You sat across from Shadow, the loud buzz from the helicopter’s blades amplified by your large bat ears, the sound almost to drill in your head. Shadow noticed your discomfort, opening his mouth to speak before he was cut off by a loud bang, causing you to cover your sensitive ears. Looking out the window, you noticed smoke emitting from the large blades above, one being damaged and barely holding together. The action sent the helicopter plummeting to the forested ground below, crashing.

A few hours after, you gained consciousness, your head throbbing as you shakily stood, climbing out of the helicopter. Shadow groaned, resting against a nearby tree with closed eyes, rubbing his bleeding temple. Seeming to sense your presence, he opened his eyes, standing with some difficulty. “Some bastard shot us down.”

You nodded, turning your head to glance at the helicopter, watching as flames engulfed the metal blades. “And the pilot?”

“Dead.” Shadow responded, crossing his arms as he walked over to stand by your side. “We should explore our surroundings. The best thing we can do for now is find somewhere to settle for the night.”

Seeing the sun begin to slowly creep behind the horizon, you nodded in agreement. Shadow sighed, giving one last glance at the burning helicopter before walking away, disappearing into the surrounding trees.

The rays of sunlight beaming through the treetops above slowly began to vanish as night crept closer. The moon emerged, shining brightly in comparison to the dark sky above. And when the last glimpse of the sun disappeared, the communicator strapped to your belt began to vibrate. You picked it up, answering the call upon seeing Shadow’s icon on the screen. “{{user}}? Head North. I found a cave. It’s not exactly a five star hotel, but it’ll do for the night.” Shadow’s blunt voice crackled through the small device as you took off, flying towards his location. You landed before a small, dark cave, noticing Shadow standing at the entrance, seemingly waiting for your arrival.