Chapter: 13: The Horrors of War
AN: This is most likely going to be one of the more graphic chapters. PLEASE REVIEW
This chapter will be completely in Humphrey's POV
:Humphrey's POV:
Today was the day, today the enemy would be apon us, today we went to war. The past two days we had spent preparing for the inevitable. We had dug spike pits below the snow and then covered them up with branches followed by covering the branches with snow so as to not arouse suspicon. We had also place boulders on top of hills ready to be pushed down at a moments notice so as to crush the enemy. We threw snow so it could harden and become ice and finally we had piled up dry wood in a long line behind us so if we retreated would set fire to the wood to temporarily buy us time to regroup.
I had sent Anya back to the eastern shore to await my return. Even though she was my second in command I did not want her anywhere near the fighting. We spent one last night together before I sent her back with a group of females that were to care for the pups while the rest of us were away fighting for our home and our very lives.
My army was put at the northern flank, while Nikoli's and Maxim's armies were to hold the center and the other two wolves that were at the meeting were to hold the southern flank.
All of our armies numbered four hundred strong with a grand total of 1600 wolves in all but the enemy at least numbered 2000 wolves strong so hopefully with the home field advantage we could even that number. We also had large eurasian eagle owls on our side that would pelt the enemy with rocks and sharpened sticks.
"Form your lines and hold together, stay behind the snow hill until we here the first one of their wolves hall into the spike pits. Once they do that we will move down to meet them on the middle ground. My section of the army will lead the charge. Have the reserve units split in two and flank to the north and south so we can crush them in a pincer." I said as I explained the plan to each of the captains that would be leading a different section of my army.
"Sir what about the medics and the owls." asked one of the captains
"Have the medics on stand by farther behind the lines, do the same with the owls but have them a little closer so if we are forced to retreat they can cover us while we fall back." I replied.
"Yes sir." said the captain
"Before we move into position remember to have a few wolves at the top of the hills ready to roll the boulders down once they start advancing up the hill." I said.
I then put my paw down in the snow and it was soon joined by the paws of the captains.
"Live free." I said
"Die well." replied the captains in unison.
We then seperated and took our positions infront of our troops ready to fight. I climbed the snow hill to the point that I could just see over the top. It was early morning and there was heavy fog in the woods this morning obscuring my vision. Moments passed without anything happening. I turned and looked at my troops they were all tense a few had frightened looks on their faces. I looked back over the hill and then I saw them. Out of the fog I saw Hundreds of wolves heading our way. Strangely they all looked just as tense and frightened as my troops.
They began aproaching the trenches not knowing that they were heading into a pit of spikes. They came closer and closer until their forward line was inches away from the trenches, then they finally fell in. Wolves screamed in pain as their bodys were impaled by a large number of spikes, the lucky ones were killed instantly from either being impaled from below their jaw up to their brain or being impaled in the heart. The wolves behind the ones dying in the trenches began panicing and were running in circles confused. Some fell over into the spikes while others jumped over the trenches or walked of the bodies of the impaled victims.
This was our chance they were all in a panic so it would make it easier for us to push them back.
I ran to the top of the hill and yelled "CHARGE!" I then began running towards the few wolves got past the trenches. They seemed surprise because I was the only wolf over the hill that they could see. They started running toward me smilling confidently but they stopped and turned around when they saw the rest of my army coming down the hill.
More wolves had made it over the trenches and they began to charge at us aswell. Soon we clashed with the enemy army. Wolves everywhere were biting and slashing at each other, I had lead the attack and had already killed five enemy wolves. The fighting was dragging on and they were starting to gain some ground thats when I signaled for the reserves to come down from the north and south. The reserves charged from their locations forcing the enemy to fall back as they were crushed from a three sided attack.
We pushed forward and brought their rear lines into the trenches killing them as they fell in. I could hear the screams of the wolves as they died slowly on the spikes, It sent a chill through my body. They began panicing again and they attempt to flee thats when I decided to set off another trap. Earlier I had sent six of my wolves behind the enemy lines so they could knocked over weakened trees to crush the enemy as they retreated.
The nomads began falling back into the woods and then I gave the signal to bring down the trees. As the first wolves past the trees began falling crushing anyone unfortunate enough to be under them. Another chill was sent through my body as I could here crunching of bones as the trees crushed the wolves to death. We kept pushing forward killing any of the nomads who fell behind the main force.
They must have regrouped because they were coming at us again but in a much smaller number. I saw one of my captains get his throat slashed by one of the enemy wolves, this through me into a frenzy and I charged at the wolf. I pinned him down and looked at him, he was young probabley a new blood. He looked at me with desperate eyes trying to beg for his life. I didn't care he had killed one of my captains and he would pay. I held his head down and feeling around with my jaws I found his spine along his neck under his fur and flesh. I bit down hard and then I tugged as hard as I could. He didn't even fight because he must have died instantly from me rendering his head and spine from his body. I spit it out of my mouth and backed away, I was frightened by what I had just done, I didn't know what I was capeable of when if I was ever in a rage.
It took two hour but we had beaten them back with minimal casualties on our side. We set up a forward encampment and I left one of the captains in charge while I went bact to survey the damage. As I walked along I saw the bodies of the enemy lying everywhere. The snow had been stained red from all the blood. I looked at some of the bodies and saw the carnage I had caused. Wolves all around me lay there with their throats ripped out or slashed open, I saw others with their sides cut open, I could see their rib cages.
As I kept walking I walked past the area where the trees had been knocked over and saw all the deaths they caused. The wolves under the trees had been crushed to death, I saw one wolf who's body was completely visable except for the head which had been crushed under one of the trees. Another wolf had his lower half crushed and his entrails had come out of his mouth because of the force of the impact, the scene reminded me of how something the humans used, what was it, oh yeah tooth paste.
I made it to the spike filled trenches and looked down. Wolves were pilled on top of each other dead from being impaled. I looked at a down and saw a wolf had been impaled through the head and his body slid down to the bottom of the trench which was eight feet deep. I then looked at the top of the spike which he had been impaled on, his eyeball was on the point of it. I jumped over the trench not being able to take the scene and continued walking back towards the hill we had first charged from.
Just before I made it across I saw a horrifing site, one worse then any other I had seen previously. A young nomad wolf was still alive bleeding from the mouth and holding his entrails from his split open stomach with his paws.
He looked up and saw me and said "Please, kill me."
I aproached and looked into his eyes he had been crying I could tell. He repeated himself and said louder "Please, killl me."
I lifted up my paw and closed my eyes, I then slashed his throat. When I heard his body slump down into the snow a single silent tear rolled down my muzzle and into the snow and then with my eyes stilled closed I walked past his body. I opened my eyes again and walked up and over the hill not looking back once.
When I made it to the bottom of the hill I couldn't take it anymore, I looked down and began silently crying.
"I caused this, I caused all of this." I said in between sobs.
I then heard someone coming towards me. I looked up and saw to my surprise Anya. She walked over to me and I looked at her and saw she had a very sad expression on her face, I tried to force a smile but I just couldn't. I wanted to ask her why she was here and not back at the eastern shore but I couldn't even say a word when she wrapped her arms around me, holding me in a tight hug. My emotions took over again, I wrapped my arms around her and began crying into her chest. I just couldn't take it, I couldn't take the horrors of war.
AN: What did you guys think of chapter, I hoped you liked it because I just spent an hour working on it at 2 in the morning, lol :) The scene where Humphrey was walking back survaying the damage he had caused was inspired after I had listen to the song Adagio for Strings by Samual Barber. Its a pure instrumentalsong but the scene goes great if you read it while listening to that song playing, I had it playing the entire time I was typing that part. If you love this story you should REVIEW it and as always have nice day.