Sages, Chapter 2: Days of War, for the Past's Fallen Soldiers
"Days of War, for the Past's Fallen Soldiers"
POV Bodey
It was early on a Tuesday morning when alarm sounded. From somewhere atop the fortress, someone stood and blew into the horn in a steady pattern; one that we had familiarized as a sound that only could mean one thing:
War.
I was resilient to awake and rise at first. My eyes could only muster the strength to open a slight margin before the fell back into place. Rubbing my eyes and grabbing a hold of the bunker, I slowly pulled myself up into a sitting position and rubbed my tired eyes. It's too god damn early. What kind of sick joke is this? I thought to myself. It was only when I finally opened my eyes and listened did I recognize the pattern. This wasn't just a stupid rollcall. We were being called to fight.
I quickly sprang out of bed; now far more self-aware then my half-conscious state from the minute before. I sensed motion behind me, and saw that everyone else was apparently doing the same, most of them already exiting the bunkers. Shit, I need to get going!
I quickly dressed myself in the proper gear and grabbed my precious weapon; a shiny silver blade with a small blue gem encrusted in the beautifully chiseled handle; a sword that had been past down from my father before me. I took a moment to simply hold it in my paws and admire it's beauty and craftsmanship, until realizing that I had a duty that desperately grabbed for my attention. I slipped the sword into the sheath behind me before exiting the bunkers and closing the door behind me; although unfortunately too quickly. I let out a small grunt of pain at the sensation of slamming the door on my long, striped tail.
I rushed down the flight of stairs that led to the bunkers to the ground floor of the fortress. Emerging into my eyesight was the already converging crowd of my colleagues. I'm late. Of bloody course I'm late.
Slipping my way into the crowd, I eventually found a nice open spot to stand; a spot with at least a tolerable level of personal space. I hate being close to people...
Next to me, I recognized a familiar face. "Heya, Bodes. What gives?" said the badger that stood next to me.
"Shut up. I had a rough night of sleep last night."
"You, a rough night of sleep? Says the tiger known only to be tough as nails and as sociable as a hermit crab"
"Well, I was tired, okay? I also did not foresee us going to war so soon."
"Aww, come on buddy. If somethin' is bugging you, you can trust me with it. I'm your friend, ya?"
I don't have any friends.
"Sure, I guess. And please don't call me buddy, Travis."
"Okay, Bodey. Whatever floats your boat."
It was then that a panther with strikingly black fur walk up to and stood atop the podium in front of us. The obnoxiously talkative crowd quickly quieted down. The general wore a long, black coat with a bright gold badge on the collar that certified his rank, as well as a black forage cap. His muzzle seemed tense as he prepared what he had to say, and his bright green eyes looked stern and confident as they gazed into the eyes of his soldiers.
"I'll make this quick and simple for all of you. Wrothian forces have converged at our border and have began to launch attacks. Most of the northern outposts have already either been taken or are currently under attack. It is our belief that they plan to move along the coast of Rescuer's Lake to take this outpost, and then move further south to take the capital. It's our job to make sure that that doesn't happen at all costs."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "We're splitting into three groups. The first group will take defence here at the outpost and along the surrounding forest to assure that they don't make it past here. The second with launch a forward assault on land. Finally, the third will coast along the lake by boat to prevent their forces from taking that route. Are there any questions?"
A cougar near the front of the crowd raised his paw in the air. "What is the situation with the adjacent southern kingdoms? Is it possible for us to receive backup from Bælanian forces?"
"As of right now, her majesty has yet to officially conform to any alliance between us and Bælan or Aey'Áris, but such a plan is in the works. Once it has, you can be sure that there will be an exchange of troops from both sides of the treaty. As for their situation in the sudden assaults, Bælan is holding their ground against the opposing forces. Unfortunately, we've also received word that Aey'Áris is falling to Agu Morran forces, which as of our latest news have almost made their way to their capital. They are however, being reinforced by additional Bælanian forces." said General Uhruan.
There was a moment of silence before yet another arm flung itself into the air. "Sir, what are our chances at success?"
"As for right now, their forces seem to be filling in at predictable numbers. We may sustain heavy casualties, but if we can stay strong and keep our ground, then we should be able to keep them from advancing any further." he stated.
There was a moment of silence. Everyone seemed to just stand around awkwardly, not sure of what to do or say.
Uhruan propelled his gaze across the crowd, searching for any more questions. When he didn't, he ended with a simple "Dismissed."
Just a moment later, a new figure stepped to the stand; a skunk with jet black fur that I recognized as Uhruan's lieutenant. "Alright, we've assigned each of you to your squadrons! My assistants will begin to divide you up now!" he shouted; his orders of which were carried out by several others who now scurried amongst us.
"Well, best of luck to you" said Travis before he waddled away. Just a moment later, I felt a small tapping on my shoulder. Turning around, I found the source of it to be Uhruan's Lieutenant.
"Aráshvahr" he said. "You've been assigned to a special designation. Please come with me.
Bloody hell...
I followed the skunk, who led me out of the commons area and past the main body of the fortress, on a dirt-paved road into the outlying woods. We didn't speak a word; he just strolled on ahead with his eyes glued to his path of travel, and I accompanied him with a leisurely morning stroll as I took some time to try and appreciate the beautiful scenery of the pine forest; the plantlife and ground both coated in morning dew. Looking through the trees, I could see that we were approaching a clearing; the lake now visible through the trees.
Finally, we reached the clearing and approached a small building that stood about 100 yards from the water. Two individuals that were dressed quite formally were standing outside the building, and about five more were present in the surrounding area. By the looks of it, they were royal guards.
One of the guards opened the door and held it open, beckoning the lieutenant and myself inside. He closed the rickety door behind me, leaving myself and just three other individuals inside the small structure. It looked like an old fishing house, as there were nets and rods hanging on the wall to my right. To my left stood the lieutenant, and sitting by the wooden table in front of me sat the prince to one side and my father to the other.
"Bodey Aráshvahr! Excellent to see you here. Please, sit down" said the prince in a booming and energetic voice. I prefer to stand.
I pulled the third and final chair out and took a seat; although a very uncomfortable one, for the chair was relatively small and did not fit me well. I imagined that my father was having a similar issue.
"Thank you, Bahrú. I will be sure to let General Uhruan know of your diligence" the prince said to the skunk. Bahrú nodded in assurance and then exited the building.
"So! Bodey! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" the prince said exuberantly, reaching his paw out to shake mine, which I complied to, although with resistance. "A pleasure to meet you too, prince."
Lies.
"You know, me and your dearest father here have been talking about you! You see, my mother told me many stories of when your old man was still in service. She says that he was the greatest warrior that the great nation of Uthalia has ever seen!" he said, his passion now exceeding the boundaries of my growing annoyance with him. "And according to General Uhruan, you are very much a justifiable successor to his name! Long live the Aráshvahr family!"
This is bloody nonsense. Just tell me why I'm here already!
"So, father. Why am I here?" I said, trying to avoid talking to the overly-joyful leopard that sat next to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was almost immediately cut of.
"You are here because we have a mission for you!" the prince exclaimed, practically shouting at this point. "It is a very dangerous mission, but I could think of not one individual more suited for the task then you."
If you weren't royalty, I would rip your fucking throat out and cook it over a fire, and feed the rest of you to the Rahthvars!
"Alright, let's get right to business, shall we?" he chortled after a moment of silence between us. I groaned quietly in dismay, and my father simply looked down at the table in front of him, lost in thought as he often was these days.
"Your mission is..."
POV Aiko
"Aiko, you can't just leave!" Maren shouted to me as I furiously packed my things into my pack, preparing to leave for the voyage ahead of me. "Why the hell not? She's already in enemy-occupied territory. If they're after what I think they're after, they will kill her. She can't hide herself forever."
I fumbled with my things, desperately trying to acquire everything I needed. A little food...some water...I mean, I can always get more...spellbooks, of course...what else could I possibly need? I thought to myself, trying to concentrate over the ruckus that had become our tiny household. Verse was finally beginning to stir, most likely because he was being shaken rather violently by Ruby. "Verse, wake up! Aiko is leaving!" she mumbled to him. Shiro and Medley were awake, although still trying to grasp onto complete consciousness.
I walked outside, laying out everything I needed on the ground and trying to sort it all into my bag, which the darkness didn't help out with.
"No weapons? You're charging into a warzone, Aiko" Maren finally said.
"I've got my books. I'm a skilled sorcerer, and I don't need any extra weight on me."
"You shouldn't always rely on magic for all your problems. You know very well that it can't be the solution to everything."
The door opened then, and all four of our other housemates filed out. Ruby was the first to speak.
"Wolfy, please. Let us go with you. We could help you!" she pleaded.
"No." I said firmly. "It's dangerous out there. I don't want any of you getting hurt."
"But we can fight too!"
"No!" Maren said, scolding Ruby. "Maybe Medley or I can, but you three are far too inexperienced!"
"We are not!" Ruby protested.
"Ruby, no. Think about Shiro. He can't be a day older than eleven."
"Guys, shut the hell up." I said loudly, quieting everyone down. "I'm going alone. This is my responsibility and I will not be putting any of you at risk. End of story."
Everyone paused for a moment, and there was complete silence. Then everyone seemed to move all at once. Maren came over to me and grabbed my bag, forcibly shoving a large wool blanket and some other various items into it. She then picked the pack up and slid it onto my back behind me. Medley stepped up next. He held up a long, silver knife to my throat, before cackling playfully and sliding into its leather sheath and handing it to me.
"To keep you safe, buddy" he said, smiling.
"Aren't you gonna miss it?" I asked.
"Nah" he said, grinning mischievously. "I've got plenty more."
"Medley, you tricky-ass ninja" I said, returning the expression with a smirk.
Ruby walked up to me next and handed me a small cube that appeared to be composed out of a bunch of smaller squares; each tile had a different color of paint smeared on it. "Ruby the engineer?" I asked.
"It's a game. I made it myself" she said. She paused before reassuring my curiosity with "Just to keep you entertained. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
A small fox waddled up from behind the slightly bigger one and handed me a small stone.
"It's for good luck!" Shiro said happily, although there was also a certain tone of sadness in his voice, likely from my quickly approaching departure.
"Thanks little dude" I responded. Last up was Verse, who handed me one of the small round pastries from the previous morning.
"Leftovers" he stated simply, an obnoxiously cute smile spreading across his chubby face. "Thank you, Verse. You know me too well!"
"Alright guys. I've gotta go." I said, pushing the last few things into the side-pockets of my bag.
"Maren" I said, addressing her. "You're in charge when I'm gone. Keep the family together and safe, okay?"
Maren looked at me with an expression that notified me of her confidence and nodded. Just a moment later, all five of them swarmed me with one giant hug. We stood there like that for a moment, before breaking apart.
"Take care!" Maren shouted as I walked away from our home and to the village, in the direction of Aey'Áris. "Stay safe and be back soon! We love you!"
"Love you guys too!" I shouted one last time before turning around and running to the village, my dearest family disappearing from my sight.
POV Bodey
"...are you fucking serious?!" I yelled as my father and I sat in the fishing house; now alone. "What the fucking hell is this?"
"Bodey, calm down" said his calm, deep and raspy voice. "It's all for a better cause, trust me."
"Like hell it is! That dumbass is asking me to help him with his insane plan to double cross this whole conflict!" I paused for a minute to take a deep breath and calm down. "And this is why Marvhalien is signing the treaty of war with Bælan, isn't it? It's because of this!"
"Bodey, surely you of all people can understand that this is what has to be done. All of the main-world kingdoms have been at extremely unstable odds with each other for a long string of years. Our military forces alone have amounted to such high numbers of casualties in the past. If you help us with this and succeed like I know that my great son will, then Uthalia will be able to bring peace to all of Theria!"
I stood up and forcefully pushed my chair in. "It's hardly peace if we're planning on taking control of half of the entire world, father. This idea of conquering and reconciliation is only doomed to bring a rebellion upon us!"
"Son, please. Trust me, and have faith in Marvhalien, our great queen of Uthalia. With your help, we can make a difference for this world."
He stood up from his chair and wobbled over to me, gripping the crutch that held him up from his bad leg. He had been gaining weight lately, and although he was still not yet very old, his age did not appear to be kind enough to give him much mercy.
He placed a paw on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes; his oceanic blue eyes meeting my own of the same trait. "Please, son..."
That was the final thing I needed to hear. If there was any one thing in my life that always spoke to me as a voice of reason and as a light to guide me out of confusion; then that light was my father. Alright dad. I'll do it. I'll do it for you.
"I'll be on my way, father. I have a job to do."