arrows as you can carry and a pouch of food for three days. Go now!”
Several hundred more stepped forward asking to go with the others. Samuel said, “We need you here to protect our community. You will have to be better than you’ve ever been to protect those that go into the forest for our food. We need you here.”
The remaining archers looked at each other and even the Zord warrior watching the proceedings could see the pride they felt at the responsibility being placed on them.
Scotty went up to Zreeg and could tell the Zord was weary. “Are you all right?”
Zreeg settled on all fours and took a deep breath, “I rushed here so you could have time to prepare before the others arrive. I need some time to collect my energy.”
Jing listened to the two and said, “We just killed a Torg at the edge of the forest over there. You’re welcome to it.”
Zreeg rose up on two-legs and saw the dead Torg, “It would help me if I could have some of it.”
Jing said, “Take it all. There’s plenty more where that came from.”
Zreeg came down to four legs, moved over to the dead Torg, and began eating. As he approached the edge of the forest he disappeared as his skin matched the forest’s color.
“Scotty, do you think we can help them?”
“I think more will live if we do, however, some of us will probably die in the effort. Samuel, there are tens of thousands of Torg massing to attack those nests.”
Samuel looked at the ground and said, “We have to try.”
“I know, Samuel. It’s not an option.”
They turned and saw the archers assembling. Scotty said, “We’ll need more arrows. You might want to start the millwrights working on them quickly.
Samuel turned and started issuing orders. Zreeg continued to feed and marveled at the determination of these small creatures to help his people. He didn’t care if some of the warriors were still suspicious. He liked the two-legs that rode his back and, after seeing him fire his weapon, he felt safer with him there. He prayed that this would be the season when he and his mate would have a child to raise. All had been killed by Torg before. He knew Telee was losing hope and he felt her overwhelming sorrow. Her soul was tortured from hearing her babies’ screams as the Torg killed them. He feared she would deliberately attack a herd to end her never ending pain. He looked at the two-legs with white hair and prayed the Air God had sent him to save their children.
The Zord began arriving four hours later. Ten would land and as quick as bindings could be lashed, they took off at high speed for the nesting ground. After two days the archers began climbing on two at a time and flying off with the Zord. Time was growing short.
The first archers arrived and saw Jingo still on top of the Dead Torg with thirty dead Torg at the edge of the nesting ground. Jingo jumped down and met them. He started sending them up in the trees on the outer perimeter of the nesting ground as the Zord females began moving the nests into the center. More than a thousand Torg were killed attempting to attack the females while they feverishly worked to move the now fragile eggs. The number of dead Torg rose to three thousand by the time the nests were relocated. The female Zord were amazed at the accuracy of the two-leg archers and ignored any Torg charging after the second day of work. Some of the eggs were starting to move by the time the carpenters had built blinds halfway up the trunks of the trees at the new, smaller perimeter. Warriors carried the carpenters back to the community and waited as they made arrows for the coming fight. The community could see the impatience of the giant Zord warriors as they waited for a load to be prepared. Finally all were loaded and lifted for the flight back.
Jing looked at Samuel and said, “Well, that’s done.”
Samuel said, “No it’s not, by far. As soon as the other carpenters finish their meals, I want them joining us to make arrows.” Jing showed his doubt and Samuel said, “I would rather have more than we could possibly need than not enough. You know we can always use them if they’re not needed. It will also keep the communities’ minds off the ones sent to fight.”
Jingo tilted his head and nodded. He respected this Human and was often amazed at his insights. The communities needed to be kept busy. He turned around and saw Jesa sitting in front of her home, crying because Jingo had not come back with Scotty. “Especially that one.”
On his way back to the nesting ground, Scotty asked Zreeg to fly over the area surrounding the forest and was stunned at what he saw. “Zreeg, how many Torg are moving toward the forest?”
Zreeg looked down and said, “More than a hundred thousand in the initial herd.”
“What do you mean, initial herd?”
“There will be at least four herds coming to attack our newborns. The follow-up herds are bigger than the first. “
Scotty looked down and saw Torg as far as he could see. “Why are there so many?”
“They know the exact time of our breeding cycle and have been coming for as long as we have been here. This is their largest meal of the year, and their numbers have exploded since they began attacking our nests. Last cycle no newborns survived.”
“Take me to the forest.”
Zreeg turned and flew toward the forest directly in front of the giant, moving mass of Torg.
Scotty came into the nesting ground and yelled for all archers to assemble. The thousand came running and Scotty waited for the last to arrive. He looked around the group and said, “It’s a lot worse that I thought.” He saw their apprehension on their faces. “I have just flown over the Torg herds, and it appears upward of half a million of them are coming to feast on the Zord’s newborns.”
Jingo heard the number and said, “That many?”
“Maybe more; I hope those additional arrows arrive quickly.”
Jingo looked at the group and said, “There’s only one way we stand a chance.”
The archers all turned to him and he continued, “We’re going to have to allow them to get close to the nests.”
Scotty agreed, but the other archers were shocked at his suggestion. Michael Blake asked, “Shouldn’t we should stop them before they get close?”
Jingo looked at Michael and said, “If we attempt to defend a large perimeter, Torg are going to get through. We need the smallest perimeter possible to make sure the number of pathways into the nesting ground is limited. The only way we can slow them down is to kill enough of them to choke their routes through the hedges. We have to fill the spaces between the hedges and pathways with enough dead Torg to block those coming from behind. That line must be where the killing starts, and then we take on anything trying to break through the barrier of dead Torg. I’ve scouted the area and there are a hundred ging roots leading into the nesting ground, and we must defend those paths. If we move fifty yards further out, the number of routes we’ll have to defend doubles from a hundred to two hundred. Ten of us will have to cover each pathway leading from the forest to the eggs. We know the initial numbers charging ahead of the main mass will be fewer than the mass pushing from behind. There will be one archer for every nine on the ground that will be up in a blind. They’ll be hitting anything that makes it through any path leading to the nests. Once the pathways are choked off, half of us will go up in the blinds and start hitting anything that looks like it will even remotely break through. The rest will go where they’re needed. Do any of you see another way?”
Scotty said, “Once we stop the initial charge, I want fifty archers in the center of the nesting area at all times to support any part of our perimeter that looks like it will be overrun. Jingo and I will lead that group. Michael, you will lead the northern approach and Burd, you will handle the southern. Advance fifty yards up each path and start hitting them before they can reach the ging trees’ trunks. You’ll have to hit the first Torg more than a hundred yards up the path to slow the rush enough to create a barricade of dead Torg.”
Bleath sent a thought, “You better get ready; one of the eggs just hatched and the Torg will smell it momentarily. The others will be hatching within the coming five hours.”
Jingo yelled as the archers ran to their trees, “Make every arrow count!”
Jingo and Scotty ran to the center of the northern perimeter toward the largest tree. Scotty went to the left and Jingo right. Eight archers arrived and waited at the giant tree’s trunk. Scotty and Jingo returned to the archers. Scotty looked at the eight other archers and said, “We see four major pathways leading up to this giant tree’s trunk. The one we are standing in leads directly to the nests. The Torg are going to funnel down those other three paths and arrive at this trunk next to the nesting ground.”
