A/N: Victor Wilde's appearance had been changed slightly to accommodate the change in Matt's appearance
John Bellwether
The sound of crickets and the howls of the wind dominate the night, with everybody sleeping peacefully within the tranquility of their homes. However, that wasn't the case with a few mammalians in Kawasabus, Ohio, with three mammalians walking through the alleyway in the still of the night. But these were not ordinary mammals, however, but those dressed in a higher class. And based on the way they looked, they appeared to have some business to tend to.
One thing the three male mammalians had in common were that they were dress in black and white suits, with black leather shoes covering their feet-paws and dark red ties being attached to their white dress shirts. On the left sides of their bodies, a sheathed katana proportionate to their size was attached to their belts. Their left hand-paws remain gripped to the hilts of their swords, a signal to show they were as alert to their surroundings as they can be. Despite these similarities, the differences between the three men were obvious.
The man on the left was Salazar, a lynx bearing dark gold and white fur, with black spots and stripes appearing at random parts of his body. In terms of his height, he was the middle man of the group, being about four feet six inches tall. The eyes the lynx bore was of a golden-yellow color, which glows brightly in the crescent moon. He appeared to be about the age of twenty-seven, with a diagonal scar going across his face from the top of his left eye to the bottom of his right, giving him a more menacing look with his calmly stern expression.
The man on the right was Richard, a timber wolf bearing brown and white fur on his body, with a few black and gray patches on the facial region. The wolf was the tallest of the group, his height being a good six feet tall. His eyes were of a bright blue color, a color that matched the keenness of his vision. Not only was he the tallest of the group, but he was also the eldest as well, being about the age of forty-seven.
The man on the middle was the head of the entire group, despite being of a prey species. Jonathan Bellwether was a sheep who bore curly, puffy white fur along with a light creamy skin tone. His eyes were of a dark green color, and bore a calm, stern look in them. He was also the shortest of the group as well, being roughly about two feet six inches in height. Despite his small size, he remained alert like the other two members of his party. Speaking of which, the sheep's eyes began to survey the alleyway.
"Its too dangerous to be out here at night. Lets get going", John said calmly, the other two men nodding towards him in response. However, the wolf turns to face the sheep before smirking lightly.
"I've heard the news. John", Richard replied, a slight hint of an English accent apparent in his voice.
"What are you talking about?" John asked, turning his head towards the taller wolf next to him.
"You know what I'm talking about, sir", Richard replied, a hearty chuckle escaping from the back of his muzzle.
"Oh, of course", John spoke, turning his head back to the front to look directly towards the front. The lynx turns to face the sheep next to his right before grinning softly
"Your research on the Midnicampum holicithias flowers have proven invaluable to your own company, Mr. Bellwether", Salazar said. "Thanks to your fine research, the serum will be ready to begin massive production before the end of next month. Hell, maybe within the end of the month if all goes well".
"Thank you, Salazar", John replied, a tender grin forming on his face. "But I must admit I do feel like I'm being given too much credit for this", he claimed. "If it wasn't for my sister, along with some of the best scientists in the entire country working in my company, none of this would be possible", the sheep finished, with Salazar chuckling softly before nodding with understanding.
"That is true, Mr. Bellwether. Though it never hurts to embrace the amount of credit you've been given", Salazar claimed, making John chuckle towards his words. Then again, he knew the lynx was right. It never hurts to find relish in the accomplishments he's made. Speaking of which, having this conversation with his companions reminded him of an event that happened not so long ago…
Bellwether Enterprises Research Facility, July 17th, 2009
A Large group of scientists were continuing to do their research on many chemicals inside the facility, many of them wearing medical muzzle masks to prevent some of the harmful chemicals from entering their lungs. But despite the different chemicals being used, all of the experiments bore one thing in common: all experiments involved the midnicampum holicithias flowers that were brought to them. The flowers themselves were of a small-medium size, each bearing six violet petals and several yellow pistils and stamens.
At one of the tables, a male sheep well in his mid to late forties had finished mixing the flowers inside a flask, using one of the thin spoons to mix them with the chemicals inside. Starting of quickly at first, he soon slows his stirring down and pulls the thin spoon out of it, grabbing a hold of it and carefully pouring the liquid inside one of the large, cylindrical vile tubes. He had no intention of making a mess with the chemical compound he had finished making, and he was unsure of how dangerous or acidic it was as of yet. However, seeing the liquid settle inside the large vile tube without exploding or any other harsh reaction, the male let out a sigh of relief before grabbing a cap to screw on top of the vile.
With the cap screwed on moments later, the male sheep walks towards one of the machines nearby and places the vile inside the slot on the left of the keypad. With a few buttons pressed on it, the door to the slot closes and another slot opens. The sheep turns to the table next to the machine and grabs roughly a dozen pellets, placing them into the empty slot before closing it with a press of a few buttons. Now that the vile bearing the liquid and the pellets, the researcher presses the on button to get the machine going before taking a few steps back to watch the machine do its work.
The machine began to mix the items in the two slots by injecting the liquid inside each and every one of the pellets with the use of a thin needle. The white pellets soon turn violet-blue to correlate with the color of the flowers used to make the compound. Cold steam began blowing into the container after the final pellet was filled with the chemical compound, the cold steam being used to help cool, dry, and solidify the damp, softened pellets. Two minutes later, a 'ding' noise goes off to signal the compound pellets are ready, the male sheep walking towards the machine and opening it with a press of a few buttons. Grabbing the pellets with his right hand-paw, he carefully takes them to a table across from the machine, setting them next to what appears to be a modified gun of some sorts.
"Alright, now to test the prototype pellets", The male sheep said to himself, pulling the slider on the back of the gun back, revealing three slots in which were the same size as the pellets. He grabs three pellets and places them in the slider before pushing the slider forward, locking the slider in place before turning to his left. His eyes gaze upon a female sheep dressed in a lab coat and a monotone business suit underneath. The woman bore a younger appearance and was about two feet in height, her eyes being of a dark green color, much like the male's own eye color. But unlike the male, the female was wearing a pair of rounded rectangular shaped glasses, the lens enlarging her eyes a tad bit because of them.
"Is the serum ready, John?" The female sheep asked, the male nodding in response to answer her question.
"Its ready, but we must test the prototype just to make sure, Dawn", John, the male sheep, answered with a calm tone.
"Nevertheless, I know of a good place", Dawn, the female sheep, replied with a slight grin on her face before turning around and walking to the double doors, with John following her with the modified pellet gun in his grip.
Exiting the lab as they did, Dawn makes a right in the hallway and walks to the elevator up ahead, pressing the button and opening the elevator doors. She enters the elevator with John before pressing the button leading to the basement, making the elevator descend towards several floors to reach its destination. The ride down only took a good ten seconds before the elevator doors began opening and allowing the two to walk out of the elevator, only for the female sheep to take a left in the basement hallway. She reaches into her pocket with her left hand-paw and grabs a silver and red key card from it, sliding it into the card reader and causing the door to slide upward, thus allowing both her and John inside the room.
Entering the room as they did, John turns to the left and notices a window, along with another door leading into the opposite room. Inside the opposite room were two prisoners, both of which were dressed in torn, black pants, and their wrists and ankles being bound by metallic wall shackles. However, the two were of a different predatory species, one of them being a lion with a red about the same age as john. The other was a red fox well within his mid to late fifties. Yet interestingly enough about the fox, despite there being gray patches on certain parts of his body, he only appeared to be in his late thirties to early forties. The fox's head was hanging low and much of his long, brown and slightly gray hair had covered his face.
Even at the sight of the two mammals, John walks towards the door leading to that room and grabs his key card, swiping the card through the slot before walking into the occupied room. And now that he was inside, he looks towards the two prisoners with a rather devious grin on his face.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite subjects, Alexander Lionwhite and John Victor Wilde", John greeted, his tone as devious as the look on his face.
"Let us outta here you fluffy little fuck!" Victor, the old fox, growled aggressively, trying to break free from his binds, despite his efforts being futile. But then again, how can you stop trying if your captor was inside the same room as you were?
"When we get out of here, we're killing your sorry ass!" Alexander roared harshly towards his prey, the male sheep shaking his head with a humorous sense of irony. After all, the prey has managed to imprison their predators with their binds, and boy did John have something in store for them.
"Oh, you'll be killing alright, my predatory friend, that you will", John replied, a few devious chuckles managing to escape his muzzle. "But it won't be me you'll be killing", the sheep added, aiming the modified pellet gun towards the lion with with a sadistic grin on his face.
"What?! What do you mean?!" Alexander growled aggressively, his eyes widening and his irises gradually becoming slits.
"This outta answer your question", John replied before pulling the trigger and shooting one of the pellets towards the Lion's neck, the pellet exploding on his neck like a blueberry would when hitting its target after being fired from a pea shooter. The lion began to growl in agony before beginning to struggle in his shackles, saliva forming around his mouth and dripping down his muzzle. All Victor could do at this point was watch in horror as he watched his fellow prisoner and friend growling in agonizing pain.
"Alexander!" Victor shouted before turning towards his captor, John, who was fleeing the room immediately and shutting the electronic door behind him. He was trapped inside the room, and his fellow prisoner was screaming as if he were in agonizing pain. His eyes shift towards the lion for a moment before turning to face the window, narrowing them slightly in a ferocious manner. "What the fuck did you DO?!" the fox shouted, pulling himself forward as hard as he could, despite being trapped in his shackles. John merely presses the button to the intercom before beginning to laugh hysterically.
"Oh ho, you are about to be in a world of shit right about now", John began, his sadistic grin widening and his eyes narrowing towards the fox. "You see, Victor, we've managed to formulate a new serum only a few moments ago, and we've been dying to test out the prototype for the first time".
"Prototype for what?!" Victor growled, unaware that his fellow prisoner had ceased his agonizing cries, only to be replaced with soft, feral growls.
"A Prototype for a weapon that can make any mammal on this earth become an aggressive, savage feral within a matter of seconds", John answered, his attention now turning towards the increasingly aggressive, increasingly feral lion. "And it looks like your friend here is about to provide a deathly demonstration just for you~", the sheep added, the lion's savage eyes turning to face the fox trapped on the wall adjacent to the wall the feline was trapped on. Victor's eyes turn to face the lion's eyes for a moment, widening at the sight of such a horrific transformation.
"Those bastards…" Victor thought inside of his mind. "Did John and the other scientists plan this the entire time?" he wondered, his eyes continuing to gaze towards the now savage lion before him. And with the way the lion's muscles bulged trying to break free, and the cracking noises coming from the shackles, he knew he was living on borrowed time. He knew he couldn't escape, and he knew he was about to die.
"So, any last words before your demise?" John asked, his tone remaining as devious as it had when he entered the room where the prisoners were located. Victor's eyes immediately depart from Alexander and move their focus towards John, narrowing them and giving the two sheep a deathly glare, his green eyes burning with a fierce rage.
"Mark my words, you ruthless bastard!" Victor began with a deathly growl, the savage Alexander managing to break the right shackle off and freeing his corresponding wrist. "I will have my revenge, even in DEATH! One of my kin will come after both of your sorry asses! One way or the other, I WILL BE AVENGED!" the fox screamed as loud as he could, his screaming being accompanied with a ferocious growl. But by the time he had finished his speech, the savage lion had managed to break the fourth and final shackle that bound him there. Victor's attention shifts towards the lion and his eyes widen in pure horror. Only one thing was crossing his mind: his time had come… and he was about to die.
"We'll see about that", John replied, closing his eyes and relaxing his grin a tad bit, devious chuckles escaping his muzzle as the lion prepares for his first kill. The target, Victor Wilde. With nasty, savage growls escaping the feline's muzzle, he pulls his left arm back and launches himself towards the vulpine. Victor tried to let out a horrified scream, but nothing had come out thanks to the lion slashing his throat with with left set of claws. Blood began splattering out of the wound like a fire hydrant shooting water out like a geyser. No more than ten seconds later, Victor's body slumps towards the ground, his blood dripping out of the nasty wound, and the lion began to feast upon the newly deceased fox's body like it were his prey.
"It looks like the serum was a success, am I right, brother?" Dawn asked, bearing a similar tone like her brother, John. The male turns to face his sister before nodding softly.
"Yes", John replied before turning his attention back towards the lion "However… we will continue to test the prototypes until we are certain they're a hundred percent complete" the male added, noticing the lion immediately turning to face the window with the same predatory look on his face. The savage beast began to crawl on all fours towards the window, scratching the floor with its hind feet as if to prepare to leap towards its prey. With a sudden, swift movement, the lion jumps towards the window with his hand-paws pulled back and prepared to shatter the glass. Dawn screams and immediately hides behind her brother, the possibility of dying right then and there at an all time high. However, a bullet to the head sought the end of that possibility, the lion's body crashing onto the floor before it could finish its leap. John looks upward towards the left side of the room and notices the barrel of a rifle being pulled back by the gunman in the room on the top floor.
"God, that was a close one", Dawn said, letting out a loud sigh of relief and wiping her forehead with her left forearm.
"Perhaps…", John began. "But right now, lets leave the room and let the other scientists dispose of the bodies", he suggested calmly, turning to the exit and walking towards it. "And we needn't worry about what becomes of the other test subjects, sis. Since I also happen to be a high government ranking official, covering our tracks and eliminate any knowledge about our doings here shouldn't be a problem", he claimed, exiting the room with his sister following suit.
"Maybe, but what would we say about the bodies if they're found?" Dawn asked.
"Then we will tell the authorities that these 'killers' have been slaughtering innocent civilians and our security, and were left with no choice but to eliminate the beasts for the greater good", John explained with a small grin on his face, continuing to walk towards the same elevator he and his sister took to get out of here. But despite the satisfaction of the prototype testing, there was something still burning in the back of his mind. "But that still doesn't explain what Victor said to me before he died…. What did he mean by having his revenge even in death? And what else did he mean when he mentioned something about his kin?" he wondered, pressing the button to the elevator before continuing his train of thought. "I haven't found any records of him having kids or being married for that matter…. Is it possible he may have found a way to erase his files… or was he bluffing?" he asked in his head, the fox's final words being a little more troubling than he had anticipated. Alas, the elevator doors open and the two siblings enter inside, the doors closing before taking the two to their next destination….
Back in the Alley, September 29th, 2009
After reminiscing about that fateful day, especially after using the prototype pellets on one of the prisoners for the first time, John recalls the last words Victor had told him before he was killed by his fellow prisoner. Even though he didn't show it, it still bothered him on the back of his mind, yet didn't bother him enough to say he was haunted by them. No, that wasn't the case. It was the meaning behind the deceased fox's words that had troubled him, along with the lack of records he had on him despite having access to government files. Richard and Salazar turn to notice this right after they pass a dark alleyway and ceased walking.
"Are you alright, John?" Richard asked, the male sheep turning towards the timber wolf with a calm expression on his face. Despite the thoughts continuing to bother his mind, he nods with a reassuring manner before turning to face the front again.
"Its nothing", John replied. "Lets keep going before we run into some unwanted trouble", he suggested, the other two nodding with understanding before the trio continues to walk along the wide alley's pathway. But unaware to them, a pair of green eyes had been watching them in the dark alley they had passed moments before. The figure in the shadows walks out of the dark alley and turns to face the trio, his left hand-paw holding the sheath containing the twenty-six inch long blade of his katana.
"You must be Governor John Bellwether, founder and lead researcher of the pharmaceutical enterprise, Bellweather Enterprises… aren't you", The figure in the shadows spoke with a calm, slightly menacing tone in his voice, the trio stopping dead on their tracks and turning to face the lone figure before them. And what they saw had legitimately surprised them, but most of all, shocked John himself.
The lone figure that stood before them was a fox that bore reddish-orange and cream colored fur, the vulpine appearing to be no older than the age of seventeen. The back of his long, brown hair was tied back with a black ponytail, which the ponytail was raised in a high ponytail fashion. A black three-fourths sleeve V-neck shirt covers his lean, muscular built torso, the sleeves fitting his built forearms quite snugly as a result of his training. Hell, his shirt was tight enough to where the muscle definition of his torso can be seen, yet not enough to make the wearer uncomfortable. A pair of black leather gloves were worn over his hand-paws, covering them to their entirety. Lastly, a pair of dark green cargo pants cover his legs, with the leg openings being tucked into the open toe combat boots.
"Now, you old man, you'll pay for your tyranny", The fox said calmly towards John specifically, his eyes narrowing slightly towards the male sheep before him. John's eyes widen at the comment before he, Salazar and Richard grab a hold of the hilts of their katanas.
"Try it!" Salazar exclaimed towards the fox.
"Its just a boy with a grudge against those in power!" John exclaimed before turning to face Richard, seeing him slightly pulling the sword out of its sheath.
"Stand back!" Richard yelled with a guttural growl in his voice, his eyes gazing towards the short vulpine standing about five meters away from the group. The fox's expression remained unchanged, his green eyes staring towards the trio with a stern look to them. "Now die!" the wolf roared loudly and immediately starts sprinting towards the fox and pulls his sword out of its sheath, raising it high up in the air and making as a preparation for an attack.
But completely unaware to him, he was dealing with an assassin of a deadly caliber!
He suddenly attempts a vertical slash attack with his sword, only for the fox to pull his sword upward by its sheath. Instead of hitting the attack like he intended to, the vulpine blocks it with the isuba of his katana. The fox pushes the sword upward and knocks the wolf back a few steps, the lone vulpine jumping towards him and hits his opponent's left eye by using the bottom of the sheath. Screaming in agony as the wolf did, the fox pulls the sheath back and grabs the handle of his sword, pulling the blade out of its sheath and striking the wolf's right side with a horizontal slash. Placing the palm of his left hand-paw behind the back of his blade, the fox pushes the sword right through Richard's torso and horizontally slices the wolf in half, his dying body falling onto the floor and its bloody contents spraying out onto the concrete ground quickly.
"Richard!" John exclaimed, pulling his sword out of the sheath and preparing to attack. However, Salazar grabs a hold of John and pushes him to the right.
"Stay back, John! I take care of this vulpine!" Salazar exclaimed, pulling his katana out of its sheath and preparing to attack. But the fox's blade robbed Salazar of his attack, the lone vulpine piercing his katana right through his skull from the bottom of the lynx's jaw to the top of his head. John's eyes widen with horror upon seeing the vulpine being able to dispatch his guards rather quickly. Speaking of which, the fox looks to the lynx and pulling his sword back, the sword cutting right through his jaw and the front of his skull. Its bloody contents began spraying about rapidly right before the lynx's body collapses onto the ground. Only one opponent was left to dispatch, and that was John Bellwether himself. The fox's green eyes turn to the sheep and quickly starts sprinting towards him.
"Salazar!" John shouted right before raising his katana up and blocking the fox's swift attack, being momentarily being pinned to the wooden shack behind him before quickly moving to his left. The fox's blade slashes right through its shack at the precise moment John began to prepare for battle. Panting as the sheep did, the vulpine turns to face his opponent with his unchanged expression. "I will not die…. I cannot die", the sheep thought within his head and continues panting, his blade pointing towards the fox before the vulpine figure raises his own sword, the pointed edges pointing directly towards the sheep.
"Drop your sword", the fox ordered sternly, twisting his blade ninety degrees to the right by moving his right hand-paw forward, the bloody blade reflecting the crescent moon's moonlight. John's eyes widen momentarily at the command before narrowing them.
"I will NOT!" John shouted before suddenly starting to sprint towards the fox and striking him with his blade. Unfortunately for John, the vulpine blocks his attack with his blade and pushes him back. Nonetheless, the sheep attempts another attack at the fox, again, only for the fox to block it in a similar manner.
Now it was his opponent's turn to attack. The vulpine performs a fast, vertical slash towards the sheep, yet John was luckily about to block it with his blade by moving the sword upward. But unknown to John, he fell right into the vulpine's trap. The fox makes a sudden horizontal slash attack and manages to strike his opponent's stomach with the tip of his blade, causing the sheep to lean forward and let out a cry of agonizing pain. Saliva began dripping out of his muzzle before looking up at the fox, seeing him pulling his blade up for another vertical slash. This time, however, John was able to block it and jumps back a several feet away from his opponent. Jolts of pain began to spread throughout his body, but he ignores the pain and stares directly towards the fox.
"I can't die now… not now!" John shouted within his mind, panting heavily in pain before raising his sword as if to attack again. He sprints towards the fox and starts attacking him with various types of slashes, whether they were vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. And with each attack he made, the fox easily blocks them as if they were nothing. His efforts were increasing with each attack, and his panting was increasing just as much. But despite his efforts, the fox was able to block each attack as if they were nothing. "Who the hell is this guy?" the sheep though in his mind, his panting getting painfully heavier with each attack he makes. His dark green eyes gaze towards the vulpine's slightly brighter pair, his eyes widening not necessarily out of shock, but with another feeling he couldn't place his thumb on. "And why am I getting a feeling I've seen this fox from somewhere…?" he asked himself within his mind before attempting a horizontal slash. However, the vulpine dodges the attack by ducking before striking the sheep with a diagonal slash, the tip of his blade cutting the sheep from the bottom of his right oblique to the upper left portion of his shoulder. John began screaming in agony from the attack, only for them to get louder after the fox strikes his back with his sheath, knocking him a good fifteen feet away from the vulpine.
After being knocked fifteen feet away from the fox, the sheep's body bounces off the concrete ground once before landing on his body a few feet from the first landing, sliding another six feet away after the second impact. His panting became heavy to the point where it became a lot harder to breathe through his mouth. But that didn't stop him from continuing to fight. No! He uses his sword to pick himself up, slowly managing to get himself back onto his feet-paws. His vision was blurring in and out as he tried to get them to focus on the fox standing over several yards away from him. He had to end this now, or else he was gonna die.
"I can't die like this…. I must fight…" John thought inside of his mind with heavy, painful panting. He had to live for his fallen comrades, he had to live for his research, and most of all, he had to live for Dawn. The male tries again to focus his eyes towards the fox several wards away from him, particularly towards his face. With his right hand-paw clutching the handle of his sword, along with placing his left on the handle as well, he raises the sword upward in a slightly upward direction to compensate for his short height. "I fight… TO YOUR DEATH!" he shouted before suddenly sprinting in the fox's direction, the vulpine's eyes gazing towards him with a stern look on his face.
Watching the sheep approaching him at a quick pace, the fox raises his sword just above his obliques, which was enough to make the proper attack needed to strike the sheep. The moment to strike came quickly, with the fox moving forward and tilting the end of his sword slightly to perform a diagonal slash against John. He manages to slice right through the sheep's left shoulder cleanly, blood splattering out of the wound following an agonizing cry from the male. But that didn't mean he got through the attack without injury. No, the sheep managed to nick his left cheek with the tip of his own sword, a slightly diagonal slash appearing a second after John's wound began to bleed profusely. But with a price of a small slash on his face, the fox was able to defeat his opponent rather easily, the sheep collapsing onto the ground next to a rose bush in agonizing pain. Blood continues to pour out of his body quickly, and John knew he was about to die. However, he does muster enough strength to lift himself up with his right arm, his elbow resting on the concrete floor next to a couple rosebuds before tilting his head down.
"Dawn…. Dawn, please forgive me…" John began hoarsely, closing his eyes as a few tears began streaming down his face, with the fox tracing his left index and middle fingers right across the injury he had just received, blood smothering across the direction in correlation with his movements. He moves them towards the front and began to examine the blood in his fingers. "I tried to live for you… tried to fight for you…." the sheep continued, using his right arm to roll himself onto his back. Now that he was lying on his back, he uses some of the strength he has left to look directly towards the assassin. But what he saw made his eyes widen. He didn't see the assassin anymore, but a familiar face he had a savage prisoner kill just over two months ago.
The image of the assassin was replaced with an image of the person he had Alexander murder: Victor Wilde, and the visual of his victim bore a grotesque look. He wore the exact same pants he had when he was killed, but his body resembled that of a rotting corpse. The nasty neck injury he had received, along with the various bite marks he got from the savage Alexander when he tried eating some parts of his body. Bones can be seen on the areas he tried to eat, with rotting flesh and muscle tissue being seen around those areas as well. But that wasn't the most haunting thing John saw on the image of Victor. No, it was the sinister grin on his face, the deathly glare the image of Victor bore in his pale green eyes, and most of all, the sinister chuckle he was letting out of his muzzle. Alas, some of the final words John heard from Victor before his death began to play in the depths of his mind, right as 'Victor' began to approach him with the katana in his right hand-paw.
"I will have my revenge, even in DEATH!"
And with those words playing in his mind, John knew only one thing: His time was up….
"Oh dear god, no…." Those were the last words John had uttered before the vulpine stabs the sheep's skull with his katana, the blade piercing right through his head easily. The fox pulls the blade out of his skull before shaking the blade of the excess blood, kneeling down and grabbing a rosebud from the ground. Placing it on the body as he did, along with standing back up onto his feet-paws, three other mammals arrive upon the bloody scene in which the battle had taken place.
The three mammals who arrived consisted of two arctic foxes and a tanuki (Japanese Raccoon Dog), all three of them dressed in dark colored Japanese kimonos. The two foxes were wearing kimonos that were bearing midnight blue long sleeve kimono shirts, dark gray hakama pants, and black open toe boots. The tanuki, on the other hand, was dressed in a black long sleeve kimono shirt, gray hakama pants, and black open toe boots much like what the others wore. Along with the clothing being different, he also had long, black hair and even a small mustache on his muzzle, most of his long hair bring tied back except for his bangs. What the three males did wear in common were black leather gloves, which covered their and-paws through their entirety.
"Are you hurt, Matt?" the tanuki asked with a calm tone, the arctic foxes approaching the bodies of both Salazar and Richard.
"Not badly", Matt answered with a similar tone of voice, his left hand-paw moving to his cargo pocket and opening it. Placing his hand-paw inside, he grabs a dark gray cleaning cloth from it and wipes the blade clean with the rag.
"Ah, the slash from John bellwether's blade drew your blood, he must've been more skilled than he looked", the tanuki commented, kneeling down next to the sheep's corpse and examining the bodily injuries the deceased sheep had received.
"Not skilled", Matt replied, placing the sword back into his sheath and the cloth inside of his left cargo pocket.
"Huh?" the tanuki replied with a bit of curiosity in his voice.
"Just stubborn", Matt answered before closing the pocket and placing his hand-paws inside of his main pockets. "Now, Iizuka, I assume you'll be cleaning up this refuse", the fox added before walking away from the bloody scene, the tanuki's eyes following the fox's movements.
"Matt!" Iizuka calmly exclaimed, turning away from the fox a moment after not getting a response from him. He turns his attention towards the body and lets out a soft, surprised gasp, seeing the rosebud being sitting on the dead man's chest.
Matt's residence, one hour later
Sizzling sounds of the water hitting the tile floor can be heard inside the bathroom, with one occupant inside of the steam coated shower room. The occupant inside the shower was none other than Matt Wilde himself, who was cleansing himself off after assassinating John and his three hired guards. Water runs down his slim, muscular body, and diluted blood ran down his left cheek, thanks to the water hitting the wound to clean the deep cut. Soon enough, the fox turns the shower off and grabs a hold of the towel he had placed over the shower door, using the white towel to dry off his fur.
About twenty minutes have passed since he had finished his shower, and now the fox was exiting the shower room, his fur brushed and dried, and body clothed. The clothes he wore consist of a dark gray tank top along with a pair of black shorts with white stripes on the sides. He held a towel over the injury he had received earlier today, opening the sliding door open with his right hand-paw and entering his bedroom. Not much was inside of the bedroom, with the exception of a futon bed, a brown wooden dresser, and a light brown desk with a black leather roller chair in front of it. On the desk there was an ASUS gaming laptop with a black wired Xfox 360 controller on top of it, a gaming mouse, a pair of black medium sized speakers, and a printer located under the right side of his desk.
The fox walks towards his bed and takes a seat on the mattress, placing his legs on the bed right after he took a seat and rests his back on the bed. His sheathed sword was placed under the bed with the handle visibly sticking out in case of an emergency or home invasion, with the male taking a look at it for a moment to ensure it was placed in the right area. Though speaking of his sword, after laying back down and looking up at the ceiling, he was reminded of a training session he had with his master many years ago.
At the lake near the Hiten Mitsurugi Dojo, April 13th, 2004
The sound of the waterfall can be heard across the training ground, two occupants standing twenty feet away from one another. One of them was twelve year old Matt Wilde, who was dressed in nothing but a pair of gray hakama pants along with a pair of open toe boots. Attached to his belt was a black sheath, which fit securely around his dark gray cloth belt. In his hand-paws was a proportionately sized samurai sword, the cloth of the handle being of a black color, and the hilt being of a bronze color. Right across from him was his master, Hiko Seijuro, who was dressed in the same attire he had met Matt nearly three years prior.
"Attack once more, but swiftly", Hiko ordered, the wolf's sword being held in his right hand-paw and the blade pointing diagonally towards the upper left. Matt's green eyes gaze towards his master with a focused look to them. "He grows stronger, forging his strength daily so that he may become a true swordsman one day. His body matures, yet his mind remains to that of a petulant child", the wolf thought within his mind, noticing his pupil preparing to make an attack. "He is pure of heart, but so are fools", he finished his thought, the sound of Matt's battle cry signaling the vulpine's upcoming attack. However, the wolf uses his blade to knock the vulpine back several feet away from him with a simple horizontal attack, Matt having blocked the wolf's attack with his own blade moments before. The fox stood back up into his feet once more, and the training continued throughout the day….
Matt's Residence, September 29th, 2009
Reminiscing the training session from many years ago had reminded him of all that his master had taught him, the knowledge having been applied to his own swordsmanship to assassinate the trio earlier that night. But despite that knowledge being applied to his skills, a wave of irony flows through his skills, especially with the first principle he had learned from the one who taught him how to use a sword in the first place.
"The first principle of Hiten Mitsurugi… the sword swung in my name shall be swung for the people of the world, to prevent the shedding of innocent blood", Matt recalled, removing the towel from his injury and gazes at the small, lined puddle of blood on the cloth, the bleeding having stopped shortly before leaving the bathroom. He stared at it for a bit longer before placing the towel on the floor next to his sword, pulling the covers over his body and shutting his eyes. Within a matter of minutes, the teenage vulpine drifts off into a deep, much needed sleep….