time, as Shadow’s arms passed over his head, Sonic noticed something on one of them. He was so tired, it was hard to make out exactly what it was. A flash of white against Shadow’s black fur. Suddenly, Sonic realized. It was the bandage he tried to wrap earlier. Shadow noticed him looking at it and tried to turn Sonic’s head away.

“Does it hurt?” Sonic asked, his head facing away from him. At first, he wasn’t sure if he was going to get a response, but eventually Shadow sighed and said, “It’s just sore. Don’t think about it.” So he tried not to. He focused on the small snaps of his quills.

Eventually, Shadow had finished his job and had relaxed his arms around Sonic. Sonic’s breath deepened further. He felt his shoulders slump, his eyes began to close. He was falling asleep. Anxiety flashed through Sonic’s heart. He jerked awake.

Shadow, thinking that this was some sort of rejection, pulled himself away, but Sonic grabbed his arm. “Shadow? Please… don’t go…” he begged.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Shadow reassured him. He looked back. He tried to shuffle closer to the log they were sitting against. Sonic tried to crawl after him, but his limbs tensed up again. He gasped from shock. When he inevitably hit the ground, he curled up and took deep breaths trying to distract himself from the pain again. Why am I so tired? Why does everything hurt? Boldly, he once again tried to pick himself back up, but Shadow stopped him. He laid Sonic down again, uncurling his body. He worked his hands through until he relaxed again. His muscles still twitched, but not with that same aching pain.

”Does it still hurt?” Shadow asked. “When you move?”

Sonic wanted to give him an answer, but he couldn’t talk. He tried to move his arm or a leg, but his body just wouldn’t do what he wanted it to. He just laid there.

Carefully, Shadow dragged Sonic towards him. Sonic assumed he was worried he might cause another cramp. It felt strange, but he didn’t mind not moving. For some reason, now, even breathing felt like an effort. Shadow laid Sonic next to him. Sonic curled up closer, trying not to worry about another cramp coming on. He laid his head on his chest again. He sunk into his fur, careful not to close his eyes. Stay awake. He pleaded.

“It’s okay… if you want to sleep.”

“I can’t…”

“You have to. You look exhausted.”

Sonic could barely keep his eyes open. He wanted to let himself drift off to sleep… but he couldn’t. “I… keep having… nightmares...”

“About the werehog?”

Sonic nodded. “About… what I did… a few nights ago…” Sonic still couldn’t say it.

“I thought you couldn’t remember what happened at night?”

If only… “Normally I… normally I can’t, but… this one’s pretty clear… for some reason.” Sonic tried to recall his dream. His mind felt like it was wandering. “I… keep hearing myself say things… but they don’t sound like me. I keep… doing things I don’t want to do. My hands… around your neck…” Sonic felt his chest tighten again. He had to stop thinking about it. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I stop shaking? “What’s wrong with me?” Sonic whispered out loud.

Shadow tried to console him. “There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s the werehog.” He said matter-of-factly “That… thing isn’t you.”

What? But the werehog was him.

“It doesn’t remember me.” Shadow continued. “I’m assuming it had to be reintroduced to Tails. It doesn’t look like you. It doesn’t act like you. It’s not you.”

“But…”

“Sonic, would you ever hurt Tails?”

“No—“

“Do you want to hurt me?”

“No…”

“Then it isn’t you.” Shadow reiterated.

Sonic sighed. “Even if I’m not the werehog… it doesn’t… fix anything. I can’t stop him…from hurting you. He tried to hurt Tails last night...” Sonic paused. His stomach heaved at the thought of what the werehog could do to him. Tears welled up in his eyes. How’d I let that thing get anywhere near Tails? “How do I control him?”

“You can’t. We will.”

We? Sonic was confused. Did he mishear him?

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Tails and I.”

Tails…? “Shadow…” Sonic sighed. But Shadow didn’t let him finish speaking.

“Earlier, the only reason the werehog got that far was because I was… put under some kind of spell. It slowed me down. And Tails was the only one capable of trapping the werehog.”

Sonic still looked unsure.

“I won’t let it happen again. The werehog isn’t getting to me, and I’m not going to let it get to Tails, or anyone. ”

Sonic nodded. Still unsure of what Shadow was saying. Of course he was the werehog, he transformed into him every night. His memories were so clear. They couldn’t have been made up. Sonic couldn’t say that the werehog was another person, it felt like a lie… like an excuse. The fact was that Sonic couldn’t protect them from the werehog. He was too weak.

Sonic sighed. He looked off in the distance. Tails… he saw him and Chip sitting on the opposite side of the clearing.

“Why’re they… all the way over there…?”

“I didn’t want them getting too close to you.” Shadow replied.

It was obvious why. “ Because I could hurt them.” Sonic whispered.

”Because I knew you wouldn’t want them to see you like this.” Shadow corrected him. He looked over the other side of the clearing too. “Did you still want him to leave?” Shadow asked.

Sonic knew who he was talking about. He nodded his head.

Even if he could calm down now. Even if they talked… it wouldn’t change anything important. “I can’t control the werehog.” Sonic hated saying it, but it was true. If he couldn’t guarantee Tails’ safety, then he couldn’t be here.

Shadow squeezed tighter. “It’s not you.” He said again.

“Yeah… sure…” Sonic said sarcastically. He really didn’t believe him. “What about my dreams…” Sonic tried to reason with him, “or… my memories… I still remember…”

“It doesn’t matter what you remember.” Shadow answered. “You… and the werehog might share the same body, but your actions don’t align. It might be a different person.”

Sonic thought for a while. He considered the idea that Shadow was right… and… maybe Tails could hold his own on this adventure. Shadow did say that Tails knew how to trap the werehog.

“Maybe…” Sonic started. “…maybe If… you guys can figure out how to stop me… Tails can come…”

Shadow nodded. “We’ll try to figure something out.”

“Thanks Shadow…” Sonic sighed.

Sonic yawned, suddenly feeling his sleepless nights catch up with him. After he finished drinking his water, he tried to turn around to climb on the fallen log him and Shadow were sitting against. He was so exhausted.

He turned his head to try to make out his escape. He tried to push himself up to execute it, but Shadow stopped him.

“You can lay down here.” He placed Sonic’s head back on his chest.

Grateful for the suggestion, Sonic didn’t move. He stayed there, resting against Shadow. His chest fur tickling his ear. His eyes sagged, but he didn’t sleep. Instead he continued to watch Tails and Chip, now turned away from him and Shadow.

“You don’t have to worry about them.” Said Shadow.

Sonic sighed. He just had to trust Shadow and Tails… and maybe even Chip.

Hopefully, they would figure something out.

Shadow noticed he wasn’t sleeping. “Some people find it easier to wind down if they try to focus on something. Like… a word, or phrase…”

“Or counting sheep.” Sonic chuckled. He closed his eyes again, and took a deep breath. He settled on a phrase.

Everything’s going to be okay…

Everything’s going to be okay…

Everything’s going to be okay…

Chapter Text

Shadow sat by Sonic, underneath the mossy log.

Every hour, almost like clockwork, Sonic would jerk awake from a nightmare. Seeing the sky darken would send him into a panic. Shadow, sat next to him, would calm him down and help him get back to sleep. Right now, as Sonic drifted off to sleep again, Shadow was getting a little bit worried.

Sonic had shown signs that he was in need of medical attention. Dehydration, exhaustion maybe. The muscle spasms… Shadow wracked his head, trying to figure out what else he could do until morning, but sadly, it wasn’t much. His symptoms, they seemed more serious than a water bottle and some sleep could fix. They had to take him to a doctor, but it was already too close to night. They couldn’t meet the werehog.

Shadow watched the sky, as if his glare would make the sun move faster. Night had to turn over, the moon had to set. Sonic needed help.

Sonic jerked awake. Almost instantly, his limbs locked in place.

“Sonic.” Shadow spoke softly. “Don’t move.” Shadow felt around Sonic’s arms and legs. He hoped that maybe it was just an annoying cramp, that it would pass soon, but as usual, he felt muscles violently ripple underneath his hands. Sonic moaned in agony.

It’s happening again. Sonic knew to stretch before a big run, or to keep himself hydrated …but the werehog probably doesn’t. Last night, the werehog fought Shadow with all of its strength. Even though Sonic didn’t have any to spare.

“Shadow…?” Sonic asked. “What’s goin’ on…?”

Before Shadow could answer, he felt his muscles twist and pull. Sonic gasped. His body curled against his will. Shadow bent down close to his ear. “It’s another muscle spasm.” He whispered. “Just lie still.” He said as he brushed his back.

Sonic listened and tried not to move.

Shadow sat beside Sonic, waiting for his body to ease, he stroked Sonic’s back, hoping it could help. He heard Sonic trying to breathe, but every once in a while his breath caught in his throat as a new wave plagued him. Relax. Shadow willed Sonic’s body. Sonic tore at the grass, trying to take his mind off of the pain. Shadow watched his hands shake and turned his head away. Shadow cringed as he heard Sonic stifle another scream.

Sonic would always wake up, horrified at whatever he’d seen in his dream. After that, he would be forced into a cascade of pain and confusion. Shadow hated not knowing how he could help him. What do I do?

Sonic’s body relaxed. Shadow put his hand over Sonic’s leg. Eventually, he felt his limbs stop. They still shook, but Shadow had guessed it was from exhaustion. He grasped Sonic’s legs, and pushed his hands into them, massaging them until his muscles fully relaxed. Shadow leaned close to Sonic’s ear. “Sonic. Try stretching your leg. Just a little bit.”

At first, Shadow wasn’t sure if Sonic heard him. He just laid there, his eyes barely open. Finally, he took a deep breath as he willed the strength to stretch his leg. His muscles bunched up, but almost immediately, his leg went limp. Sonic moaned weakly.

He’s getting tired. Shadow thought. He took Sonic’s leg and pushed it against his body. Sonic’s hand twitched. Did it hurt? Should I stop? Sonic grabbed the ground, trying to give Shadow some resistance. He was trying to help. Shadow pushed his leg up and then he tried the other. Sonic flinched. The muscles in that one were still tight. Eventually, the pain eased and Sonic sunk into the grass as his body began to relax.

As Shadow carefully set Sonic’s leg down, in the corner of his eye, he looked at him. He looks so tired. He thought sorrowfully. Every time Sonic woke from one of his nightmares, he looked more and more tired. It was almost as if he wasn’t getting any sleep at all. Shadow looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set. He had hoped that Sonic could get some sleep before the werehog showed up. He didn’t think the muscle spasms would come back. He didn’t know that his nightmares were this terrifying. He should’ve taken him to a hospital hours ago. Now Sonic had to suffer, because of his carelessness.

“Shadow…?” Sonic rasped.

Shadow looked back down at Sonic. Weakly, he reached out his hand to him. Normally, when Shadow felt uncomfortable or upset, he wanted to be left alone, but Shadow was learning that Sonic was the exact opposite. He wanted someone close to him. Despite his instincts telling him to leave, Shadow moved closer. He held Sonic’s hand as he carefully laid Sonic against his body.

Sonic breathed heavily, Shadow wasn’t sure if it was exhaustion, or another panic attack. He brushed his quills anyway. “You need to go to sleep.” He whispered, not exactly to Sonic. As he watched the sun set, he begged Sonic’s body to give him a moment of peace, just one, before that awful creature took over. Shadow sighed as he finally felt Sonic relax in his arms. He finally heard Sonic softly snoring away.

He gently brushed his hands against his quills, lost in thought.

Sonic’s symptoms were clearly due to how overworked he was. He was a little bit worried that it might’ve been his fault. I put so much pressure on him. He always did… but Sonic always seemed so… unfocused he assumed he had to. After he heard what Sonic and Tails did, he didn’t know what else to do.

Shadow felt Sonic stir. His body tensed. Please… sleep. Sonic’s ear twitched… and then he stopped moving. Shadow pulled him closer. If he had stopped the werehog after his first encounter, maybe it wouldn’t have worked so hard to beat him. It managed to knock Shadow out, but nothing came of that. It must’ve tired out and yet… it still kept going. Why wouldn’t it just stop?

Shadow hoped that Sonic would pull through until morning. He hoped that Sonic would sleep. He needed rest.

They had to figure out how to stop the werehog. That was the only way Sonic would have peace.

As soon as Shadow was sure that Sonic was sleeping again, he laid him down on the mossy log beside them, and hurriedly made his way to Tails and Chip. They had to make a plan.

Not only did they have to figure out what to do with the werehog, they also needed to get Sonic out of there and to a village as soon as possible.

“Shadow, stop!” Tails yelled.

Shadow froze in place. He looked down. Crawling on the ground, Tails went over and removed a page from underneath Shadow’s shoes. He sat back down, plenty of paper radiated around him. What is this? Shadow was so preoccupied with Sonic, he wasn’t paying attention to Tails. He looked down at the papers. More notes hastily written by Tails.

Tails had his binder filled with the Gaia Manuscripts on one side, on the other, a notepad and a pencil. Shadow sat in front of the edge of the circle of papers. He couldn’t figure out from just watching, so he asked. “What are you doing?”

Tapping his pencil against his head, Tails didn’t look up, but he replied. “I’m… tryin’ to figure out what to do about the werehog.” He closed the book, sighing in exasperation. “I keep getting closer to finding the next Gaia temple, but I can’t find anything on the werehog.”

Shadow looked at the notes on the ground. He saw buildings and maps, but no creature similar to the werehog. As Tails looked, defeated, at the Gaia manuscripts, Shadow wondered how he was getting anywhere in the first place. All of the pages before him were written in a multitude of languages new, and some so old, he hardly recognized it at all. Tails was a kid genius, but how could he possibly have the time to learn all of this? “Tails…” Shadow started, “ I know you’re smart, but… how exactly are you translating all of these? I’ve never seen these languages in my life.”

Tails eyes lit up for a moment. “I’m not exactly… translating them. Maybe deciphering would be a better word.” He opened the Gaia manuscripts again. “Professor Pickle translated them. He made this for me because he thought I could get more use out of it than him.”

Tails told the story of how him and Professor Pickle met. One night, there was a break-in at his university. Eggman’s robots busted through, but they didn’t physically take anything. They took pictures. Tails hacked into Eggman’s computer and found photos of the Gaia manuscripts, but was unable to find out why he wanted them before he was indefinitely locked out.

Professor Pickle held seminars about the Gaia manuscripts, so Tails went to see them. The moment he saw the chaos emeralds, a railroad of questions came out of his mouth. Professor Pickle was shocked. Most of his colleagues didn’t find interest in finding supposed, powerful gemstones. They didn’t exist, as far as they knew.

After his seminars, Tails stayed around to talk, Professor Pickle was impressed and intrigued that he could find anything of worth in those manuscripts. He offered to translate the ancient texts for him. He was interested in what Tails might find in it.

“After that, I figured out what Eggman was trying to do. Sonic and I had to rush to find the chaos emeralds. I didn’t have enough time to build a rocket.” Tails looked down sadly. “Sorry.”

Shadows eyes widened. “For what?”

Tails sighed. “We should’ve asked you to help. Super Sonic and Super Shadow… probably could’ve stopped Eggman.” Tails pulled his legs close. “When we saw you in Mazuri, you looked like you were focusing on something else. We didn’t wanna disturb you.”

And somehow taking my chaos emerald without asking wasn’t disturbing? Shadow would’ve liked if they asked too. When he was sent on his vacation, he didn’t really have much of a plan. He heard that there were people, who protected the citizens of Mazuri from some of the dangerous animals that lived there. Under the cover of night, he would help out, during the day, he would sleep. It seemed like it would be pretty simple. Then Mazuri split, and he had his hands full fighting Dark Gaia.

Dark Gaia… the werehog had to be Dark Gaia, right? That’s the only reason why it would appear after this incident. The sunlight banished it, like any of the other creatures, but it also came back. Was there anything they could do to hold Dark Gaia at bay? They couldn’t exactly lasso the sun.

Shadow tried to think, but he couldn’t focus. A strong beam of light hit the corner of his eye. He turned to Sonic, but almost immediately had to shield himself. A huge pool of light came from Chip’s orb. It filled the whole clearing and wrapped itself around Sonic. When Shadow and Tails looked over, Sonic seemed to relax more. He had sunk further into the log’s moss and snored loudly. He looked truly at peace. Chip stepped away from him.

What was that? “Chip, what did you do?” Shadow said. Perhaps a little scarier than he intended.

Chip shrunk away. “I don’t know! Don’t ask me!”

Tails kneeled down to talk to Chip. “You’re not in trouble or anything. We just really wanna know what happened.”

Chip thought long and hard. He wrung his hands together. He screwed his eyes shut, but… “I’m sorry, guys! I don’t know!” He cried. “I don’t remember anything…” he said more quietly.

“That’s okay.” Tails tried to reassure him. “We can figure it out later.”

Perhaps, they wouldn’t have to wait long. “Tails,” Shadow started, “didn’t the Gaia manuscripts say something about Chip’s bracelet being a charm for Dark Gaia?”

“Yeah! I bet your bracelet charmed Sonic, and made him sleep better… and I think I might’ve seen you do it before.”

Tails told a story about his first night with the werehog. He struggled a lot with getting the werehog to fly. Mainly because it seemed to be afraid of the Tornado. He managed to get it seated, but the moment they took flight, it cried and screamed and thrashed around. Tails didn’t get to see anything other than a bright light in the corner of his eye. The next moment after, the werehog seemed to calm down.

“But that was the werehog… ” said Shadow, “why would it charm Sonic?”

“Well… they’re sharing the same body. Maybe it can’t tell the difference?”

Or maybe that charm isn’t for Dark Gaia? Shadow thought. The most frustrating part of this adventure so far was how much they didn’t know. Shadow sighed. It’d be a lot easier if we had a better guide.

“Chip,” said Tails, “did you notice anything different about yourself? That night and right now?”

Chip shook his head. “I just walked up to him.” He pitifully looked behind him. “Sonic looked really… sad… I wanted to help him.”

Unfortunately, something Shadow could relate to. He looked up at the darkening sky. Pretty soon, it would be night, and then they could see if it really worked on the werehog. It had to.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The sun had finished setting and the night sky grew dark. As usual, Sonic began to grow as he changed into the werehog. Slowly, it began to stir awake. It opened its eyes and yawned showing its large set of teeth.

“Chip…?” It asked sleepily.

“I’m right here, Sonic!” Chip yelled beside it. “You don’t have to freak out!”

“Freak out…?” The werehog looked down at Chip confused. “What’re ya talkin’ about?” The werehog yawned again. And fell back into its mossy bed. What’s goin’ on? Why does Chip look so scared?

Shadow and Tails popped out from behind some bushes. They carefully approached the werehog. You two again! The werehog protectively put itself between Chip, Shadow and Tails. Chip must’ve realized that enemies were nearby! If only the werehog’s senses weren’t dulled. It could’ve properly prepared for a fight. A fight?

The werehog remembered, last night it couldn’t fight. Shadow was too strong, and Tails had that strange cage. The werehog would have to be more careful.

“Sonic?” Said Tails.

“Get away from ‘im!” The werehog barked. “You’re not takin’ ‘im away from me again!” As usual, it tried to intimidate. It growled low at Dark Gaia, hoping they would back off. But they stayed there.

Shadow gave an exasperated sigh. Tails stopped him before he could say something mean. “Sonic, we’re not trying to steal Chip from you. Honest!”

The werehog didn’t believe him. “You took ‘im from me.” It growled.

“I was trying to give him back.” Tails explained.

The werehog growled angrily at the Dark Gaia monsters. Even after all this time, they still tried to lie. It wasn’t going to argue any further. “C’mon Chip. We’re leaving.”

The werehog tried to get up, but instantly fell to the floor. “Huh?” Once again it tried to stand, but its legs collapsed underneath it. “Ow…” the werehog crouched low to the ground. Suddenly, it didn’t feel like moving.

“Sonic? Are you okay?” Tails asked.

The werehog continued to try, but fell further each time. It laid down on the ground, panting. What’s wrong with me? Its legs felt… weird. Like the same aching pain it felt when it last fought Shadow. For some reason, it couldn’t catch its breath. Shadow approached the werehog. “Get away from me!” It growled. It tried to reposition itself.

Chip interrupted the werehog before it could bite. “Please, Sonic. Let Shadow help you.” He looked up at the werehog with sad eyes.

“Chip…” the werehog didn’t understand why Chip would want to work with his captors, but it trusted him. It looked up warily at Shadow who was still waiting for its response. “Ok.” It flopped down and tried to relax, but for some reason, its legs hardly moved. They splayed painfully at its sides.

Quietly, Shadow looked over the werehog. He poked and prodded it, asking if it felt anything strange. Once Shadow got to its legs, the werehog winced. “Ow…”

“Do your legs hurt?” Shadow asked.

“Yeah, I guess.” The werehog replied. It really couldn’t move.

“Then you shouldn’t be walking.” Shadow continued. “You need to rest.”

The werehog raised an eyebrow. “Rest?” It tried to stand up again, but its leg couldn’t hold it. What’s goin’ on? The werehog laid down on its side, hoping to move as much weight off of its legs as it could, but it also began to panic. How am I supposed to get outta here?

“Sonic?” Chip walked beside the werehog. “I think you should listen to Shadow.”

The werehog wanted to reply, but it had to catch its breath. It laid its head down and closed its eyes… a lot longer than it wanted to. It had to leave. It had to get Chip away from them.

Ignoring the pain in its legs, the werehog climbed its way up, digging its claws deep into the ground. “Chip.” It breathed out, “we have to leave.” Suddenly it fell on the ground. Taking huge gulps of air. What’s wrong with me?

“Sonic?” Tails asked.

The werehog growled. “I said get away from me!” The werehog attempted to swipe at Tails, but the moment it moved a muscle, it suddenly locked in place. Huh? Immediately afterwards, the werehog felt a strange sensation underneath its skin, like invisible strings of rope tightening around its limbs. It gasped in pain. What’s happenin’ to me? The werehog’s head lolled back. It felt dizzy. Its legs fought to run away, but its claws snagged uselessly on the grass.

Shadow once again approached the werehog. It wanted to object, but it couldn’t focus on any words to say. It had to breathe. Shadow touched its body. He got down on the ground and pushed his hand into its leg. At first it felt uncomfortable, the werehog growled, as a warning, but soon it faded away, the werehog’s anxiety melted away with the pain. For some reason, it didn’t feel threatened.

Shadow did the same for the rest of its body. Why was he helping it? Was this another plan to get close to Chip? Even if it was, the werehog wasn’t sure if it could do anything about it. Right now, its body refused to move.

“Do you still feel pain?” Shadow asked.

The werehog didn’t answer.

“You should probably sleep.” Tails said.

… Sleep? What was that? Was it what kept the werehog from moving? If so, it didn’t want it. “No…” The werehog tried to get up, but the same ache came back when it moved. It whined anxiously. I can’t move!

Chip sat beside the werehog’s head and stroked its fur. “You can calm down now, Sonic. I’m okay.” A bright pool of light shined from Chip’s orb.

“We have ta’ go…” the werehog mumbled, its voice strained. A warm feeling spread throughout its fur. It wrapped itself around its body, but not like those strange painful ropes. The werehog yawned and slowly slipped into darkness.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The werehog woke up in a giant black void. A sound whizzed by its head, tickling its ear fur. It turned around and saw the form of Dark Gaia. Skulking along the ground.

The werehog crouched, pressing itself into the ground and carefully crept forward. The abstract creature wistfully wandered around, before suddenly… the werehog jumped up and slammed its fists down onto the creature. It let out a short screech, before falling into a pile of ash. The werehog happily chuckled to itself. What is this place?

The werehog heard another sound. It turned its head and peered through the strange shadowy haze. A blue creature, similar to Shadow and Tails stood before it. Dark Gaia…

The werehog slipped into the dark fog, stifling a growl. It planned on sneaking on the Dark Gaia creature, but the blue creature suddenly curled into a ball, spinning faster and faster making this awful screech. Suddenly it surged forward. It hit an invisible wall.

The blue ball continued to spin as arcs of lightning began forming around it. There was a loud crash, and then the creature was shot back. It slid on the ground, still standing, and it kicked it in frustration, disturbing the shadow haze at its feet.

Once again it curled up and tried to break through the barrier, but was easily rejected.

It’s tryin’ to get out! The werehog wouldn’t have this. The moment the blue ball was rejected again, it leaped from the haze and swiped down. In its claws it found nothing but the shadow fog.

“It’s gonna take a lot more than that to catch me.”

“Ah!” The werehog whipped around. Behind it was the blue creature. How did it do that? These Dark Gaia monsters were getting strong. Shooting lightning from their hands, teleporting all over the place, how was the werehog supposed to finish its duty— whatever it was, when these guys were in the way. Who are you? The werehog thought. “What are you?” It said out loud.

“I’m a hedgehog.” The creature said plainly. “Sonic the hedgehog if you wanna be more specific.”

A… hedgehog? The werehog thought as Sonic paced around it. Sonic the Hedgehog… This one had a name too. Surprisingly similar to the name Chip gave the werehog.

“Is this what I look like at night?” Sonic looked all over the werehog. “I guess that’s why everyone’s so scared of me, huh?”

The werehog blinked. “Scared…? What do ya mean by what I look like? You look like me!”

“I’m pretty sure you’re the one walkin’ around in my body.”

This one was trying to confuse the werehog. Just like Shadow and Tails. Without warning, the werehog slammed its fist where Sonic stood. Once again he disappeared. Where’d he go?

“Ya’ know…” Sonic said, lazing on top of its head. “Some people’d say it’s pretty rude to go around attackin’ strangers.”

“You’re not a stranger. I know what you are!” The werehog growled. “You’re Dark Gaia, just like Shadow and Tails. You’re tryin’ to distract me!” The werehog whipped around to grab Sonic, but no matter where it reached, it nearly missed by inches. It stopped its meaningless pursuit. Sonic standing further away from him.

“Dark Gaia…? Distract you…? From what?”

The werehog wasn’t exactly sure. Ever since it woke up on Apotos with Chip, the only thing it knew was that it had to stop Dark Gaia, no matter what, and that it had to protect Chip, no matter what. Clearly Sonic and his friends were in its way.

“You and your Dark Gaia friends are trying to distract me from stoppin’ Dark Gaia. You keep takin’ Chip away, and I have ta’ keep wastin’ time gettin’ ‘im back!” The werehog sat down sullenly. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get ta’ stop you guys. You’re… too strong.” It laid down, face buried in its hands. The werehog wasn’t lying. Sonic and his friends were too strong for the werehog. It was going to wake up, Chip would be missing, and one night, it feared it wouldn’t be able to get him back. The werehog didn’t think it would ever do this… but it begged, “ Please… just don’t hurt Chip.”

Sonic casually walked up to the Dark Gaia beast. He reclined by its side as if he were lazing under a tree. “Ya’ don’t have ta’ beg ya’ know.” He said in a soft voice. “None of us would hurt Chip. Ever. We care about ‘im too.”

The werehog didn’t believe that. “But you’re Dark Gaia. Aren’t you?”

Sonic rolled his eyes. “I dunno where you got that from. I’m not Dark Gaia. Shadow’s not Dark Gaia. Tails isn’t Dark Gaia. We’re not Dark Gaia!”

Not Dark Gaia? Now that he mentioned it, they were pretty different from the creatures it had been fighting. A lot different. And they didn’t have that awful burning smell.

The werehog loved fighting Dark Gaia. The one major setback was the smell of the smoke swirling around in their bodies. It never left its fur after a fight. The werehog sniffed around for Sonic, but it couldn’t find anything familiar. It was very similar to Shadow and Tails. But now that it got to stop and think about it… did it make a mistake?

The werehog growled. This was… some kind of a trick, right? It couldn’t detect anything.

Sonic sighed. “I don’t know if I can convince you to be nice for me, but at least do it for Chip.”

The werehog stood up on its four legs. Grinding its claws against the ground, it asked, “What do you know about Chip?”

Sonic was unfazed by this attempt at intimidation. “I know that ya’ really scared ‘im last night.” He said matter-of-factly. “I have some of your memories too. He didn’t wanna go with you last night.” Despite the low growl that came from the werehog, Sonic stood his ground in front of the werehog. “Chip’s afraid of you. Ya’ don’t want that, right?”

The werehog wasn’t sure what to do. Ever since it woke up in Apotos, everything was so confusing. Would they always be this confusing? It had to protect Chip, but its so-called friends kept putting him in danger. The werehog wanted to keep Chip safe, but not if it made it scary. What am I supposed to do? It had to listen to Sonic, it couldn’t understand why, but it felt like he knew something. But… could it really trust Tails? He led the werehog straight to Mazuri, and if it weren’t for that, Chip wouldn’t have gotten captured. And what about Shadow? He was hiding Chip from the werehog. Wasn’t he? Now the werehog wasn’t sure. It’d have to get its answers soon. It needed to know that Chip was safe.

Chapter Text

Sonic woke up on a crisp early morning. He remembered falling asleep in a lush, green forest, but now, he was in a hut, similar to the one he first woke up in when he came to Mazuri. Cool air pooled in from the ground at the entrance. A relief from the usual sweltering heat. A blue light glow, colored the wicker wall’s cracks.

Just like before, Sonic’s body felt stiff, but for once it wasn’t painful. He just felt tired. Normal tired. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in days! I feel like I finally got a good nights sleep! Sonic stretched and yawned.

He looked over to his side it was dark, so he almost couldn’t see him, but if he focused his eyes he could see Shadow was sleeping on the floor beside his bed. Which was… a bit annoying. Sonic wanted to get up and really stretch his legs. He felt like he could use an early morning run. Slowly he tried to climb out of bed, but it creaked loudly, waking Shadow with a start.

“Sonic…?”

“Sorry!” Sonic whispered. “Didn’t mean to wake ya’. Just wanted to go out for a little run.” He once again attempted to climb out of bed. He felt fine when he stretched his leg out, but the moment he put weight on it, a wave of exhaustion hit him. He almost fell to the floor. Shadow whipped around and caught him. What is it this time? His legs could barely move.

“You probably shouldn’t be running around.” Shadow said as he helped him to his bed. “You’ve been sleeping for a while.”

“How long?”

“Three days.”

“Three days?!”

Shadow shushed Sonic. “Keep it down!” He whispered. “Some people are still sleeping!”

“Oh. Sorry…” Sonic covered his mouth. “Three days, huh?”

Shadow nodded. “We took you to a doctor to help with your muscle spasms. We expected you to wake up soon… but you didn’t. After the first two days… we… were a bit worried…” Shadow sighed, “but they couldn’t find anything wrong with you. They just told us to wait.”

Sonic was shocked to hear the news of his long nap, but on second thought, realized that he probably really needed it. I barely got any sleep earlier. I could’ve used a few days off.

Now that Shadow was awake he sat beside Sonic on his bed. “Besides that… how are you feeling?”

Sonic understood what he meant. “A lot better. Thanks to you.”

Shadow nodded. “Your… head, or your legs… they aren’t hurting?”

Sonic shook his head. “Nope. I feel great.” Enough to sleep for three days straight apparently. “Thanks, Shadow.” Sonic’s stomach started growling. “Guess I’m a little hungry though.” He chuckled.

“I’ll get something for you.” Shadow got up to leave. “Keep quiet, Tails is trying to catch up on some sleep.”

Sonic turned his head. Tails was sleeping in the corner of the room, Chip curled up beside him. Paper was littered around them, the Gaia manuscripts were opened up. He definitely looked like he could use the sleep. Sonic zipped his mouth shut. Shadow quietly left the hut.

Now that Sonic was by himself he had some time to think. He got to talk to the werehog last night… or did he? Was that just a dream?

In the past, Sonic had many alternate forms, but they never really felt as… separate as the werehog. The question was less how did he talk to the werehog and more why would he have to talk to the werehog in the first place? He was usually so… in synch, he’d never had to “argue” with an alternate form. I’m glad I got to talk to him though. He thought. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Just… confused… and scary. Sonic just hoped they could clear things up before something else terrible happened. Before it made another mistake.

When he was in that strange dark void. He felt more confident. He knew if he ever met the werehog, he wouldn’t be able to fight it, so he talked. He had to know why it was hurting his friends.

Sonic sighed. He could… feel… or sense the werehog’s emotions in there. They were clear as day, as if they were his own. When the werehog saw him, he could feel the werehog’s overwhelming hatred of Dark Gaia. The way they preyed on the weak and innocent. The damage they caused to the world. It was its sworn duty to protect those from Dark Gaia, and it would do so with great prejudice.

It sent a chill up Sonic’s spine. He felt the same… hatred that had been stalking around his friends. Now, he understood why it had that hatred, but why did it have go after his friends?

Shadow returned with a steaming plate in his hand. He looked shocked at Sonic. He quickly sat beside him.

“What happened? You’re…” Shadow hesitated.

“I’m shaking.” Not done with that, I guess…

Shadow grabbed Sonic’s arm. He looked at him intensely. “I need to know If there’s anything I can do to help you.”

Sonic was taken aback. Something was clearly bothering Shadow.

Shadow’s hand fell on Sonic’s. “I need to know.”

“You… uh… just bein’ there’s fine.” Sonic stammered. He looked down at Shadow’s hand over his.

When Sonic got scared, he found Shadow’s company nice. His warmth seemed to drive the bad thoughts away. But Shadow… he didn’t seem to be the type that liked that sort of thing. Sonic instead offered to comfort himself.  You’re fine… he began to whisper in his head. Tentatively, Shadow wrapped his arms around him. Sonic looked up at him.

“Is this helping?” Shadow asked.

It was… but Sonic noticed how awkward Shadow felt. “Yeah… but… if ya’ don’t feel comfortable, ya’ don’t have to do that.” Maybe he could figure something else out.

Sonic began to remove him, but Shadow held on tight. “If it helps, I won’t stop.” He said.

Okay… Sonic thought. He took deep breaths and embraced Shadow back. Shadow’s here. He’s okay. He glanced in the corner. Tails’s here. He’s sleeping. Chip… Sonic jumped. Shadow brushed his back. They both tensed, a little surprised at the gesture, but soon, Sonic relaxed and let him continue. Sonic sighed. You’re okay…

In Shadow’s arms Sonic waited until his heart stopped pounding.

“Do you still want to eat? Or do you want to wait until it’s over?”

“I want… to talk.” Sonic tightened his grip. “What happened… earlier? Did the werehog do anything? Did ya’ figure out how to stop ‘im…” Sonic hesitated. He was asking too many questions.

Shadow didn’t mind. “The werehog didn’t do anything.” He replied. “It tried to leave us, but… it couldn’t walk. Chip helped it sleep. He helped the both of you sleep.”

“For three days.” Sonic added.

Shadow nodded. “The werehog didn’t do anything else.” Shadow pressed closer to him. “It just slept.” He whispered, trying to reassure Sonic.

Sonic was still worried. “No one else saw the werehog?”

“Tails and I allowed doctors to see you during the day, but they weren’t allowed to bother you at night. No one saw anything.”

Sonic couldn’t hide his sigh of relief. “I know… the werehog isn’t me. I kinda agree with you now.” Especially since I talked to ‘im… but… Sonic’s throat tightened. “It’s still hard.” He admitted. His voice strained. “I still… remember some of the stuff you were talking about earlier. What I heard, saw… it’s like I was there. I really feel like I was… and then I start sayin’ things… and doin’ things… and it stops making sense. It’s hard to say it isn’t me… ‘cause… normally it would be… but it’s not.” After a while, Sonic didn’t hear Shadow respond. Did that make sense?

“That sounds… confusing.” Shadow finally replied.

“I wanted to talk earlier… but I didn’t really… know what to say.” As far as Sonic knew, no one had experienced what he did. Not only was it hard to say, he felt like it would be hard to hear. Shadow’s response wasn’t surprising. Sonic was just as confused too.

His other forms, were just him. Not an extension or… other representation… just…  him. When he had first heard about the werehog’s faults, he assumed that maybe the werehog was some… other side to him. Something that he hid… even from himself. The thought that he was capable, or could possibly have wanted to harm Shadow or Tails frightened him.

He believed now that the werehog was something different, but it didn’t make it any less scary. “I… I still don’t know what to do.” Tears fell down Sonic’s face. “He still… scares me.” He sniffed. “But he’s not going away so… I have to get over it. Right?”

Shadow shifted awkwardly. “I guess… you do have to accept that it’s here.” He started. “But… it’s not strange that it scares you either.” Shadow leaned into Sonic’s ear. “You’ll get used to it.” He whispered.

I’ll get used to it.

Sonic’s stomach growled again.

“You should eat something.”

Sonic wanted to keep talking. But he had to admit, he was hungry. I feel like I haven’t eaten anything in days… This time, it wasn’t an exaggeration.

Shadow reached over and brought Sonic’s food. It was a small plate of, now cold, scrambled eggs. Sonic looked at the plate warily. “It, uh… doesn’t look like a lot.”

“The doctors wanted to see how much you could stomach first.” Shadow looked down. “I told them you didn’t have much of an appetite before you slept.”

While that was true, he had hoped he could get a little more. Sonic shrugged. I could just get something later. He at least tried to savor the meal.

Shadow got up from beside him. He walked over to Tails, bent down and reached out his hand.

“Wait!” Sonic whispered harshly. “What’re ya’ doin’?”

“I’m waking him up.” Shadow replied.

“Let ‘im sleep.” Sonic peered over at Tails. His two tails waved and twitched around gracefully as he mumbled in his sleep, disturbing the papers he surrounded himself in. “He looks like he could really use it.”

Shadow shrugged and sat beside Sonic again. Sonic had already finished eating.

“Do you still want to talk?”

Sonic nodded. He sat back in his bed, his quills brushing against the wicker walls, and yawned. He was starting to feel tired again. “What time is it?” He asked.

“Around five in the morning.”

A little bit early for breakfast. “Where’d ya’ get the food?”

“The kitchen. I asked someone to make it for you.” Shadow replied. “You’re lucky I found anyone . They usually eat a little later here.”

Sonic felt guilty. “I’m sorry they had to cook so early.”

“They were glad to.” Said Shadow. “Everyone was a little bit worried about you.”

“Really?”

Shadow nodded. “When we brought you here for medical attention, they couldn’t figure out why you wouldn’t wake up. You were completely unresponsive, but other than that, you looked fine.” Shadow sighed. “It was… a mystery everyone wanted to be solved.”

Sonic noticed that Shadow looked worried. His hand clenched on Sonic’s bed. Sonic curled his hand under his. Shadow flinched, but he didn’t let go.

“I’m sorry I made you guys worry about me so much.”

“Don’t be.” Shadow said, looking away. “It’s not like you… did something wrong.”

“It was Chip, right? That’s why I slept for so long?”

Shadow nodded.

Sonic thought about his time while he was asleep. He didn’t remember much, beyond his dream with the werehog… and he liked it that way. When he transformed, he hated the way his fur grew out, his teeth sprouted from his mouth, and especially, the suffocating darkness… like a weight over his body, it pressed around his chest. Like he was drowning.

Shadow noticed that Sonic was shaking again. He squeezed his hand tighter. Sonic curled up against him, his hand locked with his. “Your headaches…” Shadow started. “When you turn into the werehog… are they always like that?” Shadow asked. “You couldn’t tell the difference earlier.”

Sonic could hardly tell. It seemed like the only thing he associated with the werehog was suffering. Sonic sighed heavily. He closed his eyes, trying to hold back tears. Shadow’s thumb rubbed against his hand.

“I can’t…” Sonic sobbed quietly. “Or… I couldn’t.” He corrected himself. “Because of my dreams… recently… it’s been a bit hard for me to tell what’s real and what isn’t.” Sonic sighed as he wiped his tears. “Everything just felt so… wrong earlier. I just… wasn’t sure, and I wanted to be safe. If it turned out I was right...” Sonic buried his face in Shadow’s fur. He didn’t want to think about what the werehog would do to them. He hated having to worry about them all the time. “I didn’t want to turn into the werehog again. I didn’t want to hurt you… so I thought… it would be easier if I just left.”

Sonic felt... almost embarrassed. Everything he did felt so stupid now, it had to be. Back then, he was so tired he could barely think straight.

“Are your legs hurting?”

“No…” Where did that come from? Sonic looked down, he realized he was clenching his hands. His fingers dug deep into Shadow’s skin. Quickly, he released them. “Sorry.”

“Take deep breaths.” Shadow reminded him.

Sonic nodded his head. It’s over... you’re okay.

As Sonic calmed down, he heard a familiar voice call his name.

“Sonic…?” Tails rubbed his eyes, as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing. Chip’s face beamed.

“Hey, guys—“ Sonic’s voice was cut off by a big hug from Tails. “I’m sorry if I scared ya’.”

Tails shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m just… so happy you’re awake.” He hugged Sonic tighter. “I didn’t know if you were ever gonna get up.”

Sonic could feel tears streaming down Tails’ face. He was really upset. Sonic gave Shadow a look and he knew he had to leave the room.

“I’ll let a doctor know you’re awake.”

Sonic gestured for Chip to come closer. “Chip, can you go with him?” He whispered. “I need to talk to Tails.”

Chip nodded and flew after Shadow.

The moment Tails knew they were alone. He broke down into tears. Sonic stroked his head, waiting for him to calm down. He should’ve known a moment like this was coming. As Tails began to quiet down, Sonic tried to talk to him.

“Hey… ya okay?” Sonic asked.

Tails nodded wiping tears from his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I’m just a bit worried… about you.”

Sonic raised an eyebrow.

“When they said that we had to wait for you to wake up, I thought they just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with you.” Tails choked out. “I thought they gave up on you.”

“Well… I’m okay now.” Said Sonic. “Just a little tired. That’s all.”

“Really?”

“I just need some sleep.”

Tails frowned. “But you’ve been sleeping for three days! How could you need more?” Tails looked away. “What if you don’t wake up again?”

Sonic wasn’t sure what he could say to console him. He was confused too. He was sleeping for three days. And you haven’t eaten or anything in four. He reminded himself. You just need to give your body some time to catch up. He hugged Tails and whispered, “I’m okay.” Hoping that it would give him some relief.

As Sonic and Tails sat quietly together for a while. Over time, guilt creeped in on Sonic. He said he was okay, but… that’s what he told Tails earlier. He didn’t think it was a lie at the time, but now it was really starting to feel like one. I shouldn’t’ve made him worry.

Sonic heard Tails sniff. Another tear filled thought had bubbled up. Sonic hugged Tails tighter. He wanted to let him know he was here. That he was listening.

“I was trying to distract myself earlier…” Tails broke the silence, “when you were sleeping.” Pulling himself away, he tried to wipe away his tears. He took out his portable computer. “I… uh… think I found out where the next Gaia temple is.”

“Really? Where?” Sonic leaned closer to the screen.

“It’s in Chu-Nan.” Tails wrung his hands, his tails twisted around. “I want to help.” He sighed. “Do you still want me to leave?”

Sonic was shocked. He had almost forgotten about that decision he made. He was exhausted… food deprived. It wasn’t really thought out that much. Tails had more than proved himself in the past, but… this feels different. Sonic thought. The werehog complicated things.

“I told Shadow…” Sonic started, “that you could come with me, but only if you found a way to stop the werehog.”

Tails mood lifted. “We did. Well… more like Chip did.” Tails explained what happened three days ago. The way Chip’s bracelet glowed and how it seemed to calm him and the werehog down. “I think with Chip’s help, we won’t have to worry about the werehog again.” Tails looked up at him. “Can I come with you?”

Sonic smiled. He playfully ruffled Tails’ hair. “Of course ya’ can! Couldn’t possibly go on an adventure like this without my buddy, Tails.”

Tails laughed. “Hey, quit it!” He chuckled.

Chip poked his head through. It looked like he wanted to know if they could come in. Sonic nodded, and soon after, Shadow and Chip returned. Shadow, awkwardly glancing at Tails.

“Tails says he found out where the next Gaia temple is!” Sonic said.

Tails hopped off of the bed. A little bit higher in spirits. “It’s in Chu-Nan. I wanted to go as soon as you woke up, but…”

“What?” Sonic asked.

“Yesterday,” Shadow said, “the village elder invited us to a “Party” later tonight. They want to celebrate Mazuri rejoining the earth.”

“If you woke up in time, they wanted you to go too…” Tails drifted off.

“But I’m gonna be the werehog…” Sonic said sadly.

“You wouldn’t be well enough to go anyway.” Said Shadow. “You can’t even walk.”

“What?” Tails looked shocked.

Sonic shot an angry look at Shadow. I just calmed him down! “On account of me not eatin’ for a few days… and the werehog bein’ up all night…” Sonic explained, “I’m just feelin’ a little worn out. But other than that, I’m fine.”

Tails nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

Sonic yawned.

“We should all probably go back to sleep.” Said Shadow.

Tails looked up at Shadow. “I wanna stay up.”

Shadow looked down angrily at Tails, but Sonic waved his hand. “It’s okay. I don’t mind…” he said as he was lying down. Chip had already curled up beside him. Tails had settled beside Sonic’s bed, quietly tapping away on his tablet. Sonic fell asleep as he heard Chip snoring in his ear.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Alright, everything looks good.” It was sunset now. After a long day of eating and sleeping and more eating, Dr. Pele had come by to check on Sonic. “You’ll still need plenty of rest, but you’re on a fast track to recovery.” She said happily.

“Can I walk now?” Asked Sonic.

“Yes… but take caution.” She said as she packed her equipment. “If you feel tired, you should rest.”

Sonic was happy just to be out. They had decided that they were going to leave tonight. After the party. But first, they needed to stock up on food. Sonic wanted to help out, and maybe say goodbye before he left.

“Is he really okay?” Tails asked anxiously.

“Yes. Really.” Dr. Pele said. Despite that… she frowned. “Still… I can’t figure out what caused that sleep. Other than that, you’re perfectly fine!” She said, frustrated.

“Hero work is a lotta work!” Sonic chuckled. “I probably just need a little break.”

Dr. Pele sighed. “Well, whatever it is, just be careful and you should be fine.”

Sonic and Tails said their goodbyes as they headed out on their last trip before they left. Sonic leaned against Tails as they walked through the village. He gaped at the sight of it.

Tall, thick trees grew through the ground. Homes were being carved inside them and walkways as well. Thick vines traveled from tree to tree, creating spiderweb shadows on the ground. The village was open. Stands dotted around the dry clearing, people selling food, clothes, refreshments. People walked around, talking to their friends. The light from the sunset shined through, covering the village in a bright, warm hue. It’s sad. Sonic thought. I barely got to see any of this place .

Him and Tails stood still for a while. After gazing for a bit more, Sonic shook his head. Just be grateful I get to see it now. Besides after their adventure was over, there was no reason why he couldn’t drop by again.

Sonic sighed. “Let’s go.”

Sonic and Tails shopped through the village. Mainly Tails doing the shopping and Sonic doing a lot of talking, he was still tired, so there wasn’t much else to do. Of course, Sonic’s medical anomaly was the talk of the town, so it came up in conversation often, everyone was a bit disappointed to hear that they couldn’t find out what was wrong, but they were more than happy to see him out and about.

After a long afternoon of walking, Sonic began to tire out. Tails thought they should sit and eat.
Shadow and Chip came back from helping around the village. Chip was happy to see Sonic. He rested on his shoulder, loudly recounting his day. But Shadow was a bit uncomfortable.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” He asked.

Sonic waved his hand. “As long as I don’t walk around for too long, I’m fine.”

Shadow still looked worried, but he didn’t say anything else.

Suddenly, a pleasant aroma filled Sonic’s nose. It was different… but very familiar. His mouth began to water when he realized what it was. Chill dogs! He turned his head and saw a hot dog stand not too far from them. A man dipped a ladle into a giant pot and poured a hot, steaming pile of chili over a hot dog bun. Tails noticed where he was looking. He found a table that Sonic could sit at as they brought a giant pile of chili dogs his way. Of course, Sonic felt he could eat all of it, but had to save a sizable portion for later. He knew he wasn’t himself when he couldn’t eat a mountain of chili dogs.

Sonic laid his head on the table, gazing and whimpering sadly at his leftovers.

Shadow rolled his eyes. “You know, you can just eat it later.”

“But it’s not the same!” Sonic insisted. Chili dogs were meant to be eaten fresh off the stove.

Tails chuckled. “At least it looks like you’re getting your appetite back.”

Sonic’s gaze drifted away from his pile of soon-to-be leftovers and looked up at the sky. It was getting dark.

Shadow noticed too. “Since we’re all together, I think it would be a good idea to talk about what we plan to do with the werehog tonight.” He glanced warily at Sonic.

“About the werehog…” Sonic told everyone about his conversation with the werehog in his dreams. “I don’t know why, but he thinks you guys are Dark Gaia. He says he doesn’t trust ya’. I tried to convince him you’re fine, but I’m not sure if I got through to ‘im.”

“How do we know this isn’t just a dream?” Shadow asked. “It could be a manifestation of your fears.”

“Shadow’s right.” Tails said. “Mostly about this being suspicious. Have you ever had to convince a different form to work with you?”

Sonic shook his head. “Not really. Most of the time it just… works. I’ve never even talked to a different form.” Sonic thought for a while. He really couldn’t think of a single one. “It shouldn’t matter though. Tails said you guys figured out how to calm him.”

Shadow nodded. “I’m still worried though.” He looked over at Chip. “He still doesn’t know how to control it.”

Chip awkwardly avoided eye-contact, eating his own fill of hot dogs.

Sonic looked up at the purple sky. “We should get going. It’s gettin’ dark.”

They headed straight for the Tornado. Shadow and Tails set up a tent for Sonic to sleep in, and that the werehog would, hopefully, stay in.

Shadow and Tails had decided to go to the party together. Leaving Chip in charge of the werehog. Sonic wasn’t too sure about this decision, but the werehog seemed to trust him. Hopefully it would listen.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tonight, save for Chip, the werehog was by itself. As usual, it wanted to go out and hunt down some Dark Gaia, but really the werehog had to go find Shadow, or Tails. It had to figure out if they were as trustworthy as Sonic said. Chip said that they went to a “party” and would be back soon, but the werehog’s questions were too important. It had to leave now.

The werehog found it difficult though. It lumbered through Mazuri, twitching every once in a while on the uncomfortable grass. It’s head swam as it was overwhelmed with strange smells. I miss that other place… with the log. The soft green grass was much kinder to the werehog’s hands and feet. The smell, though just as confusing, was fresh and sweet. The thick foliage seemed to block out any unwelcome sounds. For once, the werehog was at peace. But this place was the exact opposite. Why did Sonic’s world have to be so inconsistent?

“Sonic? Where are we going?” Chip asked.

“Lookin’ for some more Dark Gaia to play with.” The werehog replied. “After that… I guess we need to find Shadow and Tails.”

Suddenly, the werehog heard crunching. It definitely wasn’t its own footsteps. It turned around. A young man with a spear, pointed at the werehog, carefully crept forward. “Dark Gaia…” he whispered.

He’s lookin’ at me the same way Sonic’s friends do… Suddenly the werehog saw the glint of another spearhead. And then another and another. The werehog and Chip were completely surrounded.

What’re those? Who’s that? The werehog stopped and sniffed. It tried to make out a scent, but it couldn’t focus in this place. As far as it knew they didn’t smell like Dark Gaia though.

The werehog took a step forward. Suddenly, a spear flew in front of it. It had to hurry back. The spear stuck up in the ground right in front of its hands. If I was just a lil’ bit slower, that would’ve hit me! The spears once again pointed at the werehog. It ran, grabbing Chip with it, in the opposite direction as spears whooshed past it.

The werehog ran deep into the forest. These creatures seemed to not see as well in the dark as the werehog did. The werehog hoped that it could use the night as a cover. It jumped into some nearby bushes. Waiting for them to ignore it. The werehog heard them stalk by its bush. It held its breath as a man stepped by. A spear stabbed through the leaves. It tore off the werehog’s fur and thankfully, completely missed Chip. The werehog wasn’t going to give them a second chance. It grabbed Chip and continued running.

Its chest burned as it ran. The werehog became dizzy not sure if it was from lack of air, or the overwhelming stench of the forest.

A spear suddenly landed in front of it. It didn’t have enough time to react. It ran straight through, getting the stick caught in its hands. It fumbled it awkwardly and tripped. A sharp pain stabbed its wrist as it rolled down a slope. It breathed hard looking for a chance to escape.

“Sonic? Are you okay?” Chip asked.

“I’m fine.” The werehog managed to breathe out. It looked down at its hand. Something looked odd about it. The werehog tried to put its hand down and continue running. But it felt the sharp pain again and collapsed. What’s wrong with me?! The werehog heard a twig snap. The men were on the move again. It had to hide. It looked all around and spotted a cave in a wall. Careful not to let its hand hit the ground, It tried to hurry Chip inside. Its legs felt like they were filled with rocks. It could barely move them. Suddenly, walking felt like such an effort. It wheezed as it tried to breathe.

Eventually, it made it inside the cave.

The floor felt strange, but that didn’t matter. As long as the cave hid it and Chip, they would be safe. It walked deep into the cave until it was pitch black. The werehog hit a wall. As it flopped down, it gathered Chip beside it and kept him quiet. It tried to listen, but the way the noises echoed in the cave made it difficult. Was that a footstep? Many? They were close that’s all it could tell. With rising horror, The werehog realized that they were waiting. Outside. There was no escape.

Calm down. it told itself. How do I get out of this? But the werehog couldn’t think. It suddenly became aware of how the floor felt. The way the rocks and dirt clung to its fur. The way the cave smelled, once again filling its nose. The sounds seemed to echo around it and filled its head. Exhausted, the werehog panted heavily on the ground. I can’t breathe! It thought.

“Sonic? Are you okay?” Chip asked

The werehog couldn’t answer. It tried to force air into its lungs. Help me! It felt an aching pain that pulsed through its limbs. “Ow…” the werehog gasped. The werehog laid its head down, hoping that the men wouldn’t try to steal Chip. It pressed its ears back, hoping it could block out all of the noises. Its claws dug into the dirt as it tried to stave off the pain.

It couldn’t move.

Chapter Text

How did he ever convince me to come here? Tails was able to persuade Shadow to come to the party with him, despite their worries about the werehog.

There were games and music and so much food… most were having fun, but Shadow found it a little overwhelming. He hung close by Tails for most of the night, but now, he was out on the outskirts of the village, watching the party more than participating in it. I wonder if I should head back... After all, the werehog would be a lot for Chip to handle.

Shadow turned to leave, but his ear twitched as he heard someone yell something.

“Dark Gaia! There is Dark Gaia out there!”

What? Shadow and Tails had been patrolling through Mazuri for the past few nights, as well as the night guards, and they found no sign of those creatures. Shadow hurriedly skated towards the now gathering crowd.

“Dark Gaia? Here?”

“I thought they got rid of it?”

“Night guard! What did you see?”

Shadow had finally made it to the front of the crowd, and immediately found Tails. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know!” Tails had just pushed his way through the crowd too. “I’m tryin’ to listen.”

The young guardian was catching his breath. He was clearly shaken. Quivering from head to toe. “I saw it. Dark Gaia! Over by the fields. It was huge! With these terrible sharp claws, and teeth that could rip through you in seconds! I could barely tell what I was looking at… It had… dark blue fur… It blends in a lot easier than the other monsters we’ve faced.”

“Is anyone hurt?” The village elder called.

The young guardian shook his head. “We have it surrounded. In a cave near here.”

“Take me to it!” Shadow yelled.

The young guardian nodded, they both ran away from the village and were headed towards the cave. Sharp teeth… large claws… and dark blue fur… I hope it isn’t who I think it is. Shadow and the young guardian caught up to the team. They had their spears pointed. Ready to strike at any moment.

“I brought Shadow.”

“I’ll go in and take care of it.” Shadow said.

“With your bare hands?” Another guard questioned.

The leader of the guard handed him his spear. “Be careful. That thing is ferocious. I think one of us got to it though. It’s a lot slower than when the chase started.”

That can’t be good…

Shadow took the spear as he slowly approached the dark cave.  It was almost pitch black, except for the calm glow of Shadow’s chaos emerald. He thought he could hear panting and whining echoing through the walls which must’ve been the werehog, and Chip attempting to calm the anxious creature down.

When he saw Shadow’s spear, at first, Chip cowered by the werehog, but his face filled with relief when he saw who it was. “Shadow! Please, you have to help.” He looked worried.

Shadow looked down at the werehog. It laid down on its side. Its chest heaved as it fought for air. Suddenly, its eyes screwed shut, its face twisted in pain. Its limbs twitched. The werehog whined sorrowfully. A sad sound whistling through its nose. It looked like it was in pain. Is that what I think it is?

“Stop…” the werehog moaned desperately. “Why won’t it stop…?”

Chip walked up to the werehog. He patted his head. “Sonic? Shadow’s here.”

The werehog weakly lifted its head. “Shadow…?”

Shadow watched the werehog flex its claws. It’s getting ready to attack me . He reached for his chaos emerald. But the werehog didn’t leap for Shadow. It gasped as it dug its claws into the ground. It’s trying to stave off the pain. Tears filled its eyes as it released its grip. Its lungs still fighting for air. Shadow still stared down at it.

“Shadow?” Chip tugged on his arm. “Please, he needs help.”

Shadow was still wary of the werehog after it tried to kill him, on multiple occasions, but the agonized look on its face made him feel sympathetic towards it. It needs help.

Shadow walked up to the werehog. It flinched, backing as close to the wall as it could. As it whimpered in fear, Shadow warily put his hand on its head. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He whispered as he pet its fur back. The werehog pulled its head towards his voice and buried its head in his body. Instantly, Shadow noticed tears staining its fur. As it sniffed, it looked up and saw him. Through its pitiful gasps, its nose whistled sadly, a growl rumbled in its chest, but it didn’t seem to be aimed at Shadow. “Please…” it sobbed. “Make it stop.”

“Werehog, don’t move.” Shadow carefully placed its head on the ground and kneeled down to check on the werehog. Its wrist was swollen. The werehog shuffled around, making extra care not to touch it. Shadow grabbed it and lightly put pressure on it. The werehog protectively tore its hand away. He would have to check on that later.

Shadow placed his hands on its leg. Even now, it’s muscles vibrated with activity. Suddenly, they violently twisted. The werehog grasped the ground and held its breath as the leg that Shadow was checking shook. Shadow started to worry. He grasped the werehog’s leg and put pressure on it. The moment the pain stopped, he would be ready to massage it. A feeling of dread washed over him though as he felt the muscles underneath twisting further anyway. The werehog pressed its head into the wall, making that awful whistling sound. It curled its claws into the ground, harder, its arm shaking with the effort, before the muscles finally loosened their grip. The werehog finally took a breath of air. It trembled and groaned in agony. These were far worse than Sonic’s earlier spasms.

Shadow still massaged its leg, hoping it would ease its pain a little. He turned his head to Chip. “How long has it been like this?”

“A long time.” Chip replied. “Since we got here.”

Shadow jumped. Once again, the muscles underneath the werehog’s skin suddenly twisted painfully. The werehog screamed.

Chip huddled close to Shadow turning his head away.

As Shadow watched the werehog writhe in agony, he glanced at the spear he brought . He remembered that the night guards were still outside. If he took too long, they might come in. He wouldn’t be able to defend the werehog, and it wouldn’t be able to defend itself. Shadow got up.

“Where’re you going?” Chip asked desperately.

“The night guards are still outside. I need to make them leave.”

Chip still looked up worriedly at Shadow.

“I’ll be right back.”

Shadow grabbed his spear and emerged from the cave. The night guards were huddled closely together, discussing their next attack. Suddenly one of the guards noticed him.

“Shadow? You’re okay?”

“Where is the beast?”

Shadow gathered everyone around. “We have it cornered. I want to chase it away from the village. Alone.”

“We can help!”

“Yeah!”

Shadow raised his hand. “It’s too dangerous, too unpredictable.” He said, turning away. “I have more experience fighting creatures like these. It should be pretty simple.”

The night guards nodded. He was able to convince them.

“If you say so.” The leader replied. “You can keep my spear for now.”

“Fine. Head back to the village. And don’t let anyone leave. I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”

The night guards agreed and left to give the rest of the village instruction.

Shadow came back inside. Chip was petting the werehog. Its face was buried in its arms.

Earlier, everyone had figured out that Chip’s orb could calm the werehog down. Noticeably, the sudden blinding light never came.

“Why isn’t your bracelet glowing?”

“I don’t know. It won’t do anything.” Chip said pitifully. “I want to help him, but nothing’s working.”

Guess we can’t rely on that then. Shadow watched the werehog. Its breath came in quick gasps, its limbs still twitching painfully.

Shadow couldn’t massage his limbs until the spasms had calmed down. So he had to wait for the pain to pass with the werehog. Think. What did Sonic do to help himself? While he wasn’t sure if he could, Shadow thought he would try to get the werehog to calm down. “Werehog, you need to breathe.”

The werehog looked at him, confused.

Shadow showed it what he meant. He took a deep breath in… and then out.

The werehog still panted heavily, but it tried to match his breathing.

Shadow knew that Sonic wanted to get close when he was scared. Was the werehog the same? He couldn’t lay the werehog beside him. It was too big. He sat beside its face and, like Chip, pet its head. Shadow felt the ground shake. The werehog’s chest rumbled, but it didn’t sound like a growl. Is it… purring? Shadow slowly stroked its head.

He made his way to its back, and suddenly felt its muscles underneath twisting again. The fur along the werehog’s back spiked up. Shadow felt its muscles bunch as it tried to stand, but he stopped it. “No.” He said. “Stay down. Keep breathing.”

The werehog did as it was told. It pressed its head against Shadow’s body again. Shadow could feel hot air pass through its snout. “It hurts …” the werehog moaned.

“It’ll go away. Just lie still.”

“It worked earlier…” the werehog whined. “Why isn’t working anymore?”

“You’re exhausted.” Shadow replied. “You need to stop moving.”

Shadow wasn’t sure how long it would take for the pain to settle. I need a distraction. Something that would keep it from trying to run away. Shadow settled on talking.

“What happened to your wrist?”

“I was runnin’ away… from those guards… and… I tripped…”

Running away? Sonic and Tails’ hideout was a long ways away from civilization. It would take a long time to get to this cave, even if you were running. Sonic was already exhausted from his past few days. The werehog shouldn’t have walked, or even ran that far. It could’ve hurt Sonic.

“Why didn’t you stay at the Tornado? Why didn’t you listen to Chip?”

“I… I wanted… to talk to you…” the werehog whined. “I… should’ve stayed…” the werehog sobbed. “I don’t want to be here…” It sniffed.

A stone shifted somewhere in the cave. The werehog jumped. It whined as it folded back its ears. It hid its face in Shadow’s fur, shaking. Shadow continued to stroke the werehog’s head. “It’s nothing.” He said. “Take deep breaths.” He reminded it. Shadow didn’t want another muscle spasm to start. The werehog had to relax.

Watching as the werehog took its deep breaths, Shadow couldn’t help thinking about Sonic. After his treatment with the doctors, he didn’t seem to have the muscle spasms anymore. But the werehog’s trip through Mazuri might’ve undone everything that they worked on. Would Sonic have to go through this again when he woke up? They were a lot worse than before. Would Sonic be able to take it?

After a while, the werehog’s breathing was slow, steady and uninterrupted. Shadow broke himself away from the werehog, and gently touched its leg. The werehog flinched, but said nothing. After Shadow was sure it wouldn’t jump after him, he began massaging its leg.

“Ow…” the werehog growled. But it didn’t move. It was too exhausted.

Shadow was sure its leg had relaxed. “Werehog. I know you’re tired, but I need you to stretch your leg.”

“What…?” It asked. “What if it hurts me again?”

“It won’t.”

The werehog still wasn’t sure. It pulled its leg close and did nothing else.

“It will help.” Shadow reiterated.

The werehog thought for a moment. It trembled, clearly afraid, but it did as he said. It stretched its leg out and breathed a shuddering breath. Finally relief.

“Roll over.” They did the same for the rest of its body. The werehog sunk into the floor, breathing a deep sigh of relief. Shadow was relieved too. It’s over, for now. The last time Sonic had his muscle spasms, they came back, so Shadow feared that this was only the beginning.

Shadow stood up. Despite Sonic’s spasms improving and disappearing, his doctor still gave him muscle relaxers, just in case. They were back at the Tornado. He would have to leave and go get them. The werehog might want some space anyway.

“I’ll go—“ he was interrupted by a low growling sound. What was that? The werehog was just as shocked. Which Shadow was confused by. The sound was coming from it.

“What’s that?” It jumped as the sound happened again. Its muscles tensed as it tried to move away from the noise, but Shadow stopped it before it could get up. It whined as it flopped back down. “I… feel weird...”

“What do you mean?”

The werehog wasn’t exactly sure of what to say. With its head laid back it listed everything that came to mind. “Dizzy… tired… stomach.. hurts…”

At first, Shadow was worried it might’ve gotten sick, then, Shadow was suspicious. “When was the last time you ate?”

The werehog stared back at him. It didn’t understand what he meant. “Ate…?” He repeated.

“ Food? It sounds like you might be hungry.”

The werehog’s stomach growled again. The werehog crouched low with its ears hung back. “How do I make it stop?” It whined.

“I’ll go back to the Tornado to get something to help you. You stay here.”

“You’re leaving?” The werehog asked. “Please… don’t go. I don’t wanna be here by myself.” It desperately reached for Shadow.

“You need food and water. I have to go.” Shadow pushed its hand back.

The werehog groaned. “I can’t protect Chip. I can’t move.” The werehog was shaking. It was really scared. “Please…” the werehog repeated.

Shadow looked down at the werehog in pity. “I guess… I could contact Tails. He could help.”

The werehog relaxed.

Shadow opened his communicator. “Tails, do you read me?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

After the night guards returned with Shadow’s message, Tails wondered if he should go and help him. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to. The last big encounter with Dark Gaia, the werehog, was almost his death… or at least he was sure it was going to be. A while earlier, Shadow sent him a message through his communicator. The werehog, Sonic, needed help.

Tails flew as fast as he could, which was a lot harder thanks to the care package Shadow requested from him. Sonic, or… the werehog had run away from the Tornado and was apprehended by the night guards. Sonic was already exhausted from his three day sleep and the run across Mazuri definitely didn’t help.

Tails landed in front of the cave. He double-checked his basket for the items Shadow needed. Bandage for his wrist… water, food, relaxers… I think that might be it. Tails looked up at the dark cave. He hesitated to go inside. Thanks to his previous encounter with the werehog, he was a little bit terrified to see it. The last time it saw him, it saw him as an enemy and would try to kill him without hesitation. I have to do this. Tails told himself. For Sonic.

He carefully stepped into the entrance, jumping when he heard a growl. It’s him! He thought. After spending the past few days watching it sleep he’d almost forgotten how terrifying the werehog sounded when it was awake, but he had to hurry, Sonic needed him.

When Tails made it to the back of the cave, he could barely see anything. The room was lit by nothing but Shadow’s chaos emerald, which gave off a warm, yellow glow. Tails could see the werehog laying on the ground. Its head laid over Shadow’s lap. Suddenly, its arms and legs shook, and the werehog moaned in pain. Is he okay?

Shadow noticed Tails. “You’re here.” He reached out his hand. “I need the water, and the medicine. Now.”

Tails walked over to Shadow to give him the bottles, but he jumped back as he heard the werehog growl again. He backed into the wall, grasping the bottles tight. What if he bites me? Tails would be no more than a snack to that beast.

Shadow was losing his patience. “Tails, I need those now .”

“Can’t you come and get it?

“I can’t right now.” He gestured to the werehog, panting away at his lap.

Tails took a deep breath. He quickly placed the bottles in Shadow’s hands, and then dashed away. That was close.

Shadow rolled his eyes. He tapped the werehog’s head to gain its attention. He showed it a pill. “These will help your muscles relax. They won’t hurt you anymore. You need to swallow it.” He said as he opened the water bottle.

“Swallow…?” The werehog said sleepily

“Drink this.” Shadow raised the werehog’s head, placed the pill in its mouth and helped it drink the water. It happily gulped it down. After it finished, the werehog laid back down, its head resting on Shadow’s lap. It pulled its ears back and groaned as another spasm shook its whole body.

Tails looked at him, worried. “Is he okay…?” He asked Shadow.

“It’s exhausted itself from running away from those night guards.” Said Shadow. “Sonic was already pretty tired. I think the werehog might’ve used the last of his strength.”

Tails was frustrated. They spent all day trying to get Sonic’s energy back up… and  the werehog used it in one night. Tails thought angrily. What if he hurt Sonic? When he woke up later, would he have to go through this?

Tails heard growling, but it wasn’t exactly from the werehog. What is that? The werehog moaned. It held its stomach. Is he sick?

“Hurts…” It moaned.

“Hurts?”

Shadow saw Tails’ worried expression. “It’s just hungry. Give it the food. You’ll have to do it this time.” The werehog laid on Shadow’s lap, making it hard for him to feed it.

Tails walked by the werehog, its fangs poked out of its mouth. It yawned, showing its rows of sharp teeth. I have to put my hand near his mouth? Tails thought mournfully. He took out the container of chili dogs Shadow told him to get. Sonic’s leftovers. Even though it was Sonic eating the food, Tails somehow felt like the werehog was stealing it away from him. He won’t even get to finish his dinner.

At first he hesitated. Shadow’s angry glare forced him to hurry up.

Tails knelt by the werehog’s head. He opened the container of food, which seemed to gain the werehog’s attention.

“Tails…?”

Tails stared at the werehog. He’s talkin’ to me!

“Tails… I’m sorry…” it mumbled out, “I didn’t wanna hurt ya’.”

Was that Sonic, or the werehog speaking? “Sonic? Do you remember me?”

“It’s been like this since I called you.” Said Shadow. “That’s not Sonic. It’s the werehog.”

Tails looked sadly at the werehog. He thought it might’ve been a moment of clarity from Sonic, but it really was the werehog’s guilt making it speak. So Sonic’s really gone? At least at night, he was.

“Shadow…” the werehog continued, “you too… I’m sorry.” It tried to lift its head, so that it could make eye contact with the two of them, but Shadow set it back down.

“You need to rest. Don’t move.”

The werehog sighed, but instead of sleeping, it opened its eyes, trying to look up at them. “I thought you were Dark Gaia. I was trying to stop you. I didn’t know…” the werehog whined. “Thinkin’… rememberin’… when I hurt you guys… makes me feel bad.”

Tails looked surprised. Could that be Sonic?

Deep down inside, despite whatever that was going on, Sonic would never hurt any of them. He would feel awful. Tails shook his head. It wasn’t Sonic talking. It was the werehog. He’s probably capable of guilt.

“You need to eat.” Said Shadow.

The werehog looked at the container of food. It looked a little unsure of what to do. Tails pushed the container closer. Maybe it couldn’t reach it? But the werehog still stared back.

“You have to teach it.” Said Shadow.

“What?”

“It doesn’t know how to eat.”

Doesn’t know how to eat? How was that possible? Tails thought back to the previous transformations of the werehog. Now that he thought about it, he never did see it eat. Not even once.

Tails felt awkward. What was he supposed to do? How do you teach a basic function?

Chip flew up to the werehog. He picked up a piece of food, chewed and swallowed. The werehog watched. After it was sure of what to do. It placed its head in the container and scooped up food with its mouth. It ate the whole thing in two bites.

Tails breathed a sigh of relief. He was very thankful for Chip’s help.

Tails noticed the werehog protecting its hand. “Gimme your hand.” Tails said as he pulled out the roll of bandages.The werehog cautiously put its hand out. Tails cringed as he held it. It’s swollen.

“It looks like it’s already healing.” Said Shadow.

It looked worse? The werehog flexed its claws and cringed at the pain. “Try not to move.” The bandage was supposed to keep its wrist in place. Tails tightly wrapped the bandage around. Done .

The werehog stared curiously at the bandage before carefully setting its hand back down.

After a while, the werehog began to relax and fall asleep. Tails couldn’t help thinking about how they wasted so much time helping it. Why couldn’t it have stayed at the Tornado?

“Should we wait until it’s morning to go back?” Asked Tails. The werehog shouldn’t be walking. If they waited until the werehog transformed back into Sonic, Shadow could carry him.

“That sounds fine.”

“No.” The werehog protested. “I don’t wanna stay here.” It slowly got up on its three legs, careful not to let its hurt hand hit the floor. Shadow tried to make it lay back down, but he was unsuccessful. It leaned heavily against the wall, shaking out the dirt in its fur.

Against the wall, it took one shaky step forward, and then another, limping on its three legs. Realizing that they couldn’t really stop it, Shadow got underneath the werehog’s shoulder and Tails took the other. Slowly, they made it out of the cave.

The werehog stopped and immediately pulled its ears back as if it was trying to block out a noise. Tails looked up at the werehog, and then the open fields of Mazuri. At this rate, it would take them all night to get back to the Tornado.

Instead of sulking about the length of their walk, Tails was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts as the werehog tried to move forward quickly. Clearly eager to leave. Immediately, it had to stop to catch its breath, its legs buckled underneath it. Tails wasn’t sure about where this was heading.

“You have to take your time.” Shadow said. “You’ll use up all of your energy if you keep trying to run like that.”

The werehog didn’t say anything. It hoisted itself up, stumbling for a moment, before Tails and Shadow could help it gain stability, and they all continued forward.

Even with the light from Shadow’s chaos emerald. The road ahead was dark. Tails’ eyes had started adjusting, but every once in a while he stumbled trying to keep up with the werehog and Shadow. Somehow, their eyes seemed better suited for the night. Shadow walked as sure-footed as if it were day, and the werehog barely hesitated behind him. Tails felt more like he was catching up. That is, until they came across a thick forest. It led straight to the Tornado, and sadly, it was so big, it looked like there was no quick way around it.

Somehow, its darkness was even more suffocating. Tails jumped. He thought he saw something in the trees, but there was no way to tell. Every object was a black silhouette. They hardly stood out from each other. He thought he might have been seeing things, but the werehog stopped. It closed its eyes, pricking up its ears. Suddenly, it seemed to panic.

“Chip!” The werehog whispered harshly. “Get over here!”

Chip quickly flew by the werehog’s side. It panted, looking up in the trees. Tails looked up, but this time he really was sure he saw nothing.

The werehog crouched, or tried to, it fell, taking Tails and Shadow down with it.

“Hey—!” Shadow yelled.

“Shush!” The werehog whispered back.

“Sonic,” whispered Tails, “what’s wrong?”

The werehog had its eyes on the trees. “There’s Dark Gaia up there…”

Tails peered upward, but he really couldn’t see anything. Plus, Dark Gaia hasn’t been around since Sonic and Shadow rejoined Mazuri. So what did the werehog see?

The werehog pricked its ears. It jumped and growled up at the trees pressing further into the ground as if it were going to leap. Tails squirmed underneath the werehog’s body. Trying to get out. If there was a threat, they had to get away. But the werehog was too heavy. Suddenly, Shadow slipped out from underneath it.

“Shadow!” The werehog whispered. “Get back here!”

But Shadow ignored the werehog. He stepped away and closed his eyes.

What’s he doing?

Shadow stood away from them for a long time. Was he trying to get the werehog to stand up? Suddenly the werehog jumped again. A growl rumbled in its chest, but Shadow stopped him with one hand. His ears pricked, they swiveled around. He’s tryin’ to listen. Tails pricked his ears too, but was disappointed to find nothing. What’s he so worried about? Tails was starting to feel that the werehog was just making things up.

Suddenly, Shadow’s ears twitched. He heard something. He sighed heavily and walked back to the werehog. “It’s a bird.”

“A bird?” The werehog tilted its head. “But it sounds huge!”

“Multiple birds then.”

Finally, Tails heard the fluttering of bird wings. He looked up and saw two silhouettes. Their beady eyes stared down at them. If he stared back for a while, Tails could see birds up in the trees, quietly hopping from branch to branch, as if they didn’t want to be heard.

“Why’re there so many?” The werehog asked.

“We could be close to their nesting grounds.” Tails replied.

“They’re trying to protect their young.” Said Shadow. “We need to get out of here.”

The werehog slowly stood back up, staring up at the birds. Suddenly one of them squawked. The werehog jumped back, making it difficult for Tails and Shadow to stabilize it.

“Don’t make eye contact.” Shadow grunted. “They’ll see it as a challenge.”

For the rest of their journey through the forest, the werehog walked with its eyes facing forward. Since Shadow had his glowing chaos emerald, Tails and the werehog practically followed him out of the forest. After a while, the werehog’s ears pricked again. A growl escaped its mouth.

“Don’t worry.” Tails heard Chip say. “We’re almost out.”

That’s what Tails had hoped. The forest was starting to scare him too.

Thankfully, the darkness seemed to lift away from them as they escaped the blanket of trees. They were out in the open. Birds still fluttered around, waiting for them to disappear from view. And Tails could see that the sun was beginning to rise. Morning was about to start. He would see Sonic again.

Tails saw the clearing he hid the Tornado in. Finally, they were going to make it back. They tried to walk forward, but suddenly, the werehog collapsed. Tails’ breath was forced out as the werehog slammed down. Hurriedly he tried to pull himself away from the werehog, but couldn’t get out from underneath him. Shadow ran around and pulled him out.

The moment he was free, Tails went to the werehog’s side. “Sonic?” The werehog breathed heavily. Its head went limp. Something’s wrong with him! “Sonic?!” Tails tried to shake him awake. Shadow stopped him. Tails looked back at him angrily. “What’re you doing?!” He yelled. “We have to help him!”

“Tails, calm down!” He turned him away from the werehog. “The walk was too much for it. It’s trying to rest.”

“What?”

Tails and Shadow watched as Chip walked up to the werehog. Instantly the werehog began to relax. Tails should’ve been happy, but instead he was horrified. Sonic’s going to sleep again. What if he didn’t wake up?

Tails stared, frozen to the ground. He didn’t know what to do. Should he make Chip stop? Could he do that?

Shadow pulled him away. He realized that Tails was upset. “Tails. He’s going to be fine.”

Tears streamed down Tails’ face, against his will. “What if he isn’t?” He sniffed. “What if he doesn’t wake up?”

Shadow sat Tails down. “After he transforms, we can try to wake him up. If something happens, we can always take him to another village again.”

Tails didn’t respond. His mind was still reeling.

Shadow looked back at the werehog. “That’s the only thing we can do for him right now.”

Shadow was right. Either Sonic wakes up, or he doesn’t. And… hopefully… likely… he’ll just wake up a few days from then. He said he would be okay.

Tails, tentatively turned around. The sun hadn’t risen yet. He saw the huge silhouette of the werehog. He was angry. If you weren’t here, Sonic would be fine! It took his food, his energy, his… life . Tails turned back around and sobbed angrily.

If he had more time. If he could do more research, maybe they could’ve known about the werehog. They could’ve prepared for it. Nothing would have to be mysterious, or frightening, or frustrating. Sonic wouldn’t have had to suffer.

Shadow wrapped his arm around Tails’ shoulder.

Against his better judgement, Tails wept into Shadows arms. He couldn’t care less about how awkward it felt. He just wanted Sonic back.

Chapter Text

Sonic slowly blinked his eyes open at the light blue sky. The sun was rising.

As he rubbed his eyes clear, Sonic saw Mazuri’s trees… its dry land… why was he still in Mazuri? Didn’t Shadow and Tails say that they were gonna leave last night? Even more strange was the noise that Sonic heard. Is that… crying? He sat up, trying to find out where the noise was coming from.

Chip was standing next to him. The noise wasn’t coming from him, but he looked equally upset. He stood there rubbing his hands together, like he didn’t know what to do with them. He looked down the hill that Sonic sat on.

Something was making Chip upset.

Sonic peered over, his eyes began to adjust and he thought he saw Shadow and Tails sitting together. That noise? Is it…?

Hurriedly, Sonic tried to stand, but his legs painfully buckled underneath him. He couldn’t get up, but he had to get to Tails. Hang on, buddy.

Slowly and stiffly, he crawled down the hill. As he started approaching them, Sonic could see, and hear, Tails loudly sobbing in Shadow’s arms. Shadow looked completely lost. He had no idea what to do. When he spotted Sonic, he practically begged him to jump in.

Sonic finally made it to the bottom of the hill. Tails spotted him in the corner of his eye and immediately went to embrace him. Hardly having any time to react, Sonic almost fell over.

Tails continued sobbing in his arms for a while. Sonic sat and stroked his back just… waiting. Tails would quiet down, but soon after,  he’d go right back. It broke Sonic’s heart seeing him like this. It took everything in him not to cry too. I’m sorry, buddy. He thought. I didn’t know…

Finally, Tails stopped sobbing. He looked up at Sonic, tears still streaming down his face. “Are you… okay?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Sonic replied. “I’m okay.”

“But… that’s what you said last time.” Tails tried to wipe tears from his face, but they still kept coming down. “You said the werehog was fine… and then you couldn’t sleep. You said it didn’t hurt when you transformed… but you really thought that headache…” Tails drifted off. He was going to start crying again.

Sonic sighed. At the time, it really didn’t feel like he was lying. “I… was okay.” Sonic said carefully. “But… things just kinda got out of hand.” Tails squinted as Sonic tried to wipe the tears off of his face. “They’re still scary…” he continued, “but I’m better now.”

“Honest?”

Sonic nodded his head. “ Honest. We’ll figure this out. We can do this.”

Tails stayed quiet. Sonic hugged him tightly.

Sonic stared over the horizon. This week… he could’ve never seen things going this way. One moment, he’s flying into space, seven chaos emeralds in hand, planning on giving Eggman the swiftest beatdown in their history. Then… he’s trapped… he’s flying through space, he’s still alive, but things feel a lot more… confusing than usual. Tails is worried about him. He tries to reassure him, but not even he believes in the words he’s saying. If Eggman somehow survived that explosion, if he ever tried something again. Next time… Sonic wouldn’t hesitate to stop him.

Sonic heard snoring. He looked down. Tails fell asleep in his arms. Sonic pushed his bangs out of the way. He could see dark circles under his eyes. He looks so tired. Before another wave of guilt could wash over him. Sonic heard grassy footsteps. Shadow reappeared. He couldn’t take the noise earlier and had left.

“Is he… sleeping?” He asked.

Sonic nodded. Shadow looks tired too. Did the werehog do something again?

As usual, without a word, Shadow bent down, picked up Tails and brought him to his tent to sleep. Sonic was grateful. He wasn’t sure if his legs would carry him right now.

When Shadow returned. He quietly sat next to Sonic. “Are you okay?”

Sonic looked at Shadow. He barely had his eyes open. “I should be askin’ you the same thing.” Sonic tentatively stretched his legs to try to ease their pain. “I’m fine.” He finally answered. “Just a little stiff.”

Shadow sighed heavily.

Why was everyone so tired today?

“I need to get some sleep.” He got up from his seat. “Do you… want to go too?”

Sonic nodded. He tried to stand up, but his legs were still weak. Shadow bent down to carry him to his tent. Chip silently following behind the both of them. He looked as upset as the rest of them, but, for some reason, Sonic couldn’t bring himself to ask why. We’ll all get a little bit of sleep. Then we can talk.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tails woke up at noon. The hot sun blazed through the tent, a sliver of light touched his face. Sonic slept next to him.

For the first time in days, it finally seemed like a normal sleep for him. His chest rose and fell without any interruption, or a sudden jerk. He looked like how you should. At peace. Tails didn’t have anything to worry about… he shouldn’t have anything to worry about… still… he sat up and gazed worriedly at Sonic. He felt like he had to have missed something. Something important. There’s no reason why the Gaia manuscripts wouldn’t mention the werehog… or anything like it. I have to find it.

Probably against Sonic’s wishes, Tails, carefully, reached over him and picked up the Gaia Manuscripts. He, as quiet as he could, flipped through the pages.

As he slowly flipped through though, he could feel his anxiety rising again. There’s nothing here… There were pictures of artifacts, maps to ancient places, Dark Gaia itself… but nothing about a strange beast… or possession, or… anything. Tails sighed, looking at his now useless book. Professor Pickle thought I could use this… everyone’s counting on me. The whole world was. But mostly, Sonic. His tails twirled around as he thought. What do I do?

If they couldn’t figure out what the werehog was, or how it worked. Sonic would just get more stressed. He’d get more and more sick. Tails would ask him if he were okay… and then he would lie to him… and then something terrible would happen. Why won’t he tell me the truth?

Tails heard Sonic moving beside him. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” He mumbled. He yawned as he shuffled closer to get a better look at what Tails was looking at.

“I was asleep. I’m not… tired anymore.”

“Well… if you’re up… and I’m up… I guess we can start that talk.” Sonic yawned as he removed his covers. “Let’s go get Shadow.”

Tails started crawling out of the tent, Sonic right behind him, but suddenly he heard Sonic gasp. Tails froze. He looked behind him and saw Sonic crumpling to the ground. Curling up his body again. His fingers dug into the ground. He looked just like he was transforming, but it was daytime, so he couldn’t be. “Sonic?” Tails hurried to his side. He had to get a closer look.

Tails helped Sonic crawl back to his sleeping bag. He flopped down, groaning as he held his head.

What should I do? Sonic’s limbs started shaking again, he started rasping. He’s not breathing right.

“Tails… get Shadow.” Sonic slowly rose from his pillow.

Did Sonic still want to talk? “I think you should go back to sleep.” Tails laid him back down, but Sonic stopped him. Why would he stop him? He’s tired .

Sonic looked up at Tails. He reached out to him. “It’ll probably be a while before ya’ see me. I want to get this talk out of the way.”

A while? Did Sonic know something Tails didn’t?

Sonic sensed his worry. “What I mean is… if I go to sleep… it’ll probably be for the rest of the day. You’re not gonna see me ‘til tomorrow.”

Tails nodded his head.

“Can ya’ get Shadow?”

“Okay, Sonic.”

Tails crawled out of the tent, glancing back at Sonic. He was still curled up in the corner. Tails still thought he should get some rest, but if Sonic was willing to talk, even through that, it must be important.

As Tails wandered around, looking for Shadow’s sleeping spot, his anxieties started resurfacing. If I planned things more, Sonic wouldn’t have turned into the werehog. He wouldn’t be going through all that. Suddenly he lost his footing. Tails gasped as he tripped over something. Chip’s head popped out from underneath him. “Oh my gosh!” He quickly stood back up. “Chip? Are ya okay?” Tails was so focused on his thoughts, he wasn’t looking where he was going.

“Yeah…” he said unenthusiastically. “I’m okay.” But he didn’t look okay. Chip sat away from Tails, fiddling with his bracelet. “Tails?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you help me?”

He looks sad… Tails glanced at Sonic’s tent. He had to get Shadow, but he couldn’t leave Chip like this. “Sure.”

Chip turned towards Tails with his head low. “Last night, I tried to calm down Sonic with my bracelet, but it didn’t work.”

Tails didn’t want it to work.

“Can you fix it?” Chip asked.

Tails sighed. It was possible that Sonic’s three day sleep was due to some kind of glitch. If there was a way to keep that from happening again, Tails would have to fix it. “Lemme see.” Maybe, there was a chance for success on this mission.

Tails sat down with Chip in his lap. He looked carefully at the bracelet, but could barely get anything done. Chip kept kept fidgeting. “Chip, I’m gonna need ya t’ stop movin’.”

”Oh, sorry…”

As Chip settled, Tails leaned forward once more.

”Tails?”

”Yeah?” Tails said, frustrated.

“I’m sorry I made you scared.”

Chip must’ve been talking about earlier. It wasn’t exactly Chip he was worried about. “It’s okay.”

As Chip finally settled down, Tails finally got a look at his bracelet. The orb was a brilliant, blue-green. Sparkles filled the inside, looking like an endless galaxy. The gold band was stuck to Chip’s neck. There was no clasp in sight, which made Tails wonder how it got there to begin with… considering Chip’s head. He ignored the thought, instead focusing on the ancient writing etched into it. Of course, he didn’t recognize the language. Professor Pickle might know something though. “I’m sorry, Chip. I can’t tell what’s wrong with it.”

Chip deflated.

Looking down at Chip, Tails felt bad. Chip was just as much a mystery as the werehog. He was so focused on helping Sonic, he didn’t realize how much he didn’t know about him. “Professor Pickle could probably help… but we need to fix Chu-Nan first, okay?”

Chip silently nodded.

“Ya’ wanna help me find Shadow?”

“Yeah… I guess…”

Together they both flew up. Tails could spot a black dot sitting underneath a faraway tree. As he flew closer, it was obvious it was Shadow. He glided through the bright, blue sky and landed gracefully on the ground. Shadow was still sleeping. Carefully, Tails kneeled down and shook him. “Shadow? Sonic wants to talk.”

“Huh…?” Shadow said sleepily. He looked angry when he realized who woke him up. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“We were… but…. we’re awake now.” Tails looked uo at Shadow. Feeling guilty for waking him up so suddenly. “Sonic wants to talk.” He repeated. “I think it’s important.”

Shadow growled as he got up, angry that he couldn’t get more sleep. Together, they all headed for the tent.

Sonic still lay there, rasping. Shadow immediately ran up to him. “Sonic?”

Sonic’s face was twisted in pain, but it softened when he saw them. “You’re… here…” he breathed. “I… wanna… talk.” He grasped his arm. It looked like it hurt.

Shadow turned to Tails. “Go get the muscle relaxers. I’m not talking to him like this.”

Tails left and hurried to find the medicine. He should’ve done it earlier. Why does he keep getting worse?

When Tails returned. Sonic was curled on the ground, tightly grasping Shadow’s hand. He was gritting his teeth, trying not to scream. Tails gave Shadow the medicine.

After Sonic took his medicine, Shadow moved Tails away. “We should wait until it takes effect.”

Tails nodded, but Sonic objected. “No… I’m fine.” He breathed. “I want to clear some things up… then I’ll go back to sleep.” Sonic chuckled. “I think the werehog would appreciate it if I got some more.” Seriously, he added, “Tails… I know you’ve been beatin’ yourself up for this whole… werehog thing… but it’s not your fault.”

“But it is…” Tails insisted. Why couldn’t Sonic understand? “If I did more research, if I figured things out… the werehog—“

“You know we didn’t have any time for that.” Sonic interrupted. “We had to go.”

Tails knew that, but it didn’t make it feel any better. “I know…” He croaked. “I just wish we knew….”

Sonic reached out to him. His hand twitched for a moment, then relaxed on his. “I wish we were a little more prepared too… but, whatever’s happened, happened. We just need to focus on getting the chaos emeralds back, ‘kay?

Tails nodded.

Sonic laid back and sighed. “Tonight, you guys have ta’ talk ta’ the werehog. I think he’s ready. Ya’ have ta’ leave Mazuri. ” Sonic tried to move his head, but his body was too stiff. “Shadow…” He grunted. “Are ya’ still coming?”

Shadow looked like he was thinking, but the answer was obvious. “Yes. It looks like the werehog’s going to be hard to take care of.” Shadow sighed, looking at the yellow fox. “I wouldn’t leave that to Tails.”

Sonic nodded. “That’s all I really wanted to say. We need to focus on getting the chaos emeralds… and getting the world fixed… and we have to deal with the werehog...” Sonic sighed. “I just wanted to make sure we knew what we were doin’.”

Tails still felt a little bit guilty, but he knew that Sonic was right. I’m still annoyed I couldn’t prevent this from happening, but… that’s over. We have to focus on what’s going on right now. When night finally took over, they would speak to the werehog, and then, they would leave Mazuri. They just had to focus.

”Alright guys…” Sonic chuckled. “Let’s get some sleep…”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow watched as the dark smoke covered Sonic’s body. The purple haze filled his tent, blocking Shadow’s view. As the smoke cleared, the werehog, its frame filling up the empty space, sat before him, turned away.

This past week, the werehog reacted to them with anger… frustration… but tonight… it looked defeated. Its shoulders sagged, but not with relief, its ears hung back, and its brow furrowed. It looked like it was in pain.

“Werehog…” Shadow said, “is there something wrong?”

The werehog sighed. “Somethin’s wrong… with me…”

Tails walked up to the tent. “Does something hurt?”

The werehog shook its head. “Why… don’t I remember anything? Shouldn’t I have… known you guys weren’t Dark Gaia?”

Shadow approached the tent, the werehog shrunk back. “We don’t know anything about you, or Chip. You can help us find out.”

For the first time since it met them, The werehog wasn’t angry. It looked at Sonic’s friends. Its green eyes blazing. “I wanna help. I wanna know why I’m here.”

Shadow breathed a sigh of relief. He knew from the night before that the werehog was more agreeable now, but it was nice to get a clear answer. “We’re leaving Mazuri tonight.” Said Shadow. “You can help us find the next Gaia temple… but first, we need to lay down some ground rules.” As soon as Shadow knew the werehog was listening, he held up his hand. He pointed up one finger. “One… I know that… for some reason, you feel it’s your duty to fight Dark Gaia. I won’t stop you, but you have to remember that you share a body with Sonic. It can’t keep up with everything you’re doing. You have to sleep, and you have to rest.”

The werehog nodded.

Shadow continued. “Two… you have to eat, drink, and sleep regularly. No questions asked. Sonic will do the same... and three… I guess I’ll fight Dark Gaia with you. At least until I can trust you to be by yourself.”

“Okay…” the werehog mumbled.

Shadow turned to leave. Satisfied with Shadow’s words, everyone else turned to leave with him… but the werehog stayed behind. “Werehog?” Shadow asked.

“Just… hold on…” The werehog held out its hand, and touched the dirt and grass underneath it. It flinched, its face turned in disgust. It shrunk further away, staying on Sonic’s sleeping bag. It growled, frustrated.

“Is there something wrong?” Tails asked.

“The ground… feels weird.” The werehog whined. It was clearly very uncomfortable.

Tails got up close to the werehog. He touched his hand. “It’s okay. It won’t hurt ya.” He guided it back to the floor.

The werehog flinched… and then it relaxed.

“See?”

Chip grabbed the werehog’s hand. “C’mon Sonic. We have to go.”

“Okay, don’t rush me.” The werehog slowly put its other hand down, and pulled itself up. It stepped out, dragging the tent with it. Tails removed it and cleaned everything up.

“Okay, let’s go.” The werehog said, but when it realized where they were going, it froze again.

“The Tornado’s safe.” Shadow tried to reassure it.

“It’s loud.” The werehog replied.

“So, I’ll cover your ears.”

The werehog still hesitated. It took a deep breath and then headed towards the Tornado, Shadow following after. Despite the werehog’s large size, there was enough room for it to lay down.

Its head laid on Shadow’s lap, its ears pulled back. As Tails started the plane, it whimpered, its body tensed as the rotors sputtered.

Shadow stroked the werehog’s head, flattening its fur. “Calm down.”

Chip was not too far behind. “It’s okay, Sonic.”

As Tails flew into the night sky, the werehog, Chip curled up beside it, relaxed and fell asleep. It snored just as loudly as Sonic.

Shadow, petting the werehog, looked over the Tornado’s edge, down at the world. Mazuri was back in place, but the whole planet had been transformed. An unnatural heat floated up from the earth’s core, carrying sparks from its flames. Rocks orbited precariously around the lands they came from, ripped from the ground. Shadow looked up at their future destinations.

They had a lot of work to do.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And that’s it for the first arc! Took me around two or three months to get this done. Hopefully the next one takes a little less time. I’m glad to hear that you guys are enjoying it so far. There’s a lot more in the future!

Chapter Text

Now that it had been a week, Espio felt like he had gotten the hang of fighting these strange demons. He would slash with his kunai tearing through the first layer, and then again to reach its core. The demon would explode into a cloud of smoke, the others would see it as a chance to get to him, but the moment they saw him, he was already an illusion.

From up high, he would throw his stars in a wide arc. The demons were clearly not from this world. His stars would tear right through, until it hit the tree behind his foes. He would grab his stars and then the cycle would repeat. Slash, throw, repeat… slash, throw, repeat. He had been at this for a week, but… why? He was still trying to learn.

A week ago he came to Chu-Nan to come to Peace Valley to meditate, but the first night he touched ground, the world had seemed to have split apart. The ground cracked, demons rose up, threatening the lives of the people that lived there. Espio went to fight them, but they came back every night.

He started on the outer rim, but the demons pressed forward. Soon, they would make it to the mainland. Attacking Chu-Nan’s people.

Thankfully, a few nights ago, Espio spotted something interesting. An ancient building the demons refused to step inside. Any demon that dared to walk in, faced a swift death. Fire exploded from the inside and a small wisp of purple smoke soon after. Something was in there and they both had an equal enemy in the demons, but there was no way to tell if that monster would want anything to do with Espio. He needed backup, a way to safely investigate, but he was on his own.

He had met a man named Tai, who was strangely adept at fighting these demons and even seemed to be more aware of them than most. Espio had tried to approach him and join forces, but the moment he saw him, he nearly killed him. It would seem that he had mistaken him for one of the monsters, and Espio couldn’t convince him that they were allies. Team Chaotix could be a bit of a handful, but at least they would’ve helped without the slightest hesitation.

Espio took this vacation to get away from his friends, he didn’t think he would miss them so soon.

Espio faltered, he had forgotten his fight. A demon caught him. He tried to wring himself out of the demon’s grip, but it was too strong. He was surrounded. He closed his eyes, waiting for a swift bite, or a devastating slash… I’m sorry … Espio thought to himself. He might be gone by the end of the night, and his friends would never know. He heard the demons growl, then, he heard the hissing. Blue light from the early morning sky rained down. The demons soon dissipated. The night was finally over.

Espio caught his breath, sitting against a tree. That was too close.

As he began to fall asleep, he heard a strange sound. An airplane, flying through the sky. Most air travel seemed to be cut off or put on hold. Who could that be?

Espio looked up, he recognized the red bi-plane. Reinforcements finally came!

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonic awoke to the Tornado flying over Chu-Nan’s famous mountain peaks. The sun, just barely rising over the rocks, bathed them in a beautiful golden light that lit the trees growing over them. He took a deep breath, sitting back, taking in the fresh air and beautiful scenery, he turned his head to see Shadow, watching the sunrise, a little less enthused.

Not even a sunrise like this could get Shadow to crack a smile.

Sonic looked down at the huge clouds of rolling fog that covered the ground. Every once in a while as they passed, he saw a purple flash and then a wisp of dark smoke poked through.

Dark Gaia…

“You see it too.” Said Shadow, peering down as well.

“I guess I should’ve assumed it would be all over the world.” Dark Gaia’s corruption that is. But hopefully, not for long. They had already completed Mazuri, and Sonic was hopeful that their work would be a little more easy now that they slowly came to understand the werehog. To some degree, at least.

They still weren’t sure exactly what it was. The werehog had no memory whatsoever, similar to Chip, but somehow… worse. They had to remind it to eat, sleep, drink… it seemed to… not know how to live. Tails had theorized that maybe the werehog was some kind of ancient spirit that just… forgot what it was like to have a body. Which may have been true but… what was it?

Sonic opened up a brochure he bought during their trip to Chu-Nan. Eventually, they would have to figure it out, but now was the time for fun. The brochure had information about Chu-Nan and its many hotspots and activities. This year was the one-thousandth year anniversary of the Blazing Star Festival. Shooting stars would come down and dazzle Chu-Nan’s skies followed immediately by a spectacular fireworks display.

Shadow looked over at Sonic reading through the leaflet and rolled his eyes. “You know we’re supposed to be focusing on restoring the world. We don’t have time for that.”

Sonic shut the brochure. “It won’t be that much of a detour. We’ll be camping right by them. Right, Tails?”

“Yep!” Tails said keeping his eyes on the sky. “We’ll set up near there while I’m translating.”

“Plus, Chip really wants to see the fireworks, don’t ya’ buddy?” Sonic said while patting Chip on the head. “It’s gonna be great!” He continued. “There’s gonna be games, fireworks, chili dogs .” His mouth watered.

“And chocolate! ” Chip reminded them. “I can’t wait!” Chip looked up at Sonic with big round eyes. “Can we go now?”

Sonic shook his head. “The festival’s tomorrow, so you’ll have to wait.”

“Aw…”

“Fireworks…” Shadow muttered, “won’t that be at night? You can’t go, you’ll be the werehog.”

Thanks for reminding me! Sonic wanted to say. “The festival is all day. Only some of the big stuff happens at night.” Sonic sighed. It’s been one thousand years since these shooting stars first showed up and I won’t get to see ‘em. But I guess Chip and the werehog might get a kick out of it.

Sensing the conversation turning south, Tails attempted to brighten everyone’s mood. “Look, it’s the landing site!” A large plateau at the top of a big hill. The grass was so tall, it looked as if no one had been there for ages. Of course this area was picked for that very reason. They didn’t want the werehog interacting with people as much, and wanted an easy hiding spot, no one but them could find.

After they landed, Tails set up tents in a nearby cave. The ground would need some work done, but they all decided to wait until later to deal with it. Tails went off to sleep. Sonic had other plans.

“Where are you going?” Shadow asked.

“Since Tails hasn’t finished figuring out exactly where the Gaia temple is, I thought it’d be nice to check out the village.” Sonic rummaged through the Tornado’s trunk to look for something.

“What’s the point in going?” Shadow asked, “The festival’s tomorrow.”

Finally he found what he was looking for, a notepad and pencil. “I want to check it out early. Tails likes to map out the place, so he can plan out our day.”

“Can I come too?” Chip asked.

“Sure… but there probably isn’t gonna be any chocolate.”

“I guess I’ll come too.” Added Shadow.

“Oh, really?” Sonic said cheekily. “I assumed with all the work you like to do, that ya’ might wanna clean this place up.”

Shadow ignored him. “Where are we going?”

Sonic looked at the map, and then over the horizon. He should be able to see the village from here. All the way at the base of the mountain they hid in, Sonic could see a tiny smudge of buildings. That was their destination. “Down there.” He pointed towards it.

“Pretty far away…”

“I’ll race ya.”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Why? You know I’ll win.”

“Is that so…?” Sonic and Shadow crouched by the path that led further down. Chip grabbed onto Sonic’s quills. For a moment, Sonic took in the sweet smell of the grass around, the strange birds calling in the distance. He took in the atmosphere of Chu-Nan’s peak. “Go!”

Immediately, Sonic and Shadow were off.

They ran down a long dirt road that wound itself around the mountain. Looking over the edge, you could see a huge drop. What Sonic noticed however, were trees that implanted themselves into the mountain itself. Thick vines hung from their branches. Sonic jumped and grabbed one. Flinging himself forward. Shadow stared as Sonic overtook him, landing far ahead of him. Sonic perfectly stuck the landing. A feeling of triumph sparked in his shoes. This’ll be a piece of cake!

Soon, the mountain became less of a wild forest and more like a derelict path. Their first obstacle, a flight of ancient, uneven stairs. Sonic focused on landing his feet squarely on the steps. He ran as fast as he could, but when he looked beside him, he noticed Shadow gliding over the steps with great ease on his air shoes. He smirked as he gained the upper hand. Boosting away. Thankfully, the stairs didn’t last for long and the two hedgehogs were back on solid ground.

The road was slippery, still covered in morning dew, but Sonic still kept his footing. He had to overtake Shadow somehow. In the corner of his eye, he noticed another pathway. It led further down the trail. He jumped and slipped through the vines that hid it.

Sonic found himself in an old, dark cave lit only by the occasional crack in the ceiling. In the distance he could hear large waterfalls tumbling downward. Suddenly he came up to a big open room, broken earth became convenient platforms for Sonic, he leapt over them with ease. He ran along a thin strip of ground underneath a giant waterfall. If he looked up and through, he could just barely make out the image of Shadow, still unaware of Sonic’s detour. A rock poked through the wall, splitting the waterfall above him. Sonic took this opportunity to escape. He jumped and grabbed a vine hanging on some overgrown foliage, swinging back onto the path, squarely in front of Shadow who was so shocked, he almost lost his footing. Over time, they made it to the ground floor. Sonic was victorious.

“Ha, ha! Yeah!” Sonic cheered, giving Chip a high five.

Shadow was confused. “Where were you?”

Sonic and Chip shook water out of their fur. “Found a shortcut.”

“A shortcut? I was wondering why it got so quiet.” Shadow continued walking, angrily pushing Sonic out of the way. “Let’s go make that map.” He growled.

Sonic scoffed. “Rude.” But he happily ran after him.

Preparations for the Blazing Star Festival were already in full swing. All around, people were pushing carts full of supplies, setting up stands, and building signs. More importantly, Sonic could already smell food. The scent wafted through the street. His stomach growled. It was about time he had breakfast. Sonic ran over to an old woman carefully looming over a hot stove.

Before Sonic could say anything, she put one finger up, letting him know to wait, she sifted around her stand until she found a tiny pair of glasses. She placed them over her face and leaned a little closer. She nearly fell over when she noticed who she saw.

“Sonic the hedgehog? Is that really you?” A smile spread across her face. “It is you, isn’t it?”

“You know me?” Sonic wasn’t exactly well known throughout the world. He didn’t expect to be called by name.

“My grandson would go on and on about you and your friends’ adventures!” She looked off wistfully. “He’s studying abroad in Spagonia right now. I wonder how he’s doing...” she looked sadly at a photo frame placed in clear view of her stove. Sonic noticed.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re already trying to fix that.”

“Really?” The old woman’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, I bet you’re here to fix Chu-Nan, aren’t you?”

Sonic replied with a nod.

“Well, enough with the sappy stuff then! If my grandson’s stories are true, I know you’ve got it covered!” The old woman leaned in close. “Would you like something to eat?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Sonic yelled enthusiastically.

The old woman placed a pile of chicken onto the pan. After a while she threw in vegetables, sauces, rice and spices, a pinch of salt and a lot of stirring and she was almost done. To Sonic’s surprise, she leaned over to a different pot, taking out a pair of metal tongs, she dipped them in and out came… a hot dog. She placed it on a bun, topped it with her stir-fry and separated it into thirds, handing a plate to her impromptu customers. “Go ahead. It’s on the house!”

Sonic, Shadow and Chip took their mini-dogs. The dish was sweet and savory, with a kick of spice to it. Sonic munched on the food happily as his body warmed up. Shadow looked a little uncomfortable. He turned around to cough, clearly not taking the spices well. Guess he’s not used to this kind of stuff. Chip gobbled up the food faster than Sonic could finish his own.

“That was great!” Chip said while licking his lips. “Can I have some more?”

The old woman guffawed. “Ya really like it? I call it my stir-fry surprise!”

“One more for me too!” Sonic said.

“Alright, one more plate, but you’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow if you want a full course.”

Sonic, Shadow and Chip walked through the village. As Sonic made note of all of the stands, his face lit up when he saw a vendor selling supplies and goods. Glow sticks, party favors, and…

“What are these?” Shadow said while picking up some headphones that didn’t seem to connect with anything.

“Noise-canceling headphones.” Sonic replied. “Some people just like lookin’ at the fireworks. Not hearin’ ‘em.” Sonic picked up a pair for Tails. Shadow picked up two. “Who’re those for?”

Shadow looked awkward. “I guess I’ll try them out. The other one’s for the werehog… maybe Chip should have one too…”

Sonic nodded. Over the course of their three day trip to Chu-Nan, one thing they learned about the werehog is that it hadn’t really gotten the hang of living in a body. It was constantly overwhelmed by different things. Especially sound. Sonic himself didn’t mind the noise, but for some reason, the werehog seemed uniquely sensitive. I wonder what the werehog even is. Sonic thought again. No matter how far Tails went through his notes, he just couldn’t find a single mention of the creature.

Suddenly, Sonic heard a loud crack. Shadow was startled too. They both looked around and saw a crowd gathering under a billboard.

“She’s going to fall!”

Not if I can help it! Sonic ran through the crowd. He looked up and saw a little girl hanging perilously on the edge of a scaffolding. The ropes supporting it had snapped. The girl lost her grip. The crowd screamed. Sonic leaped and caught her in his arms. The scaffolding fell and broke into pieces. Sonic shielded the girl as splinters flew through the air. He looked behind him and all that was left was a pile of wood.

At first, the crowd gaped at the two of them. Getting over their initial shock, the crowd cheered.

“Thank goodness!”

“You saved her!”

“Is that Sonic?!”

Sonic set the kid down. She was crying. “Hey. You okay?” He said, wiping away her tears. The girl nodded her head. She hugged Sonic with her tear filled eyes. Sonic patted her on the back.

Shadow and Chip guided a woman to the front of the crowd. “Lei-Lei?!” She called.

The girl snapped her attention to the voice. “Mama!” The two of them embraced.

“What were you doing up there?” Lei-Lei’s mother asked.

“I wanted to help.” Lei-Lei sniffed.

“I told you, you have to wait until you’re a bit bigger.”

Lei-Lei silently nodded.

Lei-Lei’s mother turned to Sonic. “Thank you so, so much!”

“It was nothing!” Sonic waved his hands. He kneeled in front of Lei-Lei. “You gotta listen to your mom, okay? No more climbin’ up there!”

“Okay…”

Lei-Lei and her mother left, barely making it through the ever-growing crowd. Now that news of Sonic’s arrival had gone around. He was surrounded by people who all wanted to get a good look at him. They shook hands. He signed autographs, took pictures. All the attention was getting exhausting.

Sonic looked up and saw Shadow investigating the billboard. I wonder what that’s about? Shadow leapt down, examining the remains of the scaffolding. Sonic walked up to him, Chip by his side.

“What’s up, Shadow?” Sonic asked.

Shadow responded by showing him a strange object. It looked like an arrow, but the arrowhead twisted around like a drill. The feathers at the back looked nothing like any creature Sonic knew. It was purple, but it had a strong golden layer of light above it. It must be magical. The golden flecks pulsed, traveling from the bottom of the feather to the top, like fire burning through a piece of paper.

“I found this up there.” Shadow pointed to the billboard. “Someone must have been trying to cut the scaffold’s rope.”

Sonic gaped at the cut rope. “Are ya sure they were doin’ it on purpose?”

Shadow shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t hear or see anything. I’m assuming the shot was from far away from here.” Shadow said thoughtfully. “Hopefully, it’s just a stray, but maybe we should look further into it.”

Sonic nodded.

They ran around and investigated the whole city and found nothing. No one recognized the arrow, or the feather attached to it, and Shadow couldn’t figure out where it was shot from. What was it? What was someone trying to do with it?

Chapter Text

“Werehog! Above you!”

From everywhere, Dark Gaia attacked, and for some reason, tonight, they hit harder than ever. The werehog gasped as Dark Gaia leapt from behind. It landed on the werehog’s back, crushing it. Tiny smaller creatures followed these huge ones. The would jump up and bite at the werehog’s skin, latching onto it. No matter how much it shook, they held on, sucking its energy. “Shadow… a little help…”

The werehog felt a weight lift off of his back. The stinging pain left it as Shadow’s, now comforting, chaos spears grazed the werehog’s fur and removed the small creatures. The werehog waited for more Dark Gaia, but the only thing it could hear was the calm bubbling of the river near it.

The werehog relaxed, its spikes lay flat. We’re done. It thought as it gave a sigh of relief.

This whole night felt terrible, the werehog was used to swiftly beating Dark Gaia, it was made to do that… or it felt like it was. Tonight made it unsure. The werehog had never fought so hard in its life, however short it was.

The werehog yawned, showing its teeth.

“You can rest now.” Shadow told it.

Don’t have t’ tell me twice. The werehog shut its eyes laying against the rocky river bank. It started to snore, but… it heard something. It opened its eyes, it swiveled its ears around, waiting… but nothing else happened. It did see a shiny glint, hidden in the trees.

A thin whoosh sounded in the werehog’s ear, before it had time to react, it felt a sharp pain in its shoulder. It tried to stand, but it hurt. Before it could say anything, another thin whoosh, the werehog used all of its strength to dodge. It was some kind of knife, someone threw it at the werehog.

The werehog’s body moved on its own, plucking up Shadow, it ran away. Someone was trying to hurt them. Its massive hands slid against the floor. It was too tired to run full-force. It fell and tripped. Another sharp pain. The werehog’s shoulder stung.

Shadow removed himself from underneath the werehog. The werehog felt relief as something was removed from it. It heard a clang, and then another. More knives,  now stained with its blood. “Shadow…”

“Keep quiet.” Shadow held out a chaos spear. He looked around. Another thin whoosh. Shadow prepared to block, but the projectile made a strange arc. The werehog braced itself for that sharp pain again.

A cloud of smoke erupted from the ground. The werehog heard the sound of two weapons clashing. Shadow had his chaos spear pressed up against the blade of another creature. The werehog felt a flash of familiarity. Espio…? Whatever this creature was, Sonic must know them.

Espio looked baffled. “Shadow, why are you protecting this demon?”

“It’s helping us fight.”

“Us? Is G.U.N nearby?”

Shadow shook his head. “I’m helping Sonic and Tails.”

The two lowered their weapons. Espio stared up at the werehog. “You look familiar.”

The werehog growled.

“Stop.” Shadow said. “Espio is a friend.”

The werehog shut its mouth, but it didn’t let its guard down. As Espio and Shadow continued talking, the werehog sniffed the air. All it smelled was Dark Gaia’s spirit slowly dissipating. He wasn’t Dark Gaia…. but you’re not my friend. He just tried to kill the werehog. Clearly, he was Sonic’s friend. The werehog saw him, in Sonic’s memories. He could tell. That same overbearing glare of the sun almost always made an appearance. What was so great about the day? It always made the werehog’s head burn.

“Werehog? Are you listening?”

The werehog snapped back to the present. Espio stared up at it. “What?”

“I need your help.” Espio said. “Both you and Shadow.”

“With what?”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Were you listening at all?”

“Uh…”

“We’ll be fighting Dark Gaia. That’s why he’s asking you.”

The werehog was made to fight Dark Gaia. Of course it would go along with this fight. “Yeah, let’s go.” It just had to ignore its aching palms and its tired legs. The werehog slowly crept forward, clearly exhausted.

Espio stared curiously at it. “Do you have to walk on your hands like that?”

The werehog had tried standing like Sonic and his friends, but it made its body tire out much more easily. The werehog couldn’t stand on two legs. It was easier to claw, bite and wrench from the ground anyway. “It… feels better this way.”

Espio nodded.

As they all walked to this monster that Espio had found, more memories from Sonic’s past flashed in the werehog’s head. Especially from that morning.

The werehog dragged its feet as it walked. It probably wouldn’t be tired if it could’ve taken a nap, but unfortunately, Chip was so excited by Sonic’s heroism, he couldn’t stop talking about it. The werehog could feel it. It had his memories after all. The shock of seeing Lei-Lei fall, the adrenaline rush as his body ran, the tension of them hanging in the air, the fear of the scaffolding’s splinters… and the relief it felt when everything was over. The werehog understood. It was scary, but exciting. Still… it didn’t hold a candle to the fight against Dark Gaia.

Sonic seemed to have things covered during the day, while the werehog did the true work at night.

The werehog looked down. Espio looked up at it warily. He leaned close to Shadow to whisper something. Clearly, he didn’t want the werehog to hear, but its ears picked up every word fine. “I brought a friend to help named Tai. I was finally able to get him to trust me, but I’m not sure if he will be as gracious to the werehog.”

As they made it to a slope, the werehog could see an old man standing at the top. He stood, in his dark blue tracksuit, knee-high socks poking through, he slipped comfortably into a pair of black slippers. Espio said this man was supposed to help them, but he looked rather relaxed for a fight. His silhouette was no different than an old man watching ducks go by at the park. The only thing giving away his objective, was a big wooden crossbow in his hands.

Tai turned around. His face wrinkled up in the center of his face in a permanent scowl. Espio was right. He didn’t like the werehog. Slowly, he raised his weapon. “Espio, you said you were planning on bringing friends tonight.” He loaded up his crossbow. “You didn’t say anything about bringing Dark Gaia with you.”

The werehog stopped in its tracks. There was a strange aura, a strange aroma that came from Tai. The werehog closed its eyes and sniffed. It was unmistakable. Dark Gaia… it was overwhelming here. It clearly came from Tai, but that’s couldn’t be true. He was clearly human, not Dark Gaia.

The werehog tried to sniff around once more. It felt like it was getting to the bottom of this mystery until it heard a thin whoosh. The werehog stepped back. An arrow stuck out where it was standing. Tai had tried to shoot it.

“it means us no harm.” Espio said. “My friend has told me that it’s helping us.”

Tai looked angrily at Shadow. “More Dark Gaia? For someone who surely isn’t Dark Gaia, you seem to have a unique friend group.”

Shadow stalked past Espio. He walked up the hill, not paying any attention to Tai. He stood beside him, watching the ground underneath him. Seeing Shadow’s attitude made the werehog believe it was okay to walk up too. It also paid no mind to Tai, who still stared at the werehog with malice. This guy really doesn’t like me. The werehog looked ahead at the bottom of the hill.

An ancient crater sat in front of it. Grass had grown, but in the center, the floor was cracked and dusty leading all the way up to a large building, shaped like a pyramid, it was covered in ancient, glowing runes. Thick moss grew on the walls in the cracks. At the base, in all four of its walls was an entrance.

A large bird, made of fire walked out from one of the carved out holes. Its flat beak snapped at Dark Gaia as a warning. Dark Gaia approached. The bird’s feathers unfurled and expanded, making itself look twice as big. Dark Gaia didn’t care. The birds fire blazed as its tail opened up like a paper fan. Staring at the bird, it looked like a blazing star, a living sun, in its center, the face of an angry, angry creature. Dark Gaia didn’t seem to notice. The bird opened its flat beak and hot yellow fired shot at Dark Gaia. All that was left were the small wisps of purple smoke of a destroyed monster.

The werehog stared. That creature was where the Dark Gaia smell was coming from. There was something about it that demanded respect. Its strength, its drive to protect whatever was in that place… the same way the werehog cared for Chip. It found a kindred spirit in this creature, but it was Dark Gaia. The werehog was meant to destroy it. As the werehog stared in confused awe, Espio went over the plan.

“Shadow, Werehog, you two will provoke the bird, and drive it away from the building.”

The werehog had to drive the creature away from its duty? It couldn’t do that. It was devastated when it felt like it couldn’t protect Chip anymore. What if the same happened to this bird?

“Tai, you’ll give support from above with your arrows.”

Tai mumbled an agreement as he pointed his crossbow.

Tai shot one arrow at the bird. The shriek made the werehog’s skin crawl. “You’re hurting it!”

Tai kept looking ahead, Shadow and Espio looked shocked, but they ignored the comment. The werehog was just as confused about its outburst. Of course he hurt it, that’s what they came here to do.

Shadow shoved the werehog forward. It tumbled down the hill. Landing in front of the bird. Shadow slid beside it, looking a little embarrassed. “Sorry.” He said to the werehog, but it had barely any time to react to it. The bird looked at them with those same eyes. It slammed its beak down, trying to intimidate. The werehog stood its ground. It had to accept that it was the intruder today.

The werehog growled at the bird, daring it to fight. The bird breathed hot fire but the werehog jumped out of the way in time. It spotted Dark Gaia meandering towards it. The werehog grabbed it and threw it at the birds head. It recoiled, snapping its beak shut.

The werehog struck its face with its claws, making it angry. Despite the werehog’s strikes and quick punches that kept it from burning, it felt a pain in its chest. I’m sorry . He still felt guilty for some reason. The bird shrieked angrily, it snapped uselessly at the werehog, trying to keep itself from having to move too far. It was clearly trying to protect the building.

Shadow threw chaos spears at the bird. It hissed angrily and followed him. The werehog stared at the building, trying to distract itself. I wonder where Espio went. The werehog heard the thin shrill of Tai’s arrow. It stuck in the birds wing as it cried. The werehog’s heart sank as it relented to the ground. It’s giving up.

Without thinking, the werehog ran to the bird’s aide. It took its hand around the arrow and pulled quickly. The bird shrieked as the arrow left it. The werehog had to drop it. It burned and itched in its hand.

“Werehog, what are you doing?!” Shadow yelled.

“I’m not fightin’ it anymore!” The werehog yelled back.

It ran around trying to keep the bird from getting hit by Tai’s arrows. If the werehog could get the bird behind the building, it would be safe. Its plan was thwarted however. The werehog tumbled as it crashed into something. The werehog looked down. Espio lay dazed underneath it. I didn’t see ‘im!

The bird gave chase. The werehog grabbed Espio and ran into the building. A staircase laid in its center, the werehog leaped through.

The werehog and Espio cowered in the staircase as the bird slammed its beak through. It couldn’t fit through, but it still kept trying.

“What were you doing?!” Espio tried to yell over the slamming.

“Y’all were pickin’ on it! It wasn’t fair!”

As the bird slammed its beak hard into the floor, Espio and the werehog tumbled down. The werehog shook its head. Espio’s fall was broken by its body, but the werehog felt the full force of the stairs. It tried to stand up. Its eyes adjusting to the dark, it saw something familiar, something important in front of it.

It saw an altar. A pedestal . The same as the one they saw in Mazuri. They found a Gaia temple. The werehog couldn’t be excited for long, Espio still screamed at it. “How are we supposed to get out of here?!”

As if answering Espio’s question, a bright light flashed before them, Shadow stood with them. He grabbed them together and yelled “chaos control!” Within the blink of an eye, the werehog was over the hill, beside Tai again.

Shadow breathed heavily on the ground. Tai and Espio looked angrily at the werehog.

“As I expected.” Tai said. “Only Dark Gaia could defend Dark Gaia.”

“Don’t rope us into this.” Shadow breathed.

Tai sighed as he turned around. “Too late.” He mumbled as he walked away.

The werehog watched him leave. Good riddance . How could he have hurt that creature? The werehog growled.

“ Stop it.” Shadow said. He didn’t sound happy. “You could’ve gotten Espio killed.”

“I didn’t see him.”

“Of course you didn’t!” Shadow yelled. “His scales camouflage with what’s around him.”

“How was I supposed to know that?!”

“You have Sonic’s memories! You do know that!”

They’re Sonic’s memories! Not mine! The werehog turned around in a huff. “Just so ya know, there’s a Gaia temple down there!” The werehog yelled as loud as it could. It didn’t care who heard it.

“Werehog, stop!” Shadow yelled.

The werehog didn’t care. It was going to go to sleep. It was exhausted, its hands and feet hurt, it hated having to deal with its conflicting feelings about that bird, and now Shadow was yelling at it. “I’m goin’ t’ sleep!”

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonic half-woke in a dark, wet cave. A dream was starting to play. The werehog’s memories from the night before.

Sonic used to fear the werehog. At first, once he had learned of this ability, he would watch in obsessive fear. He was worried about what the werehog could’ve done in his name. What it would do without his control. As time went by, he relaxed. He didn’t watch these to judge the werehog’s behavior. He wanted to get to know it.

Sonic had a deeper connection to the werehog that not even he understood yet, he couldn’t let this go to waste.

He saw… a bird, made of fire. The werehog was fascinated by it… and… confused. This oppressive glare was said to be Dark Gaia, but the werehog felt that it couldn’t be. It related to the bird’s struggle. It tried to to help it… Sonic couldn’t see past the last part, it definitely felt… mad.

Something happened last night that really resonated with the werehog. It lit a fire in it that everyone tried to snuff out. Sonic had to learn why.

A thick drop of water landed on Sonic’s face, sending a chill throughout his body. Instantly he was awake. He heard the distant echo of water dripping around him. He took the communicator off of his ankle and looked at the map. Shadow was away, but he was nearby on his way to him. Sonic yawned and he stretched. Maybe I’ll take another nap before he gets here. He moved away from the wet side of the cave, gave a deep sigh as he sunk into the soft dirt.

Just as Sonic felt himself falling asleep, he heard something. His ear twitched, it swiveled around as he tried to locate the noise, or even identify it. From outside, he heard a whizzing sound, like a small helicopter. It almost reminded him of one of Eggman’s flying machines… but that couldn’t be it, right? Eggman blew up in space, he saw it himself. He didn’t exactly wish he were dead, but he didn’t know how anyone could survive that… but if anyone could…

It would be Eggman .

Now deeply suspicious of the sound, Sonic carefully crawled out from his cave. Ear pitched up, he tried to locate the sound again, but he didn’t have to. He could see it. It was one of Eggman’s robots. Its usual color scheme red and yellow. It looked like a giant floating eyeball with a bright blue iris, a propeller on its head giving it the lift it needed to fly, but not exactly great air control. It flew around quickly, a slow arcing movement meant a grind to halt, it blinked its large pupil, and then Sonic heard a soft <click> .

It’s taking pictures .

The robot definitely didn’t look like it was built for fighting. Still, Sonic had to get rid of it. Eggman doing recon wasn’t exactly a good thing either. He jumped high into the air, and shot forward into a homing attack. He knocked the robot clean out of the sky. The eye shutter closed. Sonic was worried it was taking a picture, but he heard no click. The propeller had stopped moving. It looked like it just shut down. Sonic gave a sigh of relief, admiring his work. He took out one of Eggman’s robots and left it in good enough shape for Tails to investigate. Before he could cheer to himself, he heard the familiar soft, swish of Shadow’s shoes.

“What is that thing?”

Sonic rolled his eyes. “Good morning to you too.”

Shadow ignored him. He got close to the robot and examined it himself. “This is… one of the Doctor’s robots.” Looking from Shadow’s side, you could see the unmistakable logo of Eggman Robotics. A black silhouette of Eggman’s smiling face. Shadow took out a chaos spear, it looked like he was about to destroy it. Sonic tore it away from him.

“Hey!”

“We have to get rid of it.” Shadow growled. “It might be tracking us.”

“I already stopped it.” Sonic said as he pointed to the forever closed eye shutter. “If we take it to Tails, he can hack into it or something. Try to figure out what it was lookin’ for, y’know?”

Shadow’s spear disappeared in a flash. “Fine, but if we get ambushed, it’s your fault.”

Sonic shrugged. “Let’s get this thing to Tails.”

Sonic was about to run, but he felt that his body was really stiff, reminding him of his question. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, Shadow started talking.

“We need to talk about the werehog.”

He told Sonic about what happened last night. The werehog tried to defend Dark Gaia. As he spoke frantically about his experience, Sonic listened intently. He already knew the werehog’s feelings on the matter, but he had to get Shadow’s side too.

“I don’t know if it’s anything worrying…” Shadow continued, “but we still don’t know anything about it. What if it turns on us? Tails still has those cages, but they’re not infinite.”

“I… the werehog doesn’t think that thing’s Dark Gaia.”

Shadow looked confused. “How do you know?”

“I have his memories, remember?” Sonic tossed the robot into the air and caught it. He juggled it as he thought. “Whatever that thing was, the werehog cared a lot about it. Not in any sort of… I hate you, kind of way.” Sonic caught the robot. “I think we should look into it.” He had decided he really wanted to know what interested the werehog so much.

Shadow took him to the clearing they all went to the night before. They were both surprised to see that it was empty. “Where’s the bird?” Sonic’s asked.

“I don’t know…” Shadow said thoughtfully, “Espio and I were watching it all night, it would never leave from this spot.”

So it just… disappeared? Sonic leapt down to walk around the clearing. The Gaia temple was huge, like a pyramid. The ground around it abruptly dried, but the rest of the clearing was perfectly green. Most likely, places the fire bird would never have to burn.

“I don’t believe it.” Shadow said from inside the temple. He got on the ground, feeling around for something. “The altar, it’s… gone? Maybe they’re connected?”

“What?”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “The bird and the altar.”

Sonic nodded, now understanding. “So, if we want to fix Chu-Nan, we’re going to have to beat that bird.”

Sonic couldn’t wait to give Tails the good news. They were several steps closer to fixing Chu-Nan!

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow watched as Tails took his tiny tools and poked through Eggman’s robot. It was now laid on the ground, separated into pieces. Tails was sure he could find out what the robot was doing. Shadow couldn’t imagine it was good. One thing the research team at G.U.N had taught him over the years was that even when Eggman was doing nothing, he was always doing something. The hard part was always figuring out what it was.

Shadow heard a thin snap, he was worried Tails had broken the machine, but he pumped his fist in triumph. “Yes!” He heard him whisper.

He took out two cables from his small computer and connected it to the robot. Instantly, it came to life, but it executed random functions. Its propeller started and stopped, the eye shutter shrunk and grew… its eye shutter lazed half-closed, the propeller slowed to a stop. On Tails’ computer screen, images started appearing.

“I did it!”

“What exactly did you do?” Shadow asked.

“I connected Eggman’s robot to my computer—“

“Isn’t that dangerous?” What if he tracked them?

Tails tried to ease Shadow’s worry. “This one’s local. It doesn’t send pictures to Eggman. It has to come back to Eggman’s base and give him the pictures.”

So it’s just taking pictures? Shadow looked closely through the photos, they didn’t look all that important, just random photos taken through Chu-Nan.

Sonic looked closely at the photos too. “Do ya think he’s trying to find the Gaia temple?”

“Possibly.” Tails replied. “Eggman had the Gaia manuscripts too, remember?”

Shadow looked down at the robot. “If we know about the Gaia temples, then surely the Doctor would.”

Tails got up from his seat on the ground. “Well, we’ll deal with this when we get back.” He scooped up the robot parts and placed them away in a corner. “Let’s get to that festival!”

Sonic and Chip cheered, Shadow looked incredulously at all of them. “After all of that, you still want to waste time at that festival?

Sonic put his hand on his shoulder. “We’re not ‘wasting time,’ it’s good to take a break every once in a while.”

In another time, Shadow could possibly agree, but this was too urgent. We have to figure out what Eggman’s doing. Before he could protest, Sonic, Tails and Chip were already racing through the exit. With his shoes, he boosted after them.

When they made it to the bottom of the mountain plateau, they could see people walking around, playing games, and having fun on the rides, the crowd was strangely… small? Compared to the amount of games, rides and attractions they had lying around at least. It looks like they were expecting a lot more people. Espio told Shadow that after the world split, it seemed like others stopped coming in. He even believed that most of the planes he saw were emergency landings rather than regular travel.

Shadow turned to complain, once again, about them playing around, but was surprised to see no one by his side. They must’ve already gone inside. He walked through the crowd, a little overwhelmed at the pressure, even if it were small. The people seemed to tower over him, he couldn’t get a good look at where he was going. Just as he started feeling a bit claustrophobic, someone grabbed his arm. As he ran through the crowd he could see it was Sonic. He pulled him outside, until they made it to a strange game.

“First rule of festivals.” Sonic said to Shadow. “Buddy system. Never leave a buddy behind!”

Shadow rolled his eyes. Tails and Chip were gone, so it looked like Sonic was his “buddy” for the day.

Distracted from his annoyance, Shadow heard a loud sound, like a short puff of air, not too long after, a cork hit a metal object. He looked up at the game him and Sonic stood in front of. It looked like some sort of shooting range. Instead of the targets he was used to seeing, metal plates shaped like animals mechanically lifted up and fell down, suddenly, one, shaped like a bird, swung by. The player tried to shoot, but missed by several leagues. The game shut down.

“Better luck next time kid.” A man behind the counter said as a fake grin grew across his face. He handed the player a small stuffed bear from the hanging plushies above him, and then turned his eyes to Shadow and Sonic. “You think you can ya wanna try your hand at this one, kiddos?”

Sonic took out a small bag of tokens. “How much to play?”

“Two for one, and four for two!” He held out a basket full of tokens. “You’ll be competing for the grand prize.” The man ceremoniously flourished towards a giant stuffed dragon, draped around the prizes. “If ya hit the phoenix, it’s pretty much an automatic win… but,” he said a little more unenthusiastically, “if you wanna play it safe, ten points gets you a rubber ducky, fifty, a teddy bear of your choosing, and finally, a whopping two-hundred points gives you the red dragon!”

Shadow scoffed. Clearly, this man didn’t know that he was the ultimate life form. He didn’t need a silly children’s game, or a prize to prove how great he was.

Sonic placed four tokens in the basket and handed Shadow the second gun. “Looks like fun!” He said with a smile.

Shadow eyed him suspiciously. He took the gun and waited for the game to start.

The man yelled out the rules. “A duck gets ya five points, a bear gets ya ten and the beautiful phoenix gets ya seventy-five points.” The man pulled a switch as he yelled, “The one with the most points at the end of the time limit, wins!”

Shadow pointed his shooter at the targets, he shot once and awkwardly hit the wall behind it. This was already a little bit tougher than he was expecting. He heard a metal flap fall down. Sonic had a clean shot. If Shadow was going to win, he would have to focus.

Soon, the race was on. Shadow took out two bears, Sonic took out three. Shadow managed to hit a rubber ducky or two, and then suddenly the phoenix. Both hedgehogs had their eye on the bird, they both shot, a clean hit, but from who? Shadow’s gun flashed white, a loud sound rang from it. A small crowd had gathered during Sonic’s game and now they cheered and clapped for Shadow.

“Ya did it! Most points and ya caught the phoenix!” Quickly, the man tore down the long plushy. Shadow could barely hold it.

Sonic cheered and whistled. “Woo! Ya did it!”

As they both walked away from the, now popular, game, Shadow had a hard time walking with the dragon trailing behind him. Noticing Shadow’s struggle Sonic picked up the dragon’s tail.

For the rest of the day, they traveled from stall to stall, winning top prizes. By the time they made it to the meeting place, the same restaurant Shadow, Sonic and Chip ate at the day before, they had a combined sizable mountain of plushies. As they sat and ate, they placed them, on a stool beside them… or tried to, they still spilled out onto the floor.

“Looks like you guys were pretty busy today!” Tails leaned over, watching the toy mountain in awe.

“We… played a lot of games.” Shadow said, embarrassed.

“We won a lot of ‘em too!” Sonic yelled.

A woman placed four plates on their table, it looked like the same stir-fry surprise from the other day. Sonic was excited to eat a whole plate by himself, Shadow, a little less enthusiastic. He felt a little bit more embarrassed than he felt he should be at his reaction yesterday. Once again, he tried the dish. He felt an uncomfortable heat rise in his mouth and burn the back of his throat. His eyes teared up as he tried not to cough. Beside him, Sonic rushed through his food, Chip nearly competed with him. Shadow didn’t understand how he could eat this so fast, then again, he was Sonic.

At a certain point it looked like Chip and Sonic, were nearly tied. At the same time they both finished their dishes and loudly proclaimed, “Done!”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “You know you shouldn’t eat that fast.”

Sonic ignored him. He stared at his plate. “Ya gonna finish that?”

Shadow silently pushed the plate to him. “Here.”

“I want some!” Chip yelled excitedly. Sonic split the plate between the two of them.

Shadow looked up at the orange sky. It looked like night would begin soon. He shouldn’t eat when he knows he has to sleep. Now that Shadow noticed it. He was supposed to be asleep a long time ago. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” He asked Sonic.

At first, it looked like Sonic wasn’t sure what he was talking about, then he saw the sky and remembered. “Shoot, yeah…” quickly, he got up from his seat.

Shadow got up too. He would have to watch the werehog tonight, and the fireworks, even though he still felt nervous. He never really liked the loud noises. Hopefully, the noise-canceling headphones would help.

He looked down at the pile of plushies him and Sonic had gathered. He tried to plan out a way to carry them. Noticing Shadow’s plight, Sonic loudly whistled and yelled, “Free toys!” Instantly a gaggle of children crowded around them. As they walked forward, Sonic handed out a toy. By the time he finished, it was starting to get dark.

“Let’s go.” Shadow rushed him. The werehog would be very mad if it woke up tired again.

Chapter Text

The werehog and Chip sat patiently on the cliff’s edge, waiting for Shadow to reappear from their cave. Supposedly, something interesting was going to happen tonight. A fantastic moment in the sky seen for thousands of years. Chip was sat underneath the werehog, eating a large chocolate bar and reading through the pamphlet about tonight’s main event.

Chip gasped. “There’s a story on the back!” He flew up excitedly, holding the paper into the werehog’s face. “Can you read it to me, please?”

The werehog rolled its eyes. It’ll be a while before Shadow gets back anyway. “Sure.” The werehog grabbed the pamphlet in its massive hands and under the moonlight, read the short story on the back.

Once upon a time. Many, many, many years ago, Chu-Nan was constantly under attack. Demons from an unknown world would roam through the woods, creating mischief and chaos, We were at a lost cause. Each day, we hoped that our torment would end and each night those hopes would be shattered.

One day, our prayers of freedom and peace were finally answered. A blazing star crashed through the sky, covering our country in a holy light. The rays from this blazing star, pierced through the demons easily, the fear brought on by these swift deaths warned demons everywhere to leave and never look back.

Tonignt marks the one-thousand year anniversary of the first recording of the Blazing Star, but many believe that the Blazing Star’s holy light has been protecting us long before time could remember.

“Do ya think that’s true?” Chip asked. “That, the Blazing Star’s been here forever? ”

“Well… I guess so.” The werehog hadn’t been on earth for that long, but it figured it ought to be. The werehog heard rustling in the bushes. Shadow approached with three strange objects in his hands. The werehog stared at them. “What’re those?”

“Noise-canceling headphones.” He replied. “They’ll be used to block out the noise from the fireworks.”

Fireworks. From the way Shadow described them, they sounded interesting, but whenever Shadow talked about them he always looked greatly uneased. Even now, he was stiff as he held out the headphones. “Are you alright?” The werehog asked.

“I’m… not really used to fireworks, either.” Shadow looked embarrassed. “Just… put these on.” He handed the headphones to the werehog.

As they sat by the cliff’s edge, the town below them had become dark. Places of businesses and homes alike had dimmed their lights making the scene in front of them almost a pitch black. Save for the calm light of the moon.

After a while, the werehog saw something truly dazzling. Bright lights zoomed above it, trailing across the sky. One star in particular burning the brightest. They lit up the world in a natural light show. Soft lights raced across the werehog’s fur.

The werehog gazed up in awe, and then it heard a soft bang. A bright, red, sparkly light exploded in front of it. Another soft boom was heard, white and then a bright yellow. These were the fireworks that Shadow had warned it about.

Loud noises did scare the werehog, so it was grateful for these headphones that Shadow gave it. Chip had some too, but he didn’t seem to be affected by the noise at all. The werehog looked over at Shadow. He appeared to be very uncomfortable. At each boom, subtly, his body language changed until it was clear he was disturbed. He stood up and left to the bushes nearby. The werehog was a bit worried. Carefully, it stepped away from Chip, leaving him to watch over the bright lights by himself. The werehog would sense Dark Gaia if it ever came close to him.

The werehog followed Shadow through the bushes, away from the fireworks. Shadow sat down in a clearing. The trees around them muffled out the sounds of the fireworks, still with each loud bang, Shadow huddled close. He was scared.

The werehog laid down. It pierced its head through the empty space between Shadows arms and legs, dropping its headphones. When Sonic didn’t feel good, Shadow kept listening to his chest. The werehog’s ear pressed up against Shadow. It could hear his heart thumping. With each bang, it spiked.

Soon, Shadow held onto the werehog’s bristly fur. He braced himself for the loud bangs. As the bright lights stopped, the noise began to die down and Shadow began to relax too. “Are you feelin’ okay?” The werehog asked, but Shadow stayed silent.

They sat there for a long while. Shadow ran his hands through the werehog’s fur, listening to the crickets, until finally he spoke up. “Thank you.” He mumbled.

The werehog wasn’t exactly sure what it did, but it felt nice from the praise.

Chip zoomed in from over the bushes, crashing excitedly into the werehog. “Wow, that was great! ” He yelled. “It was way better than Shadow said it would be.”

While the werehog definitely agreed, it was certainly… intense, for all of them, but mostly for Shadow. The werehog felt like he would like some time to relax. “Chip, can ya be quiet?” The werehog whispered.

“No, it’s fine.” Shadow said as he stood up. Quietly, he left the two.

Chip stared after him. “Why did Shadow leave? Didn’t he like the fireworks?”

“Don’t know.” The werehog couldn’t be sure exactly, but maybe he felt the same way about fireworks that the werehog did with the sun. The bright light in Sonic’s memories overwhelmed it and Shadow clearly looked the same way it felt.

As a firework whistled above, the werehog looked up at the sky. Without its headphones, it felt the full force of the explosion. It made it flinch. If that was what Shadow went through with each bang, it understood.

“Werehog! Over here!”

The werehog and Chip hurried over to Shadow. The werehog was about to ask him what he was so worried about, instead it turned its head where Shadow was looking. As another stray firework exploded, the werehog could see the frame of a large creature. When the light faded, it could still see purple. Dark Gaia!

Shadow ran ahead. “Dark Gaia’s attacking the village!”

Shadow, and the werehog, Chip nestled in its quills, they all ran down the long winding road of their secluded hill. The werehog leapt over the old stone steps, careful not to trip. As they all made it near the bottom, they found Espio, surrounded. The werehog and Shadow made quick work of Dark Gaia. Espio was relieved to have help.

“Thank you.” He sighed. “I was trying to stop them, but there’s too many.”

A scream pierced through the air. There were sounds of crashing and smashing, wood snapping. Dark Gaia wasted no time spreading fear. The werehog continued on, Espio and Shadow alongside it. As they all made it to the village, the werehog could see nothing but pure chaos.

Wooden stands were toppled over, completely splintered and their contents spread all over the ground. Humans ran and screamed from the monsters. A building had collapsed, someone was trapped inside.

The werehog ran over. With its massive hands, it grabbed and lifted up the building’s remains. As it held the wood over its body, it screamed, “Get out!” The trapped human hurried out. As soon as it was sure there were no more people, the werehog dropped the wood on the ground. It looked around. Did anyone else need help?

Another cry. The werehog spotted Dark Gaia approaching a human. Immediately the werehog ran up and grabbed its neck in its mouth. Normally, it would bite down and the creature would disappear into dust.  The werehog bit down as much as it could, but Dark Gaia still shook and wrenched in its mouth, trying to escape. It would have to try harder. It brought up its hands, hoping it wouldn’t lose balance, and it grabbed the monster, digging its claws in. It pulled its head one way and dragged its claws the other. Dark Gaia’s body ripped, and then it exploded into a cloud of smoke. The werehog gagged at the smell.

The werehog turned to see if the human still needed help. They were gone. No “thank you” or anything. “You’re welcome.” The werehog scoffed.

The werehog heard a thin whoosh followed closely by a sharp pain in its ear. An arrow flew past it, grazing its ear. Tai was standing over the village. He held out his crossbow and pointed at the monsters. He was helping, but the werehog still wasn’t sure if it could trust him. Eventually, it just decided it would have to fight and avoid Tai’s arrows.

The werehog barreled through hordes of Dark Gaia. It would slash with its claws, Dark Gaia would bite. The werehog would bite and Dark Gaia would disappear. Despite the situation being in their favor, the werehog was confused. Through Sonic’s memories, it could see the relaxation, the smiling faces of people he had helped. The werehog helped, and all it got were humans gawking at it, refusing to move from their spot. The werehog helped, but no one acted like it did. They cowered, as if it were any other monster.

The werehog watched another group of humans run away from him in fear. As the werehog thought, Chip yelled. “Sonic! There’s something wrong!”

“What?”

Chip pointed up. “There’s something wrong with Tai!”

With Tai’s crossbow loaded, he shot into the crowd. The werehog looked around. They had won, Dark Gaia was nowhere to be seen, still his arrows flew off to who knows where. What’s he doin’?!

“He’s gonna hurt her!” Chip yelled. He pulled the werehog’s attention to a little girl cowering in the crowd. Tai had his weapon pointed at her. The werehog ran, it had to push her out of the way.

The werehog leaped, but it overshot the little girl. Instead, it heard the sharp swing of the arrow and instant pain in its shoulder. It yelped in surprise as it hit the ground. It was about to whip around at Tai to yell at him to stop, but once Tai set his eyes on the werehog, he purposefully aimed for the heart.

The werehog was shot again. It roared angrily at the arrow sticking in its chest. Thanks to its extra layers of muscle, it wasn’t hurt, just enraged. Still, it had to make sure that girl was safe. Tai might still be shooting, the werehog had to take them somewhere else.

The werehog turned around, gritting its teeth to try to keep itself from screaming at the burning pain of Tai’s weapon’s. It looked down and saw a woman kneeling beside the little girl. A memory flashed in the werehog’s mind. It could tell from that awful glare it was daytime. It was one of Sonic’s. Lei-Lei and her mother, crying happily, relief clear in their bodies, but when the werehog’s snapped back to reality, all it could see was pain and fear.

The werehog took one step forward. Lei-Lei screamed. Her mother pulled her closer. “Please… don’t hurt us.” She begged.

The werehog was confused. Why would I? I’m tryin’ to help.. . It was about to speak, but something hit its face. A rock tumbled in front of the werehog. It looked up to see a mob of angry humans. They held whatever they could find. Brooms, hammers, debris from the ground. They were trying to find weapons. But Dark Gaia was gone now, they didn’t have anything to fight. The werehog helped them. Why were they so scared?

While the werehog was distracted, Lei-Lei and her mother ran into the crowd to protect themselves. As the werehog stared into the crowd, it stumbled. The arrows Tai shot burned in its body. They made it feel weak. Above, it could hear the strange whoosh of Tails’ flight, Shadow was close by. The werehog’s friends were here.

The werehog collapsed onto the ground. It at least tried to raise its head as Tails got close. “Sonic, you okay?”

The werehog tried to manage a smile. “Could be better.” It joked, but Tails still looked worriedly at the arrows sticking out of its body. Normally, Sonic would make a joke to lighten the mood… but it didn’t seem to work here.

“Help!” Tails cried. “Sonic needs help!”

The crowd murmured confusedly. “Sonic?” But not one stepped forward… except for Tai. He walked with his hands behind his back, carrying his large crossbow. If you hadn’t seen the strange purple sheen of his arrows, you would’ve thought he were on his morning walk to fetch his mail.

The werehog sniffed. In its nose it could smell the terrible stench of Dark Gaia again, but it couldn’t tell from where.

Tai walked smoothly and with great purpose. He looked down angrily at Tails. “Why would we help you, Dark Gaia?”

“But I’m not— he’s not—“

The crowd yelled in agreement. “Fox demon!” They yelled at Tails. “Horrifying creature!” They yelled at Shadow. One member of the crowd was a little bit braver. They took their splinter of wood, now lit on fire, and they began to strike at the werehog.

Tails stood in between them. “Stop!” He cried. “He’s hurt! Please, he needs help!”

The angry man didn’t listen, they pulled back and struck forward, not even caring that Tails was right there. The werehog forced energy into its body. It grabbed Tails, wrapping itself around him as the man struck. Pain seared in the werehog’s body as the burning wood struck through, the werehog tried not to scream. That would just scare them more. “Chip…?” The werehog grunted. Chip flew from his hiding spot. Relief flowed through the werehog’s body. He’s okay… Tails looked up at him, tears glistening in his terrified eyes. “It’s… okay.” The werehog tried to say, but it was struggling to keep its head straight under the stress and the pain. “I-I got this… I’ll… try t’ talk to them.”

The werehog’s words did nothing to help Tails. His expression, his body language nothing change at all. The werehog turned at the crowd. Now that one had succeeded, the rest were starting to advance. The werehog had to admit. It was scared too. It didn’t know what to do.

Sonic helped people and he saw smiling faces, screams of joy. Memories flashed of the adoring crowd of fans Sonic had to push away. Every single smile there changed to a face of anger and fear, the moment they set their eyes on the werehog, they knew they wanted to get rid of it.

“That is enough!” A voice in the crowd yelled.

The werehog heard a slow tick. The crowd dispersed to show a tiny, Mobian. An old turtle. Against her dark brown shell were strange black markings, a waterlily tied to her head, the slow tick, her curved, wooden cane. She made her way through the crowd, muttering angrily to herself, sending a few angry glances to the people around her. She stood, her cane proudly propped in front of her, her arms relaxing over the curved wood. “Tai!” She yelled. “You have no business spreading misinformation on a night like this!

Tai chuckled. “Misinformation? You’re running out of words for my warnings.”

The werehog could clearly see that these two didn’t like each other. Tai’s wrinkles pulled tight the moment he saw her. The turtle’s face pulled back in a grimace.

“Misinformation is the best word for what you do everyday.” The turtle growled. “Picking on a Guardian, on the day we give respect to one!”

“That creature is no Guardian.” Tai said simply. “Take your theories elsewhere.” With that, Tai’s conversation was over. He turned away, heading into the woods.

The turtle turned to the crowd of Mobians. “We had better leave.” She said. “My pond is further away from here. They should be satisfied with that.”

The werehog turned away, following the old turtle. It limped away as it thought about what had happened. It was so confused. It did everything right, exactly the same, why did it receive such drastically different results?

Soon the werehog’s steps began to falter. It dropped once again. The burning sting of Tai’s arrows, the burnt scratch on its back was too much to bear. The werehog closed its eyes as it heard muffled screams around it.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tails and Shadow, with the werehog over their backs, slowly dragged it over to the old turtle’s home. They had come up to a pond. An old house made of wood sat in the center with a sagging roof made of straw. Stepping stones led to the island her home sat on, just barely standing above the pond’s water level. Lilypads grew in the water, similar to the one on the turtle’s head.

Tails and Shadow dragged the werehog to a clearing beside the pond. Long, soft grass was flattened by the wind. Tails and Shadow dropped the werehog down. Tails caught his breath as his muscles eased. It was tiring carrying the werehog here, but they couldn’t stop for any sort of break. They were worried they might be followed.

I don’t get it. Tails thought. What… happened? Just hours ago, they were playing, laughing, having fun together. The whole village turned on them. They called him a demon. He was helping them fight! How could the night have taken such a turn for the worst?

Tails watched the old turtle hurry inside her home. After a while, she came back with medical supplies, and instantly began to work on the werehog. As she placed her supplies on the ground, she pointed her cane at Shadow. “You, what is your name?”

“Shadow.” He answered.

“And you?”

“Tails.”

She almost jumped when she saw Chip emerging from the werehog’s quills. “Um… you too.”

“My name’s Chip.”

“Well, people around here call me Lily.”

Tails could see why. She wore a Lilypad on her head, but if you also looked closely at her shell, you could see black patterns on her back that clearly looked like Lilies.

“Shadow, I’ll need your help.” She wrapped her hands around the arrow in the werehog’s chest. “I need you to hold him in place.” Shadow nodded as he held his hands against the werehog’s chest. Lily pulled the arrow out quickly. The werehog gave a small yelp, but it didn’t say anything more. She did the same for the one on its shoulder. Blood trickled down from its wounds. With Shadow and Tails holding the werehog up, Lily wrapped bandages around its body.

Next came the wound on its back. Tails cringed when Lily turned it around. The werehog’s quills were burnt, thankfully, it seemed to take the worst of the attack, but it didn’t look comfortable. Lily sighed sadly as she took a wet cloth and began cleaning the wound. The werehog winced, but it tried to stay still. Lily took out a huge container of ointment and began applying it to the werehog. The werehog yelped and tried to escape.

Tails stopped it. “It’s okay.” He said.

“Don’t move.” Shadow added.

The werehog squirmed uncomfortably underneath them, it whined and yelped as Lily applied her medicine, before eventually relaxing. Whatever she was using seemed to help. Finally she wrapped more bandages around the werehog’s back.

She patted the werehog’s head as she walked away. “Now, let’s get to you two.”

Tails hadn’t realized it, but him and Shadow had gotten scratched up from their own fight against Dark Gaia. They both sat in the grass, waiting to be treated. Tails winced as Lily began cleaning a cut on his arm. He looked over at the werehog. Its fur bunched around awkwardly under the bandages. “Is he gonna be okay?” He croaked.

Lily waved her hand. “It takes a lot more than that to take down a Guardian.”

A Guardian? Tails did remember, she used that word to describe Sonic. “What’s a Guardian?” He asked.

Lily stared back at Tails. “You’ve been traveling around with a Guardian, and you don’t even know what it is?”

Shadow sat closer, now wincing at his own wounds. “What makes you think he’s one?”

Lily hummed softly. “His… shape is a little strange, but the rest is unmistakable.” Lily’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight. “The… power, the drive to protect, its size. All the clear signs of a Guardian.” She had fully paused from treating Tails. “These creatures were meant to preserve the light and protect us from Dark Gaia. It’s… disheartening, to say the least, to see Tai demonize it like that.”

A Guardian. They preserve light and protect us from Dark Gaia . Tails hadn’t realized it, but he had taken out his pencil and pad as Lily spoke. The Gaia manuscripts didn’t mention anything about Guardians. “Lily, where did you get this information?”

Lily’s eyes lit up. “Oh, my family’s been recording all things related to the Guardians for generations… and that’s a long time for a turtle.” Lily sighed wistfully. “Unfortunately, when it comes to Gaia, that goes back, much further back. Not even us turtles can find its origins. If you still want any information on Gaia and the Guardians, you’re not likely to find anything better than my own store of information!”

“That’s great!” Terrible for preservation… Tails thought, but still, new information! “I’ve been trying to find out what Sonic is for days . Please, Lily, can ya teach me?”

Lily chuckled, clearly flattered. “You don’t have to ask. I would gladly tell you everything I know, if only to fight against Tai’s lies.” Lily looked up. “It can wait until tomorrow though. You all need rest.”

As Lily treated and bandaged Shadow, a familiar face leaped down from the trees. Espio showed himself looking warily at the werehog. As he walked up to the Mobians, he bowed his head. “I’m very sorry. I tried to stop them, but things got out of hand.”

“No need to apologize.” Lily said to Espio. “Dark Gaia can be much more than a handful to deal with.”

Espio looked at the werehog. “Why are you helping it?”

“Excuse me?” Lily asked.

“I saw. The werehog… it tried to hurt that little girl.”

“No he didn’t!” Chip yelled. “Sonic was trying to save Lei-Lei. Tai was gonna hurt her!”

Espio shook his head. “Tai aimed the crossbow at the werehog. It leaped at her.”

“Tai was about to hurt her.” Chip desperately tried to explain. “He had this weird smoke around him and was acting really strange.”

Weird smoke? Tails didn’t see anything. Although he more than noticed Tai’s hostility. “Is he always like that?” Tails asked Espio.

“Like what?”

“When we were fighting earlier, he did help at first to stop Dark Gaia, but eventually, his aim seemed to get… worse… maybe?” Tails remembered, he had to dodge Tai’s arrows while leading people to shelter. After that Dark Gaia comment, Tails thought he might’ve been directly aiming at him, but there were definitely times where he seemed to completely miss him as well. “He kept shooting at things that weren’t… there...” Tails mumbled to himself.

Espio thought for a moment. “Maybe… he just thought you were Dark Gaia?” He theorized. “He did that the night he met me.”

Tails shook his head. “He wasn’t shooting at me, or… anything really.” Most times, at least. Tails added to himself.

Espio scratched his head. “Perhaps some investigation will help us.”

“Take Chip with you.” Shadow said. “I’m interested in that purple smoke he saw.”

Espio nodded his head, looking a bit disheartened. “C’mon, Chip.” He ran ahead and Chip flew after him.

Tails shivered as a draft blew by.

“I’ll fetch you all some blankets.” Lily said as she gathered her medical supplies. “Unfortunately, I don’t have much room in my home for… uh, all of you.” Clearly, she referred to the werehog’s large size.

“I’ll help.” Tails said. It was the least he could do after her help tonight.

“Thank you so much.” Lily said.

As they both walked into her home, Tails could see tall stacks of paper almost reaching her ceiling. Multiple texts from ordinary paper, to books, to papyrus scrolls littered around her home. If all of this was information on Gaia or even the Guardians specifically, it was so much more than what Professor Pickle had. He couldn’t wait for their talk tomorrow.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Hey! That’s not a toy!” Espio whispered.

“Sorry!” Chip whispered back. He flew a little too close to Espio’s weapons… again.

Espio sighed heavily. He left his friends to get away from babysitting, but Shadow roped him with Chip.

Espio winced as he jumped through the trees. Tails and Shadow looked worse for wear after their fight for Dark Gaia and Espio wasn’t much better, but he had to make up for letting Dark Gaia enter that village, for possibly ruining Sonic’s reputation. Espio and Chip would investigate the purple smoke around Tai. Unfortunately, it seemed that Chip couldn’t be quiet for more than ten seconds.

“Espio?”

“Yes, Chip?” Espio said tartly.

“Is that Tai?” He said, peering through the darkness.

“Yes.” At least this time it wasn’t an oddly shaped tree.

Tai. Ever since Espio had first made it to the village, he noticed that Tai was very aware of the existence of those demons… Dark Gaia. Every night, he, as well as Espio, would hunt down Dark Gaia with a crossbow and arrow that cut through them quickly and easily. A cold glare in his eyes. Espio had known him to shoot with reckless abandon at times. On multiple occasions, he nearly took him out, believing he was Dark Gaia… but Espio never believed he could shoot so recklessly with so many people running around. He wanted to know why.

Tai had left the village to wander in the forest nearby. The waning moon lighting the trees. Espio heard him muttering to himself, before angrily brandishing his crossbow.

Chip grabbed his arm. “It’s the smoke!” He whispered.

Espio couldn’t see anything. “What are you talking about?” Espio felt Chip cower behind him. He clearly was seeing something. I’ll have to get a closer look. With someone like Chip on his side, it would be very risky, but he had to report something back to his friends.

Tai looked up. Espio disguised his colors, but Tai still seemed to see him. “Dark Gaia…” Tai mumbled. He took out his crossbow and aimed it towards Espio. Espio leaped down before an arrow could hit him. Espio, was confused. Typically, he hid his presence well. He had taken this trip to train, all it did so far was confirm his need for it.

Espio was pulled from his frustration. Tai reloaded. He took another shot at Espio. Espio ducked low to the ground as the arrow flew. He slinked around, appearing at Tai’s side. Espio grabbed the crossbow, trying to stop him. “Dark Gaia…” Tai mumbled angrily again.

Dark Gaia? He still thinks I’m one of those demons. “Tai, stop. I’m not Dark Gaia.” Espio held on tight to his crossbow but Tai would not give in. He tried to wrench the crossbow from Espio’s hand. In the corner of his eye, Espio spotted purple light.

“Espio…”

“I see them, Chip.”

Dark Gaia appeared. Large creatures with horns like rhinos on their faces. They charged at Espio. He had to release his hands from Tai, who was miraculously unharmed by the attack. Espio tried to escape, but a barrier stood in front of him. “What? What is this?” He put his hands against it. Purple lightning cracked, forcing his hands away. Espio was trapped.

Thankfully, a part of the tree Espio stalked in was stuck inside as well. He had the upper hand. Immediately, he climbed up, Chip right behind him. He threw his kunai from above, instantly, Dark Gaia was defeated. Tai still acted as an obstacle. He seemed to be able to see Dark Gaia clearly, but not these monsters. He still shot at Espio, making it hard to focus.

Suddenly, Dark Gaia charged at the tree hiding Espio, he fell. Quickly, Espio dodged another one of Tai’s arrows. As he stood, Espio realized that he only had one more monster to deal with, but he had exhausted his weapons during this fight. Tai shot an arrow, the arrow hit the tree. Seizing the opportunity, Espio took the arrow and stabbed it into Dark Gaia. Instantly it burst into purple smoke, the barrier releasing with it.

As Espio caught his breath, Tai fell to the floor, dropping his weapon. “Tai?” Espio called from far away. “Are you alright?” He was worried that this might be a trick.

“Huh…” Tai mumbled, “Who are you…?”

Espio cautiously approached him. “I’ve been helping you fight Dark Gaia for a while now.” As Espio approached him, Tai rubbed his eyes as if he were waking up from sleep. A trance, maybe? Espio’s foot touched one of Tai’s arrows. He kneeled down in front of Tai and asked, “Where did you get these?”

Tai thought for a long time, looking warily at Espio. It seemed to be a big secret. “Passed down from my family for generations.” He sighed heavily, looking at his crossbow. “We never thought we would ever need them.”

“What about these feathers?” Espio added. “Where do they come from?”

“The Guardian.” Tai replied. “The Great Phoenix, the Blazing Star...” Tai took the arrow from Espio. “The Great Phoenix was… created by an ancient spirit, centuries, perhaps many millenniums ago.” Tai explained. “Its feathers have a great attraction to Dark Gaia, not unlike the creature it came from.”

Espio watched the light on the purple feathers. Fire. Those feathers… that creature guarding the Gaia temple must be the Great Phoenix. It seemed like the monster was created to stop Dark Gaia. Why would it attack me? The Guardian… it seemed to attack anything that came in its path. Not just Dark Gaia. “Tai?” Espio asked.

“What is it?”

“I think I might’ve met the Great Phoenix but, despite me not being Dark Gaia, it attacked me and my friend.”

Tai looked at him suspiciously. “You’re sure you’re not Dark Gaia?”

“Of course I’m not!”

Tai laughed. “It’s alright, I already know.” Calming down, he said, “On the other hand…  I don’t know why the Great Phoenix would attack you.” He looked away. His hand to his chin. “Possession, maybe?” He mumbled to himself.

Possession?

Before Espio could ask a question, Tai looked cautiously around him. “My ancestors…” he whispered, “they predicted these times, but not for several more centuries. Something… out of the ordinary has happened.”

Espio agreed. This has to do with Eggman . Of course it would be out of the ordinary.

Tai stood up from his position on the ground, holding up his crossbow.

“Tai, will you be fine on your own?” Espio asked.

“I’m great.” Tai whistled as he walked away, somehow looking more relaxed than he already generally did. “Thanks for the help.”

Espio suddenly remembered an important question he had to ask. “Tai, why did you shoot at the wolf earlier?”

Tai looked confused. “What wolf?”

He doesn’t remember? Did it have to do with that trance he woke up from? As if Espio had never asked anything, Tai continued through the forest, crossbow ready for any monsters that could leap out at him.

Possession… It made Tai think an enemy was there when it wasn’t. His anger, his relentless hunt, it reminded Espio of the phoenix. Of course, he also overheard from Lily’s conversation that Guardians were overprotective. But there was something about the phoenix that unnerved Espio. The purple sheen over its feathers. It sounded similar to the purple smoke Chip saw. “C’mon, Chip.” They were going back to the phoenix’s temple. With Chip’s insight, they could learn more there.

Chapter Text

Espio had made his way to the Gaia temple, trying to keep himself and Chip quiet. Earlier, Chip had noticed magical, purple smoke rising from a man named Tai. It made him completely delirious. He walked around in a trance, fighting everything thinking it might be Dark Gaia. Espio was suspicious that the phoenix might be under the same trance as Tai. It had similar symptoms. Irritability… the feverish hunt for Dark Gaia… confusion… they had to be related.

They hurried through the forest. As they started to make it close to the phoenix, Espio’s mind began to wander again. He had come here to focus on his mistakes, aiming to be a better ninja. He had thought he would meditate on his skills, but the only thing his mind drew him to was his last moment with his fellow team, Chaotix.

They had found the money he had stashed away, waiting to use on his vacation. Vector had said he wanted to “talk about it.” Charmy was mad. He wanted to go to that amusement park, but they “supposedly” didn’t have money, but they didn’t. It was his. He worked for it, he should be able to use it how he saw fit. What else was he supposed to do? He had a right to himself. He needed to train, and felt that he couldn’t do it there. His week spent here had shown him just how rusty he had gotten. Tai shouldn’t have noticed him. The werehog came too close as well. He had to get his head together. One day, a mistake could cause him or a teammate their life.

Espio huffed as he made his way to the temple. “Do you see anything?” Espio asked Chip.

Chip stared at the temple and nodded his head. He pointed upward. “I see that purple stuff flying around that guy.” The phoenix flew around. It landed on the temples roof. Lifting its head, looking around for Dark Gaia.

Chip said he saw the purple smoke. That must mean the phoenix was in a trance. If Espio could fight off all of the Dark Gaia around, just like he did with Tai, he could release the phoenix as well. That’s what he believed at least.

So, he got to work.

Using his typical rhythm for fighting Dark Gaia, he made quick, easy work out of the monsters. He had hoped he could stay hidden, but as he feared, the phoenix inevitably found him. It screeched as it flew down, the fire in its body roaring. Espio narrowly dodged it. The hot air from the fire made it difficult for him to move. Like an oppressive weight it fell down on him, it also burned. Espio’s scales smoked. He would make sure he wouldn’t be in the monster’s way next time.

He carried on fighting Dark Gaia, a new rhythm he had to follow. Throw, slash, dodge, repeat. He felt he was getting the hang of it, until, he heard a shout. The phoenix rushed Chip into the temple it guarded. Espio tried to take him back, but the phoenix snapped at him, singeing his scales once more.

Espio hung back. He tried to figure out what to do. The sun was starting to rise. Last time Shadow and himself were here together, the phoenix disappeared. If he just waited for the night to turn over he could get to Chip.

Espio waited patiently, ignoring the burning in his back. He watched the rising sun, itching to get back in. Finally, the blue light from the sky reached the temple. Dark Gaia disappeared. Immediately, Espio ran to the temple’s entrance. “Chip?” He looked around frantically in the dark room. He couldn’t find him anywhere.

Dark Gaia disappeared, the phoenix disappeared too, and Chip disappeared with it.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonic slowly blinked his eyes open. He woke up on soft grass. As usual, he felt the werehog’s memories bubbling up, so he closed his eyes, holding onto them, or trying to. He expected to see the usual odd fight or two, but instead became aware of a burning sting that spread on his back.

He could barely wade through these memories, everything was happening so fast as if the werehog refused to let them soak in. Sonic’s mind flashed with images of fear, screams from villagers. He felt pain… sadness, so much confusion. What’s goin’ on? Why’s everyone so mad? He felt that same burning sting with a violent fury.

It made him jump from his sleep. The pain was so overwhelming it made him sick. Sonic looked beside him. Shadow was sleeping. “Shadow…” he rasped. He desperately reached out. He needed help.

At the mention of his name, Shadow’s eyes flew open. He saw Sonic and instantly came to his side. “Sonic, calm down.”

Sonic noticed the bandages he was wrapped in. They felt really loose. Was that for the werehog? The burning sting came back. Sonic cried out. Why did he feel a terrible pain in his back? “Shadow… what’s… w-wrong with me?” He tried to say through his heavy breathing. He was starting to get dizzy. This awful pain, those terrible memories. The spikes on his back flexed, making whatever was back there sting more. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was out to get him.

“Stay here.” Shadow said as he ran away to a house nearby.

Sonic didn’t want to be left alone, but Shadow wouldn’t leave him if there was danger nearby, he had to calm down, no matter how much his body refused to.

Sonic’s eyes began to blur. Was he passing out? In his blurry vision, he saw three blobs appear in front of him. Shadow… Tails… and a silhouette he didn’t recognize. “H-help…me…” Sonic groaned. The unfamiliar blob walked around him. Soon after, he felt a sharp pain in his back again. “Ow…” his vision began to fade. Whatever was happening was too much for his mind to handle at once.

The next moment, he opened his eyes. Shadow and Tails sat worriedly beside him. The terrible sting felt more like a dull pain, but his memories still held the full force of it. His back flashed as if it couldn’t tell what was true. “Shadow…” Sonic said. “What’s happenin’… to me…”

This time, Shadow wasted no time explaining to him what had happened earlier. The villagers attacked him, they tried to kill him. The pain he felt was from their attacks, but if anything, the werehog’s emotions were the hardest part to deal with. Even as the pain faded from his back, his mind swirled around as if it couldn’t grasp onto anything. The werehog must’ve been really scared.

Tails brought a water bottle to him. “You should drink something.”

Sonic stared at his hands. He tried to sit up, but the dull pain in his back made it hard to move. Shadow sat him up. Sonic leaned heavily against him as he drank. “Thanks, Tails.” He said as he handed him his empty water bottle.

Sonic continued taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Eventually, the werehog’s past anxiety would fade, his memories always did, but for some reason, he felt like these memories might stick.

Sonic realized something. “Where’s Chip?” He rasped. To his surprise, no one answered immediately. “Wh-where is he?” He asked again. Tails and Shadow glanced at each other worriedly. Had something happened to him?

“We don’t know.” Shadow finally answered. He explained to him that he sent Espio to investigate Tai after he attacked the werehog. It had been at least two days since Sonic initially woke up, and Espio hadn’t returned.

“Why didn’t you guys tell me?”

“We did.” Said Tails. “Don’t you remember?”

Sonic had no idea what he was talking about.

“You’ve been… delirious for the past two days.” Shadow explained. “I doubt you remember anything.”

That moment, when he woke up. That was two days ago. That must be why his back felt sore instead of the agonizing pain he felt earlier. “Is my back okay?”

“I’ll get Lily.” Tails said.

Lily? He vaguely remembered that name. He tried to think, but his mind still couldn’t focus on anything.

“How do you feel?” Shadow asked.

Sonic sighed heavily. His eyes stung. He… or maybe the werehog was crying. “My back… still kind of hurts…” he choked out, “and… I guess I feel… really scared.” What if those villagers came back? He couldn’t fight against them.

He knew that himself and the werehog could never fight people. They were a threat, but they wouldn’t be fighting on equal ground. He even understood, a little but why they would attack him. His friends had already told him stories of how horrifying the werehog was.

He could imagine… one moment you’re eating food, having fun… and then the next, these terrible monsters are ruining your village, tearing through your home. He could imagine the werehog’s silhouette, illuminated by the moon… Sonic had always seen himself as a safe haven, but that image… made his skin crawl. Not even he could justify showing himself that night.

He was a monster. That was why they treated him that way.

Sonic held his arms close. He tried to stop crying, but he just couldn’t hold back.

“Sonic, those people are gone.” Shadow whispered.

I know… Sonic thought. But the werehog was still terrified, he was terrified. At least we know… no one could know about the werehog.

Sonic flinched. Shadow tried to wrap his arm around him. Sonic’s jump shocked the both of them. “Sorry, my back…”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

But Sonic still wanted his company. He leaned closer, no matter how much his body objected, letting Shadow’s warmth calm him down.

The old turtle… Lily, came out with a container full of medical supplies. “Oh, you’re looking much better already!”  She said brightly.

I look better? He didn’t feel that much different from when he woke up.

She repositioned Sonic against Shadow. “Hold him up for me, please.”

Sonic sat on his legs. Using Shadow’s shoulders to hold himself up as Shadow grabbed his waist. He tried to look away from his face, it felt a little bit awkward being so close. He heard Lily snip through his old bandages and removed them. She touched his back. He gasped and flinched, expecting pain, but relaxed when he realized it wasn’t there anymore.

“It looks like it’s healed now.” Lily said. “It’ll take some time for that fur to grow back, but other than that, you’re fine.”

“Thanks… Lily? Is that your name?”

“Yes. You must be Sonic.”

“Nice t’ meet ya...” Sonic said, he would’ve liked if it were on much better terms.

Lily still walked around him, staring at him. She examined his body, would look like she was on the way to a conclusion about it, but soon, she would lose her train of thought. At first, Sonic thought that she might be checking for more wounds, but Tails had a similar expression. He flipped through his notepad, looking at Sonic and then through his own notes again.

“Uh… is there somethin’ wrong?” Sonic asked.

Tails eyes lit up as he remembered something. “I forgot to tell you!” His tails whipped around excitedly. “We figured out what the werehog is… kinda.”

Sonic was glad to have something to distract himself with.

Tails explained to him that Lily thought that he was a Guardian. A creature meant to protect people from Dark Gaia, how the phoenix from the other night was something similar.

“The only problem I have…” said Lily. “I don’t know what you could possibly be a Guardian of.”

Sonic tilted his head. “Why’s that?”

“I’ve never seen a creature with your particular… specifics before. You… the werehog is clearly Dark Gaia. I’ve never seen one of those creatures become a Guardian before.” Lily chuckled to herself. “I was quite surprised to learn it could talk. It must be due to its connection to you.”

Sonic nodded his head. A Guardian, huh? But they seemed to tend to protect Gaia temples. In the werehog’s memories, Sonic could never see any connection to them. Not as strong as the werehog’s feelings towards the phoenix itself.

Breaking him away from his thoughts, Sonic heard a rustle in the trees nearby. Espio fell out, breathing heavily. Sonic, despite his stiffness, quickly came to his aid. Espio’s scales were lightly singed. “Lily!” Sonic called her over. Quickly, she got to work tending to him.

“I had to sneak my way through town.” Espio puffed. “They’re still a little… jumpy.”

Sonic’s mind was racing, he looked down at Espio, shocked. “Did they do this to you?”

Espio shook his head.

More importantly, Sonic was anxious. Where was Chip? He looked around, expecting his soft wingbeats, but nothing came. “Espio, where’s Chip?”

Espio looked away. “It’s a… long story.”

“ Tell me. ”

Espio was shocked by his tone of voice. He hesitated a moment.

Sonic was getting impatient. He had to know where Chip was, now. “ Tell… me. ” He repeated through gritted teeth. He tightened his grip around his arm. Before he could say or do anything else, Shadow took him away. Sonic tried to move back, but Shadow kept blocking him. “Shadow, get outta the way.”

  He refused to move. “Not until you calm down.”

Calm down? They didn’t have time for that. I have t’ know where Chip is! Sonic zipped around him, but Shadow caught his leg and tripped him. “Shadow…” Sonic growled. He ignored the pain in his back, his anger for Espio was greater.

“You heard me.” Shadow stood in his way. “Calm down, and then you can leave.”

Sonic gave an exasperated sigh. He did realize, for some reason, he was so angry, he was shaking. He sat up crossing his legs, impatiently tapping his fingers, but he only seemed to get more upset. “Shadow, we have t’ go.” He tried to speak calmly, but his performance wasn’t convincing. Shadow wouldn’t let him move from his spot.

Sonic tried to move again, but Shadow sat him down. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothin’...” Sonic realized he wasn’t going to leave until he calmed down. He took deep breaths. He continued tapping his fingers, impatiently, but every time he would sneak a glance at Espio, his fire would burn brighter. What was wrong with Espio is what they should be asking. How had he gotten so… incompetent … incompetent? Sheesh. Sonic thought to himself. Chill out… me.

As he sat, he started thinking, he did feel like he was starting to get down to the bottom of his feelings. “It’s just that…” Sonic sighed heavily. “We spent so much time earlier tryin’ t’ keep Chip safe. I promised the werehog we would.” Sonic looked away. “I’m… just worried he isn’t going t’ trust you guys again.” Especially knowing the werehog’s unstable state right now, it was particularly worrying.

Shadow sat beside Sonic. “We were able to convince it once. We can do it again.” He reassured him. “What happened last night… must’ve been an accident, we just need to listen to Espio. Then we’ll know what to say.”

Sonic sighed. “Okay… yeah.”

Shadow stood up, he offered his hand to Sonic, but he rejected him. “I want t’ wait a little longer and… cool off.”

Shadow nodded his head and headed back to the group of friends.

Sonic laid down in the grass, wincing as his body hit the floor, his arms and legs spread out. He was getting tired of this adventure… again. He had a reason to be upset at Espio, but his anger, felt a little out of character for himself. He was more than suspicious it had to do with the werehog. Its feelings typically leaked out, but now it seemed to be getting worse.

He wondered, especially taking past experience to mind, if Chip was what he was a Guardian of, but all that really did was make him wonder why Chip must be so important.

Sonic thought about the werehog again. Learning that Chip might be in trouble almost sent him over the edge just now. What would happen at night? Sonic tried to take deep breaths to calm himself, but keeping himself from knowing just made him more and more anxious, but if he couldn’t calm down, how could he expect the werehog to?

Sonic sighed, finally resigned. He couldn’t calm down. He had to know where Chip was. Right now. He hopped back up. Instead of sitting and worrying about the werehog, he had to do something. If we listen to Espio’s story, we can figure out what to do next.

Espio looked up warily at Sonic as Lily bandaged his back.

Sonic winced at his expression. “I’m sorry about earlier.” Sonic sighed. “I just… really need to know what happened.”

“I should be the one apologizing.”

Espio told him about his initial investigation. He believed that the phoenix might be possessed, so he fought Dark Gaia around it to ward off the evil spirits. While he was distracted, Chip had gotten captured. He waited for night to turn to day, and both the phoenix and Chip disappeared. For the past few nights, he had been trying to retrieve him.

“Why didn’t you come back for help?” Sonic asked.

“I wanted to get him back myself.” Espio sighed. “After last night, I was convinced that I couldn’t do it alone.” Espio’s fingers curled. “I’m… sorry for letting Chip get captured… I’m… ashamed I let Dark Gaia reach that village, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you said you didn’t hurt that girl.” Espio bowed down, even though his burns clearly still hurt. “Please, let me make it up to you.”

Sonic lifted him back up. “Jeez, ya don’t have t’ do all that. We’ll get Chip back. Together.”

With all of them, it should be easy.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The werehog opened its eyes. It looked around wildly. Where was it? Where were the villagers?

“Werehog, calm down.” It heard Shadow say.

“Shadow?” It breathed. “Where are we?”

“I’ll tell you, but first you need to lie down.”

The werehog hesitated. The villagers. What if they were nearby? They would have to run—

“ Now .”

The werehog flopped on the ground. It opened its mouth wide as it breathed. Why was it so hard to breathe?

“Werehog, it’s okay. No one’s coming to hurt you.”

Are ya sure? A twig snapped on the ground, the werehog heard a rustle in the trees. Shadow hardly reacted, but the sounds screamed at the werehog, just like those people. Why were they so mad? It was just trying to help. The werehog heard leaves rustling away from it, instantly it stood up, backing itself against a tree. It jumped thinking it might hurt it. I have t’ get outta here!

“Werehog!” Shadow called. “Lie down!”

The werehog tried its best to listen. Even though energy buzzed in its legs, yelling at it to run, the werehog stayed down, pressing itself against the ground. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! The werehog silently begged.

Shadow wrapped his arms around his neck, trying to keep it calm. “It’s okay.” He said as he pet its fur.

The werehog sniffed. “Why’d they hit me? I was tryin’ t’ help them.”

“They were scared.”

“Why? I didn’t do anything…”

Shadow sighed. “You just… have to be more careful next time.”

The werehog laid its head down, trying to block its head from all of the noises. Even the smells were coming after it. It seemed to be looking out for something, but what? It could feel its pulse beating in the floor. Nothin’s comin’ t’ hurt me. That’s what Shadoe said, but did it believe that? It pulled its ears back until they felt sore, something about tonight made all the noises unbearable. It flinched as it felt Shadow push its fur back again. “Try not to think about it.” Shadow whispered.

The werehog tried to pay attention to that sensation. Shadow’s hand’s disturbing its bristly fur. Rubbing up against its quills. It seemed to help. A deep rumble grew in its chest, but it wasn’t a growl. Eventually, everything seemed to die down. The trees started to whisper, its heart seemed to fade away. Its arms and legs didn’t ache. The werehog was starting to relax. “Thanks.” The werehog mumbled to Shadow.

“We’ll wait a little longer for you to calm down, but we need to hurry. I need to tell you something important.”

The werehog sat back up. As it calmed down, it realized it recognized this forest. It was near the strange bird.

Shadow pulled himself away from the werehog. “We need your help.” Shadow said seriously. “Chip was taken by the fire bird, the phoenix. We’re trying to get him back.”

The werehog nodded. It looked behind Shadow and could see the rest of their friends waiting for them. The werehog stood up, its legs still shaking from the adrenaline rush from earlier. As they walked, Shadow explained the full situation.

The werehog stalked behind the group. Keeping its eyes out for Chip. Even though it knew Chip was nowhere near here. It still had hope he could escape.

The werehog heard a twig snap. Instantly it turned to face the noise. A small creature scampered out from the bushes. The werehog sniffed around. Nothin’ else. Ever since that attack from a human last night, the werehog was hyper-aware of everything. Which wasn’t exactly unusual, but now, instead of the unknown, it had something else to fear. The humans… even though it swore to protect them.

The werehog still couldn’t remember exactly why it was here, but it was told, it was a Guardian. The title seemed to suit it. It made it feel proud. Just like the bird with the Gaia temple, clearly, it was made to protect Chip. Everyone else was confused about why Chip was so important that he would need a creature like the werehog to protect it, but it didn’t matter to the werehog. Chip was important to it, that was the only reason it needed. For him, it would brave the phoenix’s flames.

They finally made it to the fellow Guardian’s home. It peeked its head out from the bottom, snapping at any passersby. If the werehog focused, it could see Chip. It wanted, more than anything, to charge in after him, but it had to follow the plan. Help defeat Dark Gaia, wait for the Guardian’s spell to release, then get Chip back.

With Espio and Shadow beside it, Tails, in spirit through its ankle communicator, the werehog waited for the signal. As the waning moon rose in the sky, the werehog growled impatiently, taking a step forward. It calmed as Shadow pressed it back. I have t’ wait. It reminded itself. It dug its claws into the ground as it saw purple smoke form at the base of the hill.

Dark Gaia appeared. It was time to attack.

The werehog charged down the hill, barreling into a horde of Dark Gaia, they screeched, suddenly off of their feet. The werehog grabbed one’s neck in its teeth, and bit down. It coughed as thick plumes of smoke filled its lungs. Hopefully, it would drop Dark Gaia before that happened next time.

The werehog swiped its massive hands around until it caught something. The moment he felt it. It closed its hands and threw the monster in the other direction. It hit against the Gaia temple wall, gaining the attention of the Guardian. The moment it saw the werehog, it never let its gaze leave it. It completely ignored Espio and Shadow fighting nearby it, flaring its wings at the werehog. Somehow, it knew for a fact. That is Dark Gaia. It needed to stop it.

The phoenix chased after the werehog, the werehog stopped in its tracks turned around and attempted to grab the monster, but became instantly fearful of the heatwave that came from it. Frantically thinking, It ran away, heading to the temple to get Chip. I just have t’ get ‘im out.

<< Sonic, what are ya doin’? >>

The werehog didn’t have time to explain. It picked up Chip in its arms.

Running on three legs, it was slowed down. The phoenix took the opportunity. It flew above the werehog and raked it with its claws. Pain seared on its back again as it was thrown to the ground. It was on fire. Panicking, it tried to roll on the ground to smother the flames, but they were enchanted. They wouldn’t go out that easily. In the corner of its eye, the werehog spotted a river of water. It headed in that direction. Only focusing on getting to the water… a strange foreboding feeling it felt in the pit of its stomach.

Just as it leaped, the werehog heard all sorts of warnings.

<< Sonic, where are ya going’?! >> It heard from Tails.

“Werehog, stop!” It heard from Shadow.

“Stop! The river!” It heard from Espio.

The werehog heard all of these things at once. As it flew through the air, it started connecting the dots. The foreboding pit in its stomach, the loud cries from its friends. It hit the water and just as the icy, cold hit its fur, as it was swept away in the water’s current, a thought slammed into its mind with equal force.

I can’t swim.

Chapter Text

The werehog panicked as it hit the cold water. It heard Sonic’s friends calling out to it they ran to the riverbank watching it leave. Help me! The werehog silently pleaded. Even though it knew there was no way they could catch up to the speed of the river’s current.

The werehog flung its arm around, trying to grab hold of something. The water’s current slammed it into the ground, as if saying, you need to give in . But the werehog refused. It held Chip in its arms, trying to protect him from the worst of the river. His eyes stayed closed. The werehog hoped he was okay.

The current flung it upwards, it forced its head to breach through the cold water, taking a huge gulp of air. Just as it opened its eyes, it spotted a huge rock, the water made it impossible to dodge. The werehog held Chip close to its chest, hoping the rock would catch its back. Whatever air it sucked in was forced out as it crashed through.

The werehog spun underwater at the river’s whim. Give up! It heard the river cry, but instead, the werehog begged the river to give it and Chip a chance to breathe again. Suddenly the werehog felt clear air underneath it.

The river threw the werehog over a huge waterfall. As the werehog felt air rushing around it, it held Chip, wrapping itself around him, hoping, desperately hoping that when it hit the water, Chip would be safe.

The werehog felt a terrible shock as it hit the water. Instantly, it blacked out.

…Sonic? Is he breathing?…

Sonic…? The werehog was confused. It felt like someone was speaking to it, but... I’m not Sonic…

…Werehog, you have to wake up!…

Wake up? They spent so long trying to get it to sleep. Now they wanted it to get up? Well, too bad. The werehog was exhausted. For once, it wanted to listen to its body. It shivered uncontrollably. It was freezing, but the cold, was strangely comforting. If it could just relax…

…We have to warm him up!…

Suddenly, the werehog felt heat coming from around it. Several forces were pressing against its sides. This felt nice too, instead of the weird sleepiness, it felt its heart begin to pump.

Someone shook the werehog, rubbing something against its body, doing anything, they possibly could to wake it up. It felt like their efforts were being wasted. Everytime the werehog even thought of waking up, a splitting headache, poked through its head. It was so painful, it just wanted to keep its eyes closed.

Whoever was there wouldn’t stop bothering the werehog. It just wanted to sleep. It was so frustrated, it tried to manage a strike. Its claws twitched, but it couldn’t move the rest of its body, still someone cried happily,

…He’s moving!…

Despite the pain in its head, the werehog thought it should try to wake up. Maybe the werehog would be left alone if whoever was out there knew it was okay. Slowly, it opened its eyes. It was laid on its side on a stony beach. A loud roaring near it… a waterfall?

There wasn’t a single part of the werehog’s body that didn’t ache, still, it didn’t try to push away when it saw the yellow fox wrap its arms around its massive head.

“Sonic!” They cried.

Stop calling me that! The werehog wanted to scream. I’m not Sonic .

The werehog had tried to emulate Sonic’s behavior and all it got was the opposite reaction. The only thing it learned from him, is that it hated the thought of being him, because it knew it couldn’t be him.

It couldn’t be Sonic… but knowing everyone’s reaction to him… knowing everyone’s reaction to itself, it felt like it couldn’t survive in this world if it wasn’t him. I’m not Sonic. It kept saying in its mind. I can’t be Sonic. It felt awful coming to terms with this fact.

The werehog tried to lift its head, but instantly regretted it. It felt a strange sensation, like an invisible force was pushing it down. It lay there for a moment. It felt something in the back of its head, but it wasn’t pain. It was trying to remember something important. It needed to see someone. “Chi…” it croaked. For some reason its throat felt terrible. Still… it had to speak. “Ch… ip …” it hacked out.

Someone laid something small beside him. Chip, but he wasn’t moving, except for his small chest.

The werehog struggled closer. It sniffed at him. Why isn’t he moving? It felt a sharp pain stab in its chest. The only things it was put here to do was protect Chip and the humans from Dark Gaia. It couldn’t even do that. Could it really call itself a Guardian? What am I supposed to do?

The werehog pushed its head into Chip’s body, crying. Please, be okay… It felt his chest rise and fall, so he must’ve at least been sleeping.

The werehog let a heavy sigh pass through its lungs, even though it hurt just to breathe. From now on, it would focus. It couldn’t think as far ahead as Sonic, but it knew that for the future, it would have to stay a Guardian. Everything it did would be to protect Chip, to stop Dark Gaia, it could help them restore the world, but in the end, Chip had to be safe.

But… what if they weren’t? When the werehog was still coughing up water, before it could even open its eyes, the first name anyone called out was “Sonic,” like it was the only thing that mattered. It’s like they don’t even care about us…

The werehog had started to think. The moment they realized the werehog wasn’t Sonic, they would turn on it, just like those villagers. It had to leave, that would be the only way to keep Chip safe. As the werehog’s body relaxed it closed its eyes.

The moment it could move again, it would take Chip and leave.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow watched Sonic sleep under the shade they dragged him to. He hadn’t woken up since they found the werehog.

It took them a few nights to find it. In the water’s strong current, Tails’ communicator had gotten beaten and battered against the rocks. They couldn’t track it at all. They followed the river only to learn that it split off. They split up.

Out of all of them, why did it have to be Tails to find it?

When Shadow caught up, he was panicking over the werehog’s motionless body. After it fell from the waterfall, they couldn’t have assumed it was in the best shape, but its condition still shocked them. Its breathing sounded terrible. It filled its lungs until it absolutely couldn’t anymore before it let its chest fall. It was trying so hard to breathe and they still didn’t know why.

When it finally stirred in Tails’ arms, they did their best to wake it up. Shadow dragged the werehog out of the water, when they realized it was shivering, together,  they pressed close to warm it up. Shadow kept shaking it, and then finally, its claw moved. Shadow didn’t realize he could be moved by such a simple twitch, but he forced himself to hold back tears at that moment.

If only it listened. Why did it have to jump into the river?

They learned why pretty soon. The quills on Sonic’s back were completely singed again. Lily applied an ointment like last time that should help him heal, the werehog could hopefully do the rest.

Shadow worried over Sonic’s raspy breathing, the way his forehead pushed down. He was sleeping, but it looked like he was in pain. Every once in a while, Sonic would mumble in his sleep, similar to the first morning at Lily’s home.

Sonic had talked to Shadow before about his dreams, the werehog’s memories and how they affected him. He wondered if he was going through the same thing now. What could the werehog be so conflicted by, that it made Sonic refuse to wake up?

Shadow heard rustling behind him. Espio revealed himself. He returned from his mission and quietly sat beside him. Clearly, Sonic needed a doctor, but they were struggling to find one.

“Couldn’t find anyone?” Shadow asked him.

Espio shook his head. “The moment I mention Sonic, they shut their doors... and that’s only if they don’t see me as a demon as well.”

Tai must have a lot of influence around here. They probably wouldn’t find help anytime soon. Other than Lily.

Espio looked at Chip sleeping beside Sonic. His condition didn’t seem as bad as Sonic’s, but he hadn’t woken up from his sleep either. Espio sighed as he looked at him. “I should’ve been keeping a closer eye on him… I’m… truly sorry. For all of this.”

Espio had been blaming himself for their misfortune the past few days. “We already said we forgive you.” That’scwhat they had been saying these past few days. Hopefully, it would stick. It wasn’t his fault.

Sonic started coughing. Shadow quickly turned him on his side. It seemed to make it easier for him to breathe. Sonic brought his arms to his chest. He grasped it. Does something hurt?

“Shadow…?” Sonic managed to rasp.

While Shadow was relieved to hear Sonic say a clear word for once, he didn’t like the way his chest twitched as he spoke. “Don’t talk, just focus on breathing.”

Thankfully, Sonic didn’t say anything else. His breathing calmed and Shadow laid him down again. Shadow sighed. He really hoped those herbs Lily recommended could help in some way.

Shadow had been sitting beside Sonic all day, watching him like this. He felt like he needed a distraction… and looking at Espio, it looked like he might need one too. “What… are you… doing here?” He asked Espio hesitantly. He wasn’t really used to small talk.

Espio was shocked. He hesitated a moment as if he were embarrassed to talk as well. “I came here to train, to meditate… I wanted to improve in general, but… all I see are setbacks.”

Shadow wasn’t sure what he was talking about. He wasn’t any worse at fighting. He seemed fine when they were fighting Dark Gaia earlier.

“I was so distracted by my own problems,” Espio continued, “I had neglected to see what was in front of me. In more ways than just this.”

“Problems?” Shadow pressed.

“I lied to Vector and Charmy.” Espio said it as if he were ripping off a bandage. “I… went behind their backs and earned more money, so I could come here… or that’s what I thought they would say. I left before we could talk.”

“Did you want to talk?”

“No.” Espio said plainly. “I thought I was perfectly clear about me leaving… but I’ve been worried that he might’ve wanted to talk about something else.”

“Who?” Shadow asked.

“Vector.” Espio replied. He sighed, bringing his hands to his head.  “He said he wanted to talk… but I left before we could.” Espio looked at the sky, floating islands above them, passed over the moon. “With the way the world is now, I don’t think we’ll be able to speak for a while.”

“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”

Espio didn’t look entirely convinced by his words.

Shadow had never seen Espio like this before. Team Chaotix was used to arguments, surely? It seemed like a run-of-the-mill argument too. Why was Espio so upset?

Before Shadow could ask anymore questions, their conversation was interrupted by loud sputtering. Shadow looked up as he heard the Tornado’s engine. To his relief, when his eyes hit the twilight sky he saw Tails and Lily. If Sonic had to eat or drink anything, it would be hard to do it after he changed into his werehog form. It slept on its chest, making feeding it difficult. Hopefully, he could give him the medicine before he turned.

Tails and Lily landed. Shadow felt a spike of anxiety, he knew that Sonic wouldn’t want Tails to see him like this. “Espio.” Shadow whispered. “Can you distract Tails for a minute?”

Realizing what he was asking, Espio left Sonic to Shadow. He turned Tails away as Lily brought her medicine.

She brought a thermos. “This should help him get some of his strength back.” She said as she poured a small cup. “The Guardian’s healing abilities seem to be doing most of the work, so I don’t think we have much to worry about.” Lily handed the cup to Shadow. It smelled like hot tea.

“Sonic.” Shadow whispered.

Sonic’s eyes fluttered open, as usual, he didn’t speak.

“You need to drink this.” Shadow held the cup up to Sonic’s mouth. Carefully, he drank it. For a moment, Sonic’s body was wracked with coughs. Shadow pulled the cup away and waited for him to stop. As his breath calmed, he drank some more. Shadow was about to give him another cup, but Sonic pushed it away. He was trying to speak.

“Chip…” he croaked. “Where…”

“He’s right beside you.” Shadow immediately replied.

“Give… ‘im… some…” Sonic said as Shadow laid him down. He wasn’t sure how he could. Chip was still sleeping.

“I’ll try.” Shadow told him.

Sonic seemed satisfied with that answer. He closed his eyes, his breath a little less raspy. Shadow stared at him. The werehog’s form will heal him . He had to believe that, mainly because they couldn’t get help anywhere else.

Shadow brought the cup to Chip, surprisingly he started talking. “Mmm… smells good.”

“Chip, are you awake?”

Chip looked up, dazed. “Shadow, is that you?”

Shadow didn’t want to miss this opportunity. “Please, you have to drink this.” He took the cup to Chip’s mouth and he gulped the hot water down. Much to Shadow’s surprise.

Chip yawned. “That’s really good…” he said as he went to sleep again.

As night began, Sonic grew into the form of the werehog. Just in time. Shadow thought gratefully. It was doing a lot better than when they found it, but each breath still took a long drag of air. The werehog’s lungs expanded to its peak and then it would breath out. Shadow still wasn’t sure why it was doing that, but he hoped that the werehog’s healing capabilities would make it a non-issue.

Lily scrounged around in Tails’ Tornado until she pulled out a large blanket. She hurried to the werehog and Chip, glancing over at Shadow. “It’s pretty chilly here at night,” she said, “so I thought I’d bring a blanket to keep them warm.” She draped the blanket over the werehog and pulled Chip closer. The werehog stretched out, all the way down to its claws. Lily hardly flinched, waiting for the werehog to finish before politely pulling its arm back under the blanket.

Watching the scene before him, made Shadow think of something. “Lily,” he said, “why aren’t you afraid of the werehog?”

Lily huffed, putting one hand on the side of her shell, the other gripped angrily over her cane. “Because I haven’t given in to Tai’s lies.” She said confidently.

“Lies?”

Lily nodded her head. “He’s been fear mongering about Dark Gaia ever since the world split.” Lily was fuming. She sat down, crossing her arms. “His family knows a little more than most about this whole situation, so he should know not all of Dark Gaia’s bad! And to demonize a Guardian?!” She yelled “So… irresponsible!”

Not all of Dark Gaia’s bad? In the case of Sonic, maybe not, but the only thing Shadow had seen Dark Gaia do was destroy. Even that Guardian they couldn’t get past was possessed by Dark Gaia, forced to fight against its will, if Espio’s story was to be believed. He couldn’t see that as particularly good.

Shadow looked at Sonic. Is he… possessed, too? He seemed a bit out of control, even during the day. In Mazuri, you could probably say it was lack of sleep, but earlier, when they learned about Espio’s failure to keep Chip safe, Shadow had to physically hold him back. “Is Sonic… okay?” Shadow asked Lily. “He’s… possessed, right?”

Lily thought for a moment, rocking back on her shell. “He seems fine.” She said. “As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve never heard or read anything about a Guardian possessing someone, so it must be Dark Gaia. They do that pretty commonly.” She looked over at the werehog and Chip, sighing. “I do know that not all Dark Gaia is bad. For whatever reason, they were chosen to protect… something, and we all have to accept it.” Lily curled up beside Chip and the werehog. “No matter how scary it may seem.” She sighed.

Shadow was about to settle down to sleep as well, but in the Tornado, he could see the calm glow of Tails computer. Espio pacing nearby. He thought he might want to see what was happening.

As Shadow approached Tails and Espio, he could see that they were flipping through the photos from Eggman’s robot from earlier. It was currently floating around in some ruined building.

“Have you figured out what it’s looking for?”

Tails shook his head. “It just made it back to… what looks like an abandoned base.”

Soon the robot came upon a room full of other robots like it. Violently scattered across the floor. It settled back into the space it seemed to have woken up in, the photos ended. Tails flipped back through a few of them. Pausing just as the robot woke up. In the corner of the robot’s eye, you could see a giant computer screen, in red text “Chaos Emerald Signature Located.”

“Eggman knows about the Chaos Emerald you have?” Espio asked.

“I’m not sure… this place looks… completely abandoned.” Tails leaned closer to his computer, looking closely at the photos. “It looks like… it’s just doing stuff on its own.”

“I can confirm it for you.” Espio said. “I could go out to this base and investigate for you. After all the trouble I’ve caused…” Espio looked over at Chip and the werehog. He sighed. “It’s the least I could do for you.”

“Ya don’t owe us anything…” Tails insisted, “but… thanks. I’ll try t’ draw out a path for ya.” Tails typed away on his computer. Slowly, it seemed to generate a path leading to the edge of Chu-Nan. “There. That’s where the base should be.” Tails turned to Espio. “I’ll even make a new communicator for ya, so you’ll have a map.”

At least there was something going right. The world’s been split for almost a month. What was Eggman doing?

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As the dark blanket of black smoke dissipated from the werehog’s body, it looked up. The moon was rising. As was usual now for the last week, Tails and Shadow had gone to the Gaia temple to train. They needed to get in to the temple before the phoenix noticed them. At first, the werehog was curious about helping them, but its mood changed the moment it listened in on one of their meetings.

They wanted to use the werehog as bait . They knew that the terrifying creature hated the werehog with a burning passion. The werehog was terrified to go back to meet it, without even discussing it, they had already planned on using it. Clearly, they didn’t care about the werehog and its wellbeing. Only Sonic. That was the werehog’s sign it had to leave.

“Sonic, shouldn’t we go back?”’

“I told ya, Chip.” The werehog sighed. “We’re not goin’ back.”

They couldn’t, it was too dangerous.

Just beyond the riverbank that they camped in, lay a huge forest that must’ve been flooded at some point recently. Dead trees stuck out in thick layers of mud. The werehog was getting tired. The wet dirt was freezing at night, making its hands and feet feel numb. Throughout its walk, piles and piles of mud gathered on its fur. It was making the werehog feel heavy, but no matter what, it had to get Chip away from those people.

The werehog tripped. As it hit the ground, its face was glued. Layers of mud fell onto its fur, it was now stuck in a pile, unable to pull itself from the ground. Shoot! The werehog thought. How am I gonna get outta this one? “Chip, you’re gonna have t’ pull me out.” The werehog knew that it was practically impossible for a creature like Chip to pull a creature like the werehog out of the mud, but they didn’t have much of a choice.

Chip took one look at the werehog’s situation and had another idea. “I’ll go get help.”

“No, Chip!” The werehog shouted. “I already said we’re not goin’ back.” The werehog tried to reposition its glued arm. Luckily, it fell above the surface of the mud. “Just… pull on me.” He would push with his other arm, even though it was stuck underneath the werehog, and due to its numbness it wasn’t exactly sure how it could move.

As Chip pulled, the werehog pushed as well as it could. Trying not to slip from the mud. Just as its arm was getting too tired, Chip fell back, losing his grip on the werehog’s hand. The werehog felt a jolt of anxiety. It couldn’t help Chip in this state. “Chip, are ya alright?” Please, answer back…

Chip wiped thick mud off of his body. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He flew up into the air. “I’m gonna get help.”

The werehog heard squelching footsteps. “Uh… Ya don’t have to.”

A familiar voice that now struck fear into the werehog’s heart called. It was Tails. He shyly revealed himself from behind a tree. In the darkness behind him, the werehog could see another figure. Shadow stomped angrily through the thick mud, his red eyes shined in the dark. He was furious with the werehog.

“What are you two doing out here?”

The werehog didn’t answer. Instead it searched its mind for a way out. The longer it stayed in this mud however, the closer it got to realizing it was going to need help.

“ Answer me. ” Shadow growled.

The werehog opened its mouth uselessly, but before it could get anything out, Chip spoke. “We were just exploring!” He said quickly. The werehog sighed hoping they would take that answer, but looking over at Tails, it knew they were going to have a long conversation anyway.

“Were you tryin’ t’ run away?” Tails asked.

The werehog couldn’t meet his eyes. He looked sad, but it made the werehog even sadder to know why. He doesn’t care about me, he’s worried about Sonic.

“You can’t leave.” Shadow said. “We need to restore Chu-Nan and the chaos emerald. We need you as a distraction.”

Ya can’t make me! The werehog felt its heart spike. It tried to use this new energy to wrench itself away from the mud, but no matter what it did, the mud tugged painfully on its fur. “No! I don’t wanna go!” The werehog yelled. Tails tried to approach the werehog. “Please! No!” The werehog cried to Shadow.

Tails reached out. “Sonic—“

“I’m not Sonic!” The werehog snapped at him. “Stop calling me that!” That’s the only reason you’re here, isn’t it? The werehog was right. They only saw the werehog as an object, a tool, a container for Sonic.

“What do you mean you’re not Sonic?” Tails asked.

Fury flashed in the werehog’s body. “I’m just… not …” The werehog searched through Sonic’s memories. It saw the smiling faces of Sonic’s friends, the humans it would save and that awful glare of the sun. The werehog understood by now, it could never have that. It was a creature of the night, the darkness, wherever it went, fear was not far behind… and that frightened the werehog too. “I’m too… scared t’ be ‘im... Everyone hates me! They just want me gone…”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re scared.” Shadow said as he dug the werehog out. “You can be scared but you can’t quit .”

The werehog growled at that comment. It wasn’t quitting. It was protecting itself, it had to keep Chip safe and they weren’t going to help it.

“The world needs to get fixed…”Shadow continued, “and the chaos emeralds need to be restored. Get up. ”

The werehog was free, but it still refused to move. It stared sadly at Sonic’s friends. They wanted the werehog to stay, but not for any reason related to it.  “Do you guys even… care about me?”

The werehog felt pressure around its waist. Tails ran and hugged it. “Of course we do.”

“But… you’re talkin’ about Sonic, right?” The werehog pushed Tails away, turning its head away. It wasn’t sure if it wanted to see their reaction to its thoughts. “When I fell down that waterfall… an’ got hurt… I kept hearin’ you guys say, ‘Sonic, can ya’ hear me’, an’ ‘Ya have t’ wake up, Sonic.’” The werehog sighed. “It just kinda… it seems like you guys only care about Sonic.”

Looking at the two Mobians uncomfortable faces, the werehog understood it got it right. It was relieved it didn’t have to guess anymore, but it was sad to see the truth. They really don’t care about me. The werehog’s only friends.

“I understand.” Tails said.

“I’m sorry I called ya ‘Sonic’.” Chip said.

“Do you… have a name we could use?” Shadow asked

The werehog hadn’t really thought about it, but hearing everyone’s understanding lifted a weight off of its shoulders. It needed a name. It could name itself. “I guess… Werehog sound’s good.” What Shadow had been calling it. It felt… different when Shadow said it. Like a different person, which was exactly what Werehog was going for.

Shadow scoffed. “Well… Werehog , we have to get back. You and Sonic have to get some sleep before we fight the phoenix tomorrow night.”

Werehog hung its head. It seemed it didn’t get out of having to go to the fight.

“Don’t worry, Werehog.” Tails said. “We’ll try t’ keep ya from gettin’ hurt. Ya just need to listen to our plan and stay on it.”

Werehog nodded. “Okay, I’ll… try.”

Together, they all went back to their . Tomorrow night, they would put another piece of the world back together, and restore one more chaos emerald. On its way back home, Werehog whispered its new name in its mind. Werehog . Everytime it heard it, everytime it felt it, a warm feeling spread through its body. It was mostly glad it didn’t have to try to be Sonic anymore.

Chapter Text

After a week of travel, Espio finally made it to Eggman’s supposed abandoned base. A large crater surrounded it. It must be a part of Eggman’s space station, crash landed from the sky. Dark Gaia swarmed around it, crawling along the walls, phasing in and out. Espio was going to have to be careful. He didn’t want a fight, just information.

Camouflaging his scales, hoping the phoenix’s attack hadn’t affected him too much, Espio stalked amongst Dark Gaia. They hardly noticed his presence. Great. Feeling a bit more confident, he hurried inside.

Sparks flew around as broken wires made contact with each other. The smell of burnt metal almost overwhelming. Scattered along the floor were robots similar to the one they found earlier. Their eyes closed and their bodies burnt, it looked like they might’ve hit the wires. The one they found must’ve been lucky.

Espio crawled through the building, now a confusing mess of twisted metal. He slipped through tight squeezes, painfully aware of the soft creaking around him. Even in its terrible state, Espio hoped the building would hold together.

Finally, he saw a light. Could it be the computer from the photo? He squeezed through thick wires and emerged from the crushed remnants of the building. Finally, fresh air… or the closest thing to it. He found the room from the photo.

A bright computer screen flickered in front of him, frozen on the message “Chaos Emerald Signature Located.” Many other robots were thrown to the ground. Espio tried to step over them, clearly, the wall was never meant to be walked on, but Espio had no choice, this part of the building had fallen on its side. Espio struggled against the wires plastered to the wall until he finally made it to the computer. Wires stuck out of a box underneath the computer console, it didn’t look that functional anymore, other than its screen. Espio turned his head, trying to read the information written on it.

[Egg Station: Sector 1526A, Chaos Emerald Signature Located.

All seven Chaos Emeralds. Super Sonic Transformation… likely.

Units: All

Move to: Sector 1526A]

It looks like it just recorded Sonic’s transformation into Super Sonic. So, this was a small piece of Eggman’s space station. It had nothing to do with their hunt for the Gaia Temples. Checking one last time for any new information, Espio headed outside.

He crawled through the wires, hoping they wouldn’t crush him. He ignored the Dark Gaia slipping through the walls, pausing just a moment before one collided with him… and then finally, he made it through the electric sparks. He took out his communicator. “Tails?”

<<Yeah, Espio?>>

“It looks like this ‘abandoned base’ is just a part of Eggman’s space station. The computer we saw was relaying a message. The last one before Sonic turned Super.”

<<Gotcha. Are ya planning on comin’ back?>>

“I think you guys have it handled. I’ll continue on my journey through Chu-Nan.”

<<Alright, thanks for the help!>>

Espio sighed. He had planned on coming here to meditate on his past failures as a ninja, mainly aiming to improve himself for his missions, but he mostly focused on his past failures as a friend. He did have a right to himself, clearly, Vector would agree with him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have hidden the money, be upfront about it? Charmy wouldn’t have liked it, but Vector wouldn’t have minded.

We really should have had that talk . There would be time for that later. Hopefully, it would be just as Shadow said, nothing to worry about.

Espio breathed a sigh of relief on his way to a hotspring he spotted on his way to his destination. Perhaps he could even invite Sonic and his friends after their work was done? It would be nice to have some company.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Werehog woke up on the rocky beach. It yawned and stretched out its claws, scattering the stones underneath it. Beside it, it saw Chip lying in his blanket, sleeping close by Lily. Werehog looked up at the night sky. The half-moon was starting to sink. Why didn’t anybody wake me up? Now that Werehog was fully healed, it was more than ready to fight Dark Gaia.

Werehog smacked its dry mouth. That reminded it. Water. I have to drink. Werehog stood up and crouched beside the lake, being extra careful not to slip in as it bent down to drink. As it drank its water, a memory came up. It wasn’t its own. It could tell from the strange white glare. It was a memory, from Sonic’s side. Tails and Shadow reminded him to sleep. Werehog remembered why.

Tonight, they wouldn’t be fighting Dark Gaia, they would be distracting it.

Werehog had to rest. It would be running around to distract the Great Phoenix as Shadow made it into the Gaia temple. The moment he placed the Chaos Emerald down, Dark Gaia would leave, clearing the Great Phoenix of its possession… at least, that’s what it thought the plan was. Did I forget? As Werehog raised its head, it saw Tails and Shadow sitting by the Tornado, organizing their plan. Werehog hurried over.

“You’re awake!” Tails said as he pulled out his communicator. “Alright, let’s refresh on the plan.”

Tails’ communicator drew a model of the arena. “Werehog, you’ll go in, hangin’ on the outside of the perimeter. Don’t try t’ fight the phoenix, ya just have t’ be there.”

Werehog nodded. “Right.” Sounds easy.

“Shadow,” Tails continued, “the second the phoenix leaves its nest, you run in. It seems like the moment it sees Werehog, it doesn’t really care about anything else, so ya should be fine.” Tails held out strange orbs. Cold air came from them, creating a cloud of fog. “Finally, Werehog, if the phoenix gets too close to ya, I’ll throw one of these, it’ll cool it off and hopefully slow it down.”

Werehog dug its claws into the ground. Everything seemed to make sense. It was so simple. Werehog didn’t have anything to worry about. But its anxiety still rose as Tails and Shadow started to leave. The mission was starting. “Okay.. let’s go.” Werehog said to itself. If it acted like nothing was wrong, then nothing was wrong.

Everyone left, headed to the Gaia temple. Chip was safely left behind, babysat by Lily, so that the only thing they had to focus on was the Gaia temple’s center.

Werehog would have to forget the heat, the phoenix’s awful screech the searing pain on its back… a small whimper escaped its mouth. Tails carefully pet its fur. “It’s okay, Werehog. You can do it.”

Werehog took a deep breath. It could do this. All it had to do, was keep the phoenix’s eyes on it. Shadow was fast, he could make it to the center in no time. They chose this moment for this very reason. By the time Shadow fixed Chu-Nan and the chaos emerald, it would be morning. They wouldn’t have to worry about the phoenix. Werehog flexed its claws. You can do this.

They came up to the crest of the hill. Down below was the Gaia temple. As always, the Great Phoenix watched over it, snapping at any creature that came close to it. Fire escaped from its beak as it screeched. Werehog flinched at the sound. It had to face that... again .

Werehog leapt from the crest and slid down the hill. The Great Phoenix hadn’t noticed it yet. Werehog’s heart pounded as it carefully stalked forward and then… it howled. Instantly, it caught the Great Phoenix’s attention.

The Great Phoenix left its nest. Werehog ran and Shadow leapt, sliding down on his shoes. As Werehog watched Shadow head to the temple, it tripped over a wandering Dark Gaia beast, letting the Great Phoenix instantly gain on it. Tails threw one of his ice charges. The Great Phoenix screeched, its foot unable to move. Shoot . Werehog thought. Earlier, Tails made sure Werehog knew that he didn’t have a lot of those. Four more t’ go . He had to stay on track.

Werehog ran on the outskirts of the crater. The Great Phoenix screeched following after Werehog, hopping on its one good foot. It still snapped at Werehog. As it got close, Werehog tried something else to stop the Great Phoenix. It took out its claws and struck across the Great Phoenix’s face. The Great Phoenix screeched in alarm, falling to the ground with a great thud. Werehog’s hand stung a bit, but the feeling of triumph washing over it made the pain invisible.

Werehog got smarter. It grabbed Dark Gaia and threw it at the Great Phoenix, it didn’t see the dark creatures coming. It squawked just as the monsters fell into it.

<<Werehog? What are you doing?>>

“Uh… kinda improvisin’.” Werehog panted. “Is that okay?”

<<Just don’t get too close, and make sure the phoenix stays clear of the temple.>>

“Got it.” Just in time too. The Great Phoenix hobbled a bit too close, but Shadow was already clear from the center. He must’ve already gone down. Just to be safe, Werehog ran after it, growling and showing its teeth. Werehog glanced up. Hopefully, Shadow wouldn’t take long. The moon was starting to set. The temple’s entrance might disappear soon.

In Werehog’s line of sight, it noticed something else climbing on the horizon. Tai. Werehog growled. That can’t be good.

As he walked over to the hill’s crest, as casually as he typically did, he held something in his hand. Werehog was worried it might be his crossbow, but in the moonlight it could see that it wasn’t. It was a long piece of metal with two thick prongs on the end. What is that? From how far away he was, it couldn’t be a weapon. Still… Werehog sniffed the air. All it could smell was Dark Gaia. None of it came from Tai. So at least he’s not possessed.

Werehog almost tripped as the ground pulled away from it. The world was shifting back into place. Shadow did it, just as the moon was setting. Werehog could see the sky start to illuminate with the blue glow of early morning. Soon it and the Great Phoenix would disappear. Werehog noticed Tai also looking up at the sky as he held on a tree to keep his balance. Glaring down at Werehog, he took his two pronged metal object and whacked it against the tree.

Suddenly, Werehog felt sick. It had to stop. A loud noise rang in its ears making it feel dizzy. A strange sensation tugged at its fur. At first, it was worried that the Great Phoenix would get to it, but it wasn’t doing too well either. It rolled on the ground, its claws scraping uselessly at the air. Soon, a purple ooze ripped off of its feathers. It began to change into the form of Dark Gaia.

A huge monster that towered over Werehog. It held a giant, spiked club in its hands. It swung on the ground, the force throwing Werehog into the air. It wanted to control its landing, but one more ring from Tai’s strange weapon and that awful sound returned. It made Werehog so dizzy, it couldn’t tell up from down. It slammed into the ground.

Dark Gaia spotted Werehog, Werehog couldn’t do anything about it. Its body felt too heavy. To its relief, the sun started rising, Dark Gaia would be destroyed under the sunlight’s rays. It was still getting pretty close though.

Werehog shut its eyes as Dark Gaia raised its club, it was bracing itself for a hit, Werehog relaxed. It heard a familiar swish, Shadow appeared. He shot a chaos spear at the monster. It froze in place as the sun rose, burning it away easily. It’s purple smoke mixing with the lingering flames of the disappearing Phoenix. Werehog also felt that light tinge of pain, Sonic was transforming back.

Shadow ran up to Werehog, asking it if it were okay, but it couldn’t focus with all of that noise. It would let Sonic handle this one.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow approached Werehog. “Are you alright?” He didn’t like the look of it. Werehog’s eyes were dazed, its head lazed around as if it wasn’t sure if anything was there. Dark Gaia walked right up to it, and it didn’t even try to escape.

Werehog gasped as it lay on the ground. Its fur spiked as if something hit it..

“Werehog, are you hurt?” It looked like it was in pain, but Shadow couldn’t find a single scratch on it.

He rolled it onto its chest. Once again, its fur rippled, it pressed its body into the ground, moaning. Something was clearly wrong with it… and Sonic. As his body transformed back, his behavior didn’t change much. “Sonic, what’s wrong?” Shadow asked. “What’s hurting you.”

Sonic looked around, confused. “Loud…” Sonic mumbled. “Too loud…”

Shadow couldn’t hear anything suspicious, but he did hear Tails yell.

“Stop it!” He screamed.

“Let go!” Shadow heard a familiar voice say. Tai?

Shadow looked up, Tails was trying to wrench something out of Tai’s hand. It looked like… a tuning fork? The metal object slipped out of both of their hands. The tuning fork fell onto the ground. Immediately, Sonic cried out. He held his hands against his ears. That thing was making the noise he was talking about, but Shadow still couldn’t hear anything.

Tai quickly slid down the hill. He hurried over to his tuning fork, grabbed it and whacked it into the ground. Another scream came from Sonic.

“Stop it!” Tails cried. “You’re hurting him!”

After Shadow confirmed that’s what was harming Sonic, he took out his chaos emerald and yelled “Chaos Control!” With ease, he took the fork from Tai’s hands. When time started again, Tai was shocked and furious.

“Give that back!” He yelled. “I’m doing this for his own good!”

“Why are you trying to hurt him!” Shadow yelled back.

“I’m not hurting him.” Tai said. “I’m exorcising the Dark Gaia from his body.”

An Exorcism? Shadow looked back at Sonic. He laid on the ground, a little more relaxed. Shadow took out the tuning fork. So this could get rid of Werehog? Clearly, Sonic’s possession was causing trouble for himself, but was it really helping? Sonic still held his ears. He jumped as a dark shadow raced over his body. Shadow didn’t notice a positive change. He took the tuning fork and tossed it to Tails, now flying in the sky. He caught it perfectly.

“What do you two think you’re doing?” Tai said. “If you don’t give that back to me right now, there will be consequences for your friend.”

Shadow stood between Tai and Sonic. “Is that a threat?”

Tai chuckled. “It’s not a threat, it’s a warning.” He walked up to Shadow, looking down on him with great disgust. “If you let this possession continue, inevitably, Dark Gaia will take over your friend. He will hurt other people.” Tai held out his hand. “If you would give it back to me, I can prevent tragedy before it happens.”

Sonic did seem like he was losing control of himself, even during the day. Was that Dark Gaia taking over?

“We were just in time to save the Great Phoenix, but your friend cannot stay possessed any longer.” Tai continued. He tossed a rock towards Tails. Instinctively he blocked it with his hands, letting the rock hit square on the tuning fork.

Sonic screamed again. Shadow watched the dark magic flow through his fur, but no matter what, it definitely wasn’t leaving him. “It clearly isn’t working.” Shadow said. “Give up.”

Tai shook his head. “Your friend has simply been possessed for too long.” Tai said, cooly. “It will take a lot of work, but eventually… Dark Gaia will leave him.” Tai took out another tuning fork from his pocket. “I’ll make sure of that.” He slammed it on the ground.

“Please…” Sonic groaned. “Stop!”

Shadow tried to take the tuning fork from Tai’s hand, but Tai was ready, just as Shadow came up to him, he took his tuning fork and whacked Shadow on the back of the head.

Shadow jumped back. He stumbled for a moment, feeling something wet in his quills. He took out his hand and saw some… purple ooze. His eyes flashed. He remembered, it was the same thing that had weakened him in Mazuri, from that monster’s cage. As realization started to set in, Shadow felt his body become heavy, it was hard to keep his eyes open.

Tai walked over to Tails. Shadow tried to stop him, grabbing his ankle, but he shook it off easily. “Don’t… hurt him…” Shadow managed to say anyway. Tai continued ignoring him. As he walked up to Tails, suddenly he lunged forward. Tails expected him to reach for the fork, so he tore his hand away. Instead, Tai had that strange purple ooze in his hand. He grabbed Tails, almost instantly, he began to fall asleep.

As always with great ease and not a single hint of worry about anything around him, Tai grabbed Sonic. “Looks like this exorcism’s going to take a while.” He said as he slung Sonic over his shoulder. “I’ll have to take him home.”

Home? Shadow watched Tai walk away as his eyes closed.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Tails.”

“Huh…?” Tails felt something hit his face. He tried to blink open his eyes, but the harsh glare of the sun made it difficult. Still, he could recognize the silhouette of Shadow.

“Tails.” He repeated. “Are you awake?”

Tails sat up. His eyes still felt heavy. He yawned as he looked around the clearing he was sleeping in. Why was he sleeping here…? A memory flashed in his mind. Tai! “We have t’ get Sonic back!” Tails tried to stand up, but his legs could barely carry him. Why was he so exhausted?

Shadow hurried to support him. “Tai gave us something to make us tired.” He explained. “Hold onto me.”

Tails wrapped his arms around Shadow to support himself, even though it didn’t look like Shadow was having an easy time either. Shakily, they both stepped forward. “Where are we going?” Tails asked.

“To Lily.” Shadow replied. “She might know where Tai’s house is.”

Together, they slowly made their way to their base at the waterfall’s end. Tails looked up at the sky. They had already lost the morning. The sun was high. Tails looked at his two tails. It would be faster if they flew. He tried twisting them together.

“What are you doing?” Shadow asked.

“I’m tryin’ t’ fly.”

“You’re too tired. Stop it.”

But Tails wouldn’t listen. He finally got some speed and lifted the both of them up. A weight lifted off of Tails’ chest. They would get to Lily much faster. As he flew over the trees, a strong draft of wind blew him off-course. Tails dropped for a moment.

“ Tails! ”

“I’m up!” He yelled. He had to stay awake.

The waterfall came into view. Tails was relieved he could rest. Thinking a bit too far ahead, his tails stopped. Instantly, him and Shadow dropped out of the sky, hitting the water. Tails forced himself upright. He climbed to the riverbank, struggling against his waterlogged fur, coughing up water. He expected to get a lecture from Shadow, but it looked like he didn’t have the energy to yell at him.

Lily watched them both hobble over to her unsteadily, Chip flew over them. “Are you okay?”

“We’re fine, Chip.” Tails tripped over his feet, he fell on the rocky floor.

“Tails?” Shadow asked.

“I’m good.” Still a little tired. He thought. Maybe that flight wasn’t a good idea?

Lily hurried over to the two of them. “What happened? Did the Great Phoenix get to you?”

“No.” Shadow replied. “Tai did.”

Shadow explained what had happened. Lily’s face scrunched up in anger. She sat down underneath the shade they built for Werehog, gathering them around. Tails and Shadow followed her. “Tai is most likely taking him to his home to do an exorcism.” She said. “His family are professionals in this field.”

“But it isn’t working.” Tails yawned. “He tried to use these tuning forks. It worked on the phoenix, but it just kept hurting Sonic.”

“Sonic is possessed by Dark Gaia, butit isn’t just Dark Gaia, it’s also a Guardian.” Lily explained. “It’s much stronger than the average beast. “ Lily sighed.“I believe exorcising Dark Gaia from him would be a lost cause.”

Tails knew that Tai wouldn’t quit. He couldn’t stand the thought. Right now, Tai would be ignoring Sonic’s screams. Attempting to remove Werehog. He saw that it didn’t work… Tails thought. Why didn’t he stop? Tears rolled down Tails’ face.

“We’re going to stop him.” Shadow said.

Tails nodded, wiping away his tears. We’ll get Sonic back.

Lily pointed to a mountain peak behind them. “That is where Tai lives. It’s a big house on the top of that mountain, you can’t miss it.”

Tails looked up at the mountain. They would have to fly the Tornado. Tails felt exhausted just thinking about it. His head fell. He nearly fell asleep. “We have t’… fly up there…” Tails yawned. Clearly, he wasn’t in any shape to. None of them were.

“We have to sleep. Then we’ll leave.” Shadow said.

He was afraid he would say that. “But… we have t’ get Sonic… now…” he pleaded through his sleepy eyes.

“You can’t fly, I can’t fly either.” Shadow yawned. “You just have to deal with that.”

He guided Tails to their typical sleeping spot. They both laid down to sleep, but Tails was still worried. Sonic was still up there.

“We’ll get him back.” Shadow sighed. “Go to sleep.”

Eventually, they would get Sonic back. They just needed a nap.

Chapter Text

Sonic looked up, dazed, at the cage he was laying in. He was in a dark room, illuminated only by candlelight. Around him was a wall covered in weapons. Katanas, Glaives, maces and daggers, all covered in a thick purple sheen. Ink paintings of black shadowy creatures torn away from humans. Where am I? All he could feel was a sharp pain in his head. He tried to think back… he remembered… a very loud ringing in his ears. That was it. He still felt it right now.

He was transforming… or he felt like it. He managed to look down at his body. He was still his sky-blue self, no fur poked through his chest, claws didn’t tear through his gloves. So… why did he feel so heavy?

Sonic heard wood creak. Down an ancient staircase, in walked an old man he had barely met, but he knew that he didn’t really like him. He carried a small plate of food. Sonic’s stomach growled. When was the last time he ate?

“Here.” Tai said. “You’ll need your strength for the next session.”

All the plate had was a giant rice ball, wrapped in seaweed. “Uh… where’s the rest of it?”

“I don’t want you wasting any more.” Tai said as he stood in front of his cage. “Last time, you kept getting sick. I’ll wait a bit before I start.”

Sonic wasn’t sure what he was talking about. He didn’t feel sick, he was hungry. He grasped the rice ball in his hand and tore through the food. Tai looked on with disgust.

“Dark Gaia makes you lose your self control.” He said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be done soon, hopefully.”

Tai placed a large, old, dusty looking book, pages yellow with age, on a desk nearby. He flipped through it impatiently. He would pause on one page, shake his head and flip through another.

“What cha’ doin’?”

“Trying to figure out why the exorcism isn’t working.”

Sonic sat back in his cage, it swung lazily. “Are ya trying t’ get rid of Werehog?”

Tai stared at him. “You named it?”

“It kinda… named itself.”

Tai muttered quietly to himself. He shut the book and sat back in his own chair, watching Sonic eat. “How are you so… calm? ” He asked.

Sonic tilted his head, unable to speak from his full mouth.

“When I was possessed…” Tai continued, “I couldn’t eat or sleep… not when I knew Dark Gaia was out there.”

Sonic swallowed. “I guess I just kinda… got used to it.” It was a little lie, but mostly still true. He was as disturbed as anyone else about Werehog, even now, it made his skin crawl thinking of his time in Mazuri, but… he also couldn’t imagine ripping Werehog out of him. It was starting to feel like a part of him now.

Tai kneeled down to unlock Sonic’s cage. The moment he heard the old metal creak, Sonic ran. To his surprise, Tai easily caught him. His legs felt weak. Sonic turned his head to see Tai smirking down at him.

“I know you’re fast.” He chuckled. “I saw you and your friend race down the mountain.” Tai peered angrily at Sonic. “I knew from the moment I saw you that you weren’t natural. That blue fur, clearly the evening sky. I knew you had Dark Gaia in you.”

Sonic felt that his blue fur was pure coincidence… but he didn’t think Tai would like to hear that. The way he looked at him made his fur stand on end.

Sonic heard a click. While he wasn’t looking, Tai was snapping shackles around his ankles. He laid him down and snapped some on his wrists.

“This way, you can’t escape when you turn into that awful beast.”

Sonic looked around. He realized he couldn’t see any windows. What time is it?

Tai took the plate from Sonic’s cage. Sonic attempted to escape again, but was held back by the chains fixed tightly around his hands and feet. “Lemme go!” He yelled.

“Irritability too.” Tai said, holding his tuning fork. “You won’t have those issues much longer.”

Sonic saw the tuning fork. He flinched the moment he laid his eyes on it. He remembered it.

Tai swung the fork down. Sonic screamed in pain. He felt a strange sensation, pulling him from the inside out. His ears ringing as a loud noise floated around in his head. He laid down as the pain seemed to fade.

“Why do ya… wanna get rid of it…?” Sonic could barely see through his blurry vision, but he could tell that Tai was confused.

“After what it did during the festival? Why wouldn’t I?”

“But… Werehog didn’t do anything…”

“That thing did plenty.”

“He was helping…”

“A lot of good that did.” Tai sighed, rubbing his head to ward off a headache. “He may have pulled people out of the rubble, guided them to safety, but he spread plenty of fear too.”

Sonic couldn’t stand what he was hearing. “He… can’t help… what he looks… like.” He tried to sit up in his cage. Flinching at the sound of his chains clinking. Everything sounded so loud. “He was tryin’ t’ help.” He continued. “Ya almost killed Lei-Lei.”

“I was luring it out.” Tai said simply. “I had everything covered and that thing was getting in the way. I had to stop it.” Tai gripped his tuning fork. “And I’m going to stop it now.” He whacked the fork against the ground.

Sonic tried not to scream. He held onto the bars of his cage. And tried to ignore the sound bouncing in his ears, the dizziness. Sonic felt something else crying out too. He could hear Werehog, loud and clear. It’s okay… he said to it. Eventually, Tai would have to realize what he was doing wasn’t working.

Sonic, with each swing, he would grasp onto the bars. He would feel a wind that passed through his fur and then he would hear that voice cry out again. He would speak softly, trying to reassure it that help was on the way.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

“Shadow?”

Shadow opened his eyes. Tails stood above him. The light from the sun setting making him look like a silhouette. “What is it?” Shadow yawned.

Tails brought his hands together, pleading to him. “I know you said we had t’ sleep, but it’s getting late and I’m starting to get worried.” Tails sighed. “I can’t sleep anymore.”

Tails looked anxious, and Shadow knew why. Sonic was gone for almost a full day. He remembered his screams from when Tai first tried his exorcism. He saw that it didn’t work. Why didn’t he stop? Shadow shook his head. It didn’t matter why. He didn’t really want to try to understand him. Sometimes I just don’t understand people. Not just with Tai either. The whole village turned on him. Even though Werehog was helping them. Shadow sighed. There would be a time to think about this, but for right now, they had to focus. Shadow nodded his head. “Okay, we can go.” He couldn’t stand thinking about Tai and the humans for so long. He had to get Sonic out of there.

They quickly hopped into the Tornado. Tails hurried through his flight checks, Shadow warned him that they still had to be careful. Even though he slept through the day, he still felt tired. That strange ooze had an effect on him. Shadow hoped it wouldn’t get in the way of their rescue mission.

“Good luck!” Lily yelled over the plane’s propellers. She waved goodbye. Chip looked up at them, resting on her lilypad.

Shadow and Tails flew through the sky. It was almost night. Would Werehog break out more easily? Would it hurt Tai? Shadow had a lot racing through his mind as they climbed to the peak of the mountains.

They landed the Tornado by Tai’s house. It laid on a huge plateau similar to their first hideout. It was made of stone stacked many years ago. The wooden frame and entryway, made of old, dark wood almost looking black. In stark contrast to their first hideout, plants grew in a large well-kept garden in front of his home. A pond was filled with colorful fish and lilypads grew in it. A red bridge sat in its center leading to the stairs to Tai’s house.

Shadow and Tails walked past the bridge and up the steps. The old, wooden floor creaked as they stepped onto the porch. Tai’s sliding door was cracked open. It looked dark on the inside, they couldn’t see anything, but they could hear, in the distance, Sonic’s pained screams. They hurried inside, sliding the door open, ignoring their intrusion.

Along Tai’s walls were ink painting’s depicting creatures similar to the monsters they faced and humans hunting them down. Tails stuck close to Shadow’s side as he looked up at the weapons covering Tai’s walls. No doubt, imagining what torture Sonic might be going through.

“Begone, foul beast!” They heard Tai scream. Not too long after, the soft clang of his tuning fork, what sounded like heavy chains dragging across the floor and then Sonic’s agonized screams.

Tails shook beside Shadow tears falling from his face again. Looking around, Shadow thought this might be too much for him. He stopped walking and pulled Tails aside. “Tails.” He said, “I think you should wait in the Tornado.”

“But I can help.” He croaked. He flinched as he heard Sonic scream again.

“You can help by waiting in the Tornado.” Shadow said, leading him towards the door. “The moment you see me and Sonic, I want you to get the plane started.”

Tails nodded his head, turning to leave. “Hurry up, okay?” He left before Shadow could give an answer.

Shadow looked at the staircase he would walk down. He was about to step through when he noticed something. A small container, filled with the purple ooze that made them sleep. He snatched it up, and continued down the steps.

The staircase was dimly lit with candles, the heat making Shadow uncomfortable. He kept as much a distance as he could. He jumped as he heard another loud clang. Sonic groaned. He sounded exhausted. Unfortunately, the sounds acted as a great cover for Shadow’s footsteps.

Shadow peaked his head through the bottom of the staircase. Tai was too preoccupied with his mission to hear him. He looked disheveled. His hair, messed up from him constantly rubbing his head in confusion, sweat dripping down his face from the candles’ heat. “Why isn’t it working?” He muttered to himself. He still hit the tuning fork against the wall. Sonic squirmed uncomfortably. He was laid down on his back. Chains were tied to his hands and feet, making it impossible to move. It looked like Tai was torturing him.

Shadow held the container with the sleeping ooze close to him. He carefully crept up to Tai. Sonic saw Shadow. In his delirious state, he called his name.

“Shadow…?”

This caught Tai’s attention. He turned around. Shadow quickly hid behind a desk, his black fur and quills easily blending in with the darkness. Tai looked around, but he saw nothing. “Hallucinations…?” He dropped his tuning fork, making Sonic flinch. Angrily, he moved away to flip through a book.

Shadow could see that thanks to Tai’s tracksuit, it would be hard to get the ooze on his body… then, he had an idea. As quietly as he could, he took some of the ooze and wiped it across the tuning fork. It was already coated in a deep shade of purple, so it was hidden well. Shadow moved back to his space behind the desk.

As Tai held the book, he grabbed onto the tuning fork. Soon he started to yawn. He sat down on the floor as his legs began to wobble and then quickly fell asleep. Shadow wiped his hands against a cloth hoping it would get rid of the spell. Making sure that Tai was asleep, he poked at him. He didn’t respond, just kept snoring. Quickly, he went to Sonic. He stole Tai’s keys and threw open the cage.

Shadow took out his chaos spears and threw them at the chains. Sonic’s shackles were destroyed. Sonic’s fur rippled through his body in discomfort. His body shivered, despite the heat. Shadow laid him on his side checking to see if he was hurt.

Shadow patted down his wet fur until he calmed down. He took the cloth he used to clean his hands, careful not to touch the ooze and used it to dry Sonic’s fur . He was drenched in sweat, all of the candles in the room made the place blazing hot. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long before he could cool down.

Shadow picked Sonic up in his arms. Sonic began to speak. “Shadow…?” He said. “What took ya so long…?” He chuckled. Suddenly his eyes grew wide. He closed his eyes as he grabbed Shadow’s arm. Out came another pained groan.

“Sonic? Are you okay?”

“Werehog…” Sonic rasped out.

It must be night outside. Shadow hurried out of the cage. It would be a moment of discomfort, but he had to get Sonic out of there, before he transformed. Suddenly, Shadow was grabbed and thrown back in the cage with Sonic. Tai was awake.

“How—“

“Did you seriously think I hadn’t gained an immunity to that stuff by now?”

It didn’t matter. Shadow still had his Chaos Emerald. Unfortunately, the black fog covered Sonic’s body as he grew. The cage creaked with the sudden added weight of Werehog. It would take a lot of work to move it. Shadow needed to stop Tai.

Tai took out his tuning fork once again, he whacked it against the ground. Werehog curled deeper into its body, trying to block out the noise, a sound barely escaping its mouth. Sonic had been screaming for so long, it was exhausted.

“Stop it! It’s not working! ” Shadow yelled.

“Eventually, it will!” Tai flipped through his book. “It has to.”

Shadow tried to see what was in the book, but he couldn’t find anything. “I don’t know what that book says about Dark Gaia, but Werehog is clearly something different. You can’t separate it from Sonic. It’s supposed to be there.”

It looked like he was convincing him. He stopped flipping through his book and stared at his tuning fork.

“You know it works.” Shadow said. “I was told it made quick work of the Dark Gaia possessing the phoenix.”

“But… not on Sonic…” Tai said. Finally… he resigned. Muttering to himself, he took out a pair of keys to free the two hedgehogs, looking a lot less hostile. Very fortunately for Shadow. That ooze was still making him feel tired, so he wasn’t sure how he would hold up in a fight.

As Tai bent to open the lock, he paused. Werehog stood in its cage… and it didn’t look happy. Looking up at its green eyes. Tai was frozen to the ground with fear.

Werehog grabbed the bars to the cage. They snapped easily in its hands. It growled as it crawled out.

Tai reached for a weapon. Whatever was close to him. His regular crossbow. Shadow realized what was happening. They’re going to fight! But the human was no match for Werehog. It would overpower him in an instant. Those arrows hurt, but they would only infuriate it, making it more uncontrollable.

Tai aimed with his crossbow.

“Chaos Control!” Shadow yelled. He had to disarm Tai. Shadow tried to stop him, but he was still affected by that purple ooze, time started before he could get anywhere. Tai shot the arrow, his aim was off, due to his fear, but he did hit something. Pain flashed in Shadow’s foot.

G.U.N’s equipment was well-made, so his shoe held up fine, but he still felt the full force of the shot, it pushed against his foot. “Chaos Control!” He yelled again. He tried to move to him again, but the moment he planted his foot onto the ground a sharp pain traveled up his leg. He couldn’t walk. He held onto Werehog to keep himself from falling. Time started again.

Shadow heard something fall. Then, he smelled smoke. Tai’s arrow had knocked over a candle, it rolled against one of Tai’s ink paintings, instantly it caught fire. Tai stared horrified at the flames before he dropped his fork. Werehog froze as the fork fell. It crouched on the ground, covering its ears.

As Tai’s wall burst into flames, Shadow tried to move Werehog, but he couldn’t push it.

“Werehog! Wake up!”

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Werehog felt dizzy. Tai dropped that strange metal object and then its mind went blank. Only a blanket of pain covered its thoughts. It tried to cover its ears, even though it knew by now it wouldn’t work. As its mind began to clear, it heard… what sounded like Shadow yelling. He was saying something, but Werehog couldn’t tell what. Then it smelled something. Smoke, fire!

Werehog opened its eyes. Its vision was still blurry, but it could see Tai standing before a bright, yellow light. Shadow close behind him, trying to drag him away from the flames that started spreading across the wall.

Without thinking, Werehog charged towards them and swept them up in its arms. It did its best to run up the steps even though it was tired. Tai beat Werehog and screamed at it. All it was focused on was getting out of there. It wouldn’t be able to understand him anyway. Its mind was still fuzzy.

As Werehog charged through the house’s entrance, it could finally tell what Tai was screaming.

“I don’t care about anything else, just get that book!”

Werehog was trying to remember what he was talking about. He remembered Tai flipping through a book. Is that it? Shadow yelled at Werehog not to go, but Tai made it seem like that book was important. Werehog ran back in anyway.

Already the house was filled with smoke, making Werehog cough. Its eyes stung as it climbed back down the stairs. Through the flames it could see the book. Quickly, Werehog took it, ignoring the oppressive heat. Its lungs burned as it climbed back up the stairs. It felt like it needed a break, it was finding it hard to breathe.

Ya can’t stop! Werehog heard a voice say. Keep moving!

“Sonic…?” Werehog didn’t have time to question what it just heard. The stairs began to creak. Werehog crawled up just as they started to fall apart. The house around it shook. Shadow stood by the entrance to help it outside. Slowly they limped to the Tornado, Tails waiting his eyes widened when he saw who was with them.

“Tai?” Tails was shocked as they placed him inside.

“I’ll explain later.” Shadow said as he sat inside too, he realized something. “Werehog, you can’t fit in here.”

“I’ll wait.” It looked like the fire was contained in the house. So they didn’t have to worry about it spreading. “Tails can come back.”

Tails let the propeller spin and then the Tornado took off.

Werehog laid on the ground. It coughed trying to free the smoke in its chest. Just as it was about to close its eyes, a golden light started to form around it, which was strange. The moon was still high, so it couldn’t have been the sun.

The Great Phoenix landed, its flames softly burning. It reached its claw out to grab Werehog. Werehog flinched, expecting the cold sting of the fire, instead, it felt a comfortable warmth.

As it closed its eyes, Werehog was reminded of lazy afternoons, laying against a tree, a quick run across the beach. Is this what the sun feels like? In Sonic’s memories, it saw an overwhelming glare, but it didn’t hurt as much as it used to. It didn’t feel scary. It felt… pretty good actually. Werehog now longed to see it, but was happy just to get this small taste of it.

“Werehog?”

Werehog opened its eyes. Tails was standing above it. It tried to speak, but the only thing that came out were coughs. Lily gave it something to drink. “Here.” She said as she pat its fur.

Werehog was by Lily’s house. “What happened?” It managed to croak out.

A warm glow stood above it. It was the Great Phoenix. “The phoenix took ya back.” Tails said. “I was kinda surprised to see it.” He chuckled. “It’s kinda nice when it’s, uh… not attacking us.”

Tai walked up to Werehog grasping his book. It looked like Werehog was able to save it, despite its burnt edges. “Thank you.” He said.

Werehog would’ve said a ‘you’re welcome,’ but it was finding it difficult to breathe right now. Tai seemed to understand.

He turned away to leave. He stopped. “And I’m sorry about the pain I caused.” Tai sighed. “I should’ve listened.” He continued away. Quietly, he walked up to the Great Phoenix. “So, it did work.” He mumbled to himself.

The Great Phoenix bumped its head onto Tai, as if giving its own ‘thank you’ for the exorcism, and then it flew off to its Gaia temple, leaving nothing but the cool night air.

As the Great Phoenix disappeared into the clouds, Lily walked up to Tails, holding a huge bundle of papers. “I wanted to give these to you before you left.’’ she said.

Werehog looked over her shoulder. The papers were covered in a strange text no one could understand, but Tails’ eyes lit up with recognition.

“That’s the same language on Chip’s bracelet!”

Lily nodded. “It is. My family has been keeping records on Gaia for generations, but unfortunately, we could never read this language.” She placed the papers in his hands. “Chip told me that you have a friend in Spagonia who might know how to read this. I want you to give these to him.”

Tails gasped. “Are ya sure? Isn’t this important?”

“It is…” she said hesitantly, “The only thing I ask in return, is that you give me the translations when you’re done fixing the world.”

Tails nodded. “Of course I will!”

Shadow limped over to Lily, his hand held out for a shake. “Thank you.” He said. “Not just for this.” He glanced down at his foot, now bandaged up.

Werehog sat up. “Are ya okay?”

“It’s just sore.” He reassured it. “Nothing the ultimate lifeform can’t handle.”

Lily gladly took his hand. Shaking it vigorously. “You’re welcome.” She said. “Now get to that hotspring!” She yelled. “You all could use a little rest.”

Tails opened his communicator to let Espio know they were on their way. Werehog was confused.

“What’s a hotspring?”

“It’s just hot water you sit in.” Shadow replied.

Water? Werehog wasn’t sure if it wanted to step anywhere near it now.

Shadow sighed. “It feels… nice.” He said. “You’ll like it.”

Werehog would have to take his word for it for now.

As everyone sat in the Tornado, Shadow glanced at Tai’s mountain. “Will you be alright?” He asked Tai. Clearly thinking about his burnt down house.

“I’ll be fine.” He mumbled. “I can find somewhere else to live.” He glanced at his book. “As long as I have this… I’ll be fine.”

The Tornado’s engine came to life. It ran across the large field beside Lily’s home and flew into the air. Everyone waved goodbye as the old turtle’s home disappeared into the horizon. Tails flew into the night sky, lit by the moon. Stars glittered, dazzling their eyes. All except for Werehog. For once, it wasn’t focused on the night’s natural beauty. It had its eyes set on a red glow on a mountain top. The smoldering remains of Tai’s stone house.

As the Tornado flew around the wisps of smoke, Shadow noticed Werehog’s sad look. “You saved Tai.” He reminded him.

“Yeah…” Werehog said, its mind still swirling. “But, his home… where’s he gonna…”

“Tai has a whole village who will help him. He said he would be fine.”

“You did help him.” Chip said. “If, um, that’s what you’re worried about.”

Helped? By destroying his house? Werehog’s mind still swirled around. First the village and their festival. Now Tai’s home. How could it have helped? Everything it touched would be destroyed.

Sensing Werehog’s doubt, Chip continued. “Tai was smiling. A lot.” He chuckled. “Before ya woke up, Lily said she’s never seen him smile like that before.”

A memory came up in Werehog’s mind. It made its heart swell, its chest felt warm. For once, it didn’t see the harsh glare of Sonic’s sun. It was its own memory.

As it burst through the flames of Tai’s home, he saw the look of relief on Tai’s face when he saw that book. His eyes, his body, the look of true happiness. It made Werehog happy too

I guess I did kinda help ‘im.

Tai had a whole village, possibly more who cared about him. If he needed to, he could rebuild. Werehog was glad he gave him a chance to.

With its worries finally put to ease, Werehog laid its head against Shadow’s quills and let the low hum of the Tornado lull it to sleep.

Chapter Text

After Tails had finished speaking through his communicator, Espio dropped it on the ground. He had to focus. Now more than ever.

After he had left Eggman’s abandoned “base,” he had headed straight for that hotspring he spotted on the way there. The locals had warned him it was haunted. Espio had met his fair share of ghosts in the past, so he wasn’t worried at all. He didn’t know that Dark Gaia would be waiting for him.

Just as he felt the sense of weightlessness Shadow had described, telling him that Chu-Nan was restored, they ambushed him. He was beaten swiftly, he woke up the next morning as if nothing had happened, but he knew that something had changed in him. He felt an overbearing weight on his shoulders that he could never shake off, an icy chill on his back… on the way to the spring, he had found a cave naturally carved into the walls of the mountain it laid on. He laid down in this cave, ready to sleep…

and then he heard the voices.

They wouldn’t shut up. They kept saying these… confusing… awful things… worst of all… he was starting to believe them. Tonight, he wouldn’t let them get to him. He knew he could win. He was going to get some sleep

Espio sat up, his legs crossed and his back straight. He laid his head against the cool, cave wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the voices began their onslaught.

…you seem to be failing a lot recently…

Espio took another deep breath… It was training. Failures were expected. That’s how he knew he was improving.

…even if you could take on a whole horde of demons… do you think he would really take you back…?

Of course… why wouldn’t he?

…you broke his trust… that’s the one thing a leader relies on for their team… then again… it seems like you don’t really care much about being a team player…

Of course I do.

…you know… he’s probably taken Charmy out the door by now… wouldn’t want any more traitors “lying” around … who knows if he’ll trust again…

Vector would never do that. He’s not that—

…not that what…? …were you going to call him stupid…?

Espio didn’t have anything to say.

…it’s a strange thing for a friend to do… do you even like him…? …does he even like you…?

Yes, I do… he does like me.

…then why did you leave…?

Because—

…you left… because you didn’t want him to throw you out… you left before he could tell you to leave—

Espio opened his eyes. That was enough for today.

He laid down. Not closing his eyes. It looked like he was going to go through another night without sleep. As he huddled close to keep as much warmth as he could, his stomach growled, but it was too cramped with worry for him to really want to eat anything.

Espio didn’t understand. He trained so that he wouldn’t have issues like this. Espio wasn’t worried, he couldn’t be worried he had to be sure that his mental fortitude would be enough. But still… the voices dug into him, he kept losing… why?

Espio saw a thick black fog, envelop him. He was suspicious, but he was too tired to do anything about it. First, it came for his chest, then his legs and his arms. Wherever the black fog touched, he seemed to lose control. He couldn’t feel them, and yet, his arms moved anyway. Espio felt a slight tinge of fear. He didn’t know what was happening.

Espio tried to take a deep breath, but the black fog tightened around his chest. He tried to stay calm. He had to stay calm. He would just have to wait. He knew that friends were coming. They could help.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shadow watched Sonic nap at his side as the Tornado flew over the setting sun. Glad that he was finally getting some sleep.

The first day they spent traveling to the hotspring. Sonic pulled Shadow aside telling him that he couldn’t. “When it gets quiet…” he said, “I can’t breathe.” Every pause of noise, he woukd hold his breath. His mind would wait for the inevitable clang of Tai’s tuning fork. The sound still rang in his ears, and it pained Shadow knowing that he couldn’t reassure him that it wasn’t there.

Stuffing down his slowly rising rage at Tai’s cruelty, Shadow had to focus. He agreed to stay by his side until he woke up from his sleep, but still, every time Sonic woke up, he scanned the area, looking for Tai’s tuning fork. He would rub his wrists, wondering where those shackles went. Whenever they landed for a rest stop, Sonic and Shadow would sit together, away from Tails, to talk.

Shadow wasn’t that experienced in this field, but he had a plan. The Tornado was pretty noisy, why not sleep there? It worked perfectly. Sonic lay by his side, softly snoring, every once-in-a-while a twitch of his ear, but overall, he rested against Shadow’s shoulder.

The only other worry, was what he would do after they finished their short trip. Hopefully, they could find a better solution later, or maybe even the hotspring could help Sonic recover?

Sonic turned into Werehog as the last rays of the sun closed over the horizon. The Tornado faltered for a moment, weighed down by it but quickly Tails had righted the plane. Werehog opened its eyes, a great yawn showing its huge teeth. Now that Sonic’s sleep was over, Shadow took out his communicator. The last time they spoke to Espio was when they left Lily’s house. They had tried to speak to him over the course of their two-day flight, but could never get ahold of him.

“Espio, do you read me?” Shadow held his ear to the communicator. Once again, all he could hear was static.

“Still can’t get in touch with Espio?” Tails asked.

“No.” Shadow replied. He looked down at the lights underneath them. “It looks like we’re going to have to ask around.” Unfortunately, Espio never gave his exact location, and the tracker on his communicator was acting strange. Shadow was hoping that everything was fine, that they could head straight to the hotspring.

He hoped his foot could hold up too. Being the ultimate life-form, it should take no time for a sprain like his to heal, but it still hurt to walk after a while. He wasn’t exactly used to slowing others down. He hated seeing everyone pause for him. He tried to ignore it, but it was really starting to annoy him.

Shadow and Tails walked to the village leaving Werehog and Chip behind in the Tornado. They knocked on the first door they saw, relieved to see an inviting face. “How can I help you?” She said.

“Hi! I’m Tails and this is Shadow. Sorry if we’re disturbing you.”

“Oh, of course not! We’re always happy to see more tourists!” The kind lady led them further outside. Looking up, she showed them her business’s sign. It was a hotel. “People sleep here, and then they head to those hotsprings.” The lady crossed her arms, furrowing her brow. “I offered a creature, that looked pretty similar to you two, a room here, but he insisted on sleeping outside.”

Shadow and Tails glanced at each other. Both having the same idea. That might be Espio. So they at least knew he was close by.

“I had to warn him about the ghosts.”

Shadow rolled his eyes. Ghosts? “Where are the hotsprings?” Shadow asked, clearly not taking the lady's warning to heart.

The lady stared at him. “You’re not planning on going up there too, are you? This late at night?” She sighed worriedly. “That other guy hasn’t come down in a few days.”

A few days? A little worrying after their own problems contacting him... but Espio was training. Perhaps he just wanted to be alone? “A friend of ours might be up there.”

“We wanna see him as soon as possible.” Tails added. His tails fluttered around happily. "We were plannin' on meeting at the hotspring."

The lady sighed again. Resigned, she pointed behind her. “Okay… that mountain leads to the hotspring. Follow the main path and you’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks!” Tails said as they walked away.

As they walked, Shadow became more suspicious. They hadn’t heard from Espio in a while. Shadow overheard Tails’ conversation with him earlier. The last time they spoke, Espio… he didn’t sound exactly right. He rushed through his words. He sounded exhausted.

It reminded him of Sonic in Mazuri. Like he was trying to hide something.

Shadow hoped that he was overthinking things. He wanted to meet up with him right away to confirm if he was okay.

Shadow heard grass crunch. He stopped Tails with his hand, looking around for danger. He relaxed when he saw two green eyes glowing from the darkness. Werehog had left the Tornado and was following close by, hiding in the shadows. “Did ya find out where we’re goin’?” It whispered.

Shadow nodded. “Up this mountain.”

“I can’t wait!” Tails said, giving a big stretch. “I could use a soak.”

Werehog shook its head. “I don’t understand why you’re so excited.” Everyone had told Werehog how nice hotsprings were, but it was still baffled the moment it heard the word ‘water’.

Chip poked out from Werehog’s quills. “I dunno, it sounds kinda interesting.”

“It feels good.” Shadow explained, yet again.

Werehog scoffed. “Whatever.”

They all continued up the long winding pathway. Tails had started messing with his computer. He was trying to find Espio’s signal. Shadow held out his own communicator, opening up Espio’s channel. He listened. At first, he believed that there was nothing being picked up, but was surprised when he felt like he heard something.

He leaned in closer. Was it… some kind of… growling? He lost his train of thought. His foot, now dragging against the floor had hit a rock. Shadow tripped over, gasping sharply as he hit the ground.

Tails stopped what he was doing on his computer and came to Shadow’s side. “Are ya okay?”

“I’m fine.” Shadow hated all of the eyes on him. He had gotten back on his feet, but he had to lean against the wall. He couldn’t put any weight on that foot, he didn’t want to risk hurting it further. He looked up, frustrated, at the mountain. How am I supposed to get up there?

Werehog bent down in front of him. “Get on my back.”

Shadow stared at it. First it had its bristly fur, then there were its quills. It didn’t sound like a nice experience.

“C’mon, Shadow!” Chip said. “It’s really comfy.”

Shadow really didn’t think so, but he felt he had no choice. He grabbed onto Werehog’s fur and climbed onto its back. It felt like laying in a pile of twigs, but not terrible. “Thank you.” Shadow mumbled.

“Hey, guys! I think I got somethin’!” Tails sudden yelled excitedly.

Shadow was glad to have a distraction from his misfortune.

Everyone huddled closer. The map said that Espio was nearby. They walked a little bit farther and found that signal led to a large cave in the wall.

Everyone looked around, but they couldn’t see him. Shadow found his communicator lying on the ground. The only sign that he was here. Picking it up, Shadow looked around him, but there was no other sign of Espio beyond that. Where is he?

Shadow almost fell. Werehog pushed him. It was pushing everyone close to each other. “What are you doing?”

Werehog sniffed around. “I smell… Dark Gaia.”

That couldn’t be right. When they restored Chu-Nan, all of Dark Gaia left with it. Shadow looked in the darkness and saw a cloud of black, a pair of yellow eyes staring at him, but that just couldn’t be true. Dark Gaia was gone. What is that?

Chip hung close to Shadow. “Purple smoke.” He whispered.

Once the yellow eyes realized the group was staring directly at it. It took out something made of metal and threw it. Shadow dodged at the last moment. The object bounced, landing much further away. It was dark, but Shadow still recognized it. It was Espio’s kunai.

“Leave.” Espio said from the shadows. “I must fight alone.”

Shadow was about to protest, but was too distracted by the thick black fog surrounding Espio.

Shadow didn’t feel good. As Espio came closer, he felt a weight on his shoulders, an icy chill that clamped around his chest. Tails looked affected too. He hugged his arms close to him, fear in his eyes. They had to go. Something was wrong.

Espio was clearly focused on Werehog, so Shadow guided Tails to the exit. Quickly, they tried to leave. Tails crossed through the caves exit, but Shadow was stopped by an invisible wall. He pressed his hands against it. Purple arcs of lightning appeared, stinging his skin.

A blanket of darkness surrounded him. Soon, the room was filled with Dark Gaia.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Espio walked up to Werehog, staring menacingly. Werehog backed away. He said ‘fight alone’. Did he want to fight me? But this was one of Sonic’s friends. Werehog wasn’t meant to fight them. Only Dark Gaia. To its ironic relief, Dark Gaia did appear. A lot of it. The stench overwhelmed Werehog. It didn’t know if it should open its mouth further to breathe and risk the smell, or suffocate in it.

Espio threw his knife at Werehog. It hopped out of the way. In the past, Espio used to help Werehog fight Dark Gaia, but he completely ignored them this time. His eyes were focused on Werehog, now menacing yellow slits. He charged forward, and then the whole cave exploded with activity.

Werehog had a tough time fighting Dark Gaia and Espio. Dark Gaia, with their horns on their faces, charged around it. Espio threw knives at it. Werehog would dodge and then run but Dark Gaia would soon barrel Werehog over sending it off of its feet.

There was so much Dark Gaia that the smell was overwhelming, making Werehog dizzy. As Werehog was once again thrown by Dark Gaia, one of Espio’s knives shot at it, but a bolt of energy stopped it. Shadow’s Chaos Spear.

The knives completely stopped. Shadow had managed to make it to Espio, holding him back in a tight grip. “Stop, Espio!” He yelled. “What are you doing?!”

Espio’s head slumped, Werehog assumed he might be unconscious, but something strange was happening.

Shadow held on firmly, but suddenly he struggled greatly. Espio’s arms pulled out, as if they had strings attached. Dark Gaia ran to him, covering his body in cloud of black. They leaped inside and took control of his body.

Impossibly quick, he took out another knife, slashing at Shadow. Shadow was able to move out of the way, but he fell on his bad foot. He cried out as he landed. Espio noticed his distraction. He took the opportunity and struck his knife down, but Shadow was able to stop it with his Chaos Spear. He pushed up, but Espio was quickly gaining ground.

Before anything could happen, Werehog ran to Shadow’s aid. It grabbed Espio and threw him away. Quickly, Werehog laid down. “Get on my back! Now!” Shadow climbed up.

Werehog tried to move Shadow somewhere safer. Espio leapt from the shadow’s quick as a flash. Werehog jumped out of the way in time. It desperately dodged Espio’s attacks, not trying to hurt him. It was already worried about that throw from earlier.

Dark Gaia continued leaping towards Espio, each addition making Espio stronger. How do I stop ‘im? If only Werehog had Tai’s tuning fork. It could force out the Dark Gaia in him.

Werehog shivered. It would be helpful, but the sound still made it uncomfortable, how relentless it hunted its spirit. Like a cornered monster, it desperately tried to kill it. Gnawing at it. Werehog could still feel the sound as if it were there. It remembered it clearly...

Werehog had an idea. It stopped and turned to Espio.

“What are you doing?!” Shadow yelled.

Werehog wasn’t listening. Even though it made its body shiver, Werehog tried to visualize the sound. It sucked in air, filling its chest and let out a truly haunting howl. It was loud and clear…  filled the whole cave, bounced across the walls and inside Werehog’s head. Shadow covered his ears, Espio stopped in his tracks.

As Werehog’s lungs emptied out, Espio fell on his hands and knees. Dark Gaia was forced out. They poured out of Espio’s scales and clambered over each other, trying to escape the source of the noise.

Werehog made quick work of them. It slashed with its claws, bit with its teeth, slammed with its fists, stronger and faster than before. It wouldn’t let Dark Gaia reach Espio again.

Werehog slammed its fist down on the final monster. The cave’s barrier disappeared and Espio fell to the ground.

After they realized the fight was over, everyone gathered around him. Shadow sat him up. “Espio? Are you alright?”

Espio didn’t answer. He blinked his tired eyes open at them.

He was quiet, his dazed eyes seemed to stare at nothing. He sighed heavily. “They’re gone.” He breathed. Tears poked from the corners of his eyes. He laughed. “Finally…” he said, “I can… sleep…” his head slumped once more, but it wasn’t Dark Gaia’s possession. It was as he said. He was sleeping.

Shadow still carefully laid Espio down. He looked at him, cringing at every bad bruise he saw. But eventually, he sighed too. “He should be fine.” He said. “It looks like he’s just tired.’’

After a while, everyone else had the same idea as Espio. There was a lot of mystery that surrounded his situation, but they had to wait until he woke up to get answers. Tails curled up in his tails. Werehog was about to sleep close to Espio, but it noticed, Shadow walking out of the cave.

Werehog poked its head out through the entrance. Shadow still limped up through the path, staying close to the mountain’s wall. Werehog followed.

“What cha’ doin’?” It asked Shadow.

“I want to see how much further we have to walk to the hotspring.” He replied.

It couldn’t be that much further away, the air was starting to get warm,. Against the night sky, Werehog could see a red glow. It picked up its pace and lowered its head beside Shadow. “Hop on.” It would be quicker if it carried him.

Shadow climbed on Werehog’s back. He began awkwardly pulling at Werehog’s fur. Werehog jumped. “Ow.” Something felt sore.

“Sorry.” Shadow said, still parting through its fur. “You have some bruises up here.” Likely gained from Dark Gaia’s attack. Shadow began to climb off of Werehog.

“No, stop.” Werehog said. “I’m okay.” Werehog felt Shadow climb back up, trying not to flinch at Shadow pulling at its fur.

Finally, they made it to the hotspring. The mountain itself was getting cold. Frost lightly dusted the path leading up to the hotspring, but the ground here was soft and brown. Green grass grew close to it. Trees created the outline of the spring and big, round, flat rocks were placed around the area, one particularly close to the water. A red glow came from rocks further down the mountain.

Werehog and Shadow were covered in moisture from the steam that rose from the water. Werehog crouched on the ground letting Shadow slide off. It grunted as it stood back up, its legs really ached. Shadow took off his shoes and undid the bandage on his foot. He turned and noticed Werehog’s uncomfortable expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“My… legs kinda hurt.” Was it from walking, or the fight?

Shadow had Werehog walk closer to him. “Lay over here.” He said. He guided Werehog to the big, flat rock near the water. Werehog hesitated, worried that he might fall in. Shadow tugged on its fur guiding to to the rock. Stiffly it climbed up.

Instantly the warmth from the rock seemed to ease its pain. It relaxed on the rock as Shadow checked its arms and legs. It flinched as he poked some areas.

“You should get in the water too.” He said to Werehog.

Werehog looked down at the water. A quiet whine escaped its mouth.

“It’s okay.” Shadow said as he climbed inside.

Werehog didn’t want to leave its spot on the rock, but it had to try a hotspring at some point, and there probably wouldn’t be any other time it could. Hesitantly it climbed into the water too. It laid down beside Shadow, its head poking out over the lip of the spring’s basin. At first, the feeling of water around its body seemed scary, but eventually the feeling of warmth overtook its fear. All of its aches and pains melted away. A deep rumble grew in its chest, but it wasn’t a growl.

Shadow placed his hand on Werehog’s head. Petting its fur. This feels great! As it laid in the water, it also thought of Espio. Shadow said he was fine, but he didn’t look great, it reminded it of Sonic when they first met. “Is Espio really gonna be okay?”

“He’s just tired. After some sleep, he’ll be better.”

Espio was possessed. The same way Werehog possessed Sonic. It hoped it wasn’t still causing problems for Sonic. Werehog sighed. Dozing off beside Shadow. It knew that Sonic was having trouble sleeping, maybe this could help? It tried its best to rest as well as it could. Snoring as Shadow continued petting its fur.

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sonic woke up in a cave by himself. Wind blew from outside, disturbing the dust on the floor. He could hear his friends speaking closely to each other. He wanted to go join them, but first, his aching body told him that Werehog was pretty busy last night, despite Dark Gaia having left the world. What could it possibly be fighting?

Sonic closed his eyes, and held onto the memory. He saw… a dark shadow hanging over Espio. So they finally found him, but… something was wrong. Werehog had to fight Dark Gaia. Espio was possessed… Sonic was grateful that Werehog found a way to keep him from getting hurt.

A sound  filled Sonic’s ears, similar to Tai’s tuning fork, but it didn’t rake across his fur, or crush his soul… it sounded… beautiful. The sound was so powerful, so overwhelming, it forced Dark Gaia out, and Werehog was able to save him.

Thank you. Sonic hoped that Werehog could hear him. He knew it felt bad about not being able to save people who were too afraid of it. Werehog was scary, but that didn’t mean he was bad.

Sonic stretched, careful not to move too much. He peeked his head out of the cave. Shadow and Espio sat close by outside, watching intently as Tails tinkered on a communicator. It had a strange new attachment, like a keypad. Sonic sat next to Shadow. “What’s goin’ on?” He whispered.

“Tails is trying to turn Espio’s communicator into a phone.” He replied. “He’s trying to give Espio a way to talk to Vector.”

Sonic looked over at Espio. Out of all of them, he stared the most, despite how tired his eyes looked, they focused on Tails hands as if he could will the machine to work. Sonic didn’t know why this was so important. He held his breath too.

Tails took a deep breath. He began typing a number on his keypad. He gave the communicator to Espio. The tone beeped loudly, Espio grasped the machine in his hands, his fingers tapping impatiently. Miraculously someone picked up.

It was Vector. <<Hello? Who’s there?>>

Before Espio could say anything, Tails took over. “Vector, I don’t have a lot of time to explain, but Espio needs t’ talk t’ ya and ya don’t have a lot of time t’ do it.”

<<Uh… Okay…?>>

Espio took the phone, he forced his voice to be steady. “We didn’t… get to talk before I left to go to Chu-Nan.” He started. “It might be a long time before I see you again… I want to know what you were going to say.”

<<Oh… that , uh…>>

“Vector, ya don’t have time.” Tails reminded him.

<<Okay! Sheesh…>> Vector sighed on the other side. <<I just wanted t’ say… ya didn’t have t’ hide it. The money.>> He said. <<If ya needed a break… uh… all I wanna know is… where you’re goin’.>>

Espio held the phone closer. “You really don’t care about the money?”

<<Course not!>> Vector replied quickly. <<Just… tell me next time, ‘kay?>>

Espio nodded. “Is Charmy with you?”

<<It’s kinda early where we are.>> Vector replied. <<He’s still sleeping.>>

“Tell him… I’m sorry he couldn’t go on that new ride.” Espio said, holding tight onto his phone. “If I knew about it… I probably would’ve saved up a bit more.”

<<Will do!>>

The line started breaking up.

“Vector?!” Espio shouted. “Can you still hear me?!”

It was hard to tell through all of the static, but Vector’s voice somehow still made it through. <<—If you can hear this, make sure you rest up good! I’ll need you in tip-top shape when you get back!>>

The line cut out, it looked like the communicator was overheating. Espio dropped it on the ground. He stared at the heated metal. As he sighed, tears formed, his eyes started glistening.

“Sorry…” Tails said.

Chip poked at the machine’s remains. “Maybe Tails can fix it.”

“No.” Espio said wiping his eyes. “Thank you. All of you. I really needed that.” Espio stood up, his legs still a little shaky. Sonic and Shadow quickly held him up. “I haven’t slept… or eaten in a few days.” He chuckled.

“Should we go back?” Shadow asked.

Espio shook his head. “I really want to get to that hotspring.”

Tails quickly gathered his machine parts. “I’ll go get some food.”

“I’ll help!” Chip called back as he followed him.

Together, Sonic, Shadow and Espio headed up the mountain. Sonic had the hotspring in Werehog’s memories, but he still wanted to see it for himself. Even in the cool morning breeze, a thick layer of heat passed over Sonic’s fur.

Espio wanted to sit on a flat rock nearby. He ended up laying down, and eventually he slept, looking a lot more peaceful than the night before. Sonic and Shadow quickly dipped in the pool. All of Sonic’s aches, courtesy of Werehog, seemed to disappear. He closed eyes, still a little careful not to sleep, and relaxed as well as he could. He didn’t want to have a nightmare here.

He heard Shadow turn in the water. Peeking with one eye, he could see Shadow staring at Espio. “Somethin’ on your mind?”

Shadow sighed heavily. “Espio told me about his issues with his friends earlier.” He said. “I didn’t think it was affecting him that badly.” He laid down on his chest in the water. His arms over the edge of the spring, his head sat on top, looking away from anyone around him. “I probably should’ve asked Tails to do that a long time ago.”

From what Sonic could get from his memories, they seemed to be kind of busy the whole time. If anything, now was the best time to do it. “It’s not your fault Espio got possessed.”

Shadow  sighed, sinking deeper in the water.

Hopefully, Shadow could relax. Espio was doing fine after their first attempt at an exorcism. He would be great when they left.

Sonic laid a bit closer to Shadow. He flinched, so lost in thought, he hadn’t realized he had moved. Eventually, they relaxed together.

Tails hadn’t found the next Gaia temple, but with Professor Pickle’s help, they would be quick…  hopefully not… too quick though. Sonic still had a lot he wanted to do in Spagonia. Seeing the sights, hanging out on the beach, eating its famous cuisine...

Hopefully, they weren’t dealing with another life or death situation over there. Sonic wanted to have some time to relax… and maybe Shadow could be there with him. He still owed him a good vacation.

Chapter Text

“Shadow, I-I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay.”

Sonic had woken Shadow up with another one of his nightmares.

When Shadow had first rescued Sonic from Tai’s exorcism chamber, he saw a glimpse of what horrors Tai had subjected him to. Now, over the course of these few days and nights, he was starting to gain a better idea.

After their fun in the hotspring, everyone settled in the hotel at the base of the mountain. There wasn’t much room, so some had to share a sleeping space. Sonic, Shadow and Espio had stayed together while Chip and Tails slept in a separate room. Shadow could not be any more grateful.

Werehog was restless through the night, always waking with a start. The first morning was the scariest. Sonic had suddenly woken up beside him, waking Shadow with a start too. He cowered in the corner of their room, desperately fighting for air. Shadow was able to get to him before he could scream. He held Sonic close as he sobbed into his chest. He tried to keep him as quiet as possible. He didn’t want to wake Espio up.

Shadow tried to lay him back down to sleep, he looked exhausted, but he refused to. He just kept saying “I don’t wanna go back.” Go back where?

Tai’s cage.

For the past few mornings, as Werehog’s black smoke covered his body, Sonic would wake up in a panic, revealing yet another horror he had to suffer through. “I kept tellin’ him it wasn’t working…” he said on the first, “It was so hot…” he said on the second. This morning…

“I waited so long…” he said. “I didn’t know if you were ever gonna find me.”

We couldn’t go… Shadow wanted to say. We were too tired. But he didn’t think it would bring him any comfort.

“Shadow…?”

“Yes, Sonic?”

“I didn’t mean t’ wake ya.”

“I already said… it’s okay.”

Sonic was here, suffering through his memories and still the only thing he could think about was inconveniencing him. Shadow held him closer. “It’s okay.” He whispered again. Sonic’s breathing calmed down. He was falling asleep. Shadow knew it wouldn’t last long. He had to hurry.

Espio was always doing that meditating. Some presence of mind could help Sonic, couldn’t it? Shadow gently laid Sonic on the ground. He hurried over to Espio’s mat and shook him awake. “Espio, I need to talk to you.”

Espio blinked tiredly at him. “Okay.” He sighed.

Shadow led him outside to try to give Sonic some peace.

Espio jumped when they made it past the door. The candlelight from the hallway highlighted Shadow’s tired eyes. “You look exhausted.”

“I am.” Shadow said. His voice cracking a little more than he expected. “Sonic needs help.” He explained what he knew of Sonic’s troubles. Espio listened intently. “We tried to help him as soon as we could…” Shadow said, “but I don’t think it was soon enough.” How could he have been so stupid? He let an old man trick him. He got to Tails too. If only that stupid ooze didn’t exist.

“Shadow?”

“What?”

“Calm down.” Espio sat them both in front of the door. “You’re shaking.”

He was, but he had an important reason. Tai was so stupid, he ended up torturing Sonic for hours, he nearly died in that fire, trying to save a book. Shadow couldn’t stop him from traumatizing Sonic and then after that, Werehog had the audacity to save him from that fire. If they had left him alone…

Shadow heard rustling in the room. He looked over and saw Sonic restlessly shifting in his sleep. Something was wrong. Shadow tore himself away from his conversation with Espio. He sat beside Sonic. Of course he woke up, panicking.

“Sonic, calm down.” He knew that phrase wasn’t some sort of spell. He wouldn’t magically feel better, but Shadow wasn’t sure what else he could say. He laid Sonic down to sleep.

“No.” Sonic moaned. “I-I can’t.”

“You have to.” Shadow was tired. He knew that Sonic must be too. “If you need me, I’ll be here.”

Sonic closed his eyes and tried to relax again.

Espio appeared behind Shadow. “How long has he been like this?”

“Technically, since we left Lily.” Shadow looked down at Sonic. “Not even Werehog can sleep.” Shadow looked up hopelessly at Espio. “He needs help.”

“I think I know how I can.”

“How?”

Espio sat beside Shadow. “Sonic’s mind is trapping him in that cage, all we have to do is figure out how to free him.”

Shadow rolled his eyes. That’s what he had been trying to do in the first place. He couldn’t find anything that could help other than the Tornado.

Espio sensed his frustration. “Don’t make him sleep again next time he wakes. I’ll talk to him. Later, you’ll be able to sleep.”

                                             >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>