by Sven Grams
The battle was beginning to swing as more and more Anthro bears were either poisoned or injured while the lions and wolves managed to avoid any serious injuries with their combined use of speed, precision and power.
Chief Thoson called out another command and the bears began to disengage, falling back.
Initially the lions and wolves gave chase, a little drunk on the new sensation of lion and wolf projection cooperation.
Mayor Petrice was not as affected by the sensation as the others and slowed, shouting loudly in a commanding voice.
“Hold! Hold position!” she said confidently, watching as the bears began to turn and run.
“Yeah!” came a combined shout from the soldiers, thrusting their various weapons into the air.
The Anthros stood triumphantly, their chests heaving as they fought for breath. A few arrows flew by overhead, encouraging the bears to move faster.
“Let’s move out!” shouted Mayor Petrice as she turned away from the fleeing enemy. Looking further down the coast, everyone could see unmistakable signs that an army was approaching, they were not out of danger.
Back with Sara and Trex, the last of the badly injured from the previous battle where being lifted up with the help of the settlers that had arrived at the top of the ridge.
Finished with their immediate tasks, Sara and Trex moved over to the Sage as she finally jumped off the trunk of the fallen tree. The older female wolf stumbled as she hit the ground. The two youngsters caught her as she threatened to topple over.
“Whoa,” said Sara.
“Are you ok Ma’am?” asked Trex with concern, holding her arm.
The Sage straightened up, she looked as thin and worn down as Sara and Trex did.
“What happened?” said Sara with concern, getting a closer look at her future Master.
The Sage looked at the youngsters more closely, taking in their poor state. She suddenly smiled ironically
“Nothing different then what happened to you,” she said kindly.
Both of the youngsters looked confused.
“You haven’t seen yourselves yet have you?” Filfia asked.
Sara and Trex quickly glanced at each other, as the change had been so gradual, neither had really taken in that their friend had deteriorated before their eyes.
Sara’s hands immediately went to her face, she really was that wasted away.
“What happened?” Sara repeated, with even more concern then before.
“Energy has to come from somewhere, projection or otherwise,” said the Sage kindly.
The soldiers began to file back into the small clearing.
“Nothing in this world is free,” Sage Filfia said kindly. Around them, the newly injured were quickly being tended to in preparation for moving out.
“For you two it was the long running,” the Sage continued, “for me, it was the price for being able to control the large tree for a short time.”
Sara and Trex turned to look at the massive specimen.
“So you just got like that?” asked Sara, unbelieving.
“And I will be paying for it for a while yet,” said the Sage knowingly.
“We have to keep moving,” said Mayor Petrice from behind as she finished helping bandage an injured wolf.
Realisation suddenly hit Sara.
“We won’t stay like this will we?” she asked Sage Filfia with concern.
The Sage smiled.
“No, you just need to eat a bit more for a while, only sudden over-exertion has a longer effect.”
Sara looked instantly relieved, Trex too also let out a sigh of relief.
“This way!” called Lieutenant Rosso a little way away, “there is a beach just on the other side of the ridge… we’ll be there shortly.”
Sara and Trex exchanged glances before rushing to collect their temporarily discarded things.
The two filed in at the end of the group as they made their way through a path a little further north.
Near them, Mayor Petrice and the two lion Sergeants were acting as rearguard to make sure that no one was left behind.
“Never thought I’d be so happy to see a wolf,” Brex said to the Mayor with a shrewd smile, his expression tired but active.
“I never expected a lion to take such risks just to cover a wolf’s retreat…”
“I’m just glad we all continue to exceed each others expectations,” Kirra stated, “because we might need a bit more of it.”
Once again the sound of war drums could be heard in the distance.
“Let’s move it Anthros!” called Sergeant Brex with renewed vigour, it was too early for wise cracks after all.
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN -
Getting your feet wet
(The tale of Trex and Sara)
The fleeing Anthro lions and wolves stumbled and ran as best they could through the soft sand of the small bay. Sara and Trex were one of the last to run onto the beach from the thick vegetation that surrounded the sandy shore.
The bay was small and deep, flanked by tall cliffs.
Trex could see the fleet of three ships just at the entrance of the bay only a few hundred meters away. Long boats were already on shore loading the worst of the injured. The supplies scattered on the sand showed that the colonists had been forced to leave everything behind to speed up the evacuation.
Sara ran up to Trex’s side, she saw the crew of the longboats frantically trying to load the wounded in the shallow water. The soldiers were in the water up to their hips. Sara could also see that the mixed race crew was looking with concern up at the ridge they had just crossed.
Following their view, Sara caught sight of a large number of bear archers forming up on the cliffs. In addition to this, a lot more were making their way down the path they had just taken. The sound of war drums once again filled the air.
“Oh my spirits…” said Sara in awe. Already a few pot shots from the high cliffs were landing around them as more archers began to mass. Once they began to volley fire, it would be carnage.
Trex and Sara caught something bright out of the corner of their eyes. A massive fireball was racing in, seemingly having emerged from the ships off shore.
The fireball slammed into the midst of the archers, who were forced to scatter as the massive explosion sent rocks flying and ignited close by trees.
“Shaman Katan!” said Trex with a relieved smile.
With his sharp eyes, Trex could just make out the orange figure of Katan standing on the forecastle of the RefugeCross vessel. Above his head, another fireball was already forming.
“Wow,” said Sara, it was her time to be impressed.
“Go go go!” yelled Mayor Petrice as she came at a flat run from the forest.
“They’re right behind us!” shouted Sergeant Kirra, bursting from the brush a moment later with Sergeant Brex close behind, both were out of arrows.
The five ran across the sand as another fireball impacted on the cliff above. A few stray arrows landed here and there around the fleeing group.
Two of the longboats were already on their way back to the ships, many of the still fit soldiers simply swimming alongside the overloaded vessels. But a few lagers were having trouble with the last seriously injured wolf, the wolf and lion stretcher bearers were themselves injured and were struggling in the sand.
Suddenly a small group of five bear warriors burst from the foliage. They were all massive males and had been sent ahead to see if they couldn’t grab a few fleeing Anthros.
“Damn it!” swore the mayor.
It was immediately obvious to her that the last injured wouldn’t make it.
The two Sergeants and the Mayor faltered as they had to make a split second decision to fight against imposing odds or abandon the unfortunate injured wolf.
A fireball screamed overhead and impacted into the forest behind the five bears. The explosion ripped through the dry foliage and instantly turned the area into an inferno, there would be no reinforcements for a little longer.
Some of the swimmers hesitated, some starting to turn around.
“Keep going!” shouted Lieutenant Rosso to the Anthros that were turning around.
“Trex, Sara help them!” the wolf Lieutenant shouted as she ran back to the Mayor, making the decision for the other three leaders.
Sara and Trex ran forward, relieving some of the stretcher bearers as the Lieutenant ran by.
The two youngsters looked behind them as they stumbled into the water.
Halfway back up the beach, the four leaders squared up reluctantly to the quickly advancing five bear warriors. With the flames of the fire behind them. The four Anthros looked tiny compared to the five battle machines bearing down on them. The dark-furred, tattooed bear warriors were pure muscle. This was easily visible, considering that they wore little more then loin cloths.
“Give ‘em hell!” shouted Mayor Petrice in rage, using an uncharacteristic curse.
Sara and Trex could feel the projection escalate from both sides behind them to imposing proportions. Reaching the boat, Trex saw Sage Filfia rise up from her seat on the dangerously overloaded craft.
She closed her eyes and spread her arms, holding her staff in front of her. Time seemed to slow as Trex’s and Sara’s stomach felt as if the world had just dropped out from under them.
Time also slowed for the four leaders as well as the first attacking swings came in. The air was thick and hazy, and for the four Anthro lions and wolves, it appeared to them as if they were fighting in steam as they sprung into action. The loose flying sand made mobility difficult as the exhausted Anthros used every muscle they had to move like water.
The initial attacking swings from the five bears were clear to all four defenders. They sensed the movement of not only their own opponents, but those of all others as well. In addition to this, they seemingly knew the exact mindset, position and capabilities of their fellow fighters around them. They suddenly seemed to be of one mind, one body, disjointed but acting as one, with many eyes, many fists, many feet, all with a single objective.
Time sped back up as deflections, blows and blocks impacted perfectly and rapidly like lightning.
The five bears never had a chance, blows came in from directions never expected as the fists, feet and hilts found gap after gap. In real time it was all over in a matter of seconds. The four leaders landed simultaneously as the up-thrown sand, and their opponents, fell around them.
The four leaders had their eyes fully open, as if in shock, completely uncomprehending what had just happened.
Sage Filfia collapsed into unconsciousness on the boat, bringing everyone out of their temporary daze.
“Move it!” shouted one of the crew members.
Sara and Trex quickly lifted the injured wolf onto the boat with the help of the two others. Once the last two injured were also on board Sara and Trex pushed the boat out into deeper water.
“It’s too full, you’ll have to swim,” said a crewmember, an older male wolf.
Trex and Sara threw their things onto the boat as they waded out even deeper.
The other four had now also entered the water as a few more bears entered the beach from the other side of the bay away from the fire.
Another fireball flew in close to where the new bears had appeared, making them reluctant to move out onto the beach and expose themselves further.
A few more arrows fell around the last group, one hitting the boat.
The four recovered leaders were already up to their necks in water as they also threw their things into the waiting boat, freeing themselves to swim.
The shorter Sergeant Brex was treading water. He held onto his staff, using it as flotation device, he was not a willing swimmer.
“Go! We’ll catch up!” said Mayor Petrice to the crew of the longboat.
“Let’s go!” the crewman quickly shouted, not hesitating a moment longer.
The longboat quickly pulled away, loaded full with injured and equipment.
Trex and Sara were completely exhausted as they reached the ships. Some smaller boats had been sent to intercept them and give them some buoyancy aids, but the boats were too small to pull them aboard.
Treading water next to the ships, Trex and Sara were one of the last to be pulled on board. Themselves being too weak now to climb up themselves.
The two youngsters finally made it on deck as the last of the longboats were being lifted up. The nervous sailors were already setting sail, hoping to get as much distance between them and the dangerous coastline as quickly as possible.
Trex and Sara immediately collapsed onto the deck. Some of the more recovered soldiers and unoccupied sailors tried to make the exhausted landing party as comfortable as possible.
Sara and Trex were helped up to lean against the railing by a young male lion sailor. He gave the two some blankets to wrap themselves in.
“Here, you can share this,” he said with a smile, giving Sara a water bladder.
“Thanks,” said Sara gratefully while panting in an attempt to regain her breath.
Taking a swig of water, she gave the water bladder to Trex.
Sara looked around. Sergeant Brex was nearby, lying on his back with his arms splayed out.
“No thanks… just let my die,” he said tiredly, as he was offered some assistance.
Sara also saw Sergeant Kirra nearby, she was also leaning against a railing and smiled weakly at her comrades antics.
Kirra noticed Sara and looked over, giving the young girl a nod in recognition.
Sara smiled, nodding in return, too out of breath to say anything in any case.
Trex handed back the water bladder. Panting furiously, he could see that Lieutenant Rosso was lying down nearby.
Mayor Petrice was a standing nearby. She was just as exhausted as the others, but somehow she dug up even more hidden reserves to remain an inspiration, she was talking to a concerned looking lion healer.
“We did it,” said Trex, a smile on his face.
“Again,” said Sara with a smile, handing back the water bladder.
The two youngsters looked at the scene of misery around them. Nearby an injured lion stirred, groaning in obvious pain.
“Why does it always have to be so close?” Trex asked, it did not really feel like a victory at all.
Sara shifted position, trying to find a spot on her body that hurt the least.
“I don’t know,” replied Sara, grunting a bit as her pain receptors suddenly found their voice again. She continued.
“But I vote that this is an experience I could have done without.”
Trex smiled wryly.
“Where is Sage Filfia?” he asked.
Trex and Sara scanned the decks.
“Hey,” said Sara to a passing sailor, a young lion male.
“Where is Sage Filfia?”
“We moved her to the captain’s quarters with Shaman Katan,” he replied.
“Professor Katan?” questioned Trex in concern.
“He collapsed after firing off his last fireball,” the sailor said. The young maritime Anthro looked at the two sodden youths more closely.
“You two look just like they do… but at least you’re still conscious.”
Sara and Trex exchanged glances as the sailor moved on.
“I think we should be a little more careful… the next time we go for a… run, together” Trex said after a short pause.
Sara seemed to think for a second.
“At least it’s finally an excuse to eat more,” she then suggested with a smirk
Trex smiled, unused to humour from his old friend.
“Can I get a hand here,” said a young female wolf healer, coming back on deck.
Trex and Sara looked at each other tiredly, everyone else around them was either busy or in worse shape then them.
“No rest for the wicked,” said Trex, grunting as he tried to get back up. Sara also unsteadily got to her feet with a groan, the two youths supporting each other as they walked off.
The last of the suns light had just slipped behind the horizon as the fleet sailed through the night, driven by a crisp breeze. A few clouds sailed through the star filled sky above, illuminated by a large full moon. The ships made steady headway through the gently rolling seas.
Trex and Sara were leaning against the forecastle mast, a pilot light illuminating the two as they ate their third portion of dinner.
The ship was mostly quiet as everyone who was allowed to, was gratefully enjoying blissful sleep.
“I always imagined ships food to be worse,” said Sara, snuggled up in her heavy blanket.
“I think that’s only on long voyages,” said Trex between mouthfuls of the heavy stew. He sat nearby, wrapped in his own blanket.
Something in Sara’s mouth crunched loudly and she hesitated, chewing carefully for a moment.
“I suppose all warm food tastes good when you’re as hungry as us,” lamented the young female wolf.
“You may have a point there,” said Trex, taking a close look at one of the odder globular masses floating around in his bowl.
“Maybe I’m not that hungry after all,” said Sara, looking over at what Trex was inspecting.
A shadow appeared nearby and Pettana took a seat to the other side of Trex, she too had a blanket to ward off the cold winds.
“Not again,” Pettana complained a moment later, inspecting what she had in her hand, “you would think they would have one piece of flatbread on this ship that’s not stone hard.”
“I’ll have it!” said both Sara and Trex hungrily at once.
Pettana looked over with surprise before handing over the stone hard bread to Trex.
The lion snapped the hard bread into two pieces and shared it with Sara before continuing to eat. The two deciding not to inspect their food again as they continued to fill their mouths.
Pettana looked out at the starry horizon as the two used the bread to wipe their bowls clean.
“Ahhhh,” sighed Sara happily, patting her full belly contentedly once she had finished.
