The wolves blocked their way in a semicircle, as Selina felt her fur raise up, her stance lower into a defensive posture, and her gums pull back to show her fangs, all as she moved close to Tygrus' side. Several wolves growled deeply, fur bristling, ears up, baring their teeth. It was all a show of strength, a powerful instinct they couldn't help but display. So many strong creatures, decidedly non feline, crowding around her space. Her increasingly strong primal mind blared and warned her against them. Not long ago they had planned to kill her, not long ago they were among the humans she had killed with her own claws. Despite their words, could they be trusted?

Tygrus and Romulus slowly stepped closer, the ears of both splayed down and flat out in a non submissive display. There was a brief moment that felt like a standoff, until Romulus held out a clawed hand to him. Tygrus stared at it, then took it, gripping it tightly in a handshake that seemed to test each other's strength. Selina tensed, as her eyes drifted behind them, to the female wolf, Athena, formerly Sarah, Romulus' new alpha. She felt an odd kinship, as they were both feeling tense. Athena exchanged a glance, as they both seemed to catch each other's scent. So, she thought as the distinct, strong scent of Romulus emanated off her, we both had a wild date last night. She thought she saw a smile creep on the wolf's maw as Tygrus spoke, still holding Romulus' hand firm.

"It worked then?" Tygrus cocked his head to the side, briefly glancing at the other wolves who had come. Both them and Selina seemed to relax, just slightly.

"Yes...we shared your serum with the rest of the pack, telling them it was a gift from Ras Al Ghul. As their minds awoke, it was simple to guide them under my command. Our change, unlike yours, seems to have burned away most of our…old attachments. With the compulsion to obey Ras destroyed, even those who as humans had been of the League of Shadows are now loyal only to the pack."

"Then you will attack the remaining humans at their base? And you seek our help?"

"Yes, as you said, they are in fact our common enemy. It must be tonight. If we delay, they will wonder why we haven't attacked you. Once the League of Shadows are removed from this island, it will belong to Cat and Wolf."

"And then?" Tygrus kept his eyes locked with Romulus, as well as his grip on his hand. Neither leader dared show weakness.

"That will take more discussion I suspect, but I hope our pack and your pride can find our own territories and will live in peace."

Tygrus nodded, "As do I." They cautiously dropped the handshake. Selina touched Tygrus lightly on the arm in a calming manner. She could feel it, allies or not, the instinctual need to avoid seeming submissive to the other drove them both fiercely. For now, they seemed able to see each other as equals.

Her mate continued, "I shall gather as many of my people as I can...though I fear an organized assault with you may be difficult to coordinate...we should meet together, both groups, before we attack. There is a cave in the clearing to the southeast, between the valley with the broken drawstring bridge."

"Yes...I know what you are talking about. We will meet at noon. Regardless of what you decide or who comes, we attack the League of Shadows base at nightfall."

Tygrus nodded. "I will see you then."

Then, after a moment's hesitation, they planted a hand on each other's shoulder, then pressed their foreheads together for a few moments, before separating. The other wolves briefly tensed at the move, but relaxed as Romulus simply nodded and turned to walk off with them, leaving Selina and Tygrus alone.

Selina raised a brow. "Was that...wait, you were exchanging scents with him?"

"Oh? Yes, I suppose we were. With our smell on each other, his pack will be able to know he met me, and our people, him. I suppose I was also letting him know I was his ally."

"Like two kings sharing a ceremonial kiss on the cheek. Feline culture is going to be more physically affectionate."

Now Tygrus raised a brow, unsure what she meant as the two of them hopped over fallen logs on their way back to the castle, "Truth is," Selina said with a grin and a chuckle, "...we're a new species, a new people with customs and ways of doing things we're still figuring out. It's going to be strange at first, and a little dangerous. For a second, I thought you might be about to come to blows. So I suppose it was good you did that."

Tygrus looked at her. The feeling he was having leading up to this fight was different. He had begun to feel it ever since she returned and now it was stronger than ever. It was fear. He'd rarely felt fear, even in the face of possible death. By himself on the island he'd lived as an animal. Life was simple, and if he did die...that was the way of nature. But now the female...the woman he had dreamed about for years had accepted him as her mate…her lover. There were others of his kind who he could run and hunt with, whom his children could share a future with. He saw a future, a feeling that there might be a place for him, beyond being a beast alone. But that hope was a double edged sword. He had had nothing to lose before. Now…

He grasped her by the shoulders, his eyes intense. Selina hissed briefly, but her eyes held his. She could read the fear in his eyes, fear of losing all he loved. And truth be told...she had it too.

"We don't have to fight," Selina said quietly, "...we could let them do the work, they're soldiers, we might just get in the way…"

Tygrus grunted, then looked at her. "You know I cannot sit this out. We have to secure this place, give it a future for…our kind." He brought a claw to her chin. "And for us…and if we abandon the wolves for this fight…"

Selina looked up into his eyes and set a claw on his chest. "We need to discuss this with the rest…I understand Tygrus, I'm scared of what could happen…there's already been so much death, we've been lucky."

"We make our own luck,"

Selina smiled at his comeback, "Come Tygrus, they're probably worried sick."


Their arrival created quite the stir before they even explained themselves.

Batgirl walked down the hall of Dorian's old castle, adjusting her cowl. There was enough running water to give herself a bit of a bath and even clean her battered costume some over the night. Of that she was grateful, though even with some of the sweat washed out, the wear and tear from the last few days were showing. Her outfit was designed to be comfortable and durable, but having to wear it so much for a period of days was taxing. Like everything else. Getting close to the end Barbara, one way or another…

She'd heard Selina and Tygrus were finally back. To be honest, she was a bit peeved with them. Tygrus was the cat that held the groups in line, and in his brief absence, she could see tensions fraying with the others. Still at least the plan had worked. Except…now they had a different war on their hands. Best let Dr Minerva and her would-be boyfriend know to hurry up and join them.

Batgirl descended the last bit of stairs into the doctor's lab, she called out, "Dr Minerva? Ballestros?" She called out. "Tygrus and Selina are finally back and they have some big news about the-'' She stopped. In front of her, Dr Minerva and a massive feline man with cheetah pattern legs, a tiger striped torso and arms, and a lion's mane turned to see her, the man giving her a snarl as if unhappy with being interrupted.

Suddenly Batgirl found herself pinned against the wall by the shoulders, a huge face snarling in front of her, its fangs born and dripping. She winced, but in one motion planted both boots square in the solar plexus, punching all the wind out of the beast and causing it to gasp and loosen its grip enough for her to slip free, and followed up with a swinging kick to the head.

He staggered for a moment, shaken. C'mon, that kick should have you on the floor, she thought, before ducking to avoid a swipe from behind. Only the first strike missed, a second slashed across her back, and only her rolling away kept the claws from digging deep enough to do serious damage. The former Ballestros turned and roared at her.

Between two cats, blood starting to show from the strike on her back, she matched the cat's snarl with a disgusted look of her own, "We're on the same side you idiots!'

At that moment, Selina came down, springing over the stairs and leaping between the two. "What's going-" She hardly had time to speak when Cheetah's strike came toward her head. As she saw the claw come toward her, time seemed to slow. Strangely, she felt a familiar feeling, recalling a time years ago, sparring with Ted Grant.

"Wild Cat" Ted Grant, former boxer turned costumed hero and trainer for the Justice League had offered her some 'off the record' sparring sessions in the past. More than once, no matter how many times she had seen his punches, how he'd shown her the move to deflect, despite all her skills, she'd found her pretty face knocked down on the mat.

"Sometimes, it's just experience," He'd said in a rough voice, a chuckle of an elder schooling his protege, a Tom Cat teaching a kitten. "Or instinct. Eventually you'd work these moves into your brain, and your body just moves without thinking."

Instinct…as the clawed hand came for her she rotated her whole body, causing the arm to miss her face by inches, then grabbed the arm and in one motion slung the Cheetah at the strange beast charging behind her. Cheetah slammed hard into the chest of her creation, who caught her but stumbled backwards toward the stairs, where standing over him, a newly arrived Tygrus snarled and roared.

"What is this…" Her nostrils flared, then his eyes widened slightly at the Chimera, "…Balestros?"

Selina turned and glanced at the strange new creature. The scent in her nose gave a slightly familiar feeling, just present enough to notice. Yes, that thing was the formerly slim doctor.

"Chimera, stand down!" Cheetah called out from the floor, shaking her own head, as if coming out of a fog. The strange feline mix kept his eyes on Tygrus, but slowly moved back at Cheetah's side. "I'm sorry…instinct kicked in I suppose, you understand."

Tygrus grunted, "Cheetah, who is this…" His nostrils flared, "Doctor?"

Selina slid to his side, a hand on his arm as she hissed with her ears back. Batgirl stood and rubbed her head as Batman leapt down the stairs. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing hero," Cheetah said as she stood between them, placing a hand on Chimera's chest "Easy now, he's riding high on all that new testosterone and animal instinct." She turned her head to give them a side glance, back still to them as 'Chimera' looked ready to spring. "Ballestros and I concocted something to make him more helpful in the coming fight…unless that's off now?"

Tygrus set an arm around Selina's shoulder, his ears also back. "Your formula worked, now the wolves wish for us to join them as they move against the remaining human warriors at the dock."

"I see, you want us to take orders from them? Can they even be trusted?" Cheetah said, cooley.

"Trust? What about you? You-"

Tygrus squeezed Selina firmly about the waist, causing her to cut off and be quiet. "You are free not to come, but I have to be there to fight to free our island. I hope you will do the same." He turned to Batman. "I know you may not approve of a war that will surely take lives…"

Batman raised his hand. "There's no way I could stop you, so I won't try. I'll simply say, I know Ras better than any of you. If you think he doesn't have a plan for just this scenario, you're in for a disaster." He approached Batgirl, who was still rubbing her head. "We'll handle things our own way."

Tygrus nodded, "Duly noted," and walked up the stairs, Selina about his waist. She kept her eyes forward as she walked by Bruce. But her nose couldn't avoid picking up a restrained taste of sadness from him in the back of her throat.


Her steps sank firmly into the ground, displacing the cool soil under the wet grass. Her padded feet protected her comfortably from any sharp stones or sticks but she felt strangely aware of how 'connected' she was to the ground. To the earth even. No rubber soles dulling her touch, no paved road or anything artificial protecting her from the elements. She was part of the ecosystem of the web of life. The thought stirred her a bit, as if she hadn't really thought of how disconnected from nature she was before. Even as someone concerned with conservation, the earth was something outside that needed to be protected from the influence of creatures like herself. But she was now truly part of the cycle, killing prey, altering the environment and taking a place in the jungle as an apex predator.

She found these thoughts running through her mind as she waited for the signal to begin.

Finally the sharp whistle came to her ear. A pitch that sounded strange to her, high and slightly irritating. A sound at a frequency no human could hear. A clever idea of Romulus'.

"We have many advantages over them…strength, speed, senses. But once we lose surprise this can become much harder than before." The alpha wolf had said at their meeting. "They are on the defensive, and we don't know the territory well."

"Do you think Batman is right, that Ras will have something else up his sleeve?" Selina had asked.

"Perhaps…one final test for his creations…" Tygrus glanced over the canine soldiers, gathering what few weapons they had, and sharpening their claws on the stone wall.

"One last test for all of us…" Sarah had replied.

Selina gritted her teeth. Her legs covered the distance to the fence quickly, and up and over she went. She stifled a laugh at the security. These walls would have been child's play even in her old body for her to climb. A first guard went down with a kick, and another, never seeing her in the dark.

The gate was opened, not that most of them needed it. A wave of silent animal rage began to wash over the base.

Resistance was surprisingly light. Selina entered a barracks from the window, just as the wolves burst through the door and Tygrus crashed in through a window on the other side. Several League of Shadows assassins reached for their weapons, and time seemed to slow down. Selina saw every detail of the room instantly, recognized the weapons, calculated it, and felt her body leap forward, bounding off a table toward a guard, her animal senses and instinct meshing seamlessly with her years of practice, casually knocking a gun away with one claw, pulling the trained warrior off balance so his head leaned forward just enough for her legs to wrap around and squeeze his neck, and in one quick move break it. Using the shoulders of the dead man as leverage she fired herself up and leapt onto a still reacting soldier, her fingers sliding across his neck. She heard another death cry next to her as Tygrus held two lifeless bodies in each claw. Romulus and the others were mopping up the remaining soldiers. Without speaking, her, Tygrus, and Romulus all exchanged a knowing glance.

Too easy.

This was far too easy.


Batman watched the guards shoot by, headed for their doom. He was crouched in darkness, having worked his way past security over an hour ago. As had Batgirl. No one here knew this of course. Quite a few security systems were quietly sabotaged, guards disarmed and tied up in neat packages already. Between the two of them they'd disabled most of the outer perimeter without them even knowing. A guard grabbed from behind and tucked unconcious in a corner here, a lock system rendered non functioning there. They had to be more careful than normal of course, these were League of Shadows. The quiet subterfuge could only go on so long before they took notice. Of, course, right at that point was when the presence of the incoming invaders would make things all the more chaotic.

"Here comes the pack," Gordon said, the sound of howling hanging over their heads.

"Ras' chickens are coming home to roost." Wayne gave a stern glance at the League of Shadow members as they unwittingly ran toward their former comrades. "I'd hope to find where their are jamming outside communications by now. Who knows what they'll do once this place is overrun."

"Maybe we need an inside man…"

Batgirl pointed toward a group of guards with one particular figure who stood out from the black garbed League uniform. His red eye piece glinted from the overhead light.

At the sound of the howling, the guards ran off, while he casually backed away, clearly in no hurry to pursue. Barbara flashed a smile, and made a simple hand gesture. Her partner nodded, and she climbed from their secure corner to the top of the worn warehouse above them, then roof hopped till Deadshot was between her and Batman. She fired her grappling hook to the taller building on the other side of the street and swung quickly but in the clear light to the other side.

Deadshot hardly had turned and lifted his weapon to take aim before he was grabbed from behind and pulled into the dark corner himself, disarmed and gagged.

"Okay Lawton, time to be our guide."


Dorian heard the shouting outside and briefly glanced out the window. A massive striped tiger man was ripping several guards to shreds. Tor was its name? Ah, of course he would go out beyond the group. He was perhaps closest to his original vision. Still, he wondered how he might do against his final creation.

Looking up at the line of vats in front of him, he tapped a few buttons on the control pad. "Just in time it seems, my ultimate creations, it is your time to shine."

The tanks began to empty of their liquid, the distinct forms of two cat creatures and one massive wolf man began to become more clearer.

Dorian looked between the two cats and then to the massive wolf figure, his eyes beginning to open.

"Infusing your DNA was the toughest challenge of all Lar-On, but when my benefactor presented me with fabric from his battle with the alien, well, I new I had found the key to the ultimate lifeform."