Chapter Text
The wind whistled gently. Birds and flickeys sang their night songs deep in the woods. Bees buzzed somewhere to the south, returning to their hives after a full day of hard work. The tiniest grasshopper jumped from one blade of grass to the other. To most, this was silence. These sounds didn’t reach their ears, which made them mistakenly assume that there was nothing to be seen here, nothing to witness. That was why most would easily die if they took a lone trek through the woods, especially at night. At night most of the beasts revealed their true forms.
One creature in these woods wasn’t making a single sound. Even his breathing was silent and slow as he focused his full attention and all his senses on looking for that one, strange sound. One that would direct him to his prey. A single sound and its fate was sealed.
And soon, he heard it – a simple creak of a branch it jumped off of, followed by a gentle swoosh of its wings as it took off into the night sky. And, just a single, little swirl of fire that disappeared just as quick as it appeared. Its sound, nearly indistinguishable from any other blow of the wind, was clear to the young hunter who taught himself to recognize all those smallest differences. Not to mention the quick appearance of light in the place where the creature took off.
It didn’t fly high. The second he heard that sound, that one, little mistake it made, his tentacles rushed to throw the bird to the ground, earning a screech of shock and pain from it. The venom would’ve been enough to kill it slowly – spread through its veins, enter all its muscles, make them rot from the inside one by one – but that wasn’t quick enough. It could still do damage. It was still a danger.
So, the moment it hit the floor, it instantly felt its life being squeezed out of it by sharp teeth, tightening around its neck, earning one last, shocked choke of a call, warm blood flowing down its neck and body onto the forest floor.
The sweet, metallic taste and the twitching of warm muscles in his mouth wasn’t foreign to the hunter. He squeezed tighter, feeling the body of the bird convulse between his fangs, knowing full well it was no longer alive, yet not risking the small chance it could cause any more harm. Once it finally froze, limp, still warm, he spit it out on the ground and took a look at it.
Its golden, red, and orange feathers blended with the blood easily. It looked like a bird of prey, although not the one that would usually be seen in this climate. The hunter didn’t know much about birds, though, so he didn’t think too much of it. He licked the blood off of his muzzle, savoring the sweet taste of another, vile creature, before lowering his head to pick the carcass up and carry it back to base. This was a clean kill. He expected the other hunters to be satisfied.
After all, no less could’ve been expected of the Ultimate Life Form.
He knew the way back to the camp well. He made no redundant turns, no detours, just an efficient, straight line home. Quick and easy.
The light of the camp glimmered in the distance. No night creature could approach it, though, if they wanted to keep their lives. Hidden out of sight, with scent masked, the entire parameter was being watched, crossbows loaded at the smallest sight of danger. The werewolf, of course, knew about it.
‘It’s me,’ he passed the telephatic message to the hunters in range, which was followed by some movement. They were signing to others that the coast was clear. He was part of the camp. He was a hunter.
Not slowing even a bit, he went straight to the main cart. A building on wheels that served as a lab of sorts. Two hunters stood guard. As the werehog approached, one of them stood in his way.
‘Move, ’ the werehog demanded. ‘I have a report to give to the doctor.’
“Not at night, beast,” the other hunter replied. “You'll see him in the morning. State your report to us.”
‘I’d rather deliver it personally. The doctor had had me report to him at night numerous times before.’
Doctor Robotnik. Smartest man in camp. His creator. A genius.
The werehog was raised in the camp. At night, he was treated with caution. Nobody approached him without a reason. If he acted out, he was punished. Like an animal.
But, that was fair. He was a beast. The Hunters’ Alliance existed to eradicate beasts. He was lucky they kept him alive. He was lucky they promised him a normal life once it was all over.
He had one, simple mission: target beasts pointed out by the Alliance. And he was good at it. He was created for it.
Some adjustments have been made. Or so he'd been told by the Doctor. Additional limbs, for added lethality. Deadly tendrils. Enhanced impulse control. Telepathy, for easier communication with the other hunters.
He was perfect. And he made sure of it.
So, it irked him that he was refused an audience with Doctor Robotnik.
The Doctor… he was different. The werehog didn't understand it. But he was.
He'd give him gentle pats, even at night. He asked him for his opinions. He visited him everyday. Sure, it was for his research of a cure, which would be used after the werehog was done with his work, but the visits were… comforting. He let the werehog sleep on the couch in his lab house for a few nights.
He gave him a name.
Shadow.
The Doctor was the only person in camp calling him Shadow. But that was enough. That was his name. Not beast. Not monster. Shadow.
He was always understanding. He was always gentle. He'd always make time for him, even if Shadow didn't insist.
“The Doctor’s incredibly busy tonight,” the hunter standing in Shadow's way stated coldly. “Your report.”
A low growl escaped the werehog’s throat. Both hunters raised their crossbows.
Shadow only dropped the carcass on the ground.
‘A phoenix. The one located by the Alliance two days ago. Killed quickly, without so much as a sound.’
One of the hunters stepped closer to turn the bird over with her foot. She grimaced.
“Alright. We'll pass the message. To your cage you go.”
Shadow gave her another low growl, albeit quieter, as he turned around, slowly making it through the camp.
At night, the camp was most active. With teams of hunters coming in and out, tracking, planning their moves, sending out letters. As far as Shadow understood, this specific camp worked as a sort of administration point for the Alliance in the surrounding areas – this is where teams of hunters sent out into the world reported back, where they were sent letters of worries or beast sightings from the commonfolk.
Anytime any civilians decided to pay the camp a personal visit, he was directed to hide or go back to his cage, depending on time of the day. It was understandable – they shouldn’t be keeping him alive. He was lucky to still have his life here. He was lucky they gave him a place to sleep, food, and any attention he received.
He was still a beast, though. There was no surprise they gave him a cage to stay in. Even if he had never gone rogue before.
He walked into the giant cage he called his home, not sparing even a glance towards the hunters that stood guard nearby and who locked him up for the night. There was a wooden bowl of water in the corner, alongside another one with some raw meat. A few, old sheets were thrown near one of the cage walls, settled into a nest of sorts by the werehog himself. Aside from cold, metal ground, there was not much else in it.
Shadow sat in his makeshift nest and curled up, simply watching people pass by, fulfilling their duties. Nobody paid him any mind. He was just an asset, after all.
—
The transformation didn’t awaken him, as per usual. When he opened his eyes, he was back to his mobian form. The rays of early morning sunshine weaved their way through the trees, catching his quills in a comfortable warmth. Despite that, he definitely felt colder as he wrapped the sheets around him a bit more tightly. That was one pro of his beast form – a lot more fur to drown out the cold mornings and even colder nights.
It seemed like the rush of last night had settled, with only a few people walking around, late shift finishing and swapping with the morning shift. Distant chatter reached his ears, voices as familiar as they were blurred together in unison. Shadow didn’t know the names of the majority of the hunters in the camp, and he didn’t bother to change that. So, as long as he didn’t get any morning tasks, he decided to continue resting, sleeping off the hours of sleep he lost during hunting last night.
It wasn’t long though until he heard movement strangely close to his cage, though. His ear twitched before he took any action.
“The Beast of the Alliance,” he heard a melodic, male voice speak, supposedly directed at him. When he raised his head, he noticed a figure opening the door to his cage.
It was a mobian. A strange species Shadow had never seen before. His black, duck-like beak twisted in a somewhat sinister smile, white fur covering the majority of his body, creating a well groomed fringe on his head with just one stripe of dark gray. His eyes were shielded by a pair of glasses that reflected the sunlight at that angle, so Shadow couldn’t read what they were hiding. He definitely was wearing the Alliance’s insignia on his clothes, albeit they weren’t your usual hunter attire.
Shadow had seen this person before. He never spoke to him directly, however he’d seen the mobian around the camp several times, talking with other hunters and sometimes even walking into Dr. Robotnik’s lab. He seemed young, yet there was a hostile aura around him, one that Shadow didn’t like one bit.
“Or, well,” he spoke up again at the lack of reply from the beast, “I’ve heard your name was Shadow?”
That peeked Shadow’s interest. Nobody but Dr. Robotnik called him that.
“What is it?” He replied cautiously, sitting up from his sheets.
“You can call me Dr. Starline,” the mobian bowed to the beast, before fully opening the door to the cage. Shadow could now see his purple eyes, glimmering with a sort of… excitement? “I’d like to speak with you, Shadow. Dr. Robotnik has given you a top priority mission.”
Shadow raised a brow, but didn’t hesitate for long. He got up, standing straight, and slowly exited the cage. He made sure Starline didn’t leave his sight for even a second.
“May I speak with Dr. Robotnik about it myself?” He asked calmly. “I meant to give him a report of my night mission personally this morning.”
“Oh, I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Dr. Starline stated with what felt to Shadow like very forced sadness in his tone. Or maybe sarcasm? “Dr. Robotnik is extremely busy. He can’t spare any time to speak with monsters, unfortunately. That’s why he sent me, his loyal advisor.”
Advisor? That was the first Shadow had heard of that.
“Dr. Robotnik never mentioned an advisor,” he asked tentatively.
“I’m sure there are many things the good Doctor never mentioned to you,” Starline shrugged. Shadow really didn’t like whatever was hidden behind these words. “Walk with me, would you?”
Something about this unnerved the dark hedgehog. Something about how this man spoke, how he carried himself, how the werehog had never heard anyone, including Dr. Robotnik, speak of him… But it wasn’t up to him to question the Alliance. After all, if he was even allowed in the camp, it meant he was part of the cause. And, therefore, he was Shadow’s superior.
They walked through the camp, morning life humming around them. The hedgehog still refused to take his sight off of the other mobian, though, even for a second.
“You see,” Starline began, “You’ve been doing really well, according to Dr. Robotnik. Your results always come in splendid! You’ve a talent for hunting those inferior beasts,” he smiled at the werehog. “That’s why we decided to let you step up. Take on a more grand cause. Make a bigger change .”
“And what would that mean?” Shadow furrowed his brow, even if the praise did make his tail swish with content. He was happy to be of use.
“We’ve got some reports of a very dangerous beast lurking in Central City,” Starline explained. “A particularly tricky case, as said beast hides in plain sight.”
“It lives among the commonfolk? How is that possible?”
“Indeed it does, my friend. See, the creature we speak of is a unique one, one that doesn’t seem as monstrous as it truly is,” the mobian looked out into the woods with a serious expression. “Unless it makes a move, of course.”
“What is it?”
“A vampire,” Starline looked back at the hedgehog. “A terrifying creature it is.”
Shadow had heard of vampires before. Vile beings that feed on blood of the people, killing them to continue their disgusting existence. Intelligent creatures as well, unfortunately. It was a habit of theirs to live amongst what was a buffet to them.
“You want me to track it down?” Shadow looked at the Doctor, just the image of this monster ruining so many lives enough to fuel his sense of duty.
“Precisely,” the mobian smiled. Once again, it read as strangely sinister to Shadow. “Alas, it is not as simple of a mission as it seems. You must keep it on the low. The people may not find out such a disturbing creature had lived amongst them.”
"Wouldn't it be easier for the people to be aware of the danger?” Shadow questioned.
“You have not worked close to people before, is that correct?” Starline sideeyed the hedgehog, looking him up and down. Shadow suddenly felt something uncomfortable building up in his chest. Shame. “We, as the Hunters’ Alliance, swear to protect the commonfolk. It is not only about defending them from the beasts, though. People have a tendency to fear the unknown, to panic when there is danger lurking where they can’t see it. More so than when facing it head on, even. It is better to keep it discreet, not to cause mass hysteria.”
Shadow nodded. “Understood. How do I find them?”
“See, Shadow, it is not easy to track down a vampire. This is precisely why we need you on the job. The best way to do it would be to catch them in the act, but, alas, I fear our hunters aren’t quick enough to jump into action and save the poor, innocent soul that would end up getting attacked if that were to happen. You and your heightened senses, on the other hand, may give us the edge we need.”
The two of them approached a building – a dovecote, storing pigeons and flickeys used for communication between the camp and hunter teams out in the world. Grooing of the birds in question could be heard from afar, and to Shadow it was a comforting sound. He always had a soft spot for the birds. He often watched them making rounds around the camp, sometimes catching the sight of a bird on its way back from a long trip with a message tied to the side of its leg. He was never allowed close to them, though.
Another hunter – a young human with hair pinned up in a loose bun – noticed the two approaching and carried a small birdcage with a flickey inside, a message already tied to its leg. Dr. Starline nodded at the hunter, taking the cage and looking at the bird with a satisfied smile.
“We don’t need you killing the beast this time,” he explained, looking back at Shadow. “We simply need you to learn of the creature’s identity. Once you do, all you must do is free this flickey. It will fly back here, letting us know you’ve completed your job. We will send a team of hunters to take over shortly after.”
“I could easily take care of the vampire myself,” Shadow argued, as if offended, as he looked at the small bird that tilted its head at him.
“I don’t doubt that,” Starline chuckled. “However, it is a delicate mission. You must not be seen in the city in your… monstrous form.”
Figures. And, although stealth was one of the skills Shadow knew he had perfected, he was not the one to argue with a hunter.
“Understood,” he simply replied as Starline handed him the cage.
“Oh, and, of course,” the Doctor turned around back to the other hunter to take a pouch from them, handing it over to Shadow, “here is a little something to feed our little friend here. Take good care of her.”
The dark hedgehog nodded, accepting the feed. He looked at the flickey again. It was a small, green bird with a yellow beak and big eyes that were looking at him with curiosity, chirping as it hopped in place.
“Where is Central City?” He turned back to the doctor.
“Head southeast from here,” Starline replied. “Follow the road. It will take you straight to the city. Don’t be seen at night.”
Shadow nodded again, already turning on his heel to head out. “You won’t be disappointed.”
“I do hope so,” Starline said with glee in his voice. “Oh, and Shadow?”
The dark hedgehog paused and turned his head.
“Dr. Robotnik has high hopes for you. Don’t screw this up, for your own sake.”
Shadow’s brow furrowed. He never failed a mission before, and he wasn’t about to do that now.
With a last glance at the lab, he left the camp.