Discord
9 hours ago
(This post was last modified: 7 hours ago by aeshihowl.
Edit Reason: centered images
)
[Author's note 2: I know people have loud Opinions about Shadow the Hedgehog, and most of them are unkind and/or gloss over the fundamentals of his character. So I'll keep this brief. I fell in love with Shadow as a kid who was raised in an oppressive, abusive, inescapable environment. I related to his pain, rage, and hatred, and his desire to take those feelings into his own hands. I loved that he clung to his ray of hope long after she was killed, even if he often misunderstood the best way to honor her. He was, after all, deprived of most social experiences in which to learn and grow. Like me.]
![[Image: pdyggl.png]](https://files.catbox.moe/pdyggl.png)
"Damn it."
What is it, Shadow? came a sweet, gentle voice.
"..." This wasn't fair. He couldn't keep anything from her even if he tried.
He tilted his head, ever so slightly, towards the sealed room. "That girl... they did something awful to her."
Maria leaned over, peering around her friend to catch a glimpse of the enraged prisoner. They hurt her. So much...
Shadow gave a solemn nod.
...You got what you came for. So why are you still here? She delicately pet his head stripe.
"I- ...I don't see the point in hurting her. But I don't know if it's a good idea to just... leave."
Maria placed a delicate finger on the side of her chin, thinking. Well, she can't hurt you anymore right now. Why don't you see what her records say?
Shadow pressed his lips together and stared at the ground for a moment, steeling himself. Then he hoisted himself up, ignoring the crunchiness of his blood-soaked fur, and peered at the nearest screen.
Years of experience snooping through lab files quickly produced several folders of interest.
"Project Big Bad Wolf... how creative," he said flatly.
The whitecoats never were good with naming things.
The first folder was full of audio and video files, recordings of psychological experiments conducted on the subject to investigate her mental fortitude.
The second folder was primarily comprised of physical assessments, with the subject being compared to himself in power and speed.
"They were making her... into a weapon."
...Like you.
The third folder had only a handful of documents, apparently handwritten, with sections blacked out before being scanned and uploaded.
"They used my blood... and that of-- ...what is a dire wolf?"
Maria giggled lightly. Sounds... serious!
Shadow rolled his eyes, pulling up Wikipedia in the internet browser.
"Damn... Who knows how they got their hands on that kind of DNA." He looked over at the hybrid woman, now collapsed and quiet in a fit of fatigue but glaring at him no less intensely.
Shadow straightened with a troubled sigh, and slowly stepped up to the forcefield, kneeling to better meet her fierce gaze. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
![[Image: wqb0aj.png]](https://files.catbox.moe/wqb0aj.png)
Her eyes narrowed to slits, but her head twitched downward in a nod.
"Good. Listen carefully: That fancy rock over there is all I need, and it's also the thing keeping you locked in here. I have no desire to kill you, but I will if you get in my way or cause problems for me. ...but I think we could make a deal, one that benefits us both."
Her brows furrowed, ears lowering in mistrust.
"I have two of them already, and I have to collect four more besides the one in the terminal over there. If you help me get them, I'll free you... and you can kill as many GUN bastards as your heart desires."
She scowled and turned away, arms folded.
...but soon turned to face him again, her eyes burning with hatred.
"Fine," she spat, her voice rough and gravelly. "You are still not my master. And you must feed me, as much as I want."
Shadow's lip curled in disdain. "It is the humans who seek to master all they see, even with starvation. And the humans are who kill indiscriminately. We will not be like them - we will kill only those who kill and aid in killing innocents."
Maria's voice in his ear again, gentle as a breeze: Shadow... I'm glad.
The blood-soaked hedgehog pointed at the corpses littering the room. "We kill GUN only. We do not hurt the other humans. Not all of them choose the path of evil. Understood?"
The hedgewolf nodded again, with that subtle head twitch.
"Very well."
"Good... Now, what should I call you?"
"...The only name I know is Flash."
"Damn it."
What is it, Shadow? came a sweet, gentle voice.
"..." This wasn't fair. He couldn't keep anything from her even if he tried.
He tilted his head, ever so slightly, towards the sealed room. "That girl... they did something awful to her."
Maria leaned over, peering around her friend to catch a glimpse of the enraged prisoner. They hurt her. So much...
Shadow gave a solemn nod.
...You got what you came for. So why are you still here? She delicately pet his head stripe.
"I- ...I don't see the point in hurting her. But I don't know if it's a good idea to just... leave."
Maria placed a delicate finger on the side of her chin, thinking. Well, she can't hurt you anymore right now. Why don't you see what her records say?
Shadow pressed his lips together and stared at the ground for a moment, steeling himself. Then he hoisted himself up, ignoring the crunchiness of his blood-soaked fur, and peered at the nearest screen.
Years of experience snooping through lab files quickly produced several folders of interest.
"Project Big Bad Wolf... how creative," he said flatly.
The whitecoats never were good with naming things.
The first folder was full of audio and video files, recordings of psychological experiments conducted on the subject to investigate her mental fortitude.
The second folder was primarily comprised of physical assessments, with the subject being compared to himself in power and speed.
"They were making her... into a weapon."
...Like you.
The third folder had only a handful of documents, apparently handwritten, with sections blacked out before being scanned and uploaded.
"They used my blood... and that of-- ...what is a dire wolf?"
Maria giggled lightly. Sounds... serious!
Shadow rolled his eyes, pulling up Wikipedia in the internet browser.
Quote:The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) is an extinct species of canine which was native to the Americas during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs...
The dire wolf was about the same size as the largest modern forms of gray wolf (Canis lupus). Its skull and dentition matched those of C. lupus, but its teeth were larger with greater shearing ability, and its bite force at the canine tooth was stronger than any known Canis species. These characteristics are thought to be adaptations for preying on Late Pleistocene megaherbivores...
Dire wolves lived as recently as 10,000 years ago, according to dated remains. Its extinction occurred during the Quaternary extinction event, disappearing along with its main prey species...
"Damn... Who knows how they got their hands on that kind of DNA." He looked over at the hybrid woman, now collapsed and quiet in a fit of fatigue but glaring at him no less intensely.
Shadow straightened with a troubled sigh, and slowly stepped up to the forcefield, kneeling to better meet her fierce gaze. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
"Good. Listen carefully: That fancy rock over there is all I need, and it's also the thing keeping you locked in here. I have no desire to kill you, but I will if you get in my way or cause problems for me. ...but I think we could make a deal, one that benefits us both."
Her brows furrowed, ears lowering in mistrust.
"I have two of them already, and I have to collect four more besides the one in the terminal over there. If you help me get them, I'll free you... and you can kill as many GUN bastards as your heart desires."
She scowled and turned away, arms folded.
...but soon turned to face him again, her eyes burning with hatred.
"Fine," she spat, her voice rough and gravelly. "You are still not my master. And you must feed me, as much as I want."
Shadow's lip curled in disdain. "It is the humans who seek to master all they see, even with starvation. And the humans are who kill indiscriminately. We will not be like them - we will kill only those who kill and aid in killing innocents."
Maria's voice in his ear again, gentle as a breeze: Shadow... I'm glad.
The blood-soaked hedgehog pointed at the corpses littering the room. "We kill GUN only. We do not hurt the other humans. Not all of them choose the path of evil. Understood?"
The hedgewolf nodded again, with that subtle head twitch.
"Very well."
"Good... Now, what should I call you?"
"...The only name I know is Flash."
