One-eye sat silently, enjoying the squirrel he was eating. It was a bit old, but tasted well enough.

His ears pricked up when he saw two young wolves pass by. Arall and Diggs.

"I don't know, Diggs. You're not supposed to leave the clearing..." Arall insisted meekly.

Diggs wagged his tail. "But...I want to hunt! One-eye is gone for that assessment and his first killing mission and--HUAAAH. ONE-EYE!"

He suddenly put his tail in between his hind legs and yelped when he saw the deformed wolf.

Still afraid of me? You've been like that ever since I took down Maud. Good. One-eye's expression didn't betray anything, but he was amused.

Arall looked at her feet. "Uh...hey, One-eye. You are back early from that assessment..." she mumbled.

One-eye shrugged, his hump moving along with his shoulders.

"Oh...eh...Never mind us!" the she-wolf then said.

Diggs nodded and paced away fast. "Let's go, Arall!"

One-eye's only eye followed them as they left the Base.

***

Silkey's spine stiffened when she suddenly saw her mother appear. She entered the glade and looked around for a while. Then, she greeted a guard, after which she approached her daughter directly.

"Ah, Silkey, good to see you. How are you doing?" she asked, though it sounded like she didn't care at all.

"Fine, ma'am," Silkey responded.

Arrow stayed monotone. "Very well. Hey...the hunchback pup is back early?"

"I can see that, ma'am."

"Jera's not with him...that means...that can't be true. He's already done?"

"I don't know, ma'am."

"I'll have a look at it. Stay on guard."

"Yes, ma'am!"

***

"Well, well, well, One-eye. Back early, I see? I thought you and Jera were going to be gone for quite some time. A day, perhaps? But you left at sunrise and you're back already."

One-eye looked up, somewhat surprised, when he heard the reddish catamount speak. His eye didn't meet hers. He nodded in silence.

"So, did it go well? I don't see any dead Lone One body lingering around with its throat ripped out," Arrow said sharply.

"Jera's taking care of that. And the territory," One-eye said briskly.

Arrow sounded monotone, as always, as she said, "You mean you're actually done already? You don't even have a scratch on you!"

He nodded.

"Well...that's...good, I suppose. Continue your training. I can't wait to hear Jera's report."

One-eye continued eating without another word. He heard the catamount leave, and, when he was sure she was gone away far enough, he looked up again. She talked to her daughter some more, but then walked away in the direction of Saedin's cave.

One-eye swallowed another part of his squirrel and then eyed Silkey again. He'd hardly seen her in the past months, but she sure had changed for the worse.

Stupid catamount. Arrow completely brainwashed her...and she fell for it. Maybe she had been playing this trick on me all along. Pfft.

The young wolf looked at her. She looked stern, and her expression mirrored Arrow's exact frown. She truly is Arrow's daughter after all, it seems.

Then, without even wanting it, his eye met hers. Yeah. You look at me with that disgusted expression. I know you see me as trash. You've just been playing games with me the whole time. Traitor.

***

Silkey unsheathed her claws as her eyes met One-eye's only one. It'd been ages ever since they'd last done that.

His eye had become cold and hardened, it seemed. Like his heart. He's a monster, don't think otherwise, Silks. Mom told you so. Mom.

She shook her head to snap out of it. Stop staring at me, you disgusting mutt.

***

One-eye looked at the dead body of the Lone One he'd just killed, not regarding Arrow and Jera, who were standing only a meter away.

The second-in-command then spoke, sinister as ever. "You've done well, One-eye. You passed your final assessment. From now on, you're officially an assassin."

One-eye nodded. For you, my family. That's why I'm doing this... To stay true to that stupid vow...

He stepped over the dead wolf's body and headed in the direction back to the Main Base to start his new life as a Lone One assassin.