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Selpicids Diantha Ann Williamson Hattiesburg MS “Run! Run!” screamed my mind. My legs burned and my heart thudded painfully, but I ran. My partners pounded on either side of me. We were fleeing for our lives. It was dark, a moonless night of evil. I could not see my friends, but I felt them in all their forms. Tara pounded behind me, her hooves muffled by the dense forest carpet. Ven flapped noiselessly in front of me, his sharp eyes guiding us. Micha loped next to me, his lithe, silvery body rippling and glowing even in the deep night. Beng, that is I, lumbered along next to Micha. “It’s dawn,” whispered through my mind; it was Ven’s steady voice telling us to pull up. We were deep into the Hallowed Woods that blanketed the Teki Mountains. We surveyed the area: the trees towered hundreds of feet in the air and webbed themselves together. Nothing else grew in the forest; it was a sea of thick gnarly trunks — not a favorable hiding place for ground dwellers. We assumed Ven’s form and disappeared into the dense foliage. This must sound strange to you; our world is of a different order than yours. We came from your world, earth. We remember it, but we left to serve in this new world. The time scales are different. Our world is young and growing, it is vicious and struggling unlike placid, civilized earth. Why did we leave? You might call us warriors, missionaries, explorers, or teachers. He sent us, the King, who dwells neither in our world or yours, but above both of our homes. We are here to help establish this new world the right way, according to the rules of the King, which earth diverged from so long ago. Like earth, this world is big, but people still fight. We are Selpiscids. We are four of the ten Masters. Your superheroes, archaic knights, samurai, ninjas, three musketeers, and even the fictitious Jedi, we are all of them and more. Selpis, for short, we are hunted because we still hold to old virtues and truths, which ruins devious plans. Selpis never kill unless it is unavoidable, thus we provoke change through unseen influence. Unfortunately, my partners and I were found, our home destroyed. We are rarely caught, but our enemies grow more numerous and more cunning by the hour. We are strong: we can morph, borrowing the likeness of our animal partners; we wield the powers of the mind like no others; and nothing can overcome our loyalty to the King. Through him all of our strength comes, we are his. This enemy we flee is Asrik, her name means daughter of Tartarus, and that she is. The time was not ripe to strike against her, but it will come soon. Now that I have caught my breath, let me explain more about us. We are all sixteen, of middle age in our world. We are full-fledged Selpi masters. Before we left earth, we were all about forty-five by your standards. I was a doctor; Ven was an engineer, Micha, a teacher; and Tara an officer. We were all apart of the Marine Corp. To be Selpis Masters, we went through ten more years of physical and mental training after the Marines. In our training, we developed a sharpened awareness (sometimes called telepathy) and the ability to morph. All of four of us can assume the shape of a hawk, horse, wolf, tiger, and our natural state of humanity. We are all very similar, but different. Tara is the tallest. She gazes down on the world with gentle green eyes and, depending on her form, has long, silky black hair. She is the horse. Everything about Ven is sharp. His angles, piercing brown eyes, adroit hands, and ruffled hair. He is usually a hawk. Micha is slender and graceful, like the wolf he portrays. His hair is silvery blonde and his eyes a penetrating gray. I, Beng, am the shortest. I have sapphire blue eyes and dark hair, but as a tiger, I am striped white. On earth, we had different “statuses,” as Selpis, we are equal. “What will we do?” asked Micha. We were all hawks like Ven, identifiable only by our eyes and voices. “We must remain aloof for a while and gather information. Asrik is hardened to any council, it will come to down to war.” said Tara. She was the soldier; we were all reluctant to engage. We were good, but still vulnerable, and bloodshed was such a waste. We all nodded to that statement. The pre-dawn silence enveloped us. “I think it is safe to stand,” said Ven eyeing the soft forest floor. We descended cautiously then assumed our human forms. We, traditionally, were robed in black. “Is anyone hurt? Do we have everything?” I questioned. We had to fight our way out of our home, which was now a smoking heap. Then, we had run all through the night. Everyone inspected themselves. I held out my cloak, it was riddled with bullet holes. I felt my belt. My sword dangled against my leg, so did my dagger and handgun. My dog tag jangled familiarly against my chest and my book weighted my inner pocket. I had everything, but something was searing across my side. My shirt was slashed and soaked. I glanced around. Micha favored his arm. Ven limped and grunted in pain. Their clothes stuck with blood and dirt. Tara’s hand was mauled. We set about helping each other. Micha was first because he was bleeding profusely. He had an arrowhead in his bicep. I jerked it out as best as I could then salvaged my cloak for a tourniquet. We worked swiftly and silently. Tara and Ven examined and cleaned all of the weapons. “Find some straight sticks please,” I called. Tara and Micha nodded. I wrestled Ven’s boot off. His ankle was swollen and puce. It was broken along with some toes. We did our best with the crude splint. Tara had been attacked by the hounds of Asrik, she was lucky to still posses all of her fingers. “Here, use this,” offered Micha. He handed me a length of his sleeve. My cloak was already two feet shorter. I bandaged Tara’s hand with his sleeve. I glanced down at my side. I had a knife wound from my last rib to my navel, about a foot long and half an inch deep. Ven expertly wrapped a rag over it and tied it in a slip-less knot. “We are so blessed,” said Micha soothingly. It was late morning now and the wood was awakening. We all murmured our agreement. He pulled out his book. On earth, it was called a Bible, here, just the book. All Selpis carry a copy, for it is the book of our King. Micha recited a few familiar passages; we were rejuvenated by those words. Then we prayed. Telepathy is strong between Selpiscids and the King. “We must eat then move,” instructed Tara. We all rose. We were in the middle of the Hallowed Woods, where no person of Asrik would dare come. The woods were hallowed to their creator therefore no evil felt safe there. However, even though we were safe, that was not our purpose. We needed to move into civilization, no matter how dangerous. In this young world, man and animal were not so separated as on earth. We forced our tired bodies to our feet, and then tensed upon instinct. A small doe walked upon us unexpectedly. “Excuse me, miss, is there water near?” asked Tara in her singsong voice. No one feared her even though she commanded troops in battle. The doe froze. To see humans in the wood was rare. “If Selpis you are, then what is the code?” she asked, disregarding the question. “1 19-1 1-3-16-4-13” we recited in unison. The doe nodded in approval. “Welcome Selpi Masters. To see you is strange in the wood, but you look pursued, and this place is a refuge for you. Meager rations are near; follow me. I am called Fira.” We bowed our heads in thanks then followed her. Fira wound her way purposefully through the trees. “Is evil near?” she asked frankly. “Asrik chased us from our doorstep. She is no longer an ignorant child. She inherited her father’s kingdom by force- she murdered him. She seeks to destroy all that is good,” explained Ven. Fira wagged her ears. “Then the rumors are true, travelers have mentioned such things. A new world is not necessarily better, eh? Nevertheless, we, the deer, do not doubt the Selpis. We would be honored to be counted among your allies, but know that even the animals fall for the lusty daughter of Tartarus and are not always friend. Even here, among the trees, sides are chosen.” “Your friendship is a great gift and your simple warnings strong advice. Thank you Fira, we are much obliged.” I said. We had reached a trickled of a stream, surrounded by a few fruit bearing plants. “One more question, where is the next village?” said Tara as she stooped to gather fallen fruit. “Follow the water and you will find man,” instructed Fira before she bounded off into the woods, the white of her tail flashing through the trees. We called our thanks. We scooped as much fruit and a few nuts into our makeshift sack and we filled our huge canteen. “Let’s go, it will be safer to approach the village by night,” said Micha. He shrank down onto all fours, a stout, silent wolf with a small satchel over his shoulder. We became a small wolf pack to avoid suspicion and our coats camouflaged us better. Even Micha’s glistening gray coat and Tara’s obsidian one were hard to spot. We followed the babbling stream as it meandered and splashed down the mountain. All the way, the woods were beginning to thin; we were approaching the inhabited valley. “I smell fire,” said Tara as she wrinkled her wet nose. “So do I," I grunted. “Smells like war fire, not sweet cooking fire.” Ven and Micha nodded in grim agreement. Asrik and her forces might have beat us... the villagers were helpless against her heavily armed brutes. The trees ended abruptly. We clung along that line, still safely harbored in the tall shadows. We squinted into the distance, ignoring the retina-burning sunset. A silhouetted village stood before us. It was smoldering. We were too late. Without a word, we became tigers. We bounded silently, not rustling a single blade of grass. We were racing into battle. Instinctively we separated and encircled the camp. Half of it was ruined by fire, and in a field baffle ensued. The villagers were brave in facing the expert killers of Asrik, but raw bravery was not enough. Asrik sent only one hundred men, but they were armed with savage weapons and unparalleled skill. Only thirty villagers remained to ward off the complete and tireless legion. At least fifty villagers lay slaughtered. “Teki people: a people of wisdom, control, and philosophy, not of fighting.” said Tara in my head. “Ven, the man in front of you, the Asrikan, he is a swordsman, watch his left side. He conceals a dagger. I learned the hard way,” I whispered into their minds and felt their nods of reception. “Beng, you and I will get the leaders. Micha, take out the horsemen. Ven, defend the villagers,” commanded Tara. “On my mark, assume form and open baffle. Remember: For the King, the people, and the world. Kill only when necessary, love always, serve always, and forget yourself.” Tara recited our motto. We chanted along then sprang. Tara and I took the generals of the Asrik army out in two shots from fifty yards away. They never knew what hit them. Micha loped up behind the enemies as a tiger. He shrieked that eerie feline howl that sent the horses into hysteria. He deftly slid between the horses’ legs raking their bellies, which killed the horse and toppled the men in the saddle by slashing the girth. He made quick work of the panicked cavalry. Ven sprang into the middle of the struggling villagers. He spun swiftly thrusting his sword to deliver many a fatal blow. Tara and I continued to fire long range before sliding into the fray with Ven. Micha soon joined us. Neither the Asrikans nor the villagers had time to be surprised by us. It was war. “You, alive!” she spat at me, the Asrikan soldier. I had engaged her at our home and overcome her once. “You still listen to her evil?” I asked calmly, not needing to stir the existing mutual hatred. “Shut up, Selpi. You are a farce. Your King cannot overcome Asrik; she will soon be Que-” She never finished her sentence. Something leaden glanced my shoulder and someone gasped. Tara was hit; the bullet that grazed me had pierced her. Micha and I caught her before she collapsed. Her thigh was pouring blood. We fired outwards with deadly accuracy. “Beng!” Ven cried, and I knew. Micha supported Tara. I reached down and threw it back from whence it came... a hand grenade. It exploded within the enemy ranks seconds later. It would have killed us all if Ven had not seen it. Though the villagers did not know us, they helped Tara away from the vanguard. .she returned less than ten minutes later and we fought on. We whittled the Asrikans down to thirty before the stars appeared. When the moon rose, only sixteen remained. We needed to finish them off before a runner could be dispatched for reinforcement. There were four of them to every one of us; the villagers were almost asleep on their feet. The battle was fierce, swift, and taxing, but before dawn, we were separating the bodies: one hundred professional soldiers and countless villagers. I doctored as many villagers as I could save. The Teki people were strong. Ven disappeared within the toppled village to rebuild as much as possible by moonlight. Micha counseled the shell-shocked people. Tara remained near the field. She confiscated as many valuable weapons, armors, and provisions as she could without desecrating the bodies: even the enemies were honored in death. “Selpi Masters, correct?” said the Teki leader, Keeketo. We nodded, exhausted beyond words. The four of us were leaning against each; we had not slept in three days. “Our great thanks, but now is not the time, there is much to do. You are injured, follow me.” We dragged ourselves behind Keeketo. We desperately needed help. We looked more dead than we did alive. By late morning, we had regrouped among the villagers; the carnage was unbelievable, yet this was only the beginning of Asrik’s immense destruction. As Selpis, we had plenty of work to do, but we feared not the future.
“Remember: For the King, the people, and the world. Kill only when necessary, love always, serve always, and forget yourself.”
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