Chapter 22
Sharpclaw had just returned to the camp to witness the first wave start their attack on the abbey. Seeing the ladders go up, he smiled inwardly, and then frowned as he saw defenders waiting for the ladders, only to push them back down again. Only one ladder remained, this one equipped with a metal latch to keep the ladder form being pushed back. Seeing a large creature on the wall, he grabbed the nearest scout, who was lounging nearby. "You! Go and scout out the creatures on that wall and be quick about it!"
The scout saluted and ran off to do as Sharpclaw had commanded. Looking at Mysteye, he sighed and said, "At first the reports said that there was only a juvenile badger there, but it seems to me that there are more there, have you had any visions of this?"
Mysteye straightened up from her position on the ground and said, "I have had a vision, but I cannot explain what I saw in it."
Sharpclaw looked at her puzzlingly and then said, "Well, what did you see Mysteye?"
Mysteye looked towards the sky for awhile and then said, "I saw your horde, they are chasing a couple of creatures, what they are I do not know, you're in a different land, one that doesn't know of hordes such as yours. That is all, I saw no more."
Sharpclaw was puzzled now, his horde, in a different land, chasing a couple of creatures that even a seer fox did not know of. What did it all mean? He put that thought aside as he saw a couple of his creatures make it to the top if the wall and was fighting a few otters and a tall...something. Watching his lieutenant send another group of creatures at the ladder to assist the ones on the wall, as the last one fell off he knew it was too late. He wondered what the scout he sent would report, Sharpclaw settled back and decided to wait.
On top of the wall however, things were not looking so good. Wyatt was helping the otters defend the wall against those climbing up. At first they were doing well, but then an otter took a sword thrust and toppled off the wall to the abbey grounds below, it was a dizzying drop from either side. Then another otter was knocked unconscious from a pike shaft hitting him between he ears, he was a quick kill for the vermin. Gathering a few stones, I was determined that I, nor the three otters left standing with me would fail in our goal of protecting the wall top from vermin. Glen, with a half of a broken javelin in her paw, ordered a charge, I rushed in, helping the otters deal retribution to the vermin who thought they could oppress free beasts. After slaying the remaining vermin on the wall, I could hear Glen congratulate those who were with her; none of us saw the scout the Sharpclaw had sent listen in to see who was on the wall. "Let's see, what do we have here?"
Glen was walking about jauntily, giving thanks to everybeast, then one of her otters said, "Good job human, you'd be a great asset to have with your rock throwing skills."
"Human?" Said the scout to himself, "That must be what that tall creature is, this could be a problem for the horde if it stays up on the wall." He kept listening for additional information when he saw another of the odd-looking creatures come up with a stack of javelins in its arms. It passed them to a female otter that was obviously the leader of the small group.
"Thank you Liz, anything to report from the other areas?"
The scout watched the human speak to the otter, "There's not much else going on, the only actual problems with the vermin seem to be only here. Maybe while the vermin are mustering up for their next assault, you could get rid of that ladder, those metal things never actually attached itself to the wall, it's just some metal bars with a bit sticking down to keep it from falling backwards."
The scout knew that it was time to scram, scrambling down the ladder; he dashed off back towards camp, going in a weaving pattern to make himself hard to hit. Sharpclaw heard the scout returning and had him make his report. Hearing about the two humans, he changed his strategy around, he would send his archers to slay the humans. Sharpclaw never took chances when it came to war, and he wasn't about to get sloppy now.
I was taking a break, the wall rotation with a fresh group of otters, mice and squirrels on the walls; eating some food, when I heard the din of battle above me. Hoping that nobeast up there would be killed, I kept on eating, soon there would be a rotation for wall top duty; and I needed my rest. Wyatt was having a nap as well; he was inside the abbey in the kitchens, on some sacks in the back room. The noise of the otters finally getting the ladder released from the wall reached my ears and I smiled. Before sleep stole up on me I heard the sweet sound of silence, something that barely happened throughout the entire battle. Sharpclaw however had other plans; "Where's that scout I sent?" he yelled at a group of vermin that had just returned from the battle, many of them with injuries. When he didn't receive an answer he walked off moodily to his tent, awaiting the scout's return. Mysteye however, was with the scout and was listening to what he had to say. "I'm telling youse that creature was bigger than those brawny otters, stronger too. I heard one of those otters call it a human. Eh, eh do you know anything about these humans?"
Mysteye had her eyes closed, taking in all that the scout had said. She dismissed him with a curt nod. Mysteye sat there for who knows how long meditating, thinking about what the scout had said. She would go to Sharpclaw after he had digested the information the scout would've given him. But one thing still puzzled her; where did those two creatures come from? In all her travels she has never even come close to seeing a creature like the ones the scout reported on. Could it have something to do with the vision she had? She couldn't tell; taking a deep breath, she settled down on a makeshift sleeping cot from one of the former officers and went to sleep.
Sharpclaw banged his paws down hard on a makeshift table he had brought into his tent. He never liked hearing of failed plans, nor did he like to hear of how a small group of otters could defeat his soldiers. But the information that the scout brought back cheered Sharpclaw up a bit. Learning that there was two unknown creatures called humans that had the courage to fight without fear. "More than my bunch will ever be."
He spat at himself. Oh well, I bet those oddball creatures couldn't best me in a fight anyway; nobeast's better than me when it comes to a scrap. Knowing that a nighttime attack could have fatal results, he pulled his forces back to strategize and lick their wounds. Sharpclaw was formulating a plan, and nothing, not even some weird creature was going to stop him.
Sharpclaw had just returned to the camp to witness the first wave start their attack on the abbey. Seeing the ladders go up, he smiled inwardly, and then frowned as he saw defenders waiting for the ladders, only to push them back down again. Only one ladder remained, this one equipped with a metal latch to keep the ladder form being pushed back. Seeing a large creature on the wall, he grabbed the nearest scout, who was lounging nearby. "You! Go and scout out the creatures on that wall and be quick about it!"
The scout saluted and ran off to do as Sharpclaw had commanded. Looking at Mysteye, he sighed and said, "At first the reports said that there was only a juvenile badger there, but it seems to me that there are more there, have you had any visions of this?"
Mysteye straightened up from her position on the ground and said, "I have had a vision, but I cannot explain what I saw in it."
Sharpclaw looked at her puzzlingly and then said, "Well, what did you see Mysteye?"
Mysteye looked towards the sky for awhile and then said, "I saw your horde, they are chasing a couple of creatures, what they are I do not know, you're in a different land, one that doesn't know of hordes such as yours. That is all, I saw no more."
Sharpclaw was puzzled now, his horde, in a different land, chasing a couple of creatures that even a seer fox did not know of. What did it all mean? He put that thought aside as he saw a couple of his creatures make it to the top if the wall and was fighting a few otters and a tall...something. Watching his lieutenant send another group of creatures at the ladder to assist the ones on the wall, as the last one fell off he knew it was too late. He wondered what the scout he sent would report, Sharpclaw settled back and decided to wait.
On top of the wall however, things were not looking so good. Wyatt was helping the otters defend the wall against those climbing up. At first they were doing well, but then an otter took a sword thrust and toppled off the wall to the abbey grounds below, it was a dizzying drop from either side. Then another otter was knocked unconscious from a pike shaft hitting him between he ears, he was a quick kill for the vermin. Gathering a few stones, I was determined that I, nor the three otters left standing with me would fail in our goal of protecting the wall top from vermin. Glen, with a half of a broken javelin in her paw, ordered a charge, I rushed in, helping the otters deal retribution to the vermin who thought they could oppress free beasts. After slaying the remaining vermin on the wall, I could hear Glen congratulate those who were with her; none of us saw the scout the Sharpclaw had sent listen in to see who was on the wall. "Let's see, what do we have here?"
Glen was walking about jauntily, giving thanks to everybeast, then one of her otters said, "Good job human, you'd be a great asset to have with your rock throwing skills."
"Human?" Said the scout to himself, "That must be what that tall creature is, this could be a problem for the horde if it stays up on the wall." He kept listening for additional information when he saw another of the odd-looking creatures come up with a stack of javelins in its arms. It passed them to a female otter that was obviously the leader of the small group.
"Thank you Liz, anything to report from the other areas?"
The scout watched the human speak to the otter, "There's not much else going on, the only actual problems with the vermin seem to be only here. Maybe while the vermin are mustering up for their next assault, you could get rid of that ladder, those metal things never actually attached itself to the wall, it's just some metal bars with a bit sticking down to keep it from falling backwards."
The scout knew that it was time to scram, scrambling down the ladder; he dashed off back towards camp, going in a weaving pattern to make himself hard to hit. Sharpclaw heard the scout returning and had him make his report. Hearing about the two humans, he changed his strategy around, he would send his archers to slay the humans. Sharpclaw never took chances when it came to war, and he wasn't about to get sloppy now.
I was taking a break, the wall rotation with a fresh group of otters, mice and squirrels on the walls; eating some food, when I heard the din of battle above me. Hoping that nobeast up there would be killed, I kept on eating, soon there would be a rotation for wall top duty; and I needed my rest. Wyatt was having a nap as well; he was inside the abbey in the kitchens, on some sacks in the back room. The noise of the otters finally getting the ladder released from the wall reached my ears and I smiled. Before sleep stole up on me I heard the sweet sound of silence, something that barely happened throughout the entire battle. Sharpclaw however had other plans; "Where's that scout I sent?" he yelled at a group of vermin that had just returned from the battle, many of them with injuries. When he didn't receive an answer he walked off moodily to his tent, awaiting the scout's return. Mysteye however, was with the scout and was listening to what he had to say. "I'm telling youse that creature was bigger than those brawny otters, stronger too. I heard one of those otters call it a human. Eh, eh do you know anything about these humans?"
Mysteye had her eyes closed, taking in all that the scout had said. She dismissed him with a curt nod. Mysteye sat there for who knows how long meditating, thinking about what the scout had said. She would go to Sharpclaw after he had digested the information the scout would've given him. But one thing still puzzled her; where did those two creatures come from? In all her travels she has never even come close to seeing a creature like the ones the scout reported on. Could it have something to do with the vision she had? She couldn't tell; taking a deep breath, she settled down on a makeshift sleeping cot from one of the former officers and went to sleep.
Sharpclaw banged his paws down hard on a makeshift table he had brought into his tent. He never liked hearing of failed plans, nor did he like to hear of how a small group of otters could defeat his soldiers. But the information that the scout brought back cheered Sharpclaw up a bit. Learning that there was two unknown creatures called humans that had the courage to fight without fear. "More than my bunch will ever be."
He spat at himself. Oh well, I bet those oddball creatures couldn't best me in a fight anyway; nobeast's better than me when it comes to a scrap. Knowing that a nighttime attack could have fatal results, he pulled his forces back to strategize and lick their wounds. Sharpclaw was formulating a plan, and nothing, not even some weird creature was going to stop him.