Red and the Beast

Wolves

Shadow waits patiently for knuckles but when doesn't come back he checks one of the mirrors. There he sees knuckles brother begging him to stay longer. He sees guilt in knuckles eyes. "Two days won't hurt...." He said and Shadow sighs. "Enjoy your family time knuckles I wouldn't blame you if you didn't return at all" shadow said and walks away. "Something isn't right..." Amy said. "I agree Manson has always been very manipulative and knuckles was never close with him. Yet why now?" Tails said. "Let's keep a close eye on him."

Two weeks passed and knuckles starts to miss Shadow terribly. Yet each time knuckles would get ready to leave Manson would convince him to stay. Locke starts to notice how heartbroken knuckles was starting to get and realize he was in love with the beast. Manson smiled knowing that knuckles will surely be killed by the beast and will try to manipulate him to stay longer once more. As knuckles lays in his bed he looks over the empty mountain rang knowing shadows castle was in sight. During his stay he tried to find a loophole to the curse but as he did he started to miss shadow as more than a friend. "Could I actually fallen in love with him.... No it can't be possible.... Yet what is this strange feeling." He thought as he starts to drift to sleep. Yet he was woken up hearing his brother leave the house. He sees him with two strange people he knew were trouble and decided to follow him. "What is he up to?" He wonder as he followed. The three finally stop at a dark alley and knuckles hid behind a house. "So what did you want us to meet up for ya know our time is precious." Said a green hedgehog with a purple chameleon. "Easy my brother has become friends with the lost prince and I want you two to follow him when he returns to the castle and kill him with his friend the beast. There you steal all the treasure he has and we split it three ways even." Manson smiled wickedly and knuckles heart sank. "I cried enough false tears for him to stay much longer. My original plan was to make him stay longer in hopes the beast would come and kill him yet this letter from him came instead telling him he was free to visit anytime!" Manson huffed. "He tricked me..... god how could I have been so stupid! Wait shadow was setting me free.... The mirrors.... Oh god Shadow.... I'm coming back.... I don't wish to put you in harm. If I return I'm not ever leaving you....." knuckles thought and runs back to the house to get his horse. He writes his father a note and leaves it on his nightstand before riding off. As he approached the barrier his horse starts to freak out. Soon he sees way five pairs of glowing yellow eyes lined the trees and a growl makes his body grow cold. Five large wolves emerge from the shadows and snarl and snap their jaws. Knuckles was thrown off his horse and it bolted away leaving him to the pack of hungry wolves. His heart was pounding knowing he was about to die and closed his eyes bracing for his death. He hears the one of them getting closer and the hot breath on his face. Then coldness and a loud yip. Knuckles eyes shot open seeing shadows fighting the wolves being scratched and bitten. He lets out a howl himself and throws off the wolf who jaws were in his leg. The wolves start to retreat knowing victory wasn't possible. Knuckles see a worn out shadow slowing start to collapse and catches him. "I got you shadow come on" he said dragging shadow back to the castle.

Knuckles pour the hot water into a bowl with a towel and rings its. "Stay still it's gonna hurt" knuckles said and placed the hot towel in shadows leg. "FUCK!" He yelled at the sting but it went away quickly. "Thank you....for saving me..." knuckles said cleaning the wound. The servants all watch as the anger shadow had from the pain wither away as knuckles finished cleaning off the blood. "You're welcome....." shadow said and saw sadness in Knuckles's eyes. "What's wrong?" Shadow asked. "Shadow I wanted to come back honestly.... Because I missed you but at the same time I missed my family...... yet it was a trick.... My brother pretended to miss me thinking you would kill me if I stayed long enough.... But now he made a plan with thieves to follow me back when I try to leave again to kill us both..... I left without him knowing and came back here.... I don't want to go home now that I know of my brother's intentions....." knuckles tears up as he finished bandaging up the wound. "I'm so sorry knuckles...." Shadow said in a comforting voice. "There's something else I discovered while I was gone...." "And that is?" Shadow asked watching knuckles stand up.

The next thing he knew it his lips were on his.