Notes: Another prompt fill. This one is one which caught my imagination. I wanted to see what could be done with it. I hope everyone enjoys. (It's going to be multi-chaptered too)

Prompt from Grandshadowseal: Talon Dick who's been a talon since the circus (court of owls got to him before Bruce could adopt him maybe) finds a street rat Jason (maybe only a month on the streets) and decides to look out for him and start training him to defend himself while Jason tries to get Dick to stop killing people that try and hurt his 'little wing' or at least to stop killing them in front of him... (It's a slow process)

After a couple of years Bruce will still find Jason jacking his Batmobile wheels, even bypassing his traps which is meant to prevent that (thanks to Dick's training) and decides to take him in as the first robin. Dick would eventually get caught visiting Jason at the manor and almost gets frozen for his trouble (maybe Bruce has had a run in with the court of owls before) until Jason talk's Bruce into taking Dick in as well...

Chapter 1

It was strange. He shouldn't have felt anything. But something about the energy of this kid attracted his attention. Or maybe it was the cry of pain from his opponent.

"Bring it on!" the battered child growled, fists curled before him. He had kicked one of the two men in the crotch, causing the cry which had attracted the Talon's attention.

Talon watched impassively as the kid fought with everything he had. It was desperation which drove his punches, a feeling Talon began to recall. He had felt it, back in the beginning. When he was lost among walls of white, when every turn gave him the same scene or brought him back to the start at the stupid fountain and he had felt the kind of desperation which made one lash out.

This kid... As Talon expected, he was eventually beaten to his knees. The kid's cry of pain as the man's punch connected pulled at Talon. Talon remembered his training. The moment he fought back.

This kid would do the same. He had a knife in his pocket, Talon could see it. He would stab and cut and possibly kill his two assailants in an unskilled manner.

There!

The kid rose up and tossed dirt and gravel into the man's face before bolting. His back faded into the distance before Talon realised that what he had expected hadn't happened.

The kid had run?

Talon grabbed his knives and jumped down from his place on the fire escape. Before the men could fully register what they were facing, he had slit their throats. Then he bolted after the kid. He followed the kid through back alleys, across rooftops and almost lost him as he ducked through a store and came out the back way.

Finally, the kid stopped. He sat down behind a dumpster and sighed. His face stung, Talon could tell by the way he hissed with pain.

"Stop being creepy!" the kid growled at him. "I don't know who you are but I'll mess you up if you mess with me!"

Talon laughed. His laugh was harsh but jolly, the kind of a crazy villain who had found a new toy. This warmth was interesting.

"I think I like you," he said walking over and sitting down across from the kid.

He could see the kid processing and the moment he realised he was talking to a Talon.

"What does a Talon want with a street kid like me? I don't remember doing anything to attract the attention of the Court of Owls?"

Talon pulled off his cowl and smiled at the kid with white teeth. "Knowing what I am is enough," he said. "But no. I am not of the Court for now. I find you interesting."

"Okay," the kid said sceptically.

"I killed those men for you," Talon announced.

"That's just creepy," the kid grumbled. "I didn't ask you to kill anyone for me. I can take care of myself."

Talon just smiled. After a while, the kid moved away. He kept his eyes on Talon as he walked away. Talon followed. After all, the kid was hardly a threat to him. After a couple of streets, the kid seemed to give up and just let him follow.

"Great, now I've got a pet assassin myth to look after."

Jason didn't know how he had managed to attract the attention of a Talon. The Gotham myth followed him around from day to day. Jason had tried asking about the Court after a couple of days of being shadowed. He knew it was stupid, asking about the Court was a death sentence. However he wanted to know if Talon had anywhere else to be. The assassin certainly didn't seem to have anything else to do other than following him around.

Jason's questions didn't receive answers beyond Talon assuring him that the Court wouldn't be a problem. Somehow, that wasn't helping. Jason was on edge. It didn't help that he looked into what happened to the two men who had attacked him. They had been killed in the alley. Throats slashed effortlessly.

He was in so much danger but there was nothing he could do about it. If Talon wanted, Jason would be dead within moments.

"I wouldn't do that, Little Wing," Talon said with a smile when Jason brought it up. Talon had removed his hood, revealing a young adult with light blue eyes and dark hair. His pale skin made his features appear even more porcelain.

"Little Wing?" Jason questioned.

"I am a bird, the talon in the night. You are mine. My little wing, light and free," Talon explained. It sent a shiver down Jason's spine.

Talon came through the window most nights. He was often covered in blood and Jason was disturbingly getting good at telling when the blood was fresh.

"You killed someone again," he said. Talon covered in blood often meant the other target was killed.

Talon pulled off his hood and frowned, like he couldn't understand why Jason was upset about that.

"They punched a kid. So I punched them," he said. "And then I made sure they could never do it again?"

"What if that was their kid? I certainly wouldn't like it if someone came in and killed my old man! Sure, someone beating him up would be nice but not kill. You kill my old man and I'm going to hate you!" he growled in a fit of passion. A moment later, he realised it wasn't a good idea to disagree with the assassin. However, it was too late to take his words back so he stood his ground.

Talon slipped a knife into his hands and contemplated it. The silence was tense as Jason watched the assassin... puzzle out his words? Contemplate how to slice him?

Talon's voice, when he spoke, was low. "Your father punches you?"

"Not your problem. And he's in prison so you don't need to do anything."

Talon didn't seem to think so. The knife vanished from his hands like magic and the assassin took a step towards him. "I won't. You would hate it. I will teach you to fight. Then you punch him." Talon nodded, like this was a perfectly reasonable plan.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a bad plan. Fighting skills taught by an assassin could have their use on Gotham's streets.

Jason found himself agreeing. He would regret it in the short term, as his body ached from being pushed to its limits. He would come to hate trains as Talon thought riding on them blindfolded was good fun. He would enjoy the soft encouragement that Talon gave him, words echoed from old memories the assassin held.

Jason never did learn about where Talon had come from or if he had been born in the Court.

A year passed and Jason flourished with Talon by his side. The assassin taught him to fight, how to break into people's houses with and without them noticing and also provided him with some companionship as his mother had died a month before he met Talon and his father was locked away, hopefully for a long time.

Things changed on the one night that every criminal knew never to do anything in Crime Alley. The night when the Batman was predictable. He was always there this night, although no one could figure out exactly why. What brought the scourge of Gotham's criminal-kind to the cesspit of crime that one night every year?

Jason wasn't too interested in the discussion of why. He was more interested in the sleek car parked just off the road.

The Batmobile. Batman was probably off doing whatever it was he did on this night. Jason knew just what to do. He worked his way around the security, just like Talon had showed him. Then he took the wheels off. He got two wheels off and stashed safely and returned to find Batman standing by the car.

He cursed.