Chapter 10 - DREAMING NAMELESS

"Drake?" The boy named Arnold called in a whisper.

"Wait a little bit more". The boy leading them responded waiting for something. Soon, the sound of the witches movements totally receeded, indicating how far they've gotten.

"Follow me," Drake said, moving in the opposite direction . The children all followed him, not bothering to ask if he knew where they were going. His actions since the beginning has shown he was somehow familiar with the place.

"Those who still have enough strength, carry the little ones. We must move fast." Drake ordered. It seems even though he had given the emperor great trouble by not regularly attending his lessons, he actually took the ones he attended seriously.

The monsters howl's resounded within the forest and a chill went down the children's spines with some whimpering. Their hearts thudded fast as they picked up rustling sounds around them. They stopped and watched with their hearts in their throats.

"Drake." Arnold whispered, holding a stick as he tried hard to stop shivering. Fear was evident in his voice as he called on the boy leading them. These were the monsters that had fought against the great ones and reduced the empire to this state. What could they as hopeless children do??

"Arnold," Drake called softly as he slowly stepped back, "have the little ones all been carried?"

"Yes."

"On the count of three, we're running."

"They're here, right?" Arnold dared to ask but he was answered by the snarl of a monster jumping out of the forest and aiming for him. "Run!!" Drake shouted and others started running but Arnold stood still, watching his life flash in front of him as the monster's paw swiped towards him.

"Arnold!" Drake shouted. "Urrgh!!!" He screamed, running towards his friend who had landed backward from the monster's hit. The monster was also rushing towards the prey it had knocked unconscious when it felt a small but strong impact on its side which sent it flying over a few meters.

Drake felt his bones crack from the flying kick he had just delivered on the monster as he limped towards Arnold and shook him back to life.

"Arnold, we need to run! Wake up!" Drake shook his friend vigorously. The other children who had run off, started screaming and Drake whipped his head round as the monster he had previously kicked rushed towards him. This time though, the monster was accompanied by two others who had joined in.

"Drake, you should leave." Arnold tried pushing him away.

"What?"

"Others need you." Arnold repeated, trying to hold back his tears.

"No! I'm not leaving you here!"

"Drake." Arnold pleaded, taking Drake's hand and guiding it towards his side. Arnold was bleeding profusely. "They're almost here. Run, Drake. Go! " Arnold said again, turning to look at the approaching monsters. But it was too late for anyone to run as the monsters were close already.

"Even if I want to,..I can't." Drake said, clenching his teeth from the immense pain his broken leg gave him. "Let's just die here together." They both shut their eyes tight in expectation of the monsters onslaught but it never came.

"You can open your eyes now." A man's voice traveled down to their ears. Confused, they slowly opened their eyes and were surprised by what they saw. The monsters were now lying dead on the ground, with their heads decapitated while some wolves stood nearby. They stood in a formation and a man stood at their front.

"There's no time for introductions. Perhaps that will be later on, but now you both need to hop on." The man said.

"Alpha Natalie is back?" Drake asked as he was steadied on the back of a huge wolf by the man.

"Yes, and to answer your supposed second question, the other children have been taken to the portal where you also will be taken to."

"What portal?" Drake asked. The wolf carrying Arnold had left already given his critical situation.

"You will know once you get there. I don't know myself but so far, only the dragonbloods have been able to get through it." The man responded. "Saw what you did kid. You did a very good job with your friends."

"They are not my friends. Arnold is the only friend I have left." Drake grumbled.

"If you say so." The man replied shrugging. "Nonetheless, you have the blood of a strong and brave leader. Now, hang tight and keep your head down." The man said and with his words, the wolf carrying Drake dashed into the forest, along with other wolves, towards a grey light that pierced through the forest's canopy into the sky. That grey light was the portal and a fierce battle had already ensued around it, with the werewolves defending against the witches and the monsters while buying time for the dragonkins.

The man who had been speaking with Drake was Natalie's beta, Liam. "Worthy of being the crown prince." An emotionless female voice sounded within the forest.

"Alpha?" Liam turned back towards the direction of the voice.

"Follow me." Natalie said, vanishing from her spot. Liam vanished from his spot in response and soon, two people could be seen, dashing through the forest.

"Sarabi grew crazy when she saw another witch fly by. The witch was carrying something that seems to have driven Sarabi so crazy that she willingly cut off her pinned down arms in the middle of our fight and pursued after her." Natalie stated as they ran.

"But I can't let her go. Today is the day I kill Sarabi." She continued, with no observable changes to her facial expression.

"You will deal with the other witch once we sight them." Natalie ordered.

"Yes, alpha." Liam responded.

'I keep having this bad feeling.' Natalie suddenly thought. "Liam, faster!" On Natalie's urge, they both shifted into their wolves, pawing through the forest. A piercing scream made them halt a bit before flashing towards the source.

On getting there, they were met with the scene of a flickering bright light engulfing a Golden dragon who had it's teeth deeply sunk into the arms of a witch while ferociously whipping it's long tail at another witch on the ground. The golden dragon seemed to be on its last legs as it was in a very sorry state, equally driven crazy by the huge black dragon lying dead with a spear through it's chest.

'Alina!" Liam recognized the golden dragon, dashing to tackle the witch fighting her on the ground. That witch was Ellie who had previously gone to retrieve the dragon spear.

Natalie on the other hand started trembling, her eyes fixed on the motionless black dragon. Wisps of green flames started dancing in the air coupled with the gradual cracking of the ground as Natalie's green eyes moved towards the spear deeply pierced through the black dragon's heart, before settling on Sarabi who was engaged with a berserk Alina.

Alina struggled to unleash every bit of strength left in her as she went crazy. She had woken up on the back of a wolf and was told she was found unconscious. The wolves were taking her to the portal where she was a bit relieved to know there was finally an escape for them, but when she heard everything about the witches and what they've done, she rushed towards the portal asking if anyone had seen Astarot but she didn't get a positive response. No one had seen him and everyone was busy rushing into the portal that mysteriously only allowed dragons in.

Alina had rejected all voice of reason to enter the portal as she turned round, rushing back into the forest, pushing against the horde of monsters, her heart thumping erratically as she fought her way through to the place she thinks Astarot might be. The last wall.

Finally, she saw him. Astarot. But he was with someone. A witch who was riding on his back. And like she feared, this witch suddenly thrusted a terrifying dark spear into his chest from behind! That spear...was the doom of all dragons and the terrible aura it released was definitely felt by all dragons still alive in that forest. Though she screamed, Alina could do nothing to prevent the spear from piercing through Astarot's chest.

Just as Astarot's body fell from the air, Alina summoned every bit of strength left and managed to reach him. She was crying profusely as Astarot didn't respond to her. Then she set her sight on the two witches smiling like they had done something great and finally, Alina went berserk.

While all of this went on, no one noticed a lone figure standing on top of the dome, quietly watching everything that was happening...

___________

Year 252 AGB*

In a dilapidated mud house located in one of the slums in an underdeveloped Pine Town, which in turn was located in the vast Lycanthrope Kingdom.

The sun had risen for quite a while, and one could see some rough men and few male teenagers moving around in the room. Next, another man came in and they all huddled close, speaking in whispers while glancing at the corner of the room where a boy laid down, sleeping on a thin bed of hays. It couldn't even be called a bed as the hays were just thin, few and scattered on the hard ground. Soon, they finished discussing with smiles on their faces.

"Hey! Hey brat, wake up!" A man's rough voice sounded.

"Somebody smack him if he keeps sleeping like a log of wood over there." Another rough voice sounded while grunting.

"Onit." Someone replied, rushing towards the sleeping boy and kicking him off the scattered hay on the hard soil. The kick got the boy flying into a mud pit on the road full of pedestrians and clinking of various horse hooves driving different kind of carriages along. One coachman even whipped him with the horsewhip while cursing the boy at the same time for getting on his way and delaying him.

Everyone went on about their business but no one helped the boy up, nor showed him any care or sympathy.