The Hardships of Wars
#7 of I've Had Enough
This is the SEVENTH CHAPTER... not the SIXTH!!!
Halen groaned as he made his way up the side of the mountain. Luck had not been on his side so far. They had been forced to leave their horses behind due to the mountains steep slope. Luck had not been on his side so far. A huge rock slide killed two of the warriors he had brought with him. So now there were only nine of them left as they made their way up towards the Jhariv's hideout. The entrance was now in view, which brightened their spirits a little. Halen looked over his shoulder. "Tobias, do you think anyone will be in there?" Tobias, a large grey furred wolf looked up at Halen. "Probably... the Jhariv wouldn't leave their hideout unattended. Though, with their strength they probably won't leave too many behind. We'd still better be careful though." Halen nodded and turned back around, pulling himself up onto the landing where the cave entrance was. Slowly, the other warriors were standing next to him. Including Halen there were three lupines, four equines, and two ursines. They were all older than he was, but only by a few years. Halen turned around looking over the vast landscape. He could see Canterbury in the far distance. He continued to look around and he saw a large mass of furs, all moving amongst each other. Any single fur was impossible to make out, but he knew what was happening. Ashaile and Canterbury were fighting each other relentlessly. "God I hope they make it.." He muttered. The warriors came up next to him, looking down upon the battle. Harris, a tall polar bear put a paw on Halen's shoulder. "They will, now lets hurry..." "Right..." Halen nodded and they quietly entered the hideout.
Richard growled as he pulled his sword out from another furs chest and swung it around, severing the head of another Ashailian warrior. So far things we're okay, but the Jhariv hadn't arrived yet, and with them joining Ashaile's troops they might not make it. He turned around to see King Horatio busy with a pair of lupine warriors, a brown furred rat coming at him fairly quickly. "Horatio! Behind you!" Horatio glanced off the lupine's attacks and swung his pike around, severing the rats body in one blow. "Thanks" He called back, before disappearing in to the thick of the battle, and out of Richard's sight. Richard turned around to rejoin the fighting to see a sword coming right at him, he brought up his own blade fending off a series of blows. "Adrius!" He bellowed. Adrius straightened himself up and grinned manically. "Yes Richard? What is it you would like to tell me?" Richard and Adrius began to slowly circle each other, the battle raging as the kept their eyes on each other. "Why would you come at me like that? Too afraid to take me on when I could possibly fight back?" He lunged at Adrius, knocking him back with a few blows that Adrius easily fended off. Adrius laughed and shook his head. "I wouldn't have killed you. I would have left you for Helston. He should be here any moment! And I'm sure he'll destroy you... you're just a bastard son... and you have no right to call him your father." Adrius taunted. Richard growled loudly and lunged at him, engaging him in battle. Their swords glanced of each others as they moved between the other fighting warriors. Richard growled out as his sword connected with Adrius's. They leaned in close, trying to glance their opponent off. Richard pulled his sword back with a mighty roar, Adrius's sword slashing into Richard's arm as the adrenaline fueled lion brought his sword down upon Adrius neck, severing the tyrannical king's head. He watched as the bloody corpse collapsed to the ground and panted heavily, holding the wound on his shoulder. He turned back around to see Felix charging at him. He raised his sword and braced himself for another battle when Horatio tackled Felix, pinning him to the ground. "Richard! The Jhariv have arrived! I'll take Felix, you get yourself out of here while you're still alive!" Richard nodded and turned around to run, holding his shoulder. He dodged the various furs, heading away from the battle when a pain struck him in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground. He pulled an arrow, roughly, out of his leg and looked up to see Helston standing feet away with a bow in his paws. "Dammit..." He muttered to himself. Helston put the bow on his back and approached Richard slowly. "Stand up." He commanded coldly. "I can't-" Richard started, before realizing his wound had been miraculously healed. "Your wounds are no more... now stand up..." Helston's voice was cold and uncaring as he looked upon Richard. Richard stood up slowly. "Father..." He said softly, memories of his childhood coming back to him. "I have but one son... and you are NOT him..." Helston growled, withdrawing his sword. "Now let us fight..." Helston raised his paws and a large translucent shield appeared over the two of them, cutting them off from the rest of the battle. "Just the two of us..." Richard sighed and looked upon his father sadly. "I don't want to fight with you Father..." Helston roared loudly. "YOU ARE NOT MY SON!" He raised his sword and came at Richard quickly. Their swords glanced off each other as Richard brought up his defensive as quick as possible. 'This battle won't be easy...' He thought to himself as he and his father began to circle each other.
Halen gulped nervously as they walked through a corridor of the hideout. Having just entered, they had not encountered anything. Halen sighed inwardly as he looked along the torch lit hallway. There was a loud rumble that caused the ground to shake. Halen looked around, terrified. "What's happening!" He yelled. "RUN!" Somefur shouted. Halen didn't need any provoking. He began to sprint down the passage way. It didn't take him long before he realized what was happening. The walls were closing in on either side. Halen's heart began to race faster than he was. He could see the end of the passage up ahead. If he kept up his pace then he might make it. The walls were almost touching him on either side and he heard a pair of screams from behind him as he exited the tightening hallway. He collapsed onto the ground, five other furs collapsing around him. He looked around. The other two wolves were laying next to him, panting heavily, and three equines were scattered around him. "Wh...where... where are the others? He panted heavily. He knew what had happened to them but he didn't want to acknowledge it. Tobias looked over at him and shook his head. "They... they didn't make it..." Halen sighed and laid back. There was another loud rumbling which caused them all to jump to their feet, expecting another surprise. Instead, the corridor which had closed up began to return to normal. The torches re-lit themselves, illuminating the mangled, indistinguishable corpses of the dead warriors. Halen turned away sadly, closing his eyes. "They weren't fast enough... were they...?" Tobias shook his head and sighed. "Come on... we've made it this far." The pack looked around for a direction to head, but there didn't appear to be any other way in which to head except back the way they came, which just led to the outside of the mountain. "Where are we supposed to go?" Tobias unsheathed his sword and looked around. "I don't know... but I don't like what's going on..." Halen followed Tobias's action and withdrew his sword. The others soon followed suit. "I hear something..." Halen said quietly. There was a growl and then two furs ran through a corridor which had been concealed with an illusion. "INTRUDERS!" A female husky shouted, a masked figure landing next to her. The six furs raised their weapons, and Mattias, one of the remaining equines called out. "Who are you?" The husky laughed and lunged at them. In unison the six warriors slashed their weapons at her. She evaded watch attack and thrust a dagger into the chest of one of the equines, poison seeping into his body, killing him fairly quickly as Jasmine, swept her leg out, tripping Halen and Tobias. Mattias raised his sword and was about to connect it with the female husky but a small figure leapt in front of him, kicking him in the jaw and wrapping his other leg around Mattias's neck, using his weight to pull him roughly to the ground. In an instant the figure was upon Mattias and two slender paws gripped his neck, quickly snapping his neck before he knew what was happening. Jasmine flipped back until she was against the wall, the masked figure flipped off Mattias's body and landed next to her. She grinned and pulled out two small blades, the masked fox (it seemed) following her move. "Now let me finish off the rest of them... Don't attack unless I'm killed..." She smirked. "Which won't happen anytime soon..." She muttered. The four remaining warriors braced themselves as she came at the. She flipped herself into the air, narrowly missing two swords coming at her. Landing in the middle of the furs she threw one of her blades at Keri, the female lupine with them. It struck her in the neck, causing her to fall backwards, writhing in pain, unable to vocal express it. Jasmine smirked and leapt up, kicking her feet out to either side, each footpaw contacting with the other two wolves muzzles. Halen fell backwards, and quickly sat back up. Something his him in the muzzle again, knocking him onto his back. He opened his eyes to see the last equine's head on his chest, blood covering his upper body. Halen screamed and stood up, backing up against the wall. He and Tobias where the last two alive now. He stood up against the wall, watching as Jasmine and Tobias fought each other. "Stay back Halen! I'll take care of her!" Tobias yelled. He caught her paw and forced the blade from her paw, pulling her so her back was against his chest. "I'll destroy you..." She grunted and swung a footpaw up, kicking him in the head, freeing herself from his grip. She grabbed her blade and turned back around just as a sword was plunged into her chest. She gasped out as Tobias looked at her coldly. "Bitch..." He muttered as he pulled the sword from her, letting her fall to the ground. He turned to Halen, having forgotten about the masked fox. "Tobias! Look out!" Halen screamed. Before Tobias could turn around the fox had pounced onto his back and slit his throat. The fox jumped off his body and landed on his feet, pulling his mask off. Cheyenne stood there with a far away look on his face. "Raise your weapon..." He said monotonously. Halen stood there, staring at Cheyenne in shock. "Cheyenne..." He whispered, tears forming in his eyes. "RAISE YOUR WEAPON!" Cheyenne yelled, running at Halen with his sword ready.