War. War never changes. People fight and they kill for many reasons whether they be noble such as peace or protection or petty reasons such as someone looks different to you or for a slight difference in belief. Whatever the reason people kill, and people are killed societies and civilisations are destroyed sometimes without a trace that they existed. Families are torn apart often to never be reunited, but war continues death and destruction continues but for what reason? Why must people constantly fight? Why must fighting such as this happen?

This land used to be beautiful covered in lush grass, blooming flowers, and tall ancient trees. Now? Now it is a barren wasteland of mud and torn-up ground soaked in blood and strewn with corpses of humans, beastkin, elves and many other races. Soldiers hide and cower in trenches bunkers and camps waiting for the signal of certain death a single whistle blown by the commanding officer. Once the signal is given over, they go towards the enemies’ guns, even if they make it to the other side, they must fight for their lives in melee combat against numerically superior enemies and are often better equipped and trained. Others who are lucky enough to not be in this living hell are sent on equally dangerous missions else were on the front whether it is in the face of the enemies or further back.

This is here is conscript, Erika. She is a giant wolfkin newly out of the slums and thrown into the trenches of war. She is given the dangerous job of carrying the squad’s heavy weapons while being seen as expendable and being a main target of the enemy at her height of fourteen feet along with her dangerous and powerful weaponry. Despite this, she strides across the battlefield without fear or doubt with confidence and strength towards the enemy. Following behind her is her squad marching towards the enemy with the same confidence while the professional soldiers and knights cower in their defences.

However, this is not where our story starts let’s go back two hundred years.

-------

This is the capital city of the kingdom of Astium, Aarborn. It is a lively bright and thriving city. People go about their day in relative luxury. They go about there lives in peace going to work, school, home or somewhere else it all happens in peace and harmony between the towering brick-built house, shops and workshops. The closer to the centre you get the better life gets until you get to the royal palace in the centre. However, this story does not begin in the peace and luxury of the capital. It begins just outside the east gate. It begins in the slums just outside the capital. The slums cover an area that is about half the size of the capital of small dilapidated wooden buildings all put as close together as possible. The slums are strife with violence, murder and theft but for the unfortunate people who live there, nothing is done by the capital the only ones who have the money and power to change anything.

In one of the ‘larger’ houses sleeping on a pile of hay is a fourteen-year-old Erika. She has wolf-like ears and a tail. Her long long hair is black with red highlights that gently lays on her dark tan skin. Her house is larger than the others but for her, it is still small at her height of nearly seven feet. She restlessly sleeps alone always alert for trouble for even a child like her is not safe in the slums.
There isn’t much in her house a simple table sits in the corner next to a small fireplace that she can’t afford fuel for. In another corner is a small box from an unknown shop in the capital that contains all her clothes the clothes are simple fabric that she made herself with the materials can get.

Erika is a young girl doing her best to survive in the slums and trying to find a way out, never did she imagine what will happen in the future. This is Erika and this is her story.