Outside was just as chaotic as inside. A few houses up, I saw men in black clothing with rifles held to their shoulders sweeping between the buildings. Moles. The popping was from gunshots! All around us were screams that came from Dragons.
But not Tamin. He whimpered but was doing his best to stay as silent as he could. Against my hand, I could feel the blood on his leg, and he cried, but the boy clung to my neck without question. I ran for the trees as fast as I could, carrying the most precious thing I could think of, and praying to God we would make it.
The hill wasn't easy, but fear gave me strength. At the top, the trees were thick and the brush beneath them was wild. Finding a cluster that looked big enough to shield us, I dropped to my knees and set the boy down. Desperately, I turned his leg to check his wound.
"How bad does it hurt?" I asked as I poked the edge to see if it was a grazing wound or if he'd been pierced by a bullet.
His tail whipped behind him at the pain. "Hurts!"
"I know, sweetie," I breathed.
And while I wished I had something to wrap the injury with, it didn't look fatal. It did, however, look like there might be a bullet still in there. Shallow, thank God, but it had to hurt a lot.
"Okay," I said. "Now we have to - "
Tamin's gaze jumped over my shoulder and his eyes went wide. A second later, I heard a foot crunch in the leaves a mere step behind me.
I spun.
"Elias?" I begged, surprised to see another face I knew.
His gun was aimed at my head. Recognition crossed his face. "You're alive?" The tip of the weapon wavered.
Then Tamin screamed, "You will not hit her!" in his own language.
The boy lurched forward. I barely had time to shove as well, my hands aiming for the gun. Elias was so shocked at the sudden rush from both of us that his hands slipped free, the rifle falling to the ground as Tamin sank his teeth into the man's leg. Next to me, the kid's tail lashed furiously, stabbing at the man's body over and over until he staggered.
The moment Elias' knees buckled, I was on him. "Okay!" I yelled at Tamin in Vestrian, aware his tail could strike me as well. "That's enough, Tamin. It's okay now!"
"Yeah?" he whimpered softly, crawling back into the bushes.
And Elias began to scream. I pressed both of my hands over his mouth, holding the sound in while my eyes searched the area around us for more hunters. If anyone heard that, they'd be on us next. Then again, it seemed this kid wasn't nearly as helpless as I'd feared!
But Zasen and Kanik were gone. Bodies were visible in the backyards of the houses besides ours. Even better, the gunshots had moved on. It sounded like they were now further up the street. Tamin and I were alone, but certainly not safe.
I grabbed Elias' rifle, flicked the safety on, and shoved my head through the strap before reaching for the kid. He grabbed my neck, letting me lift him again, and we hurried deeper into the woods. I needed someplace to hide him. I needed to make sure he stayed safe. The Moles were attacking, and their weapons were better, so I had to find somewhere Tamin would be okay.
"Ayla, Ayla, Ayla," Tamin said, pointing at a fallen tree. "Zasen says to get under things when the Moles come so they won't see us."
"Yeah," I breathed, setting him down so he could hide. "Get out of sight, Tamin. I'm going to see if I can find Kanik and Zasen."
"No," he whimpered. "You hide too."
"I can help," I insisted. "You hide. I'm going to make sure no one else followed us."
Because that had to be how Elias had found us. He must've seen me trying to carry the boy up the hill, and if one hunter had, then there could be more. This time, however, I had a gun. That meant they wouldn't get the chance to shoot Tamin again!
Tamin shifted under the fallen log and pulled leaves over himself, obviously understanding what he needed to do. The tip of his tail was still exposed, as were his eyes, but he wouldn't be obvious like this. Clearly, it was something he'd done before.
"Stay here," I whispered, turning off the safety and lifting the gun to my shoulder as I headed back towards our house.
In the streets, the Moles were moving in groups, tactical and organized. Dragons were still screaming, but this time I could make out words. It seemed they were doing their best to fight back. Those with tails seemed to be the front line, but they couldn't stand against the guns. I watched a large-scaled brown man get cut down. Two Moles grabbed his body and began retreating. The remaining two moved forward, closing ranks.
So I raised my gun and aimed. I'd never fired a rifle before, but all children were taught how to use them for safety reasons. Boys or girls, it didn't matter. The Elders made sure to teach us the basics - but only the basics. It would have to be enough.
My first shot went wild, but the second hit the man's leg. The third was bad as well. I made the fourth count, and the other man dropped. I was pretty sure I'd hit him in the chest, but the wounded man was looking for the shooter. For me. Frantic, I ran toward him, then paused to squeeze off a pair of shots at his head. It exploded in a spray of gore that turned my stomach.
I could feel my bile rise, but simply took a breath and kept moving. "Zasen!" I yelled. "Kanik!"
I didn't dare go too far from Tamin. I couldn't leave him alone and unprotected. Zasen and Kanik were grown men. They were smart enough to take care of themselves, but I was all Tamin had right now. Swinging between our house and the next, I looked back, hoping for some sign of my friends.
Then I saw him. Three houses down, in the darkness behind someone's home, Zasen fought like a beast, but he was outmatched. His tail whipped around him, his hands blurred with blades and blood, but the Moles were about to take him down. I hurried to the side, finding an angle that would be safe enough, then dared to take a shot.
One man dropped, and another looked. I lifted the rifle to shoot again, but it just clicked. Empty. I started running, shifting my grip on the gun because it was the only weapon I had. When I got close enough, Zasen grabbed a man and turned. His tail struck, but the venom took a moment to take effect. I decided to make it faster.
I swung the butt of the rifle into the side of the hunter's head as hard as I could. Zasen dropped the one he held, and turned for the next. I went for the last. Trying to use the gun as a club, I heaved, but the man ducked out of the way and grabbed me. I saw the flash of blue streak near my face, then Zasen shoved the guy, forcing him away from me.
"What are they doing here?" I demanded, desperate for some idea of what was going on. "Why are hunters trying to kill us?"
"They're hunting," Zasen growled, his arm around that last man's throat.
"What?" My brain refused to accept that.
He lifted his chin, gesturing towards the street. "Look at them, Ayla. The Moles leave their dead. They take ours and the guns. Why?"
"Hunting?" No. No, no, no, no, no. That couldn't be true.
His next words were a vicious snarl. "What did you eat in the compound? Think about it, Ayla. Why did they just call it meat? Because it was Dragon!"
