Mercy's POV

Steam billowed into the air, hissing as the cool autumn arm met the heat of the hot spring pools. It was warm and pleasurable to the skin which I now had in place of fur.

I shook out my shoulder length coffee brown hair and tentatively dipped a foot into the springs. It sent warm shivers up my legs, and I carefully stepped in and waded out to join Senna and Nieta. We had grown up playing in these springs, singing song, and doing water dances, playing games and whatnot.

The warmth ran up my body and I waded in until the water reached my collar. I was just able to touch my toes to the bottom of the springs, feeling the hot stones at the bottom.

"Truth or dare." Senna asked me and I thought it over.

"Dare. But I am not leaving the springs." I snorted and Nieta spread out on her back.

Nieta's human form was fair skinned with long wavy honey brown hair, her eyes were closed peacefully, and the pale birthmark on her forehead gave her a mystical air.

Senna was fair skinned, slightly tanner than Nieta, with her caramel brown hair cut into a sweet pixie, her amber eyes twinkling.

"I dare you to... Ugh I can't dare you to do anything if you can't leave the spring." She groaned.

"Fine you can dare me to leave the spring, but I am not going any farther than the shore." I said firmly and Nieta jerked up, grabbing Senna's arm and grinned.

"Do the twirly butt thing."

Oh moons. I threw y head back and groaned. The twirly butt thing was something I did when we were younger, much younger. I was dancing, quite horribly might I add, and I did some weird move with my behind. From that moment on, I was haunted by the memory of the twirly butt thing.

"Please, anything but that." I moaned, shrinking farther into the hot springs until only my eyes were above the water.

"No, you picked dare." Senna said proudly.

I blew bubbles into the water and slowly turned to the shore. I walked forward and pulled myself out of the springs and glared back at the two.

"Aw come on Mercy!" Nieta shouted up.

"You did it once, you can do it again." Senna snickered.

I sighed deeply and glared at nothing in particular. I began the strange dance move I made up when I was eleven and I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling at the laughter that was emanating from my overjoyed friends.

I was staring out at the trees ahead, avoiding eye contact when something blinked. I froze. There was a small red blip hiding behind the trees in the distance, speaking through the pine trees.

"Mercy? Why did you stop?" Nieta asked.

I couldn't respond, I was frozen in fear. There was something watching us. The red blip brightened, and Senna turned, seeing the light target on my abdomen.

"Get down!" Senna shouted.

I threw myself off the rocks and into the water, shooting back up and away as the energy beam shot threw a birch tree behind where I had been standing moments ago. The tree smoke and lit up in flames.

"Mercy!" I looked up seeing a bot creeping out of the woods, and a second.

"Go!" I shouted, pushing Nieta out of the springs.

With in seconds, all sense of humor had turned to pure terror. Our wet feet slapped on the cool stone, making a turn towards the Dens.

"No! Go back!" Senna screamed.

I whirled as I slid on the rocks landing on my back hitting my head on the ground with a sickening bang and the pain raced through my head. Nieta pulled me up and pulled me back. I jerked, seeing a third bot come out just where I had been, its metal legs clanking on the ground.

Whirling around we started back towards the springs. The other two bots crawling towards us, glass faces smothered with steam.

"Their faces. The fog is clouding their vision." I panted, hand on my back of my head.

I felt wetness that was much thicker than the water at our feet. My hand came away stained with blood. I winced and pressed my palm to my head wincing in pain.

Senna grabbed Nieta's arm and we darted in the only direction bots hadn't come from yet, east, past the flaming tree. I grabbed Nieta's left arm and ran hard.

"If we can get them to the east cliffs, we can jump them." Senna panted and Nieta clutched our hands tightly.

"The cliffs are almost two miles away; they could catch us by then."

The panic rose in my throat at Nieta's words, but we had no other options, we would have to jump the east cliffs or be captures and most likely killed. I would rather the former.

We ran hard, legs shaking, breath coming out in fog, and all we could hear was our own terrified breaths, and the crashing of bots behind us, trees splintering from the force of their metal claws.

All I could feel was the cold snow under my bare feet and the hot blood trickling down my neck. I jerked back as Nieta shouted. Her arm slipped from mine and I turned to her, eyes wide. There was a divot in the snow from a tangle of roots.

"Come on, come on, get up!" I panted and Senna pulled Nieta up.

We kept running and Nieta pulled ahead, her legs pumping hard.

"There it is!"

Senna pointed past the birch trunks, and the pine branches. The cliff was ahead, and the other side, nearest to the trading sector was on the other side. We were so close. Hope kindled in my chest and my eyes widened, fist on the snow dusted landing, until it wasn't there.

A large bot stepped into our path and its glass face glowed but didn't fire. We skidded to a halt, wet feet slipping me closer to the bot than I felt comfortable. I stopped, and I felt Senna and Nieta press their backs to mine. The other three bots drawing towards us.

I was breathing heavily, my mouth agape, eyes wide. I pressed back into Senna and Nieta. The bot was pulsing with energy, the vibration running through my body. This could be it; this might as well be it. I risked a glance over my shoulder and instantly wished I hadn't. The other three bots were behind me, pressing in on us.

"Mercy." Senna asked in a dry whisper and swallowed. "What should we do?"

I didn't know what kind of an answer to give to Senna, but I decided comfort wouldn't go over well. No one outlasted the Horde; it was only a matter on time before they got to Valor cliffs before they sent their bots to kill us.

"We can't do anything. They haven't killed us yet, which means we are worth something to them." I whispered, trying not to move my lips or body too much. "Just get on your knees, slowly, and put your hands over your head." I whispered, squeezing their hands.

"If we morph, they'll kill us." Nieta whispered.

I tried to focus my breathing and calm down. I looked from the glass face of the bot, and under its metal belly to the cliffs.

We got down on our knees and slowly I lifted my hands behind my head, not wanting to risk anything. I didn't think anyone was coming. Maybe when the hunting group goes to wash in the hot springs, they'd see my blood on the rocks and the burning tree. They were amazing trackers; they'd find us in time. Right?

The bot never moved, still humming with electricity. I felt the blood drying in my hair and I closed my eyes ignoring the burn. I could feel Senna, and Nieta's panic as I was sure they could feel my own. My heart was slamming in my chest and my head was swimming. I could feel my body relax, and I panted, trying to stay up, trying to keep my eyes open. My head drooped a bit and I saw my blood staining the snow.

The blood splattered on the ground, burning in the snow, sending off that heavy iron sent. My mother Ilya scrambled upright and grabbed me in her arms as my father shouted in pain, his jacket sizzling, and his skin smoking. The massive wolf walked towards us; muzzle stained with blood, and eyes worried for my father.

"Nisha, please, help him." My mother begged and the wolf's eyes locked on me.

"Nisha." I turned at the strangled voice of my father.

Blood dribbled from his lips and his eyes were blood shot, skin turning pale.

"Ilya, Nisha has to take you and Mercy." Dad croaked, a tear sliding down his cheek.

I had never seen my father cry, not even when he burned his hands on the hot metal, he shaped for farmers tools or palace weapons.

"I can't leave you Fenris." Mom whispered, and dad placed his hand at the back of her neck.

"It's okay. I promise, I'll see you soon." He whispered and turned to me. "Mercy." Dad whispered and winced as he spoke. "You remember what I gave you?" He asked, and I tentatively reached a hand back to the spot between my shoulders.

"That's right." He smiled softly, taking my hand in his. The size of his large hand dwarfed mine in comparison, and I tried not to think about the blood and the smell.

"You aren't a princess, but you have something not a lot of people have. You have courage." Dad rasped, and coughed, putting his face into his elbow, and when he drew away, there were strings of blood falling from his lips. Mom cupped his face.

"Fenris, I won't lose you." She said, trying to sound firm through her tears. "I refuse to leave you behind."

Dad sighed, closing his eyes. Never to open them again, but he manages to tell us one last thing.

"Love you... don't hide... Forever."

I felt Senna grab my shoulder to keep me up.

"Mercy." Nieta whispered, and I looked up drowsily as the bot moved aside, as a loud humming invaded my ears.

I blinked hard, head lolling. Slowly, a jet rose into the air, nose pointing to the other side of the cliffs. I watched as the back door of the jet opened and a black cord slid down, and six uniformed Horde Soldiers slid down in front of us. I was hoisted up, and I watched as the jet hovered before landing on the small ledge.

I struggled as much as I could, hearing the frantic shouts as we were loaded like cargo onto the jet. I heard something strike skin and I turned my head, seeing Senna on the ground, holding her cheek in her hand, shock written on her face.

I snarled, and the man who had dared to hit her turned to me, shocked. I bore pointed fang and glared hard at him. Within seconds Senna had be hauled up and thrown into a passenger seat on the jet. We were loaded three seats apart and I lay my head back, trying to push out of the restraints, but three men stood across from us, guns loaded, and ready to fire if we made a move. I tried to say alert and attentive, but the fain numbing pulse of sleep in my head was too temping to fight. My head was full of fuzz and I went limp, giving in to the sweet seduction of sleep...