Chapter 18: Monsters and Men

Slowly the apprentice walked down the dim, silent hall enveloped in darkness. Only the repeated sounds of footsteps found their way into the young wildcat's ears. One after another his feet stepped out and propelled him forward. Nothing was visible. The corridor seemed to be endless and dark. He didn't know how long he spent proceeding down the single narrow path, his grasp on time slipped away unconsciously. Moving further into the darkness, the echoes of a voice from his past slithered from the ethereal nothingness and into his eardrums.

"… My… son…" The voice sounded faintly.

The young man stopped in reaction, but soon resumed his navigation down the empty hall.

"… My… son…" The voice said again, this time more clear.

Turning around, the teenage mountain lion was greeted with only more darkness behind him, and tall, gray walls surrounding him. The voice continued a third time, repeating the same phrase. Shivers slivered down his spine, as he realized who that voice belonged to. Nothing was within range to whisper into his ears, yet as the ghastly phrase repeated over and over again it became more distinguishable every second. He put his paws to his ears, in an effort to block out the maddening noise. A futile attempt, doing nothing to drone out the maddening moans of the deceased. Turning back around, the wildcat was suddenly shocked to the core as a door seemingly phased into existence just five feet in front of him. A lantern of red glow situated above the door illuminated the sole entrance within the hall of darkness. Approaching it, the teenage apprentice felt a dread of horror, as a darkly familiar air crept around his body.

"…Open… it…"

Without any more options, he opened the door and walked through the entrance, only to reveal a square room cloaked in pitch black. Taking a few steps forward, the door suddenly slammed shut, screeching a sound that both startled and shook the teenage mountain lion's heart. Turning behind, his eyes became baffled as the now sealed entrance phased out of existence, in the same manor of which it manifested before him just moments ago. Suddenly, the silence was broken, as the snarling and growling of a demonic entity shouted and yelled behind the young man. In fear, he turned around once more to find a horrifying beast just ten feet away. The monstrosity was large, muscle-bound with cuts and scars scattered over his body. His single eye was bright red, matching the drenches of blood pouring out of his growling and barking mouth, of which held a multitude of teeth as sharp as an assassin's daggers. It snarled and growled as it lashed out towards the young feline, seeing it only as prey meant to be destroyed and devoured. Jumping back, the mountain lion realized the blood soaked beast was constrained by massive chains tightly wrapped around its arms while it sat on its knees. A single lantern hung above to illuminate the square room. Continuing to reach out and attempt to grab its prey by the mouth, the insidious fiend knew only how to kill and consume. It had no heart. It had no soul. Such an atrocity would be disgusting in the eyes of the gods.

The young man looked around the room in search for an exit of any kind. The monster resumed its desperate yet futile attempts to drive its teeth into the young feline's flesh. Making sure to keep his distance from the mad minded predator, the apprentice examined the square room thoroughly, but resulted in only walls of blackness surrounding both boy and beast all around, below, and above.

"… Kill…" The phantasmic voice shouted.

Suddenly, as if manifesting out of thin air, a blade appeared in the young mountain lion's paws. Out of nothingness it found its way into his grip. Long and sharp, double edged and clean, the dagger gleamed in the dark, via the reflection of the single hanging lantern. The feline was looking at his reflection, a sight within the weapon's metal shocked his spirit. Inside the reflection, was his mother, seemingly just as alive as in the hours he last spent with her years ago. Looking behind him, he saw nothing, only to quickly realize her presence was within the blade itself. But returning his sight inside the reflection, resulted in yet another image that shook the wildcat in horror: she was now a decaying corpse, rotting away before his eyes. As her body withered away into dust, she said her final words; "… Kill… kill… for…me… avenge… me… avenge… me…"

Inside the steal weapon's reflection, her image decayed fully, as if the course of time sped up to her demise. Grim memories began flooding back, anger ignited in his heart, and an agonizing desire for vengeance possessed his mind and spirit. Diverting his sights towards the monstrosity again, of which still was lashing out with blood soaked drool and deathly breath, the young feline approached it. The beast charged forward, only managing to come a few feet away from his prey before the chains constrained him. The teenager breathed long, hard breathes as he remembered the years of suffering, trials and torment caused by this… this… abomination, that only kills and devastates all it can grasp. With a heart filled with rage, and a mind dead set on vengeance, the young mountain lion took his dagger up in the air before giving a long, fury fueled scream as he drove his dagger into the monster's chest. Instantly the fiend screamed a horrifying cry before it ceased its wild behavior as all of its meaningless life force poured from its wound. Falling dead, it laid before the growing feline. Rage consumed him, and he pulled up the dagger again for it to be driven into the monster's corpse again. And again, and again, and again, and again, and ag-

((()-()))

The young mountain lion's eyes burst open and his head propelled upwards in sudden shock. His breathing was rapid as he sat up in his guest bed. His right paw was brought to his forehead as the feline slowly regained his grasp on reality; feeling the swaying of the ship and sounds of clashing water outside his cabin had set his mind straight again. Taking a long sigh, a few small tears escaped his eyes and rolled down his face.

Knock, knock,knock, sounded on the other side of his cabin's only door.

Quickly rubbing away his tears, the young feline loudly said "I'll be out in a moment." He got out of his sheets and sat for a second on his bed while looking out the window to see the morning rays spread over the sky. Standing up, he dressed himself in his leather adorned attire, fitted with a sleeveless top, dark pants, fingerless gloves and a scarf around his neck to act as a mask if needed. Sitting on his deck was his dagger, the decorated weapon given to him just last night. Picking it up, he drew the blade out just a bit, enough to see his reflection in the silver steel. Thinking back to his dream, his mind wandered into dark and sorrowful thoughts before sheaving the dagger and keeping it attached to his leather belt before exiting his cabin. Waiting outside of his quarters, Wushun patiently stood as the young apprentice realized who knocked on his door.

"Your master requests your presence in a meeting, we've all been waiting for your arrival." Wushun reported plainly.

"What? I've never been part of meetings before?" The young feline remarked.

"This is a… special gathering." Wushun replied.

The young wildcat had a pretty good guess as to what was awaiting him. Giving a silent and obedient nod, he followed Wushun across the deck. The air was warm and humid. Many members of the ship's crew worked in annoyance as summer expressed its rays of heat down upon the denizens of the earth. Sweat dripped down their foreheads as they fastened ropes and cleaned the ship's various decks. After a short stroll Wuhsun and the apprentice reached the room their order's meeting was being held. Opening the door, Wushun lead the younger feline in before closing the door, enveloping the below deck room in darkness. The young mountain lion walked into the center of the room, when lanterns lit all around him. Surrounding him were the members of the Shadow claw order, wearing their uniforms and masks in concealment. While at first he was shocked, the teenage feline quickly figured he wasn't in any danger, far from it actually. This was something the years of training had been preparing him for.

At the north side of the dimly lit room, Moushar stood, with Wushun now at his right and Aisha as his left. "It's now time. Kneel." The order's leader instructed.

Doing as told, the young feline knelt in the center of the circle of assassins. As the minutes passed, Moushar began the dark initiation. "Four years ago, we found you, alone and weak. Had fate planned otherwise, you'd be dead well passed this very moment. But we found you, we cared for you, we gave you purpose." Moushar sited.

The young mountain lion remembered those hard few months, after his mother was murdered; scrounging the trash for scraps, stealing from shops to survive, all while bearing a sense of aloneness as he walked the world in misery.

"But now, you stand here, alive and strong. You've tested yourself, proven yourself, and now all of your efforts will yield its rewards; today, is the day that you finally become one of us." Moushar continued.

The apprentice continued his kneeling and reflected back on all the trials and struggles he endured to come to this moment; all the pain, all the training, and all the hardship."

"And here you are, strong, and ready to become one with the order; a seeker of justice from the shadows. Do you swear to uphold our ideals?"

"Yes" The apprentice answered.

"Do you swear to NEVER reveal your identity to the world?"

"Yes" The young wildcat said.

"Do you swear… to bring justice, for all of the souls taken by the claws of injustice, so many years ago?" Moushar asked.

"YES!" the apprentice shouted.

Bearing a face of pride, Moushar finished the ritual. "Then today, you will finish your training. Now… rise."

The apprentice rose and stood in the middle of the circle of cloaked warriors.

"Take the dagger I've given you, and assassinate your target. You will find him on this ship, in the brink. Once you've completed your mission, return here and we will make you one of us." Moushar completed.

Following his orders, the young apprentice gave a respectful bow to his master, a gesture of gratitude for his teachings. Now understanding his final test, the teenage mountain lion left the room, and begun to make his way through the halls of the ship. As he traversed the inner rooms of the vessel, his mind raced, wondering what or who's life he'd take.

((()-()))

On the lower deck of Liang's vessel, within the locked brig of the ship, Zhong sat on his knees all in his lonesome. Quietly slumbered, his body was no longer able to remain awake once being transferred from one prison to another. Strong steel chains wrapped around his arms, which were raised diagonally upwards, keeping the veteran wolf from retaliating or breaking himself free. How ironic, nearly three years ago he helped imprison the Furious Five, chained them together only to be blown to death after leaving Gongmen city. That is until the Dragon Warrior returned and ended the mad peacock's conquest before it began. And now here Zhong was, chained and awaiting death by the enemy. Fate truly can be ironically cruel.

"Zhong…" A distant voice sounded. "Zhong… Zhong…"

Awaking from his slumber, the one eyed wolf regained awareness and upon seeing what stood in front of him, immediately wished to return to sleep. Floating before the lupine once again was the ghastly presence of Shen, still in an apparitional form that continued to question Zhong's mental stability. The ghost simply lingered five feet from the man whom he once called a brother. That man however, loathed and reviled the spirit from his past, choosing to give the transparent avian nothing more than teeth bearing growls and faces that expressed such hate towards the ghost.

"What are you doing here?" Zhong growled.

A moment of silence came and went before the ghost replied in a chilling, unworldly voice that sent shivers down the wolf's spine. "I… need… you…"

"Oh that's nothing but crap and you know it!" Zhong growled in deep anger. "And even if I wanted to help, I can't, because I'm alive and you're dead. You're dead. YOU'RE DEAD!"

"I… speak… truth…" the ghastly Shen said back.

"Like when you said my family was murdered by pandas!?" Zhong protested.

"I… was… foolish… in… those… days…"

"IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU, THAT I BECAME THE MURDERING, WAR HUNGRY MONSTER I WAS!" Zhong barked. "YOU TELL ME, HOW THE HELL ARE YOU HERE AT ALL!?"

Chillingly, Shen answered, and explained the reasons for which he appears now. "Soothsayer… the Soothsayer… even now… she hopes… for my soul. I was in… torment… for my atrosities… I was doomed to… live without rest… in spirit… in never ending… torment. She found a… way to conjure… me. She… told… me… that the only way… to peace… is through… you… Zhong…"

The ghost's explanation was laughable to Zhong's ears. Why in this life or the other that the Soothsayer would bring back the monster was appalling to the lupine. And what was more unbelievable was the idea, the very concept of Shen, the mad peacock needing Zhong to find peace, was almost hysterical. Pain and vengeance took hold of Zhong's mind, and in an insanity driven fit of anger, Zhong decided only damnation for such a vile creature.

"I can't believe it." Zhong said back. "I cannot believe it. After everything you've done to me; murdering my wife and children and lying about their deaths, turning me into a bloodthirsty war criminal, killing off almost all of my men in futile bid for victory, and LITERALLY KILLING ME… you need my help."

Zhong paused as Shen's ghost asked "I… need… peace…"

"Oh of course, you're only here for your own hide." Zhong rebuked. "Any chance of sincerity from me, died when you drove your blade into my love and our pups."

"Yes… I did… did have them killed… but not by… my own… blade…"Shen replied.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU!" Zhong barked in vengeful fury. "ALL OF THIS, ALL OF MY MISERY, ALL THE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, ALL THE NIGHTMARES, IT'S ALL YOU! WHY DO YOU STILL MAKE MY LIFE HELL?!"

Shen simply and silently looked at Zhong. The ghastly apparition said nothing as Zhong breathed heavy, sweat dripped from his heated head and his mind was filled with nothing but fury and loathing. Then, in the blink of his one eye, the ghost disappeared. Looking around Zhong searched his cell, only to find the spirit of his former master gone like the wind.

"AAAAAHHHHHHGGGGG! DAMN YOU!" Zhong shouted out in frustration and fury.

However, the chained lupine's anger would give way to sorrow. His shouts of vengeance slowly turned to sobs of grief. The resurfaced memories of all the injustices and cruelties inflicted upon him came flooding back. Finding his wife, Helen and his puppies, Julie and Timber slaughtered in their own home, the mass deaths of his army whom he cared for, and the ultimate betrayal of the royal who he believed saw him like a brother when they were young boys and grown men. Zhong sobbed, as tears streamed from his one good eye and the sounds of his crying echoed in his lonely cell. And so he remained there alone, with sorrow now engulfing his heart and emotional pain possessing his mind.

((()-()))

Walking down the hall of the ship's lower deck, the young mountain lion traversed the inner rooms of the slaver's vessel. In his paw he held his sheaved dagger, anticipating the moment of triumph awaiting him. One by one the quiet sounds of his hind feet padded on the wooden decked sounded over and over again. The hall was nearly dark, save for a few windows giving way to sunlight from the outside. The entrance to the brig was within sight. It was lonely, and guarded by a single member of the Shadow Claw, standing vigilant and alert. Noticing the young apprentice approach, the guard readied himself to open the ship's cell. He'd been previously explained of what would transpire this day, and was given instructions accordingly. The teenage feline stopped at the still closed entrance, as the single guard remained still. The younger wildcat took a deep breath, exhaled, and readied himself. Giving an affirmative nod, he silently told his fellow ninja to open the cell. The door creaked open with a screech of rusted metal. The apprentice walked into the room and the door was quickly closed again behind him. The single guard remained by the entrance for the time being.

The cell was dark, dusty and dank. Nothing but a couple hanged lanterns hung up from the ceiling lit up the lonely room. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust, but it wasn't long until the teenage mountain lion saw his target: a lone wolf constrained and confounded. Examining the sole prisoner, the visual description of the knelt down and tied lupine shocked the feline to his core. The wolf was large, with a very burly frame. His body stained by scars from a brutal past. While at first the apprentice was shocked, he looked closer, and saw the wolf was barely moving at all. No part of him reacted to the sounds of the only entrance/exit opening and closing, not to mention the noise of someone coming in afterwards. Cautiously curious, the mountain lion approached the wolf. With only a few feet between them, the apprentice reached out to tap the head of the chained wolf, which was facing downward and to validate whether he was alive or dead.

(Fire Emblem Fates ost – "Warmth Is Gone")

But only a second later, the prisoner's head jolted upwards, now starring directly into the young feline's face. It happened so suddenly that the apprentice immediately dashed back a few paces and readied himself. It was only when the large lupine revealed his face, did the young feline finally realize the identity of his target. There, shown as plain as day, was a massive scar that spread over the left side of the wolf's face. A fleshy patch of skin covered the blank space where his left eye used to reside, before it was destroyed in the mist of war. Expecting the savage to lash out or shout vile curses at him, the young cat prepared for whatever barrage of insults or profane expressions his enemy was to give. However, to his surprise, the wolf remained quiet, even calm. He just sat there on his knees, with his arms raised in chains and slow breathing moving his large torso.

"Wh-who are you?" The wolf asked.

Curiosity slowly turned to anger. Remembering what he came for, the apprentice spoke back in a voice that grew more and more wrathful with every word. "You don't remember me, do you? Well, I remember you very well."

After a moment of silence, the wolf replied "I don't remember meeting someone like you, you seem pretty young."

"Oh, of course you'd forget about me, and what you did to me four years ago." The apprentice said back with anger.

"I really don't remember anything about-"

"GREEHILLS VILLAGE!" the apprentice interrupted with a shout. "Greenhills village, four years ago, you and your pack of murderers razed my entire town!"

Thinking back to what the teenager said, the wolf suddenly realized what he was talking about. After all, it wasn't that long ago when the lupine served an insane master, leading an army in a cause for conquest and destruction. Part of that conquest, was raiding villages from all over China for metals to melt down and forge cannons of war out of.

"Four years ago, you murdered my mother, burned down my entire village, and TAKEN AWAY EVERYTHING THAT I CARED ABOUT!" The wildcat yelled. "YOU KILLED MY MOTHER… YOU... YOU SAVAGE!"

With rage burning in his heart, the young feline reached at his belt and drew his dagger from its sheave. Seeing this young feline, whom was (judging from his height and age) on the verge of adulthood, ready himself to kill and take vengeance drenched the wolf in despair.

"No…no,no,no… Erdan… Shu…no." The wolf muttered. "Oh gods no… NO,NO,NO!"

The young feline approached, readied his blade, raising it up to be driven into the wolf's heart, to end this heartless savage once and for all.

But, something changed. The apprentice took a moment to look at the face of this monster, but a second glance showed the wolf was… crying. Tears fell down his face and sounds of sobbing came from his throat. The wolf was now brought to his lowest of lows, and wallowing in despair and regret. This sudden and unusual change possessed the young feline to stay his blade. Why was he crying? For what reason does this savage have to morn? The wildcat thought.

"Please… please… don't do this…" The wolf urged while crying heavily.

"Why? to save your own hide?" The mountain lion teen replied bitterly.

"For your sake!" The wolf cried.

Whether it was his sudden curiosity, or an unknowing desire to listen, the young feline stayed still, deciding to listen to the monster before him.

"Please, I beg you… don't do this… don't kill out of revenge. I have, and I ruined myself."

"Y-You lie!" The feline replied.

"No, I'm not." The wolf sobbed as water seemingly poured from his one good eye. "Years ago, when I was young… l had a wife and two children. And I-I loved them more than life itself. But one day, I came home, and found them murdered."

The wolf expressed great sorrow, the kind that couldn't be faked or acted. The teenage feline soon realized that this was true, raw, explosive emotion on display. For this reason, he began to give this monster's words the benefit of a doubt.

As he cried, the lupine continued. "When they died, I felt so empty. At first, all I wanted was to end my own life. Then, a man who I called a brother, told me who they're murderers were, only I was so blinded by my loss to believe his lie. I understand how you feel; the rage, the anger, and the desire for vengeance."

As the prisoner continued his direful urge, the apprentice listened more, and soon this monstrous wolf gave a deathly warning. "Please… don't do this. Don't do this. I killed and murdered and massacred a whole village, just because I wanted revenge. IT WON'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING… IT WILL ONLY MAKE YOU DEAD INSIDE! AND IT WON'T HONNOR YOU'RE MOTHER'S MEMORY! FOR YEARS SINCE, I LIVED IN TORMENT AND I COULD NEVER FIND PEACE!"

Finally, he finished.

"DON'T DO WHAT I DID. DON'T KILL FOR VENGANCE!" The wolf sobbed as a puddle of tear water formed by his knelt knees. "I understand what I did to you and your mother. What I did then, was what vengeance turned me into. I'M SORRY… I'M SORRY… I'M SO SORRY!"

Finally, his sorrow reached its peak. The prisoner's heart was now engulfed in grief and regret. The lupine looked into the eyes of this young warrior, into his polarizing eye colors and with a face of pure emotion, he visually begged the teen NOT to make the same mistakes he committed so many years ago. The feline was speechless. Minutes came and passed as the wolf before him, this beast who murdered his mother, just did an act the wildcat never would have thought possible; He was… remorseful. The teen always imagined or dreamt of this moment. But now… his mind couldn't understand what to think, couldn't process his whole world seemingly shattered before him in just a few minutes. He remembered his mother, and the lessons of life she taught him. Looking back, he was brought back to a day where she gave her most cherished wisdom to him.

Before him, constrained by chains and metal, was no monster, nor beast or savage… but instead, he was… human, and maybe more. Great confliction dominated the apprentice's mind and heart. So much that he couldn't conceve a plan of action anymore. Unsure of what to do, he lowered his arm and blade slowly down before looking at this wolf one more time. Everything from the sincerity of his face and the truthfulness in his voice, urged, practically threw the teen's mind into a frenzy of confusion. Unable to bare the mind centered stress anymore, the apprentice walked to the door and left the brink, leaving the wolf alone once again in the metallic and now sorrow infested cell.

("Warmth Is Gone" ends)