The Pride Ring Dynasty

The Family Business

Let's leave Zestial for a bit.

The year is 2006, on Earth. A living woman in a leotard stood in a basement. She encouraged a teenage girl with a button nose into a closet that camoflauged with the wall. The girl, Coppélia, asked her to stay safe. The woman pit on a comforting smile and promised she would.

As she closed the closet door, another door slid down the stairs. "Come out eith our money, Camilla!"

The woman grabbed a gun from the table of swords and firearms beside her, and walked quietly away from the closet. A group of men ran down the stairs, pointing guns at her. She rose her hand, but not enough to aim.

"The money!"

"I will get it to you next week."

"Too late, bitch."

Camilla fell to the ground. There was no time to think before the world turned black,

Then red, and filled with buildings and anthropomorphic animals and other creatures. Still lying on the ground, she had some of them walked over her. They had the decency not to step on her, at least. She brought her arm to her chest. There was no blood, but there were feathers. She raised her arms, noticing their large size. She gasped. She had no daughters to hold in them.

A minute passed and she realized where she was.

Carmilla,
walking around hell until she finds a club
I always thought that I would keep blood off my face,
But when those sharks attacked,
I had to act.
I couldn't cross the line to stay safe.
But if I could hold you,
how could I not jump for the bar?
And who's to say where you are?
Afraid I might lose the ones that I tried fighting for.
So I...
I'll build a life here.
Do whatever I can,
I'll think up a plan,
All just in case,
I find you again.

Coppélia,
standing over Carmilla's dead body
Now I see your face,
You make me feel like a stranger in a brand new place.
What do I do now, that you took the blow?
There's still so much I wished that you would say.

Coppélia,
looking at two other teenagers
But I...
I'll be your armor.
Do whatever it takes,
I'll make the mistakes,
I'll spend my life being your sister.

Carmilla,
poledancing on a stage
And I don't know what we might face,
But I know I can't replace you,
So I'll do anything to save you.

Coppélia,
blowing a goodbye kiss, leaving the body
And though it means my dreams cannot come true,

Coppélia, leading her sisters to the second floor
Carmilla, walking away from the bar with money
Whatever we go through
I know I... I'll be your mother/daughter,
Whatever it takes,
I'll make the mistakes (Though my heart breaks),
Whatever it takes.

In the back of a small club, Carmilla changed from her boots to her flats, her coworkers with her.

"Ready for you first extermination, Red?" asked Flowers. "You suck at hiding your scared."

"I'll think I'll be fine. I reinforced my house the way I used to on Earth." Carmilla stood. "See you if we all make it out."

"Worked out great for you there, ey?" Mathias laughed, to which Carmilla rolled her eyes before turning to the door.