Shayde's Story Chapter 1
#1 of Shades of Grey
Shayde staggered into the room, absolutely exhausted. Peering around the room blearily, he unhooked the sheath from his bare back, tossing it onto the dusty-looking bed in the middle of the room, which sagged visibly at the moderate weight of the blade encased inside it. That alone meant that he was going to have a very uncomfortable night.
'That's the price I pay for settling for such a back-water inn...' he mused aloud. He wandered over to the cracked mirror hanging lop-sided from the wall, and looked at his reflection.
An anthro Labrador looked back out of the grimy surface. He was two-toned, though at the moment, you could hardly tell. Black fur covered his head, both arms and hands, and, though the mirror didn't show, his feet. Deep blue eyes peered out of his face shocked at the state he was in. What wasn't black was usually a sandy yellow, but the dusty travelling had turned his torso and back an almost waxy yellow. His black pants were as dusty as his bare chest, now almost grey, and his red bandana, tied around his neck, was similarly dingy. His bare torso rippled with defined muscles, his arms likewise. A shower was definitely in order. He turned and made for the tiny bathroom, and set the taps running, sending mercifully clean water hosing out of the shower-head. He stripped off his bandana and pants, leaving them on the bed, and stepped into the shower, groaning as the water washed him clean, and reflected on his day.
He had been on the road for some time now, on a job. His employer had sent him out for one reason: to hunt down an escaped criminal. As a bounty-hunter, Shayde was always on the lookout for jobs, and this one was promising in its reward. He had been on the road for almost three days straight, trying to find the right village where this criminal was said to be hiding, and he had finally struck gold when he arrived in this village, scenting out the bandit after only a few hours of arriving. It would have taken him only minutes, had the village not been so full of rubbish, so much that it knocked his usually perfect sense of smell for a six. So, with his bandana tied over his streaming nose, he had opted to wait until the target left his safe house, alone, before making his move, and headed for the first inn he saw; a dingy looking establishment with flickering candles lighting the doorway. Upon entry, he saw that the inn was obviously a hang-out for many criminals, petty and otherwise. Still, he was only to find the one, and not cause trouble. One of the more bolder-looking scum-bags, a grey wolf, was taking far too much interest in the dusty red leather sheath hanging off Shayde's hip for his liking, the cogs turning in his mind as he wondered how much it was worth on the black market.
He had gone up to the bar and ordered a room. The fat bear manning the bar swept his gaze over him, barely registering a living creature through the haze of alcohol coursing through his system. He grunted and slid off his stool, reaching for a key on the wall.
'That there's a pretty-lookin toy ya got there, pup,' drawled a voice behind him. Shayde's ears flicked back, and he narrows his gaze slightly. It was that wolf who was eyeing him not a minute ago. 'That'd fetch a pretty penny. Whoja steal it from?'
Shayde didn't say a thing, hoping to avoid confrontation. The antagonist had other plans, it seemed.
'Didja hear me, pup?' he growled. 'Whoja steal it from? A little pup like you don't get things like that.' Even through his bandana, Shayde could smell the malice in the voice, mixed liberally with alcohol. Not a great combination. He knew where this would end up, and sighed.
'It's mine. I've had it for a while now.'
The voice was right behind him now. He could feel the body heat ripple, and almost see the fumes from the mouth. 'A pretty lookin' thing like you? I don't think so. I betcha don't even know how to use it.'
Shayde shuddered slightly. This thing happened all the time to him.
'Now me, I know what I could do with you.' The wolf slid one arm around Shayde's body, gripping the top of his black pants. The other snaked around and gripped the sheath hanging off his hip.
'Leave me alone, or I'll have to hurt you.' Shayde warned him. He had been through this scenario before. A young, fairly attractive dog travelling around alone caught the attention of many a sleezeball. This one was bold, going straight for a grope. This was his standard warning shot. Any more moves on him after this resulted in pain.
The wolf gave a chuckle. 'I don't think you'll hurt me. I'm the one whose gonna hurt you.' He pressed up against Shayde's rear. Shayde could feel the hard member pulse through the fabric. It was big, but, in his experience, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
'I warned you...' The wolf tugged at his pants, lowering them slightly, while the other hand moved to the top of the sheath. He wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. Shayde sighed again. He was so hoping to not cause trouble...
Shayde gripped the invading arm, twisting it at a bruising angle, causing the wolf to howl in pain, and withdraw the limb, cursing. Pulling his pants back up slightly, he gripped the red and gold handle of his weapon, drew it and whirled around, slicing at his attackers' arm, causing him to yell out it pain. The wolf stumbled back slightly, gripping his arm, where a long thin gash had opened him up, bleeding sluggishly. Shayde pointed his blade at his foe. It was a long silvery katana, shining in the dingy light, its length glittering, and the pointed squarish tip red with his foe's blood. 'Back off.' he advised the wolf. The other patrons at the bar looked on silently. 'I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to.'
The wolf snarled. 'You little upstart! You'll pay for that!'' He pulled out a short dagger, and lunged at the dog. Shayde wasn't fazed. He waited until the wolf was almost on him, before twisting out of the way, out of reach of the wide slice of the dagger. Parrying the cut, he sliced the wolf's arm again, deeper this time. Howling in rage and pain, the wolf came at him again. Shayde dropped and rolled out of the way, clipping the wolf's legs as he went, enough to scrap lightly on bone. The wolf dropped in pain, but staggered up again. He wasn't giving up. It was time to end this.
Shayde parried another swipe of the dagger, and then cut into his foe's hand, forcing him to drop the knife. The wolf lashed out with his fists, landing a blow on the side of his face with the unexpected move. Lights burst in his eyes, and the wolf took the advantage to land another blow on his belly. Pain flared in Shayde's belly, and he dropped and rolled away again, gasping for air. The faint rasp of metal on wood warned him, and he turned just in time to see the wolf lunge again with his knife. Shayde scowled deeply. He'd had enough.
Gripping his katana, he swept it in an arc that sliced through the tendons in the wolf's wrist, disabling his hand and making him howl in pain. He knocked the knife away with the flat of his blade, and hit him on the side of the face with the same move. He dodged away as the wolf hit out with his one good arm, then lunged in and sliced his torso, causing more lupine blood to flow. Now the wolf was in trouble, and he knew it. His eyes were wide and panicky as he sought a way out of this fight, and away from this black demon. But Shayde wasn't going to let him. He whipped around and cut at the wolf's back, opening four long, deep cuts in the grey fur. The wolf dropped like a stone, and tried one last move, trying to kick Shayde's legs out from under him. Shayde promptly sliced the tendons in the offending limbs, more blood flowing. The wolf cowered away as Shayde approached, holding the point of his blade at his nose, staring cross-eyed at his own blood dripping off the tip. He followed the blade up to the dark-blue eyes of his 22-year-old victor, and saw cold fury in their depths.
'Back off,' Shayde repeated. 'Leave me alone, and get the hell away from here!' He snicked the wolf's nose with the tip of his katana for good measure, and turned to leave. Suddenly, he heard a heavy clump, and knew the wolf was up again, not ready to concede defeat at the hands of such a young creature. Shayde didn't even bother trying this time. He whipped around and sliced a line across the wolf's throat, enough to stop him, but not enough to slice his jugular. This time, the wolf stayed down, owing to his unconscious state.
Shayde turned around again, and, sheathing his blade, approached the bar again. The bear behind it stared at him with undisguised alarm, and handed him a key. 'S.s.second door, first floor...' he stammered. Shayde nodded his thanks, and climbed the stairs. He had only just arrived, and already he had caused a scene. He sighed. This wasn't going to be an easy task...