Chasing from the Front

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc stood surveying the small column below him, it wasn’t often that wetlanders came into the Threefold land and it was even rarer that they came bearing weapons. However this day they had and it was up to the raiding party Madoc was a part of to teach these wetlanders a lesson about entering a place with no water or shade. Normally they would have just shadowed this bunch and made sure that they didn’t find a Hold or Well and left them to die of their own ignorance of the things that lived here, be it animal, plant or just the sun; however, this bunch had come across a small group of Aiel and had massacred them, this demanded retribution. Madoc had listened to the plan devised, had volunteered to be a part of the diversion which would lead the interlopers even deeper into the threefold land. It was good plan, one which would make the wetlanders pay, not only in blood, but in sweat, tears and a slow painful death for what they had done. The ‘bait’ had been chosen carefully, Madoc because his height would make it seem like the others were even smaller than they truly were. They would seem weak and that would hopefully spur the wetlanders on recklessly and then they would make them pay for their intrusion.

 

 

[_Kynwric_]

Later that evening t he four of them who had volunteered and been chosen let themselves be glimpsed by the wetlanders, then they turned and began to run, not at a fast pace, not even a tiring pace for Aiel, but fast enough that they would not be caught that evening. Niesh had figured a good day’s chase would put a serious hurt in the water supplies those wetlanders had brought, particularly since they’d brought horses with them.  And then in the middle of the second day they could turn and fight. The small group knew the spot well the ambush had been set for, it had been used by Aiel for generations as a place to exact revenge on other septs or holds after having been raided and now it would be used against those who wouldn’t be wary upon moving into the shadows of the Tablerocks. Light, they’d even likely enjoy the Tablerocks because of the shade! Madoc would never understand wetlanders.

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc stood surveying the small column below him, it wasn’t often that wetlanders came into the Threefold land and it was even rarer that they came bearing weapons. However this day they had and it was up to the raiding party Madoc was a part of to teach these wetlanders a lesson about entering a place with no water or shade. Normally they would have just shadowed this bunch and made sure that they didn’t find a Hold or Well and left them to die of their own ignorance of the things that lived here, be it animal, plant or just the sun; however, this bunch had come across a small group of Aiel and had massacred them, this demanded retribution. Madoc had listened to the plan devised, had volunteered to be a part of the diversion which would lead the interlopers even deeper into the threefold land. It was good plan, one which would make the wetlanders pay, not only in blood, but in sweat, tears and a slow painful death for what they had done. The ‘bait’ had been chosen carefully, Madoc because his height would make it seem like the others were even smaller than they truly were. They would seem weak and that would hopefully spur the wetlanders on recklessly and then they would make them pay for their intrusion.

[_Kynwric_]

Later that evening the four of them who had volunteered and been chosen let themselves be glimpsed by the wetlanders, then they turned and began to run, not at a fast pace, not even a tiring pace for Aiel, but fast enough that they would not be caught that evening. Niesh had figured a good day’s chase would put a serious hurt in the water supplies those wetlanders had brought, particularly since they’d brought horses with them. And then in the middle of the second day they could turn and fight. The small group knew the spot well where the ambush had been set for, it had been used by Aiel for generations as a place to exact revenge on other septs or holds after having been raided and now it would be used against those who wouldn’t be wary upon moving into the shadows of the Tablerocks. Light, they’d even likely enjoy the Tablerocks because of the shade! Madoc would never understand wetlanders. The quartet ran all day and when the sun set they found a small depression in the ground to camp in, the wetlanders had closed the gap a bit, as had been expected. They paid little attention to the wetlanders, or at least seemed to pay little attention to them as they settled in for the night. However, all four Aiel kept a good track of what was happening in the wetlander’s camp. They set the watches and then did the only thing you could really do in the situation, either slept or watched.

[_Kynwric_]

During his turn at watch, in the darkest part of the night, Madoc sat watching the camp of wetlanders. He was bored, he’d really have preferred to be back in the Hold spending the evening in Oosquai and talking to Mordre than out here in the desert, but this was his duty and also a proving ground. The Shae’en M’tall were using this as a training issue for Madoc, to make certain that he had attained the skills necessary to be admitted to their Society. He’d killed one bloodsnake as it came out to find a warmer place to nest for the night. Normally he’d have let the thing be, but the place it had wanted to nest was where Rhaul had laid his head, that would have not been good for the man. His eyes tightened as he thought he saw the campfire in the middle of the wetlander’s camp flicker and that drew Madoc’s attention fully to the light source. A flickering campfire meant movement and movement meant nothing good for him and his three compatriots. He slid further out from the warmth of the fire, peering into the darkness and examining the other camp. That was when he noticed the moving mound not 20 feet from him. The mound, now that Madoc had noticed it, looked more like a low crouched man who moved short distances, using the dark to provide him almost perfect cover. Madoc knew where his three compatriots were and he knew if it had been an Aielman sneaking up on him that it would be unlikely he’d have seen him in the dark as easily as he had seen this man. As such, he drew his belt knife and began to make his own way through the gloom of night towards their stalker.

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc’s eyes tightened as he thought he saw the campfire in the middle of the wetlander’s camp flicker and that drew his attention fully to the light source. A flickering campfire meant movement and movement meant nothing good for him and his three compatriots. He slid further out from the warmth of the fire, peering into the darkness and examining the other camp. That was when he noticed the moving mound not 20 feet from him. The mound, now that Madoc had noticed it, looked more like a low crouched man who moved short distances, using the dark to provide him almost perfect cover. Madoc knew where his three compatriots were and he knew if it had been an Aielman sneaking up on him that it would be unlikely he’d have seen him in the dark as easily as he had seen this man. As such, he drew his belt knife and began to make his own way through the gloom of night towards their stalker. Foolish wetlander, he thought as he found a slight depression to wait in that hid him from view while the man creeped closer to the fire and past Madoc.

[_Kynwric_]

Once the man’s back was all that could be seen Madoc rose and slipped into place right behind him, his hand raised to lift his shoufa into place, concealing his face and Madoc took care to place his feet as near to where the wetlander placed his. When the man stopped in front of him, Madoc too stopped. The first time the man stopped Madoc had nearly bumped into him, Madoc had not expected the man to stop in his careful movements up to the camp. But he realized the man would still think Madoc was near the fire keeping watch, much as the wetlanders had done. So the next time man stopped his creep Madoc was prepared and took advantage, he took the one extra step and with a arm wrapped around the man’s face and a knee to the back he took the wetlander to the ground and slit his throat. The only sound to be heard was a gurgling as Madoc let the man slip from his hands to lie on the ground. He leaned down to clean his knife on the man’s shirt and quietly slid his way back into camp to find one of the other three already awake, spear in hand. Madoc nodded in response to the question Aishan asked with her eyes and he then followed it up with a whispered “We must go, now. The wetlanders will miss that one shortly.” And so, with only a few minutes to wake and pack the quarter were once again loping off towards the Tablerocks, eating their breakfast of dried meat and fruit as they ran.

[_Kynwric_]

Madoc could hear the cursing and yelling of the wetlanders as they came storming into the camp that he and his companions had abandoned a short time before. He could hear the howling when they discovered the corpse of the wetlander who had tried sneaking into the Aiel camp. He could also hear the pounding of the hooves of the men chasing after them, all four of the Aiel looked around and smiled at one another. With the wetlanders chasing them like that they could really run and at the end of that run the wetlanders would be stuck. They would be deep in the waste with no water and no horses to carry them. And wetlanders couldn’t run. The pace quickened to keep them in front of the hard driving men who were killing their horses to try to catch the small group of Aiel. 

 

[_Kynwric_]

All four of the Aiel just looked at each other with a smile on their face, the trap was well and truly baited and was about to be sprung. The shadows of the buttes of Tablerocks were stretching out to meet them and soon they would be well into the passes that sheltered the rest of their party. The wetlanders would have to slow some on their horses, the lose rocks on the ground made it more treacherous for a horse’s footing here than for a man’s. The deeper into the Tablerocks they went, the tighter the paths between the sheer faces of the cliffs became. Quickly the sun overhead was obscured, and not long after that they entered parts of the Tablerocks that would only see sunlight during midday becaue of the narrowness of the opening… and some not even then from the overhanging outcroppings of rock suspended above them. Madoc did have to admit to himself that the amplification of the drumbeat of the horses’ hooves off the walls of the canyons was disconcerting. It sounded as if some great horde of trollocs was bearing down on them rather than the party of men they’d lured here.

[_Kynwric_]

With the pounding of drums, the hoofbeats continued reverberating off the canyon walls as madoc and his companions raised their veils, becoming in an instant the thing many mother's frightened their children with after the invasion to punish Laman's Folly. Madoc could sense the others from his party among the rocks high up to either side. Soon enough those fool wetlander's horses would be whining in pain from arrows and spears and the men would be either dead, dying or trying to walk out of the Threefold Land on foot, a death sentence for anyone who was not Aiel.

 

Madoc stood and waited behind the small outcropping of rock which gave them a little protection from the on rushing horses. He waited and watched as the men appeared around the bend. Took note of which one spotted them and then which one pointed to direct the others. He always enjoyed picking out the leader for special notice.

 

Madoc stood and watched as the horses began to canter toward them, pushing to be let loose into a full run. He hefted his spear and shield.

 

Madoc watched, looked down the line to either side of him at his companions and smiled behind his veil. Raising his spear and pointing at the horsemen now charging at them. The small line of men crouched into ready positions.

 

Madoc watched as the first arrows fell when a hundred paces separated Aiel and Wetlander horses. half those men on horses went crashing to the ground in a pile as horses faltered. The crying of the horses began then.

 

Madoc watched as the second volley fell only 30 paces from them, half the remainin horses fell. But some of the men from these kicked free of their beasts. They would have to be dealt with on foot.

 

Madoc watched once more as the men came charging in, he stopped watching as they ducked under weapons swung in anger and the hamstrung or impaled horses to end the threat of them as a force. Only the leader was left astride a beast now. The dance was joined,  an spears, swords and axes flashed in the sunlight. He heard the yell from the hidden Stone Dogs joining the fray. There was much to gain from this battle for them, but not as much as he and his companions had already gained. Ji was precious, and they had garnered much fro their actions. 

 

As midday rose and even in the depths of the Tablerocks there was precious little shade Madoc faced off with a men who carried a fine looking sword in one hand and an axe in another. He wore the linked ring armor the wetlanders so loved, but was now dragging this man down in the heat of the day. Madoc had taken his horse out from under him as his fellows joined the battle, he had disarmed him twice only to allow the man to regain his weapon. it disgusted him to see a man with so little honor as to not know he was beaten. He had tuned out the jeering of the other warriors, all that mattered now was to put down this thing that purported to be a man. it was obvious that the wetlander had not tuned out the jeering as he turned with each new insult hurled his way. Finally the man focused on Madoc, and charged. It really was too simple, a little swipe of his shield to parry the axe blow, which pushed the axe in the way of the mans sword and a short stab with his spear sent the wetlander to the ground with a shaft of wood protruding from his throat. He head the cheer from the warriors and glanced upwards into the sun. This battle was finished and now it was time to return home and tend to what was truly important.