The Lost Kingdom

Chapter 13 - Zipping Shadows

Weak. That's how Fox felt. Miserable and lost in sorrow, no adrenaline produced from fear to sidetrack her mind from her despair. On top of that, she had a migraine, and her focus was so low, that she tripped and ran into almost anything in within a yard radius of her.

Now she trotted in fox form along the black beach of Ellamenta, which was scorched by Malifimus' evil magic. She imagined the sand once used to be creamy tan, but now it was as if she was treading on ashes.

Faintly, Fox could see the clean beach in its nice stage before the war, although as soon and the memory came, it faded, and the bumpy surface disappeared. She frowned, looking down once again at the darkened shore.

Tail swishing in time with her steps, Fox trailed along still, not knowing what else to do. Her paws stung from the stones hidden in the sand, but she didn't really care. It was the great greatest distraction she could get, walking on the beach, not that it helped much.

Cayden's image still hung in the girl's mind, as clear as if she'd see him with excellent sight all her life... It was a shame that she hadn't been able to see him this clearly when he was still alive, to tell him how handsome and heroic he looked.

Looking around now was like looking through triple layers of fog. There was thick fog already, but Fox's blurry vision only made it worse. The only thing she could see was the dark waves lapping over her paws, and the black gravel beneath it.

No moon was out, and Fox missed the glow. It had been rainy the past three days, no shine to even dare peek around a cloud. It was like sadness loomed around every corner, and no one could hide from it.

With a deep sigh, Fox headed over towards the camp, where the lanterns inside the tents flickered as warriors played cards or hung out. Some faded to black, indicating that some were sleepy as well. The light seemed so warm to Fox, like a nice fire prepared in a brick red fireplace.

Fox shared a tent with no one. Her's was small, prepared for only Fox after her rampage when Cayden died. Cayden... Oh how Fox missed him.

A small breeze began to arise and push at Fox's fur, and she pushed her ears down. Tonight might just be a cold one.

Arriving at her tent, Fox changed back into her usual form. She set up a controlled fire underneath a small hold in the tent, and then curled up in her thin sheet, which was all each Pulcharian got unless they brought something of their own. Ellamenta was such a big kingdom that there wasn't enough extra blankets to go around, and Swan wanted everyone to have equal treatment.

Ha, equal treatment. Was there even such a thing? Such a thing as one being kind to the other, simply because they know that they're both only human? No, such a thing seemed impossible to Fox, unacheivable.

Closing her glazed eyes, Fox fell into the realization of this war. Before, it had all seemed like some kind of bedtime story that mothers told their children before bed. A story about a lost kingdom fighting to come back to what they once were.

One about knowing who you care about, and that one would do anything for another. A story of bravery, of a hero.

There was no hero. There never could be. Malifimus was going to win the war. There was no way they could beat them. While Pulcharians gained allies slowly, Malifimus did so quickly, growing right as Fox laid on the charred ground that surrounded the beach.

Cayden was dead. This wasn't all in her head. He was gone. Fox was blind, and would never see again. She wasn't some half blood listening to her mother tell a bedtime story. This was real life.

Real life suddenly seemed so far away. It felt as if Fox was being torn farther from reality then she already had been. Drifting ever so slowly...

A sudden swish of the grass caught Fox's ear, making her shoot up from where she lay. There it was again. And again.

It was something light and quick... Something that could take steps, but wasn't too heavy...

Elves. Then, just as if they had been called, one tore through the side of Fox's tent and attacked her, digging its claws into her skin.

They burned, and Fox could feel blood seeping from her scratches. They were deep, but not deep enough to kill her. If she wasn't dead, she wasn't done fighting.

Fox flicked her head to the side, and a rock broke out from the ground and hit the elf in the head. The being crumpled to the floor, and Fox stood, running out of the hole in her tent.

She could hear the elves all around her. It seemed like they were all whispering one thing: "Kill them."

Fox rotated her head around, stomping on elves that came too close. She tried to throw elements around at them, but the zipping shadows dodged it just as quick. She needed a weapon where she could grab and keep with her, to make them an easier target.

Her fox form. If Fox could catch them, she could tear them apart with teeth and claws. But first, Fox had to warn everyone.

"ELVES!" She screamed as loud as she could, hoping everyone could hear. Although these elves were small, they were deadly, and it seemed as if their small whispers made people go insane. That might've been why Fox had felt like she'd had no reason to be here.

In a way, it was like the deep waters in which Morgalynna rested in, although less tempting. It was still hard to not even feel completely like you don't want to. For such small things, they were very powerful.

As quickly as possible, Fox changed,
And began pouncing on elves. Rage charged through her. People could be loosing their Cayden, their parents. Fox wasn't gonna let that happen to anyone else. That would be cruel.

She felt the squirm of an elf beneath her, and raked her claws along his neck, feeling the life seep from the creature.

Now everyone was up, and swords slashed through the air, knocking down elves with almost every swing. There were so many of them. It was like a wave of never ending enemies.

Their screeches and wails as they died filled Fox's ears, and she felt bad. These elves had a family too. She was killing someone's Cayden, someone's mom.

Fox stopped, backing up into a tree, hearing the elves as they closed around her. She shifted back to human form, where her cuts and scratches gushed blood. Her hands were slippery wet, and she felt herself sobbing. She was going to die, all because she couldn't find it in herself to attack again. It seemed like all of these elves were mini Cayden's, mini moms. Screaming at her for all she'd done. That if she hadn't left Ellamenta at all, her mom would be fine. If she hadn't have gotten captured, he'd be alive.

She cried and screamed, letting elves tear her skin. It was like she could hear it rip, hear the flow of blood. Tears mixed in with the blood and dirt...

Fox crumpled to the ground. Was this the end? It had to be. She was half dead already. She could feel it.

She could feel the life slipping away from her. Was this how Cayden felt? Like he was slipping away and he couldn't do anything about it? It was the worst feeling in the world. Fox closed her eyes, letting the tears fall and the elves tear her apart.

"Azeria!"

Fox could hear Ivory approaching her, but she didn't care. She was still
Going to die. Die a cowards death. A death where fear had taken over...