Disclaimer: Let's put it this way; If you recognize it, it ain't mine!

Ugg, for the second time, here it is…let's hope it works this time. Anyway, thanks to Mizuu, Misty, and anyone else who read this and took the time to really help me out with it, couldn't have done it without you guys! And also many thanks to Roku Kyu for reviewing last time and alerting me to the glitch, as well as helping me fix it! Well, I realize there's a bunch of mistakes still, and if anyone reads this, I apologize ahead of time, I just need to get it up, so that I can print it out for my creative writing class tomarrow! Lol, I promise I will fix them though…. Now onto the story, please refrain from flames until later, since this is my first ever fic…yeah.


"Daddy!" A little girl screamed, her voice echoing in the large room. She had woken up from a nightmare she could not remember, and had made her way down the long dark hallway to her father's office where he'd be either reading, or doing some kind of paper work. Finally, after what seemed like hours of cautiously walking in the dark, trying not to make a sound, she arrived at her father's office, only to find that the door was slightly open.

The little girl hesitated, her senses heightening in the still night air as her muscles tightened and the hair at the back of her neck rose. Every instinct told her to run, her muscles ached for the action, but she ignored the feeling that danger was frighteningly close. Slowly, hesitantly, she pushed open the door and stepped inside her father's office. Normally greeted by the warm light of a candle or lantern that her father used to work by, the darkness that surrounded her now surprised and confused her. Her eyes didn't take long to adjust to the blanketing darkness, however, and with the help of the light from the full moon that cascaded through the window, she was able to see as clearly as if it were daylight. She slowly looked around her at the moonlit room, and what she saw would forever haunt her dreams.

Her father's desk was completely flipped over, its contents strewn all over the floor. The light from the moon shown through the broken window where her father's chair had smashed through on it's way to the court yard below, the light catching the jagged shards of the broken glass that littered the floor. But what she saw next sent icy chills down her spine and her breath caught in her throat. Her nose caught the scent of blood, and she turned her head in the direction it came from. Bile rose in her throat as her eyes came across the scene before her. Blood covered the wall, and her father's body lay motionless on the floor beside it, a puddle of blood slowly oozing from a wound in his side. Without a second thought, the girl ran to his side. Kneeling beside him in the dark sticky liquid, she touched his face. Ice cold and pale, she knew he was dead. She choked back a sob as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She clutched his cold hand with her own, hoping, praying that she was wrong, that somehow he would return the squeeze, but he never did. The tears that she had been trying to fight back spilled out onto her cheeks, and her sobs came easier and more frequent. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his hand and succumbed to her sorrow.

After what seemed like hours, but could only have been minutes, she opened her eyes and caught the glint of moonlight reflecting off of something in her father's chest. Reaching out her hand, her fingers clasped the hilt of a silver dagger. Anger swept over her like a tidal wave. Someone had killed her father. Someone cruel and despicable had taken him from her. A rage she had never known coursed through her body, running through her veins and pounding in her temples. She screamed the wordless cry of pain and anger as she ripped the dagger from his chest, not even aware that the cry had come from her own throat. Clutching the hilt in her hand, she began to examine the object that took her father's life.

Turning the weapon over in her hand, and with the help of the moonlight, she noticed the intricate designs that were delicately etched in the silver blade. The body of a running wolf was etched in the delicate blade, and if not for the blood still dripping off the tip, she would have thought it beautiful. How could something so beautiful have taken the life of her father? Clutching the blade to her chest, the girl cried inconsolably. Suddenly laughter filled the room, a cruel, wicked sound that froze her blood and chilled her to the bone. She froze, her muscles tightening as she recognized the sound. Slowly turning around, she was met by a fierce blow to the face, slamming her into the wall. She cringed as her head hit the wooden surface, the force of the blow leaving her disoriented. She slid down to the floor, leaving a trail of blood on the wall from where the back of her head smashed into it. Trying to blink past the black fog that had clouded her vision, she attempted to stand. The laughter became louder as the man who had struck her watched her struggle with the effort to do so. She leaned against the wall for support, and glared at the man laughing at her. At least, she hoped it was a glare. She was too disoriented to really make the effort.

"Did you honestly think you could stop me?" he laughed menacingly, sending shivers down her back.

He took a step towards her and she flinched, trying to seem as small as she could. She backed up as far as the wall would let her. It looked as if she was trying to merge with the wall its self. He laughed at her action, and, bringing his arm up again, he struck her hard against her face, snapping her head to the side. He smiled as she cried out in pain. He grabbed a fist full of her hair from the back of her head, pulling it up so that she was looking at him face to face, eye to eye. She whimpered, both from the pain his grip was causing and the fear that was continuously rising in her body. His smile grew wider and more sadistic as he grabbed the dagger that she had dropped and pressed it to her neck. Her eyes grew wide with fear and he pressed the blade deeper into her flesh, whispering in her ear.

"You will be broken! Corico will pay nicely for someone such as you. Young, strong, you'd be a perfect slave!" Tears streamed down her face as she felt the blade at her neck cutting into her skin. The man must have noticed as well, for he thrust the dagger down, embedding the blade a good three inches into the solid oak floor at his side. Using his free hand, he held both of her tiny fists in an iron grip. Still holding her hair in his fist, he brought her head up farther, examining her with malice in his eyes. She glared back at him, fire in her own, as she brought her leg up and kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. He gasped in pain, letting go of her hair and arms as he shoved her away from him. The force of his push sent her stumbling backwards, and she tripped over her father's body. She fell to her knees, just as he recovered. Glaring menacingly at her, he rushed toward so quickly she had no time to react. He grabbed her throat with his right hand and pinned her to the wall.

"Your lack of obedience may be a problem," he growled, "but I'm sure we could fix that!And with that he threw her across the room. She hit the wall hard, staggering in her attempt to regain her footing, and knocking over a bookshelf in the process. The noise it made as it fell echoed throughout the room, and into the hallway. The man didn't seem to care about the noise, however, as he walked menacingly towards her.

"He tried to stop me, you know," he said in a casual tone, motioning to the body on the floor. "He told me to leave you alone, that if I touched you again, he'd have me executed," He said, laughing at the last part. His laughter became hysterical as he appeared to be thinking of something else.

"Did you tell him what was happening?" He asked between his laughter, "'Cause look where it got him!" He laughed even harder. She flinched at his words. Was it really her fault that he was dead? No! That couldn't be true, she never mentioned to anyone what happened when her father was away, how could it have been her fault? He took a step closer to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She flinched again as he raised his arm to strike her.

"Don't touch her!" Someone growled in the door way.

"Odessa, how good of you to join us!" He said in a cool tone, not even bothering to turn his head to look at her, as if her presence there meant nothing at all.

"Let her go Lucien!" Odessa said her voice cold and threatening.

"And if I don't?" Lucien asked, his hand still rose, as if he would strike her any minute. His question was met by silence as Odessa averted her gaze. Lucien smiled at her silence.

"That's what I thought!" he said as he backhanded the girl. She slammed into the floor, crying out in pain as her head hit the cold, hard floor. Odessa snapped her head up at the girl's cry of pain, glaring at Lucien as he again stepped towards her.

"I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE!" she screamed at him. Lucien looked shocked for a moment. Counting on her silence, her sudden outburst took him by surprise and he stopped in his tracks and stared at her. This was what Odessa had counted on. "Kia, come here!" she said calmly yet urgently. The little girl looked up at the sound of her name, but couldn't muster the energy to do anymore.Lucien recovered in a moment, and once again moved towards the little girl.

"Kianna, now!" Odessa said her voice slightly louder than before, not lacking in urgency, yet still just as calm. Kianna snapped to attention as Odessa used her full name instead of her nickname as everyone usually did. She attempted to stand, but failed miserably, her vision swimming at the mere turning of her head. All the while, Lucien moved closer and closer to her. After what seemed like hours, she was able to summon the strength to move, and half walked, half crawled to Odessa. Time seemed to stand still as Lucien's pace quickened, determined to intercept her and come between her and Odessa, but the Gods were on her side, and soon she found herself in Odessa's arms.

Odessa wasted no time. The moment Kia was in her arms she stood up and backed up towards the doorway. The rage in Lucien's eyes was met by pure defiance in Odessa's. As she moved towards the door, she tripped over something and almost lost her balance. She had to sidestep to regain her footing and keep from falling. Looking down to see what had tripped her, she almost dropped Kia when she saw the body of her husband lying in a pool of blood. Kia whimpered and buried her head in Odessa's shoulder. Odessa hugged the girl closer to her chest, making soft shushing noises as she tried to calm the little girl and possibly herself down. She had to get out of that room! Turning around, she bolted out the door and ran down the darkened hallway.


"Ri? Rika, wake up!" a young man, about the age of nineteen called out, seemingly annoyed at being the one chosen to wake a young woman, who was currently asleep beneath a large oak tree. The girl didn't even stir. This seemed to annoy the boy even more. Eye twitching slightly, he clenched his fist and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself before he went off the deep end. It didn't do much, however, and he resorted to shaking the girl violently.

"Risikah, god damn it, WAKE UP!" he yelled, giving the girl one last hard shake. His efforts were rewarded when the girl suddenly snapped awake, a shocked, somewhat shaky gasp escaping from her lips as she jumped at the boys touch. He drew a sharp intake of breath when in less than two seconds later he found the blade of a silver dagger at his throat. He looked at the girl, shock evident on his face.

"Ri what the hell?" He asked in surprise.

As he watched her, he noticed that she was shaking violently, her eyelids looked heavy as she appeared to be still half asleep, and sweat trailed down her face. Her hand, however, was as steady as anything. He relaxed almost immediately as he realized what was wrong, and gently pushed back the hand holding the knife.

The girl looked up when he gently moved her hand away from his neck, and slowly the sleep, confusion, and fear melted from her eyes, quickly replaced by realization and a silent apology. She absently sheathed her knife, returning it to the leather pouch that hung from her belt. She took a deep shaky breath, trying to steady herself. The boy watched her for a moment. She looked so frightened, so small. He actually felt bad for her. She seemed to feel his gaze on her, and she looked up at him with crystal blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry Willam!" she whispered sadly. Her eyes changing from crystal blue, to a dark gray-blue. He smiled, that little trick, along with her usual red-blond hair, were what made her famous in their little village. She averted her gaze and looked down, frowning slightly. Willam said nothing for a long moment, then asked the question that was plaguing his mind, even though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"Another nightmare?" he asked. She tensed, head still down, and nodded solemnly. He lowered his gaze as well. That was all he needed to know. He didn't ask what the dream had been about, he didn't need to know, and, frankly, he didn't want to know.

Rika, or Risikah as she was called by most of their people, as well as the world around them, was his half sister, about four years younger than himself and his twin brother, Kristopher. When they were just children, their father had been murdered, and Rika was the one who found him. He didn't know the details, but he knew that she was badly beaten by the man who killed him. Lucien, their father's murderer, had been imprisoned, and then exiled early that same morning. He returned, however, later that night, taking Rika with him and selling her into slavery, she was barely five years old. There she was brutally abused for nearly seven years, until she was saved and brought back to them. Ever since then she had been plagued by nightmares, and he could only imagine what they were about. One thing was for sure: they were brutal.

To be honest, he was amazed at how little her brutal past had affected her. Sure a smirk had replaced her smile, and she was much colder than she use to be, but he was surprised that she had made it out, alive for that matter, but so much stronger and with her sanity intact. He had heard that most people- or slaves in this matter- that had gone through not even half of what she had been through didn't even remember their own names!

He had been so absorbed in his contemplation that he didn't here Rika's question. Now, when he looked up, his dark green eyes were met by Rika's now amber colored eyes staring back at him. He cast her a nervous questioning glance. Amber eyes meant that she was quickly losing her patience and though it wasn't the worst color they could have turned, it meant he'd have to be careful of what he said, or things would quickly become dangerous.

"What?" he asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Her eye twitched, but they held their color. As long as they didn't turn red or black he'd be safe, but if they did….he gulped-he didn't want to think about that.

"What's going on? Where is everyone?" she asked, her tone suggesting that it wasn't the first time she had asked. He looked confused for a moment, then his face shown with realization as he remembered the reason he had come in the first place.

"We've got a problem." He stated calmly. She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"It seems Nacola is on the move. Her forces have been advancing on us for quite a while now." He said, his tone icily serious. Rika swore under her breath.

"I sent Kaiei and Liam to scout the area around us, pick up any signs of how close they are. The rest are out setting up a perimeter." He stood up, turning to leave, he added over his shoulder "Alex wants to talk to you." He hesitated, waiting for her reply. She hesitated, once again averting her gaze. He watched her for a moment, she was still uneasy from the dream. After a few moments she nodded.

"I'll be there in a few seconds, let me just clean up a bit." He nodded and turned to leave.

Rika watched him go, until the thick morning mist hid his form from her view. After a few moments, she began to get ready for the new day, and the battle that would most likely ensue soon. She could already feel the tension in the air, the energy of an upcoming battle was almost suffocating. She shuddered, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Sighing, she pushed the thought away and began to gather her things. She needed to get ready. After making sure she had everything, she made her way to the small lake they had made camp by.

After washing up in the cool water of the lake, she began to put on her attire for the day. She chose to where a deep red leather shirt that left most of her stomach bare. She also pulled on a pair of leather pants of much the same color that hugged her hips, showing off her curves. Finally she pulled on a pair of black leather lace-up boots, pulling them over her pants. After finishing lacing up the boots, she looked down at her remaining items. Assorted articles of clothing, a few pieces of jewelry, three leather- bound books, and of course, a variety of weapons- three silver daggers, two sias, a katana, a braided, black leather whip, and of course, her weapon of choice- an uncharacteristically thin sword- made up the small bundle within the leather sack she had carried with her.

She had taken the sword from her last hit. Made with beautiful craftsmanship; it was indeed a beautiful weapon, and one of her most prized possessions. The blade was made of silver, and forged from a magic similar to that of her peoples', with a dragon wrapped around an attacking tiger delicately etched in the fine silver. The hilt was made with a deep red-almost black- silver- called blood silver. A wolf head carved into the base, its green emerald eyes a striking contrast to the dark metal around it. The sword was unbelievably light, and she used it expertly, as she did with all her weapons.

She began to arm herself, attaching the weapons to various parts of her body: A dagger in each boot, the two sias at her back, her sword at her hip, along with her whip. After making sure her weapons were secure, she looked down at her remaining dagger. Frowning slightly, she tried to decide what to do with it. She couldn't afford to leave it behind- any weapon was needed on the battlefield, and she learned from experience that it may be the last weapon that could save your life- however, her outfit provided little space for much of anything, and being a mercenary, she made a habit of concealing her weapons.

After a few moments of figuring out what do with it, she finally found an answer. Strapping the dagger to her arm, she looked for something to conceal it. Digging through her clothes, she finally found what she was looking for. Two arm bands, the leather strap the same color as her outfit with black and red colored quilted silk material that hung from the leather to about an inch above her wrists. After she finished putting them on, she made her way in the direction her brother had gone.

As she made her way through the mist, she was once again reminded of her nightmare. That beating Lucien had given her that night- and all the other nights before for that matter-were nothing compared to the pain and torture she was subjected to over the next seven years. Hell, she'd even consider them love taps compared to the raw beatings Corico would give her, but the fact that it was the night her father was murdered, and the last night of her freedom, made the memory stick out painfully vivid in her mind. The thought of her father brought tears to her eyes, but she pushed them away. Tears brought weakness, and she would not stand for weakness, though, she doubted she could cry even if she wanted to; she had lost so much, suffered so much pain that she was just…cold inside.

Odessa must have told her father about Lucien's abuse. It was the only explanation as to how he found out. Rika had been amazed at Odessa's sudden and desperate attempt at saving her. Though she was never cruel to Rika, she had made it quite clear that she didn't except her as a daughter –or stepdaughter- or even as a member of her family. All she was to her was an ugly child, a mere half demon; a reminder of how her father had chosen a human over her.

Odessa was her father's first wife, the mother of Willam, Kristopher, Alexander, Aislin, Axel, Raelin, and Nyssa. A beautiful shinggrah – the great wolf demon of the European lands- with long, silky golden hair that cascaded down her shoulders to the middle of her back in gorgeous waves, crystal blue eyes, and a long, thin, muscular build, Risikah could not understand why her father had chosen a human over her. Apparently neither could Odessa, for she often sent cold glares in Risikah's direction. It was very rare for her to talk to her at all, let alone say her name, but that night…the desperation in her voice as she said her name was what had snapped her out of the weary fog Lucien's beatings had caused her to feel.

Kianna…it had been so long since she was called by that name. After seven long years in the Vampiric slave trade, she was saved by a man named Kaleo. Kaleo was also a vampire, but one of the rare ones who despised the trade and who acted against it. He took her- after Corico practically threw her away, as it was illegal to stand in the way of an owner and his slave, and even ones such as Kaleo wouldn't interfere with someone's claim- and brought her to Emrick, one of the Elders of her people. Emrick took her in, treated her like a daughter, giving her a new name, and a new identity to replace the one that Corico had tainted, and to keep her from being traced; no one, except her family, new who she truly was. She became Risikah, no longer the princess of her people and rightful heir to the throne by the words of her father, but the mighty protector and savior of her people. A mercenary by night, a soldier by day, she was a cold blooded killer-or so she'd have them believe. The truth was; she'd do anything to protect her people, even if it meant using her skills to take on jobs, killing bounties for money to feed her people.

As she walked through the thickening fog, her thoughts once again fell upon her father. It hadn't lasted long, of course, her father's fling with Risikah's mother- if you could call it that- shortly after she was born, her mother had left, disappearing with out a trace, without a word to anyone, leaving her with nothing, not even a name as to who she was.

It hadn't mattered that much, or at least that's how she made it seem. She had her father's love, as well as her aunt's, and she always told herself that that was enough, all she would ever need. But the truth was she wanted a mother! She just couldn't understand why someone would leave their newborn baby, for any reason. There were rumors that she had another child- a son and also a half demon as well- but rumors were just that –rumors- and it was hard to decipher the truth from the lies, if there was any at all.

The mist became thicker with each step she took, until it had completely obscured her vision. This did not delay her, nor phase her in the least, however, as her keen nose told her all she needed to know, picking up every sent of the forest around her, and she was easily able to pick up the sent of her brother and the rest of her pack. She narrowly avoided walking into an overhanging branch as she weaved through the forest, dogging rocks, branches, and trees. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she was able to pick up the sounds of her friends and comrades. She relaxed as the familiar voices reached her ears, but then sighed in aggravation as the voices quickly turned into snarls and growls.

Err! God damn it! NOT TODAY! She thought angrily, her unusual good mood quickly evaporating. Between the uneasy mood the nightmare had left her in, and the unease and gloom the day was already promising, she was by no means in the mood for their bull shit! Her pace quickened as her anger grew, and soon she was in the clearing where her troops were. Most were half changed into their wolf forms, others were either entirely wolf, or entirely human, but all were in a circle, surrounding something in the center. The growling and snarling came from the center, and combined with the cheering and screaming that the others were making, the sound was almost overbearing. She waited a moment, eyes twitching as they began to change colors, but remained unnoticed as the snarling, growling mass turned into something along the lines of a riot. Taking out her whip, she flicked it hard and violently into the air at her side. The sound of the crack echoed in the forest around them, as the silence settled in amongst her comrades. They turned their attention towards her, slowly parting the circle so she could move past them, revealing the two men that had been fighting. Numerous cuts and deep slash marks littered their bare chests. Though they looked painful, Risikah knew they probably didn't even notice them, as their kind had a high tolerance for pain, and by the time they'd change back into their human forms, the cuts would all but disappear.

It was completely silent as she surveyed the men in front of her. Some had already begun the change back into human form, their long hair shortening to its normal length, the fur on their chest slowly being replaced by skin. The cuts on the two men began to disappear as they too began to change back. All this she noted as she stared coldly at the group of men before her. They knew she was pissed even with out looking at her eyes. They could feel her temper flare out as the emotion mixed with her aura, prickling their skin and causing them to become uneasy. Her voice was cold as she spoke her anger out loud.

"You are all acting like a bunch of RABID DOGS!" she screamed the last two words, causing the men around her to flinch and lower their gazes as her temper found a new level, flaring out as her aura erupted –causing a tree to engulf in flames. Her gaze grew more icy as she walked slowly and threateningly towards them, aura crackling around her. They moved quickly out of her way, creating a path to the two now human men. She smiled, a cold threatening smirk that sent shivers down the backs of most of whom were unlucky enough to be the at the receiving end of one. The two just stood silently however, not looking at her, but not looking away either. Her smirk grew in amusement at their slight, yet obvious sign of disobedience, then she turned to the rest of the group.

"Where the HELL is Alexander?" she screamed. Not receiving an answer she walked slowly around the circle. "Is this how you act when no one is watching you!" she asked, her voice calmer this time, but still containing the same icy venom as before. "Look at you! Damn it! Is this what you do before a battle? Act like a bunch of puppies? No, even puppies are more behaved then you are!" This comment was answered with shamed murmurs as the group before her held their heads even further. She looked them over for a moment, then repeated her earlier question.

"Where are Alexander and the others?" They stood there in silence, as if she'd rip their heads off should any one speak up. She was starting to grow impatient once again when someone behind her wrapped their arms around her shoulders, causing her to jump.

"Right here." Someone said, their voice deep and smooth. She turned around, her bad mood evaporating as her eyes met those of her oldest brother, well, second oldest brother-her oldest brother died shortly after she came back to the castle.

"Alexander!" She called happily. Out of all her brothers, friends, and comrades around her, Alexander was the only person that completely understood her. She could talk to him about any thing, and he never judged her, and anyone could see that he adored her. Ever since she came back from the trade, they were as close as they could be, sharing a bond that was virtually unbreakable bond that even the most ignorant person could see.

If anyone thought it was odd that they shared such a strong bond, no one spoke it aloud; as everyone treated each other as brothers and sisters. Everyone knew that loosing his sister, the princess Kianna, devastated Alexander, and to them, it seemed that Risikah had become a replacement to Alexander. Though know one knew who she really was, they understood Alexander's closeness with her, and accepted her themselves. It never occurred to anyone that their relationship was exactly what it appeared to be, a bond between a little sister and her big brother.

Alexander's gaze was filled with amusement as he looked over the shamed faces of his troops. He turned his gaze once again to his sister.

"Don't you think you were a bit harsh, Risikah?" He asked in mock disapproval. She glared at him as she shoved his arm in a sisterly way. He laughed and shoved her back. The others watched on in growing amusement at the shoving match between the two. Finally they separated, laughing lightly.

"So, what's going on? Where is everyone?" she asked, her bad mood completely gone. Alexander's face quickly lost its light, happy tone; the mischievousness quickly being replaced by something resembling fear and worry, but much more severe. Risikah could not put a name to the feelings that were now playing out on her brother's face; all she could do was wait for his reply.

"Follow me." He gestured her to follow behind him as he led the way down the path he had just come out of. She began to follow him when she remembered the men behind her. Some were snickering; others wore a smug look on their faces. She glared back at them.

"Get back to work." She said in a tone that aloud no contradictions. She began to once again follow Alexander, shouting over her shoulder as she did so.

"Oh, and Cain, Owen, put your shirts on would you?" She heard the others snicker as she continued to follow her brother through the woods where the others were apparently suppose to be waiting.

The urgency of her brother's movements began to fill her with a growing sense of foreboding. Her worry grew until it threatened to take control of her rational side, and she fought valiantly to keep it under control. She wondered what could be making her brother so nervous. Could Nacola really be that much of a threat? Sure, her reputation was intimidating, but wasn't hers just as admirable?

Ever since she was brought back to the castle, she trained as hard as she could; refusing to remain weak. Forsaking the kind disposition that had once made her Kia, she became the hard, emotionless assassin, Risikah. She was strong and ruthless, earning her many identities along the way. Names such as the Bloody Princess and the Black Lady were only a few that she earned, the nicknames varying from place to place, but all meant the same thing- The Lady Risikah- and just the whisper of one struck fear into those who heard it.

Nacola's reputation was just as fearsome and well known, if not more. A mercenary as well, she had apparently forsaken her solitary life to work for and fight beside her people- The Ta- Risha, the great tiger clan of the Asian lands; the very people Risikah's own tribe was battling fiercely.

Risikah didn't know how the war started; she doubted anyone remembered any more. It had been raging for century's now. Risikah only knew of one time an attempt was made to end it. Risikah's- or Kianna's- grandfather, then the leader of the Shinggrah clan, married the Empress of the Ta-Risha clan. That was back when both clans still lived in Europe and Asia; before they had to flee their homelands from the violence the humans began to inflict on both their kinds. Her father was the official peace offering- born with both Shinggrah and Ta- Risha blood flowing through his veins. However, shortly after her father was born, tensions began again, and after he turned eighteen, both of his parents were assassinated. Around that time both tribes moved their people to this land, hoping things would be better. It wasn't. Shortly after her people moved, her father had a "fling" with Kianna's mother, and shortly after she was born, things started to heat up between the two clans, as well as the humans, and the tribe elders cast a spell on all her people- casting them in a sleep that lasted for thirty seven years in the hopes things would be resolved.

For a while it worked. Things were quiet for the next few years. (At least the one's she was there for) She came back to her homeland however, only to find out that her older sister Aislin and her oldest brother Axel were killed, and her people being slaughtered in what could only be described as a blood bath. That's when she decided to become a mercenary; training hard in everything she could. She learned different styles of fighting, as well as the different uses of every weapon.

She followed her brother through the thick vegetation, neither of them speaking. Just when she thought the forest would never end, the tree line gave way to a small clearing overlooking a rocky cliff. Boulders and large rocks littered the ground, and upon them sat her friends, all in a circle waiting for her and her brother to join them.

She walked behind her brother, passing her comrades as they made their way to the center of the circle. As she walked by a cluster of five boys, she heard someone whistle.

"Dressed- to- kill!" A young man with shaggy shoulder length brown hair sniggered. She turned around and glared at him.

"Shut up Liam!" She said with a smirk.

He smirked back and winked at her as she turned around and once again made her way to the center of the circle. She sat on a large rock next to a girl with long, wavy blonde hair.

"You're gonna attract unwanted attention to yourself wearing something like that" the girl stated as Risikah sat down, then she laughed, "Or is that the idea?" Risikah smiled.

"Well, i-it distracts the enemies!" she said trying to act innocent. "At least… the guys!" she added.

"Guys are easily distracted." The girl agreed. They both laughed until Kristopher walked by. Risikah smirked as she saw the girl blush and turn away.

"So Kaiei, what's going on between you and my brother?" she asked, her tone teasing. Her grin grew wider as her friend's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson.

"Nothing!" Kaiei said hurriedly.

"Mmmmhmmm, suuuure!" Risikah replied, then burst into laughter at the look her friend shot her.

Kaiei's eye twitched as her friend continued to laugh. After a few moments she shoved Risikah, sending her flying off the rock she sat on, then continued to sit as if nothing had happened.

Risika sat on the ground, looking shocked for a moment, before she once again claimed her seat.

"Gee, love you too." She said to Kaiei's smugg look.

Everyone was silent when Alexander walked to the center of the circle. He looked around for a moment before motioning everyone to join him. Kaiei and Risikah exchanged worried glances as they walked closer to Alexander.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Risikah asked quietly.

Alexander looked up at Liam and a red-headed boy that stood next to him. They in turn nodded and began to kneel in the ground, drawing in a patch of dirt.

"This was Nacola's position yesterday." He said pointing to a symbol he had just drawn. "Now, we thought they would bed down for the night right? Big mistake! This was them four hours ago, two hours ago, and one hour ago." He said, motioning to the apparent positions of Nacola's troops.

"This is our position now." He said, pointing to another symbol in the dirt, alarmingly close to that of Nacola's troops. Alexander frowned as whispers broke the silence. Then he asked in a tense tone the question that was on everyone's mind.

"How long until they're on top of us?"

Liam frowned, "One, maybe two hours."

It was silent for a long time, even the birds were quiet, as they looked to Alexander, waiting for his instructions. Finally he spoke.

"What do you think we should do?" He asked, addressing the entire group. When no one answered he looked to the red-headed boy, who, throughout the whole explanation remained silent.

"Kegan, what do you want to do?"

Kegan paused a moment, as if afraid of speaking his thoughts. Finally he kneeled back in the dirt, drawing another symbol.

"This is Acrit, a small village near the river. If we bail out now…it'll be a massacre." He explained slowly, almost sorrowfully. Alexander nodded.

"Anyone else have anything to say?"

There was another long pause until another voice spoke up.

"We can't just leave them to fend for themselves" a black haired man said. There were murmurs of agreement, and Alexander nodded.

"Then it's agreed. We'll set up a perimeter and then wait. When they get close enough, that's when we'll ambush them." He stood silently once again for a moment, looking over the faces before him with a mixture of sadness and fear, then he spoke up.

"I'm not going to lie to you. We're in for a long fight. Nacola's got thirty troops to our fifteen. We're down by half, and I'm telling you now it's going to be hard- maybe impossible to win this one. We may all die in the end, but I promise you that I will be with you until the end. We haven't come this far to just roll over and give up now. So what'd you say? Shall we give them a fight they'll remember?"

"YEAH!" everyone shouted, throwing their weapons in the air. Then, with Alexander's word, everyone set out to do their jobs- scouting the land beyond, setting traps, and scoping out the area for possible ideal battlefields and hiding spaces.


"Inuyasha, SIT!" A woman's voice echoed in the still air. Her scream was immediately followed by a loud crash as whoever she was yelling at made contact with the ground.

"Damn it Kagome! WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT!" a young man- around the age of eighteen by the looks of him- said, trying to yell back. His tone lost most of the sharpness, however, as his voice was muffled by the mouthful of dirt and grass he had acquired when he smashed into the ground. His long white hair flowed down over his red outfit, and if you looked closely, you could see a pair of white dog ears sticking up through his hair. He was quite obviously a demon- a white dog demon by the looks of him- or at least a half demon.

Three others stood nearby, looking at the young half demon with bored expressions, as if this was a common occurrence. A young woman,- a demon slayer by the looks of her weapon- a young man most obviously a monk, and a tiny fox-demon child with a fluffy tail stood behind the girl called Kagome, all shaking their heads at the half demon's misfortune.

"Why do you have to be so mean, Inuyasha!" Kagome asked in an irritated voice.

"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO PIG HEADED!" Inuyasha screamed back.

The eyes of the three observing the argument widened, and they took about five steps back, giving room for the oncoming outburst that was sure to come. With good reason too, as no sooner had they moved, Kagome exploded as her anger took on a new level. The birds took to the sky in fear as Kagome screamed out, unleashing her anger onto the misfortunate half demon.


Sitting in a rocky clearing, waiting for the oncoming battle, Risikah and her comrades did what they could to keep themselves busy, as the thought of the upcoming battle made everyone one uneasy and on edge. Risikah herself had buried her nose in one of her leather bound books, seemingly dead to the world, that is, until an exceptionally loud shout shook her out of her own world, disrupting her reading. She jumped; almost falling off of the rock she was sitting on, and turned her head in the direction of the scream. It was so loud; birds took to flight in fear. It apparently roused the others from their duties as well, as everyone else looked up and stared at the frightened birds now clouding the sky with puzzled looks.

"What the hell was that!" Risikah asked to no one in particular. The others stared on, barely shrugging as they too wondered that same question.

"Sounded like a scream! Wonder if everything's alright…" Someone said, but Risikah shook her head.

"No, it sounded more angry than sad…" She replied, barely noticing as Kristopher stood next to her.

"Reminds me of you." He said in a nonchalant tone, glancing down at his sister to see if she heard him. She did. Her eye twitched as she frowned, smacking his arm as she turned away from him and went back to her reading. The others followed her, going back to whatever they had been doing before, forgetting the mysterious shout as if it hadn't happened in the first place.


well, there it is, chapter one! read and review please