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XIV

There's always a Risk

The corsair couldn't stop pacing back and forth, plotting out all his strategies and maneuvers in his mind as he carried a cutlass in one paw and a hatchet in the other. The sun was setting and the pirates had little time left before it would be dark. By then all the squirrels would be hunting them, and their element of surprise would be gone. Traegar was leaning against an elm tree, shaking his head as he looked at the old, scarred pirate.

"Stinkfoot said around ninety, yeah?"

The weasel nodded. "That's right."

Kurwin rubbed his chin. "All right...okay, so-so the trackers take out the squirrels' roamin' around the area lookin' fer us."

"We got that part down, Cap'n."

Kurwin mumbled to himself again. "By then the squirrels will know something's wrong; they'll definitely scamper into the trees. Last thing we need are those tree climbers shootin' arrows at us from above..."

"I heard that fox, err, Argyle I think, is a pretty good shot with a bow and arrow."

"Good. Him and Bloodbrain can take to the trees an' cover us from up there. Skeela's real good with her sling; she c'n cover us from the trees too."

"Fleckle told me he's gonna have a few more trackers keepin' cover o'er us in the trees."

Kurwin sighed with relief. "So we're fine there."

"That just leaves the ground," mumbled Traegar.

Kurwin paused for a moment, tossing his hatchet in the air multiple times and catching it by the handle. He heard a strong gust of wind blowing through the trees, causing the leaves to flutter and some of the branches to creak. Some kind of bird was chirping in the distance, the comforting sound gradually getting quieter as the avian flew further away.

"Strong beasts go up front. Ishlin, Jenrik, Fleckle, Flikk, Yeller--all the heavy, large beasts. They can take more hits than the rest of us; I dun want any of me corsairs dyin' 'cos they took a stone to the face or chest the moment we begin the battle!"

"Good point."

"The beasts up front take out the squirrels chargin' at us, then we all scatter! It's only ninety squirrels at most; they can't overpower us, especially with Bloodbrain an' the others in the trees. We kill or subdue everybeast on sight, but we gotta make sure not to kill the commander, that Chester Nuttooth, whoever he is. He prob'ly knows more 'bout Urthquake and where he is. Dependin' on how I'm feelin', we'll take a few prisoners too."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah...yeah, it's a plan."

The two vermin stopped talking to each other for a very long time. For a while all the two beasts heard was the wind blowing through the trees and the occasional branches cracking. Traegar was sure he heard another bird in the distance, but it didn't concern him too much. He still glanced up into the trees, thinking a wily squirrel was up there spying on him. The sun was almost down now, but it still cast its orange glow across the woods and would blind anybeast who looked at the radiance. Traegar stopped looking at the environment around him and stared at Kurwin instead. He was leaning against the tree, his eyes weary and his body looking scruffier than usual, like the ferret had just finished rolling around in dirt. The weasel was slowly reminded of the beast he saw several days ago inside that wrecked pirate ship, talking to himself as he got drunk off his grog.

"You all right, Cap'n?"

Kurwin could've snapped at his first mate. He could've grinned and lied to him, tell him that he was thrilled to carve these squirrels apart with his cutlass. He could've just stood against the tree and said nothing, dodging the question altogether. But he didn't have the energy to lie to the weasel or the effort to put on a cocky attitude.

"It's never gotten easier for me, doin' all this."

"Doin' what? Killing woodlanders?"

"Sendin' my crewmates to their deaths."

Traegar sighed. "We talked about this already. You said you were prepared to send yer whole crew to Hellgates so long as you accomplished what we set out to do."

"I know wot I said. That don't mean I gotta like it, Trae."

"You should be used ta this anyway, Kurwin. Yer nearly twice my age!"

The ferret walked over to Traegar and sat down beside him. "Yore not there yet, Traegar. Fer you, you see somebeast die and just shrug it off. 'That's life mate! Least the fucker went down fightin' an' not blubberin' like some coward!' You keep tellin' yerself, 'oh, I'll get used to it! I'll get used to it! It ain't no big deal!' But I'm tellin' you...a day will come where you see somebeast you know an' love, somebeast you thought would be around 'til the day you both die of old age. That beast is gonna die right in front a' ya, and there ain't gonna be a thing ye c'n do about it."

Kurwin shook his head. "Don't matter who that beast is. Once he or she is gone, it'll hit you. Suddenly you'll realize that it doesn't get easier. Only harder. Longfang was like you at a point; he'd look at a whole pile of dead pirates an' shrug it off. Now Dead-Eye's gone, and he hasn't been the same since."

"I'll be fine, Kurwin. Not exactly in a relationship with anybeast. Got no family left, 'cept the beasts around me. Who's there fer me to lose? As far as I'm concerned, it could jus' be you an me takin' on Mossflower together an' I'll be fine!"

"I won't be here forever. At some point, yer gonna lose me, and everybeast will be lookin' towards you to be the new captain. ....I need to know you can handle that. You need to know if you can handle it. You need to know if you'll be able to go through all the stress and pressure I'm always under."

Traegar didn't respond. He simply looked away from Kurwin and glanced down at his footpaws. He kicked the dirt a few times before Kurwin eventually stood up and put a paw on his first mate's shoulder.

"You remember this conversation, Traegar. You remember everythin' I've taught you over all these seasons. Won't be too long now 'afore yer leadin' yore own group of pirates..."

Traegar watched as his captain removed his paw and walked away, while the weasel was left sitting alone, wondering if he should be concerned about Kurwin's state of mind.

---

It was almost time now. All the rugged beasts were preparing themselves, gathering smooth stones, sharpening their oversized cutlasses, swords, and scimitars, and making more arrows to place inside their quivers. Some beasts were worried, muttering to themselves that they'd be okay, that they'd make it through the impending battle without so much as a scratch. Others had a feeling they were going to die, and were determined to take out as many squirrels as possible before entering the Hellgates. Bloodbrain, as always, was keeping to himself, making more arrows to stuff inside his already very full quiver. When he realized that he had made plenty, he started to rub beeswax along his bowstring as well, making it sleek and easier to grip. Not far from the silent ferret, a dark gray fox was standing in the center of a small campfire, moving her lithe body around and chanting to herself. All the creatures sitting around her were from the Juskamard tribe, two of whom were Jenrik and Argyle. The plump rat and perverted fox watched as the female fox danced around the flames, wagging her tail as the necklace and trinkets around her wrists shook.

"Wot in future, seer? Wot seer see?" asked Jenrik.

"Yeah, c'mon, seer! You see this handsome fox right here gettin' some cunt soon?"

The rest of the Juska tribe members laughed. "Don't flatter yerself mate! The only thing goin' 'round yer cock anytime soon is yer own paw!"

Argyle snorted. "Sod off, Traklil! Least I ain't a cunt-licker like you!"

"SILENCE!!" shouted the seer.

Everybeast suddenly stopped chattering. They watched as the fox threw a few colored stones into the fire, causing the orange flames to suddenly turn a lush green. Some beasts "oohed" as they saw the flames or gazed into them intensely. Some of the beasts could've sworn they saw a grinning skull looking right at them, while others thought they caught a glimpse of what it was like inside the Hellgates. Jaleen blinked as she looked up at the seer.

"So tell us, w-wot d'you see?"

The seer stopped moving and exhaled. "The visions are discerning, hazy...but I can just make out a few images."

"Wot are they?"

The gray fox nodded her head and slowly pointed at Jenrik. "You...yes, I see great things in your future! Yes, I see a big, fat rat like you, sittin' on your own throne!"

Jenrik guffawed to himself as he patted his huge belly. "Good future! Jenrik be king soon! Fat rat rule over all!"

Argyle spat on the ground. "That's a load of bullshit! Yer too much of a dumbarse to rule, an' yer fat arse would break wotever throne you sit on!"

The seer ignored them all and kept going. "I see two foxes falling--two big ugly ones who couldn't dodge the arrows..."

Argyle snickered as he looked at the two chubby foxes with black paws and footpaws. "Well clearly that ain't me!"

"And I see...yes...I see another braggart of a fox losin' something most precious to him."

Argyle's eyes grew wide. He immediately whimpered and grabbed his crotch. "Oh fuck...you sayin' somebeast is gonna chop my cock off?!"

The seer had to force herself not to laugh. She stifled a few short chuckles before she continued. "The visions are not clear! All I see is a fox covered in blood..."

One of the foxes with black paws laughed as he stared at Argyle. "Better wear a shield 'round that thing mate!"

Argyle started to pant to himself. "T-tell us more! We need t'know wot else is gonna happen!"

But the green flames became orange again, and the seer was no longer dancing or chanting. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry...but the spirits are weak now, and my powers have been drained. Perhaps another time."

"If we give ya a bunch of vittles, will that speed up the chances of us gettin' new visions?" asked Jaleen.

The seer shrugged. "Sure, wotever."

The seer kept a straight face as all the Juskamard tribe members practically threw whatever vittles they had on them at her. The seer bent down and picked up all the food resting at her footpaws. Most of it was grog and bread, but a few Juska members had been keeping their own supply of nutbread or candied chestnuts in a small bag, and one fox even gave her fresh-scented white cheese. The seer carried all the vittles in her paws as she departed.

"Your donation is greatly appreciated."

The seer headed away from the Juska clan members and regrouped with the pirates. She sat down beside Plaskin and Razzik, and the old weasel looked at the seer and grinned.

"Still scammin' all those vermin with yer special 'powers,' Sheeka?"

The "seer" laughed to herself as she stuffed some cheese into her maw. "Hey, it ain't my fault the Juska aren't smart enough to tell a real seer from a fake one! 'Sides, they gave me all these vittles for what I did; you really think I'm gonna sit here and ignore free food?"

"Good point."

Sheeka slid some of the nutbread over to Plaskin before tossing a bottle of grog to Razzik. The black rat opened up the bottle and quickly took a long swig of it before coughing and wiping his mouth off.

"Relax, Razzik. They're squirrels, not lizards," Plaskin reminded him.

The rodent nodded. "I-I know, I know. ...Just been a while since I fought squirrels. I-I forgot how sneaky they are."

"You'll be fine, Razzik," said Sheeka. "You made it this far, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I guess so."

"Besides, all you need to worry 'bout them squirrels is that they like to hide in trees! It ain't yer arse yew need to cover; it's everythin' above yer head," said Plaskin.

Sheeka started to drink from a different bottle of grog. "Could be worse. Could be moles we're after. You ever see a fully grown rat get pulled down into a hole? I remember this poor bastard kept screamin' that they were bitin' his face--"

"Yore not helping, Sheeka," said Razzik, annoyed.

The faux seer grinned. "I know."

Elsewhere, another group of vermin were examining all of their weapons and making sure they had enough ammo in case the battle became too heated too quickly. Skeela, the very large brown weasel, was busy stuffing as many hard stones as she could into her pockets and checking her sling to make sure the cords hadn't snapped or loosened over the past several days. Behind her and standing next to a wet log was a ferret whose fur was completely white. But her eyes were as black as the tunic and trousers she wore. The ferret was busy grinning to herself as she played with her serrated knife, licking the blade and twirling it around her paws and fingers. The ferret would pause for a moment before snatching the cutlass she had strapped to her back and arming herself with both weapons. The shirtless vulpine standing next to her chuckled.

"Calm y'self, Flikk. Ain't no needin' t'get worked up now."

Flikk snorted. "P'haps yer right, Yeller. After all, no precious tree climber is gonna respond to a beast who approaches them wavin' these swords around."

Flikk slowly put her cutlass and knife back into their proper places before exhaling. "We aren't savages; we have a li'l bit of decency left in us. So you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna march straight up to those tree climbers, smile, and say, 'Hi, would you be so kind as to lie still so I can remove yer juicy eyeballs from their sockets?'"

Yeller chuckled. "Wot 'appens when they says no, Flikk?"

Flikk sucked on her teeth and slowly shook her head before shrugging. "That'll be too bad for me. Oh well! Suppose I'll just have to settle fer their balls!"

"Now that's the spirit mate!"

Skeela looked at the two vermin as they laughed with each other and continued to play around with their swords. The weasel snorted, irritated at the beasts' inability to take the impending battle seriously.

"Stop fuckin' around! Those tree climbers could be listenin' to us as we speak!"

"Yer right, Skeela! Yer right. Err, lemme check real quick..."

Yeller quickly looked around the area before he blinked and looked back at Skeela, shrugging.

"Nope! Area all clear far as I know!"

Skeela snorted again as she found another pebble to use for her sling. "You assholes wait an' see. One of these days somebeast is gonna fuck ya in the ass an' you won't even see it comin'!"

Flikk grinned as she walked over to the large, burly weasel. "And how would you know what that feels like? Takin' it up the ass, I mean. Yer cunt's drier than sand; I wouldn't be surprised if there's dust trapped up in there."

Skeela scowled. "Least I'm not flauntin' about lettin' anybeast with a pulse stick their hardness inside me."

Flikk chuckled as she lifted her knife and licked the blade again. "It's called havin' fun! You should try it more often 'afore that space 'tween your thighs dries up so much that you can't even open it!"

"Surely Ishlin can help you with that problem!" suggested Yeller.

Skeela watched as Flikk and Yeller walked away before blinking. Then she turned and looked over at Ishlin, who was busy downing another bottle of grog. The weasel did briefly think what it would be like to mate with somebeast like him, but she quickly removed the fantasy from her mind. If Ishlin didn't end up falling asleep as they had sex, then he'd most likely end up puking all over her. As Ishlin stopped quaffing from the container, he exhaled and rubbed his muzzle. The giant stoat looked over at a few pirates and could see that they were busy practicing for the upcoming battle, waving their cutlasses and swords around and sparring with each other shortly before the fighting started.

"An' wot are you gonna do, Ishlin? Kill all the squirrels by throwin' up all that grog you're puttin' down your throat?"

Ishlin stared at Bloodeye for a moment, and then he grinned widely. Before Bloodeye even knew what was happening, he was shouting and lying on the ground. Ishlin had tossed his bottle of grog right at Bloodeye's head and then pounced on him before he had the chance to react. Bloodeye panted as he looked up at the inebriated stoat's bluish-green eyes and nasty smile.

"D'ya see that? I jus' killed ya an' all I needed was that bottle of grog to do it!"

Ishlin laughed as he looked at the whimpering fox before he smacked him against his head and got off his body. The stoat hiccupped before rubbing some dribble from his maw.

"Don't underestimate a drunken stoat, Bloodeye! S'all I gotta say!"

Bloodeye panted a few more times before he quickly got off the ground and stood up, rubbing off some of the blood running down the center of his head. Ishlin walked away and belched. There was no need for him to prepare for battle; all his skills (and the alcohol in his blood) were all he needed. As Bloodeye started to recover from the wound, he heard faint snickering a few yards away and spotted a smelly brown rat laughing at him as he leaned against a tree.

"Shut the fuck up, Shit-Pants! At least I ain't got a shaft stuck in my arse!"

Blowhorn winced as he walked away from the tree, limping slightly over the wound he received. "You forget, 'twas an arrow that wounded me! An' I got a reason--that tree climber blind-sighted me, tried to kill me when I was mindin' my own business! You got attacked by a beast you were starin' dead in his eyes. With a bottle. Wot's that say about you and yer chances of survival?"

Bloodeye backed away as the brown rat got closer to him. "An' wot about you? You still reek of rat shit ever since you soiled yerself back there! How are we s'posed to be sneaky when those squirrels can smell you from the top of the tallest tree in this forest?!"

Blowhorn chuckled and stepped closer to the fox, prompting him to back away and plug his nose.

"See that? Yore backing away from me! If my own mates can't handle my stench, how's a squirrel gonna attack me when he or she's busy holdin' their nose with one paw an' movin' away from me?"

The reddish-brown fox groaned and shook his head. "We shoulda left yer rank arse stewin' in yore own muck where we found ya!"

Blowhorn giggled. "Better be careful, Bloodeye! Wouldn't want ya to wake up with yer muzzle suddenly jammed up me arse when I'm bloated with gas, now would ya?"

Bloodeye watched as Blowhorn walked away laughing to himself. The fox eventually took his paw away from his nose and sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"Hate that nasty rat..."

---

The vermin weren't taking any chances. All of them were creeping through the woods silently, weapons armed. Some of the Juskamard tribe members rubbed mud all over their bodies to help darken their fur, while other beasts with dark brown fur stuck close to the trees to blend in with the bark. Kurwin's main trackers were a few yards up ahead, hiding in the bushes and observing the area in the shadows. Most of the Juskamard tribe and the pirates could make out the camp. A few campfires had been set, and some of the squirrels were cooking food before the sun went down all the way. Even worse, at least half the squirrels were roaming, scanning the area to make sure nobeast was spying on them. Two of the Juskamard members had to quickly duck and plant their bodies against the soil so they wouldn't get spotted. Kurwin peeked through the bush he was hiding in by slowly pushing some leaves and branches out of his face. Up ahead he could see Chester Nuttooth talking to a few young soldiers, most likely telling them to arm themselves. Kurwin exhaled and turned to face Stinkfoot.

"Ye said he's the fat one with a black cloak and medals?"

Stinkfoot nodded. "Aye. That's gotta be him over there."

The ferret blinked. "Got it. So all's we gotta do is make sure we don't kill 'im just yet."

An impatient Fleckle stuck his head out of the berry bush he was hiding in and turned to face Kurwin. "Wot're we doin' just waitin' here? Let's rush 'em now while we have the chance!"

"No," whispered Kurwin, before pointing into the canopy. "Y'see them tree climbers? They'd kill you before you even got within two feet of the camp. Let my trackers handle 'em, then we'll move up."

The light brown stoat looked at Kurwin and nodded. And yet, Fleckle was starting to get restless, and so were his troops. He knew rushing the squirrels was a stupid idea, but there was no reason why he couldn't give Kurwin's trackers assistance. He held up a paw into the air and jerked two of his fingers forward, signaling for two of his troops to quickly rush forward. Their heads hanging low, Jarron and Argyle crept over to Fleckle and crouched down beside him.

"You wanted us, sah?" asked Argyle.

Fleckle pointed at the trees. "I need you two to work wit Kurwin's trackers samimul...um...at the same time. Help 'em take out the squirrels they can't reach without gettin' spotted. Keep it quiet, do it fast."

Argyle snickered. "Well, I'm a pro at doin' it fast. But, uh, I doubt I can be quiet..."

Jarron scowled as he looked at the vulpine while Fleckle blinked and scratched his head, not sure what Argyle meant by that statement. Jarron smacked Argyle upside the head before turning and facing his leader.

"Don't worry, Mard. We'll take care of it."

The stoat and fox quickly departed, with the former moving silently through the bushes so he could check on the corsair trackers. However, when the stoat got close to the beasts, he noticed that they were laughing amongst themselves as opposed to keeping a lookout on the enemy. Jarron growled to himself as he snuck up behind them and interrupted their stories.

"Wot's all this now? You idjits gossipin' o'er horror stories again?"

"No, we were just--"

Jarron interrupted Slipfoot again. "You see them squirrels up there, yeah?"

Longfang looked up into the trees and saw a few squirrels on patrol. "Yeah."

"So stop with all this blether an' take 'em out! Can't have 'em spottin' us 'afore we even begin the assault!"

"And wot are you an' yer trackers gonna be doin'?"

"Don't worry about us. Jus' kill the squirrels in the trees; we'll handle the rest."

Jarron didn't feel like waiting for a reply. He said what needed to be said, and once he finished, he left the three trackers to themselves. Fleckle, Kurwin, and Traegar all watched with bated breath as they examined their trackers. The simple-minded light brown stoat looked around at the trees, trying to get a fix on Argyle and Jarron. While they were doing that, Kurwin and Traegar were staring at Longfang, Turvin, and Slipfoot, waiting to see when they would make their move. Elsewhere, Plaskin and Razzik were crouching down beside a tree, the two beasts breathing heavily as they clutched their swords. The old, graying weasel glanced over at his friend and noticed that he was shaking and having trouble keeping his sword up.

"It'll be awright, mate! Keep worryin' like this and yew'll give yerself a heart attack!"

"I'm...I-I'm fine...I'm okay," the rat lied.

Plaskin glanced at Razzik's groin and blinked. "That wet spot along yer crotch says otherwise."

Razzik looked down at his shorts and noticed they were wet and that a few drops of yellow fluids were dripping from his groin. The rat whined to himself as he tried to brush some of the fluids away with a paw.

"Hehe, told ya to piss before we got out here. Never know when yer bladder or bowels is gonna cut loose."

"Right...f-forgot 'bout that."

"Look at it this way: least now you don't gotta worry about it poisonin' yer blood."

Razzik turned and looked at Plaskin. "Wot?"

"Yeah! Had a mate once many seasons back who got stabbed in the gut while his bowels were blocked up. He didn't die, but his shit literally started leakin' out his colon and mixin' in with his stomach wound and contaminating his organs. Poor bastard's blood got all rotten, we couldn't clean up the wound in time, and he eventually jus' keeled over'n died after sufferin' fer about a week."

Razzik closed his eyes and shuddered, his brain now filled with the images of what it would've been like in that pirate's last few moments of his life. He kept telling himself over and over again that he would make it through the battle, and that he had nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, if Razzik's bowels were full, he had a feeling he would've evacuated into his trousers a second time around. But unlike Razzik, most of the pirates and Juska tribe members had nothing to worry about, since their bowels and bladders had already been emptied shortly before the upcoming battle. Even now, Slipfoot was holding his bow and arrow comfortably, aiming right for a squirrel walking along the branches and not caring about whether or not he'd live or die. He blinked and let the arrow fly, hitting his target without folly. Shortly after that, Longfang and Turvin killed two more squirrels on the ground in only a matter of seconds. Kurwin, Fleckle and Traegar could see that the way was clear and instructed their soldiers to move up. Argyle, Jarron, Skeela and Bloodbrain all moved very quickly. The stoat and fox from the Juskamard tribe quickly scrambled up the trees they were standing beside, panting and jumping from branch to branch, clawing at the bark with their black claws.

Argyle had his knife in his mouth as he scurried up one of the trees. When he reached one of the thick branches able to support his weight, he spotted the squirrel who was standing along the dark brown piece of wood. His back wasn't turned, but he was standing sideways. Argyle didn't wait. He immediately sprinted along the branch before the squirrel turned and spotted him. By the time the squirrel noticed him through his peripheral vision, it was too late. Argyle stabbed the squirrel once in the ribs and immediately jerked the squirrel around so he could cover his mouth. Then he used his right paw to brutally stab the squirrel in the chest over and over again, listening to the squirrel as he mumbled and cried out in a muffled voice. Eventually the squirrel went limp and stopped moving. Around the same time, Jarron was in another tree, creeping along a branch so he could slay the unsuspecting squirrel just a few feet away. He had a thin line of rope wrapped in-between his paws that were taut like a garrote. The squirrel had no idea what hit him until he noticed that he couldn't breathe, and that something tight was wrapped around his throat. Given his size and strength, the stoat barely exerted any energy choking the squirrel to death, and he managed to keep quiet the entire time.

Kurwin and the others could see that the squirrels' trackers were almost gone; the scarred pirate gestured for his soldiers to move up again. As they did, Longfang, Turvin and Slipfoot spread out so they could kill more spotters. As Longfang ran one young squirrel through, Skeela and Bloodbrain had taken their positions in the trees. The burly weasel and ferret stood on the same branch high in the air. Skeela took out her sling and fitted it with a stone whilst Bloodbrain got his bow and arrow ready. The weasel moved sideways along the branch, stopping when she heard it crack. She steadied herself and exhaled, the branch still supporting their weight. Bloodbrain blinked and remained in his own world, placing an arrow along his bow and stretching it backwards. He could see all the squirrels now, most of them clad in cloaks like him or fine-colored tunics. Even now, the ferret could see Chester Nuttooth and was dying to launch an arrow into his skull. But he knew Kurwin would be agitated if he killed him now, so he waited.

"Not yet, Bloodbrain. The troops aren't close enough," whispered Skeela.

Bloodbrain didn't listen. He kept aiming for the squirrels. Down on the ground, the MSB was starting to get worried. Most of their trackers weren't reporting in and Chester couldn't see some of his soldiers in the trees. He rubbed his chin before he glanced over at his second in command, a heavily-scarred beast in a green cloak who was missing half his right ear.

"Go check on Donner and Lavind."

The squirrel raised an eyebrow. "Sir?"

"Something's wrong; they should've been back by now. We still don't even know where Pillard went to."

The second in command knew not to question his commander's orders, so he nodded and whistled shrilly.

"Makkon! Welyar! On me!"

Bloodbrain saw two squirrels quickly scurry down two separate trees and sprint towards the second in command. The ferret figured that was a good enough reason to attack.

"They know something's wrong. I'm taking the shot."

"Not yet!" snarled Skeela.

Bloodbrain didn't listen. He launched an arrow at Chester's second in command. The second Makkon and Welyar were inches away from him, the squirrel gurgled as an arrow suddenly lodged itself halfway into his torso. He collapsed to the ground and started to bleed out, grunting as he tried to stand and grab his sword. Chester swore and looked up in the direction where the arrow came from. Bloodbrain wasn't even trying to hide his position now. He notched another arrow to his bow and took aim.

"Fer fuck's sake, Bloodbrain!" snapped Skeela, irritated at the beast's imprudence.

Chester wasted no time. When he saw his second in command fall, he whistled and shouted at his troops in his loud, booming voice.

"EVERYBEAST! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! GET YORE WEAPONS READY AN' TAKE POSITIONS NOW!"

Kurwin snarled to himself as he saw the squirrels frantically scrambling to climb up the designated trees and to arm themselves with their weapons. There was no point in being sneaky now; their element of surprise was gone.

"They know we're here! We gotta go now!" advised Traegar.

Kurwin didn't need to be told twice. He rose from the bushes, cutlass and hatchet in his paws, and went through with his assault.

"ATTAAAAACK!!!"

Chester saw the ferret standing and screaming as he pointed his cutlass at him and issued the command. The squirrels were just about to fire at him when the beasts heading the assault all rose from the bushes, shielding Kurwin along with the various other beasts behind them. The commander's eyes grew wide when he saw dozens of vermin approaching them from the front, rushing towards them as they all let out battle cries or roared at the top of their lungs. Chester gritted his teeth and removed the twin swords strapped to his back. There was no need to shout at his troops to attack; they knew what to do now. The two forces soon clashed with each other, and what was once a serene area in the woods became a bloody battleground that would only result in several casualties on both sides. Ishlin weaved to his left and right as two arrows zipped by his face. He broke away from the front and attacked a squirrel head-on, striking her on the scalp with his heavy broadsword. The obese rat Jenrik charged right for a thin squirrel who was hastily trying to get his bow ready. When he realized how close Jenrik was, the squirrel tossed his bow on the ground and immediately took out a dirk from his pocket.

The squirrel rolled out of the way when Jenrik tried to impale him with his spear, and then the soldier quickly stood back up and thrust his dirk into Jenrik's left side. The rat turned and looked down at the squirrel, chuckling even as blood began to drip down his tunic. The squirrel's attack didn't even faze him. The squirrel tried to stab him again, but Jenrik weaved to the side very quickly and dodged the attack. He reached forward and grabbed the squirrel by the neck and squeezed. The fat rat only needed to squeeze for a few seconds before he heard a satisfying crackling noise and felt the squirrel's neck become limp. He dropped the squirrel's body and roared again as he started to charge for another squirrel. The rodent ran past Kurwin, who was putting up a good fight despite his old age. Kurwin was slowly backing away as a squirrel foolishly attacked him head-on, carelessly disregarding where and how he was stepping. The pirate waved his cutlass and hatchet, blocking all the attacks from the squirrel and causing some sparks to fly in the air as metal clashed against metal. Kurwin briefly looked up into the air and saw two squirrels scurrying down the same tree, causing him to swear.

Kurwin immediately rolled to his left just as the squirrel lunged at him. Before the squirrel even figured out that Kurwin had rolled away, he was looking at a hatchet twirling through the air and going right for his face. He grunted and fell backwards as the hatchet plunged itself into his face. Kurwin rushed over and snatched the hatchet back up just as the two squirrels met him. He started to pant and walk backwards again, fending off both squirrels as they swung their sabres around and tried to flank him. One of the two squirrels sprinted behind Kurwin and tried to attack. Kurwin snapped his head around and immediately blocked an attack from both squirrels simultaneously. The ferret shouted when the hatchet was knocked out of his left paw and went flying. He turned to his side and hopped backwards, stepping closer to one of the trees. His back pressed firmly against the bark, Kurwin waited for both squirrels to attack. One squirrel swiped his sword at him in a downward position, only to get it caught within the bark once Kurwin rolled out the way. The squirrel grunted twice as he tried to remove the sword, and then gurgled when Kurwin ran his sword through the back of his neck.

The other squirrel had no time to attack. The two fat foxes with black paws from the Juskamard tribe had ambushed him when he had his back turned. They both laughed and kicked the squirrel's fallen corpse before seeking out more squirrels to kill. One of them was just about to tackle a squirrel to the ground when he grunted and fell, an arrow protruding from his back. The other chubby fox skidded to a halt and swore to himself.

"Traklil!"

The other fox shouted when an arrow found its way into his left shoulder. He immediately hid against a tree and panted as more arrows began to fly. Somewhere further out into the woods, he saw another Juskamard member fall after getting two arrows in his back. The fox looked up into the trees and noticed that some of them were filled with squirrels.

"DOWN!" shouted the MSB commander.

Chester Nuttooth and all of his squirrels on the ground lied flat against the soil. Only a few seconds later, dozens of arrows zipped through the air, all of them aimed at pirates and members of the Juskamard tribe. At least twelve were slain instantly, and a few others were injured by the attack. The black-pawed fox screamed and ducked, almost taking an arrow in his muzzle. He jumped into a nearby bush and hid, figuring that was the best course of action until the archers were dead. Most of the pirates and Juskamard members were hiding or climbing up the trees now, determined to kill the archers. Bloodbrain got a fix on one of them and fired an arrow at the squirrel, hitting her in the chest. Skeela spun her sling around and started to aim for the enemies on the ground, her hard pebbles cracking against the soil or tree bark whenever she missed. The weasel howled when somebeast fired an arrow at her leg, the shaft going through the bone. She stumbled for only a brief moment--but that was all it took for her to lose her footing. Skeela shouted as she fell to the ground, cracking her skull against the base of the tree. She was just starting to get up when a squirrel came by and finished her off by impaling her in the chest with a spear. Bloodbrain ignored the weasel's death and resumed taking out the archers, slaying two more who were changing position in the trees.

Back on the ground, Razzik was breathing heavily as he just finished killing a squirrel, accidentally throwing his sword into his face even though he was really trying to swing it. He removed the sword from the beast's face before he looked up and screamed. A squirrel had him in his sights and was sprinting right towards him carrying knives. Razzik immediately got off the ground and sprinted away, panting and sweating as he tried to outrun the squirrel. Around the same time, he heard a loud zip and lowered his head as an arrow went right past his scalp. As the squirrels began to rise from the ground and pushed the pirates back, Jarron saw two Juska members fall, with huge bruises on their heads. The stoat shouted when a stone bounced against his right paw, breaking two fingers and causing him to drop his cutlass.

"ARGYLE!! GET THE--"

Thwack. Jarron was hit in-between the eyes with a hard, smooth stone moving as fast as an arrow. Everything immediately went black, and Jarron towered backwards and collapsed to the ground, never to get up again. Meanwhile, Razzik was still running away from the pursuing squirrel, his gut eventually getting the better of him. He was about to fall over when the squirrel grunted and was hit with a pebble. Razzik stopped running and turned and saw Longfang throw his spear into the squirrel's neck. The squirrel went down, and Longfang sprinted over so he could retrieve his weapon. Razzik let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks!" he quickly shouted, before seeking out more allies to protect him.

The black rat tripped over a root and quickly crawled towards his fallen cutlass before he saw a familiar footpaw press down on the blade. The rodent looked up and was relieved to see Plaskin's gentle, gray-furred face looking down at him.

"Let's get a move on, Razzik! Can't rescue yer arse all day now!"

Razzik almost smiled as he took the weasel's paw and grunted as he helped him off the ground and handed him his cutlass. But the brief moment of peace was immediately broken when the two corsairs heard footpaws skittering along the ground and leaves and twigs snapping. The weasel and rat held their swords up and got in a fighting stance as four squirrels cornered them. Plaskin and Razzik looked left and right, trying to see if there was a way out of the squirrels' ambush. The squirrels all looked at the vermin and slowly approached them, trying to decide when to attack.

"W-w-wot now? We-we can't run, Plaskin," said Razzik.

Plaskin shook his head. "No, we can't."

"We can't face 'em! You-you said it yoreself...we're cowards."

Plaskin chuckled and grinned. "Yes, we are. But ye know wot else we are?"

Razzik blinked. "Wot?"

"We're pirates! AN' WE AIN'T GUNNA LET SOME FUCKIN' TREE CLIMBERS CLAIM OUR LIVES TODAY!!"

Plaskin roared as he charged for the two squirrels facing him, wildly swinging his sword as his blade clashed with the squirrels' sabres. The two squirrels facing Razzik charged and attacked him first, which led to the beast panting as he backed away and used whatever strength he could muster to counter their attacks. As he backed away and lifted his sword into the air, his paws shook whenever somebeast slammed their sabre against his cutlass. Razzik grunted when he tripped over his own footpaws and found himself lying on the ground. The two squirrels were above him, ready to kill him. Razzik took out a dagger and quickly jerked his paw forward, stabbing a squirrel in the leg. He rolled out the way as the other squirrel tried to cleave his head in two and immediately stood up. Then he heard somebeast shout, and gasped when he looked at Plaskin and noticed he was holding his midriff.

"Plaskin?!"

The weasel swore and hissed after getting slashed across his stomach, but he still didn't lose his fighting spirit. He snarled and quickly grabbed three throwing knives from his belt, tossing them all simultaneously. He hit one of the squirrels in the chest and neck, but the other one quickly lied on the ground and dodged the attack. Razzik was just about to go help the weasel when he heard a loud whoosh from behind. The squirrels were attacking him again, forcing him to go on the defensive. He ducked and panted as he jerked his body backwards, hoping the blades wouldn't make contact with his flesh. Then Razzik heard a loud _twang_and his sword went flying out of his paws. Razzik screamed and crouched as a squirrel tried to chop his head off, and as he ducked, Razzik immediately took out his dagger again and stabbed the beast in the abdomen. He gurgled and let go of his sword before falling down. The rodent heard another horrific scream. Plaskin groaned and nearly fell to his knees after being slashed against the back.

"PLASKIN!"

Razzik shouted again when the other squirrel almost slashed him along his ribs. The rat ran again, this time retrieving his fallen sword so he could resume his duel. Plaskin panted and jerked around, his paws shaking as he tried to fend off the squirrel in front of him. But the beast effortlessly slashed Plaskin across the face, slicing through his left eye and causing the weasel to tumble against a tree. As he sat down, he dropped his sword and felt blood coming out of his mouth. Razzik could see the danger Plaskin was in and swiped his sword low, cutting the squirrel he was fighting along his kneecaps. The squirrel shouted as he stumbled and began to fall, at which point Razzik finished him off when he ran his sword through the beast. Razzik was just about to help Plaskin when an arrow landed at his footpaws. The rat took cover behind a tree whilst Plaskin looked up at the squirrel in front of him and laughed weakly. Even with his maimed face, he still managed to smirk at the enemy.

"Go on then...my brother's waitin' for me," he said softly.

The squirrel showed no mercy. He swung his sword down on Plaskin's head, splitting the scalp in half. Plaskin slowly closed his eyes as blood oozed down his face and the steel broke through his bone and flesh. The squirrel swore as he tried to jerk his sword away; he slammed it against Plaskin's skull so hard that the long blade got stuck inside the skull. The beast kept swearing and mumbling to himself, yanking on the sword multiple times, which resulted in squelching sounds from Plaskin's corpse. Before the squirrel could remove the sword, he heard a loud thud and turned around. The archer in the trees had been killed, his body now lying on the ground. The squirrel heard the sound of footpaws rushing towards him and had just enough time to make out Razzik's face before his neck was sliced in half. Razzik shoved the dying squirrel's body away before he looked down at Plaskin and whimpered.

"No..." he said quietly.

Razzik tried to remove the sword himself, and he had to press his right footpaw against Plaskin's body and muster all the strength he could find before it finally came out with a disgusting squelch. The rat dropped the sabre and nearly gagged when he saw Plaskin's body. His entire face was bloody and had a huge diagonal gash that went through his left eye. The wound in his head was so enormous that he could see a small portion of Plaskin's brain. Razzik whimpered and started to become teary-eyed as he looked around the area and saw a dead fox lying beside a huge log. He slowly walked up to the corpse and realized it was Islik with a long arrow lying beside his bloody neck. Not far from the fox's body, Longfang was lying face down in the dirt with four arrows pierced into his back. All Razzik wanted to do was fall down and burst into tears, but he knew better than that. All that mattered right now was keeping the small amount of friends he had left alive, even if it meant putting himself in danger.

But the "danger" in question was starting to subside. As skilled as the squirrels were, numbers weren't on their side. It didn't take long before Commander Nuttooth was aware that he only had a score of beasts left, some of whom were wounded. The light brown squirrel twirled his sling and tossed a pebble at a Juskamard member who had cornered a squirrel against a tree, leaving a dent in her skull. He tried to slay the oversized rat Jenrik, but the pebbles he tossed at him seemed to bounce off his face and body, and Jenrik took the blows with ease. The commander snarled with frustration as he loaded another pebble into his weapon, only to be distracted by somebeast's vociferous voice.

"CHESTER NUTTOOTH!!"

The chubby squirrel turned around and saw Kurwin the Flayer standing only a few feet away, grinning with blood splattered all over his body. The ferret slowly walked towards the commander, his cutlass and hatchet in paw.

"Jus' promise me ye won't scream too much when I remove yore guts right from yer stomach!"

The commander snorted and pointed his sabres at him. "Only if you promise not to cry 'afore I cave your head in with my swords."

Then the two beasts clashed, with both of them panting and snarling as they waved their weapons at each other. Chester swung his swords diagonally several times, trying to slice Kurwin right down his chest and abdomen. Kurwin backed away and used his cutlass and hatchet to block the attacks, occasionally jerking his head backwards or hopping backwards so he wouldn't get hit. Kurwin grinned when he side-stepped the squirrel just as he swiped his right sword at him in a downward angle. The ferret snarled as he jumped forward and tried to strike Chester in the neck with his hatchet. Chester immediately hit the dirt and rolled to the side, quickly standing back up and holding his sabres in front of his body to block the incoming attacks. Kurwin and Chester swung their weapons simultaneously, causing their blades to lock. Both beasts got in each other's faces, grunting and growling, their blades emitting harsh, metallic noises as they scraped against each other. Kurwin grinned as he started to push Chester backwards, but his brief moment of victory was interrupted when he saw Chester smirk. Kurwin sensed something was wrong and glanced behind his shoulder.

"FUCK!"

Kurwin jumped to his left before the squirrel archer released her arrow, nearly hitting both Chester and the pirate. Kurwin snarled and tossed his hatchet at the archer, striking her in the chest before she could load another arrow. Chester chased after the pirate as he ran towards the archer's corpse to retrieve his hatchet. Once he removed it from her corpse, Chester shouted and leaped at Kurwin, swinging his swords downward. Kurwin blocked the attack with his cutlass, but it was knocked out of his paw. Kurwin hastily pulled out his flaying knife. He swore again and backed away, his hatchet and knife his only means of defense. The pirate struggled to defend himself from the commander, panting as he moved backwards hurriedly while the squirrel mercilessly attacked him with both sabres. The massive swords clinked and clanged against Kurwin's hatchet while the beast tried to keep his footing and made sure he didn't back himself into a corner. The pirate ducked once, twice, thrice, before Chester became irritated at the ferret and snarled, kicking him in the stomach. The ferret grunted as he fell on his back, and he quickly flipped himself backwards when Chester swiped at the ground with his sabres, hoping to sever Kurwin's head from his shoulders. Kurwin crouched as the squirrel lunged for him again.

The ferret immediately spun his body around and moved to the left just far enough so Chester would miss him and the squirrel was still in reach. Kurwin lacerated the squirrel across his sides with his knife, almost cutting down into his kidneys. The squirrel shouted and held his sides before Kurwin swiftly sliced at the beast's right arm, causing him to scream again and drop his right sabre. Chester immediately swung his left sabre around and nearly took Kurwin's head off moments before the ferret ducked and punched the beast in his stomach. Kurwin was about to punch him again when the squirrel caught him off-guard and kneed him in the jaw. The beast felt his mouth clamping shut against his tongue moments before the corpulent squirrel punched him in the face twice and tried to cleave his head in half. The ferret grabbed Chester's left arm and held it firmly, both beasts grunting as Chester slowly lowered his sabre. Moments later, the squirrel head-butted Kurwin and blood erupted from his nose. He tackled the pirate to the ground and got on top of him, growling as he punched the ferret in the face over and over again with loud thwacks.

Kurwin tried to reach for his fallen hatchet, but the squirrel shoved it aside with his free paw and grabbed one of his fallen sabres. Kurwin's eyes grew wide; he quickly punched the commander in the sides, hitting him right where he slashed into his flesh a moment ago. Chester groaned and stopped assaulting Kurwin just long enough for the corsair to shove him off his body. The pirate sprinted for his fallen hatchet and cutlass, grabbing them moments before the two beasts were at it again. Kurwin backed away quickly, ducking and weaving as he waved his cutlass and hatchet around to block his foe's attacks. Kurwin crouched down and swiped at Chester's footpaws, but the squirrel was expecting his maneuver. He lashed out at Kurwin's hatchet and knocked it out of his paw again, forcing the beast to use his trusty knife. Kurwin felt his back pressing up against another tree. Cutlass in one paw, flaying knife in the other, the ferret held up his weapons, readying himself for when the squirrel attacked. But Chester was just standing there, panting and looking at Kurwin sternly as he gripped his duel sabres tightly. The ferret knew the squirrel wanted him to make the first move.

And so he did. The ferret raised his knife and cutlass, ready to swing them at Chester's head. The squirrel instinctively raised his sabres to block the attack. Only Kurwin didn't attack right then. He fooled the squirrel and crouched back down while the squirrel still had his sabres held up. The squirrel flicked his head down just long enough to see Kurwin swing his cutlass at his left leg. He howled and dropped a sabre as Kurwin moved like lightning, standing back up and elbowing Chester in his midriff. He shoved the commander into the tree with a loud thud and got behind him. Kurwin dropped his cutlass and knife and grabbed the back of Chester's head before the beast could turn around. Growling, the ferret jerked Chester's head backwards and slammed it into the tree bark again. He bashed the commander's head into the tree three more times and then heard the squirrel groan quietly. Panting, Kurwin let go of the squirrel and watched as he collapsed onto his back, his face scratched up and bloody. Chester coughed a few times as he gradually tried to raise his head. But Kurwin stood beside the squirrel and quickly kicked him in the face, knocking him out cold.

The dreaded pirate panted heavily as he felt his heartbeat slowing down. He dragged his footpaws along the ground so he could retrieve all his weapons. Shortly after he did, the ferret looked around the forest and was surprised at how quiet it was now. Hardly any beasts were fighting anymore, and many of his pirates were looking around the area for more squirrels to kill. But besides Chester and the wounded squirrels, none were left.

"Is that it?" shouted a Juskamard rat.

"Hey...hehe, I think we got 'em all!" shouted a corsair.

It only took a few seconds before all the pirates and tribal members started cheering and waving their swords up into the air, proud that they trounced the tree climbers after such a fierce battle. Kurwin looked at all the vermin around him and the slain squirrels on the ground and started to grin. His plan had worked. Most of the squirrels had been killed, a majority of his soldiers were still alive and well, and soon enough, word would spread that an entire platoon of the MSB had been defeated by him. The ferret dragged his weary footpaws along the soil and found a tree stump to stand on so everybeast in the area could see him. He waited for the cheering to subside before finally addressing all the brave souls around him.

"Y'see?! D'you all see wot we can accomplish when we work together instead of always stabbin' each other in the back?!"

Kurwin spread out his arms as he turned around slowly, showing off all the damage they had done.

"Look around ye mates! Look at wot we did to these tree climbers in just one battle! These were all highly trained squirrels, skilled warriors who look down upon beasts like us an' laugh! But thanks ta you, we can all take pride in knowin' that these pathetic woodlanders can be slaughtered like common game!"

The ferret stayed on the tree stump and kept listening to the beasts as they cheered again. Kurwin was starting to get his confidence back ever since he talked to Traegar and knew that he was going to lose many of his corsairs no matter what he did. As the commotion began to settle down, Kurwin glanced over at a few pirates in the distance and could make out two beasts sitting down beside somebeast's corpse. He couldn't tell that it was Turvin and Slipfoot looking down at Longfang's body, but he suddenly came to the realization that not everybeast was alive to celebrate.

"Yes, yes, we did well today! But, uh...we've lost some good beasts in the process. Ain't nothin' we can do about it now but make sure they're put to rest. Many of us have fallen; some of 'em were beasts ye cared about, loved even. It's not gonna get any easier either! This was just a warm-up for wot'll happen when we run into that cursed stripedog an' his long-eared cronies! I can't promise that you'll all make it through alive; I know you won't. But if you stick with me, we'll make sure that these woodlanders won't have the guts to fuck with us vermin ever again!"

The ferret got more cheering once he finished, although many beasts were starting to understand where the path they had chosen would probably lead them. Kurwin stepped off the tree stump and leaned against a tree, closing his eyes and exhaling with much relief. He breathed heavily for a few moments and wiped some of the blood and sweat from his face, spitting out a tooth fragment. Kurwin sniffed and wiped some of the blood from his nose just in time for Fleckle Mard to walk up towards him. Kurwin exhaled again.

"Gotta tell ya, Mard," the pirate panted, "doin' this shit's a lot harder once you get older."

Kurwin chuckled and wiped more blood off his face before he looked at the stoat. "You injured?"

"No...some speech you just gave. Pretty inspiring."

Kurwin exhaled. "Don't lie to 'em. You lie, they stop trustin' you. They stop trustin' you, they start plottin'. At that point, won't be long 'til ya got a dagger in yer spine while yore sleepin'. I ain't gonna stand 'ere an' say none of my beasts will perish once we fight Urthquake. Hell, a couple a' tree climbers killed some of my pirates already."

"I'm just sayin'...wot you said probably scared some of them, many of 'em."

Kurwin nodded. "Good. They need to be scared. If they're scared they'll use their brains, force themselves to train harder, use different tactics."

Fleckle folded his arms and snorted. "You jus' have all the answers, don't you?"

Kurwin growled. "There somethin' you wanna tell me, Fleckle? Somethin' you gotta say?"

Fleckle looked down at the ground and sighed deeply. "I lost a lot of my tribe today, Kurwin."

"I know ye--"

"No, you don't. You got over a hundred beasts with you. I only had sixty-nine, includin' myself. An' from the look of things, I prob'ly lost about a third of my tribe today, maybe even half. I already came across Jarron and Traklil's bodies; who knows how many more are scattered about? I know losin' somebeast is hard, but this many in one day?"

Fleckle shook his head. "Kurwin, I don't mind fightin' that badger. I don't mind bein' slain by that badger either. But I'm not goin' to send my entire tribe to Hellgates for you."

"This isn't about me! It's about us vermin, Fleckle! We can't keep runnin' and hidin' from squirrels and otters and mice any longer! We can't let them wipe us out! D'you really wanna go back to the way things were with Ferrin, bein' some slave to a corpulent, pompous narcissist who didn't know how to wield a simple cutlass properly?"

"No, of course not! I...wait, wot'd you call Ferrin again?"

"Doesn't matter," Kurwin huffed. "Wot matters right now is that yer better off with me. Yore Juska clan is better off with me!"

Fleckle rubbed his head. "A good leader listens to those he rules over, right? That's somethin' Ferrin never did for me or his tribe. Well, that's wot I'm gonna do, Kurwin. I'm gonna find out whether or not my tribe wants to continue followin' you, possibly to their deaths, all so we can kill some hares and a badger. If that's not wot they want, then we're leavin'."

"To go where?!" Kurwin snapped. "Wot part of that don't you understand?! We have no place to run or hide anymore--no place at all! It doesn't matter wot island we hide on or how far we sail on the waters--these fuckin' woodlanders will always find us and they will always kill us! If we don't stop them now, or at least, show them that we're not afraid of 'em anymore...there won't be anybeast left. Is that wot you want?"

The stoat exhaled harshly. "Yer askin' me to choose between this goal of yers, and my tribe, the beasts I'm supposed to be protecting and watchin' over now."

"Fleckle, ultimately, it's yore decision. If you and yer tribe wanna leave, an' spend the rest of yore lives hiding from the enemy, afraid of wot the next day will bring, then fine. I won't stop you. But if you finally wanna be free of these woodlanders, an' you no longer wanna be scared of walkin' through these woods, then you need to stay. You'll see...it-it'll take a while, that much I know. But give me time...you'll see."

Fleckle stared at Kurwin's face, and it almost looked like the beast was about to get on his knees and beg the stoat to say if he said no. But Fleckle took Kurwin's words into consideration and grumbled to himself as he moved away from the tree.

"I'll give you my answer later tonight," Fleckle said as he walked away.

Kurwin nodded, but didn't respond. He leaned against the tree again and glanced at the bodies spread across the soil. And then he frowned. This was just a warm-up. Deep down, Kurwin knew that there would be five times this many bodies once he finally faced Urthquake's army. And the more he thought about it, the more he began to doubt himself.