Chapter 4
The Battle
Fort Blissban was now like a fine-tuned weapon. The army paraded in the courtyard, wheeling 'round and marching together. Sentries patrolled the wall tops, now able to see through most disguises on the shoreline, and weapons were polished and sharpened to deadly points.
Trattek paced for the call he knew would come, but it was still a surprise when a sentry called in guarded tones disguising fear, "Ragar and his Pack on the western dunes!"
Trattek barked out orders, and soon the windows were bristling with slingers, archers, and javelin throwers. He himself went to the wall tops in his armor, which made the Wolfpack stop dead.
The wolf wore a splendid blue cloak and a spike-studded leather tunic. Over that, he wore a gleaming breastplate, shin guards, greaves, gauntlets, and a helmet. The helmet was closely shaped to his head with a long muzzle that covered Trattek's top jaw and ended in a spike. There were slits for eyes, and the ears were long and spiked on the end as well.
This fierce image caused the Wolfpack to look up and stare with fear, resentment, and a little awe. Ragar was instantly among them, swinging a whip and roaring, "Keep marching, you useless scum! Don't just stand there gawpin'!"
He placed his own war helm over his head and fastened a great black cloak over his full armor. The two wolves eyed each other, seething with rage and hatred. Suddenly, Trattek waved a paw and yelled, "Let fly!"
A variety of weapons spun with deadly accuracy into the Wolfpack's ranks. Some fell with yelps and whimpers, but the majority of the wolves charged with an eerie, ear-splitting howl that rose and rose until every hair on the Blissbans' backs was standing up. There was a terrible whirling noise as every wolf pulled out a slinglas, a cross between a sling and a bolas. It was a thong twice as big as a normal sling, but was not meant to be reused. Instead, the weapon cut through its enemies like ninepins with the force of a speeding bullet.
"Get down!" screamed Trattek as several went flying for the arrow slits. The slinglases struck the arrow slit and smashed the masonry around it, effectively destroying the space. Trattek leapt down below to the courtyard, eyes red with battle flame. "Open the gate!" he snarled.
Log-a-log rushed to obey, not wanting to anger the raging wolf. He had never seen Trattek like this. When the gates were open, Trattek howled a battlecry of his own and roared, "Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarge! Blissbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"