AN: Hi! Just a small word before I begin, I wanted to say thanks to Breathless Ivory, who was very quick to review my story. It made my day to see a review posted to my story almost immediately after it had been published. So, thanks! –MoonShadow
It was only after a few minutes of wayward frolicking on the beach that Miguel pulled Altivo up and calmly trotted back to where Tulio and Chel were standing. After a cheeky smile, he helped the two atop Altivo and headed off down the beach and into the mountains south west of where El Dorado was.
Tulio took a handful of bugs to the face before Miguel agreed to slow down and cut and actual path to walk on. "Besides," Tulio had said. "It will be easier for Altivo." Tulio always knew how to get his way with Miguel, even if it meant targeting his soft spot for the warhorse. Miguel pulled a stick out of his blonde hair and continued beating the jungle back with a stick. They no longer had the swords which made it easier the first time, but little did they know they were coming closer to them. And not only swords, but warriors as well.
But these were not your average warriors, either. Although they were strong and fearless, it was not their human side. No, what made them strong and fearless was the animal blood inside them, as our brave pioneers were about to find out.
Chel reached out and pluck a wild pear from a low hanging branch. She took a bite, before offering some to Tulio. He gladly agreed, and finished it off, lobbing the core behind him. Miguel couldn't help feel saddened. He was hungry too. Why hadn't he been offered any? Still, it was no big trouble for him to reach up a little higher and grab one for himself. He was about to take a bite when Altivo sidled up to him, with an expectant look on his long face. Miguel shook his head at the horse and smiled, lightly tossing him the pear. Altivo neighed in delight and ate it whole, so once again Miguel reached up and plucked another from a branch above him. He sank his teeth into it when Tulio leapt on him from behind, accidentally elbowing him in the back, forcing the bite off pear out of his mouth, and him himself onto the ground. The pear flew from his hand and disappeared into the jungle.
He felt like crying
"What was that for?" He hissed.
"Sorry, sorry, but shush! Look." He pointed out of a gap in the trees. Chel laid down next to Tulio. "Look." He said again.
Out through the clearing, just as we said, was a group of twenty men, wielding swords and spears and fighting. Suddenly, one sounded a horn and the men stood in formation. It was then our explorers got a good glimpse of the soldiers. And what they saw shocked them.
The men were not human. Well, they were, except they had all manner of animal parts on them, each one different to the next. One was missing normal human ears, instead having some description of spotted cat ears upon their head, and he seemed to also have a tail with the same pattern. He was smaller than the others, but much, much faster. Others had scales, fangs, claws, talons, feathers, fins, tails and all sorts of other appendages that normal humans should not have. But none had wings.
The man who had blown the horn was now leading them away. He was the most formidable of them all. Standing at 6 foot 8, he had dreadlocked hair, piercing snake eyes, scales up his arms and legs, and long fangs protruding from his upper jaw. He swung his head around, surveying the landscape, when he stopped. He was staring into the gap of trees where Tulio, Miguel, Chel and Altivo where sitting. He smiled a fanged smiled and hissed.
Then two panther like men swung down from the trees and all went black.