: Lashing Out

Kayda and Trix talked for hours. Even though they had only just met, they sounded like close friends who had been together for years.

Kayda looked at Trix with bright and shining eyes.

"And then, she took the cup and switched it with the head mistress's. I got in so much trouble but we still laugh about it." Kayda giggled with bright eyes.

Trix smiled listening to Kayda's story.

"Kayda. How old are you?"

Kayda stopped giggling for a second and looked up as if she was in deep thought.

"Eight, I think. I'm pretty sure. I've seen two winters since my sixth birthday!"

Kayda cutely held up two fingers.

Trix's expression froze when she heard her answer and looked at the cute two little fingers she held up so proudly.

"Oh, aren't you young. Hope you survive."

Kayda spun to look behind her when she heard another voice.

Trix looked up and sighed.

"Kayda. This is Tison. Tison, Kayda."

Kayda looked up at the other person as Trix introduced them.

He seemed to be a young man, long hair covering his face and without a shirt on, she could see the long raging scars running down his body.

"Tsk. No need to introduce us. She won't be staying long. The young ones always go first."

Turning his back to Kayda's cage, Tison seemed to fall back asleep as that had been what he was doing before he woke up and started listening to their conversation.

"Don't mind him Kayda. He's a grump."

Kayda nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, a click filled the room as a door opened.

Distant cheering and voices could be heard filling the room as footsteps slowly made their way across the room.

Stopping in front of the cage, a man looked down upon Kayda. Staring down at her, he waved his hand and two guards came forward.

"She'll be the appetizer. Bring her out."

Opening the cage, the two guards large hands grabbed at her arms and dragged her out of the cage.

Trix gripped the bars of her cage and looked at Kayda.

"Little dragon! You have to fight! You'll make it!"

"Quiet slave!"

The man pulled out a whip and lashed it at Trix's hands holding the iron bars, causing her to fall back.

Kayda looked at Trix as the room slowly faded away into darkness when she suddenly reappeared in a large arena with a small dagger in her hand.

People surrounded her on all sides, looking down on her as they cheered.

On the other side of the arena, a door slowly opened, and a young boy was pushed out landing face first into the ground. A dagger thrown out after him landing a few inches away from his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I give you the starter for tonight!"

Pausing, the crowd cheered out in thunderous applause causing the whole arena to shake.

"Make your bets at the entrance. Who will be the last one to survive? Will it be our young elf, or our elusive drakin? Set your bets now!"

The crowd cheered when suddenly, multiple doors opened around the arena. Out of the darkness, large figures slowly appeared.

With fangs bared, three juvenile timberwolves slowly appeared. With yellow fangs nashing, saliva dropped from their mouths to the ground as the crowd once again cheered in anticipation.

"Let the hunt begin!"

And the wolf's lunged forward.

Kayda couldnt react straight away as she was stunned by the sudden turn of events, but when she looked into the eyes of a single timberwolf as it dashed for her with hunger in its eyes, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Being so overwhelmed with fear, her wings flapped behind her on instinct, pushing her forwards.

How desperately she prayed she could fly away at this moment but her wings weren't fully developed. So all she could do was flail them behind her with desperation.

Suddenly, a scream could be heard causing her to move her eyes. Following the scream, Kayda suddenly felt her legs go weak.

The little elf boy which was alive just a second ago was now laying on the ground, screeching and flailing in pain as the two timberwolves tore him limb from limb. The blood curtling scream of that young child made the crowd go wild.

Suddenly realizing she couldn't see the third timberwolf, Kayda dropped to the ground as a timberwolf lunged at her from above, missing her when she fell to the ground.

Tearing her eyes away from the scary sight, Kayda looked at the timberwolf in front of her that had narrowly nearly cuased her to lose her head.

When her eyes met the timberwolf's crazed and hungry gaze, she could feel her belly drop as if she had swallowed a ton of bricks.

Kayda was frozen in fear. Her legs trembled beneath her as tears fell from her eyes. There was nothing else she could do.

Her heart thumped so loudly in her chest that it felt as if it was going to break through her ribs, making it hard to breath. And the only sound left she could hear was the thud of blood pumping near her ears.

Without warning, the timberwolf suddenly snapped its jaws open before it lunged forward with its claws ready, and its fangs set to snap her neck in two.

Kayda screamed out in terror and held her hands in front of her in a tiny effort to protect herself out of instinct. Even though she knew all to well that there was very little, to no chance of her ever surviving.

So, she waited for that pain to come. The feeling of raging claws and fangs as they ripped through her skin.

But the only thing she felt was a searing pain in her arm.

Opening up her eyes, Kayda suddenly felt a warm liquid drip onto her cheeks.

When she looked up, she froze.

Her hand was covered in blood. The bright red color seemed to sear its way into her eyes. And slowly, her eyes traveled from her hand up to the bloody hole which her hand seemed to go through.

"You did good Kayda."

Kayda's eyes shook with shock and pain. When her eyes looked up, it felt as if her heart was wretched out of her chest.

With sad eyes, Trix smiled as blood gushed from her mouth.

"You did good, my little dragon."

Kayda woke up gasping for breath. A cold sweat covered her entire body as her heart seemed to have gotten stuck in her throat making her unable to produce even a small whimper.

"Your awake?"

Kayda's eyes widened as she looked up in shock.

Dimitri was looking down at her with curious eyes.

After Kayda passed out, Dimitri and Clouse took her with them. They where heading back to an old cabin where they stayed, preparing before they went to destroy the pig count.

Now that they where finished with their initial mission, they where heading back to rest before they went back to Dimitri's territory.

Kayda was shocked before instinctively lashing out in self defense.