Page 2

Two

An Unfit Prince

A dangerous silence seeped through the land from the mountains, swelling over the abandoned homes of the land of Vasha. Silent, save the dribbling of the creek that ran in a crescent along the outside of the circular marketplace in front of the palace. Prince Asher’s home.

Asher came to rest under the raised foundation of a home across from the palace. His eyes scanned the home he knew well. How he longed to be back home inside its comfortable walls, in his own bed, with his mother singing Bashton to sleep in the next room. His heart ached, but he couldn’t dwell on sadness. Not since the soldiers had entered Vasha four days before.

He carefully hid himself behind a cluster of blueberry bushes and peered down the hill at the group of human soldiers standing in a line in front of the palace, guarding it. I’ve got the soldiers in my sight. They appear to be searching the palace, he said to Bruce telepathically.

This would be a good location to corner them , Bruce replied. He was hidden on the southeast corner of the palace.

It had been four days since Asher had witnessed the humans shoot his mother with an arrow. Since then, the humans had burned down a few farm homes and their crops outside of the city’s center, but because Asher had been there, he was able to warn his people, and they’d gotten to safety before the humans could spread murder across their land. His father and mother had not been seen since that ill-fated day.

In those four days, Asher had done his best to fill his father’s shoes by gathering a group of men together to confront the humans and demand they leave his home. But the Karasha didn’t use weapons, so every amount of caution was needed to handle this situation as delicately as possible.

Asher crouched low to the dirt, tail flicking side to side. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air. No humans were in the home above his hiding place, though they had recently passed through. Bruce was correct. Now was the perfect time to confront them. But the young prince hesitated, because now meant placing his men at risk of suffering whatever fate had befallen his parents.

“The palace is empty!” a human shouted, snapping Asher back into the moment.

The man Asher recognized as the captain clomped down the wooden steps of the palace in his thick-soled boots. His heavy metal armor rattled noisily as he did so. The armor was different from that of the others, with the symbol of wild boars carved into the metal protecting his shoulders.

A handful of soldiers stood at attention.

Prince Asher, we should move now. We’re all ready, Paylin reminded.

Asher licked his lips, still not answering.

“We can’t find any records with its location,” one of the humans said to the others.

“Maybe we could just ask a few of the people instead of killing them,” a soldier muttered.

Asher’s ears perked, carefully listening with his keen tiger hearing.

“What was that?” the captain asked sharply, whipping around to a black-haired soldier barely older than Asher.

The young man’s comrades glanced at him from the corners of their eyes.

The soldier straightened. “My apologies, Sir Andrew. I just thought...maybe we could ask some of the people here where it might be. What harm could it do?”

The captain strutted over and stopped mere inches from the younger man’s face. “Oh, Takai. Always the fool. We tried asking their king, if you recall. If he refused to give us the location, what makes you honestly believe anyone else would divulge it?” he mocked. “Well, why didn’t we just invite them for tea and cakes? Sit and chat a bit? Have a ball in their honor! Certainly some of them play instruments. Unless animals such as they don’t know what music is.”

The soldier glanced from the corner of his eye at his friends, who were doing everything in their power not to meet his gaze. “I merely thought—”

“And that is your problem. Thinking. These creatures don’t want to tell us where it is because they want all of its power. Never—” Sir Andrew pointed a finger mere inches from the man’s eyes. “Never challenge me again. I am the captain.”

“Yes, sir.” The soldier swallowed hard.

“One final sweep of the area!” the captain bellowed, turning to the others. “If we still cannot find it, we return to the king!”

We move now, Bruce finally said. If Asher is not here, well, he knew the plan and let us down.

Asher shook his head as if his people could see him. The captain just said they are going to do one more sweep and then leave.

Then let’s move now.

Do it, Asher confirmed. He crawled out from under the house when he heard a human ask, “Where is Yoresh, and why isn’t he here aiding us?”

Yoresh? He had heard that name before. Yoresh was the man who’d let the humans in fifteen years ago to attack Vasha in the first place. Was he the one who’d let the humans in again?

Wait! Asher practically shouted to his men. They’re speaking of Yoresh. I want to see— His sentence died out because he had been too long in his own mind. Eleven of his men, strategically placed around the area, stepped out of their hiding spots and transformed into their human forms, catching the humans by surprise.

“Well, what have we here?” Sir Andrew smirked underneath a too-bushy mustache that had something yellow caught in it.

Asher scrambled out from his hiding place and transformed into his human form. He took his position in front of the captain and didn’t miss Sir Andrew’s lips tighten, though he couldn’t decipher what it meant.

Asher stood as tall as he could make himself. “We have come to escort you off of our land. Leave or we will be forced to attack you.”

The captain burst into laughter, drawing some tight laughter from his men. “Attack us? With wings and dish towels? I was just in the walls of your palace, boy. The only weapons you have are arrows and bows. Perhaps a few kitchen knives.” He smirked and his dark eyes narrowed. “And yet you threaten us?”

“We don’t need weapons when we bear claws,” Trayden cut in before any of the others could answer.

Asher glanced over to see that Trayden had extended his thick, long bear claws.

The soldier nearest to him took a step back.

Asher returned his attention to Sir Andrew. “Our people have done nothing to instigate such a reaction from your kingdom.”

“All we asked for was the location of the sacred tree.”

“Why?” Paylin asked.

Sir Andrew didn’t acknowledge him. “Tell us where it is and we will leave.”

From the corner of his eye, Asher saw Trayden roll his eyes.

“Why do you need to know?” Bruce asked.

The human finally turned to him. “To pay our respects, of course.”

“You burned down crops and homes to pay respects to a dead elf?” Trayden said sarcastically. His black hair was tied back in a haphazard bun with leaves and twigs tangled in it. Light bags sagged under his brown eyes, and tiny scratches scattered the right side of his face.

“Or could it be that you want to try some ceremony to try to get her out?” Ramile asked.

Asher chimed in. “Whatever your intention, no one can tell you the location because no one knows. For the last fifteen years we’ve searched, hoping to free our own Rose. If the tree even exists, it’s been reclaimed by the forest.”

The human captain ran his tongue over his teeth and looked over his shoulder at his men. “Then it appears we have no other choice.”

Asher nodded and extended his hand toward the western mountains. “We will guide you back to the mountain pass.”

“Attack.”

It was one word, but the humans had trained for such an order. When their captain gave it, there was no hesitation. The human men withdrew their swords from their scabbards and lunged forward toward whoever was nearest, swinging their blades or driving them forward.

Asher transformed as quickly as he could and let out a roar, hoping to scare as many humans as possible.

Soon, the humans were surrounded by a myriad of animals including: a couple of bears, foxes, a mountain lion, and more.

Asher dug his claws into the dirt and lunged forward, catching the human nearest him by the wrist. The man let out a scream as Asher’s fangs tore into his arm and into the bone, but not hard enough to break it. Asher turned, throwing the man to the side, and then pounced onto the next closest man, striking the unexpecting soldier on the side and sending him to the ground.

But he was fast as he withdrew his dagger and swiped it toward Asher’s abdomen.

Asher managed to roll off before it hit its mark, but that also allowed the human to scramble up into a crouched position.

“Asher!” Bashton screamed from somewhere behind him.

The prince spun around, ears perked, searching the darkness for his brother—who should have been hiding with everyone else. But Asher was supposed to be helping his men fight the humans and drive them out of the land.

Asher jumped back when the soldier drove forward with his sword, and Asher swung his paw with claws extended, slicing across the man’s metal armor protecting his shoulder.

“Asher!” the scream came again, out of breath and filled with terror. “Help!”

“Go find him!” Paylin shouted to Asher.

I’ll return as soon as I can. Asher turned and ran in the direction of his brother’s shouts. Bashton, where are you?

“I’m here!” Bashton shouted.

Asher turned toward the forest and spotted Bashton running toward him, eyes wide in terror.

Without warning, Bashton’s normally brown eyes flashed to orange, and in that instant Asher knew that the terror of fleeing from the humans had triggered Bashton’s first transformation. Bashton screamed and collapsed when his bones cracked from the position they’d been in for seven years.

The first transformation was always the hardest and most painful. In the middle of an invasion, fleeing from something, was not the ideal time for this to occur.

Asher transformed mid-jump and landed beside his brother, who panted and whimpered, his hands snapping, twisting, struggling to figure out which way to move.

Now in his human form, Asher scooped Bashton up into his arms, in spite of the small body writhing as Bashton struggled to find his new form. “You’ll be okay, Bashton. I promise. I know it hurts, but take deep breaths.”

“Make it stop!” Bashton cried. “I didn’t know it would hurt like this!”

“Shh. I know it’s hard.” He carried Bashton to the only hiding spot within view, a small leaning building for firewood. “Why were you calling for help?”

“The . . . humans. They were chasing . . . me,” Bashton said between pained grimaces.

Asher looked around. “How far away were they?”

Bashton bit his lip, muffling a cry of pain. A tail had ripped its way through Bashton’s pants, yellow with black spots. “They were right behind me. I don’t know where they went.”

Something told Asher that the humans were, indeed, nearby. But why couldn’t he see or smell them?

The hair on the back of his neck rose as he scanned the area around them.

Bashton was now covered in the same yellow-and-black fur as his tail, though he hadn’t finished the transformation yet. Slowly, his hands became paws, followed by his feet, and his nose had flattened to a black cat nose with whiskers on the sides. Cheetah ears were just taking shape on the top of his head, and Asher knew Bashton’s legs and arms would be next to complete the transformation.

A twig snapped.

Asher’s head swiveled to the left. And then he heard the whistle of an arrow a split second before it slammed into his left shoulder from behind. He let out a pain-filled scream that sounded like a roar.

A human jumped down from the banister of the nearest house, where he’d been lying in wait. The sound of rattling metal armor announced the arrival of three more soldiers. The human men poised their swords in front of them but hesitated to attack.

Asher stole the opportunity to transform back into a tiger, knowing full well that it was going to tear his shoulder even more. Bashton, you’ve got to run back to the pass and hide. You never should have left. He gritted his teeth through the pain and used the human’s distraction to roar at them and sprint toward the nearest man.

The human swung his sword, but Asher darted to the side and the sword’s tip slammed into the ground.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Bashton’s transformation was complete, and a small cheetah lay in his place. Asher wished he could guide Bashton through the sudden onslaught of senses he was gaining, but now was not the time for lessons.

I’m scared, Asher.

Run! he ordered.

Bashton got to his feet. But ... but, Asher! he objected as his big brother dodged the sword’s sharp jab toward him.

No! Bashton, you have to run. Run as fast as you can and get back to the mountains. It is safe there!

But I wanna be with you! I wanted to make sure you were okay! The boy ran after Asher, trying to also dodge the soldiers coming toward him.

Bashton, please! I can’t risk losing you too. Asher looked over his shoulder at the cub.

But I can help!

This time, Asher’s distraction provided the humans the upper hand. Immediately, the other soldiers circled the tiger, but they didn’t swing their weapons aimlessly as Asher had hoped.

Two men in the front pointed the blades at the tiger’s chest, backing him up against a house, and a third began to force Bashton to back up in the same direction.

Adrenaline pounded in Asher’s ears, and he had no choice but to limp backward. His mind raced to find some way to get Bashton out of the situation. He looked down the hill, where his men still fought against the soldiers. Trayden! I need your help. Bashton just had his first transformation and—

That’s awesome!

The humans that have us cornered!

Oh. On my way! Congratulations, Bash!

Bashton leaned against Asher’s side, but when one of the soldiers went for him, Asher kicked Bashton with his back leg, successfully sending him rolling toward a cluster of bushes and away from danger.

Or, he would have been away from danger if he weren’t so stubborn.

The little cheetah was determined to help his brother if it was the last thing he did. Bashton jumped to his feet, gave as mighty a roar as he could muster, and clawed up the nearest soldier’s back and dug his little claws into the man’s head.

“AH!” the man screamed and grappled for Bashton, trying to yank him off his head.

The other soldiers drew their attention away from Asher, not knowing whether they should help their comrade or finish catching the tiger.

Asher didn’t roar a warning this time.

He ducked under a sword and swatted his large paw at the soldier’s exposed abdomen. His long claws shrieked across the armor with enough force to make the man stumble backward, but the armor withstood his claws.

Bashton yelped when the human’s hands finally grabbed him and threw him off. The small cheetah’s body struck the ground, and he let out a pain-filled cry.

Asher slipped through the gap between the two men and snatched Bashton up by the scruff of the neck. He ran away from the humans. But the adrenaline gave out and Asher could feel the agony coursing through his shoulder from the arrow still buried in his flesh with every stride.

He threw Bashton as far as he could manage. Please run, Bashton! Trayden, how far away are you?

I’ll get help, I promise! In a flash, Bashton was gone.

Asher attempted to run in the opposite direction, but his arm gave out and he collapsed to the ground. The arrow sent another wave of pain through Asher’s worn body and he gritted his teeth as white flashed in his vision.

Unable to run any longer, he turned to face his foes. Asher knew he wouldn’t get out of this situation, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He bore his teeth in a low, warning growl.

The humans were already upon him.

“Look, whoever you are, just turn back into your other form and we promise we won’t kill you. We’ll even take out the arrow and bandage the wound,” a man said.

The soldiers on either side pointed their weapons at Asher, one ready to strike at any movement. Asher still bared his teeth, knowing the movement wouldn’t scare the humans now. He panted from the pain, and his shoulder throbbed with each pump of his heart, and each pump of his heart sent blood coursing down his shoulder.

Finally defeated, Asher turned back to his human form, resting on his knees, and clutched at the wound.

Immediately, the soldiers rushed forward. One of the men grabbed both of Asher’s wrists and pulled them behind his back, making Asher’s shoulder explode with pain. He cried out and gritted his teeth as white light filled his vision and nausea rolled up from his stomach.

A second soldier grabbed Asher’s opposite arm and helped lift him to his feet. Asher stumbled as he was led back down the hill. To his dismay, several of the men who had been fighting with him were already chained as well.

They had failed.

Asher was dropped next to Paylin, and the soldiers stepped back.

Sir Andrew smirked down at Asher. “Did you really think you pathetic creatures could ever fight against us?” Although his gaze didn’t break from Asher, he addressed his men. “We will take these prisoners back to King Barith. He will decide their fate. There’s nothing more to do here. Move out.”

“I don’t like doing this,” a soldier nearby whispered to another. It was Takai, the man Asher had seen by the palace, the one who had challenged his captain. “Why take more slaves? Our kingdom has plenty.”

“Don’t let the captain hear you say that!” the man nearest him responded quickly. “We’re just doing our jobs. Besides, they’re animal shifters. I bet the king could get a lofty price for humans that can take on animal forms.”

“I thought we were coming to look for some magical tree. There weren’t supposed to be people here.” He glanced down at them.

“How were we to know? No one has entered these mountains in ages!”

Asher looked past the humans, toward the woods where Bashton had gone. He hadn’t noticed Trayden as one of the captured, who were being led to the horses the soldiers had brought with them.

I’ve got him, Asher, Trayden finally said. He’s safe. I’m coming back for you.

Asher felt relief wash over him, but he wished he could warn Trayden not to come. They couldn’t communicate through their minds when they were in their human forms, only when they were in their animal form.

“You all can save yourselves a lifetime of misery if you tell us where the tree is,” Sir Andrew tried one last time.

“It’s just a story,” Bruce said. “It isn’t real.”

“If we knew, we still wouldn’t tell you,” Asher snapped.

Sir Andrew smirked at him. “I thought so.” He punched Asher hard across the face, making him fall onto his side with the arrow.

Asher cried out when his shoulder hit the ground, white and black bursts of light filling his vision, and he tried to pant back a wave of nausea but was unsuccessful.

“Filthy animals.” Sir Andrew kicked dirt into his face. “Get him up.”

One of the humans grabbed his good arm and dragged him to his feet.

“What foolish kid would rally his people to fight us?” Sir Andrew laughed as he walked away and mounted his horse. “It’s rather disappointing, you know? This means our king will only send more people back to your land until he gets what he wants.” The human stared down at Asher.

Asher glared up at him.

The captain kicked him in the face, and his world went black.