They were rounded together and caged like animals. The women were locked in one room, and the men in another. Lavi could only sit in the corner on the cold stone floor, hugging her knees and wondering what horrors Leyon must have been going through at the hands of the king. Surely such brutal methods would suggest that the king must have been a beast of a man. After all, the village's defeat was the first in nearly five-hundred years.

Lavi's head snapped up as she heard voices approaching. The humans' laughter sickened her. She could sense their hunger for women's flesh. She knew what they wanted.

Four men walked into her cell. The other women were silent, even though they knew what the men wanted. Lavi stood and approached the men with her nails drawn. She could not allow them to rape her friends, and risk having the pure blood of the Werewolves be tainted by men.

"Aye, what's yer rush, missy? Ye'll have yer chance soon enough." One of the soldiers leered.
"We are not your love-toys. I think it would be wise for you to leave while you still have your parts attached to you." Lavi menaced.

Two of the men drew their bows against her. There would be bloodshed if they resisted. Lavi lowered her hands. There was nothing they could do to fight their captors.

"Pigs. When we are freed, I will slaughter every last one of you like the swine that you are." She muttered.

Time stopped for an instant as she realized that she had been struck in the mouth with the back of the soldier's hand. She felt her knees give as the shock of the blow took hold of her. She had never been struck before. She tasted blood.

"Ye'll keep to yerself if ya know what's good fer ya!" She heard him shout.

The sound was muffled by the blood rushing to her head. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her. She knew that she could break every bone in his body, yet she held back. Her friends could be hurt, or even killed by these brutes. She spat at his feet and he chuckled.

"She's a wild one. Any of ya want her?" The soldier asked his comrades.
"I've no use fer a woman with a man's rage. Aye, she looks like a man too. Take that one o'er there." One of the archers mocked.

The soldier laughed and grabbed a young girl by the wrist.

"What's yer name, miss? Spit it out, 'fore I let ya have a good one, like yer friend 'ere."

She couldn't have been any older than 16. Lavi immediately recognized her.

"Rei." The girl said simply.
"Good girl. Come along, then. We've got something special fer ya." He grinned as he began to pull her away.

Rei screamed and pulled against him as he tried to leave with her. The guard yelped as she nearly pulled his shoulder out of place, and he called for help. The other guard smashed the back of her head with the hilt of his sword. She went limp.

All Lavi could do was watch in helpless terror.

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Ajin punched a nearby tree over and over until his knuckles were bloodied by the splinters. For nearly ten minutes, he cried out the name of his older sister, Rei. She was supposed to stay by the lake and wait for him. She was supposed to hide if any humans approached. She wasn't supposed to be taken with the others. Siras and Feras looked on and watched their friend take out his rage on the tree.

"Are you done yet, Ajin?" Siras asked quietly.
"My sister is gone, Siras! She wasn't supposed to go with them! For all we know, she could be dead!"
"This serves no purpose. Let us find the humans who took her and make them suffer. We must not waste our time attacking trees. Evil trees did not take your sister."

Ajin lowered his hands and turned to the twins. Even through his blinding anger, he could see that Siras was right. Even still, Ajin could not help but feel a growing dread in the pit of his stomach. His sister was taken along with the others. If she was still alive, he did not doubt that there would be atrocities against her and his kin.

"We will find those who took my sister. We will find them, and we will peel the skin from their limbs until they beg us for death. When that time comes, Siras, I will be the one to grant them that favor."

Siras turned with a grin and lept into the trees. The three of them would soon become heroes.

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"How dare you give aid to those we've been fighting for over half a millenium!? What good can possibly come of this, Delos!?" Leyon roared.

Vincent frowned and rose from his throne.

"Sir Leyon, you will not address my advisor in this manner! I demand-"
"Please, your highness." Delos interrupted. "I feel that Sir Leyon's questions should be answered."

The soldiers hoisted Leyon to his feet and Delos approached him.

"We have devoted our lives to warring against humans. You ask me what good will come of helping them, yet I must ask you what good has come from the fighting? Nothing has been achieved. This is why I feel that it is my duty to unite humans and werewolves together. Think of it, Leyon: we will be like gods amongst insects!"

Leyon's eyes darkened. It was about power. The humans' insatiable thirst for power had begun to plague the minds of elders. Who knew who else might have been enticed by the empty promises King Vincent might have made?

"We will fight alongside King Vincent's armies. We will defeat all who oppose him. In exchange, he will give us land and wealth that can eclipse even your life's accomplishments, Leyon."
"So that is the proposal, is it? The Werewolf race will become little more than the king's dogs? Nothing more than weapons to be used against all who resist this all-powerful boy!?"

Delos gave a disappointed frown. Even a brilliant tactician like Leyon could not see the benefits of such a life.

"And what of the other villages!? Surely you don't expect us to fight our own kind!?" Leyon asked desperately.

Delos shook his head in genuine sorrow.

"We will destroy all who oppose King Vincent, even if it means killing our own kind. Surely a warrior like yourself can understand this, Leyon?"
"No, Delos. Unlike you, I am a servant to my people, not to my enemies. How can you be so blind!? You are a prophet!"

Vincent stared at Delos in shock. Even he didn't know that the Werewolf elders could fortell the future.

"Is this true, Delos?" He asked.
"Yes, this is true."

Vincent sat down on his throne and grinned. He had a prophet! There would be no telling what glory he could gain from the knowledge Delos could give him.

"Is there a prophecy? Why have you not told me of this before?" He fired.
"In due time, my king. I am sorry to say that I am unable to decipher what I have heard in my dreams."

Leyon looked back at Delos in curiosity. The room went silent as the question became apparent: What was the prophecy?

Even Leyon was overwhelmed with curiosity as he listened to elder Delos' words:


The stars of the Gemini shall be split in twain,
The blood of the moon shall fall,
Mixing with the corpses of a dead race,
And a great warrior shall be born




to be continued....