An Army of One

[Bellona Littlebrush]

A recruit once asked me: ?Why d?you keep fightin???
I once lied to a recruit: ?Only to protect creatures like you.?


Duck. Step right, and feint. Slash left. A hefty stoat clutched pitifully at his entrails as they oozed toward his footpaws.

Spin. Grab my knife and th? ?Ahgrr!? Bell?s shout of pain morphed into a snarl as she dropped to the ground and kicked out, catching her assailant?s legs. The weasel tumbled, throwing up sand. The dormouse hissed at the tiny grains grating into the new wound in her arm. He tried to regain his height advantage, but she wouldn?t let him.

Dirk into his paw. Bite his neck and kick back on his chest. The warrior rose, spitting blood and fur from her mouth. She heard a few gurgles escape from the hole in the weasel?s throat, and then they stopped.

?Pathetic.? Bell started, then realized that the voice had been her own. What?m I thinking? She moved to her next opponent, eyes roving the battle field for a tall, axe-wielding ferret. Did she want a challenger who could match her? No. Arrogance and lust for battle were Sailpaw?s vices, not hers. I just want to keep the others safe.

She plunged her dirk into a rat trying to knock Birch?s head off. The squirrel nodded her thanks briefly before turning away. Bell appreciated the gesture, but felt wholly unsatisfied. It was like watching a hated enemy fall, but not by your own paw.

The dormouse shook her head violently. This battle needed to end, or she would start getting more queer thoughts into her head. Queer thoughts that hadn?t bothered her since Freyr had...

Oh, but the pounding of the blood in her veins and the frenzy of the creatures around matching her own screaming heart -- that gave her satisfaction.

?Fall back!? The order rose above the din of battle and was repeated again by many harsh voices until all the vermin had turned to flee. ?Fall back behind the palm stand!? The woodlanders cheered triumphantly, but Bell did not join them.

?Fall back!? she commanded in like. ?Find cover and fall back!? She tried to ignore the fresh, burning cuts standing out on her arms and chest as she beat a hasty retreat toward some of the larger huts.

?Why?re we?m hidin?, missus?? a mole the dormouse did not recognize asked as he jogged beside her, a studded club held loosely in one great digging claw. ?Sagaru said we?m wudd win this toime. Burr aye!?

Sagaru said, huh? Bell found herself forming an impression of this Sagaru character and it wasn?t the most flattering image. ?Sagaru was right, if you listen to me. Now save your breath.?

The woodlanders gathered behind the huts and Bell took a quick headcount. Giddy, Birch, Rugger, Baez, and a good number of the beasts she?d been trapped with in the caves appeared in good form, but there was one familiar face missing.

Damask. Whatever elation the victory had brought abruptly dissipated. ?Damask. Where?s Damask the Minstrel?? she asked.

?Think I saw him fly back toward the caves, Leftenant,? Birch offered. ?Huh! Bit more like ?yellow-bellied? than ?red-breasted? robin.?

Back to the caves? ?Praise the Fates,? she muttered, ignoring the slight to her comrade. If he had flown away to hide, he would be safe.

?What?s all this about retreating?? One voice rose from the ranks of woodlanders. ?Who ordered it??

?That?d be me,? Bell replied calmly without looking at the speaker. She peered around the side of a hut to glimpse the vermin nursing their wounds in the palm stand. There was no sign of Venril among them, though the puny stoat was easy to glance over. Come to think on it, she hadn?t noticed him in thick of battle, either. Not taking sides until he knew the outcome? How very poisoner-like of him, the?

?And who are you?? The dormouse felt a tap on her shoulder and suppressed a wince. A particularly vicious rat had managed to clip her with his cudgel.

?Leftenant Bellona Littlebrush,? she explained, bleeding all emotion from the statement. Obviously the beast addressing her was in a fine mood -- the tap had been demanding rather than curious.

?Please look at me, Leftenant.? The pleasantry did nothing to mask the creature?s displeasure. Bell sighed heavily.

?Giddy.? She pointed a claw at the recruit who had a few wounds of his own, but whose ears stood erect with whiskers quivering. ?Keep an eye on our friends. If any of them make a move, you know what to do.?

?Yes, m?am!? The young hare saluted, then shifted his whole attention to the enemy.

Good soldier. Satisfied, Bell finally turned to confront the creature she knew had to be?

?Sagaru.? A one-eyed mouse nodded curtly. ?I can see you?re a warrior, Leftenant, so why the retreat? Shouldn?t we have pressed forward when we had the advantage??

?M?am.? Bell inclined her head, sizing up the creature before her swiftly -- not a warrior, but not a useless civilian, either. Sagaru had an air of fighting wisdom about her, though there was certainly room for improvement. The dormouse could not fault her for that -- she doubted these Oasis creatures had ever suffered anything like a prolonged war.

?Pressing forward would?ve been foolish given the circumstances. There?re still a lot of those scum and they just ran to a place with a stock of large, hard ammunition. Matukhana, their captain, isn?t an idiot. Coconuts?re ungainly weapons, but get a strong creature to hurl one with enough force and you?re looking at a ?slingstone? the size of your head.?

?Oh.? The mouse flicked her tail uncomfortably, stepping back from Bell and crossing her arms. ?So, what now? I say we gather long range weapons and wait for them to try to launch an assault.?

Bell?s eyebrows shot up. Maybe Sagaru wasn?t quite so foolish as she?d first thought. ?Yes. Now, if there?re any sort of javelins or bows around??

?Leftenant, m?am!? Giddy interrupted. ?It?s tha? fox an? a couple o? beasties t?back him.?

Bell and Sagaru both walked forward, but the dormouse beat her to the edge of the hut.

?Stop where you are, Captain!? Bell hollered.

?Parlay!? the marten, Eliza, declared as she and the others stopped. ?We have a proposition that is altogether too kind for you despicably violent creatures.?

?Giddy, Birch.? Bell jerked her head toward the vermin entourage.

?Hold on a moment, I?m coming with you,? Sagaru insisted.

?I don?t think that?s wise, m?am,? Bell cautioned. ?You?re the leader of the Oasis. I don?t want to put you in danger.?

The mouse narrowed her eyes and stepped forward so that she was nose to nose with the dormouse. ?As leader of the Oasis, I?m telling you: I?m coming, too.?

She?s got spirit, at least. ?Birch, stay here and hold your ground,? Bell commanded. ?Make sure this lot doesn?t try anything?rash.?

?Aye.? The squirrel?s tail drooped, but she nodded dutifully.

~ = ~ = ~

At some point between the caves and the lull in the battle, Matukhana had managed to obtain a bandanna, now bloody, that was tied over half his face. It looked almost comical, and Bell didn?t try terribly hard to hide her amusement.

?So?? She smirked. ?Parlay, fox??

?Aye, mouse,? he growled, trying to speak moving only the right side of his face. That was most definitely comical. He glanced at Eliza and she continued.

?We want to offer your little band a deal,? the marten grumbled like a dejected recruit performing a menial task. ?We want to end this fighting nonsense. I want to go home, Captain Matukhana and his crew want to depart, and you little miscreants want us gone. Since we?re all in agreement, give us timber from these huts?maybe a few paws to put to use, and we?ll leave you in peace.?

?A few paws you?ll undoubtedly press into slavery the moment you get the chance,? Sagaru chittered. ?And our huts? Do you know how rare good driftwood is??

?Can?t imagine,? Matukhana sneered, then winced.

?A moment.? Bell raised a claw and stepped back to explain seriously, ?This may be the best offer we?ll get out of that one.?

?It is,? Eliza interjected.

The dormouse shot her a withering glare and spoke more softly. ?I can bargain for how much he?ll take, but??

?Why are you leading negotiations, anyway?? Sagaru challenged.

??Cause she?s th?Leftenant,? Giddy growled.

?Well, I?m the leader of those creatures,? the mouse rejoined, stabbing a claw back at where the slaves and Oasis-dwellers hid, ?and these lands and creatures are my responsibility. Forgive me, Leftenant, but I can?t in good conscience let some stranger barter away our homes!?

?C?n I jist say, m?am,? Giddy began, ?Leftenant Li?dlebroosh has a relationship with Cap?n Matukhana, bri?dle stick though tha? relation may be, aye. It?s fine sense t?have her as negootiatoor. I ken tha? foxer?s jist a wee bit afraid o? her.?

?I don?t care,? Sagaru pressed. ?That fox murdered one of my best friends, cut out my eye, threw me out of my home, enslaved creatures I?m sworn to protect, and now you have the gall to dictate to me how we?re going to deal with him? Who the sands do you think you are, Littlebrush? Sir Rolin Waneroar??

Rolin Who? Bell wondered, but didn?t ask. ?I?m trying,? she began quietly, feeling her hackles rise, ?to do what?s best for everybeast. Continuing to fight won?t help your creatures, Sagaru. It?ll only end in bloodshed. Do you want more of those creatures you?re responsible for to die?? She took no notice as her murmur crept toward a shout. ?Do you have any idea what it?s like to watch almost everybeast you?ve ever sworn to protect die and not be able to do one bloody thing about it?? Puffing, the warrior finally noted her volume, and took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to ignore the leer Matukhana threw at her.

?I do know,? Bell concluded, back in control. ?I don?t want you to have to because of your pride or even righteous anger.?

Sagaru glowered at Bell, then turned that ferocity toward Matukhana, then back again. Her jaw was set, but then her eyes dropped.

Good soldier.

?All right,? the mouse relented. ?But I get the final say in any deals.?

?Of course, m?am.? The dormouse nodded, then focused back on marten. For whatever reason, she?d been chosen as the mouthpiece. ?How many huts?d it take to rebuild the ship??

?Ten.? No pause.

?You?ll get seven. Use whatever wood?s inside the cabins -- shelves, ladders, chairs, benches. You can repair your vessel fully when you make port. How many of you vermin?re left??

?Two score and a pawful more.? A hint of hostility colored Eliza?s next remark. ?Not surprising after the slaughter you instigated.?

?We?ll send another score of woodlanders to assist, and two runners. If you try anything, the runners?ll inform us and there?ll be Hellgates to pay. That all right, Sagaru, m?am??

?That the best you can do, Leftenant?? she wanted to know.

?The best to get them gone in a timely manner, m?am.?

?Fine.? She ignored the marten and stared at the wounded captain. ?Do we have a deal, fox??

?Aye, deal.? Matukhana spat on his paw and held it out. Sagaru stared at him blankly, so Bell moved forward, spitting on her own paw and extending it. She matched captain grip for grip as they shook once and let go. He glanced at Eliza.

?We need a day to heal?? she began.

?Dinnae think all th?days in three seasons?d do a thin? t?heal tha? face o? yourn, lassie.? Giddy snickered.

The marten balled her fists as if preparing to strike, but managed to restrain herself. Whatever else the insult had done, it replaced the sulk in her voice for haughtiness -- either way she was annoying. ?How dare you, you buck-toothed ragamuffin! As if you could know anything about beauty, when you're surrounded by scar-faced baggage like her!? She jabbed a claw at Bell.

That?s a nice weakness to know, the dormouse thought with an inward smirk.

?Hmph! You?ve one day to pick out the work crew and the huts, then we?ll be back!? Eliza turned with a sniff and stalked away. Matukhana and the other vermin were more self-aware, backing up instead of exposing themselves.

?Oi, Leftenant! One more thing.? Bell?s eyes flitted from the palm stand to the captain himself. They were five badger-lengths away from each other now with another two left before the safety of the palms and huts. ?This is for my face!? He brought his paw down in a vicious slice. An arrow flew from the palms at the woodland trio. Bell lunged at Sagaru, shoving her to the ground, but the arrow hit its mark. Giddy thudded down next to them, his eyes misting over, and the shaft in his chest.

?L-Leften..ant?? he managed, then was gone.

?Attack!? Sagaru screamed, her face contorting in rage. ?Attack that treacherous??

?Stop!? the dormouse shouted her down, regaining her footpaws. ?Stop, all of you!? The woodlanders who had jumped forward to avenge the hare?s death and broken truce paused uncertainly.

?What are you doing?? the Oasis leader demanded. ?He just killed your friend!?

?Yes.? Bell gritted her teeth and directed a look of pure bile at Matukhana who waved merrily, then retreated. The marten caught the dormouse?s eye as she performed a similar action, a malicious grin plastered across her ugly face. ?It?s personal -- between me and the fox. The truce, on the other paw, isn?t.?

?Are you saying you?re going to just let him get away with it? Like you let him get away with what he did to me and the Oasis?? Sagaru?s ears jutted forward aggressively.

?No, m?am.? The warrior knelt beside the last recruit of Martin?s Shadow, and gently closed Gideon Kildare?s eyes. The mad grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. ?I?m going to kill that split-faced scum slowly and painfully. Ever so slowly and painfully?at the opportune moment.?