The Jeweled Crown Excerpt

Chapter 1:
The map crinkles underneath massive paws as it is splayed out across a table. "We start here." Says a deep voice. The Jasce behind him growls and steps forward, revealing her pretty tiger face. "But Yrva, how are we to get there with no provisions, no mounts, and all of our soldiers are wounded? We will need time to recuperate!" She snarls at Yrva, who was curling his upper lip into a snarl. The tiger snapped around and growled "I say what and when we do something, Gresca, do NOT defy my word." The female Jasce flattened her ears and bared her teeth. She did not argue, but simply sank back into the shadows. "Go, all of you. Go tell all the others we leave tomorrow at sunrise." He ordered all of the other lingering Jasces. They scattered out of the tent and immediately reported to captains and soldiers.
"But why would he do such a thing?" A Cougar Jasce questioned another. The jaguar replied "He's been blinded by blood, only Val' de can help him now." The cougar sighs and turns to a tent, night had slowly crawled into the sky as he did so. The jaguar kept walking until he came upon a larger tent, which was glowing from inside.
Justiné watched as Ret' Gar strolled into the tent. She held back a snarl and flattened her ears. He smiled at her and dipped his head. "What do you want, Ret' Gar?" She hissed. The jaguar laughed and stared at her dearly. "When will you accept me, my dear?" He chuckled, fingering a necklace on the table in the tent. The Jasce hissed and her tail flicked from side to side. She stood up and walked towards him, snarling as she went. "I will choose whoever I want, Ret' Gar. And that doesn't necessarily mean it will be you." Her covered face was hidden by a black cowl, as was her whole body. "Now get out." She spat. The jaguar laughed one last time before padding out of the tent.
"You can come out now." She adopted a softer tone. A dark figure stepped out from under the tents canvas. It was a cougar Jasce; he was dressed in shredded trousers, but no shirt to cover his six pack abs. Justiné stepped near him and placed her head in the crook of his collarbone. She stood back somewhat and traced his muscled abs with her paw. He placed his paws on her hips and sighed. "How much longer, Justiné?" He sighed, resting his head on top of hers. The Jasce sighed and placed both paws on his shoulders. "I don't know, love. I don't know."
The next morning, Justiné woke to the sound of birds tweeting and chirping for the new day. She sat up and yawned, no cowl covered her now. The panther revealed a long, slender body; black and smooth. Her dark rosettes appeared in some spots, while the others were hidden by the sleek black fur. Her long streamline body relaxed as she looked around the tent, Yrva was not back yet. She stood up in her nightgown and picked up a short black dress. She slipped it on and put the cowl over her true form. She slowly stepped outside of the tent and watched as soldiers paced back and forth, carrying large packs with them. She gaped; letting a small snarl escape her mouth. "We're leaving." Justiné swiveled around to find Yrva. She pushed him and growled. She stalked away moodily and strolled towards the butcher's quarters.
She looked around, cats without shirts were spattered with blood and meat, and they stopped and stared at her. A familiar cougar stared and blinked a few times. Justiné walked over and pretended to examine the piece of meat he was tenderizing. She turned the flank over, not caring that her paws were now covered in raw blood. The cougar's tail twitch as his ears flattened. "Justiné? What are you doing in such a dirty place like this?"
Justiné turned around to find Yrva, his arms crossed and staring at her incredulously. She smiled and put the piece of meat down. "Father, why do you consider this place to be dirty?" She traced the table's smooth edges as she took a slow step forward. Yrva's ears flattened and he huffed. "You shouldn't be here, Justiné. You have no business here." He growled at his daughter. Justiné looked up, but before she could say something, the cougar Jasce had spoken. "Sir, if I may…"
"Shut up, Markai!" Yrva snarled at the cougar. Justiné growled at her father and faced him directly. "Leave him alone!" She snapped without thinking. Both Yrva and Markai stared at her with surprise. "I'm tired of you yelling at everyone and giving them orders! " She thought quickly. Yrva scowled and huffed.
"Markai is a nice cat, alright? You treat him and the others like dirt; I want you to start treating the butchers like they were your soldiers." She snarled. Yrva looked as if he were about to protest, but instead he just growled. Justiné purred, he would never say no to her.  Justiné padded back to her tent and lifted her arm as a hawk flew to greet her. She stroked the bird's head as it perched itself on her arm. "Come, Dagger. I want you to deliver something for me…" She purred.
Justiné watched as her paw flew across the paper, pen in hand. Words stuck to the script like glue, fitting in like a puzzle. She slammed the pen down and sighed. The paper was long and crinkled, she smiled. Rolling it up, she pulled out a little jar with a whitish paste in it. She wrapped a red ribbon around the scroll and tied it in a bow. Justiné dipped her paw in the paste and smeared it across the ribbon. "Come here, Dagger." She picked the scroll up and looked at the hawk, which was now on the desk. "Take this to Markai." She whispered to the bird, holding the scroll out to it. Dagger chirped and with a flurry of feathers, both the bird and the scroll were gone.
Justin yawned and stripped herself of the cowl. She had changed from a panther Jasce to a jaguar Jasce. She padded over to a vanity and examined herself in the mirror. A single tear streamed down her spotted face, not leaving a single mark behind. She sighed and padded over to her bed, and pulled a velvet and maroon blanket back, revealing a rich forest green bedspread. She growled; Yrva had changed out her sheets again. Why did he do this, when instead, he could use all the extra sheets for his soldiers? Why her father was so cruel, she would never understand. Justiné lay down and thought about what Markai might say to her letter she sent. She huffed and turned the other way. She sighed and closed her eyes, and soon, she fell asleep.

Chapter 2:
Dear Markai,
Sorry for intruding on you today, my dear. I fear that our relationship will be a secret no longer for my father is intruding on my personal life now. Ret' Gar thinks I want him as a mate, and soon, he will try to make that a reality. I will need to make you a reality, soon. Markai, we need to come out of these shadows and reveal our love for each other. If you truly loved me, you would let everyone know that we are a couple. I wish to speak to your commander soon, Markai. I know why we keep this tender love of ours a secret, but that does not stop me from loving you as much as I do. Tell me what you think of this and send Dagger back to me. He will stay with you as long as need be.
Love,
Justiné

Markai sighed and rubbed his temples. This would be a lot harder than she expected it to be. "Oh Dagger, what am I supposed to tell her?" He looked at the hawk somberly. Dagger ruffled his feathers and chirped at the cougar. Markai groaned and reached for a rag to wipe his forehead with. Dagger tweeted and dropped one in his outstretched palm. Markai dragged the rag across his forehead, collecting beads of sweat from it.  He set the rag on the desk and leaned back in his wooden chair. His bare chest expanded and receded with each breath.
Markai slammed his gloved fist down on the flank of meat. The stench of sweat and blood filled the air, along with raw meat. He sighed and leaned on the table. "Hey, Markai, you okay, dude?" A leopard Jasce asks the tired cougar. Markai shook his head and stood up straight. "Nah just stressed." He groaned.