Shadow has never been a big fan of islands, nor was he a fan of land at all. He despised walking on solid earth; he hated being away from the sea. But time and time again, the crew needed a break from the ocean. They were not as adapted to the salty seaspray or the rough waves as much as Shadow was. Shame.
The ARK had anchored quite a bit away from the shore; its crew was making over to the island on the longboats there were present on deck. Shadow was the last to leave.
"Come on, Cap'!" A familiar voice yelled out, running past the black hedgehog and leaping into the boat. "Let's get moving!"
Shadow sighed softly, his red eyes softening as he watched Goldheart, who was more than excited to get back on land. The poor guy had no idea how to swim—Shadow could not even imagine why he had chosen to be a pirate—so getting back on the beach was always an excitement for the blue hedgehog.
Together, the two hedgehogs rowed the longboat towards the island, following behind the rest of their crewmates. Shadow is still dreading spending the day on land, but at least he had Goldheart with him. The blue hedgehog always made Shadow's days a little more bearable.
The crew was already having plenty of fun on the beach by the time Shadow reached the shore. He shook his head, watching the people who he was supposed to trust his life with frolicking on the beach and throwing balls of sand at each other as if it was snow. He held no sympathies, time or patience for childish games.
Goldheart was tying the longboat down when he noticed how tense Shadow was. The blue hedgehog shook his head softly. Of course, Captain Shadow the Hedgehog was angry he had to spend a day on land. Ensuring the boat won't float away on the ocean waves, Goldheart wandered over to the captain and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Why so glum?" He asked playfully, even though he knew the answer.
Shadow didn't bother to answer. Goldheart chuckled softly, then turned to watch the crew play sand-fight with each other. And as some of them were getting their hands dirty, throwing sandballs, a few of the crew had gone off to the side to lay in the sand and enjoy basking in the sun. Goldheart wanted to join in, really badly, but there were other matters at hand. Shadow didn't like land; Goldheart was going to change that.
"Come on, Captain." Goldheart said, taking Shadow by the hand and dragging him away. "Let's see what's on the island, eh?"
Shadow didn't have much of a choice. He followed behind the blue hedgehog, being dragged around the island against his will. However, this was Goldheart. If it were anyone else doing this, they would've found themselves tied to a tree ages ago. But not Goldheart. Shadow always made exceptions for Goldheart.
Goldheart took Shadow through the island, seeing everything it had to offer. Tall palm trees, stopping for a little coconut break under a few, dazzling beaches all around and a freshwater river that came from a waterfall—just a few of the treasures and jewels on the island. The blue hedgehog could tell Shadow was starting to enjoy himself, and he smiled. This is exactly what Goldheart wanted.
Unintentionally, Goldheart ended up leading Shadow to the edge of a cliff, overlooking the entire island. The two of them stood still, taking in fresh mountain air. Shadow never thought air could spell so fresh and clean. Yet here, without the constant scent of rotting wood and the salty sea air, everything was clear. Shadow sighed, releasing a deep breath he had taken. Goldheart smiled softly.
"Looks like this island wasn't so bad." He mused, punching Shadow's shoulder playfully.
Shadow hummed softly, his eyes spotting his beloved ship still anchored in her place.
"Not so bad," he answered, "I would still like to be back on the ship soon."
Goldheart chuckled. It'll take far more than just one day to change Shadow's mind. But at least the captain enjoyed one island.
