The movement of soldiers in unison creates a sound show that any veteran remembers with passion. Wooden stakes are revealed whose points were hardened in fire, yet the spaces through which the soldiers fell back were inevitably empty.
The beasts, poised to crash into a wall, are momentarily confused and slow down, but charge again just as ferociously, driven by hunger and perhaps other motives. The stakes do their job forcing them to advance through even narrower spaces, but in the fervor of the attack many push each other, some ending up impaled by the wooden spikes inevitably.
As much as Yheer planned it, the enemy's clash with his men was inevitable, the soldiers supporting each other within their tortoise formation as more and more of the beasts swooped down on them. Sooner or later his arms will not support the weight of the bodies and they will fall at his feet making the formation incredibly difficult. Yheer knew this and was prepared to order break ranks and make the combat more chaotic, he was forced to eliminate these felines before the rest of the horde reached them and thus drive them away with fire.
However, his plan from the beginning was that luck was on his side and that the first beasts were afraid of the flames, his bad luck is proven by the facts and is further reinforced by seeing how another type of beast approaches. to join in the carnage, of course, these too did not fear fire and were renowned for their ferocity.
Mosses usually grow in their dense fur, causing them to carry the smell of humidity and earth, even in winter these plants did not disappear thanks to the warmth of their host and the thawed water that they enjoyed so much in their caves. If Ezer saw them, he would immediately recognize them as the same spice that attacked the child's mother on that occasion and stalked him from above.
“This is bad.” In spite of everything, Yheer expected a similar situation since the felines are usually the fastest ones ahead of other species, they all want the first bite of meat.
“Of all the possible ones, it had to be the Irbis…”
“They're fast and even shields can't stop those claws.” One could hear some soldiers from the rear talking to each other.
"That's not the worst of it, they're pretty smart." Yheer says to himself taking a deep breath ready to shout his orders. "Archers! Get ready to rain down arrows to the sides!” He knew these beasts well, the irbis. Its massive claws could latch onto rocks and use them to attack the flanks or rear of his army. It didn't take much intelligence to know that this was the best tactic. In this way Yheer prepares for the worst, and the worst is not long in coming.
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As the ibises sink their claws into the rocks, arrows rain down on them, hampering their advance, but this does not stop them from reaching the flanks as the formation in the front line breaks. Yheer knows that he would suffer more casualties than he wanted contrary to his original plan. No, in fact, there was a possibility of losing the battle.
Fert knew his luck couldn't be worse, he was in the corner of the formation which meant he could be attacked from both the front and the flank. Although being in the fourth rank meant that he hadn't been in combat yet, that would change in a few minutes, and he knew it.
“Don't let them push you! Hold the line! Shields up!” Similar words are heard again and again above the roars of beasts and the cries of pain of men.
For now, Fert could only resist the urge to urinate on himself as he watched as another kind of beast, the ibis, moved between the rocks crossing meters from his eyes. He could not do more since if he took a step to the side he would enter unstable ground and an impossible slope to climb.
He was fourteen years old, clearly too young to be in the army, but a stupid disagreement led to the situation he was in now. He knew the laws were harsh on anyone who transgressed them, though he didn't expect a fight in which he was forced to use his knife and hurt his opponent would lead to this.
“It wasn't my fault, it wasn't my fault… he also drew his knife and I would have died if I didn't do the same.” Fert knew that it was no use thinking about it now, after all, both he and the other person involved in the incident were in a battlefield that did not discriminate between a baby or an adult, rather, the beasts did not discriminated.
"Watch your neck and never lower your arms." A voice beside him distracts him from his remorse.
“Eh?” Fert understands those words, but being so sudden he can't help but open his mouth.
“When the ranks break, the beasts won't just attack you from one side. Watch your neck, most aim for that spot and counter it with your shield and spear. I see you have no training, so don't approach them with your sword, if you don't know what you're doing at close range it's certain death.” The soldier beside him needed only one look at Fert 's pale face to know that this was his first battle.
"Yes... Yes, I'll do that!" He takes a few seconds to process the words in the midst of his confusion. He tightens his grip on the shield and turns his head to thank him for the advice.
"Thank you for…" Something warm hits his cheek before he finishes the sentence.
Where a few seconds ago the soldier was, now something was writhing on the snow that was staining red more and more. Unbelievably, it's not the smell of blood that reaches his nose first, but rather something that reminded him of damp earth after a heavy rain. Sounds he first hears are made when the beast opens and closes its mouth while chewing in a way that appears to choke.
What stupefied Fert was not the beast less than a meter away, but the face and eyes of the man lying below. Panic, pain, panic, pain, panic and pain again, Fert felt those emotions as his own through the man's eyes. The beast did not kill him, but spread his intestines on the ground and then immediately ripped off pieces of meat in a desperate attempt to appease his famished body, the man was being eaten alive, the beast... was eating him alive.