Chapter 11: Hate Is As Good As Courage
Azura Thrym, The Big Bad Wolf
All of autumn built up into one storm, the rainy season coming down with the cruelest sort of vengeance. The thunder clap sprang forth clouds from every direction, most black and vile things Azura had ever seen. It was day, but not a soul could tell, the sable miasma above them blocked out any sprinkling of sunshine that might have found its way to the flow. Instead the sky just glowed a sick grey. The cold was crueler than ever now, and soaked in those harrowing little drops, the ones that just dripped into every crevice in Azura's armor, she could feel it all the more potent. Even now hidden by an overhead canopy of rainproof cloth before a small fire that illuminated all the tent guests and a map covered in chess pieces surrounded by friends, even now it was fucking cold.
"Charles, say something," Azura whispered lightly, hoping the torrents outside might mask it to all besides the boy to her right. Charles Lord of Fort Castle and leader of the resistance stood deathly silent, hands clutching the table so hard the wood would warp with one ounce of further pressure. Still no matter how hard he stared, the white pieces on the board never decreased, the condition of the map remained identical, and the scattered black pieces found no way to make up the insurmountable odds. The battle wasn't going to win itself. Charles was a master of making the enemy choke to death over time, but with how many were coming, would it be that they had enough hands to do so.
"We can't hold this position, we have to abandon it," Whatever patience for Charles' momentary madness was draining, though the Simian prince was the first to voice it. Fire was coming, the Taurus spies claimed and scouts confirmed. It was a stifling army of men and women from Vale to Mistral armed to the very bone and primed to rip little Charles form his new toy castle. Azura would have been afraid if she had the luxury. She didn't have it, Charles in his black leather and coated in daggers saw his wolf shutter, then this would turn into the real god damn nightmare it was.
"Ohh and what boy, give up the damn Castle! We can't just prance around the forest in our numbers, can't feed the army without the stockpiles here. We run an' we die tired." Murray was just as right as the young Faunus prince. This place was impossible to keep against a threat like this, but leaving was just as mad. Azura was no tactical theorist and she could see that. Anyone looking at the map could see it. Charles included. The way the man looked in it Azura thought he was hoping it would shout the future at him. The huntress saw only what was always true to her, that they needed to fight.
"Charles, I think we best consider the Simian child's suggestion. The odds are brave, but foolish. We must pull our forces away, and quickly. We have no idea when they plan on arriving," the Taurus added with her own poison words looking over to Azura when she grimaced. She hoped it was an ugly sight, best for that masked witch to look another way. She was right. Lagune was here a day earlier and no one was sure when he would arrive. They had to assume the worst, perhaps even tonight.
"And what are you going to do about us? A lord who can't even keep his own Castle won't win any wars. You have a responsibility here now." The Lady of Fort Castle wasn't the strongest, she didn't have the ability or the constitution to fight, not like Azura or the Taurus, but she was political in a powerful way. She quickly implanted herself in the social Faunus elite circles and found herself welcome. Despite what the woman had done, the laws she passed, no one was above finding her strangely enjoyable. The huntress had to remind herself often that she hated that woman lest she adore her.
"Please all of you give me a moment!" Charles quaked as he shouted, but his authority was not entirely melted away. The rain was the only noise for a brief moment; though Azura knew a tent filled with this many people silence was a fleeting dream at best. "Pan, please get me water, I need something to drink." At least it wasn't alcohol.
Charles stood himself up, looking over the map, the drops starting to drip through the cloth above. Didn't matter, the camp pavilion meant a walk outside, everyone was soaked and before the day was over more filth was coming. Pan, the sweet little thing, brought Charles his drink, never bothering to look at her or anyone one else. He chugged it down, wishing it was some sort of inebriating elixir Azura could bet. "Azura, what does a grimm do when it's cornered and can't beat its hunter?" Charles asked hands rearranging the pieces closer, five long lines of white chess pieces packed along the only road to and fore of this wretched corner of Vale.
"Depends on the creature," Azura answered honestly, not knowing really what Charles was getting on about. "but most of them bite, for sure." That gave him pause, hands trembling as he put the pieces along the map in that snake like pattern. Without much explaining, the black heavy pieces, rooks all to the bottom, bishops lining the center and knights at the white mass. The pieces were few, only a single line unlike the human five, but traced the line of white pawns up the path, hugging the forest just outside of the muddy remnants of the summer stream next to the road.
"The top jaw of any animal is all about holding the prey in play. When I hunted, we'd get the occasional small beowulf, the top jaw had the longest teeth," Charles began to explain, his rationale obvious to Azura, but not so clear to the others. She didn't think he would take the bite so literally, but this was funny. He was going to ambush the would-be ambushers. "The heaviest of our Faunus, Leo at the bottom, Canis at the center, Taurus with guides at the back to hit the enemy rear. One thin line with thick little teeth." He put an extra piece, four down the line, the teeth. "Murray's best will take the lower tooth, Azura and her tribe the center. The Taurus and her cavalry will hit the rear, and her son will command the Taurus infantry in the tooth before that."
"Haha, one small line against five, I like these odds. Charlie, I think I know what you intend to do with this, but how will we catch them off guard? Won't they be ready for us?" Murray asked taking the positive, but critical angle. This plan put him right in danger; of course the drunken fool would love it. A real fight though, it was an intoxicating idea. Better than sitting around in the mud waiting to die.
"We'll have the night on our side. For this battle no torches, no rifles either until we can start hitting them," Charles clarified, reorganizing the White ranks. He knocked down a whole line of white pawns, and reorganized the center. Now the White king piece took the right hand ridge on the road with what bishops, whatever that meant to Charles, onto the ridge with it.
"Why would this be at night? We don't even know when he'll attack!" the Simian prince pushed forth more complaint, his blonde hair, fresh and youthful, little arrogant prick. Azura might have been only a few years older than him, but she already didn't like the kid.
"Only makes sense. The army is on a force march, attacking with an exhausted army only makes sense if he wants to ambush us, and if he wants do that with a bigger force he will try to use the night, tonight to be exact. He thinks that'll catch us off guard, I bet he plans on taking Fort Castle by dawn," for the first time in this stormy nightmare it was Amarilla talking, her own eyes seeing exactly what Charles was in the moment. Secrets in the map.
"And why would the night matter anyways?" The Simian prince asked a fair question to a Faunus, but not a sensible one to a human and a few of the more eyesight limited species. Enough to earn a baffled look from the humans and Taurus present.
"Humans are nearly blind at night. If it was a human army I was up against, I'd do exactly what he is doing now. General Lagune grew up in the capitol; all of the Faunus there were rounded up years ago. He probably never met one that he wasn't trying to kill." Charles didn't even bother looking at him, more interested in that map, what the next plan was. He began to cut little marks in the chess army, carving the four left over lines into smaller, tighter subdivisions. "We'll need more teeth to divide the lines, if we are ambushing, we get to choose the site if we move quickly enough. Fire balls won't work in this rain, but fire dust will. Layer the road with it between the teeth and you'll disorient the force even more." A single fire shot might ignite a lot of flame dust if it could catch, once it did the rain wouldn't put it out, the bloody stuff burned no matter what till there was no dust left to burn.
"Even then Charles, we could break through one line in the surprise, maybe even two in a pitched fight, but we would be outnumbered, crushed and as your diagram shows, they would take the high ground." That was true, the darkness would blur the numbers, make it seem like the Faunus never ended when really they were stretched thin as string, hiding everything in the dark, but that would work only for a small while, they were still nearly outnumbered three to one by the most generous reports.
"Yes, exactly, all the command and artillery will take the ridge." And this was the centerpiece of the plan. Cut off from the main force all the best bits of the enemy army would pull themselves up the small ridge, same one Charles used to ambush caravans. Lining up the black pawns to make an equally thin black line in the forest beyond the ridge sealed the deal. It was two ambushes, one right after the other. "The top jaw of any animal has the biggest teeth, and the largest mass, but in any bite it's the lower jaw that applies the force. All the lightest of our fighters, Simians, Lepus and Felis will attack here. Unaware the command will fall apart, and their heaviest firepower will be ours. We can drop down the ridge and strike another ambush. We might be outnumbered, but we will have managed to completely surround them. They will surrender then, thinking we have more fighting forces than we ever had. Just one big wolf's bite." Charles now replaced those pieces of the board with black pieces, all the big funs theirs now. The White snake completely submerged in an outline of black that, though thin, consumed it.
"What about the Schnee Airships?" The Taurus questioned again, the big thing Azura couldn't parse out herself. In each little subdivision of the human chess pieces, there was the queen, demarking the flying fortresses. "Charles, they will destroy us." Azura had never fought an airship before, but she had killed nevermores, all it took was enough firepower.
"I don't know, the artillery might have something to fight them, or they might have to fly low to hit us in the trees. I don't know. This is literally all I can think of." Azura didn't have a plan, but neither did Charles. Still this far, this far could work. Taking out the ships could be something else. A fun little surprise in the soon to be muddy filthy blood bath.
"You heard him. Everyone move, we have no idea what time tonight they'll come. So get the hell going!" Azura had no want for complaints, no more need for questions. Charles was shaking, his facade of security failing already, the rain pouring and the time melting away. This needed to be done now, now or not at all. No questions no nothing. Murray left with a shout, red blooded Leo hungry for a real victory. The Simian seemed to buy the confidence that Charles pretended to have and went off gathering all he could. Other chiefs did the same, the tent near empty save for Charles, the White Bull, and the one faction left out of the plan.
"What about us Charles?" The Lady asked, stern, sweetly, but concerned. Charles had left the human force, as small as it was, completely out of the battle. A noted oversight that left a grimace on Amarilla's expression.
"Just guard Fort Castle proper, and leave us an escape route. It might be needed," Charles answered offhandedly, reaching his limit for these sorts of questions. Azura couldn't blame him. The knights were fine fighters, but humans had no stake in the Faunus Rights Revolution. No stake that was any good at least. Azura didn't want a plan that found the knights anything close to a linchpin in it. Untested and untrustworthy.
"On my honor as a knight I should fight in the —"
"Knights are dead, you're a rare breed, but most of them if they knew the plan would sell us out. Please, just do as I say and you'll earn my trust." Charles didn't shout, didn't need to. Those words cut so deep into Amarilla's skin, Azura could see her blood as red as if it was a razor. A breed of dead warriors, nothing hates being reminded of their own extinction than warriors.
"Yes…my lord," her only word's before departing with the Lady. She didn't complain, but in the step, in her voice there was a sense of bitter betrayal. Azura would watch them, watch them both. They had left Charles in a bit of a mess, hands clutching the desk for meager support, ears down in defeat, strands of hair stuck to his face from the rain.
"You make friends so well," Azura joked, hoping to ease him. She had the back of her mind thinking on the battle though, who to trust to what task. What weapons to tell her tribe to bring, what they could do to better traverse on the muddy bank between the forest and the roads. There would be some scouts, plenty with radios; they needed to be removed to. This was going to be a bloody long affair.
"Shut up," Charles countered, not with much creativity.
"You're also getting better at pretending you're not scared of your own shadow. Did your wife instill you with this courage? Was sleeping with her that terrifying?" Azura continued to joke, mostly absent mindedly. He was not usually offended, even put at ease by her heckling. She thought maybe reminding him of the recent nights he likely enjoyed in that tower bedroom might...solidify what courage he had. Charles would need to lead the rigid assault. Needed to be courageous.
"Shut up!" It only made him angrier though, more defensive and lost. He was changing under pressure, not always for the better.
"Oh Charles, don't you fret, I'm just teasing you to ease the moment, you're alright." Azure went to move close, to touch him under the rain canopy, to bring him back to the living world, remind him that a friend as old as his life was with him, but coming close Azura became aware of one guest that had not left. White masked witch was there, waiting and watching. Strangely silent and patient in a way that only made Azura angrier.
"Charles, may I speak to you?" She asked once Charles looked up, brought back to this world by something a little more sinister. If she meant to speak alone she could shove it. Azura had no intentions of letting the white witch within twenty feet if she wasn't watching. Anything that wore grimm bones was just as evil as the grimm.
"You are now aren't you?" Azura answered for Charles, not letting him have the chance.
"Charles, this plan is...quaint, but let's be realistic. Abandon the castle, let them have it and we can fight this war in the trees like you did it before. We'll have them pinned and then bleed them slowly. It's the best option in this fight. Don't let your hostages convince you otherwise," she spoke well and politely, never about a somber whisper. It was still treachery, no matter how sweet smelling. Charles said nothing, gave not even a nod, but his ears twitched. They heard. "I'll ready my soldiers, but think on this, call for me if you reserve your decision." Seed planted the Taurus walked away near as silently as she did anything else. She was not the type to argue, only plant ideas and clarify things.
"Azura….I don't want to do this, I don't want to die out there. We can't win…" Azura was beside herself for a moment, unable to think that Charles would even listen for a moment to that. After how far they came, all the dice rolls they made. No, all choices were made, no running. She was going to make sure of it, no matter what.
"Shush child," Azura started moving close, her mass reaching out for him. It had been a long time, but she held him. It was easy; he was so small compared to her. The two of them always were. Little Felis that would break at the touch. She pulled him close though, metal may have been cold, but it would still be warmer than being alone in that troubled mind.
"I'm sorry Charles, you're a smart man, the plan will work. What I'm about to say will hurt… a lot." She couldn't let him run. The words she never thought she would ever say came like a hushed cruel whisper from her lips. She invoked the one feeling she refused to acknowledge in her. For the first time ever, Azura let herself blame Charles for the biggest cruelty. "We have to do this. I know you're a coward Charles, but I won't let it kill you. I've lost enough people to your fear already….I'll kill you myself if you try to run from this. If nothing else hate them all. I don't care what you need to do. You're not running." Hate is as good as courage, so let him hate them, and himself. Let Lucia be a ghost no longer the person she was, a girl defined only by a crime and painful memories. Hate them all for her, hate them because she was so much more once, and she wasn't even allowed to be a sweet Felis whom they both competed for. Hate them all for warping her into a bad memory filled with guilt when it should have been love. Hate them for defining a perfect being by a crime, for hurting her so bad she had to hang herself just to make it stop. Above all, Azura wished, hate them all more than you fear them.
"Azura….I…"
"Shush child. It's time to pretend you're brave."
Cold, wet, feet submerged in a thick mucus of mud, breathing hushed under the sound of the torrent above. Hundreds of Canis, all hunched low with pikes, swords, and bows, ready for the blooding that was about to come surrounded her both left and rights. Azura herself stood at the center, her arms and armor of her family on, the large zweihander passed down to her from her mother in the right, massive tower shield of dust infused steel latched to her left. She had her teeth if these failed of course and the army behind here. In front was a patch of forest, thick with scouts that needed to be bloodied quick before the time was ready. All they needed was the signal.
Beyond that mass of scouts was the army; Azura could see the glimmer of lights beyond the forest, her vision honed in on the minutest of illumination. Even with her natural advantage it was dark. No moonlight could cross through the clouds tonight; nothing of the sunlight was left deep into the evening. The only light was the scouts marching their way through the forest and that clap of lightening up above sending a wave of light revealing the mass of trees, the shape of their forms looming over them and the enemy mass. Humans needed light, they feared the dark. Azura was going to make damn sure that fear never went away. Soon the dark would consume them.
The quick steps through mud could be heard just barely behind them almost like the sounds of raindrops from below. It was a young Lepus girl, hair a long tied back behind her rabbit ears, order letters all in her bag seeming about to burst. A messenger. The girl slid down to Azura, her voice raked with exhaustion and expression fearful, though Azura could not blame a rabbit for being scared of a wolf. "It's time advance please miss," she whispered voice cracked with worry. Cute little thing, now Azura had to win this bloody war. Had to get her name after all.
"You heard her boys and girls, let's hunt some humans today. Remember not one gun shot, kill all the radio men, and if I see one person run I'll fucking cut them down like a bleeding lamb. Move!" The messenger ran off quickly tapping every captain down the line with the same thing, springing to life this mass of Faunus, a black shadow through the woods. They kept to the line and like a terrible wave swept over the first few scouts they found. Azura never claimed to be the first one to spill blood that day that would be preposterous, an arrow stuck some radio operator in the throat seconds in. A spear wielding Canis took down some horse with white and red stripes with the rider along with it. All long before Azura struck a single blow.
Wasn't long though till Azura smelled blood on her. The dark and rain did a good job of caking her only lightly in mud, but that smell of some young mercenary's red blood was a stench she knew would stay for a bit. It was easy enough, to say she regretted it was nothing but a lie. The smell of a battle was noxious though, even while the fight made it intoxicating. Thankfully the rain lessened the smell, and the sounds, as Azura cleaved open some nameless scout, the metal of his armor warping at the force of her blade. Azura could hear the song of swords to her left and right now, though dampened by the downpour and thunder. It was a wonderful sound, she wasn't going to lie. Taking another step in the mud, another step toward some soldier running from a wolf, the black beast in Azura smiled.
Another cut down and another after that. The scouts all fell without little effort, but just beyond the forest edge a small force clashed with hers, a woman with a spear charged for Azura's throat, finding only the bitter bite of a sword instead. Another rifleman aimed his gun for her, but the arrow fell him. In all the fighting one man, muscled and covered in runes, ran with axe in hand towards the forests end. The animal in Azura as well as the woman needed him dead. He weaved through the arrows, nimble footed and fast. Bastard would ruin everything. Azura charged forth, running down a mounted lancer as she did. The space between them, mud and trees, was too great for any normal woman, but Azura was a huntress, normal was not in her blood. The fire of her semblance started again, her vision turning red and heart pounding with more fury than the storm above.
Azura became more wolf than woman, charging with her sword in her mouth, shield on her back, hands and feet both in need for running. The space between him and the runner closed, even as the space between her and the other Canis grew greater without her even noticing. The mud steps found an odd moment, a strange texture of rope below the falling leaves and surface filth. She was woman enough to know the snare. Idiot.
"When I heard of the big bad wolf, I was hoping for a bigger pelt!" The snare caught, Azura's arms snapped away by two soldiers holding the other sides of the roped snares. She could pull any human down easily, but they were smart, grasping onto trees for support. "I expected guerillas to come harass us, but this is a bloody ambush ehh? And they send a big wolf to hit us." The man who spoke was heft, huge even. Body covered in blue runes common in the rural Vale. His aura was strong now, the sign of hunter, facial hair rugged and smile hungry. He was just the same kind of hunter she was, the ones who enjoyed it. He had an axe, silver with runes of heavy dust, a familiar sight, the hunter was famous, to think he turned soldier. The Woodsman he was called. A loner Azura had respected, now prepared to carve her up bloody. 'Damn it, damn it all, damn them all!'
He had no other words, the smile was enough. Axe raised he intended to kill her now with nothing flashy, no speeches or glorification. Just axe to the head like some fucking caged animal. This was bloody horrible. This wasn't right this wasn't now, no, no, no it was their turn to die. Azura Thrym was not going to be bled here like a fucking animal. With every step he took the rage in her grew more potent, eyes warping into amber as that same semblance. Something the hunter could see having knocked off her helm unceremoniously. Though her eyes were turning amber her vision felt red. 'Take another step, one more step and I'll eat you alive,' Azura thought to herself as he approached with the axe swinging down. She turned all of personhood over to the animal that was her semblance. The rage of a trapped animal vibrant in her eyes.
Azura made good on her word. He swung down and pulling the ropes to near breaking tension as she clamped down her mouth on the man's wrist, her deformed fang teeth engulfing the wrist fully. The look on his face, Azura could think of nothing that could be sweeter, the horror and surprise. Bloody executioner went to disembowel the big bad wolf, now he was going to pay. The wrist made a snapping noise, the bone fracturing as she bit, the copper of blood flooding her mouth. He would have screamed if he wasn't shocked. Blood lust in full swing she pulled him by the wrist over her shoulder, tangling and snapping the thick snare rope.
What happened next was blurry in Azura's mind, she knew that it ended with both of them covered in his blood, her iron gauntlets were wrapped around the hunter's throat, his body quaking as it was smeared in mud and leaves. His mouth was full of mud, blood coming from missing teeth where Azura had struck him again. Something in him finally snapped apart and Azura let go, her warriors arriving to find her straddling a corpse to choke the life out of it. That was the wolf inside her. Powerful semblance though it drained her. Couldn't do it this time, the moment needed energy. Behind her was the forest's edge, a large river bed now reduced to the thickest mud and beyond that was an army of lamps, torches, machines, and killers. Azura shuttered to turn around, picking up her arms and armor while she did it. Her helm that was knocked away returned to her head and she spit out the hunters blood. The real ambush was primed.
No one dared to say anything. White chess pieces could not replicate what she saw outside the forest where the shadows stopped. It was bigger than she hoped yet smaller then she feared, but not nearly small enough. They walked in perfect lines, trucks and spider tanks down the center line. Above them all the sky was black, black as the abyss even with night vision, but once in a while a bolt would carve a jagged path through the sky and you could see. Flying low out of the clouds lifted by balloons with snowflake crests and armed with heavy cannons, the queen pieces in this prince's army. The Schnee Airships. The tree line was soundless, her own Faunus people either too shocked or too professional to make a noise. The Leo and Taurus hopefully made just as much progress, though she could not hope to see them in the darkness. There would be no sweet Lepus girls to give the word now, better after all Azura would win no beauty competitions covered in mud and spitting out a man's blood. The signal was this time flares, flares right into the fire lines. Once that struck, they would charge into the first line of riflemen and infantry that was forced to walk through the muddy stream. No heavy fighters, cavalry or tanks. They would crumble easily into the dirt without even preparing for a shot. Second line would be harder, spider tanks and other rifles, now ready for them.
"Run them all down, every one of them. Stop for nothing, and never let your shields down. If you run, you and yours will find themselves in chains. Fight and Charles will come. With me Canis?" Azura, but whispered and no one answered, but they were. She knew it. This was her people after all. Azura thought of Lucia now, sweet girl. Keep that memory close and let it build hate, hate for the killers and thieves. Azura had no real courage either, just plenty of hate and a blood lust. Charles wasn't the only coward getting on. He pretended and she hated. 'So let the signal off', Azura silently prayed, 'let's burn them, all them burn in a great big beautiful bloody blaze!'
The flare's fired; the dust lit. Perfect lines of fire erupted around the enemy lines, the first teeth to sink their fangs into this human army. Blood lust triggered, eyes still amber and hungry, the semblance pumping, she was jealous of the flame as the rain made it smoky and dark. They charged, but with no battle cries, the panicked army was busy trying to put out the blaze, and even if the officers could smell an ambush, the soldiers were mindless scared sheep. The first line barely noticed the black mass that approached them. Some shots were fired by the more sensible, the only light that ever touched the ambushing army, streams of purple, blue, red, and white that smashed bounced off shields and landed in the dirt. It must have frightened them more to see the blood covered shields and weapons rushing them, a wolf covered in mud like the forest itself was coming.
The first line was shattered; Azura's own blade cleaved a few down, shield bashing more to follow. The count was blurred and her own people did far more than her. The rest ran, ran right into their comrades, knocking each other down, being crushed in the mud by the stampeding enemies. Azura could see in the distance between the shadows of Leo and Taurus fights doing much the same, all along the line the first opposition were destroyed. Confused the canons of the airships fired madly into the forest, spider tanks rushed to join the fray and the second line combated its own mad preparations.
Now the bloody fight was on. "Come and fight the wolf!" Azura shouted into the void, her own roar matched by a thousand more. She was laughing, actually laughing as the opposition crumbled. They could win, they would win, and the human army would taste real defeat for once. This was the most exhilarating thing in Azura's life. She felt like a million warriors could fight her and a million would be repealed. The line of rifles, the second army took aim, machined spider tanks coming up behind them and Azura was smiling.
"Kill them all brothers and sisters; let's show them what fury can do!" Azura's heart felt like it could explode, her semblance pounding harder than it ever had before, but all the same she felt immortal. More rounds, volleys of fire struck her shield, knocked many Faunus into the grave, but they kept charging, the mud giving way to rougher road when they struck. Oh how powerful she felt in that moment.
A lone Tank stood in her way, its canon blowing a pocket of her friends away. Bastards all. With fury and exhilaration Azura charged, the force infused blade swing around with all the mass the Faunus had, right into the iron leg. It crumbled and snapped, but the spider tank's underside Gatling took aim unloading round after round. Azura was unstoppable; at least she was convinced so flipping back away from the shots. Aura infused she flipped into the air, body propelled by all the energy she had and it was wonderful to almost fly through the smoke infused sky.
Speeding down blade first, the mech was her landing platform. Its robot head crushed by the heft of the blade, smoke and sparks all around her, the iron beast nothing but a heap of ruin like the rest of the second line, soon to crumble. "Now Charles!" She screamed to no one laughing. Charles needed no signal. The world seemed on fire, a mixture of smoke and flame. The artillery was on the ridge, the commander as well. There was no use for any other signal. She hoped he could see her though, an iron woman standing on the best of mankind's mechanical beasts, a ruined spider. Pouring rain coming down on her, smoking the fires, sticking her hair to her flesh, helm had come off. The rain felt wonderful, the sky crying tonight.
"Your move," She whispered, it was time to join the fray again, third line, tougher than the second was coming, and the second had yet to be truly defeated. They would lose like this, she had faith. The black cat, he could pull victory out of any hat.
*** So This was a weird chapter to write. Big battles, never done anything like that before. D: I really didn't think describing the individual killing would be interesting and just been needlessly gore without any substance to it. I prefer more dealing with Azura as a character and the in the moment feelings she's having. Hope it's not too boring?
I'ma start doing AV A.U. facts in each A.N. First are the Faunus tribes: each is based off the scientific names of the animal they are kin to. Leo for lions, Simian's for monkeys like Sun, Canis for wolf and dog like Faunus, Taurus for bull Faunus like Adam, Felis for cat like Faunus like Blake, and Lepus for rabbit Faunus like Velvet.
Next chapter is going to be the second half of the battle for Fort Caslte, and mark the start of the series coming to a close I think. This is sort of the half way mark right here so thanks so much for everyone that reads. AV has a small community which is why every one of you matters and every review matters too. Thanks TCR for the edits!