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Softly treading feet made little sound in the dark hallway under the Guild's headquarters. Even with the intense echo, the quiet individual knew how to tread softly. He'd been trained by one of the very best in the arts of stealth. Combat too, but the individual knew how to sneak.

The footsteps of a guard had the individual duck out of sight into a little nook, where he hid until the guard passed. Continuing on, the young figure eventually stopped in front of a door, which was his final destination.

Pulling a lockpick out of a pocket in his robes, he put the two pieces in, fiddling with them for a minute, before the lock suddenly opened, admitting him into the room beyond. This room was a simple affair, with stone brick walls, a barred window high in the opposite wall, and a cot in each of the opposite corners. A small table occupied the wall to the left.

And, sitting on one of the cots, was his target.

"Took you long enough," the individual on the bed grunted, sitting up to look at the intruder. "I was waiting, you know."

"There were no good times," the hooded individual said. "Guard patrols, upgraded security. This is timed perfectly. And unless you come right now, we're going to miss our window!"

"Alright," the figure on the bed said, getting up quickly. "You grab my stuff?"

"It's waiting outside."

"What's your name again?" the individual queried. "Like, Tris or something?"

"Tai," the assassin with the same name answered curtly. "Asar, do you remember no one's name?"

"I remember those I talk to frequently," Asar shrugged. "The most I've heard your name was when Kiri came and said, 'Tai will be coming to get you out.'"

"Fine," Tai muttered. "I guess in that case, it's understandable."

He lead the painted dog along the halls, before going down one that ended at a stone wall. Asar looked around at it.

"Great, you managed to find our way out," he said cheerfully, if sarcastically, looking at the wall of stone bricks. "Now, do you have the key?"

Tai simply smiled, as he produced a long, hook-shaped piece of metal, which he slid between two bricks and twisted. There was a muffled thud, and the wall swung silently backwards, leaving Asar feeling like an idiot.

"A hidden door?"

"Good guess," Tai grinned, putting the key back. "Now let's go!"

The hall they went into was long and dark, with a cool, humid atmosphere, and the smell of mold and mildew lingering in the air. No surprises there.

There was no conversation along the hall, until they eventually emerged out the door, which was cleverly hidden behind a bush, where Asar muttered, "you assassins sure love your puzzles."

"Chai," a new voice, thick in speech and accent, affirmed. "That we do."

Asar and Tai glanced to the side, where Kyl'e was just emerging from behind a bush. He looked at the two, giving Asar a hard, measuring glance. Asar smirked in response, earning a "hmph" from the wolf.

"You ready, bratja?" Kyl'e asked Tai, switching his attentions over to the cat. "The others are waiting."

"Aye," Tai agreed. "Let's go."

The three of them vanished into the underbrush, Tai and Asar following Kyl'e as he lead them down a path to the others, who were standing in a clearing. They glanced up as the new trio approached.

"The signal," K'eyush hissed at Kyl'e. "I told you to use the signal."

"Like hell I'm going to caw like a bird," Kyl'e said. "You do it."

"What?" K'eyush asked. "It's pointless now! We already know it's you!"

"Then why gripe over spilled milk?" Kyl'e asked. "Now, let's get to the plan. Every moment we spend in conversation is another moment Kar'na slips closer to the afterlife."

"Right," a caracal wearing travel clothes nodded. "So, we have two current objectives. First, we need Kar'na's antidote. And second, we need to get the Falskin twins back."

"Right," Dakir nodded. "Only, they're not twins. Regardless, both of these objectives are a matter of time. For all we know, the Sanvar'a are going to be executed tonight! We have no idea where to look. So, we should split our groups accordingly, a master in each."

"I'll head the group going to get the antidote, if K'eyush doesn't mind the Falskin?"

"I have no problem, Khayal," K'eyush assured the caracal. "So long as I never have to go back to that gods-forsaken mine, I'll be good to go anywhere."

"I'll go with you," Svara offered, looking at K'eyush. "You'll need all the hands you can get. And you know I'm good with a blade."

"Aye Svara," K'eyush agreed. "We'll need you too, Asar."

"Why me?" the painted dog asked evenly, his gaze locked with K'eyush's. "Need someone to sacrifice in case things go south?"

"Oh get off it," K'eyush snarled. "You know darn well that you're the best tracker we've got. Even if we don't officially have you, we still need your skill. You can track the siblings."

Asar's countenance changed subtley, and he assumed a cocky sort-of look. He was a fine tracker. Maybe not the best, but his years in the wild hadn't gone wasted.

"We'll need more too," Svara said a bit later. "At least two more..."

"I'll go," Ari volunteered. "They've got our friends."

"Me too," Kytra said, but Khayal shook his head.

"Not you, Kytra," the caracal said. "I need you with us. Never know when you need an otter. And you're about as good as they come."

"But...my sister..."

"Will be safe," K'eyush finished. "Trust me on that, Kytra. I won't let anything happen to her. I promise."

"...fine," Kytra said after a while. "I'll accompany you, Khayal. But K'eyush, if anything happens to my sister, I'm holding you responsible."

"And me too," Wraith said quietly. "I'll go with you, Ari. If that's permissible to K'eyush, of course."

"Of course it is," the lynx nodded. "You're welcome to come along."

"So it's me, the fox boy, the puma girl and the otter girl. And lynxy here, of course."

"Or," K'eyush said, glaring at Asar. "For those who actually have a semblance of intelligence, Svara, Asar, Ari, Kytra and me, K'eyush, in a group."

"That leaves me, Kiri, Kytra, Dakir, Tai, and Kyl'e," Khayal mused. "Alright, this seems acceptable. Is it good with you, K'eyush?"

"It's all fine," the assassin master agreed. "But, we'll need to be off, and soon. Every second wasted is a second...well, wasted."

Asar laughed out loud, quickly smothering it in his arm. His laughter was infectious though, and brought at least a smile to everyone else's face.

"I brought the supplies you requested," Tai said, dropping a bunch of bags on the ground. "I stashed them in the branches earlier. In each bag, there are two weeks of supplies, fifty feet of rope, a compass, and a tinder box."

"Got it," K'eyush said, as everyone began picking up their packs. "Good job Tai."

"No time to waste," Khayal reminded them, as the groups started to split. "Good luck."

"And may the moons watch over us," Kyl'e said, looking to the sky.

And with both of them there now, it seemed that they would. Oh how they would.

"The only information we have on the Alchemist at all is that he may be located in the city of Treeline," Khayal mused, looking at the pages of a book. "That's up north. Right at the treeline to the poles. Any further, and we'd be in the Tundra. All the book says is that he has sent gifts to those in Treeline for ingredients. That's a solid lead, if this book is truthful."

"I hope it is," Tai muttered, eyes roving. "It wouldn't do for us to trek halfway across the known world, just to find he doesn't live there. Or worse, doesn't exist."

"That would be bad, bratja," Kyl'e agreed, glancing over at the cat. Though Tai's species was unknown, what was known was that it was fairly...unique. As far as the Guild had ever uncovered, Tai was the only one of his species.

And that was either really bad...or quite good. Though everyone liked Tai, most people could not believe how deadly the cat could be. He was decent with a blade, but it was his speed that surprised opponents. Well, maybe not speed, but his supposed abilities to see stuff before it occurred.

Khej said it was just superior reflexes, but rumour around the guild ran that Tai had been cursed by a witch. Which witch, nobody knew. Popular rumour claimed Kaleb, the witch of the North. Though actually a warlock, Kaleb was still nicknamed a witch.

Rumours abounded that the witch possessed unspeakable magic. But, since it had never been proven, nobody knew.

"It would be bad," Kiri agreed. "But we're going to find a cure for my brother. We have to."

Though Kiri hadn't known Kar'na as his brother for all that long, he would've done this for just a friend. But the fact that Kar'na was blood, meant he had a little deeper conviction. Nothing was more important to a wolf than family.

"And we will," Dakir said encouragingly. "If we can't find the Alchemist, we can always resort to a witch. Though...their prices are...steep."

Tai didn't like the sound of that, but he simply shrugged, looking over at Kiri. The new wolf, had he not been Kar'na's brother, looked very much like he could've been Kyl'e's brother. They had a similar fur colour, similar eyes, and a similar, steely stance. Something Tai would never have.

See, though Tai was a skilled combatant, and he knew it, he always felt...lacking, against the members of the Guild. Though Kyl'e was basically a brother to Tai, he wasn't actual family.

Putting more truth towards the rumour of Tai being some witch's creation, was that he never knew his family. For all Tai knew, he'd never actually had one, having grown up an orphan on the streets of Greatwood. Before the Guild had found Tai, he'd had to steal to survive.

"I do not feel comfortable, dealing with some witch," Kyl'e muttered, contempt in his voice. "Nothing good has ever come out of a witch."

Tai nodded. Though he didn't really remember his past, he was fairly certain that witches had absolutely no bearing on his life. But since he couldn't be sure, he always had worries.

"Agreed," K'eyush nodded. "That's why it's a last resort."

The group trudged on in silence for a bit, before Tai drew up beside the new wolf, Kiri. He liked the wolf, who seemed pretty decent, noble and stoic. Kiri possessed a bearing that Tai himself hoped to hold one day.

They continued walking, before Kiri turned to look at Tai.

"You're Tai, right?" Kiri asked.

"Yes, I am," Tai nodded, relieved that the wolf had taken the initiative to break the ice. He himself hated having to break it, always feeling awkward in the process. He felt that Kyl'e was sometimes a better talker. And the wolf hated to speak.

"You were Kar'na's apprentice, right?" Kiri asked, looking over at Tai. "I seem to recall that being the case."

"Yes," Tai nodded. "I indeed had the privilege of being Kar'na's apprentice. Your...brother, is quite skilled at what he does. I feel myself privileged to have been his apprentice."

"What was he like?" Kiri asked quietly, making Tai have to move his ears to hear him properly. "Like, as a person?"

"Kar'na was...interesting," Tai said thoughtfully, gazing back into the past. "He was a great guy, a good friend, a solid person to lean onto. But there were times he was quite...distant. And he was driven, by the gods, he was driven. A fierce opponent. Why are you asking? You travelled across Parai with him. You should know him."

"I feel that Kar'na is an individual of many faces," Kiri said slowly, glancing over at Tai. "And I don't know if what we saw was just another mask, of genuine."

"I wondered that too," Kytra agreed, joining the conversation. "There were times Kar'na seemed cold and distant, while other times, he seemed like a brother. To all of us."

"Kar'na was definitely a man of many masks," Khayal said from up front. "But from what I know of Kar'na, is that there are very few people in this world I would rather have at my back. Kar'na is fiercely trustworthy individual, with a skill unmatched, and an amazing guy behind those eyes. Though, Kar'na wasn't always so."

Kyl'e snorted. "Kar'na was some sort of voodoo witchcraft. He wasn't even truly living."

"How so?" Kytra asked.

"I believe I told you all this story already," Svara commented, looking over at Kytra, then over to Kiri. "At the Lonely Tower?"

"I think so," Kiri nodded. "But we probably need a refresher."

"When I first met Kar'na," Kyl'e said, in that thick accent that even Tai sometimes had trouble understanding. "He was, at best, not living. Kar'na had no emotion, approaching everything from a standpoint allowing little mercy. Once, during a training session, he took me down, had me pinned by my neck. And when I looked in his eyes, I saw no emotion. No mercy."

Tai remembered this story, even if he wasn't present for it himself. It always had kind of surprised him that Kar'na used to be a murderous sociopath.

"Did he let you up?" Kytra asked, looking over Kyl'e.

"No," Kyl'e shook his head. "An instructor had to call him off. Actually, pull him off. But Kar'na never had any intent to really hurt me. He just didn't care that he had."

"Huh," Kiri muttered, seeming a little struck. Tai couldn't blame him. No one really liked to hear that their older brother once nearly murdered a kid.

"Hey, don't worry about that," Tai laughed, trying to divert Kiri's attention. "Kar'na was one of the greatest individuals I ever met. When I was younger, I got quite sick. This was while I still lived on the streets..."

Tai found the memory, and felt it pressing on his heart. A part of him had always felt he still deserved to be in the gutter. To die like...well...he assumed his parents had. He'd never know.

"Tai?" Kyl'e queried, prompting the cat to realize he'd gotten off track. He shook his head once.

"Anyways, while I still lived on the street, I got terribly sick. My...friends...abandoned me, since I couldn't pull my own weight while sick. I knew exactly what was going to happen, I was going to die."

Tai smiled. "But I didn't. You know why? An assassin, of all people, saved my life. I was lying in a back alley, naked and cold, right where my friends had left me. There's no mercy on the streets. Imagine then, my surprise, at this wolf, who came, took off his outer robe and wrapped me in it. He was left in a simple tunic, but he shrugged off the cold and took me to where he was staying, an inn."

Kiri and Kytra looked over, as Tai took a small break. The cat suddenly felt self conscious, as he absolutely hated to be the centre of attention, but he continued nonetheless.

"He took care of me, kept me fed, until I got my health back and recovered. He got me clothes, and offered me a place to live. I didn't know anything about this individual, who was only, as I later found out, five years older than me. But I accepted. Kar'na took me in, and I was brought to the Guild. Apparently, Kar'na was going to simply take care of me and, when I was old enough, get me a house in the village by the Guild. But...well..."

"They were attacked by bandits on the road," Kyl'e cut in. "Kar'na would've been killed if it weren't for Tai. I don't know how, but that cat rammed into Kar'na, bringing him out of the path of an arrow. It's like Tai sensed it."

Kiri and Kytra's gazes swung over to Tai, who was already shaking his head. "It was nothing like that. I simply saw the arrow."

"Saw before it'd even been shot," Kyl'e countered. "Come on Tai, you have some sort of gift."

Now Tai was uncomfortable. He could feel, even more than he could see, that Kiri and Kytra were looking at him. Gauging him. He wanted to go and hide from their gazes, and he felt Kiri's shift off him and back to Kyl'e.

"Even if he has some sort of gift, that's really no concern of ours," the young wolf said. "It's up to him. But, let's talk about something else. How long do you think the journey will take?"

"That's a good question," Khayal muttered, thinking. Tai cast a grateful glance at Kiri, who nodded subtly. The wolf knew that would get Tai out of the questioning period.

"I'd say a little more than a week," Kyl'e growled in frustration. "Which means two for our return. And that's if we find anything of worth."

"That'd be cutting it too close," Khayal frowned. "The medics said he had two weeks. Maybe less."

"But hopefully more, right?" Dakir said, nudging the other caracal and looking over at Kiri. The young wolf had a distraught expression on his face, as he thought about his brother.

"Er, right," Khayal quickly said, nodding. "The medics said Kar'na had a strong constitution. Two weeks was at least suspected. And we might make the trip in less. The city of Greatwood lies in our path. We might get some transportation."

"We can always hope," Kyl'e nodded.

"What's your story, Kyl'e?" Kytra asked, looking at the wolf.

"Not too much to tell," Kyl'e admitted. "I was practically born into the Assassin's Guild. I was born in the town that houses the assassins, assassin rescues, and the families of assassins."

"Were your parents assassins?" Kiri asked, evidently still distracted.

"Yes and no," Kyle shrugged. "My father was a rescue from a nobleman in the city of Stormhaven. My mother was an assassin. I was recruited at an early age, and trained religiously in the arts of the assassin. That's pretty much it. You were at my graduation, Kiri, so you know the story after that."

"How'd you lose the finger?" Kytra asked.

"Kar'na," Kyl'e said simply. "An unlucky sword-strike while practicing. Though, it was never too big a deal. Not a really important finger to lose. It's also symbolic."

"How?" Kiri quizzed.

"The left ring finger is the only finger that connects directly to the heart. To have it cut off, means I have given my heart over to the cause of combat."

"Neat," Kytra nodded appreciatively. "That's a good attitude to think of it."

Kyl'e flashed one of his rare grins.

"Hush," Khayal said quickly, stopping in his tracks. "What's..."

A loud chorus of yells and hollers surrounded them as, suddenly, over two dozen individuals, dressed in ragged clothes and junky armour, ran out of the woods, weapons drawn. All sorts of Ch'kiliil belonged in this group, with the individuals ranging from wolves, to foxes, to lynxes and coyotes.

An individual stepped forth from the group, a tall serval with several missing teeth and filthy fur. He appeared to have not washed in days. At the very least.

"Gara, gara," he greeted, a wretched smile spread across his muzzle. "Tu lok'arr wra lok farsi, nak tu'wulf yo'sh kora'ari ekra'ker. Wen hark io viri vleybal."

"Tasa bra'kiish," Khayal hissed. "Kora'ari lok'arr vip deb kora'ari naz."

"Oh?" the serval chuckled. "Wen deb tu'ari naz?"

"We are assassins," Kyl'e grinned. The serval's face fell at this statement, and he quickly backed off, but not fast enough to avoid the lightning-fast throwing knife that the wolf whipped. The blade sank up to the serval's chest, and the feline staggered backwards, collapsing to the ground.

"Anyone else?" Khayal demanded with a hiss.

The bandits backed off, before one of them shouted, "fror kora'ari kirita!"

This'll be fun, Tai thought as the bandits, now impassioned, surged towards them, weapons drawn. The fight was short, but intense.

The assassins, hopelessly outnumbered by the bandits, were soon captured and bound, their valuables and weapons taken, and they themselves dragged off.

"Where are they taking us?" a bloodied Kiri asked, before being cuffed by one of the bandits, on the side of the head.

"Shut up," the bandit, a heavily-scarred wolf, growled. "You're going where we're going. And we're going home, assassin. You'll fetch a good price."

Damn, Tai thought. There goes our secret mission.