-This was NOT done by me; just commissioned. Please fav the original here.

I wrote a short story to accompany this piece, though I condensed it since I know most people on here don’t read. To those of you that do choose to read it- enjoy

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“I already know I’m going to hell. At this point, it’s really go big or go home…”-Whisper

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“After her! She’s getting away!”

With a smirk on her face, Whisper ran down the dimly lit corridor. They were closing in on her. There were only two ways left to get out of the building: the main and back entrances, which were heavily guarded. And her best means of escape, the stairs, which would hopefully lead her out a fire exit…if she could find them that is.

It had been a long time since she had gotten into a scrap as bad as this one yet she was having the time of her life. As she sped through the halls of the desolate building, she used her katanas to slice through the bodies of obtuse lackeys that attempted to stop her, leaving them crying out in agony as their appendages fell to the floor. If she wasn’t in such a rush, she’d stop to admire her gory handiwork but…

Reaching the end of another hallway, Whisper realized she was going in circles and wasting value time. “Hmph, so much for easy money. I’m actually having to work tonight.” Hearing another set of footsteps approached, she realized her options were running thin: it was either fight or flight at this point. While the killer in her yearned to go into “hack and slash” mode and tear everyone in the building to pieces, she knew that would not only slow her down, but by the time she finished, the police would arrive and she would be caught red-handed, literally and figuratively.

“We have you now. Come with us; we need to discuss some…issues people are having with your “services.”” A sharp voice snapped her from her thoughts as she turned to face who was addressing her. Glancing around the corridor, Whisper noticed it was getting darker inside the building...or rather around her. She was slowly being closed in by a group of men- about twelve or so shadowy figures started to creep closer to her, trapping her in a corner. Her eyes slowly scanned the hall until she noticed a tall figure lingering in the back that seemed to be giving orders to the group- if only she could make out their face so she could have an inkling of who or what she was up against. Yet whomever it was made sure to stay concealed enough not to reveal their face and body as she noticed they were wearing a long, hooded cloak…interesting.

As the shadowy figures moved closer to her, some of them wielding katanas and daggers, she realized this job had been nothing more than an elaborate setup. Whisper knew she wasn’t liked by several people and was feared by many, even other assassins. Even the police, though aware of her actions, tended to look the other way to avoid her wrath or being marked as a potential target. Most would say she was almost invincible…almost. So it would come as no surprise that someone would try to take her out…most failed, horribly so, but she could admit she had her fair share of close calls.

…and yet here she was, trapped in between a rock and a…glass place? She felt the cool, glass surface of the window pressing against her fur as she leaned against the window. An enigmatic smile crossed her lips as she reached back for her katanas. She knew what she had to do-

How did she get into this situation in the first place? Over the years since she became a kunoichi, she found herself asking herself that question A LOT. Probably more times than one would consider healthy or normal. Yet here she was on the brink of death once again-

It was supposed to be a simple mission: get in, eliminate the target, get back out undetected, and collect the rest of her payment. For the most part, Whisper’s job required little to no effort- most of the people she was hired to eradicate were not even at her skill level, much less worthy adversaries, so she was able to dispose of them in a quick and quiet manner and escape before anyone was the wiser. If anything, the most tiresome part of her job was dealing with the clients that hired her. Her “clients” if you want to call them that, were from all walks of life: from your lower-middle class citizens barely scraping by to make a living, to your exclusive well-to-do upper class that seemed like they had everything they could want out of life…except true happiness. However, unlike most assassins and kunoichi, Whisper only killed those she deemed worthy of death: basically if your situation caught her interest, she would take on your case. If not, or she thought it was just a cliché kill with no purpose other than a “I’m sick of this person living,” she would refer you to someone else whom she thought was more qualified to take on the task.

Then came the meeting and screening process. Meetings with her clients were like interviews- except she was screening potential targets for their worth and time. There were times she rejected the jobs, regardless of how much payment or bribery she was offered: no amount of money was worth her pride or another being’s life if she determined they did not have a good reason to be killed. Most of Whisper’s clientele were composed of disgruntled wives or husbands who wanted an out to an unhappy marriage or relationship- usually bought on by cheating partner or a forced arrangement that one or neither party was content with yet was able to leave for whatever reason. People that lost their life savings or wages in a crooked game of poker, blackjack, or horse racing and wanted revenge- or on the flip side, a bookie that was trying to track down someone running away from a payment they owed. Sometimes, she even went as far as to take out mafia or gang bosses that were getting a little too power hungry and threatening the wrong person(s). The latter, while not her favorite type of kill, were more challenging and gave her a chance to try out new strategies and weapons since those targets were usually heavily guarded and harder to take down.

And her favorite type of revenge: killing off ignorant, closed-minded people. It seemed like there were more and more of them in this world that’s supposedly so open and accepting of others’ differences: lies. People only want to accept what they understand or like. Anything that people feel uncomfortable with or don't understand is instantly ostracized or considered "wrong." This is the society we’re living in right now. At one point, Whisper used to care what others thought about her but now? She knew better; life was too short for such nonsense...and life was cut short for those that wrongly crossed her path.

After the screening process, if the client’s request met her approval, Whisper would then collect partial payment: nonrefundable of course, and begin planning the deed. A typical job would usually be completed in 24-48 hours after the meeting- less than a day if a target really irked her or she was bored and needed something to do. Which brings us to her current job…

A few nights ago, Whisper was approached by a female in her late 30s stating that her husband had been fooling around, which of course he denied the allegations even though the client had more than enough proof against him: the impromptu, late night work “meetings” which seemed to become more frequent over the years even though his coworkers left on time, the faint smell of female perfume on his clothing, the mysterious, late night phone calls he insisted on taking that were “very important,” and his refusal to be intimate with her anymore. Needless to say, the wife was frustrated and ready to end things, but not without making him pay for his adulterous ways first. Of course Whisper eagerly agreed to deal with such a bastard: cheaters made her fur stand on its end and she knew just the way to take care of him- a castration, sans anesthesia. Harsh but effective. After ironing out the details such as his place of employment, his daily routine, the route he took to and from work, and names of people he regularly spoke to, Whisper said she would take care of the rest and advised the soon to be widow to set up an alibi in the next few days.

It seemed like this mission would be just another routine kill, justified even. But like life, things were never as easy as Whisper planned. Occasionally, she would have “hiccups” in her missions: typically mafia bosses, assassins, or someone that outmatched or outnumbered her. Those were the times she had to be a bit more careful in her planning and killing techniques- from entering the facility, making the kill as swift and quiet as possible, leaving no traces of evidence, and of course, a quick getaway. Whisper actually enjoyed missions like that…sometimes. Such missions made her job more thrilling and left her feeling like she earned her pay rather just had it handed to her.

…apparently tonight was one of those nights. Reaching for her katana, Whisper was quickly greeted with a shuriken flying past her face, piercing the window. Surprisingly, the window did not break, though there was now a spider-web like crack spreading along the window’s surface.

“That was a warning. Make another move and the next one will not miss.” His threat almost sounded serious- how cute. She merely took one step towards them and chuckled as she watched them step back in unison. Whoever paid these guys obviously didn’t pay them enough to fear what was in store for them. She took another step forward, this time moving towards the one she assumed was the leader, their teal eyes unwavering as if they knew what was coming. Whisper made short work of the goons, slashing her blades through their bodies and appendages until…

Only the hooded figure remained. Standing back against the wall, they merely watched the bloodshed; not saying a word or bothering to help. Yeah, this person was whom she was after alright. Preparing to leap towards the cloaked figure, Whisper stopped in her tracks as her ears suddenly twitched...she heard the soft ding of the elevator bell in the distance-

Crap, more hitchmen…or was it the police? She had been here way too long and knew she had compromised her position now, especially with the trail of dead bodies throughout the building. As much as she wanted to stay and confront her would be assailant, she knew this was not the right time. Apparently so did her target, as they took Whisper’s pause as their chance to escape, giving her a nod as if they understood the situation and disappeared into the shadows of the corridor. Using the end of her wrap to wipe off her katanas, its black blade glistening with blood, she placed them back in their sheathes.

“Quick, I heard some noise coming from down this hallway!”

Warning shots rang out as she pressed against the window- she had nowhere left to go and they were closing in on her fast. With a frustrated sigh, she eyed the cracked window from earlier. Gazing at the bustling city and traffic below, she wondered how bad it would be if she really jumped from this height. She was on the twentieth floor of the building and while she had jumped from houses and trees before, she had never jumped from such a height before. Worse case, she –is- part feline...any with luck, she would land on her feet. With a lot of luck, she would land on her feet and live to tell the tale. As the footsteps grew closer, her hand traced across a section of the window’s glass, giving it a tap with one of her claws. You only see people jump out windows in the movies and cartoons. Who in their right mind would actually jump out a window in real life?

“I'm pretty sure this is a conspiracy of some sort.” She muttered to herself as she pushed against the glass window and leapt into the darkness of the city night, shots flying around her in a last ditch effort to stop her- though gravity would probably do that for them. Barreling towards the ground, she looked for something to rappel onto or soften her fall- only to be met with darkness as everything suddenly went black.

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“Hello Whisper. Long time no see.”

A feminine, stern voice rustled Whisper from her slumber. She had such a headache. Mind you, she was grateful to even be alive at this point but…how? She glanced around and found herself in an alley a few blocks away from the scene of the crime. It was coming back to her now: how she lived through that fall. She had managed to use her katanas as makeshift anchors to slow down her fall and rappelled down the side of the building until she landed on a nearby building’s awning and (by some miracle) crawl away unscathed, only to black out shortly after. But now that she was coming to, she was sore and barely able to stand. But wait…

“That voice. I know that voice.” Furiously, Whisper reached for her blades only to have them tossed aside by a glaive with a meticulous tribal design embedded on its handle. Smirking, somewhat amused, the cloaked figure stepped towards Whisper, taking off her cloak to reveal a statuesque yet battle-worn serval. Her teal eyes glistened in the dark as she stared back at Whisper.

A low growl escaped Whisper's throat, “Jūbun'na naga-sade wa arimasen, Aella.” (to be continued)

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I promised several of you my first piece of Whisper’s summer coat for the year would be badass and full of action- what can I say? I’m a woman of my word. Hands down, one of my favorite pieces of Whisper to date. She’s taking names, killing weak-minded fools, and jumping out windows in a dramatic fashion. Why? Because she can. That and wolfcats like to exit buildings in (deadly) style. As for why I wanted a piece of Whisper jumping out a window? As most of you know, I freaking love action and fighting pieces. So the thought of having my girl jumping out a window in a dramatic fashion- as if she is running from something or someone after committing a grand caper just appealed to me~

As for the mystery person after Whisper? Some of you already know who it is, the rest of you will have to wait and see…gonna reveal her later.

Very special thanks to jsa-arts for this epic piece! I had been trying to find the right artist to bring this commission idea to life for the longest time: and he did NOT disappoint. Highly recommended artist, very nice and patient guy, not to mention a pleasure to work with! If you’re not watching him? Yeah, fix that.


Artwork by:  jsa-arts
Whisper belongs to:  Whisper