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Wren strode silently through the forest, recounting on her conversation with her brother. He would never, could never understand what she felt at that moment. Dael's death was on her shoulders. She had been his Shield Maiden, his bodyguard, but nonetheless she had let her love of him get in the way. She had allowed him to convince her to stay behind, as had been requested by the cats, as he went to negotiate with them. It was foolish, it was unprofessional, and she cursed herself for her mistake.

But she cursed the cats more.

The agony she had felt for her lost mate, and the guilt that stemmed from her lack of responsibility, was matched only by the pure rage that now sizzled in her veins. She knew what needed to be done.

Wren took a moment to review the items that she had "borrowed" from the mage quarters at base-camp. A magicked cloak that allowed her to blend in with her surroundings, greaves that softened her step, a ring with a spell of silence on it, and a small magical rod, as well as two lengths of normal rope. She took the rod out of her drawstring sack. It would allow her to teleport to any place she could accurately envision. She had seen the mages activate this item before, and knew she could improvise enough to get it to work. She closed her eyes and gripped the rod tightly in roughly the same position she remembered the mage gripping it.

"Hesves Invek Ra!" she spoke the words of power as she remembered them, and vanished in a flash of soft blue light.

Wren reappeared in a grassy clearing, a place she remembered well. It had been where she, Dael, and the regiment of soldiers under Dael's command had been just that morning. It was, in fact, the place she had last seen Dael alive...

_"Dael, please, be reasonable" Wren said, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, but it was explicitly part of the request. If I were to allow you along, they might not see me at all." Dael explained patiently.

"Dael, they're cats, they can't be trusted! Please, won't you reconsider..."

"Listen, even if they are planning on killing me, how much help do you think you'd be against the entirety of the soldiers in that fort?" Wren decided to try a different track.

"It is my duty to protect you. I will come with you whether you forbid it or not. If they choose to cancel the negotiation because of that, then so be it!"

"Wren, listen. The soldiers I have in my company are not enough to take down this base. Even if we do manage to pull it off, many of my warriors will die, and those deaths will be on my head. I will only attack if I have no other options. You can respect that, can't you?"

"Yes...Yes of course I can..." She looked up at him "and I want your negotiations to succeed, I do...but I couldn't bear to loose you Dael." At that moment, Dael encircled her in his strong embrace, and the ends of their muzzles met in a deep, passionate kiss. "I love you" Wren said after the kiss was over

"And I you." Dael replied. He let go of her and moved to the tent flaps.

"Wait!" Wren called. Dael stopped and turned a questioning gaze on her. He looked so innocent to Wren, his blue eyes emanating curiosity and warmth. "Just...be careful." Dael chuckled, a friendly lighthearted sound.

"You needn't worry about me, Wren. As you have seen, I can handle myself." and he walked out of the tent and out of the world of the living, smile on his lips._

Wren shook her head. This was no time to reminisce, this was a time for action, for vengeance. She took a moment to orient herself, then moved off in the direction of the Bithi-Sol base. Her steps were silent as she maneuvered through the trees, and she soon came upon the outer walls of the establishment. She noticed the shadowy forms of night watchmen lurking on the ramparts, and knew that she would need to plan this carefully. A large tree grew near the wall, and Wren swiftly made her way up towards its branches. She paused in her perch, checking the positions of the guards and making sure that none of them were facing in her direction. Convinced of her safety, she took a running jump off one of the branches closest to the wall, her greaves masking the sound. She sailed silently through the air, like a specter, her cloak billowing out behind her. She landed silently on the wall, her cloak coming to rest around her and serving to conceal her from the sentries' prying eyes. She looked quickly to her left and right to see if anyone noticed her, but all she saw was the retreating back of one of the watchmen. Wren held her position, trusting her cloak to hide her, and scanned the walls in search of the ladder that would lead down from the ramparts. She found it after only a few moments, it was past the slow moving figure of the guard. Wren could wait for the cat to trudge past it, but her anger flared up inside her. Dael was dead due to the treachery of the cats, this unfortunate guardsman would be the first to pay for the sins of his race, Wren reasoned. She ran towards him, calling one of the Viper's Fangs from its bracelet as she did so. She closed the distance between her and the guard quickly. Her left hand snaked over his shoulder to cup itself on his muzzle while her right slipped the weapon into his spine. His back arched and Wren felt his mouth open to scream in agony, but the ring on her hand silenced it. Wren pulled the sai out of the cat's back and drove the pommel of it into the back of his head. His body went limp as unconsciousness took him. Wren let it drop. She looked down at the pathetic creature. He was young, perhaps no older than her brother. His eyes were squinted shut and his ears drooped weakly. His black and grey fur was already becoming matted with his sweat as the quick acting poison took effect. The wound itself was sizzling softly, and dark bubbling blood was oozing out of it. If he didn't receive help soon, he would surely die.

"So be it" whispered Wren, feeling no compassion for the downed cat. This is what he deserves, she told herself, what their whole race deserves! She stepped over the now shivering form of the former guardsman and slid down the ladder. She was in a place much like her own base-camp. She kept to the shadows, stalking around the perimeter of the base until she found what she was looking for: a huge mansion. Wren knew of the vanity of the cats, and the tendencies their leaders had for living luxuriously. The one Dael had met with had been the leader of this establishment, Wren had seen him greet Dael at the gates. He was the one responsible for Dael's death, she knew, and thus he was going to die. Painfully.

The mansion would obviously be well protected, so Wren needed to be careful. She crept around the back of the gargantuan building, taking note of the large windows. Those were likely to be warded. Wren looked upward still and noticed a small circular window near the top of the building. It was high enough and small enough that it probably wasn't regarded as possible entry point for an intruder. Wren doubted there would be any danger to entering through it. She called out the Viper's Fangs and strode to the back wall of the mansion. She jumped, sinking her weapons into the side of the wall. She then withdrew one and drove it into the wall at a higher location, pulling herself up. Using her sai as makeshift climbing pitons, she scaled the wall, her cloak lending her its camouflage. She reached the window quickly, and quietly pried it open. It was a squeeze, but she managed to pull herself through it. She came out in a dusty attic and slowly closed the window behind her. She searched for a way to the lower floors and found a ladder. After checking to make sure her way was clear, she climbed down the ladder, ending up in a hallway. She crept silently through the hall until she came to a corner. Using utmost caution, Wren peeked around the corner. There was a large, extravagant oak door decorated with ornate carvings. It was guarded by two cats who looked half asleep, their halberds drooping in their tired fingers. Wren smiled. This was too easy. She stepped out and threw one of her sai at the guard farthest from her. It sank into his neck, prompting him to emit a strangled gurgle and fall to the ground, convulsing.

"Send-!" was all the second guard got to say before Wren lunged forward and tore out his throat with the other sai. He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground. Wren retrieved her other weapon from the still twitching corpse of the first guard, and quietly opened the oak door. Inside was a magnificent canopy bed with purple silk covers and quilts so beautiful they might as well have been tapestries. In that bed two cats, one male one female, slept peacefully. To Wren's dismay, these cats were both cougars. The High Mage who had been in charge at the time of Dael's death was a tiger. This was but a minor setback, however. Wren was obviously just in the wrong room. These cats were likely guests of some sort, probably come to gloat over their slaying of a ranking member of the Proger-Luna military, Wren thought acidly. She took the two lengths of rope from her drawstring sack, the last thing in it as she had slipped the rod through her belt, and moved towards the bed. She carefully slipped first the male's then the female's hands behind the posts that held up the canopy and tied them there. As she tied the male's hand, she found a signet on a chain around his neck that she recognized; it marked him as a High Mage, a leader of an outpost. This made her feel uneasy. What if the one who killed Dael wasn't even here? She worked quickly and gently so as not to wake the sleepers. After she was finished, she pushed a beautifully crafted dresser in front of the entrance to the room so that none would disturb her. It was then that she noticed the other door, the one at the far end of the room. It was also quite ornate, though not as large. Wren was not very concerned with it, there had been no other doors in the hallway, so the only way into the room from there currently had a large piece of furniture in front of it. The figures in the bed began to stir, probably awakened by the noise Wren made while she moved the dresser. The male's eyes opened first, appearing groggy but quickly sharpening to full alertness as he realized what position he was in. His gaze fell on Wren, who was standing over him with her weapons clearly visible.

"If you call for the guards, you die." She stated matter-of-factly. He nodded slowly to show he understood, but Wren could read his expression, he was starting to scheme, looking for a way out of this predicament that ended with her being dead and him unscathed. "I'll have no tricks from you, wizard." She threatened. He nodded again, but his expression remained the same.

"What's going on Raz?" inquired the female cat sleepily, finally waking up enough to realize something was amiss. Her eyes shot open as she noticed Wren. She opened her mouth to scream.

"Silence!" Wren hissed as she allowed the point of one of her weapons to come to rest on the male's exposed chest, right above his heart. The male grunted as some of the acidic venom dripped onto his fur. The female's mouth shut abruptly, then opened again with a question.

"What do you want from us?" There wasn't a quaver of fear in the question as Wren had expected. This female probably was not a pampered housewife but a seasoned warrior. Wren made a mental note of this in case things went badly here.

"I want answers." Wren replied, "Who is the leader of this base?" Wren felt she already knew, but needed to hear it confirmed. There was a tense pause after which the male answered.

"I am."

"And how long have you been the leader here?" she pressed.

"I just arrived today." Came the answer. Wren snarled in fury, causing the two cats to jump.

"Who was here before you? Where is he now?" Wren barked.

"Eleron was his name. He has gone back to the capitol to await further orders." Wren's snout wrinkled horribly, the soft moonlight that pierced through the window illuminating her sharp teeth and the small strings of saliva that dripped from them. Her rage was at its peak. She had been denied her revenge! Who knows where this cat could be assigned to next! Wren may never even get to see him again, much less kill him. She seethed with rage and hatred. It was at this inopportune moment that the worst happened.

"Trevin, no!" shouted the female. Wren turned to see what was going on and noticed that the door she had dismissed as she entered was now open, and a little cub was charging at her with a sword that was obviously too big for it. He made a clumsy overhead swing and Wren instinctively brought her sai up, catching the weapon and forcing it out of the young one's hands with a deft twist of her wrist. Then her left arm shot forward and took the cub by the front of its shirt, lifting it up while she positioned her sai for the killing strike.

Time seemed to stand still for Wren. The only thing she heard was the gentle pulsing of her heart as she stared into the fearful eyes of the squirming cub.

Do it...

No! I couldn't...

You must...

But...it's just a child...

All of them are deserving of death...If you do not eliminate this one he will grow to kill your people

I...

You vowed to avenge Dael's death, you vowed to slay the cats. Here is one. Kill it. A part of Wren could feel the darkness reaching into her, corrupting her. A part of her could detect her rage and anguish warping her. But this part could only look on with sadness and confusion as the tendrils of emotion closed themselves around her.

Yeessss...there's a good girl.

Before she gave in, Wren had time for one more thought: I'm sorry...

The blade slid easily through the child's neck. There was no sound as it died. Then, the female's anguished cries shattered the silence. Wren broke from her trance in time to see the male's hands come free of their bonds. Apparently, he had been sawing away at them with his claws ever since he woke. He quickly voiced a spell. Wren lunged forward, letting the corpse of the cub slide off of her sai, hoping to disrupt the wizard's casting, but she arrived too late, and her attack met with a shield of pure force. Wren fell back into a defensive position, though she knew that the shield could only absorb a small amount of hits from her powerful weapons before breaking. She met the male's eyes and saw a rage there that almost equaled her own.

"You will pay for murdering my son, witch!" and with that he began another spell. Wren kept her eyes on him, intent on dodging whatever he decided to unleash upon her. He completed the spell and hurled a bolt of lightning her way. Wren managed to roll under it and double thrust into his torso, an attack that again met the shield. She darted backwards, fearing close-ranged magic which was often quite unpleasant. By this time, guards were pounding at the door. Wren silently commended herself for her foresight, though it was only a matter of time before the mages were summoned to blast through her barrier with magic. She needed to work quickly. The male completed his next spell, causing Wren to flinch, but there was no visible effect. Wren assumed that the spell had failed and charged forward in the hopes that she might get a few hits in before the mage had a chance to begin casting another spell, but her attack met with air as the mage dodged aside with unnatural speed. The spell hadn't failed at all. Wren was beginning to wonder how she could possibly win this fight. The mage was quickly giving himself all the advantages. He voiced a new spell, and suddenly Wren did not know where she was or what she was doing there. She put a hand to her head and turned a confused stare towards a triumphant looking cougar who was chanting a spell. No! This is a wizard's trick! She came to her senses in time to see a spray of acid emerging from the wizard's hands and shooting toward her. She ducked under it and rolled out of the way, but was not quick enough. She gritted her teeth through the pain as the acid ate away at her shoulder and glanced nervously back at where she had been. The dresser in front of the door was now warping and melting, the acid having coated it completely. On it was a large clay pot whose top had been eaten away, revealing the pot to be almost full of a white cream, probably some sort of healing salve. The contents of the pot gave Wren a quick idea, and she lunged toward the melting piece of furniture. It was sheer luck that the wizard's next spell, a particularly ominous looking bolt of purple energy, missed Wren by inches. She grabbed the pot, ignoring the sting of the acid, and hurled it to the ground in front of the mage. The cat tried to zip away again, obviously believing the pot to contain something sinister, but as it struck the ground and cracked open, the salve spilled out, and the cat's second step arrived on the slippery cream. His speed caused his leg to fly out from under him, and he fell to the ground, stunned. Wren, realizing this was possibly her only chance, leapt onto the cat and thrust down savagely again and again with her weapons. The wizard feebly jammed his hand into her gut while muttering incantations, bringing about a sudden flare of pain and the scent of burning flesh, though Wren barely felt it. Her weapons met the shield again and again until, finally, they were driven through fur, through flesh, through bone, and directly into the cat's heart.

"Noooooo!" The female wailed as the male cat sputtered blood and turned his glassy eyes to the ceiling. Wren stood and looked at her, retracting her bloody weapon from the mage. For the past few moments the female cat had been desperately trying to free herself from Wren's bonds, but to no avail. Now she gave up, turning her clear blue teary eyes to Wren. "Kill me then! You have taken my son and my mate, why not finish the job!" Wren slowly shook her head.

"No. I will not."

"What, are you squeamish now?" The female taunted

"No. I have vowed to repay the blood and the anguish that your race has visited upon me by killing my mate. These," she motioned to the corpses of the male cat and the cub "have contributed to the blood... You will contribute to the anguish." The female cat sobbed quietly to herself.

"I will kill you." she said, her voice heavy with heart rending sadness.

"Perhaps you will," answered Wren, thinking how good it would be to be reunited with her Dael, "but that will not be tonight, and I have one more thing for you to bear witness to." And with that, Wren descended on the male cat's corpse, blocking out the wails of the female and the insistent poundings of the guards.

Wren appeared in a flash of soft blue light in front of the large domed structure that housed the Canis. Normally, the council of elders would not be there that late, but Wren knew that they were having an urgent meeting to discuss what to do in the wake of the treachery of Dael's murder. Wren limped over to the entrance to the building, cradling her burned abdomen, a bulging drawstring sack over her good shoulder. She pushed open the huge double doors and moved into the echoing chamber where the Canis sat in a semicircular group of raised seats. The attention of the elders was immediately grasped by such an unorthodox intrusion, and their conversations faded to echoes. The only light in the room was torchlight, which threw flickering shadows over all in the room and managed to hide Wren's wounds. Wren dropped to one knee as was the custom when addressing the Canis.

"Noble elders, I request entry into a profession." She stated, eyes respectfully on the floor.

"It was just today that you resigned from the Shield Maidens" Observed one of the elders, a particularly grizzled looking sheepdog, eyeing Wren's prominent injuries, "have you come to be reinstated into that order?"

"No." answered Wren firmly

"What then?" asked another council member. Quietly, Wren pulled herself painfully to her feet and took the drawstring sack from her shoulder. She held it at arm's length, loosened the strings, and overturned it. Out fell the head of Raz, the male cat, which landed with a soft thud on the floor and was closely followed by the signet that marked him a High Mage.

"I wish to be an assassin" Wren replied.

The glow of the crystal ball was all that illuminated the room. A smooth, dark laugh floated up from the one who was operating the ball, and her hand waved over it, canceling the scrying effect.

"Well well, we are easily manipulated, aren't we?" Adrian said, and that was followed by another bout of clear, perfect, malicious laughter. "Oh, Wren, what will I do with you?" Adrian asked herself, grinning "what will I do with you indeed."