Ava POV

This was annoying.

She wasn't supposed to be annoyed but she couldn't help it. Even though it's been two weeks since her Master told that she was part of a pack, Ava couldn't get over how terribly irritating the whole situation was. Besides, she's been cooped up in the stupid base for 14 whole days and it was driving her crazy. If her cold room didn't drive her mad, then her stupid pack-mates were.

Frankly, the only thing keeping her pack-mates alive was the deal her Master offered her.

Her master, Kraven the Hunter, had explained it briskly; she was to learn how to fight and survive with a pack, and if she succeeded he would let her go on hunting missions for him, by herself.

By. Herself.

She almost couldn't believe it when he told her. He's never offered something like to her before, and while a part of her was wary that it was some kind of test, she couldn't help but feel excited. This was definitely a step-up with them - this meant he trusted her!

So, as much as Ava hated these people, the reward was far too exceptional to pass up. For now, she'd bite her tongue and keep her claws to herself. For now.

But that didn't mean she had to like it.

They've been training together every day since their first mission against each other, whether it was through an elaborately pieced-together obstacle course, a strict mission to take out a specific target, or simply sparring with each other to better understand the other's fighting style. So far, it's been messy, crazy, and ineffective.

None of them worked well together. That's just how it was. Their packs dynamic was too out of place, too hastily done. The big, muscly one in their team – Guard Dog she's come to know him as – was big, blundering, and always in the way. He barreled through everything, uncaring for the rest of the Pack, as he grabbed whatever their target happened to be and tore it apart with his bare hands. He had no hunting strategy, no tact, and every bit a dog his name implied. No, he was less than that. He had the ferocity of a beast, but none of the skill.

Novae, the odd one with the helmet, was no better. He blasted everything without thought. While he's admittedly agile in the air, he's also bright and overbearing. He zipped in front of them without needing to and destroyed everything with a target on its back. More than once he almost shot one of his pack-mates, and even then he didn't stop. He was quiet, but often laughed at them to himself, muttering insults about their "small, little human intelligence" and fly off, shooting haughty glances over his shoulder. But that was when he even bothered powering up. In some circumstances, he didn't even have his helmet with him, and stood off to the side watching them fight while pointing the littlest mistakes and criticized them for their "crude Earthling tactics."

The one that got on her nerves the least was probable Disciple – the only name he answered to by his master, the red-caped sorcerer she heard Kraven call Baron Mordo - but even then she still felt bitter over their first training exercise. It was Disciples constant interference that prevented her from completing her kill. With his relationship with magic spells and distractions, she didn't bother getting close for fear of lashing out and invoking the wrath of her Master. Besides, Disciple always looked irritated, no matter what the time of day, like he always had better things to do. Always so impatient. The last one in the room and the first one out. During training his magical incantations were fast and to the point – sometimes TOO to the point. There had been more than one occasion where he'd simply blasted their target when they were supposed to sneak up and infiltrate. He never apologized for his crude actions either. Just turned and walked back to his starting position, let them infiltrate, then blasted the target when they were given the go-ahead.

But, perhaps the one who got on her nerves the most was their alpha leader, Cheliceri – her prey whom she'd failed to kill, something that still made her simper with shame every time her Master looked at her. Now he was particularly frustrating. He was the most silent of them all. When they weren't on the floor training, he was up on the walls or ceiling, arms crossed and watching. The most she's ever heard him talk was after their first exercise when he asked what the training had been for in the first place. It irritated her that this was their alpha leader. He never got close enough to remotely "act" as a leader, never said a word, and was in and out as quick as possible. He didn't work with them, finished the mission on his own whenever he had the chance, and acted as though he expected them to read his mind. During one occasion, he'd tossed Novae into the fray of the battle, out of nowhere, almost injuring him, Disciple, AND Ava, as he went over them from above and killed their holographic target. When they'd angrily confronted him about it, he shrugged, muttered "Distraction," as if that explained everything, and crawled up his wall and sat, waiting for the next diagnostic.

Ava was patient. She waited for her Master to speak up, tell the others how this wasn't working, and split up the pack. To take her back to the jungles and marshes where she could hunt like the beast of prey her master treated her as. But he never did.

Perhaps he just needed a bit of enlightening.

She'd show him she was better than all the others. That she was more capable and trained. That she could do this without any of them. So, she ignored all of them. Didn't follow the diagnostic instructions because there were no rules in the wild, something that her Master could understand. It was survival of the fittest, and Ava was the fittest out of ALL of them. She'd show them she didn't need a pack.

From then on it had become a race. A free for all to whoever could get to the target first. It was unspoken between them, but the obvious driving force for them all. Even for Cheliceri, who never said a word.

Which was where Ava found herself now. Their mission was to infiltrate the elaborately set up building/maze and find their target, which was hidden behind a protective barrier. Guns were hidden in the walls and popped out without warning, shooting anything that moved. Training bots waited behind corners and attacked when they're backs were turned. A few of Taskmaster's mercenaries were hidden within the shadows as well and jumped out at random. Ava was distinctly ordered not to kill them, which only put her in a WORSE mood.

One jumped at her from their perch above, and her claws instantly shot out as she centered on every fatal nerve and juncture that could kill them in an instant. The jugular was her favorite. The fear in her preys eyes when her claws dug in, the pain, the blood. No one would ever mess with her. But she couldn't. Her Masters' words were like a loud, brash kick in her brain and she turned away last minute.

Growling irritably, she only cut them up a little and flung them into a wall before moving on. She turned a corner, coming into a larger room. Cheliceri was already there, swiftly taking out training bots as if he'd done it dozens of times before. A stray bot spotted her and zipped forward, arms turning into a gun that shot rapid-fire. She spun and dodged the projectiles, ran across the floor, drop down and slide, wrapping her claws around its thin legs and RIPPPPPED it from its body. The bot tittered and fell, but she tore apart its head for good measure.

Opposite of her, Cheliceri finished up with the last of his bots and smoothly straightened, clipped his bo-staff into the hold on his back, and stared at her. They caught each other's eyes over the battlefield and she knew he was challenging her. Could feel it on her skin. He burst into a run and she was hot on his trail.

He jumped from wall to wall, ceiling, wall, to floor, but Ava kept track of his movements easily. She was NOT going to allow him to shake her.

The halls were getting narrower now, which meant they were nearing the end-stretch. Their target was closer than ever, behind a single protective barrier. Disciple was already there, arms open as an incantation boomed past his lips. Ava growled.

No! There was no way she was going to let him blast away her hunt!

Cheliceri must've had the same thoughts. He jumped up on the wall and shot a web toward the spot that just happened to be right where Disciple was standing. The web hit him hard in the face, muffling his mouth, and he stumbled. Cheliceri zipped past him without a word, Ava as well, just as Disciple pulled the web off and glared at them spitefully. No sooner had they made it to another room when a loud, pounding sound reverberating behind them as Guard Dog burst clean through the wall, shooting pieces of hard debris around the floor. He barreled through the training bots, tearing them apart limbs by limbs without a scratch or hitch in his stride. Like Disciple, he found himself at the other end of Cheliceri's web.

An "accident," Ava was sure.

That was two in a row – a pattern. Ava's had the displeasure of being webbed down far too many times for her liking. It seemed Cheliceri was falling into a rhythm, which meant she needed to watch her back or else she'd meet the same fate. As Guard Dog tore web after web away, and Cheliceri kept "misfiring," Ava snuck past them, heading toward the mouth of the next hall. She knew she didn't need to engage in battle, and while a wild side wanted nothing more than to join in the crazy fray, all she could think about was the approval of her Master when she brought down the target.

Those thoughts faded as a bright, blue streak flew fast overhead. Unfortunately, today Novae did have his helmet. Above them, he grinned wide and smugly, a starch opposite to his usual glaring approach. Out of everyone, he was the most blunt about their undiscussed battle.

"SUCK IT, EARTHLINGS, THE TARGET IS MINE!"

That flipped a switch. Ava, Disciple, Guard Dog, and Cheliceri all stopped, shared a sweeping glance, and took off into a run. There was no point in fighting each other when Novae might win. Cheliceri allowed Guard Dog to tear the webs off his eyes only to say, cool, clear and the loudest Ave's ever heard him, "Throw me."

Guard Dog didn't have much of a choice with Cheliceri running at him. To at least compensate, he slowed enough to allow Dog the time to cup his hands, before jumping, one foot connecting to Dog's immense palms, and was shot up into the air. Cheliceri flipped, twisting as he shot two webs that connected straight to Novae's shoulders, and pulled, landing on the boys back in a crouch, holding on to the star on Novae's helmet for balance.

"WHOA – WHOA – HEY!" Novae shouted, spinning crazily to get him off, but Cheliceri stuck tight. Below, she heard the alpha leader yell again.

"DISCIPLE. BLAST 'IM."

To Ava's astonishment, Disciple stopped and began chanting. Energy and symbols etched in the air, brightening with each symbol brandished into reality. With a loud shout, he let the spell loose, and a great explosion of light exploded next to Novae. The flying fool spiraled. Cheliceri did his best to steer, before seemingly giving up and jumped, and shot a web on the ceiling that took him safely took to the wall. Novae hit the floor with a disgruntled shout.

"That...was...low!" he sputtered, getting to his feet.

There was a moment of silence. Then, slowly, they all looked back toward their unblemished target. Within the blink of an eye their shaky, hazy truce dissipated and they were all enemies on the field again.

Cheliceri was running along the wall, Novae rose back into the air, Disciple was hastily performing a spell that would likely get him up there faster, and Guard Dog was running straight through the walls.

Ava growled. She needed a way up there. She watched as Guard Dog crashed through wall after her wall and her eyes lifted up to the top of them, an idea sparking. Running forward, she jumped up off a wall, propelled upward, latched onto the top of the ledge and hoisted herself up.

She ran along the narrows tops, watching the progress of the others as she jumped from top to top, climbing swiftly from one wall to another, trekking her way up toward her target. Spurring faster, she climbed with the speed of her wildcat ancestors, and suddenly she was there. Her last obstacle was the barrier.

A spark popped next to her and Disciple landed next to her. She wasted no time and struck about, catching him in the arm. Before she could land another hit, a shield sprouted from his palms, bright and pulsating red. He pushed her off, and the shield disintegrating as a fiery whip grew from his hand.

He spun quickly, building momentum, and SNAPPED the whip, just a hair shy of Ava's head. She landed with a crouch, growled loudly, and lunged. She went for his feet that time, which he wasn't expecting. Without enough time to build momentum for another hit, Ava hit his legs and he fell with a breathless "OOOMPH."

There was no time to celebrate her victory though. Cheliceri and Novae had arrived, both in a spurring battle. There was no WAY she was going to lose to someone like Novae, or WORSE – Cheliceri.

Tossing Disciple away, she rushed them. Using Cheliceri's back as a springboard, she propelled herself over the barrier and land on the other side, grinning at their startled floundering through the translucent energy shell.

It was almost enough to make her laugh.

Whirling around, claws out, she rushed for the holographic target. Only to be yanked back by a white, sticky substance on her arm. Cheliceri pulled at the web, drawing her back.

No longer fighting, Novae shot a long blast at Ava that made her jump away from the target.

Disciple was back up now too and preparing another spell, looking at her, and Guard Dog had made it to the landing as well, charging the barrier. Great, another truce – this time against her. This was the last thing she needed.

Using her free hand she cut the web away. If she wanted to win this she needed to move FAST. A shudder ran through the barrier as Guard Dog hit it. Cheliceri flipped down from it and landed between Ava and the target.

He lowered himself into a crouch and she understood a challenge when she saw one. Her claws shot out again, right where he could see them so he knew what was about to happen. He braced himself, and Ava's limbs buzzed like a swarm of hornets with the anticipation.

She tore forward, but he blocked the first strike toward his chest, then another for his leg, but wasn't fast enough as she whirled around and caught him in the shoulder. Flipping back to give himself room, he rolled his shoulder once, suit torn, and rushed at her again. It was a fast-paced fight. Hit after hit, dodge, punch, avoid, kick, hit, and punch.

It was frustrating how hard he was to hit. It was as if he saw what she was about to do before she could even do it. But he wasn't untouchable. More than once she managed to rake her claws over his skin, which slowed him down little by little.

Their battle was interrupted by a hit from Disciple, which knocked them both down, giving Novae the opportunity to shoot past them. He would've got the target if Guard Dog hadn't full-on tackled him mid-air.

Cheliceri heaved Ava off of him and sprinted forward. Ava was on her feet in seconds and passed him up easily. Disciple shot two long strings of chains from the Mystic arts of the something-something that caught onto Cheliceri's feet and made him trip. Ava jumped as another pair almost got her, twisted, and kept running. No sooner did she though, did a web catch her leg - one catching Disciples back as well - and they were both yanked backward.

The chains disappeared and Cheliceri was on his feet.

Ahead of them, Guard Dog was struggling against Novae, both of whom were a mere 5 feet from the target.

Tensions were high. She could taste the apprehension on her tongue. They were all here to prove something – they just happened to be in each other's way.

Guard Dog saw them coming and swung out with his foot, catching Disciple in the stomach. Cheliceri jumped over him but Ava grabbed his arm and forced him back. A fiery chain from Disciple wrapped around them both and pulled them back just as Guard Dog and Novae stumbled to their feet and knocked into him.

Like that, they all fell into a big, squirming heap right on top of the target. The hologram shuttered and shut off. It was silent for half a second.

Then, Novae shouted, "I got it first!"

Guard Dog pushed him off of him, "Yeah right, I got it first!"

Disciple pushed both of them off of him with a mighty hit with his glowing fist – something he didn't seem to use often. "You are both blind," he said, "I got it first."

"You're all thick!" Ava snapped. "You're as graceful as a pair of stub-toed pups! I got the target first."

"AS IF!" The other three shouted.

Cheliceri didn't say anything at first. Calmly, he got to his feet, brushed off an imaginary speck of dust off his shoulder, looked down at them as if they too were specks of dirt he couldn't scrub off and said simply, "I won," and walked away to take his respective perch on the wall.

His calm demeanor only irritated her more.

"Whatever!" Novae hissed, "It's easy to cheat when you have that magic silly string of yours."

"S'not cheating if it's a part of your arsenal," Cheliceri quietly tossed over his shoulder. "Not my fault if you're not quick on your feet."

That seemed to hit a nerve with Novae. "I'll show you quick on your feet!" He grit.

He zoomed forward, light engulfing him. Cheliceri would've been able to dodge if Novae hadn't feinted to the right, only to zip back into his beeline and tackle him where he stood. They hit the wall, denting the metal.

Cheliceri didn't take that too well.

His feet went up, back braced against the wall, and he kicked Novae square in the chest, sending him across the floor like a stone skipping over water. Lunging off the wall, it was his turn to tackle helmet-head. He got in a good few square hits before Novae blasted him with his blue energy, which careened him right into Guard Dog, who pinched his nose as if a bug had flown into his mouth.

"Watch it!" he snapped, throwing Cheliceri back at Novae.

Ava grinned sharply. It was very entertaining to see Cheliceri get tossed around like a rag-doll.

He didn't seem to think it was funny though.

He shot to webs that latched onto Guard Dog and heaved. The giant-of-a-boy was sling-shot across the room, right into Novae, whose blast of energy was knocked to the side where it hit Disciple, who had just been muttering, "This is a waste of time." before hitting the floor again.

Flustered and red-faced, he jumped back to his feet. He was still breathing hard from performing so many spells during their exercise, sweat drying on his forehead, but he seemed to forget all about that as he lifted his glowing fist and smashed it into the floor. Cracks sprouted, the ground upheaved, and everyone collapsed.

But when they were back on their feet, it was a free-for-all of punches and hits. No rules, no games – a simple, wild, fight. Ava didn't need to be hit to join the fray. The tiger side roared happily as she jumped into the middle of it all, throwing an excited punch at Cheliceri, before whirling around and kicking Disciple in the stomach. Guard Dog got in a good hit to her side, but she used the momentum to whirl around again, grab Novae, and ram his helmet head into Dog's stomach.

The fight went on for a few minutes and was only broken up when their mentors charged into the room. Ava felt her stomach drop with the ferocious look on Kraven's face and she dropped Disciples cloak, which she'd been trying to strangle Dog with, and scampered back. That was not a good sign.

The rest of them did the same. It was just a few moments of silence between them and their superiors, but it held an atmosphere of impending punishment.

The man with the skeletal mask – Taskmaster – was the first to speak. "Cheliceri," he said, and Ava saw their "alpha leader" flinch, just slightly, "my office. Now."

Cheliceri nodded, muttered a quiet, "Yes Sir," and followed Taskmaster's white cape.

Baron Mordo regarded Disciple cool and stoically. "Foolish boy," he said, and Disciple's shoulders collapsed in on himself.

"Mordo – " he started, but was silenced by a quick wave of Mordo' hand. Disciple followed him out of the room sullenly.

Titus – the weird tiger alien – didn't even waste time with formalities. He growled a deep, throaty growl and ripped the helmet right off Novae's head, revealing the pale, frightened face of the black-haired boy underneath.

Titus was yelling at him, voice a combination of irritated yowls and growls mixed with an alien language Ava didn't understand. But it must not have been anything good as Novae got paler and paler with each word, till he looked downright ghoulish. Once Titus got most of it out of his system, he shoved Novae toward the door, who walked with his head down, looking sick.

Kraven stopped in front of Ava, but all she could see was his feet. She couldn't bring herself to look up, too afraid of what she might see. The tiger side whimpered, and she got the distinct urge to turn tail and run. But her punishment would be far greater if she did such a shameful thing.

It was quiet for a good solid minute before she was struck on the side of her head, and her head snapped crudely to the side.

"Duratskiy!" he spat at her, and she flinched. "Plokhoy! Ochen' plokhoy!"

"Mas – Master," she stammered, heart hammering. "I – I'm sorry...I lost control of myself. I –" another hit silenced her immediately.

"Silent." He said, darkly, and she did.

He took a deep, angry breath, then straightened himself. "Come." And turned, walking away.

Ava wanted nothing more but to fall and disappear into the floor. He was angry with her. Very, very angry with her. Why did she have to lose control of herself? She had to listen to him. He knew what was best for her.

She was just an idiot. Of course, she deserved every punishment he planned on inflicting. They all did. They acted so stupidly. It was a simple exercise, all she had to do was follow his simple instructions.

It was too late now. Walking past the crumbled maze and slashed training bots, Ava stuck close to Kraven's heels, sobered, with her tail tucked between her legs.

She hesitated, just near the door as Kraven walked out.

She could try running for it?

Kraven kept walking, farther and farther. He'll notice that she stopped. Any moment he'll turn around and see that she wasn't behind him. He'd be so angry – he'd...

Ava ran quickly after him.

Here's the update I promised! :D Whoopie! Things aren't going so well, are they.

Translations:

Duratskiy – Foolish; Plokhoy! Ochen' plokhoy! – Bad! Very bad!

"Foolish!" Kraven spat at her, and she flinched. "Bad! Very bad!"

Reminder, I'm going to be busy over the next few days and that I'll likely be gone most of next week on a competition trip. I'll still have my phone, so I can talk and stuff, but there probably won't be an update.

Thanks for reading!

-OfficialUSMWriter out!