Little Hunter

"They think it's the Ambassadors," her mother declared. "Revenge for Accord."

"Gee," Tattletale mused. "Sure is a good thing we know they didn't do it."

They both looked at her.

The names Accord and the Ambassadors were familiar to Nanku. The Pure mentioned the former. The latter was one of the gangs in the city.

"I can call Citrine," Tattletale said. "Get the Ambassadors to lay low for a bit. It's easier than ever now that we don't have to tiptoe around Accord's many explosive trigger warnings."

"I need to go to the scene." Her mother inhaled. "I need to think of something that will convince everyone without implicating"—she stiffened—"anyone by mistake. What we need to do is make sure this doesn't explode."

Tattletale shook her head. "What we need to do is put your daughter on a leash."

"Try," Nanku warned. Dusk snarled at her side.

"We can't let her run around dropping corpses by the dozen." Tattletale ignored her completely, and Nanku didn't think she liked it. "Jesus fuck. Two days and she managed to kill Victor and three dozen Nazis, and she caught Alabaster!"

"Why can't we turn her in?" Cassie asked.

She flinched as Dawn's head turned toward her. Hellhound waved her dogs forward, and the standoff picked up across the table. Nanku still had her knife in hand.

"Because I won't allow it," her mother said firmly. Her voice shook as she spoke. Strained. "It won't happen."

"And I'm not going to go behind her back," Tattletale assured. "So here we are with a fucking mess and a need to clean it up."

She turned to Nanku.

"Stay here. Please, just stay here while I try and keep this from—" She shook her head. "Stay here."

"Going to lock the door?" Nanku asked with derision.

"It wouldn't hold you." Her mother tensed, torn and pale. Horrified and determined. "Please, Nanku. Trust me. I need to go and deal with this before it explodes into the streets."

"You don't want that," Tattletale mused.

Nanku snarled but the blonde shrugged.

"Or fine. Go out. Drop another three dozen corpses. That's what you're here for after all."

Her mother raised her head. "You want to find who murdered Danny, and you want to know the truth about the camp? So do I. But we have to deal with this first or people will die."

"A bunch of innocents being killed on account of something you did?" Tattletale gave a pointed look. "That's not very honorable."

"You talk too much," Nanku replied.

Hellhound scoffed. "Truth is truth."

"Nanku." Her mother leaned over the table. "Just stay here for tonight. Please. I need to know the damage before I can—"

Her facade broke, twisting with grief.

Nanku blinked at the expression.

She had changed. If Pe'dte learned she'd made so many kills—even meager ones—she'd be nothing but proud. Executing a raid into a den. Precision gathering of information. Her blunder with the phone produced an ambush, but she'd survived it.

Those were commendable things. Nanku was proud of them.

Annette Hebert was horrified and confused.

"Fine." Nanku laid back in her seat and busied her hands scratching Dusk. "I need sleep."

"You need a bath," Hellhound said.

"Thank you," her mother said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I'll go deal with Citrine." Tattletale inhaled. "That'll be fun."

Her mother turned to leave but began fiddling with her phone by the door. "I'll contact you as soon as I can."

"QC, was it?" Tattletale looked Nanku's way. "Odd set of letters. I doubt it refers to Quinn Calle."

"Who?"

"Lawyer. Couldn't possibly be related to any logo you'd want to find, but there can only be so many QC's."

Hellhound raised her head curiously and Cassie tilted hers in confusion.

"I'll make you a deal." Tattletale smiled. "Just to be nice and encourage you to be nice. Your mother's my friend, and this is one hell of a night that's going to keep going south before we right it. It really will help if you just keep quiet and wait for a bit."

She shrugged.

"You don't want to be found out anyway. Leave a trail that can be tracked to… whatever it is I'm not prying into since you're murderously intent on protecting it and I like living."

She pointed as she turned to the door.

"Play nice, and I'll see what I can find about that logo."

Nanku's brow rose. She still wasn't a fool. The girl was trying to play her, but she had tantalizing bait.

"Why?"

"Because someone massacred a camp of kids. Nazis? I ain't shedding shit for Nazis. I'm annoyed I have to deal with the mess. I'm not mourning them. But a bunch of summer camp kids? If whoever did that is still out there, fuck them too. Bitch. Keep an eye on our little hunter."

Hellhound huffed. "Not a babysitter."

"Then keep her company. It's one day. I can probably search out that logo in two or three. If that's not good enough, I'm sure 'Nanku' can find her own way out if she really wants to."

"What about Alabaster?"

Nanku started to move.

"No," Tattletale said. "Jesus. Just keep him tied up and do not let him escape. Weaver and I can get more out of him than you two. First chance we get. Not like the Pure will expect us to have him so whatever. Take the silver lining on this one."

"And it would be a lot easier if someone would restrain themselves from whatever wacky idea they have about killing Nazis."

"No."

Tattletale flinched. So did Cassie. Even Hellhound seemed surprised.

"They're trying to kill you," Nanku reminded, looking at the back of her mother's head. "They might hurt Rose. Or that man and his son. I hold no ill toward them. I don't want you dead."

The woman turned slowly.

"Tell me how to find Iron Rain."

The reactions were stark.

Tattletale and Hellhound both piqued with immediate interest.

Her mother paled.

"No," she said. "I won't tell you."

"She wants you dead, not the Pure."

"She's not wrong," Hellhound said bluntly.

Nanku narrowed her eyes. "Or I can find her myself."

"No."

Her mother blew past Tattletale and came at her with enough speed Nanku thought she might try going through the table. She didn't. She stopped at the edge and leaned forward onto her knuckles. She met Nanku's eyes fiercely and repeated the word.

"No. Rain is my problem and I'll deal with her. You don't know what's going on and you are going to stay right here while I sort this out so it doesn't blow back on you."

"Why do you care?" Nanku asked.

Tattletale jumped in while Weaver stared silently.

"Because your mom saved my damned life and I owe her," she said while waving her mother off. "And she'll probably let you kill half the city before she gives you up since she isn't thinking with her head right now."

Her mother left in a hurr, and Nanku was sad to see her go. That was another surprise. She also didn't get the answers to any of her questions.

One day, she told herself. Just one day.

She'd strike back out on her own if need be. A solid idea for getting into the police building had come to her and she could search their records for the information she needed.

Yet, something in her mother's tone left her curious.

She knew something.

About her father, at least.

Tattletale let her annoyance and anger slip onto her face.

"So shut up. Sit down. And wait right here where Bitch can keep an eye on you until we clean up your mess."

~ ~ ~

Nanku stood under the water and thought.

She was certain she hated Tattletale.

Something about her was smug and condescending, and she thought she was clever. When she thought she couldn't be clever she tried to be 'truthful' but something about it left a sour taste in Nanku's mouth.

She offered much but didn't seem the type to keep to her word. Helping tracking down the logo would be useful. It was why she came, and Nanku had hit dead ends in trying.

And her mother.

Her mother, who was no longer pointing guns at her head or denying who she was. Nanku wanted to talk to her. They weren't done yet. There was still her father, and Rose too.

She couldn't do any of that if some Nazi got a good ambush or line on her and fired.

Nanku inhaled and turned the water off.

Hellhound's 'home' lacked the charm of the Bakeman's den. The water was lukewarm rather than hot. The shower was a concrete alcove in a cold undecorated concrete room rather than a comfortable tiled space. It smelled of bleach and dust. The sink was a trough and the mirror was tarnished at the edges.

It worked well enough. Nanku wondered if she'd spoiled herself a bit too much.

Dusk and Dawn followed her from the bath, both shaking their bodies from head to toe and rapidly beating their wings.

Nanku waited until they finished to grab a towel. She dried herself first and then directed the Twins to hold their wings out. Water didn't hurt their shells, but their wings could gunk up if not dried after getting wet.

She took her time, sliding the towel along each sheet of veiny flesh.

They liked the exercise, treating it as a particularly pleasant sort of soft scratching.

Nanku gave their wings a twice-over just because.

She checked Dawn's side. The chitin bulged but the crack was sealed and already healing. Their species was tough and spongy inside. She'd seen them take and endure worse wounds.

There was yet an ache in her mind that echoed into Nanku's. "You'll be fine in a day or two."

Dawn chittered and Nanku let her scurry around to her back.

Hellhound stood in the doorway. She'd removed her jacket, fully exposing the injury on her shoulder and the pink bandages covering it. At her side, the one-eyed dog—Angelica—snarled. Dawn snarled back, posturing herself with her talons out, and her wings spread wide and fluttering.

Dusk moved behind her, barring the way toward Nanku as she wrung her hair out.

"Well trained," Hellhound said.

"Smart bugs," Nanku replied.

She'd maintained a constant sweep of her swarm over the surrounding block. Eyes, small legs, and shaking wings in every shadow, crevice, and corner. Watching. Waiting.

If her mother or Tattletale planned to betray her, they'd not set it in motion yet.

Nanku sat and pulled her armor back on. She wrapped her chest first and then her waist. She slipped her breastplate on. Guards. Boots. Gauntlets. Her weapons went into their places one by one.

Hellhound watched the entire time but spoke only as Nanku grabbed a large piece near the end of her exercise.

"What's that?"

Instinct, Nanku thought. Hellhound's were good.

"Nothing."

A small arm rose up on her backpiece, and Nanku fit the device to the arm. It spun around, folded down, and locked into place. It wasn't her favorite weapon, but she'd earned it.

Hellhound pursed her lips. "What's your power?"

"Guess."

Nanku took her mask and fit it to her belt.

If her previous experience were a guide, her mother and Tattletale would be absent for hours. There was still Alabaster to deal with. Sitting idle wasn't her preference. Neither was having 'allies.' Not those outside the clan.

Even in the clan, her closest association besides Pe'dte were the other young bloods her age. The ones she'd trained and come up with. Their attitudes varied, but she thought of most as being friends at the least. Sometimes tense friends with reservations, but they all knew one another and there was respect between them.

They were family.

So was her mother, but the Undersiders…

Nanku shook her head.

She'd go back to the Bakeman's and observe. Alabaster showed up at the den she raided. Another Nazi might go looking for their missing men and 'Victor.' That was one of the Pure's capes, and Alabaster mentioned 'Othala.' They might go looking again and if they did and noticed her mother—

Hellhound's arm barred her way. "No."

Nanku met her eyes.

She didn't budge, blink, or flinch.

Maybe she'd get to kill her after all.

"Move."

Hellhound offered no answer.

Fine.

Nanku jerked her shoulder and Hellhound—rather than respond—clapped her in the nose.

The blow hurt only slightly, and Nanku shook off the daze quickly.

She was surprised.

Hellhound grabbed her arm and threw her back into the room. Nanku threw a foot back and braced herself, slipping her arm around Hellhound's. She pulled, twisting until the auburn-haired girl's back struck the wall.

Angelica barked loudly and the Twin scurried to intercept her.

"Stop!"

Cassie stomped her foot and threw a handful of something.

The bits clattered against Nanku and one struck in the eye before scattering to the floor. Angelica jerked and quickly snatched one of the pieces up. Dusk and Dawn tasted at them, and then joined the dog in sucking the kibble up one at a time.

Cassie glared, her different-colored eyes sharp and focused.

She pulled a large bag from her feet and reached a hand inside. "I've got more where that came from!"

Angelica, Dusk, and Dawn jerked their heads up.

"I—I would I mean." Cassie moved the bag awkwardly behind her back. "If I had any."

The trio returned to slurping the kibbles from the floor.

"And you two!" Cassie's eyes turned back on them. "Stop fighting! I'm not explaining it to TT or Weaver!"

"You let her talk to you that way?" Nanku asked dryly.

"She can say what she wants," Hellhound replied.

"I will!" Cassie replied. She pointed at Hellhound. "Because you need someone to hit you in the back of the head sometimes"—her finger drifted to Nanku—"and you keep killing people! Stop killing people!"

"Why?"

Cassie blinked and Hellhound tilted her head.

Nanku backed away. The silence didn't surprise her, and she didn't care.

"Why?" Cassie asked back. "Because—What?"

"You're not going," Hellhound said as Nanku tried to get around Angelica. "If they see you, it'll be trouble for Weaver."

Nanku stopped.

She wanted to say they wouldn't see her… but that would be a lie. The sheer number of capes who'd somehow found her location or been aware of her presence was infuriating. But it was true.

Why Youngbloods weren't allowed to hunt on Earth anymore.

The cloak was not perfect. It was just a tool, and many young hunters relied on it far too much. Nanku liked to think she wasn't one of them, but that obviously wasn't true. If she'd made better use of cover and distance, she could have obscured herself better.

Something to keep in mind.

"I'll be—"

"No!" Cassie threw another handful of kibble at her. "Stay!"

Dusk, Dawn, and Angelica followed the food and Nanku snarled.

Cassie reached into the bag for another handful. "Stay."

Maybe she wasn't so weak after all.

"Why not?" Hellhound asked.

Nanku didn't look away from Cassie. "Why not what?"

"Why not not kill people."

Nanku scoffed.

"Life is life. Death is death. None are any more special than the rest. Those that survive survive."