November 1, 209, Kresan, Nu, Flaria
Hawks flew overhead in the roiling sunlight. Feathers of every color danced in the sky, mainly reds, yellows and browns. Dignitaries were gathered from every city in Nu. Thorbus, the Red, the war hero, adjusted his wings as he landed with his fleet of pure white Hawkhorns at his back. The red feathers on Thorbus's learge chest stood out like a sore thumb among the ivory company he led.
Many other hawkhorns stood by, waiting to congratulate the guest of honor. One citizen was elevated higher than even Thorbus on this day. Today was the Day of Wings for one special girl. Humans, Hawkhorns and Harpies were all welcome to attend any celebration of a Day of Wings. It didn't matter if you have wings or not, a beak or non, a bald body or a feathered back. This fact was evident when one looked at the company the guest of honor kept.
Her name was Katy, Princess of Nu. Today was her Day of Wings. Beside her sat her father, Menendrack, a brown-feathered Hawkhorn with a golden beak curved underneath his eyes. On the other side of Katy sat her mother, Katherine, a human with blond hair, a stark contrast to Menendrack's feathers. Beside Katherine sat her other daughter, Katy's younder sister, Ana.
Ana and Katy both were Harpies, the product of a union between a Fullbone and a Fullblood. Their bodies were like that of their mother. They looked very human except for their wings that each girl had growing from their backs.
On the other side of Menendrack sat a young boy: Menendrack's nephew. His name was Ishbosheth. Most people had taken a liking to just calling him Bo for short. He had grown substantially since his father, the Queen Katherine's brother, died in battle.
The party was well underway. The processional had just begun. Music flowed across the head of people into the grand hall where Katy sat, waiting for her ceremonial crown of feathers. The crown had just passed the threshold when the howl of a wolf was heard, followed by another and another. Soon a whole herd of wolves charged the crowd of visitors.
Vicious wolves, men and Rhinewolves attacked people at random. The calm was thrown into a frenzy. Even the brave Thorbus, the Red, and his fleet took flight at the sight of the Rhinewolves' teeth.
Katy felt a hand on her shoulder firmly push her to the ground. She was frightened. She looked up in relief to see that it was the soft hand of her mother. Under the cover of the table, Katherine also pulled Ana close. "These men are slave traders and thieves," she explained. "They mean to kidnap you and put you to work." She looked intently at Katy. "You are a woman now. I trust you to take Ana and Bo and run and hide. You three are the most valuable people here. They they kidnap you they will ask whatevery they want for your safe return but will never return you again, even if they get all they ask for and more. Now go!" She pushed Katy and Ana towards Ishbosheth who say shivering under the table at the other end.
"Disguise yourselves as humand," Katherine continued. "Put oil in your hair, wash out the curls and wear clothes to hide your wings." She kissed each girl on their heards. "Run and don't look back. Return here in ten days. They should be gone by then. I will pray for your safety until then."
Tears sreamed down Katy and Ana's faces as their mother's lips retreated from their foreheads. Nevertheless, Katy grabbed Ana in one hand and Ishbosheth in the other and ran toward a large table covered with many different kinds of food.
Ishbosheth peered up over the table and saw a large grey wold jump down upon a strong looking man and topple him to the group. The man and wolf fought for a while on the marble floor, but the wolf quickly got the upper hand and sunk his teeth into the man's neck.
Without thinking, Ishbosheth grabbed one of the smaller plates off the table and threw it like a discus at the wolf. The spinning plate struck the wolf above its left eye and the wolf let out a loud yelp of pain and spun around to face Ishbosheth not ten yards away.
"What have you done?" Katy yelled at her yong cousin, pulling him and ana by the arms into a dark doorway.
Ishobosheth reached out and grabbed a long knife lying on the table before he was pulled out of range. He looked into the bright yellow eye of the wolf bounding after them, his back feet coming forward, nearly stepping on his front.
Katy slammed the door just as the wolf ran its head into the thick wood. She could hear its skull crack. She, Ishbosheth and Ana ran deeper into the dark room, seeing a dot of light on the other side, growing larger as they neared it. It was another doorway. They emerged into a grown of bustling Humans and Harpies. As the three sped along in the panicking rabble, Katy spotted some long, hooded robes handing on the wall of her left. She reached out and grabbed several.
She tugged at the hood of a forest green cloak and handed it to Ana who threw it on, hiding her wings. A grey cape, whuch must have been used for a child came out easily in Katy's hand. She gave it to Ishbosheth. The cape when halfway down his back, but it was disguise enough. One more robe was in Katy's arms: dark ruby with a silver pendant on. Katy swung it over her wings and kept on running, throwing the other cloaks to the ground.
The crowd split like water on rock, one half went down another hallway while another ascended some stairs leading to what Katy knew was the barracks of the castle. She pulled Ana and Ishbosheth up the stairs with her and headed straight to the kitchens when they reached the top.
Katy hastily opened cabinets, taking out all the oils she could find. She opened a tall bottle and pulled Ana to her side. Holding the back of Ana's neck with one hand she doused her white blond hair with the slippery oil. The curls quickly straightened, leaving no signs of the ringlets the nobles wore. Katy then poured oil on top of Ishbosheth's head, flattening his hair against his scalp. She finished the bottle by emptying the remainder of the oil on her long brown, ringlet-filled hair.
Katy ran toward the running mod again, beckoning with a frantic wave for the other two to follow. But, it was too late. Katy disappeared into the crow before Ana and Ishbosheth could find her again.
Ana grabbed Ishobosheth by the wrist and yanked him with her. They sunk into the rabble and followed them down a flight of stairs this time. Ishbosheth turned to see Rhinewolves and wild men chasing them close behind.
Flying down the stairs like a herd of Blitwulf the crowd suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. Ana tried to wrestle her way through the crowd to see why they'd stopped with bloodthirsty wolves hot on their trail. She had pushed her way to the edge just as a tall man with a large bushy grey beard began shouting orders with a slight growl in his voice.
"Separate yourselves!" the bearded man yelled, "Hawkhorns to my right, Humans to my left."
Everyone began shuffling. Ana took Ishbosheth and scurried to the left, hoping the cloack on her back would keep her little wings shrouded.
"Humans, you may go!" the tall man bellowed, "Hawkhorns stay!"
The group Ana was in began bustling toward a near exit. Ana kept right in step until she heard the bearded man shout, "Princess Katy!" It caused Ana to stop suddenly and spin her head around. She turned toward the man, who held his two large, hairy arms up in the air. Each arm was holding something. In the left hand he held the dark ruby cloack Ana remembered Katy wearing, stained darker with blood around the neck which was ripped by jagged teeth marks. In the right hand he held two large wings that Ana recognized as her father's, also bloodied at the base as if they had been torn off his back.
The man's eyes narrowed like a beast when its prey falls into its trap. "And Princess Ana!" The man dropped the cloak and wings and started toward Ana. Behind him, na and Ishbosheth both saw the dead bodies of Katy, Menendrack and Katherine, all piled up with a wolf nibbling on Menendrack's heel.
In a fit of rage, Ishbosheth took the knife he had taken off the tbale into his hand and lunged at the bearded man. He grabbed the man by the back of the head and drove the knife into the man's neck. As the man fell, Ishbosheth jumped off and tried to escape from the evil men, but a large grey Rhinewolf grabbed him by the arm and knocked him on the head with a large club. Blackness invaded his vision.
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