Chaos was the perfect word for what followed.

It was a flurry of fur, wings, scales and claws as they all lunged out of a very restricted place, into the light of the upper deck, and into battle.

Part of him, the more animalistic side told him to lunge into battle with everything he had. Kill everything that got in his way, if that was what it took to keep his friends safe. He held himself back half a second, if he went into this blind, he was going to be dead.

Scanning his surroundings in silence, his tail drifting from left to right unconsciously as he searched for a target. His brain was confused by the repeated sound of gunshots, but he managed to stay out of the path of most of them.

Every intention of keeping calm quickly went overboard when he saw a man taking aim at Max.

Kit lunged for the opponent, he heard gunshots at the back of his head but he didn't recognise it as a danger. He snarled, baring his fangs as he leapt for the human. Tackling him and wrestling for a moment or two until it was over and the man fell still. He tried not to think about what he had just done.

Forcing the gun from the man's still hands, he bit through it. Snapping it in half, he wasn't going to let anyone else pick up the weapon and use it against his friends.

However, his small victory would not last long. The enemy seemed to come forward in endless waves. Soon, the fourteen of them were surrounded and at gunpoint. Kit stared at the men and women surrounding him, searching for an escape for him and his friends.

He and his friends were cornered against the edge of the ship, the only chance of escape, at least as they currently stood. Was either to fight their way out or jump, and hope the waves were in a merciful mood.

If we can only get onto the shoreline, we can even the playing field. Kit thought, and from the way the other animals were looking left and right, they were thinking something similar.

This was going to be a fight for their lives, and no person there wasn't prepared to fight till the death. Greatly outnumbered by the strangers, the enemy, it was clear as to who was going to win this fight if something didn't change, and soon.

A boot collided with his ribs, sending the young wolf skidding to the side as he spun around to meet the assailant. To find another boot flying for his head, forcing the wind from his lungs. He choked for a second but had no chance to catch his breath. As when he looked up, he found a gun directed between his eyes.

Baring his teeth he threw himself at the man, the bullet tearing through his leg as he tried to evade it with a leap. He panted, pain ricocheting through him for a split second as he turned back towards his opponent and lunged a second time. Now bleeding heavily from his front leg he collided with the enemy in a less then elegant manner. Sending the man flying overboard and crashing into the waters below.

For half a second, he watched the body fall into the ocean, pausing to see if he would resurface. He would have no such luck.

Limping now, Kit twitched his ears towards the sound of a familiar cry and dodged right in an attempt to help one of his friends, Vic. Close to the centre of the ship, a tiger let out a mighty roar as it was surrounded on every side. The tortured creature let out a yowl of in pain as the bullets hit him on multiple sides.

This was no hunt, this was a cat playing with a mouse. The humans were having fun, and not taking this half as seriously as Kit and his friends.

It's our lives at stake here, Kit growled to himself baring his fangs in rippling anger. They don't even think we're a threat.

We'll have to prove to them otherwise.

Kit pulled himself towards the tiger, standing side by side with his friend and letting out a threatening growl. The remainder of his friends did the same thing. For it appeared that this would be their last stand.

The strangers were crowding in now, taking aim on whatever piece of flesh they felt would be most fun and preparing to fire.

"Go," yelled one of the animals from beside him.

He paused, unsure of what had happened, but he realised his mistake and quickly caught up as they lunged. He didn't know what one of them had seen, or what the likelihood of this succeeding was going to be. Yet they had very few other options, and he wasn't about to be left behind.

Vic, the tiger, lunged at the man closest to the centre of the semicircle. Dragging him down and driving his fangs through the unfortunate creatures chest and then lunged again. That was when Kit spotted what could be their escape path.

Before them, now unguarded, was the plank leading to shore. He twitched his ears forward, and lunged the rest of his friends following barrelling through any person who stood in their way.

At last moment, Kit skidded around and stood still. Leaping and lunging at any person who attempted to stop his friends as they made their escape.

His nerve was beginning to loosen by the time that the rest of the survivors had reached the shore, and he leapt to his feet and followed suit. The rest of the humans swarming down the plank as he did. Causing it to shake and tremble beneath the great weight of all the people trying to get to the shore.

Kit stood beside his friends, the men and women who in the last 5 years had become more family then anyone he had ever known before. He watched in silence as the opponent charged onto the shore.

Now in the freedom of the shore, where the animals were able to spread out and use their abilities to the best of their capacity. They stood still, waiting for the enemy to make the first move.

Yet they didn't. The men and women spread out until they were standing shoulder to shoulder standing in front of them. Kit watched, silent. Trying to guess what their next move was going to be.

There was no way in hell he could have guessed what they would then do.

Parting like the red sea, Kit narrowed his eyes to see what was happening. His heart froze at what he saw when the man reached the head of the line.

A large, rough man was pushing through them. He was dragging somebody with him.

Romany.