First Eclipse

Felix walked by Tim. He was humming. It seemed like he was always doing that now. Being the guard of the realm's unofficial DJ had changed him.

After he escorted the prisoner to the new cell, Felix did a little dance step and turned around.

Tim stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, and waited for his friend to turn and notice him. When he did, Felix froze mid-dance and slowly straightened. "Have a song stuck in your head?" Tim grinned.

Felix smiled back. "Forced into my head is more like it, and now it won't go away." He shrugged. "The princess listened to it at least ten times yesterday while she was going through those camera videos."

"Find anything?" Tim glanced to see the huntress walking toward him. Right behind her was Captain Rafael. Did he dare to hope for a new task? He didn't mind helping in the cells, but today wasn't the usual tasks. The science people were making changes to four of the main cells. Now that Alterealm was back to policing all the realms, they needed holding cells for any not from here until their realms were contacted. That meant some serious stabilizing and acclimation for those from Solrelm. Humidity was a must for Veiltide residents. They had to add the option of more heat for any from Aridon. Magic blockers were am ped up for any that belonged in FaTerra-which he personally hoped to never have to deal with. Right now, humans and Alterealm criminals were the most boring yet safest to apprehend.

The huntress smiled at him and then turned around to speak to her brother-in-law. At that same moment, a cell opened for the next transfer. A man stepped out, spotted the huntress, and headed for her. Tim didn't waste the energy to glare at the guard who was supposed to be escorting him. Instead, he hurried toward the man and grabbed the back of his neck. Squeezing hard, the prisoner had no choice but to stop. "Not a good plan," Tim told him. Stepping in front of him, he pinned him to the spot with an unfriendly look. "The instructions were to step out and wait for your guard."

The man looked up at him, disdain very clear in his expression.

Tim released his neck. "Turn around and go with the guard." He watched the man rushing up behind him. He didn't know that guard, only that he had recently joined the cell detail. He'd be speaking with Ira about further training for that one. "See, he's my blocker all the time."

When the prisoner was walking away, Tim turned and bowed his head very slightly to the royals. If it were too long and appeared like he was actually bowing, Daxx would chew him out. She hated all of the pomp that went with her position. Tim adored her because of that. He smiled at her. "Cheeky prisoner."

Daxx snorted. "Cheeky? Looked more like he was an asshole."

Tim shrugged. "Did you need me?"

Daxx looked at her brother-in-law. "No, but Raf says he needs a volunteer."

"Volunteers?" Felix came over to them. "A battle?"

Captain Rafael grinned. "Hopefully not." He sighed. "Tawny joined me when I ported to Interealm this morning."

Tim tried not to smile but failed. "I think she likes it over there." One of his favorite things was going to the palace to hang out with the cat.

Daxx scoffed. "I think she likes it anywhere she's not stuck behind a stone wall."

"As if the walls stop her," Rafael mumbled. "One of the Gemini women who-" He looked at Daxx. "-can communicate with Tawny-" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Says she's lonely and needs company." "Oh." Felix stepped back. "I don't think I'm cut out to cat sit a mountain lion."

Rafael smiled. "I need someone to go with Fauna to the mountains and see if there are any orphaned animals to bring back." He frowned. "Something young enough we can raise it to be people-friendly, but that won't be the size of a horse when it's grown." "I'll go." Felix nodded.

Tim looked at him and then his hair. The guy spent thirty minutes each morning to make his two-inch long hair look that way. Not Tim. He pulled his back, tied it behind his head, and was ready to go. "You don't even like being outside without climate control and a television."

Felix shrugged. "I could do it."

Tim turned back to the captain. "Mountains in Interealm or here?"

Rafael looked at Daxx for a second. "Probably best with Interealm. We have a tight control over poachers and hunters here."

Tim nodded. "Yeah. Less chance of any abandoned cubs and young critters."

"Critters?" Felix cringed. "Maybe I'll just stay and help the Warden." He nodded.

Daxx looked at Tim. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Tracking down orphans shouldn't take more than a day. You just have to find where there are the most predators and locate bloody carcasses."

Her eyes rounded. "Images I didn't need."

Rafael chuckled. "I'll talk to Ira and get him to round up what you might need."

Tim nodded. "Okay. When are we going?"

"I think tomorrow." Rafael glanced at Arius as he approached them. He looked unhappy, and the warden's being unhappy was never a good thing.

"Ellis just called. They had a brawl at the new facility."

"And we missed it." Daxx's comment had Tim pressing his lips together so he wouldn't grin. There was no dancing and music with his Queen. She was all about the action, and most days, he was thankful for that. She looked at him. "My blocker and I are going to go check it out. See if any heads need to be bashed together."

Arius' mouth twitched, but he didn't smile. "All right. You can come with me in case I need a hand."

Tim wanted to laugh as if the Warden needed assistance with that.

"I'll stay and keep an eye on the progress here." Rafael pulled his phone out. "I just want to let Kara know we have Fauna's escort." He jerked his chin toward Tim. "She's going back over later. You should go with her and meet Fauna." Tim nodded. He'd heard about the Gemini women. Most of them scared him but in a good, glad-you're-on-our-side way. He'd seen some of them and wondered which one was Fauna. He also wondered if they chose their names because a few of them were a little too different. Vex, Fade, and Sparx just didn't seem like a name a sane mother would give their child. Not that any of that mattered. He was going to the mountains. Fresh air and mother nature were better than a vacation. Since being assigned to guard the huntress, he'd been stuck indoors too much.