Chapter 11: Ren 

Sorry for being late. I totally lost track of time. Hey, at least you get a chapter sooner after this one, right? 

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Walking through the camp was a sorry sight. The people of my amazing country sit, with barely anything more than the clothes on their back, in family and friend groups, huddled around small fires, desperate to keep warm. With each passing day it gets colder and with no home, blankets or thick jackets it gets harder and harder to keep everyone warm. 

I weave through the trees, each large one harboring a seperate group. The fires themselves light the pathways between each group enough to see where you're going, but not enough to give away our position. Having been only a little over twenty-four hours since Liam's departing we had traveled a couple miles away from the lake, putting a little more distance between us and the enemy. 

V and Myshica stand guard on the two sides of the camp closest to Derynas, while some of the extra knights are posted on the other sides. The rest of us walk among the people, trying our best to help them in any way we can. Whether that be giving them some extra rations, helping with a fire, stopping a fight from breaking out or just keeping them calm. Though as the warmth of the sun recedes, so does the people's patience. They're getting increasingly restless, tired, cold, hungry and scared. The longer this goes on the more difficult it is to convince everyone it's going to be alright. Or maybe it's the fact that everyone knows that's a lie. 

After I finish my rounds through the camp I drop to all fours and run to the outskirts, weaving under the brush and coming over to my right-hand-man. His broad shoulders are tense with pain from his bandaged thigh. He turns, his close cropped hair glitters in the soft fire light, his hazel eyes look dark in the dense black of the forest. 

"Hey TJ." I say softly, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the trees beyond him. 

"Hey, Boss." He says with a smile that resembles more of a grimace. He tries to hide the fact he puts no weight on his injured leg but it's blatantly obvious. 

"How're you holding up?" I ask, gesturing up to his thigh. 

"Oh, yeah the doc says I'll be fine with time. It wasn't that deep, it just grazed the muscle. It should heal in about a week." He answers. I shake my head softly, feeling the tails of my bandana brushing my shoulder blades. 

"TJ, I didn't ask how the injury was doing, I asked how you were doing. If it hurts too much I can take over." I say with a slight bit of authority creeping into my voice. 

"Ren, I'm fine. It hurts, sure, but I can do my job." He shifts his weight ever so slightly, unintentionally wincing in the process. He rests his hand on the hilt of his sword, trying to act casual. 

"Sir TJ Zaydrian, Knight of New Eladea, go to the infirmary and rest. That is an order." I say with as much authority as I can muster in the moment. As the knight shifts his silvery armor glitters in the light from the camp. 

"With all due respect, Sir, there are people who need the physician more than I do. I don't want to be taking up space when I could be out here helping. And I can't just, lay there acting like I'm incapacitated and slacking off while my Queen is dieing and my Prince is off risking his life for me. Sir, I stay." He says with a hard-set face. I open my mouth to respond before a quiet shout makes me turn. 

Running from the bulk of the camp is another knight, one positioned on the east side. His armor clunks as he stops before me, out of breath. 

"S-sir." He wheezes. "Woah, what is it? What's happening?" I ask, all the possible scenarios for what's happening racing through my head. 

"P-patrol. East. I-I was out taking a wiz and I saw em down a hill in a clearing. M-maybe a mile off. Moving fast. S-sweeping from here to two miles west. Swords. Horses. Maybe two dozen of em." He answers, doubling down on his knees, having just sprinted a mile in a few pounds of armor. 

"Alert V and Myshica on the other side of camp." I tell the man, he takes a deep breath to calm his lungs before sprinting off through the trees. "TJ," I say, turning to him. "Go to the infirmary to help move the patients and take down the tent as fast as possible. We're going to be moving everyone to the heavy underbrush in the ditch to the west. You know it?" He nods before limping off. 

I drop to all fours and sprint to the west, finding another knight there. I relay the information, and run off again. I listen to my breath in my ears as I run through the camp, shouting the same message over and over again: "Enemy patrols coming! Gather everything you have, stomp out your fires and move to the ditch in the west, knights will be waiting to help you!." Like a wave behind me the people immediately begin to get up, the buzz of fear clinging to the air around the people. 

V moves at the back of the camp, hurrying people along. I meet him and assist. We exchange a secret glance. This can't end well, and we have to be ready to take the necessary measures to keep our people safe. Sage entrusted us to keep everyone alive, and that's just what we're gonna do. No matter what the cost. 

In under two minutes the last people were dropping into the long, hugely wide ditch. Hundreds of people cram onto each other, laying flat on top of their neighbors to keep hidden. Mothers desperately try to calm scared children and the elderly are lowered on top, to avoid their frail bodies being crushed under the weight of others. Any horses we have are let free into the forest, us having nowhere to hide them. The horses run off through the trees, all except Justice. The beautiful beast stares me straight in the eyes before inclining it's regal head, then takes off after the rest of the herd. 

Me, V, and Myschica make sure the bushes and vines of the thick underbrush cover all evidence of there being any living thing there. Once we were certain we could not be found with a passing glance, the two dragons launched into the sky, landing on two of the largest and sturdiness trees, shifting as little as possible to avoid compromising their position. 

Right as the sound of footsteps and the conversation of soldiers grow louder, I run and slide under the bushes, landing on my side between two young men. Some try to mask their heavy breathing with their hands, others don't breathe at all. The cramped area is hot and humid with the body heat of hundreds of people, all the air replaced with anxiety and fear, everyone on edge and tense. I watch between two branches, the booted feet of two soldiers standing next to where our hiding spot begins. I turn around with a finger to my lips, telling anyone that can see to be as quiet as possible. No one dares to move, letting the people on top of them and the leaves on top of that drape over them, the thin layer of bushes and vines being the only thing to hide them from possible death. 

I count in my head. Fifteen knights in total, three in no shape to fight, five injured and no doubt vulnerable and two without a weapon. That leaves only five able to effectively fight, and at least two dozen enemies. This isn't going to end well. 

The dense air buzzes with intense suspense, the only sound that of the soft gasps of people not being able to hold their breath long enough. Another pair of boots walks into my view. The three men start conversing as a horse trots behind them followed by another couple soldiers. 

I jump as a paw grabs mine. I look towards my legs, shifting myself slightly onto my back as silently as possible. Elric lays there, obviously having crawled over people to get to me. His eyes are panicked yet reassuring as he squeezes my paw with his. Even in the dim light, surrounded by sweaty, fearful humans he looks so beautiful. I bring my tail up to caress his soft cheek, watching as the grey fur bristles. I trail it up to his snout, tracing the path of the freckled dots of dark fur. His crystal eyes stare into mine, giving me a burst of adrenaline as my heart races. 

My trance is broken as harsh whispers come from a few humans down the ditch. My hand leaves Elric's as I scoot ever so gently forwards to see what's happening. A young boy, maybe four, fights to wriggle out his mother's arms. She tries desperately for him to stay still, yet the boy, not knowing the danger he's in, is uncomfortable and wants out.

Oh no, this isn't going to go well. 

The boy breaks from his mother's arms and before she can grab him again he pushes away a bush, stumbling out, right in front of the patrol. 

Before all hell can break loose I make a split second decision and yell my orders loud enough for everyone, patrol included, to hear. 

"SOLDIERS DEFEND THE PEOPLE! STAY DOWN!" I yell with so much power and authority in my voice it feels as if everyone immediately sinks into the dirt further, desperate to carry out my orders. And with that, I charge out of the bush and draw my weapon. 

I jump in front of the child, who, seeing the swords, now understands the trouble he's in. Tears stream down his face as he cries for his mother. The patrol finally shakes off the shock, charging forward. 

I push the child back so he stumbles into the ditch, right into the heads of my people. I watch as soldiers pop out of the underbrush, swords at the ready, but only attacking when a member of the patrol tries to see what's under the plants. 

I slash and stab, downing enemies as fast as possible. But I come to a horrifying realization: I have to kill them all. If I don't they'll report back to Ivar Quentian and he'll send out patrol after patrol to imprison or worse, kill us. So instead of slashing at the legs, I run up the side of an enemy, and with a shutter, run my sword straight through his neck. I jump to the next, trying desperately not to think about it. 

"We can't help much from up here. Trees are too dense to ram them and we don't want to cause a forest fire." V reports into my mind. "But we can do this." I watch with awe as a scorpion-like tail extends from above, wraps around a man and shoots upwards. A moment later the man, with a scream, comes slamming back into the ground. 

Though, through my moment of distraction, I let my guard down. A hand wraps around me and I get through to the ground. I land with a grunt as the wind gets knocked out of me. I gasp for breath, my sword skittering away. The knights at the mouth of the ditch fight their hardest, V and Myshica doing the best they can with their tails. 

I slyly reach my tail over to my sword, grabbing the hilt. The man raises a boot to step on me. If I were but a moment quicker, things might have turned out better. But alas, they didn't. He realizes a millisecond too quickly the fact I have the sword, and with one swift motion, slams the sharp edge of his sword down on my outstretched tail. 

I let out an agonized scream, a burst of the most intense pain I have ever felt glowing through my entire body. It feels as if my nerve endings are on fire, the pain radiating through my body like a heartbeat. Before the man can step on me a tail shoots out and takes the man away. 

I roll onto my forearms, throwing up my entire dinner. Under the low light of the night I only see a few drops of dark crimson blood. With a deep breath I stand, the pain washing away. I pick up my sword, looking around to see only one man left. I jump up, stabbing the disbelieving man in the chest with a heavy heart. 

"Ren! Ren, are you ok?!' V shouts into my brain. 

"Yeah, I'm ok. It hurt but I'm fine now. I can still move it so it's all good." I say, feeling my tail flicking behind me. I watch a few brave souls slowly stand from the ditch. V and Myshica ascend from above, landing with a thud. I go around, making sure everyone is dead. If I still had a dinner to throw up, I would. 

"R-Ren?" V says, his voice shaky. 

"Yeah?" I ask, looking at him. He looks at the floor before him. I trot over, curious as to what he's looking at. I don't pay attention to the tremor in my whole body, or the adrenaline still pumping through my veins. It's just a reaction to the people I...I killed. 

He stares in horror at the ground. I look, just seeing dark shadows. I look closer to see a pool of blood. That's fine, we just had a battle, so what's wrong with it? Then I feel a wet sensation on the back of my leg. Instinctively, I wipe my hand across my hind leg, but to my horror, come back with sticky crimson blood. 

Then, I see it. Laying in the grass, limp and cold, is a thing I never wanted to see in my life. Pink and slightly hairy as I remember it, my tail. Blood pours from the severing point, wetting the cold and dying grass. 

It was then when I felt the pain. A burst of agony starts in my tail, so intense spots dance in my vision, making me sway. No, no, no, it can't be. It's not true. I-I still have my tail, I can feel it moving! It's there! I bring a paw behind me, feeling the base of the appendage, and following it back a few inches before it cuts off, replaced by warm, sticky blood. Despite the more intense pain at my touch, I have to do it. I press my palm against the flat, diagonal cut. I collapse to my knees, unable to take my eyes off the half of what gives me so much. My tail is the reason I can climb, I can fight with such balance, the reason I can stand upright.

"Ren? Ren where are y-" I hear the voice of my beloved from a few feet behind me. "REN!" He screams. I hear his feet patter over to me, taking my head in his hands. He removes my hand from my tail before I hear him gag, the blood too much from him. My eyes grow tired and heavy. "Ren! Renate! Stay with me, don't fall asleep. My love, focus on my voice. It's ok, darling." 

"Physician!" A person nearest to me yells into the crowd. "Where's the physician?!" A few moments later I feel larger hands touch my back. 

"I'm gonna need you to keep pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Lay him down. Keep him awake." Still staring at my life, laying in the grass, I'm laid down on my side. Elric moves into my view, blocking that of my tail. 

"Hey, Tough Guy. Remember our plans? We're gonna make a nice burrow, in the hill right next to Viserion's home, right? We're gonna go find a place to adopt two beautiful kids. One boy, one girl. What was it you wanted to name the girl?" He asks, caressing my cheek. I don't even feel the doctor anymore. Oh goddesses, what am I gonna do…

"Katherine…" I mumble. "Her nickname could be Kathy…" 

"Yes, that's a perfect name. And the boys gonna be…?" 

"Pedro…" 

"See? You have to stay awake for Kathy and Pedro. They're gonna need a second dad, right? They're gonna need a dad to spoil them and give them whatever they want, to take them on trips to who-knows-where and give them piggyback rides and sword lessons. You need to day awake Renate. Do. Not. Sleep." 

My eyes grow heavier…I just want to sleep. My eyes slowly close, the face of my dearest Elric growing smaller and smaller. The last thing I hear is the physician calling out "If I can stitch it up he'll be ok. Who has thread! Anyone?!" Before everything goes dark. 

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Word count: 2925

Sooo what'd you think? Any new thoughts on the characters? Surprises? (Please don't kill me) I enjoyed writing this. I hope you liked it! 

Cya next week! (Or like five days)