Cat Hunt

The shrill sound of the fire alarm going off startled Nawi off of the ceiling, her hands reflexively going to her ears to drown the noise off. Staggering through the painful noise, she hobbled to the back of the balcony, inhaling deeply for any sign of the fire the alarm would indicate. The only fire had to come from downstairs, from where the cooks were. Her improved night vision wasn't making out any increased glow from neighboring apartments that would indicate a fire.

It was like someone had pulled the fire alarm at random. Or had they? If this "Carbonell" had a bounty on her head, then there were more of these thugs than had already appeared. Instinct told Nawi that it was bait, though her human empathy wanted her to makes sure there was really no fire. For that she needed a bird's eye view from the top floor, where obstructions were likely to be minimal. Donning a face covering, the former prize fighter leapt over and up between balconies, scrambling with catlike grace as she made use of her increased strength to boost her leaps and her agility to grab handholds.

This side of the resort had only a handful of balconies - one stacked over the other like Lego blocks. The lowest balconies lay below a sheer wall with windows, while having other balconies to either side. The luxury suites, however, were stacked atop each other like stair steps - and so were their balconies. With one of her strength and agility, they may as well be stair steps. And with the sound of chaos outside as hotel guests began evacuating, the chances of her being spotted going to the roof were minimal.

With her vantage up top on the empty roof, she saw no smoke coming from either side of the building. She was keen to trust her instincts that someone was trying to funnel her out. The only smell of burning came from a wood grill near the pool for hotel guests. But, in this combination of wood fire and sea air, there was something very distant and familiar - drowned out by being handled, but still there. Faintly, she followed the scent to one of the edges, a growl working its way into her through as it began to register.

She never once forgot his scent. The scent of a man who had forced himself on her, who had put her through prize fighting matches with other Meta, who had sent the very people that turned her entire life upside down.

Rajabu...RAJABUUU!!!

With a hiss, she dug her claws into the clay side of the building, making her descent toward the scent. His scent, carried by a female - something he had handled that the woman carried. Nawi took her time, trying to minimize her noise level, though the fire alarm - painful as it was - was doing well in masking her noise.

It might have occurred to Eevi that the flashbangs, binoculars, night optics, and collar she now carried were previously handled extensively by Rajabu. And Nawi was homing in on those scents, which got stronger as she approached. If she could cut through the noise long enough, Eevi might be able to make out the sound of stray pieces of clay and plaster - half the size of her fingernails - impacting on the clay tiles behind her...

Eevi’s senses were on high alert. The fire alarm blared throughout the building, giving her the cover she needed, but it wasn’t enough. She needed to saturate the area with a variety of scents—blood being the strongest. Her mind raced, tracking the faint yet familiar sounds of Nawi moving behind the walls and down the exterior of the building. She was fast, too fast, and Eevi knew she had little time.

As she made her way toward the kitchen, passing by confused and disoriented guests evacuating in a flurry of panicked steps, Eevi’s focus remained sharp. The moment she entered the kitchen, a group of back-of-house staff halted mid-motion, their faces reflecting confusion and unease as they saw her approach. One of the men, his brow furrowed in worry, tried speaking to her in rapid Spanish, his words lost to her ears.

It didn’t matter.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand, miming the shape of a finger gun, and pressed her fingertips to his chest.

"Bang," she whispered quietly.

The force of the concussive blast was immediate. The man’s chest exploded in a shower of blood and bone, sending a violent spray across the walls, the floor, and onto the others in the room. The smell of coppery blood filled the air as a hush fell over the kitchen, the remaining staff frozen in shock, their wide eyes fixed on her as if time had stopped.

Eevi didn’t blink. Didn’t hesitate. She met their stares with a hollow, detached calm, her voice low as she spoke, her words in Finnish, knowing full well they wouldn’t understand.

"I’m sorry, but I need this," she lied. She wasn't sorry in the slightest. She gestured vaguely to the blood-soaked mess around her. "I need as many different scents as possible in here."

The terrified silence of the remaining staff was enough of a response for her. She lifted her hand again, her fingers mimicking the same pistol shape.

"Bang."

Another blast, another body collapsing to the floor as blood sprayed out, adding to the mixture of chaos she had created in the kitchen. The copper scent grew heavier, more suffocating, exactly what she needed to confuse and mask the air around her. She could feel the blood soaking into her clothes, clinging to her skin like a second layer, her hands steady as she surveyed her work.

Although she would dispose of the kitchen staff coldly and methodically, she let a twisted smile creep onto her face. She had so missed her work.

The scent...it was moving. Moving and blending into other scents.

Fresh blood, and yet, no scent of burnt propellant. Damn it. Whoever was after Nawi was trying to play on her sense of morality. And the worst part is, in spite of her instinctively knowing full well that it was a trap, she couldn't let this go unaddressed. She was going to find out if this person was working for Rajabu...then, she was going to eviscerate them. Hang them by their intestines as a warning to anyone who would dare to try what they had. Let them know that Nawi was not going to extend mercy to slavers or their puppets.

Initially, she was going to sneak to the kitchen, but a bullet lodging itself into the tile where she had just landed forced her to move faster. She quickly pieced together that she had two separate parties after her. One was luring her into a trap, while the other was content to kill her outright. The scent of Rajabu was covered by the blood. As she leapt into the kitchen, evading the sniper outside, she knew she was between two different traps. With a trained flick of her tail, she moved a fallen knife into her hand and flung it at one of the alarm speakers, dampening the noise slightly.

The place had been turned into a damned slaughterhouse. Whoever was after her had slaughtered everyone. The lingering scent of fear was in the air, mixed in with blood. Although a faint scent was moving in the air, it was drowned out by all the blood.

"Well..." Nawi trailed  from behind her concealment. "You wanted me in here. Here I am. Sniper outside. Keen to kill me, and your plans for me are unknown. I'll take my chances figuring out what your game is. Then...I'll repay blood with blood. I'll hang you with your entrails, nice and slow - a quick death is too dignified for you."