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Shadow enjoyed the quiet intimacy of being able to fully be him around his partner. There was something beautiful about being able to show someone all your scars and imperfections and love you even more because of them.
Hiding them wasn’t much of a problem now anyways as their journey led them further and further away from civilization, the map Rouge gave them hopefully guiding them towards the next chaos emerald. Shadow felt his shoulders relax as he took a deep breath of the clean forest air. Sonic was still fast asleep, so Shadow had a few silent moments to himself. It was the perfect night to fly.
Shadow unfurled his wings, pushing off the ground suddenly, stirring up dust below him. He winced, hoping the ruckus didn’t wake the azure hedgehog below. Shadow flapped his wings a little softer, finding an air current to coast on. How he’d missed flying, the feeling of freedom, the wind in his quills and the world below him, his troubles long gone. It was beautiful.
Sonic stirred slightly in his tent, the sudden cool breeze causing him to shiver. He rolled over to Shadow’s side of the tent, absentmindedly searching for his boyfriend's warmth, his eyes still tired with sleep. Sonic let out a disappointed grumble upon finding Shadow missing.
“Great, my personal fire is gone,” he sighed, somewhat dramatically.
The azure hedgehog yawned, his canines flashing only briefly. He put on one of Shadow’s larger coats and made his way outside the tent.
The moon was beautiful that night.
The soft glow of the moon lit up the world beneath him. While the rest of the world slept, Shadow felt more alive than he had in a long time. He let out a small laugh, flipping and floating through the air, free as the birds he used to envy. He made sure not to fly too far from camp, circling back whenever he felt he’d strayed too far. He swooped up again, coasting on his back for a while as the wind took him back towards camp.
The night sky was beautiful. The stars so bright Shadow felt the urge to reach out, to grab hold of one. Suddenly the sky was dancing with colors.
The Aurora Borealis
“You can only see it from certain latitudes down there, but from up here we can see the whole sky. I can’t wait for the day when we can finally return”
Maria’s favorite
Shadow felt the wind under his wings suddenly drop out from beneath him, quickly plummeting back towards the ground. He reached his hand out, desperately clawing at the air around him before giving up.
She always loved shooting stars
Sonic sat down on one of the fallen trees they had been using as a bench, the embers of the campfire still bright orange. The azure hedgehog added a few pieces of kindling and added some more logs to their makeshift fire pit, quickly bringing the flame back to life. He sighed happily at the warmth. That solved one problem, but Shadow was still unaccounted for. Sonic searched the skyline, figuring Shadow had taken a flight to clear his head.
Something darted in front of the moon, the shadow vaguely hedgehog shaped. Sonic watched with a smile as Shadow dove and flipped through the air. He loved seeing his boyfriend happy and free for once, knowing he could be himself out in these woods without fear. Sonic watched as Shadow flew back in front of the moon, coasting for a minute. He truly looked angelic, backlit by the light of the moon.
Sonic felt the wind change directions, briefly knocking him off balance. He shook his head, regaining his composure. He looked back up to the sky to see the moon in all its brilliance.
Shadow was nowhere in sight.
Shadow pulled all his limbs in, wrapping himself in his wings in an attempt to brace for the fall. His tears left his eyes as soon as they fell, streaming around him as he shut his eyes tight, too scared to see his end so close.
Maybe Maria was watching him from up there. He’d give her a shooting star to remember
He hit the ground with a world shattering crack, losing consciousness on impact.
Sonic panicked, Shadow must’ve been at least a few miles out, and these woods were dense and hard to navigate even during the day. He’d never find him like this
Sonic eyed his bracelet, debating his next actions before committing. He groaned, knowing he had no better option. He slid the bracelet off, quickly setting it down on the ground. He’d worry about transforming back once Shadow was safe.
He closed his eyes as the all too familiar transformation ran its course, feeling his quills grow sharper, his canines dropping lower as his stature nearly doubled in size. He felt his mind race, animal instincts taking precedence over any other thoughts. He tried to focus on his task at hand, struggling to ignore the stronger smells he was suddenly aware of as he searched for Shadow’s scent.
With a sharp huff, he dug his claws into the earth before taking off at his full speed. He cut through the brush, clawing vegetation in his path. The wind howled in his ears, which were currently on a swivel checking his surroundings for threats or signs of Shadow. One of them swiveled suddenly. A small groan a few feet to his right. He skidded to a halt, digging his claws in again to shift directions.
He huffed again, his chest rumbling slightly as he grew worried about Shadow’s state. Sonic picked up his scent again nearby, knowing he was close. He smelt blood.
Shadow woke up to something cold touching him, gently but urgently pushing against his muzzle. He opened his eyes, taking in the slightly blurry figure in front of him. Sonic nudged him again with his nose, worriedly grumbling again.
“Hey Sonic,” Shadow said with a weak smile, reaching up to gently scratch behind the werehog’s ears. A low purr emanated from his chest as Sonic leaned into the scritches. Shadow coughed, suddenly pulling his hand away from the werehog to clutch his chest. Sonic dropped his ears, concerned for his partner.
“It’s okay, Sonic. I’ll be fine,” he attempted to smile, grimacing through the pain he suddenly felt all throughout his body.
Sonic nudged him again, this time against his shoulder, trying to lift him to sitting upright with his snout. Shadow struggled slightly to help him, still clutching his ribs with one arm. Shadow looked down at his legs, clearly beat up and bloodied, one twisting at an unnatural angle. He took a deep breath trying to fight the urge to cry or throw up at the sight.
Sonic nosed at his neck, trying to comfort his partner. Shadow felt himself relax, lying back in the werehog’s unruly yet soft fur.
“Do you think you can carry me back? There’s no way I’m getting anywhere on these-” he said, gesturing to his clearly sprained if not broken legs.
Sonic stooped his head down, signaling for Shadow to grab onto his bandana and pull himself up. Shadow held on, slowly climbing onto the werehog’s deep azure back. He swung his leg over the side, whimpering slightly at the pain the movement brought. He felt the worried rumble in Sonic’s chest vibrate through his whole body.
“That feels nice,” he stated, feeling some tension in his muscles instantly release. Sonic perked his ears up, briefly looking back at Shadow with a sharp toothed smile.
Sonic slowly started walking back towards camp, making sure Shadow was secure on his back before picking up speed, slightly purring as he went. The rhythmic sound of Sonic’s paws hitting the ground served as a sort of lullaby for Shadow, accompanied with the purring and his adrenaline kick wearing off he felt his eyes grow heavy as he fell back into an unconscious state.
Shadow awoke to an immense warmth surrounding him, He slowly opened his eyes to see the sea of navy blue fur he was enveloped in, Sonic curled up around him and purring gently while he slept. Shadow sighed deeply, nuzzling back into the werehog’s fur before drifting back to sleep.