My heart pounded as I ran through the forest, jumping over the various exposed tree roots and boulders, dodging over-hanging roots of the canopy. My breath quickened as I spotted the shadow amongst the trees, running almost beside me.

With a push from my left leg, I jumped and grabbed a low hanging branch thanking my strength as I pulled myself up. I could almost taste victory before a jerk almost brought crashing to the forest floor. I hooked my arm around the branch above me before sending a kick directly into the face of my almost-assailant. The breaking of branches and dull thud brought a smile to my face as I peeked past the branches to look at the disgruntled figure below me.

"How is the weather down there, brother?"

A hearty chuckle caused my grin to widen as I effortlessly pushed myself off the tree, gracing somersaulting in the air before landing lightly on my feet. Putting my arms up in a pose, just for my brother's sake.

"They say pride comes before a fall, little one."

"I have just fallen, as you can see, and I feel fine."

My brother snorted before grabbing me in a headlock, aggressively rubbing my already ruined painstakingly styled hair into a bird's nest. I laughed before pinching his armpit causing him to let me go, He kept his humour as I pinned him to the tree, pressing him against it with his own arm behind his back.

He whined causing me to laugh as I released my grip. He turned around to meet my eyes as we burst out laughing. This went on for a few moments before he placed his hands on either side of my face, tilting my head up so that my eyes met his.

"I am so sorry for today."

I gave him a small smile before reaching my hands up to remove his hands from my face.

"There was nothing you could do anyway. We should get back now, wouldn't want to be late for your big day."

Without waiting for a reply, I ran off. Tears streaming down my face as I ran past the trees, my brother's voice echoing through the woods.

I arrived at my home, tears threatening to make a reappearance as I took in the bustling of the servants in front of me. I watched as they draped silks of gold and red all around the palace, stringing vines of rubies along its columns.

Today was the day. The day my brother became the head of the Animalian Army, a title I knew I deserved more than he did. I had beat him in every exam and test there was, even my teachers and brother went to my father to report that I was far surpassing the rest and showed great potential to take up the position. They drew up reports of my progress and even gave my father my exam scripts where I had scored a full score. My father would have none of it, I remember listening in to their discussions where he would remain firm that I would never be able to take up the position, I remembered the anger and sadness I felt as I watched him throw those reports and scripts into the fire. I ran away that day, which almost resulted in my death, but my father's soldiers managed to drag me kicking and screaming back to this place.

The scurrying servants managed to pause their work as they saw me, giving me a bow of respect before returning to their work. I gave them a small smile before walking down the hall to head to my room where I planned to coop myself in until the ceremony.

I scowled at the paintings of my father that lined the hallway, I had never forgiven him for what he did, and I don't think I will ever forgive him.

"How long are you going to bear a grudge against your pava?"

I let out a sigh as I turned to face my mother, Queen Kiara of the Animalians.

"You only use Ancient Animalian on me when you are going to lecture me."

"You left the palace again, Seraphina, after everything your pava said to you. We were so worried of what could happen, we..."

"Worried that I might comeback alive to disgusts you with y existence or worried that I might embarrass our great family name, if I have not done that already. Father must have been celebrating thinking that today is the day he can finally get rid off me."

She let out a sigh that mirrored mine as she walked towards me and grasped my hands, her fair skin stood out against my copper skin.

"Your father did what was best for you. You don't understand now but you will when you grow up."

That sentence caused the anger within me to boil again as I wrenched my hands from her

grasp, her doe, Anci, at her side stamped her hooves at my action.

"That is what you tell me every time! You say the same thing each time I am denied the same things Xavier or any other of the Animalians are allowed to do! You and father barred me from taking part in tournaments even though both of you know that I will win, you bar me from leaving this accursed prison to go and visit my friends because you label them dangerous as they are not Animalians while you let Xavier go in and out as he pleases!"

My chest heaved as I finished what I had to say, my mother remained silent as her eyes trailed down from my face to my neck where my necklace remained. It was a simple necklace with eighteen dark ruby pendants that looped around my neck with a gold chain. A gift, more like an order, from my parents as they instructed me to wear it all the time and the one time I ever took it off, I was severely punished.

It was a habit of hers each time we fought, anytime I lost my temper her eyes would drift there. They remained there for a second before her eyes found mine again, the brown meeting the amber.

"Go to your room, Seraphina, and wait for your maids to get you ready."

I growled at her lack of response before turning heel to head to my room. I had only taken a few steps before I heard her voice.

"Happy birthday, Seraphina."

I stalled for a moment before walking again, my nails digging deeper into the skin of my palm.

She knew I hated my birthday and yet she wished me. This might have brought me joy ten years ago when I still yearned for a celebration like the ones my friends had on their birthdays but each time my birthday came around, people acted like it was the day of Armageddon. My yearning vanished bit by bit each year until I grew to hate and dread the day of my birth, locking myself in my room till the day passed.

I pushed the large double doors of my room hoping for some peace and quiet before I watched my brother claim the position of Chief General Commander. My jaw clenched as I heard the chatter of female voices, I closed my eyes as I pulled into a whirlwind of coloured cloth.

___________________________________________________________________________

The constant chatter fell onto deaf ears as I sat in front of my large vanity, wincing every now and then as my hair was pulled in different directions, my maids trying their best to pin my curls into an elegant updo. I shifted my face as they caked on creams of every kind on my face, suppressing a growl as they painted my eyes with thick black kohl.

My lips twitched as they continue to smother all sorts of things on my body, their hands on my skin causing my hair to stand. My arms tightened their grip on the sides of the chair before I stood up, the chair crashing backward.

"Get out."

There was finally silence before rustling of fabric as they rushed out of my chambers. I stood there for a moment before picking up my chair and slumping into it.

I grimaced as I saw my reflection in the large mirror in front of me. My face was covered thick with the creams that made my skin lighter by a few shades, my arms covered with the symbols of femininity and grace, the eyes that I hated so much lined black with thick kohl. My eyes would have been beautiful had they not been mine.

The eyes of the Drogonir family had always been green with a circle around the pupil of a darker shade, they were my family's proud trademark and proof of our lineage. My eyes, on the other hand, were amber with a circle of gold around the pupil. I used to be proud of them as a child as everyone in the court commented on how beautiful they were, and I believed them till I heard of what they actually thought of them. They thought me a freak, an abomination, a tarnish on the Drogonir bloodline, some went as far as to say that I was the result of an affair between my mother and a shifter.

I continued to stare at myself till a knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts.

"I want to be left alone."

"Even from me, Sera?"

My lips lifted into a smile as I heard that familiar voice. My heart lifted further as she stepped into my room, I stood up to greet her before being knocked back into my chair by a large mass of black fur. I chuckled as the large wolf nuzzled against my neck, licking my face before shaking its head as it tasted the creams.

"She missed you."

The smile remained on my face as I look up to see Anitha, my nanny since I was a child. She smiled at me before a frown graced her features as she took in the black streaks down my cheeks.

She sighed before taking a cloth from a bowl of scented water and began to wipe away the thick layers of creams and kohl. Xenia whined as she sensed my discomfort, pushing her large head against my hand as I stroked her fur.

Xenia had been my animal since the day I turned one where it was tradition for us to be brought to a large oak just before the Dark Lands where we would be given our spirit animal. From then on, their lives would be entwined with us. They would age as we age, and they will die when we die.

"You should not really bottle up all emotions, Princess."

I scoffed as I looked down at Anitha who was now sitting on a chair beside me, wiping away the symbols on my arm.

"It is not like I can vent them whenever I can, Anitha. You know what my life is like in this glorified prison."

Her yellow eyes looked at me with disapproval before poking me gently with a clawed finger causing me to jolt.

I stuck out my tongue at her knowing there was no point arguing. She motioned me to sit on my bed as she went through my closet, pulling out clothes and putting them back when she saw my expression. That was what I loved about her, she actually took the time to listen to what I liked and what I didn't like instead of just forcing me into a dress that my parents wanted me to wear.

"I heard you snuck out again and caused quite a stir."

"I can't stay in here everyday of my life, Anitha. Besides, Karriff deserved what he got, you should have seen him...lording over the people as if he were the king."

I felt the bed dip as Xenia threw her large body all over my bed, panting as her tongue lolled out the side of her jaw.

"You took all the energy out of her."

"Well, you did ask me to take her out for a run while you spoke with your brother."

"Did you win?"

"She won this time. I am not as young as I used to be, Sera."

I scoffed at her statement causing her to chuckle in response.

Anitha was a shifter, just like many at the bazaar, she could shift from woman to panther anytime she wanted, a trait that I loved when I was younger as I pleaded for her to let me ride on her back when she shifted. Shifters like her aged once every three years so despite for living for a hundred and forty-four years, her looks resembled that of a woman in her late forties.

She took a simple dress of red and gold, my family's colours. It had a red patterned bodice that melted down a gradient to the gold of the skirt, it exposed my shoulders and left me free to move around due to slit that I had commissioned that went up from bottom of my feet to the middle of my thigh.

I smiled at her as I sat back down in front of my vanity and allowed her to brush a thin layer of cream on my face. There was a comfortable silence as she painted my eyes gold and my lips red. I scowled as she raised a small brush that was tipped with black kohl.

"Don't start this with me, Sera. You shouldn't be ashamed of those two beautiful eyes, they show the fire of your spirit."

"That is what you say. The last time I told that to my parents they almost died in shock and don't get me started on the court."

"Remember what I told you? A wolf does not lose sleep over the opinion of the sheep. Besides, who is the one who will sit on the throne?"

A bitter laugh left my throat.

"My father would rather die than give me the throne."

She tutted before placing the brush to line my eyes with a thin line of kohl. I watched her with interest and amusement as she painted the symbols on my arms and shoulders.

"Anitha, you do know those are the markings for war, right? The marking for men?"

"These are symbols of bravery and valour. Besides, I have seen you display these qualities far

more times than I can say for the men."

I looked down on the markings on my arm and the simple make-up I had on. My smile grew as I removed the numerous pins from my hair letting my dark curls fall down my back. Anitha mirrored my smile as I placed the gold circlet on top of my hair.

"The court and my parents are going to get a kick out of this."

*Pava- Father