Chapter 6: Blooded
It had been a week since the members of the 701 pack were asked to join a club. Legosi had been successful, as well as his best friend Jack. Collot managed to get in touch with the Greek club, but hadn't received a response yet. The same was said for Durham and Miguno, who left a good impression with the recruiter. The only member of the pack who wasn't very hopeful was Voss.
As a fennec fox, Voss found it difficult to be taken seriously due to him being a small animal and having a disability. The recruiters were nice about it, but he could tell they had no interest in letting him join their clubs. Reading animals was one of his best skills and after training as an assassin, that ability grew as a result.
Voss had never felt bad about being a small animal since he was still able to participate in almost any activity. However, because he is a mute, he couldn't join clubs that required a lot of communication skills. He knew it wouldn't be fair to force the club members to learn sign language just for him, but it still hurt all the same.
Of course, Legosi and the others comforted him and the assassin he's currently training under reassured him that he's already appreciated by every member of the brotherhood.
His master, a female owl named Eulalie, explained to him that his abilities and so called disability, already make him a better assassin than most of the newer members. The only thing he lacks is experience, which they would fix very soon.
Voss smiled at this and promised her that he would work hard to make her proud.
It was now the end of the day and everyone was getting ready to head to their dorms. Everyone except for a certain pack who had been summoned back to the hideout. They were able to go without issue as none of the clubs had their first official meetings yet. Instead, they would be throwing welcoming parties Friday for their new recruits, thus allowing Legosi and the others to leave without a hassle.
"What do you think Mentor T'Challa has for us today?" Miguno asked as he and the others entered the main hall.
"Not sure," Collot responded. "But given how we had nothing to do, he probably wants us to do some extra training. It wouldn't be the first time after all."
"Maybe, but something seems different," Legosi said as he looked around and realized no one was there. "Guys, we should activate our eagle vision."
Everyone looked at him with a raised eyebrow. They were, of course, able to use the ability since they unlocked it within their first year of training. It was actually the first ability they were trained to use since it was so important for being an assassin.
Miguno was the first one to unlock the ability after just under a month of training. The higher ranked assassins were surprised by this since he obtained the ability much faster than anyone who wasn't born with it. It made them believe that perhaps the hyena had some assassin ancestry, something that is still getting looked into.
Jack was the next to unlock the eagle vision, with the rest following suit. It took them a full three months of training, which was the standard for those who weren't born with the ability. Despite that, they made great strides without it and knew it was only a matter of time.
"Why should we activate our eagle vision?" Durham asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Because it's too quiet," Legosi said as he put his hand on the dagger he kept with him at all times, his hidden blade also at the ready.
The others narrowed their eyes once they realized he was right. Ordinarily, someone would be here to greet them, even if their masters hadn't arrived yet. It was then they followed the wolf's advice and activated their eagle vision while readying their weapons.
For Jack, he had a small pack filled with throwing knives that he kept under his sleeve. Collot and Durham took out their own daggers while Miguno and Voss took out their senbon needles, projectiles that would paralyzed any part of an animal's body they hit.
Legosi, after activating his own eagle vision, scanned the room until he saw newly made arrows leading down one of the hallways. He gestured for his friends to follow, which they did without question, their weapons at the ready.
After a few minutes, the 701 pack made it to what many in the brotherhood called the job room. It was called this because this was where the assassin would receive their assignments.
As soon as they entered, a large series of projectiles such as knives and arrows came flying at them. With quick and practiced movement, they jumped out of the way with ease. As soon as they landed, Jack, Miguno, and Voss threw their weapons at the assailants.
Meanwhile, Legosi, Collot, and Durham, who landed on the walls, used them as a springboard to jump higher into the air. With their eagle vision activated, they were able to spot three figures who were getting ready to move. However, the three canines refuse to let them get away and allowed their honed instincts to take over.
The three of them came down on the intruders and swung their daggers, ready to end things. However, the intruder Legosi was about to strike brought out a dagger of his own. Almost immediately, everyone heard the clashing metal against metal as the two engaged in what sounded like a brutal battle.
Legosi ran forward and swung his dagger upward. His opponent returned the action in kind by going for a downward strike. The daggers clashed once more as the wolf stared down his opponent. Legosi couldn't see who or what the animal was thanks to his hood covering his face, but the wolf could feel the assailant staring into his eyes.
The two jumped back and in that moment, Legosi pulled out a knife from the pouch he keeps strapped to his left leg and threw it. As soon as he landed, he looked up just in time to see his knife class with another knife and watched as they both fell to the ground. Once they reached the floor, the wolf turned to his opponent in shock. Somehow, the assailant had mirrored his attack perfectly.
Meanwhile, Collot was taking on the second intruder with Jack backing him up. Each time the white sheepdog managed to get into his enemy's guard and force him back, Jack would throw his knives in order to catch him. This was a standard tactic for assassins fighting as a pair, but an effective one. This was proven true when Jack managed to tear some of the intruder's clothing.
When he did, Collot would jump back into the fight. He thrusted his dagger forward in an attempt to stab his opponent. The assailant sidestepped the attack before swinging his short sword upward in an attempt to cut off the outstretched arm. However, Collot spun around and dodged the attack while using the momentum to stab his opponent in the back.
The intruder jumped back just in time to avoid the attack. While in the air, he used his sword to deflect the knives Jack started throwing again. When he landed, he showed the two dogs that he managed to catch two of the knives, shocking them both. He immediately threw them back at Jack, who was too stunned to move out of the way.
Just then, Collot jumped in front of his friend and swatted away the knives with his dagger. He then stared down their foe, watching for their next move.
At the same time, Durham, Miguno, and Voss were fighting against the third intruder. Unlike the first two, this assailant was fighting from a distance with arrows. That wouldn't be so bad, but when the three carnivores saw one of the arrows dripping with a purple liquid, they knew the arrows were dipped in poison.
This made it next to impossible to get close since even a single scratch could spell disaster for the assassins in training. What's more, everytime Either Miguno or Voss tried to go and support Legosi, three arrows would be fired in front of them, cutting off their path. It was clear to them that this intruder's objective was to keep them separated from the others.
"Any ideas?" Miguno whispered.
"None from me," Durham answered in a low voice. "I can't get in close and your senbon would get blown away from just one of their arrows. Hate to say it, but we're at a disadvantage."
"If we could create a distraction, we might be able to slip past them."
"I don't think that's possible. They have us completely pinned down and if we so much as twitch, we'll be lucky if we don't end up looking like a bunch of overgrown porcupines."
Voss nodded his head in agreement.
"Hate to say this Miguno, but the only way I see us getting out of this is if one of the others somehow makes this guy lose his focus. Even if it's just for a second, that'll be enough for us to at least jump out of the way."
As if on cue, a small, semi-silent explosion erupted from one of the upper balconies. Both sides looked up to see an area slowly being covered in smoke. The 701 packmates instantly recognized it from one of Legosi's smoke bombs.
See thing, Durham quickly looked back at the bow using intruder and just as he had hoped for, their gaze was no longer on them. It was only for a split second, but that was all the coyote needed. Without hesitation, he tapped his teammates' shoulders and jumped away, prompting them to do the same.
The archer quickly realized their mistake and turned back at the young carnivores, their bow at the ready. When they did however, the three packmates were already gone. Seeing this, they ducted down, just in time to dodge Durham's dagger.
The Coyote wasn't deterred however as he pulled out a second dagger before going for a downward stab. When his second weapon was blocked by the bow, Durham landed a kick to the archer's stomach, sending them skidding back.
The assailant tried to recover, but at that point it was too late. Both Miguno and Voss had already thrown their senbon at the exact location where they knew Durham would kick his enemy. As such, the intruder was immediately met with six senbon. Two stabbing into their shoulders, two on the upper back, and one in both forearms, causing them to drop the bow and go limp.
Immediately, Durham rushed forward and brought his daggers up to the archer's neck, both in a perfect position to sever the intruder's neck. Meanwhile, Miguno brought out another senbon and pressed it against a pressure point on the back of the intruder's neck, daring them to make a move.
"Voss, we've got this one. You go and support Legosi!" Durham ordered.
Voss nodded and jumped on the coyote's head before jumping to the upper balcony in order to help their leader.
Back on the upper balcony, Legosi now held the advantage against his enemy. After releasing the smoke bomb, the wolf picked up one of the hidden crossbows and was now firing arrows at the intruder. Just like the archer, Legosi's arrows were covered in a deadly substance. Instead of poison however, it was acid.
The intruder, who was most likely the leader given his skill, found this out the hard way while dodging one of the arrows. The arrow managed to shoot through his right sleeve and he immediately noticed the acid eating away his clothing. The assailant quickly ripped off his sleeve while he was in the air, revealing a well toned arm that was covered in beige colored fur.
The wolf recognized the arm, but continued his assault. He realized what this was and had no intention in holding back anymore.
After launching his last arrow, the 'intruder' stopped in his tracks while attempting to catch his breath. This proved fatal however as all the acid ate away at the balcony floor he was standing on, causing it to crumble and send him crashing to the ground.
Voss, who was still trying to get to Legosi, stopped once he saw the animal Legosi was fighting, fall past him. Not wanting to take a chance, the fennec fox threw three more senbon needles at the attacker's exposed arm. The senbon hit their intended mark, causing the animal to flinch from the pain.
"Good job Voss," Legosi barked as he landed next to his diminutive friend.
Voss gave a thumbs up before the two descended to ground level.
With Collot and Jack, their fight came to a complete halt once the second intruder saw his partners get captured. Seeing the situation for what it was, the assailant dropped his weapons before putting his hands up, showing his surrender.
The two dogs looked at each other for a moment before nodding.
Collot went up to their opponent, his dagger at the ready should they try anything. When the white sheepdog saw no movement, he picked up one of the ropes that was in the room and tied the intruder's hands behind his back.
With that done, Jack put his knives away before helping Collot escort their prisoner to the center of the room.
"Alright, who the hell are you and how did you find this place," Durham said in a demanding tone.
Legosi let out a small chuckle at this, catching his friends' attention.
"What's so funny?" Miguno asked.
"Come one you guys. Do you really not recognize our brothers and sister?" Legosi asked as he pointed to the leader's exposed arm.
The rest of his pack looks at the arm and their jaws nearly drop. The arm belonged to Luke, a male mountain lion and one of the higher rank assassins.
Legosi, holding back a chuckle, walked over to the assassin before pulling down his hood, revealing the grinning lion.
"I was wondering when you'd catch on," Luke said with a laugh.
"Luke? But then who are-"
Before Durham could finish, Jack walked over to the other assailant and pulled down their hoods. All of them were shocked when the archer turned out to be Jabari and the other dagger fighter was Dai, who smiled at them and spoke.
"Ok, I know this is surprising to say the least, but there's a reason for this."
Seeing that the new recruits were too stunned to speak, the black wolf decided to continue.
"Mentor T'Challa wanted us to test your abilities and the three of us agreed that this was the best way to go about it. You see, rather than bring you to the usual training area, we wanted to see how you would fare in a real life scenario, such as getting ambushed. And in case it wasn't obvious, you all passed with flying colors."
Legosi, seeing that his packmates were still stunned, patted each of them on the backs. After getting their bearings, the other five smiled at him and at each other.
"Heh, damn right we did!" Durham barked as he gave Miguno a high five. "Like there was ever a doubt."
"While I can't say I like your method of testing us, I understand why you did," Collot said as he scratched the back of his head. "Still, I would prefer it if you didn't endanger my friend's lives in the future. Those poison arrows were no joke, you know."
Dai tilted his head in confusion
"Don't you mean paralyzing arrows?" the black wolf asked in genuine confusion.
Collot shook his head before pointing to one of the arrows.
"No, I mean poison arrows."
Dai narrowed his eyes at this before walking over to the arrow. After taking a quick sniff of it, he turned around with an angry expression covering his face.
"JABARI! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Dai snarled, his face wrinkling enough to show his fangs. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO USE THE LETHAL STUFF!"
"W-What are you talking about?" the aardwolf asked in a terrified tone as he put his hands up defensively. "I used the paralysis serum liked we talked about."
"Yea, the one that comes from one of our plants! You used the jellyfish one you maron!"
Jabari's eyes widened in terror over what nearly happened. He quickly turned to the 701 pack and bowed his head.
"I am so sorry you guys. I honestly thought it was the serum I was supposed to use."
Everyone, except for Jack, Legosi, and Voss, sweatdropped. Unlike the rest of them, the three canines remembered what jellyfish toxins could do to an animal and now had a look of horror on their face.
"Look, we can discuss Jabari's screw up later, but right now we need to get back on track," Luke said, getting everyone's attention. "Ok you six, as Dai explained, this was a test to see if you were ready for the field. As I suspected, you all passed, which means there's just one last thing you all need to do before we give you an assignment."
"What do we have to do?" Legosi asked. "Does it have anything to do with the area I scouted the other day?"
"That depends on what happens next." the lion answered. You see, all of you are going to be blooded,"
All the pack members went pale. To be blooded meant that they were about to have their first kill. In other words, the time has come for them to end someone's life. They knew this day would come since this is what they trained for, but not that it was here, they started having doubts.
"A-Are you sure about this Luke?" Jack asked in a shaky voice. "I mean, shouldn't we have some kind of mentality training or something?"
Luke shook his head.
"I understand your hesitancy, but all of you have trained for the past four years in order to learn how to fight and kill. Frankly, you should have done this a lot sooner, but the mentor wanted all of you to be as ready as possible first and as we've established, you are."
Jack simply looked down as his ears folded back. Being blooded was his biggest fear when he joined the assassins and wanted to avoid it at all cost. He was even ready to stay as a permanent member of the support team in order to stay away from the killing.
Just then, the labrador felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Legosi smiling down at him. Before Jack could respond, the wolf brought him into a hug that the other soon joined.
"Don't worry Jack, we're all here for you and we're in this together," Legosi said as he slightly tightened his grip.
"Exactly!" Miguno said in a cheery tone, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "Plus, we're all doing it at the same time. So if anything, this'll bring us even closer."
We are a pack, and that means we help each other with our burdens Voss signaled sagely.
"I don't know why you're acting so surprised," Durham said in exasperation. "I'm the one who told you we'd have to kill if we did this, but you still went along. If anything, this is just another 'I told you so' moment for me."
The other five just rolled their eyes while giving each other good natured smiles. Now, feeling much more resolved, Legosi turned to Luke.
"We're ready."
The three older assassins nodded their heads and started walking out of the room. Not needing a signal, The six pack mates followed them, anxious about what they were about to do.
After a few minutes and a quick change of clothes, the nine assassins arrived at the prison where they saw their leader waiting for them.
"I take it they passed the test," T'Challa said with a look of pride.
"Yes, mentor T'Challa, they performed excellently," Jabari said as he bowed his head. "We've already informed them of why they are here and they confirmed that they are ready."
The panther nodded to him before turning to his youngest assassins, all of them standing tall in their robes.
"Since they've explained why you're here, I won't waste any more of your time. Time and again, you six have proven to be truly exceptional trainees."
"You've gone through all the training, learned all the material, and have faced each trial set before you. Now is the time for you to take the final leap. So I ask you one final time, are you ready to cement yourself as assassins?"
The 701 boys gave each other one final glance before nodding to their master.
T'Challa nodded in return before signaling for the rest of the brotherhood to come. In an instant, every member of the Japan branch appeared before the six pack members, all of them looking at their students with pride.
"We are here to witness the blooding of these six trainees. We have taught them everything from the forbidden history to the ways of the blade. We have imparted to them our secrets and our philosophies. They have taken our knowledge and now stand here, not as mere boys, but as assassins. Now, let the final trail begin!"
At his word, six of the other assassins went further into the prison. They soon returned with six prisoners, all of them with bags over their heads.
"These six animals knowingly joined the templars, our sworn enemies. They have abandoned their animality in exchange for riches, power, and many other ill gotten gains. Their lives have been forfeited and their execution will be carried out by our youngest brothers."
All the assassins nodded their heads before putting on their hoods, prompting the 701 pack to do the same. They then removed the bags from the prisoners' heads, forcing them to face their executioners.
"What is this?!" a male lynx said angrily as he looked up at Legosi, unable to see his face. "Are you filthy assassins really leaving my fate in the hands of a child? Do you truly believe me not worthy of death by the hands of one of your own? Your arrogance knows no bounds!"
"Shut up you moron!" a male fox said in a scared but serious tone before looking up at Jack, his face just as hidden. "Listen, I'm just a lowly grunt. I needed the money and they were willing to hire. I don't know anything about what's going on so please, please let me go."
"Enough, these are your final moments. The least you can do is have some dignity." a female blue jay said before turning to Voss.
"A small animal being killed by another small animal. Honestly, I don't know whether to feel insulted or honored. Insulted because I'm apparently not good enough to be offed by one of those giant assholes and honored because I'm helping one of my kind join their ranks. Well kid, just make sure to stick it to every last one of those idiots who always looked down on us."
Voss didn't respond, not even through body language. However, he would take the templar's words to heart.
"Dignity, what has dignity ever given us," a male lizard with an impressive physique asked with disgust in his voice before spitting at the floor in front of Durham. "Dignity never got us anything in this world, sure as hell can't take it to the bank!"
The lizard looked up at the coyote and while he couldn't see the young coyote's face, he could tell Durham was looking at him like he was the lowest creature to exist.
"Don't bother giving me that look. I ain't give a shit about all the order or greater good crap. They the ones with the ideas, the money, and the power. Me, I'm just a man who enjoys having a beer in one hand and a titty in the other. I lived my life how I saw fit, what of you?"
Durham didn't answer. He was indeed looking at this reptile like he was nothing but scum and ignored his words entirely.
"It's filth like you that made me join the Templars in the first place," female Zebra said as she glared at the lizard before looking up at Miguno. "I won't bother with any final words. Just get it over with."
"Itching to see what happens next, eh?" the final prisoner, a thin and handsome male pig said with a smile. "Well, can't say I blame you. I lived a good life by my standards, so all that's left is to see where we go after this."
Collot also refused to say anything, but only because if he did, he wouldn't be able to go through with it.
"You have your orders, begin!" T'Challa said in a commanding voice.
Legosi and the others each walked up to their respective prisoner until they were an arm's length away. The wolf could sense his friends starting to hesitate and so, after taking a deep breath went first.
SWISH
With one quick motion, the wolf drove his hidden blade deep into the lynx's neck, causing him to cough up blood. Before his victim could die though, Legosi grabbed the feline's back and leaned forward, positioning him so he was laying on his back. Finally, with the lynx's head lifted up so he could look at the wolf, Legosi spoke.
"I do this not for myself. I make this sacrifice and bear this burden for the greater good. Rest in peace."
With those final words, the lynx closes his eyes forever as Legosi carefully lays him down. The wolf says one final prayer for the feline, truly hoping he will find peace.
Jack and the others look at their friend in shock. They saw the wolf ended the animal's life so easily that it was almost modifying.
Meanwhile, the fox was shaking from fear as he knew he was next. The other prisoners however, accepted their fate, believing their ends will be just as dignified as the lynx's.
Jack, who was still in complete disbelief at what his best friend did, looked at the fox who was now on the brink of tears. The more he looked at the smaller canine, the more he felt himself shaking. He couldn't understand how Legosi did it so easily and so fast.
That is, until it hit him. Legosi did it fast because it left no room for hesitation. As such, he knew what he had to do.
SWCHING
The labrador plunged his hidden blade into the fox, who let out a gurgle as his mouth filled with blood. Jack wanted it to end there. To close his eyes and just let the fox fall on the floor while he turned around and empty his stomach.
Still, he had a duty to fulfill, not for himself or the brotherhood, but for the one he killed. After another deep breath, he laid the fox back and spoke.
"F-F-Fear not the darkness, but welcome its embrace. Rest in peace."
Just like that, the fox closed his eyes, but not before reaching up and touching Jack's face as a single tear fell from his.
Jack, after laying the fox's head down, looked at his hand that was not covered in blood. His face went green at the sight of it and before anyone could react, he ran away from everyone while holding his muzzle for dear life.
T'Challa, seeing his assassin's reaction as well as the concern of his more senior members, motioned for one of them to go after the labrador. He expected this outcome as it wasn't the first time it happened. Once he saw one of his assassin's running after Jack, he motioned for Voss to go next.
Voss, wanting all this to be over with, looked at the blue jay and nodded.
SWISH
The fennec fox ended the bird's life in was probably the cleanest kill a new assassin ever made. Not being able to talk, however, he couldn't give the final rights to the bird, so T'Challa did it for him.
SWCHING
Durham made his kill just as quickly as he didn't want to go through all that drama. Still, as much as the lizard disgusted him, the coyote did his duty.
"I take no joy in this, but I see no other way. Rest in peace."
The lizard gave Durham one last look of defiance before his head back lifelessly.
"A bastard to the end," the coyote said as he laid the lizard down.
SQWELP
Collot and Miguno made their kills at the same time as they saw no reason not to. They both agreed to let Miguno give the right and after they laid the two animals down, the hyena spoke.
"May death provide you with the peace you sought. Rest in peace."
The two animals closed their eyes one final time. The Zebra with a look of acceptance and the pig with a big smile on his face.
"It is done," T'Challa said before turning to the rest of the assassins. "With these deaths, we have gained six new assassins, six fighters in the war for the freedom of animality."