Don't Forget

#21 Sub's New Pet

Sky has been at the camp for a month now, and Ty is finally not absolutely dreading every waking moment with him. It's more of a low annoyance.
The first day was the worst. Sky somehow moved Ty is his sleep, leaving him in the middle of the forest. The soldier woke up confused and dazed with after effects of a few herbs. It took him at least five minutes to process what must have happened.
Ty then spent the next hour screaming and yelling into the forest around him. Surly Sky is watching him from in tree or behind a bush?
He only got the motivation to move when a rock flung itself into his back. Ty whipped around with a yelp, scanning the underbrush for any sign of the assassin. Nothing. Not even a twig snap.
Is this some sort of test? Being dropped off in the middle of nowhere and having to get back to camp? Sky must have left clues if that's the case. Looking around, Ty eventually spots a small branch that's been snapped on a tree. There's a small disturbance in the leaves a little farther. A footstep.
Ty slowly makes his way through the trees. He can tell that he's heading roughly east by the sun. Loosing the trail a few times, Ty has to backtrack to pick it up again. Another rock would be launched at him each time. The trail kept looping back over itself.
It was an hour before sunset when Ty made it back to camp. He was dirty and exhausted, not even have eaten that day. The soldiers on guard duty watched him stumble in with a little amusement.
Sky has somehow dragged a table right inside the camp's entrance. He's been sitting there for the last half hour, eating his dinner. A chair and plate is set up for Ty as well. The food is cold.
"I hate you", Ty growls, swiping a glass of water off the table. He downs the entire cup in seconds.
"It wouldn't of been cold if you got back faster", Sky shrugs.
"How fast can you run if I were to chase you?", the soldier grumbles. He's too tired to make good on the threat. He falls asleep almost instantly after eating.
The same exercise was done for three days in a row. A different direction each time. Sky only stopped when Ty made it back in only two thirds of the original time.
     Combat training was next. Some assassins do use swords, so Ty chose to stick with that. Using a sword in cramped conditions isn't covered in soldier training. An assassin almost never fights in the open. Cramped hallways, alleys, and the occasional bedroom don't leave enough room for wide movements.
     Assassins fight with their weapons remaining closer to their bodies. Wide arcs with a blade just don't fit when the walls are four feet apart. Sky fights with his knees and arms constantly bent, getting within inches of his opponent to stab or slash with daggers.
     Ty was extremely clumsy with this at first. Sky made him practice in the forest where the trees are the thickest. If the soldier swung too wide, his blade got caught on the trees. The assassin would dance around him with long sticks to poke at him.
     That was another issue for Ty to get over. He was swinging a steel sword against Sky's wooden pole. He froze multiple times when he thought he was about to hit the assassin. Sky would whack Ty over the head each time. This stopped after a week when Sky had a dozen scratches from one day.
      It was kinda freaky the day after the assassin's melt down. The bruise on the side of his face disappeared over night. And the sword scratches went away just as quickly. Sky refuses to speak about it.
     Now, Ty's training involves both of the previous skills. He has to track Sky through the forest, often getting ambushed by the assassin. The quick fights only last minutes before Sky is gone again.
     The assassin breaks up his trail by climbing trees and doubling back in places. He could move without leaving such an obvious trail, but he's trying to keep it relatively easy. For now.
     Ty whirls around just in time for a stick to to whack him in the side. He yelps, but lunges forward in time to swipe at Sky.
     "Not so fast this time", Ty laughs, his sword flying inches from Sky's retreating arm. His frustration overrules his fear of hurting the assassin.
     "Talking distracts you", Sky snaps, twisting to the soldier's side. He uses a foot to kick Ty off balance. "Watch every part of my body, not just my hands". The assassin then disappears into the trees.
"Really? Again? How long are we gonna do this?", Ty grumbles, getting back to his feet. They've been at it for hours already.
     "Maybe we should head back for a break", Sky tilts his head. He dropped from the trees to land right behind Ty. He freaks out from the sudden closeness, whipping his sword around. Sky lurches back in time to avoid the worst of the blow. A thin scratch slices through the cloth on his shoulder and leaves a small wound.
     "Huh. Maybe we should also switch to practice weapons", the assassin looks down at the bloody cut with blank detachment. He doesn't seem at all concerned with the pain.
     "That's what I've been saying for days!", Ty is the only one really concerned about the cut. He's never injured someone so often in training.
      Ty is about to speak again, but Sky covers his mouth. The soldier jumps a little at the contact. The assassin looks around at the trees with his eyes narrowed. Ty has no idea what he's doing. It's better not to question his assassin teacher that could mop the floor with him.
"Someone's watching us", Sky mumbles. He lets go of Ty and pulls out a dagger, flinging it into the trees all in one fluid motion. Someone steps out of the trees. They glare in annoyance with a fresh, thin cut on their cheek.
     Sub looks like he's been through a garbage disposal. His clothes are torn in a few spots, and some of his wounds have bandages. Dirt and blood coats his entire face. Not to mention that it looks like he hasn't slept in days, which is probably true.
     "What have you been up to? Not looking so pretty there, buddy. Need Sky to carry you back to camp for a doctor?", Ty ties to copy the assassin's sense of humor, but seeing Sub like this unnerves him too much.
     Sub shakes his head and makes a few signs to Sky. He winces a little when moving his right shoulder. Sky's eyebrows knit in confusion. He signs back before turning to Ty.
     "He wants us to follow him. Something about a present to the soldiers?", Sky explains. Sub didn't say what it was. His injuries are definitely affecting him, but he's too determined to rest now.
The two assassins slip back into the trees without a sound. Ty sighs before following. Although he can be a lot quieter then before, there's still lots of stuff to rustle and snap in a forest. The soldier can only follow the other two because they go in a straight line.
Sub leads them south for only a few minutes before stopping at a shallow dip in the ground. A small stone outcropping shields a hole about three feet deep.
"Is this what you've been doing in your spare time? Hunting calamari?", Sky laughs, poking the prisoner with his foot.
"You caught a squid? After leaving for a whole month, you've dragged a squid Captain back with you?", Ty gawks.
And it's true. After Sub somehow found and infiltrated a squid base, he took a prisoner. A squid is hog tied and gagged in the shallow overhang. Their uniform brands them as a Captain. Their job would be pretty similar to Mitch's.
Sub nods. And then he slumps forward and almost crashes down on his face. Adam reacts the fastest and grabs him just before he hits the ground. Sky huffs and looks away in disgust and annoyance. The sudden flips between attitude don't go unnoticed anymore. Ty's seen about four of the strange reactions.
"Idiot. He hasn't slept in days in order to keep an eye on that squid. Exhaustion's finally won", he explains at Ty's shocked expression. "Do you want to carry him, or the squid?".
Ty looks down nervously at the Captain. They're laying on their stomach, unable to roll over and face them. The soldier pokes them with his left foot. The squid growls in anger at him.
"You know what? I'll take Sub", Ty nervously coughs. He backs away from the squid and Sky drops the unconscious assassin into his arms. Ty almost drops him. Even though he's a little older, Sky is stronger. Being short isn't helping the situation. Ty has to put Sub on his back and hold his arms. Sub's feet drag on the ground.
Sky has no such restrictions, but he still drags the squid. He ties a rope around their torso and over the existing bindings. Like a spoiled girl and her pet, the assassin happily drags the Captain behind him all the way back to camp. Ty walks behind while trying not to let Sub go. The squid is trying to cuss them out with the gag all the way there.
     "You're kinda annoying. How's your penmanship? I should cut your tongue out and save us both some trouble", Sky growls. That shuts the squid up pretty fast.
     The two guards at the camp's entrance both gawk at the four of them. Once Sky explains how Sub heroically captured the squid Captain, one of them points out where Lachlan is. Sub fought for GoldenEye's benefit. Surly the news would spread, and maybe he won't be treed when the mute wakes up.
     Every soldier in the camp stoped to watch Sky stroll down the street. He doesn't seem bothered by the stares now. The assassin is too cocky at the moment. Ty is the exact opposite. All the attention he usually receives is negative. The curious looks really start to make his skin crawl. Assassins usually don't mingle very often, and it's starting to rub off on him in a small way. Especially with his past.
When they spot Lachlan, Vikk and Mitch are both with him. Ty knows at this point that they used to work together before the castle fell, but not who else was in their unit. It might upset them if he asked. Still, Ty is curious who else was with them. The three are quite close and skilled soldiers by themselves. Still, Mitch seems a little distant at times.
"What is th-", Lachlan gets up, but stops himself from talking.
     "What happened to Sub?", Vikk speaks up. He's more concerned with the unconscious assassin then Sky's new pet.
     "Is that a squid Captain? Where the hell did you find it? Were you followed?", Mitch is instantly on alert. Having the camp's location compromised isn't on the top of his to-do list.
"Sub wouldn't of come back if he was being followed, but I have no idea how he got the squid here by himself", Sky shrugs. He hands the rope to a stunned Lachlan. News in the camp must have spread pretty quickly. Most of the training stopped, the soldiers waiting for word from the General. Max excused himself and found the others as fast as he could.
     "Oh god! That thing really does smell like fish. It's almost like back in my home town", Max scrunches up his face in disgust. The smell makes him feel a little homesick as well.
     Ty notices when Sky's body suddenly goes rigid. The assassin stares at Max with a blank expression. The former Captain quickly notices the strange behavior.
"Hey Max. You wouldn't have happened to grow up GoldenEye's island, would ya? Maybe a sibling?", Sky cocks his head. He has one of those 'oh shit' expressions.
     "Yes", Max replies, his voice softer. Sky heaves a massive sigh before grabbing him by the arm.
     "You'll have to excuse us for a while. I'll be back to see what you're doing with the squid", the assassin says to the others in a curt town. He drags Max with him deeper into the camp.
      "What was that about?", Ty grumbles. He shifts Sub to keep him from falling. For how skinny he is, the Liblicen assassin is heavy for Ty to hold up.
"Leave them be. We have to worry about our guest", Vikk brushes it off. Sky always acts strange to him. It's better to focus on taking care of Sub and dealing with the squid Captain.
"I'll take care of the squid", Lachlan mumbles, his expression darkening. He will do whatever it takes to avenge all those that the squids have killed. The General isn't a saint.