A/N 11/11/2016: Tweaked and reformatted the chapter a bit for corrections. Thrandeer and Katagai's height changed as well to fit the Zootopia world closer.

The Becoming of an Assassin

The late afternoon was usually everyone's typical afternoon, coming home from work, starting your night shift, or evening getting home from school after football practice or something related. But at the Ishin-Mirkwood shrine near the edge of Kawasabus, that was an entirely different story. The late afternoon was the time to discuss the next assignments for the Ishin-Mirkwood assassins. Speaking of assassins, a dark gray 2009 Toyota Corolla Altis pulls up to the shrine's garage and parks in the designated parking lot. And the occupants stepping out of the car was none other than Matt Wilde and the clan's examiner of executions, Iizuka. The two males were wearing a clean pair of the exact clothes they had worn yesterday, their swords attached to the left side of their bodies.

"Alright, Matt, we're here", Iizuka said to the fox next to him, both he and the vulpine walking towards the garage exit and towards the entrance of the shrine. "It would've been easier if we reported the assassinations to Thrandeer Katzuma this morning, but unfortunately your sleeping habits beg to differ", the tanuki added with a light chuckle, making the fox turn towards him with a slight growl.

"Hey, it's not my fault I have high school classes I have to attend", Matt argued, albeit calmly, a soft sigh escaping his muzzle. Soon enough, the two approach the gates of the shrine and enter, walking towards the gardens in which they were to meet their leader.

Entering the gardens as they did, the two notice a couple of mammalians near the coy fish pond. The one on the left was Katagai, a huge, heavily built, brown furred bear dressed in a black kimono shirt, gray hakama pants, and black open toe boots. Based on his facial features, the bear appeared to be no older than the age of forty. Jet black hair can be seen on the bear's head, with a ponytail tying his hair back in a professional manner. He was also the tallest of the two mammals inside, being about a good nine feet two inches tall.

The mammal on the right was the clan's leader, Thrandeer Katzuma, who is a white-tailed deer bearing mostly light brown fur, but having bits of black and white mixed in to create a unique contrast. Long, straight blonde hair can be seen on his head to help his dark tan antlers pop out. His light blue eyes looking directly towards the brown bear in the conversation they were engaged in at the time. His attire consisted of a dark gray tight fitting shirt (the material being identical to Matt's long sleeved shirt), dark tan hakama pants, and dark brown open toe boots. He was the shortest of the two, being roughly about seven and a half feet tall, not counting the antlers. His ears flicker quickly to the sounds of footsteps approaching them, the deer grinning softly at the sound

"You have returned at last", Thrandeer said, turning around to face the two visitors inside. And as soon as his eyes gaze upon the vulpine, he notices the diagonal slash on the fox's left cheek. "Ah, I never thought I'd see a wound on you, Matt", the deer claimed.

"I was careless", Matt replied calmly, his green eyes focusing towards the clan leader's light blue set. The clan leader ceases his grinning and looks towards the fox with a calm, yet serious expression on his face.

"Who, who did it?" Thrandeer asked, his tone being a mixture of both calm and serious. Matt was about to answer, but the examiner of executions clears his throat before the fox could speak.

"John Bellwether was the one who gave Matt the injury, whom he and his guards are now dead", Iizuka answered. "We've would've reported this to you sooner as well, chief. But unfortunately, Matt's sleeping habits this morning prevented us from coming until this evening", the tanuki added, the fox's eyes gazing towards the raccoon dog with an annoyed look to them. The chief nods upon hearing this before letting a couple hearty chuckles escape his muzzle.

"I do not care if I get the reports in the morning or in the evening, so long they've been reported within the week after the assassinations", Thrandeer claimed. "And I much rather have reports about Matt's killings in the evening, lest he begins growing suspicion from the local authorities if his attendance was lacking for late arrivals", he added, turning to face the fox following a nod, not out of approval, but to grab his attention.

"Yes, Thrandeer?" Matt asked.

"You have done well. I have a new assignment for you", Thrandeer began. "I have a meeting with Tashio Yakima to discuss the future of the Ishin-Mirkwood and the Ishin-Rivendell clans".

"And you're asking me to be your guard?" Matt asked with curiosity despite retaining a calm expression on his face.

"Not exactly", Thrandeer answered. "I want you to attend as my envoy", he finished, the tanuki grinning at the sound of this before turning his attention to the fox next to him.

"Well, that's great to hear!" Iizuka spoke with an enthusiastic tone in his voice. Despite the tanuki being glad to hear this, the fox's expression says otherwise. The vulpine closes his eyes and shakes his head.

"As interesting as that sounds, I'm afraid I'll have to decline, chief", Matt answered, reopening his eyes and looking directly towards the clan leader. "I am an assassin, and that's the only way I can serve you", he added, bowing respectfully towards Thrandeer before turning towards the exit behind him. "I'll wait for new assignments", the fox finished and starts to walk away from the group.

"Hey, get back here, you mutt!" Katagai growled, causing the fox to tense slightly in response to his offensive words. He didn't tense out of fear, however, but as a response to being called a derogatory term by the bear. He was starting to become obligated to kick his ass right then and there, but honestly, the last thing he needs is a trail of assassins on his tail. So instead of attempting to fight back, he shrugs with a frustrated tone before continuing to walk towards the exit. The bear was about to march towards the fox, but the chief's raised left hand-paw prevented him from doing so. Iizuka turns towards the other two before bowing in an apologetic manner.

"My apologies, sir", Iizuka apologized quickly before turning towards the exit and quickly rushing towards Matt. The two males can hear the tanuki call out Matt's name before seemingly beginning to scold him regarding his refusal. Yet the two were gone within a matter of seconds, leaving both the Katagai and Thrandeer to themselves in the garden. Speaking of which, the male buck turns to face the pond, grabbing the small bowl of fish food from the stone next to him before pouring the contents into the pond.

"He can't do that. He has no right!" Katagai exclaimed with an angered tone of voice. "You should have the head of any mammal so disrespectful!" he continued, with Thrandeer finishing pouring the contents into the pound and gazing at the water with his eyes. He had heard what the bear had said, but his mind was not focused on Katagai's words. No, his mind was focused on a memory from many years ago….

Ishin-Mirkwood Training grounds, December 15th, 2005

Rain was pouring down heavily upon the Ishin-Mirkwood training grounds, the neo-kiheitai militia becoming soaked from the harsh weather. Yet despite the harsh, humid conditions, the militia (consisting of farmers, merchants, rogue military personnel, or anyone else sharing a similar cause) continues to train through the weather through several methods: target practice with various types of guns, attacking wooden targets with wooden staffs or spears, or hacking the wooden targets with the use of a blade. The battle cries of the mammals grew louder as the training session progressed throughout the day. But they were not alone, however, for two figures watch over them on the hills with eyes as keen as hawks.

The one of the two mammals watching the fighters was Thrandeer Katzuma, dressed in a black tight fitting short sleeved shirt, dark gray hakama pants, and black open toe boots. His sword was attached to the left side of his pants like usual, the same place many other samurai keep on their bodies. As for the other male, he was identified as Takasugi Shinsaku, a tan and cream furred Shiba Inu with short, straight, raven black hair on his head. His eyes were of a similar color as well, though a bit brighter to help bring some contrast in them. The clothes he wore were completely white except for his black cloth belt, which was tied around his waist to keep his pants and sleeveless kimono shirt secure. The neck of a shamisen was held in the grip of his right hand-paw, the main body being covered by a purple cloth to keep the body from getting wet.

"This is your neo-kiheitai?" Thrandeer asked, his eyes looking towards the male's militia training from the top of the hills.

"Yes, Thrandeer! These mammals are better than bullets, I assure you", Takasugi answered with a soft grin on his face. "My army is predisposed to extreme forms of expression", the Shiba Inu added, placing his left wrist onto the corresponding hip. "They will no doubt make the neo-bakufu wail and anguish" the male dog claimed, the buck narrowing his eyes slightly towards the army below.

"May I remind you the neo-bakufu is the fiercest of aggregations", Thrandeer reminded.

"Heh, they'll be significantly less fierce once they're dead", Takasugi claimed, a devious grin forming on his muzzle.

"Next!" a random militia mammal shouted, the buck's eyes widening upon spotting one of the people who was at the training site. And the sight came to him as an unexpected surprise.

"You train children, too?" Thrandeer asked with a genuinely surprised tone. He knew many mammals have started joining the army on such short notice, but never did he expect to see a child training amongst them.

The child himself was a fox that bore reddish-orange and cream colored fur, with green eyes staring directly towards the wooden target in front of him. His attire consisted of a dark green T-shirt, black fingerless gloves, and camouflage cargo pants, with the leg openings being tucked into the black open toe boots he owned. Based on the appearance of the kit, the vulpine appeared to be no older than the age of thirteen. The fox gets into the stance of the battojutsu, his left foot-paw moving back in correlation to the pose. His right gloved hand-paw grabs a hold of the blade and remains at the stance.

"Meet the phantom chief of our ghostly army", Takasugi replied with a widening grin on his face, watching him suddenly pull the blade out and horizontally slashes the wooden target in half, the top piece flying several feet away from the spot because of the kit's actions, the teen kit placing the sword back into his sheath before walking away. Only one mood can describe how the male buck was feeling right now: astonished. And not by his skill, but at the fact that a child was able to perform such a trick at such a young age. "The runt is impressive, isn't he?" the Shiba Inu asked with a couple chuckles escaping his muzzle.

"What was that?" Thrandeer asked, still astonished at the sight of what the teen fox kit had just did.

"I'm fairly certain you know what it is you just saw", Takasugi replied, the male buck's expressing turning from an astonished look to that of a serious one.

"Send the kit", Thrandeer ordered, the male dog next to him humming and turning his head to face the deer. The clan leader's head turns towards the Shiba Inu's face right after the dog turned his head towards him. "He'll work for us!"

Roughly five hours after the report, within an unknown alleyway, September 30th, 2009

The sounds of rushing footsteps can be heard throughout the dark alleyways, and it wasn't the footsteps of an athlete preparing for a race or track competition. No, these were sounds of footsteps trying to run away from someone. An orange and yellow furred house cat was currently running away from an assailant in the shadows, his right arm having been seriously wounded by his attacker.

"Shit, I gotta get outta here! I gotta call the police!" the house cat replied, turning left at another alleyway in the shadows of the night. But doing this would cost him his life, reaching a dead end instead of the another possible pathway. He quickly pulls his phone out of his left pants pocket before pulling up the dial pad on his phone. But before he could dial 911, the assassin pierces his katana right through the feline's chest, killing him almost instantly. Placing his right foot-paw onto the cat's back, he pulls the blade out of the wound and kicks the feline a couple yards forward. As a response to doing that, the vulpine accidentally causes the recently deceased body to knock off various water buckets, the water spilling onto the concrete floor before him.

As the water continues to spill onto the ground, the blood leaking from the dead cat's wound began to mix in with the water. The assassin, Matt Wilde, looks down upon his own watery reflection with a pair of stern eyes. However, his eyes widen slightly upon seeing the blood coming towards him, along with the reflection of his now bleeding scar on his face. And seeing the blood mixed in with the water reminded him of a memory that took place just shortly before joining the clan….

The Hiten Mitsurugi Dojo, December 7th, 2005

Winter has come early at the Hiten Mitsurugi Dojo roughly a three to four hours away from Zootopia, with pure white snow coating the ground and freezing certain parts of the lake nearby. However, despite the sunny day and the pleasantly snowy, cold weather, the atmosphere said otherwise. Standing near a tree was none other than thirteen year old Matt Wilde, his eyes looking directly towards his master with a serious look on them. His attire consisted of a midnight blue long sleeve shirt, black fingerless gloves, and camouflage cargo pants, with the leg openings being tucked into the black open toe boots he owned. And standing right across from him was his master, Hiko Seijuro, who was still dressed in the same attire he had met mat in many years ago, albeit clean.

As of recently, the young teenager had heard about some serious problems arising within Kawasabus, Ohio regarding the loss of innocent lives. And it would only be a matter of time before it began to spread across the entire country according to Matt's belief's. Matt tried to explain the whole ordeal about what was going down in Kawasabus. Yet despite his best efforts, the answer Hiko had in mind was clear.

"I will not allow you to leave", Hiko warned, bearing the same calm, stern tone in his voice.

"But master! While you interpret philosophy, innocent people are dying in Kawasabus day after day, and who knows when it'll spread across the entire country!" Matt exclaimed. "The teachings of Hiten Mitsurugi are fruitless unless they are used to protect the defenseless! We must go!"

"Be silent!", the words that came out of Hiko's muzzle was enough to cause the fox to gasp with surprise. "Who do you plan to defend those mammals with your limited knowledge?" the wolf asked, his eyes closed and his tone remaining firm. "Will you choose the less loathsome of the two evil factions in that conflict and do its bidding? I do not bestow master Hiten Mitsurugi's sweetest principles on you so you could become the pawn of nefarious mammals. You can change nothing. The troubles of the outside world are perpetual".

"And by virtue of that, I'm supposed to turn my back and live in self-ordained ignorance?!" Matt argued. "I can't ignore them! They need us, Master!" the fox exclaimed, the wolf turning his body towards the fox and looking own at him with his eyes.

"When your training is complete, you will be the strongest of swordsmen, and your mind will be as strong as your sword", Hiko replied, the fox growling towards him not out of anger, but out of urgency.

"The people of Kawasabus are dying at the grip of the neo-bakufu alliance can't wait that long! Your words are nothing!" Matt exclaimed loudly, the wolf's expression becoming more serious as the argument continues to progress.

"Go down there, Brand yourself a murderer!" Hiko snapped, albeit as calmly as he could, making the fox's eyes widen upon hearing this, a soft gasp escaping his muzzle almost immediately after. "Murder is the only art a swordsman can practice! No ornamental words can change that! You want to protect people with murder?! You'll slaughter legions so that only a select few may live", the wolf continued. "Many years ago, long before you were born, my sword was tearing asunder the many lives of all mammals. Yes, all of those mammals were evil, but they were merely mammals first and foremost, Matt", he added. "The world you arguably desire to enter will now know what to do with you. It will deceive you into believing you are saving lives, even as you destroy them. You will accept its lies, all the while, your hand-paws will be stained with the worst of offenses", the wolf finished, with Matt closing his eyes and letting out a calm sigh while tightening the sheath of his sword.

"Perhaps…" Matt began, reopening his eyes and gazing directly towards his master. "Even so, my hand-paws will bring relief to people who have learned to live without hope. A mammal who feeds on their own is not a mammal anymore, but a savage beast, and should be dealt the same fate!" the fox exclaimed, with the wolf turning to face the Dojo and walking away from his pupil, the fox quickly turning towards Hiko rather quickly. "Master, listen!"

"It is foolish to listen to someone who won't even listen to you", Hiko claimed with a calmly frustrated tone. "Do as you wish. Go to them", he finished, with the fox starting to calm down and bowing towards his master, who's back was turned towards him.

"Thank you… Master", Matt replied, remaining bowed towards his master, the one who had taught him most of his knowledge of the Hiten Mitsurugi style. Moments later, he refrains from bowing and turns towards the opposite direction, running towards the direction where the former Correctional Camp Site was located, getting on the side of the highway later that day and hitching a ride from one of the drivers heading towards Kawasabus, Ohio.

About eight days after the argument between him and his former master, Matt had managed to slice the wooden pole (which was used as a target) horizontally in half and looks at the top half of the pole laying on the ground. Many mammals gathered around the young teenage kit shortly after seeing his attack, many of which were asking how a kit could use a sword like that. But honestly, he never paid attention towards what the other people were saying, for his eyes were focusing towards the two figures on the top of the hills….

The unknown alleyway near the water storage unit, September 30th, 2009

The water had pretty much spread across the concrete ground to the point where it no longer enabled Matt to see his reflection. But to him, it honestly didn't matter, since his job for the night had been done. He turns away from the dead feline corpse and stars walking away from the scene, grabbing the cloth from his left cargo pocket to clean his blade. Wiping the blade with the cloth as he did, Iizuka arrives to the scene and began approaching the body with a lantern in his possession… or he would if he didn't spot something on Matt's left cheek.

"Matt, you're bleeding!" Iizuka calmly exclaimed, but Matt could honestly care less about his bleeding wound on his left cheek, the very same one John inflicted on him recently. His dull green eyes continue to focus on what was in front of him, walking away from the scene of the assassination as if nothing had ever occurred. The tanuki manages to approach the body and examines the feline's corpse, looking over the wound and discovering Matt had killed his target by stabbing him through the heart from behind. Grabbing a piece of paper and placing it on the back of the corpse, the language being written in Japanese, he stands up and flees from the scene.

Later on that night, Matt was walking along the river bank in which the moonlight was reflecting upon, blood dripping from the slash on his left cheek steadily. His injury had stopped bleeding several minutes earlier on the bridge. But shortly after it did, however, two assassins from an unidentified clan, both of which were bobcats, had ambushed him and attempted to assassinate the fox. However, Matt quickly killed them both by decapitating the first and diagonally slicing the second in half, their blood dripping along the wooden bridge and into the river. His wound began to bleed again shortly after disposing of his attackers. While continuing his walk along the river bank, He turns to the sound of footsteps approaching him, his right hand-paw clutching the handle of his samurai katana. However, he relieves his hand-paw from the weapon once he discovers it was Iizuka catching up to him.

"Seems you've killed two more mammals tonight", Iizuka spoke, with Matt turning to the front and starts walking along the path he had began walking along moments before.

"Yeah…. It seems one of the other clans sent their goons to dispose of me", Matt replied, his voice being calm instead of shocked after being ambushed by the two assassins.

"Heh, either way, it seems you're getting better at it everyday", Iizuka replied, making the fox turn his head towards his slightly with a curious manner.

"What do you mean?" Matt asked calmly, yet genuinely curious about the meaning behind Iizuka's question.

"You hardly give them time to scream anymore, nor do you allow them the chance to call the local authorities", Iizuka explained, turning his attention towards the freshly bleeding wound on his cheek. Now that he was seeing this, the matter needed to be addressed to the fox, whether Matt was aware of it or not. "Stop, lets talk", the tanuki ordered calmly, the fox nodding before taking a few steps towards the grassy hilltop. Interestingly enough, right as the fox stopped, he noticed something dripping on the left side of his face, removing the glove from the corresponding hand-paw before placing it onto his left cheek. He pulls his hand-paw away from his face and moves it to the moonlight, his eyes widening at the sight of his own blood lined in a similar manner to his scar.

"Huh…?" Matt uttered, not necessarily out of curiosity, but of surprise as well. He expected the injury to stop bleeding by the morning after he received it, but now he was wondering why it was bleeding again.

"Are you superstitious?" Iizuka asked, the fox snapping out of his train of thought and turns to face the tanuki on his left with a curious look on his eyes. "It appears John Bellwether is seeking revenge even in death, which is why your wound refuses to heal", the tanuki explained.

"That can't be…" Matt replied, a slight surprised tone in his voice before turning away from him and placing his left hand-paw onto his corresponding cheek. "How could it…?"

"Calm down, Matt", Iizuka began. "Only old ladies believe in that nonsense", he claimed with a slight chuckle. But now that the tanuki mentioned it, Matt recalled having to deal with an injury he had suffered on his hand-paws when he was merely a kit. But man, how time flew by so quickly, still remembering it as if it were yesterday.…

At the outdoor training site, Hiten Mitsurugi Dojo, June 12th, 2002

Loud smacking noises can be heard at the outdoor training site, the source of the noise coming from a large stick smacking against a tree as hard as possible. The one smacking the tree with a stick was ten year old Matt Wilde, who was continuing to train in order to become the best swordsman through the basics. His attire consists of a white tank top, a pair of midnight blue hakama pants, and black and white converse shoes. Soft battle cries escape his muzzle with each swing, ending a fraction of a second after the thick stick smacks the tree. However, he finishes his training with after feeling a slight, painful sensation on his hand-paws, causing him to drop the stick he was training with onto the dry soil before him.

Taking a look at his hand-paws as he did, he notices four circular cuts on the top of his palms, on the opposite side where his knuckles were. And although there wasn't a lot of blood flowing from the wounds, he knew he had to get this treated, lest the cuts become infected and delay his training. Turning towards his right, he spots the one story Dojo building and starts walking towards the wooden building. Pulling one of the sliding doors open, he enters the bathroom and grabs a large stepping stool and places it in front of the sink. Climbing up the steps carefully, he opens the cabinet door on top of the sink and began looking through the contents contained inside. He notices various medical items inside until he spots the first-aid disinfectant spray on the lower shelf, along with several types of bandages and ointments next to the spray. He grabs the spray, some roller bandages, and one pack of medical ointment before placing the items on the table next to the sink. Although he wanted to get his hand injuries bandaged, first thing's first.

The fox starts walking towards the sink and climbs onto the stepping stool again before reaching for the sink handles, his left hand-paw turning the hot water on and his right turning the cold water on to help cool the hot water off enough for him to work with. He grabs the white sink plug and places it inside the sink, letting the water fill up the bowl of the sink to a certain point before turning the water faucet off. Placing his hand-paws inside the water, he winces at the stinging sensation on his hand-paws, the water soaking his brown furred hand-paws and watching his blood getting diluted by the water.

"Mother…" was what Matt had said before the memory fades with a blur.

Inside Matt's residence, 1 am, October 1st, 2009

Sometime after the assassination of the target along with the killings of two assassins, following a much needed shower, Matt was currently inside of the bathroom tending to his wound. Unlike his usual attire, his clothing consisted of a gray T-shirt with a pocket on the left side of the chest area, along with a pair of black pajama shorts. The fox was currently washing a white rag in the sink with hot water before applying some disinfecting peroxide on the rag, placing the rag onto his left cheek where the injury was located. He hissed for a moment due to the peroxide's alcohol content making contact with his injury, but soon subsided. He walks out of the bathroom and heads to the living room, taking a seat on the couch opposite to the one where Iizuka was sitting. Speaking of which, he notices him getting off of his ICarrot 3G smartphone after hanging up with someone, placing the phone on the rectangular coffee table before looking towards Matt.

"Katagai's returned", Iizuka began. "I just got off the phone with him a moment ago. And apparently, Thrandeer's summit meet didn't not go as good as he had hoped", the raccoon dog finished.

Matt quickly cocks a curious brow upon hearing this. "What's happened?" the fox asked with a curious tone in his voice.

"According to Katagai, Miyabe and Thrandeer almost came to blows during the talks", Iizuka explained. "The Mibu and Orimaku clans are vowing to create an enormous catastrophe here in Kawasabus", the tanuki added.

"Will we fight?" Matt asked, bearing a curious look to his tone while his facial expression was calmly serious.

"Katagai's told me to wait and see what happens, although I was told Thrandeer nearly drew his sword on Miyabe when the talks got heated", Iizuka answered, the fox nodding at this before closing his eyes, a sigh escaping his muzzle.

"This won't end peacefully", Matt claimed, reopening his eyes and looking back towards the tanuki sitting across from him.

"Let's hope not", Iizuka replied, laying back against the couch he was sitting on before placing his arms behind the back of the couch. Matt grabs a smoking pipe containing a small amount of weed in it from the coffee table along with a lighter, placing the pipe into the front end of his muzzle. Biting onto the rod of the pipe with his front teeth before pressing the button to the lighter, lighting the weed inside of the pipe. Placing the lighter right after lighting the small portion of weed, he inhales some of the smoke before grabbing the pipe, pulling it away from his muzzle before exhaling the smoke from his lungs. Now that Thrandeer was mentioned, he began to recall in how he had met him, along with what he did to make the fox he is today.

Inside a one room wooden shrine, near the Ishin-Mirkwood training grounds, December 15th, 2005

Rain continues to pour heavily around the training grounds of the Ishin-Mirkwood clan, few of which headed towards some short of shelter to take a break. But speaking of shelter, Thrandeer had arranged an immediate meeting with the fox, who had introduced himself by his name, Matt Wilde. Takasugi was standing in the back of the single room shrine, the entrance/exit being located on the right side of the small building. Thrandeer's back was facing Matt, yet his his eyes staring directly at the wooden barred window in front of him.

"Listen carefully…" Thrandeer began, slowly turning around and setting his eyes upon the thirteen year old fox before him. "I am asking you to kill", the male buck added, a surprised, almost shocked gasp escaping his muzzle and his eyes widening slightly upon hearing what the deer just said. "You are young, but merit the truth. Certain mammals stand between a better world than us. We have no choice but to destroy them so we may reach that world. It's not pleasant, but it's true", the deer continued. "You told me you wanted to use your swordsmanship to protect the weak and innocent. I can be the one who will show you the way", he added, lowering his head slightly as if to add a sense of seriousness with his tone. "So answer me, will you kill for me", the male finished, the fox's eyes continuing to gaze at him for another moment. Then, with a sense of revelation, Matt began looking at the deer with a serious look on his face, nodding upon the buck's request. Thus, his life as an assassin, has begun….

July, 2006

The mid morning bore a peaceful and serene vibe to the countryside, the birds chirping, the sky being blue, the air being as clean as ever, and the grass being of a pure green color. Oh, how peaceful and quiet the beautiful forest was. But with a simple vertical slash of a blade, that all began to change….

"HeYAHH!" was the battle cry that escaped the muzzle of fourteen year old Matt Wilde, who's performed a deadly vertical slash that sliced a brown and white furred husky's head in half, cutting all the way down to the victim's upper part of his back before twisting the blade to the right. Blood began spilling across the earthly soil and some of the lush plants, painting the ground and the vegetation red. Pulling the blade out of his victim's body, the fox kicks the freshly killed body forward and watches the corpse hit the ground quickly. He looks at his first kill with a pair of tedious eyes before looking up towards the sky and the trees above.

The fox's attire consisted of a black tank top along with a pair of camouflage cargo pants, the leg openings being tucked inside of his black open toe combat boots. On the left side of his body, a black sheath for his sword was attached to his belt, the color of it being a dark brown color. Lastly, a pair of black leather gloves cover his hand-paws through their entirety.

Silence now fills the air, not a howl of the wind, not a rustle of the leaves, nothing but an exhaling of breath escaping fox's muzzle. Nothing….

"Good Job", those words broke the silence in the air, the fox curiously turning to face the person who said it. He watches the black haired tanuki jogging towards him, or more specifically, the body in which Matt had just killed.

"Good… job?" he asked, watching the other man quickly passing by him rather quickly. He noticed that the other male was dressed in clothing similar to his own, the only exception being that the other male was wearing a pair of khaki hakama pants.

"I'm honored to meet ya, sir!" The tanuki replied before kneeling down and examining the body."I'm Iizuka, Thrandeer's field chief. Nice, clean cut", Iizuka, the tanuki commented. "Try not to lose your wits like many others do after their first kill".

"I won't. I feel nothing, no regret!" Matt replied almost quickly, his expression becoming serious upon speaking.

"Very good", Iizuka responded before standing up and turning his head towards the fox behind him. "The key to this job is speed, accuracy, and conviction. Now clean this up and lets get out of here", the tanuki included, handing the fox a white rag for him to use, Matt nodding and taking the cloth with his left hand-paw. While holding his sword, he began to wipe the blood that was on the blade with a single, thorough wipe.

"There will be a world where mammals will live in peace, my bloody hands and sword ensure its creation", Matt spoke within the depths of his mind, removing the bloody rag from the blade and placing the cloth in his left cargo pocket. He quickly, albeit carefully, places the sword back in its sheath and began walking away from the scene. "I will dispense the will of the gods to the old order. I will…."

October, 2006

Three months quickly pass since his first kill, already having started getting used to the whole regime: assassinate any corrupt individual, government individual and/or civilian, no questions asked. From his first kill to this point in time, the fox had already killed sixty-four corrupted individuals, whether in government power or civilian, and counting. His next two targets were in the walled alleyways leading to a government-run shrine in the area, with two predatory mammals walking along the path on the cool, rainy afternoon.

The two predators conversing with one another were both wolves, one of them being a snow furred arctic wolf and the other an eastern timber wolf bearing brown and white fur. Both mammals were dressed in business suits of sort, the arctic wolf's suit being completely black and the timber wolf's being gray and black. Both of them were carrying black cases containing important documents inside with them. What the documents themselves were or what they contained, nobody but the two wolves knew. However, that was about to become irrelevant within a matter of moments.

"Hiding behind one of the stone walls, Matt Wilde places his hand-paws on the edge of the wall, peering on the right side of it and watches the two wolves heading away from him and towards their destination. He was pretty much dressed in the same exact clothes, minus the tank top, which was replaced with a tight fitting black long john shirt. The sleeves of his shirt were pulled up to his forearms as a personal preference for him. But due to his shirt being tight, the fox's slim, toned definition can be partially seen. But despite the clothing being wet thanks to the rain, it didn't matter on how tight or loose his clothing were. No, it was time to come in for the kill, the fox grabbing a hold of the handle of his katana and slowly approaches the two wolfs quickly, but quietly.

"Of course, lets get going", the arctic wolf spoke towards the timber wolf next to him, unaware of the fox that was swiftly sprinting towards the two. The timber wolf's ears flicker to the sound of the fox's swift footsteps, yet by the time he turned to face them, Matt had already drew his sword.

"Hey! HEY!" were the last words the timber wolf shouted before swiftly getting brutally sliced from the left shoulder to the bottom right oblique muscle, killing the male immediately with blood splashing out of his heavy injury. The arctic wolf was about to call for help, but only an agonizing cry escaped his muzzle when Matt jumps upward and slashes his throat, killing him almost immediately with heavy amounts of blood escaping his cleanly lacerated neck.

"I will…."

Late May, 2007

Several months pass since Matt had eliminated the two wolves along the stone wall pathways leading to the government-run shrine. At this point in time, the fifteen year old's body had matured quickly, his body being toned and even showing some muscle definition through his black tank top. His attire was almost the exact same as the clothing he wore during his first kill, with the camouflage pants being a pure, dark green color. But his attire and appearance wasn't the only thing that changed as well, but the number of kills have increased significantly as well, By now, he has killed over a hundred-fifty individuals, government, civilian, even enemy clan members as well.

Speaking of clans, Matt, along with a Iizuka and Katagai, were currently in the middle of fighting against the enemy clans who were aligned with the Neo-Bakufu, seventy enemy clan members to be precise. While Iizuka and the allied assassin had killed about twenty-five of them, Matt had the highest number of all, managing to kill about half of the enemy clan's members (and still counting) within the shortest period of time. Ten enemies remained, and at this point, they knew it was futile to continue fighting since Matt and his allies were a lot more skilled than they had anticipated. The enemies began to flee, only for the fox to slaughter them within a matter of seconds.

"Murder…."

February, 2008

Silence fills the lush environments of the woods, nothing but the lush forests, earthly soils, and puddles of fresh blood fill the scenery. Four of the five dead enemy clan members, all of them being wolves of various types, lay dead on the early soil, the fifth hanging dead on a tree with his sword pierced right through his neck. But like the wolf hanging dead on the tree, all of the others had their own swords pierced right through their bodies as if to resemble their tombstones. Matt was walking away from the bodies of the wolves he had killed, his weapon placed inside of his sheath

Ever since the battle against the other enemy clans back in may of 2007, both his body had further matured and the number of kills have increased as well. His body was now of the same muscular build he is known for at the time he kills John Bellwether, along with the same attire as well, his black tight fitting long sleeve athletic shirt showing off some of his muscle definition visibly. The number of kills he has now since his first kill up to the wolves from moments ago, is about three hundred assassinations in total, committed in under two years time. And now he has managed to make numerous names for himself, one in particular shall be remembered the most by the enemy clans of Kawasabus.

Battousai, the Animal Slayer….