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 Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:01 pm
 The moss-colored femme eyed the flower-filled field before her warily, as though it might come to life and attack her at any moment. They were so pretty. Surely Uncle would not approve of such frivolous thoughts. Youko knew this, yet she could not help herself. They were bright and delicate and beautiful. Though she sensed no one nearby, she darted a surreptitious glance around before she approached a particularly large, bright orange blossom. The femme lowered her nose to it, the better to take in its sweet scent, and promptly jerked her head back with a sneeze. Such a strong scent!
She snorted again and rubbed any excess pollen off against a foreleg. Well, now she knew not to do that again. Perhaps Uncle was right, after all. Best not to indulge in pretty things. Of a certainty, they were not to be trusted. Youko sighed and sat back on her haunches, her tail curling around her legs like a cat. Of course. Uncle was always right, in the end. No matter what hopes she harbored, or however contrary to his teachings her idle dreams might be, it seemed like his predictions always came true.
Well, no matter. He was still away and she had yet to decide where she was going next. The young femme had no one to help, nor was she on any particular mission. Perhaps she could hunt down some rumors, or seek out one of her more elusive mysteries, however few there may be. Perhaps…
Her ears perked up as her attention was caught by something on the other side of the clearing, still hidden within the dark confines of the forest. Who was this? Somehow, they seemed familiar…
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:34 am
 Poine was not in her best temper. Truth be told, she was worried about Peino. She'd never had the occasion to worry about him before, and it bothered her nearly as much that she even cared as it did that he was missing. Her concerns about him had driven her to distraction. She'd almost botched the deal with that black wolf over it! Poine was a professional, she knew how to read clients better than that...and yet, she had almost lost a whole deal because of misreading a wolf. She was definitely slipping.
Still, all was not lost. She'd managed to make the deal with Tisiphone after all, and busy paws were the first way to keep unwelcome thoughts at bay. Besides, Peino was probably fine. The dumb oaf could take care of himself.
But why didn't she hear about it, was the thought that kept crossing her mind. Peino wasn't exactly a subtle wolf. Tales of his carnage sprees tended to travel pretty quickly. So why was it so quiet?
The sound of a sneeze nearby jolted Poine from her thoughts. She froze, ears perked and nose lifted to the sky, brow furrowing. The scent that caught her nose was vaguely familiar, though she couldn't quite place it, and she shifted course to investigate. Anything to distract her from her thoughts...and perhaps to help her on her mission.
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Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:13 am
Youko cocked her head as she stared intently at the forest. Yes. The scent was certainly familiar, but whoever could it be? It was not one of those she had helped since she had parted ways with Uncle. Of that she was certain. Then, perhaps someone she had helped with Uncle? No, that did not seem quite right.
She took a deeper breath, rolling the flavor around in her tongue. Darkness. Blood. Death. No. This was no friendly stranger in need of help. Of a certainty, this was someone not unlike Uncle. Perhaps one of his acquaintances? Yes. That sounded more like it.
Ah. And there they were, now. A dark shape in the forest, gradually growing more distinct. But, who was it?
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:45 pm
Poine's ear flicked, and she cast a glance over her shoulder, half-certain that someone was following her. She saw no one, and shrugged of the sensation, returning to the path laid out at her paws. She could hardly afford to be melancholy when there was work to be done.
And there was always work to be done.
The scent caught her nose and she paused, eyes narrowed. Her ears laid back against her skull, the assassin crept forward into the open, muscles tensed. She recognized the scent, although just barely...and it was not necessarily a friendly scent, depending on the circumstances surrounding it.
The wolf that met her sight, however, was not who she had expected, and she paused, one paw lifted, a quizzical expression passing over her maw. Is that...."....Youko?" She asked, temporarily forgetting her caution. "Good lord, pup, last time I saw you, you were knee-high to a grasshopper. How's your uncle been?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:31 pm
At the sight of the older wolf, Youko's dangerous side was cast off. She leaped to her feet, tail a-wag, and trotted a little closer to the familiar wolf. Of course, she was careful not to get too close -- she didn't want to alarm a potentially twitchy assassin.
"Poine!" she cried, her pleasure clear as day. "Uncle is well, last I saw. I am so glad to see you. How have you been?" She paused, suddenly realizing what, or rather who, was missing. "Where is Peino?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:12 pm
Professional relationships were a strange thing, Poine mused. On the one hand, she had crossed paths with the whelp's uncle several times -- comparing techniques, offering leads, even teaming up once to find a mutual target. That had been a lot of fun, but Poine didn't want to make a habit of it. A partnership with Peino was one thing, but Poine was not a pack wolf, and being around other wolves too long made her uneasy, assassins or not. She'd heard rumor of a pack of assassins nearby, but had no interest in investigating them.
Of course, if Poine's professional path ever crossed another wolf, she would not hesitate to destroy it. She was a business-wolf above all.
"We got separated on the last job," she said, careful to conceal the concern from her voice. It was none of the pup's business what was happening in her personal life. "I'm sure he'll catch up soon enough. I've got pressing business to attend, in the meanwhile."
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:19 pm
In part because of her nature, and in part because of her profession, the moss-coated femme was more sensitive to the moods of others than most might think. Because of this, she knew she was about to tread on potentially dangerous ground. However, Youko was also a wolf who was always eager to please, so she really could not help herself.
"Is there anything I can do to help? I might know of the one you seek."
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:42 pm
Her brow raised slightly. Youko's eagerness and enthusiasm was jarring and amusing. "A possibility, I suppose," she said, settling down to her haunches and looking over the other thoughtfully. "Truth be told, the trail is long cold. I may be hunting a ghost."
She sure hoped she wasn't. She doubted a ghost would offer Tisiphone much by way of revenge.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:27 pm
"A ghost?" My, how horrible that would be, for Poine's client to never know what happened, maybe not even know if the enemy was dead or alive. For the client's sake, she hoped that Poine's mark was still alive.
The she-wolf settled back on her haunches, having calmed down from her earlier enthusiasm. "Then that is all the more reason I hope I can be of help. Would you tell me who you hunt?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:53 am
So eager to assist. It made Poine smile, but also want to roll her eyes. Had Poine ever been so enthusiastic? Hardly. Then again, Father had made it difficult to care about much of anything when she was young...the best day of her life was when she and Peino had teamed up to slaughter the old fool and his abominations.
"The name is Belial," she said, sliding back to her haunches as well. "Big brute of a wolf, brown and red fur. Don't know much else about him, unfortunately, aside from he's a killer. Or, at least, that's what the client is saying. Slaughtered a whole pack."
Maybe they had it coming. Poine wouldn't pass that judgment until she'd heard the big wolf's story. She had certainly killed her share of packs in her life, but only after she'd determined it was worth it.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:12 pm
He slaughtered a whole pack! Oh, my! How horrible! That would never do. Of course, the she-wolf was conveniently forgetting that she was perfectly capable of such a feat, if she found the cause worthy. In fact, Youko was now even more determined than ever to help Poine find her prey. Happily, luck was on her side.
"As it happens, I have heard of this Belial and, from what they say, he is a rather nasty piece of work. Not entirely sane." Again, the fact that neither she nor Poine was quite sane, either, simply did not occur to her.
"He seems to become easily obsessed and, when he cannot get what he wants, he prefers to destroy it." Her ears drooped a little. "Either way, it never ends well for the object of his obsession." She cocked her head slightly.
"I cannot confirm it, but he is roumored to favor the lake nearby as his base. He is said to return to it between wanderings."
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 10:17 am
Poine's pale eyes lay passively upon Youko. She'd always had a hard time deciding just what to think of the whelp. She was young, and naive, and always seemed too sweet for this line of work.
And yet...there was something deeply unsettling, somewhere in there. Poine could feel it, that self-same emptiness inside that was so very much like the vast expanse in her own heart. Then again, maybe it was projecting. Poine wasn't sure what was real any more, sometimes.
"You travel much and hear a lot," she conceded. It hardly surprised her that news had spread; unstable, violent wolves left a trail of rumors behind them. But, of course, all wolves were innocent until proven guilty...at least, guilty up to her standards. "So. I suppose I have the next leg of my journey determined. Thanks for the tip." She dipped her maw, and hesitated. Accepting favors was not something Poine did, unless there were a transaction involved. "Before I depart, is there something I might assist you with in return?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 4:13 pm
Given that existential self-contemplation was certainly not one of Youko's pastimes, she would have been quite surprised to learn what was going on in the older wolf's mind. As it stood, Poine's offer was still unexpected to the oddly selfless femme. She never expected anything in return for her assistance. Rather, she liked helping others and never asked for help herself.
Though she was puzzled by the offer, she recalled Uncle's lessons well. For some, it was a point of honor to return a kindness. It was not in her nature to do such, but it went even more strongly against her grain to upset others. So, not wanting to offend the dark wolf, Youko wracked her brain for some small kindness she could request.
"I wonder," she said rather shyly. "It is been something I have been having trouble deciding. When hunting for villains who are always surrounded by others, what is the best way to get them alone?"
Certainly, she could not approach them herself and lure them away, let alone take care of them in plain sight of others. Either of those options would only invite trouble. But how, then, could she fulfill her goal?
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:27 pm
A grin flicked up the corner of her maw. It was always so much more fun to take out a crowd, when you had the opportunity. Still, sometimes it was prudent to kill only one.
She pondered this, seriously mulling it over. Poine took her job seriously; she was an astute business-woman, after all. "Depends on the target. Getting close to his companions, and letting them lure him away from you, that can work sometimes."
She hesitated, a moment. "...or waiting, until he slips away. All wolves have secrets, Youko. Hidden lives, things they'd rather not do around prying eyes. All wolves will eventually seek solitude to do the thing that guilts them..."
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:16 am
She cocked her head, considering this. Working through one of the villain's companions was something she had not considered before. Of course, chances were she would have to eliminate the intermediary, as well, but...
Who knows? Normally, she would avoid excess casualties, but anyone who was close to a villain might be just as worthy of her tender mercies. Poine was right. It really did depend on the target.
As for the other option, it had not occurred to her. Still, everyone had secrets...yes. It held a ring of truth to it. Certainly, then, out of everyone, one of her villains would be most likely to need solitude to indulge in his secrets.
A strange light flickered across her eyes before she smiled brilliantly at Poine, wagging her tail in appreciation.
"Thank you, Poine. I will remember that. I wish you good luck with your hunt." With that, the moss-colored femme turned and trotted off into the forest, having finally decided on a goal.
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