From the rooftops, he looked like any ordinary person threading his way causally through the partially filled streets. Tall and lanky with curly brown hair and hands and ears that seemed just a little too large, he still had an easy nature that automatically made Taekwoon doubt his culpability for anything. Well, he was prowling around the Red District in slightly less clothing for the winter months than most so there was that, but that only indicated he was a magical creature…

                “Are you sure this is our guy?” he asked into the earpiece Hakyeon had insisted he wear. Even Kyuhyun had backed him up on it, though he was still very much in Wandermoot following up with that chimera case.

                “He’s definitely one of them,” the other man assured him without pause. “Just keep watching. He’ll slip up sooner or later.” His tone was almost bored but assured all the same. “You sure you can handle him?” he asked with sly amusement, a smile obvious in his voice.

                “Of course,” Taekwoon scoffed, frowning slightly when he thought he saw the other man hesitate for the briefest of seconds.

                “Oops,” Hakyeon chuckled under his breath, the sound reminiscent of a pleased purr.

                He was definitely some kind of big cat… “Shut it,” Taekwoon grumble whispered, tracking his target carefully.

                “Get ready,” the other man murmured in a breathless whisper.

                Taekwoon had a mental image of Hakyeon literally rolling his shoulders like he was ready to pounce. Only… it was his target that moved instead. “Dammit!” he hissed, lurching to the side to follow, his hand lingering near his hip where his serum was.

                “Not yet,” Hakyeon coached, calm as could be. “Watch him at that intersection. He’ll probably go right.”

                “What?” The hunter had just enough time to wonder before the were’s prediction came true.

                “Don’t jump yet. Parallel him,” his sponsor partner continued on, obviously watching from some vantage point. “He’s faster than you right now,” he added, obviously taking a breath over the coms.

                In a moment of self-doubt, Taekwoon couldn’t help but ask, “Serum now then?”

                “No. Make the leap catacorner. You’ll make up for lost ground there. He knows you’re there but he hasn’t figured out you’re up top yet,” his companion promised, practically gleeful in his delivery.

                “Bugger,” Taekwoon grumbled, ducking his head as he pumped his legs for a hard sprint before the leap. He launched off his right foot and the ground opened beneath him. Arms windmilled slowly as he careened across the gap. The next building rose up to meet him and he hit the rooftop with an awkward roll he was able to stagger out of. “Damn.”

                “That could have been better,” the were snorted once, making Taekwoon’s ears burn.

                “Shut it,” he snapped, aligning himself to run parallel once more, relying on the other man to keep tabs since he still couldn’t see the target.

                “One more time,” Hakyeon urged instead, giving a quick suggestion for the second leap.

                “Let’s go,” the hunter breathed, trying another jump with just as much focus. This time, he glanced down and caught sight of the man he was chasing. Yellowish brown eyes flashed once as he looked up at the same time, surprise evident on his face. “Serum,” he whispered to himself, only partially mollified when he heard a confirming echo from his partner. He hit the rooftop in a dead run and leaped towards the divide this time.

                The needle pricked. He heard a slight hiss of sound. His world slowed down as every nerve came to life. Unlike the Agrabuamelu serum, Hakyeon’s kicked into high speed like a gut punch. Taekwoon yelped as he felt like he was going too fast even though his body was keeping up with him. The strange disorientation lasted even as he careened over the side of the building and plummeted towards the opposite wall.

                “Breathe,” came the practiced instruction. It sounded strangely loud in his ear.

                He took a quick breath and his world steadied enough for him to hit the wall, gloved fingers and booted feet sliding down the rugged brick with a teeth-grating harshness. The back of his neck prickled and he turned to look. There! The fleeing man was sprinting just below him, long legs propelling him down the street like a cheetah. He was agile enough to wind his way through the various pedestrians with a stream of surprised yelps in his wake.

                “Got him?”

                “He’s mine,” Taekwoon growled, fingers flexing to stall his descent. One foot found a catch to slow his lower body just enough. He let gravity and momentum pull his upper body down while he crawled with his hands to pivot into a diagonally downward angle. Bent knees straightened, shooting him forward like an arrow.

                “You are not a cat,” Hakyeon warned, the hint of a grimace evident.

                Taekwoon ignored him. He could make this landing. Arms extended in front of him, he was certain he had it. And he did. For all of a half-second. Before the effect of his fall speed plus the weight of his body and gravity’s pull caught up to him. “!” he coughed, feeling panic flare as his arms buckled and it was all he could do to roll into a ball to lessen the impact.

                “Told you,” a smug but strangely welcome voice interrupted before he could fully taste the asphalt. Something powerful literally plucked him from his haphazard tumble by the back of his belt and then proceeded to carry him not unlike a parcel as they trailed their target.

                “Hakyeon!” the hunter grumbled, hands flailing at the ground in front of him with each leaping bound his companion made. “Put me down!”

                “Not yet. You’re gonna cut him off,” he obviously winked with amusement, even though it was impossible to see him clearly.

                “What?” Taekwoon gasped in confusion before he understood a split second later. “NO!” His complaint fell on deaf ears before he was soaring through the air again like the most awkward football in the world. Under other circumstances, it would have been comical – him actively flailing over his target as the man looked up with confused and widened eyes. As it was, it was more mortifying than anything else.

                “What the-!” their target yelped, skidding on the asphalt as he slowed down with backwards windmilling arms.

                “Stop!” Taekwoon shouted as he managed to finally stick a wobbly sliding landing. “Hey!” he glared when the other man did an abrupt about face and tried to run off in the opposite direction. He wasn’t counting on Hakyeon being there though. Staggering upright, he lurched forward but then stalled as the sound of Hakyeon’s growl rumbling through them. For an instant, the were’s silhouette behind their target looked larger than usual and he was certain his partner had turned into his natural form, but Taekwoon couldn’t see it. Nor did he have much chance to look.

                The target stood up straight and stiffened, human façade disappearing in the blink of an eye. Large cat ears popped out on top of his head and immediately flattened in submission as he fell back on his haunches. “Stay,” Hakyeon commanded with one finger pointing at him like a dog.

                “What was that…?” Taekwoon wondered to himself. He’d heard about magical creatures losing their cool but had never thought he’d see it happen so… easily.

                “Cat person,” Hakyeon grinned, purposefully mishearing the question he wasn’t supposed to have heard anyway.

                Muttering under his breath, Taekwoon hurried closer and clapped his hand on their target’s shoulder. “Park Chanyeol,” he stated simply, looking down at the gray and silver furred creature under his hand. “We need to ask you some questions,” he added, meeting yellow cat eyes evenly.

                “I haven’t done anything,” he defended himself quickly, playing innocent as well as a child.

                “That’s debatable,” Hakyeon laughed once, leaning close so he could grab the front of Chanyeol’s light jacket and draw him near. Curiously, he sniffed at the cat person, eyes narrowing and nose twitching at the various scents. His subsequent smile was every bit the satisfied predator. “You’ve been talking to some interesting people,” he crooned, leaving their faces close and the tips of pointed teeth peeking through his lips.

                Chanyeol laughed in a nervous high-pitched sound, hands rising on either side in a shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he responded through a plastic smile.

                “Uh huh,” Hakyeon nodded as he physically lifted the taller creature to his feet and held him tight. “Let’s go,” he encouraged, turning the cat person around and capturing his shoulder in one powerful hand.

                Taekwoon felt slightly miffed that Hakyeon had basically swooped in and won the day but at least they’d gotten their target. And he hadn’t gotten worse than a minor scrape on his face and arms through his coat. It was undignified, but it could have been a lot worse. For just a second, he touched at the sore spot on his cheek and chin and then looked around to see various onlookers peering their direction curiously. With a quick breath, he went to wave them off. “It’s alright everyone. Hunter business. We’ve got it under control,” he promised, gesturing for them to go the other direction on the street. Even as he said it, his body felt just a bit off and he struggled to maintain the subtle but reassuring smile on his face.

                “Taekwoon,” his partner called, stalling as he gave him a neutral look and a head tilt.

                “What?” he grumbled through the false smile as he waved off a few more onlookers and then shifted to move beside the other man. “Oh…” he gasped as his knees suddenly felt weak.

                “That,” Hakyeon answered, reaching out with his free hand to catch Taekwoon under the arm and hold him steady as they continued walking again.

                “Wow,” he exhaled through gritted teeth, determinedly putting one foot in front of the next. He’d expected the come down to be about the same as Agrabuamelu serum but it was much sharper. Then again, the effects had been stronger in the beginning as well.

                “Not bad,” the other man commented, looking ahead politely as they made their way back to the Hunters’ Office.

                “Shut it,” Taekwoon muttered uncharitably. Between the chase, the first effects of the serum and the follow up, including how things had ended, he would hardly say it was a good run. For him anyway.

                “I mean it,” his partner laughed once, still keeping his gaze turned away so as not to embarrass him further.

                “You tossed me like a football,” he grumbled with a glare at the other man’s profile.

                “I won’t tell if you don’t,” Hakyeon grinned with a wink that finally saw him again.

                “You better not.”

                “I might,” their previously silent target spoke up, ears twitching merrily to the sound of their conversation and a grin on his furry face. Taekwoon started to glare at him before Chanyeol yelped and cringed under the hand on his shoulder.

                “What was that?” Hakyeon asked, leaning closer now that the taller man was even with his height.

                “Nothing!” he whispered in pained admittance, waving his hands in front of him dismissively. “I didn’t see anything.”

                “That’s what I thought,” the were snorted with a satisfied nod. His lips pulled up into a warm smile as he looked at Taekwoon with a reassuring nod.

                Despite himself, the corners of Taekwoon’s mouth turned up into the barest of smiles in response. He didn’t say anything, and Hakyeon didn’t seem to expect it, but the immediate support was nice. Especially since it extended to when they arrived at the office as well.

                 It was during daylight hours so Youngmin was on duty. While he went to work processing Chanyeol, Hakyeon took the liberty of embellishing their chase and take down adventure. Taekwoon didn’t say anything, especially when Youngmin looked at him with a raised brow in silent inquiry. He simply shrugged in response and gestured at the were as if that explained everything.

                “So you’re saying that Taekwoon,” he gestured at the Hunter, “leaped over Chanyeol.” He paused to point at their guest and raise his other hand over his own head with a questioning frown. “And landed well enough to box him in to take him down?”

                “I might have given him a little boost, but yes,” Hakyeon grinned innocently. “That’s how it happened.”

                “If you consider flaili- oh, right!” Chanyeol started to say before Hakyeon’s eyes flashed yellow. “He’s scary,” he whispered in Youngmin’s direction, leaning closer to the man behind the desk.

                “And I’m not?” he scoffed as if hurt.

                “Not like him,” Chanyeol shook his head and pointed at the were with wide eyes.

                Youngmin just laughed and nodded in mute agreement. “I know. Come on then. Let’s hear about who you’ve been talking with this time,” he added, swinging around to pick Chanyeol up so they could head up the stairs together.

                “What? I can’t talk with my friends?” he asked innocently.

                The Agrabuamelu scoffed. “If they’re all your friends, I’ll sell my tail.”

                “Ouch,” Chanyeol winced with a pained look at his guard.

                “I take it he’s a repeat offender?” Taekwoon wondered from where he stood beside Hakyeon with his arms crossed, watching the pair make their way up the stairs.

                Hakyeon nodded in quiet agreement and then took a breath to explain. “Chanyeol’s a small fry in the Revolutionaries movement. Didn’t you read his file before we went after him?” he asked, one brow raised archly as he peered up at the slightly taller hunter.

                “No,” Taekwoon admitted after a pause, looking down and shifting in place. He’d figured Hakyeon had or would and since there was no fuss about him, he didn’t think it would be a big deal this time.

                “Rookie,” his companion laughed once, reaching out to shove his head with gentle fingers.

                “Hey!” he yelped in complaint.

                Hakyeon’s eye roll was annoying, if somewhat deserved. “He gets picked up a couple times a year for associating with known disruptors. Most of the time, he doesn’t have a lot of useful intel to share – runners aren’t usually privy to any of the important stuff. But he usually has names and tidbits you can glean to help keep an eye on things.”

                “Oh,” Taekwoon nodded in understanding, scratching at his face with his still gloved hand.

                “Latest intel has marked a person of interest by the name of Kim Heechul. He’s a djinn.” He nodded in agreement when Taekwoon gave him a surprised sidelong look. “Rumor has it he’s pretty high up the totem pole in Tradeborough.”

                “Got a record?” Taekwoon asked, thinking the name was moderately familiar.

                “Not officially. I’ve smelled him around though. He’s no archon,” the were snorted as he brushed at the hair clinging to his temples.

                “By smelled him around…” he started to ask, running the numbers over in his head.

                “What? He’s a djinn. He has a long life,” Hakyeon responded matter-of-factly. “You’ll be hard pressed to find a more successful front business in the city,” he added, turning to settle his full attention on the hunter.

                “Ah!” Taekwoon gasped, trying to snap his fingers through the gloves. Grimacing quickly and ignoring the amused quirk of Hakyeon’s mouth, he went on, “That’s where I’ve heard the name before. He’s the owner of Madam’s Resort in Tourist Square isn’t he?”

                “Yep,” Hakyeon nodded. “Like I said though. It’s mostly a front. The business is legit but he caters to a lot of gambling behind the scenes and I’m pretty sure he may dabble in the black-market enterprise too.”

                “Oh?” he prompted, giving the were a meaningful look.

                Hakyeon shook his head and waved it off. “Just a hunch from a couple of poachers I’ve smelled before.” At his partner’s wide-eyed look and open hand gesture, he laughed once. “What? They weren’t doing anything.”

                “Ugh,” Taekwoon groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Fine,” he exhaled, dropping his hand and shaking his head. “Back to Heechul. So…?” he started to ask, knowing there had to be a reason.

                “Why haven’t we arrested him?” Taekwoon nodded. “A djinn. A creature with an almost literal silver tongue who likely has the backing of at least one Mage in this town plus more money than you can shake a stick at to make sure things go smoothly and grease all the right palms and never actively causes any waves we can really follow up on?”

                “Ah,” Taekwoon nodded and looked down. He knew there had to be a reason. He just wasn’t expecting that…

                “For now, all we can do is shake down the little guys, like our friend Chanyeol up there,” he explained, pointing up the stairs where he was likely being interrogated by Xiumin.

                Judging by the fact that Youngmin hadn’t returned yet, it was likely they were playing some sort of good cop bad cop act. “So what now?” he eventually asked, wincing when he brushed at his scratched face because it itched.

                He jerked in surprise when Hakyeon reached out with a bare hand and caught his chin effortlessly to inspect the injury himself. “Told you you weren’t a cat,” he laughed under his breath, thumbing gently at the red skin with his other hand.

                “Hey!” Taekwoon grumbled, swatting the hands away and stepping back to put distance between them.

                “Just checking,” Hakyeon promised, raising his hands in amused surrender.

                “I’m still mad at you for tossing me,” he scowled.

                “What? You landed on your feet,” his partner reminded him with a shrug.

                Taekwoon clicked his tongue in irritation but then took a breath as he looked away. “Is it always like that?”

                He didn’t get an immediate response but he figured Hakyeon was probably trying to narrow down what he was asking about specifically. Eventually, the were hummed under his breath and answered, “No. The first time’s always the worst. I still say you did pretty good today,” he added, grinning when Taekwoon turned to look at him. “Seriously. My last hunter nearly fainted when he came down the first time,” he chuckled fondly.

                “Really?” he couldn’t help but ask, glancing at the were suspiciously.

                “Really.” Taekwoon relented with a resigned wave of understanding but yelped again as Hakyeon looped an arm around his waist and started to guide him towards the door. “Now that’s settled, let’s get back out and see what other trouble we can get into.”

                “Hakyeon,” the hunter groaned, though his resistance was token at best.

                Namjoon exhaled as he read over their monthly report from Jungsu. The fifteenth was always a good day for it since each month had one and it was easy enough to remember. There were three already filtered requests from humans for entry into the coven, one request for a transfer from a vampire in Archonesis on the other side of the world, no recent Exile movement beyond what they’d tracked last month, and no excessive vampire activity in the city at large. That was good news at least.

                Setting the page down, he looked up to meet Jungsu’s patient gaze. “What did the Ghillie Dhu have to say about Sanctuary?” He was a finicky creature sometimes and the last time he’d sent Jungsu to check in with him, Shownu had decided to be scarce.

                “Nothing much,” his second in command admitted with a shrug. “The Anansi is the only new one he saw recently, though he maintains an elf continues to come and go from time to time.”

                “And you had Wonho check in with the Alpha right?” he inquired, fingers steepling in front of him. That had been yesterday actually.

                “After a game of chasing tails, he was able to have a conversation with Taeyang. His pups can be far too playful sometimes,” Jungsu scoffed with a half-smile and a slow roll of his eyes.

                Namjoon laughed once and grinned. “Sounds like the first wolf he found was Jackson.” Jungsu nodded in confirmation. “He’s not exactly a pup and it probably did Wonho some good in chasing that one.”

                His second gestured in mute agreement. “Either way, there were no changes worth mentioning on their end. They haven’t noticed anything odd recently, other than the usual mutterings and rumors they catch wind of from time to time,” he explained, hands moving flippantly with the words.

                “You checked out Paroche?” the vampire lord stated for confirmation.

                “Of course. Nothing dangerous there. Well, not that’s awake anyway. Apparently, there’s a history of nature creatures that used to guard the village but they’ve either passed through the veil or gone long dormant,” he explained with a shrug. “Either way, Yoongi shouldn’t have any trouble while he’s there. Though I’m still not sure why you had me check up on it.”

                “Jungsu,” Namjoon snorted once, eyeing the other vampire before shaking his head.

                “What? You coddle him. He’s not a child anymore,” Jungsu reminded the older vampire. “Hasn’t been for over two hundred years now.” When Namjoon gave him another look, he rolled his eyes and thew his hands up in quick surrender. “You have your reasons, I know.”

                Standing up, Namjoon wandered close to lean against the wall beside Jungsu. With his arms crossed, he regarded his second and murmured, “Yoongi’s last trainee didn’t have a good relationship with his parents. Jungkook does. You know how he can be,” he reminded the other man pointedly.

                “I know,” Jungsu admitted with a grimace that spoke volumes. “But he’s already checked in with Ailee and they’re both ready to head out tomorrow. The Revolutionaries have been mostly quiet. We haven’t heard from any Exiles lately. And the chimera situation isn’t resolved but at worst, they’re doing something in Wandermoot.”

                Namjoon nodded in understanding. “You went by the Red District the other day. What did Seohyun have to say?”

                “Nothing new. Oh wait,” he added, holding one pointed fingernail up thoughtfully. “She did see a hunter there not that long ago. Not the new one either.”

                “Oh?” the elder vampire hummed curiously. “That is interesting.”

                “What about Donghyun? You had to speak with him the other day after all,” Jungsu commented, tilting his head to the side while he waited for an answer.

                “Eh. He straddles that neutral line like it’s a sprinting kelpie,” he grumbled, mouth turning down in an irritated frown.

                “I thought he was part of the Co-Existence movement?”

                “He is,” Namjoon confirmed easily. “It’s part of the job description really, but we both know he has to play a neutral to keep everyone in the city at least relatively happy.”

                “Right,” Jungsu muttered. “Any word from Sungmin then?”

                The coven leader scoffed and waved his hand. “You have to go through his second to get a meeting with him right now. Says he’s busy or something.”

                “I take it you want me to speak with the Valkyrie tomorrow then?” he asked, one brow raised questioningly.

                “That’s the plan. But take Sanghyuk with you. Wouldn’t hurt for him to see more of our… allies?” he said, trying the word with a questioning tone.

                “Works well enough,” Jungsu confirmed. “Can’t really call them friends.”

                “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the coven leader chuckled.

                “Hey. The other side aren’t exactly our enemies either.”

                “No, you’re right. They’re just… troublesome,” Namjoon scowled, pushing off the wall so he could stride back to his desk.

                “Maybe, but at least they’re not like the ones in Atalanta.” When Namjoon looked up curiously, he went on, “They’re dealing with riots more than anything. The Hunters in that city are swamped and sorely outmatched if I read correctly.”

                “Poor younglings,” the vampire lord laughed softly. “Still though… I don’t doubt our annoyances can get to that point.”

                “It seems more like they’re biding their time in these last couple years,” Jungsu admitted, scratching at his chin thoughtfully.

                “It’s definitely possible. I’ll take a sweep this evening and see if I can find out any new info,” he promised the other vampire with a quick nod. “Maybe Changmin will have some new intel,” he added with a quick shrug.

                “The Reaper? Good luck. He’s finicky,” Jungsu laughed once.

                “To be fair, most of the older ones are,” Namjoon winked. “Oh yeah. This one,” he reached down and pulled a paper from his desk before he handed it off to Jungsu. “Run the usual works by this weekend. We really do need to add more numbers to the coven,” he admitted with a small sigh.

                “Yes, sir,” Jungsu nodded, taking the paper and looking it over once before he gave a partial bow and ducked out.

                Namjoon took a seat on the top of his desk and scratched at his jaw distractedly. Personally, he hoped the usual troublemakers were just being quiet lately and not actually biding their time for something. He was slightly concerned that was not the case though. Ailee had mentioned one of her clients was bothered by a shift in the energy in his area. She hadn’t noticed it so it wasn’t a large change, but the drus and dryads were always a bit more sensitive to those kinds of fluctuations.

                With a frustrated wave of his hand, he tried to banish the worry. “Just have to check with more contacts later.” He paused when he heard a ding from his computer. Peering at the screen, he saw an email notification. “Ugh. What do you want now?” he grumbled, falling back into his chair so he could read and respond accordingly.

(a/n: An early Happy New Year to everyone! I just want to say thank you for reading and I hope that you're still enjoying it. As you can see, this chapter was kind of full of new names. It probably wouldn't hurt for me to add a character index before too long but for now, we haven't quite fleshed things out just yet. If you get lost or have questions at any point, feel free to ask. Also, if you'd be interested in the character index (which will only continue to grow, I assure you), let me know! Otherwise, happy reading and please look forward to the next update! I've had a bit more time lately (and inspiration) so the next one should be coming soon. ^_^)