Artemis White was the youngest daughter of the warlord and royal Nahuel White and his wife, Kainda. The White family had presided over a large part of Northern Europe for nearly two centuries; independent from the human ruling powers though of course the humans didn't know this. They were among the oldest of the royal shapeshifter families in Europe that still maintained power and as such, though Artemis was not a heir to the throne due to patriarchal law, she was still considered a political power albeit a pawn or bargaining chip more than anything else.
The twenty two year old Artemis might have been a political pawn, but that didn't mean her father kept her home until he needed a trade. Like every other member of the family she was expected to work to protect the White dynasty and her current assignment was a particularly nasty one. The White's main rivals were the Romano tiger family that controlled Italy and several other regions in Western Europe. Wars for territory were common and violent affairs; Italy, and Rome in particular, was valuable territory, as was Britain and Ireland in the White's land. Both families continually vied to overtake the more desired territories of the other as well as protect their own interests and Artemis was embroiled in a delicate hostage situation on the border of Italy and France. It required her to keep control of a young male tiger, a second heir to the Romano throne, while negotiations were undertaken regarding White possession of Rome. The problem was that if negotiations failed and the White's couldn't overpower or retract from Rome then the hostage situation would quickly be reversed -- with Artemis becoming the held rather than the holder.
"They'll come for me soon, I promise you that." The statement was delivered to Artemis in the form of a cold snarl from the heavyset tiger she was supposed to be holding hostage. The assignment itself wasn't difficult; Artemis was one of the most accomplished fighters in the White pack with a reputation for a hot temper to match. No, it was more annoying than anything though despite the young man's defiant words the younger girl could see the fear in his eyes. They both knew the negotiations could go either way. The White's and the Romano's were both very strong packs.
"Shut up already, would you? You're doing my head in with your empty threats." Artemis was also in her human form, her pale blue eyes trained unwaveringly on her hostage. Their destination was a rundown cabin in the French countryside and although she would easily be able to catch a heavier cat like a tiger Artemis wasn't the type to give anyone that chance. The White's were a jaguar pack; powerful gold and black predators with the greatest bite strength of all the large cats. Tigers and lions had also been born in the White lineage through out-crossing with other important families though these were a minority and jaguars were prized. Only jaguars could inherit the throne or the most coveted royal titles within the family. All of Artemis' immediate family were jaguars as too was she, although a jaguar with a difference. Black melanistic jaguars popped up from time to time but rarer even than these were albino white jaguars such as Artemis. In her shifted form her coat was very pale gray with only shadowed markings visible in some lights, and her eyes were pale blue. In her human form Artemis had long white blonde hair and similarly pale eyes.
Artemis didn't bother passing the time in idle chitchat with the tiger. He was older than her but you certainly wouldn't have guessed it; clearly his older brother as the direct heir to the throne had been given all the training because this lout was uncouth and unsophisticated. Instead she alternated between shooting him warning glares from behind the shaggy fringe of blonde hair and pacing the small lounge they were cooped up in, waiting for the appearance of either White negotiators and guards (a good sign) or Romano warriors (a very bad sign). They'd been cooped up in the cabin for days while the White's negotiated the return of the second heir in exchange for power over Vatican City and Artemis was just about ready to tear her hostage's throat out simply to relieve the boredom, and her growing tensions. Fortunately, at dusk of the sixth day of her hostage duties, fourteen shadowy forms appeared at the edge of the woods fringing the cabin. Unfortunately it all went downhill from there.
The moment they appeared Artemis had taken the precaution of stripping off and hauling the hostage outside, prepared to run if the worst had happened. She had known it would probably be hopeless if that indeed was the case because the Romano's would surround the cabin. Sure enough she was met with a ring of hooded figures -- typical Romano theatrics -- in numbers that even the White's best fighter couldn't overpower. This was the absolute worst case scenario as for the Romano's to have known the location of the hostage they must have not only declined the White negotiation but also captured and tortured the negotiators.
Fuck the hostage. Artemis was fighting for her life now.
It took less than three seconds for Artemis to transform into a pale white-grey jaguar with piercing blue eyes. She was faster than all of them and managed to crush the skull of one of their warriors with the signature jaguar attack, one used by no other cat in the world. A further two found their windpipes torn forcibly from their throats before they could complete their change, and she managed to kill a shockingly large tiger through using her superior speed and agility to sever his spinal cord. The bastards had weapons though, of course, and she took a bullet to the thigh while engaging another two tigers protecting the unshifted men, along with the usual pre-emptive scratches from vicious claws. Another transformed tiger went down gurgling after she broke his neck but that was where her attack abruptly ended. The cold steel of a pistol pressed flush against her temple made her freeze, and Artemis turned furious blue eyes on the man holding it.
Gabriel Conti.
"Enough of that, kitty-cat. You've already taken out far too many of my warriors, so if you want to avoid a bullet through your head I'd change back and play nice."
Artemis snarled dangerously, tensed her muscles and glared at Gabriel. She wanted to attack him but something held her back. Huh. She'd always thought that in this situation she'd rather die fighting but it seemed the instinct to survive was stronger than she could have guessed, even when she had little doubt that her fate would not be pleasant. But even if it bought her some time...she wasn't quite ready for that bullet just yet.
A graceful change found the young warrior back in her human form, pale hair wild and blood streaked, gold skin likewise. Gabriel kept the gun to her head throughout the change then rapidly tied her hands behind her back, rendering shapeshifting anatomically impossible. Then to her surprise, he called forward one of his robed men and had him bandage the bullet wound in Artemis' thigh. Funny thing to do before torturing and killing someone, she thought idly. A robe was procured to restore her modesty then Gabriel stood in front of her, eying her warily though with interest.
"The Romano's are interested in having your fighting abilities on their side rather than the White's. A disposable daughter of direct White lineage with your skill is quite the weapon and David Romano doesn't have that same advantage. The alternative is torture for information and death. What do you say?" He grinned, not unkindly. He didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"I'd never betray my family." The answer was automatic and well-rehearsed. Artemis knew her role in the family; pawn, bargaining chip. She was not her father's main concern, simply a lucky advantage. Nevertheless she knew the meaning of loyalty.
"David said you might say that. He also gave me this." Gabriel held an official document in front of her so she could scan it. A marriage license with the official White seal which made it a binding agreement confronted her, along with an unfamiliar seal also decorating the license. Before she could ask Gabriel elaborated. "The Douwe seal. You've been paired with their prince Robert. All this needs is your signature to make it binding."
Artemis read in disbelief then let out a furious snarl, human form and all. The Douwe family! They were one of the weakest in Europe, comprising less than one hundred loyal cats and less than twenty blood family members. The White's and the Romano's had family lines comprising of hundreds of individuals and thousands of supporting families -- did her father think so little of her? He was trading her for the loyalty of a pack that would make almost no useful addition to their family. Blind fury engulfed Artemis while Gabriel and his minions watched, slightly awed by the force of her personality.
