WATCH AND LEARNED

"I want to fight! not for the land but also for the freedom" Mindaza touched the hilt of her sword.

"There may be other opportunities," Sulaya said quietly.

"But this battle may end the war," Mindaza protested.

Sulaya sighed at first, she fully understands now her daughter. Speaking of "freedom" is for the people. She is right. From her experience she has been fighting for a long time, and secretly hiding to survive. In short, she is tired of doing it again. Their story must change, perhaps for the sake of the islanders and for their better future. Sulaya removed Mindaza's hand from her sword and said,

"Let me do it for now, soon you will learn." Sulaya said and left her behind just to avoid her daughter's incoming questions.

"But mother! I am no longer young!"

Mindaza's protest was cut short when Ganadara chuckled and placed her palm over her shoulder and said, "You will be, after us."

Then a loud sound echoed around, the sound of a large drummed. Mindaza looked back at the place to find who had taken the initiative and found out that it was from the Northern warriors.

The Northern men sent a force fifty strong cantering ahead of the main body and towards the advancing Black boar warriors, while the remainder continued their steady, remorseless march.

At sight of the Northern warriors cavalry going to the Black boar warriors, they both waved their weapons and raised a great yell of defiance. They spread over the plain, each group behind keep holding its banner, most with long spears or weapons that Mindaza guessed had been fashioned from agricultural implements, and long swords that looked dull and rusty from being unused.

Mindaza's hunter-keen eye like an eagle, picked out one tall black haired man who rode a white horse in the midst of a hundred of men. A silver plated head band on his head as a sign that he led the entire army. Dressed in a dark red quilted thick jacket and carrying a short lance and a sword that might have seen service in the days of his grandfather, the dark-haired man rode with a confidence that was visible even from a distance. And then her gaze shifted to the front of the army, where small numbers of warriors stood in front with drawn swords and brandished axes.

"These men are the best warriors of their clans. They will lead by example and expect to die, so that the future generations will remember the glory of their deeds" Ganadara told her.

Mindaza nodded. When she touched her sword, she understood the way of the hero. She thinks, it was a good way to be remembered.

The Spiral Hunters watched as the Northern men scouted around the King's army. They released catapults to rain down on the Black Boar Army's location. Threw spears that pierced the ground, and they rode swiftly on horses with short spears bouncing off their saddle-bows and long swords hanging from their scabbards. They mocked the Black Boar's army, with their entire presence, while the entire army of the Black Boar emerged as the sun entered the last quarter of its life and began the slow descent to the west.

"Many people are hard to command" Ganadara said quietly.

"How long do we need to wait for this?"

"Maybe three days or one week" Ganadara said and Mindaza frowned.

The spiral hunters retreated to a distant place, this was so that they would not be noticed by two groups. They carefully carried the wagons with the children they had rescued. When they found a suitable hiding place, they let the children rest there and told them to spend the night there first.However, one of the hunters was assigned by Sulaya to watch them over.

"The darkness will give them the advantage. They are very smart at calculating the ground better than the Northern men" Sulaya said.

"Some animals can help them to identify the situation in the distance, like a turtle, walk in a slow but not as fool like others because it is smart, covered with untouchable combat to their prey." Ganadara added.

Mindaza has come to understand that every event unfolds in its own designated time. The Northern cavalry advanced in a straight formation, maintaining a precise alignment with the ten lines positioned ahead, while another contingent secured the flanks. This strategic arrangement served as an effective means to consolidate their efforts towards achieving the anticipated victory. As Mindaza observed the scene, the troops came to a halt nestled between two wooded hills, organizing themselves into three lines of infantry, with the cavalry flanking them on either side. In stark contrast to their adversaries, the soldiers remained eerily quiet, save for the gruff commands issued by a small cadre of leaders, who stood resolutely beneath a flag that was beginning to fray. Once they had completed their formation, they awaited further instructions, their gaze fixed ahead, with a circular seat before them, its eyes darkened with ink, and their painted shields positioned at their sides.

"They look very stubborn," Mindaza said.

The Black boar warriors advanced with fervor, their voices raised in exuberant cheers and shouts, brandishing their weapons as they issued challenges to bolster their comrades and instill fear in their adversaries. At the forefront, the champions displayed remarkable courage, some adorned in vibrant tartan embellished with intricate jewelry, while others donned chain-mail and helmets, or sported the tails of their lienee secured between their bare thighs. In the rear, the synarchies stood proudly, captivating their troops with lengthy narratives of previous conflicts, reinforcing the spirit and camaraderie among the ranks.

Standing beneath the Banner, the tallest of the Northern men blew a long blast on a silver-mounted horn and the infantry divided. The first two lines stepped forward to form a circle, with the third line and the cavalry inside. Another blast and the forward lines presented their shields as an interlocking barrier, two shields high in a colorful display that extended around the full circle. The sun glinted on the metal shield bosses.

"Hold your shield and get ready to fight!"

The Black Boar warrior intensified as they drew nearer to the Northern men, with weapons waving, banners held aloft and a surge of enthusiasm. They halted in a great arc around the front of the Norse, outnumbering them by at least two to one. The clamor escalated into a powerful surge, a tumultuous sound that seemed to reach for the very skies above. These army was suddenly quiet. The standard bearers lifted their banners higher, and the champions stepped forward in their pride and bravery.

"I wish I could hear the discussion between them" Mindaza whispered. Her hearing, already sharp, became acute. She focused on the forthcoming battle. There was a cheer from the ranks of the Black Boar, quickly stilled, and then the reply came from the Northern warriors. It was a single word, loud and clear, repeated often.

"Fight! Fight!"

Mindaza observed in disbelief as the wings unfurled and stretched outward, while the previously drooping head lifted, the beak opening wide as if preparing to strike. The Northern warriors erupted in a cacophony reminiscent of a dog's bark, their swords clashing against their shields, creating a relentless and rhythmic sound akin to a drumbeat. Suddenly, one of the warriors stepped forward from the protective circle of shields, spear in hand. Instead of hurling it at the Black Boar fighters, he launched it high into the air, allowing it to arc gracefully over the ranks of the Black Boars before landing softly behind them. As the drumbeat ceased abruptly, the archers positioned within the shield ring raised their bows, drawing and releasing their arrows in unison, joined by others concealed among the wooded hills flanking the battlefield.

Mindaza saw the hundreds arrows was ascended, lingering momentarily in the air before plummeting toward the ranks of the Black boar. As the initial wave obscured the sky with their darkened presence, a subsequent barrage followed, soon accompanied by a third wave, all while the first volley descended with a piercing shriek toward the ground. A cacophony of screams erupted as soldiers, who had been filled with anticipation for combat just moments before, now gazed in horrified disbelief astonishment at the feathered monstrosities that sprouted from chests and stomachs, bellies, arms and legs.

"Kill them all!! aahhh !" The champions raised their swords and rushed toward the Northern men, howling their slogans and hacking at the linden-board shields.

The first rank of the northern enemy who stood in the front , shuddered under the sheer force of the assault, and some warriors were forced back a few paces. Mindaza distinctly saw their sword hack right through a Northern men shield, splitting it down the center, and the Black boar warrior pushed forward, disengaged his sword and thrust. A jet of blood erupted into the air, striking down the Black boar warrior just as he lifted his head to proclaim his triumph with a shout. The second champion mirrored this success, forcefully bringing his adversary to the ground, followed by a third who also emerged victorious in his bout. Blades appeared to fly through the atmosphere, descending alongside the defeated opponents. Observing this unfolding chaos, the Northern warriors began to retreat cautiously, their confidence wavering as uncertainty crept into their ranks.

"We're winning!" Mindaza grasped.

"Not yet." Sulaya said and she held her daughter's hand to uphold her expectations at the current event, she said, "It was just the beginning of the true blooded war"

Then one of the Northern warrior spears snaked from behind the shield ring. They looked down as his intestines slowly seeped out of his belly, and then he roared his slogan and plunged on, a hideous, bloody mess, dying even as he sought to kill. Most of them did the same, they thrust from behind the shields, picking their targets to kill, maiming there and always blunting the force of the attack. And all the time, this combat group of enemies pulled their archers and released them.

A constant flow of arrows hissed and screamed down on the mass of the King's army, it killed one by one multiple times in one second, others are wounding, maiming, and weakening the army in one minute.

As Mindaza watched them over the hills, she saw there were already scores lying prone, some with a single arrow through them, others hit so often that they looked like hedgehogs.

Another man from the Black Boar fell to the axe of the enemy, he had sliced knee-high beneath the shields and cut off his left leg. Then the enemy roared as he landed, swinging his sword in impotent fury.

Then there is a blast sound from a horn, a sign for a call, and the shield ring. A general from the Northern men stepped forward as one man, they gave his command toward the Black Boars warriors, and proudly announced to surrender now.

"Mother, we must help them!" Mindaza pleaded. "If we launch an attack on the rear, it might distract them"

"We are not as strong as you think, one cub and twenty four of us middle-aged or grey-haired, against the three thousand Northern warriors. They are in fully combat, well disciplined in their prime. Stay still, watch and learn. There will be work for your sword later, I promise you that."

Mindaza has no idea what is going on in her mother's mind. She just had to obey the order.

Adding the richness of the world. The moon above ascended in the sky, clouds hurried past, casting fleeting beams of soft light that mingled with the playful shadows along the shoreline, illuminating the frothy crests of the waves on the Forth. A gentle southerly breeze wafted through the air, bringing with it the distinct smoke.

Mindaza walking around in the distance, she was assigned now to guard the area. While the spiral hunters have now started their discussions. 

"Ready?" Sulaya looked over at her people. As per count they are thirty three in total, strong as young, old but gold in experience.

"Brothers and Sisters. I just want to remind all of us, that we are here not only for the Island, our home. We are here to support the king against the invaders. We always have one heart for the welfare of our children and the generations to come. Let's not agree to oppress and enslave our grandchildren. Right there..!"

Sulaya pointed her finger at the right side.

"It's only a couple of miles to the northern shore."

"We can do it!" The voices of a woman strongly shout it out.

Then a man said, "Yes, we can..."