The 141 are wolf shifters, and while they might not all be the same breeds, they are still a pack.
The war has been long and hard. People are dropping like flies, and the Shifters are doing the best they can to keep up.
Paxian was never supposed to join the 141. She was never supposed to leave the Shadow Company. They never knew her shifted form. Never knew that she could take to the skies and demolish their opponents with a single glance.
Because that would be saying that they allowed shifters in the army. And that they did not. It certainly didn't help that she was a feathered dragon shifter. No, that just made things worse.
Every time she messed up, she was threatened with exposure. With death.
Even when her back ached from not being in her shifted form, when she could feel the animal inside her getting weaker. She was never to shift. Not once.
The only thing she was allowed to have to remind her who she was, was a single black feather from her shifted form. She kept it twisted into her hair.
She was transferred to them, Shadow Company claiming they did not want her anymore. That they had no use for her.
That hurt more than the transfer.
Authors Note: In this fic, mythical animals are possible for shifter, just incredibly rare, which makes them hunted in the United States, Russia, and Africa.
Paxian knew she was being transferred to a shifter squad. She should be happy. Hell she should be over the moon with joy, finally being able to shift, to fly again.
But something doesn't feel right.
No something must be off. This has to simply be a test from Shadow company. They must be trying to catch her in the act of shifting so that they could finally hand her over.
Pax fiddled with her hands in her lap. Desperately trying not to touch the feather. Not to draw attention to it.
The plane ride was long, and awful. She was allowed to travel alone this time, but being in the air and not being able to feel it is another kind of torture in itself.
The AC on her seat was turned all the way up, but nothing helped. All she could do was sit there and stare out the window, imagining herself out with the clouds.
Her shifter form was small. Maybe the size of a small wolf. But she was fast. She could outpace any flying shifter or machine. That is before she joined the army and shifted in secret.
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The plane landed and I practically ran off it. Now that it's landed that means that I now have to deal with the situation at hand.
"Lass! Over here." A voice rings out from the baggage claim where Pax just grabbed the duffel that holds her life. A man with a Mohawk waves her down. Theres three others with him by the looks of it.
Their names were Johnny (Soap), Simon (Ghost), Kyle (Gaz), and Price if I remember correctly. They were the entirety on the 141, but why were they all here? Usually I just took public transport as close as I could get before walking the rest of the way.
Hesitantly I walk over. These people were wolf shifters, they could sent me for what I am at the drop of a hat. Hiding my scent underneath my clothes and perfume was the best I could do.
She stops in front of them, waiting for the Captain to acknowledge her first. That was the rule in the shadow company. Don't speak unless spoken to.
"Paxian, right?" Gaz addresses her first. "Or do you prefer Pax? I couldn't find a call sign in your file." He sheepishly explains.
"It's whichever you prefer." My answer isn't quiet, but not commanding either. This could very well still be a test to see if I can behave well on my own.
"So you don't have a call sign yet?" Soap jumps on the case. I shake my head no. Soap looks over to the other three with something like elation in his eyes.
"That means we get to make one for you, yeah?" I bite back a sigh. In all reality I did have a call sign, not an official one, but it was still used like one. Pet.
I have no doubt that this one will be something similar to that.
"You can call me whatever you like." I make sure my voice stays even, hiding any form of emotion. I'm so focused on dealing with the questions of Gaz and Soap as they bring me back to the base, I miss the glances between Ghost and Price.
"Pax." Prices voice cuts through the constant chatter of the two in the back seat. They've squished me in the middle of them, so I have questions on both sides. There's no doubt these people are wolf shifters.
"Your file says you're a shifter." There's no question in his tone as the car goes silent. Of course shadow company included that lovely little detail in there.
"You're a shifter? What's your form?" I hold back a glare at Price. I know better to do something that could get me so easily punished. The questions continue from both sides about my animal, which I deflect each time.
I'm vaguely aware of all of them sniffing at the air oh-so-subtly, trying to guess what my form is as I deflect question after question.
Thankfully we arrive at base, and Price has Ghost show me to the quarters, giving me a brief break from all of the questions. He drops me off at my room, which is smack dab in the middle of all of their rooms.
"I'll be back at 18:00 to show you the mess hall." He notices the look on my face. "We all like to eat together here." I simply nod. He looks me up and down one last time, like he's trying to figure me out, before he leaves, shutting the door behind him.
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"Somethings off." Is all Simon says as he steps into Price's office. The others sit in their favorite spots. Johnny's on the couch, Gaz is in a comfy chair, and Price is behind his desk.
Simon sits down in the chair across from Price, angling it so that he can see the rest of his pack.
"Care to elaborate?" Price sets down the paperwork he was working on.
"With the new kid. Somethings off." They wait for him to continue. "None of the stuff she carries has any sort of scent, not to mention she doesn't have a scent."
"Now that you mention it, it is odd that she didn't answer any of the questions about her animal." Soap pipes up.
"Wasn't Shadow company her previous assignment?" Gaz asks softly from the chair. They'd all seen the Shifters that come out of there. Every single one either forgot how to shift, or flat out refused, but none of the 141 had ever met one, or dealt with one personally.
"How do we deal with this Price?" They all turn to look at their captain. While everyone there were Alphas, they still mostly deferred to Price for guidance.
"Like we deal with anything. Watch first, assess how bad it is, and go from there."
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It did not get better. In fact it got worse.
The kid never spoke, she didn't talk much unless answering a question, and no matter what she always put them first. Even when her life was in danger.
The last one wasn't an issue until they were on a mission where all of them got shot, and instead of shifting to get away to get help, she stayed human, and nearly got herself killed getting all of them out of there.
That's how they ended up in this situation.
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To be fair, I had no idea it was going to end up like this. I had just been doing as the Shadow company taught me. I was expendable, and should always put the other team members first.
That was not how the rest of them saw it though.
Now I'm stuck on base with nothing to do. And to make things better? Price wants to have a talk with me and the rest of the squad.
I sit down on the couch of the 141's common room, and Soap and Gaz are instantly on either side of me. Their presence isn't overwhelming so to speak, but every time I move they tense ever so slightly. Like they would try to catch me if I ran.
"We need to talk about the shifting... Issue." Oh! This must be about the others then. I've seen them in their wolf forms so many times over the past two months, even in front of Price. They didn't even try to shift back. Just stared at him.
"Pax." I stiffen at the sound of my name, causing everyone in the room to tense every so slightly. I hadn't shifted once since I've been here... Did I accidentally shift in my sleep?
"Yes?" I make myself smaller on instinct. Usually punishment's aren't as harsh when I make myself small.
"I don't really know how to go about this..." Price rubs the back of his neck, so Ghost jumps in.
"Why have you not shifted once since you got here?" I stare back at him, shocked. "Usually any type of shifter would have been in their form as much as possible to try and get used to the new environment, but you haven't shifted a single time since getting here."
This has to be some kind of test. They want to get to to admit to shifting (even though I never did) so that they can punish me, and if I try to say I didn't then they'll call me a liar and punish me anyways-
"Hey. Kid?" There's a hand on my shoulder, and one on my chest. "Deep breaths okay?" but the words fall on deaf ears.
No no no no no no no- I can't say that I shifted, but I can't take another beating. Not after that last mission.
My breathing gets quicker and quicker. The others must be saying something, and I feel more hands grabbing at me.
the edges of my vision start to go dark, and there's a fuzzy tingling in my hands, like I can't move them anymore.
I have to get out of here I have to get outofhere Ihavetogetoutofhere-
Suddenly I'm up and moving. Moving away from the hands, and away from the loud noises. I'm moving faster than I would normally.
I hear more yelling behind me. Followed by barking and the sound of thumping paws.
I barely register that I've actually shifted before I ram into a door, finally getting access to the outside.
The task force is behind me, I can smell them closing in. And the other people are all staring at me. I have to find a way to safety, I have to-
"Lass!" Soap tumbles out of his shifted form behind me, the others following suit.
All ideas of going back and apologize leave as they look at me. Shocked.
Before any of them get any ideas I launch myself into the sky. The wind feels amazing on my wings, rippling through the feathers.
My ears pick up the sound of vehicles starting, and more shouting. I drift a little higher and hide in the clouds.
I'll be safe up here for a little while.
At least until my wings give out.
