In the Hands of an Assassin
#1 of In the Hands of an Assassin
**In The Hands of an Assassin
Chapter 1**
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First in a collaboration between me and the highly-telented Foxxian. A young prince gets kidnapped by a fox assasin, who seems to be expecting quite the profit from the boy. Elix is © myself, and Sai is © Foxxian
Obligatory disclaimer: Some violence, but not too much to watch out for... yet. My first attempt at writing in some time, and my first time ever on YS, so any comments are more than welcome - but you already knew that.
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Sai was out on a daily ride in the forest. He had given the guards the slip, having wanted to be by himself for a while. He was walking his horse through the woods absently. Sai was young, in his early to mid teens, and was a white tiger. He had messy white headfur, and pale blue eyes. His markings were tan instead of black. He was dressed finely, a circlet rest on his brow, a sign of his princely heritage and noble blood. He sighed in a content manner, feeling perfectly safe in his own woods despite the war raging only a few towns away.
Elix, after discreetly staking out the castle for quite some time, licked his vulpine lips as he saw the young tiger with his unmistakable markings leave the safety of his home. Taking great care to remain inconspicuous, the black fox stalked the boy through the forest, his mind racing as he plotted his each and every move. In the thick trees, his dark brown cloak hid him well, though in its ratty state it wouldn't last for much longer than this day. As the prince meandered along, Elix continued to follow, waiting for just the right moment to strike.
Sai was oblivious to his stalker, and continued to just walk along in front of his horse. He liked going to the lake that was near by, just getting away from the bicker of tutors and the girls he was supposed to try and get to know. He had no interest in them though. They were more annoying then anything. Soon he came to the lake, a sprawling expanse of crystal clear water. He tied his horse to a tree and let it graze as he moved down to the waters edge.
Elix smiled, sensing a perfect opportunity to move in. However, as he reached for his sap, a root that had been hidden by leaves caught his foot. Instead of a silent knockout, the fox found himself facedown on the ground after a loud crash. Panicked, he began to stand up, but quickly regained his composure as he switched to his fallback plan. He gave the prince a warm smile and a small bow and spoke in his best fake accent
"My apologies, sir, I didn't mean to startle you. I got lost in this forest and was hoping I could follow you out without worrying you too much. Name's Elix, my boy. And you are...?"
The tiger perked his ears and whirled around when he heard the crash and thud of something heavy hitting the ground. He rested his paw on the hilt of his dagger that rest on his belt at his side, and pinned his ears back as he watched the man stand. He relaxed only a little, hearing his explanation.
"Prince Sai of Sardia." He replied and tipped his head a bit, looking the fox over, "You aren't from here?"
The fox feigned surprise as he gave a low, sweeping bow to both mask the grin he was fighting and to transfer his sap from his cloak to the inside of his sleeve.
"Ahh, your majesty," He rose again and took a few small steps towards the tiger, "I come Odell, quite a ways south of here, but I was called north to Salvatrice by a young lad who seeks to be my new apprentice."
Sai tipped his head a bit, keeping his paw on his daggers hilt. His tail flicked a bit, showing his discomfort when the fox took a couple steps toward him.
"I havent been that far south. What kind of work do you do that requires you to have an apprentice?" he wondered, keeping a wary eye on the wolf as he drew back a bit.
Elix gave a warm smile and showed his deceptively empty paws, taking another small step forward.
"Your highness, I'm a blacksmith - and a rather good one, if I may be so arrogant." He tilted his head to the side as he saw Sai step back, "There's no need to be nervous, your highness. I mean you no harm"
Sai tipped his head some, looking to the empty paws. He still didn't drop his guard, since he didn't know the man. He perked his ears a bit when he spoke of being a blacksmith.
"I see." Sai replied, and looked a bit suspicious, "Then you have no need to come closer." he told him, and perked his ears some.
Hearing a sudden splash, Sai cast a glance toward the lake. A of river otters that had made their home in the lake had just hopped into the water, distracting the boy. Not wanting to risk losing the moment, Elix immediately threw himself forward, throwing his arm out. The momentum from the lunge threw the sap out of his sleeve and straight at the side of the tiger's head.
Sai perked his ears when he heard the noise, but he didn't get the chance to see or react to it when he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head. He staggered away briefly, world spinning. He blinked a bit, confused and then his eyes rolled back as he dropped. He hit the ground with a soft groan, before laying completely still, out cold.
Elix chuckled to himself as he regained his composure. He cautiously approached Sai, pushing him with his boot to make sure he was, in fact, unconscious. Satisfied, he lifted the boy up and slung him over his shoulder.Elix started to walk away when he remembered the horse. He smiled to himself and untied the horse. He then used the rope that had been attached to the horse to bind the boy's hands and feet, and then threw him back on his shoulder, choosing to let the horse go there, rather than further down where it could be recognized.
For several hours he walked, further and further into the wilderness, until he found the cave he had been living in for the past week. After checking for any signs of consciousness from the boy, lied the boy down on the cold stone floor, watching intently for him to awaken.
Sai had been thoroughly out cold as he was poked at then lifted. He did feel the sway of the vulpine's body, but he still refused to wake. When he finally did it was with a soft groan and lull of his head from one side to the next, trying to fend off the headache. He opened his eyes a little, blinking some before reaching up and rubbing at his head faintly. He then pushed himself up quickly, remembering what had happened and looked around, finding himself in a caveElix twirled Sai's dagger in his paw, eyeing the boy carefully.
"I was lying about being a blacksmith, but I don't have to be one to know that this is a very well-made dagger: highly accurate when thrown, I'm sure. If you care to test your luck against my skill, then go ahead and try to run. If you value your body unscarred, however, then it would be a much better idea to just stay put." The fox stood and looked down at the boy, smiling contentedly "My, they said you would be pretty."
Sai perked his ears and looked to the fox when he heard him speak up. He pinned his ears back, and merely nodded a bit.
"It was made by the kingdom's blacksmith." he told him, and frowned when he told him to not test him by trying to run. Sai scooted back a little when the fox stood and frowned at him angrily, "Who are 'they'? And where have you taken me?"
Elix gave a chuckle as he looked down at Sai, his muscular body towering over the boy's.
"You know, you should consider yourself fortunate, boy. After all, with the price on your head, I doubt that the others after you would do you the honor of not beating you for talking without permission..."
He suddenly, out of nowhere, gave the cat a quick kick to the stomach.
"...but don't think that means I'll be very friendly if you try anything. I'm not a patient fox."
He cried out in pain and recoiled, curling a bit as an arm went around his stomach, looking a bit confused. Sai then bit his lower lip, mulling over what was said. So the man was an assassin? He wondered, and was about to speak up in protest when he found a foot slamming into his stomach. He then hissed as he glared at the wolf.
"How dare you..." he managed, and drew in a deep breath, "Soldiers will be looking for me... you wont get away with this."
Elix laughed at the mention of soldiers and kneeled down, his face only a foot from the boy's.
"Little boy, you have no idea just what I am."
Elix's arm shot out, his fist stopping mere inches from the boy's face before uncurling to stroke his cheek with his middle finger.
"Little boy, you're mine until I decide to give you up. And I wouldn't expect that anytime soon."