AN: 'as hard as an obsidian rock' was released back in 28th July 2022. Today, it's over a year and a day old now! As a special occasion, we'll have a background chapter cause who doesn't love backgrounds?

Special thanks to Assassin's Creed Master for helping out! You'll be surprised of how this one will go.

Chapter 22

Several years ago…

The coldness and the dark sky above would nearly be enough to encourage me to sleep. I had previous trainings under the stars, but going out this late was new. It was the precise opposite of during the day. You know the feeling when you are on a tropical island and the sun is glaring down on it? Yeah, close to that feeling when it was too bright and warm to fall asleep.

But it made me sleepy under the dark blue sky, twinkling stars and cold air. Gave me small motivation to stay awake. Seeing the matching dark blue dry desert with the tall mountains made it a pleasant sight to sleep under. And I was nearly tempted to wrap myself up with my tail.

But tonight wasn't about showing weakness. It was another field experience session.

I had to pinch myself as me and my Jackal Squad stood in a line. We were on a tall mountain, standing still in position. The cold wind breezing against my fur made me slightly shiver, but I tried not to flinch too much. At least the glowing campfire in front of us provided warmth for each of us. Well, unfortunate for those on the far end of the line.

On the other side of the campfire was our teacher. Zero's father, to be specific. He never revealed his real name except for the couple of general codenames as cover.

His appearance created an enigmatic image that was hard to tell what he was truly like. But his tall figure and broad shoulders made him like a portly bull waiting to charge into the area. His far proximity to the fire prompted the night shadow to cover part of his face, closing off any humane inspection of his eyes. Through what I could make out, he wore an eyepatch and a denim jacket with his shorter dreadlocks neatly tied in a ponytail at the back.

His eyes narrowed as he scanned all of us. A look of disgust and strictness he spelled out. Even though all of us weren't wearing the best clothes, he appeared the neatest and most mature. He didn't relax his muscles, keeping his shoulders upwards and tense. Knowing his complete focus on tonight's task was enough to say obeying him would be the wise choice.

"Children," said the older jackal, his raspy voice carrying a firm hold on the current dilemma. His intense voice lingered in the seriousness of his role. "I tried finding a suitable mission for you to undertake. Unfortunately, it clashed with my schedule and tonight will be when I invade, bring back and interrogate the leader of Coyote Squad. I believe he has the code for an endless bounty."

He paused for a moment, scanning at all of us again. A sharp reminder that he never tolerate anything. I barely moved my eyes to see the others, but I knew we were trying out best to stay still and mature.

Keyword on 'trying'.

"It's time you go under the pressure," the older jackal continued. "This is serious-"

"Skip, please," said Zero robotically.

Our teacher's left ear twitched, a sign of emotion seen in the scratch. "Excuse me?"

"I think we already know the full details, Father," said Zero, carrying an emotionless tone. "We talked about this earlier today about the problem. We don't need a reminder."

I admired our future leader for being so calm in explaining this reason. It felt proper and reasonable. We DID learn a lot about the current Coyote Squad and their weaknesses. However, our teacher didn't seem to approve. He slowly lifted his head downwards to present his unapologetic disdain and a small growl escaped through his lips.

For a moment, I thought his eyes bulged out. That made him scarier.

"Zip your mouth," the older jackal growled. "You don't have a right to speak, son. Am I feeding you the healthiest vegetable or not?"

I decided to glance at Zero, pretending to wear a skeptical look. His face was stone cold, but his fingers were twitching as a reflex.

"I agree with Zero," said Paz, yawning in careless boredom. "Best to cut loose and go wild."

The older jackal's composure relaxed a little, suddenly dumbfounded. "What? No."

I tried making sense of Paz's point of view. "Well, wouldn't it be more fun this way with going down there to ambush them?"

"I didn't even start saying what should be the plan!" our teacher exasperated.

"I already have one," sassed Ryder, his hands on his hips. "And it's called being resourceful. We just need to cause a diversion to let the higher ranked in our team get to the leader."

"No," said our teacher, fed up. "I won't let you run in just because you're 'resourceful'."

"Like Obsidian said, it's more fun this way!" said Tempest cheekily. "It adds growth as professional mercenaries. Embrace it!"

"But you're not high-classed assassins yet."

"Can we just meet the assassins down there first?" asked Ryder.

"You're talking to an assassin already."

"Then we need some of your sharpy things," suggested Tempest.

"No. They're for upper jackals only."

"And we're nearly the same height as you!"

"No, he's right, actually," said Ace sensibly, rubbing his chin. "We can't go in there headless. We haven't even agreed if we will chop off some heads tonight."

Fender gasped, her eyes widening. "Oh man, can we do that instead? Can we? Can we? Can we?"

"Fender," said Phoenix, trying to sound reasonable. "Don't you dare think about using the toys you brought along."

Fender whined, childishly hanging her head. "You're no fun. I say we just blow all of them up." As she spoke, she started walking out of line and her lips were flapping at such a rapid pace that it was hard to catch what she was talking about. "Shall we wet them in gasoline? Throw a match at them. Lay low until we get more witnessing snacks and then WE RISE FROM THE GROUND AND DRAG THEM INTO THE SAND TO BURY THEM!"

I kinda expected the campfire to suddenly flare upwards in front of Fender. She was stuck in a pose with both hands upward as if carrying something. And she let out a loud inhale, trying to catch her breath. When she came to her senses, she noticed all the deadpanned eyes staring at her.

Even our teacher looked unimpressed, his eyes lowered to show a glimpse of his weariness. "Wow. I failed you as a teacher. Zero, had you been checking on the meds she kept taking?"

"It was supposed to be Phoenix's turn, Father," muttered Zero. "Last week, when I checked on her, she was sane."

Our teacher blinked a couple of times before he regained his tense composure. Nonchalantly, he simply pushed Fender back into line…not caring when she fell flat like a statue.

"I'm gonna talk to your parents after this," grumbled the older jackal with a noticeable snarl of impatience. "Doing your way will invalidate the purpose of our mission." He then cracked a barely concealed smirk towards Ace. "And thank you, Ace, for being more grounded than the rest."

Ace gave a calm nod of acknowledgement, but his tail was wagging.

Zero narrowed his eyes, looking like he could kill.

"Now, since you all aren't completely experienced to go alone, I'll assign you all into pairs. Zero, Ace, you two are coming with me."

And so on it went as we were assigned to different partners. I didn't need to worry since I already knew each of my friends by heart. However, I was happy to be partnered up with Tempest again. The minute our teacher called her to accompany me, she immediately wrapped her arms around me from the back in a tight hug. I think she shook me a little, indicating her unrestrained gleeful energy.

I laughed, using my tail to brush her away. "Hey, hey! So happy, Tempest."

"I just like messing with you, boys," she said, rubbing my mohawk. "Not gonna lie, I think it would be more fun to ambush them."

"Really?"

"No."

I frowned. "Oh."

Tempest chuckled. "Nah, don't take it too seriously. I mean it."

"…I just thought you changed your mind."

Tempest grinned, booping my nose. "This is the reason why I heart you."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Eh, I can't say the feeling's mutual."

Ryder barked near us, already paired up with Phoenix. He was waving his hands and hopping like a wild rabbit.

"Hey, sister! Obsidian!" he called, his tongue sticking out. "There's more money on the table if we get to kill any of Coyote Squad. Lowest body count eats a cactus!"

Tempest grinned, snapping her fingers. "You're on, smarty pants!" And, like always, she was quick to ask me. "Obsidian, aren't you going to come along?"

My mind went into a pause. Competing in a body count as well…but…

"Um…" I started. "I don't think-"

"Silence, children!" bellowed our teacher, his voice echoing in the empty night. Hearing his loud voice was enough to get us all back in line. "Remember your allocated spots at their turf. Most importantly, when you come across those coyotes-"

Fender pulled out a knife with a murderous smile. "MURDER 'EM."

"…have some damn self-control. You don't have to kill them. Just do whatever you can to subdue your opponents. If you kill anyone, bring the bodies once you're done. We'll sell them to the black market or use them for target practice."

"Yes, sir!" we responded.

We immediately marched down the hill, approaching the warehouse below with the plan already shared and in mind. The moonlight faced our backs, so we used the shadows to blend in since the mountain blocked part of the rising moon. Multiple spotlights from the watch towers were wandering around the dark land, but we could sneak behind nearby idle boulders and bushes to hide. It all felt too familiar to our previous training.

I didn't get to look at the warehouse properly, so when me and Tempest got close to one more bush, I peeked through the gaps to get a good understanding.

The warehouse building itself could be seen as the hulking emperor of the world. It resembled everything Zero and his father wanted to be. A massive temple twenty-two times our height, made from the most formidable metal walls. No brick walls to show their cracks and they were replaced by the shiny coat that only rusted when it was time to rot.

There wasn't a smooth edge, especially the roof, no circular shapes, all sharp-edged. One bump into the edge would be like touching a dagger.

But like every foundation built, it was surrounded by a barbed wire fence. That wouldn't be a problem for us since I could see silhouettes of my fellow squad mates cutting holes through the fence with their swords. But it risked them being seen from the spotlights from the watch towers coming close to them. I could see at least two coyotes on each of the watch towers. I wondered if Fender would shoot them down, but they remained in their spot.

Couldn't really shoot down all of the eyes unless indeed concealed.

With the holes of the barbed wire fences opened, I immediately made a dash with Tempest following after me. I ensured we were running towards the right part of the building we were supposed to go to. After ensuring I could see the window with the yellow lighting and a quick nod from Tempest, we immediately took our allocated positions.

The climb wasn't too eventful for me. Climbing a pipe and entering through the top of the rooftop was just another day in the office. Finding a trap door in the roof was only a little hard, but once Tempest found it, we found refuge in the gap between the rooftop and the ceiling of the top warehouse floor.

Squatting down, bathed in pitch black. After a while, Tempest confirmed it was the right time to move one of the ceiling tiles a little. A small ray of yellow light peeked through the narrow gap, nearly blinding me momentarily. Come to see it, it felt unlike any light provided in the desert. Lightbulbs were rare to find unless you tried making them.

Down below appeared to be an empty room. Quite boring. The only exciting things were the piles of boxes lazily placed at the room's corners. It seemed to be made from beige concrete, so we wouldn't need to worry about accidentally breaking a wall since it would require more force. So far, nobody was in the room.

"OK, so we were told their higher-ranked fighters will be resting here," said Tempest. "In less than 10 minutes or so. Once they are here, we will have to subdue them one by one."

"Do you still got the chip Zero's father gave us?" I asked. "The place isn't exactly soundproof."

"Of course!" said Tempest, whipping around metallic chips in her fingers. "I never go anywhere without my knacks."

"We shouldn't be messy in here," I said. "Like he said, we only need to knock them out long until we get out."

Tempest shrugged. "Sure. Oh, do you know all the brutes of the Coyote Squad?"

"...yes?"

"Good! She smirked, placing her palms together. She evilly wiggled her fingers together in a classic slasher grin that made her hard to take seriously. "Who do you want to kill first?"

"What?!" I said, flinching. "You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"What? Those guys will be fine!" scoffed Tempest, waving her hand down dismissively. "Besides, no one gives two flying shits to guys like them. Some of them look extremely punchable!"

I had a thought about it, memorizing the pictures of the Coyote Squad. "...no, no, you're right. They look punchable…but not a coward's punch. I won't drag a smelly body up the hill and get blood coated on my fur again."

Tempest raised an eye. "Say, you seem to be holding back a lot. The first and last time you ever killed a dude was a year ago. I thought you would be over it."

One of my ears twitched in irritation. I closed my eyes, hissing to myself why she didn't see it. But of course, she wouldn't know with her perfectly conformed to killing when necessary. She already killed two guys this year. I had my kill a long time ago, but it wasn't complimented highly by our teacher. Just even thinking back made me remember the lashing he gave to me.

A wave of uneasiness shook me, finally allowing my tail to wrap around my body. Tempest wasn't as strict as our teacher, so I didn't need to worry.

A familiar scream echoed in my head followed by my own scream, which frustrated me. I growled, gripping my bandanna tightly.

And then, I hated myself for acting vulnerable again.

Tempest gently removed my hands from my head. "Knock it off, Obsidian. You looked like you just lost your doll."

I gave her a glare. She wasn't helping my nerves.

"Don't you remember what really happened in my first kill?" I said bitterly. "When that man looked at me?"

"He's a total jackass," reassured Tempest. "Don't take it personally. His screaming was more like whining."

I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know. I just…felt sorry for him. That was why I hesitated before I freaked out when Zero's father barked at me. And then I just stared at my work like it was garbage. Like I didn't cherish any of it at all."

I remembered it clearly. And the memory was still fresh in my mind. Seeing the guy tied up to a stake, pleading for his life. His screaming sounded grating, but while it sounded silly, there was something pitiful about him.

The fear in his eyes as I crept towards him nervously. The fear of not coming back.

And his screams of agony when I panicked and stabbed him many times.

And the outcome? A bloody heap and me panting like I did a marathon. And it was right before Zero's father grabbed me by the wrist, scolding me for being weak and ungrateful.

Tempest sighed softly, attempting to understand. "Another reason I heart you; you see things differently." She took a moment to think, looking careful at what she would say next. "But you know you didn't mean to act like you didn't take it seriously."

I hummed, crossing my legs in a sitting position. Tempest followed and wrapped her tail around me. I barely reacted to the new soft blanket around my waist.

"It feels weird about the whole…dying thing," I admitted, a trace of guilt steering me. "We won't live forever, but…what comes after that? What came for the man I slashed across his chest? I didn't know if I should slap him across the face, but it didn't feel great when he begged for his life."

"Cowards beg for their lives," pointed out Tempest firmly. "A person asking for mercy means they don't take their life seriously."

I groaned. "Easier for you to say. Where did all that competition get to your head? I mean, not a surprise since you're not truly careful-"

Tempest's tail tightened around my waist and her face was right before me.

"Do NOT call me that!" she hissed.

Being used to her short temper, I looked away. "OK. OK. With tender love and care, Tempest."

She scowled, crossing her arms. "You're lucky I like you, Obsidian. But grow a spine a little."

"If I'm spineless, you still stay in this squad with me?" I shot back, my shoulders raised in fight mode.

Like a single drop of water splashing on a lit match, Tempest's temper burnt out and her face crumpled. She slowly backed away in a proper sitting position. Her body was more relaxed than tense, choosing to distinguish the brief flame she conjured earlier. After staring through the ceiling gap, she sighed and looked up at me apologetically.

"Promise me that you won't become a pushover like Zero and Ace, alright?" she said quietly. "I can't just leave you, but I don't want you holding yourself back. Say, the next time when it happens, just kill the necessary targets."

"And what if cutting their lives would be another questionable thing?" I asked. "Should I start taking it as sport?"

"Then it's best to know why we target them for a reason. You should question everything they thought they stood for. Are what they do something you're fully willing to agree with?"

Damn, Tempest knew what to say, even in the heat of an argument. At the end of the day, I knew that she wasn't wrong. The cowardly man I slaughtered didn't seem to have any redeeming qualities besides his pathetic cries. I was about to feel ashamed, but this was something we weren't taught that much.

Questioning who deserved the punishment or not.

I sniffed, but I inhaled sharply. I couldn't cry over something this pathetic. Oh, I was angry, but I shouldn't.

"Hey, boss!" called a voice below. "Thinking about cutting those cans between the whole team?"

This was our signal. Me and Tempest looked through the ceiling gap, finding a huge squadron of coyotes filling the room. All of them were in sandy yellow colors, matching the desert sand. They were all wearing black bodysuits, with many of them dumping their mud-covered axes and swords into a rusty cart.

Their supposed boss arrived. He was wearing a striking red bodysuit to stand out from the others. The eye muscles above his head made his eye shapes appear like a permanent glare. His ears and cheek fur were sharper than the other coyotes. Even he carried a sharp presence, standing tall with an attitude.

"No, we're still doing it in the same order," he said. "Remember that."

Several clanging of swords echoed across the room when they were dropped in the cart. I squeezed my ears, disapproving of the noise.

And so did the coyote fighters' boss. "No, no, NO! Are you kidding me?!"

The coyotes closest nearby the cart froze, glancing at each other.

"What? We're just…"

"…putting the weapons back in the cart."

Their boss groaned, a hand over his head. "No, I didn't say to put our weapons in a pig's cart. We were supposed to hang them up in the lockers. For glory! And don't you think of throwing my axe away like it is a fish!"

"Well, they were still dirty after the last fight," said one coyote meekly. "So…I thought it's wise to leave them…here…so that they could dry and…easier to wash off?"

The boss cracked a sarcastic smile. "Oh, yeah. I see what you mean. Just leaving the stains until they harden and make our weapons smelly. What I need now is some water and a BUCKET OF FILTHY BATH SOAP!"

To accompany his booming voice, he snatched a nearby ax and threw it point-blank. Many of the coyotes ducked, but the axe only crashed against the wall harmlessly. Adding to its loud clangs and hums from the impact, it added to the intensity of their boss. He was already livid, nearly crouched in the manner of getting ready to pounce.

"Fetch me those things, you retard!" growled the boss, shaking a fist.

One of the coyotes lifted up a finger, but he lowered it down. His ears drooped, taking in the insult.

By the tongue of the fighter boss…he was unlucky in deciding to lock the door. His voice reminded me too much of the teachers and rival gangs my squad came across. I hated the feeling of being called this. Those coyotes shouldn't be called that. As my anger rose, my primal instincts did. I was already growing deeply, my claws scratching into the ceiling tile below me.

"Obsidian, calm down," said Tempest, grabbing one of my hands. "Remember what we were told when in action."

I complied, taking a deep breath. "Their boss, I'm alright with him killed."

Tempest's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"Spare the others," I said, flicking out my taser. "They might think better without him. This guy, no need to hold back."

Tempest cackled, cracking her knuckles. "Oh, I like where this is going! And knowing you, I think it's a no-brainer who defeats the most."

Now this felt more like it. A confident smirk returned over my muzzle.

"Wanna bet?" I asked.

"I love to, Obsidian," said Tempest with a thrilled grin.

We didn't need to wait longer, dropping down from the ceiling. At the same time, Tempest threw the mechanical chips right at the locked door. The instant they glued, I knew that they would make the outside of the room oblivious to the incoming chaos. And as expected, all the coyotes reacted by quickly pulling out their weapons.

The boss did the same as well, pulling out his ax. "Oi! Who goes-?!"

And he received a kick in the face from Tempest. His body went ragdolling across the room before he slammed against the wall in a dizzy heap.

"You talk too much!" she teased.

And so, the battle began. Whipping out my taser, I charged right in as the number of coyote fighters charged with a battle cry. The next few moments were so quick that it was a blur. Unable to see what was going on in the middle of at least thirty coyotes surrounding me. I ruthlessly punched and swipe-kicked my enemies while sometimes swinging my taser forward like a sword.

There were loud yelps of defeat as many unconscious bodies fell before me. Some of them were twitching from the bolts of my taser. The punches and kicks I gave felt natural, even when I had to bend further beyond. And the banging against different bodies felt more like playing the drum than banging against metallic armor. As the number of coyotes dropped, I started focusing better on my incoming enemies running independently.

One coyote tried charging from behind, but I delivered a simple backhand hit before swinging around to land a kick in the chest. Another coyote tried swinging his sword at me, but I managed to lean and flip backwards, kicking the sword away. When at a close proximity, I charged forwards and pressed the taser against his chest. Not caring to see him twitching, I casually caught an incoming fist before swinging my third attacker away by the arm.

Right on time when Tempest jumped upwards and knocked the guy in the head with a heavy punch. When she landed, she rolled around and swiped her feet in a clear circle, tripping over three guys. Quickly rolling on the floor to the side, she avoided an incoming stab from one coyote before striking him below the chin by her knee. Upon noticing a group of coyotes trying to surround her in a circle, she grinned before grabbing one coyote and using him as a baseball bat to knock out the others.

There was excitement dazzling in her glowing golden eyes with a giant smile that made her look more like a puppy than a fighter. Her growing laughter was equivalent to laughing her head off to a funny skit. Her movements were quick yet pure of wild, childlike energy. She was enjoying the moment, even though she only injured her enemies.

Once done, she threw her unfortunate coyote baseball bat away, watching him crash into an incoming attacker. Close to me, I noticed someone trying to throw an axe at her, so I managed to catch it before giving it to her. Tempest chuckled as we immediately attacked more incoming attackers, with me using the blunt tip of my taser and Tempest using the flat front of the ax.

At one point, one coyote tried falling from above with a sword raised above his head. On instinct, I placed my hand on Tempest's shoulders and pushed her down gently for me to jump over her. She didn't mind and we smoothly switched spots, right on time for me to throw my taser up at the falling coyote. With only two fists, I swung them around at my new attackers and the dropped like flies immediately.

Meanwhile, Tempest used the axe to defend herself from a coyote using a baseball bat. And the wooden bat sank into the sharper edge of the ax. With critical thinking, she kicked the guy away and pulled the wooden bat from her axe. Armed with two weapons, she twirled around, slapping nearby fighters with her ax and baseball bat like a deadly chopper.

Without thinking straight, I ran forward, grabbed my taser and jumped off the back of one of the unconscious coyotes. Soaring through the air in slow motion, I saw a flying weapon with a…spiky ball thrown right at me. I think it was a viking weapon. Reflexively, I grabbed it, spun around and threw the spiky weapon downwards.

Once it crashed into the ground, the nearby coyotes scrambled like birds, making it easier for Tempest to pick them off one by one.

For me, I just crashed into a pile of boxes as my landing pad.

CRACK!

Ow.

It was good that my tail provided me the natural cushion needed, so my butt didn't hurt. Unfortunately, I was partially covered in splinters, with…larger wooden bits scattered around me. I probably looked ridiculous. I couldn't help cracking an idiotic smile, unable to believe I did something cool like this in the air.

"DAMN IT!" roared the boss's voice. "DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING ON MY OWN?!"

The boss level began with the boss trying to slam down his axe over my head. I quickly rolled over and charged forwards, trying to tase him. However, he kicked it away, wearing an unimpressed scowl. Without thinking, I tried punching a couple of blows, but he could deflect them just by using his arms. And then, I reached to grab the ax…

I didn't anticipate him swinging around and kicking me in the stomach, sending me flying against the wall. Still on my feet, I immediately picked up a nearby sword and clashed with it against the boss' ax. This was where the swordsmanship training kicked in and I was shielding myself with my sword while trying not to back away too much.

With the rest of the deployable coyotes out, Tempest immediately rushed in and jumped upwards. The coyote boss sensed her presence and grabbed her by the neck. Without batting an eye, he swung her around at me and the two of us were left rolling around on the floor.

No wonder Zero's father had some history with the Coyote Squad. They meant BUSINESS.

On my back, trying to recover quickly, I opened my eyes to find the boss nearly succeeding in slamming his ax into my head. I only rolled away, pieces of my hair chopped away. Fortunately, Tempest used this to her advantage by coming in with a downward kick, hitting the axe away. Disarmed, the boss growled and tried swinging his fists forward.

Tempest tried grabbing it, but to our surprise, it wasn't enough to stop it. The momentum, the boss' strength and the fast movement of his fist pushed Tempest backwards before the boss used his left foot to strike her down to the ground. I tried a surprise attack by swiping at his legs, but he anticipated it.

His left foot remained on Tempest, but he moved his right foot around to dodge my kick. Immediately, he grabbed me by the chest fur, pulled me over and headbutted me in the forehead. Suddenly, I slowly became aware of the sore parts across my body, including the freshly new imprint on my head. Noticing that I was disoriented, the boss pulled me close in a headlock.

It was like everything was closing on my face. I could feel the muscular biceps of the coyote boss pressing into my face. Weird to say, but he kept his arms tight enough for the smothering or choking part. Slowly panicking, I tried clawing at the coyote, but it proved useless, thanks to his armor. Even kicking my legs upward wasn't enough to make him flinch.

The top of my head felt warm. I could feel him breathing-no, PANTING creepily over my ears. I couldn't turn my eyes to see him, but hearing his creaky and raspy breathing told me he wouldn't be afraid to snap my neck. He was much bigger, maybe even taller than Zero's father. And he was not afraid to show it, slowly applying more pressure to his squeeze.

My face was beginning to boil underneath this pile of campfire rocks that kept the grass down.

A sharp loud cry from Tempest, one that was a response to pain and a snarl in defiance. My eyes darted down, alarmed. While being stuck in a headlock, I could see the boss' foot pressing against Tempest's chest. She tried moving around or forcing it off, but it refused to budge. She didn't appear well, her head slammed into the ground too hard. Her eyes were nearly closed, wanting rest.

The cracks in the floor below her head told me how much energy she already spent.

"I heard about you two dingoes before," snarled the coyote boss, his voice dripping in satisfaction. "You got guts, but you never seem to judge on a longer basis, especially when putting up a fight."

Tempest gritted her teeth, growling in anger. But when she barked, the boss slammed his foot into her stomach and a loud crack rattled. Tempest let out another cry, this time in agony.

The coyote boss laughed, clearly enjoying this. I could feel the energy steaming off from this. His breathing intensified…he wanted to see blood.

"You think this hurts?" he snarled. "Just wait until I go deeper than this. Lack of armor? You kids must be a pile of rocks. Guess that once I peel that top off you, that would show how wimpy you really are!"

In a split moment, my vision went red.

He wanted to see blood? I got it for him.

It happened so quick that I didn't register my claws digging deep into his throat. The next thing I knew was feeling wet dripping on my ears. The boss suddenly gasped before he began gurgling, sounding like he was foaming uncontrollably. It was a disgusting noise yet I didn't feel too surprised.

His grip on me slowly unfolded and I was greeted by the comforting coldness of the room. God, my face was stuck in his arms for too long.

When I came to, I realized my hands were still stuck in…something. I pulled them out, followed by a loud spurting noise. I couldn't see the mess, but when I turned around, I met dagger-blue eyes glaring at me in disbelief and anger. Before I could inspect his neck, he fell forwards, landing on his face.

A growing puddle of blood formed around his head like it was squeezed to a pulp.

Tempest gasped, immediately sitting up. "Fiddlesticks! He wasn't kidding when he told us to be careful of the higher ranks. Eh, Obsidian?"

I didn't remark, staring at the bleeding body next to me.

"Obsidian…?"

Both my ears twitched, yet it was a reflex instead of in irritation. I felt inclined to look away, yet seeing the boss slowly dying didn't feel wrong. There were no agonizing screams from him except for his pathetic gurgling, clinging onto whatever life he had. But there was no life he deserved. He would have it his way if I didn't make the first move.

I slowly lifted both of my hands, inspecting the dark red droplets dripping from the tip of my clawed fingers. The black leather gloves made it difficult to see the blood, but I could see it dripping down to come into contact with the ground. But there was no fear in me. No sadness. No remorse.

All I could feel was coldness towards the boss. I was aware of the lack of satisfaction in killing him.

I wondered if this was what it truly felt like to end someone's life…but no. I was suddenly in Zero's father's position. Some of his previous teammates relished the kill, but he never did. He treated killing as business. A necessary move for survival. He never let the bloodlust get to his head, especially when killing those who wronged him.

Strangely, it wasn't the thrill of killing I seek for. No desire to handle the coyote's life.

There was pity as well. We could have done it another way, but if I did let him live, he would go on his word to harass Tempest and maybe continue his abuse towards his co-workers.

I wanted to feel sorry, but pity didn't guilt me. It was replaced by hatred. Nothingness to his pathetic, irredeemable life. He had it coming.

I sighed, bowing my head in mocking respect. "May the great above forgive you."

Tempest's jaw was slightly opened like she saw a new jackal. "Whoa…now, that was quick."

I stared back at my hand. "It's delivering karma, but…why do I feel…nothing?"

Tempest stared at me for a while before laughing, pulling me in a side hug. "Don't overthink it. And you don't have to want more. We won't have to deal with him again."

I hummed, slowly feeling a smile growing. It felt weird, but it felt right. And she was right as well.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "That's…one way to put it. But…now we have to drag him out?"

Tempest glanced at the dead body. "Sure then! I don't mind getting wet!"

Well, that turned out quite fine for the two of us. Sure enough, by the time we left the building with the dead body, our muzzles and hair were already coated in dark red. I became more aware of its putrid smell and the taste of the blood that somehow found its way into my mouth.

I gagged when I tasted it. Who knew it could provide insanitation?

It was salty, but it felt like tasting clumps of dirt as well.

It was all a blur, but the mission was successful. Arriving back at the village, there were at least five dead bodies we brought over. Plus the kidnapped leader of the Coyote Squad since he refused to hand over the code. We didn't need to worry about causing a scene as once we arrived, all the lights were nearly out. Only the outside torches remained to illuminate the dark streets.

From what I could tell, it felt like a holiday vacation spot weirdly. Just hearing Ryder bragging that he got the cleanest kill despite his food poisoning taking the most prolonged, seeing Zero unable to contain his thrilled smirk over killing two guys, Paz and Phoenix explaining to our teacher why they had to kill a bystander at the scene and Ace casually calling if anybody wanted to snack on a beehive, much to Zero's freak out.

I was more or less buzzing over the guy I killed, but it wasn't significant to talk about. Eventually, I had an idea when our teacher left his son and the rest of the squad to threaten the Coyote Squad leader…who was tied to a gigantic, badly-build firework rocket Fender created.

And on our side, Tempest was trying to stuff down the corpse's tail in the now-full snake basket.

"Don't be delusional, Obsidian," grumbled our teacher, his eyes half-lidden in no sympathy. "Not everyone on the Coyote Squad is a fighter."

"He didn't scream," I clarified flatly. "He glared. So I…thought it would be an honorable deed and the best we can do to pay respect to his defiance is a proper burial."

The older jackal gave me a quizzical look before he turned to the snake basket. Honestly, using it as a coffin box was ridiculous, but it was the only free one we could find around the market space. He scanned it from top to bottom, observing the soft and fragile material of the basket. Not to mention the slight blood stains forming at the gaps.

He wrinkled his nose, disgusted by the messy process.

"Oh, how great his worth is to be put in a fish's grave," he said sarcastically, his arms folded firmly across his chest. "This is why I don't trust you younglings to kill. You haven't even got all that muck off your fur!"

I briefly looked down at my body to see his point. Oh, my fur was also soaking wet due to Paz taking the opportunity to dose me and Tempest. My white chest fur was stained light brown. If I could see my hair, then I bet it would be a blend of white and dark brown, much like Tempest's hair at the moment.

Speaking of the devil, Tempest slammed the basket shut with a sharp whip of her head towards our teacher.

"Sir, this is Obsidian's second kill," she said with a clear voice of reason. "It was hasty, but at least he did it like a man. You should consider yourself lucky that I didn't blow him up."

The older jackal narrowed his eyes, his ears standing tall to emphasize his tall figure. His golden eyes dimmed in cold skepticism of Tempest's statement. He glanced back at me, looking like a wild vulture. I refrained from flinching, but I wondered how his broader structure could bury me to the ground.

To my relief, he nodded in seldom understanding.

"I'll admit you're better than my son," he said casually. "He never learns anything."

To prove his point, I looked behind him to see Zero resorting to slashing the coyote leader over his face. There were loud screams and insults traded between the two. All while the rest of the squad watched on, some already taking naps. Eventually, Ace gave a good chuckle over the situation and tip-toed over the donnybrook.

Being the one with a clear mind in the game, he bent forwards gingerly and yanked an envelope from the coyote's pants pocket.

Upon seeing Ace retrieving the code, Zero gave a deep grunted and moved away. His chest was moving rapidly, matching the shrunken pupils. They looked mad but frustrated, reluctantly paused in the middle of his task. Taking a deep breath, he brushed his dreadlocks back and he switched to a calmer façade.

"Thank you," he said. "Fender, take care of him."

Immediately, the crazier female jackal hopped upwards and skipped towards the coyote. "Oh ho ho ho! My lucky day today!"

The coyote responded by BARKING, gnashing his teeth together.

"Aww, the puppy is scared?" teased Fender, booping him on the nose.

The coyote leader growled. "I AM NOT A PUP-"

"Screaming helps…not at all," said Fender, menacingly pulling out a match. "Now, I'll give you the count of…three for last words!"

The coyote stopped acting savage, his face going stone cold in less than zero seconds. "What?"

Fender giggled, bending over to light up the firework fuse. There was a wicked grin that the ends of her lips could reach her bulging eyes. She looked scarier like this. I could even hear Tempest gulping at this sight.

"Alright, everyone!" she yelled, going fish eyes. "Five, NINE, TWENTY-ONE-!"

She didn't even count correctly and the firework rocket went soaring into the air with the screaming coyote. We all looked upwards to see the rocket flying further and further away from the surface until it became like a star in the dark black sky. A couple of us gave looks towards the lighter herself.

Fender shrugged without batting an eye. "I got bored."

His composure dropping again to release some tension, our teacher sighed and hung his head. The firework rocket was so high in the sky that he looked highly bored when he saw the small explosion of green flames erupting, gradually disappearing in the light blue clouds. I bet he wasn't cringing when we heard Zero and Fender laughing their heads off from the explosion.

Tempest narrowed her eyes, trying to see the sparkles of the firework explosion more clearly…and she fell backwards when a burnt, detached head came crashing into hers.

Our teacher just lifted his hand up to block a falling burnt tail. "I don't understand why you enjoy these excessive kill techniques."

"Not gonna lie, I…can see what you mean," I said, trying not to be awkward. "When me and Tempest got out from the building, Ace said that he managed to lay a trap in tying his victim around. Tightly. The second-hand commander of the squad!"

The older jackal's stern and stoic persona slipped for a moment, leaning forwards to me in intrigue. "Was it the bondage way or the noose way?"

"It's both," I answered. "He got creative."

"So…he touched his victim while they were dying?"

I was creeped out by this. "No! Ace said he just blew him to bits once the deed was done."

The older jackal blinked a couple of times, confused. "You can be very vague at times, you know."

I was about to correct him that I meant Ace literally blowing up his victim, only to be cut short when Zero whistled loudly. Without missing a beat, our teacher regained his stern composure and faced the rest of the squad coming towards us. Nearby, Ace immediately ran over to help the unconscious Tempest get up.

Our future leader fiddled with the envelope briefly before tossing it towards his father.

"I checked and the code is in there," he said, keeping a collected tone. "And remember, I got it fair and square."

Our teacher nodded with a sliver of approval. He appeared bored, but at least he wasn't sneering too badly.

"Acceptable work, everyone," he said.

Zero's eyes widened for a brief while, somewhat touched by this approval.

"T-Thank you, Father," he muttered, bowing down.

The older jackal didn't remark to his son, impatient to wrap up tonight. "Do whatever you want now. I expect everyone to be at my house around noon."

As the squad dispersed, it was only me, Zero and his father left. Seeing my teammates acting so happy about today's mission and the murders they probably did, I wondered what that would mean for me. If I enjoyed getting in on…this extreme action. It was messy, I'll admit. However, one thing that surprised me already was how…empty I felt when I slaughtered my victim tonight.

My pity towards him didn't revive, but it was overshadowed by a new worry about growing apathy.

And a fear that came along.

"Sir," I said quietly without even looking first. "May I…talk to you a little?"

Our teacher rolled his eyes, his hands on his hips. I nearly considered just saying nothing since he didn't appear interested. On the other hand, his son tilted his head, actually curious about what I wanted to say. Zero's curiosity encouraged me to speak further.

"Look, about my first kill," I started. "I'm so sorry about screwing it up and if tonight's was-"

With his gritted teeth in provoked anger, the older jackal pressed a finger against my lips.

"Stop acting weak, Obsidian," he scolded coldly. "You're not a baby anymore. Just skip to the part where you explain everything else."

When he drew his finger back, I hesitated. He wasn't shouting, but I knew he wouldn't want to have time to listen to me. However, I really need my teacher at that moment. I need advice about this killing business. He looked down on me during my first kill, but I wondered if he really should for my second.

The fear developed and it turned into an image of me…swinging around a sword aimlessly at people nearby me.

He didn't look like me.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my head.

"…back then, when I killed my first victim…" I had to stop several times to ensure my voice was as steady as possible. "I didn't know if it was for the best. I…AM aware that he was a coward, but I felt pity for his cries. But tonight, I felt nearly nothing. It's really strange since it didn't feel like me. I-I don't mean it in a bad way, but…is it something I should be concerned about with not caring about whose life I take?"

Our teacher narrowed his eyes in disapproval, getting ready to fire. "Obsidian, I'm not tolerating your weakness to compassion for-"

"It's not 'compassion'," I interrupted. "It's respect. That's why I want to give my second victim a proper burial."

"Oh, for goodness sake!" snarled the older jackal, taking a step forward to cast a larger shadow over my feet. "Knowing you, you're doing it out of wanting for peace. You never listen, do you?"

"It's not like that!" I protested. "Remember when I said he swore to have his way with Tempest?! He was a bastard, but after the kill, I had thoughts on what he could have done at the start!"

"Guess that was why you didn't take the time to bring his body outside immediately," said our teacher with no sympathy. "And yet, I thought you know how to not make messes."

Zero nodded in agreement with a casual look.

My vision went red again.

This time, I was filled with weak emotions.

I let out a animalistic growl, stomping my foot against the dirt many times. "Well, I'm sorry for trying not to be a mess, Mr. Perfect!" The older jackal rolled his eyes and when I tried grabbing his shoulder, he roughly pushed it away. "Aren't you worried about what if I choose to slaughter the whole squad?! To try to get a kick out of it like everyone?!"

His back was facing against me and it would be a good sign to tell me I shouldn't say further. But to my surprise, he didn't yell back. He was quiet. His composure gradually dropped with his shoulders drooping to relax and his ears folding backwards somberness. Part of his face I could see and it was the first time I saw…fear.

His expression softened. In this moment, he seemed to wonder back to a long time ago by a meteor speed. The eye I could see shifted left and right in paranoia, becoming aware of how vulnerable he could be. This wasn't anything like him at all.

It even had Zero staring at him speechless, noticing something different about his father.

His father would usually either straight-up yell or bluntly explain his reasons without any emotion. But this was new.

I grew aware of how dark it was already becoming. My eyesight got used to the dim lighting, but I could still see the shadow over his face. The shadow that hid what could make him humane. It would have been a miracle to have light shining on him since it could be a painting that resembled his worry. It was hard to tell if he truly was worried.

After thinking through for a few minutes, he lifted one of his hands and flexed his fingers, admiring the same sharp claws we all bear. But there was no pride, disgust or pragmatism.

"The ones who committed to not question their killing are the people who fall beneath the strong," he said with dissonant calmness. "The ones who thought through…made the best decisions. You're one of them."

I didn't believe it. I wouldn't be making the best decisions if I carelessly kill without watching for the sake of wanting to feel something and not fall behind with my friends.

I chuckled bitterly, shaking my head. "How possible?"

Our teacher turned back to me, his body gradually becoming stern and straight. "You have common sense. You know when it would be necessary to kill. You can complain over feeling numb, but your thoughts don't see killing as a sport. And you know what an overkill can bring when it interconnects with survival."

I stared at him for a long time. I never really thought about it that way. This came from worrying about what my newfound feelings would do. He made a good point since I could tell the difference in if it was worth getting rid of a single life, depending on what they did before.

It was the knowledge of being unable to have it any other way but not using it as an excuse to kill more that wasn't related to the right choices.

Our teacher never let the bloodlust get to his head. He only killed to survive.

So that must be what he saw in me.

And he wasn't done, shooting a glare at his son. "Something which we still need to learn about, right, Zero?"

Zero hummed, looking down. "Yes, Father."

Uncaring to his son's crestfallen look, the older jackal turned back to me with a slight nod of approval. The reused paint of his strict and stern expression returned to the appearance, but the nod told me a lot. It was his way of showing respect or priase. He only did this to those he saw potential in.

Receiving this meant a lot to me as a growing mercenary.

I nodded in return, trying to smile.

He didn't return the smile, but he didn't try to mock me for that. He walked away without a word, letting me sink into my thoughts. His steps were more graceful, taking his time walking through our village's lonely streets. Being a sharp leader, he was practically a hawk at the moment. Never keeping down his guard, but still active on his sights. His tail slowly swayed behind his back, asserting his dominance and logic.

And then, it occurred to me that he just did teach me to question who deserved to be punished.

A grunt from Zero and when I turned to him, he was stomping away. I was about to speak out loud and reach a hand forward…but I hesitated. The dread of having a provoked leader in my face returned.

And I stood there stupidly, letting Zero wallow up in his own pity. The future jackal emitted more heavier footsteps, his tail waving in irritation and needed attention.

After all, who would want to listen to someone who never felt cathartic from killing people you hate?

I slapped a hand over my face and let out a loud groan of resignation.

AN: For those who feel nostalgic reading today's chapter, then this would remind you of several Sonic Forces stories that focused on the Jackal Squad.

While it's mostly remembered in my head, I took inspiration from 'The Wolf and the Jackal' by Azure Feathers 2022, the discontinued 'Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb' by The Sensational SpiderDom321, 'Memories of Infinite's Past' by Ultimate Anarchy, 'Fall From Power' by Lordius Dannius and the discontinued 'Suffer' by ShadowLvr15. My depiction of the Jackal Squad feels like it keeps changing, especially in my writing tone (you can practically see the bloodthirsty humor I have through some of them), but the mentioned stories serve as vital inspirations and familiar references to the formation and culture of these characters.

For context, the inspiration to Obsidian killing his official second victim was Chapter 4 of 'Notrious: The Life of Wolf O'Donnell' by ZombieAxeHero to detail the remorselessness Obsidian exhibited. This translated into the person he becomes today and as the reason why he isn't too shaken by his five murders.

Zero's/Infinite's father is one of the most interesting characters to write. While most of his traits take inspirations from previous depictions by Azure Feathers 2022 and Ultimate Anarchy, I want to try to give a new authentic depiction while not shying away from his job as a no-nonsense mercenary.

Additionally, I turned to Assassin's Creed Master for help given that he did a good job in nailing the intimidation of villainous characters (such as his depiction of Mephiles in 'Be One World, Be The Light') and he gave me advice on how I should write Zero's father. Thank you so much, mate, for teaching me how to create an intimidating character.

Man, this story has been up for a YEAR now! And a day old. Before I forget, I think it should be time to say who I think would voice the main and recurring characters seen in the story so far. It has been on my mind and I actually wanted to reveal it at Chapter 20. But I grew lazy and this chapter is a special one, so this is the right occasion to reveal the potential voice actors for many characters.

I imagine that Agent Stone's (Lee Majdoub), Topaz's (Jennifer Johnson), the Commander's (Marc Thompson), Lyric's (Patrick Seitz) and Dave's (Wally Wingert) would remain the same for this story. And as a reference back to SATAM, I'm considering having Antoine voiced by Rob Paulsen despite being a nearly In-Name Character.

Here are the rest, with some potential voices for official characters changed a little:

Justice Washington (Cookie Run: Kingdom, God of Rock) - Obsidian
Carolina Ravassa (Overwatch, VALORANT) - Molly Johnson
Edwyn Tiong (True Tail, Fruits Basket) - Willy Walrus
Jasmine Yeng (Murder Drones) - Weasel Bandits
Anthony Sardinha (PAW Patrol, Meta Runner) - Fiyero
Clancy Brown (Spongebob Squarepants, LEGO Batman) - September
Sonny Strait (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Dragon Ball) - Matthew
Benni Latham (Lackadaisy) - Breezie
Eric Bauza (Looney Tunes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) - Ash Moongoose
Deven Mack (Sonic Prime, Total Drama) - Shard
Nola Klop (Poppy Playtime, Murder Drones) - Rosemary
Dane Willard Boeigheimer (Annoying Orange) - Shortfuse
Edward Bosco (Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss) - Kalus

With how this works, I decided to pick voice actors not just in the video game industry but in the web/indie animation since there are many fantastic voice actors. It's a vast, diverse cast. Fun fact that if the animal characters are humans, then their ethnicity would match with their potential VA's, such as Obsidian being African-American and Molly being Columbian.

Some might have surprised you such as Deven Mack for Shard (...yeah). The biggest surprise will have to go for Obsidian; after hearing a bit of Justice Washington's voice, I knew that it would make Obsidian's voice deep…but I decided to go with it to underline his roughness and for something different. Jackal boi has a very guttural baritone. :3

Let me know of how you think the flashback chapter is mapped out in terms of the mercenary lifestyle, the humor, the chemistry seen between Obsidian and Tempest (especially in the fight scene) and the potential voice actors for the characters so far.

Thank you for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story, be sure to follow or favorite. Prepare for more updates to come! Make sure to leave a review with your thoughts. Constructive criticism is needed for improvements, but if any flames, then you'll end up being the fool.

Until next time, keep on rocking!