Blood soaked revenge

CHAPTER 2: Forest Journey

The forest was serene. There were animals and beasts living all throughout the large lush undergrowth, wind wolves slipped silently passed trees and bushes. They kept a watchful eye over the group of survivors, there large eyes seeking out the old weak and injured, licking their massive canines at the thought of all that fesh meat. Ravens kept close to the shadows of the trees gazing with pompous noble air, their screeching hawks were a constant reminder of their presence. Deer grazed on the grass around the group, hopping away gracefully as soon as one of the hungry hunters, man and beast alike, came close to them.

Angered shouts of pure frustration, escaped from the mouths of one of the hunters sent by the group. The group had began to run out of food not too long into the start of their journey. The little children complained often of not having enough food to eat, mothers would often attempt to console them with promises that they knew they could never keep. Tom looked at this with a sad look plastered on his once joyous visage. However now he was scarred from the battle he had a deep long scar running from the tip of his left temple all the way down to the side of his mouth. This gave him a scary and toughened look, with his stocky build he looked like he had been born on the battlefield. This was not completly incorrect, as many of his fellow comrades had been reborn into hardened men, their hands were covered on calluses which mirrored there broken, grieving hearts. Many of the survivers had lost nearly all their family members.

This made them seem distant, many had sunken eyes and a downtrodden gait when they walked in the forest. It was a stark contrast to the fresh lively atmosphere of the forest that encased them like a tomb. Kai's stomach grumbled just like him, he had not eaten for a day and a half now, it bagan to effect his mood greatly. He would often walk detached, both physically and mentally, from the rest of the group. He came up to me and began to complain.
"When the hell are those useless excuses of hunters going to bring us some food. I feel like am going to collapse." he rambled on, cursing both the hunters and the invaders in turn. I began to get frustrated with his mood.  
"SHUT UP ! We get it your hungry do you think that we are not also hungry too?! If you are so hungry go get us some food."
After this outburst, I instantly felt great amounts of guilt at my mood. Kai frowned clearly hurt by my words, he spun around and walked off before I could get a chance to explain my self. I looked at Tom, desperately trying to find solice in his eyes at the way I spoke. His eyes were saddened and dissatisfied with me, it was clear to see that my conduct was not helping the already dire situation.

This made me contemplate. Stopping now would let everyone rest and it would allow the hunters to lay traps and go further afield without worrying about the movements of the group disrupting the animals around us. However, this stop could allow the vanguard's soldiers to catchup with us, looking at the state of the remaining militia men, they were completely beaten and the hunger that gnawed at their stomachs, drained them completely of the ability to raise their swords. Stopping would make starting again hard as people's legs would stop moving in an attempt to recover from the hard strain that they had been put under.

Debating the pros and cons interally, I escaped the reality of my situation. Little did I know, Kai was also battling himself in his head at that moment his own wants over took his rationale.
He began to slowly fall behind the group, everyone's somber mood lead to a lax level of vigilance so he found it easy to slip away from us. He then stepped in to the brush and undergrowth, the slight rustle of dried leaves and the occasional snap of a twig indicated his intentions to the creatures of the forest. Wind wolves began to circle around him their eyes trailed his back, assessing his strength and how much meat he had on his bones.

I finally made my decision, we shall rest in the next clearing but we shall build some defences. Deep down I knew that any fortifications that would could build would have been little more than a fence to the invaders. It would only serve as a mental barrier for the survivors, at least they would not feel completely defenceless.  With a new vigour, I walked over to the village carpenter.

"At the next clearing, take 10 men and cut down some trees. We shall use the wood to make a temporary camp with some basic wood and earthen barriers."

"sure thing!" he exclaimed in relief. The people around him began to murmer in happiness. The very idea of a long break brought the mood up dramatically, people began to chat to one another again. Mothers once again began to gossip and hold conversations in Little huddles. Small children ran around their mother's legs in happiness, chasing each other with their small legs. The entire group began to walk faster and with more purpose.

Slowly the trees began to open up again. We had reached a clearing, as the trees began to thin, more and more of the clearing became visable.

There were fish gliding in the slow shallow river that ran across the field, their shiny scales sparkled in the  sun's glare, making the shimmering river seem like a flowing path of jewels. Little gray hares bounced gracefully past, then diving into their little burrows. Deer that had been drinking by the stream, perked their ears and eyed the bipedal creatures with both curiosity and fear. As we drew closer, they swiftly turned and fled into the foliage. The disturbance caused dark clowd of birds, seemingly endless, to raise into the air.

Once we reached the river everyone slumped onto the ground, tired beyond belief. Others, mainly the younger children began to splash in the river bank, taking large gulps of the fresh water. Some women used the baskets they had used to take some of their personal effects with to fish in the river simply placing the basket downstream and waiting for the fish to swim into the basket. Alongside the satisfied chatter, there was a constant rhythmical bang of axes chopping down trees. The village carpenter coordinated a large group of burly men to chop and drag the timbers, they were then shaped into structural beams and fence panels it was mixed with mud and cobble stones which created an earthen fortification.

The other militia men that remained were gathered by the bank and Eastern section of the fortification. The sight of happiness and relaxation lifted the units morale. The unit stood tall and proud, with chests raised and heads held high. I stood in front of them, fully dressed in my leather armour, and a chain mail tunic on top. To everyone around me,  I must have looked like a noble commander inspecting his troops.

" I am proud of your abilities, you are all strong courageous warriors. We have saved many lives and we are truly grateful to those in our ranks who's lives were lost in that battle."

Eyes shined with pride as this was uttered. The villagers around us nodded their heads agreement. The joyous mood was so high that one of the elders in the crowd cried out saying "You should lead us Marius! You are truly a wonderful man and a worthy leader."  Many cried out alongside the old man, adding to the noise with praise and words of assent.
One man went as far as to place the chieftain's medallion on my neck.

The medallion was made of bronze and silver. On the medallion was the name of the village on it. In the center, which was made out of silver with the outer edge of the medallion being bronze, had the counties coat of arms stamped on. It was a Eagle holding up a reath made of wheat, the Eagle looked as though it was about to take flight. Grinning the unit praised me and hailed me a hero. Even Tom, who had not too long ago destianed me for being to harsh, was smiling and joining in the tumultuous cheering.

Taking it into my stride, I decided to set up a new temporary village here, as a refuge for those who wish to escape the attacks of the invaders. I hoped that this place shall be a bastion of all resistance and a beacon of hope to the many people suffering.