Fleas - Songs of the Gnolls I

SHATTERED TIES 6.11

The avians arrived with news from the northeast. The human army was marching steadily in their direction. Scourge decided it would be best to confront them head on. An unprecedented clash that would annihilate them all. Helirah the Imposing agreed, as did Zeppel and Zanarah. They prepared for the encounter. The front line was lined with large shields made from the remnants of human construction. They would withstand the mobile ballistas and catapults as best they could. The avians, for their part, were instructed to inflict damage to those artifacts as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the orcs spread out in two wings, hiding on either side behind some steep rocks and hills. With the speed of lebrillopes, they would surround the army and strike from behind with their poisoned weapons.

Scourge stood beside her, watching her with a forced smile. Perhaps he wanted to make sure that her heart was not filled with anger, fear, or any other emotion that might interfere with her scream. Ahead, gathered in a shiny black tangle of feathers, the avians waited. As the most exposed, they needed the most protection. Helirah, Zeppel and Zanarah were at their backs, along with the rest of the Iron Claws. To the side, high on the rocks, the Distant Teeth crouched, waiting for the signal. Their new leader had been chosen by themselves; it was Liblin, a young hyaenid with perhaps too much enthusiasm. The role should have belonged to Kkelea, but a shield is no good if it stands behind the warriors it is supposed to protect. At this moment, in this place, under the impending red sun of war, she was the center, the shield that should never be splintered, for she guarded all they fought for.

First came the smell of horse and metal, then the galloping, trumpets, drums, and the sounds of war. Their silvery figures rose on the horizon. Both armies looked at each other. Kkelea was very nervous, she wanted to scream, but Scourge, who commanded, told her to wait.

The human forces cleared the way for the ballistas, catapults, and blunderbusses to move forward. The trolls on top of the rocks began to dance, and the grass swayed in the breeze. The human devices contracted, releasing the burden of huge blocks of stone that flew as if they weighed nothing. Before striking with devastating force, they shattered a thousand times until they were nothing more than dust. The trolls' magic was astonishing.

"Now!" Commanded Scourge.

Kkelea filled her lungs with air and released it in the form of a scream. It spread out, covering the entire outpost in its protective embrace. Immediately, the flocks of avians flew in to destroy the siege weapons before the magic faded. Meanwhile, the Voices of Rock, first in line and shield bearers, used their power to multiply the strength of the vanguard. Helirah, Zanarah, and Zeppel charged forward fearlessly.

The human cavalry, ignoring the avians, plunged forward in v formation, wave after wave. They were still unaware of Kkelea's power, otherwise they would have waited. Kkelea had feared that the bravery of the Beast and her two daughters would make them forget the plan, but fortunately they stopped where they were supposed to, in the middle, so that the orcs could close the path and the Distant Teeth could reach them with their javelins.

New shots, this time from the ballistas, hit the vanguard just before the first wave of knights clashed. To their surprise, the three mightiest hyaenids, accompanied by the others that would soon join them, were unharmed. And the slaughter began. While some of the bravest humans fought the vanguard in vain, others ignored them and made their way to the bulk of the army, where Scourge and Kkelea were. On the way, they were decimated by Distant Teeth fire. Liblin, brave or mad, leaped down the rocks until she landed on the enemy captain's mount, which had escaped the shots. The horse was startled, a little by the weight and a little by the hyaenid's scent, and stopped. Both the captain and Liblin fell, but the hyaenid did so gracefully, rising to her paws effortlessly. She leapt at the human, knocking his helmet off with the back of her hand and biting into his neck. She turned, looked in their direction with a smile, and chuckled.