01-15-2010, 01:16 PM
Zana couldn’t put a stop to her restless rustling of the garments that she wore as she narrowed her orbs and perked her ears forward to catch the words of her brother. She was proud of him she realized as she flicked her tail back and forth beside Nesmed and muttered to herself. The driver of the chariot reached a hand out to grab a hold of her jerkin as once more she began her shifting and clinching of the rail of their carrier. She flashed him a toothy grin as she gave up and settled in place as the words poured over the people around her.
She couldn’t help but smile again as the roar erupted at the voice of the true Ri, how he stirred their emotions and brought them to their feet. She had prepared carefully today for the fight that would take place and she was silent as the voices echoed through the woods, fingering the hollow tube that would become a deadly weapon in their greatest need. The spear and staff were still present across her back and she knew that her skill in welding a dagger would be of great assistance if it came down to that but what she worried about most was not her weapons or her safety but of those who she would be of no help to in mere moments. Thoughts of DaVinci and Aisleran took over in the few seconds that remained of DaVinci’s speech as she sighed and gritted her teeth, knowing that the hounds of hell were upon them all and their breath was rank with the odor of death.
She had almost failed to notice that her brother had given the signal to charge. Finding herself struggling to keep her hold on the rail as Nesmed surged forward with a roar of laughter as Zana shot ill looks his way. She finally gave in an gave a devilish grin of her own as they were surrounded by the warriors and faces she’d come to know in the moons since she’d arrived on their shores. What they were greeted with as they came over the ridge of the woods was not what she’d expected and a savage snarl erupted from her throat as she gathered darts in one hand and the miniature weapon in the other.
She quickly leapt from the chariot and onto the back of one of the horses who gave a neigh of alarm but did little else once the stallion realized who it was who was upon his frame. She ignored the cries of Nesmed as she gripped the horse’s wide barrel of a body with her knees as the flood of enemy soldiers surrounded them. War was fresh in the air with the battle cries and the alarming sound of death all around her. If she hadn’t pushed aside thoughts of those she cared for she probably would have thrown up at her first sight of death upon the grounds about her.
It took her a moment to remember what she was suppose to do as she saw a faceless man before her, his weapon raised to strike at Nesmed, not even realizing her small presence upon the horse’s back. She grinned wolfishly as she took in a sharp breath of air and in the blink of an eye the man was under the legs of the warriors behind him that were quick to replace his place without batting an eye at what had befallen their comrade.
Zana quickly followed up that first dart with a dozen or so more, aimed at different members of the usurper’s army as they fought to gain ground and push the enemy back into hell where they came from. She could hear the grunts and growls from her partner as he tossed the reins around his free arm, his other mechanically swinging for the enemies that came to rest up against the chariot as they tried to claim his life for their own tally in the great of things. She could hear the whistling of the blade through the air and the cries of the warriors as the steel bit into flesh. She knew that many would not rise from the mass grave they were creating but she pressed past that as she realized that she had quickly moved through half her store of darts, knowing now was the time to switch weapons.
Her spear was in her hands quickly as she let the slim hollow reed fall back to her neck on the leather thong that kept it in place. Her thrusts were fast and low, aiming for vital organs and the space between leather and skin near the pits of the arms for warriors were forever leaving themselves open when they went for their flashy moves with swords and daggers.
She grinned to herself when a man sought to slash the reins that held the horses to the chariot. Her weapon sang through the air but at the last second the warrior realized that the horses had a rider and he was fast to counter her strike, causing her to have to redouble her efforts as she snarled. She dug one hand into the mane of the horse she rode as she balanced upon her pads on the wide back of the beast. The male’s weapon came to crash against her own once more almost causing her to lose her balance and go tumbling under the hooves below. That was not the way she wanted to go and she was not going to let death claim her so easily. She barely got her spear up again as the man tried to swing up to catch her again.
For once in her life she had the advantage of height and she planned on using it as much as she could. A grin split her lips as their weapons locked, her hand coming free from the hold on the horse’s whipping mane as she took a strike at the man with her dagger, the weapon finding the mark as he fell under the plague of men and was lost. She hadn’t even realized that she’d been injured as she gave a soft growl, seeing the flash of brilliance that was the color of blood upon her flesh, oozing as it slowly congealed.
She shook her head and ignored the wound as she heard the cry from Nesmed as someone had finally realized that she was upon the horse and it seemed they’d decided she was an easy kill. Her eyes darkened as she caught the glancing blow along her hip. The bite of the weapon causing her knees to buckle as she came to rest once more upon the horse’s back. The beast realizing what was happening had reared, jerking Zana from the reaches of the dark furred male who had raised his sword again. She snarled and sliced her spear across his chest as the horse brought her crashing back down to earth only to rear once more. She desperately clung to the beast with one arm as she thrust her spear out and into the chest of the man who has staggered back from her first blow. She gave a groan of disgust as her spear went with him down into the blood soaked battle field.
She turned to Nesmed and called for another spear, hoping that he had another left, not wanting to be left with a staff and dagger. He was in the mists of taking down another as her hoarse voice rang out. Her right leg wouldn’t support her weight and she had fallen back to straddling the massive beast beneath her as he had finally calmed down with the threat gone.
In a quick fluid motion her companion in the war threw a spear to her which she caught, thankful that he’d been wise enough to shorten a few to her height before the battle had begun. She would need to thank him later but now there was fighting. A grim determined look settled across her face as she turned back to face the masses before and around them.
Somehow in those few seconds someone had missed a blow to another and the horse that had been paired with the stallion she rode upon had been gravely wounded. She could feel the mountain of a mammal falling upon the stallion that bucked and reared trying to get out of the way though failing, their reins had become entangled and he was doomed as his mate had been.
It had happened so quickly she hadn’t even realized that she had fallen from the stallion’s back, tumbling into the mass of warriors as Nesmed’s cry went out to those around them. She rolled head over heels, feeling something clip her along her back as she finally rolled to a stop and staggered to her feet as a snarl erupted from her lips.
Her lavender eyes had grown stormy as she realized that almost all the warriors about her were looking her over. She thrust her way into the battle quickly, knowing that everyone that missed her would find a place for their weapons in the flesh of her friends. Zana was growing weary from the weight of holding off the blows from those who were much stronger than her but she hadn’t realized that Nesmed had abandoned the chariot when the horses had been lost and was slowly making his way to join her.
She took down another man when his back was turned, not caring if it was a coward’s way at war, he was careless for overlooking her. The cry of her brother to the usurper made a grin spread across her lips as she darted in to take another stab at someone’s vitals, feeling the spear slide like warm butter on bread through the man’s flesh, moving backwards as he fell before her, groping for the whole she’d left in his body as he realized the warrior who had taken his life was nothing but a child, and a miniature of any of them there.
This was the choice she had made and she faltered a moment as she watched the man dying, coming out of it when she was pushed aside, barely catching her balance as she favored her bad leg and pulled her spear up to face another, surprised to find that the warrior facing her was Nesmed. She offered him a devilish grin as she turned to press her weapon on into battle, the warrior beside her like the shadow Aisleran had been for so many weeks before.
They began to gang up on the masses before them, fighting right beside each other, two against one to take down the men around them. She never noticed when she had taken another wound, someone’s bare claws ripping across her face and shoulder. She staggered to the ground and was slow to bring herself up, grateful for Nesmed’s cover as she realized her battle was coming to an end, not even certain what was left of the fight before them.
She couldn’t help but smile again as the roar erupted at the voice of the true Ri, how he stirred their emotions and brought them to their feet. She had prepared carefully today for the fight that would take place and she was silent as the voices echoed through the woods, fingering the hollow tube that would become a deadly weapon in their greatest need. The spear and staff were still present across her back and she knew that her skill in welding a dagger would be of great assistance if it came down to that but what she worried about most was not her weapons or her safety but of those who she would be of no help to in mere moments. Thoughts of DaVinci and Aisleran took over in the few seconds that remained of DaVinci’s speech as she sighed and gritted her teeth, knowing that the hounds of hell were upon them all and their breath was rank with the odor of death.
She had almost failed to notice that her brother had given the signal to charge. Finding herself struggling to keep her hold on the rail as Nesmed surged forward with a roar of laughter as Zana shot ill looks his way. She finally gave in an gave a devilish grin of her own as they were surrounded by the warriors and faces she’d come to know in the moons since she’d arrived on their shores. What they were greeted with as they came over the ridge of the woods was not what she’d expected and a savage snarl erupted from her throat as she gathered darts in one hand and the miniature weapon in the other.
She quickly leapt from the chariot and onto the back of one of the horses who gave a neigh of alarm but did little else once the stallion realized who it was who was upon his frame. She ignored the cries of Nesmed as she gripped the horse’s wide barrel of a body with her knees as the flood of enemy soldiers surrounded them. War was fresh in the air with the battle cries and the alarming sound of death all around her. If she hadn’t pushed aside thoughts of those she cared for she probably would have thrown up at her first sight of death upon the grounds about her.
It took her a moment to remember what she was suppose to do as she saw a faceless man before her, his weapon raised to strike at Nesmed, not even realizing her small presence upon the horse’s back. She grinned wolfishly as she took in a sharp breath of air and in the blink of an eye the man was under the legs of the warriors behind him that were quick to replace his place without batting an eye at what had befallen their comrade.
Zana quickly followed up that first dart with a dozen or so more, aimed at different members of the usurper’s army as they fought to gain ground and push the enemy back into hell where they came from. She could hear the grunts and growls from her partner as he tossed the reins around his free arm, his other mechanically swinging for the enemies that came to rest up against the chariot as they tried to claim his life for their own tally in the great of things. She could hear the whistling of the blade through the air and the cries of the warriors as the steel bit into flesh. She knew that many would not rise from the mass grave they were creating but she pressed past that as she realized that she had quickly moved through half her store of darts, knowing now was the time to switch weapons.
Her spear was in her hands quickly as she let the slim hollow reed fall back to her neck on the leather thong that kept it in place. Her thrusts were fast and low, aiming for vital organs and the space between leather and skin near the pits of the arms for warriors were forever leaving themselves open when they went for their flashy moves with swords and daggers.
She grinned to herself when a man sought to slash the reins that held the horses to the chariot. Her weapon sang through the air but at the last second the warrior realized that the horses had a rider and he was fast to counter her strike, causing her to have to redouble her efforts as she snarled. She dug one hand into the mane of the horse she rode as she balanced upon her pads on the wide back of the beast. The male’s weapon came to crash against her own once more almost causing her to lose her balance and go tumbling under the hooves below. That was not the way she wanted to go and she was not going to let death claim her so easily. She barely got her spear up again as the man tried to swing up to catch her again.
For once in her life she had the advantage of height and she planned on using it as much as she could. A grin split her lips as their weapons locked, her hand coming free from the hold on the horse’s whipping mane as she took a strike at the man with her dagger, the weapon finding the mark as he fell under the plague of men and was lost. She hadn’t even realized that she’d been injured as she gave a soft growl, seeing the flash of brilliance that was the color of blood upon her flesh, oozing as it slowly congealed.
She shook her head and ignored the wound as she heard the cry from Nesmed as someone had finally realized that she was upon the horse and it seemed they’d decided she was an easy kill. Her eyes darkened as she caught the glancing blow along her hip. The bite of the weapon causing her knees to buckle as she came to rest once more upon the horse’s back. The beast realizing what was happening had reared, jerking Zana from the reaches of the dark furred male who had raised his sword again. She snarled and sliced her spear across his chest as the horse brought her crashing back down to earth only to rear once more. She desperately clung to the beast with one arm as she thrust her spear out and into the chest of the man who has staggered back from her first blow. She gave a groan of disgust as her spear went with him down into the blood soaked battle field.
She turned to Nesmed and called for another spear, hoping that he had another left, not wanting to be left with a staff and dagger. He was in the mists of taking down another as her hoarse voice rang out. Her right leg wouldn’t support her weight and she had fallen back to straddling the massive beast beneath her as he had finally calmed down with the threat gone.
In a quick fluid motion her companion in the war threw a spear to her which she caught, thankful that he’d been wise enough to shorten a few to her height before the battle had begun. She would need to thank him later but now there was fighting. A grim determined look settled across her face as she turned back to face the masses before and around them.
Somehow in those few seconds someone had missed a blow to another and the horse that had been paired with the stallion she rode upon had been gravely wounded. She could feel the mountain of a mammal falling upon the stallion that bucked and reared trying to get out of the way though failing, their reins had become entangled and he was doomed as his mate had been.
It had happened so quickly she hadn’t even realized that she had fallen from the stallion’s back, tumbling into the mass of warriors as Nesmed’s cry went out to those around them. She rolled head over heels, feeling something clip her along her back as she finally rolled to a stop and staggered to her feet as a snarl erupted from her lips.
Her lavender eyes had grown stormy as she realized that almost all the warriors about her were looking her over. She thrust her way into the battle quickly, knowing that everyone that missed her would find a place for their weapons in the flesh of her friends. Zana was growing weary from the weight of holding off the blows from those who were much stronger than her but she hadn’t realized that Nesmed had abandoned the chariot when the horses had been lost and was slowly making his way to join her.
She took down another man when his back was turned, not caring if it was a coward’s way at war, he was careless for overlooking her. The cry of her brother to the usurper made a grin spread across her lips as she darted in to take another stab at someone’s vitals, feeling the spear slide like warm butter on bread through the man’s flesh, moving backwards as he fell before her, groping for the whole she’d left in his body as he realized the warrior who had taken his life was nothing but a child, and a miniature of any of them there.
This was the choice she had made and she faltered a moment as she watched the man dying, coming out of it when she was pushed aside, barely catching her balance as she favored her bad leg and pulled her spear up to face another, surprised to find that the warrior facing her was Nesmed. She offered him a devilish grin as she turned to press her weapon on into battle, the warrior beside her like the shadow Aisleran had been for so many weeks before.
They began to gang up on the masses before them, fighting right beside each other, two against one to take down the men around them. She never noticed when she had taken another wound, someone’s bare claws ripping across her face and shoulder. She staggered to the ground and was slow to bring herself up, grateful for Nesmed’s cover as she realized her battle was coming to an end, not even certain what was left of the fight before them.