Shadow was just sitting on the roof of the house, just letting the soft breeze brush against his quills, right beside him was his jacket...since he had taking the opportunity to take a short a shower, before coming up here.

He looked up at the orange clouds that were just reflecting the light of the sunrise, it had been another night of Rouge dragging him out of his house just to try and get his spirits lift, but again her efforts were only answered with emptiness, even if it was just going to a shooting range...he participated in the shooting games, just to please Rouge, but there was just something missing inside him.

"Why did I imagined they were there with me instead of Rouge?" He thought to himself, with those drawings from those letters, he kind of used them as a template as to what Songbird looked like. But without a gender, his mind just automatically made him assume that they were male, who was just a year younger than he was.

But why was he thinking about them? It's only be five days since they had started writing to each other, but every letter that he got he secretly excited to read the response...even now his thoughts were just filled with Songbird. Maybe it was the fact that he could understand how lonely the other felt...or he just felt sorry for the other's situation.

"Why do I suddenly feel this way?" He asked himself as he just held his hands to his head.

"Shadow I'm head off to work"

Shadow shifted his gaze over to the window to look at his father, he hesitated a little to ask his question...if anything he didn't even know what to ask, at this point...since he knew the story on how his father and mother had met, and it wasn't nothing like his own situation, so he just keep his thoughts to himself. "Alright."

"Is everything okay? I've noticed that you've been more distant than normal"

"I just have a lot on mind I guess...just been thinking about my penpal, just for some reason can't stop thinking about them."

The older hedgehog only corrected his posture from how he was standing by the window, he had read of those letters that Shadow had left out neatly in a pile with his school belongs. From what he had read, Songbird was kind of like his son in a way, but just more energetic, and actually makes an effort into wanting friends even though he got sick easily with just being around them if they got some sort of common disease.

"I see...well you have my full permission to go and visit him whenever you feel like it."

Shadow was taken back with what his father had said, sure he had, had the idea of just leaving his home behind...since he just feel that spark that he had felt when he was younger, it just felt empty without his mother. But at the time he just didn't want to his only friend behind cause she actively took time out of her schedule to actually get him be more out there. But he just felt empty. Until his penpal came to his life...they started to fill in that void that he was missing. It was like having a friend that actually understood his situation, and it only had been just five days since they started writing to each other.

"I...Thanks Dad, I promise that I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about that, if anything I probably should've notice sooner that you were unhappy after her death...and if feel like Moving out would finally help you move on, then who am I to stop you."

Shadow for once felt a little weight start to lift off of shoulders, it was kind of true that being in this location just reminded him so much of the good times that he with his family when his mother was still, around but he could only hold on that happiness for so long that it just started to make him feel unhappy. To the point that he just started to push away his own brother. With a final goodbye from his father the window was closed.

He felt a smile formed on his muzzle, something that hadn't happened in so many years.

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

When the morning turned to the afternoon, Shadow had stopped by the mail box to grab the letter from Songbird he again when out to visit his mother's grave and had a nice talk with her, about him moving on from this place of memories. Not that Westopolis had much to offer, when you lived in the area for long. The city was same, the suburbs were nice to look at, but to Shadow...it was just a reminder of how happy everything was back then. And he just couldn't move on. As he pulled the containments out of the mailbox he stepped inside his house, where he had already started to pack his things from his room, that he never used much of when he got older.

Sitting down at the kitchen bar, he grabbed the pack of markers, and started to unfold the drawing sheet of paper, only see the paper cat that was taped onto the backside of the letter, by a star sticker. He couldn't help but to find the gift rather cute. Just placing the creation to the side. Taking a look at the doodles he saw that the his own chibi self other the other chibi hedgehog side beside him looking up at the stars. Taking his marker he drew his chibi self at the picnic with other hedgehog, before making another doodle of his chibi self showing up at what looked to be an apartment with a backpack and a suitcase.

He soon turned his attention to the letter where he began to write.

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

Dear, Songbird

Thank you for writing to me, these now past five days...it kind of started to open my eyes as to why I've been so unhappy with my life, I know I briefly talked about my Dad and Brother, but the reason why I've been so...I guess Depressed is the correct term here, Is because I just haven't gotten over the passing of Mom.

Something that had happen over five years ago, but base on your address, and mine I can probably make to your location, by your time a day from now. I know it's a bit sudden, but I hope I'm not the only one that has felt it during our writings, but I feel like that were just destined to meet in person.

So don't bother writing to me when you get this letter, as for your question, yeah like you said you feel more like friend to me than some stranger.

So I look forward to seeing you as well.

Your Friend,
Crimson

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

Shadow ended up folding up the letter, he placing inside the envelope, along with the drawing paper. After grabbing his keys to his motorcycle. As well as his belongs that he had packed up, which really wasn't a lot, since he had a motorcycle sides a car, he had to pack rather light...which was kind of most of his stuff and he could always buy things when he had settled down somewhere. Grabbing the money that was left behind by his father, he side his goodbyes to his brother, and set off down the road of his street.

After of course putting his letter in the mailbox with the red flag up.