Signore
Octo looked like he was very close to grabbing a gun and shooting someone right
now.

Richard
cowered under his gaze. He was actually looking forward to meeting the panther,
feeling proud that he had found such an important lead to Red Wolf. However,
that expression made him reconsider his intentions. The panther had that
serious look on his face that demanded respect, Richard knew that. This,
meanwhile, was another thing entirely; Richard was not one to easily cower, yet
right now, before Signore Octo's gaze, he dared not look up at all.

The
lead he found a few days ago, it was quickly investigated by Signora Lucia and
turned out to be accurate. Thomas Luis Purnama, as he was called, had a sparse
but fitting background. An orphan known to be volatile at times, he was adopted
by an Indonesian couple before an accident happened. Afterwards, he was adopted
by another couple until another accident happened and he was detained in child
prison. After release, he lived in an orphanage in Køpmanshavn till 16 years
old when he moved out. He was offered to be taken into the Indonesian embassy
in Øsefård and offered citizenship on the basis of adoption from his first
stepparents, but he declined and chose to remain South Icelandic. He moved into
a small flat building near the Barrowislander city limits just before the woods
until he was granted a scholarship and moved to the University of Barrowisle
student dorms. He had a history of being out of control and had psychopathic
tendencies.

As
much as he wanted to tell Octo that, right now, not even Signore Ludwig dared
look him in the eyes. The bear's words seemed unfocused. No one in the room
even dared to move. Signore Octo came here only asking for reports, a very,
very condensed version of it… basically just asking whether they had found Red Wolf
and how. His expression hadn't changed at all since he came here.

What
happened? He wasn't one to pry into people's lives, but really, if looks could
kill, he was sure he would be dead the moment Signore Octo looked at him.

When
a chair creaked, Richard realised that Signore Ludwig was done talking. The
room was silent, as if Signore Octo's own presence oozed guaranteed death and
no one wanted to be a part of it. Richard had been in a room with his
father—Signore Giuseppe, whom he'd recently known to be his father—but not even
he had an aura this menacing.

Octo
gave a sigh. He only looked at the folder on the table dirtily as if it
offended him. The sound of his waving tail was almost audible in the room as he
shifted on the seat. “You have located Red Wolf, correct?"

“Y-yes,
sir." Ludwig replied.

Octo
looked back at the folder. He didn't open it, as if he were waiting for more
explanation but at the same time not bothered by it at all. He gripped his
chin. “Inform me when Operation Red Wolf 2's plans are finalized. I want to
have a look before approving it."

“Yes,
sir."

“I
trust this will not be a total failure like Operation Red Wolf?"

“Yes,
sir. We're working on the plans."

The
panther looked back up at the bear who was looking down. His ear twitched, and
Richard instantly looked down, not wanting to be acknowledged.

“Ludwig,
look at me." There were a few moments of silence. “I trust this will not be a
total failure like Operation Red Wolf?"

“Y-yes,
sir. This will not be a total failure like Operation Red Wolf."

“Che caratteristico."
Signore Octo chuckled a little, sending chills down his spine. “The uncertainty
in your voice is even more audible than your words," There was a screech of a
chair being pulled back. “but I know that the plans are not ready. I expect
this to be more effective than Operation Wolven Eye last summer holiday, the
one which resulted in nothing. Quite fortunate, or suspicious, that the only
lead we have is a folder found by Richard just a few days ago."

The
hyena flinched at the mention of his name. He closed his eyes, not wanting to
see whether everyone was looking at him or not.

There
were more shuffling sounds, making him shut his eyes tighter. “I feel no need
to repeat myself about the plans, sì?"
He could hear footsteps growing closer and closer before finally going away.
“Dismissed."

When
he heard a door being shut, he opened his eyes, just in time when everyone let
go of their breath.

Whether
he liked it or not, Signore Octo was still one of the owners of this operation.
Richard wasn't sure if he wanted to serve under him or not, now that he knew
just how scary the panther can actually be.

So, this is Red Wolf, huh?

Richard
stared at the Walkirie Station entrance. A grey wolf was walking there, small,
probably a little shorter than him. He was accompanied by a German Shepherd dog
bigger than him. They looked happy. They were carrying some grocery bags, just
chatting as they went into the station.

This is Red Wolf?
He repeated the question inside his mind as he narrowed his eyes. This is fuckin' Red Wolf?

Frankly,
he was dumbfounded. He knew not to judge anyone so quickly. Even an innocent
man could turn out to be a ruthless killer. However, this was outright a joke.
That wolf over there was not red, moreover, he did not even look like he could
hurt a fly. Hell, he wouldn't really be surprised if his first suspicion were
on that big German Shepherd next to him.

The
only thing that signified “red" from him was his eyes. Richard had scrutinised
it before. His eyes were red; although they looked kind of brownish from afar,
the closer he got, the redder they became. That unnerved him; maybe that was
why he was called Red Wolf?

“Is
that really him?" Oliver said next to him.

He
huffed. “Apparently. Shinori's already inside?"

“Yeah.
Really boss, shouldn't reconnaissance be given to Signora Carolina?"

The
hyena clicked his tongue. “I'll tell you when Big Boss gets his mind back. Now
wait here. Shinori and I should be back by sunset." He began walking towards
the station. “Go eat something, Oliver. You didn't eat breakfast."

He
didn't hear the ibex's answer as he was already crossing the street and into
the station. Tapping his public transport card on the gate, he followed this
Red Wolf and his… guard, maybe, into the platform. Keeping his distance, he took
his phone out and pretended to check his social media all the while his ears
pointed towards them. He noticed Shinori a bit farther away from them, but he
didn't acknowledge the Akita.

He
put his phone back into his pocket. His outfit didn't seem too suspicious, did
it? He usually didn't do reconnaissance. He was more of an information finder
from a third party.

Now
that he thought about it, that was also reconnaissance.

But
no, he didn't observe the target directly like this. He obtained information
from other sources, usually Grant, but there were more. He reported those
findings to Signora Lucia despite her much higher position. In a way, he felt
like he was someone expendable, someone who was given the fieldwork because he
could be easily replaced. The same way Rodrigo was, bless his soul.

The
metro arrived and Red Wolf went inside. Richard locked eyes with Shinori, then
they both nodded and went inside.

It
wasn't very packed inside, unfortunately. The hyena was kind of expecting it to
be packed because he could blend in easier in the sea of people. Red Wolf and
his guard sat down on the available seat with Shinori sitting across them, but
at the end of the seat near the door. Richard instead held onto the handrail as
the seats were all filled up. He didn't make himself too invisible—were he
noticed, that would make him even more suspicious. It was a bit hard to do
since the wolf's red eyes kind of fascinated him, but he would do his best.

Red
Wolf pulled his phone again, this time not pointing his ears towards them. The
metro was a bit loud, but their conversation could easily be heard from his
position. Eavesdropping on their conversation, he couldn't help but feel… a
little… well…

“…seriously,
are we gonna go spend the night under the stars in the park? That's some
romantic shit right there!"

“No,
mate, that's cringy."

“I
thought you were into romantic stuff like that."

“I
do but the way you say that makes that sound questionable."

“Questionable
how? There's just gonna be me, you, and the stars! And maybe the grass."

“Yes
but we have work tomorrow."

The
German Shepherd laughed. “Stop worrying about work, wolf. I'm pretty sure Lucas
won't miss you if you come 5 mins late."

“He
won't but my boss sure will." Red Wolf chuckled a bit and put his phone
away—yeah he had been talking with the German Shepherd while typing on his
phone. “I'm starting to question if your boss hasn't told you off by now."

“Why
don't you tell me off now?"

“That
seems to sound quite inadvisable to be done and I don't think I have the
capacity to do such a thing on someone so meticulously careful of their actions
like you."

“Damn,
I gotta stop you from buying any more books." The dog grinned, tapping their bag
twice. “What's that supposed to mean?"

“I
was saying that you're perfect the way you are." The wolf smiled.

Richard
turned a bit red and covered his face behind his phone. He wasn't gay, but he
had to admit, Red Wolf had a way with words. It had been a while since he had a
date, so he couldn't help but feel envious of him. He would like to be just as
smooth. Judging by the way they either chuckle or roll their eyes, it seemed
the other passengers thought the same, aside from a few who sneered.

“Speaking
of books," Red Wolf continued despite the dog next to him still laughing softly
with his ears going down. “open one, ya?
You go listen to music or something. Don't disturb me."

“Don't
you want me to read the book for you?"

“Shut
up. Go away."

The
dog laughed again, but then he pulled one book from their bag and gave it to
the wolf. After that, he gave the wolf a pat on the head and took his headset
out, listening to some music.

Well,
it looked like the rest of the journey would be spent in silence.

Indeed
it was. As Richard sagged slightly because he was getting tired of standing
like this, he lessened his attention to Red Wolf. The wolf was deep in his book
while the dog was asleep next to him, listening to music. They passed several
stations already. Where were they going?

The
metro stopped at a station, leaving the seats mostly vacant. Richard sat down
on the available seat in the corner of the car. He was about to take his phone
again when he noticed it.

Red
Wolf's ears were directed at him.

The
hyena ignored that and just turned his phone on while inside he furrowed his
brows. How did he notice? Had he been noticing him all this time? He didn't do
anything suspicious, right?

He
huffed and put his phone down while glancing in Red Wolf's general direction.
The wolf's ears were no longer pointed at him, so maybe that was just the wolf
noticing him sitting down. He shifted a bit on the seat, still focusing on the
book.

In
the corner of the seat across from Red Wolf, Shinori looked bored. He was
playing with his phone, occasionally yawning. Richard fought the urge to
facepalm. Right now, that was not a disguise. Shinori really was bored. Maybe
it was true that he should have brought Oliver or Jun instead. They were more
suitable for this.

Folgende stand: Greter Temsøw. Þa
døre sjålen an báð síðen åpnen. Next station: Greater Temsøw. The door will
open on both sides.

Hearing
that, Red Wolf closed the book he was reading and put it back in the paper bag.
He sat up straighter and woke the dog up. “Mate, come on, we're here."

The
German Shepherd stretched a bit. Richard locked eyes with Shinori, who looked
excited that they were getting down. He made a gesture to prepare to get off
the metro and follow them.

Not
long after, the metro stopped and the doors opened. He got off the metro and
followed Shinori as he trailed the wolf from behind. He tapped his public
transport card on the gate, then followed them outside.

Outside,
Red Wolf and the dog—maybe his boyfriend—got onto the tram. Shinori was quick
to follow them, but Richard was too late. No matter. If he followed them, he
could be seen as more suspicious. He only sent a text to Shinori to keep
following them and send him the location. The Akita replied to him with an
affirmation.

Putting
his phone down, the hyena let out a huge sigh as he walked to a bus stop
nearby.

This
Red Wolf was… well, he really wanted to greet and congratulate him for being so
slick and such a pain in the arse. Was this really Red Wolf, though? Probably.
This was just an early observation, so he could be wrong. For now, he couldn't
decide whether to trust the document or not. Signora Lucia was still fleshing
out his background, and even with her extensive network of informants, that
still took longer than expected

Somehow…
Richard wasn't sure if he wanted to be a part of this operation. This could
cost him his life if the document were to be trusted. Red Wolf wasn't just
ruthless, he also had psychopathic tendencies if not outright psychopathic.
Ending up on an operation table wasn't really the best way to go.

For
now, though, he just sat down on the available seat at the bus stop. Free from
anyone, his underlings or bosses or any of the mafia members, he let his
resolve fall just for a while.

“Hey,
uh… Richie, right?"

The
hyena looked up. A Doberman was walking towards him, an easy smile on his face
and some grocery bags in hand. Richard's ear twitched in surprised irritation;
was that one of the guys he met during the summer festival a few months ago?

Goddamn,
he couldn't even get a five-minute break.

Richard
just ignored him. He did say Richie, not Richard, but there was no one else at
the bus stop.

“Yeah,
you, Richie." The Doberman came closer.

“Richie?"
He crossed his arms. “You're calling me?"

“Of
course. It's Richie, right?"

Richard
rolled his eyes. “Richard."

“Oh,
right, Richard. Sorry." The dog laughed a bit, then took something from one of
the grocery bags and gave him it. “Juice?"

He
eyed the hand. “No."

“Don't
think about it. I just bought more than I needed." The Doberman still threw it
towards him, leaving him with no choice but to catch it.

He
snorted as he inspected it. “John, right?"

“Yeah.
So, catching the bus?"

“Not
really." He shrugged and put the small box of juice into his jacket pocket.

“You
live around here, yeen?"

“No."
After a bit of a pause, he continued. “You?"

“No,
I live in Wonsberg, Øverhill shire."

“So,
what're you doing here then?" He asked, feeling a little more relaxed now. He
wasn't a fan of small talk like this, but he didn't know he was this uptight.
Red Wolf had really taken all his attention recently.

John
took another juice and opened the small box. “Here for my fiancé. She's having
a party with her friends. Her flat's all empty. You wanna come over and watch
some football or something?"

Richard
eyed John. While the Doberman was easily bigger and more muscled than him, he
looked friendly. That shouldn't really be a reason not to be suspicious of him,
though. Despite his size, Richard was still confident that he could take him
down if necessary. “No." replied the hyena carefully, still eyeing the dog.

The
bus honked as it approached the stop.

That
didn't seem to offend the Doberman. John just gave a friendly chuckle,
finishing his drink and throwing the empty juice box into the bin. “Eh, that's
fine." He gathered his stuff. “You can find me in that block over there, three
roads away behind Asjeneberg Square if you wanna come over. I'm here till next
week. See you round." he said, then got onto the bus.

Richard
just grunted as he watched the Doberman.

Where
was he? Oh, right, Shinori. He took his phone out and found a message. The
Akita said that he might need more time because Red Wolf and his guardian went
to a restaurant first. That gave him a bit of time to catch up.

He
began walking towards the location Shinori shared. It was quite far, so he
hoped he could get there before they were finished.

On
another note, his stomach rumbled, so he turned to a minimarket to buy some
snacks to accompany the juice John gave him. He might need it to deal with Red
Wolf, and in extension, Signore Octo later.