None of the three men Stromel had hired expected to see this petite woman they had come after fight. Less expected was the sight of her suddenly changing into a humanoid feline. Dirtyhair and Lighthair immediately urinated in their pants. This was the stuff of nightmares! Leader looked like a puppet, yanked violently back, on invisible strings by its master.

Her own group, on the other hand, remained calm, knowing of her ability. Edward, however, felt a chill start at the pit of his stomach. He knew he was about to find out why she had been so valuable to the Jade Tiger Triad as an assassin.

Breathless from the shock of the change, the man simply stood there as Dee lunged at him, raking her claws across his chest. The feel of his skin being ripped open brought him around, and he howled in pain. The sound was music to Dee's feline ears. He doubled over to protect his front, leaving his back wide open. With delight, Dee scraped her claws across the soft flesh on his back. Leader cried out once more, bringing himself into an upright position. Shifting back to full human, Dee kicked him in the crotch with her heavy boot. Leader gave up fighting now, collapsing to his knees, unbidden tears streaming from his eyes, confused and unable to believe what was happening to him. His next move was involuntary as he jerked backwards when Dee broke his nose with the heel of her hand.

"You should've brought your gun to the fight, big boy," she growled, shifting once more and slashing across his face, blinding him in one eye. The smell of blood was driving her wild. She longed for a taste of the warm crimson liquor.

She's going to kill him. She's going to mutilate him, Edward thought, his stomach churning now at the sight of her ruthlessness. He had seen pictures that were circulated, she had told him what she did, but the words were nothing to convey the actions he now saw. Nauseated, he attempted to speak, but found his mouth unable to work as he watched her grab the man by his shirtfront. The gleam in her eye was not comforting, and he had no idea how to stop her.

With a clawed hand at the man's throat, she smiled a feline smile, baring her glistening fangs. "Goodbye," she said simply. Her voice was guttural and low, like a gentle growl.

And then she ripped his throat out. As the blood spurted over her face, she laughed, pleasuring in the warm shower. In her hands the man convulsed as he attempted to draw in a final breath. Instead, red bubbles formed at his neck as his last breath escaped through his ruined windpipe. Still in partial feline form, Dee let the man drop to the ground as she raised her head and licked her lips.

"Who's next?" she purred, quite pleased with herself.

All five remaining men stared at her with shocked expressions. Benny and Trigger quickly covered their mouths as their stomachs heaved as heavy scent of blood filled the clearing. In an effort to remain calm and cool, Edward merely allowed a sour expression to settle on his face. What he really wanted to do was vomit and cower in a ball. He was uncertain if she would stick with the men who had wished to attack her, or if she would lash out at anyone who came near her.

The next move was made as a shot rang out. Dirtyhair fell forward, his gun falling out of his limp hand as a mist of red dissipated over him. Lumps of pinkish-grey brain matter oozed out of the hole in his head where he had shot himself. Cocking her head to the side, Dee took a step toward him, nose lifted as she took in the scent of his blood in the air. Lighthair stood for a moment, looking between the two bodies of his partners and back at the girl they had so easily dismissed as nothing more than a sex toy for her boss.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the minute movement of his head. Smirking, she turned and stepped toward him. Lifting her blood coated right hand, she delicately licked her claws, staring the last man in the eyes. Realizing he was next if he didn't get out of there, Lighthair threw down his gun, bolting from the clearing through one of the few easy exits.

"Excellent. A hunt," came Dee's purring voice. Slipping easily into full panther form, she took off after the man. Memories of past kills tickled her brain, coupled with the thrill of the chase.

"Query! Query, come back! Let him go!" shouted Edward, running a few steps after her.

He stopped at the edge of the clearing, knowing he had no chance of catching her in the form she was in. Question was, did he want to catch her? How did he know she wouldn't turn and attack him? He had never seen her like this before. Bloodlust had taken over, and he, for once, was left without a clue on how to fix this.

Truth was, Eddie's voice barely registered with Dee as she chased Lighthair. Certainly she heard him, and recognized that the voice meant comfort and safety. But the man she was after had threatened to end that comfort and safety. He had threatened the life of the human she cared for. It was one thing that the three had threatened her, but she would not stand for a threat against the man she thought of as Green Eyes.

Only blood would satisfy her now. Leader had to be killed too quickly to satisfy the anger that rushed through her. She longed for the feel of her claws ripping through the soft, weak flesh of man. She wanted to feel the shower of warm blood on her fur, taste the coppery goodness on her tongue. The thought made her want to purr in happiness that she would be able to sate this desire very shortly.

Following the man was easy enough. His stench alone would have been simple to follow, even if he hadn't been making as much noise as a herd of deer. The air stank of his sweat, urine, and fear. A soft purr finally did escape her throat as somewhere in the back of her feline mind, she remembered the Elders sending her out on hunts. A chase had always made the job more pleasurable.

She slowed her pace, allowing the man to tire himself out in his panicked running. By now her prey was well lost in the woods, tripping over exposed roots, and stumbling through thorny brambles. He had managed to work himself into a clearing that ran right against the base of a rock outcropping. Solid granite loomed in front of him; on either side of him were tangles of berry brambles and shrubs. The only way out of where he had just pinned himself was back the way he came. A branch snapped to his right and he spun, pulling a second gun from his jacket. He whispered prayers under his breath as he turned around and around, waving his gun at the slightest movement.

From the comfort of a tree, Dee watched as he spun back and forth, trembling like a leaf in a breeze. She watched him for a few minutes until he cried out in despair.

"Leave me alone! I ain't done nothin' to you! I was just obeyin' orders, tha's all!"

To her advantage, a small animal somewhere up the rock dislodged a bit of debris. Lighthair immediately turned to the rock face, aiming his gun with both hands. She took that moment to leap out of the tree, landing on him from his right side. He rolled onto his stomach as they hit the ground. Before he could raise his gun, Dee bit down on his hand, shattering the bones. The bellow of pain from him both hurt and pleased her ears. As a precaution, she repeated the motion on his other hand. Green Eyes would not be happy if she got shot.

Backing off him, she crouched, half shifting back to human. "Go ahead and run, if you'd like," she cooed. "I enjoy the chase."

In immense pain, Lighthair rolled onto his back and looked up at the girl as she stood. The black panther fur she cloaked herself in glistened here and there. He wanted to believe that it was just the spots on her fur, but he knew that it was his partner's blood.

"P-please don't kill me," he begged, raising his mangled hands in defense.

"Don't kill you? Why should I want you to live? You threatened me. Worst of all, you threatened the one I care about. It's far too late for you to be pleading for your life. Twice you were told to back off, but you didn't listen. You had your chances and ignored them." She clawed his shirtfront to shreds, feeling him tremble under her hands. Barely scraping his skin, she added, "This is far more satisfying than shooting you. I think I'll just take my time at this, mouse."

Like a child playing in the sand, Dee sat herself on his chest, pinning his arms under her knees. In his flesh, she scratched designs, peeling the skin up once the design was complete and stuffing it into his mouth. When Lighthair gagged and looked ready to vomit, Dee held his jaws together, pinching his nose closed, forcing him to swallow what was in his mouth.

Chest red with blood, Lighthair swam in and out of reality. It all felt like a nightmare to him. He would wake soon to find himself in a bed, next to some hooker after a night of drinking and some bad ecstasy. But for the moment, it all seemed too real, felt too real. The feline woman got off of his chest and kicked him. He turned onto his belly, feeling the burn of the dirt, leaves, and rocks on his stripped chest, and started to crawl away. He only managed to go a couple of feet when the weight of a full-grown panther landed on him.

Shrieks filled the woods as the panther ripped at the man's unprotected back. She bit and pulled. Lighthair was soon unable to hear his own screams as his ears were torn from his head. Chunks of his legs and thighs were ripped off. Yet he still lived. The panther was careful not to hit any important arteries. And then it joyfully ripped his left arm off. Finally, the killing stroke came and he blissfully felt the vertebrae in his neck crumble in the jaws of the animal.
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