Path of the Hunters - NSFW

They silently approached the gate: virtually deserted, save for one man, standing in front of the double doors of the gate. They made sure they were completely out of sight, concealed in the shadows. "No scouts..." Cross whispered. "...Nobody to relay what happens here. Just her confidence."

Aurélie scanned the area. "She is stupide..."

"She is arrogant, is more like it." He heard a clang as the gate opened. "Speak of the Devil's mistress..."

Only one person stepped through the gate. She looked just like Nova: the brown fur, eyes, ponytail, even the her choice of clothing colors. At the same time, however, she looked so different: fur neat and tidy, very upscale clothes, an air of dignity and arrogance around her.

Immediately, her confidence-the red-furred fox-kneeled down in front of her. "Madame Amile. The report: we are still unable to locate Emile--Ugh!"

He fell to the ground as the wolf girl's fist collided with his face. "Pathétique. You 'ave 'ad over half a day's time. You cannot perform a simple task in that time? What am I paying you for?"

The fox got back to his kneeling position. "But, Madame, somebody is killing our agents. Already, well over two 'undred are reported dead."

"...Go on."

"We 'ave identified three of them. They are mercenaries 'oo 'ave worked with Nova on many occasions."

Amile raised an eyebrow. "Nova is involved, non? This is most intéressant. I will take great pleasure in drawing 'im out through 'is little friends."

"How 'bout a direct meeting?"

The wolf girl looked up, locking eyes with an all-too-familiar wolf boy. It was like looking in a mirror, sometimes...a disgusting feeling.

Aurélie's fur prickled. "Idiot," she breathed.

"Bonne," Amile said. "I do not 'ave to flush you out. I can make you suffer directly."

"Would you really cause a scene here, at an international hotspot?" Nova mused with a smirk, which did nothing but further Amile's dark glare. "There are no secrets, here; it would be all over the world news. The Baudoin name would be mud, and you'd be dead before you got back to Paris."

"Please, Nova. Do not act smart. It does not suit you."

"You'd be surprised at what I know."

"Vraiment? Like how much you look like me?"

"Or how much I am like you?"

"You are nothing like me!" she spat with utter contempt.

The dog's eyes narrowed. The Baudoin's had always been a cocky family...

Nova put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm... Check that. Since I'm older than you, I guess it's how much you are like me." Amile's eyes grew dark with rage. "The only real difference between us is that you're just a glorified hired gun, and I'm a true bounty hunter.

"I work when I want, where I want, and target whoever I want. You follow orders like a solider: you're told who to target, and when and where to strike."

"You speak of what you do not know..."

"Do I?"

Aurélie frowned. It was that reason why she'd left home in the first place...

"I think I know more about the Baudoin family than you ever will. Let's start with the reason your father was killed--"

"SHUT UP!!" she shrieked. "You know nothing about mon père! Nothing!"

Nova sighed. "I know more about my uncle than you ever will."

"...Wha?" Her expression faltered as the words sunk in.

The dog looked away, sighing. His family was much worse than her own...

"That's right," Nova said. "You came here to search of Emile Baudoin, the son of Amelle Baudoin, the 'deserter bitch' of the family. You came here looking for a man expected to grow into a bounty hunter in his own right, and threaten the family name. Well, here I am."

Amile's eyes widened in shock. "...All this time, everytime we met, everytime we fought... I 'ave been fighting ma cousine?"

"Yup. It's amazing what those psychos'll put you through, non?"

She hadn't really been expecting Amile to not even know who he really was... Nova hadn't told her that...

Amile shook her head in desperation. "B-But, it's all true! Your mother did desert us! You didn't align yourself with us! You are a threat to our family name!"

"I'm only a threat because they make me out to be a threat. I'm no different than any other bounty hunter out there. I don't align myself with the family because I don't like their solider way of doing things. It's a disgrace to the title!

"And as far as my mother's concerned... you're way off."

"...Quoi?"

The dog looked from the scene back to Cross, vaguely wondering what he thought of all this. He couldn't possibly know how vile being in a family as as his or hers could be...

Frowning, she looked back to Nova.

A lot of things were going through Cross' mind. He knew Nova had a rough past... but if he had been born into this family, how much worse could things be? He stole a glance at the dog beside him. From what he'd read, although they were assassins, the Laroche family didn't do things much differently than the Baudoins, even though they were rivals. Aurélie could probably relate to Nova... to Emile better than anyone, even him...

He turned back to Nova. Now was not the time to make his thoughts known. He had to focus; he had to be ready to act, to protect his friend.

"Amelle Baudoin wasn't a deserter. When the wars started, she was still too young to bear the family heritage. Not even her enthusiasm for the career could help her. Her mother-our grandmother-made a tough decision by sending her to the states, where she would be protected by allies... where she would be safe.

"If the elders had their way, my mother would be in the fray alongside the rest of them. And she would've died, right alongside grandma. Grandma did what she had to, to protect her daughter, her family, so that she wouldn't share her fate."

Aurélie bit her lip, twirling a blade between her fingers. It helped her focus, keep back when all she wanted to do was... She didn't know what she wanted to do, but she knew going out there wouldn't be the best option. Being in the room, really, wasn't the best option. If Nova's cousin saw her any credibility he'd gained would be lost.

Amile looked down to the floor. Was it all true? He didn't sound like he was lying. It all seemed too real, too... sincere. "...My father... What about the man you're named after?"

"Amelle's brother, Emile-your father, my uncle-had established himself as a Baudoin at the time. If he had left with her, it would've put them both in danger. He stayed and fought, covering his sister's exodus as a death in the war.

"After the wars ended, he found that Amelle was still alive, and kept it a secret. He would send letters stateside to her, using aliases of course, telling of his adventures. My favorite, to this day, is his loss of Abel Basset, the imfamous druglord."

Aurélie's lips twitched.

"As time went on, he started to think that the higher-ups were onto him, so he started becoming more discreet. Eventually, they did find out, and she was marked as a deserter, and thus a threat. And he was killed because of the secret he kept."

Amile finally looked up. "That can't be. He was assassinated by a Laroche..."

"...Actually, we're both right."

"Quoi?"

He then smirked. "Aurélie, Cross, you're gonna like this next part."

"...Wha?" Cross was flabbergasted. How did he know??

Aurélie lifted a brow. "If we are related, I'll be annoyed."

Nova chuckled. "Please. Incest is just as bad as raping. And we already know my feelings on that. Now, why don't you come out your hiding spot?"

She walked out, smirking. "Bonne."

Amile looked outraged. "Y-You're a Laroche! You're on the level with this Laroche bitch!?"

"No different than your father was," Nova said cooly.

"...Quoi?"

"Yeah, that's right. Kepping the secret about my mother-that's only part of the reason Emile was killed. Here's the other part:

"Remember when I mentioned his loss of Abel Basset? Well, I wasn't just being nostalgic. This incident directly deals with your father. He lost Abel Basset to Colette Laroche."

Amile's eyes widened. "But... my mother's name was Colette..."

Nova smiled. "Pieced it together?"

Aurélie let out a delighted laugh. "Mon dieu! 'Ow nice to know the fued doesn't stop every generation."

Cross chuckled. "And here I thought Nova was the only insane one in the world."

Overwhelmed, Amile fell to her knees. "So... I'm part-Laroche?..."

Nova nodded. "After their initial meeting, Emile and Colette started to run into each other more. Eventually, it led to an affair, and you.

"They were able to keep your birth a secret. However, the damage was already done. The two clan elders-Patrice Laroche and Jean-Claude Baudoin-commissioned each other for the murder of your parents, and made it look like one targeted the other, and the other got revenge."