HowlingWoods
"And she heaved the forest upon her back"
[class=variables] --accent: #949494; --image: url('http://s2.favim.com/orig/151004/autumn-background-beautiful-black-and-white-Favim.com-3394132.jpg'); --texture: url('https://i.imgur.com/bJxeGab.png'); [/class] [div class=variables] [div class=back] [div class=poly][div class=poly2][/div][/div] [div class=bkg] [div class=container][div class=header]juniper feal.[/div] [div class=post][div class=scroll] "Did you hear? That little demon brat beat Vyrn in a duel!" "Seriously?! But Vyrn is one of our best soldiers! It must've been some kind of fluke." "Wait, didn't Relinor promise him a couple months ago --" "That he'd let him go on his first mission if he beat him? Yeah, he did. The brat is going to get us all killed." "Well, we all know he's Relinor's favorite. This was going to happen sooner or later." The conversation drifted down the narrow tunnel without regard for the dark-haired subject of their conversation listening not far off. The words of his fellow resistance members stung, but he was used to it. After all, he'd been living with the resistance since he was seven years old, and even before that he had never truly been accepted into his birth family. The only person who had ever shown him kindness was Relinor, and he was determined to pay him back. That's why he had to go on a mission - so he could prove to Relinor that he really could be useful. That he wasn't just a hot-headed idiot without a care in the world. He was determined to be acknowledged. That was why he'd trained so hard - to beat Vyrn without any elemental powers, and to become useful to the resistance. He pushed himself off the tunnel wall, walking along the worn tracks of the Riwa City subway system and balancing on the rail, holding his arms out to keep himself from falling as he put one foot in front of the other. He felt eyes on him from the surrounding resistance members that had taken shelter in the long-abandoned tunnels, but he ignored them, keeping his single eye trained straight ahead, for the blocked off station where Relinor would be assigning today's missions in just a few minutes. Junn was, naturally, excited, and he promptly decided that he wouldn't let the hostile whispers surrounding him ruin that for him. He jumped up onto the station platform, letting a smile take over his face. He spotted Relinor talking to Vyrn and a few other assembled soldiers not far off, and he approached with an easy gait, pretending not to see the way Vyrn tensed at his arrival. "Ah, the traitorous demon has showed up at last! You almost missed the entire briefing!" A leopard-born woman standing next to Vyrn lashed her spotted tail irritably, sending her fiercest glare Junn's way. He recognized her as Merlin, one of Vyrn's closest allies. She must be upset that he had beaten her friend in a duel. Junn blinked at her words, confusion crossing his face. By his calculations, he was actually a few minutes early. "Don't play dumb with me!" Merlin shouted, angered by his lack of an apology. She reached for the hilt of her short sword, and in turn Junn reached for his own katana, adrenaline pulsing through his veins with the need to defend himself. "That's enough!" Vyrn's stern voice startled the both of them as he stepped between the two. "Merlin, you ought to be ashamed of yourself! This is no time to be infighting. The demons are starting to pick up on our operations. We have to be recruiting as many soldiers as we can, not killing off the ones we already have!" Junn felt a surge of aggravation at Vyrn's words, even as Merlin hung her head in shame and stood down. "Who the hell said she could even kill me, anyway! I'll fight the both of you right now, and we'll see who ends up dead!" He drew his katana, anger boiling his blood. "Why you!" Merlin drew her sword as well, his words fanning the flames of her own anger. "C'mon, Vyrn, let's put the brat in his place!" "ENOUGH!" Relinor's commanding voice snapped the both of them out of it once more as he stepped out from where he'd been watching on the sidelines. There was a look of grave disappointment in his eyes as he looked over his two insubordinate soldiers. "Actually, Merlin, I told Junn to meet me at a later time. He's going on a different mission than the two of you. He's actually a bit early." "Ha! See --" Junn began, but was silenced by Relinor's harsh stare. "And you are no better off, either. Drawing your weapon during an argument? What has gotten into you? I ought not to let you go at all." Junn's face fell as Merlin gave him a smug grin. He started to protest, but Relinor interrupted him, impatience in his tone. "BUT... Unfortunately, I don't have the time to find a replacement for you. So you'll simply have to do." "What?! You can't be serious!" Merlin shouted, and this time Vyrn seemed in agreement with her. "She's right, Relinor. He must be punished for this kind of behavior." Vyrn interjected. Relinor's steely gaze turned to the pair of beast-born. "And I suppose you'd like me to punish Merlin as well? After all, she drew her sword under provocation as well." Vyrn's expression twisted into regret, and Relinor's gaze softened. "Neither of you are going to be punished. Just don't let it happen again." "Yes, sir!" Came a reply from all three soldiers. --------- It was Junn's first mission. His job was to attend an auction undercover and gather intel on a man named Jason Grande. He was supposedly a regular auction-goer and a powerful politician with ties to the Feal family. He needed to discover any weaknesses he might have, locations he would be in the next few weeks, and any other useful information in preparation to assassinate him. Even now, he was surrounded by several bodyguards while the other demons were mingling before the auction. "Junn? Can you hear me?" Relinor's voice over the transceiver hidden in his ear broke him out of his thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. I was thinking about the Feal family." He admitted in a hushed whisper. Relinor's voice seemed to soften. "I know, kid. Just focus on the mission. Is anyone else talking to him?" Junn observed his target from a safe distance, sipping wine and blending in with the crowd. "No. His bodyguards are making sure of that." He said, noticing the way the other demons were avoiding the target as he moved through the room. "Do you think he somehow found out there would be an agent here?" "No. If our intel is correct, he's always been this careful at social events. It seems he's somewhat paranoid." "Great..." Junn said with a frown, his eyes darting over to the stage as he saw movement. The curtains were drawing open, the lights dimming. "The auction is starting." "Shit. I'd hoped to get more information. Alright, just sit tight. If he bids on anyone, remember their names and faces. We might be able to use them to get close to him." "On it." He approached the stage along with the rest of the crowd, making sure to secure a position where he could see both his target and the stage clearly. The auction began as one would expect, and a myriad of slaves passed without notice. Junn kept his eyes on the target, feeling his blood boil with every passing beast-born being described like merchandise. He thought he was going to be sick. "Junn, your vitals are going crazy. What's going on?" Junn didn't respond, not trusting his voice to stay quiet enough so that only Relinor could hear him. Then, he saw his target's hand raise as he placed a bid. For the first time, Junn let his eyes wander to the stage. A fox-born male was fighting against the handlers, clearly not much older than Junn was. A fire ignited in his gut, and his gaze returned to his target, seeing the hungry look in his eyes as he stared at the fox-born on stage. The disgusting pig wanted his body! "Going once...going twice..." The auctioneer began, about to close the sale. Before he knew what he was doing, Junn raised his hand, calling out a bid he knew he could barely afford to pay. "Kid, what the fuck are you doing?!" Relinor's voice in his ear reminded him that he was on a mission, but it was already too late. The auctioneer had closed the sale - and his was the winning bid. "Are you out of your mind?! What are you thinking -" He removed the earpiece from his ear, tucking it into his suit pocket. He needed to calm his frayed nerves, and Relinor's yelling wasn't helping. He'd bought him. What had he done?
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