Path of the Hunters - NSFW

With one last nod, he followed the dog down the stairs.

Trip quickly darted back to the the bedroom to guard his mother. Aurélie walked outside, holding the door open for him. "There is a mark on their necks."

Cross walked outside, kneeled next to one with a good neck, and examined the symbol on it. "...I know this symbol. It's Kanji; it reads 'wolf.'" He nodded, getting back to his feet. "This is good."

She smiled. "Oui."

Cross looked around at the carnage in front of his home, sighed. "It would be Nova, right? He'd have this mess cleaned up, without a trace."

"Oui... There was one following you earlier. Nova got rid of the body quickly." She looked around. "Mm... My apologies. I forget 'ow bloody I can make things."

He waved it off. "Can't be helped. Can't exactly be pretty, when you're trying to be quick."

"Très vrai... When the boy comes out 'ere, make sure 'is eyes are covered. Call your friends. We need to leave soon."

"Right." Cross pulled out his cell phone, punched the keys a number of times, and stowed it away again. "They'll be here within five minutes."

"D'accord." She smiled slightly. "You are all quick to come to 'is aid."

"We all went through some tough times in the past. That connects us in a way. Besides, we're a team, and a well-oiled one, at that. We help out each other without a moment's hesitation."

"Mm... That is interesting... It doesn't wear on any of you?"

"No more than a group of siblings, I guess. We get on each others nerves, yeah, but we won't abandon each other because of it. Besides, something like this-it almost never happens, or we're able to sort it out on our own."

"Mm-hm... Well, if any of you run into 'is cousin, do not kill 'er. 'E doesn't want 'er to die."

"Got it. Normally, I'm not too keen on killing, anyway." He looked to the ground with a distant stare. "Some blood stains you can't just wipe away..."

She averted her gaze. "'E told me a bit about you, as well. A bit more than he intended, I am sure."

"I'm sure he did." He held a hand up, which sparked with electricity for a moment. "Even he knows not to go too deep, though."

She nodded. "Oui. You are lucky to 'ave a friend such as 'im. And I am sure the same could be said the other way around."

He shook his head. "We're useful to each other, so we keep each other alive. At least that's what he'd say," he added with a smirk. Judging from the way she spoke of him, it seemed like there was a side to Nova that he knew nothing about...

"'E would say it, yes... But would 'e mean it the way you think 'e does?" Smiling, she looked over at the sound of a vehicle. "Is that them?"

Cross nodded. "Yeah." A van appeared from around the corner, and parked in front of the house. The first to step out were two females: one, an orange echidna; the other, a yellow hedgefox.

The echidna girl surveyed the carnage done with a whistle. "Wow. Decide to go on a blood rave, Cross?"

"This isn't Cross's work," the hedgefox pointed out, the third member-a red, male hedgecat-coming up beside her. "Look at these slashes. Not from Cross' blade, that much is certain."

"Looks like they tried a full-scale assault," the hedgecat deduced. "And were subsequently hacked to shreds."

"That sums up the situation nicely," Aurélie said, smiling at the bloodbath.

Cross chuckled, walking toward the group that arrived. "Guys, this is miss Aurélie, the famous assassin. Aurélie, this is the rest of the team.

"Our tactical expert, Sol." He motioned to the hedgecat, who gave an acknowledging nod.

"...Mani, our medical specialist." "Pleasure," the hedgefox responded.

"...And Elesis, our firestarter." "How's it goin'?" the echidna girl responded, flashing a grin and a thumbs-up.

The dog smiled. "Bonjour, all."

"So, Cross," Elesis spoke up. "Mind explaining the blood bath in front of us?."

Cross nodded. "All these dead bodies here are agents of somebody who's after Nova. You can tell them apart from everyone else, because they all have the Kanji, 'wolf,' tattooed on their necks. The induvidual herself is important to Nova, because it's his cousin."

"Wait," Sol interjected. "I thought Nova didn't have any family left."

"This is from a past he's chosen not to tell, and that's all I'll say on the matter. Now, for the moment, Nova has gone into hiding to recover. Until then, we have to divert his cousin's scouts' attention from him."

"So, it's seek-and destroy, huh?" Elesis mused.

"More or less. Now, Sol, Mani, I want you two to cover the area around the Embassy. That's where he's recovering. Once he's on his feet, let me know.

"Elesis, I need you to escort Star and Trip to the shelter. Once they're safe, comb the StarShine area. Get Sunny to help you, if you can.

"Aurélie and I will cover the airport. Nova's cousin, Amile Baudoin will be arriving sometime tomorrow, probably around noon."

"You're kidding me!" Elesis piped up. "He's related to the Baudoins!?"

Cross nodded. "It would seem that way. You all have your orders. Oh, and be on the lookout for other bounty hunters. There's likely a hefty price for bringing Nova in. Divert their attention, as well, eliminate if need be.

"Does everyone understand the mission?"

"Yes, Sir!" All three of them responded in unison.