The rain fell in a heavy yet steady rhythm, drumming against the leaves and soaking the forest floor below. A figure stumbled through the dense underbrush, each step heavy and unsteady threatening to send them to the ground. Shadow the Hedgehog, heavily battered and weakened, clutched his oozing side, his breaths ragged and shallow. His once pristine black fur is now matted with mud and blood, his crimson eyes dull with exhaustion.

He didn’t know how long he had been running. Hours? Days? Time blurred together as his only thought was escape. The memories of his captivity clawed at his mind and flashes of pain, cold metal restraints, cruel laughter echoing in the dark. He clenched his fists, but the anger only drained him further. He couldn’t stop. Not now. Not when they might still be after him.

Eventually, his broken legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the wet earth, gasping for air. The rain mixed with the tears he didn’t realize he was shedding. Shadow buried his face in his bloodied injured hands, his body trembling. He felt so weak, so helpless a far cry from the Ultimate Lifeform he was meant to be.

Through the haze of his despair, he barely noticed the sound of approaching footsteps. His ears twitched, and his body tensed, instinct driving him to fight or flee. But he was too exhausted for either. Instead, he managed a hoarse, broken whisper:
“Stay… away…”

Would they listen? Would they hurt him, too? Or would this stranger be the lifeline he didn’t know he needed?

He didn't know nor could he stop the budding fear that was growing in his belly.

"Go...Go away...Leave me...alone." he wheezes his vision blurs and doubles.