“For how long, Wildebeest? Was our battles a mere test of my own aptitude, a mockery?” Lady Hammer demanded.

Grusha shook her head. “No. I am apex at a cost. My body is not yet ready for such raw power, and Wildebeest hungers for power. For now, I am not ready to let Wildebeest rein my actions.”

“You speak of Wildebeest in third person, Grusha. I thought Wildebeest was you, am I wrong to draw that conclusion?” Aput said.

She nodded.

“Wildebeest was my voice, my guide. Until the day you conflicted with the command of Wildebeest, demanding that I show compassion. That was the first time I ignored her voice.”

“And eternally grateful for that I am, Beast. I solemnly swear to repay in full for that compassion.” Hammer beat her chest.

Grusha huffed. “I believe that debt has already been evened out, dragging me along wherever you’ve gone despite being out of my senses. You’ve saved me more times than I could care to count without a doubt.”

A thought crossed Grusha’s mind, realizing that she had accrued a debt that was unbelievably large. The thought made her reflect on how much she had to work to pay it all off.

“I will end it.” Grusha said solemnly.

Lady Hammer leaned forward. “End what?”

“Cavalry, they’ve destroyed many families. No. I destroyed so many families, killing all in the name of Cavalry and my own supremacy.”

Hammer and Aput exchanged glances.

“Wildebeest, if that is what remains true in your heart, you have the trusty aid of my bracered arm and Pegasus in hand. We will leave our mark that will be told in legends, generations will laud songs of our names in chambers and homes.”

Grusha grinned.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. But I must do something, and this is the best I can come up with.”

Aput jumped to his feet, Grusha and Hammer heads whipped around southwards. A loud boom exploded from over the horizon, followed by an ear shattering shrill that pierced their eardrums.

“Vultures.” Grusha said.

“Then the Foundation is after us.” Hammer concluded.

Aput was baffled. “But that wouldn’t make any sense, we’ve been here for over a year. We’ve done nothing to gain their attention.”

“We’re not safe here anymore, as soon as they find us, hordes of armies will stop at nothing to hunt us down till we drop dead.” Grusha explained.

“Any chance to hide from them?” Aput asked.

A loud screech in the air from several giant birds sent buzzards and critters scattering, shadows in the distance grew in size. Large birds the size of a Boeing flapped horrendous wings through the air, black long talons with toes that could wrap around a bus and crush a tank stretched beneath their underbelly. Yellow long beaks were chipped, serrated to tear through the toughest of materials. Two drones flew side by side with the several birds.

“Not a chance at all.” Lady Hammer concluded. “Aput, take our Agatha. Leave this to Beast and I.”

He jumped into the camper, towing the car that was attached behind it along with it. As he drove away, he yelled his concern back at Hammer.

“Make it back in one piece, Enyo.”

She fisted her chest. “Aye! There will be tales to share upon my return.”

A puff of dirt was kicked up from the receding camper, leaving Grusha and Hammer alone together. Hammer strolled calmly to her warhammer that stood straight up near the campfire from, her helm was atop the handle, she put her gear on and whipped around. Her cape swooned in the morning desert breeze, she held her warhammer outright towards the creatures that travelled unbelievable speeds for their size.

“Are you at the ready beast for another bout?”

Grusha popped her neck. “I’ve been stiff for six years, it would take me a minute.”

Silky long dark hair that danced in the air stiffened, forming her long quills that stretched from her entire backside. There was more hair than she remembered ever having, but this was not a hindrance in the least bit. Her jawline stretched and hardened, forming thick creases between her joints. Limbs lengthened and twisted into beast shapes, and her back hunched over as she dropped onto all fours. Eyes glowed a bright red, ready for its first taste of blood after a long time.

“Shall I have the honor?” Hammer asked.

“Let’em have it!” Grusha roared in the air.

The shrills from the vultures had been overshadowed by the roar that Grusha made, sending all lifeforms in several miles radius running in fear. Even the vultures hesitated in their flight, the animals have never met another beast as intimidating as themselves, much less so one that was more so.

Hammer spun around and golfed the bulldillo they were eating yesterday towards the giant birds, Grusha latched herself onto the bulldillo and went flying along with it. It spun rapidly, but she still was able to adjust the trajectory to the bulldillo by using her quills like a wing. The birds tried to disperse, but the bulldillo closed in faster than what they could possibly imagine. One of the drones that flew with the birds was knocked out of the sky by the bulldillo.

Grusha was able to jump off at the last moment onto another drone, catching completely by surprise. She hooked onto the wing, driving her arms into it and inching closer to the main body with one piked arm at a time. The drone made desperate maneuvers by doing barrel rolls around in the air, in the hopes to fling her off. That was a mute move, Grusha’s grip stronger than any feeble maneuver. She was able to hook her feet at the top of the cockpit, her fingers dug under that compartment and peeled the dark glass off.

Skorto! This will be more annoying than I hope it to be. She thought.

Underneath was a spherical computer that controlled the drone, an autonomous AI that communicated with whatever location that directed its core orders. Without any other choice, she pierced the contraption. The drones control panel bleeped and blinked red warning lights.

Danger. Danger. Danger. It beeped.

The vultures only now noticed her hopping off of the drone that crashed to the ground, two of the vultures turned their attention towards Grusha. Large gusts from the hideous large wings caused her to miss her mark, sending her pummeling to the ground. Her impact cratered the ground, rolling back onto her four feet, she eyed her flying fiend angrily.

A whooshing warhammer flew overhead and destroyed the third drone that guided the vultures, the last drone came crashing into the ground. The worst of their problems were not taken care of, ten vultures screeched their anger, but instead of scattering in a wild frenzy among themselves, they broke up into four groups. Three flocked around Grusha and another group of three flocked around Hammer, two groups of duos broke off into different directions, one towards Aput and another two verging off to a different direction.

Vultures took turns swooping down at Grusha, slicing sharp that bounced off her thick skin. One stabbed its own talons with several quills, causing it to screech from pain. The quills attached Grusha to the foot of the monstrous bird, despite from the pain the vulture tightened its claw on Grusha. She pressed against the walls of talons that wrapped, and jumped on the other leg high in the air. Talons snapped shut behind her.

Attempting to climb up the breast of the vulture, she attempted to get close to the bird's head. This creature was smarter than others, it understood what Grusha’s goal was and aimed to scrape her off of it by flying close to the ground. Holding on tight, the feather she held onto was ripped off, sending her rolling off and landing on her feet. Tearing off a quill, she lanced it towards the fleeing bird. Her quill penetrated its skull and sent the vulture into a toppling stop, dead in an instant.

Another bird barreled towards, beak wide open and swallowed her whole. Grusha slipped through the slimy throat of the large vulture, she ripped off two more quills and stabbed the walls of flesh. A large vibrating shrill shook the walls of flesh, sending a buzzing feeling that tickled Grusha’s innards. Ripping through the flesh, she escaped from the nastiness of the interior of the bird. Sniffing her arm, she blehed in disgust from the pungent odors unlike anything else she had come across.

The last of the three birds flapped high above in the air in front of Grusha, it was hard to tell if it felt any emotions for its dead comrades, but Grusha could smell the sweat glands protruding the smell of anger and hate.

Kill it! You are alpha. You are apex. Bring down everything that taunts your supremacy!

Grusha growled.

Eyes glowed a bright red, feeling strong emotions of why she hated demis. Being a demi took everything from her, snatching any reason to live and forcing her to be an outcast even among others like her.

Yes. You are not like them. You’re neither human, nor demi.

“I am…” She started.

The bird screeched, wailing loudly in the wind. Her limbs tensed, binding muscles that built up pressure. Blood filled her nostrils, the taste of death tantalized her tastebuds. Then a thought came across her mind.

Ignore it. Wildebeest directed her.

Two, only two went for Aput. The other two veered off, but it was not an aimless direction.

Beasts that cannot defend themselves do not deserve to live.

“What you are telling me is that nothing deserves to live.”

Aput’s voice rang in her ears, snapping her back to her senses. She sprinted a mad dash towards the two birds that veered off to the other direction, a sonic boom was left in her wake as she made a desperate effort to catch up to those two predatory birds.