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[CrimsonMoon]

! !!Heartz ONLY!! !

--

" My son,"

He had said with his dying breath.

" Avenge me.

Destroy the beasts who threaten our kingdom."

And the old king had died, so easily with a rasping sigh. His quivering hand sliding from his son's shoulder as the spear that had buried itself in his belly lay nearby, close to a sobbing medic.

"The King is Dead"

---

The river was misty, the large grey rocks on its shores and within the bed making the morning even more eerie, A small group of horsemen paused by the bank, clad in the same sparringly leather armor and armed with either two swords, a bow and arrows or a large spear. War paint covered their bodies, rangong from bright yellow to sea blue to storm grey.

Alas, these were not horsemen, but literally 'Horse Men'. Centaurs.

A few archers trotted out into the rushing water, listening for signs of the enemy while the rest knelt on their armored legs and drank from the water or filled pouches.

Three centaurs stood a small ways away from the group, more decorated than the others not only in war paint but their weapons were more beautiful as well. One was a dappled grey, the other a jet black color and the other a blue roan... Their ears flickered as they spoke, seeming uneasy the way their haunches shifted.

" They are here," murmurs the roan, his helm swinging from side to side and his haunches trembling

" We'll move out after the warriors have drank, we have marched many miles..." comments the dappled grey cooly.

" Hush... We can all feel it..." rumbles the black at last... Gripping his spear with white knuckles

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

A group of men- actual men riding on horses- moved quietly. Only the clopping of the horses hooves and the soft clink of metal could be heard. A young man led the group, a helmet obscuring his face. He was obviously the leader, based on his stature and position.

[CrimsonMoon]

The black's ears flickered," Move out," he suddenly roars, immediately the archers in the water begin to draw their bows taut and scan the oppisite banks. The rest of the group retreated back into the trees. Immediately tension crackled in the air.

The Roan and Dappled Grey also melt into the shadows, leaving the black centaur as well an oddly blue and strawberry roan centaur wearing a mask shaped like a lion's face stayed near him, from the way the upper body was shaped, one could accurately guess the paint-roan was a female," Father... I can smell then," the masked centaur murmurs uneasily, drawing her double blades, black hair flowing loosely down her back.

" As can I... Though... The river is making it hard to decipher which way the are coming from," The large black growls back, both prancing nervously and ears swiveling.

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

"Sir," Another soldier rode up beside the leader. He was older, his brown hair peppered with grey, "They're close. We're going to send out some scouts to locate their position."

The young man nodded, "Very well."

[CrimsonMoon]

The Paint Roan exchanges quick and quiet words with her father beforesheathing her weapons again and calling out to the archers in the water," Fall back!"

As the archers pull themselves from the river and into the cover of the forest, the roan trots to the riverbank and settles down comfortably, pulling off the lion hide helm and draping it over her back as she cups water in her hands and drinks quietly... Relaxed...

If the humans weren't watching, they probably would have never guessed the trap waiting to sping. The rest of the battlion hidden in the trees and thick foliage, their paths looking like deer trails to the untrained eye...

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

The older soldier, who went by the name of Yoren, frowned and watched his captain, "Sir..This is dangerous," he cautioned, "They know these woods better than we do."

A pair of angry green eyes snapped to him, "You think I don't know that?" he snapped.

[CrimsonMoon]

" Of course not, my friend," a cool voice soothes, a warrior riding nearby glances around with a faint smile," We just want caution, that is all... Oh... Can you here running water?"

The female centaur felt her skin prickle uncomfortably, combing her hair out with her fingers. It flowed between her slender fingers like silk and if she was human, she would have been a very sought after young woman... But if one understood her personality... They'd back off. She couldn't help but be nervous, even though she had done this many times before... It seemed to get scarier each time...

The trees seem to part to give way to the river cutting like a scar through the foliage.

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

He took a deep breath to calm himself, "I do..I hear running water," He agreed.

[CrimsonMoon]

" They will use the sound to cover quick movement... We should travel along the bank until we spot something," The warrior reasons with a shrug and a smile," We may be lucky and run into a single centaur, or maybe a huntsman with no idea where he is, or perhaps a battlion of barbarian half-beasts... Who knows?" He says this all in a nonchalant tone, his accent making it sound all the more uncaring.

The soldiers around them seem unfazed but there was a twitch of a mouth or an eyebrow here or there that showed their utter doubts... His 'Friend' was a foreignor, how could he know anything?

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Yoren looked to the warrior and back to his leader, "I just want to exercise caution. Any rash decision could get the men killed."

[CrimsonMoon]

The battlion leader nods stiffly, frowning faintly," Very well... We shall travel within the trees but... Boy," He points a finger at the foreignor," Alucard... You must scout ahead with the others..."

He looks back at (ur charry) and tilts his head in a fait question,"... Will you join him?" This request was out of annoyance that the boy would take advice from a foreignor rater than the Leader himself... Only a natural reaction

(Hmmm... Would your charry want to be like the young King? X3 thatd be cool... I think I could make Alucard usurp his throne by saying he died int he battle...)

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Cecil nodded and flipped the face cover of his helmet up, revealing his green eyes and young face, "I'll go with him," he replied.

[ So Cecil is the young king, but Alucard usurps him? ]

[CrimsonMoon]

(Yeah, by claiming he died in the battle >x3)

Alucard snorts and waves his hand in an eleganty insulting gesture toward the commander," Ai... I sense some bitterness in the air, yes?" He smiles and his black eyes glitter with mischief," Very well, i'll take care of the young king," He pretends to sigh and kicks his horse roughly into a trot, the bay moving quickly ahead of the group

The Paint-roan still sat on the bank f the river, less nervous now... It had been awhile, maybe they wouldn't show up and it was an old scent. She leans against a rock and closes her eyes, she could hear her herd-mates whispering and joking to break the tension.

She shifts her lower body so her front legs were folded neatly beneath her while her back legs stretched to the side, the roan yawns and glances at the trees, her ears twitching faintly

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Cecil followed Alucard, his horse trotting swiftly. The young king wasn't one for small talk, so the ride was rather quiet.

[CrimsonMoon]

They traveled along in silence for what felt like a few hours. Finally, Alucard points across the river," Look, a female... She had a lion's pelt. Doesn't that mean one of a higher standing?" Alucard murmurs, halting his horse.

The roan closes her eyes and rests her chin on her arms, letting the sun warm her back... She heard voice but dismissed them as her comrades'

[CrimsonMoon]

Bump)

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Cecil pulled his horse to a stop, patting the beast's neck gently, "I think so," he answered, voice soft.

[CrimsonMoon]

" Well... What're you goingto do about it?" Apucard asks with a sigh," You're the hgher ranking officer here..."

[нαℓƒ~мσση]

Cecil narrowed his eyes at his tone, but ignored it for now, "I don't want to attack just yet. This may be an opportunity to talk with one of these things without bloodshed.."

[CrimsonMoon]

" I sure as hell am not talking to he," Alucard laughs and smacks Cecil's horse's haunches, making the horse leap forward in suprise and spring free of the foliage.

The paint-roan centaur looks up i suprise