Prologue

"What is happening to Telaerion, my King? It is falling apart!" The general had a hot temper and wanted to see everything in Telaerion going perfectly, with everyone happy and safe; I knew how he felt, that is all I wanted, but how was I to tell him about the destruction that was going to unfold from the above world. "I'm doing the best I can Acacia. I may be the king of Telaerion, but I cannot control the minds of others, especially those of the outside world."

For years, my family has tried to keep Telaerion hidden from the above, but now they are becoming more interested in what lies behind the stone walls of the underground. Beneath their own kingdoms, beneath everything they have ever known. Something new to them, the curiosity that is blinding them and their undying greed to conquer every unfamiliar territory they discover.

I turned to my general, "Acacia, have the Rogue Clan been informed of the crumbling walls, and the message from the Guardians?" He gave me a panicked look. The Rogue Clan has been our allies for many centuries, but they were beginning to question our alliance from the attacks; the attacks that may bring us to war. I could not let a war unfold in Telaerion, for we are a rare species to protect. There were so much my ancestors wanted to hide; hide from their own civilization. Only royalty knew the deepest of the darkness that crept over Telaerion. Darkness above, darkness in each territory, and darkness beyond everything we know. There were reasons that the other territories have not been explained to the people, why the West and the south were not populated, at least not by our species. Our people were told never to set foot in those territories, and the only reason, was because it was too dangerous, and would cause instant death.

Since our home land had been destroyed and taken over by another treacherous race; It has been my duty to move the kingdom as far away from each territory in this new land as possible, and so I took it into the depths of the East where we found an abundance of color shifting marble that we used to build and complimented our people's architectural talent.

"No, King Nicandro, they have not been informed yet." I asked him to inform the other clan days ago. This was crucial to the unity of both clans. I shot him a straight glare. "Do you understand what can happen to our kingdom if we break this alliance? This is a time of a war unleashing Acacia. You must tell them the Guardians have commanded us to unite as one and combine our two breeds to stop a possible extinction. The unknown territories are becoming curious of us, and the humans, they are using what they have found inside of our genetics…" Then a loud crash had stopped my rambling rage, and then a woman's piercing scream after that.

"Acacia! Take two other guards and go to the North, the Rogue Clan must be informed! Now!" I sprinted away from the armory to my castle. Then I saw my wife coming through the gate of the kingdom entrance carrying my son in her arms, behind her…something I will never forget. It was twice the size of a male werewolf and had razor teeth dyed in scarlet that were seeping out drool. Its skull structure was comparable to a bears, and its skin was all scales, just like a snakes, but I was running out of time examining as I assessed my enemy, my instinct was to save my family.

Unleashing my claws and I became the fierce monster we all held inside; I was ready to kill whatever was threatening my people, and right now, this… was ready to die to be facing me. I have been through so many wars and battles in my time, and I would do it all over again just to save my people. The humans not only disrupted us, but the other species as well. The Valcores have been attacking us at our borders and blaming us for the death of their civilization and running them into chaos. That is what this creature was…a valcore, untamed and rabid.

My people have so many questions that I do not know how to answer; I look to the guardians for answers, and they stay quiet as if they do not want anyone to know the secrets of our race let alone the other races. The humans are toying with our genetics too much to be ignored.

My eyes flared with rage as I launched myself at the valcore and sunk my teeth into its shoulder, clinging myself onto its scaly skin. It let out a high-pitched scream that rung inside of my ears, I felt as if I was going to pass out. I shook my head and clawed the side of the creature with my hind paws. Black blood oozed out of the wounds I created and pooled around its boney feet. It grabbed me by the throat with its monstrous palms and threw me across the courtyard. As I was about to lunge myself back at the monster, it fled, with a trail of black blood leading after it. The first a valcore has ever been out of its territory. I soon feared that there were more to come.

Just when I was recollecting my bearings and about to go to the comfort of my family, not moments later, Acacia came crawling through the gate wounded; the other two guards not to be found. "My king…the humans…they have done something horribly wrong." That is when I saw the most gruesome looking werewolf, pull Acacia away to his death.

***