Chapter 8

Please


Awakening with a start, Connor looked around wide-eyed and heart beating. Beside him his father slept on without knowing the danger he was in.

His vision was clear and the pain was nothing but a dull throb.

Above them the clan-mother, Kanen'tó:kon, and Achilles waited. The young Kenway had no idea how he and his father got here, all Connor remembered was a light and…

Connor met Achilles and Kanen'tó:kon eyes, he could see the unease and awe in their gaze making him come to realize something, "Where is Okwaho?" With a nervous swallow Achilles looked behind him drawing Connor's eyes to the unconscious wolf, quickly he rushed to her side and checked for a pulse.

It was weak. Frightening so.

"What did you do to her?" Connor eyed the others with an accusing look while wrapping his arms around Okwaho protectively.

The clan-mother replied in her jumbled English with hushing sounds to sooth him, "Spirits gave her chance… save you and father…"

"What? What do you mean… the person in the prison…" Connor answered his own question as he realized why Achilles and Kanen'tó:kon looked so horrified, they now knew the truth of the wolf.

"She… touched the gold orb and there was a woman with us…" Achilles looked like he saw a ghost, "The wolf turned into a woman… how is that possible?"

While stroking Okwaho's side gently Connor told them the truth, "Okwaho was murdered by her father… she was reborn as a wolf… given a new life. I met her shortly before the fires that took my mother."

"That is why she understood so much?" Asked Achilles with a shake in his voice, the clan-mother had given him a broken story but hearing Connor say it as well made him feel cold.

"Yes, even reborn she held onto her past, her human mind." Bending down while looking afraid Connor whispered into her fur, "Come on Okwaho. You cannot die again… please don't…"

Running all the meetings with the wolf through his head, the older man came to believe that everything Connor said had to be true. There was no other explanation to how she acted.

A small whine came from Okwaho catching the attention of everyone in the room, they looked to the wolf with hope. Hope that she would open her eyes and be all right.

Slowly Okwaho's eyes fluttered open making them sigh with relief, she looked from Connor to the still unconscious Haytham then around the room. Then the relief that the humans all felt began to die again as her eyes slipped closed.

"No, no don't you dare. Okwaho open your eyes… help her!" Connor yelled up to the people around him, it snapped Achilles into attention. He rushed around the house gathering what they could while the clan-mother knelt to hum a prayer.

The three natives droned together in the prayer, Connor's voice shaky as he hugged his long time friend in his arms. She was fading and he could sense it.

After finishing the short prayer, the clan-mother turned to Connor and said something in Native before waving her hand to Kanen'tó:kon, they left their brother to the company of his guardian and father.

"What did she say?" Asked Achilles as he came back with a bundle of cloth.

As he dropped the fabric Haytham snapped away with a jump and eyed the room with curious eyes, when they fell on the weeping Conner and his wolf he went stiff.

"That all we can do is make her comfortable and hope that Okwaho can fight against her affliction." Connor wrapped Okwaho in the cloth and carried her upstairs to his room, he laid the large wolf out across his bed.

Behind him the other men followed and took up positions around the room, Achilles on the edge of the bed beside Connor and Haytham sat up on the window ledge. He wondered how on earth he ended up here and what happened to Okwaho.

His presence was ignored, and he knew that the two assassins would not pay him any mind even if he left. But something caused him to stay, Haytham felt inside that this was a chance for… something.

Okwaho had saved his life, he knew that somehow, Haytham couldn't kill Connor and would have been killed instead. Thinking back the man came to understand why Okwaho had given him that look under the tree.

She was warning him of his impending death.

-AC-

Night after night Achilles and Haytham gathered food and brought it up to Connor, the young man never once left his friends side, waiting for the great wolf-woman to open her eyes.

Others from the Homestead came to visit, bringing gifts of food and small items they made themselves, Okwaho was as important to them as Connor. She had helped to save every single one of them.

They went into the room to whisper encouragement to both Okwaho and Connor before leaving; Achilles and Haytham always took up the same positions to await the wolf's awakening, or passing.

Though they prayed it was the former.

By the fifth day, Achilles finally dealt with Haytham. The Templar had his hands tied up with rope around his wrists, and tight fabric over his hands to keep him from picking open his binds.

With his hands bound, Haytham still sat upon the windowsill, watching over his son whenever Achilles left to cook up a small meal. Even if they fought each other, intent on killing the other Kenway, he wanted to keep Connor safe.

And he was relieved that he was captured, that Connor didn't die.

Not that he would admit it, but he found so much of Ziio in Connor. And that was enough for Haytham to love him.

Achilles came back and forced Haytham beneath the stairs, the large room made his brow rise. He did not see this during the time he and his friend Shay destroyed the assassin guild here.

"You will stay in here." The old man had Haytham sit in a seat in front of a table and wall. Upon the wall were paintings of all his old friends in the Templar order and him.

Beside his there was a mark in black paint saying, 'Captured' and beside the others but Charles it said 'Deceased.'

Only Charles remained, and the fact that Haytham was here being tied to the metal ring in the wall above the table meant Achilles wanted Connor to go after him now.

The very thought made Haytham tense up and begin to worry for his best friend and colleague.

When alone Haytham whispered to himself, "Run away Charles… and please let Connor live…"

-AC-

It was with great reluctance and Achilles' persuasive nature that Connor travelled through the frontier to finally end his worst nemesis; he came to New York and hunted Charles to the shadow of a church.

There he found hoards of people gathering in front of Charles, seeing this Connor hid behind a wall and listened in.

"Haytham was a close friend of mine, he had high hopes for me and I let him down. But in the name of him, I will do my best to made the world a better place, free of his murderer, and stop anymore ever happening."

The people cheered and wept, Connor was surprised that Charles thought Haytham to be dead, it made him wonder about the state of the prison. Was it so bad that they didn't need a body to call him dead.

But then, why did they think Connor was still alive?

Slowly Connor blended into the crowd and made his way to Charles, but it was a trap and guards caught him with ease.

Connor snapped and glared at the soldiers then sent the look back to Charles who looked down at him with spite and a sad look.

"Haytham told me to run, that he would be fine… that was my mistake."

As he squirmed to try and free his hidden blade arm, Connor was dragged behind the church and a guard roughly pushed him against the side of a carriage used to transport prisoners, the man jeered and insulted Connor causing the young man to take a hideous whiff of his foul breath.

When given the chance, Connor head butted backwards into the guards teeth and fought through the guards that swarmed him, leaving only one guard alive.

Making sure only the one was left and that they were unable to fight, Connor gripped his uniform's collar and pulled him close, "Where did Charles Lee go?"

"T-To the port. He is to catch a ship…" Before he could finish Connor rapped him on the head with his sword hilt, knocking the man out, then fled in the direction of the port.

When he arrived, pushing through a pair of star-struck lovers, Charles spotted Connor and took off towards the shipyard and tried to take sanctuary inside one of the large galleons that was getting built.

Connor took chase without hesitation, ignoring the other guards that fired upon him and kept Charles in his sights. He leapt and climbed over fallen planks inside the ship, the Templar was tearing it apart.

On the deck Connor tackled Charles from behind sending them crashing to the wood then snapping through it, both men became dazed and felt pain.

When Charles turned to try and kill Connor, the young man was able to swing out his hand and stab Charles in the shoulder. Missing the initial target of his throat.

"GAH!" Charles leapt back and shoved Connor's head backwards into the wood as he did so, causing the assassin to black out for a moment, allowing him to escape.

Snapping back to awareness, Connor pulled himself off the metal bar that went through his stomach, pinning him to the boat. Clenching the wound he limped out of the burning ship and was halted behind the shipyard by a man that knew Charles was a lying madman.

"He went into the Frontier, probably no further then the entrance."

"Thank you."

It was hard work to reach the pub inside the Frontier with his wound but Connor made it with some of his consciousness still there.

At the door he paused, hearing the joyful music inside, music he was going to change very soon into screams. Inside Connor dodged dancing drunks to find Charles alone in a room next to a dusty window, nursing a bottle of beer and his injuries.

The man looked up with his dark eyes and didn't seem all that afraid or surprised that Connor had found him, the assassin sat and took a swig of the offered drink after making sure it wasn't poisoned then leaned over.

"Haytham is still alive."

Hope and relief filled Charles' eyes to hear his mentor and friend was alive and whispered back in a croaky voice, "You two are related yes?"

"We are." That was enough, Connor pulled out a dagger and ran it through Charles' heart, killing him instantly. Once the deed was done, Connor waited a moment as he went cold. It was finally over.

Now he had to get home to Okwaho and make sure she was still alive.

-AC-

"The deed is done." Said Connor the second he entered the house and saw Achilles in the study.

Achilles nodded before taking Connor to the washroom to tend to his wounds, "Good. Haytham is upstairs."

"Is she…" Dread filled him when Achilles gave him a blank look while tying bandages around his torso. When he was done, Connor rushed up the stairs as best as he could and looked to his bed where he last saw the wolf.

Okwaho wasn't there.

"Where is she?"

Before Achilles could answer Connor was off again calling the wolf's name with a tremor in his voice, he stepped out onto the porch causing his father to look over with dull eyes rimmed with red.

Haytham saw Connor coming up the road and started to cry without defiance, he knew Charles was gone and it hurt. But seeing his son in a bad form made him stand from the rail he was leaning on and look concerned, "Connor…"

But the man didn't even look to him, but the one that gave him company in his miserable stage.

"Okwaho!" The wolf barked and gave a whimper as she ran to him, Connor fell to his knees and held her in a tight hug, "Thank the spirits…"

The sight made a small smile rise on Haytham's lips; it was good to see some happiness in the world, after so much sorrow.

"She woke up two days ago." Said Achilles.

"Been keeping me company the whole time." Haytham spoke with a raspy voice catching Connor's attention.

The young assassin looked up to his father with guilt and apology when he realized his appearance, "I killed Charles… I…"

"I know." Haytham said, cutting into Connor's apology, "Now only I am left."

"What will happen to him?" Asked Connor as he looked to his Assassin Mentor.

"I will have to give him over to the main Mentors for judgment… I don't know what will happen to him."

For a moment Connor and Okwaho felt a little regretful for letting Haytham live, but they hoped he would be treated better then he treated his own prisoners, and maybe be shown how wrong he was about the world and Assassin Order.

That being a cruel Templar was not the best option, if he wanted to change the world he had to be better.

Better then the Templars, then the Assassins, Charles, and better then Braddock the Bulldog. A man Haytham had slowly turned into over the years.

If Ziio saw him now, she would have treated him as she had the corrupted Redcoat, a dagger through his throat.

But there was hope, and that was all anyone could hold onto in a world like this.