• As I wait for the sun to set below the horizon, I think back to when I was younger. Back to when there was no need for there to be guards around my own village. Back to when children my age were allowed to play after school instead of taking turns watching the horizon for any enemies who dare to attack.
    I sigh, missing the games I used to play with my friends. It was during one of those games that all this began. I start to flash back to that day when I shake my head. There was no reason to think about it. The past is the past, and this is now.
    The sun sets slowly, and I grab my night-vision goggles. Though the moon was out, and I could see perfectly, I still needed to wear them. Otherwise, my idiot cohorts would mistake me for one of the enemy. This happened once, and I have learned my lesson.
    "Lyrica," the voice came from the earpiece that I was also to wear. The man who'd spoken was my sensei. He was stationed on the other end of the village.
    "Yes?" I ask, I kept my voice low, seeing a deer come out of it's hiding place. I was about to shoot it with my bow when the man answered.
    "Do you have all your work done?"
    Mentally, I rolled my eyes. "If this is how you start up some small talk, shut up."
    I released the arrow and kill the deer, my sensei scolding me. I chose it best to ignore him. Quickly, I leapt from my tree branch and retrieved my kill. This would satisfy my family for a few days, but I would have to bring it to them later. Tying it to my branch, I looked back to the horizon.
    My ears twitched as something stirred in the bushes fifty yards away. I fixed my attention on it until the wind blowed it's scent my way. Blood was thick on the scent, but it wasn't any demon's blood. This scent belonged to the enemy. The blood was purely human.
    Cautious, I leapt off my branch again. With the scent of blood so thick this far away from the source, there surely wasn't a way for the human to be alive, but there might be others who would come looking for it, so it was best to be on guard.
    I carefully walked on all fours to where the scent was coming from. The stench of blood ran so thick, it was sickening. I knew there was a river around these parts that flowed away from my village. If I needed to, I could the=row the human into the waters and let the current sweep it away.
    When at last I reached the human, I saw it was not like the others I had seen. The ones I was taught to fight carried strange weapons and wore odd armor. But this human did not look at all like the others. It's long, brown hair was stuck to it's pale face. It wore fine silks and cloth instead of armor, and bore no weapons. its was bleeding, a large gash revealing the open wound. It was evident that it had been attacked with a blade.
    I sniffed the air, hoping to find some of the enemy lying in wait, but the only human scent was the one that belonged to the human in front of me. Confused with the situation, I asked my sensei.
    "You found a human?" he asked, startled.
    "Are you hard of hearing?" I asked back. "I found a wounded human wearing no armor and holding no weapon. There's no one else around."
    "Bring him into the village. But check just to make sure that he's unarmed and has no way to connect with the other humans."
    "Can't we just send someone to do that? I'm about to throw up, the scent is so thick." I wrinkled my nose, though I knew he couldn't see me.
    "Sorry Lyrica. No can do."
    I sighed, looking down on the human. "You're causing me some serious trouble, you know that human?"