Hey, so this is going to be a long one, maybe 10 chapters. Tony-centric, duh. Slight AU, not by much. I hope you enjoy it!
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4-year-old Tony Stark was sitting in a chair, hands tied together tightly with rope. He didn't quite know why he was in this position, but he knew that a man in black and a completely red mask came into his house and shot mommy and Father.
He didn't really mind, he wasn't really raised by them at all. Father was distant and rude, never letting him into the workshop. Mommy barely saw him.
A man walked into the dank room. He was the man who had come into his house. He still had his mask on, which looked less like red and more like horrifying blood. "Hello, young one."
Tony said nothing, and the man chuckled. "You are wise to keep quiet. If the leopard stays silent, it shall receive food." Tony still kept his mouth shut.
The man came closer to the bound boy. "Son, I want you to know I didn't want to kill them. They were good people, but there is something you need to know." The man knelt down to Tony's height. "You have a gift."
Tony must have looked perplexed because the man started explaining. "I work for a special agency. They help get rid of bad people."
"If they get rid of bad people, why did they kill two innocent people?" Tony questioned. The man chuckled. "We had to kill them because they were hiding you. You, Tony, have a special gift only a chosen few have."
Tony wasn't aware of any special powers. He could raise one eyebrow, but that was it.
"Tell me your name." The man suddenly barked. "Tony." He said quietly. "No, that is not your name. Think. What is your name?"
"Tony!"
"No, it is not!"
"Yes, it is!"
The man took a breath. "Think, boy. Let your mind take over. Now, what is your name?"
Tony was silent, before whispering hoarsely "Aeron"
"Good. Now, I want you to come with me." Tony nodded, and the man unbound him.
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That was six years ago. Since then, Tony was trained to become a cold-blooded killer. There were no other kids he trained with, the trainers said he was just too young and powerful.
At age five, he could fire a bullet into a man's temple without flinching. At six, he could shoot a bow and throw a knife with deadly accuracy with his eyes duct taped shut. At seven, he could walk so silently no one would know he was there until he was behind them, knife against their jugular. At eight, he could scale any building and was trained in multiple martial arts. At nine, he could beat a person more than twice his age in combat. He was progressing very well, almost too well. The trainers had a bet going around to see if he would be made an assassin at 11.
He found out that the man who killed his parents was called Talutah. He was one of the best assassins in history.
The masks were granted at the Masking ceremony, which meant you were starting your life as an assassin. For every death, you would spill a drop of the victim's blood on the mask.
There was also another ceremony that took place when the children in training turned ten. They would do something called Shifting. Tony hadn't really thought about it.
It was his tenth birthday. There were only two other kids who would do the ceremony with him.
One was a girl named Marla. She had freckles and a mass of red curls. She had a very thick Irish accent but Tony understood her perfectly. Her chosen name was Aella, meaning revenge.
The other was a kid named Maxwell, who named himself Wayra. He was a very tall albino, but there was a potion they gave him so he wouldn't be burned by the sun.
He was a bit nervous for the ceremony. He knew that the ceremony could change your life, so it was normal to have jitters.
Talutah came into the room where Tony was waiting. "It's time." He leads Tony and the other children through a labyrinth. Several times Talutah had to disable arrows and bullets.
Tony had never had the honor to meet the Alpha. It was very rarely that you would go to meet him. He didn't know the Alpha was a wolf. A humongous timber wolf, far too big to be a regular one. His eyes were a gold color, piercing everything they glared at.
"Aella." A man called out, and Marla nervously made her way before the Alpha.
He stared at her and yelled something in Latin. Marla looked shocked for a minute before something strange happened. She grew smaller, her bone structure changing, fur sprouting all over her body. She had changed into an Irish Wolfhound.
The Alpha said something again in Latin, and Marla responded in the same tongue. They spoke for a moment before she shifted back into a very frightened human girl. She tiptoed to the sidelines.
Next was Maxwell. He shifted into a wolverine, also an albino, which the Alpha approved of as well.
Tony suddenly realized it was his turn. He stood up and walked stiffly to the middle of the room. Eyes were on him. He stared right into the Alpha's eyes. The Alpha yelled the same word, and Tony concentrated on that word.
The feeling was weird, like cracking a knuckle. He could feel himself growing smaller, yet furrier. He grew a long tail. His ears were now pointed. He had four legs and big paws. His pelt was gray and white with spots. He realized he had shifted into no other but a Snow Leopard.
The Alpha stared at him. Tony looked anywhere but the Alpha's eyes this time. It was the tradition not to. It indicated a challenge.
"A snow leopard." The Alpha mused. Tony realized that he could understand the Latin he was speaking. "Fast, agile, deadly, and sure-footed. Perfect for a high ranked assassin."
Tony said nothing. He knew that the Alpha was going to continue.
"Aeron, you may join our group a week before your eleventh birthday. Do you accept?"
"I do." The words were on his tongue before he realized. He knew this was a great feat. He could feel the shocked gazes the others were giving him.
"You may leave." Tony shifted, and silently made his way out of the room and back to his room.
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Talutah trained him when he wasn't on missions. He started to teach him how to control his animal form. Talutah himself was a golden eagle, but he taught Tony perfectly in how to tread silently, as well as kill. Talutah would often chase Tony, trying to swoop down and grab him but Tony was always too fast.
Almost too quickly, the time came for him to become a full assassin. He knew that others didn't become one until they were at least 16, but he was almost 11.
He was in his room, pondering when Talutah came for him. They silently made their way down the mazes that Tony had memorized. "Aeron," Talutah said suddenly. "You do know how dangerous this is, right?" Tony nodded. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Tony nodded again. Talutah smiled. "After all these years and you still don't talk much."
Right before they went through the doors, Talutah put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "Prepare yourself." Tony took a breath and opened the door.
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So, I hope you liked this chapter! Please tell me what you think! Sorry for not updating Ghosts like I said I would, I'm just really stuck on Bruce. I'll have it done soon. Have a nice day or night!