Third had the fleeting thought that his work would be so much easier if being a ninja was like it was in the movies. Unfortunately he couldn’t jump three stories (up or down) without injury, he couldn’t move faster than the eye could see, and he couldn’t disappear into thin air. The second one might be a trait held by the captain of the wolves, but Third thought that had more to do with silence than speed. Finally, the guard at the wall decided whatever flicker of movement he was seeing out in the vast sea of endless sand was nothing to worry over and went on patrolling elsewhere. Third looked all around (and below) to make sure no one else would notice his acrobatics. The coast was clear. Starting at the far edge of the roof he got a good running start before leaping over the empty street.

He landed on the wall with a solid, jarring hit. No matter how many times he did it, no matter how he softened the landing by rolling with the moment as soundlessly as he could, it always made the bones in his calves give a small protest at the harsh treatment.

Third waited in his crouched position for several minutes to see if any alarms were raised or if the normal chatter of the village changed. This time of night it was mostly calm, but a few insects still called out and a few ninja were still about and laughing, drinking, or making the most of being safely inside the walls. No alarm was raised.

This part of the wall was the only area Third was able to use for this trick. Otherwise he’d have to go through the gate, and the guards would be suspicious if Black Fox left the village regularly. This part of the wall had started to show wear from the abrading sands, creating handholds for him to use to slip down the wall. They were too small for others to use - too small for his brothers, even - but to Third they were solid enough. Climbing was something he was good at.

Once his descent was complete, Third waited close to the wall for the guard’s patrol to finish the next circuit. It would take about ten or fifteen minutes, but it was better to wait and set out knowing exactly where the man was than to have him double back early to check on whatever oddity had captured his attention before. Better safe than dead, as the saying went.

He heard the patter of boots on stone, the swish of a tail brushing sand off a leg, and quiet breathing that was more tired than watchful. Slow and steady and on the edge of sleeping, a guard on shift an hour or two too long.

Perfect.

When the guard moved on with heavy steps (for a ninja they were heavy, but they weren’t nearly as loud as the warriors or the lords) Third made his move; he slipped out of his clothes and tucked them into a bag that he settled across his back, the strap from shoulder to hip, and then changed into his fur. For once his natural coloring was an asset; only his head and tail would stand out, dyed black to match his brothers, while his body blended with the sand that surrounding the village. He darted out into the sands and followed his nose to the place where the three of them had set up a mini-camp. They were far enough from the village not to be seen in a casual sweep by the guards, but still close enough they had to be cautious. And scent wasn't really an issue; the desert wind carried their smell for miles in all directions, and could still be attributed to coming to the village, and their own wanderings to hunt spread the scent further. Third dodged the traps with ease and froze when he entered the den. Second was holding a kunai in each hand and two were quivering in the floor next to Prime. They pierced the oddest looking creatures Third had ever seen. He changed into his skin. “What are those?”

“Scorpions, I think,” Prime said, standing and shaking out the bedroll to see if there were more of them. “Poisonous. We’ll need to clear the base of them.”

Third nodded, scrambling into clothes for a bit of protection from the nasty looking things. “Where’d they come from?”

“They live out here,” Second said this time. He was pushing aside some of their gear to check for the little monsters. “Along with snakes. They can hide in the sand. I just found out about them myself.”

“Instructor Grimble told me about them,” Prime said. “I thought he was joking. He said there was a reason no one sleeps directly on the sand. From the way he talked, they’re basically like deadly little rats.”

Third went to where the first two were impaled by the small knives. “Well I don’t think we want to just leave them here like that. I certainly don’t want to trip over a kunai in my sleep. Think we could burn them?”

Prime shrugged. “You can try. They’re dead, but I don’t know what dead ones might attract.”

Third went to get his thick leather gloves, just in case. He normally used them when managing gunpowder or making smoke bombs, but these things seemed just as dangerous. Hopefully they had cut an infestation off early.

The fire was small and smokeless (or as smokeless as it could be), and puffed a bit when the dead bodies were added on. The added heat made the den stifling; it almost wasn’t worth it for the small amount of tea they brewed and the tasteless travel powder they mixed with water and then ate. It was pasty and disgusting, but it was made from powdered meat and vegetables back at the main compound and they could survive off it. That was what was important.

It reminded Third of that congealing lump of something on his breakfast tray, and made his belly twist. “Don’t wolves only scent each other once?” he asked.

“Usually,” Prime said. “Sometimes they’ll scent more often. Lead wolves like to scent their main pack very often, even in their skin. Something about bonding and feeling close to each other. It’s sometimes a bit taboo to do it in public, but I’m not completely certain on wolf nuance and etiquette. Why do you ask?”

“The captain scented us again,” Third admitted. It was odd. He had scented Prime, and Second, and now Third. Since they were the same fox - Black Fox - he should have only scented once.

“He’s scented each of us,” Second frowned, coming to the same conclusion. “Thoughts?”

“They could be on to us,” Third said first. “If they truly only scent each person once, and they’ve scented each of us once, then they may know we’re three bodies.”

Prime shook his head. “No, if they knew more of the wolves would be asking questions. Did they seem suspicious?”

Third hesitated, thinking carefully over his interactions with the ninja in the village. “One of the wolves said that he might just be curious because we’re a fox. The rest just seemed to ask about it with no clear indication of cause. None seemed suspicious, but they were all rookies.”

“No one mentioned it to me,” Second said. “Except to point out that it was odd. He moved me to another instructor, who was slightly annoyed, but no one seemed to be targeting anything.”

“I got moved to another instructor today as well,” Third said. “But I wasn’t the only one. Two others had their classes changed. The instructors were irritated, like you said, and a good deal centered around the mask. They wanted me to take it off, but the captain said he would allow it. I told the rookies it was to keep the sun from my eyes, since it was too bright. The captain pushed, so I hinted that we might be homesick. That seemed to make him uncomfortable.”

Prime nodded. “That’s certainly something we can use if we need to. Good work. Though I don’t like all the questions around the mask. I’ve seen others wearing similar; it shouldn’t have been a big deal.”

“I think it was because the captain had just scented me,” Third said. “They wanted to know more, without the shield.”

Prime waited a moment, thinking, then seemed to accept the answer. “I think I can bubble up a few tears tonight in the dorm, get someone to see them in the morning before I wash up. I’ll have to wear a mask tomorrow to keep up the front, but it’ll give the story some credit. I don’t think this multiple scenting thing is necessarily bad, either. Yes, he’s scented each of us once. But he’s scented Black Fox three times. That could be an indication he’s considering us for his pack. If it is, that gets us even closer to our goal than I anticipated. We might be able to finish this before winter.”

Second shook his head. “Father gave us until spring for a reason. It might get us closer to the target faster, but it will complicate any escape plan. If a wolf considers you pack, especially one as strong as the captain, he’s not going to let you leave that easily.”

“He’d have to catch us first. With three of us we can send him on a merry chase just like we did those silly geese by the lake,” Prime contradicted. “That’s why we have three bodies, remember?”

Third shifted. “Is there anything we could do about it either way?” he asked. “I mean - if he thinks were pack, that’s what he thinks. We can’t change that or influence that. We can only deal with it, right?”

Prime nodded. “The thief is right. We just have to deal with what we’re given. Look at the bright side: this could get us to the goal faster. That helps us.”

“If it doesn’t kill us first. Have you noticed his fan club?”

“Fan club?” Third asked, confused.

“The crowd of groupies who get together to discuss how awesome the captain is, how handsome he is, and how much they want him to screw them. They do just about anything for just a scrap of praise from him,” Prime said. He didn’t sound particularly happy.

Third checked the ground for anything that might try to sneak up on him, then sat down. “Are you ready for my report, then?”