The proud ancient city of Ur.

It's bronze gates pulled away as the sword and shielded warriors headed out on their beautifully decorated horses. The sun blazed it's glory down across the wilderness as the legion of warriors rode towards the beach, plooms of dust clouded the skies as it was kicked out behind them.

A lone warrior had reported seeing strangers on the beach. This territory belonged to ancient Ur and those whom dared to trespass would pay dearly for their crime.

As the Captain of the warriors rode his horse to the ledge overlooking the windswept sealine, he held up his arm to halt the others that rode behind him. They were hungery for the kill.

There was a commotion on the beach, he looked down to see a half male in a loin cloth in the position of being mauled to death by a *giant Skadon.

Through cold eyes, the captain rose his blood stained sword and kicked the side of his horse. He charged down the sandy bank to the beach at top speed.

The shaggy beast that no longer lives in our time turned its salivating jaws away from mauling Zull. The thing was about to rip out his neck. The things eyes focused on the approaching soldier with his sword in the air catching the gleam of the sun.

The ten foot beast moved away from Zull who managed to roll away from the nightmare hound.

The stranger upon the horse strode fast upon the hot sands as the skadon stood defiant. It was ready to pounce and as it did the captains sword rose to the air and cut clean through the beasts neck, beheading the creature in one swift .

The things body spasmed on the sand, the head rolling towards the sea. Zull looked up from where he lay, the sun blotting out his vision as the horse came to tower over him. The dark silhouette of the warrior-rider looking down upon him. A language being uttered that he could not interpret.

His head bolted to the side when he heard the scream. It was Tsa. Zull squinted through the horses legs to view his mate being dragged up the beach towards them by two other warriors. These strangers upper faces were all hidden by helmets made of human skulls.

These were the bronze age folk Zull had heard legend about from his kin when he was still small. These folks lived in stone caves rather than the traditional natural ones that scattered the world.

He thought it was all stories. He didn't believe that it all could be true. But it was.

It seemed that his way of life was dying out in the world. These bronze age peoples were the way of the future.

Zull managed to climb to his feet as Tsa and the two warriors that held her tight came to a halt.

Through the eye sockets of the mask he wore, a mask made from some poor lost soul of the past, the captain stared at Zull with cold harsh eyes and barked orders to his men. Zull was siezed and dragged to a nearby stallion. The warriors seemed to possess some form of superhuman strength because he couldn't move out from their tight grip, whose sharp taloned nails cut into his arms.

He was forced down to the sand and his wrists and ankles were tied tightly with thick twine. One of the masked warriors then picked him up and through him over the back of the stallion. Tsa wasn't tied up, she was made to sit behind the captain on his horse and it took the lead as the legion of troops rode forth back to ancient Ur.

Ancient Ur loomed across the bleak suncracked wilderness. The strong hot breezes swept them along the way. Zull was suffering sun burning again until blisters came up all over his body. He managed to look up and see for the first time a man made city on the approach.

Ancient Ur had stood many a cycle. Even their cave dwelling ancestors at time's dawn lived at its foundations.

The stone caves and temples to unknown gods rose above him as they entered through the bronze gates. Once through the city gates they stopped in a palmed court yard where men and woman lived. Men looked up from their work and stared at them, woman were washing cloths of a strange garb in the communial centre pool also looked up. There was whispers and awe as they looked on and pointed at the strange savages that were Zull and Tsa.

The Warrior captain pointed to a stone building and barked orders to his fellow warrior jumping off a horse next to him. The warrior man-handled Zull, and lugged him from the back of the horse and them dragged him across the stoney ground leaving a trail of blood where his skin was torn from the bone.

Tsa gasped and went to follow her mate, but the captain held out his arm and barred her way. With cruel lustful eyes the captain stared down at her beasts and a smirk came to his lips. Tsa shied away, her blonde wavy hair blowing in the gusty breeze that whipped up around them.

His smirk then faded and he snatched hold of her arm and pulled her into the direction of a tall stone building that was guarded by ushers with ornate bronze spears. She gasped out and tried to struggle and fight her way out of his clutches, but the captain slapped her and she slammed to the ground, the captain then grabbed her hair and she screamed out in terror as she was literally dragged on her back into the cool dark dwelling.

Inside it was cool and refreshing. Torches burned in wall brackets aluminating the stone tunnel like corridors and passages.

Tsa was made to stand and was pushed into a chamber that opened up wider. As her eyes focused in the dim light, she saw a raised dias and on this dias was an ivory throne. Sat on it was a half figure in strange garbs called silk. The figure wore a headress that was held in place by a crown of gold in the shape of a serpent.

This was the Shama of Ur, Ruler of the world.

And his cruel dark eyes looked down to Tsa...and he his lips.

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* A Skadon is probably a prehistoric Hyhenadon a creature that died out long ago.