Chapter 10:
The Elder Bloodshaft's Final Battle
Yi dashed over to Robin as soon as Thunderclaw called for the retreat. He expected to find his friend lifeless and motionless, but this was not the case.
"Oh Robin!" Yi sobbed. "I can't believe they did that to you!"
"No really, I'm okay," the great archer replied.
"You're brave," Yi said.
"No, no, no," Robin shot back scornfully. "You've got it all wrong. I'm not dying. The jackass missed my heart. By a good lot. He's not quite as amazing at archery as he thinks."
"We'd better get you out of the way," Yi said concernedly. "He's up in that tower and he'll pick you off if we don't."
"Okay," Robin said, crawling away from the spot where he had lain.
"NO! That's not what I meant!" Yi said helplessly.
"I'm not as badly injured as you think," Robin replied. "I fell mostly out of shock. You see, I've never really been hit by an arrow, and I THOUGHT I was dead. Then as soon as I hit the ground I realized I was fine, but I was still too shocked to do anything."
"If you say so," Yi said. "But we must help Tell. He's trying to bring the rat-king down up in the tower!"
And indeed that was what Tell was trying to do. It was a large task, but it wasn't impossible, as Thunderclaw was trying to hit them with a crossbow, so his head and shoulders were a possible target through the opening in the tower that served as a window.
"You'll never leave that tower alive, rat," Tell shouted defiantly.
"You think you can defeat me with your pathetic longbow? I have a crossbow and a whole tower as my protection! I should say it would be you, mouse, who will not be leaving this battle alive."
"There is no substitute for skill, Your Highness," Tell replied scornfully. "I'll win no matter what 'cause I can shoot and you can't."
"I think you're going to find out who can shoot," Thunderclaw shot back.
"Yes," Tell replied calmly. "I think you will."
The other archers, meanwhile, had their hands full as well. Vermin were pouring out of the tower, trying to get to Tell and kill him before he could hurt their master. Philoctetes, Apollo, Pandaro, and Greenleaf had their hands full as Yi and, to the great surprise of all, Robin joined them in desperately attempting to keep the horde off Tell. Their only saving grace was the fact that the doors out of the tower were narrow, and only two vermin could get out at a time.
"Normally I'd take that rat-king myself," Robin said. "But that's Tell's battle. And he's doing a fine job of it, I should say."
Indeed he was. Tell had already scored two hits of Thunderclaw, both to his shoulders, and had buried more than fifty arrows in the rock around the opening from which the rat-king was firing.
It was then that the fateful blows were dealt. Tell fired off a perfect shot, nailing Thunderclaw right between the eyes. It was the first shot during the whole battle that Tell had taken the time to watch. He knew it was perfect as soon as he let it go, and he wanted to see his handiwork do in the rat-king who had tried to overrun his beautiful forest.
It was a fatal error. Just before the arrow struck Thunderclaw, the Hordemaster released the crossbow one last time. The arrow slammed into Tell's chest. The mouse gasped, then keeled over...dead, instantly. The last thing he ever saw was his arrow connect squarely with the Hordemaster's head. Tell knew, in that last millisecond of his life, that he had freed Mossflower.
With Thunderclaw dead, the horde fled on the spot. The body of their leader fell from the opening of the tower. The last remnants of the invasion were gone. Mossflower was free.
Yi dashed over to Robin as soon as Thunderclaw called for the retreat. He expected to find his friend lifeless and motionless, but this was not the case.
"Oh Robin!" Yi sobbed. "I can't believe they did that to you!"
"No really, I'm okay," the great archer replied.
"You're brave," Yi said.
"No, no, no," Robin shot back scornfully. "You've got it all wrong. I'm not dying. The jackass missed my heart. By a good lot. He's not quite as amazing at archery as he thinks."
"We'd better get you out of the way," Yi said concernedly. "He's up in that tower and he'll pick you off if we don't."
"Okay," Robin said, crawling away from the spot where he had lain.
"NO! That's not what I meant!" Yi said helplessly.
"I'm not as badly injured as you think," Robin replied. "I fell mostly out of shock. You see, I've never really been hit by an arrow, and I THOUGHT I was dead. Then as soon as I hit the ground I realized I was fine, but I was still too shocked to do anything."
"If you say so," Yi said. "But we must help Tell. He's trying to bring the rat-king down up in the tower!"
And indeed that was what Tell was trying to do. It was a large task, but it wasn't impossible, as Thunderclaw was trying to hit them with a crossbow, so his head and shoulders were a possible target through the opening in the tower that served as a window.
"You'll never leave that tower alive, rat," Tell shouted defiantly.
"You think you can defeat me with your pathetic longbow? I have a crossbow and a whole tower as my protection! I should say it would be you, mouse, who will not be leaving this battle alive."
"There is no substitute for skill, Your Highness," Tell replied scornfully. "I'll win no matter what 'cause I can shoot and you can't."
"I think you're going to find out who can shoot," Thunderclaw shot back.
"Yes," Tell replied calmly. "I think you will."
The other archers, meanwhile, had their hands full as well. Vermin were pouring out of the tower, trying to get to Tell and kill him before he could hurt their master. Philoctetes, Apollo, Pandaro, and Greenleaf had their hands full as Yi and, to the great surprise of all, Robin joined them in desperately attempting to keep the horde off Tell. Their only saving grace was the fact that the doors out of the tower were narrow, and only two vermin could get out at a time.
"Normally I'd take that rat-king myself," Robin said. "But that's Tell's battle. And he's doing a fine job of it, I should say."
Indeed he was. Tell had already scored two hits of Thunderclaw, both to his shoulders, and had buried more than fifty arrows in the rock around the opening from which the rat-king was firing.
It was then that the fateful blows were dealt. Tell fired off a perfect shot, nailing Thunderclaw right between the eyes. It was the first shot during the whole battle that Tell had taken the time to watch. He knew it was perfect as soon as he let it go, and he wanted to see his handiwork do in the rat-king who had tried to overrun his beautiful forest.
It was a fatal error. Just before the arrow struck Thunderclaw, the Hordemaster released the crossbow one last time. The arrow slammed into Tell's chest. The mouse gasped, then keeled over...dead, instantly. The last thing he ever saw was his arrow connect squarely with the Hordemaster's head. Tell knew, in that last millisecond of his life, that he had freed Mossflower.
With Thunderclaw dead, the horde fled on the spot. The body of their leader fell from the opening of the tower. The last remnants of the invasion were gone. Mossflower was free.