Morning came quickly for the siblings. Just as they had closed their eyes, they felt the murmur of the other puppies. Most of their awakenings were not very pleasant as the older dogs roused them forcefully. Mako was the most aggressive, more than likely attributed to the humiliation he suffered the previous day. Alucard was strangely absent, that or Mayu wasn't looking for him. Mao was the one who noted his absence. Personally Mayu wanted the dog as far away from her as possible.
To Mayu, "freak" properly summed up her opinion of him, that and all of the other dogs whom she had seen in this little "family". Every one of them were herded together, a large puppy river so to speak.
"Where are they taking us sis?" Asked Mao who nervously looked from side to side.
"How should I know?" Was Mayu's response. To her it was a stupid question, but she didn't say that to her brother, she had enough of his crying. At turn in the path the puppy group split into two, following that, the group the twins were in split once more along another path. Each time an elder dog would split with each group, leading them in, finally the stopped, stepping into another chamber. None of the rooms were up for much description seeing as they were of the same rock walled covering. Looking around, Mayu counted about ten other puppies not counting herself and Mao. Chattering echoes amongst the groups, some escalating into play fighting. Mao squirmed closer to his sister not wanting to partake. Normally Mayu would have protested such an action but she felt like her brother needed a break.
They both had been through a lot, what with loosing their mother and being recruited by monster dogs.
"Alright everyone, settle down." A smooth voice spoke through a dark opening.
Surprisingly all of the pups did so. Mayu and Mao weren't making any noise in the first place so the silence fit them. A light colored shape began to color the surrounding darkness. It was a dog of course, the one in question held long flowing fur, dirty blond in color. A Border Collie he was. Unlike the rest of the dogs they had seen of the clan, this one seemed normal for the most part, no sunken ribs, and no circles around the yes. Speaking of the eyes there was something. Around his left there was a golden ring of fur around it. The entrapped eye was glossed over like his was blind, where as the other eye looked healthy.
The Border Collie smiled pleased at the attention given to himself. Behind him, Mayu noticed two younger Border Collies, females trailed behind him. They looked about Alucards age or maybe just slightly older. The both of them were females, she could just tell that. Unlike the older dog, they held the dark circles that seemed common amongst the Clan.
"Well good morning class." The Border Collie greeted.
"Good Morning instructor Lazarus." The puppies chorused in unison. Mayu and Mao were a little surprised so they said nothing as they looked about in confusion.
Again Lazarus seemed pleased at the obedient attention. Something else Mayu noticed and her brother did as well. Some of the puppies were shaking, just slightly but they could smell it, some kind of fear permeating the air.
"What's with them?" Mayu whispered to Mao.
"Shhh!" Mao hissed. "You'll get us in trouble."
Both puppies felt a shadow loom over them, looking up they could see Lazarus looming above them. His very presence made them both silence. They couldn't understand why yet there was something that made them. Truthfully it was more on Mao who kept still, Mayu still held some reservations. Lazarus kept his glare toward the twins, even as he spoke.
"Well now that you are all here we can begin the lesson." Lazarus started. "But first we must recite the Clan Oath."
The other puppies held their heads up with pride save for the two siblings. Lazarus held his head up in the same manner as did the two younger females. However there was some sort of oiliness to it.
"With our blood we are united." They all chorused. Mao looked frantically around trying to mouth and follow the words. Mayu didn't partake. Sometimes she felt that Mao was too obedient for her own good. Apparently Lazarus noticed. She could feel his eye on them both. The oath continued, much of it Mayu drifted in an out of attention but she caught the ending.
"We shall take the surface world back and build our paradise."
Lazarus's gaze became more apparent as the oath finished. In Mao's panicked turns, he panted nervously as the elder dog bored through him.
"For today's lesson I believe we should go over the basics." Said Lazarus.
This brought on some disappointed grumbles from the other puppies. Those grumbles were silenced as Lazarus sent another teacher glare.
"Now, now, if one is to properly serve the clan, one must understand the fundamental basics." Lazarus eyed the students before him. So many looked capable but his eyes fell upon one. Fro a moment he glanced back to one of the young females flanking him. Looking at herm she gave an affirmative nod.
"You there!"
Mao looked up as he knew the adult was mentioning. "M-me?" Was his response.
Lazarus nodded and motioned for Mao to come forward. Obedient as always, Mao scampered to attention. Lazarus motioned for another random puppy to come forward.
"Now both of you get into position." Lazarus ordered.
Mao didn't understand what that meant. Yet the other puppy walked a few feet away from him. Mao almost did the same but was stopped by Lazarus's paw. This further confused, even more so when Lazarus looked to the other puppy and said.
"Demonstrate the basics to the class."
Now it made sense. Mao understood that as the puppy pounced on him.
"Catching your opponent off guard is one such basic." The puppy pinned Mao to the ground, his teeth just inches way from his neck. Mao whimpered as he felt the tiny breaths against him. He could feel the start of tears coming on. Then the feeling vanished as the puppy released him. The moment he got up, he looked for a way out. That wasn't so as the puppy cornered him.
"Blocking off your opponents entry is another tactic." A smirk crossed the Collie's face. "Particularly if said opponent is panicked."
That directly applied to Mao, every time he moved, the other puppy would block him. Then in that moment Mao felt the pain of sharp teeth against his said, sharp puppy teeth that is. Mao let out a cry as he felt the burning. He cried, he whimpered, he wanted the pain to end. Then it did. A loud whelp gave out as Mayu once again sprang to her brother's rescue.
"What is the meaning of this!" Lazarus exclaimed. "Get back in your place brat!"
Mayu defiantly looked up at the adult. "NO! Shut your face you stupid over pompous jerk!"
Gasps followed by a hush fell over the other puppies. Mayu didn't pay any attention to them, all hers was on Lazarus. Lazarus's glossed eye twitched. He looked about ready to burst, yet he didn't. Instead, a smile fell upon his face.
"You and him are the new ones I take it?"
"Y-yes sir." Mao piped, hoping some respect would give them some leniency.
A chuckle came up from Lazarus. Mayu's defiant stare faded as something fast pinned her to the ground. Managing to look up, Mayu could see it was one of the younger Border Collie females.
"Thank you Julia." Thanked Lazarus. "Maria could you fetch my tool?" He asked to the other female.
"Yes Dad." Said the female before leaving down the tunnels.
"Dad?" Mayu repeated. She assumed it was the same for the other female. They both appeared to be twins.
Lazarus clicked his teeth, a "tsk". "I can imagine in your home, such disrespect was acceptable." Lazarus began. "The humans probably coddled and petted you, displaying the finest forms of affection."
Mayu scoffed, obviously he didn't know their situation or their home life. "Or I could be wrong." Maybe not. "Yet in the Clan such disrespect garners punishment." Out of the back, the female returned carrying a long stick in her mouth. It limped in her mouth giving off a light shine. It wasn't wooden, it was metal. He puppy class stepped back in fear as the tool neared. Stained at its tip was blood, dried blood.
Mayu was turned on her stomach and the female handed the meal tick to her father.
"I'll show you respect you little bitch!" Lazarus growled.
A swift of air sounded as the metal whipped against Mayu's bare back. The young female gave a sharp cry as the pain came again and again. Mao watched in horror as his sister was beaten. Red marks stained her white coat, running down like little rivers of pain. Above him, Mao could see Lazarus smiling at it all. Each scream sent a wave of pleasure down his spine. This went on for what seemed lie ka minute, and then he stopped leave a sobbing Mayu upon the ground.
"Sis!" Mao ran to his sister, for some reason Lazarus allowed it. This was all new to Mao, he had never seen his sister cry, even when she was hurt. Lazarus laughed condescendingly.
"Take note my students, this I what happens to those who disobey."
The class definitely took note, Mayu in particular. She let herself cry for the first time since coming to this awful place. Even as the lesson commenced and she kept quite like a good little girl, she still cried, but it wasn't just from the pain.
XXXXX
By the time their class let out, Mayu was nearly unconscious from blood loss. Lazarus had somehow managed to give them all a series of small exercises that involved using their back muscles and flexing them into different positions. Mayu's sobbing had come dangerous close to an entire break-down when he'd named stretch, after stretch, after stretch…..
Mao had cried with her, though he hadn't come above a hollow and broken whimper. Mayu couldn't blame him. After her beating, all the rest of the puppies had avoided them like they were ticks seeking blood. Mayu stumbled, almost falling.
"Mayu!" Yelping, Mao ran up to his nearly incapacitated sister.
"It burns…" she whined.
Mao clumsily pressed his head against his sister's neck, bracing himself and shoving her back on her feet. "Come on, Mayu, you can't lie here." He glanced around. The clearing outside the cave was barren and clear, with no places to hide or objects to support yourself on. Passing out here was like a direct red flag to Lazarus, giving him the go-ahead for another beating. And looking down at Mayu's torn and frail form, Mao was more than sure she couldn't take another one.
Mao looked around. There was no one to help him walk his sister back to the ca- he quickly shook his head. There was no one to help? Did he really need help for the majority of his life? For every. Single. Little. Thing? "No," Mao growled.
He shoved Mayu's shoulder forward while fitting half of his head under the side of her chest. Letting lose a small and pitiful yelp, she staggered forward. Mao's legs almost buckled under her weight pressing down on him. He had no idea his sibling weighed this much. Suddenly, the trip back to the puppy den seemed impossible to Mao. He'd have to support his sister the whole way there, her body leaning down on him.
"It's impossible…." he whispered.
"Wha….t… did you say?" Mao blinked. He hadn't realized Mayu was listening to him. "Nothing." he lied. "I was just talking to myself." Taking a deep breath, he started forward again. Mayu shoved down him, hardly walking on her own feet. They had barely made a few meters forward when Mao felt the need to rest. Gasping, he almost dropped Mayu on the ground. "Sorry."
"…..need a little help there?" Mao jumped up and whirled around, fur bristling in fear and surprise. Alucard sat impassively in front of a nearby rock. Mao hadn't even heard him coming.
"What do you want?" Mao felt his fear making him deflate in size.
"Calm down, Mao. I just want to help you out."
Mao whined. "Really…?" He started shaking. "You're not going to come after us like that… that… monster did, are you?"
Alucard slowly walked up to him. "No, I'm not." He bent down, sniffing Mayu's body. "But we need to get Mayu to the puppy den- otherwise, she might bleed to death."
Mao felt himself shaking. Warm liquid ran down his face- tears. He was crying again, now, of all places. "S-she might d-die?" A terrified whine hooked onto the end of his sentence. Mao suddenly felt himself imagining what would happen if Mayu died. It would be just him and Alucard, fighting day in and day out with that horrible Collie, and having to face everyone on his own. He could just see the jeering looks on their imaginary faces as they laughed at him before attacking, Alucard gone.
"Mao, calm down!" Alucard's sharp bark cut into his nightmarish day-dream.
Mao realized that he'd started sobbing and shaking like a leaf, and Alucard was looking at him with a face of major concern. Mayu lay draped over his back, looking like a mere husk of what she had once been. "O-o.k." Alucard nudged his shoulder with his nose. It felt cold and dry.
"Follow me, then. And be careful."
"Right." Mayu whispered.
XXXXX
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the puppy den. Aside from a jumble of sleeping puppies in one corner, the majority of the cave was chilly and empty. Alucard strolled in, his numb claws clicking on the stone floor. Mao trailed directly behind him, afraid to fall too far behind. They walked all the way into the back. A few stones lay scattered across the rough and budging end of the short cave, but not much else. Here was where Alucard carefully deposited Mayu, making sure to cushion her fall. Mao rushed forward.
"Is she dead?" he asked fearfully.
Mayu hadn't moved or said anything since Alucard had picked her up and carried her across the clearing. It seemed like she was sleeping, except for her nearly non-existent breathing.
Alucard bent down and softly sniffed her. "She's fine for now- just unconscious. But we need to stop the scabs from bleeding." He settled down on the floor, tucking one of his front feet under himself and stretching his back legs out. With a small sound, his odd long tongue slithered out of his mouth.
Mao shivered. "You're not going to suck her blood, are you?" Mao blurted out.
Alucard gave him a quick look. "Of course not. We need to stop some of the bleeding, however. So start licking." Alucard ran his lengthy tongue over Mayu's wounded back.
Mao watched him for a few moments, then hesitantly followed suit, laying down and beginning to lick his sister's wounds. For a little while, there was only silence. Thoughts slowly floated through his head. Why was Alucard helping him- them? How could he suck blood? And could they trust him? All of these questions were difficult to answer, but after a little bit of struggling, Mao managed to pick the least hardest question to answer.
How could Alucard suck blood? It had something to do with his unusual tongue, that was for sure, but why would he suck blood? Could he really suck it, or was he just lapping it up? Mao shook his head slightly in order to get rid of the newly developed questions. He would get nowhere if he tackled them all at once. Back to the root question. When they'd seen Alucard attack and drain blood from the aggressive Mako in the puppy den, he hadn't lapped the blood up. He had, for no better way to explain it, just slurped it up. It had looked like he was eating something slippery. Yet the motion appeared to be familiar, in a weird way….
Suddenly, it hit Mao what it reminded him of. On occasion, Sawada would head out to the store and buy noodles for lunch or dinner. After boiling the noodles and water in a pan, he'd pour some of the simmering food into a smaller bowl. Soon after, he'd eat them. But it was how he ate them that Mao remembered so vividly. With barely any coaching, the noodles would disappear into his mouth like a snake disappearing into a pipe. They were just- quite literally- sucked up. Alucard had used almost the same motion when he'd placed his snake-like tongue inside the wound on Mako. The blood had been channeled to flow down his tongue due to his sucking motions and shape of it. Mao wasn't sure whether to be happy or disgusted that he'd made this discovery.
But what about the other questions? Mao couldn't find the answer to either of them. No, that wasn't right. He did know the answer to one of them, however. Could they trust him? "Mao, you can stop licking now. We're done." Alucard's voice made Mao blink in surprise. He hadn't realized how hard he was concentrating on his questions. He stopped licking and looked down at his dormant sister.
"…..will…..will she live?"
Alucard moved his head, yawning to stretch his jaws. Tired, he dropped his head on top of his paws, shifting away from Mayu. "Yes. She'll live." Mao gave a yelp of happiness, pressing part of his muzzle in his sister's neck fur. He held it there for a moment before quickly pulling back, remembering that his sister hated to be comforted. However, no scolding came from her quiet form- only even, soft breathes.
Mao looked at Alucard. Alucard stared back. "Thank you," Mao said quietly. "For everything."
"No problem." Alucard coolly responded. Mao took a few short breathes, gathering his courage.
Finally, he was able to ask his question. "Why are you helping us?"
Alucard firmly looked at him. "You were….. are… in trouble."
Mao looked firmly back. "No one else helped us. They could all care less. Give me an answer. NOW. Please?" He added a begging please onto the end, scared that being too aggressive would lead to Alucard abandoning them. All Alucard did was look him, somewhat amused. A long pause of silence crept in between them. "Well?" Mao blurted. He quickly shut his mouth and withdrew a little bit when Alucard stuck his snaky tongue out.
"…..I don't know."
Mao blinked. "What?"
Alucard moved his head away, shutting his eyes. "I don't know exactly why I helped both of you. You cause lots of trouble…. But you're new here. I can't stand to see someone new get torn up."
"Why not? Mako didn't mind!"
"….Mako can never leave."
"And you can?" Mao felt excitement coursing through his veins. They could have a way ou-
"No. I can't." A look of frustration crossed Mao's face.
"Then WHY?"
"Both of you can."
Startled by his answer, Mao became quiet for a brief period of time.
"….you're saying we can both walk out of here?"
"Of course not. Still, neither of you have been….touched by the Grandmaster's influence. Nothing really ties you here. You still have a chance to be normal."
"Are you saying you want to be normal? Is that it, Alucard?"
There was no response.
Mao glanced over his sister's body. Alucard had his face turned away from both them, curled up tightly in a little ball. His breathing was so evened out, Mao couldn't tell if he was asleep or faking it. Could someone really fall asleep so fast? An awkward silence faded into a deep and silent one. Mao's curiosity deepened with the silence. He'd had two of his questions answered. There was only one left. Right now, he had to pick an answer for his question. Alucard himself couldn't give him the answer to this one. Mao mulled over the events in his mind- getting saved from Mako, being led around, and, finally, the recent saving of Mayu's life. After placing them all together, he compared them quietly for a while till he could think no more.
Alucard had done so much for them so early on in a place where strangers weren't welcomed. He'd virtually been their guardian angel, through he was no normal dog himself, and certainly not an angel by any standards! Still, he'd done something that not even their mother, whom they'd lived most of their extremely young life with, had done- he'd saved Mayu's life.
Maybe their mother had never had a chance to save them from a life endangering situation. Maybe one had never come along while she was watching them. But nevertheless, Alucard had saved them from one of those situations that they technically were in because of their mother in the first place! Mao knew their mother hadn't put them in such a horrible position willingly. It hadn't been her fault that she'd disappeared. But Alucard had been the one to rescue them.
Mao yawned, his small but toothy mouth opening and closing. He finally knew the answer to his question now. As he drifted off to sleep, he contently played the answer over in his head one last time:
Yes.
XXXXX
Lazarus groaned tiredly. It had been a long day. Puppies, so many puppies, and he himself had to teach them all. Why was it so tiring? Why did he have this luck? These questions brought on own beliefs. He had so much potential, much, much more. Yet he was resigned to these menial tasks. At his side, Maria and Julia, his daughters sat by his side. He hadn't given them any orders. Such attentive girls they were, the perfect tools. Indeed he did have some faint fondness for them but it was merely familial ties.
"Are you certain those two could be useful Maria?" Asked Lazarus.
Maria raised her head up to attention. She knew who her father was mentioned. He was always looking for new pawns, useful or expendable it didn't matter, but he had asked for the former.
"Maybe Dad, after all young minds are so easily moldable." Maria smirked as she recited the lesson her father taught her.
Julia gave a condescending scoff at her twin's words. "Frankly I disagree sister." Julia retorted. "That little one was such a wimp. You see how much she cried?" The female laughed. Obviously her father's traits didn't just end at looks.
"Well I think those two could very well serve Dad." Maria retorted.
At this point both the girls sprang up. Although sister bonded by twinship, they still had their occasional sibling squabble. Lazarus had dealt with it enough in the past. In fact often as they left the pair would argue, fighting over the mot trivial of matters. Lazarus found himself trapped in between each and every time. The same applied to the puppies during his earlier days of being teacher. However it met with the usual result.
"SHUT UP!" Lazarus snapped.
The two girls obeyed their parent. In the time their father and they had joined the clan, Lazarus had made his cruelty known. It was what the Grandmaster found useful in taming the little cherubs as she put it. Not wanting to incite any wrath, they kept quiet. Giving a pleased sigh, Lazarus delved deep into his own thoughts. Perhaps the female would show promise. There was till a margin of doubt but that only meant extra work on his part. The male on the other hand would come in line with ease. Yes all too much to plan, but he was a very patient dog. Soon he would move up and then everything would go his way.
But there was always Cane, the ever present force guarding the Grandmaster. The younger dog may have not been extremely high in rank, but as the Grandmasters adopted son he held a form of seniority. So many plan and to do, all that was needed was to bide and bide he would.
"Crawl through the ranks bit by bit. Till all are worms under your paws." Lazarus repeated that in his mind.
Two new worms had crawled their way down, and they would fall in line like the rest of the rabble.
XXXX
"Are you saying you want to be normal? Is that it, Alucard?"
Alucard replayed that question in his brain repeatedly. As if he could return to a normal life. That notion was a long gone prospect. Once he could have been considered normal. Not anymore, the Grandmaster's influence had tainted him. With his crimson eyes, human's hands would never pet him again for they were the color of death. Oh how he longed for such a feeling, particularly that one.
He missed her touch, the embrace of a young girl who bought him from the human's pet store, named him or at least his original name. She was gone, the puppy he once held was no more. Alucard could still feel her blood and that of her parents resting within his belly. By then it was lost to the process of digestion, but the feeling remained.
Then there was Mayu and Mao. These two had undergone the blood ceremony but they had yet to be touched. There was still a chance their innocence could be retained. Fighting back his tears of the past, he made a vow.
"Don't worry. I'll look out for both of you."
XXXXX
With a yelping sound, Mao skidded across the floor. "Again!" Mayu snarled. Grimacing, Mao pulled himself up on feet and lunged toward her for the second time that day.
Ever since Lazarus had humiliated and beat them in front of the class, the thirst for revenge had grown into both of the now larger puppies, Mayu especially. Though both of them had had no idea how to defend themselves and each other when they joined the clan and for a few days after that, they now certainly did. Alucard was coaching them in learning how to fight- the basic movements, attacking, defending, and, if needed, fleeing. Mao and Mayu hadn't made a sound when they heard the last one. Both of them had done quite a lot of fleeing ever since they'd arrived here, and they didn't want it to go on any longer. Both of them were nearly out of puppy stage- without knowing it, the time they'd spent at Sawada's and here at the clan had added up extremely fast. And fleeing outside the acceptable age of being a puppy was pure disgrace.
Mayu snapped at Mao's shoulder, causing him to drop back and heighten his guard.
Speaking of disgraces, Mayu had been ready to strangle another female puppy she'd seen a day ago. What was her name…? Oh, yes. Satsu. Or rather that was what her new name was. Satsu had originally just been an average clan puppy that went under the name of Ryn up until a few days ago, when a group of guards had suddenly taken her away to an insulated cave at the far end of camp. A few days later, a passing clan pup had heard a dull and dead voice singing sorts of praises to her. As soon as he'd informed the other puppies on the gossip line, they'd all found an excuse to pass near Satsu's cave. Sure enough, the piping speech that the first puppy had heard was being repeated constantly every day.
Mao attempted to head butt Mayu, ending up with her skidding a few inches.
By the time Satsu had revealed herself, her ego had nearly doubled in size, as well as her healthiness. She'd been receiving little treats and tidbits that the clan puppies could only dream of sniffing. Her fur was the proper shade of glossy healthiness, and her nose was wet and glistening, just like it should be. Her properness and new sense of authority had almost caused Mayu to puke. How could someone praise themselves every day and still not be a self obsessed wart? The answer was that you couldn't. Ryn- now dubbed Satsu- had been dripping and oozing with smugness.
"The Grandmaster has a plan for me. You'll soon see what it is." That was all Satsu had said, saying it multiple times and with all the same stuffy pride.
Mayu dodged in, countering Mao and nipping him. The two went over in a heap.
When one of the puppies had finally gotten the nerve to pin Satsu till she told them what she was talking about, she'd whispered: "Alright, I'll give you a hint. It has to do with souls. Now get offa me!"
This little quote had been spread all over the camp within a day. A strained question was being passed through all the adult clan members. "Was the Grandmaster finally ready…?" Mayu and Mao had no idea what they were talking about.
With a snarl of triumph, Mayu permanently pinned Mao. "I win again!"
Mao frowned. "No fair! I claim a rematch!"
"All right, then. But I'll win again." The two hopped up and resumed play fighting.
XXXXX
Above the rest. That was what she was. She'd been informed this so many times that it was practically embedded in her head. Satsu smirked slightly, closing her eyes and mouthing the speech that her clan guardians had repeated to her so many times. "You are a prodigy. You are above all the rest, placed- no, born- into a role much higher than them. You're the first chosen to hold on to the spirits of the Grandmaster. And you will be the last chosen for many years." Satsu yawned contentedly, finishing the last lines. How many times had they been spoken to her by that dull puppy with the splotched brown spots over his left eye? Countless times, so many that Satsu could not care to remember. Her old name. That was another thing Satsu didn't care to remember. It had been "Belina." A foreign name somewhat forcefully bestowed upon her by her mother and owner before she's ran away and been taken by the clan. The clan had given her another name: Ryn. Pronounced "Rine" it had been a sharp name, one which connected to the clan quite nicely. But then she'd had a shine taken to her by the Grandmaster- and now here she was, "Satsu" and in a higher position than ever.
Well, at least in what she assumed was a very high position. She'd tried asking the puppy who was summoned to speak to her, but he'd done was repeat her speech of greatness.
"You are a prodigy. You are all above the rest..."
Satsu had given up trying to talk to him after that. It was like talking to a living tape recorder- nothing new came out. Except this tape recorder had a tail and dull, non-moving eyes.
"Satsu!"
She blinked, sitting up. "Who's there? Go away! I'm tired!" she whined. Without any response that the dogs outside had heard her wishes, an old and whithered dog coolly strode inside. The Grandmaster.
"Arg...! A, uh, well, Grandmaster! I didn't know that was you outside!"
The Grandmaster looked her over. "How are things proceeding here? I hope you're doing fine, as I've ordered the lowers to look after you sufficiently."
Satsu blinked. Was black smoke coming out of the Grandmaster's mouth? "I'm doing gre-" Without warning, pain exploded in Satsu's stomach. Her eyes rolled back into her head as thoughts and memories that weren't hers enveloped her brain. Saliva splattered down her coat. Too late, Satsu realized that the small smoke she'd seen creeping out of the Grandmaster's mouth had slipped into hers. Except it was killing her. With one last gurgle, she hit the floor.
XXXXX
The Grandmaster observed the now dead body of Satsu. The "black smoke" that withdrew from Satsu's mouth returned to hers. The "smoke," in reality, was not smoke. It had been the Grandmaster's consciousness and part of soul. The Grandmaster sighed. It was such a pity that Satsu hadn't even been strong enough to hold a tiny fraction of her, though they'd trained her exceptionally for the job. Maybe she'd rushed things. Still, Satsu hadn't been a Grade A choice either. Time to bring in a replacement. The Grandmaster barked once. Two guards entered the room. Without saying anything, they lifted the cooling corpse of Satsu and left to bury her. The Grandmaster yawned, feeling the twinge of a headache. She always hated having to retract her soul from what could be a possible container- it always temporarily slowed down her mind for a few seconds. Thinking for a moment, she regained her train of thought. The next syllable to come after "a" was "e." With another bark, the guards brought in a new puppy. The Grandmaster bent down and sniffed her. "She appears to be healthy enough. Maybe less likely to break than the other one."
The puppy blinked, looking up. "Huh?"
The Grandmaster lifted her head. "Oh, nothing, my dear. Just an old female making an observation. Don't pay any attention to me right now- your name? Do you have a name?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Forget that name. You're now called Setsu. Welcome to your new den."
"But I-"
"Please quiet down, Setsu. Zakura over there will tell you what you need to know."
The Grandmaster gestured to a dog with brown splotches over its eyes. "Good bye, and don't hesitate to ask for help from the guards." Ancient bones creaking, the Grandmaster abruptly left the cave. Bewildered, the new Satsu- now named Setsu- turned to the dog in the corner. "Why am I here? Talk, please." The dog opened its mouth, dull and flat eyes not shifting.
"You are a prodigy..."