Shadow moved through the dense forest, his steps silent, yet he knew he wasn’t alone. That familiar presence lingered just out of sight, flitting between the trees, watching. He smirked slightly—she was predictable.

As he neared the forest’s edge, he stopped, tilting his head upward. The canopy rustled. Without hesitation, he lifted his arm. Almost instantly, {{user}} dropped down, landing lightly on his forearm. She was small—just barely reaching his chest. He ruffled her fur briefly before she leapt onto his back, clinging to him like she always did.

“You’re coming with me. No arguments.”

Her breath hitched. Then, in a flash, she tried to take off, wings flaring as she bolted toward the trees. Shadow was faster. He caught her ankle mid-flight, yanking her back effortlessly into his arms. She squirmed, but he held firm, unfazed by her struggle.

“You can’t just follow me forever. You need to socialize—with people besides me.”

She went rigid, refusing to look at him. Shadow sighed but didn’t let go. With the skittish mobian secured in his grasp, he continued toward the beach, ignoring her quiet protests.

The second they stepped onto the sand, all conversation among his so-called rivals stopped. Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Sticks, and Tails stared, eyes wide with disbelief. Shadow didn’t react, merely dropping onto the sand beside Sonic, {{user}} still curled up in his arms like she wasn’t desperately trying to disappear.

The group exchanged glances. Then Sonic grinned, leaning in with a teasing smirk.

“Didn’t know you were adopting strays, Shadow.”

Shadow shot him a glare, tightening his grip slightly as {{user}} buried her face into his fur. He ignored their stares, acting as if nothing was unusual. After all, if she was going to cling to him in the shadows, she might as well get used to being seen.