Chapter Two: The Predator Stalks its Prey
The air was cool and crisp as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky, bathing the forest in the dusky red light of evening. Deep in the Vesanus forest, within acres innumerable, a small hut sat upon a hill near the edge of a village. Light spewed from the open walled forge attached to the small house, just as smoke billowed from the chimney positioned at the highest point of the structure, and just as slag spewed from the piece of metal being worked, flattened and folded. splattering the red furred arms of a fox. The metal's glow diminishing the more it was pounded, swiftly replacing the half-finished work back into the pile of burning coals and once more, the fox walked over to the bellows that were inlayed in the side of his forge, he began the arduous process of supplying a steady supply of air to the fire, to increase the intensity of flame, and bring the metal to a temperature that allowed the steel to be malleable once more.
Nearing his intended target temperature, Nick swiftly grasped his tongs and removed the metal bar from the pit of his forge, onto the anvil, where the bright orange of heated metal contrasted with the dull grey of his anvil. Drawing out the length of the bar, he flattened and started to narrow both edges, his hammer reverberating a dull thwacking sound with each hit upon the stock. Nearing the point of the now rough blank of a two-edged blade, Nick rapidly beat on both sides, narrowing the point with a slight rounded taper, and after flattening the various pits in the metal, Nick held the sword blank at arm's length letting the metal rapidly cool to a diming red, nick placed the half-finished work upon on one of the various tables that lined the outside of his shop. Nick removed his smith's apron and, after placing it on a hook placed in a support near the entrance, walked the short distance to his house to prepare himself for the following day.
Gathering a small breakfast of bread and cheese, he set it aside along with his shield. A standard rectangular shield, with the longer sides perpendicular with the ground. He left some extra wood around the center of each side, so that the shield resembled a rectangle with a diamond-like mid-section all come together with a circular shield boss in the center. Painted a simple dark grey with his tribe's rune scrawled along the upper corner, along with another rune in the opposite corner, displaying his status as the head of his tribe. His shield had saved his hide in many a situation. Nick set it near the door with his leaf bladed spear, and his double-bladed sword near the door, he collapsed onto his straw cot and willed sleep to find him, it was going to be a long day tomorrow.
A sharp jolt ejected Nick from his restless sleep, wildly failing his arms in search for the assailant, his gaze landed on a short brown Fennec Fox.
"Time already"? Nick grumbled.
"we start moving to our position in a few minutes, be ready at the sound of the horn", replied Finnick., his gaze as always in his permanent scowl.
His deep rumble of a voice never ceased to surprise Nick. He glanced down at his small friend's attire, finding a traditional warrior garb of baggy pants, no shirt, and armed with a pair of simple daggers. Many a Zootopian legionnaire had fallen due to underestimating his skill as a warrior. Dragging himself out of his bed, and rubbing is eyes as Finnick left his house, Nick proceeded to scarf down his meager breakfast and put on pants very like Finnick's, donning his sword belt, shield and spear, nick walked out into the still dark early morning air. The wind chilling Nick's shirtless upper body. Silently thanking Woden for fox's superior night vision, Nick slowly meandered his way through the village, greeting those he found along the way. The village hummed with activity, the air was filled with the sound of blades sliding against stones, last horns of mead being downed, and the general hum of a large crowd. Nick made his way through to the assigned meeting place, a stone monument, engraved with runes and pictures displaying his tribe's greatest battles and heroes, surrounded by a circular field that served as a muster point for all warriors in the village and surrounding communities. Already gathered in the field was a warband filled with the familiar faces of his tribe and surrounding farms, he walked through their ranks and made his way to a small wooden scaffold that stood in front of the pillar. Leaving his shield and spear propped against the stone, Nick started climbing up the ladder that lead to the top of the scaffold, Nick was greeted by the pounding of weapons on shields and the mighty howling of warriors upon reaching the top. Raising his gaze upward toward the waiting horde of very enthusiastic warriors the torches scattered around the field giving the warband a demonic appearance.
Nick began to speak, "Today, we do not raid for gold, or slaves, today our prize is far greater. Today we ambush and DESTORY THE LEGIONS OF THE EMPIRE!"
The horde of warriors' roars rattled through the forest as they hyped themselves up for battle Nick was no exception, feeling his blood begin to boil and his breath begin to heat, he raised his voice higher to yell over the clamor of blood thirsty mammals.
"THIS DAY, WE AMBUSH AND CRUSH THE VERY CORE OF THE EMPIRE'S FORCES, CRIPPLEING THEIR WILL TO FIGHT AND OPENING THE EMPIRE'S HEARTLAND TO OUR FURY!"
Nick's vision began to sharpen, colors becoming more pronounced and the familiar tightening of his muscles announced that he was nearing his point of no return.
He continued his rant nearly foaming at the mouth, "NONE WILLL ESCAPE THE UNITED MIGHT OF THE VESANUS TRIBES, AND WITH ODEN'S BLESSING ON OUR SIDE, WE WILL RIDE INTO ZOOTOPIAN LANDS ATOP A WAVE OF DEATH! TO BATTLE!"
Nick was now sure that if he were to look in a pond, his eyes would be the vertical slits of a savage. His body fumed with anger that he violently suppressed as he jumped from the scaffold and retrieved his gear. Letting lose now would not do anyone any good. He jogged to the moving pack of predators as they started off through the forest.
Now moving silently through the forest edge, the immense swarm of predators, lined themselves on both sides of the forest edge, flanking the inlayed road where they were to ambush the Zootopian legions. They hid themselves, and their traps and began the arduous wait. Many tribes had joined them along the way, growing the multitude of tribesman ever larger, and allowed for a longer battle line. They had arrived as the first streaks of the morning and thought about possible cresting the horizon, and set about construction of large wooden spheres to be set of fire and rolled toward the legions, to disrupt the shield walls they so heavily relied on. Nick knew who was coming, where and when, so he planned accordingly.
Only a few hours passed before the word was passed through the lines, Legion standards had been spotted. A shuffle was heard behind Nick, and as he turned around a Zootopian uniform came into view. A brown burly wolf steadied himself as he settled down in the brush a little to the left of Nick. He couldn't help but smile, what a shame for the empire, that their auxiliaries' true allegiance fell with their blood kin. it hadn't taken much convincing from spies for the auxiliaries to swear blood oaths in allegiance to Nick and his tribe and with the confirmed support, the forces of Zootopia were left exposed and unaware. The beat of a drum was heard mere moments after, soft at first, but gaining in volume as the column of legionnaires approached., Nick and the other tribesman fell further into the woods, waiting for the most opportune time to strike. Cohort after cohort went by, as the predator tribesmen began to work themselves up silently into a frenzy. With the authority for the go ahead being directed by chief Fangmeyer, Nick began to whip himself back into the height of a battle frenzy, much like the other mammals that were lying in wait. The gnashing of teeth, and the concentration of hatred directed at mammals that were just ahead, waiting to be ripped to shreds, to be annihilated, to destroy those who would stand in their way.
The legions advance suddenly halted as every so often the heads of each cohort would bark an order in their wretched language, splitting in two each cohort formed a defensive wall facing the two sides of the forest.
"that's it you damn fools" Nick whispered, "be predictable."
Down the line, a horn blew, it had begun.
The oil coated wooden spheres that had been constructed earlier were set ablaze and shoveled down the small embankment into the waiting lines of the legions. And with their impact, the second horn was given. Erupting from the undergrowth, predators of all sizes and types sprinted down the hill battle cries and throaty yells erupted from the mouth of every predator with as much hate as they could muster. A second after they predators began their charge, Nick joined, adding his snarled muzzle and roar into the cacophony of anger as he lost all higher consciousness, and let his fury take over his action. The first sight that belied him upon exiting the brush was that of a small grey bunny, her eyes wide with fear as she pulled another brown bunny out from the path of one of the fireballs. Her head turned and, glancing over her tower shield. she locked eyes with his.
He would slaughter her first.