Burd, you will handle the southern. Advance fifty yards up each path and start hitting them before they can reach the ging trees’ trunks. You’ll have to hit the first Torg more than a hundred yards up the path to slow the rush enough to create a barricade of dead Torg.”
Bleath sent a thought, “You better get ready; one of the eggs just hatched and the Torg will smell it momentarily. The others will be hatching within the coming five hours.”
Jingo yelled as the archers ran to their trees, “Make every arrow count!”
Jingo and Scotty ran to the center of the northern perimeter toward the largest tree. Scotty went to the left and Jingo right. Eight archers arrived and waited at the giant tree’s trunk. Scotty and Jingo returned to the archers. Scotty looked at the eight other archers and said, “We see four major pathways leading up to this giant tree’s trunk. The one we are standing in leads directly to the nests. The Torg are going to funnel down those other three paths and arrive at this trunk next to the nesting ground.”
Jingo looked at the pathways and said, “The two pathways coming from the left and right have a clear field of fire of more than two hundred yards. Four of you advance a hundred yards up each path and start hitting them two hundred yards out. Try to build the first barrier of dead Torg outside of a hundred yards. Retreat if you must, then start a new barrier at fifty yards. We must keep them away from the trunk of this tree.”
Four archers went to the path on the left and four to the right while Scotty and Jingo took the path in the center. The archers knew that Scotty and Jingo were faster and more accurate than any archer in the communities. Jingo was the acknowledged champion, but only just barely, having bested Scotty by one point in the annual competition. Jingo swore that Scotty let him win, but Scotty never confessed that he did. The competition limited the archers to only one bowgun and Scotty knew that with Jingo’s four arms, there was no doubt about who was the real archer. Jingo was twice as good as Scotty because he had two bowguns. Scotty was good, but Jingo was twice as deadly. The archers moved a hundred yards up the pathways and dropped three extra quivers of arrows at their feet. They waited and knew it wouldn’t be long. The Torg could be heard getting closer.
The other archers arrived at their trees and immediately saw that Jingo was right. The Torg had to be slowed before they could reach the tree where the pathways grew larger. They assigned archers to each path, advanced up the pathways, and took their stances. They heard the cries of newborn Zord among the hedges in the nesting area increase in volume. The sound grew and soon became a noise that permeated the forest. If the Torg hadn’t smelled the newborns, the archers were certain they could hear them.
The Zord circling high overhead couldn’t see what was happening in the forest. The females could hear the babies crying below and longed to throw themselves into their defense, but had learned that it was futile to try. They screamed to the babies below trying to calm their fears.
As the archers arrived, Vring counted the Torg entering the forest from the clearings around it and knew they were going to run short on arrows. The last Zord warriors had arrived with their load of arrows and delivered them to the nesting ground before the Torg began massing, but he could see it was not near enough. He looked at Zreeg and said, “We must go back and bring the two-legs more small feathered sticks.
Zreeg looked down as they circled the forest and said, “Lead the way.”
The two Zord took off at high speed. Bleath watched them go and wondered where they were going. Then he heard the first bellows of the Torg below as they began massing to enter the forest, and turned his attention back to the forest. He decided at that moment that even if the effort by the two-legs to
Bleath sent a thought, “You better get ready; one of the eggs just hatched and the Torg will smell it momentarily. The others will be hatching within the coming five hours.”
Jingo yelled as the archers ran to their trees, “Make every arrow count!”
Jingo and Scotty ran to the center of the northern perimeter toward the largest tree. Scotty went to the left and Jingo right. Eight archers arrived and waited at the giant tree’s trunk. Scotty and Jingo returned to the archers. Scotty looked at the eight other archers and said, “We see four major pathways leading up to this giant tree’s trunk. The one we are standing in leads directly to the nests. The Torg are going to funnel down those other three paths and arrive at this trunk next to the nesting ground.”
Jingo looked at the pathways and said, “The two pathways coming from the left and right have a clear field of fire of more than two hundred yards. Four of you advance a hundred yards up each path and start hitting them two hundred yards out. Try to build the first barrier of dead Torg outside of a hundred yards. Retreat if you must, then start a new barrier at fifty yards. We must keep them away from the trunk of this tree.”
Four archers went to the path on the left and four to the right while Scotty and Jingo took the path in the center. The archers knew that Scotty and Jingo were faster and more accurate than any archer in the communities. Jingo was the acknowledged champion, but only just barely, having bested Scotty by one point in the annual competition. Jingo swore that Scotty let him win, but Scotty never confessed that he did. The competition limited the archers to only one bowgun and Scotty knew that with Jingo’s four arms, there was no doubt about who was the real archer. Jingo was twice as good as Scotty because he had two bowguns. Scotty was good, but Jingo was twice as deadly. The archers moved a hundred yards up the pathways and dropped three extra quivers of arrows at their feet. They waited and knew it wouldn’t be long. The Torg could be heard getting closer.
The other archers arrived at their trees and immediately saw that Jingo was right. The Torg had to be slowed before they could reach the tree where the pathways grew larger. They assigned archers to each path, advanced up the pathways, and took their stances. They heard the cries of newborn Zord among the hedges in the nesting area increase in volume. The sound grew and soon became a noise that permeated the forest. If the Torg hadn’t smelled the newborns, the archers were certain they could hear them.
The Zord circling high overhead couldn’t see what was happening in the forest. The females could hear the babies crying below and longed to throw themselves into their defense, but had learned that it was futile to try. They screamed to the babies below trying to calm their fears.
As the archers arrived, Vring counted the Torg entering the forest from the clearings around it and knew they were going to run short on arrows. The last Zord warriors had arrived with their load of arrows and delivered them to the nesting ground before the Torg began massing, but he could see it was not near enough. He looked at Zreeg and said, “We must go back and bring the two-legs more small feathered sticks.
Zreeg looked down as they circled the forest and said, “Lead the way.”
The two Zord took off at high speed. Bleath watched them go and wondered where they were going. Then he heard the first bellows of the Torg below as they began massing to enter the forest, and turned his attention back to the forest. He decided at that moment that even if the effort by the two-legs to
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