i think sonic did his best while taking care of tails since he was/is a free roaming adventurer and young too. he scavenged a lot of their youth for wild fruits and stuff, though he didn't really know what a full meal was at the time (he's tryingggg).
so when he found out there were events and holidays that gave out free stuff, he jumped on the opportunity to get his lil bro something sweeter than the same old same old, figuring out exactly how to get candy and procuring a makeshift costume from the trash.
unfortunately he didn't foresee tails eating their entire stash that night,, he may not look at the past often since he lives in the moment and always looks ahead, but he takes what he's learned and holds it close when it comes to those he loves, whether it's from an awesome adventure or from just seeing his lil bro puke on a sugar crash
(sry some panels look trash, halloween snuck up on me. also if the asl looks weird🥹
Some quick late-night impulse sketch that became a lighting exercise that I am now eternally obsessed with. Why can’t I doodle cool villain varian stuff like this on demand
Summary; Four's Hyrule is peaceful and calm. The only monsters to speak of are the ones within.
CW; Nightmares, Four & Shadow's relationship can be interpreted as romantic or platonic but it's intended to be platonic !
Word Count; 924
Dot threw her arms around Four's shoulder and hugged him tightly. He returned the grasp without hesitation. When the two parted they muttered a few last words between each other.
The two drifted apart, Dot standing at the edge of town as the Chain ventured out. Four waved back to her before darting to get back to the front.
The group trudged on, sticking close despite the peaceful nature of Four's Hyrule. Tall trees with shimmering green leaves sprawled overhead. Sunlight flitted through the canopy and scattered drops of light on the dirt path they followed.
Four would occasionally stop to check out some tree stumps, rocks, or simply large clusters of grass or mushrooms. He never explained why he did this, but few members of the Chain would see the tiny mice-like creatures sitting on his shoulders or in his hood and understood from what he'd once told them.
The sunlight slowly dimmed and shifted orange and pink, stretching out the shadows that danced around them. Feelings bubbled in Four's chest yet he forced them down. Boring, normal shadows shouldn't be doing that to him.
Time nudged him and quirked an eyebrow. The Smithy waved him off with a shake of his head.
The Chain stopped at a small clearing and set up camp. Everyone claiming their spots with their bedrolls. Twilight and Warriors playfully pushed each other as the Rancher found a good spot to plant him and Wild. The Champion himself was flipping through his slate and stacking firewood to start up some food.
Four picked a spot decently far away from the others, somewhat between Sky and Wind. He sat down, watching the flames of the new campfire flicker around the heavy pot Wild placed atop it. Water was poured into it along with a dash of milk. Wild threw in a few other things Four and his terrible cooking ability didn't recognize. His gaze dropped into an almost sad stared as he gazed at the mesmerizing flames.
The rest of the night went by in a blur. Four didn't have watch tonight and was thankful for that. He didn't know if he could stomach it having to see all that darkness and knowing that none of it was the right kind.
The clearing was warm, a combination of everyone's body heat (minus Wild) and the still-hot wood from the fire. Everyone but whoever was on watch was in their bedrolls, probably falling asleep by now.
An hour went by before Four could feel his eyelids getting heavy. The sounds of everyone around him breathing and the shuffling of first watch's feet dulled, morphing into white noise along with the chirps of crickets and calls of owls. His eyes slid shut as he felt as if he floated off to a different place, falling quickly into a deep sleep.
-
Blackened claws wound around his shoulder and yanked Link into a tight hug. He jerked in surprised but managed to calm down and slightly lean into the grasp.
Red eyes framed by cold, dark skin and purple-black hair stared at him. He didn't blink, focused on the warmth of the hylian in his hold.
Link rotated in his grasp. Gray met red in a silent stare.
"Link…" Came his voice, one clawed hand lifting. The other's smile suddenly dropped into a frown. "Why.?"
Link's eyes snapped open again and looked down at him. "What?" He whispered.
"I'm not real Link," He said. "This is a dream. I'm not coming back."
Link nearly started yelling. "N-no it has to be real, you can't be gone."
"I'm not real, Link," He repeated again and wrapped his clawed hand around Link's throat
The one beside Link and the whisps of shadow began to disappear. Dispersing like mist. Link desperately grasped at him, tears falling from his eyes without permission.
The room around them fell away. It reformed into a sprawling forest. Eight men stood around him, looking down at his curled form with various emotions. Disgust, anger, fear, hate.
Link startled, a sword at his neck. His breath shuddered.
"How dare you." A loud, thick voice called.
"You traitor." Came one with a posh accent.
"Likin' the kin of an enemy?"
"The worst you could've done."
"It's terrible."
"Disgusting."
"You'll be lucky if we let you live."
"You just had to go and befriend him, didn't you?"
The sword at his tilted down and lunged forward. His bones rattled with the impact, the weapon sliding through him and into the dirt easily. The tissues of his body split apart and ripped. Blood gushed form the wound, soaking his tunic and resting on the dirt beneath him.
He screamed but no sound came. The sword was left in him, the tip dug into the dirt so he had no way to escape. No path to safety.
The eight glared down at him. They all turned and began walking away, laughing and joking like they hadn't just murdered Link.
Every lurch, every movement, every breath, it all pulled him further apart. The rips widened and his bones cracked and snapped on their own. It was like the stationary sword was tearing him apart. A new rip split across his chest. They dug through and forced him apart, shattering his skull in half. His body felt apart, four pieces that lay limp in the dirt.
Everything hurt and burned, but nothing would move anymore. Link's brain split much like his body, four pieces crying and yelling about the pain but still no sound would come to them.
The forest around him faded and the shadows lengthened and merged with his skin. It slid between the cracks and tried to stitch the four of them back together.
-
The dream melted away and night still gleamed above him. Four shot from his bedroll. Everyone was still asleep. He was still alive. They did not hate him.
