Mortal Origin (NSFW)

Midnight ashes (In progress)

"Varren..!" 

     "It's so cold..." 

          "So quiet..."

                      "Where are you..?"

Crest struggled to his feet, swaying as he grabbed his head. There was a pain at his temple and a throbbing in his forehead. He clearly suffered a pretty bad blow to the head. He then coughed and wheezed, struggling to breathe with all the smoke clouding his vision. He could hear screaming in the distance but it seemed muffled. His hearing wasn't the best in that moment. It must of been the blow to the head to cause his vision to lag behind, making everything seem as blurry. Fires raged in every direction, buildings crumbling and wood cracking. He fell to his knees, looking down at his hands that were tattered with blood and ash, shaking uncontrollably. 

"Crest, C'mon don't let them catch you. They already killed father. We need to move on immediately." Varren grabbed Crest's arm and tugged, trying to get his attention. He groaned and slapped his face and helped him stand. "Snap out of it! We haven't much time. They're coming back." He then walked his wounded brother slowly down the empty street which had been covered in debris. 

"Where's Couvan?" Crest groaned, looking back at the bodies that littered the ground. The smell of blood filled the air, accompanied by the smoke and the burning of their homes.

"Couvan is dead... I couldn't save him or Dad. We have to make it to the river. Demitri is waiting for me with what little we could salvage from the wreckage. It's our ticket out of here. Just you and me, brother." Varren then used his ShadowShifting ability to shapeshift into his true form. His body became larger, his limbs longer, stronger. He used his forearms to carry Crest through the thick woods, making their way to the boat. Demitri immediately waved them down, looking around to make sure no one was following. Crest then looked up at Varren and stroked his face, smiling assuringly. 

"Varren, I'm glad you are safe. I think I could walk now." Crest chuckled and looked at his legs. His tight-fitting pants were torn with large holes, bloody wounds just barely healing. 

"Alright, brother, but be careful. You could hurt yourself." Varren added, slowly lowering Crest onto the ground, smiling as he shifted back into his secondary form. A yarren. Varren was much smaller than Crest, clearly the younger brother. He was around the age of 99. Teenag years by yarren standards. 

"Hey, It's my job to worry about you. Now get on that boat. I'm right behind you." Crest smiled sheepishly, showing his white teeth. 

"Hurry up, we can't wait much longer. The alpha's men are closing in on us. This area isn't safe anymore..." Varren quickly followed Demitri onto the boat and shouldered his backpack. They gathered as much food and supplies they needed to ride the river out to the ocean were they'd be safe.

"Are there any other survivors? There's gotta be. What if we're leaving behind our own people." Crest looked back at the woods and sighed, his ears drooping more than usual. Deep down he knew the answer to his question. He knew that they were most likely the last surviving ShadowShifting yarren in the western kingdom. ShadowShifters are said to be rare, forbidden, experimental yarren of the Western Kingdom's most famous genetic engineers. They were literally bread for war but due to the growing powers of the 4 continents, war was highly unlikely. Secretly, without the knowledge of the alpha, SandowShifters were sent to death. Instinctively, with the help of their abilities, some escaped. Thanks to being genetically modified to adapt to their surroundings and conditions rapedly, they began reproducing the old fashioned way. These new yarren had the ability to change sex, or change reproductive organs in favor for reproductive female organs. Thanks to that ability, the ShadowShifters managed to reproduce enough to become their own species, unofficially. Alpha Keen, the Great Great Great grandfather of alpha Ozaph later then found out about their existence, secretly allowing ShadowShifters to live peacefully in the forest. They lived in the vast forests for many years  up until his inevitable death. As soon as his child became the new Alpha, he ordered that they abandon their way of life excluded from the city and become Yarren citizens and warriors of the Western Kingdom. They immediately refused the idea of becoming weapons and were enslaved or executed as invaders of royal land. All of this happened without the knowledge of the citizens of the kingdom. No one stood up for them. No one fought by their side. No one came to the rescue. The killing went on for over five years until word finally got out and the other three powers threatened to interfere with the massicaring.