judgement (Open)

[Vlad Drăculea]

They left the very moment the sun started to receed, Dameon, Katia, and more soliders than neccasary. Rumors of the disappearance of a little girl of their community had been circulating and only now did the family register a complaint. Werewolves, whenever something went wrong it always seemed to lead back to them. Though one began to wonder if it was actually the cause or if old predjudices never seemed to end. While she feared them, Katia never thought of them the way the Vampires did, she never saw them as a pest or problem.

Clad in armour, dark leather and chains perfectly meshed together to fit her form, they sought out the child that went missing. This was where she felt the most at home to be honest, wearing her armour like it was a second skin. The long black cloak she wore billowed in the wind, bearing the crest of her station, though it was obvious how protective her father was even if he brought her along. She was flanked by two royal guards who watched her like a hawk, despite her training.

Rolling her eyes and sighing, even her mother had probably come out with them simply to keep an eye on her. No one knew for sure what she could do, what she could survive, she would be alright. She always insisted that she be treated normally, not like breakable glass. The petrified trees of their homeland gave way into a long, rolling meadow covered in tall grass and flowers. The very sight made her pause and stare in wonder. "M'Lady, we must keep moving." muttered one of the guards behind her as she shook her head and urged her steed forward.

After several hours of travelling, they came to the edge of a small "Village" if that was what you could call it. It was a collection of shackes that now seemed to be empty, some of them were even burned to the ground. However a piece of tattered cloth remained tied to a stick as if in blatant challenge, one that held the crest of their kingdom on it. They knew they were here, even worse, they had vacated and predicted this scouting party. The soldiers around Katia tightened their ranks, glancing about nervously as the first few howls rolled through the night air, disturbing the silence.

Yellow eyes started to pop up along the tree lines, there was nowhere to go now, they were absolutely surrounded. Where was her father? He was nowhere to be seen now that they were in trouble. Perhaps they had found a different clue and trailed off to follow it without saying anything. Drawing the sword at her side, Katia broke rank and charged to her mothers side protectively, though it was mostly on instinct that she did so, she had moved so fast that she didn't even realize where she was at first.

She had never known her mother to even raise her voice, let alone fight. Thus she automatically assumed it fell to her to protect her as she assumed her father wanted her to.

[Merry Noelle Lovelace]

There was an irony that the only way Mari was allowed out of the castle this far was if there was a raid or incursion on their lands. Dameon had brought her along to heal any injured that happened as a result of this fight and there would be a fight with how tense everything and everyone was. If she dared show her wings she'd have been fluttering them but she knew better than to do so. Not that it would do much good, she'd just flutter and fumble and fall or worse, stay connected by a chain of power like a kite.

She too wore armor like her daughters save that hers was only slightly brighter to denote her rank. Which was no say, none whatsoever on the field of battle. She had a sword strapped to her back but something told her she wouldn't be using it. She hoped she wouldn't have to shed blood, she hated it.

She didn't dare even give voice to the other thoughts in her head as she looked up at the sky longingly. Sorrow filling her face for a moment. Dameon mentally eyed her, wary she might make a break for it but she let the wistful thought die where it was. She couldn't abandon her child and she would never be able to explain to her what the truth of her origins really were.

She pushed her horse forward. She just needed to get away from the crowd. Dameon sided up to her and she bowed her head quietly as they rode together and spoke silently. He was making sure that she didn't try anything and if it wasn't for the fact that she would have been left unwatched he would have kept her home. Once he was calm she smiled softly, then with an impish gleam in her eye spurred her horse into action and broke formation pushing her horse in a playful gallop as she stuck her tongue out at Dameon and dared him to race her.

She set him on a merry chase, never out of his sight of course but enough to make him work to keep up. He finally caught her horse and grinned, wrapping the reigns over his own pummel then, knowing the rest would take a moment to catch them, kissed her before the crowd arrived. Sensing their arrival she settled down quietly once more.

Once they arrived at the tree line Mari grew anxious. She had separated from Dameon shortly after the kiss to let him lead as he needed to. She sensed death in the air and knew that they were in a bad tactical situation. Wide open space with a tree line. It was time to find a better position than this.

"Find the high ground." she murmured as she reached behind her and pulled out a bow. Wrapping her legs around the trunk of her warhorse and clicking a command to it so it would be ready to charge when the order was given. She might have to take out a few wolves in the process but she would do her best to send them to be judged quickly. War was something that never seemed to end and she hated being drawn into it at all.

Seeing her daughter riding next to her she nodded then chose her target. A wolf so evil his aura was oily with it. Aiming with her sacred bow she whispered a prayer than on the word launched her first volley with lightning fast accuracy. Changing targets while her warhorse rose up and fought back as the tree line broke and the charge met them with the clash of metal and the cry of battle.

[Vlad Drăculea]

"No time!" shouted Katia as she made her sword ready to kill the wolves. She looked like a miniature gladiator standing there, cloak flowing behind her as it rested over one shoulder much like an old roman fashion. It would be hard to believe for some that she was only fourteen, yet here she stood in the heart of battle, her father hardening her for what was to come. One after another the wolves jumped into the fray and as they neared Katia they were cut down frantically by the royal guard who tried their best to keep them both safe from harm.

Katia however was irritated by their loyalty and by how hard they seemed to be stopping her from having any fun. Taking a step forward, two guards stepped in front of her to block her from harm. Sighing, she surveyed the battlefield around her, waiting, they could not protect her forever and when that moment came she would be ready. That moment came sooner than she was ready for however as she let her guard down, mistake number one that could have easily cost her her life.

Watching her mother notch an arrow onto her bow, she stared in disbelief as she released, sinking her projectile into a wolf. In that brief amount of time where she paused to stare at the wolf, she was slammed into from the side by one that had been eyeing her. By trying to protect them, they also singled them out as a target, making the wolves go after whatever they were trying to protect so fiercely.

Laying underneath the rabid beast, Katia cried out in pain as it sank it's teeth into her shoulder. The strength of it's jaw was enough to tear into her armour, never had she felt the sting of a wolfs bite before. Her eyes went pitch black, pupils turning a bright white colour as she fought back against the wolf. Hammering him in gut with her fists, she managed to start smashing his ribs which would heal inside of him improperly, causing severe pain, maybe even pierce an organ.

All of this for a simple retrieval of a noble families child, such a hassle. Katia had always been taught that the wolves were beasts, nothing more. This seemed smarter than just mindless beasts.

[Merry Noelle Lovelace]

With a grunt that was very unladylike Mari nodded as the battle was joined. She loosed a few more volleys into the mass of werewolves that were swarming around them. Her war horse neighed in outrage and kicked a werewolf square in the face, shattering its jaw as Mari reached around herself and beheaded it to put it out of its misery. Landing, her horse kicked its back legs into the side of a wolf that was trying to hamstring it and sent the beast flying.

The guards did their best to shield their queen from attack but just as it made Katia a target so too did it make Mari a target of rage and anger. Her horse waded through the mess of wolves and dying men and Mari panted with exhaustion as she continued to fight her way through to get to a better position. Seeing her daughter fall she began to panick and gestured for the guards, "Go! Move!" she called as she prepared to launch a volley to get the wolf off her daughter before it tore through her armor and killed her.

Just then she felt herself haulled off her horse she turned to see a werewolf's fighter on horseback as he laughed and slung her over his saddle like a sack of potatoes. Well if this wasn't the most humiliating thing ever. She squirmed and tried to fight back but the man used his strength to hold her in place as he kicked his horse into moving out of there as quick as he could. She could sense he was feeling quite smug that he had captured her but she was having a hard time moving with the armor weighing her down and the risk of falling and being trampled to death. Why was she always being kidnapped in battles? Did she wear a sign that said "Grab me!"?

[Deleted]

With a good number of his own forces behind him Jonothan let his eyes go over the battle happening just good enough away from them to not have drawn attention to them, hidden mostly between some of the trees. Jon wasn't a man who liked to be a coward or anything, but he was the type of guy to his any kind of strategy he could for his own gain, and this was exactly one of them. Having received news of the march of Dameon, Katia and Mari to this place for the werewolves after a child had gone missing, had instantly given him the opening he had been waiting for.

They had left their horses behind, they could move fast enough and this would make them more unseen for now at least, but that wouldn't be for long if it was up to Jon. Especially when he saw what happened to Katia first and then how Marina was grabbed, he put an arrow in the crossbow he was holding now and looked over his shoulder, giving them the simple look that was all they needed from him to move out to help with the fight, but from their position, having at least the surprise advantage of a temporary flanking position against the werewolves. Right when they had started moving he turned hi face back to the battlefield and smiled to himself for just a second. 'Let's get some of that attention distracted.' He said before he glanced up for a second as he used his Atmokinesis to quickly make it rain and thundering. After that he didn't waste any time before he ran out himself to first intercept the werewolf and his horse with Marina.

Once Jon was sure he was close enough, he aimed the crossbow at the werewolf that had grabbed Marina onto his horse and was running off with her, something that was sure to fail if it was up to him, and right now, he was sure that it was up to him. When he had the shot he fired the crossbow and followed how the silver arrow shot at high speed toward the rider and his horse, exactly in front of their path, hitting the werewolf right in the chest and at least making him fall to the ground off the horse. He quickly made his way closer and just as he was about to reach Marina and the werewolf to make sure he was dead, another werewolf jumped out of nowhere, forcing him to block his attack with his crossbow, dropping it quickly after that and pulling out his sword to behead the beast before it could make another attempt at him. 'Your Majesty, are you alright?' Jon asked quickly over the sound of battle as he walked over to her and helped her off the horse, before he looked over his shoulder. 'Stay close to me.' He told her, not ordering, making sure that it sounded more like an important suggestion.

He turned his way around then, running back toward the place where he had seen Katia in battle with the werewolves too and quickly enough spotted her, on the ground with a werewolf on top of her, trying to bite her face off while she was making every effort possible in the position she was in to fight him off of her. On the way he had to make sure that his crossbow was tightly enough on his shoulder, and during this luckily spotted a werewolf that came at him, and Marina if she was indeed still right behind him as he hoped, but managed to swing his sword at the beast right in time, so that when he saw the body drop, he instantly continued his way to Katia. Here, he quickly swung his sword low but confident so that the werewolf on top of her, was soon just a motionless body, that he kicked o of hr and then pointed his gaze quickly behind him to check on Marina, and then back to Katia down and sticking his hand out to her when he saw they were clear for now and there weren't as many luckily already than there were earlier. 'I figured you could use a hand? Your Royal Highness?' He asked her with a small but polite and charming smile on purpose. 'How about we put an end to this and get what you came for?' He asked with that determined look in his eyes, before he quickly glanced up to see what remained of his own brought forces gathering close to him and around them in formation.

[Vlad Drăculea]

She was bleeding profusely by the time that anyone showed up to help her. For the first time in her entire life she felt weak, she had never felt how powerless you were when you were losing blood before. The battlefield echoed over head, someone was shouting orders, someone else was shouting her name. It was all a blur, perhaps she was just dreaming that all of this was happening, but what she knew was real was the wolf on top of her. Giving one last useless push, she felt it go nowhere, so her body went incredibly limp in order to prepare for it.

However death never came, infact, a sword blow came instead that would sever the beasts head. Blood splattered everywhere, into her face, and the smell would reanimate her. With her strange black and silver eyes she would rise, looking as if she was some sort of monster. Standing perfectly still for a moment, it seemed as if she was never going to say anything. However her body suddenly lurched forward as if it were being pulled by puppet strings and attached it's self to a struggling wolf who had shifted back due to being wounded. Sinking her fangs in, Katia would drink until the light faded from the womans eyes.

Gasping loudly for breath, she turned back to Johnathan, seeing her mother there as well. Her armour and now mouth were covered in blood as if she had eaten the entire battlefield, giving her a terrifying image being only a small girl. "You figured right, what took you so long?" she demanded, coughing harshly as some of the blood that stained her lips spattered onto the ground, wolves blood was by far the worst thing she had ever ingested. Nodding slowly, Katia did one last sweep for her father, but saw nothing so she picked up her sword instead and moved forward.

Into the burned down village they would go, though the sounds of fighting still echoed from behind. There were bodies everywhere, as if there was some sort of dispute between the people who lived here and the small army of wolves that ambushed them. However following the trail of the torn cloth, it was almost apparent what they would find. All the way up to a small burned out home she followed it, but the reward for their effort was minimal this day. Tied to the front of the door was a young woman, one who had clearly been burned to death by the sun.

Staring at her ashen corpse for a long while, Katia couldn't bring herself to look away. Was this what it was like for the people she claimed to be one of? This was why they hide during the day, leaving her and her mother all alone in the Kingdom. They were so vulnerable, so weak, she had to protect them all, they were her subjects to command or kill. "We were too late to help her.." she said slowly, her tone sounded cold considerinig what she was seeing. The girl was no older than herself and had once been a playmate.

[Merry Noelle Lovelace]

Mari got her feet under her fairly quickly once Jon helped her off the horse. "Believe me, Your Grace, I have no desire to get separated from my guard." she said simply as she hurried behind him. Seeing her daughter was mostly intact and looking like hells revenge she relaxed a breath and they kept moving. She felt Dameon touch her mind mentally and she relaxed gently, letting him know she was well and by Katia so he could drive the wolf forces back free of distraction.

The group moved quickly enough and the burned out village was testament to the werewolves cruelty. The villagers were going to have to rebuild and fortify once more. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she saw Katia's friend tied to the door, her body a silent reminder of what was lost as they bowed their heads respectfully. Regardless of what race had done this it was still unbelievably sadistic. "We'll hold a funeral for her at the castle. As soon as we get home and the wounded are cared for I'll speak to her relatives personally." Marina said gently as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "She's beyond pain now, Katia and I think in a better place than this one." she said softly to her. Words like, "I'm sorry." seemed so woefully inadequate right now. She stepped back and whistled for her horse. He came galloping up and stood fast for her while she looked about to see if there were any injured about. Giving her daughter a moment she began to tend the injured what little she could. The powers that be were rather different now. It used to be that humans were all they cared for but since almost all the races could trace their origins to the original settlers, they had extended their grace, sort of, it depended on the being. If they had not murdered recklessly and lived their lives on animal blood they stood a better chance of divine healing but it was a touchy work at best.

Out of all those she treated two were deemed worthy enough. And they were so young she marveled at how they had passed inspection. Rising slightly, she stretched and did what she could. These people did not ask to become what they were. They had suffered and while she might kill those who had murdered indiscriminately, she still had compassion within her. They had come so far as a race, no longer mindless, but still denied grace through some sick twist of fate. She knew she was here for a reason she just had to find it. When the last person was healed as best as she was able she knelt there a bit mindlessly. Her thoughts quiet as the night wore on.