Tookan Attack by Alex Paul

Author:Alex Paul [Paul, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: neanderthals, pirates, high fantasy
Publisher: Alex Paul
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

THE OPENING BATTLE

“What do you two think?” Arken asked Asher and Talya as they lay on the branch of a giant live oak tree overlooking the large meadow by their original tree fort, the same fort where the Tookans had captured Gart, Han, and Narval. The wind of the early afternoon was beginning to stir, cooling the heat. The breeze lifted the branches and leaves of the trees, making the forest look as if it were opening its lungs to take a deep breath. The gathering winds also blew the mosquitoes away, which made the jungle even more pleasant.

Eight gastag grazed in one corner of the open field, while several huge picars rooted around the edge of the meadow in a different spot. The wind was blowing from the game to the Nanders, so the gastag and picar were unaware of the presence of the Nander bulls.

Arken’s sharp eyes spotted a pair of darwulf hunched down in the meadow grass not far from the gastag, and he smiled. The peace of the meadow would be broken, but not by the charge of darwulf. He knew the hunt and the hunters would soon be interrupted by the arrival of the Tookan column that they had spotted earlier.

Sparrows darted across the open meadow, catching insects invisible at such a long distance. The calls of other birds echoed in the forest, and from far away, a herd of ton bugled their secret messages to each other.

“I think we should deploy the hidden archers in a line along the meadow just inside the treeline,” Asher replied.

“And how about putting Lon’s swordsmen at the rear of the archers, right there.” Talya pointed to a space near where the archers would wait. “To defend the archers in the event the Tookans try to circle around and attack the archers from behind.”

“Good strategy,” Arken agreed. The Nander column was waiting on the ground below, so they climbed down to the ground where Arken relayed his orders to Lon.

Arken kept his eyes on Bruton and worried that he might be jealous that direct command of the Nanders had been given to Lon, but Bruton just seemed angry in general, so Arken assumed he was angry at the Tookan invaders.

Arken had divided the archers into squads of ten Nanders with one being the squad leader. The Nander archers obeyed Lon’s orders and quickly hid themselves by crouching down in the brush along the meadow’s edge with their leaders spaced behind them.

Arken, Asher, and Talya climbed back into the tree, and then Arken made sure the leaders could see Ord, and that Ord could see him from below. Ord waved that they were ready from where he crouched next to Lon and the swordsman squad.

Arken lay down on an enormous branch with Talya and Asher nearby as they watched the meadow for the arrival of the Tookans. They didn’t have to wait long before the Tookans came into view, walking on a game trail bordering the far side of the meadow.

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