"What are they waiting for?" Akebi grumbled.
"They're waiting for us to get cold, miserable and too stiff to operate our tanks." Noriko answered. She was trying to keep watch but it was pretty much futile. The weather had degraded to the point where all she could see was white and darkness; like a screen full of static. The positive to it was that there was almost zero chance that Pravda was on the move in it. Attacking into a blizzard only made sense if you knew where the enemy was and their last intelligence said Pravda was waiting and didn't know where they were.
They knew where Pravda was. And they couldn't do anything with that information. If the weather had been clear, they could have attacked with the Panzer IV or StuG from long range and maybe knocked out another tank before making a run for it. But with the storm raging, that was impossible and any kind of assault could either miss the village they were holed up in entirely or possibly even find themselves in the middle of it amongst some surprised but vengeful Pravda tanks.
"We're winning at the moment, aren't we?" Taeko asked.
"I'm trying to figure that out." Shinobu glared at her instruments. "We've taken out two of theirs but they still outnumber us so are we winning on points but losing on stamina?"
"We're winning because we didn't fall for their trap." Noriko replied. "Itsumi was right about that."
There was a pause and then Akebi and Taeko giggled. "It's probably warm in the 38(t) because Kawashima's still fuming." Taeko suggested.
Noriko tried to maintain her poise, both as their captain and their commander but she couldn't. It had been a shock to hear Erika refer to Momo's 'stupid face' but then the incongruousness of it had infected them and they hadn't been able to stop giggling as they imagined the fury of the school's Public Relations Manager at being shot down like this. It might have been extremely rude of Erika but it had also been necessary in the heat of the moment.
"She's insulted Kawashima. She strangled Kadotani…" Shinobu mused. "What's in store for Koyama?"
"I still can't believe she choked the President like that." Akebi said. "I mean, lifting her off the ground and holding her that way."
"We've seen Itsumi working out." Shinobu pointed out. "It's not like Kadotani weighs anything."
"It's funny in the cartoons and films." Taeko said quietly. "It's not funny in real life."
"You remember when she got mad during the Saunders match?" Akebi asked. "And I pinned her down? Now we know she was just messing around because if she really wanted to fight me…"
"You have to wonder what that school was like." Noriko said, meaning Kuromorimine. "Our Captain's jumpy and our second-in-command is the picture beside the definition of Tsundere in the dictionary."
"It's not like we didn't talk about hurting the President though." Shinobu pointed out. "When she wouldn't reinstate the club."
"We talked about pelting her with volleyballs." Noriko rebuked her swiftly. "Not actually trying to kill her."
"Erika wasn't trying to kill her. She was just… Emotional. Can you blame her?"
"Yes, actually. We've all been emotional. We've all had something happen where we've wanted to lash out! But Erika's hurt herself and Anzu lashing out! I accept her apology but when she's going to hurt herself again? Or someone else?" Noriko asked.
Taeko frowned. "Are you scared of her, captain?"
"Yes." Noriko said bluntly. "How do we know when she's yelling just to be dramatic, and when she's yelling and it means we should protect ourselves? I don't think she knows! So how can we?"
"She had been through a lot." Akebi pointed out. "Everything that happened at her school. Her family. Then she has the fate of our school thrown on her back."
"We don't even know if it's true about her family."
"If it's half-true then she and the Captain have done an amazing job getting us this far." Shinobu said. "I can't imagine doing all of this without my family. Without my big sister."
"It bothers me though." Noriko confessed. "She strangled our School President, but she pretty much deserved it for arranging that match just before this one and for putting all that stress on two girls who were in a bad way even before they had the burden of saving this school put on them."
Shinobu held up a finger. "Wait… Are you angry that you don't know who's worse; the President or our Vice-Captain?"
"How can you tell?" Noriko implored. "They're both good people but they're both crazy! And they both want what's best for the school! And so does Kawashima who really is nuts!" Noriko sighed and then slumped. "I wish our leaders were a little more inspirational and a little less… Them."
"Captain Nishizumi isn't like them." Taeko pointed out. "She doesn't scream insults or threaten bodily harm or loss of privilege."
"No… She doesn't." Noriko said with relief. "You're right, we have one leader who isn't a psychopath."
"I don't know about that." Akebi said. "Have you seen those creepy little bears she collects? With the wounds and bandages? What did she do to them?!"
"She didn't do anything to them." Shinobu replied. "They come that way."
"They come pre-maimed? What the hell?!"
Noriko listened as Shinobu began to explain Boko to Akebi and looked out on the frozen wastes. She could still see nothing but static.
[][][][][][]
Hoshino had learned to be a ghost within the 38(t). She had feigned perfect ignorance whenever Momo accused her of spying on them and had researched various responses to claim that ignorance. Today she had affected a vaguely German accent as she stated 'I see nothing. I hear nothing. I know nothing.'
Not that she needed to tell Erika that her remark had incensed Momo and two hours later she was still fuming.
"Let it go, Kawashima." Anzu had her feet up as usual and was far more concerned with her sweet potatoes than her team mate's calm. Hoshino never had to worry about going hungry in this machine; they were packets of the dried potato in virtually every nook and cranny of the tank. One time while performing maintenance, she had found that a fuel line clog had been caused by a packet somehow getting in there.
"I will not let it go! That girl has given me nothing but disrespect since she first came to Oarai!"
"We lied and manipulated her and her best friend into this." Anzu replied cheerfully. "She's had every reason to be rude and sarcastic to us." She said this with her voice still hoarse. She was wearing a scarf today and Hoshino knew it was because the cold aggravated her sore neck. It was strange how upbeat she could still sound when her voice was noticeably deeper than it normally was.
"She should show us more respect!"
"As much respect as we've shown her and Nishizumi?" Anzu asked impishly and Momo turned to glare at her, prompting Hoshino to look up innocently at the roof.
"What are you smiling at?" Momo demanded of her.
"Ich spreche kein Japanisch." Hoshino replied and it was unfortunate perhaps she had chosen the German phrases for this match considering Erika's Teutonic educational history. But she had quipped in French during the Maginot match and it would be boring to be repetitive. It made Anzu giggle anyway.
"You know what your problem is, Kawashima? You're just like her."
"I! AM! NOT!"
"See?" Anzu asked with a Cheshire grin. "Exactly the same. You're both passionate. You both care about this school. You both have the resting heart rate of a serial killer." She declared and Yuzu giggled.
"Don't you start!" Momo warned.
"Sorry, Momo-chan."
"DON'T CALL ME 'MOMO-CHAN!'" Momo reached over the gun, her hands going for Yuzu's neck and then she realised. And Anzu was cackling with laughter at her while Hoshino lifted her collar to hide her face so that wrath wouldn't be turned on her. Eventually Momo calmed down and they listened to the howling wind outside and bits of ice pinging off the armour.
"It's getting colder." Yuzu said quietly.
"Have some of Fluffy's soup." Anzu advised.
Yuzu giggled. They never used it in her presence but they had happily adopted the nickname Erika had given her gunner. Yuzu liked it because it was enduring evidence that Erika had a softer side and just about the only evidence of it she was willing to show. Even if her regard for her friend embarrassed her. Another thing she had in common with Momo.
The soup was good though and it had been smart of her to hand out the thermos' of it. Warned of Pravda's penchant for drawing out matches, all the tanks had snacks but just food itself did little to counteract the biting cold.
"Maybe we should have handed out blankets." Anzu mused. "The pretty foil ones from First Aid Kits."
"That would make us look weak." Momo countered.
"For not wanting to freeze to death?"
"Yes." Momo replied bluntly and then snarled impatiently. "Are we just going to sit here until our tanks are buried?"
"You heard Nishizumi. We can't do anything in this weather." Anzu went for yet another sweet potato. "And neither can they. We just have to endure."
"It doesn't feel right to do nothing."
"We recruited her because she's the expert, remember?" Yuzu reminder her gently and giggled as she earned a dangerous flash of the monocle.
"Her sister wouldn't just be sitting still."
"Her sister has big scary German tanks." Anzu pointed out. "Lots of them. The kind that turned Russian tanks into scrap by the hundred."
"I'm sick of hearing how helpless we are."
"We're not helpless. We got two of them already." Anzu replied impudently. "And when they do attack us, we'll get more! Before we run away!"
"Do we have to run away?"
"Yes." Hoshino said bluntly and Momo glared at her for speaking up for a change but she met the death glare with ease. After all, she had tended to the fussy T-50 engine many times and endured Erika's cold blue-eyed fury at it. And Nakajima sat with the Beast's feet inches from her neck all the time so the least she could do was stand up to a lesser demon like Momo.
"I still think we should be aggressive." Momo declared.
"We will be aggressive, Kawashima." Anzu told her. "When we need to. When the time is ripe. When our time has come."
"…What does that even mean?"
"We'll know when it happens." Anzu said cryptically.
"Yuzu!" Momo hissed.
"Stop making steam come out of her ears, President."
"But how else will I stay warm?" Anzu asked plaintively, flicking Hoshino with her scarf.
Hoshino didn't know much about karma but she was pretty sure that what she endured in this little tank was going to bring her a cosmic bonanza in the future.
[][][][][][]
The interior of the Panzer IV was in stark contrast to its bleak grey painted armour. After being painted for their many woodland battles, the grey paint made the medium tank blend into the grim weather, especially once the snow began settling upon the panzer. Inside the tank though, Anglerfish team had turned it almost into a sybaritic cell. Seat cushions had become popular amongst the Oarai tankers but Anglerfish team had added many more cushions to reduce the harsh inner surfaces of the vehicle. Saori had been told she could not put drapes in a tank but no one had stopped her from putting up scarves like banners. They added warmth and colour to the tank and it was possible to forget it was even a panzer. No one demonstrated this better than Mako who slept as soundly as though she was in her bedroom. It was appropriate, considering the way that the Pravda forces were currently resting although Oarai had no idea their opposing commander was napping. Only Miho was aware.
"They say Katyusha likes to nap during matches if she gets the opportunity." Miho remarked, thinking about how such behaviour would be received at Kuromorimine. The girls would be split between thinking she was lazy or arrogant. Both would offend them.
"Is that why we're waiting now?" Saori asked peevishly because she was not enjoying the weather. "So the enemy can nap?"
"Yes. And no." Miho answered and then explained this was a test of endurance.
"I thought Pravda would just try to flatten us?" Hana asked.
"They will. But the weather makes them vulnerable so they're using it. By the time the storm clears, some of our tanks might not even start again…" This concern had preyed on Miho since learning they would fight in the snow. She had seen Panzers reduced to frozen scrap before and only drowning them in anti-freeze had restored them.
"What about Pravda?"
"Pravda could start their tanks if it was twice as cold." Miho said ruefully.
"I'd love to talk to their mechanics." Suzuki declared. "Cold starts are a real pain."
"But how long will this blizzard last?" Saori asked.
"Until it's over." Hana answered and smiled serenely as Saori glared at her with her eyebrows in attack mode.
"It could be worse." Miho said. "They don't know where we are."
"Why don't we attack them?" Suzuki asked. "If they are… napping?"
"Think about it." Miho advised her with a smile and watched the petrolhead figure it out for herself based on everything she knew about tanks and Sensha-do from her experiences so far.
"So, we can't attack them because we don't have enough tanks capable of piercing their armour at long range. Or medium range." Suzuki mused. "And if we tried to get in amongst them, it could all go catastrophically wrong so it's not worth the risk… So we have to wait until the storm passes and they come after us… And then hope that we can pick off a few of their tanks before we run away…"
"Is hit-and-run all we can do?" Saori was hardly a master tactician but she found something distressing about running away.
"If we hold position and exchange fire, they'll win." Miho answered starkly. "They have too many advantages. We have to be evasive."
"We have to pick them off faster than they can pick us off." Hana put in. "And the more we sting them, the angrier they'll get."
"I know you like bees but I don't." Saori declared huffily, thinking of all the many times she had been surprised by bees emerging from Hana's flower arrangements. "And speaking of bees…" She looked in the direction where she knew the T-50 could be found.
"Erika-san just wants us to win." Miho said.
"At any cost?"
"Momo-chan can cope with Erika." Hana remarked. "They both like to yell at people; it makes them happy." Hana smiled to herself. "And they both want the same thing. They both want to protect Oarai."
"And they both hate when people know they care." Suzuki said. "Sensha-do comes with therapy, doesn't it?"
"You have to apply for it." Miho said. "I don't think being embarrassed that people know you have feelings is an acceptable reason to see one of the therapists."
"Sensha-do has therapy?" Saori asked, alarmed by such an idea.
"Some matches get very intense." Miho replied sadly, causing a ripple of discomfort. "The noise, the clash of steel on steel… It can get a bit much. They have people to tap you on the shoulder when it looks like you're… Stressed."
"Did you see a therapist, Miporin?"
"No. The stigma…" Miho left it at that. They knew society's attitudes to mental illness and everything they had seen of high school Sensha-do suggested that attitude was present there too. Projecting strength was a huge part of Sensha-do and no one would want to look weak by talking to a doctor about how the thunder of guns and detonations of shells had made them jittery.
"Erika would eat a therapist alive." Mako declared without giving any indication she was awake. "I would like to see that."
Hana giggled. "If they told her to visualise her happiness, she would tell them about driving a Sturmtiger through a classroom."
"That does sound like her." Miho giggled too. "With Yukari-san firing shells."
"They make a good team."
"When Erika isn't bullying Yukari." Saori pouted.
"Eririn doesn't bully her!" Miho protested and then pulled a face. "Maybe she could be… Gentler."
"And Yukari-san can handle it." Hana put in. "She loves pushing her buttons."
"Why must everyone express love by being mean to each other?" Saori demanded.
"Because you get embarrassed when I kiss you." Mako told her and Saori turned crimson.
"Why does Erika have to be so mean all the time?" She asked. "Why's she so angry even when she knows why she's angry?"
"Eririn's had a hard life." Miho explained. "Even before Sensha-do."
"Because of her mother?" Hana asked.
"Parents can be demanding." Miho said mildly. "And Eririn's mother… She had very high expectations."
"For Sensha-do?" Saori demanded. "Why does Kuromorimine make such a big deal about it?"
Miho pulled a face but answered. "Because of tradition and legacy. My grandmother's generation made Kuromorimine what it is and my mother cemented that legacy. So did Erika's. People expect us to be great too. Whether we want to or not… I'm lucky. Maho always took the worst of it. I never thanked her for that…"
"And Erika is an only-child so she has to take all the responsibility." Saori mused.
"Erika isn't an only-child." Miho said.
"She isn't?" Hana, Saori and Suzuki asked together.
"No. She has a sister."
"She does?" Hana, Saori and Suzuki asked together again.
"Stop that." Mako groaned.
"Erika has a sister?" Hana was shocked, considering everything she and Erika had ever discussed.
"An older sister." Miho nodded. "But she pretends she doesn't. Sometimes I think she even believes it."
"Why would she pretend she doesn't exist?"
"Because her sister did the same thing that Erika did. She left. And for the same reasons… It was a huge scandal at Kuromorimine at the time. It might even be why my mother let me leave quietly." Miho couldn't help but look fearfully around, expecting to see Erika overhearing her giving away her family secrets. "Leona didn't leave quietly."
"Leona?"
"The Lion of Kuromorimine." Miho explained. "She was Captain two years before Onee-chan. Her finals were against Pravda and Saunders. She knocked out three Pershings in five minutes during the finals against Saunders and she almost set a match time record against Pravda. Almost… I'm not sure but I think that was what drove her over the edge. She won the finals but her mother was upset she didn't break the record. She wasn't good enough… So Leona quit Sensha-do. She didn't join a university team or go pro. She left home. She left the family. She left Erika…"
There was a long silence in the Panzer IV which was made ominous by the blizzard howling outside.
"So Erika felt abandoned." Hana said. "And her mother put even more pressure on her…"
"I think that's one reason why Erika didn't like me at Kuromorimine. I was doing Sensha-do with my sister… My sister was there for me." Miho thought about it. "Maybe that's why she and Yukari-san get along so well. Yukari is an only-child, which is how Erika feels."
"Wait? Is that why Erika's so mad all the time?" Saori demanded. "She just misses her sister? How did I miss that?"
"You'd miss your sister if she left." Hana said.
"…Maybe…" Saori pouted.
"You'd cry like a toddler if you thought you wouldn't see Shiori again." Mako declared dryly. "You have actually."
"Shut up!"
"So, how awful is Erika's mother if she managed to drive out both her daughters?" Suzuki asked. "Because that sounds grim."
"I ask what her grandmother is like." Miho replied. "My grandmother scares my mother."
"Why do you all have such mean parents?" Saori sighed.
"At least you have parents." Mako spoke into her pillow.
[][][][][][]
It was joked amongst the Pravda students that you could set a shot of vodka down on Katyusha's lip when she pouted and the Vozhd's lip was especially prominent now. She had wanted to burn the buildings they had sheltered in as a statement that there would be no more rest. There would only be a relentless drive toward victory.
But Nonna had pointed out that if the buildings were destroyed by non-Sensha-do related activity then Pravda would have to foot the bill for their restoration and use in the arena rather than the insurers. There would be no razing of villages today. No scorched earth.
The pout left her face however as the Pravda tanks massed into formation and then advanced. The T-34s led in a wedge with the IS-2 and KV-2 following in their wake. While the weight of the heavies drastically reduced the speed of the formation, it did nothing to diminish its raw power. The Ice Breaker as she called it could bull its way through lesser tanks and those that dared call themselves their equal. T-34s were Spartan machines forged for war and bred in the heart of the greatest war of them all. They may have lacked the comfort and refinements of their Western counterparts but that was irrelevant. They were made to win battles; not to give their crews a comfy seat to watch them. People loved to babble on about the T-34-76's poor 'ergonomics'. As if that mattered when the shells of Panzers and Shermans were bouncing pathetically off its sloped armour.
Oarai had two tanks built for destroying T-34s. And she had rearmed one of them. If she remembered correctly, the StuG F with its long 7.5cm cannon had killed more T-34s than any other German vehicle. The Panzer IV with the same gun was just as lethal and while it lacked the survivability of the T-34, the longer, more powerful cannon gave the Panzer F2 an edge on an open battlefield. She didn't have to concern herself with range today though. While the storm calmed down, snow was still falling and the day was still dark. The featureless white landscape made range-finding difficult, even if they could spot a target at range. She didn't know much about their Type 3 Chi-Nu but even if it had a powerful gun, she knew it had flimsy armour and a clumsy build. They had three tanks she needed to be concerned about. She had thirteen. Oarai's heavy tank was made for smashing entrenched infantry positions while hers was built expressly for destroying Tigers.
But, Oarai's clumsy line up had beaten Saunders with their array of Shermans. Yes, their Panzer IV had struck the final blow but their other tanks had held their own rather than being wiped out in the first clash. Considering that Oarai hadn't had a Sensha-do team in decades, they had taken to it alarmingly well. Having two Kuromorimine students to lead them certainly helped but there was no denying that there was a great deal of talent amidst their limited number. It seemed to her that Oarai enjoyed having a Sensha-do team that consisted entirely of girls who wanted to be there and practice the sport and hadn't been pressured into it by family obligations. Maybe they didn't have the numbers or many effective tanks but they did enjoy quality crews.
Guessing where Oarai had based themselves had not been easy. The weather dictated that they couldn't hide away in a thick forest where the darkness would be absolute and they would risk damaging collisions with trees or even just damaging their treads and wheels on concealed roots. A two hundred year old tree root could be as hard as iron in this weather and trying to repair the damage in such cold would be brutal. No forest. But a pocket of woodland? There were some likely candidates based on Oarai's last known position and the Ice Breaker boldly headed in that direction.
Katyusha expected to lose another T-34, maybe two, to the concealed Oarai German guns but when they fired, the remaining Pravda tanks could overwhelm them, ignoring the other Oarai tanks.
Her concern was those tanks flanking her. She knew Oarai liked to brawl, up close and personal where their shorter guns could pierce armour that could otherwise shrug them off, and while the T-50 was the primary threat; the 38(t) and their remarkably agile Type 89 could disable her tanks too. For T-34s to be taken out by a Type 89 would be mortifying, although that was their flag tank today and certainly to be held well out of harm's way. A curious choice. A good winter's sneeze would be able to knock out that tank, let alone a shell. She could only assume that they had decided they couldn't side-line their other tanks today. They needed every ounce of firepower.
As they closed on their target, three T-34-76s split off to scout the possible positions that Oarai had taken. They swiftly left the rest of the formation behind but staying within sight. They would flush out any Oarai machines and then she would take a leaf out of the Kuromorimine playbook and concentrate her forces and smash them with her full strength.
Crude but effective.
[][][][][][]
The two shells burst from the trees and one missed the neck of the T-34 where hull met turret by bare inches. The other went low and smashed the foremost left wheel before deflecting upward and punching through the undercarriage. The Pravda tank slewed around, presenting its flank to the source of the gunnery. The driver desperately tried to set them head on again with the remaining tread but a third shell came from the trees and struck plumb on the exposed flank. After a moment's hesitation, the turret flag popped and three girls whose experience of tanks had once been entirely virtual were awarded their first competitive kill. It was as much a surprise to them as the rest of their team.
"Begin withdrawal." Miho commanded, knowing the main Pravda force would be right behind the scouts. Hana and Saemonza fired again but their targets were still now and their white hulls and turrets blurred into the landscape so that one shell overshot and the other kicked snow into the face of a T-34 that barked a reply. Miho doubted they could see anything and they were aiming at where they had seen the Oarai guns' muzzle flashes. The other T-34 fired and the shell shattered a tree beside the Panzer IV, causing a momentary blizzard of dislodged snow and splinters before the trunk fell to cast its shadow over her. She looked around to see that the others were gone and it was just her tank and the T-50.
She heard a distant gun fire and then there was a clap of thunder and part of the woodland experienced summer as the snow and ice became steam in an instant of flame and smoke, leaving behind a smoking crater and a half-sphere of trees and dirt that was completely devoid of winter. Nakajima and Suzuki both asked the same question. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
Erika smiled grimly. "That was a high-explosive shell from a KV-2."
"They add a few tweaks to make the explosion bigger!" Yukari gushed, her heart pounding in her chest. "It makes it more exciting!"
"I don't feel excited." Nakajima declared. There was a big difference between the heart racing from a growling engine and thumping from that clap of doom.
"Time we were away." Erika declared and heard Hana fire before Yukari contributed a shot of her own. She could see the other Pravda tanks and two scouts fired, perhaps reporting that Oarai was withdrawing or perhaps oblivious. They would learn in a few minutes.
"Do you think this will work?" Yukari asked. "Pravda's very skilled."
"We've tweaked their nose twice. Hopefully they'll be too eager for revenge to realise what we're doing."
The Panzer IV and T-50 followed in the tracks of the StuG and Type 3 toward the next ambush point.
[][][][][][]
Katyusha saw the single file of tracks and understood. Her scouts had found two or three tanks at most and they were hiding their numbers by using the column formation. Their trail would lead to either the same three tanks that would attack her scouts in the open and they expected her to attack in force, throwing her full weight at an enemy that wasn't there; only for the rest of their tanks to attack her. Or it would lead to the entire Oarai force which was expecting her to divide her forces in anticipation of a flanking attack, allowing them to overwhelm part of the divided Pravda force. Two difficult scenarios.
They were good. Very good.
"Caution?" The note of amusement in Nonna's voice irked her but that was Nonna's way.
"We've lost three tanks! I won't let them get a fourth easily." Katyusha slammed her small fist into her palm which also served to warm both as they were cold and sore despite her gloves. "Concentrate!"
[][][][][][]
Erika watched the Pravda contingent pass her by, all of them and reported in. "They're not splitting up and she's not sending scouts. You should withdraw, Captain."
"Twelve against three." Miho replied, thinking aloud. Their best three as well. "Keep your eye on them, please." She said in a very un-Captain-like manner.
"Understood." They had raced around to reach this position on Pravda's flank, pushing the T-50 to its limits, and surprisingly all it had done was give them a nice warm interior. Erika had never heard the engine sound so good. It was truly at home in the cold. Comfortable.
"Will she withdraw then?" Yukari asked.
"We might get another one of theirs… And then lose one of ours when they return fire, and another trying to get away." Erika knew what Miho would do. "She'll withdraw."
"And then what?"
"Then we go full Matthew Seven Fifteen." Erika answered.
Driver and gunner stared blankly at her and then at each other before shrugging helplessly. They didn't know what their commander was talking about but they knew it had to be good. It sounded better than the names that their Captain gave their plans.
[][][][][][]
"They're all coming at us?" Momo demanded.
"Twelve Pravda tanks versus our seven." Anzu confirmed cheerfully and then flicked a sweet potato at Momo as she scowled at her. "Relax, Kawashima! We're winning right now."
"Why is it twelve against seven? Where is she?!" Her tone meant no one had to think about who the 'She' was.
"They have a plan."
"Shouldn't we know the plan?"
Anzu grinned at her. "Don't you think it's just a little bit hypocritical for us to ask that?"
Momo scowled. Anzu beamed.
Miho watched the approaching Pravda tanks. They had spread their line of T-34s wide which would minimise Oarai's ability to concentrate their fire and allow them to spread out and envelop them. It was in essence the Horns of the Buffalo formation of the Zulus. The T-34/85s were the chest, the 76s were the horns and the IS-2 and KV-2 were the loins. It fitted Pravda's technique of luring their enemy with feigned retreats and then surrounding and trapping them.
"Everyone wait for my command." Miho knew the Panzer IV and StuG could make kills on T-34s at more than a kilometre but if they fired at that range and missed, they would simply mark their positions. It was better for all their tanks to open fire at once at a range where kills from their long guns were better assured and where their weaker guns could also do some damage. "Wait." She knew that the sight of the Pravda formation would fray at the nerves. The white tanks on this gloomy day looked like wraiths and suddenly out of nowhere, a song popped into her head and Miho frowned with bemusement before the appropriate words registered with her.
"Are you humming 'Thriller'?" Hana asked from below.
"…No." Miho said quietly but found that Vincent Price's words about darkness falling, bodies shivering and facing the hounds of hell wouldn't leave her. This was Erika's fault for forcing her to sing karaoke and she scowled in her best imitation of her sister and her mother. "Prepare to fire." She commanded as firmly as she could and then the T-34s fired first. "Hold!" There was no waver in her voice and the command held Oarai from responding even as the shells fell among them. Katyusha knew she was holding her fire and the volley was meant to provoke her inexperienced friends. "Ready!" The wraiths were closing. "Fire!"
The Oarai tanks fired in a ripple along the treeline. Nine guns on seven tanks. Shells fell amidst the snow. Shots rang on armour. Not a single Pravda tank was fatally hit and they ploughed on as if the gunfire hadn't come. They fired back but their gunnery was wild as they closed the distance. It didn't matter for one gun though. The immense shell from the KV-2 sailed overhead to atomise a tree down to a stump and Miho saw how the noise of it frightened her crew. And this was nothing compared to the immense bombardment Pravda had unleashed on St Gloriana in last year's semi-finals.
The exchange of fire was ferocious. The Pravda tanks made use of 'shoot and scoot'; firing and then advancing a few yards which stopped the Oarai gunners from zeroing in on them. Meanwhile the Oarai team were firing from shrouded cover and Pravda could only aim at their muzzle flashes. The KV-2 fired indiscriminately to fill the woods with smoke and steam which only served to further hide the Oarai tanks. Katyusha was not concerned. She knew the sound of the howitzer firing and its shells detonating would be rattling the spirits of the Oarai tankers. It frightened even veterans. That was why Oarai had bombarded Anzio.
There was a chorus of screams within the M3 as a shell obliterated their 37mm, sending a length of metal clattering off the StuG. Erwin frowned at the odd noise and then Saemonza fired again to crumple a T-34/85's wheel. Erwin frowned once more as a turret hatch opened a crack and a tiny object was tossed out. A moment later it began to belch smoke to obscure the crippled tank.
Katyusha glared at the sight but approved. Some thought smokescreens were cheap but if there was a choice between a tank being knocked out and being covered by a blanket of smoke; the 'cheap' trick was always the sensible choice. One of her tanks was damaged while the rest continued to advance and she could see that her T-34s were overwhelming them. It was impossible to tell if they had knocked out any Oarai tanks and their diminishing fire could mean knock-outs or another withdrawal. There was no sign of any flanking attack though. This puzzled her. Oarai would not just stand and fight to the death because they would inevitably lose. Another KV-2 shell thundered amongst the trees and then Nonna fired.
Nekota, Momoga and Piyotan had been revelling in their kill despite being unable to repeat it. It seemed to Piyotan that all her shells were just a little off to either miss their target or ricochet off their armour. Their tank had some taken some scrapes of its own but their spirits were too high for the horrific noise of hot metal searing their armoured shell to bother them. And then their world exploded. Miho saw the Type 3 take the hit and get thrown backward nearly fifteen metres as they felt the full power of the IS-2's 122mm gun. She knew the actual real-life IS-2's HE shells had possessed the power to blow the turrets clean off even Tiger IIs and so the 50mm hull armour of a Type 3 was nothing. Rice paper.
"Arikui-san team!" Miho cried into her mic and the response was a horrible groan. "Arikui-san!"
"I think we were hit!" Nekota yelled back, clearly deaf. "WHY ARE THERE BELLS RINGING?!"
"I think they're okay." Saori said. "If she's worried about what she can hear… Or can't hear…" She pulled a face. "What was that?"
"The IS-2." Miho answered and watched the gun of the heavy Soviet tank tracking. It fired again and its shell passed over Hippo team to detonate harmlessly in the woods behind. The StuG promptly made it so that Katyusha would regret restoring it by knocking out a T-34/85. "Begin withdrawal. Proceed to Boko Hill!"
The B1 bis led, followed by the battered M3 and the Type 89 and the sudden slackening of fire made Pravda redouble their efforts so that a storm of steel fell on the remaining three Oarai tanks. A tree came crashing down on the 38(t) and Anglerfish team cringed as Turtle's teams shrieks came through the radio. Miho could not see if they were out though and a shell passed by her head to make her stop trying to look and find out. She ducked back into the turret and Mako decided she had had enough of this assault on her calm, cranking the Panzer around on the spot and throwing them forward with track spin.
"Kame-san team-"
"Go on, Nishizumi-chan!" Anzu's voice came back cheerily. "We'll catch up!"
[][][][][][]
Katyusha found herself gritting her teeth and doing her level best to rein in her temper. A savage exchange and the result was one Pravda tank eliminated and another damaged to one Oarai tank eliminated. One. She had lost four tanks and they had lost one. The failure of her initial strategy had lost her two tanks and now Oarai's hit and run tactics had cost her two more though at least one could be repaired. Her consolation was that the tank they had eliminated was one of their best although she didn't know the specs of a Type 3 well enough to enjoy the victory. The StuG or the Panzer IV; these were the tanks she wanted to see knocked out. Without them, Oarai would have nothing left with which to fight effectively.
She was just about to get a grip when Oarai launched a counterattack.
The 38(t) had been buried under snow, debris from the bombardment and the tree that had fallen on it. The thick evergreen boughs had completely obscured it from the Pravda tanks that had rolled through and around the woods and past the smoking Type 3 and the little Czechoslovakian tank had done nothing to draw attention to itself. Now it came to life and shook itself free of its ensnaring bonds and launched itself after the Pravda juggernaut.
Yuzu used the trail cut by one of the T-34s to quickly close on the Pravda formation as the slim treads of the light tank struggled in the snow. In the continuing fall of snow and the haze left behind by the Soviet tanks, the little grey tank was almost invisible. Almost.
"What the hell are they doing?" Erika thought aloud.
"Poking the Bear." Yukari replied.
Inside the 38(t), Anzu had removed her scarf. Her bruised neck didn't like the cold one bit but the aches served to put her in the right frame of mind. In previous matches they had been the flag tank and so had kept out of harm's way as much as possible. In their training matches and against Maginot, they had not acquitted themselves well. It hadn't mattered much though. Their little tank had never been a powerful asset and they had always felt they were just making up the numbers. Anzu had only practiced gunnery because of the thrill of firing a tank gun. She had never committed to the operation of the tank, just as she had never committed to her own mad scheme to save the school by making them into champions which would make shutting them down a Public Relations nightmare. It was a sound theory but winning a sports tournament that required truly staggering levels of investment of capital when your school was being shut down for budgetary reasons was in every conceivable way; a long shot.
But even so, upon learning of her mad scheme the girls of the Sensha-do club hadn't deserted en masse upon learning what was being asked of them. They were all still here. Fighting for their school. Fighting in their motley collection of relics and abandoned scrap iron. Like this little tank of theirs. Left in the woods to rust. This tank wasn't much bigger than some of the pickup trucks roaming the city streets these days. And yet, this little Turtle tank and its Tanuki twin had become beloved by their class. By her. Just another part of Oarai she didn't want to see tossed to the scrapyard.
So she gently pushed Momo aside and took the gunner's seat for herself. If the ship was going down then the captain was going down with it; kicking and screaming all the way.
The first that Pravda knew of the attack was when a shell smashed the wheels of an 85. Eyes flicked to the right but they saw nothing but open snowy plains and T-34s turned to seek the concealed StuG lurking out there. Instead to their astonishment another shell crashed home, tracking another 85, and a small grey blur whipped around the immobilised vehicle before firing again; leaving a scar on the IS-2's turret. The heavy tank seemed to emote bewilderment as the light tank zoomed beneath its raised gun and then around it. Shells from the other T-34s crashed around the IS-2 and the towering KV-2 behemoth and one cracked off the IS-2's turret.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!" Katyusha screamed into her mic which only added to the chaos.
"We're under attack." Nonna replied calmly.
"BY WHAT?! WHERE?! WHO?!"
"One light tank. Behind us. Oarai." Nonna answered with that wry amusement of hers. "They're going for our tracks." She remarked dryly as another T-34 was hamstrung.
"JUST ONE TANK?!" Katyusha momentarily choked on her rage. "THE CHEEKY LITTLE FU-"
"Language, Katyusha." Nonna chided and the IS-2 swung about.
In the 38(t), Yuzu thought she might have a stroke as she dodged and weaved about the Pravda machines which milled about in confusion but still blasted shells at them so that she felt the vibrations of their impacts in the ground through the controls. Her view of the battlefield was a tiny slit which showed only a horrid dark day swirling with snow and the terrifying blur of white tanks distinct only by their red emblems. She wasn't lining up targets for the president; she was simply trying to avoid crashing into anything as the metal beasts roared and raged at each other. Momo was focused on loading and had no time for worries or concerns; only for slamming shells home for her President. Anzu was having the time of her life and her aching neck and the mountainous stress that had been piled on her for the past few months was forgotten as she blasted every white hull that appeared in her gunsight. She didn't know it but she whooped every time she was rewarded with flying metal.
"Stop shooting! Stop shooting!" Katyusha roared as a 76 blew off an 85's external fuel tank trying to hit the nippy little machine. "You're hitting each other!" Another white tank didn't hear her and fired at the 38(t) only to miss completely and knock out an 85. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She almost climbed out of her turret to run screaming at the offending tank and then something caught her eye; a gleam of blue. The 38(t) further crippled one of its victims by shooting out the wheels on the other side and then the offending friendly-fire vehicle passed Katyusha by and the blue and white emblem of Oarai seemed to wink mockingly at her. "IT'S THE T-50! THE T-50'S AMONG US!"
Nakajima was doing much the same as Yuzu; simply trying not to crash. However she wasn't terrified. She was exhilarated. The two Oarai vehicles were literally running circles around their opponents who were in complete disarray and her exhilaration was shared by Yukari. "IT'S JUST LIKE SAUNDERS!" She squealed with delight.
"Just shoot!" Erika barked. The plan had been for them to infiltrate Pravda's formation and strike at their flag tank before Pravda knew what was happening. That plan had collapsed as the Student Council made their kamikaze run. The only thing that had stopped Erika from filling the radio waves with fire and blood was that the 38(t) had astonished her. The field was littered with crippled Pravda tanks and she knew it couldn't be Momo's work. Momo would have knocked the T-50 out by while aiming for the KV-2. If this was what the little red-haired menace could achieve when she put her mind to it then they had been severely deprived in previous matches. Except their little victory run was over. "Get us out of here!" She snapped at Nakajima.
Nonna tried to remain as dispassionate as possible in Sensha-do. She took pride in her victories but she didn't like to revel in them as some students did. The 'smack talk' element of the sport didn't appeal to her. But the anguish in her Captain's voice as these two impudent little tanks ran roughshod over them touched a nerve. There was only one other school who would fight like this and that was Continuation High and that pushed the touch on the nerve to a hard jab and so Nonna felt a rare stab of fury as she found her target and fired.
She struck the 38(t) low and just slightly off-centre. Ten tons of tank lifted into the air, spun and crashed onto its turret, sending its right tread whipping off in every direction as it reeled and the 38(t)'s own momentum kept it going forward, still spinning so that it rolled upright, onto its flank, up onto its turret once more and then crashed around a final time to land upended. A flag popped from its exposed underbelly as the left treads came apart and lazily flopped onto the ground with the air of a discarded jumper.
Inside, Anzu wiped a little trickle of blood from her nose and then giggled. "I think they got us!" She informed Captain Nishizumi. "We're upside down anyway! Ooooh, and Koyama's sitting on Kawashima's head!"
In the Panzer IV, they heard a strange exchange as Momo extricated herself from Yuzu and then Miho leapt in fright as a manic whoop filled her ears.
"That was amazing! I've never had so much fun!" Anzu gushed. "We just drove right into them! THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HIT THEM! They were shooting each other trying to get us!" Her laugh became a shuddering gasp and Yuzu wrapped her arms around her as the tears flowed. "I'm sorry! We only got one of them before they took us out! We must have ruined the plan!"
"You've crippled half of them." Erika's voice cut in before Miho could reply. "They're going to need an hour to repair all the damage you've done. You've bought the Captain time." There was a pause. "You did magnificently, Madame President."
"What's your status, Okami-san?" Miho asked.
"Oh, we're having fun." Erika replied grimly. "We got one too. You're facing nine tanks now."
"Where are you?"
"Kind of busy right now."
Even as the 38(t) had been somersaulting across the landscape, a T-34/85 had identified the imposter in their ranks and given chase. To Erika's eye, it seemed they were being chased by their own tank's evil steroid-using twin. The 85mm gun was more than twice the length of their 45mm and she could feel the power difference as it fired on them.
"This wolf is mine." Klara announced to Nonna.
"SPEAK JAPANESE!" Katyusha screeched.
"Klara is taking care of it." Nonna explained patiently and then played her role as second-in-command. "All damaged tanks; commence repairs immediately." She commanded. "I will cover you." The cold proclamation told them the IS-2 could indeed stand watch for all of them.
The T-50 exploded through a snowdrift and Nakajima compensated for the skid before then weaving deliberately. She saw a gout of snow ahead of her as a shell missed them and then they fired in return. "What's the plan?"
"Avoid the vengeful Russian." Erika had no idea how she knew the identity of the commander the T-34/85, except that it made sense. Their impudent attack had embarrassed the Pravda leader and one of her lieutenants had wiped out Turtle team and so the other felt honour-bound to eliminate them. It was also the only reason she could think of that they were being pursued by a lone vehicle. "Can we take them out?" She asked Yukari.
"Turret, point-blank." Yukari replied and sent one of their little shells clanging off the 85's glacis. "It looks angry…" She looked at Erika with big eyes and Erika knew what she meant. The long gun and forward placement of the turret gave a T-34/85 all the subtlety of a charging rhino.
"Can we outrun them?" Nakajima didn't know the specs of a T-34.
"They won't let that happen." Erika knew she would be just as a fired up for vengeance were she in their shoes. She smiled to herself and Yukari saw it on the edge of her vision and became alarmed. "Do you think you can pull off a Crazy Ivan?"
"At this speed? We'll be lucky not to roll over." Nakajima replied, and then grinned. "Sounds like fun."
Klara ignored the T-50's gun seeming to peer right at her. That little gun couldn't harm them at this range and this speed; not unless the Gods themselves were on its side. She was proven right as a shell whipped overhead. "Take your time." She advised her gunner, knowing that no amount of experience could defeat the instinct to immediately respond when under fire. Her gunner took a breath, and then took the shot. It went wild; pounding the snow ahead of the little infantry tank. But the shot was a signal and the T-50 suddenly banked sharply, and its momentum and the lack of friction kept it going forward while the whole machine slewed around. "Rotate turret, ninety degrees!" Klara snapped the command as the T-50's tracks dug in to brake its slithering advance. The space between the two tanks closed rapidly and then the T-50 was charging, planning to slip by the T-34. To fire into its turret at point-blank after zipping by. "Everyone brace! Ram her!"
"What?!" The driver looked up at her incredulously.
"RAM HER!" Klara ordered and then threw in a few Russian curses which sounded like Black Speech and compelled the bewildered driver to obey.
Nakajima saw the turn and there was nothing she could do to avoid it. Thirty tons of T-34 bore down on their fourteen tons and Erika had just enough time to swear viciously before the two machines collided. With its turret rotated, the T-34's gun was protected from the impact as the two hulls slammed together with tooth-crunching force and the little tank was knocked away from its bigger but younger brother which turned swiftly. "Schiesse." Erika declared as she and Yukari found themselves looking down the 85mm cannon.
At this non-existent range, the shell struck with every bit as much force as the IS-2 had hit the Type 3 and now it was Erika, Nakajima and Yukari's turn to feel like they trapped in a giant bell that pealed a single clap of doom before they were mercifully deafened and thrown backward so that it seemed their eyes momentarily occupied the backs of their heads while their stomachs went back and then forward and then back again.
It seemed that the snow boiled between the two white tanks so that both were bathed in an embrace of steam which melted their frosted coats so that the blue of Oarai's emblem shone in defiance of Pravda's red. Then the turret flag on the T-50 popped. And both tanks remained still.
Klara opened her cupola hatch and then the other hatches on the T-34 opened and the green-clad girls emerged as they sought the cooling air to soothe their own dazed heads after the vicious collision. They stared dumbly at the T-50 which with its white hull and familiar shape looked so much like one of their own they couldn't shake the impression they had just made a ghastly mistake. It didn't help when a girl with pale blonde hair and icy blue eyes just like their commander and their Captain appeared in the turret cupola. But this scarred girl's uniform jacket was dark blue and her skirt was white. It was a fetching uniform.
Erika took a moment to get her bearings before slipping down onto the ground and the freezing air revealed all kinds of bruises across her body. There was no hesitation before the European girl joined her in the snow and incongruous as it was, Erika offered her a hand. She had planned to wrong-foot this girl and instead she had shown a ruthless streak to thwart her. Just as Erika would have. The hand was rejected and instead Erika squeaked as she found herself kissed on the cheeks; left, right and then left again.
"Khoroshaya igra!"
"Gut gespielt." Erika replied.
[][][][][][]
There were five Oarai tanks remaining. The Panzer IV and the StuG with their powerful German guns. The B1 bis and the M3 with their not-so-powerful guns. And the Type 89 which was now coated in so much frost and snow it resembled its white duck emblem. They looked lonely. Miho felt lonely. She had always been reassured in the past knowing that Erika was there to back her up, whether that was literally true with her Soviet tank or by screaming curses at the other girls in an extreme but helpful way of reinforcing her commands. Now it was just her. Even her de-facto third in command Momo was gone now.
Five against nine. The odds were not so bad put that way. But the M3 was a big machine that had already been shot in the head and the B1 bis was another big machine which was great against pre and early war tanks but horribly vulnerable to anything more modern. She could not depend on them which meant that really, it was two against eight. Eight because Pravda would be keeping their flag tank well away from Miho's 7.5cm guns at this critical stage. She had lost her fast movers while the bulk of Pravda's tanks were mobile mediums.
That was the bad news. The good news was that her 7.5cm guns were intended for long range combat while only the IS-2 was intended for a similar long range role and the weather was calming. If they could eliminate the IS-2, it would remove Pravda's long range ability and force them to rush with their T-34s. That would be risky for them as while the B1 bis and M3 might not be able to eliminate them outright at range, they could still damage them. Although the loss of the M3's 37mm had severely impacted its abilities; turning it into a very tall and ungainly casemate tank destroyer. Within five hundred metres though, the 75mm gun could be deadly. If they could make a shot count before a trio of Pravda tanks hit their tall machine; all would be well. Maybe…
Erika and the Student Council had brought them a little time as Pravda made their repairs but not much. It was tempting to attack but with two guns against eight and the IS-2 dominating the field; it was too much of a risk. Pravda would be wary of further ambushes and that would slow them as they followed the distinct trail left by Oarai's treads. It was time to withdraw and leave them guessing which woods were empty or concealed ambush. It would give her time to formulate a new plan and for the nerves of the team to recover. It would also, hopefully, put Pravda on edge. Perhaps.
[][][][][][]
Performing repairs in the snow was no one's idea of fun. Pravda held an advantage in that they had trained for it, were well practiced with it, but it was still cold. Tempers frayed easily as they handled the heavy wheels and treads which seemed to radiate cold. It didn't help that that much of the damage had come courtesy of a light tank with armour so thin it was joked you only needed to jab your finger hard into it to pierce it. And the cannon… The 37mm mockingly referred to as a spud gun; that was what had left them flailing in the snow to repair their supposedly far superior machines. At least there was some dignity to be had from the damage from the T-50; a brother tank. Small consolation for the 85 that been knocked out but better than the 76 that had fallen victim to the savage little 38(t).
Their Captain had been spitting curses in a variety of languages as a result of the self-inflicted damage and that she had anticipated the T-50 infiltrating them but had lost sight of this as the 38(t) made its impudent attack. It was too reminiscent of the tactics of Keizoku; the impudent stinging attacks of Continuation High.
But then Katyusha laughed as she realised she had praised Erika and Miho for the way the T-50 had charged into Saunders Shermans, and now they had done the same thing to her T-34s with the T-50 and the 38(t). She had never even given a thought to that light tank. It's only relevance to her had been that it had operated by Oarai's Student Council, including their President; her opposite number. She would have liked to have personally knocked them out; leader to leader. But Nonna had done it instead and she was grateful, although she was aware there was something ridiculous about such a poorly armoured light tank being annihilated by a heavy tank built to tackle Tigers. She approved though of Klara ramming the T-50 into submission. After the two tanks had made fools of them, the brutal crash had shown everyone that Pravda was no nonsense in their pursuit of victory.
And they had to be. She had lost more than a third of her tanks; six to Oarai's three. She hated doing the maths but five tanks remaining out of eight meant Oarai had sixty-two point five percent of its strength left while nine out of fifteen was only sixty percent. That meant they were losing!
She said as much to Nonna who stared impassively at her for a moment before that smile of hers crossed her face. "Very good." Nonna said approvingly.
"Shut up!" Katyusha replied nastily. "It's only basic arithmetic!"
"Ratios." Nonna corrected.
"Shut up!" Katyusha shook her fist and then composed herself while Nonna continued to smile serenely. "We need to finish this. Now! No more letting them eliminate us one at a time from range. We overwhelm them with everything we have!"
"What do you propose?" Nonna's smile vanished as she adopted her professional demeanour.
"We find them, and then we leave them with no way out."
"That was our original plan." Nonna reminded her.
"If they wouldn't roll into our trap, then we'll close them in ours!" Katyusha's gloved fist clapped into her palm. "We have the mobility advantage now!"
"If we cut the KV-2 loose. And the IS-2."
"We find them together and then we run Oarai down. It doesn't matter if they fall behind!" She was inspired by Klara's chase of the T-50. "No more playing it safe! We hit them hard and give them no chance to even think!"
"And if they even the numbers?"
"They won't! And even if they do, what chance do they have against you, me and Klara?" Katyusha looked at her swearing girls as they restored their machines and then at her friends. Miho had lost her capable second-in-command while Katyusha still had both of hers. It was proving to be a tough match but easy victories were never satisfying. What was the point in winning if no one thought you could possibly lose?
But then, no one thought Oarai could win…
(10,116)
Author's Notes: I started writing this in October. stopped recording its stats on September 24th. I delayed publishing the last chapter until October 14th waiting for them to fix it but that didn't happen until January 3rd. I got 2000 words in to writing this in a few days and then hit a wall. The initial plan for this chapter was reflections from each and every tank crew but after writing the Ducks and Turtles, I got stuck on the Rabbits. I have a hundred odd words of Tsuchiya reflecting on the bunnies fondness for card games and her thoughts of them as 'hustlers'. The intention was to have them feeling apprehensive about the match, the stakes and Erika's aggressiveness. I just couldn't make it work. And it was the same with the other teams. After a certain point, it would have been needless repetition.
And that writer's block lasted until January. Something shook loose and I wrote Anglerfish's thoughts. Erika having an older sister is canon and I had debated whether to include it. I had already had Erika identify herself as an only-child but when I did that, I was thinking that it was out of bitterness. After researching other names shared by Germany and Japan, Leona appealed to me. The 'Lion of Kuromorimine' could be its own story. I liked the idea of Erika having a sister who was burnt out from Sensha-do because I felt it suited her canon need to prove herself and her clinginess. I always felt Erika was lonely. Resenting the Nishizumi sisters because she feels abandoned by her own sister… Well, that's a future story thread.
Yes, Katyusha has Russian bias. Deal with it.
Writing combat is tough. In the visual medium, you can have tanks flying about and blasting away and that can last a long time. On paper, not so much. The five minute sequence of the BT-42 causing havoc in Der Film can be reduced to a few paragraphs of text. If you write too much, it slows down the action. If I was writing a novelisation of the show's actions sequences, I couldn't help but be concise. Notably, my longer chapters are heavy on dialogue rather than action.
I wasn't motivated to beat my writer's block with FF's stats down. It may be vain but I like seeing the surge in stats when I post a new chapter. Flower of Oarai is my first writing project to reach a large audience and considerable acclaim. But I wasn't idle. I wrote a piece of Yellowjackets fanfiction. Which then turned into my own story. So while FF's been down, I've written 127,347 words for a story I simply refer to as 'The Forest'. There's a little posted on Wattpadd, five chapters or 'Days'. I'm on Day 45 at this point. The most critical thing when you have writers block is not to stop writing. If you can't make progress in one project, try another. I wasn't expecting it to take off the way it did… But then, I never thought I'd be over 200,000 words into an anime fan-fic.
