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Under encouragement of a friend I am posting the first chapter of a book I'm writing. I hope you like it.


White Shadows


Chapter I, Lotus


"Run!"
"The mission's not complete."
"We're screwed if we try to complete it!"
"But-" Nomou jumped in front of Funo. He whipped out two thick steel needles as long as his forearms. He caught a katana on one and pivoted the blow into the ground. He jumped into Funo, his shoulder sinking perfectly into his ribcage. Funo collapsed, winded. Nomou caught him and ran. "Let's go!" Hecca shot out from the shadows where she had been peppering the guards with throwing stars. Lotus was gone in the night.

"What the hell was that?!" Funo shouted.
"I could have left left you to die," Nomou replied cooly.
"We could have done what we were ordered to do, yeah?"
"They were ready for us."
"You guys are giving me a headache." Hecca said in an annoyed tone of voice. Nomou stared at Funo in a very "I'm the head of this operation" way, but said nothing. Funo scowled and turned away. "Let's head back to camp," Nomou said, half thinking and half wanting to break the silence. Hecca melted into the shadows and scouted ahead. Nomou took off after about five minutes with Funo close behind.

"This is the first failed mission in a while so I'll not punish you."
"Thank you." Nomou raised his masked face to the rebellion's head, Tahnis. Tahnis looked down at the assassin. Nomou had a fist and a knee on the ground. He was garbed all in black except for a white and red mask that was delicately made into a lotus with two slits for eye-holes. This mask marked Nomou as head of the Lotus squad. "No more mishaps. You may go." Nomou took his leave of the tent without another word.

Funo was outside the tent, sitting. He was also garbed in black, but he had a brown and black mask that was made to look like a bear. Hecca wasn't far away. She was against a tree with her orange and black fox mask peering at Nomou. He was supposed to give them both a report but didn't bother since he knew they'd been listening. "C'mon." He walked eastward, and they followed suit until they were in the forest once more. Eventually they came into a clearing, in which there were two tents bathing in the moonlight. "Full moon tonight," Hecca said observantly. "Mm," was the only response as Nomou looked into the sky. Funo didn't bother lingering. He walked into the tent on the right. Nomou soon followed into the same tent. Hecca stood there for another 10 minutes at least. Finally, she walked into the tent on the left.

"Oi! Get up you two, we have to eat and report to Tahnis!" Hecca and Funo walked out of their respective tents. Nomou went back to tending to three fat rabbits cooking over a fire. He crouched down and picked up his mask. It had been laying on a rotten, moss-covered stump. He strapped it onto his right arm, facing outward. Nomou stood and looked at the rising sun. "Whose blood will be spilt today?" he wondered. He shook the thought from his head. It was not his place to question what they did, but all the same...

Funo and Hecca soon joined Nomou by the fire and they all ate. Nomou looked at his siblings, realizing that he only saw their faces when they ate together. Hecca didn't even look up from her meal. "What are you daydreaming about now?"
"Have you ever wondered if what we do is wrong?" Funo choked and Hecca shot an angry look at Nomou. "It's not our place to decide. This is what we were raised for."
"So normal kids are supposed to be ready to kill relentlessly by the age of 7?"
"We weren't normal kids. You know that." Nomou sighed and walked off, shaking his head. "I don't know about him sometimes," Funo whispered to Hecca. She showed no more emotion and returned to eating. Nomou clenched his fists and jumped into the treetops, seemingly effortlessly. Some family.