I stared into the light of the flame, watching with detached amusement as it swirled, bending and bowing like a courtier to his lord. I chuckled at nothing. Rather, at the likening of fire to a noble. As if they were anything as virile, strong and assertive. The beer also helped with my amusement.

"So make merry ye swine for tomorrow we fight." Oswald the weasel of in the distant, his features emphasised in the low light of the fire finished his song, he liked to sing to the new recruits before a fight or march, gave them courage and vigour he said. Got the blood up to hear of past deeds. I thought it was foolish, misplaced bravery was a killer on the battlefield and I had seen one too many young pups charge into a pike for the honour of having Oswald write them a song or mention them in passing during a ballad.

Oswald was the company's Skald, wasn't sure why we needed a Skald, we were a mercenary company, not a circus. The captain, however, had insisted, I loved that man with all my heart but he was to set on a legacy for my liking. To blinded by what those in the future would sing of him to stay in the present.

He sang himself stories, stories of deeds that were yet to happen, stories in which he was the hero.

"Caelfor, pass me another," I grunted at one of my men. The large badger leaned over, stretching his arms and legs to their limits to reach the tankard beside him. He groaned with the strain and just as I was about to get him to stand his claws hooked the handle of the wooden vessel. He sloshed the beer within as he passed it to me, some falling out and onto the fire, hissing in protest as it kissed the coals.

"Lieutenant." He nodded at me drunkenly as he passed the tankard over, I smiled, any other time any other place I would reprimand him for his loss of decorum. Maybe I was on the beer, maybe I had grown to drunk on the swashbuckling glory of Oswald's tales, whatever the case I let it slide and watched as Caelfor slid back into his place, leaning against a spear buried in the ground and with paws warming at the fire.

I sighed as I tipped the beer back, it was warm as it slid down my throat and my eyes focused on the night sky above me. They shone like the glow worms in the caves outside the woods where I was from, luminous and countless in number.

I laid back,  the cold forest floor pillowy and soft on my head. I wanted to fight, my paws clenched and unclenched. The blood was hot in my veins and it warmed me against the autumn chill. Looking out at the men around me I saw rabbits, I saw mice, I saw hedgehogs and I saw my men, badgers. But in each and every one of them I saw a warrior. A man who has fought and bled for Eadfrith's Company. I fumed at the role of courier we had been given.

For the last few years, men from the sea had come in their boats, they had taken our shores and spread rape and pillage through our lands. Did we fight, however? No, at every occasion before every defence we had been ordered to retreat to the woods, never to engage. Always backward, always running. My sword hungered for blood like a man in the desert does for water.

No king would fight them, no king had been confident in the men of the woods to defend their homelands, they had seen what these invaders had done to the coastal kings and had fled ever since, never meeting the advance.

I knew the woodsmen, I was one of them. We would fight hard for these lands as they are our home, I looked into the eyes of the badgers around me, each one bore a fire, a fire of defiance and zeal, the defiance of a man who wouldn't be conquered. Let us plant our shields I thought, let us plant our shields and our feet on this ground which bore us and watch as the foreigners crash against us like waves onto the rocks, watch as their blood flares into the air like the sea foam.

And yet our kings, our brave leaders had decided instead to entrust their safety to gold, rather than iron. They paid for peace, each one of them accepting the lies of the sea people. It was a disgrace.

I sighed and laid my heavy head further into the earth, rocking it back and forth to create a groove into it. My eyelids were heavy, being pulled ever downward with each moment, my last thought was of the beautiful smattering of stars beneath which I laid my head. This is our sky.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Alright Ricsig, I want you and your men to move ahead of the main force and secure the bridge crossing. If the sea folk are planning an ambush us that is where it'll happen." We were at the war council. I had awoken this morning, my head pounding like a drum and my fur stained slightly with the spilled drinks from last night. The rabbit the commander referred to perked up when he heard his name, it was endearing to see how his ears fidgeted with excitement at the prospect of an independent command, he was the newest of our little cadre of commanders and was eager to prove himself.

I was forced to give a sad little smile, what would happen if Ricsig and his rabbits were to meet the enemy. The rabbits were armed with bows and knives, they were our scouts. They couldn't contest the bridge if they tried, the best they could do would be to shoot at the enemy as they passed. But watching how excited the rabbit before me was as he rushed out of the war tent to inform his men I didn't have the heart to think harder about the possibilities. It was true that the rabbits were the fastest squad in the company, they would reach the bridge quickly. The sea people wouldn't attack them, it would be fine. I didn't sound convincing, not even to myself

"For the rest of us, I'll be commanding the head of the collum as we march Saewulf I want you to hold the centre and Beorward, I want you at the rear guard, in case the bastards try and fuck us in the ass as we move." The vulgar language gave us a laugh which served to ease the tension in the tent, in truth all of us here hated this mission, hated having to pay those we should be fighting, we were hungry for battle. I could feel it.

"Alright, that's all, I'll let you brief your men. Make them ready to march in an hour, if all goes well we should be breaking bread with the invaders by tomorrow afternoon." His snout was pulled into a snarl as he said the words, he left the tent fiddling with his tasks, he only did that when he was really restless.

I moved to the side of the entrance, letting Saewulf leave first so my bulk didn't block him in. When I finally left the checkered command tent I had to stoop through the exit, my head still grazing the tasselled edges of the fabric.

Waiting for me outside of the tent was Saewulf, he was facing me, shifting his weight from foot to foot, his snout twitching nervously. He had something to say I was sure of it and we both stood there, facing one another waiting for another to make the first move.

"Congratulations on being given command of the rear guard, I'll feel safe with you watching my back." I was always given command of the rear guard, my men were the slowest marchers on account of our armour and large stature, it made sure we didn't slow down the rest of the collum, he was still holding back.

"What is it that you have to say Saewulf." His spines began to twitch when I said that and he seemed to be taken aback, which somewhat surprised me as I was quite an open and didn't mince words often.

"Do you think we'll get to fight soon." He seemed tentative as he said this as if he was apprehensive as to what my answer would be. I looked up to the trees, watching as they swayed with the winds just as the fire had last night. I had heard it said that the winds were the voice of the gods. I looked back down and met eyes with the hedgehog before me, his head was also in the process of lowering after watching the sky, it seemed he was also looking for the voice of the gods in the wind.

"I would imagine so. Does that scare you?"

"Hm, no. I hunger for it, they killed one of my brothers when the stormed Salt Point. Too much marching for me Beorward, I wanna kill something."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be he was a bastard, I've got 12 others anyway, its the whole idea of the thing, coming here and killing our people, I wanna chop them to pieces and through those bits back into the sea." He made a series of absurd faux sword slashes as he said this, the absurdity of it caused me to I laugh, I threw my arm over his spiny shoulders and we began to walk back to the camp together.

"I imagine you will get the chance Saewulf, I imagine you will." It is funny how the gods play with us like toys. For they would give us our battle, and we would curse them for it.