The Swan's Song.

Chapter 31

Ahhh.... If I only had the drive, gumption, and gall to make a thirty minute video explaining Ivan and why he should terrify you within the context of the story....

XXX

"He killed a human. He killed her so easily." Thought Echo. She watched as Swan sat in the side bay seat of the Venom and looked out of the land below in a casual manner.

The hyena's eyes drifted over to Ana, the large cougar sitting in the middle seat of the chopper bay.

Ana's expression bordered somewhere between stoic acceptance and sadness, and Echo was able to infer that the cougar was impacted heavily by the death of the little human girl.

The one that Swan had killed so easily.

"Like he's killed other humans before."

That errant thought ran through Echo's mind quickly, and her eyes widened briefly. Such a thing would absolutely not make any sense if it was true, and if it was true, it would absolutely complicate everything regarding, well, anything.

Echo watched as Chief maneuvered through the cabin and sat by him, placing a fuzzy hand on Swan's shoulder.

The man looked over at him and then threw up two finger guns before nodding.

"How was the mission, Swan? Kick some ass?" Asked Chief. Swan looked at the dog before nodding.

"In a sense." Said the human. Echo narrowed her eyes, wondering if Swan considered the killing of the girl 'kicking ass' in his mind.

Chief nodded and once more, the older dog placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. Swan fell silent and looked out into the indiscernible distance of the outdoor and wild landscape that nature provided.

No, Swan didn't consider killing that human girl as 'kicking ass' because his reaction was all too mundane for the event.

No heavy reaction. No surprise.

For Sako Squad, and most likely the rest of the base, Swan killing the human girl was a horrendous moment.

For Swan, it was simply another day to forget when tomorrow came.

Echo wondered how the rest of the base would react to Swan killing another human. Especially, given his eased reaction.

"Yeah, there's no other way." She thought. This whole ordeal proved that Swan had killed other humans before. Through and through.

She wasn't certain how she felt about the action, understanding how weird it felt to shoot at anthros a few missions ago.

What Echo did know was that if this mission became common knowledge, Swan would once more be the buzz of the base, and maybe not for any reason that would be good.

"I know it's gonna be hell. But... when did he kill another human? Besides Davey, his friend, out of mercy? Could that be why he's so relaxed?" Pondered Echo.

Could Swan be so casual about killing a human because he was just so numb after all that had happened? Could mercy killing Davey have been the destruction of the dividing measures between human and anthro?

Or was there something else in his past... something not known? Could Swan have come into contact with hostile human factions and killed them to survive?

All they had was the last five years to work with. Swan's past was very much so still a mystery.

Echo remembered what Ava had once told them when they were fighting in the ring. Swan had much about him that needed to be divulged.