Siege of a Castle

The midnight blue sky held its place in the atmosphere like a tapestry of bright glowing stars as it was a crystal clear night. Everything was calm and quiet while the dew was just now starting to collect on the individual blades of grass around the open field of rolling hills that lead off into wide forests and large mountains miles away in the background that seemed to fade away into some kind of mist. Sounds of horses and soldiers soon broke through the silence as they prepared the invasion from their strong camp. Smiths were handing out weapons while the horses were being equipped with saddles. Archers were stringing their bows and counting the stock of arrows held in their quivers. Then while the rest prepared for war, a strange boy sat off in the darkness of the hill with his backside to the camp.

He was dressed in a fine hauberk of Elven made chain mail. The leather gloves on his hands creaked as he gripped the pommel of his curve tipped blade fastened to his belt and his boots fidgeted in the wet grass as he waited on the hill over looking the castle before him. The walls were tall and built strong even if the years had aged them. Moss clung to the side and at the top he could see archers preparing themselves as they scurried around with lit torches. His gaze was weary beneath his hood as he seemed to lose his thought in the movements of the men and his attention drifted when the soft sound of a woman broke his focus, "Aren't you afraid?" She said with caution to her words.

A sleek smile formed across the males face as his passionate blue eyes gleamed from the shadows of his shadowy vale. "Afraid of what?"

His words directed at a large wolf that stood taller than most men even when she sat as she was now. Her fur was black along her backside but twisted into a brilliant silver sheen on her belly and the lower portion of her muzzle. There were also another few notable markings on her brow that gave her a specific distinction and her lips began to move again, speaking words that did not match the movements. "You are a WereChild after all...As impressive as it is for you not to have changed...you can't keep it up through the entire battle."

His smirk widened at her words which revealed a line of animalistic teeth that mostly remembered that of a canine. The sound of his voice was calm and soothing as well as mockingly intelligent for the moment. "True, but as long as you are around I should be fine."

The wolf gave a low snarl at the cocky tone of his words, "If you feel like you can't keep your current form then you retreat. Understood?"

The boy sighed and grind his teeth together as he muttered the answer, "Yes, Sora. I will be sure to avoid specific inconveniences such as that..."

With a pleased smile the wolf gave him a lick to the cheek which caused him to chuck. "Be safe young one..."

The boy nodded at her words, "Same to you, Sora. Don't let anyone see you." With the words between them spoken the large wolf ran back into the shadows of the night to watch from a distance.

Only a few minutes later a few of the soldiers based at the camp walked up behind him, "Hey kid, what was your name...Fallen?"

Fallen turned his gaze over his shoulder to let his eyes peer out at the man as he nodded in confirmation to the question, "Are we ready to head out then?" The soldiers nodded and the WereChild stood to his feet with his knees popping from sitting in one posture for too long and he flipped his hood back to reveal his brown hair that was parted over the eyes and hung just a few centimeters below them. The back was trimmed fairly short or at least appeared that way as it was dirty and pushed around in several different directions due to him wearing the hood. He was careful to avoid revealing his teeth which were a tall tail sign of a WereChild and then they all scurried off to receive their orders.

(I think we have a winner, feel free to be a soldier in the same camp. It is very large.)

A young man, barely of the age of nine-teen, walked into one of the tents. He was dressed in chain-mail armor from neck to toe. his silver hair seemed to compliment the armor as he let go of tent flap. his maroon eyes gazed at his captain with strictness. he awaited his orders. With his hands at his side, he spoke "Sir, What are my orders for the upcoming battle?"

the Captain smiled a grim smile under his graying mustache and said "Hinin, get the men ready. Line them up and tell them to await my arrival. I will be there shortly, fully prepared. Then we will march. "

Hinin nodded a quick reply and turned to leave the tent. "The soldiers will be ready, sir." With this, he pulled the tent flap open again and jogged over to where the general population of the army. With as loud a voice as he could muster, he yelled "Men Fall in to attention!" In a flurry of motion, hundreds of men ran to their respectable positions falling in line after line. "Captain Swiftsword will be here soon. Prepare for his arrival, when he does, we move out."

Fallen and the small group of soldiers that he had recently acquainted himself with stood a line behind the front and Fallen had a full view from all the men that had horses and superior equipment. He mumbled something under his breath that was lost in the commotion of whispers. His poster seemed slightly hunched and stood out from the upright soldiers. The entire time he waited, his palm never lifted from the ball of his sword. Glancing down he eyed over the fine scabbard of the steel forged blade and hoped it would last him through the fight.

After he had said his dues, he took his own place in line. He would be fighting at the front lines. He now placed his hands on the hilts of his dual blades at each side on his hip. After a few minutes, the captain walked onto the field in front of him. He was a large man, worth calling a captain. He was strong and mean looking. He wore a metal chest plate and iron leggings topped off with iron boots as well. His face looked worn from years of battle. His hair was black but graying as well for his mustache. The man looked at every one with his cold brown eyes and shouted. "Fine day to go to war, aye men? I say it is a fine day to survive. The reason, I believe that no matter how you may try and disguise the fact that your going to war, you go to war to survive long enough to express your personal ideas about peace and love. If you agree with me, then shut up. If you disagree with me, then shut up. I may seem cold but that is my job. I am paid to lead a fine army into a place where we will kill many many men. I am Not paid to stand around and worry about your feelings. You shouldn't be worried about mine either. " He stopped looking at each and every one of them in the eye before continuing. "The plan is, and I think it is a damn fine plan, we will charge through the front lines. Our job is to keep the enemy guessing. Two other ends of the army will be attacking from the left and right flank of the castle. I will not explain their side because it is not your business to know their side. It is my business simply because my rank says so. So I will not hide the truth behind this, many of you will die. If any of you try to leave, you will be deemed a coward and out-casted from both the war and your respectable places in the army. I suggest other wise to that. "

Fallen being the one who always had to stand out as much as possible raised a hand over the crowd and shouted, "Aye! Can we loot the bodies of the people we kill?" Many of the men around him quickly glanced and gave him a bewildered stare as if he were mad. Some yelled at him for they disliked the idea of looting someone who was dead. The strange WereChild chuckled and without caring how serious the other men were he said, "Well, they sure as Hell won't be needing those items anymore. So, why not?"

The captain gave a big whooping laugh and shouted back at him. "You are brave. Most men would not have spoke out as you have just now. To answer your question. Yes. You may. You make an excellent point. They will not be needing it. go ahead. " With a chuckle he lifted his fist in the air. "On my arm dropping and the sound of a horn, we shall go!" With this he turned his back on the army, preparing to charge.

A smirk formed on his young face as he nudged one of the men next to him which had protested earlier, "Aye, Aye? Looks like the fearless leader is on my side." The soldier glared into empty space as to avoid confrontation with the odd little creature. His gaze left the man and faced the castle before him. The smirk remained and the glinting fangs peered from the crease of his parted lips. This aught to be more fun than chasing deer in the woods with Sora. This time the people fight back.

After a bit, silence grew onto the field. Hinin stood there, feeling nervous. It was his first battle and, although he had plenty of training, he was still worried that it could end badly. Needlessly, he bit the side of his cheek. Finally, after minutes of utter silence, the horn was blown. At first, nothing happened. It was as if everyone had come to a complete stand still, frozen in place. Then all at once, the captain's hand shot down in slow motion. A surge went through him. He pushed himself forwards as did every other man around him. The captain ran at full force towards the army in front of them, guarding the castle. Hinin grew weary as they neared the battle. A few of the soldiers beside him seemed to have a similar look to them. As they approached, Hinin drew his swords from their sheaths and pulled his arms back. The Captain was the first one to reach the soldiers, instantly, slaying three men bold enough to approach him. Hinin cut down two men who had hopes of corning him in the mass of soldiers.

Fallen dashed across the field before anyone else and due to his secret of being a WereChild, his stamina and speed were like no other on the battlefield. His sword was already raised over his head and he leaped from side to side to avoid several arrows that shot at him. Some managed to slice through his skin to leave mild wounds but otherwise he was fine. In an instant he came into a melee range of another soldier and as the world slowed around him in the moment, sparks flew as their steel met. Then with a swift movement he sliced from the side and decapitated the unfortunate human that met his path.

After leaping over the corpse he cut through many of the other men around him and left them bleeding in the grass. He was now only a few feet away from the gates of the castle and felt as if it were a bad idea to meet the troops waiting on the other side. He cut his way through more soldiers and went around to the other side where many of the archers were not paying attention. Eyeing the tall tower gave him a smirk, "I can climb that." With this he sheathed his blade and made the way up the wall careful not to make a mistake and slip. Within moments he reached the top which astounded the several archers positioned there and when they all turned to fire he gasped.

All of the arrows flew at him at once and in a sudden reaction released a large sum of his aura that burst from his body like a blue bonfire that exploded. It could not be seen from the ground but the archers were terrified as the arrows were deflected and burnt to an invaluable charred piece of wood and iron. They all screamed and attacked him with fear in their eyes and he moved swiftly as possible to evade the attacks and withstand oncoming blows. At one point he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder blade and turned to cut down an archer with his blade and after a long period of fighting, he had taken them all out. He felt a warm sensation on his back but assumed it was merely sweat so he ignored it.

Taking the time to scavenge through the bodies he eventually figured it would be wise to return to the battle so he opened the hatch that lead into the lower sections of the town and descended with a bow and quiver he had looted.

The battle below raged on, blood staining the ground as men slew each other. Hinin had began to clear area which he had taken his stand. There was a large circle around him of men watching him with intensity. Finally, six men ran at him at once, swords drawn back. With speed and skill, he dodged two of the blades, parrying two others and cutting down the last two soldiers. he then flipped the blades around in his hands and slid them through his arms, stabbing two more men in the ribs. He turned, cutting both men in half and charging the last two. he slit both their throats before they could even know what was happening. He grinned and kicked one man back who had taken advantage of his happiness. He got a cut from a few on coming arrows as he pushed his way forward.

Fallen had been going through the floors of the tower killing most of the archers at openings by stabbing them through the back and he had continued this through out most of the battle. At one point his blade was stuck in the gore of a man he slew while another was coming at him with a broadsword. He dodged just in time as the man sliced into the body in which Fallen's sword remained and in an attempt to survive pulled an arrow from his quiver and jabbed it into the man's eye and through his brain. He fell flat on the ground and then Fallen resumed trying to get his sword un-stuck.

Meanwhile, Hinin had thrown himself into a crowd of soldiers. He waved his now crimson blades, blocking and slashing anyone who came too close to him. At one point, Hinin felt a sharp pain shoot through his left shoulder, when he looked, someone had just barely struck his shoulders. He pushed the blade out and faced the attacker. A few people tried taking advantage of his back being turned to only meet blade in their chest. He grabbed the man with the tips of his blades and cut his head off. He then let out a war cry, as the last of the surrounding army had been finished. Everyone took off running towards the gates as Hinin hung back. He smiled, tired from the fight. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him. It was a young man's voice. he turned to see a teenager rushing towards him. The boy seemed a few years younger than himself. He was a medic. The boy approached and said "Sir, let me take care of your shoulder. " Hinin nodded and the boy began patching up his shoulder. It was a quick sew but it was enough. The blood had stopped and that was all Hinin had cared about.

"Thanks kid. Gotta go!" At this, he charged after the rest of the soldiers, who were currently bashing their way through the gate with rocks wooden logs and anything else they could find.

Suddenly on the other side of the gate some screaming could be heard of the soldiers and then a large crackling sound like fire silenced them. After this smoke could be seen rising from the other side of the door as well with the scent of burning corpses. Aprubtly the gate was opened from the inside and to everyone's suprise stood the young man known as Fallen. His chain mail and tunic were tattered and he had several cuts and bruises all over his exposed flesh. What made most people a bit concerned was the dagger pertruding from his shoulder blade and he didn't really seem to notice. The corpses around him were charred to a crisp and for some reason he denied any questions asked about what he just did. Then he turned and ran back into the castle, screaming with his sword raised over his head.

Hinin took no actual notice of the man, seeing him as a strong warrior and nothing more. Anyone who saw other wise was ignorant in his eyes. There was but one goal at hand and that goal was finishing the war. Not worrying about a strange man who was fighting on their side. He ran through the gates, leading the rest of the men. The captain had apparently either went in with the strange boy or died. either way, the goal hadn't changed. He ran through the town, killing any resistance he came to and headed towards the center of the kingdom.

He flailed his sword down onto someones collar bone; snapping it, and then continued to slice through the outer side of his chest. Once the man was down he continued and had to face three men at once. The first took a swing with an axe which Fallen easily moved aside and sliced the man's hand off causing him to cripple over. Next he managed to catch the blow of a war hammer with the flat of his blade by holding it up in the air with both hands and kicking the large man in the gut. With the large man temporarily stunned he turned to parry a few blades with a swordsman before eventually cutting him down. With swift movements he turned to the last and stabbed him through the heart.

As he ran, Hinin dodged a few arrows, making a few quick lunges and slicing down the archers. He was awe stricken by the lack of soldiers in the area. He wondered where the rest of the battle lay waiting. He ran faster.

As Fallen ran through the halls of the castle he also noticed that there was a strange lack of soldiers and he noticed that some were retreating when he climbed to the top of the tower, something was wrong. Suddenly, he halted through an archway with an open door to find a man wearing brown robes. He held a staff in one hand with an odd crystal tempered to the end. Something was off and instantly Fallen looked into his soul and saw what was before him, a mage. With a quick flash of red flames Fallen jumped to the side in order to evade and he glared knowing there was only one way he could win, "I have to use mine now." The mage lifted a brow and chuckled as he sent another gushing jet of flame towards Fallen but to everyone's surprise, Fallen revealed his own power as bright blue flames formed around his arms and in patches all over his body. The trashing tendrils of the fire seemed to collide and spark as their power eventually matched and held place in between them as their powers rocked back and forth. Then the WereChild grinned showing his demented teeth which made the mage aware that he was about to lose, no mage could surpass the power of a WereChild. As soon as his realization ended, Fallen thrust forth with a large blast of his own aura that made a large gushing pall of flame spin through both sides and destroy the mage that challenged him.

As he started to celebrate his success he also panted, a bit weary from using so much power. He dropped to a knee to find that a few of the soldier had grabbed him by the elbows and pulled him up. One of them patted him on the back, "I had no idea you were a mage!"

"Neither did I!" Said another as well as a few more commenting on the luck of a mage being among them. Fallen smiled a bit, glad they mistook him for something he was not. Mages were often rare and disliked but in the heat of battle they were widely accepted. Lucky for him they didn't realize he was more WereChild then mage.

Hinin hadn't been there when the Mage dual took place. He had took a back to towards the town square. He figured that a direct attack would result in his own death. No one had followed him either. He now wondered where the attacks from the sides were. He pushed the thought from his mind as he ran. Suddenly, he heard a whoosh from around a corner. He jumped back just in time to see a fire ball fly from the hands of a second mage. Hinin cursed under his breath and made a quick dash into a roll. The mage must have been slow because he barely missed Hinin once again. Hinin now was a few feet away when the mage got off a lucky shot on Hinin's left foreleg. He cringed in pain as the mage gave a quick cry of success. Hinin reacted quickly though. He stabbed the mage in the stomach and cut the man's arms off with the other blade. He smiled and stood up, limping. He then finished the mage off with a quick slice to the neck. Limping off, the pain was near unbearable. He knew his mission non-the-less and continued on. He came to a few soldiers but they weren't too much trouble. He had been training in swordsmanship for as long as he could remember. He didn't encounter any more magicians from there on out.

Not that Fallen was able to freely use his aura without fear, he took great advantage of it but made careful decisions to not overwhelm himself. Every now and then he would come across a large group of soldiers and all at once he would take them out by swinging his left and at them like a roaring claw that sprayed billowing plumes of blue flame at them. Other than these occasional outbursts of his magic he mostly used the blade in his right hand while keeping close to other soldiers just in case he or anyone else needed aid.

Sometime during the night one of the soldiers forced him to take a break and hid in a back room where several of friendly soldiers were resting with blades drawn. The soldier who beckoned him forced him onto a stone bench in the room and told him to take a deep breath. Fallen gazed around the room and looked at the tapestry on the walls and a suit of armor with a spear and flag clasped in the gauntlet. The shine of the armor made him imagine himself as a knight leading a fight against raiders or bandits. Then a sheering pain tore through his shoulder which stunned his vision. To his surprise, the soldiers made him go into the room just so they could pull the knife from his shoulder. It took him that long to realize it was there and when they started wrapping his bloody backside with bandages to keep the wound sealed he held the steel dagger that pierced his skin and examined it thoroughly.

The hilt was slightly curved, fatter in the center and wrapped with wire for a good grip. A simple steel piece extended from the end and acted as a pommel while the guard was strait and had curved lines etched into it. The sides of the blade itself curved just above the stopper and then the blade was strait to the point and sharp as a tack. His scent of his own blood filled his nose and with natural instinct he licked it when no one was looking. A disgusted expression formed on his face while his brow sank and formed lines as it curled, Ugh! That is what my blood taste like?? Hell that is vile!

Hinin eventually made his way to a cleared section of the castle and went into the room nearest to him. He decided he would have to look at that burn sooner or later. He shut and locked the door, sitting down on a bench. The room had a single window and three benches lining the walls. It was no bigger than a bathroom and the window size was six inches going across and about two feet going down. It formed a perfect rectangle that shown just enough moon light into the room to give him comfort. He pulled off his chain mail grieves and pulled up his pants leg, examining his wound. He cringed at the sight. There was signs of burnt skin around his ankle. He could see muscle poking out from the burn. He clenched his teeth as he pulled some bandages from his bag. HE then proceeded to wrap the burnt leg tightly after letting it cool down a bit. After he had thoroughly taken care of his leg, he replaced the grieves and prepared to go back out. He still felt pain in the wound but after letting it breath a bit, it hurt less. He pushed open the door and blocked an attack from one soldier who had apparently wondered into the area. he then limped down the hallway. He now wondered when this siege would end.

Pretty soon Fallen hear the horn sounding off that signaled the end of the battle. A few of the men shouted, "Their retreating, their retreating!" Other just shouted in a random holler and the 'mage' winced as the sound rang in his ears as if he decided to stick his head in a church bell as it rung. Having advanced hearing is such a around people like this...

Hinin heard the bell and smiled, dragging his leg now back down the steps and through the halls. Once he was finally at the bottom of the tower, he went through the gates and back to his tent. He sheathed his blades, chuckling almost as the blood made a sloshing noise beneath him.

After the battle and Fallen was stitched and bandaged more appropriately, he wondered off a ways into the darkness where he was less likely to be seen speaking with his Spirit named Sora. The black and silver wolf creature nuzzled his cheek with her large jaw. "You should have been more careful..."

He shrugged, "We won didn't we? And I am fine."

"You mean aside from the hole in your back?" She growled.

"Yes...Aside from that..."

She seemed to flick him with her tail as she turned to walk away, this made him flail with his arms and cough from the furry bristles whipping across his face. She chuckled, "You should get back to the humans...they might see us." She indicated towards the horizon, the sun was coming up. With her warning in mind he swiftly headed back towards the camps and dashed into the tent he was assigned. He noticed no one was in the room and he sighed in relief. He felt a strange sensation on his arms and looked to notice snort patches of fur forming under spurts of his blue aura. "Hell...this isn't good.."

Hinin had been taken care of by a nurse. his bandages changed, he would lay down in his tent and just rest. He couldn't help but feel a bit over joyed that he had survived his first battle. He smiled and closed his eyes, preparing for sleep.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he saw beams of sunlight stabbing through the flaps of his large cloth tent. It was a sign that said his ordeal was over. The flames faded from his body and the fur vanished along with them. All that remained of his beast form was the pointed teeth behind his lips. His blue optics scanned the room for some time and he sat back on one of the beds provided by the army governed there. The next hour or so he pondered the events of the war. Honestly, it bothered him to kill people. It shouldn't because of the way he was raised but still...the cold pit of his soul filled with remorse of lives he had taken, and the count was high.