"COAL!!!" I shriek, my voice cracking, and I throw myself forward at him.
"Not so fast..." Before I can quite register what is happening, the breath is knocked out of me as one of the dark, burly men on the side of Coal's still body leaps up with surprising speed and catches me.
"Let. Me. Go!" I scream. He doesn't release his grip though, pinning his arms around me in a death grip, as I struggle and writhe, screaming and hissing like only a 29 percent cat girl can.
"No, Ash, you don't unde-" I scream something unintelligible at him, unable to stand being this close to Coal, yet unable to reach him...
"No, you don't understand!" I snap furiously at him, struggling some more. "I-" The guard clamps a thick hand over my mouth, and my protesting is muffled.
"Ash, he's a Royal. Be glad we didn't slit his throat the second we felt a pulse." Glass tries to reason. My response is civil enough- I extend my claws and dig them deep into the fleshy palms that restrain my hands. Instantly, the guard withdraws, wincing, holding his dripping, bloodied hands in front of his face. The other guard darts forward, though, and pins my arms to my sides.
"Be glad I don't-" This guard begins to raise his hand to cover my mouth, but I snarl, exposing my fangs. "You really don't want to do that."
Apparently he doesn't, so he withdraws the hand, but begins to bring me away from Coal.
"Ash, listen..." Glass says helplessly, wishing we hadn't resorted to violence. In my world, violence is a first resort- Reasoning is last.
"No, you listen!" I huff, my voice growing deep and husky in anger. "I'm gonna count to five, and when I get there- You're gonna regret it."
Glass freezes in confusion, not sure what to say, not sure what I plan to do.
"One." I snarl, ceasing my struggling.
"Two." Glass takes a step forward.
"What-"
"Three." I hiss in defiance when the bloody-handed guard approaches, muttering a string of curses under his breath, gingerly flexing his fingers.
"Four."
"Really, Ash, it this-" Glass babbles, waving his hands.
"Five."
YOU ARE READING
71
Science FictionThe world ended a long time ago. Some humans survived. But in order to do so, the original Survivors enhanced themselves with animal DNA, adopting traits that allowed them to live in this mutated wilderness of giant Beasts and vast, unexplored swath...
