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Blade woke up with Asha curled in his arms, sleeping soundly. The cute, black-feathered hatchling was making meeping sounds while she slept, and she had a dragon tucked against her body too. The toy plushy was nestled in her embrace as she squeezed around it. That made Blade smile giddily as he held her just a little closer.

Akir wasn't with them and must have woken up to go somewhere. Ever since Asha had hatched, he had been acting much more adult-like. He didn't laze around as much as he used to, and he seemed to be constantly worrying about something, which, in turn, made Blade worried.

But whenever Blade would ask Akir about it, Akir would just shrug it off and say it was nothing.

Blade knew something was wrong, but Akir would only get angry if he pressed him for more information. Blade wished that his mate would talk to him, but Akir still seemed as happy as ever, especially when he was around Asha.

It warmed Blade's heart to see that proud smile that would often curl Akir's lips. He, too, felt very proud and joyful to have his adorable hatchling in his arms. She was everything he had dreamed of, and he couldn't wait to see her grow up. He hoped that she would grow into a beautiful dragoness, but not too beautiful that she would have males constantly hounding after her.

With her being just a month or two old, Blade didn't have to be concerned about that yet!

Asha made a small, squeaking sound and yawned, baring her very tiny but sharp teeth. Then she looked up at her father, who had a huge smile across his muzzle.

"Good morning, sweetie," Blade said and affectionately licked her nose.

Asha squeaked back as her feathers puffed out, making Blade giggle. He nuzzled her and held her tight in his arms. She wiggled and meeped before yawning widely again. Blade had to let her go before she wrenched herself out of his grasp.

Asha stretched out on the bed, baring her tiny claws and flicking her cute, lengthy tail. Blade grinned and hopped off of the bed, stretching out too and making a ramp for her to climb down from. She wasn't so small that she'd hurt herself jumping off, but he liked making it safer for her anyway.

She made another cute squeaking sound and climbed down Blade's back. Blade winced as one of her sharp claws pricked his hide, but he grinned as she climbed onto his head and laid there between his horns. He looked up at her, seeing her smiling face looking down at him with her head cocked to the side.

"So, it's one of those days again?" Blade said and chuckled. "Okay, but don't fall off this time!"

Asha squeaked her affirmative answer and held tightly to her father, her limbs wrapping around his head. Blade stepped out into the living room and saw Akir lying on the furs, looking to be deep in thought about something. His brow was furrowed and his tail was swishing back and forth.

"Morning, Akir," Blade said.

Asha peeped and wriggled furiously at seeing her other father. Akir turned his head, and his stressful expression immediately vanished and was replaced by a warm smile.

"Good morning, cuties," he said. "I see that Asha is feeling rowdy again today."

Blade half-nodded, trying not to shake his daughter off of his head. His neck slightly ached from holding her there, making him realize that she was getting bigger. "I'll be sad when she's too big for this."

Akir chuckled. "Sadly, it won't be too long at the rate she is growing. Still, it's really cute!"

Blade smiled toothily and sat sejant next to his mate with their hatchling squeaking excitedly on top of him, clinging to her father's head tightly.

"What were you thinking about?" Blade asked and squeezed Akir's paw lovingly.

Akir's face shifted unpleasantly. "Nothing you need to worry about... Hey, why don't you go get some food for us today at the market? Take Asha with you."

Blade noticed something stirring in Akir's expression. His talons twitched and his tail was still swishing behind him, sliding across the stone floor. Something was pressing at Akir's mind, but Blade couldn't figure out what it was. More than anything, Akir looked nervous. Blade had never seen Akir act nervous before...

"What's wrong, Akir?"

Akir shook his head as if to rid himself of his thoughts. "I said it was nothing. We could use some fruit, if you wouldn't mind. Asha likes the starfruit best." He changed the subject immediately, directing Blade away from the problem--a common tactic for him.

Blade peered at Akir and then looked up at Asha who seemed to recognize the name of her favorite fruit because she gave a loud meep. "You're not coming along?" Blade asked worriedly.

"No. Not this time, Blade. You'll be fine. Just make sure you keep Asha close to you at all times."

Blade's eyes met Akir's, and he saw something in those deep-blue orbs that swirled and twisted with restless emotions. He looked fearful... sad... and something else mixed in that made Blade's heart ache.

"Why not?" Blade asked.

"I'm... I'm not feeling very well, but I'm fine."

Akir had never lied like that to Blade before. "Akir..."

"Go, Blade," he commanded a bit forcefully. "Don't forget your satchel."

Blade sighed and picked up his satchel on his way out and opened the door. He wanted to stay with Akir. He wanted to be with his mate and tell him everything was okay. He couldn't even think of anything that could be wrong. Maybe Blade was just paranoid...

But Akir wanted him to go, so he listened.

Before he could step outside, Akir called out his name. Blade turned around and saw Akir's face, and he swore he saw a tear glistening down his cheek, but it must have been his imagination.

"Akir?"

Akir smiled happily at him and said, "I love you."

Blade pondered for a moment and replied, "I love you too, Akir."

"Take care, Blade"

The tarp closed behind him, but his thoughts were still reeling. For a moment, Blade paused and thought about what to do. Asha squeaked up at him, seeming to have noticed her father's frown. Blade booped her nose and picked up the wriggling hatchling and tucked her close to his chest, holding her as he took off into the skies. Whatever it was nagging at Akir, Blade would confront him about it later.

Blade stepped through the streets of the market district, looking around at all of the different stalls. Asha clung to his back, keeping quiet now that there were crowds of people around. She seemed to be very shy in public, and that didn't help her much since a lot of people really enjoyed seeing hatchlings.

Even the two legs were very nice when Asha was around. Humans were especially happy to see her, calling her cute, adorable, beautiful, and just something they wanted to hug the life out of, which was very concerning to Blade, who was being very protective of his daughter.

The ferals around were happy to greet Blade and congratulate him on such a lovely hatchling, and Blade was more than content to take the compliments. Neither he nor Akir ever received so much attention before Asha was around.

As Blade approached a stall filled with fruit, he saw what he was looking for: starfruit. Asha happened to spot it too and started squeaking excitedly. She nearly fell off of Blade's back as she wriggled and tried to get a better view.

"Hey, settle down," Blade half-heartedly commanded.

The cart owner chuckled. He was a two-legged wolf dressed in white-linen robes with a shawl brought over his head. A bushy, gray tail puffed out of the back.

"She's very cute," he said. "Does she enjoy fruit?"

Blade nodded and set Asha on the ground so she couldn't claw and dismantle his feathers. "She really loves starfruit."

The merchant reached for a bright-yellow fruit shaped like a star and dropped down to a knee to hand it to Asha. She squeaked delightedly and took it from him, immediately burying her face into the fruit as she chomped down on it.

"Thank you," Blade said with a toothy smile. He watched his daughter viciously tear into the fruit, spraying juices all over her muzzle.

"It's my pleasure," the wolf said. "But you two ought to take shelter before the storm comes."

"Storm?" Blade asked and looked up at the sky. The majority of the sky was still a deep blue, but off over the eastern horizon were dark clouds rushing their way.

"It's supposed to be a bad one. Haven't had one like this in nearly two decades."

Blade shuddered as memories flooded him.

"Anyway, would you like to purchase some fruit? I'm about to pack up."

Blade tried to shake the memories away and nodded and picked out a variety of different fruits, and a few starfruits especially for Asha. He paid the wolf and shoved them into his satchel.

"Thanks again," Blade said as he grabbed the now sticky Asha and plopped her onto his back.

"Stay safe!"

Blade turned and left, wandering further down the street. He wanted to get something for Akir to hopefully brighten his day. His mate hasn't been in the greatest of moods, and Blade hoped that he could cheer him up.

In addition to that, he would try to convince Akir to mate again! They haven't had many chances now that they had a daughter, but they could try to quietly do it while she slept in her crib. Or maybe Blade could let her spend the night at Talia's... Even though he trusted Talia with his life, he still wasn't sure if Asha would enjoy that.

Blade shrugged his wings and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds loomed high above him, growing closer as they carried the malevolent storm. He shuddered again. Rain was already rare enough, and storms were even rarer. He already saw people closing up their shops and taking down their stalls, preparing for the impending weather.

Blade hurried along, determined to buy his mate something before the storm hit. Luckily, he found a jewelry shop that was still open. He stepped inside the building and looked around curiously at all of the golden metal and shiny gems that were set on display.

"Hey! Shoo! If you don't have any money, get out!" a cross human growled from behind a counter. Blade's ears drooped as he realized that he wasn't welcome here. He turned to leave, but he really wanted to get something for Akir.

So, he turned back around and glared at the shop owner. "I do have money."

The owner was a big, burly male with thick arms and a thick head. Blade thought if the situation turned for the worst that he'd have a tough time defending against such a large man, and he also had to protect Asha. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

"Oh, you do? How does a beast come by enough money for jewelry?"

Blade gulped and glanced away. "I... I work at the docks."

The man let out a boisterous laugh and shook his head and waved his hand. "It doesn't matter as long as you're not stealin' from me. What are ya lookin' for?"

Blade approached the counter. Asha was keeping quiet on his back, seeming to be unsure of what sound to make.

"Something for my mate... Uhm... what would you suggest?"

The man furrowed his brow and shrugged. "I've never had a feral customer. What does she look like?"

Blade blushed a little and held back a chuckle. "W-well... She has blue and purple scales."

"Hmm." He walked over to a section with a lot of gold hoops and bands, and some of them had jewels in them. Blade particularly liked the blue-gemmed ones and thought those would match perfectly with Akir, and the man seemed to think the same.

"Does she wear earrings?"

Blade remembered that Akir did used to wear a golden band through his left ear when he was younger... before it was ripped out and left a tear as a scar. He wondered if Akir would like another one or if it would just bring back painful memories.

"Not anymore... but I think she may like a new one."

"Just one?"

Blade nodded and bared an awkward smile.

"I suppose you ferals do have different tastes... How would she like this one?" he asked and withdrew a thick band that had sapphires melded into the outer edge. Now that Blade thought about it, having gems in the earring would appear rather feminine. He didn't think Akir would really like that. Blade was the more feminine one anyway!

"Hmm... What about just a plain-gold one like that?"

The man grumbled something, most likely a racial slur, and withdrew a second earring that was made out of just gold. "This one is eight gold pieces."

Asha squeaked on Blade's back and reached out for it. Blade chuckled and nuzzled her to tell her to keep quiet. He returned his attention to the merchant and nodded as he reached into his satchel and withdrew the amount.

"Here," he said, and they made the exchange. Blade admired the golden band in his paw. It was shiny and smooth, and it had an empty space where an ear would fit to latch onto. Asha meeped and reached for it, so Blade let her hold it as he walked out.

"Thanks!" he said and happily padded away. He took the ring from Asha, despite her squeak of disapproval, and slipped it into his satchel. He gave his daughter a firm, loving nuzzle, feeling elated to have found his mate something. He hoped Akir would like it!

Blade held Asha in his arms again and took off into the skies, angling toward their home. He noticed that the storm was nearly upon them, and the winds were buffeting him around, making flight rather difficult. He clutched Asha tightly against his chest while she meeped and squeaked. Blade felt extremely anxious to get home. He didn't want to be caught in the storm, especially when he had his daughter with him. At least when he returned, Akir would be there to calm the both of them.

Thankfully, Blade saw their home before the storm could reach the city. The winds were getting stronger, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Akir had always said Blade was a good flier, but Blade just thought it was because of his feathers giving him an advantage.

But something didn't sit right in his stomach. When he looked down, he saw an increasing number of ferals around their home. They all gathered around, peering around the front of their house. Blade wondered what the commotion was about, and he quickly dived down.

He landed gently with Asha in his arms. She seemed to be upset about something, and she squirmed restlessly in his arms. Blade held her tightly with one paw, walking on the other three and making his way and bumping into shoulders.

Darkness started to descend over them, and rain started to fall, dripping down from the skies and pattering against the sand and buildings and ferals around. The pleasant scent was strong in the air, but Blade caught a whiff of something like a fresh kill. The smell of blood was stronger the closer he got, and it made his heart pound heavily in his chest. He elicited a whimper and quickly rushed forward. Asha squeaked with distress, but he could hardly hear her.

All he could hear were his thoughts saying, "No, no, no, no, no," over and over again. Every step he took was weaker than the last.

When Blade finally broke free from the crowd, his heart stopped.

Akir was lying dead right outside their door, his body brutally rendered and bleeding. Gashes and bruises lined his blue and purple scales, and what looking to be a gaping hole was punched in his chest. A large pool of blood formed beneath him and oozed around, trickling through the crevices of stone and sand.

Blade couldn't bring himself to move. He stared in shock, seeing his mate's lifeless body. His heart shattered into a thousand pieces as his soul drained from his body in the tears that poured down his cheeks. Memories of the time he spent with Akir flashed by and zoomed out of his mind before he could grasp them and hold onto them. He desperately wanted to cling to each and every one, not wanting to come back to the reality he now faced.

The love of his life, his better half, the mate of his dreams, was dead.

Blade didn't know what to feel... He couldn't believe it. He stood there, trembling and crying. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he clenched his teeth and ground his claws into the dirt. His body was numb. Utterly numb.

Asha yelped and broke free from Blade's arms, running over to Akir before she collapsed and started running again. Blade clenched his talons and teeth tightly, trying to force himself to move, but he wasn't strong enough. He closed his eyes tightly shut, unable to bear seeing Akir like that. Still, the tears seeped through and fell in an almost constant stream.

He stepped toward Akir's bloodied corpse, walking on legs that could hardly carry his weight. They trembled and shook violently as he strained to keep himself straight. He swayed back and forth, disoriented.

Asha squeaked and nosed at her other father as she gently pushed him and pawed at him, trying to wake him up. His blood dirtied and matted her feathers. Blade could hardly bare the sight.

Blade collapsed beside her, his golden feathers getting soaked in blood as his front end lay on Akir's cold body. He wrapped himself around his mate and buried his snout into his neck, crying profusely into it. He whimpered and sniffled, hugging Akir's limp body tightly against him. He twined his tail around Akir's limp tail, squeezing it lovingly as he sobbed.

Pain wracked his body and seized his chest and throat. Blade felt like he couldn't breathe. He gasped for breath and coughed, feeling like he was dying too. With a futile attempt, he tried to shake Akir awake, calling out to him.

He wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

Rain fell harder, and the crowd started to disperse, leaving Blade and his daughter alone while their tears and voices were drowned by the roaring storm. Darkness fell over them. Lightning flashed in the sky, giving out enough light for Blade to see Akir's blank face each time lightning struck.

Then it finally all hit Blade: the pain, the anguish, the sadness, the anger, and the regret. He ground his teeth together and clenched Akir's bloody scales tightly, never wanting to let go. He had hardly even noticed his daughter still trying to wake her dead father up.

"Akir... P-please... No... C-come back t-to me... please, my love..." Blade moaned and whimpered before he started cursing at all of the gods, known and unknown. He despised them. He hated them for taking Akir away. If only he had been here for his mate...

He felt cold--terribly cold. The pouring rain was relentless. Flashbacks of when he was younger coursed through his mind. He remembered being on the brink of death, he remembered the numbness he felt, and he remembered Akir bringing him the warmth of life.

But he couldn't save Akir. He couldn't do anything. All that he could feel was hopelessness... emptiness.

Asha whimpered beside Blade, trying to get his attention. Blade didn't hear her. It wasn't until he felt her trying to hide in his feathers that he reached out and pulled her tightly against him. He nuzzled her and protected her from the rain with his wing. She was shivering.

He hated that she had to see this, but had she not been with him, she would have met the same fate. Blade couldn't bear the thought of that.

Blade winced and cried all he could until he had no more tears to give. He didn't know what to do. He felt lost. Should he go to Talia? Should he seek vengeance? He couldn't just let whoever did this get away.

No, he had to kill them.

But Blade didn't know where to even start. He looked at his soaked and trembling daughter, feeling the pain in his chest flare. He coughed and choked up.

Something twisted inside him. He clenched his jaw tightly and felt all of his emotions manifesting into a murderous resolve. It felt like a thousand icy spikes were drilling into his body as he stood up and held his daughter close to him. He looked back at the doorway as he stepped away. He forcefully threw his satchel into their home, and then he took off.

Blade flew through the storm. He could hardly keep his wings from flaring open as the wind and rain tore at him. Asha squealed in distress, but she kept still, trusting her father to make it through this, though Blade wasn't sure if he would.

Blade growled and pushed himself forward, straining all of his muscles to keep from falling to his death. Vespera's home came into sight and he landed with a heavy thud at the doorway with Asha tucked against his chest. He knocked on the door harshly and set her down.

With a somber look in his eyes, he kissed his daughter's forehead and nuzzled her one last time before taking off into the skies. He felt a piece of his already broken heart snap off as she squeaked at him in distress. Would this be the last time he ever saw her? How could he just leave her like this?

He flew above her for a moment, making sure Vespera would take her in. The dragoness looked confused as she glanced around, but she picked the dragonet up and quickly brought her inside. Asha would be safest in her mother's home.

Blade whirled around and sped back to their home. Rain wetted his feathers down, making them feel heavy as he was soaked in the frigid water. He was already breathing hard as he returned. Again, hopelessness seeped into him like the icy rain seeping into his hide.

Akir's body was still there at the doorway. The rain washed away most of the blood, but it couldn't cleanse the ground of the crimson stains.

Blade whimpered and dragged Akir's body into their home. The tarp to their doorway was missing, so the rain splattered at the doorway and dripped into their hovel. As soon as Akir's body was away from the door, Blade collapsed on him, crying and drowning in his sorrow again.

It felt like Blade cried for eternity. He wanted to cry more, but no more tears would come out. His sadness was slowly being consumed by a festering anger inside of him. It boiled his blood to the point that he was shaking. Blade clenched his paws together and struggled to stand. He looked over Akir's body, inspecting it for any clues to his killers.

He found many bruises from either punches or kicks. There were many clean cuts and gouges in his hide from swords or other sharp objects. No claws. Then the gaping hole in his chest meant only one thing: Akir had been shot.

A vicious snarl formed at Blade's lips. Humans. But who and why?

Blade growled and swiped at the nearest breakable thing: Asha's crib. It shattered into hundreds of wooden pieces. He stamped his paws and found the next breakable thing: a chair for Talia. He attacked every possible wooden object until they were all shattered into thousands of pieces littering the stone floor.

He clutched his chest and started to cough. It hurt... He hurt...So much pain. Blade cried out a somber wail and toppled to the side. The pain was too much--he'd never felt this much pain before. Blade roared and thrashed, trying to expel the building anguish and agony that manifested inside him like a demon seizing his soul, but he couldn't fight it.

Rage consumed him.

Then Blade charged out of the house and took to the stormy skies. He flew straight toward the palace district with an insatiable fire burning in his heart. His mind was empty except for the desire to kill--a bloodlust. He couldn't think straight nor could he really think at all. He was lost in reckless abandon, intent on killing every last human until he avenged Akir's death. But, his primary goal was their leader. If he killed their leader, then that would be enough.

Hardly anyone was outside. Everyone was taking shelter from the storm as it raged on, pouring nearly horizontal sheets of rain over the city. The gusts of wind ripped Blade's wings back several times, almost throwing him off balance. Lightning struck nearby, cracking and thundering loud enough that Blade's ears rang for a moment. He didn't regard a single inkling of thought for his own safety and continued on.

Whatever happened to him tonight was in the hands of fate.

Blade's first victim was a lone guard donned in heavy plate metal. He carried around a light, seeming to be searching for anyone caught in the storm.

Blade descended on him and smashed the human's body into the ground. He pulled off the man's helmet and then relentlessly slashed across his face as painful screams escaped his mouth all until Blade jabbed his claws into his throat.

With a roar, Blade claimed his first kill, and then the thunder echoed back.

A door opened to a house directly next to him. A woman stared at him in horror with her hand over her mouth. Blade growled at her and thought about killing her too, but she was innocent. He wouldn't kill the defenseless.

He moved swiftly through the streets of the palace district, hunting for the next unlucky human to cross his path. He happened upon another guard, but this one had seen him first. He bared his sword and shield, putting up a fight.

But Blade smashed his shoulder into the shield before the guard could even raise his sword. The man staggered back, and Blade ripped the shield away with a crack, breaking the man's arm before he lunged and bit into his exposed neck. Sharp teeth clamped down on the human's flesh, tearing into it as blood filled his maw. Blade jerked his head and ended the guard's life. He spit the bile out and growled viciously before continuing on again.

It felt good to kill.

Between two giant pillars was one of the entrances into the main palace. Blade felt small when he looked up at the towering colonnade, but he didn't let that intimidate him. He was sure that this was where he would find Akir's killers, even though he truly had no idea who they were. Usually it was heavily guarded around the palace grounds, but Blade only saw two guards.

The guards rushed forward with pikes from the colonnade, shouting at him to stop. Blade ignored them, so they attacked.

Blade jumped back to avoid one of the spears, but the other caught his flank. He growled and quickly grabbed the spear that had jabbed him and ripped it away from the man, causing the guard to stumble forward into his lethally placed swipe. Blade caught the human's armored head and smashed it into the ground.

The other guard used this opportunity to attack Blade again, but he deflected the strike just in time and jumped back. Another attack jabbed at him, and Blade caught the wood between his teeth and bit down, breaking the sharp end off.

The screech of dagger rang out, and the guard bravely charged Blade. Blade side-stepped and avoided the attack completely as the guard lost his footing on the slick cobblestones, falling flatly onto his face. Blade didn't waste a moment and mercilessly killed the guard.

A groan escaped the first guard's lips, and Blade ended his life too. He wiped his bloody paws on the wet ground and winced as pain shot through his side. Warm blood seeped through his feathers as Blade clutched his wound. He growled and pushed through the pain, stepping up to two tall and wide doors. He wondered where the rest of the palace's guards were, and he figured they would all be inside.

"I'm going to die here," he muttered and pushed the door open.

Inside the vestibule, the floors were made of polished white and black marble. A short hallway connected to a long corridor running horizontally with drapes and banners hanging from the walls. Everything looked so elegant that Blade couldn't fathom how much money went to building this one building.

Surprisingly, it was very quiet and there weren't any guards nearby. Was the security always so loose?

Claws clacked on the marble as Blade took a right down the corridor. He checked the first door and it opened up to an empty room. He shut it and continued on, checking each and every door and finding absolutely no one. There were so many rooms and doors that he wasn't sure where the ruler of the city would be. He had no idea what that human even looked like, but he figured he should have at least found some nobles--or even just some servants.

The rain pattered against glass windows to a courtyard, and the lightning flashed continuously. Thunder nearly shook the giant building, rattling the glass panes. Blade heard a soft plop and looked down, noticing a droplet of his blood staining the floor. He grimaced.

Armor clanked behind him, and a guard quickly approached. "What are you doing here!? Stop where you are!" He withdrew a sword and angled it at the dragon.

Blade growled and turned around, his tail flicking behind him as he crouched down, teeth bared.

"You're under arrest for trespassing on palace grounds, beast. Stand down and come quietly."

Blade was surprised that the guard didn't immediately attack him, but that didn't matter. He would end the wretch's life.

He stepped toward the guard threateningly, ready to tear him apart. Not a single ounce of fear shown in the human's eyes. He stood his ground against the larger dragon, watching and following him with a sword. This obviously wasn't his first fight with a feral dragon.

"I warned you, dragon." The man raised his sword and swung at Blade. Blade ducked beneath it, nearly getting his head lopped off. Then he lunged and clawed at armor, his claws harmlessly scraping it. He knocked the man back with his strike, giving him enough room to pounce and take the human to the ground, but not before his sword sliced across Blade's vulnerable belly.

Blade roared and snapped at the man's head, but he caught an arm instead. He felt his teeth sink into the armor and his flesh as the man cried out in pain. He twisted his head and tore into the limb, but he had to release it quickly to avoid being stabbed.

He retreated back a step, breathing raggedly between his teeth. More blood dripped onto the ground while pain made his muscles tense up. His mouth was filled with the warm, metallic taste of fresh blood.

The guard climbed to his feet, his left arm hanging limply at his side with blood oozing down it. With his sword in the other hand, he pointed it at Blade and then gave a yell as he charged forward. Blade again barely dodged his strike, but took the opportunity to rush and knock the wind out of the human with his shoulder.

Blade followed his initial attack with his claws to the human's neck. He missed and luckily got hit with the broad side of the sword against the side of his muzzle instead of the blade. Tears brimmed in his eyes as his vision swirled. He stumbled to the side and had to jump backward to avoid another attack.

Blade growled viciously and hissed with irritation. He'd never met a human so skilled in fighting before. Their fight had taken too long, and now there were another two guards rushing at him from behind, having heard the commotion.

Blade whirled around and dodged both of their attacks, and then he had to jump away again as the first guard attacked from behind. His sharp sword caught his tail, sending more pain through Blade. He now faced three guards, and one of them had a pike.

The wounded guard retreated behind the other two, clutching his bleeding arm with his sword arm. The right guard attacked Blade head on, and the guard with the pike followed the attack with his own. Blade dodged the sword and tapped the pike away just before dodging the sword again. He hissed as the spear head grazed his neck on its second stab.

Blade stamped his forepaw down as he caught the handle and broke the spear against the ground. He spun around and used his tail to catch the other man off guard, thwacking him painfully hard in the hip, knocking him to the side. Blade surged forward in his opening and pounced on the wounded guard behind the other two. He caught him by surprise and killed him with a bite to the neck before he could defend himself.

"Captain!"

Blade swiftly jumped away and crouched low again. He was breathing hard and bleeding from several places, but his golden eyes were lit with ferocity. A snarl formed at his lips as he elicited another feral growl. He stood his ground and waited for the next attack.

The guards were shouting and calling for reinforcements, giving Blade little to no time. He quickly rushed them, forcing their attacks. The guard raised his sword high, and as soon as he did Blade tackled him to the ground. The sword caught one of his horns when it came down, rattling Blade's skull, but it didn't harm him otherwise. He swiped the polearm away with his tail, blocking the attack as he killed the other guard.

With bloodied claws, Blade swiveled around and viciously swiped at the other guard repeatedly, forcing him on the defensive until he broke his guard and killed him too.

Blade hobbled away as quickly as he could, panting and trying to regain his focus. He was already exhausted and his vision felt weaker and weaker the longer he continued. A trail of blood followed behind him as he limped through the corridor. His legs trembled beneath him, but he still had fight left in him.

He didn't have time to check every door anymore. Instead, he searched for a throne room or whatever the biggest and fanciest room was. He truly had no idea where to even look... but he was determined.

Before turning a corner, Blade poked his head around and saw at least eight guards standing with halberds at their sides, lined up against two walls leading toward a large door. It looked like a lobby of sorts before a throne room. If he was going to do this, he had to do it quick.

Blade roared and charged in, immediately ramming the first guard into the wall with full force, crushing his armor and banging his head harshly into the stone. He fell, and Blade was rushing toward the next person. He sliced his throat open with his talons and pounced on the next guard before he could attack.

One by one, each of the guards fell. They were too spread out, giving Blade just enough time to kill them before the next one came. As the last guard's body hit the ground, Blade watched the large door creak open, and another column of guards rushed in.

"Kill it!" someone shouted. "I want his head!"

Blade growled and pinned his ears back. He wanted to fight them, and he wanted to rip them all apart... but he knew he would die before he would even make a dent. There were too many.

But Akir... he desperately wanted to avenge his fallen mate. He needed to get past these guards to get to the leader, but Blade didn't want to die. Not yet...

Blade turned around and sprinted the way he came. He heard the guards shouting and chasing him with their rattling armor following behind. Blade nearly slipped and fell as he scrambled away, his paws soaked with blood. The marble floors didn't give anything for his claws to grasp.

He slid around the corner and found himself face to face with four more guards inspecting the slain bodies he had just killed. Blade watched as one of the guards drew a strange looking object with a hole in the end, and then he realized just too late what it was.

CRACK!

A burst of pain wracked Blade's right shoulder just where his neck met his body. He yelped and stumbled backward before shaking it off and running as fast as he could away. Hot blood poured from his wound as he strained his torn muscle. He could hardly run straight, and his body was feeling weaker by the second.

Blade had no idea where he was, and he kept running into more and more guards. They seemed to be on full alert now. By the time he finally found an exit, it was blocked off by several guards.

The guards chasing him were rapidly closing in. He reached a dead end with nowhere to go... This was it.

Blade was going to die.

Blade backed up until his tail brushed against the wall. He was trapped in another hallway, with guards rapidly closing in on him from both sides. He looked between both of the groups verging on him and felt his emotions catching up with him.

He was scared; he didn't want to die. His vengeance had failed, and he didn't even come close. All of his efforts had been futile, and he was about to meet the end of it all. What comes after death?

"Akir... I'm so sorry," Blade said beneath his heavy breaths, starting to cry. He'd never see his mate again, or his daughter, or even Talia. One guard raised a gun and pointed it directly at Blade.

Blade lowered his head and accepted his defeat--his end. More and more memories flooded his fading vision, bringing a small smile to his lips. Maybe he would see Akir in the afterlife...

The loud crack of the gun sounded and rang in Blade's ears, but he quickly realized that he hadn't been shot. Miraculously, he was alive. He wondered how and why, but he knew he wouldn't live for much longer anyway.

Blade quickly looked behind him and noticed the glass to a window had been completely shattered. Why hadn't I thought of that?

He took advantage of the guard's missed shot and leapt through the window into the courtyard. Rain still poured from the sky, pelting Blade's blood-soaked feathers, and lightning crackled through the darkness. Another gunshot sounded behind him, and he heard the bullet whizz by and strike the ground near him.

Was fate giving him a second chance?

An open sky was all Blade needed. He jumped into the air on trembling legs and barely had enough strength to climb up, but he managed.

Then as he cleared the walls, a sudden burst of wind carried him away, knocking him off balance and sending him flying backward. Blade hissed and twisted around quickly before he crashed into the roof. With the wind pushing him forward, he used it to glide and find his way around.

Then he remembered that the palace was protected by a magical barrier and felt apprehensive to continue forward, but he couldn't stop himself. He winced expectantly, but before he knew it, he was outside the palace district, unscathed by any magic. But Blade didn't know how much longer he could fly. He was already pushing past his limits, and it was thanks to the powerful wind that he was even still in the air.

Luckily for him, he flew over the district Talia lived in. As long as he wouldn't get struck by lightning, all he had to do was glide down.

And Blade landed soon after. His head darted back and forth, searching for Talia's street. He could hardly see straight as blood from an unknown wound dripped into his eyes. Blade hobbled and limped around until he recognized some of the area. He found Talia's house soon after and struggled to pull himself there.

By now, he was weak, freezing, and nearly about to die. He knocked on Talia's door weakly, hardly able to even raise his good arm. He waited... and waited... but she didn't answer. He tried the door latch, but it was locked. Blade groaned in pain and banged his head against the door.

He heard the latch come undone and the door flung open.

"Oh my God..." Talia immediately stepped aside to let Blade inside and locked the door behind them. She wrapped her arms around his belly and helped drag him inside, but she had grabbed one of his cuts and caused him a lot of pain.

Blade tried to keep standing, but he fell and cried out in pain. A series of questions spouted from Talia's mouth, but he couldn't even answer one of them. His head was spinning and his ears were ringing. Could he even hear her?

"You're not going to die, Blade," she reassured. "I'm going to keep you alive. Stay with me... Don't fall asleep."

Blade nodded meekly, but he could already feel himself starting to slip away. Even in Talia's warm home he felt like icicles were pricking his hide, and in some places it felt like they were stabbing him.

"It's... It's c-cold..."

"Stay with me, Blade!" she shouted and tapped his muzzle firmly. She was rushing around and grabbing her supplies. Blade winced and hissed as she pressed a cloth to his side against his gaping wound. It stung terribly, but his numbness saved him from some of the pain. He remembered the first time he had ever met Talia, and it was a situation pretty similar to this.

Except, Blade wasn't sure if she could save him this time.

Then more and more areas were stinging, making his ragged, blood-soaked feathers puff out and his body tremble. He shut his eyes tight and moaned painfully. It was growing increasingly harder to stay awake. After a while, his body felt completely and utterly numb. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing anymore.

Talia tended to him, constantly saying things that Blade couldn't hear or understand, but it reassured him to know that she was trying to comfort him. She had him flip onto his other side, and that was the last thing Blade did. His head suddenly felt extremely dizzy and light. He tried to keep his eyes open... He tried to stay awake... But he couldn't fight anymore.

It was over.