Even the warm, gentle breeze caressing my scales didn't dissipate the intense fear, strong enough to cause my insides to squirm and my blood to feel like a thick soup. -"Come on Kellis, remember your training. Pull yourself together."

Years of my clan's special training finally kicked in, keeping my mind focused even as body rebelled against it.

A few minutes ago, a blood-curdling roar, the likes I had never heard or could imagine, caused me to scream in fear as I fell to the floor and protectively wrapped myself around my newborn.

Though if anyone saw me in my current state, they would call me a coward and a weakling I had little doubt if they had heard what I had, they would be little more than a quivering wreck.

That wasn't to say I didn't lose my senses for a while, the moment they returned I checked my newly hatched daughter and almost cried in relief that I hadn't hurt her in my moment of weakness.

My heart soared, only to come crashing down as I remember the situation I was in, as I watched her burrow deeper into her temporary nest of rags, trying to hide from whatever had made the terrifying noise and sought comfort from my presence.

A cold chill crept down my spine as my thought about the situation we found ourselves.

Unlike my daughter, I knew what had made the noise and what it meant for us.

I cradled her closer, cursing myself and the idiot who had placed the trap that had broken my leg. If I weren't so exhausted from my escape, I would never have fallen for such a pathetic thing.

While my race, the Rakorn, wasn't considered the strongest of the sentient beings, due to our hardiness and rapid reproduction, there wasn't a significant species on this side of the continent that we genuinely feared.

Even with that being said, we never entered open waters or cross one of the many landbridges to the other landmasses. As far as we knew, this was the safest place in this world as those that had left to explore never returned.

That was until the White Reaper appeared.

Our expedition started out so well. We had captured a small hunting group, they called themselves humans, and while they proved to be weak for a new species, they were extremely adaptable and held a huge amount of potential as slaves or even, for the stronger ones, allies.

Then one day, one of our scouting parties vanished. They had been sent to secure our flanks as we headed in the supposed direction of the human nest. We had expected some losses and so, without much thought we had carried on thinking they had succumbed to the areas, natural predators.

A few days later, our vanguard confirmed the location of the human nest with our Mindcrafters before disappearing without a trace. Our Karn, worried about the implications of this, slowed down the march and assigned more warriors to the watch.

It didn't help.

The next morning, a mysterious voice resonated in everyone's minds, revealing a rhyme which, due to the intent and emotions that flowed with it, was seen a thinly veiled threat.

While most of us tried to ignore the display of power, having reached the minds of over two thousand Rakorn at the same time, and laughed it off as a lousy hoax, it was clear that the Karn and his men didn't feel the same way.

Our delusions died as we passed the funeral pyres of the previous nights watch, their mutilated remains stacked high before they were given their final rights and their ashes returned to the earth.

Whatever creature the voice belonged to, it was something that we couldn't take lightly and so; hunting parties were formed to sweep the path ahead of us, making sure we didn't fall into any ambushes.

It wasn't even an hour before the first survivors started returning. They told tales of a single, spiked, white creature that tore through them with ease, shrugged off magic and liquidised any Mindcrafter stupid enough to attempt a link.

While the descriptions varied, a few things remained constant.

The creature hit the hunters with speed and stealth, most of their comrades falling before the alarm was raised or, something that sent a chill down my spine, that the beast would almost toy with them, similar to a land Drake. It seemed to be experimenting as it hunted, adapting and changing its strategies and, to our horror, growing more powerful and cunning by the hour.

The Karn was quick to point out that, because there were survivors, it wasn't as deadly as the stories suggested as well as it appeared to be a youngling, learning and growing but it did little to ease our fears. The excitement that we had held in the hope of obtaining slaves, honour and the spoils of war, all but vanishing.

It only got worse as not long into the second day, the Cult of the Hunter announced that, even when the Karn threatened them with death, they would be returning to our capital. They preached that the expedition was against the will of the Great Hunter and so was cursed.

Not willing to weaken his forces any further, the Karn let them go, but even as we mocked them for their cowardice, also going far enough as to question what the Great Hunter would think of them for running away, I could see in my comrade's eyes the doubt that I also felt.

The fear of the unknown, dishonourable creature, which had even been brazen enough to kill a captain in the middle of the camp and leave his head on a spike, slowly eating away at our sanity.

The next group of survivors to return to us weren't so lucky. Even before they got to our formations, they were rounded up and quickly executed.

The Karn stated that this was because, due to their weakness, they had fled the creature and left their brothers and sisters to die needlessly.

It was apparent that this was an excuse, his attempt stopping the stories while creating an equal presence that we should fear but it didn't work. Instead, we saw the first signs of weakness from our leader and the Warband continued to fall apart.

A stabbing pain flared from my broken leg, breaking me from my thoughts, as I used one arm and my good leg to push myself away from where the roar had originated.

I cursed the day I signed up with the Karn.

I was twenty summers old and, much to the despair of my tribe, none of my eggs had been blessed with the gift of life. As tradition dictated, I was seen as expendable and required to prove my worth through a trail of blood to remain.

That my stomach was large with egg didn't concern me as, just like the ones before it, I was sure it would slowly rot as I kept it warm. However, much to my surprise, a week ago, my beautiful baby daughter hatched.

I finally had what I had always wanted, and my bloodline was secure. I quickly pleaded my case to the Karn and was removed from my squad and allowed to take up a less taxing position. It was a shame that it had happened so late in our journey. It was too far to return alone and so, with little else to do; I helped with the cooking and preparation of the camp.

The fact that I was one of the few females, one that had proven to be fertile as I had my daughter, drew a lot of interest from the males, but I ignored their advances. It wasn't uncommon for my kind to eliminate the offspring of others, especially young mothers, so they would ovulate faster and reduce the competition for their own young.

The arrival of the White Reaper ended what should have been one of the happiest times of my life, quickly turning it into a nightmare. Our numbers dwindled, our warriors and mages killed without honour or respect. Slaughtered like fodder.

Realising the direction that things were going, I used my body to win the affection of one of the Warband lieutenants and stayed within the centre of the camp, trying to keep a low profile.

It didn't save me.

With so many of our scouts killed or missing, and the prospect of the mission failing, the Karn called together all of the Shadowblenders, which included me, and gave us our orders.

Thankfully it wasn't to hunt the White Reaper but, at least to me, it was equally bad. I was to leave my daughter with the supplies and launch a daring raid on the human nest while our forces kept them busy.

Murmurs of discontent, because we had such a distasteful job, was quickly quashed as it was revealed that our abilities apparently didn't work on the Reaper and so, without the psychic skills, strength or magic of our kin, we would be helpless before him and that was who we would face if we disobeyed. That or we would be executed.

I don't know if it was my new maternal instincts kicking in, but I was disgusted with the Karn's plan. Not only was it dishonourable but if the human females felt anywhere near as protective as I was to my child, they would tear us apart the moment we located them.

An old Rakorn had spoken up, the scars of his many battles littering his skin. He proposed a theory that, even though it seemed unbelievable, was possible. What if the creature had not somehow been trapped inside the barriers when the humans arrived. What if, in fact, it was a human outlier? What if the group they had captured had been sent on a trial of blood as they were seen as too weak to bother with?

No one responded, many going to try and rest for the upcoming battle. However, the Rakorn's words helped me make up my mind.

I couldn't take the risk.

With the Warband, especially the way things were going, my fate was sealed. I would take my daughter and leave. At least that way, I might have a chance.

I knew that if I were caught, by either the humans or even my kind, it was likely that I would be killed without mercy but, after analysing the facts and praying to the Goddess, I knew it was the right choice and so, in the dead of night, I made my escape.

I used my stealth ability, trying to conceal my daughter as best as I could, as it only affected my scales and the magic cloak I wore, and ran in the opposite direction of the forces sent to ambush the Reaper. I was forced to skirt the many supply camps that had been set up for our return, the Karn expecting the humans to retaliate, as I headed towards my ancestral lands.

Stifling a sob as tears stung my eyes, I tried to flex my broken leg a bit, the painful, tingling sensation setting my nerves on edge.

Instead of saving my daughter, I had delivered her to her death.

Ideas raced through my mind but, without any aid, I couldn't see any realistic way that I could ensure her survival.

I thought about burying her but knew that although the Reaper might not be interested in such a small being, she would starve or be found by scavengers.

The idea of trying to call out to the few Rakorn I had avoided was also quickly rejected. They would be unlike to help as she was too young to be of use and not of their blood.

I had even thought about what I would do if humans stumbled across us, thinking that maybe the cuteness of my daughter would trigger some protective instincts like it did in other species.

The restrained sobs of ever-growing despair caused my chest to jump but, as if they were never there, they vanished when a low, rumbling growl shook my soul.

Even though I knew it was hopeless, I continued to push myself back. If we were to die here, then I would die with no regrets having expended every available opportunity to save her.

Movement caught my attention, white spikes rising over the ridge of the hill before a head, and the rest of a body appeared. For the first time in my life since I had stepped upon the path of being an adult, I accidentally emptied my bladder.

We had referred to it as a Reaper, giving it the name White Reaper, even if we didn't know if it was a standard colour of its species, due to the feelings and emotions that were carried over with the foreign words when it spoke to our minds.

Though I knew that the beast represented an unstoppable eventuality, death, it did not prepare me for what I saw.

Forcing myself to resist the urge to curl into a ball and play dead, if only for my daughter's sake, I studied the horror as it slowly made its way down the slope.

Though I could see no eyes, it's head never stopped looking in my direction giving it an eerie, unnatural feeling.

Once again, I thanked father for the training he bestowed upon me. I doubted a warrior or mage would have been able to keep their wits about them under this pressure. I started analysing the Reaper, trying to find anything that might help me.

Strangely, even though it was covered in dried gore, I could not smell the creature. I open the nearly invisible holes, just to the side of my nose, and try to sense its body temperature, an excellent way to predict movements but was shocked when I could see no change. The creature seems to have the same body temperature as the cold surroundings. -"Impossible."

Clicking my tongue to create a wave of sound, a skill I had inherited from my mother, I was once again shocked that no echo returned. I felt my pupils shrink as I realised something else.

It was making no noise.

If it weren't for that fact that I could see it, I would have doubted what my eyes were seeing.

My body violently shook, ignoring the signals from my brain telling it to calm down, as my arms wrapped protectively around my daughter.

"Just what in the name of the Three are you?" I mumbled, not expecting an answer.

Even though the Reaper was walking slowly, carefully observing me, deep down, I knew that trying to fight or run, even if my leg wasn't broken, was pointless. I was well within its kill zone.

The unnatural grace the Reaper moved with, the stance that was always prepared to react along with the spikes that slowly rose and fell, probably with his breathing, revealed that this wasn't just a mear preditor. Like the mighty water dragons, this was a King of his domain. An apex predator that lived for the hunt.

Though I couldn't hear anything, each time the Reaper's clawed feet touched the ground, I felt as if thunder had erupted and imagined it to be akin to the sound of my approaching doom.

I felt my instincts taking over as I started to crawl backwards again, knowing it was useless but at the same time, I needed to do something.

I didn't get very far.

Before I could even blink, the creature flickered and appeared before me.

Strangely I could now sense the Reaper with my heat vision, the heat pooling around his legs and core and, without a doubt, knew that the Reaper had some powerful abilities. The heat was probably generated by his muscles with his rapid movement.

Not that I could contemplate much in my current state.

The Reaper's foot came crashing down, pinning my leg to the ground painfully, as it continued to eyelessly stair at me.

A cry of pain escapes my lips, but I quickly seal them and resist the urge to try and pull my leg away. While all I want to do is run and hide, the fact that my daughter and I are not already dead gives me some hope.

Some creatures do not prey on the weak and injured. Maybe this was one of them. There was also the saying that amongst the great predators of the wasteland if you survived the initial encounter, your chances shot up incredibly. -"I can do this."

Fragile words that I didn't even believe but what other option did I have.

"So~." The cold voice pounds my mind, feeling heavy and foreboding. "What are you doing here, Mother Lizard?"

My mouth opened and closed a few times, my body struggling to form the words I wanted to say.

Forcing myself to calm down, the fear that the Reaper generated making my insides feel like a bowl of worms, I tried to take some deep breaths.

Surprisingly, the Reaper tilted its head and waited patiently.

"We have come here to ca-"

"No. I know why your kind has come," the voice echoed in my mind, but unlike the Reaper's appearance, I couldn't feel any hostile intent with his words. "Why are you here?"

Even though the feelings projected by the voice were not aggressive, they still caused me to whimper, the ultimate humiliation for a Rakorn, and pull back slightly.

Silence returned as the creature's featureless face continued to meet mine and even if it had no eyes, I felt as if it's gaze was boring into my soul causing me to shrink back even further.

"Fine, if you think you can do better," hissed the voice, confusing me.

-"Shit, it's lost its mind." Hope and fear collided. If the creature had indeed fallen into madness, then as well as being incredibly dangerous, there was a chance it might just let me go.

"Look lizard," An angry, feminine voice joined the masculine one in my mind. "We want to know why you are running with a child and avoiding the other Rakorn."

Startled by the new voice, I search around before realisation hit me.

The Reaper wasn't alone, and with its abilities to avoid detection, if I couldn't see them, I wouldn't know they even existed. The one in front could just be a distraction, the rest circling me in case I tried anything.

My body trembled.

Pack hunters like the wolves and raptors, that were exterminated quickly by my people, especially the intelligent ones, were the most dangerous foes. Without having seen it in combat, I could only guess, but my instincts screamed that I would be better facing a pack of raptors than the solitary creature in front of me.

"Ha, I at least got her to talk," rumbled the first voice. "You got silence."

The second voice huffed, dismissing the first. "Listen! If you want to live, answer my question."

I steadied my beating heart and tried to make sense of the situation.

Even though things might initially seem worse for me, it appeared that the Reapers were not on friendly terms and so, the hope that had been slowly building, continued to grow as a plan started to form in my mind.

But for it to work, I would need more information. I couldn't just ask the Reapers so; I would need to try and observe their reactions as I told them my story.

"I didn't expect my egg to carry life and so when my daughter hatched, my priorities changed. I was too far to return home, so I stayed, but once they asked me to leave my daughter at camp and infiltrate the human nest, I decided that even if it made me an enemy of the Karn and his tribe, I would leave. I needed to protect my daughter, and I felt that if I did that, we would both die."

Though it was short, I told the truth. I wasn't willing to test if this Mindcrafter could distinguish between truth and lies.

"Really?" The voice sounded surprised and slightly disappointed. "So you took your daughter into an area where a creature was slaughtering your kind thinking it was safe? Either you think very little of me or you are stupid."

Lowering my head, a sign of submission, I reduced my voice and tried to add as much reverence as I could. Though I couldn't tell anything from its body language, his words had given me a clue to the creature's personality.

"No White Reaper, even though you fight without honour, your prowess on the battlefield is well respected and rightfully feared. I believed that you would be busy killing those sent to ambush you and ignore an insignificant weakling like myself."

I didn't want to seem too false, so I made sure to criticise him at the start and follow it up with compliments.

I had learnt from the best.

Though in Rakorn society the males officially ruled, that was only because the dominant females let them and, no one knew how to manipulate men like my mother.

I expected either anger, bemusement or happiness but when I received nothing, not even a slight shift in the Reapers weight, I was forced to look up.

Disappointment fills me as I realise that not only did my attempt fail but it had been seen through.

I release a light, depressed hiss. -"What is my honour worth if I can't protect my daughter. It looks like I have no other choice."

"Oh great Reaper, I wish to make you an offer?"

The white face tilted more, looking extremely strange but suggesting it was waiting for me to continue.

"I offer you my mind, body and soul in exchange for my daughter's life and a promise that you will find a place where she has a good chance to survive."

I wasn't naive to think that it would let me live and I knew from the rumours that it feasted on Rakorn flesh. My only hope was to try and tempt it with the possibility of a willing plaything for something that could be achieved easily. Especially if he intimidated whoever he found into making sure she was safe.

Before I could even flinch, I was being held in the air by a clawed hand that had wrapped itself around my neck. I had forgotten the incredible speed the Reaper possessed.

"Noble. So you are willing to sacrifice everything you are for your young." The voice paused, allowing the breeze to fill the deafening silence. "But let me ask you this. What are you offering that I don't already have?"

I blinked in confusion, ignoring the irritated sigh of the second voice, followed by grumbling, before realising what the Reaper meant.

It was right; I was at the Reaper's mercy already. I had nothing to offer if I was to be used in a similar fashion to the women the male Rakorn captured but considered not good enough to keep.

It wasn't like I could escape with my broken leg and, like a moron, I had just revealed that I was willing to do anything for my daughter.

My saliva felt thick in my mouth as I tried to wet my cracked lips and attempted to steady my voice. "Some things are more enjoyable when given willingly."

I tried to make the hiss-like sound as seductive and submissive as possible, hoping that the masculine feeling the first voice gave was correct and I might appeal to his natural urges.

It wasn't uncommon for species to mix, both through mutual acceptance or slavery and, even though I couldn't see anything that would indicate the creature in front of me was capable of normal reproduction, at this point I was willing to try anything. I couldn't help but pray that this wasn't one of those parasite-like species, but I placed my fate into the hands of the Gods.

I was still clutching my daughter with one hand, the other had been holding the wrist connected to the hand that was wrapped around my neck, but I let it drop to my side.

While I was hoping it would be perceived as an act of submission and acceptance, I was preparing for the worst case scenario as I pointed my fingers and elongated my nails.

If this failed, then I would die as a proud Rakorn mother should, protecting her young until the threat lay dead, or she did.

I had little doubt about what the outcome would be but at least I would die with honour.

The Reaper's head moved back at my response, and after a few moments, I thought I heard a light rumbling sound.

I blinked. It was a sound I had heard from some of the other species. It was often one that was used to signify amusement or joy.

The rumbling sound stopped and the Reaper seemed to take a deep breath. "Sorry, not in the mood."

"Can we end this farce already?" hissed the second voice, the perceived meaning of her words causing me to shiver in dread.

"It doesn't have to be now. I can follow you until you tire of me. As long as my daughter finds safety, I will do anything you ask without complaint."

The creature's chest rose sharply before a hiss of air escaped between its serrated teeth and, completely against my expectations, the Reaper seemed to deflate a bit.

I was lowered to the floor, and with a surprising amount of carefulness and put into a sitting position.

"So, this feeling is linked to the memories, right? The ones you are blocking?"

The anger in the tone of the second voice dropped significantly. "Yes and no. Let's face it, the moment that you knew she was a mother and was willing to do anything to protect her child, we were never going to kill her unless she was a threat. This is just who we are. This is why I told you to just kill them quickly. Loose ends."

The Reaper sighed again, the spikes running down his back and tail lowering slightly before he turned and started to move off. "You know, just because you are a woman doesn't mean you always have to be right."

"Wait," The sound of my own voice shocked me as I stopped the Reaper from leaving, something that I thought would have made me jump for joy.

Though I didn't understand most of what they had been talking about, it seemed that this creature in front of me had powerful paternal instincts and respected my devotion to my child.

Half of me wanted to scream that I was mad but the other half knew this was the best chance I would get. Without aid, I would still die here. In fact, the quick death offered my the Reaper might be considered a blessing compared to what might find me and my daughter. "If you leave me here, after putting me through so much stress, you would be killing me. Not directly, but the result will be the same."

"Do you think with how many of your kind we have killed that two more deaths would matter to us?" responded the feminine voice, however, even though I could tell she was annoyed, she also sounded resigned.

The Reaper turned drawing my attention away from looking for the other one. "What's your daughter's name?"

I couldn't resist smiling. Only respected enemies and those that could mean something to you were worthy of wanting to know their names. It was considered one of the first bonds that could be formed.

"Kariss, daughter of Kallis."

In a sweeping motion, I was picked up, along with my daughter in a matrimonial carry and, without another word, the Reaper moved towards the rising sun.

"You are going to want to hurry if we want to see any action." The voice sniggered as the Reaper started to jog. "Not that we aren't being offered any here."

"Thank you," I whispered, cradling my daughter to my chest as I rested my head on his cold, hard chest, surprised to discover that my fear had all but evaporated. -"I wonder if its a projected ability?"

"I will serve you well for the rest of my life, no matter how short you decide it to be. All I ask is that you keep my daughter safe." My eyelids drooped, I was thoroughly exhausted after my flight and the recent terror.

"No." the voice seemed to recoil from me.

-"Have I found a weakness?"

"I cannot be bothered to take care of you or Hope. I will take you somewhere that you will be safe."

"Hope?" My sleepy brain was confused at the strange word.

"The name you gave your daughter?"

"Hope," I repeated the word, finding it to my liking as I realised the strange word and sensations projected from the Reaper were very similar the Rakorn word Kariss. The desire to see another rising sun.

As culture dictated, if I allowed another to name my daughter they would gain a status equal to that of the parent, and the responsibilities that came with it.

It was actually a good thing too. Believing I couldn't conceive, I didn't pay much attention to those I had paired with and without a father, she would face a lot of danger. Now I had abandoned the Warband, I couldn't see the priests help identify who it was and would need to either return to my clan quickly or find a guardian.

I felt my lips crease into a smile. With a protector and teacher as strong as the Reaper, my daughter's future was all but secured. She might even reach the ranks of Karn with his backing. She could even grow enough to attract him or one of his kind as a mate.

"Hope, daughter of Kallis and the White Reaper." the words left my lips as I felt the warmth of the sun warming my scales. It seemed I would be proving my mother wrong. I wasn't worthless. Even in the worst possible situation, I had turned it around to the benefit of my daughter.

The Reaper stumbled, his arms momentarily tensing as his head swept down to look at me as the feminine voice howled with unrestrained laughter.

Even though he was still terrifying, I smiled back. I couldn't afford to offend my daughter's guardian. Especially if, when I was recovered, I wanted him to teach me how to become stronger.

One did not waste the opportunities the Gods had gifted.