The Half-lings Pt 7

Michael returned quick and the group gathered close around him. They were ready to end this battle once and for all.
"I will not lie to you. Some us you will die tonight. These men are fully armed and want to kill us badly. They will not stop until everyone of us are dead... or they are. We have to fight with all of the animal instinct we were born with. Abandoned the life of being half human for now. Let the wild animal in you take over. We must fight as they will fight... to the end. None can be allowed to escape to come back another time! But remember, Michaelie is Mine! I will be the one to kill him!
A strange group, She-cats and Beasts together, fighting for the same cause. Survival of their species. Together they slipped into the forest, all in one movement. They broke off into groups, a mix of She-cats and Beast-men. Calamine was following Michael and he stopped her.
"You are a leader, Cal. You need to lead some of the groups in the opposite direction of me. Leandra trusts you to lead in her absence and that is good enough for me. Together we can defeat these creatures."
"You are right, Michael and Leandra was correct in saying you were a great leader. You two will lead together perfectly. I will take a group to the left and you go to the right. We may need to come in behind them to have the advantage."
"You are wise and we will do things your way for now. We will meet in the center behind the humans. Be safe, Cal."
Shots could be heard from the center of the forest. The humans were finding She-cats and beasts that were lost and trying to find their families. Some were unaware that the two had joined as one. They passed one another in the forest, both hoping neither saw the other. As Calamine or Michael found some of them, they quickly explained the plan and moved on.
Michael sniffed the air, searching for the one scent that he knew would make him toss all reason aside. He wanted to find the man that was his father and ask him before he killed him why he hated him so. The screams from the forest only served to make his anger grow. He wasn't even sure now if he would have the strength to ask the question. He might just simply Kill Him.
"I can smell the creatures, Men! We can kill the cats easier now that we have killed their leader. They will be confused and wandering!"
"Michaelie, why are why finding both so close together? I thought the cats and beasts were enemies?"
"I have heard that the Beast and a She-cat have found each other. Perhaps they are closer than we think. That is why we Must kill them tonight. They can not be allowed to breed! The leader of the Beasts will fall tonight at My hands. Injure him, subdue him, leave him near death but Do Not Kill him! He belongs to me!"
The men walked on, separating into two groups. They searched the forest, listening for any sounds of the animals. They were killing them as quick as they found them. Many cats and beasts had died in the past few hours of darkness. It was few and far between now. The men wondered where the others were. They knew they had Not killed them all yet. Not knowing where the animals had gone to left a bit of fear in the men's minds.
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Michael saw Calamine and her group coming in from the side. She saw him and nodded to him. As they neared the center, Michael felt something touch his shoulder. He turned to see Leandra behind him.
"What are you doing here!?!?! You are not strong enough to fight!"
"Michael, I am better and I will not let the one I love fight without me beside him. We will not argue about this. It is simply done. Let us go finish this."
She took her place with Calamine and thanked her for standing in her stead. Suddenly, the trees moved in front of them. Birds that had been sheltered in the trees took to flight. The animals all turned towards the sound of the trees. As the tree's parted, the animals found themselves face to face with the humans. Both humans and animals stared at one another, neither certain what to do. Michael sniffed the air. He found the scent he was searching for. At that moment, the men raised their rifles. Cats and Beasts scattered into the protection of the thicket. Shots rang out and screams filled the air. Screams of both humans and animals filled the forest. Animals began to attack, slipping below the bullets and wrapping them selves around the legs of the shooters. Pulling them down to the ground, the animals killed them quickly. Blood now covered their coats and the ground looked like a red river. Men died now, un-mercifully at the hands of the beasts and the deadly claws of the She-cats. Some of the men tried to run into the forest to save themselves. They were killed as they tried to find their way out. The battled raged on for what seemed to be hours and suddenly, the animals slowly taking control. Michael saw the man he would kill. He raced from the crowd and approached Michaelie. "So, you have found me, have you?
Michael resisted the desire to kill the man in front him. He needed an answer to his question. Michaelie tried to raise his rifle but Micheal stripped it from his fathers hands.
"I need to know why you hate me so."
His father stared at him. His eyes were filled with both confusion and hatred. He stepped back from Michael. He spoke with animosities in his voice.
"I hate you because you are what I fought to Not be. I found a way to lead a normal life. I found your mother and she did Not tell me she was a freak! I fell in love with her and wanted a Son that was normal. She gave me you and so i killed her! I hate you because of the creature you are. I want you dead because I do NOT want my blood-line tainted and corrupted by the creature you are! I want you and the other creature dead!!!!"
Michael looked at the man before him. He felt nothing for him nor did he care any longer that this man was his father. He sliced through the air and his claws caught the man's face. Michaelie screamed as blood covered him and Michael. He reached out to Michael but Michael stepped back and watch his father fall to the ground dead. As he snarled at the dead man a stinging sensation surged through his shoulder. The power of the bullet ripped at his body and sent him to the ground. Three men surrounded Michael and raised their rifles.
"You are going to die, Beast!" He aimed his rifle at Michael's head and began pulling back on the trigger. "Goodbye, you freak!"
"He may indeed die, human, but today is Not the day!"
Michael looked up and saw Leandra standing behind the men. A Beast stood beside her, growling low. the man's finger pulled back and the shot rang out like a bomb being set off. Micheal's body jerked as the second round hit his back. He screamed in pain and clawed at the ground.
"No, NO, this isn't happening!!!" Leandra moved as she watched Michael's body writhe in pain on the ground. He teeth dug into the mans neck and she ripped his throat open. "You will die now, you spawn! All of you humans are going to die. This I swear to you!"
The beast beside her grabbed two of the men at once and slammed their bodies together over and over until they were lifeless. He growled and then knelt down and picked Michael up. "We will not leave him here. I will find the girl Lori and she will care for him! He will Not die, Leandra!"
"He can't!" Leandra screamed and raised off into the forest to kill the rest of the men. The screams that filled the air now were of humans dieing. The only other sound was Leandra, screaming and growling and Killing...