Arrows cascaded onto the unsuspecting yellow haired men and their horses, watched Brak from above with both surprise and approval, and the tide of the battle turned distinctly in favor of the orcs.
That was a bold yet smart tactic by the orcs, thought Brak, it must be that these Uruk-Hai are smarter than the others. Indeed, it appeared from this perspective that the horse men were fighting for survival and all efforts for an offensive had withered.
“Brak, check the trees!” commanded Akaaw, immediately drawing Brak thoughts away from his inner musings.
“Team, form up and follow me!” cried Brak as he and a section of crows swooped away from Pip’kha and Iadoc, whose teams were already banking hard the opposite direction.
With the speed and maneuverability that only a well trained company could exhibit, Brak and his team arrowed into the forest of thickly woven trees. Though the tightly knit boughs left little room for evasive maneuvers, the company shot through the woods with a perfection that could only come with battle time adrenaline. “Spread out!” yelled Brak.
After several moments of intense searching, Brak turned his team back towards the site of the battle. There was little to be seen in the forest but remnants of where the Uruk-Hai archers were hiding. He was about to lead them out to join the other companies when two of the yellow haired came into view, helping a third into the cover of the trees. Brak gave a loud battle caw and swooped down, claws outstretched, with his company close behind.
The horse men did not expect this attack. Before they could gather their wits and attempt to defend themselves, the claws of the crebain ripped into hands and faces causing screams of pain and dropped weapons. The three men stumbled back towards the open field, the two still trying assisting the third, but each of them tripping over roots or falling to one knee while trying to regain balance. When they finally reached the ends of the tree cover, large Uruk-Hai were already waiting for them, weapons drawn, as they were alerted to their presence by their screams. The orcs made quick work of the nearly defenseless men and then hastily departed to seek more worthy opponents.
Brak nodded to himself on a nearby tree where he and his company had settled to watch the conclusion of the affair, and knew that they had done their work well. “Well done team,” said Brak, “now to see how the others are fairing.”
With that he launched off the tree followed closely by his company. They left the forest shelter and sped off in the direction of their nearest colleagues.
|