BARBARIAN: Court Of Thorns And Roses.

“State your name, barbarian”

Caierre stared at them with hatred in his eyes. Barbarian that’s what they call him but who turned him into this?

It was on his thirteen birthday when the Wulfren plains were invaded. The brightest light he has ever seen spread across the trees that surrounded the ashborn pack, eating everything its path as if it were alive and starving; as if it were seeking revenge and willing to destroy everything in its path, setting everything it touched aflame as well.

The screams of many was the only sound that filled his ears, the cries of those who were hurt, and the growls of their attackers. Caierre could hear his wolf begging him to move, to do something- anything but his feet were rooted to the floor where he stood. His legs wouldn’t move, his body only shaking in its place as tears streamed down his face.

“Silvermark banners!” someone shouted to alert the other but it was already too late, the smell of smoke filled the clouds and engulfed the little vision of the escape path that was left.

Caierre sank down to his knees, a loud scream escaping his lips only adding to the others. He gripped her hand tightly. He shakes her a little but she doesn't move. He keeps shaking her, only causing him to sob harder.

“Mama!” He screamed desperately, crying for her to look at him instead of straight up at the sky.

Was she ignoring him, like she did when he did something bad? She wasn’t moving and her blood was now wetting his knees as it spread beneath her body.

“Mama!” He cried even louder.

“Maybe if I pushed the blood back into her, she would wake up. After all, papa said it wasn’t good to lose too much “ he muttered to himself as he tried scooping the blood in his hands but his hands were too small and it just poured past him.

“Ma….” He whimpered as he looked at his red hands, shaking as the blood dripped down onto her favorite clothes that she had worn specially to celebrate his birthday.

The sound of something cracking and breaking filled the air, causing him to look up. A bad wolf was biting on someone’s arm, and they were screaming and fighting back but another wolf got to them.

They bite and pull at the man until they split him in two, his blood jumping in the air before falling down like rain.

His eyes wouldn’t move from them. They were still biting on him but he wasn’t screaming anymore. They began chewing and a small cry escaped his lips making their red eyes look at him. They let the man go and start walking towards him.

“What should I do?” The thought ran like a wildfire, he looked at mama for help but she still wasn’t paying any attention to him. He pressed his head to her chest, squeezing her hand tightly as he prayed to the moon goddess that she would squeeze back, like she always did when he was scared.

“Cai!” He looked up with tears still streaming from his eyes, he used his hands to wipe them away so he could look at his father as he ran to him, the bad wolves were now on the ground and not moving anymore.

He crashed down beside Caierre, his body freezing once he looked at his mate. He didn’t move or talk anymore, like Caierre he became still, only tears and soft howls escaping him.

“My moon.” He whispers shakily as his trembling fingers rub her cheek. “N-No…no..” he cries, taking her face in his hands. Her eyes didn't move but she was staring at him.

“No!” He screamed as Caierre held on to her hands tightly, crying next to him.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers like they did every morning but she didn’t press back only making him release another cry before pulling her face to his chest.

This was his withered rose goodbye to his mate.

He puts her down carefully before letting out a breath, Caierre watches as he passes his hand over eyes and they close.

“Mama…” He cried, a heavy pain formed in his chest. Making it hard for him to breathe or move.

“We need to go Caierre” He said as he pulled himself to his feet before taking Caierre’s hand away from his mate’s.

Caierre cries as he tries to reach for her but his papa doesn’t let him as he turns him away from her.

He grabbed his papa’s leg, hiding himself behind him as his father spoke with a young boy who had just turned into an orphan.

“Can you shift?” Papa asks.

“Yes alpha.” The boy said, his eyes lingering at Caierre as if they were trying to sense this spirit of comrade.

“Cai, hold on to me tightly.” His father says as he moves forth before shifting to his wolf form. Caierre climbs his back and watches as the boy becomes a wolf too. Though his wolf wasn’t big like the alpha’s, it was black too.

The Alpha turned to his mate and looked at her one more time. He leaned down and licked her cheeks, howling in despair before taking off.

Caierre held on to the alpha’s fur extra tight, as he always did whenever he took him on one of his runs.

Caierre pressed his head close to his as he ran faster than he ever did before. His eyes barely catch glimpses of the bad wolves running through their destroyed home, the angry flames on their side as it forced its way into the Ashborn pack houses and through trees.

The Alpha keeps running as fast as he can and doesn’t stop, the little wolf tries to keep up to him as they run through many trees. Everything became darker and darker the farther and farther they went away from the pack… and from his mama.

Caierre screams as a bad wolf jumps out at papa. He tackles him, sending Caierre in the air. Caierre landed on the floor with a thump and he let out a soft cry of pain.

He tries to push himself up but everything hurts. He looked across to see his papa fighting the bad wolf. He bites into its neck and pulls out roughly, making the wolf howl in pain before laying still.

His papa crawls from under it and runs to him quickly. He shifts back to his human form as he picks Caierre’s fragile body carefully, cradling him in his big arms that were scarred with bruises.

“Cai, are you okay?!” He asked as his hands searched his pup for any achy parts. His pup releases a small cry when he touches his leg.

“It hurts a lot,” Young Caierre had said with tears in his eyes. He wasn’t sure why he was crying, if it was the pain from the fall or because they had just left Mama back at the pack for the flames to consume her.

“I’m sorry bud. I’ll get you cleaned up once we’re out of the Wulfren plains.” He promised as he held his whimpering pup closer into his arms.

“Papa.” Caierre calls as the tears he has been holding since they start fleeing flow down his eyes.

“I-I’m scared.”

“I know bud. I’m scared too.” He says as the small wolf comes closer to where they are, but he wasn’t looking at them but around. Watching to see if any more wolves had followed them.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you better- our home, the pack, your…” He trailed off as his voice broke into tears as the memory of her lifeless body flashes through. “Your mama”

That only made Caierre burst into more tears as the Alpha grind his teeth down.

“But what are we?” He asks shakily as he pulls Caierre to look at him.

“Ashborns. Blessed by the moon goddess.” Caierre whimpered as he touched the shiny stone which his mama had given him as a gift for his birthday, hoping it would bring him peace and valor.

“That’s right. And the ashborns are strong and brave. You have to be strong, Cai, that’s how we get through this.” He says and Caierre nods a little. “If anything happens to me, if we get separated, I want you to keep going, okay? N-no matter what. Can you promise me that?”

“No! N-no papa! I will stay with you! Always. Please..” Caierre cried against him. He didn’t want to lose his papa too when he had just lost his mama.

“I know, child. I want to stay with you too.” He says before putting his palm up. Caierre lifted his and put it on his papa chest as the alpha did also. “But I’ll always be with you- right here, Forever”

“Forever” Caierre had promised and the alpha nodded before looking around.

“If something happens you have to stay with Adrian” He says and Caierre’s eyes went to the small wolf that was still alert on his surroundings.

“He will protect you with his life. Trust him and he won’t ever let you down”

“Adrian?”

“Now, we need to keep going. Can you hold onto me again?” He asks and Caierre gives a small nod as the alpha shifts. Caierre climbs onto him again with Adrian’s help and they begin running again.

They ran and ran through the night, hoping to escape the Wulfren plains but their pursuers kept coming. The alpha kept fighting them and he kept getting up and Caierre would climb back on him.

Each time, The Alpha ran slower and slower until he didn’t get up again.

Caierre climbed on Adrian’s back, leaving papa behind. Adrian kept running while Caierre cried on him because now, he was all alone in the world.

No Mama, No Papa, no more dancing around the shagira’s fire during the new moon. No more hugs from papa as he did everyday. Papa had promised him forever but why then did it hurt him so much?

Caierre cried harder on Adrian as they both escaped the plains and never looked back.