The Call of the Warrior

Archers and Wolves

"Are you sure you don't want to try out?" Leta asked. "You could probably make it."

Anna shook her head. They were outside the walls again. Today, it was time for the archers to have their testing. They were shooting at targets put up near the place where Anna and the others had made fires yesterday.

With the heaviest longbows, they were able to cover almost the entire distance. They had set up closer targets as well for the short bows, but in order to join the archers you had to prove you could at least somewhat handle a longbow; those were the most effective against the creatures from the desert.

Leta and Ayaan had taken Anna into one of the towers during the last attack. Recruits were not allowed to leave the Defence for the first three months. But from the towers, she had been able to make out the battle that took place at the mountain pass fifteen hundred paces away.

After one of the battles, they had brought one of the giant cats into the Defence so the new recruits could see it. It had been laying on its side near the eastern gate. It had tusks as big as Anna's arm and talons that looked like they could rip open a horse with very little trouble.

"They're not all this big," Ayaan had said. "Some are, and some are bigger. But when they attack in numbers, there tends to be more of the smaller ones."

Anna tried imagining standing face to face with one of the beasts. It would be taller than her. She shivered. No point in worrying about things that weren't happening.

"How do you kill it?"

Ayaan shrugged. "Like you kill anything. Make it bleed, take its eyes out if you can. Slashing the throat works, but it's sometimes hard to reach. If you get under it, you can open up its belly, those are usually soft."

"Usually?"

"There are armored ones. Ones with scales."

"And flying ones?" Anna said.

"The gods must have enjoyed creating them," Ayaan said. "I think someone counted there are thirty different ones." She studied Anna. "See now why they want women to join the archers?"

"What are they going to do with it? Burn it?"

"They'll skin it. This one has soft fur, so they'll prepare it and maybe whoever took it down will get it. The tusks will go to the crafters, who make ornaments that the Defense sells to get money for supplies. Sometimes they use the tusks to make sewing needles or little boxes. They used to eat the meat, but people got sick. So we don't do that anymore. But they use the intestines to make catgut for bows and instruments."

Anna studied the animal in front of them. Without it, there would be no need for the Defence. And without it, would the Defence survive? It provided them with plenty of materials that she saw around the place every day.

Watching the archery competition, Anna wondered if the bows were strung with catgut.

"It is the safest regiment," Leta said. "The archers are on the platforms and usually far away from the beasts."

Anna shook her head. She had been so set on becoming a ranger she didn't know what to do now. Tryouts for the cavalry would be tomorrow. Anyone who hadn't been accepted to a regiment after that went to the infantry. Those who could afford proper equipment went to the heavy infantry, the rest to the light.

The stewards did their selections based on the first interviews and their needs. You could apply by speaking to one of the captains of the stewards. If they had a job for you, they would take you.

The last of the recruits put away their longbows and the instructors went to compare notes.

Leta nudged Anna's side. "Looks like we have another show."