Hours had passed. My mind was still reeling from the back to back encounters with the Bala’ur. I’d found myself taking to the far side of the commercial area I’d been chased to by the predators. I couldn’t even remember how many there were. I just... the gunshots. My head shook, and I banished it from my mind. Once I was out of here there would be time enough to think back on it.

My eyes had adjusted to the preferred darker lighting now that the sun had gone down. My foot paws ached, tail drooped to drag behind me. My mind was still weary and tired. And... My heart was heavy. But I was almost there. I’d been walking for a while after getting my bearings. Another deep breath and I took a look around myself, letting my wide eyes take it all in as I swivelled my head to see behind my blind spot. Since my accidental stumbling into Bala’ur twice in a row I took things a lot slower now, and kept my ears perked. The barbarians were quieter than I’d thought they’d be when they stalked for us.

A couple two story shops, all mashed together wall to wall, were down the road on one side. On the other side was the remains of a tree park that looked to have a crashed lander streaked across it, with a huge impact line of kicked up dirt. I tried to ignore the bodies of my own kind I was wandering past as I went. By now my mind had almost numbed out to all of it. I’d already lost what food I’d eaten earlier when I passed by a checkpoint that had been manned by our local security forces. It’d clearly been overrun, and all the... blood. Obelisk protect me.

There was the occasional spotting of another one of my own kind, or even another Coalition species but... None of them seemed interested in coming to say hi. I didn’t blame them. No safety in numbers right now, right? Just a bigger collective target.

And Els... Hh- I’d not gone back for him, not even dared try. I just had to hope I’d done enough to conceal him, stop the bleeding, and allow him to take care of himself well enough to escape when he could move. I desperately wanted to go back, to try, but every time I’d given it a shot my legs would freeze before I could take a step back. Every nerve in my body was unwilling to confront what I knew was lurking there.

I shuddered. “S-sswamp-faced predator.. ferals!” I really needed to work on my muttered insults in times of stress.

With torpid realization, I found my left paw hitting on earthy dirt instead of pavement. I looked down, then up at the quietly chittering woodland, and the dirt carved path leading deeper into it that marked the southern reaches inland. This way had been my first choice, and now it was my only choice now that north was a smouldering ruin, west was cut off, and east was a river and fighting. Still... Headed this way meant no civilization for nights and nights of walking. Outside of the occasional mining town, ranger’s watch, or lodges at least. Well- probably a lot more than that, but I’d only come through this territory by vehicle to go to the more abandoned outposts deep inside from our earlier years. Most of our cities were coastal or upriver, and so could be accessed through sea, air, or rail.

“Hhhhh...” I could still hear some of the increasingly distant booms and thunders from deep in east town. And when I looked in that direction I thought I saw little flashes on the twilight smeared horizon every so often. “Well. Let’s just do it then.” I muttered. Stepping into the woods and already searching the surrounding trees to see a good climb point. My eyes were skyward, and the canopy was already thickening as I moved deeper.

It took a minute or two, but a good, thick trunk wide enough and with a couple downed branches still partly attached to their higher growing points was my safe bet. With some amount of trepidation I went down on my fores and began climbing up one particularly safe one. One paw in front of the other with my hunched posture. Up, up, up, and the further from the ground I got the better my sense of security from any potential hunters.

I could almost feel a gentling of my mood as I found myself- well- up where my kind had belonged when we were hunted by the local fauna. It took a minute or so before I breached up into the depths of the thicker branches that made up the proper canopy. Up here it’d be hard to spot me from below at night unless I was moving, or too exposed.

Admittedly... I didn’t climb in the wild like this very often. It had been a pastime of mine when I was young, but moving to the inner city had changed that over to the climbways above the roads.

With my trepidation slowly leaving me with each planted paw though I found myself getting into it again, and took my first leap to catch at the branches of another tree.

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A couple hours more, and I was starting to feel like I was really in the clear. There had been signs of others fleeing into the woods too. Dozens of paw prints left in the dirt below, or smells on the wind of my own kind. I had no doubt there must have been hundreds, if not thousands that had reached out here.

I hopped a branch, my eyes catching on light deeper in the woods. “Mmh?” I heard my own voice report back in inquisitive curiosity. We didn’t need light in these conditions, so that left maybe the Bala’ur?

But it was a flickering light. Fire. My eyes widened. Were they burning us out? But no. It’d have been a wall of flames. I found myself slow crawling along a slender branch and plopping on over to an adjacent one across to get closer. Once I was within shouting range I could hear the crackling, and my eyes spotted what was causing the flames. A truck on the dirt path I’d been staying adjacent to from above. It’d crashed into a particularly large tree and was kicking up a fuel fire it seemed. Though... I thought I could spy something between it and the tree. Wedged like a- my nose picked up the smell of burning flesh.

I put my paw to my nose. “Hhr-” and before I knew it my stomach was emptying out what was left inside it. The acidic bile burning my throat as I audibly coughed it up and out in a few little gasps. “F-ffuh..” It was a Bala’ur corpse, judging by the shape I’d gleamed. I wasn’t going to look much harder after the realization though. Whoever had been driving it must have been panicking, or tried to hit it or- I couldn’t even guess.

“H-Hey. Who’s up there?” Came a pitched voice. I gasped, snapping my gaze down toward where it’d come from. That tone couldn’t have possibly been from one of them.

“Hello? I’m Yivreen.” I was letting my forelimb claws drag on the bark of the trunk, and my legs moving in tandem to the controlled descent with a reverse wall climbing posture. “Are you hurt?” Came my voice.

It was a women’s voice, from what I could guess. Thankfully, by the time I was halfway down I saw her peer out from a den between two larger roots on the tree’s base. “Keick.” They returned.

As I drew closer I could see that thankfully she seemed fine enough. Tumbled fur locks haphazard around her body, dirt smeared in places, and eyes looking like she’d been through the same horrors I had. Finally, my paws planted on the ground next to her and with a careful lean I looked at the lower half of her form tucked into the hiding spot in the tree. Unharmed! Whew! And from the length of her ear fur she was indeed a lady. “Why are you hiding in there? Up top would be safer.” The relief to see another of my kind that wasn’t a corpse or avoiding me was almost enough to recover my mood from my lost lunch.

Her mouth nervously twitched. “T-the aah. The crash.” Keick’s body language told me she was relieved to have any sort of friendly face, shaken up as she was. To tell the truth... after Els I was too. In both regards. “I was shocked, tired. I had to find someplace to just-” She shook her head, grasping both her paws to hold her head. Big mood, I felt it too. I’d been more or less away and running since... last dawn? A bit before that? I’d had a sleep of some kind when I’d grabbed Els but- my mind was getting away from itself again.

With a concerted effort I offered a paw. “Here, cmon. We need to keep going. Just because the featherbacks haven’t gotten here yet doesn’t mean they won’t soon.” The presence of that burning flesh told me that if there was one, there could be more. They came in packs usually. If they were prowling the forests I’d been smart to stick to the trees.

It took coaxing, but me and Keick had climbed up, me sticking behind her while watching the shaky limbed climber. This was good. If I had a partner at least one of us could sleep while the other kept watch.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

She spoke to me as we reached the canopy branches. “Are you a soldier? The gun-” She flicked her tail to indicate it. The idea made me balk a moment, did I look like one? Not really!.. Right?

“Hah, no, no. I ah- I borrowed this, then its owner gave it to me.” I responded in truth. I looked down at the tool still half showing in the holster I had it in. Just the idea of pulling it out again made my paw feel like hot iron in my mind. I could feel the memory washing back-

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“P-please! Geal! Anyone!” The shadowy Bala’ur in my mind were laughing at me, even as the actual ones below bellowed and growled at me. They’d gone to climb the tree, and I’d nearly fallen from the shaking. Only just holding on with my paws wrapped around the branch as I hung from it from all fours. They were gripping harder than I could ever recall in my life. I hadn’t dared open my eyes to look, there had to be at least four of them!

More angry chirps and barks between them all and- This time they succeeded. The tree was swaying, crack as the whole trunk crumpled under their assault. Why didn’t they just shoot me!? Did they want to eat me alive!? Or do something even more horrible?! I-I couldn’t let that happen. As I’d fallen finally my eyes were forced open, a paw scrambling for the gun. I- still didn’t know how to use it but by the Obelisk I wouldn’t go! They couldn’t take me!

I crashed to the ground on my hinds, whining from the painful bruising I’d incurred from the falling house. “D-die!” I squeaked out. I aimed the barrel vaguely into the fearful miasma my brain conjured around their horrifying figures. But- it wasn’t going off! My paws fought with the firearm, all my attention on it as I scrambled back and away from them- pop! Pop pop! As they thundered out. My off paw had clicked some metal bit that had let the trigger pulls finally work. I heard a grunt of pain, my eye caught red blood from one of them unmoving, and suddenly I remembered myself. Nothing had pounced me, I wasn’t surrounded. Run! Run!

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I blinked away the brief flash of memory. “It saved my life in the city though. I think. I might have killed one.” I murmured the last of that, unsure. Had I killed? Had I really done it myself? I hadn’t even really been aiming beyond vaguely at them, just.. fumbling with it to make it work, and I’d prevented whatever horrifying plans they’d had for me. My mind seemed to refuse to let me ever look a Bala’ur dead on. And the ones in my mind’s eye were like evil spirits, feeding off my despair and fear. Was that normal, to have those? I felt a bit of moisture in my eyes, and... I let the thought go.

Keick was settled to sit with her legs bundled under her, looking at me while her fores held for balance on the branch. She was as much a natural as I was. It took a bit of practice for those that’d never tried it, but it was rare to find a Cyonian who hadn’t climbed a bit in their life.

It was probably part of why we’d been so insistent on keeping our woodlands from being burned during our early years with the Coalition uplift teams. Why those zealots had been allowed to handle our uplift was a mystery to me, but others hadn’t had to deal with their pyromaniac streak.

I was brought back to the present by her voice. “You killed one of those things?” She breathed back, a glimmering beady eye flicking down to the wreckage below. “I... suppose that makes two of us.”

I felt a small smile, despite my own confused emotions. I’d never wanted to be a killer, but the joke made me feel a little better. “Yes. It does I guess huh?” I offered a paw on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring rub before pulling back. “Listen Keick, I’m headed inland. The west is cut off, and crossing the river this close to the city is a death sentence. I think I can find my way back to one of the old outposts dotted in the mountains.” I flicked my ear in the general direction. I’d be hard pressed to remember the way from memory, and while not taking the dirt paths and roads directly. But... A couple nights journey and we’d have shelter. If I could find it without the help of our geo-location network. “I’ve been to one particular one a few times for overday stays. So there’s a cot and some camp out supplies. Wanna come with me? I have this-”

I tugged at the communication device I’d gotten off the street and clicked it on. Swapping off the signal that was just repeating the same message I’d heard lastday until something crackled in. It sounded like a stern feminine voice on the other end.

“-tens of thousands of people relying on that route. You’ll hold it until the beasts are at your throat do you hear me!? Kill the feathernecks!” I’d... never heard such fierce determined speech in my days in the city, but the tough talk coming from my kind didn’t shock me. Our reputation among the Coaltion wasn’t quite on the level of the Trikua’s aggression, but when you got a Cyonian with a stiff lip, well- you got these sorts.

“B-but they’re nearly on us! We’ll be overrun! Killed! Eaten! We’ve got hundreds on optics! They have shuttle support.” Came back the terrified voice.

“Your reinforcement are enroute already, you’ll hold there until they arrive or a grow-in collapses the whole thing and you into the river. That bridge will not be captured. If you leave you’ll doom those refugees. Are you a herd protector or a quivering Zenis?” Who’s side was he on? That was a harsh question. I could entirely empathize with the fighters on the bridge. The idea of so many teeth bearing down... I’d have wanted to high tail it too.

“S-s-standard Coalition doctrinal tactics highlights that-”

She’d cut him off over the channel. “I know what the Obelisk damned book says, ignore the Founder drivel and defend your position. They’re happy to give everyone an excuse to run, but this is my planet as much as it is yours. If you leave, I’ll stuff you in a cold, dark cell the rest of your greying days. Now kindly stop using this channel to spread panic.”

That hadn’t been what I’d expected to hear over the communicator when I was tuning it around. I flicked it off again. It did explain why resistance had been as stiff as it had been here so far. Whoever was on the city area channels was really- really insistent. I looked up at Keick with a blink blink of surprise. “Ah- yeah so I have a- a communicator for the military.” I said. “I think it only works on local networks though, I’ve never picked up anything on it from anything other than local command or one particular pilot.”

She nodded. Having listened to my pitch and- the surprisingly aggressive message over the radio. “Ah..” She looked down at the totalled vehicle she’d made it this far in. “Yeah. That’d be a good idea.” The affirmative from her ringed tail bobbing behind her. “I was hoping to make it to the ranger’s lodge across the river through one of the back bridges, but from the sounds of it on that-” She tapped the box. “They’re already across, the only bridge I can think is so key is-”

“The grav rail for the trains.” I finished, we both quieted. So the battle for east-town was lost. They had the entire city at their mercy and then some. At least, anyone who hadn’t already died or escaped. “Do you know why they haven’t bombed more?” I asked suddenly, it’d been eating at me for a while now. I indicated with a tail point we should get moving and went to lead the two of us along.

I could hear her paws behind me, matching my set pace. Her smaller form wasn’t uncommon for me, I was used to being a couple inches over the majority white-tail population. Just came with the territory of the silver sheen in my tail. A subtle but present difference to the keen eyed. Her voice sounded thoughtful. “I... I’ve been laying in that hole for a while friend, I could only guess.”

“Guess then!” I looked back with a little friendly flick of my ear. My journalistic nose liked a bit of unfounded conjecture, and it was something to occupy the mind while we moved. I reached into my waist pack, pulling one of the dried fruits and some nuts I’d pilfered in town and began eating some of them on the move.

“Hmh.” Her hum came through, and with a little hop she filled the gap between our two branches. By now the fire was well out of sight behind us. “So... From my understanding they only bombed the city centre to rubble right?”

“Mostly. I think I saw a couple more hit further toward the docks. So... Probably the centre and more around it.” I tried to put aside the sickness I was feeling, speaking like this about so many of the dead. I’d already emptied out my stomach so I doubted I was going to get more than a heave and the food I’d just downed, but I restrained it anyway. Just... think of the practical, not the life loss.

“Yeah... So they must mean to do something other than eradicate everything.” I paused a paw when I heard her mention it. That made sense, and this was the first chance I’d really had to rationally mull it over in my head. “And they’re fighting instead of just raiding...” A protracted ground conflict to capture city centres was... not something heard of since the first and second Coalition wars.

What was the reason someone would want a planet intact like this? If they’d just wanted to capture the mess of us like the barbaric predators they were they’d have just done it and then bombed more by now. It was well known you had two fates if you were caught. Either you were eaten, or you were taken. “Do you think they want to colonize Atalor?” I asked with some level of doubt.

I stopped, not hearing my companion respond or feeling her weight shifting the branch. My head turned so my left eye could see behind me. She had stopped when I’d mentioned a colony, shivering in place in fear. “N-nn..” She murmured. It was like some ghost was trying to shut her up. “Nn- A hhh-h-hunting ground?” She asked. My eyes widened.

Suddenly, I hated my inquisitive brain. Asking questions aloud had yielded a horrifying result. There was no way! It wasn’t- No! “They couldn’t. They can’t. This is Atalor, it’s ours! It’s not a hunting resort for their...” But... What was stopping them? Most worlds that fell to them were hunted until they’d had their fill, and then bombed into a dust bowl if they were particularly unhappy with the locals. That’s what everyone had been taught. The food was already here when they’d arrived, so... maybe they planned on inhabiting this place.

I just had to hope it was just a scarily convincing non-truth. The idea they were more than just staying but that they were settling was terrifying.