The Trail of Scars | Tryout | DNP

[ShimmerSolarPets]

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➳ ➳ ➳ ➳ ➳ ➳﹙ｔｈｅ ｅｘ-ａｓｓａｓｓｉｎ﹚➳ ➳ ➳ ➳

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx﹙ ｂａｓｉｃ ｉｎｆｏ| ｐｅｒｓｏｎａｌｉｔｙ | ｓｔｒｅｎｇｔｈｓ & ｗｅａｋｎｅｓｓｅｓ| ｌｉｋｅｓ & ｄｉｓｌｉｋｅｓ | ｓｔｏｒｙ| ｌｉｎｋ ｔｏ ｖｉｓｃｅｔ ﹚
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[ShimmerSolarPets]

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Username: ShimmerSolarPets
Name: "I go by many names..."

Real Name: Malyutka (Russian for "little one")
Pseudonyms: Anomaly, Enyo
Insulting Nicknames: Tiny, Runt, Midget, Worm, Runty
Friendly: Mal, Maly

Gender: Female

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Art by ShimmerSolarPets (me)

[ShimmerSolarPets]

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There are four sides of Malyutka that has ever been seen by most, aside from those who has seen her when she was just a Viscling, of course. In fact, aside from these four sides, Malyutka seems to be completely devoid of all other emotional aspects.

The first side to Malyutka that one would probably see is a stoic, emotionless shell. Her scarred face is like a stony mask, exhibiting no other emotion aside from apathy. Her voice is flat and dull, with no signs of emotions. Years of relentless torture and abuse had withered away the emotional part of herself. She was taught, both verbally and physically, to conceal her emotions. No signs of weakness should escape from Malyutka. As such, Malyutka's emotions are often hard to read. Friends have learned to watch closely for strong emotions through her eyes, the only part of her face that lets through any signs of emotions. Sometimes, Malyutka's facial might start twitching, as if trying to smile and forgetting how to do so. When in solitude, she occasionally sits in front of a reflective surface and tries to loosen her facial muscles enough to smile. Then, if she succeeded, she would see her scarred face smiling back at her in a grotesque and fake way, and she'd be utterly put off from trying that for days.

The second side that is commonly seen, but not so common unless you aggravate her or are locked in a fight with her, is an angry, fierce one. Malyutka often describes her anger or passion as a "twisting, writhing, serpentine fire monster" that resides inside her. As opposed to smiling, snarling is a quite easy expression for her to adapt. She feels this emotion a lot when somebody is hurting her or her friends, and feels it in an overwhelming scale when she faces the leader of the assassin group she was raised in and used to be a part of. The monster's influence is so strong that it breaks through her emotionless shell.

The third side is quite uncommon, but her friends have occasionally been known to find her in this state. She also has a gloomy, brooding side when she is deep in thought. While most catches her thinking deep thoughts with that emotionless mask on, when her thoughts are particularly deep, strong, or disturbing, she might look somewhat sullen. Malyutka can be rather grumpy when she is in this state, so it is best not to annoy her.

The fourth side is probably the most disturbing of all. In fact, if you see her in this state, it can be the last thing you'll ever see. Being raised in a group of assassins, Malyutka has retained a savage, bloodthirsty side. This comes to life when she is in the middle of taking someone's life. An insane light ignites in her red and yellow eyes, and her muscles seem to twitch a lot. In fact, if she is extremely delighted, Malyutka might even reveal her sharp teeth in a grotesque, mad way. It is hard not to be frightened when she is in this state. She can look quite psychopathic, and her scars do not help either.

However, despite this, Malyutka has as wide a spectrum of emotions as anyone else. She just doesn't express them. Malyutka has felt remorse, anger, sadness, gratitude, and worry. Some emotions are less exercised than others, however. This, along with her tendency to dismiss her emotions as something trivial and the education that she got, hinders her from expressing a wide range of emotions. Malyutka acts tough, and it is certainly true that she is tough, as she handles emotional, mental, and physical pain stoically. This makes her hard to approach, though.

Once you approach Malyutka and extend a hand of kindness out, you'll catch a glimpse of something beneath that hard, emotionless shell of hers. She can easily be one of the bravest and fiercest friend you have. Malyutka is loyal to those she likes and trusts. Malyutka might not like to talk about her feelings, or act in a sympathetic way, but she cares fiercely about her friends. She is also able to feel remorse, even though the brutal, insane part of herself has been hammered into her personality. After killing a victim in cold blood, Malyutka would often feel remorse for her actions, wishing she could return the innocent life that she took.

All in all, Malyutka is just a lost, scarred soul who has been raised with a purpose to kill. Now that she has friends and loved ones, Malyutka is starting to let go of the pain and seeing new angles in life. Her scars, physical and emotional, won't heal, of course. They ran too deep, but Malyutka is determined to let them serve as a reminder, not hinder her on her path to reach her new life. With the help of those friends and loved ones, Malyutka is set on fighting her way out of this painful, torturous path she has been pushed into and to forge new, happy memories.

[ShimmerSolarPets]

Fighting

Malyutka is an expert at combat. Having been trained since a few days after she hatched, this scarred Viscet is a natural at wielding weapons. They made her training unreasonably hard, and relentlessly abused her through combat training, but this only sharpened Malyutka's skills further (even if they did damage her mind and emotions). Malyutka's preferred weapon is a dagger, but she usually brings two just in case she needs to use one of those for a ranged attack. She excels most at melee combat, though she is not that bad with ranged weapons either. However, the reason Malyutka is so good with fighting with daggers (which do not have the length or range of a sword or spear) is that she has incredible precision and speed. Once she spots a little chink in her opponent's armor, she could throw or stab her daggers with amazing precision that could only be countered if the opponent dodged, blocked, or shifted their position so that the blade hits the armor instead.

Resilience

Malyutka is tough and can handle pain. In fact, if she couldn't, she would have crumbled from the very start as her life is full of pain. Malyutka also acts tough, handling physical, mental, and emotional pains stoically and constantly dismissing her emotions. She has tried to forge a strong armor to protect any sort of vulnerability inside. Due to the teachings of the assassins, Malyutka has learned how to hide any signs of pain, and usually dismisses smaller injuries as if they were nothing.

Emotion Concealment

This can come in handy sometimes. Her face has been so emotionless for most of her life, that it is truly hard to see what Malyutka is really feeling. She conceals her feelings of pain, remorse, excitement, and sadness. She has also learned how to adapt quickly to concealing more unfamiliar emotions, too, such as happiness. This makes her good at lying, as unless her statements are proven otherwise, her emotions and any signs of guilt are undetectable when she is in the process of lying. However, anger seems to easily crack that steely covering of hers, and so, to the unfamiliar, her usual emotions seem to only be comprised of anger and apathy.

Intelligence

There is no denying that Malyutka is intelligent. She needs her wits around her to overcome her size and fight with daggers instead of things with higher power and range. While she might rely on her brute strength many of the times, Malyutka is certainly quick-witted. Those double-ringed, red and yellow eyes of hers could analyze an opponent's physical strengths and weaknesses, so that she could take them down with their weaknesses and use their strengths against them. She might rely on manipulating her opponents sometimes. She can also see and predict good opportunities for swooping in to kill, making her an undetectable assassin during her time at the league.

Stealth

All assassins must be well-versed in the art of sneaking and hiding, and Malyutka is no different. In fact, she is built to be sneaky. With dark-colored fur and a small, lithe build, Malyutka could press herself against the shadows and keep hidden. Combined with her intelligence, she knows where to hide and what spots would hide her well. Her paws make very little sound as she treads. Her stealthiness is so incredible, that in all of her exploits, not a single witness detected her when doing a job.

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Assassin-like Instincts

Raised with a purpose to kill, it is only natural that Malyutka will retain her brutal instincts throughout her whole life. Perhaps she even has some savagery in her blood, too, seeing that she could easily pick up these instincts and find it hard to pick up how to do things like kindness and compassion. When somebody annoys her, the first thought that crosses her mind would be, "Kill!". This makes Malyutka really dangerous to be around. Even without a weapon, she could still kill. Malyutka also has the insane delight in seeing others suffer by her doing, even though it is somewhat reined back by her conscience.

Insensitivity

Malyutka has a conscience. She feels remorse. She just doesn't know how to express her emotions that well. This looks like she does not care about others. Her cold, tough voice may also further kick a Viscet while they're down. This seemingly insensitive trait of hers usually pushes other Viscets away from her. Malyutka is not one for showing warm compassion or gentleness. Brought up in a rough condition, she tends to handle things roughly. She looks at displays of what she considers as weakness with some scorn, though now, she is constantly trying to convince herself that those displays are not weakness, but rather, natural responses. She may feel guilt for something bad, but she cannot express them properly.

Distrustful

This is a natural response to how she has been treated her whole life. Malyutka withdrew herself from others from a young age, and constantly has troubles trusting others. She trusts her friends' judgements on others, but she does not trust new Viscets easily. Malyutka is usually suspicious of others' actions, and prefers to strengthen that stony shell of hers to prevent any leaks of vulnerability.

Pessimistic

Is the glass half full or half empty? For Malyutka, it is almost always half empty. She has developed a cynical outlook on life and other Viscets, believing them to be selfish and inconsiderate. Malyutka might be forced to admit that not all Viscets have hurtful intentions towards her, but years in the assassin group has caused a huge blow in her perspective. Malyutka does not like associating with others, due to the trauma that they might drag her back into a life of unrelenting pain. As opposed to some of her more cheerful friends, Malyutka could be seen as a withdrawn, depressed Viscet who shows no emotions whatsoever.

Tiny Size

Okay, the assassins might be exaggerating a little. Malyutka is a runt, but she is not a complete midget compared to other Viscets. While it's true that she is significantly tinier than the other assassins (and they're assassins, not warriors!), the assassins might be exaggerating her small size too much. Malyutka is not very strong, however, so she usually relies on agility, intelligence, and stealth. This makes it hard for her to fight back if she's completely closed in, as she is not strong enough to push bigger and stronger Viscets. Malyutka's size causes others to look down upon her, and mock her for being a runt.

[ShimmerSolarPets]

• Weapons (especially daggers)
• Her friends
• Fighting
• The deputy
• Darkness
• Black
• Kindness
• Respect
• Fog
• The moon
• Metal
• Privacy

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• The leader of her assassin group
• The assassins
• Killing (most of the time)
• Anyone hurting her friends
• Bright lights
• Being with a lot of other Viscets
• Her scars
• Her tiny size
• Disrespect
• Bad weather
• Feeling remorse
• Being abused

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[ShimmerSolarPets]

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Warning: Really, really long story ahead. 10,000+ words. Sorry if it takes too much of your time to read ^^". I suggest not to read it all at once, unless you need / want to (don't want to cause any eye strain ;-;).

Disclaimer:
-None of the Viscets in this story except Malyutka are real. I did (note the past tense) try out for a Viscet with the same name and personality as one that will appear in Chapter 5 & forwards, but since I didn't get it, she will not be real. If I find a suitable Viscet, though, I might be trying out again with the same first name and roughly the same personality.

-Assassins in this story are fictional (of course XD). By that, I mean I imagined them as a group of rogue Viscets hiding out in the forest and murdering others either because of their own reasons or some of their shady acquaintances paid them to. Although I think you will all understand that by reading the story, I want to put this here to avoid possible confusion.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
The Assassins' Victim

Chapter 2
The Little Runt

Chapter 3
Training at Camp

Chapter 4
Assassination Feels Bad

Chapter 5
Pesticidal Job

Chapter 6
Flight From Camp

Chapter 7
Fighting the Assassins

[ShimmerSolarPets]

ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲxxxＯＮＥ

ᴛʜᴇ ᴀssᴀssɪɴs' ᴠɪᴄᴛɪᴍ
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A Viscet ran through the cold, black night, carrying a white egg with splotches of black, gray, and blood red. The Viscet was limping on her right hind leg, but she kept going on. The rain splattered against her fur, and her breath came out in heavy pants. She was tired. All of her muscles ached, begging her to stop running. Her paws screamed in agony, wanting her to stop. Stop running. Just give in. Tears flowed freely from the Viscet's eyes. The salty tears streamed down her snout.

Her front paws closed over her egg. No, she had to keep going on. For the sake of her unhatched little Viscling. She could not let them catch up to her. Not her egg. They must not lay their filthy, bloodstained paws on the innocent egg. She pressed the egg closer to her chest fur. Her tears dripped down onto the egg, and she cradled it. The little Viscling inside had just lost its father, though it did not know it. So, for the sake of her egg, she must remain strong. The Viscet kept running, her paws flying above the muddy puddles that had formed on the ground.

Her ears pricked up, hearing a sound different from the ambience of the storm raging over the forest. The pattering of paws behind her. More tears flowed out of her eyes. They were gaining on her. They were gaining on the egg. She must not let them get to the egg. The darkness seemed to close in on her. The tension pressed against her. Even though, the Viscet needed to keep running. Her ankles screamed in protest, wanting to just collapse to the ground. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the eyes of her pursuers coming nearer and nearer.

Her lungs began to feel pressed and heavy. The defeatist part of her mind told her that she couldn't make it. You can't make it, it yelled. Just lie down! Collapse to the ground! Less pain, less pain! The Viscet felt her legs getting as heavy as lead, and her knees threatened to collapse beneath her. She wanted to follow the advice of her defeatist side. How bad could death be? It would be one big bang of pain, then there would be no more pain. She would fall into an endless, peaceful sleep, free of all obligation. Free from all pain. She would meet her mate again. Her left knee began to sink.

Then, her paws pressed against her egg again. But, how could she? How could she let a poor young Viscling succumb to a life without anyone to take care of it? And she couldn't let them kill her unhatched Viscling. Not when it had such a huge potential in life. It would be unfair to take it away just because she was too weak to go on. No, she had to go on. The Viscling will survive, and she had to survive so that the Viscling would not be without anyone to take care of it.

Suddenly, pain seared up her leg. She stumbled to the ground, shielding her egg so that it would not crack against the ground. The female Viscet landed face-first into a puddle of mud and water. Sputtering, she got up to see that her egg had gently laded next to her, and had rolled away a little bit to the front. She tried to get up, but her leg would not cooperate. It was too painful. She looked down to see a cut on her leg. She had cut it against a sharp, thorny branch sticking out of a nearby shrub.

Her pursuers gained up on her. The black shadows of the Viscets loomed before her. Their eyes looked down on her with contempt. The female Viscet reached her paws out and grabbed her egg. She pulled it closer towards her and cradled it between her arms protectively. She could see the bloodthirsty gleam in the eyes of her pursuers. The tallest of them put a paw on her tail, hard. She winced at the pain, and looked into the eyes of the tallest Viscet. The female clutched her egg tightly. "Please," she croaked, pleadingly. Tears flowed out of her eyes. "Have mercy, please."

"Mercy?" the tallest one sneered. "I'm afraid there is no such word in our code."
"Please," she pleaded, her voice weak and quivering. "Think of the egg. It's so young. It needs its mother. Please, spare the egg. Spare the egg."
"'Think of the egg'!" one of the Viscets mimicked in a squeaky voice, and all of the Viscets in the group laughed.
"Perhaps you should've thought of your precious egg before you and your mate messed with us," the tallest one said.
"Spare the egg. It did nothing wrong. Spare the egg, please," she pleaded, collapsing into sobs. They laughed meanly, eyeing the weakened female Viscet and the egg in a malicious way. The tallest one lunged towards the female Viscet, opening his jaws. In a last-ditch attempt to keep herself and her egg alive, the female Viscet kicked the tallest Viscet and limped off.

The rest of the Viscet group was charging at her. She rolled the egg away, and it rolled into a small spot between the gnarled roots of a tree. The group closed in on the female Viscet. There was a scuffle, then... silence. The group dispersed to let the leader, the tallest one, survey their work. He nodded in approval. "Good," he said. Then, a Viscet approached the egg. He lifted it up and gently placed it in front of the leader.
"Sir, what do we do about the egg?" he asked. The leader looked at the egg. His face contorted into an expression of revulsion and hatred.
"Smash it," he said, coldly. The Viscet holding the egg held it up. There was a small pause. Then, the Viscet gently lowered it.
"Are you showing the egg mercy, deputy?!" the leader roared.
"No, sir. I was just thinking," the Viscet said, hastily. "What if the Viscling inherited his or her father's fighting skills? As much as he is repulsive, he is a good fighter, you know."

The leader paused for a while, the revulsion in his face replaced by a look of contemplation. He stared at the egg, tapping it with his front paw. Then, he looked at the Viscet carrying it. Finally, he let out a gruff sigh. "Very well," he said. "We'll take the egg. Teach the Viscling our ways. Make the Viscling a brutal assassin. However, if the Viscling proves not to be capable, then it must be disposed of. Understand?"
Everyone nodded. The group returned to their territory, with an innocent unhatched Viscling inside an egg who is unaware of what pain and torture were riddled across the path of her life.

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[ShimmerSolarPets]

ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲxxxＴＷＯ

ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʀᴜɴᴛ
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The egg hatched the next day. Out of it, crawled an innocent female Viscling, not knowing about the bloodstained night that had preceeded her hatching day. She shook some of the fluid off her body, and blinked innocently when she saw the group of scarred Viscets with mean-looking features. Her red and yellow eyes focused upon the tallest Viscet of the group, who happened to stand right in front of her. Breaking into a smile, she crawled towards the tallest Viscet and pressed her body against him, seeking comfort and warmth. He was her father, she was sure of it.

However, comfort and warmth was not what she got.

"What do you think you're doing, repulsive runt?" The tallest Viscet slashed his paw down on the Viscling, right on the muzzle. His unkempt claws created three deep cuts across her snout. The Viscling, shocked at such a treatment, retreated back to the mass of broken eggshells behind her. She cowered before the cruel gaze of the tall Viscet. Then, she broke into tears. She couldn't believe it. It wasn't even five minutes since she was hatched, and her snout was already injured. The tears ran down her cheeks. She wanted somebody from the group to come to her, take her in their paws, comfort her. She did not dare to approach any of them. She had been mistaken the first time and paid sorely for it; she did not want to make another mistake.

Nobody did. She looked up from her misty eyes to see their faces, to catch a hint of sympathy. However, all she saw was contempt and disgust. Her tiny ears caught a hint of what they were saying.

"She's so tiny!"
"Pfft! And we thought she might have her father's skills!"
"What should we do? Should we let her escape into the forest?"

Heads turned towards the lead Viscet. He looked at the cowering Viscling with scorn. "No. Destroy her, she knows our location."
"Wait!" The same Viscet who suggested the idea of taking back the egg walked towards the leader.
"This is the second time you've contradicted my decision on this worthless runt, deputy!" the leader roared, angrily.
"I'm sorry, alpha. It's just... well, the more assassins we have, the better, right? Just because she is small, she might have her father's fighting skills, you know," the deputy explained.
"She's a waste of time, space, and food," the leader grumbled. "But, since you're most interested in the Viscling, perhaps you'd like to take care of her?"

All the Viscets roared in laughter. The deputy gulped and looked at the young Viscling. She looked back up into his eyes. Then, a small, hopeful smile formed on her face. This one had a different kind of expression in his face.

"Fine... maybe," the deputy said, begrudgingly.
"And let me tell you this: if she proves to be worthless, then she will be destroyed and you will be demoted. Understand?"
"I... understand." The deputy looked at the Viscling, seeming to already start to regret his decision. However, the Viscling crawled up to him and nuzzled him. She did not have the slightest clue about what was happening, but all she knew was that this one Viscet seemed different from the others.

"What should we call her?" the deputy asked.
"Useless?" the leader suggested.
"Runty one?" another sniggered.
"Worm?"
"Weakling?"
"Tiny?"
"No... I think I'll call her Malyutka... That means 'little one'," the deputy added. Everyone laughed in derision. The young Viscling stuck close to the deputy. The wound on her snout stung too much, and all the Viscling could do was cry. The deputy scowled at the little Viscling.

"Lesson one, Malyutka," he said, menacingly. Malyutka jumped back in fright and stared at the deputy with watery eyes. "If you want to live, don't cry."

Malyutka did not understand him, but she held back her tears when she heard the derisive laughter of the crowd grow louder with every sob. The little one dried her tears with her paws, then looked up at the group. Her eyes were big and watery, but no more tears leaked out of them. She was tiny compared to all of them. The shadows of the Viscets loomed over her, like a bunch of monsters waiting for the kill. And she was the kill. Her red and yellow eyes glanced up at the tallest figure outlined in the dim light of the territory. The leader. The unkind Viscet who had given her the first wound just two minutes after hatching.

Malyutka did not know who these Viscets were, why she was with them, and where her parents were. One thing she knew was that none of these unkindly Viscets were her parents. She had no father and no mother. The deputy was probably the closest she would ever get to having a father figure. Malyutka bared her tiny fangs when the leader gave her a mocking sneer. The overwhelming sadness that had filled her suddenly transformed into a roaring, twisting flame. It was as if a serpentine monster had awoken inside her as she stared at the towering Viscet in front of her. The monster coaxed her to attack the leader, rip him apart. But the pain in her snout told her that she could not do it. She was too tiny. Too weak.

Hate. That was the roaring, flaming monster inside her. It was hate. Malyutka despised that tall Viscet with all fibre of her being. Unbeknownst to her, this was her first step into the path she was forced to endure. A path full of hardships and torture.

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Word Count: 946 words

[ShimmerSolarPets]

ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲxxxＴＨＲＥＥ

ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴄᴀᴍᴘ
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"Harder, Tiny! Strike harder! Are you even trying?!"

Malyutka gritted her teeth, lashing out at the armored Viscet in front of her with a pair of daggers. She slashed and twirled. The armored Viscet struck at her with a long spear, trying to jab at her. Her size came into play. She was small, fast, and agile. She parried away the spearhead that would've skewered her like a shish kebab with a small dagger. Her yellow and red eyes blazed with fury. The same kind of fury she had many moons ago, when she was just a little Viscling looking at the leader. Only this time, the monster inside was bigger. Fiercer. Hungrier.

The twisting column of fire burning inside her spurred her to go even faster. She tried to jab her dagger at any chink in the armor she could find. "This... is.. unfair!" she panted and shouted at the same time, throwing her dagger at the armored Viscet. With a swift movement, the Viscet shifted his position so that the dagger would hit the armor instead of his arm. The dagger bounced off the metallic plate and clattered to the ground. The Viscet jabbed at her with a spear. The spearhead missed her by an inch as she dove towards her dagger.

"Why... am I not... allowed to wear... armor?!" she shouted.
"Life is unfair, runty worm. Besides, you've gotta earn the armor," her sparring partner said. He jabbed his spear at her. Malyutka dove too late. The spearhead hit her neck. Luckily, Malyutka was fast enough to pull away before it delivered a fatal wound. Pain seared through her neck, and she couldn't help wincing. Malyutka was used to pain. It wasn't long after her hatching day before she found out that she had landed in the middle of a group of assassins who seemed to hate her. They seemed to love to make training super hard for her, but never entrusted her with a "real job". She had another scar on her neck, an X-shaped one, as a punishment from the leader. She hasn't forgotten how painful it was.

The deputy had always warned her not to cry. Never show any signs of weakness. Malyutka had learned not to cry out in pain, and to minimize wincing. But she had winced, and that was her mistake. Her wincing seemed to fill her sparring partner with more energy. He thrusted out his spear at her. Malyutka dodged and threw a dagger at him. The armored Viscet knocked the dagger away with his spear. Malyutka saw malice in his eyes. He enjoyed seeing her in pain. Before she managed to move away, the spear tip caught her tail. Malyutka didn't wince. She realized her mistake. All of the assassins loved seeing their victims in pain, and any signs of pain would fire them up.

"Does it hurt, Tiny? Awww, poor little baby worm is injured!" the armored Viscet jeered.

Suddenly, the roaring monster struck. Blindly lunging out, Malyutka trusted the flames residing inside her. She jabbed her dagger at the Viscet. "Ouch!" the Viscet cried out. It was a mistake on his part. The monster grinned maliciously when it heard the cry of pain, and it spurred Malyutka to strike. The scarred, small Viscet knocked the armored Viscet down. Fury and anger bubbled inside her like boiling water. They tumbled down to the ground, creating a cacophony of dissonant sounds of banging metal. Malyutka grabbed her second dagger and pointed it at the Viscet's face. He gulped.

"N-now, Runty. Th-this is just practice, you know. No need to get too violent," he said.
"You seemed eager to kill me back there," Malyutka said, menacingly. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw her first dagger lying nearby. Trailing the point, she saw that she had struck the armored Viscet's right arm.
"That's because when you have a job, your victim would do ANYTHING to kill the assassin who's trying to kill him or her!"
Malyutka sighed. As much as she wanted to fatally wound the Viscet, she couldn't do so. She stood up and grabbed her first dagger. She glared as the Viscet got up. "Practice over," she declared with a sharp tone.

Malyutka walked away. As she strode by, she saw the eyes of her fellow assassins stealing glances at her as they practiced. The diminutive Viscet laden with scars. Sweat ran across her face; she hadn't realized how tired she was. The joy of managing to strike one of them down had masked it. The burning embers of her anger died down, leaving a purring, satisfied monster in its place. Still a monster.

She sat down to clean the blades of her daggers. As she did so, the newly sustained wounds throbbed with pain. Malyutka gazed onto the shiny blade of her dagger. Staring back at her was a distorted face with three small scars on her muzzle. However, that was not what caught Malyutka's eyes. The distortion of her face made her see the pain and anger etched into each of the features of her face. She looked like a grotesque figure because of the way the light hit the surface of the dagger.

That's how she felt inside.

She felt like her soul was distorted, broken, twisted. Deep inside Malyutka's heart, she knew that there was more to her potential. She had potential so great, that this band of assassins wouldn't suffice in digging it out. All she had known was sadness, pain, and mostly, anger. Malyutka wanted to be entrusted with a job. She wanted to prove to them that she is just as capable as they are when it comes to doing their job as assassins. Perhaps, she could even stop their abusive behavior towards her. It was too much to hope for, but perhaps, if she is free from her usual emotions, she might be able to find the key to unlocking her potential.

You are deluding yourself, Malyutka, she thought, putting down one of her daggers. She was in complete solitude, but she daren't heave a sigh. It was hammered into her brain: no display of weakness. Not even when she was alone did she dare to cry. The silence hung in the air.

"Hello, Malyutka."

The words pierced through the air like a well-shot arrow. It shattered the silence as if it was porcelain. Something surged in Malyutka's chest. It was only very small, like a spurt of water. However, it was warm and nice. Malyutka spun around, knowing who to expect. Only one Viscet in the whole assassin group called her by her name, and he was the one who named her. Her red and yellow eyes set their gaze upon the deputy. He was sweaty and cut in some places, but he was bearing a radiant smile that showed that he was glad to see Malyutka.

"Greetings, sir." Her voice was stoic and emotionless. However, her exterior's a lie. She always felt something warm and nice whenever she spoke to the deputy, and this time was no different. He was the closest she ever had to a father, even if she had to call him 'sir'. Harsh and strict, he once gave her a scar on the hip to teach her to be tough. The deputy was kinder than most, however, and Malyutka always felt most comfortable talking to him. She even honored and respected him by referring to herself by the name he chose for her, even though it meant 'little one' (she did not need any more reminders of how minuscule she was).

"Malyutka," he said with a serious tone. His eyes drilled into Malyutka's. "Keep up the progress, and we may just find you a job. I may be able to convince the leader to give you one."
"Really?" Malyutka let her emotionless, tough mask slip a little to reveal a bit of her excitement. True, her mouth was still set into a thin line. However, her eyes widened by a fraction of an inch and her ears perked up a little.
"Really. I mean, you wouldn't be much of an assassin if you haven't done a job, would you?" The deputy laughed.

A small, uncomfortable feeling clutched Malyutka's stomach. For a long time, she had been trying to get a job. She begged, yelled, stomped her tail, and even lashed out at nearby assassins in front of the leader. The answer was always a condescending laugh and a "No, you're too weak and small". Now that the prospect of getting a job seemed much clearer, she was worried about what would happen if she failed. She looked into the deputy's eyes. He was one of the reasons she strove to be a mean, tough assassin. She did not want him to lose his title, or worse.

"Malyutka," the deputy said. The smile had vanished from his face, and was replaced by a serious expression. Malyutka, knowing the deputy so well, could see traces of weariness etched in the creases of his face.
"If you do get a job, please do not fail me."
"I- I won't. At least, I'll try not to."

The smile returned to the deputy's face.
"You'll try not to? Good. Because that's the best one can do, right?"
"Right."

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Word Count: 1157 words

[ShimmerSolarPets]

ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲxxxＦＯＵＲ

ᴀssᴀssɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ғᴇᴇʟs ʙᴀᴅ
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The clangs and thunks of metal connecting and locking into each other filled the air. There was a blaze in Malyutka's eyes as she parried away an oncoming blade with her small dagger. Sweat streamed down her fur. Malyutka panted and gritted her teeth as she stared into the eyes of the taller figure.

"Do worse than that, Tiny, and you're dead. Not that I'm complaining, of course," the figure taunted.
"Really? I was under the impression that you're the one losing," Malyutka retorted through clenched teeth, her tone flat.

She lunged at the figure. Metal connected in the air. The monster inside her hissed with fury. However, as the two continued to spar, they managed to disarm each other. Malyutka was pushed to the ground by the taller figure. Hitting the ground with a thud, the tinier figure tried to push her attacker away. She bared her teeth and slashed her claws.

"Come on, Worm! Or are you too weak and tiny to fight back?" Malyutka's sparring opponent taunted.

He was right. Malyutka was too weak and tiny to push him off. The two wrestled on the ground, the taller figure overpowering Malyutka. However, she used her size against him. Malyutka slid away. Quickly recovering on her two paws, she made a dash towards her daggers, laying on the ground. She picked her two daggers up. The taller figure pulled back his lips, revealing his sharp teeth. He was most certainly displeased with the turn of events. He dashed towards his sword. Malyutka kicked his sword away and held him back from retrieving it with her daggers. Her opponent eyed the sharp blades of her daggers wearily.

"Yield," Malyutka said, sharply. She felt a savage pleasure in having the upper paw, being able to talk down to this taller Viscet. Her daggers glinted maliciously in the sunlight.

"No, I don't think so," her opponent snapped.

He suddenly dove at her feet, knocking her off her balance. Her sparring opponent tried to grab hold of his sword, but Malyutka was faster. She sheathed her daggers and grabbed hold of his tail. Malyutka pulled his tail hard and tripped his leg from the back. Losing his balance, he fell to the ground with a dull thud. Malyutka stepped onto his back and leaped towards his sword. She grabbed the hilt of his sword and fell to the ground with a thud, tracing a line on the dirt with her opponent's sword. Her left leg landed at an awkward position, spraining her ankle.

Just when she was about to get up and fight again, a voice called out, "Malyutka!"

Malyutka turned around to see the deputy running towards them. Her ears pricked up, picking up the groans and moans of her opponent as he recovered from the ground. She did step on him, after all. The deputy surveyed the scene, chuckling.

"My, you're really out of practice," he chided Malyutka's opponent. A surge of pleasure and pride swelled in Malyutka's chest. "Anyways, do you mind if I... um... borrow Malyutka for a while? The leader needs her."
"No, not at all, sir. Go ahead," Malyutka's sparring partner groaned.
"Follow me, Malyutka," the deputy said.

Malyutka dropped the sword roughly next to her sparring partner. Then, she followed the deputy, wiping sweat out of her eyes. She hadn't realized how tired she was. "You're making much progress," the deputy said.
"Thank you, sir," Malyutka replied, not sure what to think. What could the horrible leader of the assassins need her for? Her teeth clenched at the thought of him. Malyutka walked with her back straight and her mouth pulled into a serious line. One of her paws was fiddling the hilt of her sheathed dagger, as if preparing to pull it out at any second. As an assassin, she must be ready for anything. If she got a job, she had to kill the target discreetly. No room for mistakes. However, if she's detected, she must be able to fight her way out while killing the target.

Thinking about jobs made Malyutka's paw grip the hilt of her dagger. Perhaps this was the reason the leader wanted to call her? Her heart pounded excitedly under her chest fur. As if reading her mind, the deputy smiled down at Malyutka.
"You should enjoy this," he said, mysteriously.
Soon, they arrived at the camp's center. The leader was waiting there, a sneer on his face and his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the Midget," he said, smirking. The fiery monster inside Malyutka, which had previously gone to sleep on the walk here, reared up its head and growled at the leader. Malyutka clenched her fist, suppressing the urge to come up with a retort. Her face was emotionless, but attentive.

"Okay, so the deputy brought me to light about your recent... progress"- his face contorted into a look of disdain at this word - "and he thinks you're ready to be given a job. I myself don't agree, but I figured that the camp could do better without you around for a day or two."

Malyutka was tempted to scowl and pull out her dagger at this point.

"Coincidentally, I have a job so trivial that it does not really matter whether or not you blunder. Of course, if you blundered, you'll probably be captured or killed or something, and we'll all be better off." The leader grinned.
"Right, so... What is this job, sir? Who am I supposed to assassinate?" Malyutka asked, trying to prompt him to get to the point. Suddenly, he shoved some sheets of paper roughly into Malyutka's paws. For a moment, her emotionless mask cracked and she scowled, but then it quickly repaired in a second. Malyutka leafed through the sheets. She saw the picture of a Viscet in one of the pages, and some information about his last whereabouts, his name, and stuff.
"You want me to track down this Viscet and dispose of him, sir?" Malyutka asked in a monotone voice.
"Correct."
Malyutka traced over the picture with her left paw, deep in thought. The Viscet was wearing black armor and carrying a black helmet.

"What has he done to deserve this assassination?" Malyutka asked suddenly, unsure of why she did so. The leader fixed her with a cold glare.
"None of your business, Midget. Point is, someone needs us to dispose of him. So, will you accept this job? There'll be rewards, of course. Or, are you going to be a little worm and crawl back into your hidey-hole?" The leader sneered, and the feeling of anger rose back up in Malyutka's chest. She took the blank paper in the back of the pile and stabbed it with her dagger to let out some of that fire burning inside her. The blade of the dagger went through the paper. She gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Consider him snuffed, sir," she said in an emotionless voice, although there was a hint of disgust when she said 'sir'.
"Well done," the deputy hurriedly said, seeing the fuming look on the leader's face. He quickly grabbed Malyutka by the shoulders and turned her round, then pushed her away. "Start packing now, start packing..."
"I wish I could assassinate him," Malyutka said through clenched teeth, as soon as he was out of earshot.
"How DARE you speak ill of our leader?!" he scolded in an angry whisper, taking Malyutka aback. She had momentarily forgotten that he was the deputy, and was very loyal to the leader as opposed to her hate for him.
"Sorry, sir," Malyutka said, trying to make her voice as emotionless as ever so that he did not hear any signs of disrespect. She did not want to sound sorry, though. The deputy glared at her disapprovingly, but ushered her to her tent all the same as if afraid the leader might come after them and take his anger out on her.

Malyutka slung her bag across her shoulder and pulled a cloak on. Her daggers, sharp and shiny, were ready. "Good luck, Malyutka," the deputy said. "Don't let me down. Don't fail me."
"I know."
She waved goodbye, her face stony and emotionless as always. The deputy forced a smile, and although it was still clear that he was a bit miffed about her comment on the leader, he still wanted her to succeed.

The black Viscet spent days tracking him down. However, by some miracle, she managed to track him down. He was always surrounded by a cluster of Viscets, so it would be hard to pull off an assassination without being detected. Malyutka stalked and watched him, concealing her tiny self in some bushes. He was slightly bigger than her, but only slightly. Malyutka felt bad for the Viscet. Fighting and training was one thing, but taking the life of another? She hadn't counted on how hard that would be. Needless to say, she succeeded.

Malyutka felt a rising sense of success in her heart right afterwards. Her eyes glinted maliciously in the moonlight, and her facial muscles tugged at her mouth, revealing her teeth in an odd, twisted way. She had succeeded, and it felt very rewarding. Wanting to take something from her first victim, Malyutka stretched out a paw and removed his black armor. Most of the parts were too big for her, except for the helmet. She put it on her head.

She obscured herself with her black cloak again, running off. Malyutka was still grinning. That's when she caught sight of her own reflection in the river, caused by the moonlight. Only, it wasn't herself. A snaggletoothed monster that looked like a Viscet stared back at her, a malicious grin on her face. Shocked, Malyutka stumbled backwards, her expression changing back into its usual emotionless form. Rubbing her eyes, she looked into the river again, seeing a distorted reflection of herself. Sinking to her knees, she kept on staring at the reflection. Suddenly, pain stung her chest. It was nothing like she ever felt before. Instinctively she put a paw up to her fur, as if that would subdue the pain. She realized something.

She was the monster.

"What have I done?" she gasped, pulling the helmet off her head. She stared at the helmet. Visions of the Viscet's shocked eyes came back to her. "Knock it off, Tiny," she scolded herself, harshly. She placed the helmet back onto her head. "It's a normal part of your first job. You feel. You're not supposed to feel." She felt something cold and stone-like creep around her heart, masking the pulses of pain she felt. Malyutka stood up, facing away from the water. She walked away to return to the camp. However, along the way, she couldn't help reimagining the scene she had seen...

The reflection of the monster that had broken through her stone-like shell.

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Word Count: 1846 words