Chapter 3: What lies Beneath

The school day had come to an end and all the students rushed out of their classrooms. They all went to the school gates where the clubs had set up their booths and were eagerly waiting for the new recruits. All except for Legosi and his pack, who headed to the other end of the school grounds to see what that strange club was all about.

"There it is," Jack barked as he pointed at their destination.

The building they found was not at all like the one they had their classes in. It was dirtier than the main building and there was some overgrown grass and plants surrounding it. However, to call it abandoned wouldn't be accurate since there were signs of care and maintenance. It could definitely be used as a second building for classes should the need arise. It just needed some cleaning up.

"Huh, I'm a little disappointed if I'm being honest," Durham said as he crossed his arms. "I figured it would be a lot creepier with cracks in the walls and vines growing all over it."

"Come on Eternal Rookie, what did you think this was, a horror movie?" Collot teased.

"SCREW YOU ASSHOLE!"

"Would you two give it a rest for five minutes please," Legosi said in a slightly annoyed tone. "I'm sorry to say this, but you guys have been at it since we met up to come here."

"Tell that to the walking carpet over here!" Durham snarled as he pointed to Collot. "I'm fine ok! He's the one who won't shut up!"

Legosi let out a sigh before walking ahead of the group. He opened the main door, which let out a creaking sound. After making sure everything was ok, we went in with the others following behind.

"So Jack, do we head up to the second floor?" Miguno asked.

"Actually, no," Jack answered. "It's on the first floor."

"But the room number starts with a two."

"Yea, but that's because it's in the library."

"There's a library here?" Legosi asked.

"Yea, and from what I remember, it's about half the size of the one in the main building."

"Well, the main library is pretty big, so half of that still gives us a lot of space," Collot said as he put his hands in his pockets.

The six pack members continued walking through the old building, taking note of its state. There was a strong smell of dust and iron throughout the building and it was mixed with the scent of the grass and plants outside. They knew this kind of scent could only happen when a building was left alone for a very long time, which only added to their belief that it was abandoned.

Voss, who was riding on Legosi's shoulder, tapped the wolf's cheek. He used a series of hand signs to tell his large friend that he was starting to think that the school didn't use the building at all, not even as storage space like Jack said.

The wolf replied with hand signs of his own, albeit with much simpler ones, to explain that he felt the same. However, he told Voss that they should keep it to themselves for now, at least until they see the room the club's supposed to be in. Voss nodded to him, but Legosi could tell from the fennec fox's expression that he was worried.

"Look, there it is," Durham said as he walked over to a pair of double doors.

Legosi opened the door and was met with a breeze of cold air and the scent of dusty books. He peered inside and saw that everything was pretty banged up.

"It's ok you guys, it's safe," the wolf said as he went inside. "For the most part anyway."

Jack and the others followed and almost immediately wanted to leave. The dust in the air made it hard to smell anything and even though the books were organized, and the tables were wiped, there was a lingering scent that made the pack uncomfortable.

"Well, we're here and look, no one else is, so let's go," Jack said as he turned around to leave.

"Hang on a minute Jack, let's at least look around a bit." Legosi barked.

"Do we have to?" Miguno asked. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"Oh please, it's just a dusty old room," Durham said as he rolled his eyes. "Are you a hyena, or a mouse?"

"A quick peek won't hurt anyone," Collot said as he walked past Miguno.

"Exactly! Besides, there's no way in hell I walked all the way over here just for nothing. One way or another, I'm getting something out of this. If it's the club, then we ask them what's up with creepy stuff. If it's a prank, then I get to knock some teeth out!"

While his packmates were talking, Legosi went over to the far side of the room. He wanted to know more about the club, but more importantly, he wanted something that could tell him about what happened with his sight. He knew there had to be a connection, he just needed to find it.

After a minute of searching, Legosi found a long white diagonal line drawn on the back wall. When he touched it, his vision changed again, and the world was blue once more.

"Uh… guys!" the wolf barked.

"What is it Legosi?" Jack asked.

The others ran over to their largest packmate and saw the same line he did.

"What is it?" Collot asked.

"It looks like some graffiti that someone never got to finish… or start," Miguno said with a small laugh.

"Guys, I'm gonna need you all to step back," Legosi said as he started walking backwards while keeping his eyes on the wall.

"Why?" Durham asked as he tilted his head.

"Well, I can't explain it, but the same thing that happened with the club list is happening right now."

"Really? Do you see something?"

"Yea, that line, it's getting connected to more lines to make a picture."

"A picture of what?" Jack asked.

"I think it's some kind of… arrowhead? But it's a little weird. It has these funny looking designs on the ends that I've never seen before."

Voss made hand binoculars to ask if Legosi saw anything else.

The wolf looked in and around the arrowhead for anything else. That's when he noticed what looked like a button towards the bottom of the symbol. When he pressed it, the wall that depicted the arrowhead rose up, revealing a staircase that led down into a dark passageway.

"What the fuck!" Durham yelled as he stumbled back in surprise before falling to the floor.

"Legosi, what did you do?" Jack asked as he took another step back.

"I don't know," the wolf replied. "I saw this button and then this happened when I pressed it."

"Where do you think it leads?" Collot asked, walking past Legosi to see inside.

"I don't know and I don't wanna find out! So let's make like a tree and leaf!" Miguno said as he comically pointed at the double doors with both of his thumbs.

Voss jumped down from Legosi's shoulder and nodded, signaling that he agreed with his hyena friend.

"Ok… if you guys want to leave, then you can," Legosi said sadly as his ears folded back. "But I'm gonna keep going."

"Wait, seriously?!" Durham said with widened eyes as he stood up. "You really want to go down there?!"

Sigh "Not really, but… I have to. I don't know what's happening to me but, I feel like the only way to find out is by going wherever these stairs lead to. This thing with my eyes… it's obviously related to this club and… I'm sorry, but I have to."

Everyone looked at each other before letting out a breath and smiling at the wolf.

"Not alone you're not," Jack said as he walked over to his best friend.

"Jack, you don't have to-"

"Legosi, we've been together through thick and thin, and that's something that's never going to change. So if you say you need to do this, then you can bet I'm coming too."

"Same goes for the rest of us," Collot said as he stood right beside Legosi with his hands in his pockets. "We're a pack. A pack that's only existed for two months, but a pack nonetheless and like it or not you're the alpha. So wherever you go, we go!"

"Collot, I'm not the-"

"He's right!" Durham barked, cutting Legosi off. "Besides, I just said that I wasn't leaving without finding out what's going on, so I would've gone down there with or without you. This just makes things easier."

"I swear, you guys are insane," Miguno said with a big toothy grin. "Then again, what's life without a little insanity? So count me in!"

Legosi smiled at his packmates before he and the others turned to Voss. The fennec fox had his arms crossed and was looking to the side, unsure about what to do. After a moment of thinking, He relented before giving his friends a thumbs up.

"Thanks everyone," Legosi said softly as his tail wagged.

"Don't mention it," Durham chuckled. "But before we go down there, we should get a flashlight."

"Don't worry about it," the wolf barked. "As a nocturnal, I can see just fine. Also, this thing with my eyes is also making it easier to see. Just stay close to me and we should be fine."

Everyone nodded their heads before heading down the staircase one by one. After they all started walking down, the wall closed behind them, meaning the only way to go was forward. Unnerved, they continued down the passageway.

After about a minute of walking, the group reached the end of the stairs and found a corridor. The walls were made from bricks that were far older than the ones that made up the building upstairs. As they looked around, they found signs that there were animals here recently such as relatively fresh footprints and a mixture of different animal scents.

"Where are we?" Miguno asked.

I don't know," Jack asked. "I wanna say underneath the school, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Who would have thought something like this was literally hiding under our feet," Collot said in amazement.

Hey guys, I found a door," Legosi barked.

The others slowly walked over to the largest canine in their pack. Just as the wolf said, there was a large door blocking their way forward. They tried opening it, but even with all six of them pushing as hard as they could, it wouldn't budge.

They tried looking nearby to see if there was something they could use, but found nothing. No lever to use, no way to pull the door open, nothing.

"Hey Legosi, do you see anything?" Jack asked. "You said your eyes are still acting weird, so maybe there's something here."

Legosi tilted his slightly as he thought about it before nodding to his best friend. He searched the door one more time, as well as the surrounding walls. The wolf didn't see another button, but he did see a small opening that a much smaller animal could crawl through.

"Hey Voss, I think we need you here," Legosi said to his shoulder riding companion.

Voss tilted his head in confusion. That confusion was quickly swept away when the wolf pushed his hand through the opening he saw, revealing that it was hidden behind a small curtain that perfectly camouflaged it.

Everyone was shocked to see this and immediately ran over. They were in complete awe with how well the opening was hidden and how cool the trick was. Miguno even commented that it was like something out of his favorite ninja manga with sparkles in his eyes.

"Ok Voss, you ready?" Legosi asked.

Voss nodded his head, but before he could jump to the opening, he was stopped by Collot.

"Hang on a sec, you wanna send Voss in there all by himself?" the sheep dog asked in disbelief with a raised brow. "What if something happens or it's some kind of trap? He isn't exactly a fighter you know."

Voss shook his head, dismissing Collot's concerns before giving him a thumbs up. He then jumped into the hole in the wall before disappearing into the darkness.

A minute later, the door opened without making a sound despite its size. When they entered, they saw their friend hanging from a lever with a smile on his face.

Legosi picked Voss up and placed him on his shoulder right where the fennec fox belonged while the rest of their friends cheered. Even though it was only a minute, it felt so much longer because of how worried they were. It also didn't help that Voss explained what he saw.

According to the small canine, he saw someone walking through the corridor. He hid himself as soon as he saw them, but because of that, he couldn't get a good look at them.

Legosi immediately deduced that the person Voss saw must be who they were looking for. Still, with everything that's been happening, he didn't dare move without a plan.

"So what now?" The wolf asked, hoping that his pack still wanted to continue.

"Isn't it obvious?" Durham asked as he crossed his arms. "We find the bastard and force them to tell us everything!"

"But what if they're dangerous?" Jack asked.

"We already made our choice," Collot said as he scratched the back of his head. "Plus, it's not like we can go back with the entrance sealed."

"That's true," Miguno said with a laugh. "Besides, there's six of us and one of them, so it should be fine."

Everyone nodded in agreement and kept going.

After a while, the corridor began to widen a bit. That's when they noticed how much the environment started to change. Instead of a dark corridor, they were in a well-kept hallway which had strange banners and decorations. They even saw statues and suits of armor standing tall here and there.

After another few minutes, Legosi heard what sounded like footsteps coming towards them. He was about to say something, but he heard even more footsteps coming up from behind them. He turned to the others, who he could tell heard the same things since they were starting to panic.

The wolf looked around to see if there was anywhere they could hide, when he realized the suits of armor were inside niches. He couldn't say how dark they were since his eyes were still acting strange, but he could tell they were at least dark enough to hide in. Legosi told his dormmates about the niches and they immediately ran over to them, not needing another word from the large carnivore to know what to do.

Durham, Jack, Miguno, and Voss were able to duck down into the shadows the niches created thanks to their sizes. Legosi and Collot however, had to stand directly behind the suits of armor and pray they wouldn't be noticed because of how big they were.

As soon as they were hidden, they saw two animals approach each other, standing in the exact spot they were before hiding. All six of them quickly sniffed the air, catching their scents. The one who was walking behind them was an aardwolf and the one who came from where the pack was headed was a panther.

Durham, Legosi, and Miguno, who were able to get a good look at them thanks to their night vision, saw that they were wearing white robes that were covered in leather armor. What's more, both of them were armed with a sword, a dagger, and several throwing knives.

Their blood went cold at the sight of the weapons, but did their best to listen to the conversation nonetheless.

"I have returned, Mentor T'Challa," the aardwolf said as he bowed his head.

"It is good to see you made it back Jabari," the panther, now known as T'Challa said. "Did you succeed?"

"Yes, the target is dead, and his name erased."

"Do you have it then?"

The aardwolf nodded his head before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out what looked like a golden orb before handing it over to the panther.

"Good, we must tell the others about this. Go report to Kassandra and tell her to call the others. I will begin preparations at once."

"Mentor, may I ask what you intend to do with it now that we have it?"

"We must ensure this never sees the light of day again. I will have two of our higher rank members hide it away."

The aardwolf looked to the side before turning back to his leader.

"If I may speak freely for a moment, Mentor. Would it not be best for us to use it? With it, we could put an end to everything."

T'Challa looked down at his accomplice with disdain, causing the smaller animal to shudder.

"I have told you before Jabari, these are not meant for us, not for anyone!" the large feline said as he stepped closer to the smaller animal, exerting his dominance over him. "It's true that this one piece alone could end it all, but that's exactly what makes it so dangerous. If you understand, go make your report and never speak of this again!"

Jabari bowed his head before running past his leader.

Alone, T'Challa looked at one of the suits of armor and began walking towards it.

Legosi, realizing what was happening, held his breath as he stood perfectly still. That's when he heard the panther wiping away the dust on the armor he was hiding behind.

"I wonder, what would you think if you saw the brotherhood now," the panther said to the suit as if someone was inside it.

The black furred feline looked down as he his ears folded back, contemplating the question.

Legosi, who was running out of air, screamed in his head for the panther to leave.

T'Challa let out a sigh before leaving, his shoulders slumped, showing he had a heavy burden.

With the panther gone, Legosi let out a loud huff before catching his breath. He then let out a sigh of relief as he thanked his lucky stars that T'Challa left when he did. The wolf knew that if the black feline stayed even a second longer, he would have given away his hiding place by either catching his breath or fainting.

The six canines took a moment to catch their breath and gather themselves. Right now, all of their hearts were running a mile a minute and they felt like they were about to empty their stomachs on the floor.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" Miguno yelled, cursing for the first time in his life. "What did that guy mean by the target is dead and his name erased? Is that what's gonna happen to us? Why did we come here?!"

"Miguno, you have to calm down," Legosi barked as he grabbed the hyena's shoulders.

"I… I… I don't wanna die!" Miguno said before falling to his knees and crying into his hands.

Seeing their friend like this, the severity of their situation hit them. In all the time they've known Miguno, none of the other canines have ever seen him cry. That's when Legosi collapsed as well.

"This is my fault," he said as all the color drained from his face. "I did this. We're going to die and it's all because of me."

As the wolf started to cry, Jack soon followed. The yellow dog held his shoulders tightly as he crouched down. He then screamed that he wanted to go home as he drenched the floor with his tears.

Before Collot or Voss could fall to despair as well, Durham slapped Legosi, Jack, and Miguno across their faces.

"Snap out of it!" the coyote barked.

"D-Durham?" Legosi said with a shaken voice.

Durham grabbed Legosi's shoulders and forced the wolf to look him in the eyes.

"Legosi! This is not your fault!" the smaller canine said with slight frustration in his voice. "Listen to me. We are NOT going to die here! Alright! We are going to get out of here and we're going to be ok."

"But how?" Collot asked. "The entrance is shut tight and if we go any further, those guys might catch us!"

"Well… yea… but we can't exactly stay here," Durham said with slight hesitation in his voice.

The room went quiet. After everyone calmed down, they were at a complete loss about what to do next. They knew that Durham was right about them not being able to stay here, but now that there was a threat on their lives, they had completely shut down.

"I… I think we should keep going," Jack said, surprising everyone.

"Jack… are you sure," Legosi asked with a defeated tone in his voice.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still terrified, but I think we might have a chance of getting out of here. The thing is though, we have to do it right now."

"What do you mean?" Miguno asked as he wiped the last bit of tears from his eyes.

"That panther guy, he told that aardwolf to call the others, right?"

"Technically, he told the aardwolf to some girl named Kassandra to do it, but yes," Collot answered.

"Then, if I'm right, this is our one chance to leave without being seen," Jack said with a bit of determination in his eyes. "Think about it, if these people, whoever they are, are having some kind of meeting, then that means they'll be gathered in one place. That also means that the rest of their hideout will be empty, which we can sneak out of here without them noticing!"

Everyone's eyes widened. They hadn't put it together before, but Jack was right. There was still a ray of hope, even if it was a thin one and they knew they needed to take it.

"I'm in," Legosi said as he clenched his fist. "I'm the one who got all of you in this mess, so it's only right that I get you out."

"Hey now, don't go hogging all the credit," Durham said with a smile as he stuck his tongue out. "You may have led us here, but we were the ones who insisted on coming."

"I-I wanna leave too," Miguno said in a shaky voice as he stood up.

"But what if we run into more of those guys?" Collot asked.

Voss stomped his foot on the floor, getting the others' attention. With all eyes on him, he ran over to a statue and hid behind it.

"I doubt that will work again, but what the hell," Collot said with a smile as he shrugged his shoulders. "Here's hoping lightning strikes twice."

With their plan decided, the six of them ran ahead. They didn't know what to expect, but they had no intention of letting things end here.