A Collision of Coats

The "Royal" guards didn't expect the giant black wolf that came alive from the darkness of the tunnels, and so when they let out a shout of surprise that echoed through the central area - it was a shock for everyone.

The shouts of surprised were toppled by the shrill screams of children and young ones who watched as Metas incapacitated two of the armored males at once with his giant leap.

"Run. Get out of here and hide." Metas warned towards those who had just been about doing chores and running errands.

Myranda took charge past Metas and began to round up the innocent bystanders as waves of wolves and those in their mortal skins came flooding with their Alpha ahead towards the upper levels.

Those who didn't see the attack coming were taken out instantly, but the further up the caves they went, they found more and more soldiers ready to greet them at the ready.

It was a flurry of colors amongst blood as throats were torn out with vicious sharp teeth, stomachs sliced with blades, and slashes to backs and faces.

There were already casualties on both sides, but mostly it was Harbinger's goons taking the most damage, especially at the bottom where the tunnels were.

"Push forward! Our aim to get to the royal garden!" Metas roared in his mortal form briefly so that he could be heard above the sounds of battle. As soon as he got the message across, though - he was back on all fours, towering over everyone else with his intimidating size and thick, black coat.

Swarm wasn't the word for it. It was like a cataclysmic wave of bodies that flooded the upper levels and savagely took out anyone who resisted them with weapons.

It was all well and good so far - and it was feeling promising in heat of it all as the lower tunnel population easily overtook those with spears, knives, and swords.

Then it all changed with the crack of a gunshot that nearly hit Metas in the back, but instead nicked his tail and caused him to howl in both anger and rage.

The once tight-knit group of rebels were now scattered as more and more gunfire hailed down upon them as armed guards lined the top of the gateway into the palace. Whatever they were holding, they were long and packed a punch (for us humans, we'd call them rifles).

It was the height of dishonor to use human weapons. What was once something that immediately scared the insurgency became fuel for the fire already raging within their chests and souls.

Those who were in their mortal forms were wounded grievously or worse, instantly killed. However, the ones who opted to be in their wolf skins could take a few shots in the right place. It was until the point to where the entire rebellion was in their coats, but the soldiers at the top stayed on their bi-pedal forms in order to use the human weapons effectively.

Luckily the goons that fired had to stop and reload from time to time, which gave Metas and his faction of fighters a chance to scale the wall. Their strength was only blessed in their coats, anyway - so in a way, firing upon the incoming rebels only slowed them down a little.

Each clawed 'hand' was able to punch into the porous sections of the wall, and with their hind-legs, they were able to scale up the side, only losing a few when someone fell and knocked other down, or were shot and killed.

The armed guards at the top could only hold them off for so long until the wolf infantry finally made it up over the crest of the wall and began their immediate assault upon their mortal-formed foes.

Teeth and claws tore through their thin flesh like a knife into cake, and even when some were already dead, the attacks upon their bodies did not stop. So many had lost their loved ones so suddenly and quickly, that it threw out rational thinking and replaced it with a surge of emotions.

Metas let them have their retribution, and instead continued to charge down a connecting tunnel that those who had to guard on the wall used to exit and enter the palace. Anyone not involved in the current massacre followed their King down the sloped stairs and into the main gate.

"Open the gates - make sure my Luna makes it to me!" Metas commanded again in the same fashion he had earlier. He made sure to only stay in his skin only as long as it took to speak, and then once more he was back down on his paws and pushed his giant body towards the crater.

He and his fellow warriors stopped and scattered as the new set of goons who waited for them atop the entrance balcony in the foyer aimed their much large human weapons down at the incoming group.

These new guns were much larger than the last (we humans would akin them to AK-47s) and hailed bullets on them rapidly. These soldiers did not have to reload as much as the other group, but at least the firing was in chains, so it was a bit easy to mark where their barrels were pointing and where the ammunition would hit.

At least these bullets hurt a lot less than those that hit them earlier - but they were far more accurate than the long guns had been, and so more and more of them were getting hit and wounding and killing many of them in the first wave that jolted through the palace doors.

Metas could smell the potent earth from the garden even in the hallway, and it pushed him to fight harder and to run faster towards the direction of the crater.

He had no time to worry about Myranda, as he could sense her nearing him, and unlike he had been, she was not wounded. She must have felt his pain and wanted to come to his aid.

Metas knew she'd catch up. She was fast and light, and he'd seen her dodge trees faster than anyone he'd ever known. Surely the crowd wouldn't slow her down. He had no need to worry about his Queen any longer, for she was her own force to be reckoned with.

In due time, they'd be together and end this once and for all.