. A U T H O R ' S | N O T E ; Okay, so from the very beginning I solemnly swore to myself that I would not bring Leonardo into this, mainly because BAD THINGS HAPPEN WITH LEONARDO AND EZIO IN THE SAME ROOM. ;D But I decided to, since Leonardo has ample medical experience and the doctors would probably be like "wtf is that and what are you doing with it?". This is what happens when I tell myself I'm not going to do things. It just doesn't work and happens anyway. XD Hope you guys are enjoying it so far. :3 If you notice something strange about the way I'm writing this, I'll have you know that I'm doing it on purpose. Private message me if you think you know, and I'll give you brownie points if you get it right. ^^; Either way, it'll be revealed int he next chapter. :3 Enjoy!
. r o m u l u s .
It is one thing to fail a mission and miss a target. Stabbing a target and it still not dying, on the other hand, is a whole other story.
Out of respect, Ezio had waited for it to die, so he could at least say something about the poor soul. It felt right. Every minute or so he checked the heartbeat of the wolf, and every minute he found one.
"Cazzo!" he cursed, frustration heavy in his tone. "The damn thing just won't die!"
Of course, it could have wholly been his fault, since he still hadn't had the heart to shove the full length of the blade through; he went as far as he was sure was needed to do the job, and then waited. Here it was, though, bleeding out of its chest now as well, and still living.
If the Brotherhood was guided by religion, he would believe that there had to be a purpose for living; that some higher power, some sort of God, must have plans for this creature. But this wasn't church, and the Brotherhood wasn't guided by religion.
The Brotherhood was guided by the Creed.
Why did the wolf glow such a vibrant blue under the harsh judgment of Eagle Vision? What made this wolf strong enough to resist such pain? What made this wolf accept death so easily, only to not be taken by it?
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
Everything is permitted.
It didn't expect to open its eyes ever again. As it faded into darkness, the wolf expected to pass onto the next world, or just… die. Whether or not there was an afterlife was something it didn't exactly want to risk, but thought it would be worth it if there was one.
In fact, when the creature opened its eyes, warm and comforted, it believed that it had woken up in the said afterlife. The first thing it noticed was the sound of a crackling fire, and then the sting of its wounds as it tried to rise. A gentle human voice reached its ears, followed by a hand pressing gently down on its shoulder to push it back into its laying position, caused it to stiffen, lip pulling up into a snarl. Out of instinct, the obsidian wolf's jaws snapped toward the hand, and satisfaction flushed through it as its teeth fell upon the arm, but the pleasant feeling of victory faded as it realized that its jaws clenched not around flesh and bone, but the metal of a bracer. A frustrated growl preceded the wolf lying back on its side, wincing from the pain of its injuries.
It took a moment to examine its new captor, eyes narrowed. The fire behind the man made it more difficult to make out his features, the wolf managed to make out a red sash with a crest around his waist, as well as a sword hanging at his hips. Battle-marked spaulders rested on his shoulders, bearing a red and yellow cape that flaunted an unfamiliar symbol. A hood, with an edge that strangely resembled the beak of a bird, was pulled over the man's head, which was turned away to talk to another.
A different man, a bit less masculine than the first, sat on a bench that was pressed up against the wall, staring at the man in the white robes. He wore mostly gray, with the exception of a bright crimson cape draped around his shoulders, pooling on the bench. His darker outfit was stark in comparison to his golden hair, and on his head he wore a red beret. The creature couldn't help but avert its gaze as the man stared at it with intelligent brown eyes.
Words were exchanged, and the wolf recognized a sound known as laughter, and its ears tipped backward, eyes narrowing. The thought of examining its own form and checking the state of its injuries crossed its mind, and it did this, eyes sweeping downward. Lips curled up in a snarl as its gaze fell upon a white blanket rather than its own fur, the wolf growled and snapped the cloth up in its dangerous teeth, shaking it momentarily to make sure it was dead, and then threw it at the robed man, who caught it and set it on the table beside him. Its legs unfolded as it lifted itself up, unsteadily, only for its back legs to fold the second it put its weight on them. An aggravated growl bubbled from its chest as it made another attempt to rise, only for the robed man's hands to push it gently, but firmly, back down onto the pillow-covered table in which it rested upon. Jaws opened briefly to snap at the hand, but the man's hand closed around its jaws, focusing the wolf's gaze upon his human face.
Defiance rippled through the wolf for a moment longer before it realized that this man was the one who had saved him, and all struggle to free itself from the iron grasp ceased almost instantly. The suspicious, golden, lupine gaze then turned to the other human, and any indecision was vanquished by the surprisingly friendly features. At rest, the wolf relaxed slightly, ears turning as words were exchanged yet again between the two males. It listened for a while before the comforting heat of the fire made resisting sleep too difficult. It felt a blanket slip onto its shoulders as it fell asleep.
"I think your friend is waking."
Ezio's attention turned from the writing of his letter to La Volpe to the stirring animal at the sound of Leonardo's voice. As it made an attempt to rise, he pushed it back down with as little unnecessary force as possible. He couldn't suppress the chuckle that slipped past his lips as the wolf's jaws snapped down on his bracer, the top canines clicking against the plated metal, the teeth of the bottom jaw pressing upward into the spring mechanism of the hidden blade, but doing no damage.
Leonardo watched the beautiful creature examine Ezio, its fierce eyes flicking from his sash, to his armor, and then to his head, and for a moment he hoped that the creature didn't have the strength to leap for Ezio's neck, because dio know that in his insecurity he would if he were given the chance. His mind idly brought up the thought of what the creature must be thinking at the moment, and what emotions he was feeling. It was then that the wolf, almost as if reading his mind, turned his glowing yellow gaze to Leonardo's own brown eyes. The man's lips turned upward in a smile, and he returned the gaze, stare unwavering as he did so. Soon, the wolf looked away.
"Ezio, I think he's more stubborn than you are," Leonardo noted, and laughed as Ezio threw a glare in his friend's direction. Both of their lines of sight returned to the wild animal on the padded table. He seemed to realize all of the sudden that he was covered by the blanket, and decided he didn't like it any more. The wolf ripped the cloth from over him and tossed it at Ezio to examine his wounds.
"I think we've found your twin, assassino," the engineer announced lightly as the assassin caught the fabric and set it onto the table. "Though your bark is worse than your bite; his, probably not so much."
The wolf made yet another attempt to rise to his paws and stay there, only for his back legs to immediately fail him and send his form falling once more. Another attempt led to huff from Ezio Auditore, and then assassin firmly pushed the animal back down for the second time, and once again the massive wolf made a move to bite, but Ezio's other hand flashed to the wolf's muzzle, gripping it firmly. Their eyes met, and the wolf's struggle vanished as it went limp upon recognizing him. As their patient settled down and fell into his deep slumber once more, Leonardo shook his head for a moment, and then looked up thoughtfully.
"We should name him Argos," he suggested lightly, smiling. Ezio, not amused by Leonardo's sense of humor, found himself throwing yet another glare at his friend, though it was softer.
"Leonardo, it bit me. How you can compare that brute to a loyal dog from a famous piece of literature, I cannot even being to fathom," Ezio sighed.
"Hey, you saved that 'brute', in case you don't remember," Leonardo pointed out to the other man, shrugging. He was met with no reply, and the blonde man smirked, folding his arms and leaning back against the wall. "Besides, how do you even know 'it's' a male?" the architect asked as he happened upon the curious thought.
If looks could kill, Leonardo would be a smoking smudge on the wall behind him. From that he guessed that the fact that the creature was male was simply an assumption. He was feeling quite playful today, though it was obvious that Ezio didn't share the same enthusiasm as the friend that he regarded as a brother at times, and annoying at others.
Deciding to drop the topic, Leonardo rose and stretched.
"It's getting late… I had best get back to my workshop. If he… or she starts having problems, I trust you can handle him/her?" he inquired pointedly, and was satisfied as Ezio gave him a nod, but the assassin kept his gaze averted. As he headed for the door, the engineer paused to clap his friend on the shoulder, a sigh slipping past his lips. "Don't be so hard on the thing. From what you described, the wolves around here, well, the few that are left, aren't so fond of humans. It'll take a while, but who knows – you may have yourself an Argos in no time." As the man departed and the door closed behind him, Ezio sighed, frowning at the sleeping wolf.
"What will I do with you with you and Leonardo both?" he growled, and pushed his cowl from his face. His hands came together to undo the buckles on his bracers, and he slid them off. Ezio laid the weapons onto the cloth he had set onto the table, and took a seat on the bench, rubbing his temple as he mulled over what to do with the wolf.
A strange creature, it was, and that much was certain. He had examined the body of the Romulus follower that this… Argos had killed before leaving with him in his arms, and had seen that the wolf's teeth had punctured the vein perfectly so that enough blood would flow to kill the man within seconds. That kind of precision wasn't luck. It would have been easier for the wolf to grab and ankle and trip him, but instead this "Argos" had to have lifted his upper body to reach that particular vein in the calf.
This wolf knew how to kill.
Another thing to ponder was why the blue light of the creature was so overpoweringly strong. He checked again, but this time the glow was a bit dimmer due to the fact that the wolf's mind was at rest, but still startling in comparison to the flames of the fire, which was usually the brightest thing in the room when he scanned with Eagle Vision. Before he could come up with an answer, he found himself entering a much-needed rest.
Golden eyes opened to sunlight shining upon its closed lids as the door was opened, creaking slightly as it swung on its hinges. A familiar blonde man entered the room, and then glanced at the bench in which he had sat the night before. Following his gaze, the wolf saw the hooded man sleeping, shoulders hunched and head lowered in his sleep. Worry crossed the man's features as he crossed the room after closing the door behind him, and his hand extended toward the robed man's neck to check his pulse.
The moment the blonde's fingers came within two inches of his neck, he was awake, balled fists opening as his palms turned habitually upward, before realizing that he had removed his hidden blades before falling asleep.
A quick word of reassurance was offered by the tawny-haired man, and the cloaked one calmed. The wolf took the opportunity of examining the man's features more thoroughly, since his hood was down for once. He had short, black hair, the color as dark as the wolf's own pelt.
Several words passed between the two men. The man in the white robes retrieved his bracers, returned to his friend, and then they both glanced at the wolf, who glared steadily back at them. The wolf noticed the repeated use of several words, but their voices were too quiet for it to decipher them and be certain of what they were saying… Though the creature was smart enough to recognize the lift at the end of their phrases, and remembered this to be an inquiry of some sort. They were talking about it, it realized, and its eyes narrowed even further. Another slight peal of laughter bubbled from the blonde male, and an upward turn of the lips became present on the robed man's features, and the wolf recognized this as a sign happiness of some sort as the man lifted his cowl over his head, and then pulled it down over his eyes as he muttered a few words of caution to his friend. The wolf's gaze followed the man until he closed the door behind him. The blonde said something with an exasperated tone.
The creature's interest was piqued by the fact that the other man stayed behind, though he became wary when the human came forward. It shifted its weight, paws unfurling from under it. Mutterings of comfort came from the human, who slowed his approach. He wisely removed his hands from behind his back, palms open, sleeves falling slightly to reveal that he was hiding nothing. This set the wolf at ease, and the massive animal allowed for the man to run his fingers through its fur. Amusement flickered in its mind as it recognized delight on the human's face. It lowered its head onto its paw, though quickly readjusted the position of its chin so that it wasn't resting on the one with the bandage on it.
It felt the man's hand wander over the bandage around its stomach, the one that covered the wound right below its ribcage… the one the wolf couldn't remember getting. This brought unease to its mind, but it pushed the thought away quickly as it felt pain.
The wolf let out a startled whimper as the bandage tugged at the wound as the blonde man lifted it slightly. Shaking his head, he walked over to the fire and set out a bucket of water over the flames, hanging on the spit that spanned above it. For a small while, the wolf's gaze followed the man as he paced, dozing off…
Warm water being poured onto his bandages brought it from it shallow sleep, and the canine shifted, lifting its head once more.
"Calm, amico. Mi dispiace," Leonardo apologized as Ezio jolted awake. "You did not wake when I opened the door… I was…" He paused, and then looked at the ground, embarrassed. The words did not need to be spoken. Leonardo had long ago voiced his concerns that one day someone would poison Ezio without the assassin knowing. It was surprising that it had not happened already, but he would rather not think of his best friend dying.
"Checking my pulse, Leonardo? I'm getting older, but you're older than I am," Ezio replied lightly, the corner of his lips twitching in the beginnings of a smile, but it faded as his friend asked him the question:
"Did you change Argos's bandages?" Leonardo asked.
"Because I'm always changing bandages in my sleep, Leonardo," the assassin sighed sarcastically (though not ignoring the fact that Leonardo had used the name he had given to the wolf), and then went on, walking over to the table and pulling his bracers back onto his wrists, redoing the worn leather buckles, and returning to the tawny-haired man's side.
"No worries, I will change them. You said you have things to do, no?" he said, shrugging nonchalantly. They both looked at Argos.
"Grazie, Leonardo. I don't know what I'd do without you. Can you handle him?" he asked warily as he eyed the wolf, who glared back at him.
"Certainly."
"Leonardo," came Ezio's voice, his tone layered with warning.
"The worst thing that could happen is Argos biting off my ring finger, and me having to take yours to replace it," Leonardo said, though a glare from Ezio told him that the assassin did not appreciate his humor at the least, considering the quite cruel prank that the engineer had played on him when he constructed Ezio's hidden blades.
The two friends, practically brothers, shared one last look before Ezio departed. Leonardo shook his head.
"Can you believe him? He thinks you're going to bite me!" Leonardo muttered, to no one in particular, tone slightly sarcastic. He began approaching the wolf, though as the predator eyed him warily, he slowed, bravado flickering.
"Calm, Argos," came his comforting voice, though he briefly wondered if he should be calling the creature Argas, or something else feminine, since Ezio had merely assumed the gender beforehand. Returning his attention to his patient and focusing on the task at hand, he decided to show the wolf that he was no threat, realizing that his hands were hidden behind his back. Withdrawing them, he showed the creature his palms, the hems of his sleeves slipping slightly to reveal that he had nothing to hide. Relief, though it was not evident, pulsed through him. It looked like Ezio was keeping his finger… Well, for now, that was.
Gaze trained on the wolf's head, he slowly touched the fur, withdrawing quickly. Upon seeing that the wolf withheld any reaction it may have had, Leonardo placed his hands onto the fur once more, a beautiful, brilliantly amused smile spreading seemingly permanently across his features. Leonardo had never felt such long fur on a living, breathing animal… it was so different from feeling the fur of a skinned animal, though he had only done that once and it was more or less against his immediate will. He smiled, and then used the opportunity to check the bandages. The one on Argos' hindquarters were obviously in need of changing, and he hoped that the cloth hadn't stuck to the wound…
Quickly recoiling as he found that he was not lucky enough for the bandage not to stick, he put some water over the fire, knowing that he would probably have to get the bandages wet. Besides, he would have to clean the wound and change out the pillows on the table anyway, so might as well rinse them while cleaning the wolf's ghastly injuries at the same time. He sat down for a moment after putting the bucket of water above the fire, but soon his mind began to churn and he had to do something. He began pacing around the room, fingers resting on his lip as he thought.
What was Ezio going to do with this wolf? They couldn't keep the creature locked up in this place forever. Eventually the poor thing would both go stir crazy or just get angry and try to turn on them. Leonardo was already attached to the wild animal enough, and thinking about Ezio having to kill him… he suppressed the shudder that raced up his spine.
Before he knew it, the water was on the verge of getting too hot, and he jerked himself from his worries in time to pull the pail from over the flame. Leonardo approached the wolf to see that the creature had dozed off, and a smile etched itself onto his face. He began pouring the warm water over the wounds, and couldn't help but sighing.
"Argos, I'm afraid that it's going to be a long day."
It wasn't that it was a stupid creature.
In fact, it was the complete opposite. But considering it spent half of its time with its senses dulled slightly with pain and had never been around humans before in its life before this (it didn't consider the wolf-people to be humans, but monsters), it was hard to understand some aspects of human society.
The man talked to it as he worked with its bandages. The wolf was beginning to pick up on the use of certain words, but was not entirely sure of their meanings. One thing that it did pick up on, though, was that when the man said Argos, it meant he was talking about it. When the word wasn't used, though, the wolf left its mind to its own devices, thinking about the robed man and his motives.
Why had he saved it? Why cause so much trouble for him when he could have just left it there to die? Its eyes furrowed. It remembered feeling pain while it—
"Argos?"
At the sound of a recognized word, the wolf was roused from its thoughts, turning its head toward the blonde man, curiosity shining in his eyes as his ears pushed forward. He sat up completely, having found earlier that he could do so without too much pain. Attentive, it watched as the man looked up at the ceiling, but nothing was there. Puzzled, it began to look back at the man, when it heard it.
Footsteps, up above. The wolf believed it could be the hooded man, but the blonde was still at unease, and this brought a feeling called insecurity to the predator of the wild. Insecurity it had not felt since the first time it was rejected by a pack. When the man turned away to face the staircase, the wolf moved off of the table silently, landing on the blanket the blonde man had put on the floor while cleaning its wounds earlier. The beast glanced at the blonde man again, and saw him pick up the knife on the table that had about to use to cut fresh bandages. From the way the man held the knife showed his inexperience. The wolf had watched the people of Romulus use their knives to skin its brothers many times before, and could take a guess on how to hold the weapon. The hulking black wolf limped beside the man, pressing his head against the blonde's knee, and then pressed forward, slipping into the smothering obsidian shadows, and disappearing inside of them. He kept his head low and near the wall so the firelight would not reflect in them.
More footsteps joined the first pair, joined by clinks of armor, and the blonde man seemed to become even more distressed, though remained silent. He began to back away a little, and the wolf wished to go comfort the man that he knew had been trying to help him, but then two figures appeared at the top of the stairway.
The wolf's body froze, his eyes intent on the two heavily-armored men that stood at the top of the landing. They wielded a massive axe, and their footfalls were heavy as they started down the stairs.
Other soldiers flooded past him, sweeping to the middle of the stairs, and within moments, had their guns pointed at the blonde man, who put his hands up and the blade down in surrender.
Nobody threatened the wolf's friends.
Leonardo was initially surprised by the docile nature of the wolf as he poured on the water and removed the bandages, though he knew almost for a fact that it was because he had recognized the assassin. Hopefully, the wolf saw him as friend, either way, and wasn't just waiting for him to do one wrong thing.
Though the wolf only paid attention when Leonardo said his name, the engineer didn't mind talking to him about other things. He talked about Salai, he talked about Ezio, and he talked about why Ezio acted the way he did, and what had happened at Monteriggioni. It felt nice to be able to talk about things he normally could only talk about to Salai, whether or not the wolf could talk back or understand him.
Thud.
The second that he heard the noise upstairs, dread filled him. Ezio would, on occasion, come through the window upstairs, but Ezio was an assassin for a reason; he didn't go around making noise unless he was severely injured.
"Argos," he murmured, and the wolf turned its head toward him. Footsteps echoed once more, and a creak of that one floorboard that Ezio knew better than to step on. He swallowed, hard, and turned away from Argos, picking up the knife on the table. He had only held a knife several times, and the only experience he had with blades was repairing and making them for Ezio. Using them was entirely different, and it made him cringe.
So caught up in his inner panic, he did not notice Argos slipping from the table and to his side until the wolf pressed his head on his leg and Leonardo nodded slightly, lowering the knife, but still keeping it tightly clenched in his grasp.
Leonardo could only watch as the wolf disappeared into the shadows at the base of the stairs. Adams Apple bobbing as he swallowed again, he winced as he heard the clink of armor upstairs.
Cazzo!came his panicked thoughts, mind racing. Should have locked that window… Ezio could have picked it, I didn't have to leave it unlocked….
Brown eyes turning toward the shadows in which Argos was hidden, worry crossed his face.
The staircase suddenly exploded with motion as the gunmen flowed down to the middle of the stairs like water down a hillside, their guns swinging up to face Leonardo. He dropped the knife and put up his hands as the Borgia soldiers' fingers went to the triggers. A heavily-armored brute came into view, standing in the middle of the soldiers.
Black lightning streaked up the stairs, and the first brute tumbled backward. Though Leonardo could not see Argos, he could guess what had happened from the sound of ripping flesh. The brute struggled for a moment, before falling still, twitching on occasion. The soldiers turned their guns onto the wolf, whose snarls thundered from its throat with renewed vigor. The next gunmen went down as he lunged, but as the guns swung to follow him, he did not have the time to rip the man's throat out. He jumped off of the banister through the gaps in the rails, and the bullets of the gunmen went into their own soldier.
Leonardo winced as the wolf landed from its leap. Argos' back legs crumpled under his own weight, and he barely ducked under the next shot that was fired at him. His lips ran over his teeth, lapping at the copper lifeblood that stained them. Standing and doing nothing was not exactly in Leonardo's current agenda. His hand flashed toward the smoke bomb that Ezio had left on the table, and the fragile glass shattered as it was thrown into the floor, and smoke filled the room.