Chapter 15.1
Take It Back, Part I
Anger, Fear, Determination, Horror, Doubt, Anxiety, Power, Hope, Despair…
Revenge…
Every step he took forward, every inch that was made closer to his target, the Stranger's emotional state of mind randomly changed through cycles. Every step forward to the tower in the distance only made his mind turn into a working clock, each tick shrouding his thoughts with a different thought.
The Stranger took a deep breath with every marching step, ignoring the sounds of war that surrounded him. Despite his eyes left open, his mind was hidden in darkness. There was no way to describe what he was thinking, with so many thoughts flowing through him that he could not track.
But he could very well describe what he felt. Looking only forward with no intention to step back, he could see the ominous glow of the tower in the center of Happy Tree Town, his main target to attack. For what lied inside was not only his opportunity to escape the world,
But also the one thing he despised the most, the one thing he only wanted to see die in a puddle of blood by his hands:
The Mad Man.
For nine months he fought through a nightmarish world filled with nothing but horror and death, witnessing tragic events that would consume the average mortal and send them into insanity. For nine months he was forced to live a life and play a game he never wanted to take part of.
And worse, the people around him, the ones who originally saw him only as a lunatic but now see him as their savior, suffered more tragically and even beyond his time here. With over a decade of torture and pain, the Tree Friends he knew now have suffered enough, and deserve to be relieved of this madness.
This was his, the Stranger's goal, his main feeling with every step:
End the madness, once and for all.
And even though his mind continued to doubt him, constantly taunting him that death was completely certain, an idea that even some of the Tree Friends accepted as fact, the Stranger reminded himself that this was no longer just his fight.
But everyone's.
Returning to reality, away from his concerning thoughts, he turned his ahead behind him while still progressing forward, and observed the majestic sight that he never thought would be achieved.
With the aid of Flaky and Flippy by his side, behind them lied an army of over 300 Tree Friends, marching forward and singing their town's anthem as a battle tune. The unique set of Tree Friends were leading the charge with only faces of determination and the will to fight being their expression. Pop, Russell, Cuddles, Toothy, Sniffles, Lumpy, and everyone else marched together, not taking one step back. Despite the fear that lied in their hearts, the idea of turning back was never brought up; they will no longer accept the slavery of false lives, all thanks to the convincing words of three Tree Friends.
The Stranger smiled in his mind as he watched his friends march forward, following his steps. The adults took the lead so their generic units would follow their orders, and Cub, while too young to make out anything of his surroundings, waved the crudely made rebel flag like it was the greatest toy in the world; to him and everyone else, though, it was a symbol of hope, and the heart of the child who carried it lifted their spirits.
Looking slowly upward, the Stranger could see Splendid flying overhead, giving a bird's eye view of the area. Pushing his past records aside, seeing Splendid being a useful asset was calming to his mind; perhaps this battle could be his chance to show he is hero material now.
Whatever the case, the Stranger dropped his emotions when he noticed Splendid quickly bringing his right palm down for him to see, and showing three fingers, flexing them up and down to signal they were three minutes away from the battlefield. Nodding to acknowledge his statement, the Stranger pointed behind him and watched Splendid lower his altitude and go the opposite direction of the city, leaving the Stranger and his army alone.
Watching his only aerial support leaving for a short time began to worry the Stranger once again, and his breathing began to pick up in pace. He turned around with his eyes opened widely to notice they were inbound to the south-eastern hill that they initially left the day before. Once on top of that hill, he will have his own clear view of the city they left behind… or what was left of it.
The idea of what could be beyond that hill continued to make the Stranger go frantic with his emotions. All he wanted to do now is finish this fight and go home, ending the suffering forever. But what he ran from and what he saw was horrific, and now he was coming back to face it again, this time bringing innocent others in the fray.
Those creatures, those Shadows, along with the fierily rain of destruction, all summoned by a mad god, were not part of nature; they defied life itself, including the ideology of the morals between right and wrong. Murder was their only belief they would follow, with no innocent bystander be left untouched. They were going to kill them, and that was a fact.
The Stranger shook his head and removed the thought of the terrible creatures from his memory. Even if they were killers, they were nothing more than mere pawns, tools used by an old man; they were just like machines with no choice to make on their own, a skill that the Stranger and Tree Friends had on their side, and he was going to make use of that advantage.
Seeing how they were almost at the base of the hill, the Stranger wanted to do a few last moves before starting something that could very well be the end of them. Knowing what he was planning to do, the Stranger yelled loudly for his small army to hear.
"BATTALLION, HALT!"
With one final step forward, everyone came to a sudden halt, silencing their voices as they stood perfectly still. The Tree Friends, while doing their best to stay calm, looked at each other at each other from the corner of their eyes, confused on what was exactly going on.
Flippy and Flaky stood still while pondering the situation as well, keeping their eyes on the Stranger as he stood like a statue. He then took a deep breath, and marched forward up the hill on his own. Seeing him go forward alone was worrying some of the Tree Friends, wondering if they should progress forward with him. Flippy, though, made sure to calm down the battalion by giving them the 'halt' signal, but was also wondering as well why he moved ahead without them.
The Stranger had a proper reason for his move; he wanted to see the town and everything for himself before letting their eyes catch the glimpse of the disaster. Whatever sight was beyond this hill was going to traumatize them significantly, and he wanted his mind to take that trauma now and strengthen himself before pushing everyone else forward.
With only a few more steps until he reaches the top of the hill, the Stranger took one more deep breath, emptied his mind of any thoughts, and slowly peeked over the hill to see what awaited him on the other side.
He regretted his choice instantaneously.
If there was indeed a Happy Tree Town before the destruction, there certainly was no indication of civilization ever being here in the first place. Nearly all the buildings, excluding those that were missed or were sturdy enough to withstand the destruction, were nothing but piles of rubble, obliterated and unrepairable. The roads were destroyed and cracked, many buildings left in pieces, and destruction laid everywhere.
The world around the destruction was not a charming sight either. The sky was blood-shot red, the clouds having the appearance of dark ash and smoke. Dead bodies of generic Tree Friends blanketed the streets with their expelled organs, and plenty parts of the city were lit ablaze by small embers of flames.
When the Stranger left his eyes closed, the sounds of the town did not soothe the tragic sight. The sound of rolling thunder over the town gave an eerie feeling of despair and horror, and the subtle screams of dying Tree Friends haunted the Stranger, almost hearing the actual cries of those who failed to escape.
But what was worse than all of these signs of war were two key subjects that stood out amongst the world, both which taunted his very soul.
The first was the large tower in which the mad man currently hid. It stood tall, it's disguise of a tree deteriorating and revealing a rather more metallic looking structure, with a shiny steel look on the exterior. Upon inspection, the Stranger could see the light of the gate still open, vulnerable for entry. And yet it was this light that made the Stranger go into fear; what exactly was he going to find inside that light in the tower, and if it's dangerous, can he beat it.
And before he can even think of entering the tower, there was the matter of the one thing that stood between him and his goal to end all suffering.
And it was looking right back towards him.
The Shadows, the menacing outlines of Tree Friends who were shrouded in darkness, their eyes glowing with a red aura, and their hands all grasping a weapon, either a sword, axe, mace, or even a bow, were all lined up and facing in his direction. The Stranger breathed heavily and shook nervously as he could see the evil in each Shadow's eyes, all of them looking directly back him.
They stood in ranks on the street with their weapons by their sides, and archers were planted on high ground, either on top of piles of rubble or in the upper floors of buildings which still stood. They did not flinch at the sight of the Stranger, nor did anything else. All they did was prepare themselves for his next move, watching him without ever batting their eyes away.
The Stranger swallowed his throat as his eyes frantically shot around the scenery. "They… they knew we were coming up at this spot at this exact time… they prepared themselves already before we were even given the chance to attack… they-"
The Stranger went silent as he felt a hand touch his right shoulder, being placed gently on body. Shocked by the feeling, he looked over swiftly and noticed Flaky standing by his side once more, without a single hint of fear in her eyes. She stood perfectly still, staring into the Stranger's worried brown eyes with her soothing crimson red eyes. The Stranger only looked back with happiness and confusion in his mind.
Despite what stood in front of them, she trusted the Stranger enough to not feel fear, or at least let it consume her. She was prepared to fight alongside him, as well as the hundreds of others who stood still below him. Flaky smiled and nodded her hand as she left her hand on the Stranger's shoulder, which he returned the gesture with a smile of his own.
He dropped the smile when he felt a hard pat on the back from his left side, and looked over to see Flippy giving him a large determined grin, worry about death not even a thing that rested on his mind. He placed his hand on the Stranger's left shoulder, and nodded his head quickly, giving him a reassuring attitude to fight.
The Stranger smiled to see his two close friends stand by his side in his finest hours. He needed every inch of support, and theirs was the best he could ever ask for.
But another thought that was haunting him on his march here came back; even if they agreed to fight, he couldn't help but feel guilty for everything that has happened, that they are only here now because of his actions, that he was going to be the cause of multiple deaths of innocent lives. The thought made him bring a tear to his eye, which Flaky noticed instantly.
Not wanting to see him in such a state now, Flaky got next to the Stranger and wrapped her arms around him, planting a soft kiss on his right cheek. The soft and tender feeling of her lips touching him soothed away the anxiety and lighten his mood. He looked over at Flaky again, smiling at her talent of always cheering him up.
He shook and bowed his head, letting out a heavy sigh before speaking calmly. "I… I wish none of you were here right now… none of you should have to take part of this fight. You're all being dragged into something I wished that would never happen, and the consequences can be drastic. People will die today, and I can't help but take the blame for it all. You shouldn't have to fight here…"
For a moment, Flippy and Flaky believed the Stranger was going to surrender and quit the fight right before they were even about to attack. But they were caught off guard as the Stranger brought his arms to hug both Flippy and Flaky, bringing him to his sides tightly.
The Stranger smiled widely and looked back and forth between his two friends. "But… it's great to have you here by my side. This may be the most dangerous challenge we will ever encounter, but I am glad that we get to finish this together… thank you, both of you."
All three Tree Friends nodded their heads with a smile, and broke apart the short hug.
Taking a relaxation breath, the Stranger looked forward again to see the Shadows still standing their ground, watching back and waiting for him to throw the first punch. He placed his hands by his sides while Flippy just snorted and crossed his arms, Flaky standing calmly as she looked at the Shadows along with him.
They won't deny the fact that these Shadows were the most intimidating sight that they ever came across, but they did not let their threatening looks discourage their will to fight. The Stranger, looking back at the Shadows, nodded his head and dawned a small grin on his face.
"I guess they're just waiting for us to deal our cards first. Well," the Stranger reached over for his combat knife and unsheathed it from its holder, gripping it firmly in his hand. He looked down at the blade and noticed his reflection from the steel knife, his face still covered with a few scars. He then looked up to both Flippy and Flaky and raised his knife forward. "If they want a war, let's give them one!"
Flippy and Flaky made short grins and nodded determinedly, and followed the Stranger back down the hill to meet up with the waiting army. After a brisk walk, the Stranger stood in front of all the Tree Friends, Flippy and Flaky by his side, and spoke clearly for everyone to hear his commands.
"Alright, listen up, let's recap the situation!"
"We are entering the south-eastern side of Happy Tree Town, on the outskirts of the main city. Initial observation shows mostly open combat, so expect archers to be common. But as we get deeper into the city, fighting is going to be a lot more condensed, and with multiple buildings collapsed, navigation will be difficult. Keep your wits about and check your flanks constantly!"
"As planned, we will all march in on the initial attack, with Cuddles taking a small portion of each platoon to follow him and attack as archers, giving us covering fire on the way in. Once we get close enough, we split up into two platoons, with Bravo, the second platoon, staying on the outside until ordered to move in and raise reinforcement count."
"While fighting through the town, Splendid will give suppressive fire on enemy positions as we get closer to the tower. Be on your guard, as the deeper we get, destruction is sure to become more severe; danger close is going to be a constant warning, so keep your heads up at all times!"
"Once we get deep enough into the city, we'll all regroup in the southern entrance to the park that will lead us to the tower. The mad man is going to have both inside and out of that tower heavily fortified with Shadows, so once we reach that point, we cannot turn back. Don't bother attacking that group of Shadows; they'll only stall us with their numbers. We'll let Splendid cover our approach until I and anyone else enters the tower."
"Remember your basic training; the generic Tree Friends are our base form of attack; they'll provide the bulk of our force, so use them wisely. Those quills are also not meant to be used forever; they have weapons of their own, so if you need a new one, kill and pick up whatever you find. Use their strength against them, and use your own personal skills as advantages!"
The Stranger paused briefly before making a tight grasp on his knife. "Know one thing here, everyone: this is it. Today we finish this pain and suffering. We do not retreat or fall back. We will no longer cower and hide. We are strong enough to make our own choices and live our own lives. Today, we end this hellish land and its constant rain of death. Today,"
The Stranger slung his knife behind him, pointing it straight forward at the hillside behind him. And with one deep breath, he let out a heavy roar.
"We take back our freedom!"
All the Tree Friends behind him, including Flippy and Flaky standing by his sides, pulled out their weapons and raised them high, letting out a roar of battle cries while Cub frantically waved the flag in high spirit.
As they cheered for battle, the Stranger reached for his radio that was attached to his chest pocket on the thick vest he dawned earlier. He switched the radio dial to 'Channel 7' and spoke loudly.
"Splendid?! Splendid, do you read?"
There was a moment of brief static before the Stranger could hear the sound of making a 'hmm, hmm' sound, acknowledging his statement.
"Alright, listen Splendid, this is VERY IMPORTANT. When we march forth, you hold back on your position, out of sight from the shadows, until I give the signal. Got that; hold your position until I give the signal. And Splendid… we're counting on you."
The Stranger could hear Splendid humming his heroic tune and broke off from the station, going off to prepare for his moment of attack. The Stranger nodded his head quickly, and turned around once more to face the army. "Alright, all officers, turn your radios to 'Channel 7' and ready your teams; we're moving out!"
All the unique Tree Friends adjusted their gear to fit nice and tight on their bodies while making sure their radios were placed on the correct channel. Seeing that was done, Russell and Pop, each officers of their own platoon, gave instructions to their team, with Russell preparing his team to march forward first.
Once everyone got into position, all correctly ranked up as according to plan, the Stranger yelled out once more. "CUDDLES! Round up the archers!"
Cuddles gave a military salute to the Stranger and left his position, waving his arms in the air while screaming out loud in the Tree Friend language to gather up the archery team. In just a few short minutes, about 25 generics from each platoon, totaling up to 50, were bunched up into one large team of archers.
While bows where not their current weapon, they did use something more crude-like: slingshots. Cuddles already had his out and ready, with generic Tree Friends who happened to have one at the time automatically placed as archers. For ammunition, the archers carried small pouches with a large quantity of Flaky's leftover quills, used as tiny arrows. While not an actual arrow, if the Stranger knew something right about Flaky's quills, is that they were sharp enough to pierce anything, so it was the perfect weapon.
Once all the generic Tree Friends were placed in ranks behind Cuddles, the Stranger gave a quick nod and looked forward at the hillside once more.
This was it. Only one more order was needed to commence battle. With one last breath to calm his mind, the Stranger gave his last commands.
"PLATOON ALPHA AND ARCHERY PLATOON, FORWARD, MARCH!"
Upon the last word of the command being given, all of Platoon Alpha, which consisted of Lumpy, Lammy, Lifty, Shifty, Disco Bear, Petunia, and Giggles along with 125 generics, marched forward without hesitation. The Archery Platoon proceeded to march alongside Alpha's right flank, and the Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky led the entire marching army, leaving Platoon Bravo back at the starting point.
As they slowly crawled up the incline, each Tree Friend could feel their hearts beating faster, fear and anxiety of imminent combat starting to go to their heads. But each one made sure to tell themselves they were not alone in this fight, and that, with hope and determination, even if one dies, they still have a chance to ALL go home. It was going to be worth the sacrifice.
After only a few seconds of marching, the Stranger and part of his army began to appear from the horizon, slowly marching over the hillside. Looking forward, the Stranger could see every Shadow in front of him currently trying to prepare their flanks and defensive positions. He noticed how they all grouped up in a massive collaboration of soldiers in a single area, making it impossible for a full frontal assault.
It was exactly what he wanted.
Now noticing that the archers were beginning to ready their weapons, the Stranger proceeded with Step 2. "PLATOON ALPHA, HALT!" The command was given and Alpha came to a halt, letting the Archery Platoon proceed forward. The Stranger observed Cuddles and nodded his head to him, giving him the signal.
Taking a few more steps forward from the Stranger, Cuddles and his platoon of archers came to a sudden halt, stopping just in hittable range with their slingshots. Cuddles turned his head back and yelled out 'Ready' to his team, and watched every archer take a quill from their pouches and place it on the strap of their slingshots.
Once their weapon was loaded, the archery platoon disperse to be an open unit and all went down onto one knee, grasping their weapons tightly. Now in position, Cuddles yelled out 'Aim' to his platoon, with everyone now pulling back on the straps of their slingshots while holding the quill as still as they could, similar in the fashion Flippy used the carnival darts with Toothy's own slingshot.
They raised their weapons at an angle over their enemy, and they all took three short breaths to calm their nerves and improve their aim. Cuddles did the same on his part, pulling up his slingshot with a readied quill to be fired.
And on the last breath and prayer, he gave the order.
"FIRE!"
The archers went and let go of the straps of their slingshots, and watched in surprise how the quill acted as an arrow, its light weight soaring high in the air at fast speeds. The Shadows, dumbfounded by what was happening, followed the direction of the quills and looked directly up to the sky, leaving their blood-shot eyes open to the hail of pointy quills.
The Stranger cringed a little as dozens of Shadows were faced with multiple quills piercing their bodies, puncturing their internal organs while also piercing their eyes. Those who were hit frantically screamed in pain as blood spurted out of their eyes and bodies, either dying slowly from blood lost or instant death with a blow to a vital organ.
Those who miraculously survived the first attack realized that they waited long enough and was now their turn to proceed. Using their A.I. like minds as a way to carry out orders, the remaining Infantry Shadows marched forward toward Platoon Alpha, while the archers in the back began to ready their arrows.
Smiling at seeing how the start of the battle was going by his book, the Stranger went and carried out his plan. "PLATOON ALPHA, LOOSE FORMATION!"
The entirety of Platoon Alpha dispersed to become more open while still following in a specific formation. Seeing his Platoon ready, the Stranger looked between Flippy and Flaky, who had determined grins on their faces and their knives at the ready. Flippy looked hungry for war, ready to kill the enemy, while Flaky, despite looking quite nervous and scared of the scene, looked at the Stranger with hope. They were ready.
The Stranger pointed his knife forward again and yelled loudly. "PLATOON ALPHA, FORWARD MARCH!"
The Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky marched forward, along with Platoon Alpha on their rear. As the Stranger looked forward and watched how the Shadows were copying their moves, marching forward to them in close ranks, he kept his eye on Cuddles, who continued to rain fire downrange at the Shadows hunkering down behind rubble and the archers in some of the outskirt buildings.
With each counting step, the Stranger observed their closing distance. He had once shot to make this plan go through, so he had to wait for the right moment no matter what happens.
Trouble would arise as the Stranger looked up and noticed that some of the archers began firing on their position, and he instantly faced behind him to order the platoon. "Incoming fire! Spread out and double time it!"
As the order was given, all the Tree Friends spread further as they picked up their marching pace. The arrows came flying down onto them, ready to kill whoever was in their line of fire. Flippy quickly dodged an arrow as Flaky held her head down while following close to the Stranger, while sadly two generics where killed instantly upon being hit.
The Stranger kept looking forward as the Shadows doubled their pace, despite still being hit by Cuddle's archers. Seeing how the Stranger and his platoon where slowly entering the AOE of Cuddles' archers, the Stranger quickly reached for his radio and gave an order. "Cuddles, seize fire and pull back! We're entering the battlefield"
Cuddles nodded his head and waved his hand back to order his archers to pull back, which they did so instantly. With the archers going back behind Platoon Alpha and waiting orders, the Stranger was faced with the remaining units the of first wave of Shadows, who were all determined to kill them.
With arrows still raining down on them, the Stranger placed his knife in his left hand and reached his back jean pocket for his pistol, already loaded and ready to fire. He gritted his teeth and took faster breaths along with the other Tree Friends as the gap between him and the Shadows were closing in. The loud taunts and their large medieval weapons raised were starting to send the Stranger into a state of panic.
But he kept his cool; he had to. There is no turning back, and he only had to take a few more step before his plan of attack can fully commence. He was ready to fight, and was not going to run away again.
The Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and Platoon Alpha began to pick up pace and yell loudly as they were coming in contact with the enemy. As they got ever so closer for combat, the Stranger reached for his radio and held his hand on the 'Speak' button without looking away from the charging Shadows.
"That's it everyone! Hold it together! Hold it… hold it…" With the Shadows now too close to the Stranger, the archers held of their fire, and began to fall back on their side. With no more incoming fire, it was time to commence with the full attack.
The Stranger smiled widely, and pressed the button on his radio.
"Splendid, it's time to roll out the carpet!"
With the command given to Splendid, the Stranger went to a sudden halt and yelled loudly to his team. "EVERYONE! DANGER CLOSE! HUNKER DOWN!"
Everyone, including the Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and Platoon Alpha went to a sudden halt, took at least three steps back, and dropped to their knees while covering their heads, acting as if bombs were beginning to fall from the sky.
Completely shocked by the move, the Shadows stood still in a daze while watching how their enemy suddenly just dropped to the floor, with no previous indication or reason for them to do so. They looked at each other and hoped to see if anyone had an idea what was going on.
One Shadow on the far right, initially just looking around, caught a glimpse of something in the sky. It was an animal of some kind, something blue… and something heading directly towards them. Seeing the object heading towards him, the lone Shadow yelled out to his team while pointing in the sky of the incoming creature.
All still confused, they all looked up at the sky and yelled in horror at the top of their lungs, for they knew exactly was inbound to their position.
Despite the effort to retreat, it was too late for the Shadows. Once he was in close range, Splendid flew slowly overhead of the Shadows, his eyes glowing bright red as he stared at the enemy. With a slow charge up placed before his flight, and a smile growing on his face, Splendid unleashed a fierily hell onto the enemy beneath him.
Lasers shot out from Splendid's glowing eyes, and the red burning beams struck the ground, setting anything ablaze that came in contact. As he covered the ground with his lasers, the Shadows caught themselves in the crossfire, and all of the charging Shadows were faced with a fierily death.
As the Stranger kept his head down as Splendid performed his attack run, he could hear the Shadows screaming in pain as they were lit on fire, running around in circles and collapsing from the intense burns. Their bodies hit the floor hard, and their weapons piled up upon death. Their corpses slowly turning to ash as the flames continued to char their remains. In just a matter of seconds, Splendid's first run was able to kill off dozens of Shadows without breaking a sweat.
Hearing now only the sound of roaring fire, the Stranger, Flippy, and Flaky got up and stood both in shock and horror at the deadly destruction that was caused. Every Shadow that stayed was killed, and some of the ground and buildings were also hit, sending massive damage to them as well.
The Stranger couldn't help but smile at how his first part of his plan went by so smoothly. Splendid did not kill any friendly members, and only a few generics faced their demise. The fight had begun, and it was already in his favor.
His short celebration would be cut short as an arrow landed directly in front of his foot. Jumping back in surprise, the Stranger looked through the burning smoke to notice dozens of additional Shadow Infantry and Archers moving onto their position. Seeing the army coming his way, the Stranger made a tight grasp on his knife and pistol and nodded his head.
He performed an about face to observe his platoon, now coming back up to their feet after hunkering down from Splendid's attack run. Showing only determination on his face, the Stranger activated his radio to pick up all audio to everyone and gave out his command.
"Alright, here we go people! Splendid, you stay overhead on my position and give us a clear path towards the tower. Take out any enemy fortifications you see and stay on my path whenever I give you a target. Watch your fire at all times!"
"Cuddles, take your platoon and split up in two groups, covering both sides of the town while staying behind us. Give us covering fire whenever you can and prepare for any attack on my command. Again, watch your fire!"
"Pop, you hold out on the outskirts of Happy Tree Town with Platoon Bravo and wait until I give the command for you to move in; we will only call you in when troops are needed, so avoid combat until your assistance is required."
The Stranger turned off his radio and faced Platoon Alpha, who all stood up prepared and looking forward. With his pistol pointed into the air, the Stranger gave a determined grin and spoke clearly. "Everyone else,"
He performed an about face one more time and pointed his gun downrange at the enemy, and with his mind now only on the concept of battle, said "KILL THEM ALL!"
As he raised his pistol in the air, every Tree Friend behind him rushed forward, screaming loudly as they charged forth into battle. The unique Tree Friends led the charge as some generic Tree Friends dropped their quills for the sharp axes and swords that were dropped on the ground from the dead Shadows, whose bodies everyone was stepping over.
The Stranger lowered his head while keeping his eyes forward, watching his army push forward into the fight. Splendid kept his position in the air, attack any hidden wave of Shadows with his laser vision and destroying hideouts for archers, and Cuddles split up into two groups with his archers to hit outer positions to provide cover.
As Platoon Alpha moved forward, the Stranger looked to his sides to see Flippy and Flaky ready to follow. They kept their knives ready, and looked at the Stranger for guidance.
He brought his gun down to examine it briefly, and then observed his knife carefully, seeing his tools for war and how he intends to use them. With a grin on his face and noticing his platoon was already up and facing the enemy, he looked back and forth between Flippy and Flaky and gave a quick nod.
"Flippy, Flaky, let's go!"
All three of them raised their weapons, and charged forth into battle.
"YAR, GO, GO, GO!"
Russell was standing on a pile of building rubble, yelling through is usual pirate accent to lead his platoon into war. Waving his hook to gesture his team to move up, Platoon Alpha was entering itself into a major battle zone on the outer borders of Happy Tree Town.
Closing the gap between them and the Shadow Infantry units, the officers of Platoon Alpha went in knives raised forward, screaming at the top of their lungs in a combined battle cry that could be heard across the city. With one heavy swing of their weapons, and, for what felt like a brief second, a pause in time, they collided in a massive pile up on the street.
While the generics began moving up, using the weapons they either picked up or still holding onto the temporary quills, the unique Tree Friends were all doing their best to push forward, each one not backing down, no matter what the cost.
Lumpy, who stood tall above any of the Shadows, despite his unintelligent demeanor, was smart enough to use his antlers as a way to charge through the crowd, acting almost like a ram that crushed anything in its charge. The clear pathway center mass of the Shadows gave multiple generics to enter through, hitting them inside out.
Lifty and Shifty, not highly known to be entirely cooperative, were bouncing around enemies and targeting the same Shadow, killing them in a two-to-one deathmatch. As Lifty snuck around a Shadow to jump from behind and distract, Shifty jumped forward and rammed his knife into their abdomens or throats, splashing out blood and organs was effectively killing them.
Disco Bear was dancing around the area like it was some form of party, dodging arrows that came across the battlefield and the swinging of swords without missing a beat. With his quick dance reflexes, sliced through the crowds without difficulty, still dancing without a problem.
Giggles and Petunia were attacking side by side, staying together at all times while taking out any Shadow that crossed their paths. Looking after each other's backs, they were never placed in a situation of being cornered or surprised; they fought perfectly. Even more surprising was Petunia was not fazed by whatever blood that was splattered onto her uniform; perhaps the Shadows were 'filth' that needed to be clean.
Lammy fought through a different tactic than the other Tree Friends… at least in her perspective. Using Mr. Pickles, she flung the pickle into the crowd, and watched her friend swiftly kill Shadows without ever being caught, stabbing them repeatedly on their legs or stomach before gouging out their eyes. While it was she that saw Mr. Pickles performed such violent kills, everyone else saw an insane Lammy able to kill without remorse. She was indeed something else.
Finally, after seeing that the generics were now working side-by-side with their officers, Russell came in by jumping off from the rubble landing in the middle of a crowd of Shadow Infantry. Despite their large axes and swords, with every intention to kill, Russell used his knife like a pirate's sword, and was quickly slicing open the stomachs of the Shadows, using his hook to stab and stabilize them. His younger years of an active pirate were coming into good use.
While Russell and his platoon fought on the streets, slowly pushing up with minimal casualties, Cuddles took his portion of the team and moved on the outside, staying in positions away from the battle to provide suppressing fire. Upon seeing a few Shadows hiding back before charging, Cuddles knelt down and ordered his archers to rain hell, shooting off their quills and killing them with ease, and did it without ever being seen.
As ground troops did the heavy work, Splendid watched overhead on the battlefield, looking out for any fortifications where archers may be camping and the best path to move. He constantly went into his radio to contact Russell and Cuddles of where the enemy was spotted, and performed attack runs on buildings to be cleared out with his laser vision and super strength, killing any Shadow that resided in there. His help was giving a clear path for everyone else.
And with everyone's combined effort in the fight, along with their talents and will, the initial strike into the town was beginning to look successful in the eyes of the Stranger, who was observing every inch of the battle being taken in front of him.
Running alongside Flippy and Flaky, the three were making a mad dash to make it up to Platoon Alpha and join the fight. Flippy gripped his knife tightly, ready to insert it into the enemy. Flaky's eyes were widen with fear but will to fight, and kept her knife at the ready. And the Stranger, holding his pistol in the right hand and his knife in a backhand method on his left, was staring straight at the large crowd in front of them, hearing only the cries of war amidst it.
With Shadow Archers still doing their best taking down incoming Tree Friends, Flippy, Flaky, and the Stranger jumped back and forth while heading towards the battle, dodging incoming arrows that nearly hit them on multiple occasions. As he dodged incoming fire, the Stranger looked up to see Splendid mowing down structures with his strength and laser vision, causing multiple explosions and sounds of death in the distance.
Now only a couple dozen feet away from the crowd, the Stranger went into a full sprint, flipping his knife to have the blade pointing forward and yelled to his friends.
"This is it, no turning back! No fallbacks, no retreats, not one step back! Push forward and we will win!"
Flippy and Flaky joined with the Stranger in his sprint and, upon catching a Shadow off-guard, the Stranger ran up a piece of building rubble, and, with one giant leap, fell down onto the Shadow and jammed his knife into its skull, killing it instantly. His first kill he performed on purpose, and he enjoyed it.
With his military-experience kicking, Flippy ran straight into the crowd of Shadows, swinging his knife back and forth like a sword, cutting open multiple Shadows without even taking a break. One after another, any Shadow that was near him was faced with either the end of his knife or his own hands, which worked well snapping the necks of his enemy. His kill streak was never as high as it was before.
As he fought in the crowd, quickly stabbing Shadows left and right while using his gun to pistol-whip his enemies and knock them out, the Stranger kept his eye on Flaky nearby… and was shocked by what he was seeing from her.
If these Shadows were something she absolutely feared, than she was more than capable of fighting this fear on her own. While she looked scared and didn't want to go through this, her past attitude of running made her agile, running and dodging any attack. She wasn't even afraid to use her knife to kill, and the remaining patch of quills that rested on top of her head came in handy to ram unarmored Shadows, puncturing their organs without the need of a blade.
Noticing around his position that the unique Tree Friends were doing quite well in the fight, the generics were starting to dwindle already, with a small casualty count starting to rise. Due to their weak performance and used mostly as a way to tire the enemy, they were no match to their weapons, either ending up sliced opened or shot to death with arrows. They had to keep pushing through.
Looking around his spot while fighting off a few Shadows, the Stranger looked down the street to see the café from his second day in the world, which could be used to cut through the town. He smiled at his plan while crushing the skull of a Shadow with his foot, and activated his radio to give out the commands.
"Cuddles, Splendid, seize fire and move northward on the side of the town; were going to cut center mass through the café and enter on the other side. Provide covering fire for Russell and his platoon while we move ahead! Pop, be at the ready with your team; we may have to call on you sooner than expected."
The last sentence was worrying to many Tree Friends who overheard the command, but accepted it and proceeded to carry on. Cuddles held off firing at his current position and took his portion of the platoon north to find a new position to provide additional covering fire. Splendid performed one last attack run, this time near the café, before moving back over the Stranger to create a clear path for him.
Seeing the orders being carried out, the Stranger killed one last Shadow before beckoning Flippy and Flaky over to him. "Flippy, Flaky, stack up at the café entrance!" Turning around to see two generics standing by with weapons at the read, the Stranger tapped the shoulders of the two to grab their attention. "You two, come with us!" The generics nodded and commenced with the order.
With the Stranger moving up, Russell waved his hook in the air to order his platoon to make an attempt to move up, killing off the remaining Shadow Infantry before charging forward down the street. To make up ground, Russell commanded half of the remaining platoon to split up down both ends of the intersection down the street, covering more ground and avoiding to be surrounded. The Tree Friends performed a battle cry and pushed forward.
Making sure his pistol was ready to be fired, the Stranger ran up to the café entrance and stacked up on right side of the door. Looking behind him to see nothing but massive destruction and dead bodies, he noticed Russell pushing his platoon upward, along with the many dozen Tree Friends charging forward. The generics lost about one-third of their unit already, and they still stood on the outskirts of town.
Flippy, Flaky, and the two generic Tree Friends met up with the Stranger and stacked up at the door, Flaky moving up beside the Stranger, and Flippy and the two generics stacking up on the left. The Stranger was hyperventilating from the constant action and looked to see himself and his friends all stained with dark-blood and breathing heavily, almost completely exhausted to the point of collapsing.
Swallowing his throat and taking one big breath, he nodded his head to his team and spoke with a determined voice. "Alright, you," the Stranger pointed to one of the generics, "on my command, you will kick down the door for us to enter. Once down, we move in, and we move fast. Got it?" Everyone gave a quick nod to the Stranger.
Backing his body up to the door, the Stranger counted down to carry out the breaching.
"Three, two, one, BREACH!"
The first generic Tree Friend came around Flippy and busted down the café door with his foot, breaking it instantly. Flippy and the Stranger followed behind the generic Tree Friend while Flaky and the other generic followed suit.
Initially, the café appeared desolate, with no visible sign of life shown inside. The Stranger kept his pistol raised, preparing himself for any surprise attack.
Such an attack would occur as a couple of Shadows jumped up behind the counter at the end of the café with multiple small knives in their hands. One of them grabbed the blade-end of the knife, and brought his arm to his back, readying itself to throw.
Seeing the act happening in just a split-second of time, the Stranger's eyes widen and crouched down onto the ground. "EVERYONE, get down!"
Flippy, Flaky, and the second generic successfully ducked down, but the first generic was faced with death as the knife thrown from one of the Shadows landed dead-center on his forehead, piercing his skull and brain and killing him instantly.
The Shadows laughed at their easy kill, and picked up multiple other knives to be used as deadly throwing weapons. Seeing them prepare themselves, the Stranger stayed low onto the ground and got behind on of the tables, knocking it over and hiding behind the minimal cover he made for himself.
"Get behind cover, now!"
All four Tree Friends got themselves to hide behind a small table, forced in their position as the Shadows threw knife after knife, landing right on the table and piercing straight threw, only to get stuck due to the thick handles.
Seeing how they were pinned down inside the building, the Stranger came up with a quick plan. He turned around and faced Flippy, who kept poking his head out and in to observe the enemy. The Stranger snapped his fingers to get his attention and spoke fast.
"Flippy, I'll provide covering fire while you move up and kill the bastards! Ready?!"
Flippy nodded his head, and, upon seeing a short window of time given to him, the Stranger popped out of his cover and aimed his pistol at the counter. The faces of the Shadows dropped to shock, and both fell behind the counter as the Stranger fired off three rounds of his pistol, each shot missed.
Seeing they were now dropped, Flippy crawled on the ground in a prone position and slithered across the tile floor, looking over constantly as the Stranger fired off two more rounds to keep the Shadow Infantry down.
Once he was on the side of the counter, he gave a thumbs up to the Stranger to signal he was ready, and the Stranger fired off the remaining shots in his pistol before dropping behind cover. Thinking they were now clear, the two Shadows popped up once more to throw knives down at the Tree Friends.
Now with them believing they were safe, Flippy gripped tightly on his knife and vaulted over the side of the counter. The Shadows turned around surprised from his appearance, and did their best to ready for his attack. But they failed miserably, and Flippy shoved his knife into the throat of the first Shadow before grabbing its knife, and throwing it at the other Shadow nearby, hitting him in the chest.
Flippy pulled his knife out of the Shadow's throat and watched its blood shoot out in a large spurt, and dropped its body to the ground. He slowly walked up to the other wounded Shadow and pulled the knife stuck in its chest out of him before shoving it downward on the top of his head.
Now with both Shadows dead, Flippy yelled 'Clear,' and all the Tree Friends inside got up from cover and moved through the café to meet up in the kitchen. Moving fast to make up time, the Stranger, Flippy, Flaky, and the surviving generic jogged into the kitchen to stack up at the emergency exit in the back.
Not wanting to waste any more time in the café, the Stranger reloaded his pistol with a fresh magazine and opened the door, entering an alleyway with both left and right directions open.
Thinking it was safe, the Stranger took one step out of the door before he was grabbed by a thin Shadow. Instantly shocked by the sudden encounter, the Stranger brought his pistol over to shoot the Shadow, but was kicked out of his hand. The Shadow twisted the Stranger's hand and took away his knife before throwing him onto the ground hard.
The Shadow pounced onto his now fallen enemy, and slung the knife downward at the Stranger's chest. The Stranger caught the knife just before it struck him, but was now in an intense struggle, just like the time with Flippy at the carnival, and it looked like the Shadow was going to win.
Cringing and closing his eyes to prepare for the pain, the Stranger suddenly felt a large removal of weight from his body. Opening his eyes instantly, he noticed Flaky kicking the Shadow off his body and dropped herself onto it, bringing her knife down to meet its open neck.
It wasn't long before Flaky was repeatedly stabbing the body of the Shadow before ending it with a slice to its head, killing it in the fashion comparable to Flippy. Flaky breathed heavily and shook violently for a brief moment as she looked at her kill. This creature was going to harm her closes friend; she could not let that happen, and had to take drastic measures that she despised doing.
After calming down, Flaky faced the Stranger and got up to her feet, walking over to bring her hand out and pick up the Stranger. Still in shock at what she just did, the Stranger left his jaw being dropped and brought his right hand out, and was pulled up to his feet. Once he had his bearings, Flaky handed the Stranger his gun and knife once more, and gave him a quick nod before moving down the left side of the alleyway.
The Stranger blinked a few times as Flippy and the other generic, also shocked from the scene, came up to him and patted him on the shoulder before moving down the alley. The Stranger chuckled and followed Flippy while making a small grin.
"I love that woman…"
Marching on the outer borders of Happy Tree Town alongside over a hundred other Tree Friends, Pop was leading his platoon around the outskirts of town, following the path of the Stranger while staying away from combat until he was ordered to move in to keep the unit count up.
As he slowly moved outside of town, doing his best to make sure his platoon stayed in order, he held the small hand of his son, Cub, who was still holding onto the rebel flag. But instead of waving it happily, he only grasped the handle and nothing else. His happy expression and attitude was replaced with confusion, shock, and a little fear of the world.
Pop could feel his son's pain, for he had the same exact thoughts. Looking over at Happy Tree Town while marching, he could only look and observe the war that took not even a mile away from his position. Destruction of buildings and large flashes of explosions could be seen as Splendid flew over the town bombarding the area, and the large cries of combat and death could be heard, reducing the moral to those who could hear it.
Pop breathed heavily with his eyes widen at the sight of war in front of him, and looked down at his son, who seemed too young to understand the situation everyone was in. He gripped his son's hand tightly, and took a deep breath, calming himself to make sure he was prepared to fight. Even with this horrific fight that he was bound to enter, he had to do it, at least for his son. He has to stay strong for Cub, and make sure they can get to their real homes safely.
Marching for a few more minutes as he kept his eyes and ears open on the city in front of him, Pop began to notice a shift in the clouds above. He and the entirety of Platoon Bravo came to a halt, and stood patiently while looking up at the darkening sky. Questions were raised as Pop noticed the clouds turning into charcoal black, and were starting to spin in a clockwise rotation.
He then remembered the initial surprise attack from the mad man yesterday, how the clouds changed form randomly, and began to summon a fiery rain of hell. It was the exact same situation right now, and Pop knew what was bound to come.
Frantically looking around and wondering what to do, Pop dropped his knife and reached for his radio on his shirt pocket and, though shaking violently, did his best to communicate with the other officers who were still in the field.
Cuddles and his archery platoon finally came back into a full unit after taking opposite routes through the town after clearing the way for the Stranger to hit the café. Now being in a large group once more, Cuddles and his archers began taking positions away from the main platoon and giving covering fire on the Shadows across the town, either on the ground or camping in buildings. They were very effective at their job, yet to kill one of their own while killing hundreds of Shadows.
But Cuddles was starting to find it harder to set up positions away from the platoon as they noticed they were hitting the denser section of town. With more buildings and less open area, archery was beginning to lose its effectiveness, and without their covering fire, it will have to be relied on Splendid to take out targets ahead, and hope for the best.
Shaking the thought off, Cuddles and his platoon moved up the street to meet up behind Platoon Alpha, and carry out further instructions.
While Cuddles began to bring his platoon up, Russell and Platoon Alpha were beginning to meet up on the other side of the café after splitting up at the intersection. Their situation was not exactly the brightest. While the Stranger and his small team decided to cut through the café and alleyways, Russell was met with extreme opposition from a variety of Shadow Infantry, almost being surrounded if they hadn't split up.
Russell ran forward down the street with his remaining platoon behind him, breathing heavily as his body and hook where drenched in blood. This fight was still in the beginning stages and he was surely about to collapse any second, along with all the other bloodstained Tree Friends. He waited briefly for his team to catch up, now at one-half original size due to casualties, and looked further down the street to see they were starting to hit the busier sections of the town…
Along with a large influx of incoming Shadow Infantry moving onto their position, and fast. Noticing Cuddles in the distance while preparing his archers to suppress the incoming Shadows, Russell raised his knife in the air and pointed an imaginary line in front of him, asking to form a large straight column down the street. The unique Tree Friends commanded the generics to lead the front while they stayed behind to give clear instructions.
After running through the alleyways, Flippy, Flaky, the Stranger and the generic Tree Friend came out through the other side, and where now in the same local area as Platoon Alpha. The Stranger looked around his position to see buildings starting to become more common, and the tower in the distance was getting ever so closer. The Stranger, though breathing heavily on the outside, was getting more eager to enter the building and kill the mad man, excited to see his assault going well.
His excitement disappeared as Flippy pulled on his right shoulder, snapping the Stranger out of his thoughts. He looked over and noticed Flippy pointing down the street, where Russell was slowly moving upwards with his platoon in a large line, and were coming in contact with stronger levels of Shadows.
Looking up to see Splendid still performing his attack runs in front of them to clear a path, he noticed that the tall buildings were making it more difficult to attack on the fly, making targets in the street harder to hit. With Splendid on the constant move, his accuracy to hit ground troops was diminishing; Russell was not going to survive on his own.
Nodding his head, the Stranger looked to Flippy and Flaky, who were both at battle stances and ready for his next command, breathing rapidly from the fight but smiling widely to show they still had the will to continue. The Stranger pointed his knife forward and made a quick nod.
"Alright, we're doing well. Let's regroup with Russell and give the guy some assistance!"
Without hesitation, Flippy and Flaky, along with the lone generic, charged forward with the Stranger to assist Russell and his platoon to push forward. Half-way to their destination, the Stranger could see Platoon Alpha has already commence combat with the Shadows, and was not progressing far either. He sped up his pace, making sure he would reach them safely in time to give assistance.
The Stranger was then confused as he heard chatter coming from his radio. Not wanting to stop, the Stranger placed his pistol back in his pocket and pulled out his radio, bringing it quickly up to his ear while still sprinting forward.
"Yes?! Pop, what is it?!"
The Stranger pulled the radio away from him a bit as Pop was practically screaming into the radio, speaking in an inaudible language. Stressed by the situation, the Stranger gripped the radio tightly and spoke in a demanding voice. "Pop, speak clearly for God's sake, what's the problem?!"
"LOOK UP!"
Confused by what Pop meant, the Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and the lone generic stopped moving and looked upwards at the pitch black sky above them. The Stranger was beginning to point out how the clouds were moving clockwise, and their dark color scheme was rather threatening and yet familiar.
The Stranger gasped as he realized what was about to happen. He brought the radio up to his ear once more and yelled for every channel to hear.
"RUSSELL! GET OUT OF THERE, NOW!"
Up at the battlefield, Russell caught word of the Stranger's command, and was confused by his worrying tone. He then heard a rumble in the sky above them, and looked up to see a bright flame beginning to form amidst the clouds. Russell instantly remembered the same clouds from the large meeting at the base of the tall tree, and knew exactly what that bright light meant.
Not waiting any longer, Russell backed away from the fight and waved his hook in the air while jumping up and down frantically. "YAR, run! Run!"
Hearing the command given by their leading officer, the unique Tree Friends looked behind them to see Russell waving them over. Lumpy, however, was looking up the entire time, and was staring at the bright glowing light that was becoming more luminous as they waited.
Suddenly, a giant meteor was shot out the dark clouds at an intense speed, and was heading directly towards them. Lumpy screamed loudly and ran back, along with the other unique Tree Friends. The generics, completely dumbfounded by the screaming due to still being in fierce combat with the Shadows, ran in multiple directions as they caught a glimpse of the first meteor coming down.
The Stranger, Flippy, Flaky and the generic jumped back and fell to the ground as the meteor struck in front of them, landing on top of dozens of generic Tree Friends and even a large number of Shadows, killed by their own creator. The heavy impact destroyed the road it landed on, and raised a massive dust cloud that reduced visibility.
Groaning in pain, the Stranger and his friends pushed themselves up briefly, rubbing their heads after the sudden impact. The Stranger than heard a second rumble, and looked up to see multiple smaller meteors beginning to fall from the sky above them, all lit up in massive flames.
Seeing how he was stuck in a trance after staring at the incoming meteors, Flippy and Flaky picked up the Stranger to his feet and all began running back as meteors showered the road in front of them, hitting multiple structures along the way. Each impact caused a tiny earthquake that shook the ground, destroying the road and damaging any nearby buildings.
Upon the worst of the impacts, the Stranger looked over to see a med-sized tower lose its foundation, and slowly tumble over onto the upper-right side of the road, completely blocking that path. Keeping their bearings straight after the vibration from the collapsing building, the Stranger breathed heavily as he observed the sudden destruction in front of him.
The sound of silence scared the Stranger to his core, and brought his radio back up to his mouth and spoke at a fast pace.
"RUSSELL?! RUSSELL, can you hear me?!"
There was only static on the other end of the radio; not a single voice could be heard.
"Russell, please respond, now!"
Still, only the sound of static was the response.
"Russell?! Lumpy, Shifty, Lammy, Disco Bear, anyone from Platoon Alpha, respond!"
Flippy and Flaky bowed and shook their heads. They could not escape the sudden bombardment of raining hell. Death was theirs today.
The Stranger cringed and grasped the radio tightly, and stomped his foot on the ground furiously. "FUCK! That son of a bitch planned it! Just… God damn it!"
Breathing in a frantic and furious tone, the Stranger came up with a solution to their dilemma. "Okay, okay… there's nothing we can do now except push forward. We have to keep fighting no matter what!"
Flippy and Flaky looked up and nodded their heads, agreeing with the Stranger's statement. Seeing their approval, the Stranger brought his radio back up and gave new instructions.
"Alright, Pop, situation: unit count is at critical levels, and we request support immediately. Move up from your position and move as fast to our position, avoiding as much combat until we regroup. Splendid, you go back and provide a path for Pop and Platoon Bravo to meet up with us safely. Cuddles, I need you to meet up impact site just now; we'll move ahead a bit and find a path. Clear?!"
"CLEAR!"
The Stranger nodded his head quickly and looked up to see Splendid perform a 180-degree turn around and head off to the western border of town, where Pop and Platoon Bravo will be exiting from. After seeing his dismissal, the Stranger placed the radio back on his coat pocket and pulled out his pistol once more, and looked down the same destroyed road that was just hit.
He sighed, then looked behind him at his friends and beckoned them over with a jolt of his head. "Come on… we got to move."
Flippy and Flaky got their knives at the ready, and, with the lone generic still on their side, followed the Stranger down the road to the destruction.
Pop grunted as he placed the radio on his coat pocket, and looked forward with a determined grin on his face. He observed the burning and war-torn city and slowly nodded his head as he realized it was time for him and his side to help with the approach. He was ready to fight and avenge the death of his friends, along with freeing his son from the hellish world.
He then felt a tug on his coat, and looked down to see Cub looking a little scared as he watched his father unsheathe his knife to be used for battle. Cub dropped the flag he was given and was starting to whimper in fear at the sight of his father going to leave him… and possibly never come back.
Pop was deeply struck by the sight of his son beginning to cry, and knelt down to the ground to face him closely. While initially hard to make, Pop made a reassuring smile to his son while holding onto a glint of hope in his eyes, looking at his son happily. He then dropped his knife and moved forward to hug his son tightly, holding him one more time in his arms.
Cub began to silently cry as Pop slowly patted his son, whispering kind words to soothe his sorrow. Knowing he had to move now, Pop brought his arms away from Cub while still keeping eye-contact on him, still saddened by Cub's depressed appearance.
Looking back and forth on the ground, Pop reach over for the small flag once more and handed over his son, making a smile while creating a fist in his hand. He placed the rebel flag in his son's hands, and nodded his head with a determined grin. There was silence between the two until Cub returned with a smile of his own while holding the flag proudly.
Pop chuckled lightly and patted his son on the head before picking up his knife and standing back up straight again. As Cub backed away from his father and Platoon Bravo, Pop called forth his officers, Sniffles, Nutty, Mime, Handy, Mole, Toothy, and an un-frozen Cro-Marmot, to meet up in the front with their weapons drawn.
The unique Tree Friends did just that and stood directly behind Pop, with the remaining generic forces standing behind them. They all stood up straight and looked down at the burning city, and tensed up their bodies to ready themselves for battle.
Pop then turned around to see an incoming Splendid, who stopped in the air above them while giving a salute, which Pop answered with a short wave of his hand. Seeing that he was acknowledged, Splendid turned back once more and flew slowly to look for a clear path for Platoon Bravo to move through.
With his entire team ready, Pop raised his knife in the air and slung it forward.
"MOVE!"