Adrenaline pumped through his body, and Jaxon gathered as much power as he could, his four legs propelling him as he followed the scent to a small outcrop of tall conifer trees. He entered the green forest silently, and his ears twitched anxiously as he picked up the sounds of heavy breathing.
His enemy had pushed hard, taxing his physical capabilities to the limit.
Slowly, the black jaguar picked his way down a steep incline, until he sighted his enemy fifty paces to his right.
He froze, his nostrils twitching in anticipation of a kill.
The human part of his brain exerted a bit more pressure to contain the beast that so desperately wanted to destroy.
Instead, the cat hunkered down, low to the ground, its belly touching the earth floor as he slowly, with care and stealth, approached the large male.
The man had stowed his weapons and just settled onto the back of an all terrain vehicle when a soft beeping alerted him to a cell phone call.
The cat watched as the man flipped the cell open and paused before answering. He cleared his throat loudly and spoke into the device.
“It’s me.”
The animal strained to hear a voice, or even a whisper of the person on the other end, for surely it was the bastard that had ordered an attempt on his life.
“That’s a negative. There were complications. Look, I said I’d get the job done and I will. He’s found the girl and he didn’t kill her. Trust me, he’ll take her and run, and I’ll be following closely. When the time is right, I’ll take them both out.”
The animal trembled as he continued to watch the male. The man threw the cell phone into a compartment and started the all terrain vehicle. Its loud rumble vibrated through the earth, and the jaguar’s great paws jumped at the sensation.
He gathered his power, and with a mighty roar leapt from his place of hiding. He jumped with full force and successfully knocked the man to the ground. His huge paws swiped hard and satisfaction filtered into his system as the scent of blood rose into the air.
The man screamed, twisting his body in an attempt to get away, but the beast was too heavy and much too powerful.
Jaxon roared his anger as his body straddled that of his enemy, his muzzle baring deadly canines. The man’s body let loose and the smell of urine mingled with the red blood that flowed freely from his damaged face.
Jaxon called the mist to him, using the weight of his powerful limbs to hold his enemy in place as the change overcame him quickly.
The man yelped, confused and scared out of his mind.
Jaxon snorted in disgust. This piece of shit thought to take him out? Savagely, he grabbed the man’s neck and brought the trembling form close to him. Fear lay heavy in the air, and his voice cut through the thickness of it as he threw his words at the enemy.
“Who gave the order for the hit?”
The idiot’s eyes had widened, and the pupils dilated as if he were in shock. He opened his mouth to speak, and after Jaxon loosened his grip around his throat, he croaked out a response.
“What are you?”
“That’s not the answer I was looking for. I’ll only ask one more time—who gave the order for the hit?”
The man seemed to regain a bit of his composure, and he studied Jaxon in silence. He seemed resigned and exhaled softly. “So, you are real. I thought they were full of shit.” His eyes turned pleading then, a last ditch effort, so to speak. “Look, I don’t know who’s giving the orders. You know the way these things work. It’s nothing personal…it’s just a job.”
Jaxon snarled loudly, his hands grasping the neck tighter. He leaned down, whispering quietly into the man’s ears, “That was the wrong answer, and don’t take this personally. I’m just doing my job.”
With a quick twist, the man’s neck snapped. Jaxon threw his lifeless body to the side as he jumped to his feet. He grabbed the cell phone the man had used earlier and pressed the redial button.
The phone rang twice, before an automated voice announced that the number was no longer in service. He cursed and tossed the phone back into the compartment. A sense of urgency stole over him, and he quickly set to work. After searching the body for ID and finding none, he dragged it down to a large pond and over to the remains of a beaver’s dam.
Wading into the water, he carried the body and shoved it deep inside the dam. He then drew more branches across the opening. Quickly, he ran back to the vehicle and drove it hard at the water, jumping off as it sailed into the dark depths, the engine carrying it all the way to the bottom.
After clearing all signs of struggle from the earth floor, his body once again claimed his jaguar form, and he took off, back toward Winterhaven.
Once he retrieved his clothes, Jaxon made his way back to the diner. He climbed up to the roof and down the fire escape that ran into the back alley. He stole through an open second floor window and took a moment to gather his senses to him. There were still police and investigators inside. He knew they’d be there for hours reconstructing the scene.
He needed to avoid them. He had no time to get involved in a shooting investigation. He had to leave this place immediately.