Beyond The Mountains

Prologue: The Great War

It was a sunny day with only a few clouds moving leisurely across the sky. A light wind blew across the plains, causing the grass to dance in the fields. On the edge of the steppe, near the point where the plains and the forest-lands meet, two thousand fox warriors stood in a massive phalanx. The soldiers - mere recruits - waited anxiously, shifting their weight about as they allowed the cool morning breeze to blow through their fur. There they waited for an enemy they could not possibly defeat.

With a massive rumbling, an army of wolf men emerged from the forest. Some rode on horseback with long swords, others carried spears and shields, some only a single blade. They were all proven hunters and fearless warriors. The army of ten thousand wolves took up their stance on the edge of the prairie, snorting and growling, ready to move in for the kill.

Clay Aiken, the first and at the time the only fox general, motioned for his troops to stand ready. He looked out over the rough wolf army. The foxes were outnumbered five to one, even worse than they had feared. Saying a silent prayer, a psalm of good fortune to his brethren, Clay separated from the formation and walked out onto the field to meet Zeus, the Greatest Hunter.

Zeus rode on horseback out into the field to meet Clay, flanked by two of his strongest lieutenants. Zeus stopped his horse and jumped to the ground, still towering over the small fox general. Clay swallowed his fear and made his voice as strong as he could.

"Today, Zeus will fall, and the tyranny of the wolf hunters will end!"

Zeus let out a deep, bellowing laugh, and retorted: "You are outnumbered by many times, fool. Do not stand against us. We are the Hunters. You are the prey."

"Today," Clay responded, "We are no one's prey."

Clay turned away to rejoin his formation. Zeus snorted and climbed back onto his horse to ride back to his own army.

"The fool fox would not yield," Zeus told his lieutenants. "Show them what it means to be hunted by even the least of us!"

Several groups of wolf footsoldiers split from the main body and began to march towards the fox formation. Clay turned and spoke to his captain.

"Zeus believes even his weakest hunters can defeat us."

His Captain responded, "Are you so sure that he is wrong?"

"Yes," Clay said, "the wolves prefer to make battle in small groups." Clay turned to his foxes and began to shout: "When the wolves meet the combined strength of all the fox warriors, their formations will shatter and their strength will fail! FORTIFY!!"

The fox warriors repeated the order, shouting it down the line to the next warrior, and in moments the group of fox soldiers had locked their shields together to form one impenetrable wall stretching from one side of the formation all the way to the other.

The wolves were strong, and the reaches of their swords were long, but the fox warriors held their ground. The wolves, who fought with little armor, were quickly turned away by the long fox spears. Their ranks split and were thinned, and they were quickly forced to retreat.

Zeus was breathing heavily, angered at having watched many of his hunters killed. He summoned all his cavalry for a charge. He planned to overpower the foxes' shield wall with all the strength and ferocity that the wolves were feared for.

Clay was a brilliant tactician. He saw the wolf cavalry rallying, and he was prepared.

"BOAR'S SNOUT," Clay shouted.

As before, the fox warriors rearranged themselves in seconds. They formed a tapered shield wall, in a wedge shape. When the cavalry met it, they were split down the middle by the shape of the fox formation. Horses were gored by spears, wolves thrown to the ground. Wherever the fox line was broken, another warrior would quickly fill in and seal the gap. Zeus regrouped his cavalry for a second attack.

"DIAMOND SLOT," Clay called.

In moments, the formation again rearranged itself to form a large diamond. Zeus charged his cavalry recklessly at the fox phalanx. Wherever the wolves tried to break through the lines, they were met by stiff shields and long spears. After several attempts, Zeus was forced to withdraw the cavalry. The fox warriors cheered, but the main bulk of the wolf army stood ready, eager to fight. Zeus rejoined the rest of his army, trembling with rage, his eyes burning with hatred.

"SHIELD WALL," Clay called. The foxes rearranged themselves into a rectangular formation. The wolves began to march forward.

It's time, Clay thought. He turned to the formation. "Send the signal," he shouted.

A single fox warrior drew out a bow, and nocked it with a single arrow, which he dipped in pine pitch and lit ablaze. He aimed out over the wolf army and loosed it. The arrow streaked through the sky, a brilliant orange and black.

Suddenly, five hundred fox archidons appeared from the forest, bows at the ready. They loaded their bows and loosed a huge volley of arrows. The arrows sailed smoothly through the air, flying as straight and true as the wind, then diving straight for the wolf army below. The wolves never heard or saw it coming. By the time they realized they had been outflanked, near three hundred of them lay dead. The wolves continued their charge, and met the smaller fox formation with incredible force. The fox archidons continued to fire from the forest, loosing each volley then disappearing back into the underbrush.

The fighting continued for hours. When the wolf army finally withdrew, eight thousand of them lay dead or injured, unable to continue fighting. The fox army had lost only a few hundred of their own. Zeus himself lay dead, felled by an arrow to the throat, and the fox army claimed its first victory.

Clay stood tall in front of his fox army, all weary from fighting, all brave warriors.

"This," he shouted, "is the first time in history that a predator has been defeated by his own prey!" The foxes cheered. "But with your continuing strength, it shall not be the last!"