The the cold steel of the trap dug painfully into the back paw of the young cub, producing a blood curdling cry of pure agonizing pain. The cub couldn't have been more then a few weeks old, just enough to follow the false scent of food away from it's mother and into the jungle, unattended. It quickly learned the dangers of leaving the safety of it's family, a painful lesson as he thrashed and bit at the trap that held it bound. Laughing and whooping soon sounded through the jungle as a pair of men pounced on the poor lion cub.
"A good catch yes?" One asked in Swahili.
"Let's get it out of here before it's mother realizes it's gone."
The poachers advanced on the Young cub who was now biting and clawing at his attackers. Attempts that made the men laugh, but not loud enough to drown out the horrifying roar that ripped through the African forest.
They froze. Horror made their blood run cold as one of the muttered in breathless fear, "Mnyama. (The Beast)"
His partner slapped his arm. "You said it wouldn't find is in the dark!"
Before his partner could retort another roar shook the trees that surrounded them, forcing them to abandon their prize and sprint back to their Jeep. Rumors had circulated about a creature that would attack would be poachers, but these two, plus many others, had chalked it up to a fairy tale. It would make sense to create a Beast that would attack hunters thus clearing the way for themselves to get the better prizes.
But now, with a hairy, clawed, fanged, and green monstrosity baring down on them, it was easy to see just how wrong they were.
It was all in a days work for Garfield Logan. Former member of the Doom Patrol And Teen Titans, now working solo in the fields of Africa protecting the wildlife from illegal hunting and poaching, and on occasion legal hunting. Of course he never actually killed anyone, just scared the ever living holy hell out of them before turning them over to the proper authorities. Poaching wasn't high on a lot of lists when it came to crime, but letting the bad guys know that the jungle was protected by a green shape shifter, made them think twice about coming back.
He left the hunters at the local police station before returning the cub to its family. It's grateful mother took the cub lovingly into her arms, before tending to the little ones wounds. It's brothers and sisters pounced playfully onto their returned sibling. Saving cities and people was one thing, but Gar felt an incredible amount of satisfaction protecting those of which he felt a deep, and sometimes spiritual, connection to.
He smiled just as the phone in his pocket began ringing, startling the lioness. "Heh, sorry." He glanced at it he device in his hand before his eyes went wide. "SHIT! IM LATE!" He changed into a falcon and took to the sky.
She only dolled herself up a handful of times throughout her life and each time it had been for a special occasion. This of course wasn't one of them, but for the sake of this undercover assignment it called for her to "stand out". Dressed in a blood red dress with crossing straps across the chest that revealed her alabaster assets and a long slit going up the side of her right leg, she definitely stood out and quickly had gotten the African Warlords attention. She resisted the urge to gag when her empathic senses informed her of his lust, and primal hunger when his eyes locked with hers, especially since she was told he preferred woman of a younger variety. Sure she was in her twenties, but she retained her youthful features giving her a much younger look. Again not ideal, but for this mission, was necessary.
He hadn't been talking with her for a minute before his hands found his way to the exposed skin of her pale leg and snaked his way upwards. She responded with a playful slap and a wag of her finger, again fighting the bile that rose in her throat. Luckily he excepted it as a playful tease, and their game continued until he was just the right amount of drunk and led her to his bedroom.
Now that she was in the home stretch she decided for a big finish before bringing it all home. She pushed him onto the bed and placed herself on top of him, her knees on either side of his torso and crooned into his ear. "How is a man, who came from nothing as successful as you."
She definitely had an ear for languages and learning to speak and read Swahili was a cakewalk for her even if she still struggled when listening to it. Especially when the speaker was slurring his words in a drunken stupor. But she was able to pick the one word she needed.
"Shetani. (The devil)"
She grinned. "That's all I needed to hear." He stared with confusion, but that quickly shifted into horror when her eyes began to glow a dark red before splitting into four.
"Dear god love, what did you do to him?"
Raven glanced over her shoulder at the shaking and practically comatose man at Constantine's feet and shrugged. "You told me no killing, so I just scared the living hell outta him. Made sure to give him a sneak peek to where he's heading when he does die."
Constantine's mouth was agape as he stared in shock at her back in shock. Completely oblivious to how exposed the dress had made it and how well it hugged her backside. "Well did you at least-"
"-right here." Raven opened a secret door on the other side of the bedroom revealing a small room with a blood soaked alter and a human heart placed in the center. "Virgin heart and a black alter. Definitely demon worship going on." She stared back at the man, with malice in her violet eyes. "No more slaughtered innocent woman for his sick pleasure."
Constantine looked over the findings before chuckling. "Nice work love."
She allowed herself a smile before catching a glimpse at the clock by the bed. "SHIT IM LATE!" With a wave of her hand a black portal appeared before her.
"Wait where are you going?!"
"Sorry John I just have to get going. You can handle it from here can't you?". She didn't wait from him to respond as she stepped into the abyss she had created, vanishing to points unknown and leaving a confused Englishman to figure out what to do next.
Garfield was seated on the couch in his living room tuning his guitar when a portal spit out his wife. He smirked at his usually punctual mate. "Your late."
She rolled her eyes as she removed her heels, easily losing an inch of height. "Your one to talk."
He snickered again as he got to his feet. "Shall we?" The pair made their way down the hall were an elderly woman with long, graying brown hair stood in front of a door with her arms folded. "Your late."
"Yeah, Yeah, we know." Gar kissed Rita on the cheek, "thanks for watching them mom." Then he and his wife stepped around her opening the door that led into a darkened bedroom that was illuminated by a single nightlight in the shape of the Batman symbol. Gar got his guitar ready at his fingertips as he and his wife took positions around the crib staring down into the two tiny green inhabitants.
Mark and Maria were only a couple months old, and already asleep, but their parents decided a long time ago that they would always be there to sing the two to sleep, even if they already were. Beast Boy began strumming while Raven began to sing a sweet and soft tune that was beautiful even with her usually monotone and gravelly voice. The twins stirred, but only slightly, and settled in for a full and peaceful nights sleep.
Children Mark and Maria belong to loubuggins, who challenged me to write a pure fluff piece for BBRAE. I hope it worked.