Author's Notes: Here be me once again. This time with something completely different (and inspired by one of StarLion's 'fics).
The SWATbots are there just for the sheer heck of it. (I did however have trouble thinking a way to get Shadow to help one per- Gnk.
Don't spoil it.
Fine have it your way. Read on before Shadow kills me.
A black blur shoots across the darkened forests of Mobius. Small flames are visible as the blur moves almost seamlessly across the uneven ground, never once losing it's footing.
Once the blur neared a clearing, which had a large floating egg-like contraption in the centre he skidded to a halt. The ebony hedgehog's eyes looked straight into the eyes of Dr. Eggman. The mad scientist's egg-like body had caused the nickname and it stuck. Yet Eggman had an odd addition to his Egg-o-matic.
"Shadow? What are you doing here?" the doctor barked as he saw Shadow enter the clearing, his bushy, orange moustache jumping like a squirrel trying to escape from his face.
"Giving Sonic some time off from saving the world to be with Amy. Got a problem?" Shadow said in his usual dark tone.
"No matter." the doctor said pressing a new button inside the Egg-o-matic causing the addition to shot a beam of something at the Chaos Emerald that Shadow kept with him, unseen by Shadow who was being kept busy with some SWATbots.
The SWATbots thinned out quickly and Eggman was sure to let Shadow see his escape. However when Shadow tried to use Chaos Control to give chase he felt his body be wrenched from where it was and also a slow loss of consciousness.
Ganondorf was watching from the Forsaken Fortress as the Helmaroc King, a giant bird that served only him, went away on another assignment. None of the girls it had brought her so far had Her blood, and he was getting annoyed.
That was until a perfectly carved emerald, that radiated power, fell next to him. Picking it up he gave a sly chuckle as one of the plans he had thought of finally started to come to fruition.
"Hyrule – No! All that my power will reach shall bend it's knee to me." Ganondorf said before exploding into laughter.
Shadow awoke to the sound of seagulls, the annoying pests that they are, and someone shouting, "'Hoy!"
He looked around to see see that he was on top of a wooden lookout on an island. "Strange." he murmured only to hear a young voice saying, "What's strange? Who're you?"
"My name is Shadow. And I need to know where I am." Shadow said turning round slowly.
"I'm Aryll and you're on Outset Island. Shouldn't you know that? Anyway it's my Big Brother's birthday today and seeing as you're on the Island, Grandma might make you come to it." Aryll said, she was wearing a blue, one-piece dress with a flower embroidered on it.
"I'll pass, Aryll. Have you seen a really tall human with a bushy orange beard flying an egg-shaped device at all?" Shadow asked.
"Nope! Are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine. Don't you have you Grandmother to help?"
"Oh yeah! Right! 'Later Shadow!" Aryll called from half way down the ladder.
Shadow wondered how she should move that fast yet not be a hedgehog, then decided that it wasn't worth thinking about. He settled with looking around the island from this lookout. Spotting a boy garbed in clothes that looked too hot for this weather had was just about to try Chaos Control when he realized that the Chaos Emerald was gone.
"Damn. Must've been lost in whatever brought me here." he said this time it was the boy who spoke from behind him.
"Whaddya lost?" he said, leaning on the central pillar that held the roof of the lookout up.
"Something important to me, kid." Shadow said, not bothering to turn round
"Ya know. Ya look very like the creature Aryll said 'bout earlier."
"How so? A large ebony furred hedgehog with red marks along certain quills and the limbs. Sound like I'm in a bad mood and called Shadow. About right?"
The kid just looked dumbstruck. "How?" he managed before Shadow looked at him. He definitely looked older then Aryll but wasn't much taller.
"Thought so." Shadow said, smirking for the first time in ages.
"By the way. Mename's Link." The kid said, smiling, "You should talk to Grandma, we might be able to help you. C'mon!"
Link was already running back to the largest of the four houses on Outset Island and was half-way there when Shadow had finished descending the ladder. It would've been a decent if he hadn't slipped on one of the steps and plunged into the water.
Surfacing again from his short dip he shook the water from his quills the began to swim towards the house link was running to.
Once he had finally made it he shook slightly then began to run towards the house catching up to Link as sson as he started skating.
"Neat trick!" Link said
"It's a habit I've gotten into. Comes with the shoes." Shadow said skidding to a halt as soon as Link disappeared from sight. He stopped right next to Link opening the door, and was shouting, "Gramma! Got him down here!"
"Thank you Link." came an elderly voice from inside, "Come in, Shadow."
Reluctantly Shadow walked through the door to see a grinning Aryll looking straight at him.
"You look like you've a brave heart," the elderly lady, whom was shorter then Aryll slightly, said giving him an approving look with her near-slit eyes.
"I've fought beasts unimaginable in a place where I nearly died. That brave enough for you?" Shadow said, remembering Finalhazard, which he had beaten alongside Sonic.
"Omigosh!" Shouted Link, who was outside, "There's a giant bird flying away from a Pirate Ship!"
Aryll and their Grandma rushed outside Shadow only walked near to the pier to watch.
Sure enough there was a giant bird being attacked by a Pirate Ship's bow-mounted catapult. Shot after shot rang through the air until the bird was hit with a screech. And dropped something into the forest on the top of Outset.
"Shadow!" Aryll shouted running up to him, "Could you please help that girl."
"If I had my Chaos Emerald I'd be able to help her quickly. Do you have a weapon of some kind on the Island?" Shadow said slightly irritated.
"Yea bu' I believe only Orca knows anything 'bout swordplay now e's in that house there. Lower door." Link said pointing to the two floor house next to a cliff.
"Right." Shadow muttered skating quickly towards Orca's house.
Opening the door and passing through the threshold a shout of, "Kyah!" followed by a thud greeted him.
"You must be Orca." Shadow said folding his arms.
Orca whipped round and looked straight at Shadow, his silver hair taking a moment to catch up. "Who're you?" he asked picking up his spear.
"My name is Shadow. I believe you have a sword."
"You believe correctly but before I entrust this sword to you I must teach you how to use it."
"Fine." Shadow sighed catching the sword thrown at him.
"First is the Horizontal slice. Hit me eight times with them!" Orca said readying his spear.
Shadow lunged forward with the sword completing eight strikes, which Orca only just managed to defend against.
"Excellent. Now do the same with the vertical slice." Orca said.
Shaodw perfectly execute the vertical slices, which again could only just be dodged by Orca.
He went through the thrusts, spin attack and jump attack. He also did the parry attacks with some difficulty.
"You're quicker than I thought, Shadow." Orca commended after the training.
"Where I'm from hedgehogs are about as fast as me. However I doubt more will come from there." Shadow replied turning away.
"Just don't use that sword against anyone of this island." Orca warned.
"I won't."
Yeah... it's Windwaker.
Like it or lump it...