Diana's Guardians: The Monster Invasion

Prologue

      The rising sun stained the sky with streaks of gold and orange and outlined the clouds in pink. The birds chirped merrily from their nests in the trees bordering the lush, green field that seemed to stretch endlessly in front of Riverdaze and me. It was the perfect day for a morning ride.
     Well, it was almost. It would have a been great morning for a ride had Prince Caesar never shown up on his horse Mooncry. "Hey, gnat," he jeered, flashing his devilish grin at us. He urged his mare towards us, the sun dying the prince's light brown hair a dull gold. I pulled the reins back to keep Riverdaze still. Mooncry absolutely terrified her.
    "What do you want, Caesar?" I snapped. I was not going to let him ruin my morning with his stupid commands.
    Caesar frowned, his smile gone. "You can't talk to me that way. I am the pri-"
    "Blah, blah, blah. You're the Prince of Chastria. You're not the boss of me."
    He flung back his silky, purple cape dramatically. "I am too the boss of you! My father is the king! So you have to do what I tell you, gnat."
     I rolled my eyes. "Maybe I will when you stop calling me 'gnat,' your royal pain in the butt."
     He wheeled Mooncry closer to Riverdaze. She let out a shrill whinny and tried to shy away from them, but I tightened my rein on her. "Easy, girl," I whispered. "It's okay." Riverdaze continued to dance in place, determined to get away from them. "Easy, girl," I repeated, softly.
     Caesar leaned over in his saddle, his face inches from mine. "Just because we are 'engaged' doesn't mean I can't still beat you up," he said in a low voice.
     I stiffened in the saddle. I knew he could. Underneath my brown hair, I could feel the scar on the back of my scalp throb from where I hit my head on a large rock. Caesar had once he knocked me out of a tree because I refused to share my apple with him.
     That wasn't happening today.
     I dug my heels deep into Riverdaze's side. The chestnut mare bolted and started galloping towards the lush woods that outlined the clearing. Her sudden lurch made Caesar lose his balance and fall into the wet grass. "You're going to pay for that, you gnat!"
    "You'll have to catch us first!" I hollered over my shoulder over the sound of Riverdaze's hooves pounding the ground. My heart pumped loudly in time to her feet striking the ground.
    Over the sound of the hoofbeats, I heard Caesar yell, "Mooncry, wings!"
    I gave Riverdaze all the rein she wanted as we headed into the woods. At least Caesar would have a hard time trying to guide Mooncry through the trees without breaking one of her delicate wings. I heard a frustrated cry behind us as the trees engulfed us. I let out a laugh. As much as Caesar tries to be a so-called "manly prince," he can act like the biggest baby sometimes.
    I slowed Riverdaze down into a canter and began to guide her off the main trail. The woods started to darken the further we got off the trail. Only the faint rays of sunlight seeping through the cracks of the canopy helped me see as I steered Riverdaze from running into thorny Yumberry Bushes and Venusian-sized boulders.
   All at once, Riverdaze halted. Her sudden stop almost threw me from the saddle, except I had managed to grab a fistful of mane in time to stay in my seat.
    Riverdaze's ears flattened against her head and tried to turn around. I pulled the reins back and tried to make her go straight. She would not yield. Instead, she stopped again.
     I dug my heels into her sides. "Riverdaze, go," I ordered. She snorted and turned her nose up at me. I huffed. "Go, Riverdaze," I snapped, kicking her flanks hard.
     That's when Riverdaze reared. I was not prepared for this. I reached desperately for her chestnut mane to stay on but didn't grab it in time. I was flung out out of the saddle, landing on my back in the mud. I felt a pop in my leg as I felt the air force its way out of me. I laid there, gasping for air, trying to feel my limbs. Riverdaze, meanwhile, galloped away, back towards the main trail.
     "Riverdaze! Come back!" I screamed between each gasp for air. "Don't leave me here!"
     I slowly sat up, wincing from the pain in my back. Luckily, that wasn't broken. My body protested with agony as I tried to stand up. I prayed to the Creator that nothing was broken and that I was just sore.
     Of course, I was wrong. I stifled a scream in my arm as ripples of intense pain shot through my body as I tried to put weight in my right leg. I immediately sat back down.
     I buried my head in my arms and started to sob. I couldn't help it. Caesar always ruins everything! First my morning ride and now my life. My parents are going to kill me once they find out I lost Riverdaze. Not to mention my broken leg. How many warriors have you met that'd once broken their leg? I'll tell you I've how many I've met: none. And why? Father told me they are deemed unfit for battle and they all end up mysteriously disappearing. I'm doomed. D-O-O-M-E-D.
    "Where are you, you little weirdo? You can't hide in those woods forever," Caesar hollered somewhere above.
    His voice filled my body with rage. I sat back up; my hand went instinctively to my side where I could feel the rough pommel of my father's dagger. If I was going to disappear, I might as well make Caesar pay for what he has done to me.
    All I needed to to do was lure him here. Not that it would be hard.
    "Ahhh!" I screamed. "My leg! Crap! I think I broke my leg."
    A whoosh! of wind blasted the green, leafy dome above me as a large shadow glided over me.  "I'm coming for you now," Caesar called. "Big mistake, Mya!"
      I took my dagger out of its sheath. Or yours, Caesar.
     In the distance I heard hoof beats hammering against the ground. It was only a matter of time before he would find me. Trying my best not to bump my leg, I slowly scooted backwards until my back rested against the rough bark of the Kao tree. I gripped my dagger tightly. I was ready for him.
     Thud, thud, thud, thud. It sounded like the hoofbeats were getting closer. My heart pounded in my chest as I anticipated Caesar getting closer. The look on his face will be priceless when he realizes I am not that same scared, little girl he once threw out of the tree. Maybe I'll give him a matching scar on his scalp, too.
     Suddenly, there was a crackling sound coming from above. I craned my head in time to see a massive tree branch spiraling downwards. I barely had time to duck away before the branch landed less than half a foot away from me. Piercing jabs of pain shot through my leg from where I had moved it. I let myself scream. Caesar probably needed a better idea where I was, after all. He wasn't known for his tracking abilities.
     Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I tightened my grip on the dagger. He was here.
    "Ow, my leg! It hurts so bad!" I yelled, clutching it with my free hand. I winced as my touch made me leg hurt more. At least my pain will be believable.
    "Now that's something you don't see every day," a gravelly voice said, far to my right. "A little Venusian all its own."
     That didn't sound like Caesar.
    The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My heart started to race, making my chest feel like it was on fire. My eyes scanned every tree and bush wildly for the source of the voice, but this part of the woods was covered in shadows. It would be very easy for anything to hide.
    This isn't good. I thought. This definitely is not good. I couldn't run. I couldn't climb this tree. All I had was this tiny little dagger.
     "Are you lost, little one?" a nasally feminine voice inquired, though it did not sound very concerned. I wasn't sure where that voice came from, but it sounded very close.
     I pressed my back further into the trunk, the rough bark digging into my skin. Maybe if I stay put, I'll blend into the tree and whatever is out there won't see me.
    Less than ten feet in front of me, I could see two glowing, amber eyes glaring at me from behind a row of bushes. My heart felt like it was in my throat now. "What a dumb question to ask, Livia," it said. "A better question is, 'Why is a Venusian in our territory?'"
     I heard wherever this Livia was giggle, making my skin crawl. I could have sworn she was right behind me, but I was too scared to take my gaze off the pair of amber eyes. "You're right, Aureo," she (I am assuming Livia is a she) remarked. "Why is a Venusian on our territory?"
     I assumed Aureo was in front of me because he rolled his eyes at Livia's comment. "Enough questions; let's get this over with." The faint light from the canopy illuminated a hideous, massive shape emerge from the bushes.
     Those amber eyes belonged to a humanoid looking creature as it stood on two, twig-like legs that supported an emaciated body. Thin, scraggly, pale fur stretched over the creature's bony frame, resembling a furry skeleton. The only thing that seemed out of place about the creature was his head. Smooth, glossy fur covered a massive, square-like head that housed its soulless amber eyes. Its wide mouth hung open, revealing long rows of dull, yellow teeth, dripping with saliva. If I hadn't been so scared and alone, I might have pitied this creature's ugliness. No wonder it had to live out in the dark.
    "Hello, Mayanmara," Aureo said, sauntering toward me, his skeletal tail swinging limply.
    Despite the warm summer day outside, it felt as if the air had dropped fifty degrees. I clenched my teeth together to avoid them chattering as I stupidly trembled against the tree.
     How did he know my real name? No one, except my parents, called me that.
     A sudden blast of warm, smelly wind, no, breath brushed against my face. "Aren't you going to return the greeting?" Livia intoned next to me.
    If it wasn't for my broken leg, I'm sure I would have jumped at least a 100 feet from the sight of Livia. She was uglier than Aureo. Her head was disproportionately smaller than her body. Milky eyes rolled hungrily around in their sockets, as if they were trying to take in everything at once. Drool foamed around her jaws; her tongue lolled out of her mouth. Her dark, stringy fur grew in small colonies along her spine, chest, and tail; the rest of her body was completely bald.
   Strangely, she did not stand on two legs, like Aureo, but instead on all fours. She almost resembled a human trying to walk like an animal - her butt stuck high in the air making her back slope downwards in an almost 45 degree angle supported by short, spindly legs.
   "Come on, Mayanmara. Answer me," Aureo said, "What would your father say?" 
 "How-How do you know my - my name?" I stammered. "Who are you?"
    "It's so rude to answer a question with another question," Livia remarked, spraying me with drool.
     Aureo growled. "Hush, Livia. She asked a valid question." He stepped closer to me until his face was nearly inches from mine.
    I felt my breakfast threatening to make a reappearance. I wasn't able to tell from so far away, but when Aureo stepped closer to me I realized what he was - a werewolf.
     No, no, no, no, no. I raised my pitiful dagger at the werewolves. "D-don't c-come any closer. I g-got a knife," "It has - I mean, it's a silver blade."
     Aureo laughed as he swiped it away with a large paw. "That toy would do nothing against me, even if you managed to scratch me with it."
     Tears started stinging my eyes. "P-Please," I said, "L-let me go. I-I won't tell anyone you - I mean, werewolves were this close to the kingdom."
     If either one of them cared, neither of them showed it because Livia then blurts out, "Quit screwing around, Aureo. Let's just eat her already. I'm starving!"
    "You know nothing about fine dining. You got to make sure the prey is terrified to taste good. Although-" He suddenly slid his slimy tongue across my cheek. "Mmmmmm. Never mind. She's perfect now."
    He opened his mouth, and everything went black.