Lizbeth stared down at the road threading in between the dense jungle all ahead of her, standing over a wall made from an amalgamation of trees and stone herself, behind her a large forest lay with many lights and hand-made roads.

To either side of her, lines of officials stood waiting, as well as Dell, Lune and Gale amongst them. Each of the four recruits held an expression of sadness and guilt, an expression that darkened when the first signs of Zarkon's forces began coming around into sight. Caravan after caravan they approached the wall, when the figure to Lizbeth's left bellowed out.

"Cres'Lune welcomes you, warriors-no, heroes!" She announced and the crowd that had formed behind the wall echoed out in a roar of joy. "Open the gate!" Shouted the woman, and the brambles began clearing up a path through, reconnecting the road.

Standing tall and straight, an aura of command surrounding her. Her face, eyes and hair, a carbon copy of Lizbeth's, if only older. "I welcome you back home, nephew." She said to Zarkan as he paused his mount before the gate.

Just barely meeting her gaze, Zarkon sneered. "Yes, thank you auntie." Then turning to Lizbeth and nodding, "Cousin, we missed you on the battlefield. Where perhaps did you go? Lost your way did you? That way is east young one, you went west."

At his words, the wall and the crowd fell quiet, confused.

"My my, Zarkon, perhaps we can speak privately-" Lizbeth's mother began to say.

"Elise. Shut the fuck up." Zarkon then snapped, stepping off his mount, he gripped his blade tightly as his body shook. "I should cut you, cowards, down where you bloody stand." A dark aura began emanating from him, and in response, the woman's aura also turned eerie.

"But alas, our enemies have made their move. We need each other, nephew." Elise mused with a smile.

A moment of cold silence went by as the two stared each other down, till suddenly Zarkon appeared standing before Elise, fangs bared. "Cross me, one more time, auntie. And I'll have not just yours, but your entire branch's guts spread out across the fucking roads." His vicious eyes glaring deep into hers, "I am the Alpha, do not forget that, less you wish to challenge me here and now."

More silence followed, as an air of frigid expectation filled both crowds of Lycans.

"Betas do not challenge their Alpha," Elise then said, lowering herself into kneeling before Zarkon. "I do not challenge your authority, Zarkon, I simply made the choice of survival for our people. If you fault me for this, then take my head this moment."

At her words, Lizbeth's expression paled, feeling her throat going dry as she glanced at Zarkon's clenched hand and the blade it held, then his furious eyes.

She could tell, he wanted to behead her mother, it seeped out of his very eyes.

The intent to kill flowing out of him was drowning her, washing over her senses like a vicious wave.

"No." Zarkon then mused, his eyes narrowing as they turned to face Lizbeth, making her stomach sink. "I do not blame you, you were not there, but this little one...I will not let this go." He then turned to the other recruits, "Your cowardice will not be looked over, each one of you four, will be punished." Before turning back to Elise, "And no, I do not accept the guilt they feel of abandoning their comrades, as enough."

Suddenly Zarkon stepped off the wall, landing with a heavy blast, his knees barely buckling underneath him. "Come forth, all four of you!" He exclaimed, his voice rumbling through the city.

"You wouldn't." Elise whispered under her breath, as Lizbeth shook next to her, her own eyes wide with fear. Not even her mother could protect her from the Alpha's wrath and she knew it.

As Del stepped up first, and seeing him shaken too, it did not help the other three follow up. One by one the one trainee and three recruits stepped off the wall, landing to the ground before it on their knees.

And they remained on their knees, shaking as Zarkon's aura engulfed them. "It is our law, that those who have been wronged, should be the ones doing the punishing."

Each of the younglings paled at his insinuation, fearing to be struck down by Zarkon at any moment, they could not get themselves to stand.

Every lycan on the wall, is under mother's paws but...

Lizbeth thought, as she then glanced at the army before her.

All outside, and within the wall, follow the Alpha...It can't...It can't end here!

And all watched as Zarkon turned to giving them his back, his gaze going over his gathered forces.

Al-All of them?...No...No I can't...I can't take them all on!

Lizbeth realised, her heartbeat racing now as her breathing avidly attempted to keep up.

I can't...I can't let it end here! Why? Why did I run?

She asked herself, as silence befell everyone there. For long moments, all went quiet, all but one voice.

"Thorn...Gula...Gerick..." The names whispered out from the caravans, as a figure stepped out into view.

"Thorn...Gula...Gerick." The voice said, as each of the younglings raised their heads to find its source.

Seeing the source then coming to stand next to Zarkon. "Seiki Snowtail, you who now speaks for the Dragon Princess, I trust I can leave these four to you?"

Confusion filled the crowd, and the younglings, as Lizbeth could feel the grin forming over her mother's face.

She....She can't take all four of us on?

Lizbeth realised, a small sliver of hope forming in her chest.

When Seiki's eyes met hers, no longer a pale blue like she remembered them. Instead a golden fury glared back at her, a pure yet vicious-looking set of reptilian irises she only knew from one person.

Speaks...Speaks for...the princess? Erika?

"Thorn...Gula...Gerick..." Seiki's tone turned to hatred as her gaze spanned the four. "You abandoned them, they died where you should have. A thousand times more courageous than any one of you will ever be. Yet they can never breath again. Why? Tell me, you bastards, why?"

Lizbeth then noticed movement to her right, as Lune stood up tentatively, "Come on... Seiki, we've known each other for how long? You can't be serious abou-"

Not another comprehensible word left Lune's mouth, as Seiki's form blurred into lightning, crashing into where Lune stood and sending her soaring back into the wall of trees.

The sound of bones breaking and crunching from the collision resounded across the crowd, joined a pained grunt, then silence. Three feet deep into the wall of bark was Lune, unconscious and broken, she made not another sound.

As where she once stood was now Seiki, electricity running down her body as her eyes flared a golden blaze.

Her fists clenching up as she unsheathed two finely sharpened daggers, her hard cold gaze moved from Del, to Lizbeth, then to Gale. "By Alpha Zarkon's authority, and through the will of my mistress, Eriveas Draconia. I judge you."

"Stand and fight."