On the Playlist #2
Okay, so here's the second part of my "On the Playlist" series of super short one shots. This one is inspired by Hammerfall's instrumental track "Something for the Ages." (Link to the track here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcre1b57t7w ) Every time I hear the song, I can't help but think of a valiant last stand "let's give 'em hell" kinda thing. So... here ya go! (Comments and such are greatly appreciated, whether you liked it or not.)
On the Playlist #2
Every muscle in the lion's body ached. Blood ran from the innumerable cuts and gashes that marred his powerful frame. The feline's arms ached and burned from the stress of prolonged combat. He surveyed the battlefield below him, and a wave of despair washed over him. The battle was lost for sure. Dead and dying soldiers lay bleeding in the dirt, and the cries of the wounded echoed around the barren plain.
The lion turned from the dismal sight to the few warriors that had survived the last charge. Only a few dozen were left, most of them in worse condition than he himself was. He looked down at his blade, chipped and cracked by the fight, and growled. His paw tightened on the blade's grip. No, they wouldn't give up now. They fought for their home, their families. The lion looked back to his men, and raised his blade.
"Brothers, we may be beaten, but we shall fight on. This fight is not over until the last of us lay dead on the ground!" The soldiers looked up at their commander as he spoke. "Raise your eyes to the battlefield. Don't look at the ground! Look towards the horizon, towards our foes. They are many, and we are few, but it matters not. We shall give them something to remember! We will make our last battle cry haunt their dreams until their dying day! We will give them something for the ages! We shall not be forgotten!" The feline thrust his sword into the air, and his warriors cheered. Steely resolve replaced fear, and the thirst for battle numbed the pains of their wounds. They would fight, and die, like men.
The lion turned back to the battlefield. The enemy was rallying to begin another charge, surely the last surge of the battle. As the enemy line drew near, the feline raised his sword once more, and let out a blood chilling feral roar. The cry was taken up by his men, and a cacophony of howls, roars and shrieks rolled across the battlefield. The enemy line wavered for a moment as some of the front line soldiers panicked and turned to run, only to be trampled by the irresistible force of the charge.
As the lion led his men forward, toward certain death, his mind turned briefly toward home, to his mate and his cubs. A single tear ran through his blood stained fur. He roared again, this time in sadness for the countless dead and their families. But his courage, nor the courage of his warriors, never wavered, even as his band of survivors slammed into the enemy force.
From the start, the lion could feel blades scraping along his arms and chest, hacking through what little armor had survived the battle up to this point. Barely a minute into the fight, his blade shattered. The feline threw the broken sword aside and unsheathed his knife, fighting on. When his knife was torn away from him, he fought with tooth and claw, never giving up, till, at last, he alone remained, surrounded by the enemy. The feline's strength was waning from blood loss. He could barely stand, and his mind was clouded with pain. As the enemy soldiers advanced on him, he took a deep breath and released a last battle cry. With that, the warrior flung himself into the enemy's blades, embracing the solitary rest of the grave.