Shadow: The Origin Of A Legend

Chapter 29

Jolting awake, I stare at the carpet in front of me for a minute, disoriented. Someone's calling my name, and they sound a bit alarmed. "Hnngh?" I moan, shoving myself into a seated position. I'd been sleeping sprawled on the ground, face-down, in an awkward and uncomfortable corpse-like position.

"Jeez," Scourge sighs, sounding relieved, "I thought you was dead or somethin'. What the hell was that, man?" Still confused and a bit dazed, I blink at him, not comprehending. He stares back, looking hassled. He'd taken off his jacket the night before, and his shoulders look unusual without the black leather clinging to them. They're bare skin, like Sonic's, not furred like mine, and he just looks so over-exposed. After a long pause, he rolls his eyes, sighing. "Seriously, it was almost like you weren't breathin'."

"S-Sorry," I yawn, rubbing my eyes. I don't feel very refreshed, despite the fact that I just slept for at least four hours. "What time is it?" Sunlight bleeds in from cracks in the wood boarding up the windows.

"I dunno, morning?" He picks up the box, absently shoving some of his emerald fur behind his back. While it was already naturally messy, his sleep had roughed it up even more than usual, and his hair was sticking out at odd angles from his body, but it still managed to look fluffy and soft. Opening the box, he pulls out a cinnamon roll and sticks it in his mouth, passing the box to me. "C'mere, let's chat for a bit 'fore ya gotta go." Taking the box, I oblige, getting up a bit jerkily from the ground and trying not to growl in discomfort; my joints were all achy and stiff, and I'm pretty sure some muscles in my back have tied themselves in knots. Sitting down next to him again, I crack a couple bones in my neck, picking up a little round loaf of bread a bit bigger than my hand. Setting the box between us again, I cross my legs and take a bite from the pastry. It's flaky and sweet, sugary, with a chocolate filling. It tastes wonderful, and I purr quietly--it may be the best thing I've eaten in the past few months. Scourge glances over and chuckles. "Those're good, ain't they?"

"I think they're my favorite," I reply, biting into it again.

Scourge grins. "So, hey, c'mon, spill the beans awreddy--what happened to ya's over these past couple'a years?" He leans back, still wincing slightly. I nod, swallowing the mouthful of bread; for the next half hour or so, I explained everything that's happened to me since I crashed, omitting certain details such as the nightmares, the hooded figure's face, and what I saw in the treasury Rouge, Omega and I raided--additionally, I choose not to describe the horrible things I think I'm beginning to remember. At the end of it all, Scourge whistles, impressed. "Well, damn, Stripes, you's been through a lot, haven't ya?"

"I guess so," I respond, but I'm not so sure of that. True, a lot has happened to me, but it's nothing compared to the hell Robotnik put me through, and maybe it's nothing compared to the hell I'm going to experience. Finishing my last bite of the dessert roll, I dust my hands of the excess sugar and crumbs. "And you? What have you been up to?" Turning to him, I prick my ears, attentive.

"Me?" He stops chewing for a moment, thinking. "Hmmm, well, I's spent a bit 'o time in some otha cities, runnin' the usual scams an' all that, but afta' I moved here, things got a li'l quiet. Y'see, there's not a lot 'a suckers around here, so it's a li'l difficult to swindle people, yaknow?" He shrugs. "There's also a lot of Robotnik activity 'ere. People ain't stay too long. An' those that do, they's tough as nails, like me." He gestures to himself proudly, sneering. "Das' why I'm here. I'm tough as hell."

"Robotnik activity?" I query, deciding to ignore the fact that he essentially evaded my question.

"Yeah, he runs a lotta the organizations 'round here," the malachite-colored hedgehog growls, crossing his arms in an annoyed fashion, "makin' it hard fo' me ta run any gigs, yaknow?"