Keeping Secrets
#10 of Shades of Grey
Keeping Secrets
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This story is set during Shayde's Story Chapters 4 and 5
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The grey otter backed into a corner, a look or horror etched on his face, his red eyes fixed on the thing before him.
'No WAY! Get back!' he shouted.
'Don't be silly, Samiake. You know this has to happen. And it will, whether or not you want it to. So you might as well submit, or this'll have to be more painful then it has to be.'
Samiake scrambled up out of the corner to face his foe. The lion growled and lunged forward to tackle the grey otter to the ground. From the midst of the melee, various grunts and growls issued, as well as a single howl of anguish.
The lion panted and stood up slowly, his task done. Running a paw through his rumpled mane, he surveyed his handiwork. Samiake lay quivering in the foetal position, whimpering in a slightly pathetic way. The lion rolled his eyes.
'Oh, don't be such a big baby!' he said. 'They're just pants.'
Samiake slowly uncurled his legs, which were now clad in a pair of crisp, black suit-pants. He sat up slowly, staring at his legs. Finally, he stood up, assisted by the lion.
'But why do I have to wear them?' he asked. 'I HATE wearing pants. They're so restrictive. What's wrong with my loincloth?' He twisted his body to see behind him, his thick tail protruding from a hole in the pants. 'I'm already getting hot in these.'
The lion gave him a gentle cuff on the shoulder. 'You have to wear them, Sammy, 'cause you can't be a bodyguard wearing next-to-nothing. It's called 'being professional'.'
The otter scowled. Samiake didn't like wearing clothes, no matter what the occasion. His usual wardrobe consisted of a brown loincloth, tied around his waist by several cords, and his gauntlets. These arm coverings were essential to his ability to manipulate shadows, as well as being useful in hand-to-hand combat, the ends of the fingers being steel claws to cut and slash. The only other thing he had was a bow and quiver, which sat by the wall.
'While you are here,' continued the lion, trying to act professional, but ruining the act by being out of breath and sweating slightly, 'you need to look the part. It's not often an outsider gets to guard the diplomat. In fact, if it wasn't for your...' he twiddled his fingers mystically, 'power, I doubt you would be here.'
This was probably true, thought Samiake. His ability was unusual, perhaps unique, in Tayuna. In a land where everyone had access to powerful chemicals that imbued things with various properties, creatures born with innate abilities were few and far between. Only the dragons had powers all the time, owing to their mythic backgrounds. Samiake had trained his particular ability for a long time now, and he had complete control over it, something he didn't have when he was a pup.
It was refreshing for him that his current place of work accepted abilities. His last job as a soldier had ended badly when his power had been exposed. If people weren't scared or intimidated by his dark power, they wanted to turn him into a weapon. Samiake could manipulate shadows into tangible forms, using them to attack and defend in a variety of ways. He could even let the shadows take him over, unleashing a force that was almost unstoppable, but he didn't like to use this. It took way too much out of him.
'Fine,' he said begrudgingly. 'I'll wear the pants. But I won't wear the shirt or the jacket!' He cast his gaze at the black jacket and white shirt, hanging on the wall. 'No way am I wearing those.'
The lion nodded. 'I suppose that's fine. But you really needed the pants, Sammy.'
Samiake frowned. He didn't really like people calling him 'Sammy'. He preferred his full name...but in this case, he didn't feel like fighting.
'So, are you and Yampii ready for this job?' asked the lion.
Samiake nodded. Yampii was his partner for this job. They were both from the same company of 'persons for hire', otherwise known as mercenaries. Yampii was a jackal, all black fur and lithe muscle. He was a very useful member of the team of two, owing to his chemically enhanced object. In his case, he had a pair of arm braces that emitted a blast of energy capable of repelling anything in front of him...very useful for repelling foes or bullets. Samiake was still not completely used to working with Yampii, because the jackal was rather quiet, and incredibly dedicated to his job. He also declined to wear a shirt and jacket, preferring to keep to wearing just the pants, like Samiake.
They're job was simple. All the needed to do was protect the diplomat in question from assassins. This particular diplomat had already met with a few problems in his political career...he was the same creature who Samiake had been set to rescue from an abduction a few years ago, when he was in the army. Since then, the ambassador had become a diplomat, and his anxiety had ratcheted up a few notches. He was due to give a speech that day, and had demanded extra protection, so his entourage had hired out Samiake and Yampii.
Just then, the door opened and Yampii walked in. His pants blended perfectly with his onyx-black fur, so it looked like he wasn't wearing anything. Only the gold-coloured arm-bands lightened his fur, and the green eyes blazing from his face.
'We need to get into position, Samiake,' he said quietly. His face was a blank mask; not a flicker of emotion stirred. 'The diplomat is almost ready.'
Samiake nodded, slightly put-off by his companion. He was really dedicated to this job, or he was so used to this sort of thing, it no longer affected him.
The lion gave them both one last look over, then nodded, satisfied with their appearance. Samiake picked up his gauntlets and slid them over his hands, pulling them on tight, and in the same movement, pulling a few wisps of shadows from the corner of the room. He left his bow and quiver behind; no visible weaponry could be used, as it could alert any assassins. With that, he walked out of the room, silently followed by Yampii.
The diplomat stood on the steps of the government building, addressing the crowds before him. He was a well-groomed Cocker Spaniel and a rather well-fed one as well. Samiake and Yampii stood on either side of him, their eyes on the crowds and adjacent buildings. They tried to blend in with the background...as well as can be expected when the building was white, and they wore black.
Whose dumb idea was that? Samiake thought. This guy is so hyped up on assassination theories, and then he goes and dresses his extra help in exactly the wrong colour. He rolled his eyes slightly and suppressed a yawn. This speech was taking forever. He cast his eyes over the crowd again, then looked over at Yampii.
The jackal stood motionless. Only his eyes moved, roving the crowds. After a few laps of the crowd, he stopped, staring at a particular spot. Slowly, as if not to be noticed, he raised his paw and pressed a finger to his neck, activating the communication device hidden there under his short fur.
'Samiake,' he said. He sounded slightly more animated then the otter had ever heard. He even detected a hint of emotion. 'I think there is trouble over on the north-east side.'
Samiake turned his head to look in the identified direction. There was a small group of furs that was particularly mobile, shifting around a bit, and a few of them were looking at the buildings as well.
Suddenly, the group broke apart, all the members walking off in different directions. Samiake narrowed his gaze, then raised his own hand and touched the device on his neck.
'It looks like that group is gonna try something fishy,' he muttered, knowing a small receiver clipped to Yampii's ear would transmit the sound. 'I count about 20 members, all with suspicious protrusions on their person.' Another thing that made Samiake a good bodyguard was his eyesight. He was a trained sniper, and could see things and hit targets from great distances. It wasn't a special ability, just good training.
'Try and take out some of them, Samiake,' came Yampii's reply. He turned his head and flashed a tiny smile. Samiake almost gasped at such emotion. 'Quietly, if possible.'
Samiake nodded slowly. Yampii was starting to lose his frosty exterior. Maybe he just didn't like being inside. Musing over this, Samiake turned to the crowd again, and flexed his gauntleted hands
The few wisps of shadows he had collected pooled into his palms, drifting like solid smoke. Holding his hands by his side, he let them trickle down onto the ground, then move along out into the crowd. Along the way, they dragged bits of the crowds' shadows with them, thickening into cords. The crowds slumped very slightly as their shadows were drained slightly, but no-one would notice. One thing Samiake knew was that the more they lost of their own shadow, the more energy a person lost. It had something to do with the balance of nature...or something like that. He grinned as he heard a few snores rise from a few of the already lack-lustred members. Oh well, so a few people fell asleep...so what?
With the cords now thick enough to work with, he split them up into hair-fine threads, and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he could see everything around the cords. It was a very confusing way of looking at things, and Samiake was glad he didn't do it often, because doing so could induce nausea very quickly.
He let the threads flow around until he located a few members of the group. Twining the threads around legs and tails, he sucked the shadows off them, while also tying them to the ground. A few struggled, but eventually, the energy-draining effect of the shadow loss sent them into sleep. It was so very easy; this bunch was already tired, probably from staying up too late figuring out their plot. Samiake opened his eyes and grinned. Mission accomplished.
Beside him, Yampii was directing his gaze to one particular individual. It was a vixen, carrying a large backpack over her shoulder. She was moving through the crowd towards a building to the left, hidden in a crowd of other people wanting a good view.
Samiake saw her, and raised his hand. 'Yampii...I think we've got a sniper here.'
Yampii nodded. 'Looks like it. We won't make a move until we must. She needs to shoot first, or we could get the wrong person. She may be a decoy.'
This thought came to Samiake as well, and he directed his gaze out into the crowd again, looking for the conscious members of the group. Muttering a curse under his breath he saw they had all vanished.
'Can't see any more hostiles,' he reported. 'They've blended into the crowd.' He growled again, retracting the shadow cords into his palms again. He hoped the black fabric under the metal hid the shifting darkness well enough from the sleepy crowd.
Samiake continued to gaze into the crowd, no longer listening to the waffling Spaniel. How could someone so important be so boring, he wondered. He saw more and more people in the crowd cover yawns, even without the effects of the minor shadow loss. He only saw a few people alert. In fact, most of these alert people were moving forward...
'Yampii! It's an ambush. They knew we'd be on the lookout for snipers, so they have a backup plan!'
Samiake's theory was proven a second later, and time seemed to slow down for a few seconds.
A dulled shot rang out, signalling the fire from a sniper rifle. At the same time three members of the group surged forward, armed with long knives and tasers. Samiake saw them, and heard the shot.
'Yampii, get the diplomat!' he yelled.
Yampii finally moved. Swinging one arm up, he thrust his palm towards the diplomat, and a clear blast of energy surged forward, knocking the stunned Spaniel down and back, out of the way of the fire. He swung his other arm up and, spinning like a discus-thrower, launched another blast at the vixen on the roof. The blast hit the female fox square in the chest, sending her flying back, right through the rear wall. Yampii grinned, satisfied.
Samiake, meanwhile, was dealing with the three assassins. He growled, and snapped out with the shadows, forming them into large fists. The dark fists connected with two assassins, knocking the wind out of them. Swiftly, he bound them on the ground, locking the shadow cords into the concrete beneath them.
The third assassin dodged both blows, then jumped onto the podium, making straight for the diplomat. Samiake saw him as if in slow motion. He took the few steps needed to intercept the assassin, then swung out with his arm at the assassin's neck. The assassin connected with his arm, was lifted off the ground for a few second, before gravity took over, and he started to plunge down. Quickly, Samiake adjusted his grip so that he was holding the neck, and crashed him into the ground, pinning him. The mouse's eyes were moving rapidly as he took in the immediate outcome. Samiake leant down and growled, an inch from his face.
'Don't...move.' he warned. 'I can so easily snap your neck.' The mouse gulped, but continued to thrash.
Samiake sighed, and then reached down with his other hand. The mouses shadow pulled free from the ground slightly. The otter grabbed it, and, giving it a harsh tug, ripped it free from the assassin. The mouse gave an odd, wavering cry, then his eyes rolled up in his head, and he froze into rigor mortis. The mouses shadow collapsed in on itself, becoming a small, dark ball in Samiake's grasp.
'There,' he said to the paralysed mouse. 'That ought to hold you for a while.'
He smirked and put the shadow in his pocket, then looked over at Yampii. The jackal was helping the shaken diplomat to his feet. Other bodyguards were moving through the crowds, trying to weed out any more would-be assassins.
After dusting off his arms, Yampii walked over to Samiake and helped him up to, a small smile on his face.
'I guess it just wasn't their day,' said Samiake, grinning as he was helped up. 'What'll happen to that vixen, and those two over there?' He pointed a few feet away, where the assassins Yampii had repelled were lying unconscious.
'They will be fine,' murmured Yampii. 'The vixen, I cannot be sure. She may have hit a wall...or two.' Again, that tiny smile, as if he enjoyed the thought of someone hitting several walls.
'Well, good work buddy. I think we may have just saved the diplomat,' said Samiake. Yampii merely nodded, his gaze somewhere on the horizon. He stood like that for a few seconds, then turned and walked back into the building without a word.
Samiake looked at him as the jackal walked off. He scratched his head, mulling things over. Yampii was a mystery still. Even after the months they had been partners. There was something about him that Samiake didn't like. The small smiles he let slip while doing harm to others...his burning gaze...
Samiake shuddered slightly, then followed him inside.
Samiake was lying on the bed in his room when Yampii entered. Samiake had changed back into his usual attire as soon as possible, and was idly tossing some shadows around the room, watching them splat on the wall, then peel off and fall to the floor.
Yampii stood and watched the little show for a while, raising a single eyebrow. 'Productive,' he said quietly. 'Good to see you are keeping sharp.'
Samiake frowned, reabsorbing all the shadows into his gauntlets. 'What's that supposed to mean?'
Yampii leant on a wall, gazing at the otter, a look of slight distain on his face. 'I mean, you have a powerful ability, yet you waste it on silly games like this. Imagine what you could do if you hadn't weakened your power with this stupidity.'
Samiake frowned even further. 'I'm not wasting anything. It's called "having fun". You should try it someday.'
'There is no time for "fun" in our line of work, otter,' replied Yampii. 'We have a job to do. We do it, that's it. We move on to the next job.'
Samiake bristled at the jackal's tone. 'I like having fun. You can't always be serious. You gotta let loose occasionally.'
Yampii snorted...actually snorted. '"Letting go" makes you weak. It dulls your senses to the world around you.'
Samiake sat back on the bed, suddenly aware he was standing, his gauntlets shrouded in shadows, ready to strike. Yampii was goading him, and he didn't realise until it was almost too late.
'What are you trying to prove, Yampii?' he asked. 'That you're stronger than me? That you can take me on? Cause I can almost certainly guarantee you...you wouldn't be able to stop me, if you provoked me.'
Yampii grinned that small grin again. 'I think I'd like to try...'
Before either of them could move, a beeping sound issued from Samiake's bag. With a last glare at the jackal, Samiake turned and rummaged in the bag, retrieving a small PDA. A voice issued from the device once Samiake pushed a button.
'You two have a new job,' said the voice.
Yampii came over and looked over Samiake's shoulder. 'Go ahead,' he said.
'You don't have to go very far, either,' replied the voice. 'Your new job is to assassinate the diplomat you were protecting.'
Silence met this statement. Samiake just stared at the PDA, positive he hadn't heard right.
'Sorry...did you just say we're to kill the guy we just saved?'
'That is correct,' came the reply. 'Another client has come forward, and has offered a very large sum for this assassination. You are required to do so at the earliest possible time.'
'You...you can't be serious!' spluttered Samiake. 'What sort of people are you, to willingly assassinate someone just for money?!'
'You forget, Samiake,' said Yampii softly, 'We are mercenaries. We do what we are payed to do.'
Samiake dropped the PDA and stepped back quickly, shaking his head. 'No way,' he said. 'I am not doing this! This is wrong!'
'You don't have a choice, otter,' Yampii said in a strange tone. 'You have to do it. Or else, I will have to kill you.'
'Just try it!' snarled Samiake, whipping the shadows into claws. 'Give me an excuse, please!'
Yampii didn't say anything. He simply leapt forward and snapped his palm out, sending a wave of energy slamming into the otter. Samiake managed to cut through the worst of the strike, but the trailing end of the wave caught him, sending him staggering back a bit. While he was still disorientated, Yampii sped forward and punched Samiake in the stomach, coating his fist in energy. The blow sent Samiake hurtling into a wall, completely out of breath and coughing up a bit of blood. In his daze, he watched as Yampii strode forward, unable to do a thing.
Yampii stood in front of him and smirked, then reached down and pulled the gauntlets off Samiake's limp arms, the shadows on them trickling off like melt-water.
'Now what are you going to do?' Yampii mocked, before kicking the stricken otter's side, sliding him into the wall again, coughing more blood. 'Without your precious gloves, you are nothing!'
Samiake could only lay there, unable to do anything while winded. All he could do was glare woozily at the jackal. He tried to stagger to his feet, but Yampii kicked his stomach again, returning him to the ground.
'Stay down, weakling,' he snarled. 'You couldn't defeat me if your life depended on it!'
Yampii sneered once more, then walked out of the room. 'Where...where are you going?' wheezed Samiake.
Yampii looked over his shoulder. 'I'm doing my job. And because I'm such a nice guy, you can have all the credit.' He waggled the gauntlets at the otter, gave a short laugh, then left.
Samiake could only lie there, gasping for air. The energy-laden punch had done some damage to him, he was sure of it. He couldn't even use the shadows to help him, because he didn't have the gauntlets, nor was he close enough to touch one. So he lay there, pathetic and beaten, while Yampii went and did his 'job'.
Yampii strolled through the building, smirking. What a pathetically weak creature that otter was. He thought he was so unbeatable, with his shadow power and gauntlets. All was needed was those gauntlets removed, and Samiake was weaker than a kitten.
Yampii fondled the soft black fabric under the gauntlet, feeling the power locked inside. It was true that the otter possessed an innate ability to move shadows, but without the gauntlets, he was powerless. And now, Yampii could carry out his instructions, and blame the whole thing on the otter.
He reached the diplomat's room and entered, making sure to stay out of sight by hiding in the huge closet. And there he sat, waiting, until the diplomat entered. The Spaniel waved off his entourage of bodyguards and closed the door, heaving a huge sigh as he did.
'Finally. Now I can get some peace and quiet,' he murmured. He rubbed his eyes, then turned around to find Yampii standing there, an unfathomable look on his face. The diplomat gave a loud gasp and leapt back, then smiled softly.
'Ah, you're one of the special guards I hired, yes? Yimpii, wasn't it?
Yampii narrowed his gaze. 'Yampii,' he said.
The diplomat grinned. 'That's right, Yampii. Funny name, isn't it? Anyway, you and your partner did a bang-up job today.'
Yampii just stared, flexing his paws a bit, powering up the energy in his braces. The diplomat's smile fell a bit as his gaze caught the movement.
'W...what are you doing?' he asked, a touch of worry in his voice.
Yampii didn't answer again. He raised a paw and pointed to the diplomat. A blast of energy shot off the finger like a bullet, piercing the Spaniel's shoulder, and knocking him back into the wall. The Spaniel howled him pain, clutching his shoulder, and found himself pressed into the floor by a powerful force. He looked up to see Yampii standing over him, one hand forcing him down, the other curled into a fist, which was warped with energy.
'No!' he whimpered. 'It's your job to protect me, not kill me!'
'I lied,' said Yampii, and punched down. The blow ruptured the diplomat's lungs, and squashing his heart so much it burst. The diplomat gave one last gurgle, then lay still.
Yampii surveyed his work. Only the shoulder wound was visible; not even a bruise showed on the belly. He smirked again, then dropped one of the otter's gauntlets by the bed, in plain view of anyone who entered the room. Casting one last look around the room, he left, pulling the door closed after him.
Walking down the corridor, and peereing at the remaining gauntlet, Yampii was suddenly curious as to know what it was like to wear one. He tossed the idea around, then decided to do it. He pulled one of the gauntlets over his left paw, wiggling his digits into the ends. As soon as it was settled, Yampii was rocked back on his heels. There was something in the gauntlets...something dark and powerful. Sweat poured off his brow, and an uncontrollable shiver washed down his spine. He ripped the gauntlet off and hurled it to the ground, casting it a slightly terrified look. He looked at his left paw to see if there was any damage, and almost fainted.
His paw, and the portion of his arm that the gauntlet covered, was bone-white and shrivelled-looking, as if all the life had been sucked out of it. As he stared in horror, a faint black wash rippled up from his arm, restoring his paw and arm to their former state.
'What the hell was that..?' he whispered. There was something very wrong with the gauntlets...and Yampii didn't like it. Yet...he thought back to when he pulled the gauntlets off the otter. His arms were normal, his fur as black as it should be...a thought brewed in the base of his brain. Could it be possible...the otter was one of...them?
Samiake was sitting in a cell, fuming.
'How many times am I gonna get saddled with traitors?' he muttered to himself. This time, however, it seemed his adversary was smarter. He had done his homework, and had swiftly disarmed him before he could make a move.
It hadn't taken long before the entire protection crew of the diplomat had caught him and thrown him in this cell. They had tasered him and cuffed him with vacuum cuffs, so he was unable to move, yet again, and attached a collar around his neck that would paralyse him should he attempt to remove it. Stupid high-tech area, he fumed. If he got out of here, he was going to move to the low-tech area.
Of course, first he had to get out. He had nothing on him, and the lights were too dim to cast any shadows. His bag, bow and quiver had been taken, and stored, along with his gauntlets, in a secure lock-up. All he had was his loincloth and his armband, which, thankfully, had not been removed. All hell would literally break loose if he lost that...
He hung his head, and looked around from under his arms, trying to find any way out. The bars holding him in were made of plasma, charged with enough power to fry your average blue whale. No way could he squeeze past those. However, things weren't so bad. Samiake was never really powerless, even stripped of his gauntlets. All he needed was a single flash of light.
'Hey! Ugly!' he shouted. 'I'm parched in here. What does a guy have to do to get some water these days?'
'Quiet, you!' called the guard, a surly sounding housecat. 'Murderers don't get the luxury of water.'
'Fine, don't give me any water then. But I need some light over here,' Samiake called.
A snort issued from the dark. 'As if. I know all about your dark power. We're to keep you in the dark until you're carted off to prison. Or executed...whichever comes first.'
Samiake grinned in the dark. Not likely, he thought. 'That only works if I touch a shadow. I can't move an inch here.'
'Why do you need the light?' asked the cat angrily. 'All you'd see is stone and plasma.
'Well...' Think, Samiake...think! 'I think one of you guys left a rather large impression on my skull. I want to make sure I'm not gonna die any time soon.'
Silence. The cat was buying it. 'Just a quick look, please. Just shine your torch here, take a squiz, and see if I'm leaking brains. One second, I swear.'
Mentally, he crossed his fingers. If this didn't work, he didn't have a hope. More silence, then he heard the door open, and the cat entered. Through the gloom, Samiake saw him raise a torch.
'Stay still, or I'll activate that collar!' he warned. Samiake nodded, and the torch flashed on. Samiake was bathed in the harsh glow for a second, then it was gone.
'Nothing wrong with you,' diagnosed the cat. He went back out of the room.
'Thanks buddy,' Samiake called, a gleeful smile on his face. 'You've been a big help...'
On the wall, a deeper darkness was moving. For, in the split second of light, Samiake's own shadow had appeared. Unlike all the other shadows he could use, Samiake's shadow was different. It was almost alive, and as such, behaved a lot differently from all other shadows.
The shadow stretched its arms above its head, then peeled itself off the wall to stand beside its master.
'Go get the door, please buddy,' commanded the otter. The shadow tilted its head, then flowed through the plasma bars. It made its way over to the control panel and pressed a button. The plasma bars dropped, and the shadow did a little jig.
Samiake sighed. 'Yes, I know you did a good job. Thank you.' He raised his cuffed hands. 'Now, can you get these off me?'
The shadow nodded, then its arm became a blade, and it swung through the cuffs, breaking the seal and releasing Samiake's hands. Samiake smiled and ruffled the shadow's hair. 'Good work, pal. Now then, let's go get my stuff back.'
Once again, Samiake padded down the corridor, his shadow flitting in and out of the shadows on the wall. He needed to find his stuff, and fast. He also wanted to find Yampii. Once again, Samiake was considering killing someone. And so soon after Firolf, too...he sighed. Oh well, maybe next time I work with someone, I won't feel like killing them.
His shadow suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pointed to a door. Samiake took it to mean his stuff was beyond it. He asked his shadow that, and it nodded emphatically. So Samiake crossed to the door and slowly opened it.
Inside, on a table, was all his stuff. Exhaling slightly, he entered the room, and suddenly felt a gun barrel on his head. He slowly raised his arms. 'I'm not armed,' he said.
'I can see that,' said the voice. He recognised it. The lion from before. The lion walked around into Samiake's line of sight, a rifle in his paws, and a sad expression on his face.
'Why'd you do it, Sammy?' he asked in a painful voice.
'I didn't,' replied the otter. 'I was out cold. Besides, why would I leave a gauntlet behind? I almost never take those things off.'
The lion didn't move or say anything, but his eyes moved rapidly, sorting out this information.
'If I kill,' continued the otter, 'I leave a mark. My guess is there was little to no marks on the diplomat?'
The lion nodded, once, and slowly lowered his rifle. Samiake breathed a sigh of relief, and lowered his hands. His shadow, he realised, was under his feet. Cowardly thing, he thought. It could have helped me.
'So, what are you saying? Yampii did it?' asked the lion. Samiake nodded. 'He took my gauntlets to frame me.'
The lion pondered this. 'Truthfully?' Samiake nodded, and the lion sighed. 'I never did like that guy.'
He turned and picked up Samiake's stuff, and handed it to him. Samiake immediately pulled on the gauntlets, and pulled a few wisps into them. Then he slung his quiver and bag over his shoulder, and slid the bow into the quiver.
'What are you going to do now?' asked the lion. Samiake gave a grin. 'Gonna have a chat with Yampii. Explain just how annoyed I am at him. Thanks, buddy. Thank you for trusting me.' He shook the lion's paw, then exited the room.
The lion looked at his paw, and saw a single wisp of shadow curl around a finger. He shuddered; he did not wish to be Yampii right now...
Night had fallen outside, so Samiake pulled some shadows from the building, to use later on. Most of them were shadows from the guards, who felt they could stop him. The entrance hall was now full of paralysed guards, making the room look filled with statues.
Samiake pulled out his PDA and accessed the GPS. Yampii was in the main part of the city, about a mile from him. This time, Samiake didn't have Rio to help him get places quickly. Oh well...gotta leg it then, he mused. So off he ran, vengeful thoughts running through his head.
Eventually, he reached the area where Yampii was. He stopped a passing kangaroo, and asked if he'd seen the jackal.
'Sure,' said the roo. 'I saw him just a few blocks from here. All smug-like, he was.'
'I'm sure he was...thanks pal.' Samiake took off in the direction indicated, and soon found the jackal leaving a bar.
'Yoo-hoo! Yampii!' called Samiake. The jackal turned and saw him, then turned around again and pelted off.
'They never just stand still, do they?' murmured Samiake, and ran off after Yampii. The jackal turned a corner, and Samiake followed, only to be sent flying by an energy blast. He picked himself up with a curse, then ran on, forming a shield of shadows before him to deflect any more blasts.
The street they were running down was long and straight. Samiake grinned and sent several cords of shadows after the jackal. They ripped Yampii's pants as they past, drawing shouts of pain from the jackal. He turned and blasted a wave of energy at Samiake, forcing the otter to dodge aside behind his shield, then turned down an alleyway. This time, the otter didn't hurtle around the corner. He sent his shadow along the ground, leaving a thin cord connecting itself to Samiake as it went.
Samiake closed his eyes and looked out through the shadow, directing it under and behind the panting jackal. He then opened his eyes, which flashed red, and then he twisted his gauntlet into the shadow.
For a few seconds, all he could see was darkness, then he was out. This sort of thing took a lot of getting used to. He was somehow able to travel through his shadow to wherever it was, but only with his shadow, and only with the gauntlets.
Yampii was still looking forward, and was totally unprepared for Samiake's attack. The otter sent out cords to bind the Yampii's arms to his side, and coated his braces so he couldn't use them. Then he wrapped more shadows around the jackal and lifted him up by his neck, turning him to face him.
'Hi there,' said Samiake. 'Remember me? You framed me for murder.' He sent the shadows into the wall, slamming Yampii into the wall with vicious force. 'Not nice, is it? Walls are kind of hard.'
Yampii struggled in his bonds, and Samiake tightened his grip on his neck. Yampii's face was going purple under his fur from lack of oxygen. He glared down at the otter.
'What are you gonna do to me? Rip me apart, like you did to Firolf? Kill me in cold blood?' he asked.
Samiake faltered. How did he find out about Firolf? Samiake had told no-one about the sand dragon he had killed a year ago.
'How...how did you know...?' he stammered. Yampii gave a nasty, barking laugh, a trickle of blood oozing from his mouth.
'Oh, I know all about you,' he hissed. 'Everything. I know what you are, as well.'
Samiake's heart fell to his feet. Not possible, he reasoned. No-one knew his secret. He had hid it too well.
'H...how?' he stammered. Yampii grinned.
'Let's just say, I took an educated guess.'
A thought occurred to the otter. 'You...put on a gauntlet...' Yampii nodded once.
'Yes. And what a goldmine of knowledge that gave me.'
Samiake's thoughts whirled. The gauntlets. The one piece of his past he could not get rid of.
'You can't turn your back on them for much longer, otter,' called Yampii. 'They'll find you, you know. And when they do, will they kill you? Or just bring you back as punishment? What do you think, otter? Which is better, death, or being a Nec...'
His taunt was cut off as Samiake tightened his grip around his neck. 'Don't you dare say their name! Never around me! I will NEVER go back to that!' he bellowed.
Yampii gagged, then pointed a finger at the ground in front of Samiake, the shadows around his wrists just slack enough to let a trickle of energy down. The blast hit the ground and tore the concrete from the earth, showering Samiake in splinters. He cursed and shielded his face. As he did, Yampii dropped to the ground. The jackal blasted another wave at Samiake, skittering him down the alley, and ran off.
Samiake roared a curse to the air. He couldn't let Yampii escape. He knew too much. He leapt to his feet and gathered every shadow he had, into one gauntlet, forming long claws on the tips. Setting his sights on the fleeing jackal, he swung the gauntlet up, and down again, plunging it into the ground. The shadows pierced the ground and sped towards Yampii, before erupting out of the ground under him, impaling him in five places, and lifting him up into the air.
Samiake pulled the gauntlet from the ground, and walked slowly over to Yampii, standing over the dying jackal. He nudged his face with a foot, turning him so he could see him.
'You will take my secret to your death. Ask yourself...was it worth it?' Yampii gurgled, blood trickling from his wounds.
'Oh, and one more thing,' said Samiake. He glared down at Yampii. 'I told you...you could never beat me.' He tapped Yampii's cheek twice with his palm, giving him a soft slap, and Yampii's head flopped to the side, devoid of life.
He turned away, and suddenly heard a noise. He looked by a building, and saw the tail of a kangaroo. It was the roo he'd got directions from! He'd seen him kill Yampii...and he'd heard enough of Samiake's secret to guess it. He groaned. Not another one. He ran off after the roo, readying his gauntlets for more death. He caught sight of the roo turning a corner, and shot a spear of shadow after him. It caught him a glancing blow on the back, sending him to the ground. Samiake ran up, preparing to strike...and was stopped by a sudden beeping.
Confused, he pulled out his PDA. 'Hello?'
'We have a new job for you,' said the voice.
Anger clouded Samiake's eyes. 'I don't give a rat's rear end what you have for me!' he shouted. 'Your stupid jobs have done enough damage here! I'm done!'
'Then do us a favour,' replied the voice, apparently unfazed by Samiake's rant. 'One last job and you can go. We won't come after you, and you keep all the profits.'
Samiake mulled it over. 'No diplomatic assassinations?' he asked sarcastically.
'No. Just some dog after a bit of revenge.' Samiake's interest rose. He liked revenge. 'Go on...'
'Some lady came in just now; a Retriever. She wants someone dead. Apparently, this person killed her son, for no reason.'
'Interesting...' said Samiake. 'Who is the "target".' He actually hated that term, but the company used it to "lower the emotional attachment to the kill."
'A bounty hunter, Shayde,' came the reply. A picture appeared on the screen. A shockingly familiar picture; a yellow and black Labrador with blue eyes.
Holy crap, Samiake realised. It's that dog from when I was a pup...the one I almost drowned. I can't kill him!
'I...I can't do this one,' he stammered.
'Yes, you can. The Retriever has payed big money to get this guy. If you don't do it, we will find you, and make you wish you had!' The device beeped, and the connection was severed, leaving Samiake to stare at the photo of his childhood friend...his next target.
He was on the rooftops, waiting, and wishing he had another way out.
The voice was back on the PDA, with a visual link to the HQ, so they could see if Samiake did the job or not. Samiake could see no way out. He had to kill Shayde. Or else, hope he didn't show up.
Just then, he saw a group of three trudge down the road. A big blue dragon, a black-cloaked husky, and Shayde, easily identifiable by his striking fur pattern. So much for hoping he wouldn't show up, Samiake thought wryly. He looked at his wrist, where the PDA was strapped onto his arm. It was there for a reason; if he didn't take the shot, the device would release a massive surge of electricity, easily enough to knock him out for a few days.
Looking down at the three travellers, his heart was in his throat. Shayde was his friend. Sure, they'd only met once, but that was enough. Then there was the other two. He'd have to kill them as well...no witnesses.
He drew his bow and plucked an arrow out of the shadows, fitting it to the string. He tried one last time.
'Please...don't make me do this,' he pleaded. The voice didn't reply, but a surge of electricity jumped out of the screen, enough to send a jolt down his body.
'Do it, or you will regret it for the rest of your short life,' the voice threatened.
Samiake swallowed once, trying not to lose his aim. He looked down and set his sights, square in the middle of Shayde's yellow back.
'I'm sorry, my friend...' and he fired.
The arrow rocketed down from the building, on a deadly straight course. Nothing could save Shayde now...unless something intercepted the arrow.
Samiake was so intent on Shayde, that he didn't see the blue dragon. It shambled past the cloaked husky, then in front of Shayde...at the exact moment the arrow would have made contact. Instead of hitting the Labrador, it sunk deep into the dragon's flank.
Samiake's mouth fell open. No...freaking...way, he thought. What are the chances of THAT?! A roar echoed up as the arrow dissolved into the dragon's body, wiping out his life in a wave of darkness that trickled out of its lack jaws. Samiake just stood there, unable to do anything. Below, he saw the two dogs look around, then Shayde looked up. Samiake flinched, and ducked under the low wall, peering out to see Shayde staring right at him, then run towards the building he was on.
Great, thought Samiake. Now he thinks I killed the dragon. He sighed deeply, then leapt to his feet. 'This day just gets better and better,' he muttered. 'Now my long-lost friend is out to kill me...how is that for gratitude.'
He sighed again, then leapt over the side of the building, sliding down on a track of shadows. Time to get out of here. So he ran.
To Be Continued.