He is My Master

24: Visitors Of The Night

                 *******EXCLAIMER*******
I DO NOT OWN THIS NOVEL IM MERELY TRANSFERRING IT TO WATTPAD CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL AND GIVE KUDOS TO AUTHOR Chiisai Kitsune ON FF.NET HERE

     https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4256772/24/

"Ma-master? Where are we going?" Tails asked timidly, no leash on his neck but instead Shadow's iron grip on his wrist pulling him forward.

"Hush. Not a single sound until we're out of the castle," Shadow hissed back. It was already after dark and the black-furred Prince hoped not to attract any attention. Tails bit his chewed-up lip, trying not to let a single whimper betray his fear. This day had been the most bizarre in his entire life. The pair descended a narrow winding staircase, keeping to the shadows and sneaking through side corridors as if they were a pair of burglars and not a case of eccentric royalty and his pet.

Inside, Shadow was even faintly amused. This brought back childhood memories of him sneaking through the nightly corridors of the ARK sometimes with Maria, sometimes alone. He thought it a good sign that now he could recall those years spent with his best friend with a bittersweet joy, instead of the mindless rage he'd felt before he'd met Sonic...

Tails was even more confused as they now seemed to be moving through the laundry of the Palace, huge tubs and piles of clothing lining their path, the damp smell of soap and sweat heavy in the air. Finally, they came to a small wooden door which Shadow yanked open. Tails gasped as suddenly he saw the star-dotted sky and moonlit landscape outside.

"There. Cleaning maids' exit. Far easier to sneak out through here than to use the main door." Shadow smirked, striding outside.

"How...how do you know about this, Master...?" Tails mumbled in awe at the space of the plains at the foot of the hill, for a moment forgetting his fear.

Shadow's lips curled slightly. "Please, kit. Just because Sonic is the one famous for running off, it doesn't mean I haven't done my own exploratory trips."

"Oh..." Tails mouthed, then suddenly gasped as Shadow scooped him up in his arms as if he was a doll. Terror flooded the small form of the two-tail, memories of what close contact usually meant for slaves bubbling to the surface of his mind.

"Aaaah! Ma-master...! Please...please don't hurt me now..." he whimpered, already knowing that this would not help, having learned that pleading was always, always useless...

"What are you talking about?" Shadow asked, irritably. He supposed it looked quite comical from a distance, seeing him slightly helpless with a terrified fuzzball in his arms, but after six days with barely any sleep and no food at all he was getting twitchy. He sighed.

"For the umpteenth time, fox, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to carry you."

"Carry me?" Tails stopped clenching up for a moment and uncurled to look the bigger Sapient into the eyes, then quickly remembered his place and downcast his glance. "M-may I ask where, Master?"

"It's a surprise," Shadow replied mysteriously, shifting a flinching Tails slightly in his arms to get a better grip. Chaos, they must have mistreated the kit...

"Hold on tight," the Ultimate Lifeform warned before then taking off into the night, the surprised shriek of the little fox all he left behind.

xxx

Knuckles had a fitful sleep. The war against Black Doom was due to break out any day now. As son of the Guardian he was a leader of a part of the echidna army and would have to fight in battle soon. His men and women were as tense and stressed as him, the rumours of a powerful secret weapon Black Doom had allegedly acquired in the last few days not to be quenched. Right now people were still waiting for King Maximilian of Acorn to decide whether he would side with Queen Aleena's realm and the echidna tribe, or stay loyal to Black Doom. It was said that the squirrel king would have an audience with the evil overlord soon, which would probably decide things. If King Max sided with Queen Aleena and the echidnas, then there was a chance that they could overthrow the dictator and abolish slavery once and for all. If not...