I Am...All of Me

Wild Side (Part 1)(Boom!Shadow)

To those of you who have read my Sonic Boom series Bygone Adventures, this story will look very familiar. Because the first episode is Shadow-centric, and this is a Shadow-centric book, I wanted to add it to the collection. I really want to fill this book, and these next few chapters are an easy way to help with that.

     If you haven't read my Bygone Adventures stories before, I hope you enjoy! I'm only posting the first episode here, since the next one is more Sonic-focused. Let me know what you think! Votes and comments are much appreciated.

Note: This is one of my earlier works, so the writing is not the same quality as my current writing style. Hope you still enjoy the premise though!
————

Chapter 1: Sunrise

It was early one morning on the far side of Bygone Island, deep in the jungle. The sun rose earlier on this end of the island, meaning that life awoke much sooner than the rest. A ray of sunlight filtered in through the jungle canopy and into a fissure of a well-hidden cave, striking a black and red-striped mobian hedgehog's face.

    Shadow's eyes squinted before opening slowly with the sunrise. He stifled a yawn and stretched himself out, careful not to hit any members of the pack. His ruby orbs adjusted, and he stood up to scan his home.

    Large creatures, three or four times bigger than he was, slept soundly in one massive group. Their thick black and red bodies rose and fell evenly, while long claws curved idly. The mothers curled around their pups protectively, and the elders slept closer to the back of the cave. The fathers and other strong males rested closer to the entrance and along the sides of the pack as a living barrier to anyone that dared to enter the den uninvited. The young, strong females that didn't have pups created a second ring around the mothers and elders to act as a second layer of defense and also to catch any runaway pups.

    Although there were several distinguishing features, there were two main differences between the resting giants. The larger, bulkier ones were built for land, while the comparatively smaller ones resembled giant bats with long wings and curved, lizard-like tails. The winged ones slept in alcoves above the pack in large nests made of straw and animal skin. And the floor of the cave was draped with the same materials for the grounded ones. They both shared the same coloring as the hedgehog, even if they dwarfed him. These were the remnants of the once great Black Arms, and Shadow was their leader, the Alpha Male.

    He had slept on a ledge a few feet above the pack next to his second-in-command's family, and his lead scout. His right hand was one of the land hunters, a Black Oak named Fireclaw, due to the fact that one of his front claws was scorched by a forest fire several years ago. His mate, Moonstreak, earned her name for the white stripes along her arms and back. They had four pups, who had come to see Shadow as something close to an uncle, and although they were only a few months old, they were already half as tall as he was.

     His lead scout was a Black Hawk named Redwing for obvious reasons. Like Shadow, he was still single, but he had made it clear he was looking for the right mate. He befriended the mobian hybrid before he had become Alpha, and had remained loyal to him through thick and thin. But at the moment, he was sleeping soundly with one crimson wing draped over Fireclaw's face, something the obsidian hedgehog was certain would lead to a disgruntled general later.

    Shadow allowed a rare genuine smile appear on his tan muzzle as he watched over his pack. It felt like ages ago when he was first chosen as their Alpha, a role he wasn't sure he could fill at first. But over time and experience, he learned that their trust and loyalty extended both ways. Since his first time with the pack, he had come to see the Black Arms as his true family, and he was sure nothing would change that. He would do anything to ensure the safety of his pack, and they would do the same for him.