Rising Moon

~Chapter Twenty-Four~

Hector raced off towards his tent. Several voices rose up around camp, and the alarm was sounded a few seconds later. Then, there were screams. It seemed the whole army woke up at once and Hector was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of bodies, all rushing to their positions and to their leaders to learn their orders. Hector couldn't see over the sea of people, and so he was unable to find where the Insurrectionists were coming from. He heard the war horn again, closer this time, far closer.

"Girls!" Hector shouted as soon as his tent came into view.

Thanatos, Tekakwitha, and the warrior's bearcats were already outside. They sprinted over to their master, only to run after him as he burst into his tent.

"Luna, Lady," Hector commanded as he frantically searched around his tent. "I need you two to go find Rapunzel. She should be at the royal tent. Take her to the fields, up the mountains, anywhere. Just get her out of here!"

The two animals seemed to nod. They turned to run out of the tent, but Hector stopped them with a short whistle.

"Wait a moment! I need to find-"

"What's going on?!" Selene cried, running straight into Hector's legs and wrapping her arms around them, nearly knocking him over.

Hector knelt down to the little girl's level. He took her hand in his and cupped her cheek. He tried to speak, but she beat him to it.

"I know that sound! I know that sound! It's the monsters! They-their here, they're going to kill you and me an-and everyone!"

"No, no, no!" Hector insisted, pulling her into his arms, and stroking her white-blonde hair. "No, they're not. Ulysses and I are going to make them go away. They're not going to hurt anyone, especially not you. Luna and Lady are going to take you away, okay? They're going to take you to Rapunzel, and then they'll take you somewhere safe. They and Rapunzel will look after you somewhere until this is all over, and everyone's gonna be okay, okay?"

"You're not going somewhere safe too?" Selene said quietly after a moment, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

"No, sweetheart, I have to go stop the monsters like I said."

"But they'll kill you!"

"No, no. No, they won't. I'm going to make them go away, and I won't let them hurt me or anyone, and you will be safe and away with Rapunzel, but you have to go right now."

Hector stood and picked Selene up. He quickly placed her on Luna's dark gray, furry back. She, reluctantly as it was, let go of Hector and tightly gripped Luna. Hector knelt down to his bearcats' level.

"Take care of her and Rapunzel," the warrior whispered, pressing his forehead to the animals'. "Get them somewhere safe far away, and don't come back until I, Thanatos, or Tekakwitha come to get you. Understand?"

Luna and Lady blinked a nod in unison.

"Good. Now go, quickly! Get out of here!"

"Hector!" Selene screamed as the bearcats ran off, reaching back for him.

Hector watched them go until they were out of sight, hidden by the night and the rushing of soldiers and officers outside of his tent. Then he was back to tearing his tent apart, searching for something once again.

"Thanatos, I need you to take something to Ulysses. Ah! Here it is!" - Hector knelt down with a thick wad of folded papers in hand. The black hunting dog took it in his mouth. - "I planned for the event of a surprise attack, and I thought of a strategy. Make sure he gets this and try not to drool on it too much. Go!"

Thanatos was off just as fast as Luna and Lady. Hector grabbed several more weapons that were scattered around his tent before running over to where Tekakwitha was waiting at the entrance. He leapt into her saddle as fast as he could.