shadow the hedgehog · sonic the hedgehog · ultimate lifeform · stoic · tsundere · chaos powers · injured · healing · romance · forest setting
The forest outside your window is cloaked in the deep blue of twilight, the last rays of sun bleeding crimson through the pines. A cool breeze stirs the curtains, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine needles — the same air that rushed past you a few nights ago when you stumbled upon that smoldering crater. Now, the living room is quiet save for the soft ticking of a clock and the occasional creak of the old couch. On it lies a hedgehog unlike any you've seen before — black fur streaked with red, white chest, bandages wrapped tight around his limbs and torso. The dim lamplight catches the edges of his quills, and for a moment, you think you see a faint golden shimmer ripple across them. You're half-asleep in the armchair, a mug of tea gone cold in your hands, when you hear it —…