The explosion was so loud it knocked Hunter off his feet.

The sound shattered the eardrums of anyone nearby, including Hunter himself. Blood leaked out of his ears. Accompanying the shrieking bang was a bright flash of light. Even when closing his eyes, the cheetah warrior was still temporarily blinded by the flash.

The blast could be heard and seen for miles in the still night, echoing out beyond the reaches of the Valley of Avalar. Anyone who dared to look at the explosion itself would find themselves blinded by a nighttime sun.

This was the signal for the attack group to attack.

Hunter was disoriented, dropping his bow and covering the sides of his head in pain. He could hear nothing but the high pitched ringing in his ears. Despite this, he opened his eyes, to behold a scene of chaos before him.

The explosion had not actually killed anyone, but it had served its purpose. Sure enough, as Hunter had predicted, the majority of the camp was incapacitated. Anybody that was not reduced to an agonized wretch was too distracted looking at the explosion to see thirty warriors, led by Prowlus, stealing up behind them.

Hunter regained his composure, picking up his bow. He quickly drew another arrow out of his quiver, and began to run towards the camp. Within seconds, he sighted a grublin, rolling on the ground, covering his ears. Hunter notched the arrow onto his bowstring, aimed, and fired.

The arrow put the grublin out of his misery, striking his neck. Hunter turned his attention back to the camp, and began to fire arrow after arrow into the vicinity, keeping a steady stream going into the camp. Three enemies were down within seconds, killed by Hunter's uncanny accuracy with a bow.

Hunter kept firing, taking advantage of the moments when the enemy was in disarray. The enemy forces would need to be reduced to half their number before they could recover from the ear splitting screech and blinding flash of the explosion.

"I hope the attack party gets here soon!" Hunter shouted to himself.

…

Prowlus sat in wait, clutching his broadsword in his paw. He looked at the small tents that marked the edge of the enemy camp, and then, back to the fire. Hunter was nowhere in sight.

That's probably a good thing, thought Prowlus. If he couldn't see him, chances were, neither could the enemy.

He and his thirty men were anxious, eager to see Hunter's unmistakable signal call them to battle. The ones with bows and arrows fidgeted with their bowstrings, testing them to make sure they wouldn't snap. This was just a result of being nervous, Prowlus knew. They had already checked their weapons before going to battle. Prowlus found himself doing similar things, such as tapping his boot to make sure his dagger was in place, and testing the edge of his sword. Truth be told, he was just as nervous as the rest of them. He wasn't fond of the idea that he and his little army were going to be facing a force more than three times their size.

They waited for what seemed like hours. Prowlus had instructed them to stay quiet, but two soldiers in the back of the group had begun to talk amongst themselves in whispers.

Prowlus turned his head, glaring daggers at the two soldiers. Upon seeing their chief's face, they fell silent, not wanting to anger him. Prowlus nodded his head once, and turned back around to stare at the camp.

Now, the fire at the other side of the camp wasn't so bright anymore. He was too far away to hear noises from the camp, but if he had been closer, he would've realized the camp was virtually silent. The creatures in the camp had fallen asleep, oblivious to what was about to happen.

Suddenly, a sixth sense told him that the time had almost come. Turning his head away from the camp once more, he addressed his troops with a quiet voice.

"No war cries. Stay quiet until we're inside the camp. We don't want the enemy knowing that we're here until after we get inside." He paused, and then continued. "Everyone with a bow and arrows, Get shafts onto your bowstrings. The signal's going to go off very soon. Kill every enemy in sight. No mercy." His voice turned cold.

His soldiers nodded their heads in acknowledgement. They understood the orders.

Satisfied, Prowlus turned his head once more, facing the camp again. He braced himself, getting mentally prepared for the attack. He could only hope that Hunter was right about the explosion. If the enemy was not incapacitated by it, he and his men would practically be committing suicide. Yet somehow, he trusted in what Hunter had said. He would just have to attack and hope for the best.

C'mon, Hunter. Set off the signal already! Prowlus screamed inwardly. Yet, as the minutes went by, nothing happened.

Prowlus began to worry. This was taking too long. A thought entered his head.

Maybe Hunter was caught…

The thought tied his stomach into knots. If Hunter had been caught, the entire Valley of Avalar was doomed. Yet, there was no commotion inside the camp. Prowlus sighed, relieved.

"No." He whispered inaudibly to no particular person. Hunter hadn't been caught by the enemy. Fear was replaced with a surge of relief. Prowlus sighed, the thought expelled from his head.

Yet somehow, something was not right. This was still taking too long. Hunter should've set off the signal by now. Perhaps he…

His train of thought was cut short as a brilliant light flashed out of the corner of his eye, where the campfire was located. It was immediately followed by the loudest explosion Prowlus had ever heard. His ears popped, and he was nearly knocked off his feet by the high pitched bangaboom of the explosion as it slammed into his eardrums like a wrecking ball.

The signal had been given.

Prowlus, unable to hear much, yelled to his troops behind him. "Go, go, go! Move out!"

His troops were also affected by the sound of the explosion, so they barely heard their leader's cries. However, his movement forward caused them to realize what was going on. This was Hunter's signal flare.

They moved up from their low lying positions, standing in the tall grass. They took flight, following their leader's path towards the campsite.

The battle had begun.

A grublin sentry, shocked by the sound of the explosion, turned around to find out what was going on. He saw a small mushroom cloud of smoke rise above the tops of the makeshift tents, and stared, his eyes fixed upon the sight.

It was the last thing he saw before an arrow zipped into his head. He fell without a sound.

Prowlus's small force moved across the field with great speed, trying to reach the inside of the camp before their enemies recovered.

Two more grublins came into sight. They were panicked, running toward the explosion, brandishing their small, stubby spears.

Three arrows flew through the air, hissing like angry hornets. The two guards didn't stand a chance. Their squeals were cut short as the arrows found their marks.

The army kept moving, nearly inside the perimeter of the camp…

They entered, turning the once serene place into a bloodbath within seconds.

Arrows flew, swords slashed, spears stabbed. Many of the grublins and other beasts, blinded by the light of the explosion, did not even see their attackers before they were killed.

Prowlus encountered a grublin. Without a second's hesitation, he sliced it into two halves with his sword. He kept moving, cutting down any enemy he saw. His troops followed suit, slaughtering anything in sight. Within less than thirty seconds, a score had already been killed by the cheetahs' efficient attack.

Soon, however, their enemies began to regain their composure. Realizing what was going on, they gathered weapons, and with great haste, began to attack their attackers with vigor.

Fortunately, the grublins were outnumbered. The western side of the camp was still either incapacitated, or had no idea what was going on. In fact, many thought the attack was coming from the west. The thirty warriors fought them with equal ferocity, and soon, the attackers were exterminated. Nobody had fallen. Prowlus raised a shout to his men.

"Keep moving! Head for the western side of the camp!" He pointed his sword in the direction of the fire, and began to run in the direction he had indicated. His soldiers followed him, leaving five or six warriors to cover the rear of the group in case any enemies remained to the east. The group annihilated anybody that dared to get in their way.

Prowlus spotted another creature running toward him. This was a goblin, slightly larger than a grublin, and much more deadly. He got into a fighter's stance as the little creature slashed at him with a shortsword.

He parried the blow, knocking the goblin's sword to the right, leaving it exposed. He slashed downward, hacking his foe to the side. He continued running, trying his hardest to reach Hunter. His assumed his friend would need some help.

…

Prowlus could not have been more right.

Hunter was firing arrows like mad at the throes of assailants coming at him. He had so far managed to kill every enemy that came at him, but the arrows in his quiver were running low.

Taking only a half second to aim, he fired an arrow at a grublin only ten meters away. It struck the beast in the heart, killing it almost instantly. He was already grabbing another arrow when a second grublin came out from the shadows, darting across the small clearing, spear in hand. Hunter barely managed to dispatch him before yet another one came from his right. The grublin was almost upon him before an arrow sank into his side. The force of the impact sent it spinning, nearly landing on top of Hunter.

The cheetah warrior knew that he couldn't continue this for long. There seemed to be an endless stream of the disgusting creatures. Unfortunately, Hunter did not have an endless supply of arrows to match.

Then, all of a sudden, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something. He whirled around, and to his horror, he saw a massive, six foot tall beast coming straight for him. The muscles on its arms bulged almost as much as its fat belly. The creature had two sharp, pointy ears on the top of its head, as well as green, wrinkly skin. It carried a massive axe in both hands, looking as if it was a toy in the giant's hands.

He had no time to think, only to react. He drew an arrow from his quiver, and notched it onto his bow. He pulled back…

The hulking beast was upon him, swinging his fist at Hunter's bow.

Hunter's bow was knocked to the side, sent spinning out of his grasp. The arrow zoomed off into the night. He instinctively threw himself to the ground as the creature swung the axe, roaring.

The axe missed, nearly taking off Hunter's head. Hunter rolled to the left, and sprang up, instinctively reaching for his boot dagger, but it wasn't there.

Hunter cursed. He had already used it on the sentry.

He had very little time to think as the creature charged, whirling the axe over his head. Hunter leapt to the side, just as the axe slammed into the earth where he had just stood. Taking advantage of the moment, Hunter swiftly got up from the ground, and threw a backhand punch at the beast's head as it tried to retrieve the axe from the dirt.

The punch hit the brute squarely in the jaw, sending him spinning to the grassy plain. Immediately, seeing the beast was down for the time being, Hunter began trying to pry the axe out of the ground.

He pulled as hard as he could, but it would not budge. He looked behind him, to see that his much larger foe was already getting up from the ground, appearing unaffected by the cheetah warrior's punch. His sharp, yellow fangs gleamed in the darkness, his gaze fixed on Hunter.

Hunter, unable to pull the axe out of the ground, ran for his life. Looking behind him, he noticed that his enemy was already in pursuit, ripping the axe out of the ground with little effort.

The huge beast was already closing the space between himself and Hunter, catching up to him with little effort.

Hunter could not outrun his enemy. He could only try to move faster as the beast closed the distance even more.

Five meters… four… three…

An arrow whizzed past Hunter's head, nearly nicking his ear in the process.

The shaft burrowed itself into the giant's chest, piercing his heart. With one last roar, the giant fell, right onto his axe.

Hunter looked behind him once again, slowing down as he saw his would-be killer, lying dead on the ground. He turned his face frontward, and stopped running. A cheetah archer crouched next to a tent directly in front of him, his bowstring vibrating back and forth.

Hunter gasped, sucking in air greedily. He gave his thanks to the archer between breaths.

"Thank you…for saving me." He put his hands on his knees, hunching over tiredly. "I would've been a goner if you hadn't come along."

"No problem." The archer replied, his bright red eyes gleaming in the firelight. To Hunter's surprise, the voice sounded very youthful. Not only this, but his voice had cracked. It wasn't very noticeable, but very little escaped Hunter's observation. This cheetah was a youth. Hunter pondered this for a moment, taking it all in.

Strange… I don't remember Prowlus recruiting anyone this young for the attack…

He didn't have much time to think about it as he heard another voice coming from his left.

"Hunter!" Prowlus was coming his way, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He was flanked by four cheetah spearmen, each one of them peering into the spaces between the tents in case any enemies were still lurking about. "I saw what happened! Are you alright?"

Hunter immediately recognized Prowlus' voice. Turning his body to face his chief, he nodded his head, still out of breath. "Yes… I'm okay."

"Good. That's very good."

Prowlus sounded out of breath as well, most likely from the long run over here. Hunter gave no response, still inhaling and exhaling rapidly as he tried to regain his breath. Prowlus started speaking again.

"Well, it's a good thing that… thing… tripped and fell on his axe, or you would've been killed. That's very lucky, I suppose."

Hunter shook his head. "Well, actually, this fine young warrior…"

He turned to face the cheetah warrior that had saved his life, but stopped speaking, shocked.

He wasn't there.

Hunter looked somewhat dumbfounded, his eyebrows raised.

"Where'd he go?" He asked nobody in particular. "He was there only a few moments ago…"

Prowlus noticed the puzzled expression on Hunter's face, and asked, "What's wrong, Hunter?"

His question only seemed to confuse Hunter even more. "You mean you didn't see him? He was standing…"

Then he realized what happened. There was no way Prowlus could have seen the cheetah from where he had been. To him, it appeared as though the hulking beast had just tripped and fallen on his axe. Hunter frowned.

"See who, Hunter?" Prowlus looked equally confused, waiting for an explanation from the other cheetah. He had no idea what Hunter was talking about. An awkward silence ensued before a reply came back from the other cheetah.

"There was an archer standing right here," Hunter indicated with his pointer finger where the figure had been standing, "And he fired an arrow at the enemy behind me. It struck him right in the chest. That's why he tripped and fell on his axe." He said. "And now he's gone."

"Maybe he just went to join the others? I sent my men to clear out anybody that might be still alive in the camp." Prowlus told him. Hunter stopped to think about this for a moment, and finally, nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah. I guess so. That must've been what happened." At first, he had thought the explanation had made sense. But, with deeper thought, he realized something was wrong.

None of the cheetahs had made it this far to the west of the camp. They were all surely behind Prowlus, and he had only arrived here a short time ago. The archer had already been here, waiting.

Despite having taken notice of this strange fact, he kept silent. Instead of prolonging the discussion, he stayed silent. The chief nodded his head in approval, smiling.

"You did fantastic, Hunter, my friend. You were the one that made this attack a success. Had it not been for your amazing plan, we wouldn't have been able to do this attack tonight. Once again, you've proven yourself to be a more capable leader then I could ever be. Thank you."

Hunter, still dazed, only managed to mutter out a lame sounding "You're welcome" from under his breath.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the rest of the soldiers began to steadily trickle back to where Prowlus and Hunter were. In an urgent tone, Prowlus asked one of his men, "Has anybody been killed in the fighting?"

To his chieftain's relief, the soldier shook his head. "Nobody was killed. There were a few minor injuries, but the attack was a complete success."

Prowlus, for the first time in a long time, grinned broadly, showing his small, white teeth in complete happiness.

"Let us remember this day, when we purged our enemies from the face of the earth! Let us remember the day when our forces were utterly victorious over a force three times our size! For Avalaaaaaaaar!"

He raised up a shout, crying out to the sky, whirling his sword in circles around his head. His men soon took up the cry, raising their weapons as high as they could, yelling at the top of their lungs.

"For Avalaaaaaaaaaaaarr!"

Hunter stood there, his arms at his sides, not participating in the glorious victory shout. His mind was too focused on looking at the cheetahs surrounding him. He listened for a young voice among the crowd. He searched for the cheetah that had saved his life, his eyes darting left and right. He peered at the eyes of everyone around him, seeking out the blood red irises of the warrior that had saved his life.

He saw nothing. He heard nothing.

Hunter's blood ran cold, shivering as a chill was sent up his spine. He asked himself a question, repeating it in his mind over and over again.

Who was the mysterious archer?

…

Author's Note: I just thought I needed to say this; You want to know why my chapters are so short? It's because I tend to change chapters with every major change in setting. I hope to write things that way so I can update more frequently. Just so you know.

Who is the mysterious archer? Do any of you know?

No?

Excellent. I want to keep you guessing. :)

Was this chapter any good? Does the plot seem all over the place? Is the story well written? Do you hate me because of what I did in The Legend of Stupid? Please, review! I don't bite! :D