Standing guard isn't a particularly fun or rewarding job. Standing, simply observing is important, and can be a necessary reprieve from life. But observing as a job? On the same nearly flat landscape? Not fun but necessary, especially in wartime. The steady wind from the west bristled through my fur, cooling the hot black gun barrel.

My finest possession is probably this gun. Custom made for taking down big game,an over under shotgun with capacity for 2 9 gauge slugs, each in a bored barrel effective up to 200 yards. At the very end of the gun, was a triangular serrated bayonet blade, 8 inches long, in case danger came too close.

Right now however, there is no danger. Only the wind blowing through the grass and town to keep me company, up on top of this roof. It's mid afternoon by now, which means that Vastira is no longer casting her burning rays directly into my eyes, allowing me to properly see the horizon.

I can hear the residents of the house below me opening their door, one of them quickly jumping up the yard or so to the roof I was standing on.

“Do you want some stew?” The little girl enthusiastically asks. She couldn't be more than 10, too young to comprehend the horrors of war. I haven't eaten since this morning, and even then it wasn't anything that I could extract much calories from. But damn biscuits are good.

“I would love some stew. Do you have enough?”

“Yes Sir! Come down for a minute and we can give you a bowl.”

After a brief moment of conflict between holding my post and my hunger, my stomach growling deftly won the battle. I hop down, quickly ducking down into the dim house, lighting coming from the small windows near the ceiling. And oh the aroma. It doesn't smell any different than any stew, but it's been a long time since rations provided enough food for a good stew that wasn't broth.

Looking into the pot, warmed by coals laid down in an enclosed corner of the room, the dark brown liquid looks delicious. The little girl's mother handed me a wooden bowl, before ladling the broth, meat, and … boiled off alcohol into it, and handing it to me.

“Thank you ma'am.”

I quickly head out the door, after thanking the family, and heading back up the roof, quickly scanning the horizon, before taking a small lap of the broth. Definitely did not boil the wine out fully. I quickly guzzle the rest of the mixture down, feeling its warmth travel down my throat. I brush the spilled broth out of my fur, before looking out towards the horizon.

In the distance, I see a large vehicle. At least 30 meters long, 8 huge wheels holding it above the terrain, belching black smoke out of 2 exhaust pipes. There must be at last 40 soldiers standing next to it, all dressed in the same dark green uniform, all listening to their commander standing on top of the vehicle. It must have come up from behind a ridge I couldn't see.

I fumble to load the flare into the flare gun I was given, before firing upwards, the burning sulfur smell scorching my nose. I grab the whistle hanging around my neck, blowing out a shrieking call. After several seconds I hear the raid siren starting up, crank powered and emitting a much louder screeching call. I quickly moved behind the ridge of the roof, the enemy soldiers 500 meters away looking over towards our town.

I can hear people scrambling, all able bodied individuals moving to their pre planned positions, activating various traps, hiding inside dugouts in alleys, ready to fire at the advancing army marching through our street. I pull one of the 3 pocket mortars off of my bandolier, loading it into the flare gun, aiming high up to propel it far enough, before squeezing the trigger.

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The projectile arcs high, flying towards the enemy in a desperate bid for a painless victory. And explodes 30 meters off target. Their captain rapidly finishes up whatever their speech was, before sending the soldiers off to deal with these barely trained and armed civilians.

Little do they know that we are more prepared than they bargained for. I don't believe our fortifications, traps, and planned maneuvers will protect us all, but we will give them one hell of a fight. I quickly lower myself down, hiding behind the slope of the roof.

5 4 3 2 1

I peek over to check the distance of the soldiers, to see if they are within my range. The closest soldier is about 50 meters past the small boulder I dragged to indicate when targets were in range. I quickly duck down, waiting for about 30 seconds, gripping my gun tightly. I flick the safety off, the quiet click the only noise besides my heartbeat and the wind. And then I peek over, aiming the gun barrel over the peak of the roof, the crosshairs moving over one of the forms.

The bang rings out through the quiet air, the 9 gauge slug impacting the man's helmet, slumping over. I quickly track over to another soldier, leaving barely enough time to react before a chunk of lead impacts his ballistic vest, bruising his chest. The rest of the soldiers look towards me, several of them firing at me as I duck back down behind the roof.

I hear one of the other guards fire upon the soldiers, the rifle steadily pumping out half a dozen bullets as I reload my shotgun. I flip open the mechanism, the 2 blue shells flying past my face as I shove 2 more in, flicking the gun closed as I aim for another pair of shots.

We manage to take down 6 soldiers, before being forced to retreat, jumping over the roofs as we recede towards the storeroom. I can hear various traps being set off as the soldiers advance. I hear an explosion and a plume of smoke along the main thoroughfare, beyond my new post. I hustle to get there in time, seeing as fellow tabaxis defend our town.

Civilians armed only with knives ambush the armored soldiers, taking down the 3 or 4 that they were fighting. The soldiers had split up, dispersing throughout the town, being forced to fight more mobile enemies on our terms. They were still pushing through however, despite our best efforts, spilling innocent blood.

I encountered 4 soldiers, ambushing them from a rooftop above. I aim towards one of their heads, steadying my breath before pulling the trigger. Before I can even see the red mist or the moral implications, I'm already aiming at the next one, readying to jump down to fight them at melee distance. I take the shot, before launching myself down into their midst.

I land between the 2, thrusting forward with my shotgun, feeling the bayonet pierce through the vest and flesh, hot blood pouring down his chest and onto the gun. The soldier looks up at me for a moment, locking eye contact with me, before reaching for his pistol.

I try to remove the bayonet, to fight the other soldier, but it simply pulls itself off its mount. I spin around, flipping the gun to hold the still hot barrels, kicking the bayonet further into the first soldier's chest, steadying to swing the butt of the gun towards the second soldier, who already dropped their rifle. I hit him squarely in the abdomen, knocking him to the ground as I saw 3 more soldiers come around the corner already aiming for me.

I duck down, dropping my shotgun, pulling out the pocket mortar, firing it in their general direction. The shockwave knocks me to the ground, a piece of wooden shrapnel slicing open my arm. Everything hurts, my body bruised and burned from the shockwave, my hands covered in someone else's blood, my fur filled with dirt and smoke. The only thing I can hear is a piercing ring, the only thing I can see being the blue sky filling with black smoke. Something flies through my field of vision, dropping something towards me.

Then, my view of the sky is interrupted by one of the soldiers. I can see my bayonet embedded deep in his chest, as he stands over me, breathing heavily. He aims the gun barrel at my head, quietly laughing as he prepares to take the shot. And then a pop. The soldier slumps over, a golden glow piercing through his chest, his body falling over my legs. All I see in the smoke and fire, the only sight of my rescuer is a quick glance. A female tabaxi, back glowing golden with a mysterious symbol, standing strong as they are hit by multiple bullets, calmly firing back, as she sprints by.

The Awrks menace defeated, for today.