A/N: Hello all! Sorry this has taken me so long to update, but this is a very long chapter. About as long as the other three combined. My apologies for this being a bit choppy in places.

Thank you to sathreal, lizzybear54, and g for reviewing. : )

Title notes: The title of this chapter refers back to The Lion and the Mouse, to the part of the story where the mouse chews the ropes to free the lion from the hunters' net.

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist and Stray Dog belong to Hiromu Arakawa.

Warnings: None for this chapter.

"Resembool," Maes said. "It's a small, rural town in the Eastern sector. There's a boy missing from there who fits your boy's description. Small, blonde, golden eyes, twelve years old. His name is Edward Elric."

Roy nodded, looking down at the map Maes had unrolled onto the table he, Maes, and Riza were gathered around. The lieutenant colonel had marked the town's location with a small x. "How long has he been missing?"

"About a year," Maes replied. "Same as your boy. And you might find this interesting. The people looking for him. Alphonse Elric – I'm guessing he's family – and Pinako and Winry Rockbell."

Roy's head jerked up. "Rockbell? You mean Sara and Urey's family?"

Maes nodded. "The same."

Roy brought a hand up to his eyes. "Well this should be interesting," he said with strained sarcasm. "I doubt they'll be happy about the military's involvement."

"You'll have to find a way to get him out of that cell first," Riza reminded gently.

"Do you have a plan?" Maes questioned.

Roy rubbed at his temples, brows knitted. "I'm working on that."

Mustang stood stiffly at attention. He couldn't quite believe he was doing this. The standard hung on the wall behind the gruff looking man seemed to glow in the afternoon sunlight.

"Sir," Mustang said rigidly. Proper decorum would only get him so far, but it certainly couldn't hurt him. "I respectfully request your permission to remove the chimera from the hospital prison."

"My, my. Quite to the point, aren't you?" the older man chuckled. "Very well. Why do you want it?"

"Him," Mustang corrected, never dropping his air of formality. "He has family looking for him. He's only a child, sir. This is Heig's crime, not his."

The man steepled his fingers, leaning forward a bit as though deeply interested in what the colonel was saying. "And you have an explanation for why he attacked you?"

The colonel hesitated just briefly before replying, his tone more serious than formal. "I believe so, sir. After researching the findings regarding Heig's experiments, I believe he was attempting to recreate a creature made using a lost form of Drachonian alchemy."

"Your reasoning?" the older man inquired.

"To create the perfect soldier, sir," Mustang answered. "Or in this case the perfect guard. But these creatures were bonded to their masters and had no choice but to obey them. I believe that if we were to bond the chimera to a different master, he would be less dangerous."

The man behind the desk seemed intrigued. "And did you have someone in mind?"

Mustang's expression darkened and he pressed his eyes closed for a moment to steady himself. What he was about to do made him slightly ill, but he couldn't see any way around it. "Yes, sir, I do."

A few days later, Roy came to visit Ed again. By this time Ed was happy to see the dark eyed man. Roy was the only person he had any contact with aside from the nurse who looked after his healing wounds. So when Ed heard the sound of keys just outside, he rose from his place on the bed and went to greet the colonel.

This time, however, Ed sensed something different when the door opened. Roy seemed apprehensive and was holding something Ed didn't like the look of. He was familiar with this. As Mustang stepped toward him, he backed away until he hit the wall, giving a loud, angry hiss.

"Good afternoon, Ed," Roy greeted as pleasantly as ever.

Ed didn't respond. He was too focused on what the man was holding. Roy frowned. He had been afraid this would happen. He wanted to take Ed out of this place. The boy was slowly losing his grip on reality. The constant solitude seemed to be driving him mad. Some days he would describe to Roy impossible things – long forgotten wars, lost civilizations, places so far out of reach they may as well not exist – claiming to have seen them. More than the stories, though, there was a dullness to the boy's eyes and, recently, a hesitation to respond. He had committed no crime, as far as Roy was concerned, and he did not deserve to be confined like this. But this was a requirement for removing him from his cell. If Ed refused, there was little Roy could do.

As non-threateningly as possible, Roy held out the leash and collar so that Ed could inspect them. Ed, however, just hissed and brandished his claws.

"I had something a little different in mind for today," Roy explained. "I wanted to show you around. But I can't take you out of here without restraints. Not after what you pulled during the raid. And we know what Heig trained you to be, so we aren't allowed to take chances. Trust me, I don't like it either. It's dehumanizing, and if there's one thing you need to do if you're going to recover from this, it's learn what you are."

Ed's eyes narrowed. "I know what I am. I am a weapon. I am a chimera. I am nothing more than a highly intelligent animal."

Roy was deeply troubled by this response. "That's exactly what I'm talking about." He sighed and made sure the door was closed before moving to sit on the foot of the bed. "Yes, Ed, you are a chimera. I can't deny hat and I can't fix it, as much as I'd like to. And yes, you were trained as a weapon. But there is something more important than that. Above all, you are a child. A human child. Nothing less."

Ed frowned, but Roy continued anyway. "Now, I would appreciate it if you would cooperate. There are some people I'd like you to meet and I know you must be anxious to get out of this room."

Ed couldn't deny that. He had been in desperate want of room to move. Not to mention being out of this room might afford him the opportunity to escape that he had been waiting for. And so he agreed.

Roy handed him a set of light blue hospital pyjamas. "You'll need to put those on. We can't have you walking around like that."

Ed looked down at himself. He was dressed in a knee length gown the same colour as the pyjamas. The nurse hadn't known what to do about his tail, so this is what he had been given to wear. Quietly he looked over the clothes Roy had given him. They consisted of a long sleeved shirt and pants. He waited for Roy to turn around before putting them on. The shirt gave him very little trouble, aside from his claws making it difficult to fasten the buttons, but the pants he fussed with for several minutes before resorting to using his claws to rip the seam in the back just enough to let his tail fit through. Finally he coughed to get Roy's attention.

This time Roy held out the collar to him. "I know you don't like it," the man said. "But I promise that if you just follow what I tell you to do, nothing bad will happen."

Ed relented without much fight. After all, what other choice did he have? Golden ears pressed flat against his head, tail bristling, he looked down at Roy's gloves and gave a soft hiss before taking the collar.

What Roy had failed to realize was that he no longer held the same power over Ed as he had at first. The boy had worked out that without his gloves the colonel was defenseless. Remove the gloves, remove the threat. And so, confident in that knowledge, Ed fixed the collar loosely around his neck.

"I need your wrists, too," Roy told him once the collar was in place. He held out a set of handcuffs for Ed to inspect.

"No," Ed snarled, crouching in preparation to strike.

Roy sighed. "I'll keep them loose enough for you to slip them off. No one else knows how flexible your hands are."

Ed narrowed his eyes, slit pupils creating an odd effect against the expression of animalistic fury that contorted his normally blank face. The colonel had noticed that Ed's pupils changed when he felt threatened. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of that. Finally the boy spoke, his voice a low, threatening growl. "Fine. But if you're lying to me, you die where you stand. I have no qualms about removing your throat. The blood would probably even taste good."

Roy looked over the claws, fangs, and cold, cruel smile and wondered for the millionth time exactly what it was that he had gotten himself into. Sometimes he found himself wondering if Ed was really still human at all. If maybe he really was the savage, bloodthirsty creature they had seen during the raid. Of course, there was always the possibility that it was a bluff. After all, Roy's threat to set the boy on fire had been just that. An act to help keep himself safe. Just because he could didn't mean he had it in him to do so. The difference, though, was that while Roy had his training as a soldier, that was only one aspect of his life. All Ed could remember being was a living weapon. So perhaps Ed really would kill him. But there were also times, times when they were merely sitting together conversing or even in silence, when Roy could see clearly past the deadly features and vicious training to the child that was still there. The lonely, confused, miserable child, lost and frightened. That was why Roy deemed this a necessary risk. He just hopped he wouldn't regret it.

About twenty minutes later the door to Mustang's office opened. There was a collective anxiety among his squad about what would happen, but they kept quiet just the same. They trusted the colonel's judgment. He had never given them reason not to.

Mustang was the first to enter the room, a thick, black leash held in one hand. Following close behind him was the strangest creature most of them had ever seen. Ed held his tail stiff and his ears flat against his head. His hands were balled into tight fists and he found himself hating the shoes the man had made him wear. He felt the speech he had been given on the way up here was completely unnecessary, but the instant he entered the room everything Roy had told him was gone. Seven people were gathered in the room, including Mustang. As the leash was unclipped from around his neck Ed began to wonder if he shouldn't free himself and bolt. But then Mustang began to speak and he knew he had missed his chance.

"Edward, I want you to meet my squad," the colonel said. The boy's tail twitched at the use of the new name. There was a stab of sadness in his chest at the sound of it, but he couldn't figure out why. "This is Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, that's Warrant Officer Vato Falman, that's Major Sergeant Kain Fuery over there, and the guy who can't seem to put down his cigarette is Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc."

Each man waved as Mustang gestured to them. Ed glanced back over them to be sure he had their names. The red haired man slouching against the cabinet was Breda, the stiff looking man next to him was Falman, who appeared to be the oldest person in the room, while Fuery had glasses and appeared to be the youngest. Havoc, of course, was the blonde man with the cigarette. Ed studied them all quietly, assessing them as potential threats. They all seemed so friendly, though, and Ed found himself hoping that they might one day be friends instead.

"This –" Roy continued, gesturing to the middle age man sitting at the colonel's desk "– is Hughes. He isn't under my command, but if you spend any amount of time around here you'll be seeing quite a bit of him."

"Yo," the man at the desk saluted. "Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes." He smiled broadly at Ed as the boy studied him. He seemed different than the others, though Ed couldn't place exactly why. Perhaps it was the way he acted towards the colonel. Ed resolved to watch him closely.

But Roy had turned to the last person. She was the only woman in the room. Roy set a hand on her shoulder and she glanced sideways at him before turning her piercing gaze back on Ed.

"This is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," the colonel said. The boy noted that he sounded grim. "I think you two may have gotten off to a bad start." He paused for a moment, glancing back at Hawkeye just briefly. "She was the one who shot you during the raid. I assure you, however, that she was only doing her duty. She poses no threat to you as long as you don't threaten anyone she cares about."

Ed took in the woman's downcast amber eyes and unreadable expression as he nodded his understanding. She was like him. A fierce weapon when it was called for, but otherwise tame. He considered this in silence while he waited , somewhat anxiously, for any sign of moment from the assembled group. Finally it came in the form of the man called Hughes leaning forward to prop his elbows on Roy's desk – which, Ed noted, Roy had not told him to vacate. From this Ed guessed that Hughes was either Mustang's equal or ranked higher than the fire alchemist. He wasn't entirely clear on the meanings of their titles.

"So, Ed, how old are you?" the man asked. His voice was higher and lighter than Mustang's and he had a more relaxed air about him.

Golden eyes turned to Roy as the boy hesitated, waiting for the man's permission to speak. Once Roy nodded, Ed answered quietly, nervous at speaking in front of so many people. "Twelve."

The man at the desk smiled. "I remember being that young. Enjoy it while it lasts. One day you'll wonder when you got so old."

Ed blinked owlishly. The man didn't even seem to notice his strange appearance. Roy had warned him that people might be shocked by him, as creatures like him were not supposed to exist. Briefly Ed wondered if this Hughes man might actually be blind, but the way he focused his gaze on Ed ruled out that possibility immediately.

"Well then," Hughes continued, ignoring the heavy, awkward silence that enveloped the room like a blanket. He had a spark in his voice where Mustang's was slightly flat. It seemed almost as though Hughes simply had more life to him than the colonel did. Ed wondered at that. "What do you like to do?"

He was met with the odd tilt of the head that Roy had learned to interpret as a request for clarification.

"For fun," Hughes explained. "Hobbies? Things you do when you're bored?"

"I…" Ed paused. The master had never really allowed for hobbies. He had spent nearly all of his time on training of one kind or another. "I like to read."

"So we have ourselves a little scholar here," the man beamed.

This reaction confused the young chimera. He had never met this man before, may never see him again, and was doing absolutely nothing to benefit him by being interested in books. Why, then, was he so happy about it? It made no sense. The master had often praised him when he learned something useful, but usually he was angry when he found Ed reading novels. The master had always told him that if he was going to spend his time on something other than training, then he should at least be learning something. But this man hadn't asked what sorts of things Ed liked to read, which meant he probably wasn't looking for a way to put Ed's pastime to use.

Finally one of the others got up the nerve to speak. It was the young man Mustang had called Fuery. "Can you actually move your ears and tail?"

The question seemed honest enough – the man's tone and expression had been those of curiosity rather than malice – but Ed was still put off by it. He stiffened a bit before answering in a strained tone. "Yes." As proof he allowed his ears, which had been pressed flat against his head since he had entered the room, to stand up as they normally would.

It was Breda's question, however, that pushed him too far. The red haired man spoke slowly, as though doubting Ed could understand him. "Do you remember being completely human?"

Ed's entire body seemed to seize up at the question. His ears flicked back against his head again and his tail bristled. Roy's hand on his shoulder in a gesture that was meant to be reassuring startled him and the next set of events was almost a blur.

Ed dodged and swiped at Roy's hand, reducing the glove that covered it to bloodied tatters. As Hawkeye drew her gun in anticipation of having to defend herself and her comrades, Ed yanked his hands free of the cuffs. Before the sniper could even set her aim, however, the boy clapped his hands and dropped to the ground, slamming his palms against the floor. There was flash of brilliant blue light and when it faded Ed was nowhere in sight. Instead, there was a large bulge in the floor where the boy had been standing.

There was a breath of stunned silence. Hawkeye attempted to figure out what to do with her sudden lack of a target. Breda and Fuery shrank back away from the bulge. Falman's hands tightened in the fabric of his uniform. Havoc nearly dropped his cigarette. Hughes froze in his usurped chair. Roy ran his fingers over the deep cuts on the back of his hand. It was Havoc, though, who finally broke the silence.

"That… Was that alchemy?" the second lieutenant asked hesitantly.

Roy stared for a moment. When he answered his tone was strained and grim. "It was… Shit… Hawkeye! Hughes! Stay here. The rest of you, dismissed!"