The shots rang out, rapid, clear. Roger's ears pulled back, the mighty noise hurting his head. Even worse was the firing of the artillery behind, which very nearly caused him incontinence. Some of the bright yellow eyes winked out for a moment, blinking as one does when coated with dust, but they never seemed to diminish in number. Roger's heart raced, leaping a bit, for he was sure he had struck one right between the eyes; but no, it remained, just as the others. Then some of them rose up in the air, and began to approach.

As the creatures got closer, their appearance got clearer; each of them was an Umbreon, an enormous, shiny Umbreon. Though their eyes glowed, their rings remained dark until they were much closer to the trench, a brilliant blue. Their ears drooped at the sides of their heads, as do a Glaceon's tassles, and their dark fur was dappled such that even as they got closer and closer in, they seemed to be one with the murky haze, melting into it but for their glowing rings and eyes. Roger reloaded his weapon and sent a bullet straight into one of the creatures' neck; he could see clearly now, how the sharp-nosed bullet glanced off of the fur, like a rock skipped over water. And still they closed in.

The conscripts pushed out with bayonets, a spiky wall. The great beasts slowed, and Roger could count; there were four of them. They bashed aside the bayonets, reached into the trenches, and each of them carried off two, swiftly back to their own side of the field. As soon as they had disappeared down into their trench, four more came up, and rushed in again. No valiance of firing would slow their advance, and Roger's heart raced faster, as one of these now barreled directly for himself.

Roger held his weapon securely, and rammed it upward towards the beast's stomach, but it was of no use, and he found himself, and Thomas, being carried off like plunder. Thomas's dull face had lost its usual unexpressiveness, displaying now a true terror. As they arrived in the enemy trench, Roger was thrown headlong into a tree trunk, and was not conscious to see the battle's outcome.