May the Force be Ever in Your Favor

}« Twenty Two »{

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"Go to the Cornucopia!" Jude yelled from behind as she saw the animals gaining on them, but Rey was already making her way there. She could barely hear anything but the race of her heart as she sprinted after the non-Careers, looking very quickly back at the monsters that were rapidly gaining on them.

These were no ordinary animals, Rey determined from very brief glances over her shoulder. These were mutations, man-made monsters bred by the First Order to kill rebels during the times of the Galactic Empire.

Mutations- or Mutts, as most outsiders of the Capitol called them- were abominations in every sense of the word, their DNA manipulated and spliced to form deadly atrocities with the best traits of whatever genes the First Order scientists could get their hands on.

And, every time Rey looked back, she could see more of the beasts appearing on the horizon.

Her legs carried her as fast as they could, but she could feel the incessant thundering from the pounding of their paws into the ground. They were gaining, and she knew the adrenaline in her system could only support her for so long.

Up ahead, Rey could see the girls scrambling to climb the Cornucopia, which was glittering in the rising sunlight. Its golden surface was grooved enough that they had no trouble climbing it.

She finally came to a stop at the bottom of the gigantic horn and began to climb up after the girls, who were all gasping for air on the top. Rey made sure to head in the opposite direction, sure they would regain their breath soon enough to attack her and her teammates.

Speaking of which. Once she had reached the top, she turned around and looked down to see her friends sprinting desperately towards her. She cursed as her eyes settled on Naysori, who was doing her best to run after them. But she was still about 15 feet behind the others, and the Mutts were close enough now that Rey could make out their features.

They resembled wolves, with stubby brownish snouts and stocky hind legs. They were muscled hellhounds, and had a disturbingly human-like quality as they waved their four-inch claws behind them to beckon on their brethen.

Rey reached down to help pull Jude up, who then proceeded to help up Faesh as Rey grabbed Shira and yanked her forward.

As they pulled the remaining ones up, Rey felt a surge of fear course through her veins as she looked at Naysori, barely staying in front of the Mutts. They were much faster, and it wouldn't be long before she'd be lost to the pack.

Jude pulled the bow off her back and sent an arrow flying into the mouth of the closest beast before it could bite at Naysori, but it hardly made a difference as dozens more took its place. However, the small advantage gave Naysori a split second to jump up onto the Cornucopia, and was rapidly pulled up by her friends mere moment before two hounds jumped, barely missing her foot.

"Go higher!" Jude yelled over the snarling below, and dodged the leap of a Mutt. She sent another arrow into its throat, her eyes following it as it managed to scrape up some of its pack on its descent. "Get to the top, go towards the point!"

Rey beckoned her friends after her, carefully placing her feet at intervals that the girls behind her would be able to follow. They climbed 15, 20 feet into the air and stopped at the flat region near the end of the horn. Rey warily glanced towards the mouth, where the non-Careers were slowly regaining their breath. Now was a perfect time to finish them off, and get out of there.

But a scream down below, on the opposite end that the group had climbed up, had Rey tearing her eyes away from her enemies to look towards the awful noise.