Chapter Text
9:30 pm, Coney Island, NY, Cleon’s Apartment.
It was a crisp, cold September night in New York, but the snow had thankfully not start when Swan got home.
“You ain’t gonna like this,” Cleon said first thing when Swan made eye contact. It was Ajax’s turn to make dinner, but Ajax wasn’t around. Per usual. She was probably on another hot dog and ice cream date with Rembrandt. So, being the leader, Cleon stepped up. It’s like Cochise didn’t make the fucking weekly chores list.
“What did Cowgirl do? Or was it Ajax? Again.” She asked, taking off the brown leather jacket with their mark on the back. Cleon shook her head, finishing the stir fry.
“No. Ajax and Rembrandt went and found us a girl,” She started, before trying to find her next words. “This girl… She’s… odd. Ajax said she was fast. Like when Fox first came around. But she kinda… appears. Ajax’s words, not mine.” Swan didn’t speak, she just kept the vest close to her chest, almost protecting it.
“You wanna recruit her?” She asked after a beat of silence. She could hear Cowgirl and Cochise laughing with Fox in the other room, probably waiting for Cleon’s world famous stir fry.
“Maybe,” Cleon breathed, without looking up. She was in thought, probably thinking how to approach this mysterious girl.
That’s our war chief, Swan thought with a small smile, which she quickly masked after Cleon looked up.
“She could be good for the team. Make a good spy or something.”
12:05 am, Brokelyn, NY.
“It’s cold as shit here!” Ajax complained, even literally everyone told her to put on a jacket. There was a sudden crash from their right, but when everyone turned around, they only saw a black, stray cat. It meowed at them and then went away. They didn’t think much about it, but Cleon didn’t move. She stayed put and watched the cat. When Swan was about to speak up, they suddenly saw a girl. She was small, but not Swan or Fox small, she was small in a way that it was unhealthy.
…
She was so malnutritious, they could probably see her ribs if they lifted up her shirt. She had scratches on her body and band aids on her face, yet she petted the cat like she wasn’t afraid of the diseases it may carry or if it wouldn’t attack her. Her hair, which looked like a dark chocolate in the dark, had a tuff on either side that made it seem like a dog’s floppy ear if you look hard enough. The Warriors were silently watching the girl with bated breaths. If they move or say anything, they might scare her away, and they’ve come so far. It wasn’t until the cat finally went away that the girl saw them. She was a deer in headlights, and Cleon could see her muscles tensing.
“Hey, kid, we aren’t here to hurt you,” Cleon soothes, making her voice calm and steady. The girl’s eyes watched them intently, watching for any sudden movement. A beat of silence, and the girl relaxed a little.
“There we go, not so scary.” Cleon said, taking a small step forward, trying to test the waters. The girl let her, not backing away. Cleon took another step, then another, another, until she was face to face with the kidl. Up close, she looked about 14 or 15, maybe even 16. She wasn’t 10 years old as she originally thought. Her eyes were now a yellowish amber color, wide with curiosity and fear. She was still in the same spot, perfectly still.
This was going perfectly. But Ajax was getting impatient.
“Come on War Chief! Grab her and go! It’s cold out here!”
“Ajax-”
It didn’t take the girl long to run, even in the crunchy white snow she was fast enough to disappear. Cleon gave Ajax a look that said, “I’ll talk to you later” and signed to Swan to split. Ajax and Rembrandt with Swan. Cochise, Fox and Cowgirl with her. They took a few turns to find her climbing a street lamp. She was swinging on the light, most likely going onto the roof. Cleon and the others ran toward the fire escape stairs, climbing up to the roof. The girl kept running, even when she was on the edge of the roof. She took a few steps back to get a running start and jumped to the next roof.
“This girl got guts!” Cochise laughed, watching the girl as she caught her breath for a second.
“Yeah, but we gotta go talk to her.” Cowgirl remembered, playfully punching Cochise’s arm before trying to find the next place to run to. But then, there was a yelp and then a scream. The yelp was unrecognizable, but sounded like a dog’s yip.
The scream, however, came from Ajax.
4:34 pm, Coney Island, NY, Cleon’s apartment
Cleon let out a long sigh as she listened to Ajax’s hissing. Apparently, Ajax had surprised the kid by climbing onto the roof and yelling at her. The kid turned out to have a pocket knife, and threw it at her. But that’s when Rambrandt used her spray paint bag to knock her out.
“A kid with great aim… Keep that in mind next time,” Cleon muttered to herself, keeping a mental note. Cochise was using the med kit in the living room with Ajax, while the kid was locked in Swan and Fox’s room. Doors locked. Windows locked. No escaping. There were a few moments where Cleon heard the kid’s screams and wails from the other room, trying to free herself. She sounded like a hurt puppy. A hurt, dangerous, fast puppy.
Finally, Cleon thought it was time to go in and check on the girl. She was in the corner, tears streaming her face, breathing heavy, and shaking violently. She was looking at everything, as if it would all disappear if she didn’t commit everything to memory. Cleon sat down, crossing and twisting her legs comfortably. She stayed silent, letting the kid get used to her persense. Once the kid calmed down, that’s when she moved a little closer. The kid was dead silent. But there was something about her eyes that made it seem like she wanted to talk.
“You know, kid, you’re allowed to speak to me. This isn’t a ‘don’t speak unless spoken to’ place. If you have shit on your mind, then say it.”
There was silence, she just nodded her head and looked away. Cleon sighed, guessing this was a forced behavior from, most likely, a parent.
“What happened, kid? Why are you alone?” She asked, making the kid prick up. She took that opportunity to keep going. “Are you being targeted? Are you muted? What-”
“They kicked me out.”
…
“What?”
“My parents. They kicked me out.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want to play doll anymore.”
Cleon was confused, but nodded for her to go on.
“Both of my parents wanted a girly girl. So they forced me to play with dolls, they forced me into dance and gymnastics, and put make up on me. A lot. When I finally snapped and told them I didn’t like the shit, they disowned me. Kicked me out of the house without another word said other than ‘you’re a disappointment’.”
Cleon went silent. The fact that this poor girl had gone through that at such a young age was… disheartening. Before Cleon left, she asked one more question.
“What’s your name, kid?” She asked, offering a smile. The kid smiled back and answered.
“Angela.”
“Not anymore.”
“What?”
“How about Hound. You were able to beat Ajax pretty rough there.”
“Hound… I… like it…”
“Good.”
And with that, she left Hound by herself. She could come meet the other Warriors later. She right now needed some food in her.