Protectors of War

Karana bolted, rushing over to help Kasey subdue the man. Poor Anna...Karana understood her position, but there was a time and a place for everything. Strangers: you had to be cautious.

"Easy, sir," Karana spoke, voice gentle but edged with firmness. It was the same tone she used with her rougher horses, the ones that tended to throw her and attempt to run her over. "There's nothing to fear here. You're - "

Whoosh. She almost caught a backhand in the face, stunning her momentarily. She snarled, temper flaring temporarily. Keep your cool. Calm down. He's just delirious.

She caught one wrist in her hands, using all her might to pin his hand to his chest. She practically laid across him, Kasey helping by taking the other arm. Karana put all her weight on top of his hands; she wondered if he'd be able to lift her and free himself? She risked moving one of her own hands to his face; well, what she could see of it. She gently began to stroke his forehead and cheeks. "Be still. We're not trying to hurt you. Just relax. Please?"

Kenji

"Don't take of my scarf!" I gasped through my dry throat.
I pushed them out of the way, staggering towards the fountain. I submerged my head in the cool water, I gulped it down and it stung my cracked lips.
Once I had drank my fill, the strangers slowly walked up to me, "Who are you?"
"M-my name is Kenji," Suddenly I remembered why I came here, I grabbed the nearest pair of arms and spluttered, "I have t-to warn this village!" I looked up to the silhouette created by the suns glare, giving the stranger and oddly angelic look, "They're c-coming!"
I had succeeded, I smiled again as I slumped forward.

(Looks like I'll have to skip the whole "freaking-out-because-all-their-stuff-is-gone" thing with my characters. But that's all right, I was planning on starting the story off like this anyway.)

"Who's coming?" Kasey asked. Everyone shook their heads, they didn't know what he meant either.

"We can figure out what he meant later, let's get him back inside," Karana said.

Irik and Jaden lifted him up again, but before they started moving, Jaden froze. He started looking around the town aimlessly. "Do you guys hear that?" he asked.

"I don't hear anything," Irik said. "Now come on, I'm getting tired of carrying this guy."

"Just listen! It sounds like some kind of whistling noise."

"Hey, I can hear it, too," Rebbecca said.

Everyone stood still and listen. Sure enough they heard the sound of a feint whistle. The sound started to get louder and louder, indicating that whatever was making the noise was getting closer. When the noise became really loud, a nearby house exploded.

The force of the explosion knocked everyone off their feet. Shocked and confused, they all scrambled for cover. the darted behind a pile of crates beside the fountain. "What the hell was that!?" Irik shouted as they looked upon the ruined house.

A voice in the distance scream, "The Empire is attacking!"

(Just so you guys know, the Empire has giant walking robots called mechs that they use for war. There will be two at this town, along with a platoon of foot soldiers.)

*Sorry, I didn't know that you were planning to do something! *

Karana hissed. There, on the horizon - which wasn't far off - was a platoon of soldiers. And two machines. All of them had murder in mind.

"Hey! One of you, come with me!" she shouted at the brothers. "I've got horses we can ride and pull wagons!"

She didn't know which one was which, but he didn't hesitate. Everyone else steadied Kenji as chaos erupted. It seemed the whole town was in a panic; well, it was, but that was beside the point. Karana bolted, racing toward her homestead and the barns, her companion not far behind.

"Take the drafts! There are two wagons in the back!" she commanded, popping the bolts on two clydesdales' stalls as she passed. The horses neighed and stomped their hooves; they could sense the danger. ONe of them reared, striking out with the forehooves in rebellion.

"Damn it!" she snarled, taking the animals' halters. She led them to the wagons and held their heads, wrapping a spare towel over each of their heads. Blinded, they settled down a little; just long enough to be harnessed. She would have to rush to get the quarters out. Those who wouldn't fit in the wagons would have to ride.

Kenji

I was woken by the screams of the panicking people, that and the fact that the four strangers I had met earlier were trying to fold me up and put me into a small wagon. "It wont work," I said, my voice muffled by my scarf, "I wont fit in with all that stuff.
I struggled as they ignored me and the large one dropped me. When I hit the ground I quickly crawled under the wagon that I would have been forced into. "Hey, get out from under there!" I heard one of the girls say.
Once I was sure that they weren't going to pounce on me, I came out and walked by them. I looked at the saddle on the horses, they were different from the ones we had used at home, never the less I still climbed on and after looking at it for a few seconds, figured out a way I could secure myself to the horse. A pair of hands tried to help but I swatted them away, glaring at them over the layers of my scarf. I could hear the Empires dreaded machines getting closer by the second. I looked over the houses to see a blue flag with three darker blue dotted going diagonally through. That was the one flag I didn't want to see, I was the flag that had caused the utter destruction of the peaceful life I had once had. While I was staring into the past, the others had got supplies and had attached the wagons to the horses. I jumped slightly as one of the women clambered on behind me and took the reins from my hands, I heard her mutter, "Just in case you faint again."
I ignored her comment and just looked up at the clear blue sky.

Karana had helped hitch the horses to the wagons and load them with provisions, women, children, and elderly. She had been tending to them the entire time Kenji struggled against the others, finally ending up on a horse by himself.

Stubborn fool, she hissed to herself. He's in no condition to ride. She had then proceeded to pounce up on the horse's back, behind him, and snare the reins from his hands. "Just in case you faint again," had been her only explanation.

His silent regard to her pissed her off. Stubborn, and ungrateful. What a combo.

She tapped the gelding's hindquarters with her heels, driving the horse forward. But not too far. She stayed within range of the wagons, in case she had to make a mad dash to catch their reins. She felt into her boot for the dagger hidden there; she had always kept it on her, in case of emergency. This counts for one. She held it firmly in her right hand, her left wrapped around the reins, and led the convoy down the street.

Jaden sat in the back of one of the wagons with Irik. It was packed with people, making it hard to move around. He hoped they got out of the town soon. He tried not to think about what those soldiers might do if they caught them.

Irik gave Jaden a pat on the back. "Now this is what I'm talking about! Isn't this exciting, Jaden?"

Before Jaden could answer another missle blew up a house close by. The wagon shook a bit as the driver got the spooked horse under control. "Exciting!?" Jaden yelled. "How is this at all exciting!? I'm terrified right now!"

"This is what being on an adventure is all about!" Irik said. "A real man seeks out danger, he doesn't wait for it to find him."

"Over there, stop them!" a voice from further down one of the streets yelled.

Jaden looked to see soldiers riding after them on horses of their own. "Oh no, they're after us!"

Irik smiled and asked, "You still got those things?"

Jaden thought for a second and said, "Yeah, I think so. Why?"

His smile got even wider. "I have an idea."

Jaden pulled his sack off his shoulders and reached inside. He pulled out a pouch filled with small red balls that he handed to his brother. Irik took one of the balls and, as one of the soldiers got closer, threw it. The ball exploded in a flash of purple when it hit the ground, spooking the soldiers' horses and throwing them of their backs.

Irik turned to Jaden and said, "See? Didn't I tell you these firecrackers would come in handy?"

*laughs, that was a very good idea!*

*laughs, that was a very good idea!*

*Someone bring me in again please.*

(It's not that hard to bring yourself in. Just explain what your character is seeing. She can be in the same cart of people as Jaden and Irik watching them whip firecrackers at the soldiers.)

***Awesome. Firecrackers rule!...until you catch your boyfriend's grandmother's lawn on fire. XD

And, Arya, if it's any help, why not try reading through the last few posts, imagine if you were seeing the scene yourself, and then writing it that way? Like, for instance, describe the destruction you see or who you're riding with, if you're not riding solo on a panicking horse. If you can't think of something, just PM me and I'll see what I can do. Kay?***

*I help you and just bring you in since your always with my characters anyways*

Kasey~

Me and Anna were in the back of the wagon. I was clutching Anna to my chest tightly the thought of losing her just like my sister was unbearable. Rebbecca was next to us and she gave me a reassuring look, but I knew it was more of trying to reassure herself.

Right when I thought we might actually make it one of the soldiers yelled. "Get them!" Anna started shaking parable having flashbacks of her village destruction.

I figured we were goners till I heard a familiar whizzing sound, followed by an explosion. Fire crackers. I looked back to see weed head and the little boy with him throwing them. Good idea, I smiled at least they were trying to live.

"It's okay Anna." I looked over to see Rebbecca pulling Anna's hair out of her face and mumbling words of encouragement.

Karana looked around desperately. There wasn't much to be done, other than hold the soldiers off until everyone else was safe...

She gasped in realization. That was it! Hold them off! Until the others were safe! She just hoped it would work...

She used a barrel racing maneuver; thankfully, the mare she was riding with Kenji was trained for it. The horse spun quickly on a single hoof, bolting back in the direction they came. She could hear the others shouting at her as she passed. She ignored them.

Hopefully it wouldn't get them all killed. But her desire to protect her fellows was stronger than the desire to use common sense. Once again. Her father's brainless stunts coming through.

"What are you doing?" Kenji finally acknowledged her presence, although his tone wasn't too friendly. It was almost accusatory.

"Distracting them. What do you think?" she snapped back, tucking the knife back in her boot; she couldn't risk stabbing Kenji or herself. With her hand free, she was able to hold Kenji in place, despite his protests of having a girl brace him. Almost there...just a little farther... She saw the soldiers hesitate, quite obviously not expecting to see a teenaged female civilian charging them on horseback with a half-conscious passenger. The horse nickered in uncertainty.

"Are you crazy?!" Kenji roared, half turning to glare at her, eyes icy.

"Maybe. What's your excuse?"

She nudged the horse's haunches with her knees. It ran headlong into a soldier, knocking him over and scattering the ones behind him. No sooner than that, Karana repeated the barrel racer trick, making the mare lunge back in the other direction, bolting toward the caravan of wagons and fleeing people.