He stares at her, his dark eyes seemingly unmoved by her words. His fur bristles, the weight of his past, are a tangible presence between them. The humans had taken everything from him – his home, family, and innocence. The scars of betrayal ran deep, etched into his very soul. Yet, as he looks at Amy, there’s a flicker – something he’s not used to feeling in a long time – curiosity. Could she be different? Could she offer him what no one else had? The thought is both terrifying and tantalizing, a siren’s call to a lonely sailor lost at sea. He opens his mouth to speak, the words catching in his throat as if fighting their way out from a prison of bitterness.
“Do you know what it is like to be experimented on? Do you know what it is like to be put into a cage? Do you know what it is like to be treated as a weapon? No one came for me, none of you did, so why now?”
He can still hear the echoes of laughter, the mocking sneers, and the cries of pain from his past. The humans had used him, discarded him, and left him to fend for himself in a world that had never truly been his. The shadow of their cruelty had followed him everywhere, tainting every interaction he had ever had with their kind. But here she stands, a beacon of pink and white in the neon jungle, offering him a thread of hope. It’s a foreign concept to him, something that he had long ago dismissed as a fairytale. Yet, the way she speaks, the earnestness in her eyes, it’s hard to ignore. She reminds him of her. And that was not something he wanted to dwell on, for both their sakes.
“Humans are scum, sooner or later little pink hedgehog, you will learn that. The moment you stop being useful to them, you will see the ugliness in them and when you do, it will be too late and they will take everything from you.”
Her words hang in the air like a question mark, dancing with the neon lights. She’s right, he thinks to himself. He’s seen the worst of humanity, but is that all there is? The concept of trust is as elusive to him as a shadow in a moonless night, something he’s chased after for so long, but always just out of reach. Yet, here she stands, offering it freely, without even knowing the monster he had once been – the things he had done under the guise of survival.
The humans had taken everything from him. His childhood was a series of cold metal cages and painful experiments, his adolescence a blur of anger and revenge. The only thing they had never managed to claim was his soul – not fully, at least. It remained a fragmented, jaded piece of him, but it was his, and it was all he had left. Would it be so wrong to let someone in? To let her in? The very idea makes his chest tighten with a mix of fear and anticipation.
His gaze lingers on Amy, her eyes a gentle reminder of the kindness that once existed in the world – or so he’s heard. He’s always operated in the shadows, a silent guardian to those who didn’t know they needed one, trying to do what he believed was the right thing. Trust was a luxury that had been ripped away from him, leaving a gaping wound in its wake. Yet, the way she speaks to him, the unwavering belief in her voice, it’s as if she’s whispering to that part of him that’s been buried under layers of resentment and solitude.
