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helpless fur ball .   The general was growing weary of the lack of
anything exciting happening.   What I wouldn’t give to have a battle or
even a decent hunt.   Maybe we will run
into some filthy orcs further south; that will help get the blood flowing.
    By
midday, General Yukio and his men were ready to take a break from their arduous
trek south.   The travelers’ earlier
eagerness and anticipation was melting as the day wore on.   They led their horses to the edge of the
river for a refreshing drink of cool water and for a brief dip.   After the horses had quenched their thirst
and cooled off a bit, they grazed lazily a short distance from where the men
had gathered for their lunch.   The men
had taken up refuge under the eaves of the Black Forest to escape the
scorching-hot midday sun.   They took out
their daily rations and began to eat a nice, cold lunch.   They could not bear the thought of eating a
warm meal on such a blistering hot day.   Chilled ale was passed around freely to quench the soldiers’ parched
mouths.
    The
sound of the running water and the humming of small insects had a hypnotic
effect on the men.   Some of them began to
doze off under the cool shade of the trees as a result.   The horses edged closer to the tree line so
that they could stay cool until they resumed their trek.   It was early in the afternoon, and the
temperature was still on the rise.   The
men were hoping that the general would allow them to stay where they were until
the heat of the day had passed.   They
stole quick glances at their imperious leader to see if they could determine
what he was thinking or what kind of mood he was in.   Yukio looked around at the landscape and
resigned himself to the fact that the weather was not going to cool down any
time soon, so he decided not to subject his soldiers or their steeds to such unbearable
heat.
    “Men,
we will stay here for the remainder of the day.   We can still patrol the waters and monitor traffic on either side of the
river from our current locale,” the general declared with a grin.   “Captain, take fifteen of your men to the
other side of the river.   You will be in
charge of that side of the bank until the heat of the day begins to cool.   When the heat becomes tolerable for man and
beast, we will set up camp for the night in the safety of the woods.”
    “Yes,
sir!” the captain replied as he snapped to attention.   He gathered up the men that were to go with
him, along with their horses.   Once they
had mounted, they took off toward the Elgore Bridge, which was big enough for
war machines to cross over.   It was only
one mile south from their current location, and they would be able to ride in
the shade for most of that distance.   This was going to be a peaceful afternoon judging by the weather, and
the captain could not see how anything could possibly go wrong.
    The
men who remained behind with the general were thinking the same thing.   This was such a beautiful day that no one
noticed shadows moving in the eaves of the forest.   There had heard no reports of possible orc or
goblin raids in this area, so they kicked back and enjoyed the day from within
the shade of the trees.   As the men were
daydreaming, the sounds of life abruptly stopped; however, none of the soldiers
noticed the change.   The only sound left
was the rushing water.   The men were so
caught up in the beauty of their surroundings that they missed these signs of
eminent danger.
    The
general looked out over the water to see where the men were that he had sent to
the west bank.   They should be there by now.   Maybe they stopped to talk with
some travelers or are giving some directions.   The general knew that he was merely placating
himself.   In that instant, he realized
that there were no other sounds aside from the bustling river.   He sat up straight and looked about.
    One
of the general’s soldiers gave a sharp cry of warning at two massive blood-red
wolves