章節 29: Attack on the Outpost Fortress (1)
(POV Wren)
"How has the construction of the arrows and bows gone?"
"It went well, we managed to build 450 arrows for the longbows, and 200 for the medium bows. We also repaired the frame of one of the towers that came loose in last week's storm."
Wren nodded, he had 5 builders plus Benton himself, and all together they could barely match the speed at which Blake made arrows.
Wren walked beside Benton to the tower, whose repairs had been completed.
"You lazy little sloth, you've brought back a squirrel!"
Wren looked toward the kitchen hut, where a slender, tall woman was beating a boy with a large wooden spoon.
"Why don't I better go out hunting myself, and you stay in the kitchen, in the tribe you brought rabbits, foxes, ducks, and piglets, you're being lazy since Blake isn't around?!"
Wren and Benton walked into the kitchen hearing more of the berating and banging.
"Lorna, what is it now?"
Wren came up beside the woman, causing her to stop.
Lorna was one of the 3 cooks Blake had arranged in the fortress, as she had the character to impose order and get the job done on time. Blake had also told her to listen to her carefully, as she was a wise woman.
"Wren, this little slacker has brought back a squirrel, it's the only thing he's hunted for the last week!"
Wren furrowed her eyebrows looking at the young hunter, he must have been about 14 years old.
"Sometimes you don't get lucky hunting, I'm sure he'll bring in a big kill soon."
Lorna folded her arms after giving the boy one last shot, as she laughed.
"Lucky, he's been hunting solo for 3 years, I've seen him bring in up to 4 prey on the same day, look!"
Lorna put in front of Wren a piece of paper. On it was a table with the names of all the hunters, to the right of each one it specified which prey they had brought to the fortress per day.
"You mean to tell me that while Blake was there, the boy brought rabbits, foxes, and even wolves, and he's had bad luck since he left?"
Lorna couldn't read or write completely, but she could count, read and write the names of the most common animals and vegetables, so Blake had taught her to keep a basic inventory, which would be given to Dean.
Wren took the paper, he also understood words and numbers up to Lorna's level and was struggling with Dean's help to continue his learning.
"Graham, what Lorna says is true?"
Wren watched as the boy stood up dropping his head covering. Lorna was a very intimidating woman, plus she was a spear woman before she was a cook, so the boy didn't dare defend himself so as not to upset her further.
The boy stood with his face down, not looking at Wren.
"Graham!"
"That's not true."
The boy responded to Wren's shout, turning his head and saying weakly.
"Then why the hell do you keep bringing squirrels into my kitchen!"
Lorna was about to punch the boy, but he quickly spoke up again.
"I haven't been lounging around, I've been spying on the Ice-river clans, they've been coming to the fortress a lot lately!"
"And what the hell are you doing spying on them, your job is to hunt and bring food, you little scoundrel!"
Graham saw how Lorna was about to hit him, so he jumped back as he shouted.
"Who cares, I don't like being in this place, I want to go back to the tribe with Blake!"
Benton smiled as he replied to Graham.
"Hahaha, well boy, you're not the only one who prefers to be in the tribe, but the tribe needs us in this place."
Graham glared at Benton with hatred but didn't respond.
"Graham, your father died because of the Ice-river clan's ambush, I thought you would like to avenge him."
Wren shook his head speaking towards Graham with disappointment on his face.
The boy showed an expression as if he was being insulted.
"I thought we would attack them, but I have done nothing but hunt in this place, and the Ice-river clans have been approaching the fortress for weeks now, sometimes I see them in the Haunted forest, but you ordered not to attack and to keep us away from them!"
Wren sighed, they hadn't told the plan Blake and Oswin came up with to lure the Ice-river clans away.
"Listen, Graham, we need to..."
"!!!!!!"
Everyone looked up at the sound of a horn.
"It's coming from the north!"
"To the walls quick!"
Benton spoke, and Wren shouted to all the warriors of the tribe to get up to the ramparts.
As they climbed, nothing was seen at first, but after several minutes some hunters and warriors guarding the vicinity began to come into sight, running up to the fortress.
Wren saw her brother's wife, running up to the fortress and shouting.
"Everyone get inside, send the hunters to the tribe, and call for reinforcements, they're coming!"
Wren heard the shouts and turned his gaze north to the river bank, where more and more men were beginning to come into sight, approaching the tribe.
"I want 3 rested hunters here, run and warn the tribe that the Ice-river clans have attacked the outpost fortress. All warriors arm yourselves, draw your longbows, and place arrows and rocks on all the watchtowers. Dean, prepare food right now for everyone to eat, we don't have much time!!!"
The fortress came to life immediately with Wren's orders.
"Damn woman, what a scare she gave me."
Benton looked at Sagara who came out of the forest, running towards the fortress, she didn't seem to be hurt.
"It looks like hundreds..."
"Only hundreds?"
Wren and Benton said as they watched all the Ice-river clansmen approaching the fortress by the river.
"See that Graham."
Wren spoke towards Graham, who was standing near him.
"That's why we didn't attack, Blake knew there were too many of them, I hope your arrows are better than when you hunt in the forest."
Graham turned pale as he saw the huge tide of people coming towards them.
"Archers, I want you to shoot any Ice-river clansmen that come within 100 yards!"
The tribe's warriors lined up on the north, east, and west ramparts, in their hands they carried longbows.
"Oi oi... They plan to attack directly!"
Benton watched as the Ice-river clansmen did not stop at any point they were increasing speed as they approached.
"They will not rest, they will initiate the attack immediately!"
Wren looked at the pinned heads of the Ice-river clans surrounding the outpost fortress.
"I don't think I would either if I saw my father's head on one of those pikes."
Wren gave orders for the hunters to also take bows and defend from the ramparts.
There were 30 warriors, 20 hunters, 6 carpenters, 3 cooks, and 2 tanners in the advance fortress, if you discount the hunters he sent out to give warning, he had about 50 archers available.
Blake had assured him that with at least 50 men it would be impossible for that fortress to fall, but Wren was still perplexed at the huge tide of men coming towards them as if they had stolen their wives and murdered their fathers, well, some of it they had.
"Tighten ropes!"
All the warriors and hunters raised their bows, ready to fire.
Wren was able to better detail the Ice-river clansmen, who were running amok and in disarray, many had no shields, only spears, and wooden bows, but there were too many of them.
Wren waited for them to pass the 100-meter mark they had set on the fortress grounds, hardened her heart, and shouted.
"Attack!"
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