As lively as the day was, no one in the village could've guessed that the hand of doom drew near and that their time was running out. Thundering of hooves sounded in the distance, approaching the small village as travelling bandits made their way across barren stretches of land in search of villages to pillage and destroy. Men in cloaks with their faces covered rode on dark horses toward the village to spread chaos and slaughter the villagers.
A small child had lost her ball, the purple orb rolling across the dirt path with the girl running after it to capture it before it got too far. The village went dead still at the sounds of horses and snarls of men in fear, the girl trampled by the beasts without second thought. The intruding robbers drew sharpened swords of steel, a dark glint shining of the polish blades. The swords whispered tales of blood and death, cruelty and horrific events that had unfolded in their past. The histories of those blades were written in blood of innocent lives along those who had part in doing wrong, violence evident in the scratches and chips in the steel that sang out for blood. For vegeance.
The occupants of the village were mercilessly slaughtered, driven into corners before they were killed and their treasures were taken. Many bodies were left to bleed out where they lay, while others were thrown into the river to taint it and turn it red. Blood quickly seeped out into the waters, turning what was once crystal to ruby red. The sand at the bottom was stained now, changing from the light brown to darkened red. The sand and waters would forever more tell the story that happened here, even when the bodies and bones were long since reduced to dust on the wind.
Far from the village, Jiru and his partners were counting up their kills and preparing them to take back to the village. They had gone a long way and it would be almost dark before they returned, expecting a roaring fire and a warm welcome back from the hunt for food. What they didn't expect was that everyone had been slaughtered, even the children were killed and thrown aside as though they were nothing. That fate was better than being made into slaves, yes but to lose life at such a young age was a tragedy and seen as a crime in most towns or villages.
Jiru's silver hair shone in the sun, the length of his hair was long and the majority of it was tied back into a tail. His bangs that were left framed his face, hanging down on either side with a few stray strands covering a small part of his forehead. It was just enough to shade his eyes so that he looked menacing to any outsider that they might run into, Jiru running ahead in eagerness to get back to his home. His village was his pride and joy, he loved to live there with all the people that were there. They would always be welcomed back with a giant feast whenever they returned from the hunt, whether it last just one day or three.
"Hey, Jiru! Wait up," a voice called from behind him. "Hurry up, Salem!" Jiru called back, pausing on the high rise just before they reached the village. Salem ran on to catch up, "hurry up you three! He's getting ahead!" Salem called to the trio behind him, stopping next to Jiru to catch his breath. "Put your backs into it Sorah, Kyros, and Markos!" The three that were mentioned hurried to catch up to the pair, carrying their packs that were heavy with the furs, teeth, antlers, and claws of their kills from that day. They had hunted all sorts of game from rabbits to wild cats and the quantity of furs was numerous. The furs were often used to make clothes for the villagers, from shoes to shirts and even packs for long trips.
As the five entered the village, they caught on fast that it was silent and there was no warmth or roar of the usual large bonfire. It was near dusk when they finally reached it, the sun just starting to set on what started out to be a normal day but it had ended in tragedy and not one of the five had been there to prevent the horsemen from going through. The scent of blood was prominent in the village, each one reacting in a different way than the other. Stiffening, quiet growls, silence, depressed sighs, and lastly, a howl of rage coming from Jiru himself. An inhuman howl that seemed to shake the ground and the buildings around the five, even the air itself trembled with fear of Jiru's howl. Winds suddenly picked up and clouds moved in over the darkening sky, blacking out all that had lit up the night. It was as though a sudden storm blew in, brewing dangerously overhead as torrential downpour began to pelt the ground and buildings of the village.
Thunder sounded and lightning flashed, the bolts an unnormal color for lightning. What was usually white and sometimes blue, were now orange and red as though fire rained down from the sky. Jiru's anger was being reflected in the lightning and the ferocious roars of thunder overhead, like an angry lion ready to strike or a tiger protecting it's territory. Lightning would strike Jiru where he stood, the demon stood unfazed by it as his anger rose. Salem, Sorah, Kyros, and Markos knew to keep their distance when Jiru was in a dangerous mood like he was in now.
People, pets, and things that were held dear had all disappeared at once with no way of reviving them or bringing them back. A heavy silence had settled over the village once the howls, growls, and sighs faded away into the solemn darkness. There was only the flash of lightning and rage of thunder above to light up and fill the silence now. All that remained of the village was a group of five boys, boys that would've one day grown up to lead the village into a new age of survival and peace. But those hopes were now gone, crushed into dust since all the villagers were slaughtered and trampled into the ground. All that was left was a group of angry boys, demons who could cause chaos across the country if they so desired to wreak havoc on those who destroy their home. Humans were their enemy now, lowly, untrustworthy humans who slaughtered innocent children and women. The few men they had around were those of old age or too young to defend the village like Jiru and his group could've had they been here at the time of the raid.
Jiru, Salem, Sorah, Kyros, and Markos now stood as the last remnants of their small village, on the bank of the river of red that had been tainted by blood. Their former life style had been torn away, snatched by the hands of death and those who carried out it's orders. A thick, red fog had begun to settle over the empty village from the red river. The scent of earth, blood, and must was thick within the air. There would be nothing done that night but a small bonfire to cook their meal in the usual spot, saving the furs and everything else back in the packs they were stuffed in.
Cries had echoed through the village, heart-wrenching howls that broke through the sounds of thunder in this once lively village. With all but the five survivors dead, the evening was spent in misery and anger. Even when they ate, all they felt was bitterness at the humans who came through.
When dawn came, Jiru sat up and rose. The fog had persisted all night, the fire burning dully in the pit in which it had been built. Sorah and Salem had taken turns in keeping the fire going so that the circle in which they slept would remain warm. Once they sun was rising further from the horizon, he roused his group to aid in burying all the bodies that they could find. Jiru had decided, late in the night, that it was time to leave and set out to find another place to live.
With all the bodies buried on the outskirts of the town, makeshift headstones stuck in the ground for them all in place to signify graves. With their prayers for the dead done, they packed and were set to leave within the hour. Jiru took one last look at the graves before giving the order to move out, his pack heavy with his belongings and his heart heavy with the loss of the people he had grown up knowing and lived with his entire life. The road before Jiru and his group was a long one, Jiru had no clue where they would go but they would find a place. And if they couldn't find a place, they would build an empire between the five of them just so they could live in peace without the fear of any human chasing them away.