Within the city walls life was normally what would be expected--as in loads of people walking, running, or riding on wagons or trailers pulled by animals or other people just trying to earn money. May and her brother walked through or around everyone like it was just another day. May was thankful that she could keep all of her weapons because otherwise this life would be so much harder than it was.

In a city everyone needed to be strong, whether it was in heart, mind, or body. Strength was the ruling factor in this city, and if you weren't strong enough to push down your fear. Then you would be beat within an inch of your life and left for dead somewhere in an alleyway where no one would even glance at you, or come in response to your screams or pleas. Those were usually the kinds of people with too much kindness or just because someone came through at the wrong time and got caught up in a beating.

And if someone did help then they would be turned into outcasts. Fired from any job they had (not like the people out here got paid anything anyways), beat up just like the victim, or killed for entertainment: a deep pit full of hungry Mutated, beheading and then shown off on a pike, or tortured. Rarely is anyone shot anymore as that attracts too much outside and inside attention.

The city wasn't actually that nice on the inside as the walls looked to the outside, and it wasn't that impressive to the least, but it was home, it was somewhere they could stay, live, and not get eaten or captured. At least the outer ring wasn't the ideal vision most had in mind. May and John both looked at the camera in May's hands and then at each-other before smiling in the light cast by the sun.

"I can't believe that we actually did that," May exclaimed loudly and a couple of people looked at them in disgust, but May didn't care what they thought of that exclamation.

The two made their way to the second set of walls in the city, the second inner circle where the rich and powerful were. The city was a giant circle, slowly expanding outwards as more people were accepted into the city. The second set of walls was made of granite with sentries walking around on top, watching the two that made their way to the front gates, and the four guards stationed there.

The thing here was that if you looked pretty and had status or were good at showing scars and telling stories then no one would mess with you. No one would get in your way, or challenge you for things that you have, and if you were strong they wouldn't get in your way as you made your way through the city. There was also the fear of being shot by the sentries and guards patrolling the streets

If a person so much as breathed wrong near a rich person or looked at them and the rich interpreted that wrongly, then the new fear of becoming a target was the leading factor keeping a person in line. The same fear and respect went for if a person looked dangerous, and neither May nor John looked any bit dangerous. Even if May had so many weapons visible.

The two weren't shoved around as much due to her weapons unless that person was stronger than them and didn't want to move around them. It didn't matter if either of the two were cast underfoot to them, they couldn't care less. May made sure to hold her camera tight, because she had probably the clearest pictures of the beast than any drawing ever made.

The two needed this, this picture was their ticket to a better life; it was the first step to their life actually rising into the ranks of the important people. The rich and powerful of the city, it would be certainly better then staying in the bottom. With those doomed to stay here and never gain any ground, not even the slightly rich people were good goals in their minds as those people weren't respected or powerful.

To be truthful, May's brother could've easily pushed people aside and made their path clear for the both of them, but there were two things preventing him to do so: the laws of the city preventing anyone from hurting another in the open, and the fact that it would draw attention, attention that they did not want to grab while they were still trapped here. May had told him that they needed to act weaker than others in order to not be noticed, and they weren't...not often anyways. But sadly that would come to an end after they approach the inner city guards. These guards were by far the shiniest of everyone in this area, except for the occasional royal coming down to 'observe' the outer city.  Bathed in gems, silk clothing, and other shiny items along with a super bad attitude and a few Changed bodyguards.

The inner-City guards were armed with gold tinted armor, the only color bright enough to be seen at night. It screamed "mess with me, I dare you" to the stupid and muscle brained. There was once a person who tried to fight through them to get to the inner-city's glory, but they were easily beaten back and then beheaded on the spot. By the silver gladius in each of the scabbards hanging at their waists. May and John went up to the two standing guard, looking down as to not seem disrespectful, and the guard stood from where he lent against the wall, and looked at the two in disgust.

"What do you want?" He asked spitefully and the other beside him sneered in displeasure.

"We request entry to see the King," May said, not daring look up as the golden boots of the guards' feet shifted in her view, and the two laughed, long and deep at the two idiots before them.

"Well then I guess I could let you through, but then again the entire lower city should be allowed through then too huh?" The guard sneered mockingly and May grit her teeth but did not speak aggressively.

"I have a valid reason for requesting to see the King," May said standing up and showing him the picture on her camera. A picture of the "Ruler of the forest", the creature that was feared by all cities and creatures alike, and though it hadn't ever come near a city gate no one wanted to imagine the destruction it could cause should someone anger it.

The guards both looked at the picture in horror, and slight awe and the other two guards came over to see what was going on. The guard closest to May grabbed the Camera and showed the rest of them the picture. He couldn't do anything to it by law as any and all evidence of this creature, whether drawn, captured in picture, or stolen from the hot samples of it's lava-like venom was valued. No matter how absurd it was, it was tested and archived. The King was the only one that could judge a picture or results of a sample as worth keeping for compensation or not.

"Where did you capture this?!" The second guard sputtered as the other three studied the picture on the camera in shock.

"Me and my brother, John went into the forest to hunt, but we were ambushed by a group of Shooters and Rippers. Then out of no-where the Rippers stopped and split in different directions, running away as fast as possible. I never truly saw how fast one could be until today, but my brother tracked the creature and we followed it.

Until he stepped on a stupid twig and it boxed us in, cutting through trees with it's razor-sharp tail like they were paper. It was amazing and so scary at the same time. We both thought that we were dead, but it didn't kill us. Instead it just stared at us, like that, so I took a quick picture before it had disappeared and that roar the city heard earlier was just a warning, probably. I have another picture from before it trapped us too, but I was shaky for that one and haven't checked it yet."

May went forwards and pushed a button on her camera, changing to another picture and they all studied that one too. It took a while but they eventually gave her her camera back and May turned off the screen and carefully put it around her neck once more. Two of the guards banged the gate once each and it slid open backwards a bit for them to tell the guard behind what was going on.

They ordered us inside and told the two guards from earlier to escort us to the center palace because we had physical and verified evidence of the beast. It seemed to be asked for again as May had to show them the picture too, and they were studied by the other four guards inside. The two left on May's side closed the gate once more and stood on the other side, clearly troubled that it was so close to this city.

The two were taken through a literally glowing city: candles flashed in windows flickering slightly through the light, taunting the wind to try and blow them out; the buildings, though made of stone, were huge and beautiful. All sorts of colors covered the bricks that they were made of. May gasped in awe and her brother hummed content as a small part of their dreams has started on the path to being fulfilled. The dream of seeing the inner-city was a dream that every outer-city dweller had along with every family out there, but May and John had no other family, besides each other.

They got to a completely golden building studded with gems and any other shiny item that fit in the walls and were let in. They were stopped at the entrance, and asked to take off all of their weapons and leave them with the entrance staff. Then the two were lead to a giant room filled with statues, carvings, other pieces of wealth, and an empty throne.

When the two stopped looking around in awe they realized that they had stopped and the guards around them were bowing towards a single man standing in the left side of the room. A Changed panther-woman standing beside him with two round black ears, a swaying tail, and a multitude of weapons on her person. May and John quickly bowed as well and then the guards departed after announcing the reason they were there.

"Now what is this I hear about pictures?" The King said seemingly uninterested as he continued to work on something unknown to the two. The Panther-woman walked towards the two and asked the questions, "Do you two have something worth our time?"

"Yes, uh, we have something that you will want to see your majesty." May said to the ground, and the lady looked at the two curiously. She noticed that the girl had a camera, and if it worked it would certainly be something to treasured. Sadly for the king he could not use one outside of the city without having complications, so if this is worth it these two might get a job. But they didn't know that so they Panther Lady just asked for proof. So May turned on her camera and showed her the picture she had taken. Telling the Panther lady that there was another picture as well.

Neither picture was fuzzy or blurry at all, but they both still looked quite intimidating. The beast looked at them atop the felled tree with smoking claws and Ruby eyes, looking down at the center of the picture with eyes that looked oddly playful and quite human like to the Panther-lady. The heat rising off of it's scales made the area around and behind it seem distorted and fuzzy.

It looked so real, and yet fake all at the same time. The lady changed to the other picture, which was much clearer despite May's initial warning. It was a picture of the creature from when May spotted it ambushing the Shooters from the trees.

It hadn't noticed her so she was able to get in the quick shot before the two had to run. And contrary to what she had thought it was a picture more clear and detailed than the previous one. As the dragon was mid fall: the tail was still up past the trees, but the head had already clamped down on the head and torso of the middle trio of shooters and it wasn't even touching the ground yet.

The entire thing was glowing in the picture and they could see the details of its body quite clearly: the glowing red eyes, the half foot long claws that were already digging into the earth, the lithe build of its figure as it stretched through the air. The wings were still firmly pressed to the back sadly, but the entire body, from snout to tail, was glowing a deep red color that looked like the dying embers of a strong fire.

The lady gave the king the camera and he stared at both pictures for quite a while. Then he went to some glowing device beside the area of whatever it is that he was initially working on and put the camera on the table. He then stuck something into the camera's side and stuck the opposite end into the device.

A couple seconds passed by and then the box thing on the side of the other device whirred to life and made two enhanced replicas of May's two pictures, which was still on her camera. Then he returned the camera to May, who looked at it in confusion, trying to figure out how he did that. The King went to an area behind his throne and pulled a curtain to the side at the back of it. The Panther Lady stood at his side as he pinned May's pictures to the middle of the giant wall-full of drawings, pictures, and other things that made the picture look all the more real and pure. The Panther Lady then came up to May and John and stood in-front of them with her hands clasped in-front of her.

"As promised you will get a share of money, and due to you having gotten the clearest pictures and multiple of them. You will also get to stay here, with us, for a month agreed that you obey the rules here, don't go outside, and agree to continue to help us with this matter. If you do well, then you and your family may get to stay within these cities' walls, but you two would be the only ones keeping them here. " the lady said and both May and John had to hold themselves from straight out screaming with joy and hugging each other, as their dreams have finally come true.

"Where will we be staying?" May said dipping her head respectfully.

"Don't you both have any family to return to?" the Panther Lady asked curiously and the King turned around now interested, and May shook her head.

"No, me and my brother live outside the city walls, we sleep in trees, caves, or even on the ground if we must. Every day is a challenge, and for ten years now we have both had to learn how to fight humans and Mutated alike as well as Hunt for food and other things that we need.

"Our father taught us both how to wield a spear, shoot a bow and arrow, and a few other weapons and hand to hand fighting as well. Our mother taught us about hiding and survival in the forest away from the Mutated, Rouges, and other nasty things out there.

"Ironically they both were killed during a hunting trip by Shooters and Rippers, leaving us behind making us promise to live on without them. We had gone out to find them and know why they said what they had said, but they were dead the hands of my mother and father holding each-other being the only thing to bury." May looked down sadly and John stiffened.

Both her and John had told the story for so long and so frequently that they had control of their emotions while they told it. At the beginning when they had to repeat it they were unable to finish. But now that it's been so long they just looked down sadly, as they both felt like they could've helped their parents survive a little longer, maybe even long enough to see the city.

"We often bring meat and our other kills to different cities to earn money and buy clothes, weapons, and other supplies that we need. I'm the hunter of the group and know how to use most weapons, and my brother is the tracker so we have no choice but to work together to hunt or avoid anything that comes out way." May's hand was taken by Johns and she squeezed letting him know that she was there for him and he squeezed back...always.

"You really don't need to do this for us," John said, finally opening his mouth and speaking for the first time since they entered the city, his voice a little raspy, but deep like his fathers, "We could just grab our things and leave, we don't need to take up any more of your time."

The lady smiled at the two, but shook her head, "No I am going to give you somewhere to stay and clean up. You shall eat supper with us and sleep here, for a month. If you want more training we'll give you access to the barracks and assign you each instructors. You can also use the armory to select your choice of weapons. I can't imagine the condition your weapons are in now."

May and John looked at their clothes and flushed looking down embarrassed. The Panther Lady motioned for them to come over and she smiled.

"My name is Tourmaline and as you can see I am a Changed. It made life much harder for me but me and my King got through it all. Then he was nominated due to the achievements he's already made and I was requested as his personal guard. So don't think nothing is impossible children." She called the guards in, and then ordered them to show May and John to their rooms, and to have a bath drawn for them both.

The two kids were already shocked enough with them being allowed to stay here for a while month, but the knowledge that they had running water here was too much. Nonetheless the two were brought to separate rooms and left there, and May quickly looked around until she found the bathroom and the hot steaming water rising from the nearly full tub in the bathroom was mesmerizing, May stripped down and stepped into the water thankful that the gods have noticed them and were showing them mercy.