Watchdogs of the ARK

A Different Shadow

"I am the tallest of mountains, I am the roughest of waves, I am the toughest of terrors, I am the darkest of days. I'm the last one that's standing, don't try to stand in my way... yo. Arg, I'm also delirious. You wanna kill me this time, Shadow? Go ahead. I've already lost everything. My squad, my powers, the Phantom Ruby. You took all those things away and..."

Before Infinite can finish, Shadow interrupts.

"Are those song lyrics?"

"So what if they are?" Infinite barks. "It's my song, not yours! Haven't you tormented me enough?"

"I just met you, trespasser. Now tell me your name, like I asked."

"My name is Infinite. I know you from another dimension. Please just kill me!"

He winces, nauseated by space travel.

"I've never known you. 'Must have been a fake. Yes, you met a faker, I presume. If you're not here to infiltrate the ARK then I have nothing against you, Infinite. Is that your real name? And you're what, a fox?"

Infinite tries to puff up to Shadow but it hurts to sit up. He flinches at the effort then groans, noticing that he's in a medical suite of some sort.

"Arg, I'm a jackal, not a fox. Why would you think I'm a fox?"

"I don't know, because you're kind of foxy I guess," Shadow replies, innocently thinking of Tails the Fox and genuinely unaware of the flirtatious meaning behind the word, foxy.

"Oh screw you!" Infinite growls. "And yes, Infinite is my real name, pervert."

Shadow folds his arms.

"Is it? I don't believe you."

"Please, just annihilate me," Infinite whines.

"I'd rather not. It doesn't seem right. Are you hungry? You look famished."

Infinite turns his head away and gazes at the panoramic view of planet, Earth. It's so peaceful that he realizes he's hyperventilating and begins to calm down. The stillness causes his sadness to catch up with him and he suddenly wants to weep.

"Defeated, humiliated. What else can I do? Maybe eating something would be wise, if for no other reason than to distract me from sobbing."

Intending to reply with words, he's only able to muster a grunt and a nod in response to Shadow's question. Shadow takes this to mean that the jackal would like to be fed and rather gently, tells him...

"Rest. I'll bring you food, mortal jackal. It's alright. I can see you have the world on your shoulders. Don't worry. From here, the world is a distant and beautiful place. The view I'm sure will comfort your soul. That's what Maria used to tell me. I'll be back shortly."

Shadow zooms off. The quiet does in fact, begin to soothe Infinite's temper. He feels hot tears pouring down his muzzle. It hits him like a smoldering stone to the forehead. This is a different dimension and that was a different Shadow.