A.N.

Drawing is of Nikolai standing in ashes

~~~~

Alexis' head rested against Nikolai's side as his hand draped comfortably over her shoulder, they were sat watching clouds under a grand, old oak tree atop a rolling hill, their bodies warmed by the golden rays of sunshine that filtered through the leaves to soak them.

Nikolai enjoyed these lazy hours with her. He could be naked, honest and revealing to her. He didn't have to be a soldier anymore, just a friend with an ear to bend.

"Did you know that your eye sparkles so beautifully when the sun shines on it?" Nikolai questioned, a playful smile curling across his lips as he looked to Alexis, who bit her lip as she giggled, her face turning bright pink.

"And your skin goes the cutest shade of pink when you blush," Nikolai observed, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his smile stretched into a wide grin, the sunlight catching on his icy blue eyes and making them twinkle.

"You're too nice," Alexis mumbled, "any more compliments and my ego's gonna explode," she laughed, a nervousness rife in her laughter, when Nikolai laughed she relaxed slightly.

A thundering of paws on the undergrowth suddenly sounded, tearing apart the quiet sunny day the two of them were enjoying when a shaggy black wolf approached them, Nikolai recognised him as Xero.

"Nikolai, you're needed urgently at Atricc encampment, details are hazy but it's bad," the wolf informed Nikolai, who looked to Alexis with a heavy sigh.

"I gotta sort this-," he explained.

"It's okay I get it, go, they need you," Alexis answered, offering him a warm smile which he affectionately returned before wrapping his arms around her, he squeezed her tightly before letting go and following the wolf in his animal form, heading towards Atricc.

Rushing through the undergrowth an unpleasant, thick scent of ashes singed their nostrils, over the canopy of trees a swollen plume of smoke was bellowing, turning the sky pitch black. Their paws tore up the dirt as they raced towards Attric encampment, they were greeted with the most horrendous, repulsive sight that shocked them to their cores.

Ahead of them was a blanket of ashes, bones crunched underfoot as they saw charred bodies impaled on long wooden spears, their intestines spilling forth at the foot of the poles, fires spat forth embers and poisoned the air with smoke.

"They finally done it..." Nikolai uttered in a hushed voice, staring wide eyed in awe at the sheer destruction. He recognised one of the charred bodies as his friend and fellow scout Mekor, identified by the bracelet of blue gems he wore around his ankle, the blue gems cracked and blood stained.

"They've burned down the entire encampment," Nikolai whispered, staring wide eyed in awe at the sheer destruction as he transformed into his human form, pulling a bandanna over his mouth and nose so he could breathe easier.

He stared down at his boot, watching as the ashes settle on the worn leather, staring mindlessly out into the sea of grey, flickering orange, and a buzzing black mass of flies and crows.

The land was almost unrecognisable, the burnings started to scorch Nikolai's lungs as he pressed forward, simultaneously disgusted yet enticed by what he was-as if he was under a sick kind of hypnosis, a moth to the flame.

At sickening as this carnage was he was a soldier and soldier's remain calm, especially under pressure. He went about methodically searching for any signs of survivors; the air tasted of metallic blood and thick ashes, he knew he was breathing in the decomposing and burning bodies was a gruesome fact that made his stomach turn.

After scouring the ashes on his hands and knees he straightened up, knowing he had to be strong. The heat was sweltering and dry as a bone, the melting flesh given the heat a sickening humidity, no breeze to scatter away the surreal horror. He began to step slowly, one foot placed in front of the other in methodical and careful steps, through the annihilation. His foot bumped into something hard, a rock.

Lifting his boot he rolled the rock to the side, catching side of a jawbone.

It wasn't a rock, it was a skull. Charred, bloodied black skin peeling off its eye socket. He stared at the skull, imagining the person they once were. A person with a family, with hopes and dreams. All reduced to nothingness.

He stuck to the path out of habit, absorbing the remains that littered the path. They had probably all tried to escape, now they lied in various states of decay. Some were incinerated to a scorched shadow on the earth, others that had been overcome with smoke filled bloated and rotting, being picked apart by carrion crows. At first Nikolai tried to kick and shoo them away, causing them to jump backwards a few feet in a cluster of flapping black wings, only to have them jump back to pull strips of flesh from the bodies.

Nikolai admitted defeated. He couldn't protect them in life, no point trying to protect them in death. Not that they cared now, they were somewhere far away from this Hell.

The sound of buzzing flies began to grate on his ears, as if they were laying their maggots in his ear canals. Shaking the thought from his head he begrudgingly pushed forward, knowing he had to report back to Leiden.

The demons killed you, Nikolai thought as he passed a severed hand who's fingers had curled under the heat. And you. And you.

They will pay.

"Do you see any survivors?" Xero called out, Nikolai turned to see him a few metres away, kicking over skulls and staring blankly at them.

"No."

"Shit."

Suddenly a sharp yelp from the pile of bones and bodies sounded, Xero pawed through them to find a terrified eye darting around from underneath the cover of dead bodies, Nikolai ran over to Xero and continued to shovel away the debris, revealing a badly wounded tan wolf beneath it, sharp points of bones produced from his knees a deep cut to his flank spurted deep crimson that encrusted his fur.

"Tick!" Xero exclaimed, digging to reveal the badly wounded Tick buried beneath bones and bodies.

"What happened?!" Nikolai demanded as Xero held Tick and steadily leant the bleeding wolf against his side.

"Extermination," Tick panted, his voice scratchy and raw from smoke inhalation, he hung his head low and coughed up a wad of bloody mucus which splatted between his paws.

His frantic, piercing eyes darted Nikolai and Xero, shooting terror deep into both their hearts, "t-the demons came," he stammered, his voice shaking with fright as the memories swirled in his mind, the symphonies of begs for mercy and war cries that howled together in such raw, animalistic brutality. The bloodlust and the bloodshed, all smashing together into his mind and threatening to tear it to pieces.

"They killed all of us," he whispered, broken.

"They're all dead, I'm the last one left," Tick ushered, despondency spiralling in his hollow words.

Nikolai slowly approached Tick, stroking his head down the side of Tick's face in an attempt to soothe him, however the wounds were unsurvivable, his wide eyed stare so blank and empty remained untouched to the warmth of Nikolai's hand.

"They stole two whores as trophies," Tick spoke flatly, staring at nothingness, the crushing nothingness that surrounded them all, "good riddance."

"They'll pay for this," Leiden announced, Nikolai and Xero turning round to face their leader as he stood strong in the ashes of destruction, his large paw atop a skull, his whole body tensed in preparation for war, "they'll pay with their blood."

"Nobody here died in vain," Leiden stated with a voice that was flat yet had an edge of vengeance to sharpen it, it was the voice of a leader, the voice of a saviour. Somebody who rises from the ashes and fights fire with fire.

"Tick, come here," Leiden commanded.

Nikolai and Xero stepped away from Tick, who's heart began to hammer violently in his chest.

"Do as I say," Leiden snarled.

Gingerly, Tick put one paw forward, nervously glancing back to Nikolai and Xero. Neither made eye contact. Looking back to Leiden Tick bowed his head low, slowly hobbling over to Leiden.

Each step was more painful than the last, sharp pieces of bones sliced open his paw pads, and the ashes stung the open wounds. He dared to glance up to Leiden for only a fleeting moment, catching sight of blue and green eyes that were heavy with a building and barely controlled rage, an anger almost ready to erupt.

"I-I tried-"

"You tried nothing!" Leiden bellowed, his wide jaws snapping open to reveals rows of razor sharp teeth, "you hid like a coward whilst your fellows were slaughtered like lambs!" he screamed, red hot spittle flying from his jaws.

"This cowardice is unforgivable," he hissed, relaxing sighted as he bored down on Tick with an intense stare, one that reeked of utter disgust, "and for it you must sacrifice," he spoke, eerily calm.

Accepting his fate, when Tick found himself at Leiden's feet he lied down, flinching only slightly when Leiden lifted his paw and crushed it down on his throat.

Within one swift second Leiden opened his jaws and drove his teeth into Tick's windpipe, tearing backward he ripped his jugular clean open, bright red blood spurted across the ashes and bones in front of them, soaking them crimson as Tick spasmed in his death throes, gargling and hissing as his body convulsed.

Leiden, Tick's blood still fresh on his jaws, looked to Nikolai and to Xero with a steeled, mechanical gaze.

"There is no place in this rebellion for cowardice," he told them, his voice hard and firm, "make no mistake, cowards pay for their cowardice."

Then, he turned his back to them, "dismissed."

Nikolai knew to think better of questioning Leiden's methods. Besides, there was no place for cowards in this rebellion.

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