Mau, noticing her partner's moodiness, placed a paw atop Minx's knee and gently needled her. He's going to come back! No need to act so clingy, Minx. You might lose him if you start acting like this every time duty calls!
I hope he comes back, countered Minx, but nothing is certain right now. For all I know, he'll fly a few miles from here and meet Torrent himself. Then what?
The Faelyr fell silent.
Minx would have continued her brooding if not for the sound of the alarm bells ringing through the square. She and Mau both shot to their feet at the sound, glancing through the gate. One of the watchmen had evidently discovered a nearby threat and was alerting all warriors in the area to get ready for battle.
Minx climbed to the top of one of the undamaged walls and took a look into the distance for herself. At first, as she scanned the fields and neighboring forests, she saw nothing amiss. It wasn't until she was about to climb back down that she noticed an odd stirring amidst the trees and found, with a start, a pair of Wuffs emerging from the woods. They were armed with bows and began unloading the moment they came within range, sending a chaotic flurry of arrows over the top of the wall before the other Fae archers could even mobilize.
These wild arrows crashed indiscriminately about the square, skewering sacks of cement and becoming embedded in the heavy wooden wagons parked about the construction area. The workmen dove behind the wagons and stacks of bricks for cover, while one of the archers, rushing toward his usual place on the wall, caught an arrow in the chest and collapsed mid-climb.
All the while, the alarm bell kept ringing, and Minx caught a glimpse of other figures in her periphery. A handful of Krah with shields darted out of the woods and began in the opposite direction, hugging the western edge of the Trading Center wall. The archers, then, had been a distraction meant to allow these presumed wall-breakers easier access to the structure. Minx nocked an arrow, but the constant fire of the Wuffs below made it impossible to take a shot. Ducking for cover, she jumped over an unfinished portion of wall and tried to set her sights on the Krah.
The heavily-armored footmen were keeping too close to the wall for her to get a proper shot from her vantage point, however. Unless she jumped over the wall and engaged them on the ground below, she'd have no choice but to sit and wait for them to absentmindedly wander into range. This brought with it too many risks; a single archer leaving the Trading Center to engage with a handful of rogues could easily be overrun if more were lurking in the forest. She grit her teeth, side-stepping yet another arrow. This was one of the craftier raids yet—the enemy troops had coordinated enough to strike at the Trading Center from multiple points. This was a great change from their usual straight-forward attacks.
Down below, from one of the sections of newly-repaired wall, the sounds of hammer blows resounded. They're going to bust down the wall! exclaimed Mau. We've got to get out there and put a stop to it!
Another arrow raced past Minx. She knelt atop the wall, squared the Wuffs in her gaze, and returned fire. Her shot narrowly missed one of the archers, who sprang just out of range and then paused in his assault to taunt her with a shaking of his furry fist. I'd love to go down there and show him what's what, but the enemy isn't behaving like normal. They're playing games with us, and we don't know how many are out there, waiting in the woods. If I jump down there and start firing, it's possible they'll rush me. It's a bit risky...
At this, the Faelyr sneered. Of course it's risky! It's war! Mau found her way to the gate, where she pawed angrily at the bars.
Minx called out to the warrior guarding the entrance. “Let her out!” she demanded—though inwardly she wasn't certain it was a good idea.
The guard obeyed, disarming the meaty lock with a loud clunk and opening the large gate just enough for Mau to speed out into the field. The Faelyr would first be running into the arrow-slinging Wuffs, and based on experience Minx knew that Mau would be able to handle herself. Those archers had been pests, but from close-range they would have no answers to Mau's incredible muscle. No longer under threat of being shot in the back, Minx turned her attention to the Krah whose terrible poundings were shattering the newly-lain stones in the wall.
To jump from the top of the wall she presently stood on would make for a painful—perhaps unsafe—landing. Rather than leap, Minx sat down upon the outer edge of the wall and began to bend backward, so that her upper body was extended beyond the edge of the fortress. Using her bent knees to anchor her to the cobblestones, she slowly moved herself into position, leaning until her back met the outside of the wall. It was an awkward movement, and the stretch taxed the muscles in her upper legs and abdominals immensely. Controlling her breathing to ignore the discomfort it caused, she leveled her weapon upon the Krah below without their even realizing it.
When she was sure she could fire a few well-placed arrows without loosening her grip on the wall, Minx let them have it. With a mere three shots, she cut down the pair of wall-breakers, dropping them where they stood. The damage to the wall was not minor, but they'd failed to fully penetrate the bricks. Large divots had been left in the stone where their hammers had gone to work, but these could likely
