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To Lera's eternal wonder, Drailin began training with the older pages, more by himself then with the group, but he quickly caught up to them in their sword fighting skills and such. He was a wonder with horses, and everyone enjoyed having him in class. Lera spent plenty of her evenings grooming horses in the barn with him, and sometimes a few of her other friends.

That spring the word came around the palace that the Haserpes were breeding. There numbers were increasing rapidly and the castle commanded all able (Lera resented this) Men to report to the front field the next day.

Lera cleaned her armour, grinning from ear to ear, excitement building up inside of her at the prospect of fighting one last monster before she began her four years under the command of a knight, with no wards she expected little battle training after this upcoming Haserpes hunt.

Joining her friends in a group for the hunt that consisted of nearly the same people as last time, Lera's hand hung from a sword the lioness had given her short weeks before. It was a short blade, thin and flexible. It was light in Lera's grip and seemed to mould to fit her palm. It had a large purple gem in the hilt and Lera felt comforted, her palm resting against her trustworthy blade.

Carlyn, Stu, Lera and Drailin, though he wasn't a page but was an able man, set out into the forest with strict instructions not to die. Oh yeah.And you kill any Haserpes they happened to come across.

Sneaking through the dense underbrush in the lead, Lera was cautious, observing her footing and her surroundings as much as possible while crouched low to the forest floor, thigh muscles screaming with exertion.

Sword drawn and poised before her, Lera ducked behind a wide tree as a few branches cracked nearby. Motioning with her hands for the others to join her behind the tree, Lera took charge.

"I don't know how many there are, nor how well trained they are." Lera warned her friends. "I think our best bet is to rush them. We'll jump around into the clearing and attack,"

Lera hefted her blade and counted on her fingers, three, two, one.

Leaping from behind the tree with a great yell, Lera was greeted by twelve Haserpes. Two of which were Females. Knowing immediately it was a bad idea, Lera ran the closest one through while he was still in shock. Carlyn landed beside her, his legs crumpling a little.

As he struggled to his feet one Haserpes, the shock worn off, swung at him. Lera's blade collided with it and she shuffled forward on the offensive. She remembered her training well and defended herself correctly, searching for a weakness. This male was talented, and Lera couldn't tell his moves from his torso, but he wore down quickly and his moves became sluggish and sloppy. Wanting to end their duel and help her friends, Lera lunged in, whipping her sword in rapid parries. Finally spotting an opening, Lera slashed forward, opening a twelve inch wound down his belly. Nausea washed over her as blood spattered around the clearing and his bowels were released, along with his innards, which spilled onto the ground at her feet.

Not hesitating, Lera whirled around. Carlyn had killed two and Stu one. Drailin was currently stabbing the final blow of his first victim, which left four. Lera nodded to the closest female, showing the others that she would handle this one. Carlyn had already engaged a burly dark scaled male in an aggressive duel for dominance. Stu was carefully circling the other female, ignoring her taunts, for they did speak English. Drailin, his mouth in a firm snarl had abandoned his sword and was wrestling his enemy Haserpe in a fist to fist combat.

Her blade whistling through the air, Lera was only vaguely aware that Carlyn had beheaded his victim and was aiding a much needing Drailin in his body contact wrestling match. Stu's opponent wasn't fairing well. She had a fist wrapped tightly around her forearm as black blood welled from her wounded muscle. She was fumbling, a high pitched wail emitting from her throat.

Lera's attention was diverting from her fight. Her moves were still rapid and rhythmic, but her defence was weakening. Her enemy's spear nipped through her block and jabbed fiercely into her thigh. Gritting her teeth, determined to end her battle now, Lera ignored the pain, adrenalin pumping through her veins, helping to kill the white hot pain in her leg. She limped slightly as she pivoted around, blood trickling down her leg. Wielding her weapon professionally, Lera locked her blade around her opponents, bringing herself body-to-body. Not a good thing for someone as small as she. She broke away, the stench of her opponents reptilian flesh and body odour revolting her. Unable to stand it any longer, Lera rushed in, barbarically, Slicing her sword up and down. She slit her anode's chest, from shoulder the pectoral. She dropped her spear and clutched at her chest, gasping for air. Lera quickly skewered her head, through the eye on her blade.

Black blood dripped from nearly every part of Lera. She whipped in from her face, only succeeding in smudging it further.

Turning to face the scene, Lera rushed over to Carlyn who was kneeling on the ground.

"Are you okay?" She asked, panicky

Carlyn only nodded, her eyes blank and staring ahead a few meters. Turning her gaze to match his, Lera saw Drailin's body sprawled across a clump of grass, a dead Haserpe lying nearby. Drailin's eyes were open and his mouth agape, a small rivulet of blood dribbling from his open jaws. The wound that had be ruthlessly ripped across his neck remained, blood still welling from it. Drailin's oesophagus and larynx hung, severed from his amply slit neck.

Covering her eyes Lera sat next to Carlyn, oblivious the Stu sidling over to Drailin to close his suffering, dead eyes.

Deft calling brought Lera from her desolate mood. She glanced to the direction of the noise and rose to her feet. The call matched that of the previously wailing Haserpe exactly. Realising that it had be a signal for reinforcements, Lera turned in the opposite direction and ran, gathering Stu and Carlyn with her. The three of them pounded away, their feet thumping dully against the carpeted forest floor.

Lera could hear their pursuers, their slithering bodies winding through the trees over head.

Suddenly the forest thinned and Lera found herself staring out to a large cliff. Trotting to the edge, chest heaving from her sprint, Lera peered down. Carlyn ran up beside her, face tense as he shot glances backwards. Lera eyed the river far below. She didn't think it was possible to survive, and voiced it. Stu had been lost somewhere along the way and Lera prayed he had avoided their pursuers.

Lera turned her back to cliff, awaiting the Haserpes to find them. A troop of around forty Haserpes spilled out onto the ledge. Lera gasped. There was no fighting her way out of this. Without hesitating, and not doubting at all that whatever fate the river held was more pleasant than what the Haserpes held, Lera grasped Carlyn's hand and jumped from the ledge, pulling him with her.

Lera free fell for only god knows how long, letting Carlyn's had go once they were over the edge. Her hand were pressed tight against her side and she straightened her legs, knowing that the safest way to make impact was foot first. She gritted her teeth, a scream shattering from her throat as the swirling vortex of water rapidly approached. She held her eyes open, screaming along with Carlyn at the sheer terror of her decision.

She refused to accept death, tears whipped off her face as she fell at lightning speed towards the water.

Lera hit just before Carlyn, hardly making a splash in the twirling river. Everything went black as she was swept downstream, next to Carlyn, being tossed unconsciously further and further from her home and all she knew.