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Chapter Two - Zylus

Zylus awoke in a strange hut, one that didn't belong to him. His head swam with the aftereffects of passing out. His arm and leg both stung slightly and he glanced down to the wounds. He winced, tears beginning to flood his vision once more as memories from the night flooded back. It wasn't long before his held-back but still noticable sobs filled the small hut. The flap on the front pulled back and the older woman he had last seen before passing out stepped in. She immediately rushed to his side. "Zylus! You're awake! Are you alright?" she called out. For a long moment, the leopard anthro didn't answer. Instead he continued to relive the horrible nightmare that just wouldn't erase itself like normal dreams would because it wasn't a dream at all. A few others had come to the doorway. "We went to the glade...and paid our respects to Mia" one of them said. A somber silence settled over the hut, with the exception of Zylus's sounds of pain. Suddenly, he stood and started out the door. A few stood to block his way, insisting he stayed and rested. Silently, he waved them away. At first no one moved, but when his agonized eyes met theirs, they slowly stepped out of his way. He left the hut, the afternoon sun stinging his already burning eyes. Two children had suddenly wrapped their arms around his waist, crying. 'So they've heard' Zylus thought to himself. He knelt down and looked them both in the eyes. He tried to manage a smile but couldn't make his eyes lie to them. Throwing his arms around their small bodies, he hugged them close. He stood and started walking towards his own home. Many of the orphans tried following him, but a single solitary glare turned them all away. He didn't want them to see him in this state he was about to be in.

Zylus entered his little hut and started moving quickly around the place. He was gathering things. Food, drink, anything he would need if he were leaving. He wrapped it all up into a sack and tied the sack around his back. Before heading out the door, he grabbed his spear from the wall. He stared at the stone blade at the end. His people didn't use steel, never having a need. Seeing him exit his hut, a number of worried villagers ran to him. He didn't stop as they kept a backward pace in front of him. "Zylus, where are you going?! Revenge isn't the answer! Getting yourself killed won't make Mia happy!" they argued. Zylus continued walking without saying a word. "Zylus stop! Think about the orphans. They need you!" a woman shouted. Zylus stopped on the edge of the trees. He turned. "I'm doing this for them...I'm protecting our village. The humans WILL eventually attack directly" he said in a low, dark tone. The villagers were surprised, never having heard such a tone of voice from the entirely too kind Zylus. He sighed deeply. "I've nothing left to live for...but I still have something to fight for" were his parting words as he turned his back to them and stalked silently into the woods. He could hear protests from behind him until one voice hushed the rest of them. "Enough! This is something he needs to do. He will return to us in time. Blood will probably stain his hands more so than it already does, but he will return. The humans will not be able to quell a spirit such as his so easily. Zylus! Good luck my son!" the elder of the village called out. Zylus turned and met the older anthro's eyes and nodded solemnly before resuming his march through the thick brush and trees.

As he walked, Zylus tried not to think of Mia or her fate. He tried to head towards the center of the valley where the humans dwelled with a clear mind. Not one of vengeance, but of a protector. He didn't know what he could accomplish on his own, if anything. But he knew something needed to be done. The humans would never stop as long as they both lived. Their greed and lust for being dominant over everything proved that. Zylus knew of the Hunters, the human militia against Anthros like himself and others. He knew they had a leader. A very malicious man, from what he understood. Perhaps if he could kill that man, or perhaps even the human king, it would at least forestall their war on the animalistic humanoids. He had become an assassin, he realized. The thought didn't displease him as much as it should. He continued to quietly wander through the dense forest. Night was near. 'Perfect, I should arrive at the darkest hour of night' he thought to himself. The thought of what he was about to do thrilled him almost and he started running through the trees, leaping against the trunks every now and then and kicking off to keep up a consistent pace. He neared the massive clearing that held the fortress city of the humans. Not wishing to be seen by the guards stationed, he stopped just behind the forest's edge. His cat-eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness of twilight. 'A little early' he thought to himself as he surveyed the clearing. The sun was just falling behind the horizon. The city looked like it would prove difficult to gain entrance without being either hauled in or a human. The city was surrounded by a massive stone wall, 150 feet high and probably very thick as well. The sand-colored stone stood out hideously against a beautiful backdrop of mountains and trees.

Guards could be seen patrolling the ramparts, keeping watch over the city. Zylus could already see ways to get passed this though. Without any torches around them, the guards had limited vision of one another in the dark. Night began to fall. It was a new moon, something Zylus had counted on. The darkness was darkest this night, the beginning of a new lunar cycle. Donning a dark cloak from his pack to help keep his bright yellow fur from standing contrast to the dark plains, he sprinted low to the ground towards the city. A glance upward told him that the guard on this side wasn't looking in his direction. He stood for a moment and reached his arm back, wielding his spear. He hurled it with the deadly accuracy of a life-time hunter. The weapon pierced the guards throat, killing him quickly and silently. Without slowing, the anthro pulled two sharp skinning knives from his pack. He reached the wall and without missing a beat took three large strides vertically up it before launching himself as high as possible. At the peak of his jump he reversed his grip on the knives and swung them down hard, burying the blades into the stone. He pulled himself up quickly, hand-over-hand removing the knives and moving higher. The jump had cleared a good distance already and at the rate he was climbing, it would be a short time before he reached the top. Nearing the edge of the wall, one of his knives slipped and he slid a short ways down before digging them in once more. He gritted his teeth against the pain in his stretched tendons as well as the friction burn against the rough stone to his chest. He quickly cleared the remaining distance, losing little time with his slight mishap.

Zylus hopped over the edge of the rampart, landing next to the dead soldier. He reached over and, with a little more force than necessary, removed his spear from the human's neck. He kept himself low to the stone floor, looking down at the city beneath him. It seemed expansive, but simple. Buildings lined along one another, a town square and courtyard near the center and at the very middle, the lord's mansion. In front of which the barracks could be seen. Immediately, he knew his target would be there, hopefully sleeping. The leopard anthro, cloak hood thrown up over his head and worn low to hide his face, leapt from the stone structure to fall freely. He landed on a rooftop, for the most part quietly, having to roll to keep from hurting himself. Without slowing he continued a run down the roof and leapt across to the next roof. He glanced up, noticing he couldn't see the guards for the darkness. 'Good, that means they can't see me' he thought to himself. He continued his silent padding along the rooftops, moving quickly. His arms were sore from the long climb up the wall but his determination pushed it from his mind. Physical pain would never match the inner anguish he felt. His vengeful thoughts boiled to the surface for a moment before he pushed that away. If he let that take control, he may go too far and get himself killed before completing his mission. He reached the courtyard, seeing a solitary guard standing in the center. He leapt from the roof's edge, pushing far away and fell towards the clueless human. He brought his spear down, piercing with a sickening sound through the top of the man's skull. Pulling the weapon free, Zylus heading silently towards the barracks. He glanced at a sign depicting a pair of swords crossing, confirming this was the right place.

Zylus glanced around to be sure no one was looking before pushing the door open slowly and silently. He stepped in the darkened building, shutting the door just as silently as he had opened it. His shining eyes adjusted quickly and he saw the forms of sleeping humans all around the room. He held back his temptation to walk by each bed and force the blade of his spear quickly through the neck of each one. A light beneath a heavy wooden door caught his attention. He watched it for a moment before seeing a shadow pass by it. Voices were heard, though quiet ones. 'I wonder if that is my prey' he thought to himself, suddenly realizing he had not a clue what this man looked like. He assumed it would be obvious he was the captain of the Hunters though. He heard footsteps approaching the door and practically melted against the wall, away from where any light from the open door would hit him. The door opened and he looked closely at who it was that exited. He was stunned by the site of a teenaged girl, clearly an anthro of some type. Her face was a little more human than most, but the wolf ears, tail and paw-like hands gave it away. 'What is an anthro doing in here?' he questioned himself. His question was mostly answered when he saw the girl turn to answer a human's voice from in the lit room. The light reflected off a shiny metal color connected to a chain around her neck. "Yes master" she called back, her voice sounding unusually sweet for a slave. Zylus felt anger welling up inside. The girl was carrying some dishes, probably heading for the mess hall. He decided to follow the girl silently. Down a small corridor she went, and he followed. Her ear twitched slightly and Zylus almost thought she heard him. He had never stalked another anthro before and wasn't sure how well they'd be able to sense him.

She continued though and soon they entered a large room with a number of tables and chairs strewn about. The girl walked to a table and set the dishes down. She suddenly spun, a knife in her hands aimed for his temple. Zylus leaned back quickly and caught her hand. "Hey, it's ok I'm going to help you" he said quickly but in a whisper. She stared at him for a long while, unable to believe it was an anthro staring right back. He released her wrist and she back away from him, clearly looking terrified. "Y-you're an anthro? Why are you here?" she asked, her voice too loud for Zylus's comfort. He put a finger to his lips. "I'm going to kill the captain of the hunters...and now free you from imprisonment" he said quietly, touching a finger to the collar around her neck. He noticed the chain was broken only a few links down, hanging freely. "But, I'm no prisoner. This was just to keep me from running freely as a child" she answered matter-of-factly. He looked at her for a moment, trying to understand what she meant. "How long have you been here?" he asked her. "All my life! And you will NOT kill my master!" She shouted suddenly. Zylus jumped back, surprised by this outburst and confused. She seemed actually protective of these human bastards! He could hear the guards gathering in the other room. He glanced around quickly. There were no other exits. He turned back to see the girl swinging the knife at him once more. He ducked and caught her wrist as he raised back up, twisting it painfully until she dropped the weapon. The guards entered the room, most wearing little more than shirts and a plain pair of pants for sleeping. They all had their weapons though.

Zylus twisted the girl in his arms and pushed her towards the humans. "Traitor to your own people!" he shouted after her. A guard caught her and pushed her aside forcefully. She hit the wall and slumped over. The leopard anthro backed away a few more steps, spinning his spear skillfully in his right hand before holding it straight out, blade in their direction. "Stop! I want him for myself" said a dark voice. A man stepped through the ranks of Hunters, wearing a malicious grin. The man had dark, long hair that framed his face evenly on either side. His eyes were dark, probably brown. His face, though young, wore marks of battle. "I want to fight the creature so bold as to walk right into our very resting place. Come, BEAST! Show me what skills you possess!" The man shouted. 'This is the one...the one I've come to kill' he thought to himself. His anger boiled to the surface once more. The man who was ultimately responsible for the death of Mia, her parents and many others stared him in the face. With a roar of rage, Zylus lunged forward quickly and brought the spear to bare before him. He jabbed many times, hitting nothing but air as the man simply dodged or side-stepped. "Good, good! You're doing well! My turn!!" the human shouted gleefully. He was toying with the anthro. Zylus already knew he was outmatched as the man spun away from another attack, drawing his slender rapier in the process, and completely the spin with a slash from his own weapon, severing the spear in half. He didn't stop though, using one half as a club and the other as a short stabbing weapon the anthro attacked relentlessly. They all ended in failure as the nimble man danced away before flying back in. Zylus should've been dead already but the man seemed to avoid actually harming him. Suddenly the rapier pierced straight through Zylus's thigh, scraping the bone. He cried out in pain before the hilt of the man's sword crashed across his skull. Darkness fell swiftly around him, his mind weeping for having failed so quickly. "We'll make an example out of him...after a little fun of course" the dark-haired man stated simply.

To be continued...



[Zylus has been captured. What awaits him? Death? Torture? Next chapter will reveal that and more. I'll keep writing if you keep reading! Review guys!! Thanks for following this much so far!]