Hey everyone. So as I was considering last chapter's submission, I realized that I can't very well make readers wait a while before the climatic battle. Thus, this second chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects of this story.

So without further ado, let battle commence.

Chapter 21

The Initial Charge

Mounted on a horse, standing tall over a small ridge, Puss awaited the enemy. Standing next to him on horses and unicorns were Kitty and Peter, with Oreius standing at the end of the ridge. The whole Narnian army stood behind them, all tense and silent as they looked toward the horizon. Stretching out before them was a large plain. Grass flowed for miles and miles. A small ridge stuck out at the other end, hiding everything beyond from view. It was a peaceful day, with a light cool breeze gently tickling Puss in Boots' fur. The only complaint was that there was no noise on the plain. No birds chirped, nor animals howled. It was as if nature itself knew a battle was coming.

A loud screech sounded, breaking the monotony of silence. Puss looked up to see a griffin flying in, landing on the left side of Puss at the end of the ridge. This griffin had been sent by Peter to scout ahead. "They have come, your highness," the griffin said, "in numbers and weapons far greater than our own."

"Numbers do not win a battle," Oreius replied.

"No," Peter commented. "But I bet they help," he finished, looking bleakly ahead.

"Wait. What's that over there?" Kitty asked, pointing at the opposing ridge

Puss looked ahead. At first, he couldn't see anything. Then, he saw a small figure climbing up the ridge. It was a minotaur. A rather large, angry-looking minotaur. The minotaur gave a long bellow, raising his ax high. Turning around, he beckoned with his arm to something behind him. Several other creatures started coming up. First one or two, then ten, then hundreds climbed up the ridge or moved to the side of it. Giants, goblins, minotaur, tigers, and other creatures. And riding up on a chariot pulled by two huge polar bears was the White Witch. Gone was her white dress, a suit of golden armor in its place. In one hand were the reins to the chariot. In the other was her staff. A ring of long fur rose around her neck plate. To Puss' shock and anger, he realized it was Aslan's mane. It wasn't enough to kill Aslan, the Witch had to rub it in the army's face by wearing a "trophy" of her enemy?! If Puss hadn't known the plan, he would have charged right there and then.

Peter looked back up the ridge. Puss turned around to see Edmund and Humpty standing up at the top of the hill with the archers. They were providing lookout, as well as coordination for some special moves that had been planned. Puss only hoped the strategies would work.

Peter turned back, raising his sword high. Aslan's army cheered, prepared to fight for freedom.

Puss saw the Minotaur nod to the Witch, as if acknowledging something she was saying. Then, bellowing, he jumped down the ridge, charging straight towards the other side. The Witch's army followed behind. Puss gulped silently. The enemy was more than triple Aslan's army's size, moving forward like waves from an endless sea.

Peter shifted his sword, letting the sunlight reflect in the blade. The griffin standing nearby gave a screech and rose in the air. Puss looked up, smiling as he saw twenty other griffins flying in, all carrying large rocks. The signal had been given. Now they'd see how the enemy would do against surprise ballistics.

The minotaur looked up, eyes wide when he saw the griffins. "Look to the sky," he shouted, turning to the troops following him.

His warning came too late. The griffins started dropping their bombs. Swiftly the rocks fell, smashing and splattering small groups of enemies. The opposing army slowed as various creatures started looking up, trying to dodge the falling rocks. This only made it easier for the griffins' projectiles to hit their targets.

Suddenly, a griffin screeched, falling down. Another fell, followed by two more. Puss looked down to see several dwarf archers aiming their bows at the griffins. He grimaced. Based on what he had heard and seen at the archery range, Puss knew dwarves were master shots. And now, the enemy dwarves were putting their skills to good use. Several more griffins fell to arrows, causing the others to retreat. Puss sighed. The enemy had been somewhat reduced, but not by a margin that Puss would have liked. This would definitely be a difficult battle. Still, Puss knew the griffins had done their best, and nobody else could have done more.

Peter looked forward. Puss could tell that he was feeling nervous about the coming battle. He couldn't blame him. Still, there was no turning back. In this situation, it was death or glory.

Peter turned to look at Puss, Kitty, and Oreius. "Are you with me?"

"To the death," Oreius replied.

"What about 'to the pain'?" Kitty asked.

The others turned to her. "I'm not familiar with that expression," Oreius said.

"Well, to the pain would basically mean your hands, eyes, and legs fall, but you live," Kitty replied. "Nobody really uses that expression anymore," she added, a small smile on her face.

"I can guess the reason why," Oreius muttered, also smiling. "You'd have to be a fool to accept that."

"It's a good thing I'm called a fool in battle," Puss added.

Kitty leaned over to Puss. "That reminds me. I know this might not be a good time, but I have a proposition for you."

Puss turned to Kitty. "You want to talk about this now? I know you want to tie the knot, Kitty, but maybe we can discuss this afterwards?"

Kitty shook her head, eyes widening in mild surprise. "Goodness no, Puss. Not that I would say no to that, but this is a different proposition. How would you feel about a little competition?"

A small grin formed on Puss' face. "Name your terms."

"Once we win the battle, we compare our tallies. Whoever beats the most enemies wins. If I win, I get to wear your boots for a day."

"And if I win?" Puss asked.

"Then you get my claws for a day."

Puss pondered. On the one hand, the boots were rather personal to him. On the other hand, the opportunity to engage in a friendly competition with Kitty Softpaws was very intriguing. "Do you promise to be careful with my boots? Assuming you win, of course."

Kitty nodded. "Of course. I'll treat it as tenderly as you would treat my claws." Her gaze hardened. "So I expect you to treat them well. Assuming you're the winner, of course."

"Of course," Puss said.

Turning ahead, he took a breath. The Witch's army had moved to the halfway point of the field. If any time was the time to attack, now was it. Sure enough, Peter raised his sword. "For Narnia, and for Aslan!" he shouted. With a spur of the feet, he urged his unicorn to charge ahead. Puss charged on his own horse, knowing Kitty, Oreius and the rest of the army were following.

Time seemed to stand still. Puss looked ahead, seeing the cheetahs on his side racing ahead to meet the tigers on the enemy's side. Puss looked around at the familiar faces around him. Kitty, Peter, Oreius, not to mention Humpty and Edmund on the ridge. Would this be the last time he saw them all? And what about Perrito? If Puss fell today, would the dog even know? Puss shook his head. He couldn't think of that now. What mattered was the here and now.

With a roar and a shout, the two sides met. It was sheer chaos. Creatures of all shapes and sizes fought each other, with loud clashes of steel, claws, teeth, and other sharp weapons. It was all Puss could do to keep track of friend and foe. He couldn't even see Peter and Kitty anymore. Swiping left and right, Puss fought off every enemy on his horse. All enemies that tried to sneak up on Puss failed, as he sensed them and slashed at them before they could get too close. Still, for every enemy that fell, five more took their place. It was all Puss could do to stay on his horse.

A loud screech filled the air. Puss looked up to see a flaming arrow morph into a bird. So, Humpty and Edmund had fired the arrow with the hibernating phoenix. Excellent timing. With a loud call, the phoenix burst into flame and flew into the field. The bird ignited a portion of the field, spreading a long line of flame that separated the enemy at the front from the main force of the Witch's army. Puss breathed a small sigh of relief. They had a little breathing room now.

A large bellow made Puss turn. Near the fire, snarling into the sky, was a large minotaur. It was the same one as the one on the ridge before. He was pointing left and right, trying to unite the isolated troops to make a coordinated assault. Puss frowned. He couldn't let this guy turn things around. Only one way to settle it.

Turning his horse, Puss moved toward the minotaur. Several enemies tried to stop him, but with a swing of his sword, they were all obliterated. The minotaur's back was turned. Puss couldn't have timed it better. Turning the horse to the side, Puss jumped off his back, cartwheeling through the air as he prepared to strike at the minotaur's exposed back.

Suddenly, the minotaur turned, seeing Puss falling towards him. Snarling, he grabbed Puss, throwing him to the ground. Before the beast could hit him, Puss swiped his claws at the Minotaur's face, causing the creature to jump back in pain. Puss stood up, drawing his sword.

The minotaur turned, face twisted in fury. He tried to swipe at Puss with his ax, but Puss dodged it, nicking the minotaur's heel with his sword. The minotaur howled in pain, trying to grab Puss. Puss dodged, going for the other heel. But this time, the minotaur was ready. He swung his hand to hit Puss in the face. Stars swarmed around Puss as he blinked his eyes. Shaking his head, he looked up to see the minotaur's ax heading towards him.

Puss dodged out of the way, feeling a small twinge of pain on his left ear. Putting a hand on his ear, he pulled it back to notice a drop of blood. Puss' eyes widened. Up until recently, nobody had managed to draw blood on Puss in a duel. Was Puss losing his touch? Would he fall in this battle and meet death for the final time? Then Puss took a breath. What was he doing? Worrying over nothing, that's what. The minotaur had gotten lucky. And even if that wasn't it, that didn't matter. After the Last Wish, Puss had promised that he would treasure every moment when it came, not wasting his life with worries or rash decisions. And Puss intended to keep that promise, no matter what.

"Not everyone can cause Puss in Boots to bleed," Puss said to the minotaur. "But only a single drop. Is that all you've got?"

The minotaur frowned. "Come here and find out," he replied.

With a yowl, Puss charged forward. The minotaur moved forward with his ax. Puss rolled underneath the minotaur, turning around and jumping up onto his back. The minotaur tried to grab Puss, but he dodged out of the way. Raising his sword high, he plunged the blade deep into the creature's back. With a loud bellow, the minotaur fell, never to move again.

Puss stood up. That wasn't so bad. And with their general gone, the rest of the enemy trapped by the fire were having a hard time defending themselves. Puss grinned. Who said killing the primary head of a hydra didn't work? What could go wrong now?

A loud blast sounded behind Puss. Turning around, he felt his heart sink. The fire had utterly dissipated, revealing the Witch with her staff pointed at the spot where the fire had been snuffed out. Like the proverbial hydra, the Witch's army had grown a new head. Right behind her chariot was the rest of her army. All of them ready to fight. All of them severely outnumbering Aslan's army.

Puss gulped. He knew he was a good fighter, but there was a limit. There was no way Aslan's army could beat all these troops. Suddenly, a horn sounded. "Fall back," Peter shouted, riding up to Puss. "Fall back to the rocks."

Puss nodded, grabbing Peter's hand. In the heat of battle, it would be easy to make a mistake. Some might consider retreating to be a coward's move. Not Puss. He had made it clear to Peter that retreat was good, so long as one planned to return and fight again. And in the battle discussions with Peter and the others, he knew there were still a few tricks in store against the enemy. Puss only hoped it would be enough, as he saw the hordes of enemies chasing them into the rocks.

Puss doesn't get as much character development in this story compared to his companions. I felt that the cat had already gone through a significant change in The Last Wish (and it would be a while before he needed to learn something again). This chapter illustrates that concept. We will see how the battle is going in the next submission.

As always, please rate and review.