As I turned to- well I’m not sure what I planned to do at this moment I was in pretty bad shape. My side felt like it had gotten into a fight with a truck and the truck had won, my shins blazed, the back of head had numerous lacerations to it one of which I could feel was particularly nasty and as a result I was steadily losing my battle with consciousness like I said I was in bad shape. Like I was saying as I turned to do god knows what when a muscled arm and hand closed painfully around my larynx with the talons digging into my neck on either side. I clawed frantically in hope of releasing its grip. Damn it so much for fighting unconsciousness.
“We had orders” a disembodied voice growled I assumed it belonged to the hand slowly chocking the life out of me. I’m going to pass out and this beast is talking about his orders who gives a rat’s ass. I can’t make my eyes focus the light from the torches is beginning to dim- or is it. Damn it! I’m going to pass out. And then a light bulb goes off somewhere in the grey matter this mutt calls a brain and he loosens his death grip on my throat. The room begins to spin and a wave of dizziness and sickness overtakes me I feel like I’m going to be sick but I refuse to let him see it. “We had orders” he repeated “Not to kill you and that you be delivered unharmed” (a bit late for that Einstein) “However if you don’t behave like a good little kitten ill make sure that you are rendered totally incapable of giving any more trouble while we make our way back to Anduslavia. Do you understand?”
Now wait one minutes did this rancid, flea infested mongrel just call me a KITTEN! Granted I’m only 18 and I haven’t been trained in the art of warfare to the same degree as many of the older Shadow- People and I don’t know much about the outside world BUT this so called kitten not only killed one Lyken but reduced the other to sinew. Kitten my ass!
Now the abominable beasts hand was still around my throat so this whole tirade was conducted inside my head the best I could muster was a hard glare and a hiss. This did not however have the effect that I had intended instead of striking fear in my captor and his men they laughed. They laughed! They actually laughed! “Well what do we have here boys a kitten that thinks it’s a tiger!” They all laughed again well roared is a more appropriate description for the noise that they made collectively. Well screw this let see how you feel about this you bastard! I delivered a powerful kick to the mongrels shin and momentarily delighted in hearing it not only crack but hearing him howl but just like all of my victories this evening this too was short lived! My head was once again sent careening into the wall behind me and then everything went dark. Ok so that might not have been my brightest idea but whatever. It’s just a damned good thing we Shadow- People heal so well.
‘That little bastard’ Night- Crawler howled after the Prince’s body had slumped to floor. Carefully he inspected his broken leg while Rex hauled the Prince’s lifeless body off the ground and onto his shoulders. “Didn’t think he’d fight back- I sort of expected him to you know accept defeat certainly wasn’t expecting blood to be spilt. Damned good fighter considering he just a child” Rex mused. Yes a damned good fighter Night- Crawler thought sullenly to himself.
“Shit! Butch find me something to brace my leg with!” Butch was just like his name- in fact everything about him was butch! He was short and stocky around 5’11 and 240 pounds of pure muscle and one of the baddest Lykens ever made definitely not a man you would want to meet on a dark night. He was merciless and Night- Crawler was extremely glad that he had gotten to the Prince before Butch had. Had the Prince gone head to head with Butch they’d be picking up pieces of the Prince instead of the unconscious load that Rex had carted off and there would have been little that Night- Crawler could have done to stop him.
Night- Crawler did not like that idea for a number of reasons one: He hadn’t lied about his orders the Prince was to be delivered alive and unharmed operative word being unharmed (well that couldn’t be helped the Prince hadn’t exactly gone down quietly!) and two: he would have had to kill Butch for his disobedience of a direct order from the leader of all Lykens Marcus, and Night- Crawler wouldn’t have relished the idea. Butch was his second in command and despite his earlier description there was no man or Lyken that he trusted more. Butch was extremely loyal and would lay down his life for anyone of his brothers. And finally if he was honest he didn’t really want to see the Prince and the only reason was because he had shown amazing courage this Night- Crawler couldn’t deny. That was basically it other than what duty dictated he didn’t care what happened to the Prince. After all he is one of those ignorant racist Shadow People- Yes ignorant and racist and …beautiful. Night- Crawler groaned internally these thoughts were neither productive nor would they be further evaluated “I HAVE A DUTY TO DO” he thought to himself.
At that precise moment when Night- Crawler had ceased his internal arguments of what he did and didn’t think of the Prince Butch came back holding two small planks of wood as well as a bandage to set his broken leg. Night-Crawler anticipated the pain that would result when Butch reset the broken shin and only just managed to retain his grunt of pain, apparently anticipation meant nothing in the face of actual pain. “I’m going to deal with that runt when he wakes up after all there are ways of exacting revenge that don’t leave evidence” “What do we do with the dead?” Butch inquired once more distracting him from his none to productive thoughts.
Good question pity that they should have died on their last mission, they were amazing soldiers and even better men, but that’s what happens when you underestimate your opponent your recklessness gets you killed. No animal likes to be cornered and many that sense their end are at their most vicious and will fight to the death because they have nothing to lose, and had Rafael and Ricardo remembered this they would still be alive. They had underestimated the Prince they all had him included and he had a broken shin that would seriously hinder their progress back to Anduslavia as a result of this stupid mistake.
“Send word that their swords and incisors are to be brought as evidence of their deaths for the Elders as well as their families” Night-Crawler commanded. His orders were swiftly obeyed and the three remaining Lykens with and unconscious Prince in tow filed out of the tunnel. None noticed the trap door that led out into the forest.
Okay so now that you know the then I suppose it would be prudent to describe the now. Well I woke up a few moments ago to the sun crudely shining down on my face through the slates of the dungeon that I had so unceremoniously been dumped in, with the mother of all headaches. “My goodness! Do I feel like shit!” I lay still trying to reduce the excruciating throbbing that was going on in my head- Ugh I feel sick! Perhaps taking that cheap shot at that last Lyken; however gratifying it may have seemed at the time just wasn’t a good idea. Did I mention I feel like shit? Damn it and this hard cement floor really wasn’t doing any good for the bruises that had begun to develop around the numerous- and I do mean numerous lacerations on my back and neck.