Fate's Wretched Odyssey

V

Sonic stood in front of the bathroom mirror, the dark leather collar around his neck as he scanned over its smooth surface. It certainly felt a little tight, but it wasn't bad enough that he was suffocating. In his mobian form, it fit snugly around his throat. And it wrapped perfectly around his scar.

He didn't know why he bought it. If he was being honest, most werebeasts, if not all of them, would hate the idea of having a man-made item tightened around their necks and restraining them from freedom. But Sonic found himself enjoying it.

Just imagining himself on a leash held by his manager, being paraded around and showed off as Shadow's made Sonic's fluffy tail wag. But as soon as that image made itself apparent, it was shoved away. The werebeast forced it to the back of his mind. What was that Chaos Emerald doing to him? He hated these thoughts!

The dreams hadn't ceased in the past two days either. Always the same thing, but Shadow didn't seem to struggle as much anymore. Though it was clear he was frightened with every encounter. Sonic had little control over his body in the dream realm — like he was merely a spectator watching from his own eyes while his beast worked on instinct.

Growling, Sonic tore the collar off and threw it into the cabinet beneath the sink. Four knocks echoed from the bathroom door. "Sonic, I'm off to bed. I've got school tomorrow. Remember your shift starts in an hour! You should be out of here soon," his brother kindly reminded him.

"Alright, thanks, Tails." His large, clawed hand combed his quills back as he shrunk in size and reached for the burgundy uniform that was laid over the edge of the tub. He slipped it on and fixed the tie before he stepped out and grabbed his phone. Hopefully his first proper shift wouldn't be too busy. After all, Sonic didn't deal well with stress.

"Hun! You came back!" Rouge exclaimed upon seeing Sonic enter through the staff door. "Shadow told me he met you at the store and I was worried he'd scared you off!" She giggled and glided smoothly over to the young male to give him a small peck on the cheek. Sonic had to assume that that was something he'd need to get used to.

"Rouge, I didn't scare the guy off," Sonic heard Shadow hiss as he approached the two. He nodded subtly at Rouge and she took off back towards the bar where Knuckles and Silver were working at serving parched customers and flirty women. "I'm glad you returned, Sonic. There're a couple more things I'd like to show you before you get started," he set a hand on Sonic's shoulder gently. Yet that simple contact sent Chaos energy coursing through Sonic's body and he nearly jumped away from the sudden warmth that the Emerald began to emit over the casino before it stopped.

Shadow drew his hand back swiftly, yet elegantly, and clenched his fist. "Sorry. Must've been a small static shock." The blue hedgewolf chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head before following his new employer to where he wished to show him. Shadow opened a door not far from the bar. He gestured for Sonic to follow and showed him inside.

It was a cozy break room with a few couches and a pool table, along with lockers for the employees. There were also some paintings around, none all that eye-catching.

Yet there was something that threw Sonic off.

There, lined neatly on the wall, were three werebeast heads, one after the other; the first one a young coal-colored male no older than Tails, the next a green female perhaps a decade or two older than Sonic, and the third a fully matured silvery white Titan male with ram horns. The azure's face fell and he set his duffle bag by his feet. Shadow, who was walking to the back of the room where another door was, seemed to notice Sonic's absence from his side and looked over his shoulder to see his new employee staring at his father's collection.

A smile cracked on his tanned muzzle before it faded upon seeing that Sonic wasn't staring with awe, but more with a look of horror and sympathy. "Hedgehog," Shadow called as he strode up behind him. Sonic didn't leave him time to speak. "Did you do this?" His voice was low, and there was a hint of a growl behind his words. Shadow's eyes narrowed. "No. A live werebeast hasn't been seen in nearly half a century; before I was born. My father took up a hobby in hunting them, however. These would be his kills. Impressive, is it-"