Shadow ran as fast as his little feet would carry him. He ran until his heart was pounding out of his chest, and his breathing was labored and choked from the tears that he attempted to hold back. He didn't know how long he had been out here, but it didn't matter. As long as he got away from him he didn't care…

It was raining heavily, making the ground soggy and slippery, and visibility poor. More than once he had tripped and fallen, getting himself muddy and scraping up his already bruised and beaten body, but despite it he pressed on. He had escaped the mirror long ago, and once he set foot in this new world he didn't look back. Shadow had no idea where he'd go or what he'd do, but as long as he got away it didn't matter. He just wanted to be safe…

Shadow continued on, pushing his body to its limit and not even caring. Anything was better than enduring the things he had experienced back home. Why, when Dark Meta Knight finds out he escaped… he'd sure be in for it if he got caught!

Tears welled up in his eyes at the scary thought. His "mentor" Dark Meta Knight had always been very hard on him... abusive even! Shadow was never really sure what caused Dark's outburst toward him; be it his mentor had a bad day, or he was mad at him for something he'd done (usually unknowingly), or even for some other reason entirely, but it usually resulted in himself getting struck or beat. It scared him so very much when Dark acted out like that. He'd always hide in attempts to avoid the onslaught, hoping he wouldn't be found and could avoid his mentors wrath. Occasionally he would succeed, but for the most part his efforts were in vain. In the end he'd wind up with at least a few tender bruises or cuts to tend to, and usually the angrier his mentor was, the worse the beating.

He couldn't ever remember a time where he had ever done anything to purposefully wrong his mentor, so what was he doing to deserve such ill treatment? To receive such deep physical and emotional scarring? To be born into such a life… ?

Shadow didn't know the answer to any of those questions, and that frightened him. The unknown scared him more than anything, and that was the only reason he hadn't left his abusive situation sooner. He was afraid of the outside world, leaving what he knew even if it meant living in fear and enduring Dark's wrath every single day. At the time… it seemed better.

But Dark's most recent outburst was one of the worst Shadow had ever experienced. His physical injuries were extreme, with many cuts and bruises all over his body. It hurt to even move, let alone run and push himself for as long as he had. His whole body ached in burning pain, and his cuts stung to the point that they almost felt numb. It didn't help that he'd gotten mud in a number of them. But what struck Shadow most was the look of pure hate and wrath in his mentors eyes. There was a wild, burning anger in them that scared him to his wits end, and he knew if he stayed there a moment longer, then his life would be in more danger than it already was.

And that's when he ran. He ran until his chest and lungs hurt, and his bodies muscles started cramping up to get as far away from Dark Meta Knight as possible. He didn't care how far he went, or how scary it was… Anything was better than his life back home.

And now here he was, far away from home and sprinting past forests, and through muddy meadows, all in an effort to be freed from his terrible life on the other side of the mirror.

Suddenly thunder and lightning cracked, illuminating the night sky. Shadow gave a loud, terrified shriek at the sudden noise, and in a panic he sprinted into the woods as fast as he could, attempting to get away and hide in the shadows. However, as he rushed passed trees and bushes it quickly became apparent that he was even more disoriented than before. He couldn't tell one direction from another in the blackness, and the visibility from the rain was no help at all! He had no idea where he was or what direction he was going!

Heart racing and fear coursing though his veins, he looked about every which way as he ran, attempting to get his bearings. His panic rose, just about making him distraught when all of a sudden his foot caught on something and he was sent hurdling straight down to the muddy ground with a heavy thud.

Shadow gave a pained grunt from the impact. He laid there recovering, breathing heavily as the rain poured down on him. Once he recovered his breathing and calmed down a little, he moved his paws underneath himself and started to get up. However, a sharp pain immediately shot through his left foot, taking his breath away and causing him to collapse. He gasped and bit his lip, blinking back tears. When the pain subsided, he carefully turned to lay on his side, and looked back at his foot.

It had caught on a tree root, and was currently twisted in an odd and uncomfortable angle. Grimacing, he gently moved his foot out from under the root. He rubbed it a little as a self-comforting gesture.

"S-stupid twee…" he mumbled, his voice high and slightly squeaky due to his young age.

Once his foot felt better, he glanced around his surroundings warily, taking in how dark the forest was and how shadows appeared to wisp about just out of sight. A part of him halfway expected to have Dark Meta Knight jump out at him any second!

He swallowed hard, struggling to control his nerves at the thought. He needed to get moving again…

Slowly he managed to get himself into a sitting position. Keeping one paw on the ground for leverage, he carefully eased onto his feet, making sure to not put any weight on his injured foot yet.

Once steady he gave a deep breath. Then, he gently set his foot down, and slowly spreading his weight across it. He cringed and sucked his breath in at the sharp, burning sensation that occurred from the action, but he just gritted his teeth and waited until the pain subsided.

It took a minute or two, but once the pain seemed to subside enough Shadow heaved a heavy, and tired sigh. This was the first time he had stopped running in a solid couple of hours, and he could feel his fatigue washing over him. The rain wasn't helping in the slightest either. He was cold and wet, and shivering so violently that it was sapping away whatever energy he had left. His lungs were also very raspy and they felt as if they were about to burst. His body ached all over from his bruises, and his cuts and scrapes stung to no end. And now to top it all off, the pain in his left foot was basically crippling… Would he even be able to walk on it?

Fear started to wash over him like a tidal wave. If he couldn't walk, then he wouldn't be able to get away from Dark! And if he couldn't get as far away from his mentor with the short time that he had, then that meant Dark would be able to hunt him down and find him that much faster!

His heart rate sharply increased, and tears quickly welled up in his eyes, with a few even managing to streak down his grey cheeks. Some feeble hiccups escaped his lips too, as his emotions started to get the better of him.

He couldn't even stand the thought of seeing Dark again! He didn't want to endure anymore pain and suffering, or fear when Dark would lash out, or wonder where his next meal would come from. All he wanted was to live a quiet and happy life, away from him! A strong part of him even desperately hoped he could find someone that'd would love him… especially now. He was cold, wet, tired, and pushed to his limits. He could just picture being tightly found by a loving mother or father in this instance; they'd embrace tightly, and he'd cry for sure, but in the end he'd know everything would be okay.

But… he didn't have that. All he had was himself, and he knew he had to keep going, no matter how exhausted he was! He needed to get as much distance between them as possible… no matter the circumstances.

Breathing a shaky sigh, somehow Shadow found it within himself to carefully start putting one foot in front of the other. He whimpered at the burning pain his foot created in protest to his movements, but he couldn't stop now. His walking was very slow and deliberate however, and he had a terrible limp. Each step on his left foot was pure agony!

He gritted his teeth and held back tears from his pain. With each new step he could feel his strength draining out of him more than the last, and at this rate he wasn't sure if he'd make it much longer. He was shaking and stumbling from exhaustion, but every little step was just one step farther away from Dark… And that, was worth it.

However, just as he finished that thought, his left foot suddenly buckled beneath him and he was sent crashing down to the ground again. He gasped and heaved from the pain searing though his foot, with tears now freely flowing down his cheeks. He tried to push himself back up ignoring his aching body and foot, but his arms were shaky and quickly gave under his weight. The last of his energy and strength was gone…

He breathed in large, choked breaths as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks… His body was done. He couldn't go any farther. Now matter how much he wanted to run, to get away from Dark and out of these woods, he simply couldn't do it. The pain coursing through his veins and his fatigue was just too much to bear. He had pushed himself to his limits and was paying the price.

Shadow laid there, getting poured on by the rain, and hearing the thunder in the distance, as his situation sunk into his mind. He thought about it a moment more, before his face twisted into a grimace and he started sobbing, holding the top of his head with his paws in distress.

"Help!" He yelled out, hoping to reach the ears of someone… anyone! He didn't care who it was as long as it wasn't Dark… he just wanted to be saved. He wasn't ready to die!

But he didn't hear any reply. Just the pouring rain and distant thunder. His ruby colored eyes widened in fear, as more tears welled up in them. "Help!" he yelled out again, voice rasping. "Please… Please help me! S-somebody… anybody… help me…" His voice was nothing but a pathetic whisper now. He didn't even have the strength to yell anymore.

He stared at the ground, tears rolling down his cheeks as he closed his eyes and started crying into his paws. There was no one out here… Like always he was alone. He wouldn't be saved! He'd be lucky if he survived the night at this rate!

In anguish he cried long and hard. His breathing was raspy and labored as he choked on his hiccupping sobs. He cried until his throat hurt and he lost his voice. With each sob he could feel himself slipping further and further away. What little strength he had left was being taken by his crying and his convulsive shivering from the cold rain. He didn't know how long he cried. Minutes? Hours? It didn't really matter. He just cried until he couldn't muster the energy to do so anymore.

Now, he just laid in the rain, shivering and struggling to stay awake as his mind started to slip.

He felt so cold... so numb. His shivering was extremely violent as his body attempted to keep warm, and his teeth chattered, and his lips started turning blue. He wasn't under any sort of shelter, and the only thing that eased the rainfall was the tree canopy above, but it did little to help. He was exposed, left for dead in the cold wind and rain.

As his condition deteriorated, the darkness started encroaching on his thoughts, threatening to take him. He fought it multiple times, but each time it dug deeper into the crevices of his mind

Finally, after what felt like the hundredth time of fighting to stay awake, he closed his eyes and the darkness consumed him. It'd be a miracle if he survived the night…

Hey guys! New story, I know. I can't seem to keep focused on any one thing lol. But this idea was so good, that I literally had to drop everything and start it. I hope you liked the first chapter!

This story is based on my new headcannon that Dark Meta Knight is physically abusive to Shadow Kirby. A lot of people tend to view their relationship much like Meta Knight and Kirby's, and for some reason, that never felt right to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the feels of sweet relationships like that, but Dark Meta Knight doesn't seem like the person to have any sympathy for a child... at least to me. So despite the sensitivitie nature of the subject, I plan to keep it tame and comfortable for a T rating. Rather than focus on the abusive, I want to focus on Shadow's physical aand emotional recovery into a new life. Despite the setbacks Shadow will have, I want things to slowly get better from here. Shadow needs a little more love on here anyway ;)

So I hope you guys like what I have so far! I'm trying a new writing method and it seems to be working well for me so far. I started this chapter about a week and a half ago, maybe 2 weeks, but I only had about 4-5 days of actual writing time because I got sick. I hope I can make just as good time with the next chapters, both in this story, and my others.

Thank you for reading!