War - Battles of the Wild - The Darkened Moon

CHAPTER TWENTY: ALENA

"Gear up!" called Griffara over her gathered Power Clan Warriors. The sun was sinking slowly, and soon its place would be taken by the darkness of the night of the new moon. "We will be heading into battle in thirty minutes! Do any more last minute preparations! Sharpen your weapons, fasten your armour, and say your goodbyes. We will end this feud with Leap Clan once and for all!"

The clan roared in response as Griffara flared her wings. 

Luna and I stood away from the excitement, near the entrance to the armoury. We'd been waiting for awhile to get our armour due to the long lineup, but now it seemed like everyone finally had geared up, and were just making adjustments.

I pulled on a loose leather strap of my steel armour with my teeth. Despite having dextrous paws, it was still hard to reach, and the armour restricted my movement somewhat. 

"Here, let me help," said Luna, taking the strap from me. With her teeth and paws working together, she looped the strap through the ring and pulled it tight. She tested her handiwork with a tug, but the armour held fast. 

"Thanks," I said with a smile. 

Luna looked dashing in her own armour. It had more leather than metal, but it suited her quick fighting style. The leather was dyed red, matching the burgundy stripe that ran down her back. A metal half-mask completed her look. It was shaped like half of a wolf's snarling face, and it covered her wounded side. I guess she took my advice after all, but I was assuming that the mask was premade because there's no way she could've requested one from the blacksmith's and received it on such short notice. 

A small, wickedly curved dagger hung just past her shoulder. She rarely used it, but it was useful when rushing by enemies and scoring a hit on them without even needing to turn and snap. 

I personally never used a weapon. Holding something in my teeth made me feel vulnerable, or in my paws just put me off balance. I don't know how some of them did it, especially when teeth work just fine. 

Luna and I walked around the preparing Warriors, checking if we could help out anywhere. 

Maya was decked out in her steel armour, decorated with extravagant engravings, Ditclaw had gold armour that complemented his black fur, and Blackwisp had deadly spiked armour that almost matched the black of his pelt.

"Looks like everyone's pretty much ready," said Luna. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, wait! One more thing, follow me."

She bounded off toward the Warriors den. She made a beeline for my bed, and began digging through my small pile of belongings until she found the light blue cloak that I wore on the trip back through the Wastes. 

She clipped it around my neck, then stood back.

"There, now you look like a noble knight or something."

"But I just bought this," I muttered. "What if it gets ruined in the battle?"

"Don't you want to look fancy in battle?" she joked. "And besides, who knows if we'll make it. May as well get full use out of that cloak, while you can."

She turned away, going quiet. 

"Lucky for you, I don't plan on dying in battle," I quipped. Noticing she seemed down, I moved closer. 

"...You never know what can happen in battle," Luna murmured as I approached. "I used to think of myself as a strong, capable Warrior, but when I lost my eye... It really made me think about how fragile everything is. How your life can change in an instant."

"Yeah..." I looked away for a moment, before turning back to her with a small smile. "I guess we have to make the most of the present, huh?" 

"Hm..." with that, she leaned forward, bumping her nose against mine. I breathed in her scent, and closed my eyes, savouring the moment. 

After a few seconds, she dropped her snout, pressing our foreheads together. A darkness radiated off her, uncertain and afraid. Who knows what could happen in the battle to come, after all.

Finally, she pulled away. "If we make it back, you owe me a Pledging Ceremony." 

Before I could respond, she had disappeared outside. 

The last Pledging Ceremony I'd witnessed in a while was between Tigerjaw and Frozenfire. It's not a ceremony taken lightly, and is performed both publicly, where it is made known that the two mates have chosen each other, and privately, where they pledge themselves to each other with their own unique oaths and promises. 

I've seen the Pledging Ceremony take place between two females before, when Dahlia and Firelash became mates, so it wasn't that weird for me and Luna to request one, right?

But besides all that, did Luna really mean it, or was the adrenaline just getting to her?

I shook my head. I should be focusing on the battle ahead right now, anyway.

As I stepped out into the camp center again, Griffara's voice met my ears.

"Warriors, to me! We set out now!" 

With a deep breath, I got into formation behind her, and with the clanking of metal plates, we set off into the forest. 

Toward the prairie, toward the battlefield. Toward whatever fate awaited us.

Luna wasn't beside me. She took up a different place in the ranks. I was front and center, along with others like Maya and Atlas. Warriors who were big and strong, with heavy armour to match. We hold the line like a wall of steel and fur. 

Luna, on the other paw, was a flanker. She was quick and struck fast and hard, picking off enemies from the sides. 

My mind raced with the possible outcomes of the battle, even as the sky grew darker. 

It seemed like an eternity had passed before we reached the prairies, but it also happened all too soon.

Across the expanse of gently swaying grass, the Leap Clan Warriors stood. 

For a moment, all was silent, save for the clinking of metal, and the rustling of grass and fur. Then, with a hawk-like scream from Griffara, we charged.