17 Thirteen men on Horseback Part 5

Tweleve bows bent and strings twang as they let their arrows loose, soaring through the air at the fighting horde. Kyera felt them coming but before she could shield herself, a blue light seemed to fill the air around her. She was instantly aware of another power, another's soul energy deflecting the powerful arrows around her and the child. Rather than chance moving out of it, she froze, watching as the first volly took out most the jackals, and the rest fell to the second merciless horde.

"See little one, your okay." she reassured the child still gripping a long white strand of hair in her tiny fist. Kyera couldn't help but smile gently at those pretty green eyes . They reminded her of the sun shining through dense leaves in the forest full of life.

The little girl nodded, her little lip still trembling from the excitement of the fight. Kyera's body was sore. Being a tiger she liked to dodge and leap in battle. Staying up right and only spinning and leaning to dodge was a hard feat for such a limber creature. No doubt the child hindered her. Once certain the baby was fine, Kyera looked in the direction of their saviors.

13 men on horseback, 12 with bows and the armour of guards rode forward. The 12 dismounted in the well circle and allowed their mounts to drink before turning to the weary Tigress and the Child. However the woman was unconcerned with them, or at least seemed to be.

The 13th man, the prince with eyes that seemed to pierce into Kyera's soul swung down from the saddle standing a full head taller than her. However she did not back down, meeting his eyes, one hand still holding a sword. Amusement in his face, but her confidence was not easily missed. The royal crest of A Paw print and a Sword catching her eye. The silver circlet gleaming as her eyes dashed to seek it.

Kyera fell to her knees, though her body did not like baring its neck to him. So many of her kind fell to their blades… whether at war or for pelts the wild of her kind were nearly wiped out.

The war of Skin Walkers as they called it had seen hundreds of the Shapeshifter's fall for greed. The emperor had demanded all shifters be registered and forced to serve his name as pets of the crown. Angry the shapeshifters declined and stayed to the woods, unaware he would hunt them there soon enough.

He spent years making Shape shifters seem evil, as though they were monsters who would make off with children. Burn fields and feed on human flesh. They were no more than animals in the eyes of humans by then. The community was powerless to stop it. So when a shape shifter killed a princess… it didn't take much for war to follow on those heels.

Before she had a chance to finish kneeling two hands shoved her down, one slicing through her cloak to free the child. Meanwhile another grabbed her snow white hair forcing her to arch her back so the princess could be retrieved. She gritted her teeth against the pain shooting through her back and limbs.wounds she wasn't aware of yet made themselves known as she tried not to struggle.

The princess started crying as the last rider walked forward. He motioned to the guards who quickly let go of her as he took the baby from their hands. He looked the child over but she was crying rather loudly reaching for the kneeling warrior still. Kyera just smiled weakly at her, breathless from the brutal onslaught of feeling.