Black smoke rose with the sun, every building not made of stone crumbled and burnt. Roads covered by blood, limbs and the dead surrounded Anula. Screams erupted in the distance and were silenced while mothers cried for their children who were killed or captured. Anula’s wrists and neck were clasped in cold iron connecting to a chain. She walked behind a chain of beaten and bloody women, ash covering some of their faces. Long chains of the enslaved were dragged along behind bulky, gray creatures, while other chain lines were led by half bulls.

A screaming woman ran past the chain of enslaved trailed by a laughing half breed. He threw his club colliding with her legs, collapsing her to the ground in pain and pouncing on her before she could get to her feet.

“I will break your will to live, while you beg for death.” He whispered into her ear with a sinister smile. Anula watched him drag her roughly across the dirt by her ankle while she kicked, her nails creating furrows in the mud.

“She will be the first releaser of the night!” He shouted jubilantly to his grinning companions when they caught up. With each grabbing an arm, they dragged her to a half wall of stone bending her over its top. They ripped off her dress and one unbuckled his sword belt letting it drop to the ground. Feeling a tug on her chains Anula was pulled forward, averting her gaze while the woman struggled and shrieked in pain.

Thousands walked in chains with their heads down, blood and bruises covering their bodies. Looking ahead into the distance, Anula could see her people moving sluggishly, chains preventing any from escaping.

Exiting the broken city, Anula’s exquisite hearing became a curse. She continued to hear the woman screaming while each half bull had its turn. Other screams arose from the distance and the woods becoming an ambient background while she was led forward.

Anula walked for miles in the sun’s heat without rest, the metal clasps around her neck and hands biting viciously into her flesh. Her path became rocky and soon red with blood from those ahead who’s bare feet found sharp rocks. Lifeless bodies littered the ground, limps broken in awkward angles, reminding her and the enslaved of minotaur cruelty. A small ember began to burn in her gut with anger seeing her people herding like cattle and used as useless play things until their purpose fulfilled. An elderly man crawled, crying, his ankles and legs broken. She wanted to help, but her chains pulled her along. A half breed walked up to the man and kicked in his face with an iron boot, laughing as teeth went flying. Anula let out a low growl in frustration, catching the half breeds attention.

“You want to play too?” The half breed stalked forward, stepping on the man’s broken leg and smiling.

A faint horn in the distance went off catching the half breeds attention and a minotaur shouted out, echoed by others.

“We stop for the night. All who cannot stand when the sun rises forfeit their life.”

A minotaur followed the half breeds gaze and placed the tip of his sword to his neck, drawing blood.

“She is King Rurak’s property.” Another minotaur grabbed one of the half breed’s twisted horns, forcing it to the ground.

“Time for a lesson halvras shit.” With a crack, the pure blood snapped off one of the twisted horns and flicked it to the ground before the kneeling half breed whose eyes went wide at the sight.

“Be glade you are not completely hornless, perhaps your clan will still have you.” The half breed was shoved to the ground and the pure bloods laughed, walking away. Anula looked to the half breed which held its broken horn, other half breeds glanced over, then away in disgust at the one horned creature. Clutching its horn, it rose to its feet and walked off into the distance.

Fires appeared along the road followed by the smell of cooking meat. Anula noticed the campfire closest to her where pure bloods skinned a freshly killed deer. She recognized three of the taller pure bloods, their horns ornate and flowing high to the darkening sky. King Rurak and his brothers spoke to other pure bloods motioning to the road and slaves. One eye salivated at the cooking meat, ignoring the king as he spoke. Anula’s ears caught their conversation and she sneered at their words. Rurak stood in his golden armor laughing about the town’s destruction with Goren at his side, his black and red armor a stark contrast to Rurak’s. Goren said little, nodding along laughing about battles and screams of the weak while one eye, recounted his wave of destruction to his legionnaires, snapping a finger and laughing when he mentioned Anula’s fathers’ easy death.

“Draaxxzzz.” Anula whispered, dragging out his name, venom dripping off of each letter. Rage filled her, thoughts of revenge consuming her every thought while she stared at the beast.

Cooked venison filled her nostrils watching them eat their fill, their conversation deafened by her murderous thoughts. A wolf howl in the distance broke through her vision of hate, but minotaur continued their feast ignoring the sound. Another answered the call from somewhere behind her, and she jerked her head to the trees searching the darkness. She was bleeding like many of the others surrounding her, the perfect prey for a hungry wolf, desperate for a meal. Anula noticed how silent the woods had become, crickets no longer chirped and the call of owls were gone. A blur in the distance caught her eye and she lowered herself to the ground, trying to make herself less of a target. She prodded the girls to her right and left and put a finger to her lips. Worried eyes stared at her confused, when she motioned them to get low to the ground. Anula found a rock and gripped it, the girls finding only small stones. Silence dragged on, pure bloods and half breeds un aware of the pack of wolves that stalked the easy prey from the shadows. Anula kept her eyes on the woods occasionally catching movement or a snap of a twig.

Howls filled the forest causing Anula to shiver while she focusing intently into the darkness.

Half breeds stopped their meal and readied their blades, ready to kill any wolves bold enough to attack.

Anula looked back to the pure blood king and noticed Goren staring at the trees without concern then to the slaves and stopping his gaze on her and the women at her side. He grinned and let his eyes focus into the night again before rising and walking her way. Long moments passed in silence as Goren’s eyes glinted in the moonlight while he tracked the movements of the creatures in the forest.

“Free them.” Goren said motioning in her direction.

A nearby half breed unlocked the clasps of the women beside her, but paused at Anula looking back to Goren who nodded once. Once both clasps were unlocked Anula looked between Goren to the freed women.

“Run, before I change my mind and let them feast on chained prey.”

Without a second thought the women ran off, not looking to Goren for an explanation.

“Are you stupid?” Anula whispered to herself watching the women run.

Two bulky figures appeared in a gray blur, moonlight revealing thick matted hair covering heavily muscled bodies. They covered the distance between the forest edge and the escaping women in a blink, pouncing on them from the shadows. Each woman screamed, as their flesh was ripped from their bone.

Anula froze, wolves the size of half breeds toyed with their meal, reveling in their prey’s pain and feasting.

“Aύok Wolves? But how?” Anula heard Goren whisper behind her. Two more beasts appeared from the shadows lunging towards a chained captive mauling and fighting over the screaming man. Anula forced herself to turn, not wishing to watch another slow death. In the distance she noticed a tall figure on two legs towering over the bi pedal wolves at its side. After a nod, the trees came alive and a horde of lycan rushed from the trees.

~

“They are mindless abominations coming to their slaughter, let us be their butcher this night.” Goren shouted, readying his blades. Wolves ran, some on two legs, while others on all four in a blood thirsty frenzy. Goren stood with the elite guard protecting Rurak, weapons drawn, ready to draw blood. Looking to the sky he noticed the full moon.

“Do not let them take the humans, or they will multiply, the moon is full.” Goren shouted, which was in turn relayed down the ranks of the forming shield wall. Pure bloods fell in line, rectangular iron shields interlocking while half breeds rushed between the openings, weapons brandished and ready.

Gray haired lycan engaged with the half breeds, sharp fangs sinking deep into thick hide of the bulls and horns piercing long, shaggy coats. King Rurak stood surrounded by pure bloods watching the expendable fodder hold off the wave of mindless beasts. Half breeds were plentiful in the lands and not a second thought went through Rurak’s mind as he watched one get torn to pieces by four wolves. Half breed cowards ran from the Aύok wolves and slammed into the iron shields, beating their weapons against the unmovable wall. Leaving them with only two options, to kill, or be killed.

Two elite guards stood on either side of Rurak, their armor black as night with deep red seams. Their horns, thick and sharp with steel tips, both eyed the carnage with no fear. With a nod from Rurak they stepped forward, removing broad swords from their waist and the shield from their back. With their shields in front and the blades ready, they crouched and readied themselves as the last half breed fell and was fed upon by the blood thirsty beasts.

Tension rippled between the shield wall and savage wolves, growls rolling from their snarling, blood dripping jowls.

As one, the Aύok wolves lunged at the shield wall.

Rurak stood encircled by Goren and his elite guards behind the shield wall watching the surge of wolves. Draxz stepped beside Rurak, two double edged battle axes gripped in his scarred hands. Rurak stole a glance at his older brother, he was a primal thing, but his skill in battle was above any in Kreet. Draxz was made for battle and soldiers would follow him to their death when he roared his blood lust battle cry.

“Hold brother, when the line breaks you will have your fill of blood.” Rurak said as Draxz stepped forward, his legionnaires at his side.

Holding strong, the shield wall bashed forward, the sharpened points on the shields puncturing flesh, their blades snaking forward to find a throat or heart. Draxz watched the soldiers in front of him taking life after life effortlessly. He gripped his axe tighter and readied himself, well versed in battle with the wolves. As general of the wolf legion, he specialized in holding off the hordes in the wastelands. He waited, ignoring Rurak’s words, knowing a pack would form and the tactics would change to battle its new threat.

Draxz watched a werewolf jump high into the air, forcing the soldier to raise his shield. Draxz smiled and readied himself, knowing what came next. As the shield rose, catching the descending wolf on the spikes, two shot out and their fangs found the knees of the soldier. Minotaur hide was thick, but the fangs were sharp and their jaws strong. In unison the wolves pulled hard, their fangs ripping flesh and tendons as the soldier fell to the ground in pain. Quickly the downed minotaur was pulled from the line and became another meal for the horde. Before the two soldiers on either side could react, wolves rushed the opening and attacked. Two more minotaur fell and were dragged from the line causing the shield wall to fracture. Grinning, Draxz roared and ran to the opening in the line, his axe sweeping in an arc, catching a wolf in the side before it could attack sending the creature back into its horde in a bloody heap. Without pause, he charged into a pack of wolves, his horns spearing one while sweeping his axes. He sliced through the neck of one wolf, the blade cutting right through flesh and bone then ripped the axe up, colliding into the chest of an air borne attacker. Blood showered Draxz as he pushed forward, his armor preventing claws from finding flesh. He spun, his axes picking up momentum, catching a wolf in the jaw, launching it high into the air.

Draxz sneered at the undisciplined soldiers who let the wall fall behind him. Wolves broke through the formation and ran past shields causing chaos behind the lines. Draxz’s eye narrowed on his brothers, deciding they didn’t need his blades.

~

Rurak and Goren battled side by side, their dual swords complementing each other. Decades of training together formed a bond and their four blades flashed in unison. As Rurak slashed high, Goren thrusted low, Rurak slashed to the right, Goren to the left. A flurry of blades bit at the attackers, fatal wounds ending lives. Wolves rushed them, forcing Rurak to separate from Goren. A claw reached for Rurak’s chest, with a flick of his wrist his blade bit into the arm, cutting it off by the elbow. Blood covered his golden armor as he thrusted his other blade through its chest. He spun, catching another attack in the side while its jaws latched onto his armored leg. Rurak felt the strength of the jaws when they tightened. He hacked at the beast until at last the pressure ceased. Not waiting for him to recover, another wolf lunged, his blade rising just in time to intercept its open maw. Sharp teeth halted at Rurak’s muzzle, bloody drool landing on his nose, its breath fetid with chunks of flesh flying free of its teeth, spraying his face. With a grunt, Rurak pushed forward, the blade slicing the wolf’s jowls. Flesh gave way and the wolf pushed forward, Rurak’s blade cutting through its jaw and into its skull. Blood poured from the snarling creature, its claws exploring his golden armor for a weak point. He removed his other blade stuck in the wolf still latched to his leg. As the sharp teeth reached closer for Rurak’s nose, his freed blade slid into the creature’s heart. With a whimper and final shudder, it died, mouth open, blade embedded into its jaw and skull.

A third wolf lunged.

Rurak caught the motion and raised his gauntlet to protect his neck, leaving the blade in the dead wolf’s mouth. It collided with him, its body lifeless, a double-edged battle axe in its side. Rurak followed its trajectory and noticed Draxz turning in time to catch a wolf midair by the throat with his free hand and plunge his horn into its heart. He threw the dying creature to the side with minimal effort and rushed into another pack of wolves, ignoring their claws and teeth. Rurak breathed deep removing the blades from the dead body. Elite guards flanked him while he pried the jaws from his leg. His armor was dented and his own blood flowed from punctures in the armor once he removed the locked jawed beast from his calf. With a grunt he threw the beast to the side lifting his head up in time to see a lycan push its way through the elites.

Rurak decapitated it effortlessly while the elites finished off the remaining pack members. When another didn’t attack, he looked over his forces. Most of the half breeds were dead, but the pure bloods held strong and were disbanding the enemy. Human prisoners laid dead, some torn from their chains leaving their limbs still in the metal clasps. Rurak’s forces in the distance continued to push the remaining wolves back into the forest. Rurak continued to sweep his gaze over the killing ground and watched Draxz with a small group of pure bloods fight off a large pack near a small group of surviving humans.

“My Lord!” A voice shouted and Rurak snapped his attention to the voice just in time to see a wolf get through a few elites. He raised his swords he went back to killing.

~

Minotaur, lycan and human blood mixed with the mud as the night went on. Screams echoed off the trees and high-pitched whimpers weaved themselves through the sounds of flesh being ripped and torn. Chained human captives cowered, watching their loved ones be devoured, unable to escape or help. To the humans everything was wrapped in a shadow, only along the open road could they see the fierce battle between two blood thirsty races lit up by the full moon. A wolf, no longer distracted by a half breed, locked eyes with a cowering human and growled at its next meal. It closed the distance in a blink, sinking its teeth into its unprotected victim. Shouts of agony followed as fangs pierced and tore through flesh its body twice the size of the captive. It began pulling the man away from the others but the chains held him down by the weight of the other captives. Dropping the bleeding human, it stood up on two legs. Its body covered in thick muscle and matted hair, its legs more canine in appearance, but its torso and arms more human. It looked down with a wolf head and followed the chains from the bleeding captive’s hands to the other human laying down, trying to get away from the dying human. With a swift swipe at the arm, bones snapped, leaving the bloodied arm on the ground. Its teeth sunk back into the bleeding torso and dragged the dying human off into the darkness leaving the remaining captives covered in blood shaking in fear.

Draxz and his legionnaires caught up in his bloodthirsty rampage separated from the tight formation. Use to Aύok wolves and their bites, Draxz plowed forward. His tough hide bled from many places but he felt no pain and neither did his wounded followers. Draxz cleaved the head off of a large wolf and stopped to take in the battle to see where he could spill more blood. His instincts screamed at him that something was amiss and he watched the battle trying to put the pieces together.

Aύok wolves are not so careless, their claws and fangs precise, attacking only vulnerable areas, avoiding armor and weapons. His mind slowly started catching up as he watched three large wolves abandon a fallen halvras and a bleeding human. They run in a straight line and leapt without their usual vigor. They are un disciplined, slow and lethargic. Are these Aύok wolves? Their color and forms right, just their battle prowess and tactics are off. They throw themselves into death. He watched a wolf run right into a sword, not even trying to dodge it.

“But why?” Draxz whispered to himself. He looked over to the Rurak and Goren easily dispatching their every threat.

“To the King, protect the shield wall.” Draxz said pointing his axe. Without a word they ran off to fill the gap, leaving Draxz alone. He stood still watching the battle, his bloodlust calming. Everything was wrong.

“It’s a distraction.” He said looking around the battlefield.

Draxz recalled many battles in the wasteland where his legion reinforced a section where wolves threw seeming endless lives to their death in on one flank, just to have the weakened flank blindsided. It was a chess game he played constantly with Aύok and Lykos in their endless war, but that was on the other side of the mountain.

Which is impassable except through Kreet. Or so we thought.

His eye glided along the forest, his night vision easily piercing the darkness. He looked for signs of a second attack, but the tree line was empty. A scream snapped him from his thoughts and he watched two wolves finish off a lone pure blood protecting Rurak’s new human pets. Draxz watched them pin the minotaur to the ground and tear at its throat till it bled out. Bored with the dead minotaur, they attacked the chained humans. Biting into the closest one, they played a game of tug of war with the screaming man while other slaves attempted to pull away. Draxz charged, reaching the wolves while they tore the human in half. His axe slashed deep into the neck of the unsuspecting wolf, causing the second wolf to drop its meal. Charging forward it leapt at Draxz while he lowered his horns, skewering the wolf on his horns. Momentum of the beast pushed Draxz to the side and he stopped short flicking his head, forcing the wolf to slide off his horns. Draxz slammed his axe down on the skull of the bleeding beast, fangs and blood exploding from its jaw. He looked back to the other wolf to make sure it was dead and then over to Anula. He smiled viciously and looked down at a bleeding man with his chest ripped open. Draxz swept the blade, decapitating the wounded man while staring at Anula’s horrified expression before grinning over to see Rurak and Goren still battling a large host of wolves.

“Time for my reward… for saving your pathetic life.” Draxz said licking his lips as his yellow eye glided up and down Anula. Blood dripped from his axe while he walked towards her, his eye flashing with dangerous hunger.

~

Anula backed up, her back slamming hard against a large boulder still wet with blood from a dead captive. Her grip tightened on a rock she held, barely feeling the pain as its edges sliced into her skin causing her palm to become slick with blood. She prepared herself, lowering into a crouch, right foot against the boulder. She needed to time her attack perfectly to surprise him, then she could escape this nightmare. Draxz stepped closer, his arms out wide with his weapon, limiting the room she had to run. He left himself open for an attack and welcomed it in spite of her being only a few feet shorter. She willed herself to stay steady till he was close, his yellow eye acting as a bullseye, his other eye, white, reflecting off the moonlight, most likely blind with its cloudy appearance. His scarred muzzle curled into a smile, white canines flashing when he spoke.

“My brother won’t stop me this time.”

Faster than Anula expected, Draxz was upon her. His weapon fell to the ground and his right hand found Anula’s throat lifting her off the ground. He smashed her hard against the rock, stealing her breath. Draxz thrashed her against the rock two more times while tightening his grip on her throat. Anula caught a brief breath finally while Draxz was distracted unbuckling his armored trousers. Anula raised her hand to blind him with her rock but her hand was bloody and empty. Fear rose within her and she began to struggle, using up what little air she was able to breathe in. Unbuckled, Draxz looked up, his eye boring into hers.

“The smell of fear is more intoxicating than what I will do.” Draxz growled licking a single tear that fell from Anula’s eye. “This will be fun.” He said savoring the taste.

Anula’s mind raced down a thousand different roads, her eyes darting to the right of Draxz and locked onto Rurak and Goren still fighting over two hundred paces away, her screams would be muddied by the cries of the injured. She hoped one of them would just look over and stop their brother. She would die or worse, be broken beyond repair. She would become nothing but a shell when Draxz was done, if she would survive the encounter. She had watched him in horror use a woman for his pleasure after being captured. He crushed her windpipe, her lifeless eyes settling on Anula while he continued unaware.

Anula’s mind snapped back to the present and her throat burned, she was screaming, her nails digging into the hand tight around her neck.

I am Anula Bakka, daughter of Bakka the Bold! I will not die! Her mind roared.

Her vision starting to darken and she forced herself to go limp, ignoring the burn in her chest.

Draxz finished unlatching his last buckle and looked up as Anula stopped moving. His anger soared and loosened his grip

“Stupid human, think death will stop me from taking what I want? Even in death your body will serve my neeeeeeeds….” Draxz’s voice raising an octave.

Anula fell to the ground hard breathing in deep, forcing a fit of painful coughs. Draxz roared again in protest, spinning around, his back facing her. Anula looked past Draxz to find three humans holding swords, two with blood on their tips.

“Run Anula!” A man shouted from Draxz’s large shadow. Anula coughed up blood and looked up to see her father’s friends. They stood tall with their new swords; chests puffed out.

They will die with as much honor as they can, after shackled and enslaved. She thought standing up watching the men encircle Draxz.

“Let’s go little bull humper.” Ian said with a smile “We each need a new drinking horn so we can have a drink with Bakka the Bold! We may even take your other eye to leave you hornless and blind. What do you say men? Wouldn’t that be a sight to see, a hornless savage blindly crawling around in his own piss and shit begging us to kill him.” He smiled wider and the other two men laughed loudly.

“Aye, a sight I can’t wait to be seein’. I like that horn above tha white eye, I think I’ll take it, since you won’t be needin’ it.” Thom said flashing his teeth pointing his sword towards his future prize.

“Fine, I guess I’ll take the other one, its not very impressive and kind of small, but it will be good for mead regardless.” Andre said cocking his head to the side seeming unimpressed.

“That’s not the only thing unimpressive about this bull.” Ian said pointing his sword down to Draxz unbuckled trousers. With a laugh all three jumped, swords flashing in the moon light.