Blind Vengence (Solo)

[The Assassins Creed]

Rain poured down from the heavens as Creed entered Underwood for the first time riding atop his good friend and mount Cain. The large hyena exhaled a cloud of fog as he continued to trudge through the muck and mud. Creed, the beasts brown haired rider had fallen asleep tightly grasping it's fur for warmth. Such a cold winter was not what the assassin was used to. He was used to the harsh heat from his dessert village.

The beast led them to a nearby inn and dragged his unconscious rider inside. The owner stared at the two surprised. "Could we get a room please?" The beast asked in a rather civil tone of voice. The host stared amazed at the two, and nodded speechlessly. He motioned for a younger boy to show them to their room, and a mousy looking blond haired boy peered at the two. Cain the hyena grinned a toothy grin at the young boy in an attempt to seem less threatening. The result, however, was an even more sinister smirk.

Almost ready to piss himself, the young boy trembled and showed the beast to a large room. He closed the door behind him and the Hyena let out a soft chuckle. He thwacked his rider against the wall rudely. "Get up boy I need a bath!" He said rather angrily. the walk from Jadet had been boring, and his rider had slept through it all.

"ugh..." Creed muttered stirring from his sleep. The beast slammed his rider against the wall once more, and then Creed completely awoke. "By the Sadras!" Creed roared rolling off saddle of the beast. He stared Cain in the eyes. His blue eyes stared back at the beasts feral yellow eyes. He rolled onto his stomach and rose to his feet.

"Let me see if the tub's big enough..." He replied. The Hyena smirked, caked in mud. "Good."

[The Assassins Creed]

The inn had a decent sized bath, and after filling the tub Creed motioned to his beastly companion. The canine trudged over to the bath, and with the help of his companion, climbed into the elevated pool of water after his saddle had been removed. "You're heavy!" Creed grunted as Cain slid into the water. The resulting splash drenched the already damp young man, but luckily the water was warm, and the effect was rather pleasant.

Caine sighed with relief, and let out a small chuckle. "Help me get the mud from my fur and I'll get your back." He stated simply. Creed paused for a moment, and went to retrieve a bottle of shampoo from the saddle. He paused and bit the cap, freeing his hands to scrub the mud off of them. Both he and his companion were caked in mud, which seemed to mask their true features. After the assassin had managed to clear the mud off his hands he pulled off his newly revealed gloves and removed the bottle from his mouth.

He removed the cap and poured it onto the head of his canine companion. The beast leaned his head back, so the shampoo would slide back from his head down his neck and along his back. Creed replaced the cap and set the bottle down. The room was small and dimly lit by several candles. The floor was a lightly polished wood, and the tub seemed to be made of tin. Creed sighed and began to massage the shampoo into a lather across the beasts fur. The Hyena let out a loud chuckle as he began to use his front paws to scrape the mud from his muzzle.

The process of cleaning the hyenas fur was long and arduous. But the result was dramatic. The Hyena rose from the water looking completely different. His golden fur had been completely masked by the mud. His glorious stature was completely obscured. Water dripped gracefully off the beast as he leaped out of the water. He turned to Creed and yawned. "your turn."

[The Assassins Creed]

Creed paused and peeled off his clothes, setting them in a rumpled pile. The water left after the hyenas bath was filthy. He drained the basin, and then refilled it with warm water. He climbed into the tub and gently lowered himself into the water. He shivered slightly as the water made contact with his skin. The warmth seeped into his bones, banishing the cold that had soaked into his bones. He lied back, resting his back against the basin. He closed his eyes and sighed with relief.

Steam rose from the water as he looked up. Cain had set his head on the side of the tub, and was simply enjoying the radiant heat. Creed sighed and then started to scrub himself clean. For having never set foot on the ground he had somehow collected a layer of mud. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cain grab his clothes. He continued to scrub himself, and when he rose from the steaming water he found his clothes had been scrubbed to a rough degree of cleanliness.

He retrieved a towel from his saddlebag and dried off, then put on his cleaner clothes. He stopped and examined himself in the waters reflection. His brown hair was a tangled mess, and while he sorted out untangling it his eye fell on his one reminder. His left eye was closed, scarred up with a viscous slash. Something inside him growled like a caged animal waiting to be let free. He suppressed a scowl and walked away from the pool of water.

He was here for a reason, he needed to stay resolute. He couldn't afford to lose his cool. There was a man he needed to speak to, there was a man who needed to die.