Multifandom Crossover: ARK Survival Evolved

Shadow the Hedgehog

Yippee woohoo hooray! ARK Survival Evolved has added the Crystal Isles to the list of free maps for all to enjoy! I haven't played in a while, so I just recently found out.

So, I know it's been a while, but things have taken..strange turns to say the least. We lost our pet hamster at the start of June, and things between friends and I have been off. I also found out one of my favorite teachers (who applied for the art teacher position this year) had to get a job at another school, so I won't even see him my senior year.

Oh well, but that's all in the past. I thought I'd crunch out a chapter before the new Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC dropped, 'cause I know I'll be playing that for hours, days, or maybe weeks. Just wanted to check in and let y'all know that I'm most definitely not dead—I'm probably just playing Pokémon.

~SuperHedgies~

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It was a normal day for Shadow. Collecting resources, riding around on his Deinonychus, fighting the Broodmother, trying not to die.

Trips to the Upside Down were usually all his. Yippee.

He softly cursed to himself, glad he'd made himself a rifle in their fabricator this morning. This was what, his third Broodmother today? So nothing new. His last trip resulted in the end of his beloved shoulder pet, a microraptor named Chaos.

R.I.P. Chaos.

Today he hadn't brought along anyone else aside from his Deinonychus, Bloodhound, though that one was necessary. He loaded another few bullets into his gun, firing at the spider beast chasing him. It shrieked in agony, growing more determined to slaughter and feed Shadow to its spiderlings.

Shadow shuddered at the thought.

This happened back and forth for hours, until he found that one perfect sweet spot where he could shoot the damned thing without the worry of being mauled.

So that's what he did. It only took a few more bullets for it to die, and Shadow was ready to reap the rewards of his successful kill. He even let Bloodhound in on it.

After filling the satchels he carried with the resources and meat gathered from the dead Broodmother, it was time to head back. If he didn't leave this god forsaken zone before nightfall, things were bound to get even uglier.

He couldn't stand the thought of a Reaper Queen forcing a Reaper baby into him. He couldn't. If anyone should be the wretched thing's mom it's Silver. Blech.

He felt his stomach churn as he saw the sun faintly dipping away in the west. It was nearly impossible to see in the dark black mists and thunderclouds of the Upside Down, but he could feel a deeper chill in his bones.

"Let's go Bloodhound. I can stand being elsewhere overnight. Not here."

He mounted up, riding his Deinonychus out of the area. He knew trips there and back were more than a day's journey, so he brought with him the recommended campfire, tent, sparkpowder, and preserving bin. Setting up camp was quick and easy with this odd implant he'd woke to, so he wasn't worried.

He made it out of the Upside Down in under an hour's time, racing down the walkways to get in and out. Shadow puffed a breath of relief as they grew further and further away from the wretched place, steering Bloodhound towards the plains they'd crossed the way there.

The ride under the moonlit sky was peaceful, aside from the occasional Rex or Allo trying to take a bite of them. Finally he found a nice place to stop and make camp. Setting up the bin was a breeze, and he just stored the meat and sparkpowder in there for preservation until morning. Then he made the campfire, took off Bloodhound's saddle, fed him, and made some steak from the meat they'd gathered.

Once they both had full bellies, Shadow made his tent and crawled inside, plopping down on the ground with a sigh of relief. He was exhausted from the stress he'd been through with the Broodmothers, and even more so while trying to escape the Upside Down with his dead on his shoulders. But now he could rest, hours away from the dreaded place, and still days away from the white, tropical beaches he and the other two hedgehogs called home.

Sleep overcame him fast, and he was gone to the realm of dreams.