Attack on Rockway

         "Alright Lek, welcome to your first scavenge. Are you ready?"
         "Yes sir." There's no way he believed me.
         "Stay low until we get to the pond. Now move out!"
         "Moving out!" they all shouted in unison. They set out for the nearby pond. Or, at least Lek did.
         "Slow down Lek! Conserve your energy."
         "Yeah, Lek. The feast comes after the mission." Shut up, Hof.
         "Sorry sir." I just want this to be over. I never thought jogging in a straight line could be so scary.
         "Enemy detected, sir. Westbound. To our north."
         "How far away, Jik?"
         "Maybe half a minute, sir." Aw, crap, Jik. Why'd you have to say anything. Now I smell it too.
         "What do we do, sir?" Lek could feel himself running faster again.
         "Calm down, Lek. Stay low. They can't tell our fur from the grass."
         "Cut the chatter, squad."
         "The enemy stopped moving, sir. Wait. He's headed for the pond."
         Lek's thick, tube-like appendages jutting from his jaw could feel the vibration of every step the enemy took. Well, Lek, I guess it's now or never. It was nice knowing me.
         "We need to take the enemy out. Diamond formation, squad. Jik and Hof to my sides. Lek to the rear. Hold this formation and head for the pond." What? We're going to fight that thing? We can barely reach its knee!
         "I see the edge of the grass, sir." It's okay, Lek. Focus on your breathing and count to ten. Hold your head high. You can do this. Before them stood a towering orange beast.
         "Enemy spotted, sir." I'm glad you're so chill, Hof. If only I could rip off one of those stupid fangs, I could use it to hide behind until the beast goes away.
         "Remember your scatter directions, squad. Head for the enemy!" Right rear. Right rear. Right. Rear. Oh, no. He sees us. Focus, Lek! Left--wait, right...right rear. Right rear!
         "He's coming straight for us!" Wait, did I say that out loud?
         "Scatter!" Finally, some sensible advice.
         As the enemy charged toward them, they each ran toward a different corner of the world. Confused, the enemy swung his head every which way before settling on Jik as the target. Jik fled as fast as he could, never wavering from his line.
         "Top left, squad!" You stupid monster! Why did you have to make me take the lunge role? Hof and the leader swung around to rejoin Jik. Piercing the wind, they sprinted forward. The enemy juggled his head, again uncertain which direction to follow. When the trio reunited, Jik continued forward, but no longer at full speed. His two flanks swerved back and forth, forming a helix around Jik's line. The enemy shifted left and right until he found himself with four left feet.
         "Now, Lek!" Oh, no, it's my turn. You can do this, Lek. You can do this. Lek, following behind, soon found himself face-to-rear with the beast. Lunge! Lek leapt forward, using his teeth to form a vice grip around the enemy's ankle. His teeth may not have been as long as those scary fangs, but they were just as sharp. Hold on tight, Lek. He wrapped his four paws around and used his sharp, thin talons to further pierce skin. The enemy's left leg flew to the skies. Its head crashed to the ground, sliding forward.
         "Enemy down, moles. Reform and dash for the pond."
         "Yes sir!" It's over! Lek released his grip. He put his paw against his jaw for a brief moment, but he knew now was not the time to celebrate. When they reached the pond, the debriefing could begin.
         "Alright, squad. Snack on tulips, and let's grab some nuts and acorns for the food cache." Now that's an order I can get behind. The leader walked toward Lek. "So, Lek, how do you feel after your first successful scavenge?"
         "Sir, I--"
         "At ease, Lek."
         "Well, Nev, my mouth hurts."
         "That's usually what they say. Enjoy tonight's feast, Lek. You've earned it."
         "Hey, Lek. You made it!"
         "Shut up, Hof."

*****

         The sun cast an orange glow upon the lush, green plains as Lek waved goodbye to his squad. He headed for his hut within Tree 37 to enjoy a well-deserved meal with his family. He remembered the faces of his two children, and his wife's cries of joy when they returned home as a family for the first time. A wave of calm overcame him. He looked to the skies to take in the scenic series of the yellow bringers of light. Wait, I thought we only had one sun. And why are they getting bigger?
         The suns pounded the floor, each with a fury of a thousand beasts. The plains lit up. The spirit of every honorable cremation that ever occurred crashed upon the land, at once and everywhere in sight. Trapped inside the flames, he tried to open his eyes, only to be instantly blinded. He became a creature of fire. Throwing himself to the ground, he rolled in place. Quickly, he jumped back to his feet after realizing his favorite childhood game was now a reality. A line of charred, gray fur ran across the top of his body--the last surviving remnant of his former beauty.
         He came to Tree 37. Where is my family? Where are they?! He briefly regained his sight, though he soon wished he hadn't. A pillar of smoke replaced his tree. Out of the ashes shot three small fireballs emitting the most horrific screeches Lek had ever heard. They came to rest. A trio of dark-red, lifeless mounds of flesh were all that remained of his former life. Lek looked up to see towering figures emerging from the distance.
         "Good work, mages. The artillery barrage worked. Now let's capture Rockway!" A swarm of creatures soon followed. To Lek, they looked like some sick god cross-bred a tall-walker from the nearby Walls with a dark green version of the beast he fought earlier. Paying no attention to Lek or his dead brethren, they rushed toward the Walls. Lek stood tall, glaring at them. The sight of what remained of his home lit a fire far brighter than anything those beast-walkers could throw.
         Lek knew what he had to do. He scanned the land for survivors before running around to catch a glimpse of the beast-walkers. They formed a circle and took turns throwing suns at the Walls. The tall-walkers responded by throwing sticks. Lek didn't see the point of all of this, but each army appeared to be annoying the other well enough. There are too many beast-walkers, and those sticks are useless. I need help. Lek ran around the outskirts, looking for survivors.
         "Wha...what happened? Lek? Is that you?"
         "Yes, Hof, it's me."
         "They got Nev. We're...doomed."
         "No we're not. Get up, find any survivors you can, and bring them toward Echo Cache. It's the furthest from the Walls." Lek could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth, but then again, Lek didn't have time to be nervous.
         "Y...yes sir. What's...the plan?" With mouth slightly agape, Hof looked up at Lek, who stared straight into Hof's eyes. Lek leaned in to within a whisper's distance.
         "Revenge."

*****

         A few moles emerged from the underground tunnel, carrying baskets of acorns on their backs. Lek grabbed one of the buckets and flipped it over. Others followed suit, creating a dinner pile. As the moles approached, Lek took one of the upside-down buckets, planted it, and mounted it. He half-expected his heart to have escaped from his chest by this point. He took each breath nearly as quickly.
         Okay, Lek. Just like you practiced in your head. "Listen up!" Oh, gosh. Did my voice just crack? "Have a look around you. We are all that remains after the beast-walkers attacked." Am I going too fast? "They destroyed our homes and our lands, but they didn't destroy us. It's up to us to take back our land."
         "But how do we do that?" How long has Hof's mouth been open? And why is he looking at the ground? Am I losing him?
         "Take a look at these fire monsters. They may be huge, but they are nothing but beasts and cowards. They will flee at the slightest resistance. We've beaten monsters like them before." Time seemed to slow down for Lek. "But we can't rely on our usual tricks. We need to go on the offensive." Hof raised his head, and nearly cracked a sly smile as he looked up at Lek. "There's enough of us to form nine squads. I'll take the center. Who will lead my flanks?"
         "I will!" Attaboy, Hof. One by one, eight other moles slowly stood. Lek spent the next few minutes separating the moles into their squads, with each member given a specific role within each squad. With everything set, Lek gave the order to feast. The moles grabbed a few acorns each, sat in place around the dwindling pile, and looked at each other in silence. Each breath echoed across the circle. Take a good look at everyone, Lek. This may be the last time you ever see them. One of the moles slowly approached the pile. Lek nodded, and the rest of the moles went for seconds, and thirds, until the pile was gone.
         "Rise and form up, moles! It's time to take back our land. The beast-walkers are still staring at the Walls, so they won't see us coming. Maintain diamond formations across a single rank." Lek paused. Scatter? No. Run? Um...damn it, Nev! What order am I supposed to give? "It's our turn to show those monsters what us grass moles can do." Lek looked straight ahead. He couldn't see the beast-walkers, but he could smell them. "It's now or never, moles. We will not surrender." Nev, you taught me how to escape. It's my turn to teach them how to attack. "Assault!"
         Five rows of dots hurled themselves toward the battlefield. The howling winds plastered their faces, but they ducked their heads and kept moving. A warm energy flowed from Lek's legs, across his spine, and to his head, keeping him warm. The moles punched through the wind, leaving small clouds of charred dust in their wake. The tall-walkers, limply lobbing their sticks over the Walls, couldn't hope to compete with Lek and his missiles.
         "Enemies spotted, sir."
         "Squad leaders, pick a beast-walker and latch onto it. Everyone else, hold your positions until they start to give chase. Retreat and hold your formation until you pull them away. Rear moles, when you've pulled your beast-walker from its rank, give the order to scatter."
         "We're coming in range, sir."
         "Lunge!" The moles leapt up from the ground and clamped down. Lek tried to dig his teeth into the beast-walker's leg, but he bounced off a leather barrier. Lek looked around. The other squad leaders met the same fate. The beast-walkers turned around and spotted the moles.
         "What are you doing, you idiots?" one of the beast-walkers shouted. "They're just rats. Ignore them!" What did you just call me? Lek lunged again. The beast-walker tried to swat Lek away. "It's a rat, you idiot!" Lying on the ground, Lek glanced up again. I can't bite through that. He tried a third time, and failed a third time. Well, Lek, great job. You really led them to victory, you rat.
         As he bowed his head in defeat, he noticed something. The leg tube has an opening! Lek slowly moved toward the beast-walker's leg, peeked inside the tube, but couldn't see anything. Screw it, I'm going in. He snapped his head back and opened his mouth until his jaw started to hurt. He screamed as loud as he could, and then he slammed his teeth against the beast-walker's skin.
         "Ow!"
         "You stupid rat!"
         "What the--"
         "You monster!"
         "My leg!" Good. My flank leaders heard me.
         "Where are you going, you idiots? Get back in line!"
         Lek held on for dear life as his target chased the rest of his squad. The beast-walkers started flinging suns at the moles. Lek couldn't hold on any longer. He relaxed his mouth and plopped to the ground. He looked around and saw more fireballs running across the ground. What have I done? One by one, more lifeless mounds of flesh gave their last breaths. I'm sorry, everyone. I'm--
         A loud thud snapped everyone out of their chase. Behind him, Lek saw dust shooting up around a large wooden bridge. The tall-walkers! They flooded from the Walls with shiny sticks, and curved sticks that flung smaller sticks from strings. The beast-walkers tried to grab their weapons, but they were too slow. Then they tried to close the gap in their ranks, but the tall-walkers already broke through. Before long, the beast-walkers found themselves with their backs against the Walls. Some of the tall-walkers on the other side climbed on top of the Walls to drop rocks. A beast-walker charged forward with a loud battle-cry, and straight into one of the shiny sticks. Seeing this, the other beast-walkers dropped their weapons and threw their hands in the air.

*****

         While the tall-walkers tied their prisoners' hands and led them inside the Walls, Lek began to assess the damages. How many moles did I lose? The survivors slowly made their way toward a spot near the Walls. I can't face them. Lek had no choice. He needed to own up to this disaster, though he didn't know what to say. The air felt thicker, as if trying to press him to the ground. I can't do it. Lek turned away.
         "It's Lek! There he is!" They spotted me! I have no choice. Lek headed toward the moles, relying on his nose. He couldn't bear to look any of them in the eye.
         "It worked! You were right, Lek. It worked!
         "I'm sorry Hof. I--what?"
         "Your plan worked. We recaptured our homeland!" Hof paused. "What's wrong, Lek?"
         "But we lost--"
         "--and they will receive honorable cremations, just like everyone else the beast-walkers killed." The survivors formed ranks behind Hof. "Lek?"
         "I--"
         "Lek, it's time to rebuild our herd, and we need a champion to lead us. All hail Lek, champion of the grass moles!" Me? Are you guys nuts?
         "ALL HAIL LEK!"
         Raising his head, Lek scanned the crowd. Why would they want me to lead them? He closed his eyes and focused. Within the void, he saw his family. They looked at him with bright smiles stretched across their faces. Why me? His family chose him, and now, so did his herd. Why not me!
         "The beast-walkers are gone. Gather the fallen and bring them to Delta Cache. We will prepare for honorable cremations. Move out!"
         "YES SIR!"