smash_logs | THEY DID THE MASH

Ah...

That was going to prove useful, at least. He could speak to him without use of action, paper, or other alternative methods. That placed Shadow more at ease, but not too much more, given Sonic's playful response in such a dire situation. What if he stayed like this forever? That would be terrible.

Metallic shoes sliding across dewy grass, he hobbled over to his legs and clambered onto them, making himself incredibly comfortable perched atop them. Large, inquisitive black eyes stared up at him, their owner doe-eyed and bushy-tailed.

"You... are capable of understanding me like this..."

Just as he spoke that, he groaned, sinking down and sitting flat on the other hedgehog's knees, his hands grasping at his own.

"What is happening to me?"

"That's what I'm askin' you!" Sonic returned, surprise crisp as the autumn air. He had expected Shadow to go into a tantrum over whoever did this to him, but it would appear he didn't know either. At least Sonic had Eggman to blame for his problems. That must've been bothersome for Shadow to have no clue.

"Y'really don't know?"

At least, in Sonic's case, he knew the source of the problem. In his case, he was completely in the dark, and that was beginning to become literal, the sun setting further down the horizon.

Shadow's ears flopped over. Sonic wasn't going to stay in this smaller form for much longer, was he?

"I... sincerely don't," he moaned, curling his legs inward. "This came about suddenly. I have no logical explanation for this." For once.

Sonic scratched under his chin. He couldn't begin to ponder the possibilities for this, so he could only offer one thing:

"Maybe it'll just go away. Like a cold!"

At least he had his optimism intact.

Either way, he could feel his needles bristling and the night winds readying for his hedgehog self's departure. He picked Shadow up as gently and quickly as he put him back down, standing up and taking a few steps back.

"No. Absolutely not. This mustn't..."

He trailed off as he was being placed down, the rest of the light of day beginning to disappear into the dark.

He knew what was coming.

Shadow didn't bother to get anywhere near Sonic as the sun's final rays disappeared from the night sky. In fact, he took some steps back himself, ears wilting as he feared what he was about to see.

Did it... hurt when it happened? Was it going to look better or worse than it actually is? He doesn't want to know, but unfortunately, he's about to find out.

Fortunately for Sonic, it only sounded worse than it was, but Shadow would be unlikely to know that. He held a finger up to his companion to have him hang on a sec, then took a deep breath before the transformation struck him.

His world felt as if it were spinning, looping around much in a way ~~like the game lol~~ he felt when launching a solid spin attack at the steel-coated enemy. His thoughts swirled about as his skin bubbled, the neon pink glows of Dark Gaia swam through him like snakes in water, sometimes giving the occasional rise from blue waves to make a point of their presence. It wasn't long before he began to curl in on himself, the minor stress and discomfort of having his body distort and expand honing in on his nerves.

The snarls were escalating, the pins on his flesh wriggling and softening away...

Then he shouted in one singular, final burst of transformation.

And the Werehog stood before him, slightly crouched down with his paws fitted into the dirt. He lifted them slowly to shake the clumps of leaves and mud out, smacking them away as he regained his composure.

That was just...

...

Yeah, no, Shadow knew Sonic could handle himself, not to mention that he seemed quite alright now. Despite that, he felt sobered by the transformation, a symbolization of what he had been going through for the past, what, week?

That Doctor...

Such a petty idea, making Sonic his forced pet.

He wobbled over to his companion, clinging to one large paw, spreading a large frown.

"Are you...?" Are you alright, he meant to ask, yet he trailed off, eyes bobbing upward to face the stars. They were beginning to show through, however faintly.

"Cool? Only one-hundred percent of the time, yeah," Sonic snarked in his burdened voice, scooping the little 'hog up in his enlarged hand and holding him there. A little prince on a primitive-coated throne.

"That is not what I meant!" Agh, his voice was more high-pitched and loud, even though he didn't want it to be. His body was transpiring against him, looking to make his new-found youth as grating and bothersome as possible for both him and his company.

"Although I suppose you answered my question anyway," huffed Shadow, digging his hands into Sonic's palm. Wow, he was so tiny by comparison now. It felt... strange.

Trying to keep his chuckles aside (and failing), Sonic realized he was still too close to the campus for anyone's safety and comfort. This is what nightfall meant for him until they had Eggman's butt kicked all over creation.

One sigh and a carefully placed hedgehog later and Sonic was ready to get going. "Y'know the drill. I gotta get outta here."

With Shadow this small, Sonic couldn't imagine being the Ultimate Life Form meant nearly as much. What bothered him more was leaving Shadow alone like this.

"Y'gonna be okay?"

Shadow didn't answer him. Instead, his gaze fell, mind clearly going 90 miles an hour. Being on his own in the dark while so small and fragile... it could mean trouble. He hated to admit it, but he had to face reality here: he was smaller and weaker.

Sonic, however, was larger and more powerful. Should Eggman locate them, it could be bad, and the Werehog could easily overpower him in this state.

At the same time, though...

He felt safer with him. Always.

He huddled up to him, miffing into navy blue fur. His tail vibrated behind him, showing that he was very, very on-edge, and he was utilizing any bit of sensory he had here to protect himself. It was survival of the fittest here, and at this point in time, he no longer felt like he was the fittest.

"It would be a bad idea to part ways now."

He wasn't going to go into any more detail. His pride wasn't about to allow that.

"It'd be a bad idea not to -- "

Ah, but Shadow's demeanor said more than he'd ever allow words to convey. Even though the threat against him harming someone was incredibly likely, Sonic didn't feel right leaving him behind. It wasn't very hero-like, even if it might be for his own good. What if a hawk came flying in and scooped him up for dinner or something?

"Yeah, okay," Sonic recanted, sighing away his concerns. In place of any further frowning, he raked Shadow back into his claws and lifted him up toward his shoulder. "Hope ya still got a grip on ya."

No matter how bad that idea was, it would always serve to be a funny mental image.

Digression initiated, however, it was an actually likely threat. The idea of getting attacked by a predator and left to huddle under logs in pain was not something Shadow particularly enjoyed. That, and, well... that time he spent sleeping with Sonic in the forest was very nice. Awfully nice. He kind of wanted that again, just huddling up and snoozing with him.

He... had to wonder what a legitimate 'sleepover' with him would be like. That was what the humans called it, he was sure. Maria brought it up to him once or twice before. At any rate, he'd have to see about that sometime.

"You underestimate me," he grumbled, yet he clung tightly onto his massive fuzz. Goodness, he had so much fluff that he was sure he'd get lost in it!

Turning into the silkiest ride in town, Sonic the Werehog patiently held his ground until Shadow felt secure, then dropped to all fours to start his engines. He gazed straight ahead for only a breath's worth thereafter, in his nature to not linger for too long, after all.

A hefty snarl steamed through sharp fangs before Sonic launched himself forward. Definitely not the speed of sound, but he was still swift for a beast charging to the natural nocturnes of his beloved planet - no matter what universe it was veiled by or what choir sang its songs, it would always be his home.

Breaking the perimeter of the forest was an easy feat, just moments spent to do so and only a blink or two more to get into the belly of the woods themselves. He glanced back to ensure Shadow was still with him and he hadn't lost him to the smack of a tree branch somewhere.

"This is nothin'!" He called, clearly needing to express he was faster than this normally. As if Shadow had no idea. (Hey, this was his rival he was dealing with. He was a tad embarrassed.)

That was still a pretty powerful jog, one that Shadow had to cling on for dear life to properly enjoy. Despite the way he flailed about on his shoulder for a time, this felt far better than having to go off on his own. He couldn't place exactly why, but being with Sonic made his heart flutter. He made it grow so fond, so warm...

Ah, enough to make him start purring against him, it seemed. That was a good sign.

"Mmm... hm?" He blinked out of his stupor, only then realizing that they'd stopped, and Sonic had exclaimed... something. He couldn't recall what it was, if he'd even legibly heard it at all. He nuzzled against him, his purring still at full throttle and disrupting his normally composed speech.

"What wassss that?"

Happy hedgie, sleepy hedgie, purr, purr, purr.

Sonic's wrists remained against the ground, worried that if he stood up too quickly, Shadow would plop right off and into the dirt. From what he could gather in his peripherals, the Ultimate Hoglet was about to take a nap. A restrained chuckle punched against the back of his lips. Well, he's a kid, after all.

"Nothin'," Sonic told him, a small shiver going down his spine from the ticklish vibrations in Shadow's chest against his own skin. "Don't tell me it's your nap time already?" He continued to walk rather awkwardly on all fours now. Running this way was far easier, but walking seemed to require more concentration.

Was it really? It shouldn't have been, but the stars that hung lazily above them acted like a crib's spinning mobile, soothing his weary, tired soul and leaving him slackened. Shadow's grip was beginning to loosen a little, yet he remained comfortably placed atop his hulking body, bouncing just slightly from the movements of his shoulder blades.

"Mm... I believe..." He trailed off, yawning and stretching against him. That really served as an answer all its own, so he left it at that, trying to resist his natural urge to curl into a ball. That wouldn't really end well.

"Hey, I was kiddin'!" Ah, but he looked like he was already drifting off. Was he a babysitter now or what?

Sonic treaded carefully to where he had his blankets stashed away for safe keeping. Some squirrels were keeping an eye on them for him, so he had little to worry about. You ever tried to fight a squirrel guarding something? Go on. Give it a shot.

Suspecting tonight was going to be uneventful and likely just spent resting, Sonic approached his bark safe and waved off the little puffy guard coming out to check on the intruder in her tree. The Werehog offered her a smile to deactivate the alarm and dragged out a set of blankets, letting what Shadow had left with him tumble out onto the forest floor.

Working with just the one arm that didn't have a baby hogging it all up, Sonic spread the thick blankets thin, smoothing them out and removing branches, rocks, and other hazards from beneath it that could cause them any comfort issues. Once that was done, he finally reached back, nudging his fingertip into the little dark ball occupying his fur. He kept his claw angled up, afraid of poking him.

"Hey. Y'better not be droolin'."

Better not be drooling? Hey, he wasn't planning on it, nor did he ever drool in his sleep. That would be simply uncouth. Then again, Sonic did just nudge him out of his bleary-eyed state, leaving him having to remain awake until he could properly settle down.

Shadow found this more than worthy of payback.

"Mmph," was the only peep that came from him before he took a glob of his rival's fur and began to slobber all over it. He licked at him, purposefully making himself nice and wet for his pleasure.

Enjoy being drooled on, Sonic. You practically asked for it.

There was some playful smiling upon initially poking him. He looked a little goofy being so small and even more so when he was groggy and wobbly. Just one giant blob of hoglet ego. Sonic couldn't resist a grin!

Until he began to gush spit all over his shoulder. "What the-- H-hey!" Awww, EWWWW. Sonic rotated his shoulder a bit. "Shadow, c'mon! You're doing that on purpose!" Okay, fun and games were over. He reached back to dig and pinch the scruff of his neck, pulling him up and off his back. "You're gross," he added once he had him dangled in front of his face.

That smirk was not about to fade away any time soon. He proudly stared at him, hanging limply by his scruff, legs and arms subtly swaying to and fro. That was worth the response. That was so very worth the response and any possible consequences. It was even more immature than Shadow was known for, but for some reason, he felt that it was perfectly okay to do.

He found it okay to even keep teasing him, sticking his tongue out and trying to lean over to lick his nose. He was tempted on sucking it a little, too, but he thought that would be very much overdoing it. (Plus, how do wet hedgehog noses taste? He can't imagine that it's very palatable.)

It was easy to float him just out of reach, so problem solved. The wince said he was still disgusted, but the wibbling smile trying to conceal itself spoke many words otherwise. This was ridiculous and he wanted to laugh, but he was no babysitter. At least he didn't need diapers. Oh god.

"I don't think so, junior." With that, he placed Shadow down against the blankets, staring down upon him just for observation's sake. He hoped Shadow would never produce offspring. They'd probably act just like this.

~~sorry sonic he got pragnate with your baby and chaos controlled it into a meat grinder~~

Ah, Sonic, you're no fun. The only way Shadow did was when it was at his expense, after all! Golly.

Whatever. He found the blanket's silky smoothness to be enticing, and he was drawn in, digging his claws into its surface and kneading to make himself more comfortable, almost cat-like in his motions. One prototype of Gerald's was meant to be a cat, but it was never created, so perhaps that explained this odd behavior. ~~heh, obscure references to beta elements~~

He finally settled afterward, curling up in one corner of the sheet, looking up at Sonic with big, bright eyes, not nearly as deepened with age as they usually were. He practically had the eyes of a puppy dog here. How cute.

Well, it was still too early for Sonic himself to go to bed, but all his poor sleep and visits from others considered, he could probably stand to get an extra five hours or so of some proper rest. Laying opposite to Shadow simply to avoid crushing him, Sonic curled up like one would expect a dog would, only he made sure to face him to keep an eye out for him. The last thing he needed was the rude awakening of Shadow being carried off by the local squirrels for the winter. ~~It could happen.~~

Settling in drew the air from his chest in a deep exhale, a burden within his lungs folding his ears down to meet it. The drumming of his heart had his tail slapping in tune, Shadow's unusual condition stirring an uncertainty in the back of his mind. He was, to say the very least, amusing beyond all figurative measurements for such a thing. More amusing than the idea of Eggman's mustache being his eyebrows. Y'know, that sort of thing? Maybe a little less than if they were his eyebrows and they caught fire. He smirked.

It had him thinking, though, about all the conversations where Shadow expressed concern about Sonic's safety - about his life. He wasn't clueless to Shadow's underlying desire to take care of him, even though he didn't need it at all, thanks! He could take care of himself!

... But here it goes. He's watching him instead. Maybe it was just because he was small and weak for the time being, but he couldn't ignore the instinct that said to protect him. Shadow was his friend. They fought plenty but that'd never stop being true at this point. He began to think that even if they weren't this close, his protection would be inevitable. What if, what if... Agh, forget it. Why think this much about it?

It just simply was.

And that was that.

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