A  haunting roar echoed all around me. I kicked out of my bed in a state of alert, my senses heightened, claws fully extended. The hairs on my entire body stood tall. Fear. The air was stagnent and vile, everything felt wrong. As if to prove me right, my mother charged into the room with unbridled fear, a contorted face I had never witnessed from my mother before, something bad was going down. 

"Get dressed now! Hurry! Ava we don't have time to fuck about!" My mother practically screaming as she still tried to keep her calm.

The sight before me confirmed the dread I was feeling. The piercing screams, clashing steel and unending itch in the back of my throat from what I can now see was a deep smog of smoke. What happened?! Where are the spirits? How are we being invaded? All thoughts that barely flickered through my mind before I was swiftly dragged deeper into the jungle off the beaten path by my mother. We followed the outskirts of the village trying our best to avoid detection, we had to have been outmatched for my mother to not charge in head first, I thought.  

We eventually found ourselves outside the main gathering point located at the front of the village. Hidden in the bushes we spied upon a heartbreaking scene, the people we called friend and family shackled and tossed into a pile, blood ridden bodies scattered the battleground. How were we so outmatched? Our people hunted and fought often, trained our bodies! This couldn't be right. 

A giant clad in dark stained iron armour, head to toe, approached our captured comrades. A large symbol resembling two short swords clashing lay on his breastplate. Then, the moment that redefined my entire world happened. In one single motion, the man lazily dropped a head towards the captured villagers. The head belonged to a white tigerkin, although most of it was covered in deep dark red blood. Still visible enough to make out who it was, my father. My entire body quaked followed by a scream erupting from my throat, only to be stiffled before it could even leave my lips, my mother had grasped her hand around my face in an effort to block any sound.

My eyes shot sideways to her face, blood oozing from her lip as she bit down desperately. The same tears flowing from my eyes also swelled around hers, our world had crumbled around us and all we could do was restrain ourselves helplessly. If even my mother couldn't fight back then what could I do? I took another longing look at my mother for an ounce of direction in what the fuck we were meant to do here. I guess my gaze was sobering as she forced out a new determined face, eyes blazing with fire, yet still riddled with grief. Gripping my hand tightly, we fled. I didn't know where we were going or how long we'd ran as I was dragged along by her. My eyes were blurred with my own tears whilst my ears muffled to the sound of my smothered sobbing.

we abruptly came to a stop, I looked up to see a small group in conflict ahead of us. She pulled me close and whispered, "Stay here, theres only 3 of them, I can deal with this at least." A glint of regret in her voice, she dashed off as I fell to my knees. After a moment I raised my head to see who was fighting, eyes widening as I recognised the wolf and bearkin cornered. Lucky was bloody from head to toe, barely holding onto his spear as he fought off the invaders. Koko, desperately trying to use healing magic but struggling to keep her composure long enough to make any real progress. Everyone was engulfed in a bright golden light burning into our retina and before my eyes could re-adjust, the faint sound of gargling could be heard. Coming to my senses, I saw the fierce stance of a leopardkin warrior clad in golden light, a deathly stare into the eyes of the last invader. 

But the man was a coward, he grasped a horn that strung around his neck and before anyone could act, blew out as hard as he could. The horn didn't even leave his lips before his head left his body and the golden light shined above him, looking down with unrivaled malice.

However horn had already echoed through the jungle, moms face quickly shifted from rage to steadfast, turning back to face me she motioned for me to join her. Stepping forward we both approached the injured duo, however lucky couldn't hold his stance any longer and collpased to the ground. Mom, still covered in golden light lifted Lucky with ease! As if he wasn't a giant bear? The shock on both mine and Kokos face didn't last long as we were urged to get moving. 

Several moments later, as we quickly ran through the jungle trying to make our escape, we began to hear the thundering of footsteps in all directions. We'd clearly been found and there were too many to fight, our only option was to continue running. Before long they were in sight, ten? twenty so soldiers, mostly in leather armour wearing the same sigil as the ironclad man before. Arrows flew towards us, a quick glance told me they wielded all manor or range weapons, including what looked to be some kind of sling?

A siffled scream as Koko was launched onto the ground, her legs tangled in rope with rocks tied to either end. Fast to act, mom was already down to free her from the restraints, hurrying Koko to her feet. Unfortunately by the time she recovered we were surrounded. Mom dropped Lucky to his feet and took her stance ready to fight to the death, if her eyes were anything to go by.

However Lucky stumbled forward, a roar bellowed out of him like a dragon, some of the soldiers held their ears and others took a step back. From out of sight a horse fitted in iron armour stepped forward, on top was the man with full iron armour. 

A deep husky voice bellowed out, "Capture the women, kill the bear." He pulled a crossbow from behind his back and took aim at Lucky.

As if time itself slowed down, the bolt flew foward piercing Luckys chest, his fierce demeanor dropped into a staggering whimper. Falling to his knees and then collapsing to his side.

Mom rushed forward, the screaming golden light intensifying as she charged the enemy. As I stared at Lucky's barely breathing body, Koko screaming, desperately trying to cast healing magic, my eyes blurred. My vision started to darken, my heartbeat quickened, the sound of the jungle embraced my ears. The vision of the Large cat like creature bending the earth to its whim flashed across my eyes until a familiar roar shook my very core causing my conscious to fade.