Darkness had long since claimed the future battlefield by the time our ship
had run ashore, I had on a long spear, armor and a shield that could
thankfully cover me, twenty or so of our crew jumped into the shallows and
secured the ship while the others and I assembled before Ulnan, who stood
atop our ship, his features menacing in the torch light. I glanced around
for a sign, any sign of Celeste and I saw her with a medical sack and a
large shield, she had know weapons and no real need of one for she couldn't
use one anyway with her limited skills.
"You six." We could hear him talking to somebeast up on the ship. "Stay and if the battle goes against us kill them." My stomach turned as I realized whom he meant, the oar slaves who we still bound in the galleys were to be killed. I hadn't thought Ulnan would be so cruel and cold; he would murder helpless beasts regardless of the lives they could live. I forced my attention back to Celeste, my plan was to fight my way to her and get away from here as fast as I could, mayhap we could live happy somewhere.
"Feel it?" The weasel that had woken me a few hours later was next to me.
"What?" I whispered, I still didn't know his name, but that wouldn't matter much longe.
"The wind, its colder'n death here. As the lord said 'Death is on the wind'." He explained and then stuck out his paw.
"Hallan." I shook his hand, might as well make the best of the worst, I thought.
"Hale." He smiled a little smile, knowing of his quite certain future.
"We should get out of her you know?" Ulnan was making battle plans and speeches, which we completely ignored already aware of everything, in fact Ulnan was giving false speeches in case of any spies.
"How?" I asked curiously.
"Just up and leave, I'm gonna come back and grab my sister from the ship before we're all dead beasts, she's got too much life left to die now." I could see tears in his eyes as he probably thought the same thoughts as I was about Celeste.
"I'm with you." I answered with determination in my whispers.
"Grab yore girl and go, we should try east into the forest." That was all he said before everybeast fell silent and looked left to the mountain south of us to find the beach lit by bonfires and a badger with seventy or more hares at his back, more were positioned upon the mountain armed with bows. There weren't any tactics for this battle, this was a straightforward war, kill or be killed.
"Eulalia!" We heard the massive battle cry from the patrol and saw them standing waiting for us to move, a few archers took pot shots at us that fell pitifully short into the sand.
"Charge!" Ulnan charged snapping us from our trance, I ran along in the middle and saw Hallan fall back to the ship, I changed my focus to the battle and brought my shield up while keeping my eye upon my prize, Celeste who was hurried along farther up back by several stoats who were well armed.
"Come vermin!" The long patrol streamed forward into us creating an instant melee, kill or be killed, blood splashed unto the sandy ground beneath us, I couldn't see any victors just death in the madness.
"Stay n' fight ye jolly old fleabags." A young seeming hare slashed at my shield with a long rapier, it clacked off with no effect. I threw the shield to the ground in frustration after trying to use it and my spear in union, finding it exceedingly difficult. I parried his thrusts with the long metal spear. Neither of us wore down, but with my attention divided I was having trouble.
"Jolly nice day for a battle wot!" I mocked the hare; he struck out with the sword while disciplining me with his free paw.
"Isn't nice to mock sir, but yore right. Nice night." I took my attention away for a moment to glance over to Celeste, she lay nursing somebeast, still covered by the stoats who numbered only three now, the others lay in the shallows littered with arrows.
"Aaahh!" I cried out in pain as I felt the hare's blade slash across my legs painfully repeatedly before I stumbled back blood spurting into the sands. I fell towards the shallows and the hare rushed headlong after me, I held up the spear and slid towards him in a quick dash.
"Oof!" He hit the spear driving it through his chest and out of his back, dark circles appeared on his tunic from the spear, I saw the other end glistening with blood in the moonlight. I looked up to find the moon wasn't white anymore, but a blood red. The hare slid down my spear, and I found another hare attacking my furiously.
"You'll pay for that vermin!" I could see the fallen hare upon this new ones feature, his eyes burned with rage as his fought with a javelin furiously as I threw his relation into him and rolled to grab a fallen hares long sword. He had gotten several slashes on me and I felt the salt water burn my back and sides as I fought the hare.
"Die!" Anger overwhelmed me as well as the hare as I hacked and slashed with the blade madly drawing blood from a neat slash across the chest and a final blow to the neck drove his face down in the shallows, the water swirled red and then I heard it.
"Aaahhh!" A very familiar voice pierced the night air; I heard it over the chaos and madness before me, over the war cries and screams of agony. Through the bloodshed I saw her fall into the shallows twin arrows through her chest and her loving heart, silencing her.
"Got him!" In my distraction I felt arrows drive their way into my chest as I fell to my knees into the shallows, I saw nothing of the battle, just her lying face down in the blood red waters bathed in the flicking light of the bonfires. I fell onto my back and blacked out the last thing I saw was a shooting arrow and the last thing I heard, the piercing scream of another casualty of this misguided battle.
"You six." We could hear him talking to somebeast up on the ship. "Stay and if the battle goes against us kill them." My stomach turned as I realized whom he meant, the oar slaves who we still bound in the galleys were to be killed. I hadn't thought Ulnan would be so cruel and cold; he would murder helpless beasts regardless of the lives they could live. I forced my attention back to Celeste, my plan was to fight my way to her and get away from here as fast as I could, mayhap we could live happy somewhere.
"Feel it?" The weasel that had woken me a few hours later was next to me.
"What?" I whispered, I still didn't know his name, but that wouldn't matter much longe.
"The wind, its colder'n death here. As the lord said 'Death is on the wind'." He explained and then stuck out his paw.
"Hallan." I shook his hand, might as well make the best of the worst, I thought.
"Hale." He smiled a little smile, knowing of his quite certain future.
"We should get out of her you know?" Ulnan was making battle plans and speeches, which we completely ignored already aware of everything, in fact Ulnan was giving false speeches in case of any spies.
"How?" I asked curiously.
"Just up and leave, I'm gonna come back and grab my sister from the ship before we're all dead beasts, she's got too much life left to die now." I could see tears in his eyes as he probably thought the same thoughts as I was about Celeste.
"I'm with you." I answered with determination in my whispers.
"Grab yore girl and go, we should try east into the forest." That was all he said before everybeast fell silent and looked left to the mountain south of us to find the beach lit by bonfires and a badger with seventy or more hares at his back, more were positioned upon the mountain armed with bows. There weren't any tactics for this battle, this was a straightforward war, kill or be killed.
"Eulalia!" We heard the massive battle cry from the patrol and saw them standing waiting for us to move, a few archers took pot shots at us that fell pitifully short into the sand.
"Charge!" Ulnan charged snapping us from our trance, I ran along in the middle and saw Hallan fall back to the ship, I changed my focus to the battle and brought my shield up while keeping my eye upon my prize, Celeste who was hurried along farther up back by several stoats who were well armed.
"Come vermin!" The long patrol streamed forward into us creating an instant melee, kill or be killed, blood splashed unto the sandy ground beneath us, I couldn't see any victors just death in the madness.
"Stay n' fight ye jolly old fleabags." A young seeming hare slashed at my shield with a long rapier, it clacked off with no effect. I threw the shield to the ground in frustration after trying to use it and my spear in union, finding it exceedingly difficult. I parried his thrusts with the long metal spear. Neither of us wore down, but with my attention divided I was having trouble.
"Jolly nice day for a battle wot!" I mocked the hare; he struck out with the sword while disciplining me with his free paw.
"Isn't nice to mock sir, but yore right. Nice night." I took my attention away for a moment to glance over to Celeste, she lay nursing somebeast, still covered by the stoats who numbered only three now, the others lay in the shallows littered with arrows.
"Aaahh!" I cried out in pain as I felt the hare's blade slash across my legs painfully repeatedly before I stumbled back blood spurting into the sands. I fell towards the shallows and the hare rushed headlong after me, I held up the spear and slid towards him in a quick dash.
"Oof!" He hit the spear driving it through his chest and out of his back, dark circles appeared on his tunic from the spear, I saw the other end glistening with blood in the moonlight. I looked up to find the moon wasn't white anymore, but a blood red. The hare slid down my spear, and I found another hare attacking my furiously.
"You'll pay for that vermin!" I could see the fallen hare upon this new ones feature, his eyes burned with rage as his fought with a javelin furiously as I threw his relation into him and rolled to grab a fallen hares long sword. He had gotten several slashes on me and I felt the salt water burn my back and sides as I fought the hare.
"Die!" Anger overwhelmed me as well as the hare as I hacked and slashed with the blade madly drawing blood from a neat slash across the chest and a final blow to the neck drove his face down in the shallows, the water swirled red and then I heard it.
"Aaahhh!" A very familiar voice pierced the night air; I heard it over the chaos and madness before me, over the war cries and screams of agony. Through the bloodshed I saw her fall into the shallows twin arrows through her chest and her loving heart, silencing her.
"Got him!" In my distraction I felt arrows drive their way into my chest as I fell to my knees into the shallows, I saw nothing of the battle, just her lying face down in the blood red waters bathed in the flicking light of the bonfires. I fell onto my back and blacked out the last thing I saw was a shooting arrow and the last thing I heard, the piercing scream of another casualty of this misguided battle.