The Bird & the Blade

Surprise

Hunters point of view:
I forced my anger into my training. I had been given the rest of the night off, but that didn't mean I wasn't tired. If anything, the anger was actually waking me up. I used it as fuel as I combated he foam targets in front of me.

    If Talia thinks she can just drop into my life after everything she put me through and just demand to have me back as her her bullet shield, then she's mental. I didn't want to be her bullet shield, nor her spy or assassin. That isn't my life anymore and for once I decided my path. My time with them is done and any loyalty I had for her vanished. After the attack on the island, when I was left to fend for myself, every ounce of loyalty faded. Now after all this time, she was dead to me.

     It was her insistence that she needed me back and that I owed her that infuriated me. If anything, she owed me for all the bullets she made me take during her missions. I remembered the pain, but I was never thanked or honored in any way. I was a tool they used, but not anymore. Not ever again.

    I kicked off the wall backwards and slashed downwards as I flipped over a training dummy, it slicing into pieces from my claws. The anger I felt towards everything riling me up. I pulled in my claws to allow my wrist to bend as I grabbed a couple of batarangs from my side and tossed them at the foam dummy. The sharp batarangs stabbed into the foam and one etched itself deep enough to vanish in the foam body.

    Not only was she trying to pull me back to the darkness of the underground world, but she wasn't the only one worried about me working with Batman. Even the former Batgirl saw me as a danger, just because of my linage. I was being sought after by my genetic parents and every know underling in Gotham. For once I realized that maybe everyone was worried because they were concerned that not even Batman could protect and hide me from them.

Everything was confusing me, even my emotions where all in wack as I tried to control them. I yelled in anger in frustration before I threw my sword in a desperate attempt to channel it. The blade sailed through the air to the foam target of choice. The silver blade disappear as it stabbed into the chest of the dummy. I took a running leap and shoved it into the foam with my body weight before kicking myself backwards of the form.

    I yelled loudly as I kicked the closest foam dummy towards the pile of decapitated foam. They crashed into each other with screeching metal and I sighed. The anger was fizzling out but it only left the hollowing feeling of pain in its wake.

    I was immediately on guard when I felt someone grab my wrist and I turned quickly. My blade was drawn and I was ready to stab someone, though I stopped as I realized who it was. Damian was standing just behind me with a neutral expression as he said, "I don't believe that is the best course of action."

    I raised an eyebrow as I met his green graze which were hard like emeralds as I asked, "Which part stabbing you or demolishing the foam dummies." His face didn't lift as his eyes were full of concern as he said, "Both. Your bleeding though."

    I looked down to where he was gesturing and saw the sharp tip of something metal. It was sticking out of my left arm which Damian's hand was hovering over. He wanted to help as the blood was now gushing from my wound and dropping between my elbow and fingers.

    I sighed as I hadn't even felt the pain. I assumed the sharp was from the catastrophe of foam limbs that and I just hadn't noticed the metal fly away from the pile. Damian gently placed his hand on the back of my hip as he said, "Come here, so I can get this out of you."

    I sighed as I let him guide me over to the steps. He sat me on the edge of them as he stepped around me. I waited for him and he returned almost as quickly and silently as he had appeared. He took a hand towel he had and gently wiped at the blood around my wound before going to gently pry what looked like a knife blade from my upper bicep.