Chapter 9

First Raid

First Enemy

Zanuark Cora and Kaisa finally made it home. Pheobe ran up to Zanuark and Cora, greeting them first and calling the others that they were here.

"So, Master Sergeant?" Dorian started.

"Yea, and we're going up for officer training in five years." Zanuark added in.

Pheobe frowned. "You just can't wait to leave your mother can't you?"

"I want to make a witty come back, I got nothing." He answered with a sigh.

Kaisa butted in, "How about, "It's just my sisters I'm worried about."

Dorian added in his own comment, "Since your training, whenever Zenobe comes around again, you won't have a choice where you get to go. You'll be put on the front lines."

Pheobe sighed. "And he'll be around tomorrow for you two, since we're expanding territory and taking over places now."

"Next week." Dorian corrected.

"Really? Why has it been moved?" She asked.

"Ambush, it left some warriors badly wounded so they are taking their time getting here."

Zanuark shrugged and padded on and went to see any of the newborn Poochyena and converse with some of the mothers. After a while he played with a few that were old enough to play fight. When Kaisa approached, he stopped, nudging the little ones along.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Did, did you choose to stay because of me, or, did you do it for yourself?" Kaisa asked.

"I wanted to stay and train further, I want to be able to lead us to victory, did you not want to?" He asked her.

She slowly shook her head.

"I tell you what, six more years, we can leave the fighting seen behind, you and me, and we can settle down ourselves. I don't think we have a choice either way at this point." He sighed.

"Well, I'll start thinking of our kids names then, and how many we'll have." She grinned.

Zanuark gently batted her with his paw and she returned the gentle blow. Zan leaped onto her and they rolled a little before falling into their bed that they haven't been in for the longest time. "Ow!" Kaisa shouted.

Zan quickly crawled out and helped her out. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Do you need help?" He quickly asked her.

"No, I just need to stretch." She assured him. With that, she leaned forward and arched her back down, until a loud crack could be heard, and she stood erect. "Ah, that's better." She then lied down in the bed again with Zan atop of her. She weighed five times as much as him, and he was extremely light to her considered she had to carry Mightyena twice as heavy as her in advanced combat training years ago. The bed was at this point too small for them both to fit in, so Kaisa was on the bottom.

"So, do you know when you'll evolve?" She asked him finally.

He shook his head, he was Six, and still not evolved. Then he began to wonder if he would need some sort of stone to evolve, maybe he'll find out. Maybe he'll die an Eevee.

A week came and gone, and Zanuark and Kaisa waited nervously for Zenobe's return. Cora approached them, worried. "Do you think Celina is okay?" She asked.

"She's fine, you are her and the sister of one of the highest Generals in our forces." Kaisa insisted.

"Yea, your right." She agreed, her facial expression becoming more confident, but she was still worried nonetheless. Zanuark wondered if Kaisa was right. Celina and Cali both went into the front lines when they left Moon Fang. Cali didn't really like it so she went to Obsidian City to learn specialize in something, instead of risking her life in their forces. Celina however, said she preferred the thrill of combat and stayed there.

About an hour passed, and at high sun, figures appeared in the distance. "Mom! Zenobe's approaching!" Zanuark shouted before bounding toward his step brother, he met them just short of the abandoned village. He noticed that there were Mightyena staying put here, and that a farming situation has been set up. "Do you need anything?" He asked.

"Yes, go assist Haemon here, he's struggling holding it." Zenobe ordered.

Zanuark wondered what "it" was until he turned around and saw a corpse of a fallen Mightyena being carried on an injured Mightyena's back. He was hopping on his front left paw, leaving Zanuark amazed he even managed to carry him, until he noticed how masculine this Mightyena was. He walked over and asked for Haemon to roll the corpse onto Zanuark. He hesitated for a moment looking down at Zanuark, considering his size. Haemon nodded his head and rolled the corpse over onto Zanuark, he fell at first from the recoil, but quickly got up.

"Who is this?" He asked.

"Corporal Gregos. Though he is our only fatality, his mother, Aunt Penelope will be by his side through the night until he can be buried." Zenobe answered.

Zanuark then realized who he was carrying. Gregos was only a year a few moons older than Zanuark. They played for about a moon before he was sent off to Camp High Fang.

They trotted on until they reached the cave, where the party happy to see the returning warriors quickly fell silent, seeing who Zanuark was carrying. Penelope ran forward, pushing the crowd aside as she took Gregos off him, mourning her loss and pressed her muzzle to a large patch of matted dark red fur. His only littermate, Gina, followed by his only older sibling, Akil. The rest of the crowd surrounding the four in a circle, making silent comments towards his departure. That night, his body would later be put to rest, buried outside the cave again the mountain.

A few hours passed before Zenobe's voice was heard. "All those, brothers in for the Cave's Cause, gather here for the briefing!"

Thirty warriors gathered up including Cora and Celina who sat next to each other, and Zanuark and Kaisa.

"Tomorrow, we set off to the desert once more, and we're taking the stronghold located on the border, this will allow us to go from village to village around the main city, and cut off any supply lines and trade route. Remember, Women and Children will not be harmed. The only exception be it that Women are in the main force, which we are yet to encounter, but we have not taken a strong hold. If men are to surrender, leave them, if they attack after, kill them."

"Now, onto the order of our plan, we will be divided up into two squads, one of twenty four and one of six. While the main twenty four draw their forces, new comer, Master Sergeant Kaisa will lead a team of her selection around and locate where there Women and Children are. We will use this to black mail a forced surrender. That's the end of the briefing. Kaisa, pick your team, we set off at dawn." Zenobe finished his briefing and padded off to Pheobe, where they talked and occasionally, a laugh could be heard.

Kaisa picked out Zanuark of course and Heaman. She also picked up three of the smaller Mightyena due to the fact they'd be able to sneak more easily. They discussed their plan of entry and soon went to sleep.

It was a clear sun set, and the forces stood on the border of the plains and desert. "Come on, let's go!" Zenobe ordered, to which the first squad charged head on howling, drawing the attention. They were quickly met by multiple Jolteon and Eevee forces. Kaisa stood waiting until the sun went down further before the squad ran. Zanuark took a last glance at Zenobe who was charging through, ripping at the counter forces with his claws easily.

Zanuark was brushing his tail up against the wall until he stopped. "Here, it's hallow." He informed them.

Kaisa used her Shadow Ball in order to blast the hallow piece of wall open. It was just large enough for her to be able to fit her haunches through. Loosing quite a clump of fur. Zanuark sniffed the air, smelling for the scent of milk. Then he found it. "Kaisa, do you smell that?"

"Milk?" she asked.

He nodded, and the group quickly went for the scent, where it split up. Zanuark lead Haemon and another Mightyena while Kaisa took on two others. Zanuark had the wind knocked out of him when he found the hole that was acting like a doorway to a place where the mothers and their litter were located. He looked up to see another Mightyena snarling in his face. "What are you doing?" He demanded.

"No, damn, way." A familiar voice said. "That runt from years ago, I don't know what the hell you did, then, but I'm going to make you pay." Zanuark looked around quickly, and saw that his squad mates were fighting off two guard. The Mightyena in his face snarled closely, and snapped his jaws open to bite into him. He smashed his head instinctively into the Mightyena's jaw, forcing him to be thrown back a bit. In the light of torch, Zanuark saw it. Darynn. He had stone and steel prosthetics for his back legs.

"Retreat!" Zanuark shouted, and his squad mates pushed away their attackers and followed Zanuark as he ran down a street. "Turn on three, use shadow ball." Zanuark looked behind to find the guards and Darynn pursuing. One, two, three!"

The Mightyena and Zanuark pivoted on one leg turning in unison, and fire a Shadow Ball at the pursuers hot on their tails. The guards were caught off guard and sent rolling into the ground hard, where they struggled to get up, tripping over their own legs. Darynn continued to pursue.

"He's mine." Zanuark ordered. "We have unfinished business."

The two guards looked at each other then back at Zanuark nodding.

Darynn charged head on at Zanuark, Zanuark returning the movement. They crashed their heads into each other, knocking each other down. Darynn immediately got up, but Zanuark's small size was faster, and he quickly slashed at his face, putting a gash in muzzle where blood dripped. Darynn snarled and once again leaped at Zanuark. Zanuark tried to jump up and tried to land on Darynn, but he was faster this time, biting down on Zanuark legs. Zanuark grunted, feeling Darynn crunching on bone, before being slammed to the ground.

Darynn once more leapt for his neck, grabbing Zan and picking him up. Zanuark used shadow ball and the recoil bashed him into Darynn harder, allowing him to break free. The two charged at each other once more, and Zan slid down, with his claws out, tearing through Darynn's for-right leg, tearing muscle.

Darynn collapsed, hardly able to stand with his right leg limp. Zanuark knocked him down and put his claws to his neck. "Surrender." He ordered.

"Not to a runt. Not ever to you!" Darynn growled.

"Stop, don't hurt him!" A feminine voice pleaded. The Mightyena growled at a Jolteon, who was begging for them to spare him.

"Don't harm her, she's pregnant!" Zanuark barked. "Is this your mate?" He asked.

"No, you monster." Darynn gritted through his teeth.

"Unlike you, I'm not going to harm a mother, rapist. But, if she doesn't round up the other mothers and young ones, I will make sure she doesn't have any living birth." Zanuark informed him.

"I'll never-!" The Jolteon started.

"Do it Lilly! I don't want any harm brought to you!" Darynn order through grit teeth.

She slowly nodded and led the way to where the mothers were hiding, the two warriors following behind her.

"STOP!" Zenobe's voice echoed over the battle field. The fighting fell to a stop. "We have every last one of your mothers, look to your Strong Hold!" The opposing side stopped and turned their head, he was right. The small squad was holding them with their forepaws to their neck, claws out and ready to kill.

"Surrender now, and no harm will be brought, however, if even a single one of you doesn't, we will kill all of them!" The Jolteon and Eevee forces all stopped, lying down to show their surrender. One didn't. "Well?!"

"He's narcoleptic." Someone shouted. A Mightyena approached the standing Jolteon and confirmed he was asleep.

"Well then, this is now under the control of the Mightyena, as for your fighting forces, two options. Integrate into specialized forces, or become part of us in our forces. Garrison squads will be here tomorrow, so make up your decision then. For now, you can return to the Strong Hold. Zanuark, follow them and assist them with anything they need." He nodded to the mothers and they filed back slowly to their homes. Zanuark followed, assisting Lilly to her home. "As for the rest of you, you'll be spending the cold night out here, Squad Main and Sub, stand between them and the Strong Hold." The two forces split up. They both huddled for warmth, finding the night increasingly cold. Then tension soon dissolved and the two sides ended up huddling together and falling asleep.

Zanuark was fetching water for the mother's for a while until they stopped asking and were satisfied. Then the pregnant Jolteon approached him, "Why do you betray your own kind?" she asked.

"Why do you mother the young of a rapist?" He countered.

"It's rude to ask a question when one is given." She told him.

"It does not make up for the fact you harbor a rapist." Zanuark told her.

"Yea, I don't get that." Lilly sighed.

"He tried to rape my mother." Zanuark explained shortly.

"An Eevee?" She asked.

"A Mightyena." He answered. "My birth mother is true, an Eevee, but my true mother is the one who raised me. She, is the one he attempted to rape."

"But still, you know you're an-"

"No, I'm not. I'm different, not Mightyena, not an Eevee, but a bit of both."

She shook her head and trotted off to a bed and lied down. Zanuark padded over to her and lied his head down on her belly. "I'm sorry if I got off on the wrong foot." He apologized.

"No, I'm sorry for questioning you like this." She apologized back. "Don't shoot the messenger."