- Fenrys -

"Are we splitting the work or doing it together?" Vesna asks as she takes the device from my hands, and Qas does the same. "Any preferences?" I raised my brows.

This time round we'll be operating solo. With Damien in the party, along with Raziel and Jonathan, things over here will be under my care. The Second-in command.

The plan is simple. Damien had went through it the night before. Since I refused to oblige to his demanding request, Jonathan volunteered himself. He decided to opt for a glamor because shapeshifting into another person can be very taxing. There are limitations to shapeshifting. It is easier to shift into an animal than a human. The process is much more... complicated and let's not mention painful.

On the other hand, glamors are painless, and they fool the mortal eyes. However, they can be seen through by demi-fae and humans with the sight. Weighing the advantages and disadvantages, it has been decided that glamors are the safest option out there.

"Since I'm in charge for now, if anyone has a preference, name it. I prefer to keep things simple and easy." I always liked to make it clear from the start. Damien has his own ways of leading and so do I.

The rough location has been pointed out. Four days ago, the HQ received a spike in the magical readings coming from the university in the early hours of morning. So it's our duty to find out the exact cause of it and to confirm with our very own eyes whether it was a faerie gate like we hypothesised. I stood in front of the entrance to the largest park in the university and studied my temporary team.

"I'm fine with both. I just want it to end quickly so I can enjoy the party when we get back." Vesna shrugs as she fiddles with the device, switching it on. I glanced at her but she averted her eyes. Weird. This woman was always excited for missions. What's wrong with her today?

"Before you ask me, I'm always neutral." Qas was giving me a pointed look when all three of our phones suddenly started vibrating with an incoming message. We eyed each other and quickly took out our phones.

Raziel: 10 demi-fae including us in the room.

Qas: ...

Vesna: So cover's blown?

Damien: Not really. The glamor isn't for them, it's for the rest. Doesn't matter if they know. They can't say anything anyway.

Raziel: Well... still... here's a girl with her sight just awoken. Can't feel a magical presence. Maybe human. She can see Us. Code red?

Me: u gotta be kiddin

I looked up at Vesna and Qas, who are each wearing wary expressions on their faces. Code red is used when there are situations we never planned for to happen, happens. If the girl has her sight just awoken, then she must be freaking out. Which means she might start telling others what she saw, and the existence of the fae will no longer be a secret.

Damien: I will take care of it. Beta team continue with the search. Notify here if you find signs of the gateway.

Vesna, Qas: Okay.

Me: If you say so boss. We'll leave it to you then...

"Let's split up. It will make things faster." I say to the both of them and they nodded. "I'll take South, you guys take the North and West. Whoever finishes first can cover East." We split into our respective directions and headed into the Garden of Sins.

The cool night breeze tussled my curly hair as I walked along the pathway, holding the small device forward. It is otherwise silent, save for the blinking green light, an indication that it's in perfect working condition. It seems the coast is clear. No matter how much I wish things to be different. Secretly, I wished that the gateway would just appear in front of me. Only god knows how long I've been searching for a way to gain access to any of the gateways in Soren. Jonathan's condition isn't improving but stabilised by regular detox sessions.

On the other hand, I'm feeling restless as I watched him take the supplement shots every single day. Damien's father wasn't taking any chances with the gateways. He had dispatched watchmen to monitor all gateways 24/7 once their locations are confirmed.

I've heard that they are well-trained to subdue any fae intruders, as well as iron weapons to bring their enemies down together with them if needed. They are there to prevent demi-fae like me, from entering the Fae Realm. Or to prevent the fae from entering Earth.

Don't ask me why. Because I myself don't know why Damien's father is hell-bent on not letting the fae come into contact with citizens. That man has preferential treatment towards humans. He definitely has issues with demi-fae or any of our kind.

Faerie gates are very few and difficult to locate because they change frequently as a result of the shifting fey lines. These gateways are places where the veil between the two worlds are the thinnest, allowing passage between both realms. Since the discovery of faerie gateways, the number of fae creatures hunting humans have decreased a lot. We discovered that there are only three permanent gateways on earth. These gates are larger than the others and change little over time. We think each one of them can let through as many people as large as armies. Maybe used in the past when humans and fae cooperated in the war against the Old Gods.

If I were the first one to find the gateway, maybe... just maybe I could contact someone from the fae realm to let me and Jonathan use the gate.

I fastened my pace. The device is not the only thing that can detect magical traces. Like draws to like. I can easily pinpoint its location without it. But for work and the HQ's research purposes, I will agree to the request of bringing one. But if I want to search for the gateway as fast as possible, I can't stick with the plan.

Without waiting, I tucked the device into the waistband of my pants as securely as I could and shifted. Ignoring the rapid beeping noises, and the message from the intercom from someone who was linked to my device.

"Agent Fenrys? We have detected an unprecendented rise in magical fluctuations... zztt... Have you undergone an unsupervised shift? Or is this an emergency!?... Hello? ...zzztt"

I smirked as the magic rolling off me messes with the device causing it to malfunction from the overload. Eventually the static noises were cut off and silence ensued. Powerful muscles formed on my arms and legs. Sharp claws began to extend from my fingers and I landed on all fours lightly. Soft velvet pads form on my palms. The structure of my jaw changes, enlarging sideways to make way for two curved saber-teeth to protrude from my mouth. With a satisfied growl, I stretched my animal muscles feeling it becoming taut and sprang forward.

Never have I felt such exhilaration in breaking the rules and ready to face Damien's music. Consequences be damned. I grinned as I ran in the skin of my favourite animal veering off the path and into the lesser ventured woods. In minutes, I've covered more distance than what I previously covered with two legs.

The scents of other animal prey began to stand out more vividly. My vision sharpens, and I can hear every part of the garden clearly. The snap of a twig as someone walked by elsewhere, the rustle of a leaf as the breeze blows, the distinct buzzing of insects and I can make out each one of them in my head.

The primal beast is restless. It growls and tells me to hunt, to search for prey and make my blood sing. I pushed it away, regaining control over my head. It growls again and stubbornly tugged for me to hunt. Shut up. I'm on a mission and I need to find the gate. I snapped at it and it fell silent.

In less than 10 minutes, I'm bounding for the Eastern direction. Since there was no news from Vesna and Qas, I assumed I was the first one to complete.

There are faint traces of magic lingering in the air that pricked my senses, causing me to pause and sniff the air. Am I close to the gateway? Shifting back, I jogged faster when my phone suddenly vibrated. My heart shuttered close against my chest. It's not what you think. Maybe they just finished scouting their respective places. I reasoned as I pulled my phone out. My eyes scanned the lines again in disbelief.

Vesna: Found it. At the North side of the garden. Come over, it's hard to explain the place.

I groaned inwardly. "No. Why does Vesna have to be the one? If it was Qas I could still ask him to keep it a secret. But out of the three of us it has to be Vesna..." Wait then what about these faint traces? Hope surges inside me. Maybe... Maybe there's a second one? Is lady luck finally smiling upon me? A grin spreads on my face.

I made my way eagerly forward, I couldn't run fast enough. But, it was just several figures at the front. Disappointment settles in the pit of my stomach. No way... just a bunch of fools fooling around tch. It was then I recognized Damien being grabbed and roughly pinned against a bench. "Who is she? Why does she have such a ring?" The tall figure growled. The hood is pulled down for me to get a good look of his silky long pale hair and elegant full-pointed ears.

One look and I know what we're up against. Despite the danger, my instincts to protect my friend overwhelmed my rational thoughts and I shouted. "Hey bastard let go!"

Without giving him time to react, I lunged towards him and shifted mid-air, crushing him with my strong paws. The sidhe glared at me as I pinned him against the ground. Distantly, Damien coughs. "Fenrys. So... glad... you could make it."

"Yeah yeah. You can thank me later..." I half-growled before trailing off as my senses picked up the change in the air. I tensed.

Right beneath my eyes, the fae began to transform under me, white silky fox ears grew above his head and lean delicate fingers pushed me away from him. Shit. Of all the fae.

A dangerous smirk hangs on his lips, and cunning intelligence shone from his glowing eyes. "Well well. Look what we have here. A big cat to play with."

"Shit. Damien what the fuck were you doing with a kitsune?" I growled around my teeth, eyeing the sidhe as I circled him. He watched me lazily with slanted eyes. He isn't even in full transformation and I can feel the waves of magic pouring out from him.

"He was... making a human girl take fairie drugs. I can't just sit back and watch." Came Damien's angry reply as he caught his breath. "Plus he attacked the girl. Distract him, I'm going to check on the other one." The other one? I didn't have the time to think about it as the sidhe lunged and swiped against my face. I ducked back but his claws were longer than I estimated and I felt something rake my cheek painfully.

I cursed as warm blood trickled down my face. My wounds felt like they were on fire. The Kitsune licked his fingers and gave me a grin.

"Gabriella? Thank the gods you're okay. Hey you can't go there." Distantly I heard Damien fussing over the girl he's talking about. "Can you make it quick and get your ass over here before I die?" I growled. I'm dealing with this shit and he's still taking his time? He is going to get me killed.

Suddenly, I felt a stranger's pressence behind me and I instinctively growled.

"No. Not there. Shit." Damien cursed as I turned my head in time to see a girl. There's something strange about her, her hair is floating around her face held by an invisble breeze. The sidhe looked at her in surprise, but then freezed when she raised a hand. We all felt it, a slight tremor before something exploded from her, and the entire place caught fire.

The sidhe's eyes widened as the fire reached him, with a yelp he tried to extinguish it but it wouldn't go away. He looked at us in mild horror before turning and making a quick escape.

"Get Vesna and Qas here. Now!" Damien shouted at me, pulling me out of my shock. I shifted and grabbed my phone, dialling their numbers but then the two of them came running. "What the heck was that? We could feel it all the way from there." Vesna cried.

"Bring the fire down. Questions later." Damien barked as he grabbed hold of the girl's shoulders and shook her. "Gabriella? I need you to snap out of it." The girl only looked at him silently. "She's in a trance." I said recognizing the glazed look.

"The fire won't go down! We're trying our best but it's not something we can control." Vesna says. I turned to them. "Use all your reserves. Don't hold back."

"What do you think we're doing? We're not holding back. Shit! This is not ordinary magic." Qas cursed as I watched them pull out all their powers. When the wave of water hits the fire, more flames cover it. I watched in shock as Vesna tried to control the flames, but nothing happened. The flames continue to burn the place and for the first time I realised that I don't feel the heat of the fire like I should. What the hell is going on? What is this...magic?

"Hey! I need you to stop this. Put it out." Damien was saying as he shook the girl again. She only stared ahead in the vague direction that the sidhe had escaped. It's obvious Damien's words isn't getting to her.

"Knock her out. That's the only way!" I said as goosebumps raised along my skin.

Damien stared at me with a pointed look and I rolled my eyes. With a few steps, I advanced towards the girl and hit her hard, wincing as my arm makes contact with her head. She topples into Damien who caught her readily, as the gentleman he is. And immediately the fire disappears, leaving charred remains and smoke rising around us.