Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Wind whistled slowly, quietly, between desert rocks as the sun peeked over the horizon. The barren land was occasionally dotted with tumbleweed, cacti and other plant life that refused to submit to the desolate environment, instead thriving in what would normally be considered less than ideal living conditions for most life forms. A few cactus wrens began their dawn chorus, although they quickly acquiesced, as if silently acknowledging someone’s arrival.

Dust-caked boots scraped the dirt at Shadow’s feet as he stopped atop a flat rock that jutted out over the rust-coloured valley stretching endlessly before him. He peered across the landscape, confirming that the terrain did indeed match the one he had anticipated. There was no point continuing his trek with his head down– that would leave room for error. Every path was carefully chosen, and Shadow refused to move forward if his path was uncertain. One wrong turn could leave him stranded, far from the trail he was supposed to follow, with no one to call upon to rescue him. 

Not that he’d seek rescuing if he had the means to anyways; a celebrity like himself would make headlines, no doubt, and he’d never hear the end of it from his coworker. Even miles away Shadow could almost hear her cackling at him, that sultry expression preparing another teasing jab to emphasize his foolish mistake. He frowned at the mental image, pushing it away so he could return to the task at hand.

Shadow retrieved a map from within his leather jacket. His eyes briefly scanned what he considered to be lazily named landmarks littering the beat-up pamphlet, although he did find himself mildly appreciative for the straightforward naming schemes; it made locating his target destination remarkably easy.

This next job brought him to McGuffin, a remote town settled around Rail Canyon. It was effectively isolated from much of society, save for Bullet Station, which housed the only tracks connecting the rural area to the rest of civilization. The station wasn’t far from the Oil Desert Zone extraction site– the only reason Shadow could actually see anyone bothering to make regular use of the trains would be for commuting here for skimming and drilling.

The same reason Shadow himself was here for.

Work.

Although Shadow’s business differed drastically from the monotonous oil rig labour that demanded little else outside of brute strength.

No, his job demanded a mind that was not only analytical and methodical but also possessed an unshakable resolve.

Such characteristics are necessary for a monster hunter.

Shadow had become quite renowned for his mercenary work. His extensive background in hunting made him a trustworthy pick for any job— even ones where his target lay hidden in sight, disguised amongst harmless bystanders— which they often were. Vampires needed a community to leech off of for survival, sirens did the same, and while werewolves didn’t require human or mobian meat, their packs often blended in with towns and cities, lest they be discovered by a hunter in the wilderness.

It was that last beast that Shadow currently found himself in pursuit of. His coworker had been tipped off about the werewolf’s presence by some man with a hefty sum of money, and with the job already paid for, Shadow was out to make the kill.

His weapon of choice? Shadow’s prized Rolling Block Rifle, capable of handling both lead and silver bullets, and especially effective in taking down large beasts, making it useful for the current mission. It was a raucous gun, though silence was never required for the hedgehog’s kills. It mattered not how near or far the target was, even less if they were aware of Shadow’s presence; relying on the element of surprise was unnecessary, for his shots were always quick, calculated, and precise. Shadow never missed.

He neared the edge of the town now. Shadow tucked the map back into his coat as he crossed the invisible threshold that separated McGuffin from the vast empty seas of sand. At first glance, the place appeared deserted, though Shadow knew this was due to both the tiny population, and the fact that he had arrived far too early in the morning to see any townspeople venturing outside.

Arriving this early was intentional. He had departed Bullet Station in the evening, as desert travel was far safer when done in the cold chills of the night than with the beating sun on one’s back. The trip to McGuffin had taken the entire night, as it was quite a far distance without a horse. His early arrival to town left him with an entire day to get straight to work on identifying suspects. Shadow’s work typically required rooting out a parasite amongst men, and the schedule he had developed for doing so had proved to be efficient. Many of his past jobs followed the same structure— he arrived in the morning, questioned witnesses throughout the day, and determined a target to dispatch by night. This kill, Shadow expected, would be no different.

He adjusted the rifle on his back, and headed towards the town’s tavern. If the owner was up, then Shadow could begin his interrogation there. He pushed open the swinging doors, his boots clunking heavily against the worn floorboards.

“Welcome to the Mirage Saloon!” A chipper voice greeted him from behind the counter. The mobian it came from was hidden from view, digging in the cabinets below. The only indicators of her presence being the audible clinking of glass and the bushy white wool, poorly strung back into four buns, that stuck out above the bar stand. As Shadow approached the bar, she sprung up to meet him. “What can I getcha?”

“Whiskey, on the rocks.” Shadow replied.

The sheep looked him up and down before grabbing a glass to prepare his drink. As she did so, Shadow noticed her hands sported fingerless gloves. It wasn’t an uncommon choice of attire given the area they were in; such gloves provided a more tactile advantage that served to be practical in more hands-on work. Shadow averted his eyes out of respect.

“Yer not from around here. Must’ve come an awful long way.” When Shadow didn’t reply, she continued, “I’m Lanolin, by the way. What brings you around these parts?”

Shadow lifted the cowboy hat atop his head, revealing his crimson eyes along with the red stripes adorning his quills. Lanolin made no move to suggest she had recognized his appearance, so Shadow reluctantly gave her a verbal response. “Monster hunting.” He gestured to the rifle on his back. “I received reports of a werewolf hanging around this town.”

 “Sure ya don’t want any water?” The sheep asked, sliding a mug of whiskey towards him and returning her attention to the back bar. “Gets hot out here, you’d best stay hydrated.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes suspiciously and pried further. “You hear anything about a werewolf near here?” He lifted the drink to his mouth.

A second glass clanked against the counter and glided over to Shadow. “Here. Wouldn’t want ya to pass out.” Lanolin smiled politely at him.

“You’re redirecting the conversation.” Shadow observed. 

The sheep’s expression fell, replaced by a stern look. “Ya can ask me as many questions as you'd like, but it’ll do ya no good if you meet your end as a dried up raisin.” She rebuked. “So drink up.”

Shadow had half the mind to warn her about picking fights with a famed one-shot hunter, however, he knew squabbling with the stubborn bartender wouldn’t get him any information, so he took a swig from the glass of water.

Lanolin sighed and leaned over the counter. “I haven’t seen the beast myself, but I hear it howlin in the night.” Shadow’s ears swiveled at the sound of her voice. “Doesn’t seem to cause no trouble though, just wanders around town on its lonesome. Smithy says he’s spotted the thing venturin up to the extraction site every now and then.”

“The werewolf is alone?” Shadow frowned.

“Yup.” Lanolin nodded.

“That can’t be the case. Werewolves are pack creatures. They travel in groups.”

“Only ever heard one howl.”

“Perhaps its pack lives nearby. Sends this one out to scout the town for an attack.” Shadow speculated.

“Three years of scouting and no attack?” the sheep asked, her question clearly rhetorical. “There’s only one.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Shadow made quick work of his whiskey. When the tankard had been completely drained, Shadow stood, leaving only half of the water glass finished. Lanolin either failed to notice, or didn’t find it worth bickering over, Shadow assumed the latter to be the case. He passed a handful of rings over the counter to the sheep. She slid a few of them back.

“I don’t charge for water.” She commented. “Can I get ya a room, or…?”

“If I need one, you’ll see me at the end of the day.” Shadow abruptly turned, making his way towards the exit with haste.

He wouldn’t need one. That wolf was as good as dead.

Chapter Text

As Shadow left the saloon, he peered across the town, scanning for someone to interview. There were a few people mulling about, and he committed the ones he found most noteworthy to memory. A red echidna, brawny, with a mean look in his eye as he marched towards an important looking building, the sheriff's office, Shadow presumed. Stepping out of a small home across from the tavern were two mobians rabbits, likely mother and daughter, and not far from them Shadow spotted a young two-tailed fox tinkering with the shingles of a building.

Shadow beelined straight towards the sheriff's office. The livid look on the echidna’s face he had seen moments ago caught his interest. Werewolves were naturally aggressive, and if this mobian was the sheriff, then it would be no surprise that the beast had not been already taken care of. They’d have no trouble brushing off any complaints about the monster’s presence– after all, the sheriff's word is law.

Discontented mutterings sounded from within the building as Shadow entered. He watched quietly as the echidna immediately fell silent upon hearing the door creaking open behind him, mumbling one last curse to himself before tossing a look over his shoulder.

“Silver, if yer late one more time I’ll–” The echidna cut himself off as his eyes locked onto Shadow’s. Unlike his voice, the look of contempt he wore did not fade as he turned to face the brooding hedgehog. “What could you want.” he asked with a sneer.

“Are you the sheriff?” Shadow’s question was met with a scoff, as if that was the exact question the echidna did not want to hear right now.

“Unfortunately for both of us, I’m not.” He crossed his arms. “I’m the deputy. Knuckles.”

Shadow lifted his hat and adjusted his rifle. “Shadow.”

Knuckles’ brows rose slightly before quickly schooling his expression back to what it was before, if a little more respectful, given he now knew the hedgehog he was speaking to. “I reckoned ya looked familiar. Yer here for the werewolf.”

Shadow gave a curt nod, resting his hat back atop his quills. “There it is again. Werewolf. They’re social animals, there should be more than one.”

Knuckles nodded thoughtfully as he unstacked a couple of stools from the corner of the room. He settled himself on one, motioning for Shadow to join him. “Ya ain’t wrong about that,” he paused, glancing out the window. “But it ain’t the case this time. Trust me, I’ve seen him prowlin’ about at night.”

Shadow paused at that. Perhaps the beast had made itself a pack out of wild dogs. It wouldn’t be unusual, werewolves were dominant creatures in their hierarchy, and capable of commanding other feral hounds within their presence. If this one lacked a blood family, then it could simply make a replacement pack to protect itself.

“The saloon owner insinuated that it's been around for a few years now.” Shadow’s gaze never left the deputy as he sat down. Every little movement mattered. An eye twitch or clenched fist at the sound of a question indicated nerves, and a nervous suspect was a guilty suspect.

The echidna remained unmoving. “He has. Hasn’t caused any harm though. Mostly keeps to himself. The kids keep tryna befriend him though– I spend more time scarin’ them off than anything else.” He huffed.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. “Children shouldn’t be anywhere near a werewolf. They’ll get themselves killed.”

“Try tellin’ that to Charmy and Cream.”

Charmy and Cream. Shadow made note of the two names, they’d be worth questioning later if he had time. With the way Knuckles had described the two, he wouldn’t be surprised if either of them had already had a close encounter with the monster. Children often failed to filter themselves the way adults did; if one of them knew the true identity of the werewolf then his job was as good as done.

Sensing a shift in the conversation, Shadow decided to change his approach. “You mentioned a ‘Silver’ when I entered.”

“That would be the sheriff.” Knuckles responded plainly.

“You don’t like him?”

The deputy sighed. His eyes dropped to the floor, a weak look slipping past his previously hardy expression. “No, that’s not it. He’s a kind hearted kid, truly, but he lacks the guts and commitment ya need in a sheriff.” Knuckles shook his head. “He does a lot of good for this town, but when it comes to a thing like the werewolf, nothin’s gonna get done.”

Shadow pressed further. “You don’t think he could be the werewolf.” It was a risky move, making such an accusatory statement, but the hunter needed more material to work with.

Knuckles’ nose scrunched as he shot a terse glare at Shadow. His grip on his arms tightened. “Silver has barely even fired his own gun at coyotes. He couldn’t dare hurt a fly, even if he wanted to.”

Shadow acquiesced, raising his hands in mock surrender. Knuckles calmed down, but that fiery look in his eyes remained. Shadow had made the wrong move.

After that they sat mostly in silence, their only discussion turning into passive comments about the weather or terrain, and slowly diminishing as the two of them found less and less to say. Knowing he wouldn’t be getting anything else out of the assertive deputy, the hunter bid him a hasty farewell.

His next task? To find the two unruly children Knuckles had mentioned. His mind wandered back to the rabbits he had noticed before his meeting with the echidna. The smaller one looked to be quite young, certainly a child, no older than eight. Shadow returned to surveying the town, his eyes sweeping over every visible person. A grey lemur, a blue hound, an equally-as-blue hedgehog…

There. Two pairs of long pale ears.

Shadow strolled calmly towards them. While intimidation was useful in most cases, he highly doubted that viciously catechizing the mother would earn him a chance at questioning the younger rabbit. As he approached, Shadow noticed that a third mobian had joined the other two. A bee, most likely around the same age as the rabbit. The children chattered loudly as they played with sticks in the sand. Hearing Shadow approach, they quieted down slightly out of respect, though his presence ultimately failed to put a damper in their energy. He turned to the adult mobian first.

“Good afternoon, miss.” Shadow greeted.

“Afternoon.” The adult rabbit spoke softly from the porch. She waved him over, and Shadow climbed what few steps there were to join her. There was nowhere to sit this time, so he instead leaned against one of the wooden beams holding the old building up.

“I’m here to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.” Shadow made an effort to be polite. Charisma was not his forte, his cold personality and harsh demeanour was nothing to be charmed by, but Shadow could at the very least treat the woman with some degree of courtesy.

“Oh I don’t mind at all,” She turned to look at Shadow, her eyes wandering briefly towards the rifle strapped to his back before swiftly returning to his face. “What can I help you with?”

Shadow paused, considering his options before deciding on a question. At this point, it was safe to assume that everyone in this backwater town knew of the monster’s presence, given that they had so far been unperturbed by his questions. “Have you seen the werewolf?” He asked in a hushed voice, careful not to alert the children nearby to their discussion.

“A few times, yes.” She replied, tearing her gaze away from the scuffling children. They had found something in the sand that they were now bickering over, both of them clearly wanting… whatever it was. “I try to avoid going outside at night.”

“I’d hope everyone else is doing the same?” Shadow’s ear twitched. He kept most of his attention focused towards the mother, his ears only occasionally swivelling towards the kids when one of them made a particularly loud noise.

The rabbit frowned slightly. “I wish that were the case, but—“ She cut herself off when her eyes drifted back to the children. The bee was clutching some sort of small desert lizard, an ecstatic look on his face. The girl next to him gingerly shook his arm, clearly desperate to have a turn holding it. “Cream! Charmy! Put that thing down!”

The corner of Shadow’s mouth twitched upwards as she called their names.

Bingo.

The bee reluctantly released the lizard. “Sorry miss Vanilla!” He called back, before the two mobians giggled and ran off further towards the center of town.

The woman, who Shadow now knew as Vanilla, spoke first. “I… apologize for them. Charmy gets into a lot of trouble, and my daughter tends to let him drag her along on his adventures.”

“You need not apologize.” Shadow replied earnestly. Truly, she didn’t, as the children’s rowdy behaviour had not only confirmed their identities for Shadow, but also gave him an opportunity to shift the topic of conversation. Internally, he thanked them.

“The deputy mentioned that they’ve tried to engage with the beast.” Shadow began. It wasn’t a question, but that didn’t matter.

“Yes.” Vanilla answered, clearly troubled by the fact.

“May I speak to them?”

Her eyes shifted to Shadow’s gun once more. “You may.”

Shadow rose from the beam he was leaning against, brushing dust from his coat as he did so. He turned towards his conversation partner and tipped his hat. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you as well.”

Shadow felt that wasn't the case.

He returned to the trail at the foot of the porch, slowly following in the direction he had witnessed the children disappear to. It wouldn’t be hard locating them thanks to the relatively linear design of the town. McGuffin marked a pitstop in between the empty desert roads that had almost completely vanished in the sand, and the extraction site that lay further up into the canyons. Ultimately, McGuffin served as a place to be passed through, and its layout welcomed this sort of treatment, given the spacious central road that cut straight through the town. It was this same road Shadow found Charmy and Cream playing on once he rounded the corner.

As he made his way towards them, Shadow noticed the two settle, their cheery, rambunctious attitudes replaced with something more quiet and thoughtful. A tad too thoughtful. Shadow worried they may have overheard his conversation with Vanilla, and determined why he was here. If that was the case, they’d certainly be hesitant to divulge any useful information. Charmy and Cream whispered to each other, and as Shadow neared them, the bee got up to meet him halfway.

“Are you here ta kill the doggy?” Charmy asked bluntly, his brows furrowed. His speech was peculiar— a weird mix between a southern drawl and the more refined, coherent accent found in larger cities up North. Normally, when speaking with youths, Shadow would probe a bit about details like this before bringing up the monster he was hunting. Unfortunately, the kid had initiated the conversation, and chose to lead with a far more dismal topic.

“Yes.” There was no point in hiding it, Shadow highly doubted the kid would believe him if he tried anyways.

“You can’t, I won’t let ya.” Charmy’s fists clenched at his sides. A few paces away, Cream looked at the two of them with wide, nervous eyes.

Shadow crouched down so he was eye level with the bee. “I have to. It’s my job.” Those words only seemed to fuel his anger. “Werewolves are dangerous.”

The bee scoffed. “Werewolves ain’t real. Don’t patronize me.”

Shadow felt himself taken aback by both the continued dismissal of what he himself knew to be a very real threat, and the ever-perplexing nature of the child’s diction. Just where was this kid from?

Stunned into silence, Shadow merely watched as Charmy continued. “And he’s not dangerous. Cream an’ I play with him all the time, just ask her.”

At the mention of her name, Cream appeared at Charmy’s side. Shadow had almost forgotten she was present, let alone listening. The bee stared at her expectantly as she shuffled her feet and tugged anxiously at the hem of her orange dress. She gave Shadow a scrupulous look before softly speaking. “Please don’t hurt Cimmanin…”

“You named it.” Shadow deadpanned.

“Him.” Charmy corrected with a scowl.

Shadow frowned. They had barely talked and it was already evident that neither of the children would be willing to assist Shadow in his mission. In fact, everyone in the damned town was either too stubborn to talk to him or downright vehemently opposed to what Shadow was doing. As if the community would rather put their lives in jeopardy than have the hunter around.

Confident that this was the end of their conversation, Charmy curled his lip in disdain before marching away, with Cream quickly following suit behind him. Shadow didn’t bother chasing them.

That evening, Shadow sat vigil within the safety of the saloon as the sun dipped below the horizon. Setting foot outside before the werewolf turned would leave him exposed and vulnerable to attack, and with Lanolin seated next to the bar counter, idly flipping through a newspaper without trepidation, he internally cleared her from suspicion. Bored from waiting, Shadow found himself mentally running through the events of the day, reviewing every conversation, every little detail, to pass the time.

A canid howl sounded from outside. Shadow raced out of the building, not bothering to look back at the bartender. He didn’t need to know that she was still mindlessly scanning the pages in front of her, not even gracing the howl with a flick of her ear.

When he stepped into the clearing in the middle of town, he spotted the beast. Large– though all werewolves were– with a lean, muscular build and sharp fangs poking out from its maws. Most peculiarly though to Shadow was that the townsfolk had been right. The beast was alone. His crimson eyes locked onto the werewolf’s green gaze, but before he could reach for his gun, the monster was gone.

Shadow cursed himself.

He slammed a handful of rings on the counter when he re-entered the saloon.

“One night.” Shadow growled. “Any longer and you can put it on my tab. I’ll pay the rest when I leave.”

Lanolin scooped the rings off the counter and tossed him a room key with a mischievous grin. “I knew ya’d come around.”

Chapter Text

The beast was much faster than Shadow anticipated, more so than any werewolf he had encountered, though he had also noticed the monster seemed slimmer than most of its kind. Malnourished? The runt of its litter, maybe? Given how nimble it had been, it was likely that the beast was used to relying on speed to survive. Consequently, if it ever sensed danger, it would run— although considering the fact that it insisted on hanging around town, Shadow highly doubted that any of the folk here had made a real effort in spooking the beast.

Shadow made his way to the lobby from his room and climbed atop a barstool. He passed a few rings over the counter and grumbled, “Whiskey.” Lanolin didn’t pick up the rings, instead staring at Shadow with a harsh look until he reluctantly added, “And a water, too.”

“How’d ya sleep?” The sheep asked passively as she collected a mug to prepare her customer’s drink.

“Fine.” Shadow replied. The room had been comfortable, if a bit small, though none of that really mattered to him. He’d made plenty of stakeouts in far worse conditions. More important was his failure to kill his target the previous night, meaning that this job would require not only more work, but could potentially last several days. He grimaced at the thought.

Looking around, Shadow noted that he wasn’t alone with the bartender in the saloon. He must have woken up far later than he intended, if the bright sun blinking its way into the building through gaps in the wooden planks was any indication. A couple of humans in work uniforms and helmets sat on one end of the tavern, digging into sandwiches. Workers from the extraction site, Shadow theorized, likely here on a lunch break before they returned to their jobs.

The swinging doors creaked as another mobian entered the saloon. He greeted the two workers before meandering his way over to the bar. “Afternoon Lanolin!” He called cheerfully to the bartender, pulling up a stool next to Shadow. “The usual, please!”

The sheep gave him an enthusiastic salute in response before getting to work on his drink. Shadow glanced to his left to see a white hedgehog with long quills sitting next to him. He had a pale teal dress shirt and a bold yellow tie— clothes that were particularly sophisticated, and would set him aside from other townsfolk if not for the faded brown vest he wore over it. An unmistakable golden star adorned the leather’s upper left side.

The hedgehog looked in his direction. “If it isn’t Shadow!” He exclaimed with a grin. “Knuckles mentioned you were in town. He told me all about you!”

“Silver.” Shadow replied simply.

“McGuffin’s Sheriff, at your service!” Silver responded gleefully before his attention was stolen by the colourful drink Lanolin handed him. Shadow wasn’t really sure what it was, but it looked fruity and far too sugary for his own tastes.

“There’s a werewolf in your town, sheriff .” He spoke coldly. The way Knuckles had described the sheriff combined with the energy of the character he was speaking to led Shadow to believe the hedgehog to be a real pushover. If he couldn’t get any information out of him, he could at least reprimand the mobian for keeping the town in danger for so long.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Silver laughed mirthfully, taking a quaff of his drink. He must have known that the short response wouldn’t be enough for the hunter, however, as he continued once the glass left his lips. “In all seriousness, everyone here is aware of his presence. He hasn’t caused any trouble so I’ve left him be.”

“It could be picking off the townsfolk in secret.”

“Everyone knows each other here. Even up at Oil Desert Zone— the same workers have been coming and going for years. If someone went missing, I’d notice.” Silver retaliated calmly.

Their conversation stagnated for a moment before Shadow tried again. “Knuckles seemed miffed yesterday. Something about you being late.” He’d almost finished half of his whiskey at this point, while the glass of water next to it remained neglected. Not wanting to irritate Lanolin, Shadow took a sip from it.

Silver shrugged casually. “Nothing new. I spend a lot of my time at the extraction plant with Smithy. It’s our only significant source of income around these parts, so I help him oversee business transactions and scare off wildlife.” He waved to another mobian as they set foot into the saloon. “I’m headed back up there tomorrow. The town can hold its own while I’m gone.”

Shadow resisted the urge to slam his mug against the table. “ The town can hold its own? There’s a savage monster disguised amongst your people and you think the town can hold its own?” He scoffed and waved a hand wildly towards the rest of the room as he turned to face the other hedgehog. “How many people here have the training to take down a werewolf? Let alone know how to fire a gun?” With all the ignorant people Shadow had met lately, his patience was wearing thin. 

 “The werewolf has never harmed anyone,” Silver took another casual sip of his drink. “Besides, it’s no big deal that I’ll be gone this time, since you’re around to protect the place in my stead!” He laughed, either oblivious to or undisturbed by Shadow’s festering irritation. 

He wasn’t here to babysit this glorified pit-stop. It was the sheriff’s job to do menial tasks like fight off bandits and scare away wildlife. Shadow had a monster to kill. 

“That thing is a threat and you know it.” The hunter snapped back. 

His eyes darted across the other hedgehog’s face. Knuckles mentioned that Silver hadn’t made much use of his gun. Perhaps he never needed to when he had the ability to rely on natural, animalistic strength at night. He was so close right now, if Shadow reached for his revolver, he could finish the job quickly.

“Everyone deserves a chance to live.” Silver nodded thoughtfully to himself.

“Even someone who’d kill you without a second thought?”

“What, like you?”

Shadow had no response to that. 

Throughout the entire conversation, Silver had been merrily sipping his drink with a smile, completely unbothered by Shadow’s interrogation. Even now, his expression remained unchanged. Shadow was starting to understand why the pale hedgehog had stood unchallenged as sheriff. He had a way with words– a skillful charismatic charm, everything that Shadow lacked expertise in. The hunter never had to rely on eloquent speech anyways, of course. His reputation preceded him, and the rifle on his back said all the words Shadow needed it to.

They finished their drinks soundlessly. Shadow had long since emptied his whiskey, now taking to gulping down the water Lanolin supplied him with in its stead. Silver made quick work of his drink as well, sliding a few rings over the counter along with the glass. After which, he broke the silence.

“Well I suppose you’ve got a dog to kill then?” The white hedgehog slapped his knees as he rose from the stool. “I’ll leave you to it!” 

“A werewolf. ” Shadow corrected. 

Silver’s polite smile still refused to dwindle. “You can talk to Tails in his workshop if you need any technical help,”  He spoke, nodding his head towards Shadow’s gun as he turned to leave. “He may still be a kid, but he’s an absolute whiz with technology.” 

Shadow sighed as he watched Silver stroll out of the tavern. So far, the most openly knowledgeable people around the town had been the two children Shadow spoke with the previous day. This was no shock to the hunter, although he dreaded the fact, knowing that it meant his best bet at getting closer to the beast would be by gaining the duo’s trust.

Shadow trudged out of the tavern. At the very least, finding Charmy and Cream would be no difficult task, as he once again spotted them out in the centre of the road. This time, they were joined by an adult blue hedgehog, the three of them playing some primitive game that involved marbles and sticks in the sand. He walked towards them.

“Hiya!” The blue hedgehog greeted him as he approached. “Care to join us?” Similarly to silver, his voice was clear of the accent that marked this part of the south. 

Shadow didn’t feel like entertaining any more unnecessary conversation today. “I need to speak with these two.” He gestured to Charmy and Cream before narrowing his eyes. “Privately.”

Shadow kept his eyes trained on the two children while the blue hedgehog stood slowly, brushing himself of dust. He didn’t turn to look at the other adult until he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I heard you’ve been interviewing folks, I was wondering when I’d get a turn.” the other hedgehog snickered, only removing his hand once Shadow glared at it. “I suppose I’ll just have to catch you at the saloon sometime then, huh? See you around!”

Normally, the hunter would relish in the fact that he had finally found someone who appeared to be actively interested in talking— though he wondered how quickly that would change at the mention of the werewolf— this time, his attention was elsewhere. He’d consider questioning the hedgehog later, if he needed it. Right now, he needed to bargain with the younger mobians in front of him.

Shadow cut to the chase. “You’ve interacted with the werewolf.”

Charmy rolled his eyes. “Sure. The dog’s friendly, harmless even, though he may look a little too scary for someone like you.”

“Harmless.” Shadow gritted his teeth in response to the bee’s jab. This kid sure loved to get on his nerves. 

Cream nodded delicately. “We’ve played with him lots, mister Shadow. He’s real gentle!”

He chose his next words carefully. “May I… er… meet him?”

Charmy shot Cream a pensive look, and she returned his gaze with round, hopeful eyes. Their silent communication was lost on Shadow, until the bee spoke up.

“On one condition.” Charmy squared his shoulders, clearly attempting to look intimidating. Well, as intimidating as he could be, given he was over a foot shorter than the mobian he was speaking to. “No weapons.”

“I’m not going face-to-face with a werewolf unarmed.”

the bee paused, considering his words carefully. “You can bring yer knife.” Charmy negotiated, having given up on correcting the hunter’s claim that the ‘dog’ was, in actuality, a werewolf. “But no guns.”

“That’s fine by me.” Shadow agreed. Sure, he preferred to carry his rifle around for proper protection, but he was being presented with a free shot at catching the beast. At this point, the chance was worth the risks.

Cream raised herself onto the tips of her feet, evidently excited that the hunter had actually agreed to meeting with the beast peacefully. She must have thought that getting to see the creature up close would convince Shadow to spare its pathetic life.

Shadow knew it wouldn’t.

“We’ll be out by the grocer’s tonight mister Shadow! You can meet him there!”

When Shadow began preparing for the visit, he found himself struggling to abandon his equipment. He removed the rifle strung across his back alongside the revolver holstered at his hip— two things he never went outside without. The hunter felt naked without them, vulnerable, too vulnerable. Without proper equipment, it would be difficult for him to protect anyone. One mistake here, one oversight there and—

Shadow shook his head, waving that train of thought away. He'd have to get used to it fast, or he wouldn’t be catching the werewolf tonight. He tucked a Bowie knife into his jacket to fill the space previously occupied by a far more practical gun before setting foot outside.

Hidden from view, Shadow watched as Charmy and Cream led the large beast he had seen the night before down the street and into an alleyway next to what Shadow presumed to be the grocery store, though he couldn't be sure as he’d never been inside. His instincts screamed at him to reach for his rifle, to take aim at the creature and save the children from danger, but Shadow lacked a gun. Instead, he pressed forward. 

His black quills and dark attire helped him blend in easily with his nighttime surroundings, enabling to go unnoticed by both the kids and the werewolf as he slinked towards them. The latter only spotted him when he was no more than a few paces away.

Its response was immediate. Realizing that it had been intentionally cornered in the alley, the werewolf panicked. It emitted a couple of nervous growls and whimpers as it raised its hackles and stepped backwards, away from the approaching hunter. When Shadow advanced again, the werewolf snapped its jaws in his direction, although it seemed reluctant to cause any actual harm.

“Cimmanin! No!” The young rabbit scolded. “Be nice to Mister Shadow, we want him to like you!”

The werewolf snorted in amusement, though Shadow was unsure if it was at the nickname Cream consistently mispronounced, or the notion that an esteemed monster hunter would ever find endearment for something like it. It was probably both.

Charmy was at the creature’s side, gently scratching behind its ears to calm it down. He looked towards Shadow with a patient smile. “You can come pet him if ya’d like, he won’t hurt ya.”

Shadow outstretched a hand in the direction of the wolf, who once again retreated.

“Don’t be like that Cinnamon, or I’ll have to use the lead.” Charmy warned.

The next time he reached out, the werewolf didn’t resist, though it was clearly uncomfortable. Shadow traced his hand along its thick fur, which now appeared to be a faded blue in the moonlight. The beast shook itself off in response to his touch, but strangely made no attempt to escape. It baffled Shadow. Most werewolves would lash out in a situation like this— he failed to understand why this one was any different.

“Between you an’ me,” Charmy whispered to Shadow, “I wanted to call him Toast, but Cream always lets me name every other animal we find, so I let her have this one.” The bee smiled lightly as his hand moved down to stroke the beast’s chin, an action that caused it to begin energetically thumping its back leg against the dusty ground. A distraction that enabled Shadow to get a better look at the creature.

Scattered across the werewolf’s body were scars from years of fighting for survival, all of which were relatively faded and would likely go unnoticed in its humanoid form, save for one particularly gruesome looking injury on its back haunches. A bullet wound, Shadow wagered. While it had clearly mended over time, it must have suffered some sort of serious infection in the past; consequently, it never fully recovered. Still, it couldn’t be bothering the werewolf much, as the beast wasn’t favouring the injured leg. Shadow could change that.  

Up close the werewolf appeared somewhat smaller than he expected— in comparison to other werewolves its age, at least— he supposed that factored into its proficiency with speed. The beast was still bigger than Shadow, its size only downplayed by the fact that the creature’s transformed bone structure rendered it quadrupedal. What it lacked in height the werewolf clearly made up for in strength; Shadow posited that it could carry a full-grown mobian on its back with ease.

He continued to poke and prod at the monster. Shadow rarely got a chance to observe a werewolf up close, at least, not a live one. His targets were often too violent for him to be able to risk getting close. The creature gave a low snarl as Shadow investigated him, but made no move to stop the hunter, only stepping away when Shadow attempted to inspect its scarred hind leg more closely. 

“He don’t seem to like you…” Cream observed with a disappointed look on her face.

Shadow knelt in front of the werewolf, opening his coat to flash the knife he had concealed so the hound could see it. It sent a clear, unspoken message: don’t try anything. He gripped its muzzle, analyzing its face.

“He shouldn’t.” Shadow acknowledged. “He knows I’m here to kill him.”

“This again?” Charmy’s irritated look returned. “He’s obviously not dangerous.”

“You don’t know that.” Shadow pried the beast’s mouth open, looking for any more discernible features that could help him identify the wolf during the day. It licked his gloved hand as he did so, causing Shadow to pull away in disgust. A glimmer of amusement flashed in the werewolf’s eyes.

Shadow would have killed the beast right away with his knife had it not been for the children’s watchful eyes. Witnessing any sort of death at such a young age was traumatizing, and considering their unnecessarily strong emotional attachment to the monster, they’d be scarred for years. He needed them to leave before he made the kill.

“You two should go.” It was more of a demand than a question. Neither of the children budged.

“Why?” Cream asked softly. 

“I need to speak with Cinnamon.” Shadow saw the werewolf roll its eyes in his peripheral vision.

“Yer lying.” The bee gave a resolute huff. “You’ll kill him if we go.”

“You’re pretty observant.” Shadow commented, his expression unreadable.

“I’ve seen plenty o’ criminals. Yer no different.” Charmy retorted.

Shadow produced his knife, turning away from the beast to wave it towards the bee. He was nowhere near close enough to reach him, but his goal was to scare the child away rather than do him any physical harm. 

“Leave.” He warned. 

Charmy looked at the weapon, unimpressed, before his eyes widened and flitted to somewhere, or rather, something behind Shadow. Right where the werewolf was supposed to be.

Before he could whirl around to face the creature, Shadow was knocked to the ground, losing his knife in the process. He looked up to see the beast standing over him, now mounted by a cloaked figure. Cream sat behind the obscured individual, helping Charmy up onto the wolf behind her. The werewolf below them wagged, clearly thrilled to finally be free of Shadow’s quiet scrutiny.

Without another word, the beast turned tail and bolted off into the street, away from the hunter.

Before disappearing from view, however, Shadow caught two familiar bushy yellow tails flowing behind the disguised stranger.

He’d missed his chance, but that didn’t matter. Shadow had a new lead to follow in the morning.

Chapter Text

For the third morning in a row, Shadow found himself at the Mirage Saloon, ordering a whiskey after yet another night of failing to eliminate his target. Despite his repeated folly, he at least found himself comforted by the amount of intel he had gathered. The past two days had not been entirely wasted. He had gotten an opportunity to better analyze the werewolf for distinguishable characteristics.

Deep blue fur and a pair of bright green eyes— two traits that might not prove to be very helpful in his search, as a werewolf’s appearance could shift dramatically when it turned. He needed to focus on what wouldn’t change. What the monster couldn’t hide, no matter how hard it tried.

Shadow’s thoughts drifted to the bullet wound.

The beast had seemed unbothered by the affected leg, but that didn’t mean it was oblivious to the very obvious scarring. Such a distinct marking was sure to be a dead giveaway for the creature’s identity. There was no hiding a ballistic injury.

When Lanolin returned with his whiskey, Shadow was quick to latch onto it. The smoky, burning flavour couldn’t solve his problems, but it did quell his thirst— and took the edge off from his enervating interactions with the locals. Of course, the lack of said locals present in the tavern this early in the morning certainly also helped his condition.

The wooden doors to the saloon swung open. Shadow sighed. He couldn’t catch a break in this damn town.

“Thought I’d find you here!” A lively voice sounded from behind him. He recognized it as the blue hedgehog he had briefly interacted with the day before.

Shadow slammed his mug against the counter a little more harshly than he had intended. “What do you want.” He didn’t turn to face the approaching nuisance, but his eyes flitted in the newcomer’s direction and his brows furrowed.

His attitude failed to deter the stranger however, as the hedgehog hopped up onto the stool next to him, placing his elbows onto the tabletop to support his weight as he leaned forward. “I told you the other day, didn’t I?” He smirked, waving down the bartender. “A devilishly handsome stranger wanders into town and you expect me not to be curious?”

“I don’t wander.” Shadow awkwardly replied, choosing to ignore the unexpected guest’s comment about his appearance.

“Sure.” The blue hedgehog mused. “Mulling about the town making friends. I appreciate you giving the kiddos some company, it can get pretty boring for them out here.”

The hedgehog’s remark was met with a scoff. Friendly wasn’t the word to describe his interactions with Charmy and Cream. He could hardly say the bee was ecstatic to see Shadow threatening him with a knife; both of the children were so eager to get away from him that they opted to trust the arguably more dangerous figure present. Knowing he might get chewed out if he detailed how unpleasant he had actually been to them, Shadow chose not to respond.

Luckily for him, Lanolin served as a well-timed distraction. She appeared, ready to take the blue hedgehog’s order.

“And what can I get fer tha most charmin’ hedgehog in town?” She must have been eavesdropping on the conversation— sneaking a cheeky glance towards Shadow as she addressed her customer.

“Surprise me!” He practically sang. Lanolin grinned, clearly unsurprised by the hedgehog’s request. Shadow assumed this must be their usual routine.

The diversion didn’t last long. The mobian next to him immediately turned back to Shadow once Lanolin disappeared further into the bar.

“I never got your name.”

So he was persistent. Great.

“You’ve clearly been talking about me with the locals. I find it hard to believe that not a single one of them mentioned me by name.” Shadow retorted.

The blue hedgehog raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay! You got me there! I just wanted to hear it from you personally. I mean it’s not everyday that we get new people round these parts, at least, not anyone who ain’t associated with the oil company.”

Shadow resisted the urge to rub his temples, instead letting out a frustrated sigh. The faster he could get this over and done with, the sooner he could vacate the saloon and search for his lead.

“Shadow the hedgehog.” He huffed, interrupting the other hedgehog’s rant. Shadow leaned towards him with a nasty snarl on his face. “Monster hunter, here on reports of a werewolf, now are we done here, or must I deal with more of your incessant yapping?”

His blue counterpart didn’t flinch, instead extending a hand in greeting. “Sonic. Sonic the hedgehog.”

Shadow glared at Sonic’s hand to convey his distaste for the gesture, although this action was short lived once he realized that Sonic, much like many of the other townsfolk, wore fingerless gloves. He tore his eyes away.

Sonic drew his hand back and laughed. He reached for a drink Lanolin was sliding him over the counter. Shadow didn’t bother looking at it, choosing to take the opportunity to properly analyze the other hedgehog’s appearance.

It was foolish of him not to have done so sooner, but the past few days had left Shadow exhausted. He was sure he had done more socializing the previous two days than he had in the last year, perhaps in his entire career.

Sonic’s eyes closed, concealing bright green irises as he lifted a glass to his lips. The blue hedgehog donned a brown vest, an article of clothing that was beginning to seem popular in the area, with a tattered red wild rag around his neck. Shadow’s gaze trailed downward, eyes searching for a weapon— a pistol, most likely— to be holstered at his side.

What he found instead wasn’t a gun. A navy brace circled around Sonic’s right thigh with a metallic attachment on its side leading upwards, where a second brace wrapped around his midriff. The upper support was mostly covered by Sonic’s vest, but the lower one visibly stuck out, compromising the gizmo’s hiding place. Shadow recognized the garb as some sort of specially made pelvic hip brace.

“Ya know it’ll last longer if you take a picture.” Sonic spoke without looking.

He chuckled as Shadow growled and ripped his eyes away again. It was humiliating how easily the annoying blue hedgehog could redirect his vision. That didn’t mean he could avoid conversation, though.

“You’ve got a leg brace.” Shadow verbalized his observation.

“Yup.”

“What for?”

Sonic sighed and lowered his glass to the countertop, a distant look briefly flashing in his eyes as he did so. “Old injury from childhood, crippled my hip an’ left me unable to walk properly.” He shrugged casually, fingers tapping gently against the wood before opting to swirl his drink around in its glass.

Shadow surveyed the brace again before speaking. “Looks awfully fancy.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t get this kind of high-tech medical equipment out here.”

Sonic’s face lit up at that. “My brother made it for me, actually! Designed it, too. He’s a genius with this kinda stuff y’know, real brilliant.” He attempted to lean back in his seat. The empty space behind him served as a reminder that he was in a barstool, and he caught himself before falling. “I’ve tried to convince him to go to college but Tails ain’t interested in that crowd— says they’re too uptight. He’d rather be out here where things are more laid-ba—”

“You can drop the accent.” Shadow interrupted yet again. “I can tell you aren’t from here.”

The blue hedgehog scoffed. “Oh I’m not pretending.” He took a final swig of his drink. “When you live in one place long enough you start to pick up the mannerisms around you. I try to avoid it, but sometimes the South slips in before I can stop it.”

Shadow eyed him carefully. “Where are you from, then?” He had intended to coax the hedgehog into sharing this information unprompted, however, Sonic proved to be just as difficult to talk to as the rest of the townspeople.

“Aww, curious about me now, are we?” Green eyes twinkled with interest. “Born in Green Hills. Came here around five years ago, best decision I ever made.”

Shadow hummed. “Must have had few options if you settled on this place.”

At this, Sonic cackled, thoroughly amused. When he recovered, he swiveled around in his chair to face the entrance to the saloon. “You say that now, but you’ll see.” Azure fur glowed in the sunlight peeking through the doorway, its owner’s fond gaze melting through the building’s walls and landing on the town outside. Shadow found himself unable to look away. “It’s got its charm.”

The hunter shook himself off and stood. Sonic made no move to stop him as he did so, likely content with their conversation, and well aware that the other mobian had a job to return to. While the blue hedgehog did not speak, Shadow could feel his eyes burning into his back as he moved towards the swinging doors, boots scraping and thumping against the floor.

His rifle was in near-mint condition— Shadow would never allow significant damage to such an important tool— of course, it wouldn’t hurt to check in with the repairman anyways. If the fox was truly the brain behind the elaborate brace Sonic wore, then perhaps the kid could find some flaw in need of fixing.

He didn’t need directions to Tails’ workshop; Shadow had seen the fox on a rooftop his first day in town, and if the hanging sign bolstering a wooden carving of two fluffy tails outside was anything to go by, then he was at the right place. Shadow rapped his knuckles against the front door, which slowly opened to reveal a short yellow fox. Sky blue eyes stared up at him in shock. Shadow noted the faded dark circles resting below them.

“May I come in?” Shadow queried.

Tails simply nodded, opening the door further, and kicking a small wooden block underneath it to act as a door stopper. The fox picked up a cardboard box full of scrap metal before hastily turning back to his shop. “You’re a bit early, but I was just about to open the shop anyway.” he walked towards a stack of boxes on one end of the room, and added the one in his hands to the pile.

As Shadow entered, he instantly noticed just how impeccably organized the fox was. The floor was cleared of dust, as much as it could be in a desert, really, to look presentable for customers. Every tool was labelled and hung on a nail or placed on a workbench in a marked spot, making them easy to find. Even the scrap metal he had witnessed the fox carrying was methodically sorted and given its own designated location. Shadow admired the kid’s sense of order and efficiency.

“What brings you here?” The yellow fox asked, now fiddling with some sort of machinery at one of the benches.

“I thought you could make some adjustments to my rifle. Something to better hunt the werewolf with.” Shadow spoke with ease.

“Your gun looks fine to me.” Tails returned, barely even gracing the weapon with a glance as he responded. He rubbed wearily at his eyes.

Both of them knew the hedgehog wasn’t actually here for weapon repairs, but that didn’t deter Shadow. He tossed the gun onto an empty table in the center of the room with a clatter. Tails flinched at the sound, and his ears drooped, obviously dreading having to make conversation with the hunter. It was immediately apparent to Shadow that the teen wasn’t very good at hiding how he felt.

The fox made his way over to the table, motioning for his guest to sit down while he took a look at the rifle. As Tails began inspecting it, Shadow pondered his next words. The repairman before him was timid, making him easy to intimidate. If the hedgehog played his cards right, then the kid could prove to render himself useful to the hunter’s cause.

That didn’t mean Shadow had any time to waste, of course. “You have a stance on the werewolf?”

Tails did not pause in his examination of Shadow’s gun. “I think he’s like the rest of us,” He reached for a pin punch, removed the buttstock and began fiddling with the gun’s receiver. “Just looking for a place to fit in.”

Shadow watched as the teen removed the rifle’s roll pin. “And you believe he fits in here.”

“Just…” Tails yawned and swallowed thickly. He turned away, digging into a drawer as he searched for a new pin to fit the rifle. “As a passive party, I don’t think he’s done much to suggest otherwise.”

“Seems you do a lot of thinking,” Shadow leaned back in his seat and tilted his chin downward inquisitively. A glimpse of a cloaked, two-tailed figure flashed in his mind. “But I’m sure we’ve both heard the phrase ‘actions speak louder than words.’”

The fox bushed grease along the replacement pin before carefully lining it up, taking the opportunity to mull over Shadow’s comment as he did so. “If that saying is true,” he tentatively began, “then the werewolf’s lack of action rules him innocent.”

“Hm.”

With a few sharp wacks, Tails drove the roll pin in with a hammer and began reassembling the gun.

Shadow’s words were meant for Tails, not the monster, although the fox had done a skillful job of framing it as such. Playing dumb was a clever way to avoid confrontation about his actions the previous evening. It did little outside of dragging their conversation out, however, as Tails’ frazzled demeanour betrayed his attempts at maintaining an indifferent look.

A tense silence settled between them. The teen glanced nervously in Shadow's direction, trying and failing to stifle another yawn. Shadow’s gaze never left the fox’s face.

“You’re yawning a lot.” He crossed his arms. “What were you up to last night?”

“I was with Sonic.” When Shadow raised his brow, Tails elaborated. “He and I often stay up and watch movies together.”

Shadow nodded thoughtfully and acquiesced. His excuse would do for now. It wasn’t a necessary question anyways; Shadow already knew where Tails had been the night before, only now he had the fox’s supposed alibi, and could put it to the test.

“Your roll pin suffered some wear,” Tails breathed out a small sigh of relief, returning his tools to their respective homes. “Hadn’t resulted in much beyond some minor attenuation of the rifle’s effect. I couldn’t find anything else to fix.”

The hunter retrieved his rifle, slinging it across his back once more. “You got any .45-70’s?”

Tails cocked his head. “Don’t you normally use silver against werewolves?”

“Doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

The teen scurried off into another room, re-emerging with a small leather sack of ammunition. Shadow dug into his jacket for rings.

“Just pay me for the ammo.” Tails piped up, appearing more enthusiastic now that the hedgehog was leaving. “The gun didn’t take much to repair.”

As Shadow paid, he considered how the saloon owner had done similarly in refusing to charge him for water. Peculiar how a people so difficult to interrogate could be so hospitable at the same time. Shadow tipped the fox for the work anyways, only truly realizing the nature of this action once he had already left the workshop. Perhaps the town was rubbing off on him.

Familiar blue quills in the distance caught Shadow’s eye. The blue hedgehog they belonged to was stepping out of a store, a heap of brown paper bags in tow. He reached the porch steps and halted, shifting the bags in his arms and peeking around them as he tried to get a better look at the ground below. Shadow rushed towards him.

Noticing the darker hedgehog’s approach, Sonic withdrew his gaze from the steps in order to cast Shadow a mischievous look. “Back already? I knew you’d miss me, but I didn’t think it’d be that quick!”

Shadow rolled his eyes. “Don’t get cocky, hedgehog.” All he needed from Sonic was to debunk the fox’s alibi; a simple contradiction in their stories that proved that Tails had, in fact, not been with the blue mobian last night. “I’m here to ask you a question.”

“Couldn’t you have asked me earlier? When I wasn’t busy?” Sonic joked, making his way down the steps with ease.

“You couldn’t possibly be that occupied.”

The blue hedgehog adjusted the bags in his arms. “Sure I am! I always bring Vanilla her groceries on Wednesdays.” He shrugged. “She’d do it herself, but Charmy is always tryna pocket stuff in the store, the little rascal.”

They were getting off topic. “Where were you last night?”

Sonic tilted his head, eyeing Shadow curiously. “Is this about the werewolf?” He asked.

“Answer the question.”

“Sleepover with Tails.” The blue hedgehog huffed in response.

That didn’t make sense. Sonic wasn’t with Tails at all, Shadow was sure of it. The only mobians present outside of the fox were Charmy and Cream.

A theory popped into his head.

If Sonic was defending the fox’s alibi, then it was likely that he too was allied with the werewolf, or at least eager to side with his brother in a conflict. Either way, it was evident that Tails had conspired with Sonic sometime before speaking to Shadow, and convinced him to cover for his whereabouts. Why Sonic would go along with it, the hunter had no clue.

Suddenly, the pair of brothers became a lot more interesting.

The hedgehog in question shuffled, clearly growing tired of balancing the groceries he carried. “Now I’ve really gotta go, we can talk another time.”

Shadow looked up to meet Sonic’s gaze, only to find that the other hedgehog was long gone, already chattering with Vanilla further down the road. Shadow knew better than to chase down the other mobian and force answers out of him, he’d learned over the past few days that doing so snuffed out any potential for a willing respondent. He let out a disgruntled huff as he turned away.

Shadow would just have to play the waiting game.

Chapter Text

Well aware that he couldn’t continue his investigation of Sonic and Tails’ connection to the werewolf, Shadow reluctantly returned to his previous sources for information. Unfortunately, both Charmy and Cream refused to speak with him, and his stop at the sheriff’s office yielded no results as the echidna, and less surprisingly, Silver, were nowhere to be found.

Such luck forced Shadow to turn in early. With little else to do, the hedgehog slumped into a wooden chair in the saloon and reflected on the day as he waited for his nightly shift to begin.

The two brothers had given Shadow just as much information as they yielded from him. The fox was, unfortunately for the hunter, a werewolf sympathizer, and the blue hedgehog naturally stood in defence of his younger brother. Ultimately, they were crucial sources of information, locked behind a social game of conversation that Shadow couldn’t describe as anything short of agonizing. A seemingly valuable discussion with Tails would prove to be worthless if Sonic simply debunked any answers Shadow unearthed.

It didn’t help that his attempt to coax Tails into making a slip-up was unsuccessful. The fox meticulously repaired his gun, handling it with great care and respect as he replaced the pin. He had avoided tampering with the rifle, Shadow had kept a watchful eye on the kid the entire time to know as such. Why Tails chose not to take the opportunity to hinder Shadow’s progress remained a mystery to the hunter. If the teen was allied with the beast, would he not be an enemy of Shadow’s?

When the howl sounded, Shadow stepped outside once again. Cautiously, he squinted into the dark, trying to blink the warm lights from the saloon out of his vision. Eventually, he spotted the beast on one end of the town at the foot of the canyon trail, its eyes already locked onto Shadow as if waiting to be noticed. Once it was confident Shadow had detected it, the werewolf bounded away, following the path North.

The behaviour was unusual. It was certainly capable of shaking off the hunter’s trail— Shadow had previously witnessed the monster disappear in the blink of an eye. This time, however, it chose to remain traceable, an action that left him increasingly suspicious of the werewolf’s motives.

While its behaviour continued to be mystifying, that wouldn’t deter Shadow. He pulled the rifle from his back with haste, and followed the beast into the canyon.

The werewolf treaded the path knowingly, clearly experienced enough to know the area off by heart, while Shadow followed more tentatively. As he did, he noticed some sort of equipment leaning against a rock wall, carelessly discarded in the dirt. Shadow would have assumed it to be abandoned if not for Lanolin’s words echoing in his head.

Smithy says he’s spotted the thing venturin' up to the extraction site every now and then.

So that’s where they were headed. The extraction site. For what purpose Shadow couldn’t even begin to predict. Was the werewolf’s aim to isolate Shadow for an easier kill? If so, then the monster was out of luck. Shadow wasn’t going to be the one dying tonight.

The creature never truly left Shadow’s sight— never left the range of his gun either, although it was clever enough to ensure that most of its body was obscured so that the hunter never had a clear shot. It only became more obvious as they trekked that the beast was fully intending to lead Shadow somewhere. He noticed it slow down whenever the rocky terrain forced Shadow to fall behind, quickening when it felt the hunter in hot pursuit.

As the path began to narrow, the walls closing in slightly, Shadow slung his rifle back over his shoulder, opting for his revolver to suit the new environment. The space became tighter, more compact, a detail that didn’t exactly leave him feeling secure. It only gave the monster an advantage, the walls making it both easier to lose Shadow if it felt the need to escape, or get the jump on him in an attack. Truthfully, he was more concerned about the latter.

A concern that was soon rationalized when he rounded the corner to find nothing ahead of him. Somehow, the monster had disappeared again without a trace, a technique to which Shadow should have acclimated his approach by now. The hunter tensed, the grip on his only guaranteed lifeline— his gun— growing more rigid. He brushed the trigger lightly with his fingers if only to assure himself that it was still there. After a minute without the werewolf’s return, Shadow willed himself to press forward.

In his initial panic, he had failed to take in his surroundings, now realizing that they reached the foot of the Oil Desert Zone extraction site, if the abundance of equipment was anything to go by. Cable tool rigs and derricks dotted the site, which stretched even further up into the cliffs. Shadow’s foot bumped into something below him, which, upon closer inspection, appeared to be a pair of heavy leather boots. His eyes trailed upwards, squinting further across the clearing to see the silhouetted outline of camping tents in the distance, the oil rig workers’ encampment, Shadow wagered.

He scanned the area. Still no sign of the werewolf. Heading towards the camping area could encourage the monster to show its face, however, it was likely that the labourers here shared the same sentiment as the townspeople regarding the beast. It would be unnecessarily difficult to eliminate his target in the presence of bystanders all too eager to stop him. Instead, Shadow chose to make his way towards a peculiarly shaped structure nestled further away from the smattering of tents.

As he neared the object, his vision adjusted, enabling him to pick out the fuzzy haze to be a well. Shadow holstered his revolver and leaned against the stone casing, pounding a fist against it in irritation. Another night still not rid of the beast. Another day he’d have to spend fraternizing hopelessly with the townsfolk, as if they’d be any real help at all. His consistent failures upon arriving here frustrated him to no end. What was normally his area of expertise had suddenly become a field of uncertainty. All thanks to that werewolf, that damned, good for nothing—

Something bumped gently against Shadow’s leg. He spun to see the werewolf’s nose pressed lightly against his leg, flinching back in a surprised response to the hunter’s sudden movement. It stepped back, eyeing him warily, its ears swiveling backwards to press against its head. The beast was trying to gauge Shadow’s reaction, unsure as to whether it should turn tail and flee or not.

Shadow stumbled backwards slightly at the werewolf’s proximity. His fists clenched in pure, unadulterated rage as he met the beast’s gaze. What monster would willingly approach— no, not just approach— touch a hunter without planning to launch an attack? Was it trying to humiliate Shadow? Dangle the opportunity for an easy kill just outside of his grasp before tearing it away?

No. He was done with the werewolf’s antics. This whole game they were playing ends here.

In a flash, Shadow retrieved his rifle, preparing to take aim at his target. The beast’s eyes grew wide with fear, its impending doom in the presence of the hunter dawning on it far too late, in Shadow’s opinion. Before he could fire, the werewolf slammed into the hedgehog, shoving him to the ground and loosening his grip on the weapon. The monster must have noticed the last detail, as it darted for the gun and batted at it, sending it skidding across the sand, far away from their scuffle.

Breathing heavily, Shadow turned to his revolver for recovery. As he wrenched the gun out of the holster on his hip, the werewolf seized his arm in its mouth, careful so that it did not pierce Shadow’s flesh, but a secure enough hold that the hedgehog could not escape.

At this angle, the revolver faced away from the beast, nowhere near close enough for Shadow to wriggle his way towards a clear shot. His bulletproof jacket wouldn't protect against a direct bite from the werewolf either, although from the way it patiently held the hunter’s arm in its jaws, he doubted the creature would deliver the blow. Despite this, it refused to let go knowing that its assailant wouldn’t hesitate to put an end to its life if freed. The two of them were locked in place, incapable of acting. They were at a stalemate.

Shadow blinked, realizing that he had been staring into the werewolf’s sharp eyes, and tore his gaze away to strategize his escape. Twisting his head, he peered around at his surroundings, which remained difficult to discern in the dark of night. He needed a weak point, something to give himself an advantage over the opposition. His gaze landed on the beast’s haunches.

Shadow struck his boot against the werewolf’s hind leg, evoking a pained howl from the monster. It unsteadily limped backwards, casting its attacker a hurt look. Once his arm was released, the black hedgehog made an attempt to scramble to his feet. His opponent, quick to retaliate as always, threw itself against him, thrusting its attacker towards the well. When his rear hit the casing, Shadow’s knees buckled, leading him to topple into the pit behind him.

Frantically, he reached for his knife, shoving it into the stone walls to slow his fall. He stopped partway into the well, his chest heaving as he recovered from the shock. His eyes darted down to see that his hat had toppled off of his quills, and was now settled at the bottom, only a few feet from where Shadow was suspended. He breathed out a sigh of relief knowing that the well was ultimately too shallow for him to have suffered injury in the slim chance that he had been unable to catch himself. Having finished taking in his surroundings, Shadow’s gaze flew upwards.

At the top of the well, a familiar canid face peeked in to look at him, an amused gleam in its eyes. The werewolf lifted a paw up to its snout, as if to mimic laughing at Shadow’s compromised position.

Shadow gritted his teeth. The werewolf was toying with him! Even having the audacity to stick around and taunt him! If it wasn’t already occupied with holding him up, he’d have flung his knife at the good-for-nothing varmint.

The monster’s head retreated. Shadow assumed that it was getting a head start on running before the hunter inevitably clambered his way out to enact his plot for revenge. It couldn’t have gone far with its aggravated injury, and as such, Shadow could still have a sufficient chance at killing the werewolf tonight if he made his climb an expeditious one. With no reason to wait, he began his laborious ascent. His Bowie Knife clanked against the small boulders with a shriek, a piercing sound that forced Shadow to squeeze his eyes shut as he continued to desecrate the wall with his knife. He’d probably need to replace the blade after this, such callous usage would surely leave it mangled beyond repair.

When he had made it to the top, Shadow’s ears began to pick up something other than the unpleasant sound. Something subtle and quiet. Footsteps, two of them, rushing into the clearing from the canyon pass Shadow and the werewolf had come from. He poked his head out over the well’s casing, still using his legs, arms and reluctantly, his knife, to hoist himself up against the rim.

Then, just as Shadow’s eyes met the figure, a voice piped up, confirming who it was without any need for speculation.

“Are you okay!?”

Tails.

“I went out to look for you and heard the howl.” The yellow fox yelped, still running into the clearing. He huffed wearily as he approached the centre. “He didn’t… shoot you, did he?”

The werewolf shook itself off and tossed its head towards one of its hind legs, which was now lifted in the air, spared from carrying the creature’s weight.

Tails inspected the wounded leg briefly before continuing. “What are you doing up here?” Blue eyes rounded with worry. “I told you to stay away from town!”

His comment was met with a flat look, the beast gesturing snarkily with its head as if to point out that the Oil Desert Zone was very much so outside of the town’s limits.

Tails sighed. “You know what I meant. You shouldn’t be anywhere near this area.” He glanced around nervously. “You didn’t… chase him up here, did you?”

The werewolf’s tail began to wag.

The teen let out a noise of frustration and flailed his hands wildly in the air as he spoke. “The second he got here I told you to flee, to find somewhere safe, far away from here. I could have distracted him long enough for you to skip town, but you wouldn’t listen!”

Incapable of responding verbally, his audience drooped its ears. In contrast, Shadow’s ears only stiffened as his hearing sharpened.

“I want to trust your judgement, I really do, but now you’re hurt again and I just…” Tails choked on his words.

‘Again.’ Shadow narrowed his eyes. This kid wasn’t just friendly with the werewolf. He knew it— personally.

Shadow heard soft sniffles coming from the fox, whose face was now buried in his hands. The werewolf padded closer to him, brushing its head against the kid’s side. Tails placed one of his hands on its head, patting it gently as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

“Is he still here?”

Following a short nod, the beast’s eyes shot towards the well, Tails’ own gaze following suit. Shadow hastily pulled his head back into the well’s pit to avoid being spotted.

He heard Tails sigh again. “I’ll go check on him. You head back home, I’ll make sure he doesn’t come after you.”

Paws shuffled against the ground as the werewolf walked away. Claws clicked distantly against the ground, occasionally interrupted by a brief pause every time it limped. Monsters, werewolves especially, were resilient and quick to recuperate. It was entirely possible that the damage Shadow had done would heal by the next morning, leaving no signs of stress in its wake. Werewolves were just that prone to a speedy recovery, so long as there was no trace of silver. If only Shadow could have used a bullet.

After a moment of silence, a faint whirring sound approached the well, eventually broken as two feet tapped against the ground outside.

Tails’ voice called out as he leaned over the well. “Hello? Is anyone down there—”

Shadow lunged out of the well, gripping Tails by the collar of his shirt, and practically spitting his face as he spoke. “You’re gonna give me one good reason as to why I shouldn’t shoot you right now.”

The fox let out a squeak of terror, and immediately began attempting to jerk himself free. Shadow held an intense iron vice of a grip, however, meaning that the kid would never be able to escape through brute strength. Unfortunately for Shadow, Tails’ was as quick as he was clever. He whipped a screwdriver out from one of his tails, and stabbed it into Shadow’s fist. While it failed to pierce his skin, the force at which it was thrusted caused the hedgehog to groan in response to the sudden pain. He let go of the fox immediately.

Without Tails for leverage, Shadow was forced back to the stone walls, scrambling for purchase.

When he had heaved himself back over the side of the well, the teen had already covered a significant amount of ground from Shadow. He watched as the fox launched himself into the sky, his tails maintaining an airborne state as he slowly propelled himself back down the canyon.

Too exasperated to chase after him, too exhausted to return to the well to fetch his hat, Shadow merely lifted his rifle from the dusty earth, and began his trek back to town.

Chapter Text

“Furious” couldn’t come close to describing the state Shadow was in. He had always been tetchy and impatient, but now he had truly had it with this wretched town. 

The fox wasn’t just a werewolf sympathizer— he was in cahoots with the monster. Helping it, to what benefit Shadow couldn’t begin to guess. Tails wasn’t a werewolf himself, it couldn’t be instinct. Perhaps the kid truly had more malicious tendencies than Shadow anticipated; it was possible that he got some sort of sadistic enjoyment from watching the creature go after its victims.

An image of the yellow fox lamenting to the blue beast, sniveling quietly as he choked on his words flashed in Shadow’s mind.

His brow furrowed. No. Tails seemed genuinely emotionally connected to the thing, like he believed they were friends. Maybe the werewolf had somehow manipulated the kid into covering for and protecting it from danger? At this point Shadow couldn’t be sure.

If only he had been able to interrogate Tails right then and there. The universe only seemed to want to make Shadow’s job harder for him, though, as the fox had cunningly utilized his tools to free himself from the hunter’s grasp. Now, Shadow was forced to search for the teen in daylight. 

It wouldn’t be hard to find the fox, of course, but that wasn’t the issue. During the day, one had many opportunities to occupy themself to avoid conversation. He wouldn’t be surprised if Tails made a significant effort to excuse himself from the hunter’s presence, or encourage others to aid him in doing so. Shadow would have to corner him somehow.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand as he begrudgingly climbed out of bed. As he got dressed, Shadow reached for his hat, its absence from the nightstand silently mocking him for his previous unsuccessful attempt to kill the werewolf. He tugged his rifle on a little more harshly than he normally did, and left his room.

“Look who's finally showing his face!” Sonic’s obnoxious voice sounded from the lobby as Shadow rounded the corner. He sighed, continuing his trudge towards the bar.

Sonic was settled at a small table off to the side of the room. He looked up when Shadow entered, eyes darting towards the sullen hedgehog’s striped quills. “In more ways than one!” He chuckled, lifting a glass of water from the table in front of him with one hand in cheers, while his other arm rested lazily over the back of his seat.

Shadow ignored him, taking his place at the bar and depositing a few rings onto the counter. Lanolin snatched them up without a word, already knowing Shadow’s order. He appreciated her lack of unnecessary small talk as she expeditiously prepared his drink, the hunter was sure he’d spoken more in the past few days than he had in the entire rest of his career. When she returned with his mug, Shadow immediately took a sip.

Sonic materialized next to him, resting his back against the counter as he spoke. “You look better without the hat.” the blue hedgehog cooed. “I can see more of your face.”

Shadow choked on his drink. He coughed heavily, clearing his throat from the burn before whirling to face the other mobian. “ Why do you insist on harassing me this early in the morning?” He hissed, waving one hand aggressively towards the early morning sunlight creeping in through the doorway.

“Aw c’mon, I’m not harassing you.” Sonic snickered as he finally sat down next to Shadow.

“Don’t see any other reason for why you’d follow me around so much.” He growled back.

Lanolin approached from the other side of the counter, dishing out two plates in front of them. Sonic opened his mouth to make a request, but a refill of water slid towards him before he could speak. He guzzled the drink gleefully.

Shadow stared blankly at the meal in front of him. “I didn’t order any food.”

“I know,” Lanolin began, hurriedly finishing up whatever dishware she was cleaning so that she could turn around to wink at the hunter. “that there’s on Sonic.”

He glared at the hedgehog next to him, whose eyes were closed as he pretended to be fully invested in his drink, which failed to be very convincing given that it was a glass of water.

Despite having turned away from the two hedgehogs, Lanolin must have felt his burning gaze setting the building aflame. “Relax, darlin’ it just means he likes you."

Shadow grumbled, relinquishing his gaze from Sonic as he returned to his drink. “I couldn’t tell you a damn reason why.” Reluctantly, he began poking at the plate he had been given.

Sonic whistled briefly before shutting his mouth guiltily. He resorted to tapping his fingers impatiently on the counter, clearly using every last ounce of his concentration on trying not to speak.

Shadow gave a disgruntled sigh. “If you have something to say just spit it out already.” He saw Sonic jump suddenly at the sound of his voice. “As amusing as it is watching you try to hold yourself back, it’s also unbelievably annoying.”

“You think I’m amusing?” Sonic replied cheekily.

Of course he would choose to focus on that. “I was being sarcastic, you imbecile.”

That didn’t seem to dishearten the blue hedgehog, however, as he kept talking. “You haven’t left town yet.” Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “If yer planning on sticking around longer, maybe you’d like to get a bite to eat?”

“What does it look like we’re doing right now?” He frowned, gesturing towards the half-eaten plate in front of him.

“You know what I meant!” The blue mobian huffed. “Something that’s not against your will.”

“I don’t have time for frivolous activities.” 

“You walk around town chatting with people everyday.” Sonic pointed out. “I think you have time for nutrition.”

Shadow growled. He was starting to get fed up with the vacuous hedgehog. Resisting the urge to yell, he hastily scarfed down his food before abruptly standing to leave. “I have a job to do. Quit wasting my time.”

Sonic tipped a few rings over the counter before rushing to follow Shadow as the ebony figure made its way towards the door. They stepped outside, the sun no longer shy in its path above the horizon. It confidently hung above them, asserting its presence in the sky.

“Where ya headed?” Sonic inquired.

“Up the canyon to the extraction site.” Shadow reluctantly answered. He had a feeling the hedgehog would ask to follow him regardless of his response, which would render any lies about his destination futile. 

Sonic trailed after him as Shadow began walking, confirming his suspicions about the hedgehog’s plans. “What for? Couldn’t be the werewolf, doesn’t he normally hang around town?”

Instead of responding, Shadow used a gloved hand to smooth out his quills in an attempt to liberate them from the scorching heat. His efforts were in vain, however, thanks to the pitch black fur coating nearly every inch of his head. He cast a glare towards the sky. Wretched albedo.

Sonic must have caught this action, as he continued with a curious glint in his eyes. “Does this have something to do with your hat?”

The hunter whirled around to scowl at the blue hedgehog. He spoke with a hiss. “Can it, hedgehog.”

Luckily for Shadow, his clingy counterpart acquiesced. They pushed forward in silence for a few paces before he caught Sonic stumbling out of the corner of his eye. He stopped moving, slowly turning back around to get a proper look at him. The blue hedgehog was leaning against the wall with one arm, his other hand gripping his hip while peach lips were drawn in a grimace.

“Are you… alright?” Shadow asked hesitantly.

Sonic flashed a playful grin back. “Aw, you care about me?”

Shadow scoffed. “Don’t push it, hedgehog.” His gaze flitted over to the bottom of the trail. They hadn’t made it very far from town, if Sonic needed rest, they could turn back now. “You’re unfit for this sort of trek, you should go home and rest.”

“I want to come with you.” The blue hedgehog flicked his ear in irritation before shrugging coolly. “Besides, I take walks up here all the time, this is nothing new to me.”

“If you truly insist on coming, we can go tomorrow.” Black-furred brows furrowed as crimson eyes landed on a navy brace. “You shouldn’t injure yourself for something so menial.” Shadow shook his head. “I need to pay another visit to the workshop anyways so—“

“No.” Sonic spoke, his voice far more driven and stern than it had been before.

The ebony hedgehog looked up to meet the other hedgehog’s brilliant green eyes. Sonic’s normally lax demeanor remained unchanged, a patient smile resting on his face. Shadow struggled to determine whether it was forced or natural.

The blue hedgehog marched forward, brushing past Shadow as he continued along the path. “I’m going today whether you like it or not.”

Sensing a shift in the mood of his travel companion, Shadow decided against pushing the conversation. On the bright side, Sonic ceased his usual chattering, allowing the hunter some much needed peace and quiet.

As they walked, the walls around them began to close in slightly, indicating that they were nearing their destination. While the claustrophobic space wasn’t exactly comfortable for Shadow, he did find that the tighter walls provided some semblance of shade from the scorching heat— a much appreciated refuge given that his black fur didn’t exactly do wonders in shielding him from the sun’s rays. Nevertheless, his unease from the confined space made the typically enjoyable silence unnerving. Considering that his partner had been quiet since their previous, and regrettably fumbled, conversation, Shadow chose to speak first.

“Tails is your brother.” He grunted, more exhausted than he had been the previous time he climbed the canyon. He supposed that the bright sun above them was to blame, its unrelenting heat was far more difficult to bear without his signature hat. Damned werewolf.

“Yessir.” Sonic replied in a sing-song voice.

“He’s a fox.” The black hedgehog noted. “Was he adopted?”

Sonic almost looked taken aback by his blunt words, although he recollected himself before Shadow could question it. “Actually, we’re both orphans.”

“Orphans.” Shadow repeated. “I assume you knew each other before coming here, then.”

Their conversation stagnated as Shadow kept walking. It took him a moment to realize he was no longer being followed. Out of the peripherals of his vision, he saw that Sonic had brought himself to a halt, staring at Shadow expectantly.

“What do you want with Tails?” Sonic’s brows were furrowed slightly, a tentative look on his face. “You seem to bring him up a lot.”

Shadow’s ear flicked as he attempted to mute his burning curiosity. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

The blue hedgehog shook his head casually. “Nah, just… worried about him.”

They were both quiet for a moment until Shadow chose to break the silence. “He is not my target. The werewolf is.” He turned around fully to meet the other mobian’s gaze. “I wouldn’t compromise an innocent bystander’s safety. You can trust my word on that.”

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief before marching towards the black hedgehog and resting a hand on his shoulder. Shadow tensed at the sudden contact. “Thanks Shads, that means a lot to me— more than you think it does.”

The black hedgehog sniffed in response, shrugging the other mobian’s hand off his shoulder as he did so. “It’s Shadow .” He twisted around hurriedly and resumed his walk. This time, at a more brisk pace in an attempt to make distance between him and the blue leech that insisted on making contact with him at every possible opportunity. Shadow heard a light laugh behind him, followed by footsteps that were equally as swift as Sonic made an effort to catch up to him.

They reached the clearing Shadow had been the night before, recognizable by the machinery scattered about, as well as the tents further into the area. Nearer to the entrance, of course, was the well, which the hunter made a distinct effort to avoid in his path towards the encampment.  What was unfamiliar to Shadow, was a large cabin-like building resting next to the tents, which he had previously passed off as another part of the rock formation in the dark of the night. It looked important, so he changed his course to head towards the structure.

A white hedgehog stood on the porch, clearly in the middle of some sort of cheerful discussion with a large, brown lion. Upon seeing the black hedgehog approaching, Silver turned to give him an enthusiastic wave.

“Didn’t expect to see you up here!” The sheriff remarked as Shadow made his way up the steps. He turned to the lion next to him. “Shadow, this is Smithy. Smithy, Shadow.”

The lion greeted the hunter with a friendly wave. Shadow returned the gesture with a curt nod.

“I assume you’re here for your hat?” Silver questioned. He motioned towards the doorway to the cabin behind him. “Come on in!”

As the lion followed the pale hedgehog inside, Shadow turned around to see Sonic, still at the bottom of the steps.

“You go on, I’ll catch up with ya later!” The blue hedgehog called, running off before the hunter could respond.

He stepped inside to see Smithy sitting on the far end of the room, busy with what Shadow presumed to be paperwork. Silver was only a few paces away from the entrance with a black cowboy hat in hand. Shadow growled, ripping it out of the hedgehog’s hands and fastening it back on his head, an action to which the pale hedgehog did not react. Instead, he offered his guest a seat near the entrance to the building.

Instead of joining the black hedgehog, Silver retrieved a small kettle from a cupboard, and began heating water on a stove. 

Eager to prevent the hedgehog from questioning how the hat ended up, Shadow sought for a different conversation topic. “You aren’t from around here, either.”

Silver laughed as he returned to the table to sit down. “What gave it away, Mr. Detective?”

“Your voice.” The black hedgehog noted. “You sound more like city-folk than southern.”

“You’re right about that. I’m from Westopolis.”

Shadow’s ears perked up at the mention of the city. “What part?”

“Seaside.” Silver smiled, folding his hands together neatly in front of him. “My husband works at the Chaotix Detective Agency.”

“Husband.” Shadow hummed in response.

“Have you met Charmy?” The pale hedgehog continued. “My husband and I actually take care of him. Sometimes Espio sends the kid down here when work gets too… well… you know.”

The hunter nodded. Detective work could get especially gruesome depending on the case at hand. It was no surprise that the bee would get sent away in an effort to shield him from more grisly crimes. Of course, constantly being transferred between the two vastly different domains would affect the kid in other ways. “That explains his funny accent.”

Silver’s chuckle was quickly cut off by the sound of whistling from the stovetop. He abruptly stood to address the boiling water. A glint of metal from the hedgehog’s hip caught the black hedgehog’s eye. Shadow identified the firearm as a single action army revolver.

“Peacemaker.”

Silver glanced down at the gun on his hip as he removed the kettle. The metal on it flashed brightly in the sunlight trickling in from the window. “Yeah.” His eyes drifted to Shadow’s own revolver. “You too, I see.”

Shadow frowned at the other gun’s blemish-free surface. “Yours looks like it’s brand new.”

“Yours looks like it’s seen too much.”

“Touche.” 

As Silver dug into more cabinets for glasses, Shadow eyes drifted to the window next to him. Looking through it, he spotted Sonic wrestling playfully in the dirt with another mobian. As the two tussled, Shadow noticed their lips moving, no doubt bantering with each other.

“The lemur is Tangle. She’s actually the one who fished your hat out of the well.” Silver appeared next to Shadow, catching him by surprise. The white hedgehog poured tea into two cups, shifting one of them over to his guest. “Speaking of which, how did it get there in the first place—”

“Are the townspeople armed?” Shadow quickly interrupted. He could already feel the shame burning his ears as his mind wandered back to the events of the previous night. He didn’t need the sorry excuse for a sheriff to make matters worse by ruining his reputation.

Luckily, the white hedgehog didn’t seem to mind the change of topic. “A few of them have varmint rifles… mostly for pests, why do you ask?”

His attention drew back to the mobians outside the window, who must have finished scuffling at some point, as they were now chatting mindlessly with their backs resting against the ground. Shadow’s gaze sharpened on the empty space at the blue hedgehog’s hip. “That won’t do against a werewolf.”

Silver followed his gaze to the hedgehog outside. “You’re worried about Sonic, huh?”

Black ears pressed backwards against bristled quills in embarrassment. “The townspeople need proper protection, him especially, given his disability.”

“I’m not so sure he’d appreciate you cosseting him like that, he’s handled himself well out here.” The white hedgehog frowned softly before adding with a chuckle, “Besides, Sonic wouldn’t touch a gun if his life depended on it— the guy hates violence, just can’t stand it.”

The two finished their tea in silence, the only audible noise within the room being the gentle plink of glasses and creaking wooden boards around them as the house settled. Outside, machinery sounded as workers began their labour for the day. When Shadow’s cup was completely drained, he heard slow footsteps against the stairs outside, followed by the appearance of Sonic in the doorway.

The blue hedgehog made eye contact with Silver. “Knux is here, he wants to see ya.”

Shadow scowled as the sheriff hurried out of the room, his glare almost deadly enough to make the hedgehog drop dead before reaching the door. Almost. Sonic wandered towards him.

“The deputy is here, too? Leaving the town defenseless?” Shadow snarled.

“There aren’t any daytime werewolves, are there?” The blue hedgehog joked in response.

He returned the mobian’s comment with a glare as he stood from the table and trudged towards the door. “I swear I’m the only reasonable hedgehog in this damn town.” Shadow muttered.

“Hey! You haven’t met Amy yet, right? She’s pretty reasonable!” Sonic spoke as he followed suit, notably failing to defend both himself and Silver from Shadow’s insult.

The hunter merely rolled his eyes in response as he found his way down the porch steps. Upon reaching the ground, he spotted Silver and Knuckles, now joined by a short people weasel, deep in conversation not too far away. They were likely involved in some work-related discussion considering the way Knuckles seemed to frown at everything the optimistic hedgehog next to him said. Shadow returned his gaze to the building behind him to find his company still occupied with the staircase— peculiar given that there were only three steps in total.

“Are you… struggling with the stairs?” He asked, eyeing the way Sonic took slow, deliberate steps as he descended from the porch.

“Naw, I just love taking my sweet time.” Was the hedgehog’s sarcastic reply, a bitter look on his face as he made his way to the bottom.

Shadow’s ears flattened against his head in response. It was… unusual to see the normally chipper hedgehog deliver such a snide remark, at least, Shadow had never witnessed it before. In his defence, he had not interacted much with Sonic during his first few days in town, as he had found the mobian to be dreadfully annoying and made an effort to ignore him as much as possible.

“… I apologize,” Shadow frowned, unsure of what he had done to irritate the other hedgehog. “I did not mean to upset you. If you need help, I could—“

“No.” Sonic’s expression had returned to normal, the only indication of his hidden frustration being the flick of his ear. “S’fine! I don’t need it.”

Shadow’s brow furrowed deeper, although he said nothing as the two kept walking.

Across the clearing, mobians and humans alike emerged from tan, dusty tents. Many donned some combination of black suspenders, worn boots and thick gloves— equipment likely deemed mandatory for the site. It made sense, considering the rough terrain and gruelling physical exertion of such a job. Normal mobian gloves were too thin, and would succumb quickly to wear and tear. Humans required protection as well, although they did not ordinarily wear such attire outside of cases like these.

Silver took his leave from the group as they advanced towards the three mobians. The burly echidna merely gave a dejected sigh as he watched the white sherif go, while the weasel at his side seemed largely unbothered.

Knuckles’ gaze locked on to the approaching hedgehogs. “Shadow.” He waved a gloved hand towards the purple mobian next to him. “This is Fang the Sniper. He’s the hired gun who keeps lookout over the extraction site. If you got any questions about what goes on at night, this here’s the one to ask.”

“Howdy there, Bulls-eye.” Fang tipped his sepia hat in greeting.

“A peculiar title for a hired hand.” Shadow observed.

“Legacy from ma hunter days.” He guffawed heartily before continuing. “Retired now. Course I’ve heard o’ you, big shot. How’s yer huntin’ treatin’ ya?”

The black hedgehog crossed his arms and sniffed in disdain, foregoing a verbal reply.

“I know what yer thinkin’” The weasel gave a toothy grin. “It ain’t my job to chase after werewolves anymore. Don’t mind you going after the blue devil course, business is business.”

That was reason enough, Shadow supposed. “If the damn thing sat still for once it would be gone by now.”

Fang nodded. “Quite the vanishing act, that one.”

“You could try staking it out up here for the night.” Knuckles interjected. The red echidna brought a gloved hand to his chin, humming thoughtfully. “Maybe he’ll show his face.”

The purple weasel stretched languidly as he acknowledged Knuckles. “Worth a shot, but I don’t think I’ve seen it ‘round here recently. Did hear a couple wild dogs are gettin’ close to the camps though, I’m about headed out to find ‘em right now.” He fiddled with the gun holstered at his side, his finger mindlessly tracing the trigger in a dull, repetitive motion. “Not sure what kind. Wolves, coyotes… jackals, maybe.”

Sonic, who Shadow believed to be completely zoned out during the conversation, seemed to jolt at the former hunter's last words. He frantically grabbed at Shadow's arm only to quickly release it as if the leather jacket were a blazing hot fire to touch. A look of unease settled on his face. “We should… er… I should go.” The blue hedgehog rubbed the back of his head anxiously. “I uh… got places to be.”

“What’s wrong? You aren’t afraid of a little jackal are you?” Shadow teased, a sharp fang poking out as he grinned.

Sonic froze up. He nervously shifted his feet, repeatedly shooting a grim glance at his own hip before fully tearing his eyes away. There was a distant look on his face as his gaze seemed to land on everything but the dark hedgehog in front of him. 

He paused as his own eyes followed Sonic’s to lock on to the blue hedgehog’s side. It took Shadow a moment to connect the dots.

“Shit.” His expression fell, replaced by furrowed brows as he internally cursed himself for his careless mistake. “I’m so sorry.”

That seemed to pull Sonic out of his trance, his face now replaced with a look of worry for Shadow. “What? Oh, don’t worry about it.” He assured the hunter. “It’s not a big deal.”

“If ya don’t like ‘em then ya’d better get movin’ fleet feet.” Fang mused.

Azure quills made a failed attempt to relax as the hedgehog nodded briskly. He whirled around and started towards the town. Shadow’s hand landed on Sonic’s shoulder, causing the blue hedgehog to twist back around to face the hunter, a worried glint in his green eyes.

“Wait.” the black hedgehog retracted his hand, still twitchy about the physical contact. “Let me walk you to the town.” Before the other mobian could interrupt, he added, “At least to the edge of the site… please.”

Peach lips tilted upwards in a soft, genuine smile. “Sure.”

Fang and Knuckles exchanged a few more brief words with Shadow, mostly providing basic details about his provided amenities for the coming evening— which only really amounted to a free tent. Regardless, Shadow was grateful for a shelter, it would ensure some security and cover while he watched for his target in the night.

Shadow eventually bid them farewell on his own accord, although the fidgety hedgehog next to him may have had some influence on the hastening of their conversation. The two began towards the exit at a leisurely pace.

Shadow could feel a green gaze burning into him. His eyes flicked towards Sonic, pinning the hedgehog with his own intense look. “What.”

“You still look better without your hat.”

“The sun is bright. The shade protects against heat.”

“Yeah, sure... but I’m not wearing one?”

“That’s because you’re an idiot.” Shadow grunted. “I’m not taking it off.”

Sonic’s shoulders slumped mournfully. “Aw, boo. You’re no fun!”

Crimson eyes shot another inquisitive look at the blue hedgehog. “What’s with your weird obsession with my quills?” … Or me in general? Shadow added internally.

Sonic casually raised his arms up and rested them behind his head. “Cause they’re wicked cool— the way they curve up like that? And what’s up with those red stripes? You dye them or something?” He delivered the last question with a cheeky grin and bumped the broody mobian with his shoulder.

“They’re natural.” Shadow grumbled, looking away. “Piss off, hedgehog.”

“Oh c’mon I’m just teasing ya.”

Desperate to put an end to Sonic’s giggling, Shadow sought to change the topic. He considered simply quickening his pace, seeing as the crippled hedgehog next to him would struggle to keep up, but something compelled him not to. Actively seeking small talk despite it being one of his shortcomings was new to him. Shadow convinced himself that the blue hedgehog’s familial ties to the fox were to blame.

“I’m… curious,” He forced the words out. “What persuaded you to move here?”

Sonic’s laid-back demeanour remained undisturbed. “A guy can’t just travel for the fun of it?”

“You left Green Hills. There had to be some reason.” Shadow replied, matter-of-factly.

To this, the blue hedgehog hummed earnestly, thumbing his nose as he mulled over the hunter’s words.

Green Hills was a considerably more secure area in comparison to Rail Canyon, not to mention its lush, verdant fields teeming with palm trees were a stark contrast to the arguably bland desertscape. Shadow himself truthfully cared little for what environment he found himself resting in on the job. Were he to choose a permanent settlement, however, he would never turn to such difficult terrain. The remote location only made the town even less enticing, as the hunter would have to commute by train frequently for his work. Honestly, Shadow failed to see how the area had any appealing qualities at all.

“A sense of community, I s’pose.” Sonic finally responded. “Looking for some kind, genuine people— you don’t get that much in the city.”

Shadow couldn’t deny that last part. “And Green Hills didn’t have that either?”

The blue hedgehog shrugged. “Nothing compared to what this town has to offer.”

“I highly doubt that.” They were nearing the end of the clearing. “This place has been a hassle to deal with, in my opinion.” He grunted in displeasure. Sonic laughed.

“You’ll change your tune!” Sonic called back as he walked, already making his way back down the canyon path. 

Shadow watched him go, a distant look in his eyes as he did so. He opened his mouth to mumble a reply, even though the other hedgehog was too far away to hear it. 

“I’ll be Whistlin’ Dixie.”

Chapter Text

Shadow returned to town fairly early in the morning, considering the previous evening had held even worse results than the rest of his nights on the job.

After Sonic had left, the black hedgehog had spent the rest of the day observing the site’s workers, engaging in brief interactions for more information where he could, although he made no new revolutionary discoveries to aid in his progress towards eliminating his target. Eventually, he had turned in for the night, patiently waiting at the edge of his tent for the werewolf to appear…

It never showed.

Whether the beast finally realized the value of self-preservation, or if it had simply felt that trifling with the hunter was no longer worth the entertainment, Shadow couldn’t be sure. Perhaps it just didn’t feel like venturing out of town, and if that were the case, then at least Shadow had narrowed his list of suspects to McGuffin’s inhabitants. He could even clear both Silver and Knuckles from immediate suspicion seeing as they were both lodged at the cabin overlooking the campsite that evening. Of course, that didn’t mean they were extricated from Shadow’s watchful eye— both mobians were, to an extent, officially responsible for the monster’s continued presence in the town.

Now, Shadow found himself at the foot of the canyon pass once again, his eyes quickly scanning the horizon for abnormalities, of which he failed to spot any. Having recovered his hat from the well— and avoided questioning about it having appeared there in the first place— he was back to his usual morning search for leads. Of course, Shadow had already set his mind on a particular mobian before the day had even started.

His last interaction with Tails was imprecise, to say the least. In a moment of unrestrained rage and shock, he had let loose on the fox— threatened him, even— which was an action Shadow found presently culpable as he approached the younger mobian’s workshop. While Tails wasn’t necessarily an innocent party, he still wasn't the target, and he had made little effort in actively stopping the hunter from achieving his goal, not to mention this same object of his aggression was still only a child. Shadow found that last part particularly palpable.

He almost hadn’t even noticed that his foot bumped the steps to the workshop, too lost in thought to be fully present in the world around him. When he had made his way to the door, Shadow noticed a note tacked to the wooden panel. He peered closely at the lopsided handwriting.

Shop’s closed today! I’m making Tails take the day off for a break, the kid works himself so hard, he really needs it!

If ya want repairs, wait ‘till tomorrow!

• Sonic

He frowned. Of course Sonic wouldn’t provide any hints for their current whereabouts, that would make Shadow’s job far too easy. Was the blue hedgehog purposefully shielding his younger brother from Shadow’s interrogation? Or was the timing a mere coincidence? Truthfully, he couldn’t be sure without more evidence. 

Black ears pressed against the frame of the door as Shadow held his breath, quietly listening for any shuffling from within the building, however, he was met with no sound at all.

Thoroughly disgruntled, he marched away from the porch. If the two brothers were going to be social recluses, then he’d have to look elsewhere. 

With both Silver and Knuckles still at the extraction site, there were few important figures available in town worth questioning. He replayed the events of the past few days in his mind, cycling through the different townsfolk he had spoken to before a flash of pink across town caught his eye. Upon closer inspection, Shadow noted that it came from a mobian in what he assumed was the bakery, given that she was carefully placing a tray of pastries on a windowsill. More important was the fact that she was a hedgehog— Amy, Shadow supposed, considering Sonic’s mention of her the previous day. If the blue hedgehog was friends with her, then perhaps she could provide some insight on where to find him and his younger brother.

By the time Shadow reached the front of the bakery, the pink hedgehog had already disappeared further inside. He didn’t bother knocking as he made his way into the building.

“Come on in!” A voice chirped from behind the counter. “I just baked a fresh batch of the strawberry shortcake—” She cut off as she made eye contact with the black hedgehog. Her facial expression wasn’t one of contempt, he noted, rather a mere look of surprise towards her unexpected guest.

“I hope I’m not interrupting your work.” Shadow inclined his head in greeting. The room was overflowing with decadent scents, although he didn’t find them to be overwhelming. Amy had to be particularly skilled at her craft to achieve such a pleasant balance.

“Oh! No, no, of course not!” The pink hedgehog shook her head to recollect herself. “You must be the hunter I’ve heard about! How can I help ya?”

“I’m looking for Tails. Have you any idea where he is?”

She hummed quietly and tapped a hand to her chin, deep in thought. “Unfortunately I haven’t. He’s out with his brother today, they didn’t tell me where they were going.” She darted away to take a loaf out of an oven, continuing her conversation with Shadow over her shoulder. “Speaking of which, if you see Sonic could you let him know I’m looking for him? I’m Amy, by the way! Amy Rose!”

“I know. He mentioned.” Shadow replied simply.

“He did?” A soft pink hue dusted Amy’s cheeks as she returned to the counter. Shadow tried to ignore it.

If he couldn’t find the two brothers, then perhaps he could find a weak point in their friendships— another way to pry into the secrets the fox was keeping. “Are you close with him?” 

“We’re good friends, yes!” She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes only dimming slightly as she continued. “He uh… actually promised to help me run my errands for the bakery today, but, well… I suppose he forgot about that.”

“I could lend a hand, if you need it.” Shadow offered.

Amy perked up and took hold of the other hedgehog’s hands. “You would really do that? Thank you…! Uh…”

“Shadow.” He awkwardly replied.

“I truly appreciate it, Shadow!” The rosy hedgehog dashed into another room, leaving the hunter to wait quietly alone in the empty store. She returned, donning a thin coat with empty paper bags in hand. “I mostly just need help with carrying some groceries, both for myself and for the bakery… but if ya have more free time after that I’d appreciate some help in the shop!”

Shadow nodded compliantly as he followed her out to the storefront.

They made their way to the grocery store, a building Shadow had still not entered yet. He relied on the saloon’s menu for sustenance, simply because it was located only a few paces from his room. Of course, the food wasn’t anything special, but Shadow didn’t find himself particularly interested in eating for pleasure anyways.

As they walked, he found himself passively listening to Amy’s chattering.

“You haven’t met Gala yet, have ya? She’s the owner, grows a lot of her own crops. A real sweetheart too, though she’s a little shy with new people.”

Upon stepping through the door, Amy immediately hurried off, disappearing amidst rows of old wooden shelves. Shadow wandered after her, only stopping once his eyes locked on to the mobian behind the counter.

A light blue hound with green eyes. She donned denim suspenders covered in messy patchwork over a green blouse. The straw hat resting on her head had a matching green ribbon tied around it.

Shadow’s eyes narrowed. Her appearance was similar to the werewolf’s— almost too similar. It was rare for poor genetics to fail in disguising a werewolf’s daylight appearance from it’s nighttime one. Rare, but not impossible. 

He marched towards the counter, his loud footsteps causing the hound to whirl around in surprise.

“You’re Gala, I presume?” He spoke tersely, using all of his self-control to remain civil. He still couldn’t be sure that this was his target, after all.

The blue hound gulped, her eyes meeting his. “Yessir.”

“What hours is this place open for?” 

“ 6am to 9pm, sir.” Gala swallowed thickly before continuing. “Same as the rest of the places here, other’n the Saloon.” 

Shadow leaned forward against the counter, still scowling as he scrutinized her appearance.

Long, downturned ears. Female— though Shadow technically had no sure proof that his target was male outside of the townspeople’s word.

More importantly, however was her personality. She lacked the bite, emotional rather than physical, that the werewolf had. It’s overconfident unruly and aggravatingly cocky attitude towards Shadow’s every attempt to hunt it down.

It wasn’t that the beast couldn’t be more nervous about blowing its cover during the day. It lacked its enhanced physical abilities to defend itself, so such behaviour was completely justified.

This, however, was overdoing it. The hound’s fear was nowhere near close to a monster looking death in the eye.

No, she wasn’t his target at all.

Shadow relaxed, leaning away from the counter and sniffing as he turned away. He heard the hound swallow thickly, although her shoulders remained tense.

“Apologies.” The black hedgehog spoke gruffly. “I thought you were someone else.”

Luckily for both of them, Amy emerged from the shopping aisles, ready to relieve the stiff conversation from its unpleasant awkwardness. She placed a small basket overflowing with groceries onto the counter. The blue hound rushed to start bagging and tallying up the cost, clearly desperate for a distraction from her other, far more intimidating customer.

“Mornin’ Gala! I see you met Shadow, hope he didn’t give ya too much trouble!” She giggled playfully before turning to the hedgehog in question. “Thank you for the help, again.”

Shadow nodded as he attempted to collect a bag, only to stumble slightly upon discovering just how heavy the contents were.

“What the—“ he grunted. “What are you buying that’s this heavy?” 

The pink hedgehog laughed, holding a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide her grin. “If ya stick around, you’ll see!”

He shifted the bags in his arms to get a better grip as Amy retrieved the remaining ones from Gala. She waved farewell to the hound as the two made their way out of the store.

“You seemed perfectly capable of carrying them all yourself when you brought them to the checkout.” Shadow pointed out. “Why ask for help, anyways?”

Her eyes widened, a reddish tint fading in on her cheeks. She raised a palm to cover them, although the hue persisted in the soft peach tuft of her ears, betraying any attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Well…” She mumbled, clearing her throat. “You’re right, I can do it myself.”

They stepped outside, the bright sun now high enough to cause the heat to slowly creep in, reminding Shadow of why he would never settle in the desert.

“I had originally asked Sonic to join me…” Amy continued, her cheeks still flushed.

Amy’s words paired with the shy look on her face left Shadow with an unpleasant, bitter feeling. 

Even worse was that he couldn’t figure out a damn reason why he suddenly felt this way.

He shrugged the sensation away. It was probably nothing— nerves from wasting too much time on this particular job, maybe. Who cared what the townsfolk here did in their day to day lives? Certainly not Shadow.

Amy shook her head and changed the topic. “Well! These bags won’t carry themselves back to the bakery!”

The two made a slow return to the shop, given that they were weighed down by what Shadow was beginning to believe were bags full of lead. The second he entered, he hurried to the other end of the room and deposited them on the counter. Amy hummed as she joined him, barely breaking a sweat as she began unloading the groceries.

“That’s a lot of meat.” Shadow’s brows lifted in surprise. “What are you making?”

“Some roast beef and stew.” She removed the last package and carried the empty paper bags to a trash bin. 

“All of that for yourself?” He couldn’t help his shock.

“Why do you think I’m so strong?” Amy teased.

Shadow scoffed, although the corner of his mouth tilted upwards in response to her jab. “That’s still a lot. You’re going to have leftovers.”

“Then why not join me? If you help with the cooking then I’ll let you eat some after!”

His mind wandered back to the matter at hand. The werewolf. Amy’s invitation was tempting, but he still had a job to do. Though, to be fair, there was still no sign that Sonic and Tails would be returning anytime soon. Shadow wouldn’t be able to make any progress with his leads anyways.

“Sure.” The hunter agreed. “That sounds… nice.”

They spent the rest of the day slaving away in the kitchen, with Amy doing most of the work considering that Shadow was terrible at cooking. His constant, repetitive mistakes were always met with Amy’s patient reassurance that he was doing great, regardless. His inefficiency wasn’t necessarily an unexpected surprise for Shadow given that he often survived on stale rations and the odd boring meal from a restaurant in the towns and cities he stopped in. He hadn’t touched a stove in years, at least, not since—

“It’s done!!” Amy cheered, startling Shadow from his seat at one of the bakery’s tables.

He hadn’t even noticed that he was zoning out. A quick glance out the window revealed that the sun had already dipped below the horizon. It had taken till evening for the food to be ready to eat, but Shadow could hardly see that as an issue. Cooking with Amy enabled him to pass the time, get to know more of the townsfolk, and of course, rewarded him with a free dinner at the end of it all. Shadow wasn’t complaining.

He watched her unload the roast. As Shadow expected, they made far too much. It would be impossible for the two of them to make a significant impact without leaving a mountain of leftovers behind, not to mention that the sheer quantity of food would inevitably cause it to spoil. Nevertheless, Amy prepared plates for the two of them, and handed Shadow his. Before he could sit down again, the pink hedgehog stopped him.

“Let’s go sit out on the step, we could use some fresh air after all that work.” She spoke, already heading out the door. “‘Sides it’s nice and chilly out!”

Shadow only noticed the second plate in her hands once they had already stepped outside.

“Expecting someone?” He asked, eyeing the platter suspiciously. It was much more heavily loaded than his and Amy’s own plates.

Curiously, Amy passed over the step of the wooden porch and placed the dish on the dirt a few paces away from the building. “Just setting some out for the neighbours’ pets!” She called back.

Shadow’s eyes narrowed further, a sullen look creeping onto his face.

“No need to look so grim!” The pink hedgehog giggled as she made her way back to the porch and sat next to Shadow. She gestured to the food in his hands. “Have you had any yet?”

Shadow’s ear flicked as he took a bite. 

“Well? What do ya think?”

“It’s…” he swallowed in an attempt to stall for more time to think. “… Strange that something I’ve cooked could taste good.”

“A little help can go a long way!” Amy sang with glee.

His eyes returned to the platter on the ground, still an untouched and isolated Silhouette in the shadows, barely lit by the warm glow that emanated from the bakery. “Do the neighbours not feed them?”

“Hm?”

“The pets.” Shadow elaborated.

“Ah.” Amy’s eyes followed his to the dish. “I’m sure some of them do.”

“Then why leave food out at all?” His eyes narrowed again as he turned to face Amy. “It could attract some dangerous animals, especially at night.”

She sighed, a soft look in her eyes as they drifted away from the plate, although they did not meet Shadow’s gaze. “It’s just the nice thing to do.”

“Unnecessary kindness could get you hurt.” Shadow watched her face closely. “Monsters rely on that to get away with doing harm.”

“What kind of monsters?” Amy lightly traced the wooden boards with her finger.

“All of them. Werewolves included.”

“You think he’s dangerous simply because he’s a werewolf?”

“Its existence is wrong.”

“But you haven’t seen him hurt anyone— you know he hasn’t touched a single person for the years he’s been here.”

"That's irrelevant. If it looks like it could kill someone, then it can."

"Looks can be deceiving. That can often be a good thing."

Shadow inhaled sharply. “It's a monster, Rose.”

Amy was silent for a moment before she held her breath and slowly turned to face Shadow. “Sometimes the real monsters…” Her gaze passed through him and locked on to the rifle on his back. “Ain’t even monsters at all.”

The sound of clattering glass rang loudly.

Shadow’s attention snapped to the dish on the ground, his hand already on his weapon, only to find no one there. The only sign of any other presence at all was the slowly spinning plate, now licked completely clean.

Chapter Text

The sun crept over the horizon, slowly filtering light over the landscape and burning a golden colour into the withered stones. At an hour this early the town was peacefully quiet. Even the sharp racket that occasionally managed to echo down the canyons couldn’t be heard. The site workers often didn’t begin their labour until well into the day in order to avoid callous mistakes and accidents that were more prone to occurring in dim lighting. Shadow would have sat at the window of his room to appreciate the area’s beauty in hushed solitude… if it weren’t for the fact that he was already out the door.

There was no point in wasting time loitering around the Saloon anymore. It was, to Shadow, an unnecessary luxury of sorts, and one that only wasted his time.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have felt this way if the objects of his interest hadn’t remained so unreachable.

After the previous day, Shadow had sought out the yellow fox once more, only to be swiftly intercepted by his older brother once again. The blue idiot had somehow convinced the hunter to throw away the entire day by spending time with him. Shadow wasn’t even sure how the nuisance always managed to worm his way into Shadow’s free time, but whatever malicious spell he casted must have been powerful, as it continued to work for the next several days.

Every single time Shadow got close to the workshop, Sonic would swoop in to distract him. He’d caught Tails headed out the door once, clearly about to run an errand given the surplus of boxes in his arms. The kit’s pale blue eyes widened when they met with crimson red, his lips quivering nervously as they searched for meaningful words to form. 

And at that moment, before he could speak, he’d felt an arm hook around his elbow, prompting Shadow to stop in his tracks and toss a glance over his shoulder.

“Already out, I see?” Sonic gave the black hedgehog a soft smile. “I was on my way to the Saloon to find you!”

“I wasn’t thirsty this morning.” Shadow responded, eager to shake the other hedgehog off and get back on track. He had already wasted the past few days meaninglessly deviating from the task at hand, he wasn’t about to waste another perfect opportunity.

“Hungry, then?” The blue hedgehog tapped his foot against the ground. “Or we could go for a walk? I can show you some places you haven’t been! You met Ames yet?”

“I…” He turned back towards the door to find that the yellow fox had disappeared. Shadow sighed. “Whatever you have in mind, but if I don’t like it, I’m not doing it.”

The blue hedgehog cheered enthusiastically at his brooding counterpart’s reluctant agreement, before leading him towards the bakery. While it was technically a waste of time, Shadow did find himself endeared by the amusing look of shock on Sonic’s face once he realized the other two hedgehogs had already met.

And that was only the first time he had been intercepted in such a blatant manner. When Shadow spotted the fox out in the road on a casual stroll a few days later, Sonic physically pulled Shadow in the opposite direction, chattering to himself about how he had yet to have him over for dinner and how it would be the “perfect day for some quality bonding.”

The dinner itself was fine of course. Pleasant, even. While Shadow still failed to see what made him so appealing to Sonic, he had to admit that the blue hedgehog was starting to grow on him. The day was filled mostly by Sonic’s ceaseless yammering, and Shadow’s occasional cold comments or sarcastic jabs— a dynamic that was starting to become amicable, comfortable, for the typically antisocial hunter. There was something about the exchange that felt familiar. The enthusiastic roar of a cerulean ocean met with soundless, stoic darkness. It brought back warm memories from his childhood— a time when things were simple, safe… or at least when they were supposed to be.

And that was just why Shadow couldn’t let himself get drawn away from his mission. No matter how enthralling the subject of his irrelevant and unwanted interest was, he had to stay on task, and that meant finding a way to get a hold of his obstacle’s younger brother.

He marched up to the step of Tails’ workshop and hovered there for a moment. This was often a sure-fire way to summon the blue hedgehog, given that the two of them lived together— a detail that Shadow hadn’t quite realized until the day Sonic invited him over.

“You want to have lunch at Tails’ workshop.” Shadow deadpanned.

“You do realize this is our house too, y’know?” Sonic replied, already leading his darker counterpart into the building.

Shadow followed Sonic as they passed through the workshop, which apparently doubled as an entrance, and started up the stairs. “You two live together?” He asked incredulously 

“Yeah, of course!” Sonic laughed. “We share everything.”

Shadow eyed Sonic carefully as they headed upwards, watching for him to show the same signs of struggle he had at the campsite. There were far more stairs here than there had been at the cabin. One tiny misstep and Shadow would be right there to catch him, to offer support and ensure that the other mobian was uninjured.

“What are you doing?” 

Shadow looked up at the blue hedgehog’s face to see him waiting patiently at the top of the staircase, a raised brow and dopey look on his face as he stared at the hunter. 

Shadow shook his head in embarrassment and hurried up the last two steps. “Nothing, I just thought I’d… in case you…” His eyes narrowed accusingly. “You didn’t have any trouble with the stairs.”

“Naw, I have Tails’ brace to help with stuff like that.” He patted his hip.

“But you struggled at the campsite.” 

“Oh…” Sonic’s eyes flitted away from Shadow. “I, uh… injured myself before we went… it takes a while for the brace to do its magic if I overwork myself.” He waved a hand dismissingly. “Anyways! Welcome to my house! Lemme show ya around.”

Shadow hadn’t understood just how close the two brothers were until then. The blue hedgehog always seemed particularly guarded whenever it came to his hip. He had brushed it off at Oil Desert Zone and continued to be avoidant of the topic with Shadow at his home. For Sonic to allow Tails to help him with designing and crafting a support for the injury, they’d have to be very close.

It didn’t seem like either of them were home, seeing as Shadow was still standing alone outside. He tried knocking on the door, although he had learned quickly in the past few days that Tails was particularly comfortable hiding in the safety of his home whenever Shadow appeared. Sonic, on the other hand, was never afraid in the face of confrontation.

He’d have to try elsewhere… the Sheriff’s, perhaps? Knuckles and Sonic being good friends was another detail he had discovered in the past few days; whenever Sonic wasn’t with Tails, he was often bothering the echidna at the office. 

“C’mon Knuckles, surely you can’t be that busy.” Sonic groaned.

“Well I am.” The red echidna huffed. “Silver doesn’t understand a thing about the extraction site’s transaction documents, so he trusts me to review them for errors in his place.” 

“Maybe Shadow could help you?” Sonic pointed a thumb behind his head to the hedgehog standing quietly in the doorway. “C’mere Shads.”

“…How did you even know I was here?” Shadow asked as he hesitantly approached the office desk.

“Flawless hearing.” Sonic cupped his hands behind his ears with a smirk. “That and that fact that you visit me every day now, you were bound to show up!”

That was the only time Sonic had verbally acknowledged the hunter’s consistent visits. Shadow began seeking out Sonic first whenever his younger brother was nowhere to be found. Of course, he was of little help; it didn’t take long for Shadow to figure out that the blue hedgehog was equally as protective of Tails as the fox was of his secrets.

Which, of course, only drew Shadow to orbit further into the blue hedgehog’s gravitational pull. He had almost entirely given up on seeking out Tails in the first place. 

He shoved open the door to the Sheriff’s office, immediately making eye contact with the red echidna. Knuckles was perched at the front desk, sorting through documents, just like he had been a few days ago the last time the hunter had visited. It was like the deputy hadn’t moved from the spot at all.

“Careful with the door.” Knuckles huffed. “It’s on its last legs.”

“You haven’t put in for a new one?” Shadow frowned, closing the door gently.

“Silver’s job.” He flipped a page over, scribbled something on it, and placed it atop a pile of papers. “He hasn’t gotten on it ‘cause he says the town’s got bigger priorities.”

“And none of them have to do with the werewolf.”

“Apparently not.”

A heavy silence hung in the air. The echidna was very clearly busy, Shadow may as well try to get this over with quickly so that Knuckles could continue his work. “Have you seen Sonic around?”

Knuckles snorted in amusement. “He was just in here a second ago, said he was goin’ to Amy’s next.”

“Thanks.” He nodded politely on his way out.

“Yup.”

Without hesitation, he started towards the bakery. Sonic was surprisingly speedy, at least, faster than any other mobian in town. It had always shocked him, seeing how easily the hedgehog maintained a brisk pace, even with his injury. 

As he approached the building, he couldn’t help but feel grateful that at least someone in town shared his sentiments about the monster, although Knuckles had also done his fair share of inaction towards actually fixing the problem. At the very least, the hunter knew he had someone he could go to for backup.

Despite both his and Knuckles beliefs, Shadow still couldn’t deny that the townspeople had been right about the werewolf’s reluctance to do harm. He still fully intended to kill the beast regardless. 

Prolonging his stay only served to ensure that he would ascertain the correct target, with the small benefit of enabling him to spend more time with Sonic.

He kept telling himself that, a feeble effort to convince himself that he wasn’t wasting time here, that his efforts would be worth it. After all, he could solidify his bond with Sonic and kill his target, right? He had all the time in the world.

At least, that’s what he had thought up until six days had passed since his evening at Amy’s. He’d gotten a letter by courier, addressed from his colleague— who at this point was more of a manager or supervisor than she was a coworker.

Shadow,

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m contacting you to check for a status report on the McGuffin job, as our client has become a touch… well… impatient.

I know you are confident in your abilities, and you know I have never doubted your skills for a moment. That being said, this mission has taken you longer than any other has before. I can’t help but be a little worried for you, darling. 

Know that you can always come back if the task proves to be too much. And quit being such a perfectionist, I couldn’t care less if you got it done in one shot or five. Just get home safely, alright hon?

Love, Rouge

Truthfully, the letter had left Shadow particularly stumped. He had no clue how to update her on the events of the past several days. Rouge would undeniably laugh in his face if she found out that what had immobilized Shadow was his confusing, and frankly mundane, love life. He hadn’t even taken his mild interest in the other hedgehog seriously until the dinner at Sonic’s place, where he’d discovered that his attraction wasn’t as one-sided as he had thought.

“So… you’ve been here for a while.” Sonic fidgeted with his food, drawing smiley faces on his plate with some sort of savory sauce. “What do you think of McGuffin? Not so bad, right?”

“It’s fine.”

Sonic leaned over the table with a massive grin on his face. “Well that’s a step up from before! What changed?”

Shadow glanced up at the other mobian, hesitating to speak. “… nothing.” When the blue hedgehog quirked a brow at him, he added, “The people, I suppose. Everyone is very… friendly.”

“Would ya ever consider settling down in a place like this?”

“What reason would I have to?” 

“I dunno…” Sonic hummed. “Maybe another hedgehog has caught your eye?”

Shadow gave his host a look of warning. “I’m not interested in Rose.” He frowned. “... She seems to be very interested in you, however.”

The blue hedgehog sighed. “I knowww, dude.”

“Why not take her out somewhere? She’s kind and considerate, you two would make a—“

“Cause I’m not interested in her, man.” He leaned on an elbow and rested his chin on his hand as he stared out the window. “I like a different guy.”

There was a pause before Shadow properly processed the other hedgehog’s words. “… guy?”

“Yeah.” Sonic huffed, his lips upturned in a cautious smile. “The prickly brooding one in front of me.”

Shadow choked on his drink. “You’re drunk.” 

Sonic gave him a blunt, lidded look as he deadpanned, “We’re both drinking water, Shadow.”

It had taken the next three days of spending time with him for Shadow to realize that Sonic was being serious. 

He didn’t find himself particularly to blame for not registering Sonic’s casual advances. Much like Rouge, he was a flirt, and just as quick and cunning as her, too. As far as Shadow was considered, there was nothing romantically appealing about himself, and the blue hedgehog following him everywhere was delusional to think otherwise. 

That didn't mean that Sonic’s feelings were left unreciprocated, of course, but what definition their relationship fell under was still left a mystery to Shadow.

The blue hedgehog seemed opposed to the idea of leaving McGuffin, and Shadow’s profession wasn’t exactly one that left him capable of settling down. When he had brought up the idea of joining the hunter in his travels, Sonic had given him some excuse about how the town needed him, and how he’d miss his brother too much, so Shadow dropped the topic. Maybe in time he’d find a solution to this dilemma, but for now he was far too occupied with figuring out what they even were in the first place, and actually doing his damn job.

And on that note, he still had yet to make any new progress in taking down the werewolf. The entire week had been the same performance as usual— Shadow making every effort to find a clear, easy shot at the monster, while the beast itself would dance briefly within his reach before disappearing into the night. Perhaps he could get Amy to lure it out to the bakery’s porch with another platter, although something told him that the more empathetic hedgehog wouldn’t be so keen on doing that.

Shadow caught the pink hedgehog at an open window, saving him the time from having to come inside to speak with her. Luckily for him, the bakery must not have been very busy today, as she greeted him with a bright smile and leaned her elbows against the windowsill.

“Good morning, Shadow! I just finished baking some muffins! They’re still quite hot, but you are free to try one if you’d like!” Amy squeaked.

“I’m alright, thank you.” He attempted to peer around her to the inside of the building. “Is Sonic with you?”

“Oh! No, he just left!” She perked up. “Said he was heading over to the Saloon to look for you, actually!”

Shadow swiveled around to squint at the Saloon in the distance. “I’ll check there next, I suppose.”

“You should! He seemed quite eager to find you, y’know.” The pink hedgehog giggled mischievously.

Shadow hummed quietly to himself as Amy continued to offer more observations about the day. Comments about how quiet the bakery had been that morning, advice on where Tails might be, and more run-of-the-mill comments about the weather. It wasn’t hard to humour her in conversation, as Amy often found a way to make even the most unremarkable topic feel engaging. It was a talent she had in common with Sonic, Shadow supposed. If he wasn’t gay, perhaps he would have taken an affection to someone like her.

When the conversation slowed, he tipped his hat, mumbled a hasty farewell to Amy, and then set off towards the saloon. 

Honestly Shadow had no clue why Sonic had no interest in the other hedgehog. From an objective standpoint, Amy was, without a doubt, the better option as a partner. She was the perfect balance of patience and energy, not to mention that she was fully comfortable staying put in the run-down town.

In spite of all of this, Sonic remained unswayed by the girl’s efforts, and for what reason, Shadow had no clue.

Much of what the blue hedgehog did often left him scratching his head. Sonic never bothered Shadow in the evenings, insisting that he “didn’t want to intrude” on the hunter’s work. This much made sense, of course, but the way Sonic would appear and disappear in the blink of an eye left Shadow with an uneasy sense of familiarity. Some days he was easy to track down, and on others Shadow found himself on a wild goose chase just to figure out where he might be.

Today being a great example of that. He could only hope that hedgehog was actually at the Saloon this time instead of giving him another bread crumb to follow for no damn reason—

“Heya Shads.”

His foot kicked the warped porch of the Saloon. Shadow hadn’t even realized he’d been scowling at the dirt the entire time he was walking. He looked up, levelling his eyes with a familiar face, a pair of brilliant emeralds staring back at him.

“I been lookin’ for ya.” Sonic’s lips parted into a goofy grin as he tossed his hands to rest casually behind his head.

“So I’ve heard.” He spoke with a cold, unvarying pitch. 

The blue hedgehog opened his mouth to speak again, but Shadow interrupted him before he could form any words.

“I’m not here to play any games today, hedgehog.” The hunter grunted. “I know you’ve been trying to keep me from speaking with the fox. I’m not dense.”

Sonic’s quills bristled slightly. “Woah, hey! I never thought you were dense!! I just— look, I was going to ask if you’d be interested in having this dinner tomorrow with—“

“Sonic.” He growled. “Let me talk to Tails.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do, Shads.”

Shadow stepped back in surprise. His eyes narrowed he searched the other mobian’s face for any signs of disingenuity, but whatever Sonic was keeping behind his poker face remained hidden to the hunter.

“We’re having dinner tomorrow. You, Knux and Ames are invited…” His eyes flicked away from Shadow for a fleeting moment as the blue hedgehog held his breath. “And Tails will be there, too.”

Chapter Text

For the first time since arriving in town, Shadow put effort into his appearance.

Sonic hadn’t exactly set a dress code for the dinner, much to Shadow’s relief. He never carried around excess clothing on his missions, as they were largely unnecessary and only contributed to dead weight that slowed his travel. His options for dress were limited, as a result, so Shadow stuck with his standard leather jacket. To compensate, he spent a little extra time caring for his quills instead.

Obviously, this wasn’t exactly a first impression— Shadow had already met Knuckles and Amy, and Sonic was well aware of that. He had to wonder if inviting the other two mobians was an attempt by Sonic to make Shadow’s questioning of Tails more difficult. Their presence would likely make the meeting resemble more of a casual outing than an interrogation. It didn’t really matter how easygoing the dinner was intended to be— Shadow would find a way to get the answers he needed.

He had been far more laid back this morning than he had been any other day. After the promise of a meeting with his suspect, followed by yet another uneventful night, Shadow had little reason to worry over making more progress on his mission before the event with the others.

Instead, he had shifted the majority of his focus to the letter Rouge had sent him. Replying was no easy feat, especially when he knew that any mention of Sonic would prompt the bat to tease him about his love interest. Ultimately, Shadow’s response left much to the imagination, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rouge knew he was often a man of few words, and would have no trouble confirming the letter’s authenticity.

Rouge,

The job is going well. Expect my return soon.

Shadow.

With that task completed, Shadow could deliver his mail to the post in town on his way to dinner. 

It was a surprise to him to see that such a small town even had a post office. It was a remote location with little business appeal or importance outside of the extraction plant— Shadow struggled to see how an area so insignificant could even qualify for or properly fund such an establishment. Perhaps Silver’s connection to the detective agency in Westopolis provided more benefits than he had originally thought. Regardless, he was appreciative of the building’s presence, as he wouldn’t have to travel out of town to respond to Rouge.

He slipped the letter into a rusted postbox outside, flattening his ears when the sharp, creaky sounds emerged from the container. 

As he stepped away from the office, Shadow glanced up at the sky to see the sun high above him, waning sluggishly as it began its return to the horizon.

A visual indicator that told Shadow it was almost time for dinner.

He headed towards one of the few small local restaurants in town. Sonic had insisted on eating out instead of planning the event at someone’s house, claiming it was “more formal and stuff.” Additionally, the hedgehog had also booked it as a reservation, despite the town being too small to ever need one. Sonic’s behaviour was often a mystery to Shadow, and an ever-enthralling one at that.

He reached the door and took a deep breath, smoothing out a few rogue quills that jutted out. Shadow wasn’t sure why the blue hedgehog made him so nervous, but he wasn’t going to let that anxiety get to him.

His boots clunked gently against the wooden floorboards as he made his way inside. The entrance had a sort of walled barrier concealing the tables further in, and before Shadow rounded the corner, he heard voices speaking quietly. Immediately, the hunter stopped moving.

“You have to be more careful, Sonic!” Someone yelped.

“Careful? Where’s the fun in that?” A familiar laugh sounded in response.

“This isn’t about fun anymore.” Tails squeaked. “Things are getting too risky.”

“We’re both gonna be fine, Tails. I made him promise not to hurt you.” Sonic cooed.

“But he can still hurt you .”

“Look, buddy, I know what I’m doing! Shads is actually kind of sweet once ya get to know him a little.” 

“We should have left the second he got here.”

“I’m not going to go back to running from town to town in hiding.” There was a note of irritation in his voice. “This is our home, Tails. We deserve to be happy here.”

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before he continued.

“Look, just… don’t get your tails in a twist over it, ‘Kay? I’ll figure something out, promise.”

Tails' piped up again, quieter than ever. Shadow leaned forward, his ears straining to make out the words—

“Shadow’s already here! I guess that makes us last, Knuckles!” A loud voice called from behind him.

Shadow stumbled in surprise, hastily catching himself from falling and fixing his appearance to hide his embarrassment.

“He’s here, too?” The red echidna responded.

“Of course!!” Amy huffed. “You think Sonic wouldn’t invite his new friend along?”

Knuckles’ vexatious gaze shifted away from the pink hedgehog and landed on the black hedgehog in front of him. Suddenly, the space felt more cramped than usual. “Friend. Sure.” 

Amy punched the echidna in the shoulder, who immediately buckled as his face contorted into a pained grimace. “Don’t be rude!” She grabbed his hand and dragged him further into the restaurant. “Let’s go get seated.”

Shadow awkwardly trailed after them. Upon reaching the table, he was met with a mix of reactions from the attendees who were already present.

Sonic visibly perked up, a bright look on his face as he grinned. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the light filtering in from the window. “Shads! Glad you could make it!”

His younger brother was far less enthusiastic. Tails’ ears drooped slightly, and his hand came up to greet the hunter with what he presumed to be a sorry excuse for a wave. Clearly, the kit wasn’t very confident in whatever plan Sonic had cooked up.

“Of course.” Shadow nodded as he took a seat across from the two brothers. “I have some spare time.”

“Clearly ya do.” Knuckles grunted, picking up the scuffed, worn menu in front of him and peering at it nonchalantly. “How’s that werewolf, anyway?”

“Knuckles.” Amy spoke with warning. 

The echidna next to her merely sighed and resumed his reading of the menu in silence. Just what was his problem?

The pink hedgehog continued. “Lanolin stopped by the bakery earlier today complaining that the scones I gave her were stale.” She laughed to herself. “I keep telling her that they need to be stored properly, but she never listens!”

“She’s always been a bit stubborn.” Sonic hummed. “Not always a bad thing though, she’s saved Charmy and Cream from danger a number of times!”

“Those two have found every rattlesnake in Rail Canyon at this point.” Knuckles contributed, his eyes still locked onto the menu in front of him. “It’s a miracle Silver hasn’t sent Charmy back home for good with all the trouble he causes.”

Shadow tuned the rest of the conversation out. There wasn’t much he could really add to it anyways, since he wasn’t nearly as familiar with the other townsfolk as his company was. Periodically, he’d zone back in to find the topic had shifted to something more unremarkable than the last. Knuckles had even complained about “how hot it’s been lately,” which Shadow found to be a particularly imbecilic comment. One should expect it to be hot, living in a desert and all.

Eventually, a short, brown cat approached them with paper and pen in hand. She took their orders quickly before hurrying off towards the kitchen.

The distraction must have made it more apparent that Shadow had barely spoken a word, as Amy turned to address him once the waitress had left.

“I hope you’ve been finding everything alright here.” She spoke.

“It’s… small, but I do appreciate the peace and quiet.” Shadow responded cordially.

Sonic leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table. His green eyes twinkled with curiosity. “Where are you from, anyhow?”

“Westopolis.”

“Westopolis! Oh— that’s not so far from Green Hills!” Amy gasped with newfound glee. “Maybe you two have crossed paths before, Sonic!”

Shadow couldn’t help his interest. “How long did you live in Green Hills for?” 

The blue hedgehog seemed to stiffen slightly. He shot a hasty, strained look at the fox next to him, his hands fidgeting apprehensively with the edge of the table.

Whatever message Sonic had sent, Tails seemed to receive it as he quickly cleared his throat before speaking. “Our whole lives before moving here.” The fox answered plainly.

As peculiar as the exchange was, Shadow ignored it, opting to press the topic further. “And how did you find it there?” His eyes were now locked on to the kit’s. Finally, he had been given an opportunity to grill him.

“Uh… it was really beautiful.” Pale blue eyes nervously darted between the other mobians. “Lots of palm trees and fields. I’d go crabbing at the beach sometimes in the evenings.”

“Why leave Green Hills for a place like this?” He wholly expected Sonic to interrupt him at this point, however, upon glancing in the hedgehog’s direction, Shadow found his full attention was also directed to the fox.

“I uh… I…” Tails frowned and stared at the table, refusing to meet the hunter’s gaze. “The people there… weren’t so nice.”

Before Shadow could ask the kid to elaborate, the echidna finally spoke up.

“Quit picking on the kid.” Knuckles grunted, balling up his fists on the table. “He didn’t do nothin.’”

“I’m not picking on him, I’m interrogating. That’s my job.” He returned the deputy’s glare.

“Boys.” Amy spoke tersely. “Now? Really? ”

In response to Amy’s cautioning, they both shut up. Luckily, the waitress returned, just barely managing to carry all five of their plates by some miracle. While she carefully distributed the food, he held his gaze locked on to Tails’, determined to ensure that he could continue the topic upon the waitress’ dismissal. Unfortunately, he failed to get the first word in, as Amy piped up almost immediately after the brown cat turned around.

“So!” She chirped as she began digging into her meal. “Sonic, you invited us all here. Was there not something you wanted to tell us?”

“Oh, right!” The blue hedgehog shot up. “Shadow and I are a thing now! Sort of!” He waved his hands excitedly.

“What!?” Knuckles howled.

“Okay so we haven’t really discussed labelling it but—“

Shadow shook off his initial shock at Sonic’s reveal to respond to Knuckles’ outrage. “You’ve got a problem with that now, too?” He glowered.

The echidna pointed accusingly at the hunter. “ You are in town because you have a job to do.” His focus shifted to the blue hedgehog. “And you shouldn’t be chasin’ after someone so dangerous, not with that injury of yours.”

“My hip is fine , Knuckles, I have the brace for that.” His brows furrowed, but he kept his tone stable. “I can look after myself, y’know.”

Somehow, Amy’s patient smile managed to persist even with the rising tension. “I’m sure Sonic knows what he’s doing, Knuckles.”

Knuckles didn’t relent. “Then what’s with Shadow’s fixation on Tails? Surely someone who came to have a peaceful family dinner wouldn’t start drilling a kid like that.”

“Just move on, Knucks, please—“

“Because he’s got connections with the werewolf.”

The table went quiet in an instant. It was like Shadow had dropped a bombshell; a newfound eerie silence accompanied only by the ring of tension preluding the shockwave’s hit— all merely a calm before the storm.

“The hell does he mean by that.” Knuckles sneered. “Tails, tell him he’s lyin.’”

Everyone looked to Tails, as if begging, pleading for him to say that it wasn’t true. Much to their dismay, the fox went completely mute. He looked down at his half-eaten plate wearily.

The echidna’s eyes were blown wide in utter disbelief. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly in a futile effort to find something to say. Questions, most likely, and a few that Shadow could generously provide some answers to.

“He followed the beast and I up to the extraction site a few days ago.” Shadow hummed. “Helped it escape from my gun.”

“Tails… Why?” The deputy spoke in a pained murmur.

The fox flinched, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze.

Shadow continued. “He’s been avoiding confrontation about it ever since. I thought maybe this evening I could—”

Knuckles’ broken confidence was quickly replaced by rage as he suddenly turned against Shadow once again. “I knew it!” He fumed. “This bastard’s usin’ you, Sonic!”

“What?” The blue hedgehog yelped. “Woah, no-no-no, you don’t get it Knuckles, he—“

“Only came to this dinner so he could corner your brother!” He finished Sonic’s sentence with a hiss. The echidna leaned back in his seat, looking down his nose at the darker hedgehog. “If it ain’t true, then say somethin,’ Shadow.”

Black quills bristled. He wasn't sure what to say— what even was the right thing to say? Neither denying nor confirming Knuckles’ claim were necessarily wrong, as Shadow had admittedly been using Sonic’s affection towards him in order to find the yellow fox, but that still wasn’t the full story. He’d grown to love the blue idiot, as embarrassing and awkward as it had been for him to discover. Yet here he was once again, torn between Sonic and the werewolf.

He must have taken too long to respond, as Knuckles accepted his silence as an answer. “There you have it.” he muttered in finality. 

Sonic deflated. His wide eyes dimmed as he took in the betrayal. Shadow wanted to comfort him, to reassure him that this was all some big misunderstanding, but he couldn’t find the words. Before Shadow even had a chance to speak, the blue hedgehog’s face reignited with new fury.

“What was even the point of all this, Knuckles?” Sonic seethed, standing up from his seat. “You made every effort to ruin this whole dinner. What for!?”

“To protect you! All of you!”

“From what ?”

“I don’t know!!”

Sonic went quiet. 

Knuckles inhaled deeply before sitting down. “I don’t know.” He repeated, more calmly this time. 

They were all ghostly silent as they waited for Knuckles to continue.

“Everything’s gone to shit since Shadow got here. Your hip got worse the day you went up to the site with him— and don’t try to pretend it didn’t. I saw it. I was there.” His gaze dropped to the table. “And now Tails is putting himself in danger tryna help that monster, and I’m just too busy with all of my duties to be able to look out for y’all. To make sure you’re safe, to make sure you don’t…” After a moment, he spoke again. “I just don’t want any of you dyin.’ Not to the werewolf, not to Shadow, not to anything."

Sonic’s expression fell, the rage replaced with a defeated, somber look. His hands fell to his sides as he tore his eyes away from Knuckles’ face. With one last glance to Tails, he turned and rushed out of the building.

“Sonic, wait, I—“ Knuckles tried to call after him, but the other mobian didn’t stop walking. “Shit…”

“Let him go, Knuckles. He needs a moment to himself to recover.” Amy sighed. “I’ll talk to him for you tomorrow, okay?”

The echidna must have said something in response, but Shadow didn’t hear it, his full attention now planted back on Tails. The yellow fox peered up at him nervously, silently begging for mercy. A few days ago, the hunter would have seen this moment as an opportunity to keep interrogating him, to keep pushing for more answers. Now, there was a more pressing matter on his mind. 

He bolted out of the restaurant to see Sonic still walking down the road, huddled inward with his arms wrapped around himself.

“Sonic.” Shadow gasped as he caught up. “Are… you alright?”

“Leave me alone.” Sonic responded, his tone unreadable as he kept walking.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier, I didn’t—”

“Please just…” Tan shoulders tensed as the hedgehog stopped dead in his tracks. Eventually, they relaxed, followed by a soft exhale in an artificial attempt to conceal pent up stress. “Have a good night, Shadow.”

With little else to do, Shadow stood still as stone, watching the blue hedgehog pad away.

Chapter Text

Shadow returned to the hunt when the sun set. It would be a waste of time to just go to bed, no matter how badly he wished to hole up in his room at the Saloon. He’d promised Rouge he’d return home soon, and Shadow was a man of his word.

It was something he prided himself in, really.

In his youth, he had often been described with affection as “blunt to a fault,” by his surrogate father— an observation Shadow found to be rather inaccurate and reductionist. What others seemed to find indelicate, Shadow simply saw as honesty, a characteristic that he personally believed should be considered quotidian. After all, a decent individual will tell the truth if they have nothing to hide. Lies are always fatal.

Shadow would know, he had to learn that the hard way.

Every case that followed only proved his beliefs more. Vampire after vampire, siren after siren, werewolf after werewolf. All of which appear in a fallaciously disguised form in order to hide amongst, trick, and feed off of their victims.

The first monster, sirens, are rare. They typically reside near isolated rocky coasts, away from populated tourist sites, where they may be caught and killed more easily. Fortunately, few attacks had occurred during his career, as the beasts seemed to recede back into the watery depths to go after less-risky prey. Shadow, for one, was grateful; he hated ferry travel.

Vampires were by far the worst creatures. Unlike the previous monster, they were far too eager to integrate themselves into a community like a nasty parasite. To make matters worse, the blood they feed off of alters their DNA, making them even more indistinguishable from their neighbours. If a vampire fed on one person for long enough, their appearance could change enough to completely replace their victim, leaving all locals none the wiser to their own loss. The main trait of suspicion in vampires is their inability to handle direct sunlight, and high level of activity at night— a trait they share with the final monster.

The key way to differentiate a case from being a werewolf from a vampire is that the former never goes unnoticed. Their piercing howls are unmistakable, and while werewolves don’t need to rely on slaughtering innocents for survival, Shadow has encountered enough violent ones to know better than to let his guard down.

“Speak of the devil…” He hissed quietly, eyeing a bulky shadow as it emerged from an alleyway.

When the werewolf caught sight of Shadow, its eyes widened. Immediately, it spun around and skulked off. Normally, the beast enjoyed luring Shadow on a wild goose chase every night before vanishing and forcing Shadow to turn in. Tonight, for some unfathomable reason, it didn’t seem very keen on entertaining  Shadow’s company.

And to be fair, Shadow hadn’t exactly been very good company since his arrival.

He supposed the werewolf probably should have kept this detail in mind if it wanted to avoid him, as the hunter was already frantically sprinting after the beast with a manic look on his face.

Kill the werewolf. Return home. Forget anything had ever happened here.

Forget he had ruined his date’s friendships.

Forget he had hurt Sonic.

If one thing could go right for him, then maybe Shadow wouldn’t feel so defeated. Maybe he could return home feeling victorious after vanquishing another monster.

Of course, nothing could ever go as planned.

The second Shadow drew his revolver, the werewolf picked up its pace, rounding the corner of the alley it had just appeared from. Shadow took off after it, chasing the creature down the winding streets of the annoyingly compact town. The tightly knit buildings made it easy for the monster to lose the hunter. Eventually, Shadow couldn’t hear or see any signs of the beast at all.

He held his breath, holding completely still as his ears twisted around wildly, listening for any noise. Claws clicking on the dry ground, scuffling or scratching from bumping into rocks, the sound of fur brushing up against wooden planks…

Nothing.

Shadow dropped his form and cursed loudly, probably louder than he should at night, before making his way back to the centre of town.

The air was still, and yet it brought a chill with it characteristic of a usual desert evening. The sky was relatively clear, although a few clouds were currently blocking the moon’s light. A few crickets began piping up from behind the grocer’s— likely pests invading the crops. Shadow wondered if Gala was aware of the infestation. Perhaps he should inform her in the morning, and, while he was at it, apologize again for being so harsh towards her before—

A sharp, ceramic sound echoed around the town buildings. Slate? No, clay. Roof tiles.

Shadow’s head snapped upwards in the direction the noise had come from. Atop one of the buildings, the bakery, by the looks of it, a large, dark shape huddled.

As the clouds passed over the moon, the form was revealed to be the werewolf, still very much present in town. Shadow had always wondered how it managed to disappear every night so quickly. Perhaps it had been hiding here in plain sight all along. 

Upon realizing that its hiding place had been compromised, the werewolf yelped in panic. It began scrambling backwards, retreating to the other side of the roof, outside of Shadow’s line of sight.

He dashed behind the building and aimed his gun, only to find that the werewolf had already crawled back over to the other side of the roof.

“Fine.” Shadow huffed, reholstering his gun. “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

He returned to the front of the bakery, unsheathed his damaged Bowie Knife and stabbed it into one of the front posts and began scaling the building. Somehow, the blade managed to support his ascent, despite the severe use it had faced back in the well.

He hauled himself over the edge of the roof, heaving with exhaustion. The werewolf merely stared at him in disbelief. 

“You’re… not getting away.” Shadow gasped out. He reached for his revolver.

The beast took off again, jumping over an alley and landing on a neighbouring building. Shadow followed after it. He hesitated at the gap, holding his breath before taking the leap and landing safely on the other side.

Suddenly, Shadow was grateful for the town’s compact layout.

They continued their chase. Each time Shadow landed on a building, the monster would escape to a new roof, hiding behind a chimney or wall so that Shadow would be forced to continue his pursuit. 

On the fifth jump, the werewolf landed with a wobble, stumbling slightly on the slippery roof. It managed to keep its footing, so naturally, Shadow made after it.

Only he wasn’t so lucky. 

The tile his foot landed on came loose, and left Shadow careening off of the edge of the building. The werewolf, suddenly remembering that it lacked a self-preservation instinct, reached out a paw towards the hunter in some feeble attempt to save him, but it was too late.

Shadow landed with a painful thud on the dead ground. His whole body ached from the impact, and his vision swam with his head pulsing. He let out a weak groan.

He heard something shuffling next to him. With little to do outside of quell his curiosity, Shadow slowly opened his eyes.

The werewolf leaned over him, sniffing his face and pawing at his stomach inquisitively. Shadow hadn’t even realized the beast was touching him at first. He kicked one of his legs up to fend it off, only to be met with a dull, throbbing sensation. He dropped his leg immediately.

Wearily, Shadow attempted to search for his revolver, only to find it missing from both his hand and its holster. His knife, too, was gone, most likely still jabbed into the wooden post a few houses away. He’d been in such a hurry not to lose the werewolf that he’d forgotten to retrieve it. His only weapon right now, much to his dismay, was his rifle, which was currently very unhelpful strapped to his back. 

Shadow twisted, trying to grab at the weapon. His left arm let out a pang from the sudden stress, shooting searing pain up his shoulder. He grimaced and brought his other arm up to cradle it.

“Shit.” He winced. He needed both hands to fire his rifle, and with his arm in this condition, there was no way he was taking a shot at his target.

His eyes scanned his surroundings. There were no doctors in McGuffin, and he was on the opposite end of town from the Saloon. It would take a long time for him to limp— or worse— drag himself back to his room to recover.

He felt something wet bumping his hand. Shadow’s head turned to see the werewolf nuzzling its nose against it, clearly worried about Shadow’s health for some Chaos-forsaken reason.

And suddenly, Shadow had an idea. 

A really, really stupid idea.

“Hey…” He croaked out. “I know this will sound a little—“ Shadow’s face scrunched up as another pang of pain came from his arm. “Insane… but…”

The werewolf’s head tilted curiously, its large green eyes watching his movements closely.

“I propose a truce. If you can get me to the Saloon…” His good arm came up to point in the direction of the building. “I won’t kill you tonight… Hunter’s honour.” He crossed his arm back over his chest, balling his hand into a fist as he made his promise.

For a moment, the monster did nothing, just continued to stare at Shadow. It inched closer to his face, and Shadow gasped, not exactly sure if it was out of fear or awe. He’d never been this close to a werewolf before outside of combat, and the sudden proximity left him feeling nervous, uncomfortable, and very, very afraid. He supposed that was what the beast had often felt around him as well.

The werewolf drew its head away from Shadow’s face and began pushing its snout against the hunter’s side, urging him to get up. Shadow complied, still holding his breath. His movements were slow, but once he had finally stood up, the werewolf nosed its head under Shadow’s good arm, prompting him to lean against the furry thing as a crutch.

Shadow wasn’t exactly sure what to say. Thank you for not killing me when you probably really should have? He mustered out a quick, awkward “Er… thanks.” 

They made their way slowly across the main road, still much faster than Shadow would have been by himself. Every time he tripped, every time his leg failed to support him properly, the beast would reach forward to catch him.

Halfway across the town, the werewolf’s direction began to angle away from the Saloon, and towards another building.

“That’s the wrong side of the road.” He murmured. “The Saloon’s that way.”

The werewolf didn’t change course.

“Are you even listening to me?” Shadow spoke a little more loudly. “I said the—“

He cut himself off when he saw the building they were approaching. A wooden sign hung near the door, one he’d never forget with how many times he’d stood at this house’s porch the past several days. Two tails were etched into it.

Shadow looked down at the beast warily. It began pawing at the door, its claws scraping lightly against the wood. Despite the sharp, grating sound, the werewolf was careful not to leave any marks in the wood.

Shadow opened his mouth to ask a question, but before he could say anything, the door opened.

A yellow fox held the door open, rubbing one of his tired eyes wearily. “Hey S—“ His eyes widened as they locked onto Shadow. The kit looked back and forth wildly between the two before rubbing both of his eyes again. “Uh… what??”

“I’m just as confused as you are.” Shadow grumbled. He winced and grabbed at his left arm.

“You’re injured.” Tails breathed.

The werewolf nudged one of the fox’s hands with its nose. It looked up at the kid with big, pleading eyes.

“You want me to—?” He sighed. “Fine. Okay. Uh… come on in.” Tails stepped aside and gestured to the workshop, which was lit up by a warm desk lamp on a table covered in tools.

As they made their way in, the werewolf caught sight of the lamp. It whirled towards Tails with a frustrated look on its face.

“You’re a big dog right now and I have no idea what you mean when you just glare at me.” Tails responded to the sudden reaction. When the beast's expression didn’t change, the fox continued. “Look, it’s a good thing that I’m awake, right? So I can take care of your… uh…” he looked at Shadow questioningly. “Friend?”

Shadow didn’t comment on the label as the werewolf led him to a place to sit down— he didn’t need to give the fox any reason not to help him. 

Once Shadow was situated, the monster padded over to the kit and gave him a few licks on the hand. The fox laughed in response. “Okay, okay, stop that! Now I’ve gotta wash all your slobber off!” 

The werewolf’s eyes had an amused twinkle to them as it left to go lay down near the door. The hunter watched it spin around in a few circles before curling up into a tight ball and letting out a hefty sigh.

Once Tails had finished making preparations, he returned to Shadow’s side. “Alright… What hurts?”

“Everything.” Shadow replied dryly, struggling to keep his eyes from straying to the big beast in the corner.

“Well, what should I look at first?”

Shadow looked to his left. “My arm. It was the first to break my fall.”

“Your fall?”

“Off of a building.”

Tails’ mouth made the shape of an ‘o’ as he quietly resumed the check-up. He lifted Shadow’s arm curiously, poking and prodding at it from different angles before sighing. “Figures. Your shoulder’s been dislocated.”

“Damn it.” He’d have to see a specialist in the city for something like this, but making the trek back while injured would be painful, not to mention the hit to his ego he’d get from leaving empty-handed.

“I can fix it, but it’ll hurt a little.” Tails hummed.

“You can?” Shadow asked incredulously. “How would you know anything about this type of thing?”

“I’ve uh… read up on it quite a bit before, just rarely ever actually set something back in place myself.”

He knew it wasn’t the time for questions, but Shadow couldn’t help himself. The kit only ever got more peculiar the more he interacted with him. “You seem to have a very… well-rounded education. You read up on these things often?”

“Just anything that interests me, to be honest.”

“And you find chiropractic interesting.”

Tails paused for a moment before responding. “It can come in handy, y’know. What with the little kids always getting into trouble and the injuries from all the hard work up at Oil Desert Zone.” He spoke matter-of-factly. “Now let me focus.”

Shadow shut up as Tails carefully set the joint back in place. One cracking sound later and Shadow’s shoulder felt better. Still sore, but nowhere near as bad as it had been before. Truthfully, he was surprised the kit hadn’t worsened his condition.

He stretched his arm loosely. “Everything else is mostly just sore.”

Tails nodded. “I’ll bring you some pain meds and ice then.”

As the kit scurried off, Shadow’s eyes returned to the werewolf, his mind flashing through all of the events that had taken place that night. Even when given the perfect opportunity to put an end to Shadow’s career, the beast refused to fight back. No matter how hard the hedgehog tried to kill it, the werewolf would never return Shadow’s unsavoury treatment with its own.

He just couldn’t understand.

Monsters were sadistic.

“…so why aren’t you?” Shadow mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

His eyes traced the beast’s form once more before falling to its crippled leg.

Tails hurried back into the room with his arms full of supplies. “Here.” He placed a small container of white tablets on the table. “These should help.”

“Thank you.” Shadow spoke earnestly.

“I’ll tie the ice bag around your arm for you. Hopefully it brings you some relief.” The fox hummed while wrapping the hunter’s arm. “You need to rest up here for the night… but you’ll be good to go by morning.”

“I appreciate all the help you’ve given me.” Shadow continued, watching as the kit returned to his project at the lighted workbench. “I haven’t the faintest idea why you’d do any of this. Especially after the dinner yesterday.”

“Me neither.” Tails sighed.

Shadow glanced at the pile of fur curled up in the corner. “You and the werewolf must be pretty close.”

“Er… sure, you could say that.”

“What’s up with the bullet wound on its leg?” The beast either didn’t care, or was sound asleep, as it made no move to suggest it was bothered by Shadow’s inquiry.

“No one knows.” The fox didn’t turn around, completely engrossed in tinkering with some metallic object at his desk. “People say he was like that when he got here.”

“But you know the monster personally. You haven’t asked about it?”

“Seems like an awfully private thing to ask someone about.” Tails retaliated. “And please don’t call him a monster.”

“Hm.” Shadow acquiesced, leaning back in his seat.

The werewolf’s ears pricked up and its eyes snapped open. It lifted its head, listening for some distant sound it heard, if its swivelling ears were anything to go by. After a moment of staring, it stretched and yawned before padding out the door into the night.

“Is Sonic awake too?” Shadow asked. “I’d like to apologize to him.”

“No! No, Sonic’s asleep.” The kit yelped hastily. “I don’t want to bother him, he gets… uh, really cranky if I wake him too early.”

“Right.” Shadow nodded, rubbing his sore arm lightly as he tried to collect his words. “Then I’ll apologize to you first.” He took a deep breath in. “I haven’t exactly been the nicest to you, which is rather… unbecoming of me considering everything going on between your brother and I. I’d like to leave you in peace, believe me, I really would.”

Tails didn’t respond, merely setting down the tool in his hand quietly while he listened. Shadow took that as permission to continue.

“But you,” He stared bullets through the back of Tails’ head. “Are withholding information. You know the identity of my target, and if you just tell me who it is then I can be on my way.”

The fox shuddered. “I can’t.”

“It would be an act of service to your town if you did.”

“You’ll kill him.” 

“It’s my job to.”

“Don’t.”

This kid was really testing Shadow’s patience now. He made an effort not to let his frustration show. “Why do you insist on protecting your pet werewolf?”

“He’s not a pet. ” Tails gripped the wrench in his hand tightly. “He’s my family .”

“Family.” Shadow’s brow furrowed.

“He refuses to protect himself.” The kit rambled, picking up his project again with renewed, frantic energy. “I’ve tried to convince him to flee but he just won’t, he keeps saying he’s tired of running around and that we shouldn’t have to fight for the right to stay here—“

“We.” Shadow repeated. “You knew the beast before it came here.”

The fox fell completely still again. Whatever connection the fox was trying to hide, Shadow was close to uncovering it.

“You travelled here with the werewolf.” He continued.

No. That couldn’t be right, Tails didn’t come to McGuffin with the werewolf , he came here with—

“Sonic.” Shadow mumbled.

Tails whirled around in horror.

For the werewolf to trust Tails this much, they’d have to be close… for Sonic to trust the fox with his injury, they’d have to be— Shadow’s head started spinning.

“You’ve got a leg brace.” Shadow verbalized his observation.

“Yup.”

“What for?”

Sonic sighed and lowered his glass to the countertop, a distant look briefly flashing in his eyes as he did so. “Old injury from childhood, crippled my hip an’ left me unable to walk properly.”

No.

Shadow surveyed the brace again before speaking. “Looks awfully fancy.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t get this kind of high-tech medical equipment out here.”

Sonic’s face lit up at that. “My brother made it for me, actually! Designed it, too. He’s a genius with this kinda stuff y’know, real brilliant.”

No no no no no.

“Sonic wouldn’t touch a gun if his life depended on it— the guy hates violence, just can’t stand it.”

“The werewolf has never harmed anyone.”

No no no no no no no.

“I’m not going to go back to running from town to town in hiding.”

It made perfect sense. Their sleepover alibis, Tails’ leg brace and the werewolf’s bullet wound, Sonic’s reluctance to allow Shadow to interrogate his brother... All of the loose strands were being tied into a neat little bow. He was used to this— used to exposing his targets before going in for the kill. Like usual, the culprit’s identity was being handed to him on a silver platter, only this time, the meal was far more unappetizing than he could have imagined. Shadow felt sick.

“Sonic’s not asleep, is he.” He said it more like it was a fact than a question. “He’s not upstairs at all.”

Tails didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. Shadow already knew the answer long before he asked.

The werewolf was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog.

And Shadow had to kill him.

Chapter Text

Metal and disinfectant. Home always smelled of metal and disinfectant. Not a day went by where Shadow didn’t want to claw his nose off from how intense the scent was. He was a mobian after all, their olfactory glands were far more powerful than any human’s. It was a physical characteristic his family didn’t share with him, so of course, Shadow learned to put up with it for their sake.

As terrible as the smell was, he never regretted sacrificing his comfort. Shadow loved his family immensely, nothing could change that. Every new odour, every bright light, every loud machine— Shadow could handle it, because his family was worth it. She was worth it.

Shadow walked down a dim hallway— dimmer than usual, he noted. He felt light, weightless even, as though he might float away if there were even the slightest draft. As his bare feet tapped quietly against the ground, he could hear the clicking sound echo against the dull blue walls. Mobian customs dictated that one should cover their hands and feet, but Shadow wouldn’t learn this until he moved out. Being raised by humans meant he never truly knew much of his race’s history and culture. He was often sheltered from a lot of things. Too many things.

He made his way to the bedroom, the smell only growing stronger the closer he got. Shadow poked his head through the door.

“Hello…?”

Upon hearing the voice, he stepped into the room and slowly approached the bed in the centre.

“Shadow…?”

Bright blue eyes met his own. A faint, and yet somehow ever-present warmth emanated from them. He reached a hand out towards the girl, expecting her to meet him halfway. Instead, her hand quickly shot towards his shoulder, grabbing his bicep with more force than he expected. Her eyes widened in fear, no longer looking at him, but through him, completely fixated on something he could not see.

“Shadow! Shadow!!”

She called out his name in a panic. Shadow spun around, desperate to find the source of her sudden distress. Only upon doing so, he found nothing behind him but a worn mirror.

Shadow tried to ignore the unease bubbling up from his gut as he turned to face her. “It’s okay. We’re okay, there’s nothing—”

She was gone. “There.”

He swallowed thickly. Shadow turned again, this time in a slow, rigid motion to look back at his reflection.

The first thing he noticed was the dark, dramatically curved hat he adorned. A cowboy hat. Funny, Shadow couldn’t remember the last time he’d dressed up. He rarely wore clothes, and when he did it was usually to entertain his sister’s love for Halloween.

But right now, it wasn’t Halloween, and his sister wasn’t here. The longer he stared in the mirror, the more Shadow noticed about his attire that confused him. He wore gloves, boots, a leather jacket…

And a rifle was strapped to his back.

“Shadow!? Shadow!!”

Shadow awoke to a squeaky, high-pitched voice yelling and leather-gloved hands vigorously shaking his arm. He pried his eyes open slowly, immediately locking on to pale blue ones, rounded with worry. He tried to brush the nagging feeling of familiarity away.

“Oh thank Chaos!” Tails yelped. “I’ve been trying to wake you for like… an hour!!”

Shadow groaned. His body was heavy as a rock, every simple movement felt groggy. It took all of his physical effort just to sit up properly.

“I-I thought I’d killed you… You were completely unresponsive— I kept thinking about how Sonic would react,” He gulped. “I d-didn’t know if you were gonna be okay…”

Shadow’s eyes widened briefly. Right. Sonic. He shook his head, trying to recover from how muddled his mind was. “You… thought you killed me.” He processed the fox’s words slowly.

“The pain medication I gave you,” The kit started, only stepping away from Shadow once he was sure that the hedgehog was actually conscious. “Well… it also functions as a sleeping pill. I… uh… didn’t have any other kind to give you.”

A painkiller that could knock someone into a deep sleep. Shadow hated that he didn’t find it unusual for the kid to possess such a thing. He hated how much sense it made.

No. Focusing on that wouldn’t help him. He needed to get ahold of his bearings, to clear his mind. The best place to start? Figuring out how long he had been out of commission for.

“What time is it?” Shadow rasped. His throat felt dry, either from sleeping for so long, or from the lengthy conversation he was pretending not to have had last night.

“Well…” Tails retrieved a somewhat rusted watch from his pocket. “It’s almost 3pm… They’re strong pills, and you took them at a pretty late hour.”

“3pm.” He echoed weakly. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Will I be going back to the Saloon today?”

The fox gulped nervously. “Y-yes, sorry. Just…” he tossed a thumb over his shoulder. “Let me check your vitals. I’m still a little worried about your condition.”

Shadow waited patiently while the kit rummaged around for some device. Even once Tails had returned, now poking and prodding the hedgehog curiously while flicking through different settings on the machine, Shadow felt no urge to rush him. Truthfully, he did not want to leave.

Unfortunately for the hunter, Tails was an efficient worker, and before he was even fully aware of it, Shadow found himself ushered outside. He couldn’t blame the fox for wanting to rid himself of the deadweight he’d been forced to care for in the night, especially given his dependent’s more sinister motivations.

“You’ll probably still feel a bit sore,” Tails began. “But you won’t have any permanent injuries. You’re free to er… do as you please.” The kit delivered the last part awkwardly.

“Thanks.” Shadow’s tongue felt like lead in his mouth. “For everything.”

With one final, curt nod, he headed back towards the Saloon. There wasn’t much of the day left, and Shadow still had much to do. Despite what Tails’ claimed, he still felt extremely heavy on the walk back.

“Ya alright?” Lanolin called as Shadow entered the building.

“Yeah,” His stomach lurched with rocks he never swallowed. “Just an unexpected stay last night.”

“Sonic, right?” The sheep emerged from behind the counter, her face unreadable.

Shadow froze.

“Aw, don’t look so tense!” She flashed him a cheeky grin before returning back below the counter. “Had a feelin’ you two would hit it off.”

He remained where he was for a moment, unable to find the words to respond. When it was clear that the sheep had nothing else to say, Shadow quietly returned to his room.

The room was eerily silent, filled only by the thunk of his boots against the floor. A silence that had long been appreciated by the hunter now felt intrusive and unpleasant. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched, like his morals were monitoring his actions over his shoulder. Shadow clicked the door shut behind him.

He was going to die. Well, of course Shadow always knew the werewolf was going to die, but now Sonic was too.

He shook his head. They weren’t even two separate people. Sonic had been manipulating him—that hedgehog was the werewolf, and the werewolf had to die.

Shadow approached a small round table, tugging his rifle off of his back before hesitantly placing it down. He traced a gloved finger across the wooden grain on the end of the stock.

The werewolf had never harmed anyone, Shadow gleaned that much. From what the townsfolk had provided, there wasn’t a single case of an attack during the werewolf’s occupation. Sonic had done nothing wrong, and yet Shadow’s job demanded that he be killed—that he be punished for existing.

He opened the action, and extracted the loaded bullet from his rifle. It gleamed in his hand, beaming back light from the lowering sun outside the window. Pure silver.

Silver by itself was enough to kill a werewolf over time—the material acted like a venom, poisoning the beast over time, until it inevitably perished. A well-aimed shot to a vital area, and the monster would die in a week’s time without intervention. Perhaps a month or two, if landed on a less crucial body part. With this knowledge, anyone could have finished his target off before Shadow had even arrived. He himself could have done Sonic in at this point.

But inaccuracy just wasn’t Shadow’s style.

He always finished off his targets in a rather quick and clean fashion. Shadow was efficient, effective, and a famously reliable source for handling any sort of anomalous cause of danger. Why waste the ammo, anyways? His economically friendly methods only furthered his reputation as a hunter, there was no point in changing that.

At some point, his sense of strategy must have mutated into a form of obsession; Even Rouge of all people had called his actions perfectionistic.

He spotted her letter atop the table, laying next to the rifle. Shadow picked it up and carefully reread it. He knew he hadn’t missed anything—he’d never hear the end of it if Rouge found out that he was skimming her letters—he just needed a little more time. Time to think. Time to do anything but act.

The bat was one of the few individuals who Shadow would even consider calling a friend. Ever since they met she had always looked out for him, of course, not without expecting a reciprocal favour in return for her help. That was never a bad thing, though, as Shadow found himself greatly appreciative of her transparency. It was what made Rouge a trustworthy and respectable ally to him. Her honesty.

And monsters were anything but honest.

As he returned the letter to the table, Shadow’s hand brushed against a small leather sack. Its weight led it to lean precariously to one side, as if it might topple at any moment. He picked up the sack and opened it, still full of the ammunition he had purchased from a certain yellow fox a mere few days ago. Monsters weren’t the only threat; their companions could be equally as unreliable.

Shadow plucked a bullet out from within the bag. He held it up in the sunlight, carefully examining it for flaws that were never going to appear. He held it up next to the silver bullet, mindlessly comparing their sheens.

Sonic was a fluke. He had to be. Werewolves, like any abnormal creature, were inherently aggressive, it was in their violent nature. Sonic’s kindness, his patience, his capacity to disarm the hunter with genuine innocence left Shadow disoriented.

None of that mattered to the law, of course. His existence was a crime, and one that he had to pay for with his life.

Shadow shook his head. His thoughts were too loud. He desperately wanted to grab at his gun, raise it to the sky and shoot in a manic display of defiance. A sharp, cracking sound to interrupt the chaos.

But he didn’t. No, he kept his composure.

Because Shadow wasn’t a monster.

“Damn it.” He cursed, slamming a fist against the table in frustration. It always came back to that accursed word. The irony of it drove him mad.

Shadow took a deep breath to clear his mind. He’d have to make a decision, and whatever choice he picked, he would be forced to live with for an eternity. There was no way out, no do-overs, no silver lining.

“Silver lining.” Shadow hummed to himself.

His eyes flitted around the table, scanning the items strewn about it as if they’d provide him a clear answer. After a moment of deliberation, he paused, gaze now returned back to the two bullets in front of him.

He only had one shot to make things right.

Shadow grabbed a bullet, reloaded his rifle, and stepped out the door.

He spoke to Lanolin in passing. “Any idea where Sonic is?”

“Already miss him, huh?” The sheep rolled her eyes. “Down by the edge of town, I bet. Gettin’ some new site workers arrived today an’ he likes to make sure everyone got here safely. Says he stays late to watch the sun set.”

Shadow nodded and tipped his hat in thanks before heading outside.

The sun hung low in the sky, barely resting above the horizon. It wasn’t really a surprise to see—Shadow had wasted a lot of daylight both sleeping and deliberating. He only wished he had more time.

Not much he could do about that now. Shadow sighed and continued walking.

His boots tapped softly against the ground, barely making an imprint in the dirt beneath him. Few townspeople were outside at this hour, and those who were still mulling about appeared to be the workers Lanolin had spoken of earlier. Shadow passed through the town like an anxious ghost, trying desperately to go unnoticed, not that anyone was paying him any mind anyways. To everyone else, it was a typical day in McGuffin, to Shadow, it was his last.

He was nearing the edge of town now, the hedgehog he was searching for still nowhere in sight. Perhaps Lanolin was wrong…?

Blue quills caught his eyes, their owner resting lazily against a boulder just beyond the town limits.

Shadow slowly made his way towards them. “the bartender said you might be here.”

Sonic jumped slightly in surprise, relaxing only once he realized who his unexpected guest was. He patted the surface of the ground next to him.

Shadow reluctantly took a seat.

“Check out the view.” Sonic whispered.

He followed the blue hedgehog’s gaze to the horizon. The sun burned vividly, streaking a warm purple-orange blister across the sky.

“It’s beautiful.”

Sonic shook his head. “That’s not all. Look up.”

Above them, thousands of white flecks glittered against the sky. They were just barely visible, a ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ sort of sight, but there nonetheless.

“At this time of day, the sky is just dark enough for the stars to be visible, and the sun is just bright enough to turn everything orange.” He sighed wistfully. “You don’t get stuff like this in the city.”

Shadow hummed. “I suppose this is what you meant when you said the town has its charm?”

The hedgehog smiled softly. “The view is nice, but it’s more than that. The people here don’t care about who you are or where you came from. You’re free from judgement out in the desert.” He paused for a moment. “It’s… safe. I guess that’s what makes it home.”

Not sure of what to say in response, Shadow allowed silence to speak for him. It was quiet out here, most animals and people alike now holed up in their homes for the evening. He simply embraced the peace, enjoying the sight of both the sky in front of him and the company beside him.

It was a peace that wouldn’t last, given how quickly the sun was setting. It didn’t take long for the azure hedgehog to start getting antsy.

“Thanks for staying with me. This was nice.” Sonic patted dust off of his legs as he stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘Kay?”

“Wait.” Shadow grabbed the other mobian’s arm, freezing him in his tracks. “I need to talk to you.”

Sonic cast an apprehensive look to the sun, now starting to dip below the horizon. “Can it wait? I’m kind of exhausted.”

He kept a firm grip on Sonic’s arm. “No. It can’t.”

The blue hedgehog cocked a brow at the hunter. “Shads please, I’ve got a lot to do tonight before I go to bed and—“

“Like what?”

He frowned. “That’s none of your business.”

Shadow’s grip tightened. “I think you and I both know it is.”

“Let go of me Shads.”

The darker mobian didn’t respond, body completely still, eyes locked onto the other hedgehog’s face. He just needed a little more time. One last chance to see if this was all a big misunderstanding before he was forced to commit to his decision.

“Shads?” Sonic’s expression quickly became more tense with uncertainty, and each tug of his arm was met with the hunter’s rigid, inescapable grasp.

“What the hell!? Shadow?” He kept shooting panicked glances at the disappearing sun, still trying and failing to pull his arm free. “Let go, Shadow! Let go of—“

Suddenly, Sonic stopped resisting, his frantic attempts at escape now replaced with a strained look as he began shivering.

Shadow’s heart sank.

He let go of the blue hedgehog, who instantly fell to the ground, now shaking more violently. Sonic’s head was turned downwards, eyes shut tightly as convulsions passed through his body. His fingers dug desperately into the dirt in an effort to withstand the pain.

“Tails.” Sonic choked out. “Protect… Tails… for me.”

Muscle mass redistributed rapidly all throughout the hedgehog’s body, followed almost instantly by fur. His clothes ripped to shreds around him, including the brace Tails had made, now a pile of mangled cloth and metal on the ground. The sound was the worst part: a sickening cacophony of snapping and cracking bones.

In all of Shadow’s career as a monster hunter, he had never actually witnessed a transformation in person. He understood now that the howl at the end of the process was not one of eager bloodlust—it was a cry of pain.

By the end of it all, the hedgehog was barely recognizable, fully changed into the beast that had been tormenting the hunter since his arrival. Sonic slowly regained his footing, rising to meet Shadow’s mortified look with his own expression of guilt.

The werewolf padded towards the hunter and sniffed at his side, searching for something. Eventually his nose brushed against the rifle poking out from behind his back. Only once Shadow pulled the gun out did Sonic retreat, walking back to where he had been resting when the hedgehog had found him. He sat down, gaze locked back on the sky, as if nothing had happened at all.

Shadow cocked his gun, aiming the rifle towards his target. It was the easiest shot of his life. Sonic was surrendering without a fight—he was stiller than a sitting duck.

The werewolf clenched his jaw, preparing for the loud noise and inevitable release that would follow.

The rifle sounded with a deafening bang, echoing against the dusty cliffs and reverberating through the ground. A small metallic object skidded heavily against the rock, eventually settling several feet away with a soft plinking sound.

A .45-70, that is, a lead bullet.

Not silver.

Sonic slowly blinked open his eyes, taking in his current, still very much alive, state. He turned his head around to face the hunter, eyes scanning the expression of the hedgehog behind him.

“Protect him yourself.” Shadow spat.

And without another word, he turned and walked away.

Chapter Text

Shadow awoke with a splitting headache.

It took a lot of willpower to make the decision he had made. In any other situation under any other circumstances, he would have simply shot the damn thing and moved on.

But this time was different. 

His target posed no danger to those around him. What good was taking someone’s life if it failed to better the world? Killing the blue hedgehog would mean killing an innocent person—something Shadow vowed never to do.

Perhaps it was inconsiderate of him to leave Sonic on his own. He had still fired a gunshot, and the sound of it ricocheting would no doubt call attention to the area. Most of the townsfolk would probably only be more encouraged to stay indoors after such a noise, but he wasn’t worried about those people. It was the braver mobians he was concerned with; if the red echidna had appeared, he might have actually attempted at finishing the job the hunter left behind. Shadow had no idea how someone like Knuckles would react to accidentally killing his own friend in werewolf form.

There was also still a non-zero chance that Shadow was one of the last to find out about Sonic’s alter ego. Tails obviously knew, and given the laid-back perspective the whole town seemed to have on the beast it would be no surprise if the werewolf’s identity was old news to the public. Again, it seemed that few folks were undeterred by violence towards Sonic. Those who were, like the aforementioned deputy, could simply be putting on a false front to better protect the hedgehog.

Shadow stretched his limbs wearily, blinking away the last of his sleep. The creaky inn bed provided little comfort at night, not that he would ever voice such a complaint. The saloon owner didn’t deserve such harsh criticism of the establishment, especially not when she had been so trusting towards Shadow’s promise to pay off his ever-increasing tab. The people here were just too kind. They didn’t deserve his cold, violent personality. A certain blue hedgehog definitely didn’t deserve it either.

Perhaps that’s why he was able to drag himself out of bed. Shadow still needed to check on Sonic one more time before bidding him a permanent farewell and pretending that this blip in his career was all just a bad dream. To think otherwise would mean that monsters weren’t inherently dangerous…

It would mean Shadow had been wrong his entire life.

No matter how hard he tried to push the thought down, it continued to worm its way back into Shadow’s head. When he had finally left his room, Lanolin was already on the case, eager to prompt the question that the rest of the townsfolk had likely nagged her about since the crack of dawn.

“Heard the gunshot last night. Everyone did.” She leaned over the counter, round ears pricked subtly with a tempered curiosity. “Did ya kill it?”

Shadow hesitated only for a moment on his way out of the building. “The threat is gone.” He carefully replied, ending the conversation as quickly as it had begun before stepping out into the sun. 

He couldn't be sure of what people would think if they found out Shadow had just let the werewolf go free. There was no way he was going to be candid about such an act when he himself still wasn’t confident that he had made the right choice. At the end of the day, Shadow was a monster hunter—one famous for his ability to get the job done—and that was a part of his identity he couldn’t simply let go of.

The sun rested just above the horizon, high enough that the extraction site workers were no doubt back to work, but too low for any of the regular townsfolk to be flitting around town. A quick glance across the street confirmed this, as the road was almost eerily empty, a fact Shadow found rather comforting at the moment. At least he’d be able to make his way uninterrupted.

“Hey.” A gruff voice sounded a few paces away.

Shadow gave a disgruntled sigh. Well. Mostly uninterrupted.

“You done yer job yet?” Knuckles moseyed over, stopping next to Shadow at the foot of the Saloon’s porch. He eyed the hedgehog warily.

Shadow met the echidna’s violet gaze with an impassive look. “As a matter of fact, I have.”

A slight raise of his brow betrayed the deputy’s cold expression. “Really.”

Rather than respond verbally, he stood completely still, letting his silence confirm Knuckles’ question. After a moment, the red mobian stepped closer, eyes still locked with the hunter’s in an almost challenging manner as if they were searching for cracks in the hedgehog’s front. A loose thread in his facial expression that could be pulled at until his claim unraveled completely.

Either the deputy lacked experience in reading body language, or Shadow’s poker-face was just that shatterproof, as the echidna eventually leaned back and slapped a gloved hand against the hunter’s shoulder in a dry act of reassurance.

“Good work then.” Purple irises finally removed themselves in favour of the sunrise. “Maybe more business will come our way now.”

“Maybe.” The hunter passively agreed. He stepped off the porch. “I’d best be on my way.”

Knuckles nodded. “Got a long trip ahead of ya, I’m sure.”

Shadow didn’t look back as he walked away, lest it ruin his air of casual confidence. The unexpected exchange with the deputy went rather smoothly, and with his suspicion effectively dealt with, Shadow felt a little more at ease as he continued his route.

The workshop’s sign shifted ever so slightly back and forth, accompanied by a gentle creaking sound. Shadow waited hesitantly at the step, unsure of whether he should knock on the door of someone he almost killed. 

He’d wronged Sonic terribly—a harm he was sure no apology could ever make up for. Shadow wanted to run. He wanted to escape, to return to a past where none of this had happened. A past where he never met Sonic, and by extension, never hurt him. He almost gave up on speaking with the blue hedgehog and turned tail completely, if not for one glaring concern on his mind.

He needed to make sure Sonic was okay.

And so, Shadow knocked.

After a few minutes, the door cracked open just wide enough for a sky-blue eye to peek through. Upon identifying the guest, the fox’s head fully emerged from behind the door, scanning his surroundings before addressing the hedgehog in front of him.

“Shadow.” Tails spoke with a look of disbelief, as if the person in front of him weren’t really there. “What are you doing here?”

Shadow stiffened. “I’ve come to… apologize. To Sonic. For everything.” He noted the kit’s odd behaviour, still peeking from around the door as if it were a great wooden shield. “Is he… alright?”

Tails cast a timid look back into the house before cautiously stepping further outside and clicking the door shut behind him. “What happened last night?”

“I found him around sunset near the edge of town. He tried to leave but I… forced him to stay.” Shadow avoided eye contact as he recounted the event. “I didn’t shoot him.” He added hurriedly.

“I know you didn’t.” Tails returned.

“Good.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’d like to talk with him, if he’s willing.”

The fox’s gaze dropped to the floor. “You can’t.”

Shadow raised a brow.

“He’s… busy. And not home. Not home and very busy.” The kit chattered rather ungracefully. His tails flicked with a concerning air of guilt. “I really think you should go.”

“Tails. I am a reputable monster hunter with an impeccable track record, paid a hefty sum to dispatch your brother with zero margin for error.” He stressed his words with a hushed brevity. “I’m only going to ask this once. Where’s Sonic.”

Tails wilted in response and reluctantly turned to open the door, beckoning with his hand for Shadow to follow. Upon stepping inside, the kit immediately locked the door behind them.

The interior had been recklessly rearranged. Pillows and blankets were piled haphazardly on the floor in place of where the workshop table had been, which Shadow quickly realized was now propped vertically on its side and shoved against the other counters to make room. Tools were scattered everywhere alongside several abandoned projects, all of which seemed to be failed attempts at the same peculiar contraption, if the repeated amalgamation of cloth and metal were anything to go by. A few metres from the door, neatly placed next to the pile of bedding, was an uneaten plate of food and a half-empty glass of water. If it weren’t for the bright blue quills, Shadow might have missed Sonic atop the pile, lying as lifelessly still as the pillows around him.

“Sorry he’s not decent, he’s running a high fever and I—”

“What the hell happened?” Shadow asked incredulously, more out of worry for the cobalt hedgehog’s sickly appearance than his lack of modest attire. He rushed towards the mobian, only to be quickly intercepted by Tails.

“Wait! Be careful!” He put up his hands in warning. “His hip is very sensitive, try not to touch it.”

The hunter slowed his movements, now approaching the other hedgehog more cautiously. He crouched at Sonic’s side and cocked his head, squinting as he processed the yellow fox’s words. “His hip?”

Tails nodded. “Whatever happened last night led to Sonic losing his brace. I went out to look for it, but all I could find were… remnants of it.” He gestured to a pile of mangled debris lying in the corner of the room. The kit shook his head wearily as he slowly joined Shadow on the floor. “I think it must have come off when he transformed, it’s beyond repair now.”

Shadow’s mind flashed to the night before, recalling the shriek of ripping cloth alongside sounds of twisting metal and popping screws. In the moment, such details were lost in the far more grotesque elements of Sonic’s transformation. Looking back, however, he was now able to envision the sight of such a quality device quickly being wrenched apart. It was a by-product of Shadow’s confrontation that he had truthfully failed to consider beforehand.

“Chaos, he looks pale as ice.” He peered closely at Sonic’s face before standing up. “We need medical help.”

“What do you think I’ve been trying to do?” Tail gestured frantically to the mess of objects strewn about.

“He needs a hospital, Tails.”

“There aren’t any in McGuffin! Or any in a ten mile radius!”

“Then take a train! Borrow a horse! Whatever this is, it’s clearly not something you can take care of on your own.”

The kit’s ear twitched with irritation. “And what do you think will happen if I take him to a clinic? He’ll get turned away, Shadow. Or worse, admitted and then euthanized the second they find out he’s a werewolf.”

“What has he done in the past then? Every time he’s gotten sick or injured? Just walked it off and hoped it magically went away?” Shadow waved his arms emphatically as he spoke.

“Yes.” Tails refused to meet his gaze, completely focused on his bed-ridden brother.

Shadow didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t imagine having to live in such a way. Isolated from any sort of professional help, lest they discover the rather illegal nature of one’s own existence. Finding any sort of good company would prove to be an unfair challenge, as the reveal of such a secret would likely kick in a fight-or-flight response for most mobians and humans alike. 

He would have considered even Sonic’s tightly-knit relationship with his younger brother to be unfeasible if not for the fact that it was right in front of him. In Shadow’s experience, Tails was timid and prone to being easily startled, although his only frame of reference was the kid’s reaction to being followed and interrogated by someone who posed a very real threat to his only family, so his perspective was limited. Regardless, he had no idea how a social creature like Sonic could have fared in a world that predominantly viewed a life like his to be taboo.

Shadow exhaled carefully in an effort to relax. Stressing about the blue hedgehog wouldn’t help him recover, and fighting with his brother certainly wouldn’t get him any answers to his numerous questions. 

He returned to where Sonic lay unconscious on the floor, once again situating himself next to Tails. “Do Knuckles and Amy know?”

“You’ll have to be a little more specific than that.” Tails murmured with a weak, distantly amused smile.

“About him being a werewolf? About the bullet wound?”

He shook his head. “No to both, as far as I’m aware... It was too risky to tell them—what if they reacted poorly? We’d have to find somewhere new to live.” The fox tucked his legs in and rested his chin atop his knees, the two bushy tails behind him curling around to cover his shoes. “I’m tired of running.”

Shadow understood. He knew what it was like to flee from something inescapable, after all.

“Why didn’t you kill him?”

The ebony hedgehog’s mind buffered for a moment. “I… it wasn’t worth the trouble.”

Tails didn’t seem to take Shadow’s lacklustre response for an answer. “You said it yourself. You have a reputation to hold as a professional in your industry. You could have shot him and gone home without a second thought…” His head tilted slightly to meet the hunter’s gaze. “But you didn’t.” 

Damn it. He should have expected such a logical deduction from the fox.

“My entire life I believed all monsters to be just that—dangerous, feral beasts with an insatiable thirst for blood. I had no reason to think otherwise with all the truly vicious creatures I’ve encountered.” He propped an arm up on one knee and sighed, dropping his eyes to the floor. “Having met Sonic… I don’t know if that’s true anymore.”

“After such a long time committing to that belief… you’d throw it all away for Sonic?” Pale round eyes stared in shock.

“He has a kind heart, a patience unmatched, and an insatiable need to drive me mad at any given opportunity.” Shadow added the last part with an exasperated groan before a more sensitive expression settled on his face. “His life is precious… I’m not going to waste it over some foolish sunk-cost fallacy.”

The two sat in a ruminative silence for a moment, the only other sounds in the room being the constant, albeit weak shuddering breaths of their unconscious company, and the occasional creak of the wooden floor boards as both mobians shifted their weight nervously. After what felt like an hour of tense silence, the blue hedgehog suddenly stirred before them.

“Mmm… Tails? How long’ve I been…” His face scrunched up in pain before continuing. “asleep for?”

“Sonic!” The kit jumped up in surprise. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll get you some water to drink okay? And don’t get up, you need to rest!” He called out the last part from another room.

Shadow watched as the dazed blue hedgehog’s gaze slowly found the hunter.

“Wh… Shadow? No, no…” Sonic sat up quickly. “Shadow can’t be here, Tails I don’t want him to–” He winced. “Worry.”

Shadow knew he was failing to hide the concern on his face, but with the condition Sonic was in, he wasn’t sure the other hedgehog was capable of reading it well anyways. “Lie back down, Sonic, if you get any worse then I will worry.”

Much to his relief, the other mobian begrudgingly complied, muttering unintelligible complaints as the yellow fox returned with a full glass of water.

Tails’ expression was equally as troubled as Shadow’s. “Here, drink this.”

Sonic gratefully swiped the glass from his younger brother and chugged the whole thing without stopping. “Thanks, buddy.” He rasped out as he carefully laid back down, his eyes following suit in a slow, fluttering motion.

“Are you feeling any better?” The fox ventured, only to receive no response from the blue hedgehog. Tails’s ears drooped. “He’s out again.”

Shadow gathered that this on-and-off wakefulness must be the norm with Sonic’s current ailment. He could of course ask the fox for further confirmation, but decided against it in favour of other questions. Tails was already more than busy playing doctor with his sickly brother, Shadow didn’t want to exasperate the kit by bringing too much attention to their grim circumstances.

“I’m… surprised you two had to leave Green Hills.” Blue eyes darted in his direction as Shadow began to speak. “The people there tend to have a more accepting nature towards werewolves, at least in comparison to other places I’ve been. Hell, I’m sure even hospital staff there would have exonerated Sonic to some extent.”

The fox’s ear flicked in indication that he was listening, although he gave no verbal response.

“You two must have a pretty powerful bond to have stuck together this long. When did you—”

“He isn’t from Green Hills.” Tails interrupted.

Shadow furrowed his brow. “...What?”

He was pretty sure that was the location the hedgehog had claimed as his origins before. No, he was confident this was the case. Neither of the brothers had corrected his inquiries about their home at dinner the other night, and Shadow had only bothered with that line of questioning thanks to Amy bringing it up. Tails’ new claim didn’t make any sense.

Unless it was all a lie—a failed attempt at covering up any ties to the hedgehog’s identity. The look of resolve on Tails’ face told Shadow that he still had much to learn of the cowboy casanova and his tinkerer brother.

Tails fully turned to face Shadow, his large round eyes filled with a newfound sense of courageous integrity. With an anticipatory inhale, he finally began. “Sonic was born on Christmas Island.”