I stood just inside the city gates, watching as wave after wave of our warriors rushed through. Most were hurriedly putting on armor, caught unaware, but our people overcame surprise very quickly. The light of battle was raging in their eyes, and cries rang out from many in the crowd as they filed out into the stretch of dying grass. Dust made me give a cough as the last of them herded through, and the soldiers on the wall yelled for everyone to clear out as the gates creaked shut.

I turned and saw that, while most of our fighters were calm, the townspeople were not. Crowds of them were pouring out of their homes, heading toward the furthest point away from the gate. Most, if not all of them, were mothers. Fathers were sent out to fight, and once a child reached ten years, they were sent into training. Elderly were very few. We didn't tolerate the old or the weak.

Toddlers clutched at their mother's skirts as they ran, and I could see that most of them were literally using tooth and nail to claw their way to safety. I didn't blame them, this was the danger zone if the enemy broke through.

A little girl was howling in the throng, putting up both arms to shield herself from the pushing bodies, and I came over to her, parting the crowd like oil on water.

"Where is your mother?" I asked her, taking her hand. She looked up at me, eyes wide. She was young, not old enough to understand who I was, and stared openly at my scales, curious. It quieted her down enough for me to ask her again. She shook her head, tears welling up once more, but my answer came not long after.

"Krysta. Come away." A tall, middle aged woman snapped, seizing the girl's arm and dragging her away, shooting one last fearful glance at me before hurrying away.

I straightened from my crouch, hearing the first distant sounds of battle. We didn't wait for them to come to us, we attacked without fear and without mercy.

I turned my back, convincing myself it was best for me to stay inside the walls. No one would thank me for coming to their aid. They would rather die. The chill in the air had quickly fled from the rampaging bodies before, so I didn't rush to get into the palace. I strolled down the beaten paths, glancing up at the gutted out cottages people called home. Most had been torn down by the various attacks by separate kingdoms. You were lucky to still have half a roof standing. My parents never made it their priority to fix this, so most learned to live with it.

The market was our pride and joy. Set in the middle of our city, it attracted many traders from outside kingdoms due to our vast expanse of weaponry. Magics and talismans were also big items shipped out, with the help of my mother. That, added to our bulk of an army, we were a formidable foe. Even if hundreds died due to weather or to lack of food, we had enough to make up for it. It was harsh, the way we lived, but I had learned by now that I couldn't do anything about it.

The market was in scrambles. Merchants that had been packing their carts were now rushing to pick fallen items from the ground, fear making them clumsy. Merchants that came from our city were part of the higher class, but in turmoil such as this, that could easily be changed. People ransack carts at even one spare glance. Without the security of the army, everyone was in a rush to pack everything they could and flee to their higher grade mansions.

I ducked underneath a low hanging archway leading to one of the palace courtyards, feeling a few pebbles strike the bottom of my foot through the thin sole of my boot. I would have to get new ones made. As I stopped to shake some pebbles from my shoe, there was a large, echoing boom. It made my ears ring, and I froze, looking up toward the gate. Nothing seemed to be wrong, it hadn't splintered, but a second later I was proven wrong.

The thick, heavily barred doors began to cave, curving inward like it was dough forming around a baker's fists. Large shreds of wood popped out of their places as the first boulder struck home, and as the giant mass of rock rolled backward, the second one followed.

This one tore right through the gate, so much so that I could see the catapult in the distance through the hole. I quickly put my boot back on, hearing terrified screams of the mothers from the castle dungeons, where most were hiding.

"Sactora."

I turned at my name, seeing that my father had exited the palace doorway, face stiff and void of all emotion. My mother followed close behind, already chanting hushed words at a frenzied speed. A pale lavender glow emanated from her, and as I looked, I saw the catapult snap almost in two, causing the third boulder to fall onto the workers that had hauled it, crushing hundreds. As she continued her chant, hurrying toward the battle, my father went on.

"If you are hesitant in the thick of battle, I am leaving you to die. So I suggest you make yourself useful some other way."

I nodded, not bothering to convince him otherwise. I had fought in battle before, but I had only dragged them down. Refusing to kill didn't go far with my parents. He didn't say another word to me, just followed his wife in close pursuit. I paused for a moment, clenching my fists and relaxing them to calm myself. If hurt me to know that I'd never be what he wanted me to be.

Shaking off my hesitation, I headed toward the dungeons, deciding it was best for me to protect the mass of people down there while others headed here for backup. It wouldn't be long now, I could already see the enemy pushing through. A large road led straight to the city gates, connecting to the palace courtyard I stood in now. It was a way for merchants to travel easily back and forth, and keep up trade. It also allowed me to see what was going on from at least two miles away.

My view was lost when I rounded the corner of the palace, but when I last looked, I had seen the red bannered army pushing past us, so I knew I had to hurry.

I kept my hand clenched tightly around the short dagger in my hands. It was the only weapon I carried. It was light, and served me best. Father had pitted me against much larger foes when I was younger and weaker than I was now, and even if I had failed against each one of them, I had picked up some techniques. I had memorized what made them tick. Given the right chance, and with some amount of luck, I knew how to dispatch a larger opponent in seconds. Though I usually lost to brute strength, I could at least take on the average man or woman attacking.

As I approached the entrance to the underground, five heavily armed soldiers emerged. I stood aside to let them pass, amazed at how fast they had reacted, but something felt....off.

"Hold." I spoke up, straightening from my lean against the wall and putting myself nearly in front of them. I saw clearly now that one of the men was out of uniform, dressed in a dirty tunic that reeked of decay.

"Where are you taking this prisoner? Were you authorized to do this?" I asked angrily, making sure they heard the threat in my voice. Their shock multiplied their fear as they caught sight of me, wings spread threateningly. They really were a terrible sight to behold for strangers. Most of the time, it was enough to keep them away from me like I had the plague. These soldiers seemed almost relieved, like they had been searching for me.

The tallest one spoke up hesitantly, as if not sure how to react. Curious, seeing how most of our soldiers had every order beaten into them. They followed every one with secure movement or they were left behind. Even killed.

"O-of course. Gregory himself." He stammered, and I almost laughed. Baring my teeth just a fraction, I prayed that it would be enough to keep them at bay. I stood no chance against them and I knew it. There were five of them. Full grown men, and the weakened prisoner. Which, now that I thought about it, was probably the one I had spoken to before.

"You dare play these games with me?" I snarled, and they glanced at one another, clearly unnerved now. The tall one seemed to have a leadership role among them, as they were all looking to him. The prisoner was rubbing at the shackle marks on his wrists, glaring at me like I had done him a personal wrong.

"Games? We-"

"Stop talking. I know who you are, and those cheap disguises get you nowhere. My father never deals with the common rabble and he most certainly wouldn't tell you to free a prisoner. You're not leaving here alive." I cut in, my fury building more and more with each passing moment.

"We-" Another one spoke up, but he was cut off by another soldier. A real one, this time.

"What is going on?" The woman snapped, and I turned my head to see that she was leading quite a large group of our own, armed to the teeth with a fury to match. Without another word, I turned away from them and began to walk the other way, confident that they had it handled.

A slight scuffling could be heard a moment after, and I turned just a moment too slow as the escaped prisoner jumped at me, winding a thinning arm around my throat like a vice and nearly snapping it in two as he spun around, pressing a very cold blade to the skin of my throat.

I lifted my hands and sank my claws into the arm holding me, feeling my wings strain against his chest as I tried to throw him off by extending them. One distraction would give them enough time to strike, but the man didn't seem to be moving. Cold determination made him bear the pain of my claws, but I still didn't release him from my hold, confidant he would let go sooner or later.

"You won't get far with a hostage, stupid boy." The woman jeered. She had blood streaked across her pale face, and was dressed in simple, quickly made armor that most people wore, but she still barely hid her scorn for me as she stared at the two of us, now surrounded by his comrades. I grit my teeth, waiting for a moment to strike as the tall man looked around, desperate.

"We need to move. Now." He murmured, barely audible.

"Lay down your weapons!" I flinched as my sensitive hearing picked up on the man's yell, and watched as the soldiers hesitated, then with a nod from their leader, bent to drop their swords onto the dusty ground.

"Just give it up. A few soldier's lives aren't as important as your leader's ambitions. You will just cause more trouble." The woman, Kris, now that I remembered, said confidently.

"This is what we came for." The tall man spat as we passed, making sure to keep them in sight. I was confused at this, but decided not to dwell on it as I was dragged through the thin back roads of our city. I needed to escape, and fast. That was my duty now. I had a short time span before this small group met up with the real army, then all was lost.

I detached my claws from the man's arm, hearing him give a hiss of pain this time, then rammed my elbow into his abdomen. I knew that it hurt. My bone could probably be felt quite easily through my skin. When his grip loosened, that was when I extended my wings.

The sharp claw at the top of my right one caught him on the chin, and he stumbled back with a cry of pain. I didn't give him time to recover, pouncing on him and opening my jaw wide to clamp down on the skin between shoulder and neck. Blood spurted onto my tongue, and I almost gagged, but held on, beating my wings wildly and feeling them hit the others around me. I couldn't keep this up for long, and just as I finished the thought, I was thrown off of the man. I landed on my wings, crushing them beneath my weight, and barely had time to glance up before the prisoner raised his blade and sent the hilt crashing into my skull, knocking me unconscious.