Chapter 1- Cries in the Forest

Footsteps move franticly through the brush. A Lycan couple comes to a stop to catch their breath.

"I think we lost them," the man panted sweat covered his face.

"Honey are you sure they we hellbent on killing us," the woman panted. She held a small child no more than a few months old.

It was silent so they went to sleep for a short time.

Raised voices were heard coming closer to the couple.

The man attempted to wake his mate she would wake, but just as he turned to leave.

"Don't leave us!" the woman spoke, her eyes welling with tears.

"I will come back," he said kissing her lips. He stood up and said, "Go. I want you to go a little farther and hide. I'll buy you some time."

The man moved some of his partners red hair from her face, "Hide him in a hollow tree so that my friend can find him."

The woman looked at him one last time from the black hair on his head, his broad shoulders and powerful legs in his clan uniform; she then turned and vanished into the dimly lit foliage.

The man crouched down low and waited. If he planned this right, he could potentially go back to his wife, but he wasn't sure yet. A group of 30 men were walking in his direction. Thirty men when had numbered 80 at the start of their chase.

The leader dressed in a red clan uniform spoke out, "Novak and Lundella! There is no one left to keep you safe. Give yourselves up and we may spare that wretched spawn of yours..." the man paused, "But you have to show yourself now or I will lose my patience."

Novak proceeded to slay some of the men in complete stealth, managing to kill five before he was spotted and led them away.

Meanwhile Lundella curled in a tree to hide and rest with her child. She slept for a short time only to feel her partners presence, who joined her. They fell into a deep sleep, Lundella dreamed of what her son would accomplish in the future.

Novak awoke to the smell of smoke. He looked out from the tree and saw the glow of a raging fire. He had lost them and returned to his wife only to find that the forest was a blaze. He woke up Lundella and carefully rushed away from the fire.

"We need to be careful and get our son to the meeting place with our old friend," Novak whispered as he gazed upon the group of men that were closing in on them.

"What are we going to do?" Lundella whimpered, clutching her child closer to her chest.

Novak turned to her and placed a hand on her cheek, "I am going to distract them and I want you to run to the spot and whatever you hear you keep moving."

"B-but-"

"Please do it for our son and the fate of our race. Hey I love and I know you can do it."

She nodded at his words. They separated and she kept hidden in the brush. The her husband made his presence known and drew everyone to him. She swiftly reached the rendezvous and placed the child in the tree tuckig him in amougst the leaves kissed his small head and ran back to help Novak.

She made it back only to hear the sound of a sword followed by the gut wrenching gush and plop of Novak being gutted. Her heart pained, tears of dispair and anger. She broke into a rage and screamed like a mad woman that would scare the living hell out of anybody.

Slashing her claws she reduced 8 men to corpses. And she slide to her mates body, whose brown eyes appeared gray and lifeless.

Laughter began to fill the air as she knelt in her mates blood. A man in red robes came up and looked at her with hungry evil eyes. Lundella lost her courage which was reduced to fear. She was next and she was far too exhausted to do anything as they beat her, raped her and killed her.

That night in the forest there were two cries in the Forest, hers and a small child that a green robed figure carries to the nearest village named Timber Valley.

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20 years later...

In the early hours in the town of Smithville a young man was diligently hammering on a hot pickaxe head.he doused it in water and set down his tools. He hung up his apron and walked up to a barrel of rain water and washed his face of grime and sweat. Taking a towel he dries his face and gave his head of red hair a light scrubbing.

He walked into the store part of the blacksmith and went up the ladder to the second floor to prepare himself some breakfast.

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After I finished eating my breakfast I climbed back down the ladder to open shop. I rang the bell at the front of the shop to signify that I was open. And like clockwork people came up to pick up their repaired tools. I don't make much from the townsfolk, I usually took payments of food, materials, bank most importantly emeralds. Our mayor keeps a lot to himself and pays everyone poorly and take 'his cut' before he pays.

I make most of my pay going to neighboring towns and selling my tools and sometimes weapons, which help keep me going. Everyday was a simple routine of taking orders, delivering orders and repairing and making merchandise. Until today.....