Behind Closed Doors

The moment he walked inside the door Mina knew that he wasn't going to have any quiet time to study that evening. His uncle was standing in the living room, his attention turning to him right as Palace stalked past and into the kitchen.

"Hey Mina. How was your interview?" He asked as Jared appeared from the stairs.

Smiling, Mina walked over, getting a pat on the head that he wasn't quite used to yet, before replying. "It went well, Jamie, and hi uncle Jared." He said.

Jared wasn't very happy about him coming to stay with them. It wasn't that they didn't get along... although they barely knew each other. There was no extra room in the house, especially because Palace's brother had finally returned and was using the only spare room, which was the furthest away from Jared's, and the only one downstairs.

That left Mina sleeping on the couch. He didn't really mind, but he definitely knew that it was inconvenient for them to suddenly have a house guest so he hoped that he could save up some of his salary to get himself a small studio apartment or at least rent from someone to get himself out of his uncles' hair.

When he got a nod from Jared, he nodded back slightly and hurried to the kitchen. Food was cooking, but he didn't want to eat theirs. Instead, he went to the pantry and pulled out one of the boxes of cereal he'd bought for himself before coming. It was just basic generic stuff, but each penny he could save would add up in the end.

Hopefully my stomach can handle this. It didn't do too well last time.

Once he had his meal ready, he excused himself to the sofa, but found Palace's giant wolf already spread out on it.

I suppose I'll just hang outside for now.

He stepped out quietly, finding an uncomfortable wicker chair to settle in and began eating his cold dinner. His breath ghosted in the air, drifting upward until his eyes caught a pair of bright gold ones staring right back at him.

"Hey Knight, did Jared kick you out again?" He asked, a small smile on his lips as they began to shiver a little.

The hawk, which was perched on the edge of their fence, tilted its head and ruffled its feathers.

"I know you've said that you've chilled out, but clearly you need to relax a little more." He said, chuckling a little before taking another bite. He wasn't really sure how far Knight had pushed Jared, but the shifter didn't seem to be bothered by his words.

When he looked back at the hawk it was hopping toward him, coming into the light a few moments later.

"Ah, you tried to give him a mouse?" He asked, noting the dead creature hanging from his beak.

The hawk shook its head, then tilted it back to swallow the small animal whole.

"Why don't you try simple things? Have you just sat next to him while watching a show? Cooked him a regular dinner? Cleaned some of the house so that he doesn't have to after work?" He asked.

Of course, he knew that Knight worked, too, but wasn't quite sure what he did. He definitely brought home decent money, since he'd heard him talking about it with Jamie.

Glancing over his shoulder when he noticed one of the lights behind him dim, Mina saw Palace and Jamie move toward the stairs. Palace was still in his wolf form and was nipping at Jamie's backside a little through his tan work pants. The action made Jamie jump a little, but the smile on his face brought one to Mina's as the two disappeared up the stairs.

Movement in the corner of his eye brought his attention back to Knight, who's hawk now had its beak nearly pressed against the glass.

Moving his eyes back up, he saw Jared walk into the living room, flicking off the light in the kitchen before he looked directly over at them. Mina caught his breath, but when Jared didn't scowl or really do anything but stand there, he slowly got himself up out of his seat and walked over to the door handle with his half-eaten bowl of mushy cereal.

He tugged it to the side, sliding the glass until he could step inside. His attention then turned down to Knight as he nodded inside. The guy hesitated, but then hopped inside, allowing Mina to shut the door.

"Have a good night, uncle Jared." He said before he began tugging down the folded blanket from on top of the sofa to get his own makeshift bed ready.

Once it was all set, he slid his shoes off and sat down, only to notice that Jared was still looking at him... or really, at Knight, who was still standing awkwardly next to him by the door. It looked like Jared wanted to say something, but instead, he just gave a quiet sigh and headed up the stairs to his own room.

"It will be alright." Mina told Knight as his hawk slowly hopped toward the kitchen.

He wasn't sure what he had planned, but as tired as he was, Mina didn't really care. Hopefully Knight and Jared could figure out a middle ground at some point, though. From what he'd heard from Jamie and Palace talking without really minding him listening in, the two had been at each others' throats for a while after they first met. Things had gone south and the brothers had made the decision to disappear.

I would find my way here soon after they finally decide to return. He thought as he snuggled in beneath the blanket. It wasn't quite thick enough, but he'd manage.

Kind of wish my family's shifting genetics hadn't skipped me. It would have been nice to at least have a little fur now and again.

He drifted off to the quiet sound of water and dishes being moved around in the sink.

"Is everything set up?" Del asked as he paced along the rows of cages, checking his clipboard for a tag number to match with those hanging on the outside of each barred room.

The early morning hunt was one he didn't often do. Most humans weren't very active in the morning if they didn't already have a decent routine set up, but his client was adamant about the time. He refused to do it any later than six.

Stopping in front of the cage that had the number he was looking for, Del glanced inside and frowned. No wonder. This man couldn't run even if he wanted to. Gluttony was definitely a sin he had partaken in during his time as a... Del glanced down at the sheet on his clipboard again and raised one eyebrow. Loan adviser.

"What is going on here?" The man inside asked as he shakily got to his feet, having been drugged for the better half of his short stay.

Del felt his wolf nudge at his senses and smiled. "You've been scheduled for a hunt. Please follow me and don't try to run, okay?" He said, knowing damn well that the man would likely make the mistake anyways.

Running away in a warehouse prison full of predatory shapeshifters was never a good idea. Most of the humans they brought in for their specific canned hunts, however, clearly did not make good decisions.

And, he's running. Didn't think he could...

It wasn't fast, by any means, but Del had to give him props for being able to put one of his plump feet in front of the other in such rapid succession. Of course, his efforts were futile. The heavy staircase that the man was running toward clicked a few times, screeched once, then lifted so that it was just out of reach if he tried to jump up to grab the edge of the bottom step.

There were two other staircases he could try for, but the man was slightly smarter than Del thought, because instead of going for them, he turned around and raised his fists.

"Where the hell am I? This isn't funny and you could face years in jail, at the least, for kidnapping if you don't let me out of here this instant!"

Years? With my only crime being kidnapping? Sounds tempting.

"I'm pretty sure the death penalty wouldn't even be close to what I deserve, let alone a few years in jail, but you'll get the death penalty handed to you first." Del said as he started walking closer, allowing his wolf to flash in his eyes.

The man immediately backed up, but he was moving into a corner. It was never a good idea to block your own minuscule escape routes when facing down a predator.

"Now then, Mr. Brown, if you wouldn't mind following me?" He asked, stepping to the side and gesturing down the open corridor.

The man hesitated, but then slowly began skirting around Del. It was odd, but it got the man going in the right direction so he just crossed his arms over his chest and followed closely behind.

He herded the human like a dog might move a flock of sheep, getting him to take a right into a smaller metal tunnel. As soon as they stepped through the entrance the door behind them clicked closed, the locking mechanism loud enough to make the man jump.

"Where are we going?" He said in a hushed tone as he inched forward.

Del was beginning to lose his patience. It was a long walk to the end of the tunnel and if the man didn't move, he was going to be dragged.

"Get a move on. You can't go backwards, it's locked. So move forward before I make you." He said, letting his eyes flash in the dimly lit area, warning him that there was an animal ready to force him to walk if he decided to be a problem.

The man hesitated, but after a deep growl from Del, he stumbled forward and made sure that he was at least a few feet in front of him at all times.

Slipping his hands into the pockets of his suit-pants, Del nonchalantly followed him, beginning to whistle a tune as they got closer to the opening at the other end.

"By the way, the single rule of this game is quite simple." He said when the man stopped by the entrance to what appeared to be a giant forested area right in the middle of the building. Steel walls towered high overhead but grass grew in lush patches along damp soil.

The scent of morning dew from the overhead misting machines brought up an urge in Del to chase, but the man wasn't his hunt.

"If you can survive for twenty minutes, you may walk out of this area with your life." He said as he took a step back when the man stepped forward onto the grass, allowing a steel grate to drop between them, effectively separating them.

The moment he man realized this, he spun around and grabbed hold of the metal bars, his eyes wide with fear.

"Wait, survive what? Why are you doing this?" He asked, his voice panicked as the lights began to dim around them.

"I do it because I can, and Mr. Gallahan, I believe you know that name, is doing it because of reasons I am sure you are aware of." Del said as he began to turn away, intent on heading back the way he had come.

"I didn't mean to lose him all of his investment money! The market went crazy and it just happened!" The man yelled at him, only earning a wave from Del, who didn't even bother turning to face him as he continued walking.

"I do not care. Just remember the rule. Survive."

He heard the man take in another breath, likely to shout to him again, but when a deep growl rumbled through the air, everything seemed to go silent abruptly. Normally Del would help with the scaring part if the humans didn't want to run, since shifters paid him good money for the hunting opportunity, but he knew what was coming... and poor Mr. Brown must have seen it, too, because Del heard him whimper after a few seconds, then the sound of his feet stumbling away met his ears.

You pissed off a grizzly, and now you'll pay the price.

Perhaps it was unfair. He never judged or looked into the reasons why shifters requested a hunt of a specific person. All he did was make sure that they fit certain criteria before sending out his men to retrieve them.

The screams began to echo to him as he was stepping back through the door leading into the makeshift prison, but as soon as that metal barrier slid closed again, all sound from the hunting forest silenced.

He checked that the cell the man had recently occupied was being cleaned, then headed up to his office to begin his day's work. It didn't take him long to get engrossed in paperwork once he dropped down into his padded chair, so when the door to his office opened, he wasn't surprised to look up and notice that the time had skipped to nearly five.

"Good evening, Del. Everything is going well with our next retrieval, but I thought you might want to see this, as it was in the container next to your door for paperwork that needs approved." Buck said as he walked in and sat down in one of the comfortable chairs across from Del's desk, slipping the folder over to him.

"I wasn't expecting him to become a wanted target only a day after being hired." Buck added.

Del frowned, opening the folder slowly to reveal its contents.

Hunt request submission for the new receptionist. Willing to wait as to not cause suspicion when he disappears. Price is very negotiable.

The boy hadn't been with them a full day yet and already someone wanted to tear him apart. He couldn't really blame them, his wolf wanted to go after him the moment he saw him, too. It was the first receptionist that ever caught his wolf's interest, but he never hired them with the intent to force them into a hunt.

"I don't like it." He grumbled, closing the folder and tossing it back onto his desk.

Buck nodded, folding his arms over his chest with a sigh.

"I have a feeling this is going to become an issue." He said, earning a nod from Del right away.

"We'll just have to watch and wait. We can't really fire him abruptly for no reason, and if we send out a notice that he's off limits, it will just draw more attention."

They both seemed to realize their new problem, but neither offered up a solution yet. They would need to think about it.

"Well, I came to get you so that we can go eat upstairs." He said, making Del groan. He wasn't really one for eating during his workday. Of course, he should, but usually didn't.

"Let's go. I made lamb chops and veggies."

Great, just what the carnivore in me wants. Veggies.

Even though he didn't want to eat, Del go up anyways and reluctantly followed Buck, because there was nothing the man asked of him that he wouldn't do if it made him happy. If anyone deserved to smile in their sick, twisted world, it was Buck.