The Zodiac

The world in which I live is both a great and terrible place. There are monsters which patrol the cities outskirts in horrible tandem. Drool slicks their muzzles and at night I can hear them through my window, howling at the nighttime sky. During the day, the guards stationed around the perimeters of the town protect us with their double-headed pikes. I've never actually seen them defend us myself, but there is undeniable proof within the dead carcasses that are burned just outside the gates every morning.

We are a dying race, here. If the monsters, both seemingly harmless and viciously aggressive do not destroy us first, our lack good resources will. Not only that, but the fact that the male population here outweighs the female simply shows that in the long-run, we will not last. There is word of leaving this planet in search of better worlds, but I refuse to get my hopes up. Word of building a shield to defend us from flying abominations has flitted around for years, yet nothing has been done thus far. It would be silly to become eager for something that most likely will never occur.

But it is not all bad here on this planet. My people are benevolent and peaceful, easily going about their lives even under the terrible curse we have been exposed to. Our bodies have been warped, some worse than others, into the shapes of animals. If you are lucky, you possess only a tail and a set of ears. Others are covered in a fine layer of silky smooth fur, sometimes as bright as the sky or the sun itself. Some have hooves for hands and feet. My mother has the tiny beady eyes of the ox, and my father has the floppy, droopy ears of a hare. I myself have the fluffy powdered hair of a sheep, along with a drooping pair of ears. The women pinch them and declare me absolutely adorable, but I will never forget how disturbed I was when I suddenly woke up and found them there. A close friend of mine was transfigured in the most terrible way. Her body is hunched and her fingertips are clawed with the longest of talons. The council says she is a tiger, a true beast. But she is still the same child I have known all my life. In the end, there are no limits to the curse, which has been named after our race, 'The Zodiac.' The name derives from the celestial beings described in the future reading horoscopes we used to read in the older days. It still gives me shudders when I glance in the mirror and meet the coldest of silver eyes, though. All in all, the curse is livable, but quite annoying.

But enough of these trivial facts. It is morning when I decide to leave my small home, mother and father are busy with work, so they don't so much as glance at me as I open and close the front door. As I walk into the dusty streets of my humble city, I shiver and pull my embroidered scarf tighter around my throat. There is a chill in the wind that curls my toes and raises the hairs on the nape of my neck. It is the sign of a terrible omen and it makes me wish I was smaller, still clueless to the dangers just walking outside brings.

There are not many people out at this hour. The sun is still low in the sky as I tromp down the dusty sidewalks. Most of the houselights are still out and the guards from the night before have yet to change shifts. I can't see them, but I know because the air is fresh, devoid of the musty tang the ash from the burning monsters produces. When they do burn though, the ash falls serenely from the sky like snow. I remember an occasion where I saw a mother and her two children ambling about the merchants market. It was winter time, and as the ash fell, one of her young children mistook it for snow and stuck out their tiny kitten tongue in an attempt to catch the falling flakes. They succeeded. To this day I can still hear that poor babies shrill shriek as her mouth was engulfed in flame. According to the scientists, the monsters' flesh is poisonous to my people when ingested. But it's not like anyone here has any desire to eat such foul game.

I turned a corner and was met by several guards, probably on their way to relieve the others. They bowed and I returned the gesture politely, quickly stumbling out of their way to avoid being trampled. As they pass, I turn to watch them go, listening to the heavy clinking of their armor as it grates against itself. Surely the suits were hot, and should the sentry battle against a foe, the temperature could do nothing but rise. When they disappeared into the distance, I hastened my pace as I realized the cremation would begin soon, and there is nothing worse than being covered in flakes of flesh. The merchants in the square had already set up their brightly colored tents, their products strewn about in disarray as they prepared for a busy day. I ducked under a particularly large awning, nestled close to a large gray building, nodding in greeting to the woman there as I huddled close to the wall and continued on my way. Before I'd taken more than a dozen steps, the Northern gong was sounding, causing my heart to run cold. Turning to look, I could already see the rising plumes of smoke curling into the cloudy sky. The merchant whose stand I was under shook his head morosely. He was an older fellow, wispy gray hairs matted to his forehead in the morning precipitation. He grumbled a bit and looked out at the sky, which was already snowing its monster crop.

"What will become of us?"

It wasn't directed to anyone in particular, but I let out a deep sigh and shook my head as well. Just standing here, I would probably be in the way, so I quickly scurried out and continued on my way. As per usual, I walked aimlessly without a goal or location in mind. There were no errands to run, Mom had restocked the kitchen just the other day, Dad hadn't mentioned anything either so shopping was pointless. I could visit Edith, but she was rather moody in the mornings, preferring to spend the better half of her day sprawled out in bed amongst a mountain of straw and feathers. It was too cold to scale the Four Towers, which were made of wrought-iron. One is positioned in every farthest point of the city. North, South, East, and West. To the West is the Ocean, which is just a hazy blue blur on the horizon. Sometimes in the summer, however, the wind brings with it hints of tangy sea-salt that dries the tongue and leaves you with a mouth-full of foul-tasting saliva. Opposite to the ocean range is a massive forest. My home is closest to the Eastern Tower, and the scent of pine rolls in around wintertime, deep, spicy, and sense awakening. Edith lives not so far from there, her quaint little cottage barraged by heavy desert sand from the South on windy days. To the North is the frigid arctic. Not many people live near that particular part of the city. The temperature is near unbearable even in the summer. Each individual area is no where near the city itself, though. They're only visible if you climb all the way to the top of the Towers, grasp the heavy iron railing and lean out with a hand above the eyebrows to shield your eyes from the light of the sun. Even then it's only on the best days you can actually make anything out. Plus, you had to factor in the giant carnivorous bird-like creatures that patrolled the skies. If you were swept away by one of them, there was no saving you.

In the end, I was left with one option: Visiting Kite. He's one of the sentry guards near the South, and there isn't a day that passes where he doesn't remind me of how much he hates his job. I chuckled to myself despite the gruesome snow that pattered around me. The trick to avoiding toxins is keeping your face downcast. As long as it doesn't get in your mouth, it shouldn't affect you. I've seen people with tiny singe marks on their skin where they'd been touched, though. So it really just depends on who you are, and how sensitive your skin happens to be. Jogging to avoid the worst of it, I approached the center of town and turned myself in the right direction. There was smoke rising from there as well, but it's not like it really mattered. The wind made it impossible to completely avoid it. Everyone who was outside right now would be covered in a fine layer of the stuff.

The guards paid me little attention as I approached them, more concerned with their duty and attaining their pay at the end of the week. The shift had changed and most of the older guards whom I was not familiar with had already switched out their pikes for hats and scarves and left. Now the younger people were left with the job of putting out the fires and discarding the ashy remnants that remained. I spotted Kite's exuberant head of aquatic blue hair and crept up behind him as stealthily as possible. He was mid-scoop with a shovel when I leaped atop his back, biting one of his floppy monkey ears.

“OW! Get off me you stupid sheep!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing, staring somewhat anxiously at the two of us as Kite flailed around. I laughed, holding tight around his neck as if he were a rampaging horse, waiting till he settled to nuzzle the top of his head with my cheek.

“Feel better?”

“No.”

“Aw.”

The mans shoulders drooped and his entire body slumped forward in an effort to throw me off. I snarled playfully and clenched my legs around his lithe body like a vise.

“Larsa, c'mon. It's not playtime. It's work time.”

“You always say that.”

“Only because you always show up when it really is work time!” Kite managed to turn his head and glare at me, softening only after I pouted and let my eyes glass up with false tears. He sighed and shook his head, looking to his co-workers for advice. All he got was a couple chuckles, a few exasperated head shakes, and some shrugs.

“Listen, we'll play later. Right now I have to help get this stuff out of here. You understand, right?”

“No.”

“Somehow I knew you'd say that. Just think of it this way: The faster you get off my back, the sooner I get done and the sooner we can go do something.”

“Does something include treating me to lunch?”

Kite narrowed his eyes dangerously, pointing to his non-existent pockets.

“Oh. Right. Armor doesn't really include pockets for wallets, huh? Never mind then, get to it.”

In less than two seconds flat I was on the ground again and bouncing around on the balls of my feet. I pranced around the exasperated bluenette, noting that he looked rather flustered and smiled up at him.

“Hurry up and finish, get to it!” I shoved him towards the ashy pile, scrunching my nose up as I did. Close up, that stuff really was quite gross.

“Yeah, yeah.” He gave me a stern look and shoved the spaded end of the shovel into the ashes.

“I'm just trying to cheer you on!” I retorted.

“No,” Ash was precariously balanced and then gently set into a nearby wheelbarrow. “You're just being annoying.”

“No,” I mocked in a horrible attempt at his deep voice, smirking up at him as he raised an eyebrow at me. “I'm just trying to motivate you on so you'll hurry up.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Sheesh, you can be such a kid sometimes. Go sit over there somewhere and stay out of the others' way. We don't want a repeat of last Wednesday.”

I pouted, ears drooping as I stomped over to an overturned trash barrel and plopped down on it. Kite smiled apologetically then resumed his shoveling, which looked like extremely tedious work. All the guards seemed to be overly patient and gentle, much more so than they usually were. Some of them had tied their scarves tight around their faces just in case. Should one of them breath in a rogue cloud, after all... With that in mind, I pulled my own homemade scarf (Thanks Mom!) around my mouth and nose, securing the fringed ends delicately above my pointed ears. Kilt still had his face unprotected though, and one could never be too careful.

“Hey, Kiiite!” I waved my arms around frantically, earning his attention and a very stern frown.

“Yes, Larsa? What do you need now?”

“Your scarf,” I motioned to the fabric around the other guards' faces and also my own. “Cover your mouth before you accidentally breath some in.”

He looked down at the ragged scarf around his neck then nodded thoughtfully.

“Good idea, there.” Untying it, he doubled it over and re-tied it clumsily around the lower half of his face. He flashed me the thumbs up and I returned it with a eye-smiling grin.

Seeing as how Kite and the other guards would probably be done working no time soon, I flopped onto my back and rolled off the barrel to gaze at the sky. The sun was no where to be seen, and the clouds were ominous. When rain is on the way, the sky turns an ugly shade of purple, a swirling, violent tempest. For now though, the sky was a dark blue. Except for a large area to the north, which looked to be flashing with lightning. And as I watched, it seemed to turn into a fiery inferno. My jaw dropped.

Out of the sky came a meteor.

Well, not really a meteor. It was a large, glowing, screaming red spaceship. But it looked like a meteor; maybe a comet. The air around it was scorched as it descended, shrill screeches piercing the air and tearing at my eardrums. I clapped both hands over my ears and looked to the others who were quickly dropping their shovels to follow my example.

“What is that thing?!” Someone shouted over the noise.

“It's... It's...”

“Aliens!”

Everyone turned to the guard who had screamed, skeptical looks on their faces. I tried to show the amusement I didn't quite feel on my face so he wouldn't feel so foolish, but no one had truly proved there was such a thing as aliens. These... Whatever they are, were probably just st a different race, curious to see what occupied our planet. Either that or an army of terrorists bent on destroying us. I don't quite want to think about it.

“Oh, no! It's going to crash right into the mountains!”

It was nearing the Northern peaks when something upon it exploded. Dark smoke filled the sky, and moments after the first explosion a wave of heat flashed past. I held my arms up over my face to protect it from any random debris within the wind. When it passed, I peeked out to find the ship had toppled into the highest peak and begun to canter down the side of the mountain. We watched in awe as it slowed to a messy crawl and came to rest just a few miles from the Northern Gates. I waited for any bizarre repercussions, wondering just what we would do about the foreign thing. If there was an army of enemies on that spaceship, that crash had probably killed the majority of them.

“We have to go out there and see if there are any survivors!” Spoke a young sentry, worry very apparent in his eyes as he pleaded into the somber hazel optics of the eldest guard, Lark, who shook his head slowly.

“If we were to go out now, the monsters would surely devour us before we came even close to thing.”

“But what if we did?! It'd be worth it, think of the future! Those people, those things, those aliens, they could have vital information, vital resources!”

“And what if the ship is filled to the brim with blood-lusting villains out to slit our throats and overtake our city? You've forgotten your place, young one.” He smacked the younger man on top of the head half-halfheartedly, taking the time to smooth out his hair afterward. I felt my lip quirk at his care, still gazing nervously at the metal carcass.

“We could make it if we wanted to.” The young guard mumbled, pouting as he crossed his arms defiantly, deciding to keep his mouth shut and his opinions to himself in the end. Lark sighed, suddenly turning to point at another guard, the one standing closest to the Tower ladder.

“You, what's your name?”

“Um, it's Anzu, Sir.”

“Right. Anzu, you are to rush back to headquarters and alert the other guards to this new arrival. Inform the elders and tell them we are heading out in two hours.”

The sentry from before gasped, eyes wide with admiration. Lark winked at him.

“Tell them that if we don't return by sundown, not to come looking. There's no need to put any more innocent lives at stake. Have you taken what I've said to heart, Anzu?”

“Yes, Sir!” Anzu stood alert, back stock-straight as he pulled a taut arm up and saluted.

“Right then, off with you. Run as if death is at your heels.” Anzu bowed and twirled to grasp the iron bars of the ladder. Half a second later he was gone.

Lark sighed and looked down at the youngest sentry.

“If I die, I'm going to haunt you.”

Smiling, the boy nodded. “Likewise, Sir.”

I'd stood and watched in silence for the last few minutes, waiting for the call to leave, when I noticed Kite was watching me with a very solemn expression.

“What's wrong?” I asked, cocking my head and raising a concerned eyebrow, but the man just shook his head dismissively.

“C'mooon. You can tell me.”

“Larsa, you know what I always tell you before I leave the village, right?” Kilt said suddenly, his voice hoarse and dry.

That stopped me short. Of course I knew. Everyone who had friends and family on the Guard knew that even half a step outside the city perimeter was suicide. I just didn't like to think about it. Never wanted to have to go through that situation.

“I know. But I also know you won't just roll over and die that easily. Your one stubborn guy.”

He chuckled, his tail giving a feeble wag as he patted my flaxen hair reverently.

“Your a good kid, Larsa. Take care of yourself, won't you?”

“Don't you dare talk like that, your coming back whether you want to or not!” I glared up at Kite, my childhood friend, my best friend, who was just smiling softly down at me as if this was our final parting. And it very well could be. Lark gave a shrill whistle, calling out to gain everyone's attention.

“Time to go, kiddos. Grab a pike and take one last, good long look at your home.”

“Be safe, Kite. If you don't come back, I'll kill you.”

The man laughed and nodded. “Sure thing, Larsa. Tell my sister I'll be back soon, alright?”

“I will.” I grinned and patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

“Goodbye, Larsa.” Kite said forlornly, stroking the thin skin behind my ear.

“I prefer, later, Kite. See you later.” We shared one last look, everyone turning to slide down the Tower ladder. A few minutes later, they were at the Gates of the village. I grasped the railing and leaned out into the wind to watch them go. Side by side, shoulder to shoulder, they disappeared into the raging arctic winds. A chill ran through me then. Somehow I knew, just knew, that something bad was going to happen.

--//-- --//-- --//--

Saying goodbye to Larsa, that was tough. We'd been together since before I was even capable of walking. He was my first friend, one of the few I made in my life so far. Larsa was one of the only people who understood me. Sure, he was annoying with his high-pitched voice and blushing face. I couldn't name an occasion where I didn't want to pop him on the head to shut him up. But he had a way about him that just made me want to keep him close, under my wing (not literally) so I could protect him.

When Lark had spoken the word, the group had gathered in formation and quickly left the village. Many were glancing back even now, others eying the sky and snow drifts warily. The man beside me was mumbling to himself, a silent prayer and plea to let us make it to and from the ship alive with whatever precious cargo we were going to gather. Should it be people, I could only hope they would cooperate with us and understand the danger we were all in out in this hellish wasteland. The wind blew snow in our faces, freezing the moisture in our eyes, making it hard to blink and our eyelashes hard with ice. My nose began to run, but before I could wipe it, it solidified on my upper lip. I balanced my pike in one hand, licking the tip of my pointer finger to run it over my skin and wipe away the debris.

“Did you hear that?”

Every head turned in every direction, frantically searching for the source of a very foreign screeching noise.

“Monsters?” Lark thought aloud, twirling his own double-headed pike in a circle, giving his nervous hands something to handle as he led the group into the unknown. The sound came again, closer this time.

“Oh, Lord no. Please don't let it be monsters.” The city was about a mile behind us, the ship a good two or three ahead. If we were attacked now, we'd be sitting ducks.

“C'mon, forge ahead men. Be on alert, yell out at the first sign of any danger. Even if it's just a crumbling drift, you can never be sure.”

Our pace sped up, trudging through the thickening snow as quickly as possible. Smoke was darkening the sky, blocking out the sun and making it hard to see. Not that there really was much to look at out here, but it also gave the night-seeing monsters the upper-hand. I heard an ominous crunch on my left and whirled around, pike aimed high for a throat before I stopped dead in my tracks and halted my spear.

“Sorry about that.” Said a tall and burly sentry, his arms held up defensively. His pike was laying in the snow, dropped carelessly. I shook my head.

“Be more careful, I might have gutted you if I didn't have good reflexes. Now pick up your spear, you buffoon. Had a monster appeared right now you'd be defenseless.”

“Hmph,” The gruff man said, bending to pick up his weapon. “Where do you get off on telling me what to do?” As his hand came down, my eyes traveled up.

“Look out!”

Blood sprayed the pristine white snow, rusty and metallic with a definite tangy smell. The man before me collapsed onto the ground, spluttering up at me as I locked pike to talon with a six-legged beast. Thrashing teeth snapped in my face, forcing me to back away and drop to my knees. The other guards were running my way, having gotten a few meters ahead whilst I lectured the now dead man at my feet. My eyes refused to water and mourn his passing, knowing that I'd be blinded by ice if I did so. The monster was circling, teeth gnashing and multiple paws grasping.

Lark suddenly darted past me, swinging his weapon up into the muzzle of the creature. Black liquid arced into the air, raining down on everyone.

“Acid!”

“Argh!”

I clutched my face in my hands, skin sweltering in the heat. The monsters blood sizzled like hot grease in a skillet. Some of the other guards managed to avoid it, slashing at the monster in downward swings to avoid the downpour of toxin blood. Three of it's six legs lay twitching on the ground, and I nearly slipped over one when I righted myself. I kicked it away from me in disgust, swallowing the need to retch as I cried out and charged the monster.

With the nine of us working together, we managed to defeat it in seconds, the beast toppling to the ground with a great, guttural cry.

“Good job, men.” Lark said, patting his favored disciple on the shoulder. He turned proud eyes on all of us, coming to rest finally on the man laying motionless on the snow.

“Oh...”

Being a great warrior, this man had seen many battles and many men fall. But what I admired most about him was the fact that no matter how many deaths he'd seen, they never seemed to affect him any less. Lark dropped to his knees and rolled the man over, fixing his face into a more calm and peaceful manner before it froze for eternity. The others and I took our helmets off, mourning the loss without tear shed.

“Sir?”

A younger boy, who I knew to call Zerich, settled a palm on the elders should guard, a consoling gesture and a reminder of where they were.

“We can't bring him with us.” Lark said, settling the dead mans body into the snow and standing tall. I looked away from the group, towards the smoking ship and darkening sky. How many more good men would be lost along the way? Would they die with honor? To protect someone else? I didn't know, couldn't know. Even Lark, whom everyone looked up to with such gleaming reverence could not predict the outcome of this venture.

So we could only gather into a tightly knit line, each grasping our weapons tightly to our chests. I found myself behind Zerich, whose moss green hair stood out as much as my electric blue hair, looked extremely out of place in this hostile environment. The boy was murmuring to himself, eyes wide and rolling that a mad horse. He was frightened, and it was contagious as it spread throughout the line. My own toes curled inwards at the scent of fear.

We had to hasten our pace furthermore at one point, nearly flat-out running as the sun threatened to wane. Still half a mile in the distance, the smoking ship was undulating heat, melting the snow all around it. The air was humid now, making our thick leather padding and metal grieves rather uncomfortable. I rolled my shoulders, unsticking the fabric from my sweating skin and then swiping the sweat from my moistening brow. Just as it reached an unbearable point, my focus was stolen by a dull electrical buzz.

“What's that noise?” Zerich asked me, looking all around for the source, only to find that it was coming from the ship.

“Wait a minute, the hatch it opening!” Lark motioned with his hand for everyone to hit the ground and lie as flat and quiet as possible. I sighed into the snow, relieved of the unbearable heat. Lark and a couple of the other guards had crawled to the top of a large snow drift, peeking up over it in an attempt to spy on the capsizing foreigners.

“There is... Only one.”

“It looks just like we did, before the curse. But tinier, and definitely weaker looking.”

“Hush, it's making a racket. Maybe that's how they communicate now?”

“Yikes, listen to it growl. Either it's in pain or the human species has gone feral.”

So the creature was human? Amazing... We hadn't seen hide or hair of the others after escaping to this planet. It had been assumed they'd all died when our enemies had attacked, and resources had been almost completely diminished.

“Hush, you lot. It's coming this way.”

Stumbling over itself, the tiny human crawled across the snow in our general direction. I doubted that it actually knew there was a gaggle of people hiding only ten meters away, but if it found out... How did they fight? It had been too long, centuries away from his people; their traditions and culture. Perhaps they themselves were the ones who had gone feral?

As I examined the man, movement caught my eye and I saw Lark begin to rise to his feet. No way! He was actually going to give away our position? But before he could achieve full height, a hideous snarl cut through the air and every head turned to see a group of six-legged monsters coming for the ship. Their muzzles were blood-stained from a fresh kill, and apparently there hadn't been enough for all of them, because the second they scented the fear rising from the injured human, they began galloping straight for him.

I rose to my feet, pike raised and ready to strike the first beast that came close enough. The other followed my example, but we were all surprised to see the man, whose raging red hair looked like a blazing fire in all this snow, heave a large, metallic device into the air and take aim at the monsters. He struggled with something for a moment, and then was thrown back as a sound like an explosion filled the gloom. The pack leader fell, dead, at his lackeys feet, and the world went silent.

Confused, the monsters looked back and forth from the human to their fallen leader, and then, seeming to come to a decision, they plowed over the carcass and prepared to attack. That was when Lark decided to dash out from the drift, scoring a beast on its hind leg as it went to slash at him. Surprised, the human let out a shout of surprise, and, to everyone's horror, shot Lark in the chest.

--//-- --//-- --//--

Today was definitely not my day.

The morning breakfast had been where it all started. My crew mates, namely Malark and Cove, had taken it upon themselves to fill my goblet with Emberwhiskey instead of my usual water. It was a drink that could make the sturdiest of drinkers fall to their knees, and the men seated around the breakfast table had taken a great delight in watching me splutter and gag as I tried to rid my mouth of the awful stuff.

Shortly after I'd reported to the pilots room to get an update on our position, only to find the pilot and co-pilot in a rather... Comprising position. They'd apologized profusely as they straightened their clothes and brushed their hair back into its rightful place. I had turned my head away, waving their frantic apologies off with a casual hand, confessing that I'd seen it all before and that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Whether or not that made them feel better I didn't know, but the pair had made up for it by printing off a chart of their current whereabouts, and then returned to their position at the controls of the ship.

Data in hand, I'd retreated to my quarters and pressed a brightly colored tack into the map strung up on my wall. The ship was scheduled to pass over an uncharted planet today. My crew was excited, joyously singing as they went about their duties. Today was the day they'd get off this blasted ship and get a good breath of fresh air. No one really knew what to expect from the planet; what it's inhabitants were, or what condition it was in. But they didn't mind, this was what they did. This was what the Ship, Ambrawna, was built for. It was a large ship, the makers having used the blueprints of many past vehicles. In all, it looked like a large jet, but the inside was modeled after both a plane and a submarine together. The hallways were small and cramped, and the quarters only fit two people, not even comfortably, mind you. The cockpit was primitive, using a wheel like a vikings ship, but was surrounded by the latest navigating equipment and thousands of blinking buttons.

My name is Somarion, Prince of Lerutia. And I am the captain of this ship.

Growing up, I'd always dreamed of traveling in space, just as my grandfather had done so long ago. The maids in the palace had always patiently listened as I rattled off facts and tidbits of information I'd picked up from visiting my grandfather. I spent many lazy afternoons daydreaming about piloting a ship, barking orders to a faithful crew and returning home with a bundle of newly made maps in hand. The King and Queen took great pride in their only son's knowledge and imagination, and had fed the fire in any way they could.

My kind mother, who was a fairly decent artist, had painted my room up with planets, stars, and spaceships as I watched with an ecstatic smile and wide eyes. And when my twentieth birthday rolled around, father had given me the ship I'd always wanted and the liberties of assigning a hand-picked crew. That had been the greatest day of my young life, and not a week later I'd left the port of Lerutia behind as I set out to explore the vast reaches of space.

But my grand adventure was about to tip upside down, leaving me vulnerable and unguarded to a world I could have never dreamed up.

“Prince Somarion! We have a situation up here!”

“What are you talking about? I was just up there a few minutes ago, how could something have happened so quickly?”

“Sir, please, the planet is sucking us into it's atmosphere at a much faster rate than we expected. Ambrawna isn't built for this kind of pressure. Our engines are failing!”

“Shit!” Storming out of my room and into the hallway, which was quickly filling with the members of the crew, I shoved and pushed my way to the cockpit. Many turned to acknowledge their Prince as I ran past, some going so far as to shout out at me, demanding to know what was happening. But I didn't quite know myself, and when I reached the front of the ship and gazed out the giant glass window there, I felt my jaw drop.

The planet was looming out of the gloom, just barely visible through the dark shroud. The black atmosphere had disguised the body within, and the pilots had flown too close. Now, they were plummeting straight towards the surface.

Ami, the female pilot, was desperately struggling to pull the nose of the ship back up while her partner, Kass, flicked and pushed every button within reach. They wore matching expressions of panic, and each let out a shout of surprise when I slammed his fist into the plexiglass window.

“What in the hell are we gonna do? If the ship crashes, we're screwed. Who's to say that the planet will have the proper supplies to repair the ship? How do we know the creatures or people, or whatever we're gonna find there won't kill us?”

“We don't.” Kass moaned, returning to the controls with renewed vigor.

“Exactly... We don't...” I leaned my head against the cool glass, helpless to do anything but watch as the ship plummeted through the clouds. The lights flickered, and I clenched my teeth as I prayed.

'Please don't let them go out!'

There was a spark, and then nothing. The only light in the room came from the red alarm flashing above their heads.

“Powers gone.” Ami said rigidly, resigned to dying with the ship. She pushed off the counter with her thick-soled boots and scooted across the floor. “There's little to nothing we can do now but wait and see how this plays out.” Nevertheless, she stood and tromped over to the wall, running her hands over it until she found a panel. I couldn't see what she was doing through the darkness, but it was safe to assume she was trying to get the lights back on.

With the lights gone, the shouts inside the ship doubled, and the heavy stomping of confused workers filled the corridors. Someone was pounding on the cockpit door, ordering them to open up and demanding answers. A lock slid into place as Kass rushed over and sealed the door. He smiled sheepishly in the darkness.

“Sorry, we're doing our best in here. Just relax and try to calm down the rest of the crew.”

A frustrated scream sounded on the other side, Kass sighed. The floor began to rumble beneath them, and as I looked, a beam of light began to pierce the clouds. Shielding my eyes against the brightness, I squinted to make sense of what I was seeing.

It looked... A lot like Earth. There were snow-tipped mountains, a vast ocean, forests, deserts, and an incredibly large village smack dab in the middle of it all. I grinned.

“There's a town down there!” I called, pointing down to the surface. Kass and Ami hurried over, pressing their noses to the window. They smiled too, then embraced one another. There was still a chance, all they had to do was land without, well, dying.

“I'll get the nose of the ship up, Kass, you go and gather the crew. Take them of the back of the ship so we can level this baby out.”

Smoke curled around the nose of the ship, making way for flames that licked against the window, begging to break through and take over the ship.

“Might wanna get away from there.” Ami grumbled absentmindedly, grunting as she held fast to the wheel. If she let go, the ship would spin out of control and crash into the planets surface. I hurried away from the window and stood awkwardly at her side.

“Try to aim for the top of the mountains, Ami. That way the momentum we've built up will help stop us as we slide down.”

Ami nodded, carefully releasing the wheel little by little until the nose of the ship was aimed for the mountains. I noticed that the ship was beginning to steady, and that the confused murmur in the hallways was much further away. I decided to leave the room and check on my crew, just for a moment, and then I'd come back to check on their position. I would even run, that way I wouldn't be missed.

The locks slid out of place as I ran my hand over them, and as the door swung open, I hustled into the corridor just as Ami turned to give me a curious stare. A bead of sweat was running down her cheek, giving her the look of someone almost... Constipated.

“I'll be right back, I swear.”

I sprinted, leaping over boxes and crates that had shifted in the confusion, tripping over a boot here or a helmet there. The heavy metal door that separated the back of the ship, which was contained by a large glass dome, was right before me when the artificial gravity turned off.

“Agh!” My feet slipped out from beneath me, and I did a dizzying spin in the air. But that wasn't supposed to happen! The gravity only shut down if the entire power source was burned completely! This couldn't have happened already, there was no way. Unless... Had someone... Planned for this to happen?

Before I could ponder on it further, the ship hit the mountain and my skull smashed into the ceiling of the ship, hard. The last thing I heard was a chorus of dismayed shouts before my body went limp and the world around me went dark.

- - -

I couldn't breathe. That was the first conscious thought I had before I noticed the stillness of the ship. Clutching at my throat, I heaved himself up, nearly falling again as a wave of nauseousness overtook me. Groaning, I threw the door open, rushing out onto the deck of the ship, then promptly doubled over at the sight that met me. Hundreds. Dead. Strewn all around my feet. A stream of tears was flowing down my face, but the need to breath was literally killing me, so I turned my head away and rushed towards the nearest exit, which was several meters away. I made it just as I started to black out. Falling, my head hit the handle on the door, throwing it open and giving way to a fresh onslaught of clean air. It filled my lungs, reviving me as I heaved with effort. Beneath me was pure white snow, cold and wet as I slicked back my flaming red hair. The snow was quickly melting all around me, making a large circle all around the ship as the flames roared. The engines wouldn't explode, at least, since they were completely devoid of fuel. That problem had been fixed centuries ago anyway. Cars no longer ignited when their tanks were lit, and cruise ships that went down at sea would never leak oil.

I promised himself only a minute to rest, that way I could climb on board Ambrawna again and search for survivors. But when the gravity had turned off... Everyone inside the dome had risen, and then fallen to their deaths when the planets gravity dominated the ship. So many good people... All dead, thanks to him, and thanks to Ami, who had... Sent Kass with the rest of the crew in the first place. Had this whole crash been her fault?!

“Oh, you are so dead.” I growled, pushing myself off the snowy ground to stagger back into the dome. But there was a noise behind me, a feral growl. And when I turned to look, a horrible, six-legged something was standing there on its four hind feet, looking ready to strike out with it's terrible maw of gaping teeth.

“H-hold it right there, you brute. I was talking about a not-so-good friend of mine. Haha, you're not so dead, are you?”

The beast didn't reply, but a slimy cord of drool slithered out from between it's lips, pooling in a disgusting puddle at it's clawed feet.

“Um... I'll just be going then.” I said sheepishly, backing away ever so slowly, not wanting to startle the creature. But when it cocked it's head and began to lean forward to follow, I turned and darted around the side of the ship. I quickly took stock of what I had to defend myself with. No armor, just standard captains clothing. A simple pair of thick-soled boots. The thin metal face plate mother had given me as a parting gift. Thin, chain-link body mesh to repel bullets. And a standard issue rifle strapped between my shoulder blades. I grappled to pull it out of it's leather casing, then fumbled with the safety. It snapped out of place just as a set of claws raked down my back.

It felt like fire was flowing through my blood, burning flesh away and scathing my very soul. Surely, I was going to die. But another blow didn't come, and I quickly crawled away, the strap on the rifle caught around my elbow. I just needed to get away...

Daring to peek over my shoulder, I saw an entire group of the beasts scrabbling over themselves to board the ship. My ship! It made me impossibly angry, pumping adrenaline through my system as I yanked the rifle free and aimed. The trigger squeezed shut, aimed straight for the throat of one of the beasts, but nothing came out.

“Dammit!”

I clapped a hand over my mouth as several heads swung to face me. Stupid temper. It was always getting me into trouble! I fired off another dud shot as the beasts bounded for me, hungering for a fresh kill. Good. I would lead them away and save my poor crew, leaving them to rest in peace. A torrent of tears swam over my cheeks at the thought, blurring my vision as I crawled frantically over the snow. I had to get as far away as I possibly could!

“C'mon you damned monsters! Come and get me!” The snow was so deep, and it sucked me down at the slightest motion. I ended up bounding in a very painful dog-like way over the snow, trying to flee the beasts who seemed to be right on my tail. Their breath was hot and sticky on the back of my neck, and as I reached another angle of the ship, it suddenly occurred to me that if I could just crawl under it's belly, I could come out on the other side and make a dash for the village.

The snow was deep, but it was soft and it was easy work to scoop it away. I crawled under just as a monster leaped for me, it's claws catching at my ankle as I pulled himself under. If I had bothered to look, I would have seen a trail of red in the snow behind me. Since the ship was narrow, I was able to break through the other side in only a minute or twos time. It was hard to breath under there, and very cramped, so when the sun broke through and nearly blinded me, I let out a sigh of relief. The monsters didn't seem to be following me when I bent to look, so I turned and began to sprint towards civilization.

The snow was much thicker here, though.

When the ship had fallen it had burned away most of the stuff in the crash, but with the chill in the air, a little fire could only go so far. I waded through the stuff, nearly waist deep as I tried to cover as much ground as possible.

But oh... The things I was leaving behind! A beloved crew, my only means of transportation! And who was to say the beasts behind me weren't the planets main inhabitants?! A howl of despair left my lips before I had even realized I'd made the noise, and for a moment, I couldn't even make myself care. But then I heard them, the terrible gnashing of teeth approaching at a horrible speed. Anger set in, fueling the need to get away, and I tried to balance atop the snow to run, but fell through and was forced to crawl through it, paddling and shoveling like a dog.

One of the larger beasts, the leader presumably, was almost atop me when I remember the gun. I lifted it, fumbled with the trigger as I prayed that this shot wouldn't be a dead, and then squeezed.

The explosion sent me sprawling onto my back, but the beast was dead, motionless as it flopped onto the snow.

“Ha! Take that bastard spawn!” The other beasts were only stunned for a moment, looking to one another as they came to a wordless decision. They sprung, ready for the kill, but I was ready, finger already squeezing down on the trigger when a man appeared out of no where. He was garbed in primitive armor, heavy leather on his shoulders and steel gauntlets encasing his forearms. In his hand was a double-headed pike, and he lashed out to wound the nearest monster. But his sudden appearance had surprised me so badly that I spun to face him, and shot him straight in the chest.

Blood gushed out of the wound, sending the monsters into a frenzy as they darted for the wounded man. I found myself begin to shake from all the surprises of the day, then fired off another shot right before the beast could take a bite out of the wounded, groaning man. I had no clue how many bullets were left, nor how many would actually work, so I just prayed as I squeezed off another. It turned out to be a dud, too.

“Jesus, this is just not my day!” I growled, sprinting for the wounded man as fast as the snow would allow. He was probably near death, but the least I could do was shield him with my own body for as long as I could. But before I reached the mans side, a younger one darted out of the snow, slashing through the abdomen of a leaping beast. And one by one, a total of nine men appeared, working together to steadily down the monsters. I clutched the man I'd wounded in my arms, watching as his mouth moved but formed no words I could understand. His eyes searched my own, looking confused as he murmured something softly. I shook my head.

“I have no idea what you're trying to say.”

The mans head fell to the side. Panicking, I pressed a finger to the mans pulse, and when I found one, weak, but there, I let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, I noticed just how quiet the world had become.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, yanking me away from the unconscious man as I was flung back on the snow. I was looking into the dark hazel eyes of an incredibly tall man, probably being assaulted verbally as a strange, grunting voice filled my ears. When the man towering over me shook my body roughly, I slapped the hand away.

“Listen barbarian, I have no clue what you're saying! So shut the hell up! I didn't mean to hurt him, so leave me alone!”

Ignored, a man with purple hair nudged another.

“Any survivors?”

“I checked. There was nothing but corpses.”

They shook their heads sadly.

I seethed as the man above me looked to the others, muttering something to them as they began to gather the few wounded into their arms. One man came up behind me, heaving me up into a standing position. I was just about to mutter a thank you when the man closed a large hand over my own, trapping my wrists together as he shoved me forward.

“Move it, you.”

“Excuse me? Take your hands off me!” I shook myself, trying to break free, but the man was adamant, and prodded me in the back with the end of a pike. I decided I felt like moving after all.

“Stupid... You men are just foul.”

It then occurred to me that this was probably my only chance! The monsters were dead, I could return to my ship and have a proper funeral for all the wounded men! I could check for any and all survivors! I struggled with renewed strength, yanking and clawing at any skin I could access with my hands at such a weird angle. But all I got was a pike to an already injured back, and I realized just how bad my condition was. My ankle throbbed with every step I took, and my shirt clung to my back. Sweat was the last thing I thought was gluing it to my skin. My head was probably bruised, swollen and bleeding from where I'd hit it on the ceiling. And all in all, I really wanted to just curl up into a ball and take a nap.

In the end, I gave up, grateful just for the fact that I was no longer alone. But when I saw just who my company was, really looked at them, my eyes widened and I let out a cry of surprise that made one of the smaller men turn to blink at me.

Nearly every one of them had an additional limb; a tail, fluffy ears, scales, claws, wings! Anything you could think of. The small man who gaped back at me had a twitching set of whiskers, the one behind me, now that I thought about it, had had rather sharp looking teeth... On top of their exuberantly colored hair, it was quite mind-blowing. I nearly fainted, and was resigned to linger on the edge of consciousness as I was hurdled towards the village. The towers surrounding it set me at unease, making me feel as if my entire body was being scrutinized. But it was probably safer within the large stone walls than it would ever be outside them. So I allowed myself to be shoved through a stone alcove and into the suddenly quiet city. It had been bustling with noise just a moment ago...

Snow fell here too. But the snow that had already covered the ground didn't look very clean at all. A dozen or so men were scrambling all around with shovels in hand, scooping it away into barrels that were carted out of sight. So something was wrong with the snow, but what? I didn't know, and it didn't look like I'd be able to ask.

The men parted the growing crowds of people easily, speaking their strange language and receiving understanding nods, consoling pats on the back. The man I had shot was hustled off in a different direction than him, and I found myself being led into a large open area. In the very center a heavy-set woman with a flicking wolfish tail was hammering a post into the soggy earth there.

A pair of hands began to rake down my body, prodding wounds and stripping me of my gun and a dagger I'd forgotten all about. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was all this was for, but then I was led over to the post and ordered to sit with a firm shove on the top of my head.

I flopped down angrily, glaring up at my captors, but they ignored it. Someone had produced a rope, which was quickly strung around my wrists and wrapped firmly around the pole.

“What?!” I shouted, startling the person nearest me (I guess they could be considered people?). “You can't be serious. I'll freeze to death out here!”

“Any idea what it said?”

Looking to one of my escorts, who shook their head from side to side, the person shrugged and then walked away with the swish of a leopard tail. Once I was firmly secured, everyone around me left, leaving me to tug angrily at my bonds. I continued to do so until my wrists began to bleed, and then gave up to settle in the growing snow.

I was cold, skin numb and icy to the touch. I'd only been out for an hour or two at the most, and here I was on the edge of hypothermia. It was so damned cold out here! The longer I sat there, the less and less I felt my wounds. I knew they weren't healing, just that my body was beginning to shut down. And to add to it all, my stomach growled vehemently.

“This is just peachy...” My head fell to rest against my chest, but snapped back up when the sound of crunching snow alerted me.

A few meters away stood a boy. He didn't look too old; smooth skin, rounded features and cloaked in nothing but a plain white cloak. With silver eyes set deep in his face, and pale creamy skin, he looked like he hadn't seen the sun in a very long time. The animal he represented seemed to be a bat, or maybe a lamb. He had large, open ears that seemed to twitch in my direction. When he noticed me staring, he blinked and then gave me a wide smile. He was absolutely stunning to look at. Like a cherub or celestial spirit right out of the stories parents read to their children.

But even as he continued to grin at me, I glared back at him, not willing to show any of these people kindness after dragging me away from my ship and then keeping me prisoner. So what if they had saved me from those monsters. So what if they had let me live another day. A captain was supposed to go down with his ship, and here I was. Very much alive.

The boys face dropped in disappointment, maybe even in fear. He turned and ran in the other direction.