Damn that bastard king! Naerie roared in her head. Once I'm free of these chains I swear I'll destroy him! Despite her uncontrollable rage she appeared calm from the outside. The skittish guard had actually grown more comfortable during their long trek, but still trailed slightly behind.

Naerie didn't know much about the Underground, only what she had heard from gossiping servants. Anyone sent there never returned. Doomed to die alone and in agony. For the first time in Naeries' life, she felt nervous. It fluttered about in her stomach like a butterfly, making her light-headed.

The path to the Underground was long, winding and dark with nothing but torches to light the way. They had long passed the dungeon with its strong stench of urine and now it was simply musky and damp. The deeper they walked, the heavier the pressure felt. It pressed down on Naeries' chest and she almost struggled to breathe. Tiagons are meant for forests, not dingy underground tunnels.

The guard suddenly began to whistle, much to Naeries annoyance. But although she wouldn't admit it, it was slightly comforting.

After walking for about fifteen minutes they finally stood before a large door built into the rock. The guard, who she had grudgingly decided wasn't half bad knocked loudly three times on the metal door. The ground around them swallowed the sound like a hungry beast and the two waited in a pregnant silence.

With a loud screeech the large door was opened and the two were met with a rush of cool air. Quite odd for a place so deep beneath the ground but she soon realized why. The man who opened the door stood by as she was led inside. He was more pale than anything she had ever seen in her life, almost like snow. He did not appear unhealthy though as his skin seemed to almost glow. It was him, she realized. He was the reason for the cool air. She had never met a Nerr in her life and she certainly didn't expect to meet one in the Underground. Something was off though. His dark grey eyes stared blankly as though he was hypnotized. The lifeless look sent a chill down her spine as her anxiety increased tenfold.

Breathe... she reminded herself.

Out of the shadows stepped two more guards. These two were quite different from the lanky, skittish guard she had grown to tolerate. They stood at least seven feet tall with bulging muscles and hardened faces. This is where the real guards were. The experienced ones. To deal with those who try to escape. She desperately held tight to the promise she had heard merely hours before. She just had to wait for the perfect chance. They may look strong, but they are still only human. With her new, wavering confidence she stood as tall as she could in her animal form and held eye contact with one of the men. Her previous guard, who had now completed his task was quick to turn and run the way he came without sparing a single glance back at her. Coward. She couldn't blame him though.

The guard met her gaze, unblinking and made a single order with his rough voice. "Shift."

Naerie broke eye contact, surprised. Out of all the things she had expected she hadn't considered being allowed to show her humanoid form.

The guard repeated himself when she hadn't immediately changed, although his tone was slightly more harsh than before.

Not wasting any more time, Naerie closed her eyes and plunged herself deep into her soul, reaching towards her other form. In seconds, her bones began to shift, fur and claws retracted as her messy, dark hair grew out to her mid-back. When she reopened her eyes, she looked almost exactly like a human. The thick chain around her neck hung loosely now. The weight of the chain was slightly more uncomfortable in this form where it pressed directly to her brown skin.

The two guards seemed to be unaffected by her ness. Naerie felt no shame towards being , it was quite common amongst her people and not considered improper.

With her chain leash held in an iron grip, the guards led her through a maze of halls. Along the way, Naerie picked up a stench that seemed to get stronger and stronger. A scent not unlike rotting flesh. Her empty stomach began to churn.

The entire walk was silent. Naerie didn't dare attempt a conversation with the two men. They seemed more like puppets than people anyway. Eventually, they entered the final room. The source of the stench. If Naerie had food in her stomach it would have been on the rock beneath her feet by now. It smelled of death. Urine, sweat, and rot coming together to assault her sensitive nose, bringing tears to her light brown eyes.

The guards marched on, apparently used to the insulting scents and Naerie struggled to keep her senses while she observed the horrors before her.

A young man, about her age sat in one of the many small cells carved into the rock, tearing viciously into a slab of raw, old meat. It didn't take long for her to recognize him as one of her own. His nose twitched and he glanced up at her, his head tilted curiously as his eyes struggled to focus. The same dead looking eyes as the Nerr who had greeted her. She felt her sorrow to her core as she stared at his scarred body. One wound in his side bled profusely, but he ignored it.

Next was a young woman. Naerie was relieved to see that her eyes were clear. Her bright, golden brown gaze seemed to cut through to Naeries very soul. The woman had a permanent scowl etched on to her face and she wore dark, form-fitting clothing that she recognized quickly despite the dirt. She was an Eagon. A race born from war, the most skilled fighters in all of Ekai. Some scars littered her lean, muscular body, but they seemed quite old for the most part. Bloody meat sat in a pile before her but she didn't move to approach it.

Finally, another young Eagon, a boy this time, sat with his back facing them. Two impossibly large feathered wings protruded from his coloured with multiple shades of brown and black. If it weren't for her current situation, she would have taken some time to admire them, even though Eagons were her supposed enemy.

One of the two guards unlocked and pushed open the cell door. It creaked loudly, alerting the young man that someone was there. His wings twitched, but he made no other move. The guard holding her chain quickly removed it from her neck before roughly shoving her into the cell. Instinctively, she whipped around and growled, baring her slightly elongated fangs. The guards showed the first sign of life since she met them and laughed at her, the sound similar to nails on a chalkboard. One threw a dull brown, scratchy looking dress in after her before slamming the cell and locking it. They marched away, their cackled laughter still echoed around her.

She was shocked out of her growling by a choked cough. The young man, once realising that the guards were not there for him must have turned around. His wide, almost black eyes were locked onto her back. Naerie turned fully to look back at him and his flushed face became impossibly darker as he whipped his head away and spoke for the first time.

"P-put on some clothes!"