Attila POV:

“Ready! Aim! Loose!” I roared, in harmony with my orders, a volley of small spears swooshed through the air. Arrows, brother called them, whistling towards their targets ten meters away.

I peered down the “firing line” another new word, brother, Thamil-to and -ty, De-lah, Shah-mi and another of the women all stood. Backs straight, eyes forward and towards the poor piece of hide that served as target practice. They pulled arrows from their quivers and kept firing away until they’d run dry.

“Reload!” I commanded. At my words a few of the children who’d been laying behind an artificial mound hopped up and ran towards the assembled bowmen, quivers full of arrows in hand. Once they’d handed off the full quivers and taken the empty ones, they ran back to their placement where they began to refill the empty quivers with the store of arrows they had on hand in a basket.

After we’d practised just getting the hang of firing, I transferred to accuracy drills, moving drills, skirmish drills. All of these are things Pino had instilled in me best he could, and even as he followed my orders he’d at times make recommendations on how I could improve the courses.

As to why he gave me the responsibility of heading the archers? I have no idea, I’m only marginally better than him at archery, but he seems to want to, “Delegate certain responsibilities in order to make for a more cohesive unit, and give him a strategic level in the conflict.” Whatever that means, he sometimes goes on a rant like the wandering shamans we’ve seen, he even sometimes speaks in a tongue that’s neither Weald or of the steppe!

As that training drew to a close we sat down for a short lunch, which consisted of-

“THEY’RE COMING!” someone roared.

Fiercely swinging my head in the direction of the commotion, I spotted one of the smaller and faster children scurrying over the small embankment that we’d set up.

Out of breath, he raggedly repeated, “Th- they’re coming!”

A sudden uproar broke the harmonious atmosphere. Yelling, running, sudden panic, as if all the training we’d done had been for nothing, gobbled faster than a hare in the maw of a bantila.

As I watched this scene unfold, I couldn’t help but to wonder… Can we actually win this?

…

‘The air smells fresh, the wind isn’t blowing too much. It feels as if the leaves and twigs move aside… it’s a perfect day for a hunt, Akii is on our side.’ I thought as I watched my fellow tribesmen move forward in a loose “formation” as the Plains folk call it.

Although our Chieftain attempted to reform us in the ways of the plains… once a Lakri always a Lakri! We fight free as the wind, fierce as bantilas, this is about as close as we’ll get to a proper “militia”

Not allowing my thoughts to slow my feet, I slogged forward. A small rustling of wind brought the sound of terrified cries to my ears. I couldn’t help but to allow a smile to grace my face. I don’t know if it be premonition, or if those fools are in actual panic, either way, it’s been a while since I last spilt blood in battle.

…

Pino POV:

Disappointment washed over me, a tsunami faced against a small fire, all but promising to extinguish the hope I’ve held all this time.

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Watching as everyone ran and scrambled to grab their things and squish their possessions into hide sacks in preparation of fleeing. Perhaps they aren’t foolish, maybe they’re just frightened and are taking the proper precautions and measures that’d kept them alive so far. Still, I couldn’t help but to feel saddened at the lack of unity… belief.

“Quiet!” I roared over the din of the panicked people. “Quiet.” I repeated, lowering my voice by a few octaves. As the frenzied group slowly calmed, I continued my speech with an impassioned voice. “Why did we stay here when we could’ve ran? Why did we make bows and arrows? Why did we practise battle formations?” I asked.

“Was it all to run at the first signs of danger? Was it all to give up before we even fought? To abandon a sparkling who’ll never have a chance to catch a flame if we run now?” I continued my inquiry.

“No… No!” I exclaimed, “The reason we stayed is because we believed in ourselves, because I asked you to trust me, I promised you a life beyond subsistence… as long as you put your faith in me.” I said.

“Since I arrived have you ever been hungry?” I questioned, which was met with a prompt “No.” and a firm head shake from one of the women. “Since I made this tribe my home, have I kept every promise I’ve made?” I continued.

“Yes!” an adorable child who was holding Shah-mi’s hand yelled.

“Have I even once considered walking away from my problems, rather than facing them head on?!” I asked, my voice rising in volume as I did.

“No…” De-lah spat begrudgingly.

“So then!” I yelled, splaying my arms to either side and looking at the people who by now had surrounded me in a semicircle. “I ask you to once again, put your faith in me. Trust the training you received, trust the tools you made with your own hands to defend you!”

We WILL defeat the Lakri

We WILL bring Colada home safely

We WILL take our freedom and our destiny in our own hands

NOW WHO. IS. WITH ME!!!

As I roared the last few words, the hot blooded young men and boys roared and hooted with me. I even saw Thamil-to, decked out in some of the rudimentary wood and hide armour that I’d created, raising his axe in a crazed roar for blood.

Allowing everyone to revel in the adrenaline and bloodlust for a few moments, I began to issue orders.

“Shah-mi, you’ll organise a few of the women to evacuate the sparklings too young to participate to the point that we already agreed upon. Remember, if we haven’t come to retrieve you when the sun reaches its peak on the morrow, run and never look back.”

“Attila, you and Thamil-ty choose two of the best archers that we have and set up on the embankment.”

Snapping my head to Thamil-to I barked, “Akii, gather any of the boys who you think can hold their own in a skirmish and arm them with the shields and combat axes that we’ve made so far.”

“I’ll also lead from the front, with the axemen.” I declared while grasping the axe that’d been on my hip since we first started crafting them.

When it was clear that I had nothing else to say, everyone rushed to action. This time not in a panic, but rather with purpose. As they flitted across the clearing, packing the bags, gathering the children and mustering the tools of war, I interjected every now and again to ensure that everything was moving smoothly.

In all honesty, to a degree I have no idea what I’m doing, only reenacting the things I’ve seen on games and TV.

…It’ll do, it has to.

…

Within an hour and a half the former tribal ground had been cleared of all non-combatants and most of the resources that were stockpiled.

Between the sparsely gathered tents and the smouldering fires the tension was thick. The nervousness that streamed through our small group of “warriors” was palpable.

As we stood there, waiting, a thought came to me… why should we be on the defensive?

What was the saying? The best defence is a good offence. Right?

They likely expected us to either be panickedly running away, already long gone, or if we decided to fight, cowardly gathered together in a defensive position… which…

Anyway

Having gotten a fair grasp on the warrior mentality of the Lakri, I knew they wouldn’t be scouting or planning, “A full frontal charge.” Thamil-to had said. When I asked him why they didn’t just attack immediately and take what they wanted, he responded, “They enjoy spreading terror and fear, but above all they’re a tribe of tradesmen, flesh mostly. They want the most gain with the least loss. Don’t believe a word they say, but expect them to try that path least painful first.”

That means…

“Thamil-to, you’ll take command of the axe-men. Thamil-ty and De-lah, you’ll command the archers and reservists in tandem- together.” I corrected.

“Attila, grab some of the javelins and bows.” I said as I grabbed a spare axe for him. “We’re taking the fight to them.”