Tales of Averon - The Dark Army

"The earth shook violently as the Dark Army thundered across the Great Vast Open. Each hunter in the battalion was tracking the musty scent of their target as it hung thickly in the warm air, leaving an invisible trail for their snouts to follow. Hundreds of paws shattered the silence as the hunters, overcome by the deafening rumble in their footfalls, knew nothing more than the instinct within them, to ignore the burning in their chests and the water seeping from their eyes, to ignore the aching and tiredness of their limbs, to keep sprinting forward, together, as a unit, and never look back until their target was apprehended. The humans were lagging further behind on their beasts, trying in vain to catch their soldiers, to become one with them, to scream their war call and end this battle once and for all. Ahead of the monstrous army ran their general. He was motivated, concentrated, and evil. His gaze was fixed firmly upon his target, the reynard they had tracked across many green, open miles, and who still pushed itself as fast as when they had caught his trail and descended upon him. In his wake the general darted right, then left, jumped ditches and avoided bushes, ignoring the burning, screaming pain of exhaustion coursing through his body. His focus kept firm, even as his limbs hung loose and his head swayed from side to side and up and down as he sprinted forward. His prey kept distance ahead, but exhaustion was setting in and now he showed signs of fatigue. The general noticed and smiled to himself. The huge, grassy meadow they amassed was now diminishing, and a great forest loomed from nowhere ahead of them. It rolled slowly upwards from behind the incline they had unknowingly begun to ascend. The war calls of his comrades seemingly subsided in to nothingness and the thunderous rumble of their feet vanished. The general’s eyes narrowed. His heartbeat thundered through his ears. The noise of his breathing disappeared."