Hey there, and welcome back to Animal Farm: The Novelization. Here's where I might need to ask you for some help: naming some of Jessie and Bluebell's puppies and describing them. I've already planned out one puppy and its appearance, as you'll see in a chapter or two.

This chapter is also where you'll see a character from the mobile app game. While he's already described and given some character, he didn't have a name. So I decided to give him one. As for Snowball, I've described him as a Large White, but I heard it say that he was a Landrace pig. So I might go back and change his breed to that.

Uploading Date: October 23, 2021

Enjoy!


Chapter 6: The Battle of the Cowshed

By the time summer ended, Animal Farm's name had spread across the county. Snowball and Napoleon had sent out more pigeons to spread the word of the rebellion and teach all other animals "Beasts of England". Some animals had it good on their farms; they were either pampered and just laughed the pigeons off or were raised and loved by humans and thus were scared of being away from their masters. But those who were overworked and abused were more than willing to listen and rebel.

And rebel they did. Bulls that had always been easily controlled suddenly turned savage, sheep broke down hedges, cows kicked the milking buckets over, and horses shot their riders onto the other side of the fence. That was when "Beasts of England" became known everywhere in southern England, animals soon recognizing the tune and words. It had spread faster than a raging wildfire.

It was during late September on Animal Farm that the animals had had a visitor. This animal was foreign on English soil, a dromedary camel who had escaped from a circus. He was as large as the horses, with a long neck, long legs, and brown fur. He also had one hump on his shoulder, which was an important body part for his species, for it carried fat that would help him survive long days of heat and cold.

"Greetings, friends. My name is Elijah," said the camel, bowing when he had first set foot on the farm. "I come from a circus far away, where I performed many amazing tricks. I even once did tricks for the queen!"

While the animals were initially amazed (for they had never had an exotic animal on the farm before), they warmly welcomed Elijah as a comrade. Boxer was one of the few animals who took a liking to him right away.

"I've heard of camels from stories," the Clydesdale had admitted when they first met. "But I'm glad to meet one now. Welcome!"

Elijah smiled back at his fellow herbivore. "Thank you. I've met many horses before, but none with such fine manners as yours."

But not all was well within Animal Farm. One morning, Sam had been ready to get to work when he saw Jessie and Bluebell storming into the barn. They looked torn between crying and wanting to tear someone's throat out, and they were throwing around the straw.

"Girls?" Sam barked, catching up to them. "What's wrong?"

"Our puppies," growled Jessie. "Someone took them. When we got back from guarding the farm, they were gone!"

"Who took them?" asked Sam, alarmed. It hadn't been too long ago when he had played with the puppies when he was teaching them to pounce on each other.

"That's what we're trying to find out," snapped Bluebell. "And when we find them, we'll tear their throats out!"

"Girls, calm down," Pinscher spoke up. They turned to see the Rottweiler making his way into the stall. "The puppies will be okay. Comrade Napoleon took them while we were all working."

Now the three dogs stared at him as if he had turned into a human before their eyes. That was when Pinscher frowned. "Oh," he muttered. "I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that."

Jessie and Bluebell glared at Pinscher before racing out of the barn, not bothering to see more of his reaction. With a shared glance, Sam and Pinscher ran after them.

It didn't take them long to find the two females. They had stormed over to the harness room where the pigs were staying at. Napoleon and Squealer were sitting upon beds of straw, looking down their snouts at the two dogs as if they were expecting the females to approach them.

"Good afternoon, ladies," Napoleon greeted them. He didn't look that surprised when they barged in, only slightly amused.

"Napoleon, where are our puppies?" snapped Bluebell. "You took them!"

"What did you do with them?" Jessie demanded. "We want to see them right now!"

"I know you do," Napoleon replied gruffly. "And no, you're not going to see them."

That caused the three other dogs to share surprised looks before they looked back to the pigs. "Why not?" Bluebell demanded, her voice cracking with dismay. "They're our babies!"

Squealer raised a trotter for silence. "I wish you two were thinking clearly," he said in a smarmy voice, "instead of letting your emotions get the better of you. Then you would be pleased to hear about the special education that we're going to give them. They just need a quiet place to think and learn while not getting distracted by the humdrum of everyday life. Surely neither of you want to disadvantage your puppies?"

"It's for the best," said Pinscher, who had followed them into the harness room. "Our puppies will get all the education they need. They may become part of the Animal Guard, headed by myself. You girls and Sam can join too, and all you have to do is swear allegiance to Comrade Napoleon and no one else." He then smiled, as if they were ready to play a game of catching a ball. "What do you say?"

For a horrible moment, Jessie pondered over whether to accept the proposition or not. Perhaps she could. If she accepted and Bluebell as well, they would get to see their puppies again. They could even convince Pinscher that whatever Napoleon and Squealer had planned for the puppies, it wouldn't be good.

But that thought left Jessie's head as soon as it entered. There was no way she could agree to this.

"No. Pinscher, we won't join," she finally barked. "Our puppies still need their mothers, whether you think so or not. And I hope you have them back in the barn soon so we can raise them."

Bluebell nodded with a fierce look. "Jessie's right. As parents, it should be us to decide our young's education, not the pigs," she said. "But until you realize that, Pinscher, you stay away from us."

Pinscher looked hurt and opened his mouth to say something, perhaps an apology. But Jessie and Bluebell had already stalked out of the harness room before he could say anything.

"What about you, Comrade Sam?" asked Napoleon, addressing the smaller dog. Squealer and Pinscher were looking at him too. "I haven't heard you speak at all during this meeting. Do you want to join the Animal Guard?"

"I'd like to," said Sam, yet his gaze was on where the females had left. "But, er...I got a lot of work to do on this farm. So no, I can't find time to join this Animal Guard."

Without waiting for an answer, he headed out of the harness room. It was on this day that Sam made sure to keep an eye out on Napoleon and Squealer from now on. As for said two pigs, they weren't bothered by the refusal. They had enough dogs anyway.

...

All during this, Mr. Jones spent most of his time at the Red Lion in Repton. He would complain to anyone who would listen of the terrible injustice he had suffered by being chased out of his property by a pack of filthy animals. The other farmers could sympathize with that, but they didn't give him much help. At one point, Mr. Pilkington had been one of the many unsympathetic people, jeering at the ranting Mr. Jones. "You're still here? Look at you, you drunk," he scoffed. "You have no money, your animals have driven you out, and you're wasting your life away with all this drinking. You're a disgrace."

These other farmers were wondering how to turn Mr. Jones's misfortune into their fortune. This didn't go too far, however, because two neighboring farmers living near Animal Farm were always on bad terms. Mr. Pilkington of Foxwood Farm was a laidback farmer who spent his time hunting or fishing. Yet his farm was a large, neglected, and old-fashioned farm; it was overgrown by woodland, its pastures were worn out from time, and its hedges were messy. Then there was Mr. Frederick of Pinchfield: a tough and shrewd old man, permanently involved in lawsuits and known for driving hard bargains. Unlike Foxwood, Pinchfield was smaller and better kept. These two hated each other so much that they wouldn't agree on anything, even when they shared the same interests.

Nevertheless, they were both united in their fear of Animal Farm's rebellion, trying to prevent their animals from learning about it. They tried at first to laugh it off and sneer at the idea of animals running a farm, saying that a broken-down car would last longer than a farm run by animals. They refused to call it "Animal Farm" and insisted that people call it the "Manor Farm" and said that the animals were fighting each other and starving from lack of food. However, time passed, and the animals neither fought each other nor starved to death.

Undeterred, Frederick and Pilkington changed their tune and spread other rumors. Wicked behavior was brewing at that farm, they told anyone who would listen, of how the animals cannibalized each other, tortured each other with horseshoes hot from the smelter, and even inbred with each other. "This is what they get for going against the natural order of things," they would declare after telling these tales. "Our animals know their place, and that's beneath us."

But there came more powerful tales of a great farm, where humans were cast out and animals could look after themselves. The more oppressive humans growled with rage whenever they heard "Beasts of England", though they pretended to ignore it. "How could animals sing such rubbish?" some would say to each other. "I've heard better singing from bagpipes!" They even decided to beat any animal that sang the song on the spot, in front of that animal's comrades. Yet there was no stopping the song: Blackbirds whistled the song in the trees, the pigeons and doves cooed it in buildings, and the song even extended to church bells at this point. Any human who hated Animal Farm trembled upon hearing the song, believing that the end times were to begin.

On one cool October morning, the animals had been cutting the corn and stacking it, threshing it as well. They were working when a flight of pigeons flew around the fields of Animal Farm, frantic.

"Jones is here!" squawked one of the pigeons. "They're going to take back the farm!"

All of the animals were on alert, frightened that the humans had come back. Snowball lifted his snout to address the pigeons: "What are they doing right now?"

"They're coming up the road to the farm buildings," said the pigeon. "All except Jones have got sticks. Jones himself has a shotgun."

Snowball nodded. "Fortunately, I've taken the necessary steps in case an attack has come near. Now we all need to be ready. Pigeons, for your diligence, rest and help yourselves to any corn that will fill you up."

"What if the plan doesn't work?" asked Napoleon, looking a bit nervous.

"Comrade, where's that courage I've often seen you have?" asked Snowball. It was the first time that the animals had seen the two rivals being truly kind to each other. "We need that courage now."

"I guess you're right," admitted Napoleon. "Just let me prepare. I won't take long."

He hurried out of the barn, Squealer on his tail, and the pigeons flew up to the barn rafters to rest. These two did not appear again for the rest of the battle.

When the other animals weren't going to run away, Snowball began his attack plans. He had studied a book about Julius Caesar's battle campaigns; this Julius Caesar was a human, but he appeared to have been a genius in battle, and he had made a career not only as a politician but also as a fighter. It was with this human's plans that Snowball carried out his battle plan, giving the other animals their instructions. In just a few minutes, all of the battlers were ready.

As the humans were approaching the farm buildings, Snowball launched the first attack. All thirty-five pigeons flew over the men's heads, pooping on their heads from mid-air; while the men were dealing with the pigeons, the geese rushed out from behind the hedge and onto the road, fiercely pecking at the calves of their legs. However, the men easily drove the geese off with their sticks, with Jones shooting after them and trying to kill at least one.

"They drove off the geese," whispered Sam.

"I know," said Snowball, resting a trotter on Sam's shoulder. "Trust me, Comrade Sam, I know what I'm doing. This was meant to create a little chaos. Now we launch the second attack."

Once the humans set foot near the farm buildings, the second attack was activated. Snowball led Muriel, Benjamin, Sam, and all the sheep forward, and they prodded and butted the men from every side. Benjamin turned around and lashed at them with his small hooves, and Sam was clinging to one man's pants leg with his teeth. But with their sticks and their hobnailed boots as well as Jones's gun, the men were once again too strong for them.

"Retreat, animals!" called Snowball. "Retreat!"

Immediately, all the animals turned and fled through the gateway into the farmyard.

"Look at 'em running!" a man yelled. "They're giving up!"

"Let's make sure they give up for real," growled Mr. Jones as he reloaded his gun.

But this was part of Snowball's plan, having the rest of his army lying in ambush in the cowshed. When the men came into the yard, the animals launched their third and final attack. The three horses, the three cows, and the bull, the three bigger dogs, Elijah the camel, and the rest of the pigs darted out to surround them, and that was when Snowball gave the signal to charge. The horses kicked and bit, the cows stamped and gored, and the pigs and the dogs - with Snowball and Sam joining their respective species - and Elijah bit savagely. Elijah's appearance had also frightened some of the humans, for they weren't expecting a camel to show up at the farm.

As Snowball charged right for Jones, the farmer raised his shotgun and fired. The bullets grazed Snowball's back, causing him to bleed, and they even killed a sheep. But the Landrace pig didn't give up, flinging himself at Jones's legs with all of his might. With a yell, Jones fell face-first into a pile of dung, and his gun flew out of his hands.

But Boxer was the most terrifying out of them all, a large and powerful stallion. He was rearing up on his hind legs and lashing out with his iron-shoed hooves, landing a heavy blow on the head of a young Foxwood farmhand. The young man was flung down to the mud and lay there, apparently lifeless.

Finally, the men had to surrender. They began making a run for it, being bitten on their legs by the sheep and pigs and being gored by the cows. Even the tabby cat had jumped onto a barrel and then hurled herself at a man, scratching at his neck with her claws and making him scream. The animals chased the men out to the main road, which they took to running down with a flock of geese pursuing them.

The young farmhand, however, did not stir, lying face-down in the mud. The animals approached the body, and Boxer was pawing at him with his hoof and turning him so that his face was free from the mud, trying to get him to his feet. When the young man did not stir, Boxer bowed his head in guilt.

"I've killed him," the Clydesdale murmured. "I forgot that I was wearing horseshoes. Who will believe that I didn't kill him on purpose?"

"This is war, comrade," said Snowball, limping over. Blood dripped from where the bullets had grazed him, yet he held himself up as if he had nothing more than a cold. "No time for any sentimental thoughts. The only good human being is a dead one."

Boxer shook his head, his eyes full of tears. "I've no wish to take a life. Not even a human life."

"It's okay, Boxer. It was down to you and him," Sam reassured him. He steeled himself for what to say next and pressed on, "The way I saw it, the way anyone else would see it, might as well be him."

"Look!" barked Pinscher abruptly. "He's coming to!"

All of the animals followed the Rottweiler's gaze to the dead human...but he wasn't dead after all. He was sitting up, holding a hand to his injured head, before looking around at the animals. With a whimper, he scrambled to his feet and made a run for it out of the barnyard. None of the animals chased after him; just the sight of them was enough to keep him running.

"You were very brave today," said Clover, gently nudging Boxer.

"Yes, he was brave," added Snowball. "I daresay he's the bravest of us all. He's an animal hero, first class. The dead sheep was also brave, proof that animals will need to prepare to fight and die for Animal Farm if the time comes."

Boxer, who looked relieved that he hadn't killed a human, shook his head. "No. There was no one braver than Snowball. You're the one who is the hero."

"Snowball! Snowball! Snowball!" the sheep started chanting.

"Comrades, we are all heroes!" piped up Napoleon, coming forward and looking strangely uninjured. He and Squealer had returned to the other animals once the battle was ending. "We will celebrate the anniversary of this battle every October the twelfth. On that day, we will march past our flag and fire off this gun." At this, he pawed at the shotgun that Jones had dropped in a panic. "And as of this day, our farm is officially an animal farm."

Despite his earlier misgivings towards Napoleon, Sam couldn't help but agree. They had fought bravely, and now they had the anniversary and even the weapon to prove it. Squealer led a chanting for Napoleon's name, which the sheep had taken up as well.

Someone had then noticed that Mollie was nowhere to be seen, and they were afraid that the humans had carried her off. Fortunately, it didn't take long to find her. She had explained that she had fled as soon as she heard the gunfire going off, hiding at a far corner of the field.

"What a pity she felt fear," scoffed Napoleon when Mollie was finished. "We do not need an animal that is too afraid to fight for Animal Farm."

"Coward! Coward!" chanted the sheep, and they all walked away.

Mollie hung her head from shame, and Clover plodded forward to comfort her. "It's alright to feel scared, Mollie," she said. "I was pretty scared too when the humans were beginning their attack."

For the rest of the day, the animals were all excited. They boasted to each other about the roles that they played in the battle. The hoof-and-horn flag was raised, and several rounds of "Beasts of England" were sung while they all ate a celebratory feast. A military decoration was to be created: "Animal Hero, First Class", which was presented to Snowball and Boxer on the spot. It was considered a medal, though they were old horse-brasses found in the harness-room, and they were to be worn on Sundays and holidays. They also created "Animal Hero, Second Class", which was given to the dead sheep; this sheep - the former bellwether of the flock named Caleb - was given a funeral and had a hawthorn bush planted on his grave in the orchard.

It was agreed that the battle should have a name: the Battle of the Cowshed. With Mr. Jones's gun and the ammo found in the farmhouse, they decided that the gun would be fired twice a year: on this October day to celebrate the Battle of the Cowshed and on a June day in summer to celebrate the rebellion.

To be continued...