Multiple authors story - write one paragraph each

**Franconicus** · 03-03-2006, 13:32

17

I tried to get on the horse, but in fact I was too weak. My mind was determined to stand but my body was tired. I passed out once more. Once I woke up, a new day had broken. I looked around, but all I could see were a couple of other soldiers, lost and desperate creatures like me. There was no strength, no order, no hope and no pride. We were no army anymore. Then there was the sound of horses again. Despite my resolutions my first thought was to get away, to hide, and to crawl into the snow. Then I realized that it wasn’t the sound of a cavalry charge. I turned and in the rising sun I saw a couple of riders. They stopped some hundred yards in front of me, a small officer in front of them. Although I could not see the faces I knew the outline. It was our commander.
At the moment the defeated creatures raised, tried to adopt attitude and build a formation. I saw comrades from different units, most of them had lost their weapons and equipment, the uniforms were wrecked and many were wounded. At the same time, however, I realized that we were still the army, the great army. Maybe we were defeated, maybe we did not look like an army any more, but we were still there and we would not give up. Maybe we would all die, but we would not loose our pride. I tried to scream and I was highly surprised to here me cry: “Hail our general! Hail our glorious army!” The others joined and we were jubilating, too, just as if we had won a battle. I saw the general smile. Then he turned and rode away. However, I will never forget that smile. I knew that smile was worth all the pain we had had to stand. That smile would make us fight again.

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You are fast, my friends!

**Rodion Romanovich** · 03-03-2006, 17:16

It's coming together nicely

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18
So there we were, only some fifty men who had survived the slaughter. We had apparently gotten far away enough from the actual battle to be able to evade being captured by the enemy. In yesterday's weather it had been difficult to spot us. Now however, we would be in danger if we stayed in the open. The heavy wind would no longer erase our footprints. I turned towards our general.
"We are lucky to still be alive. But what are we going to do now?"
"We shall go south. We slaugthered two injured horses during the night, but our supplies still won't be enough for more than a few days."
"South?" I heard myself asking with contempt. Then I immediately regretted it. Going south was the only sensible thing to do, or we too would die like our friends. It was my guilt that had made me ask the question. But I realized I was the only one who knew how I had dishonored myself in that battle, how I had failed my friends. Then I realized that perhaps also the men around me now were as much cowards as me, the few who had fled early enough to evade capture or death. One of the men on my side gave me some horse meat which I attacked greedily with my swollen, soary mouth while we began the march south.

**Franconicus** · 03-06-2006, 09:06

19

We reached a frozen river and the general ordered to stop. We could rest for some minutes but were not allowed to light a fire. Before we started again the general said to us: "Soldiers, hard times are behind us and hard times ahead. But I promise you that in the end our glorious army will win again. I aready sent the rest of our cavalry south. They warn our southern amry. Right now they may be already on the way north. So kepp on holding on. Just one or two days and we will be back in the arms of our main army."
Then he took me aside and said: "I have a special task for you. You seem to be the bravest and I rely on you. You will have to leave us. Go north, the Tartars will surely find you. Tell them that you are a renegade. Tell them that our army is completly defeated. That the southern army won't dare to move north. That the path to the province capitol is open. Tell them about the treasure lying ther. Make them move to Aquincum. There we will take revenge!"
Then he turned away. I had to see my commrades march on the ice of the frozen river, trying to hide their traces. I waited until they disapeared - until I was complety alone!

**Rodion Romanovich** · 03-06-2006, 09:26

20

Not until they had gone did I realize they hadn't given me any food supplies. The only thing I had now was my sword. My sword and my mission. Was it a deliberate measure to be sure of my loyalty? To be sure that I did what I was told and not turned south again at the first chance I was given? I shuddered and felt that I was sweating. No, I was the only one who knew what I had done in that battle. The one question I should concentrate on now was how I would arrange my meeting with the tatars in a way that wouldn't arise their suspicion? Should I seek them actively, or should I go to the place that they'd most likely be heading for next, and wait for them to come to me? I didn't want to look too eager, or they would not trust my advice. And I didn't want to look like I was taken by surprise and captured by them - then they'd take my words for the desperate attempts of a captive to save his friends. No, something in between was necessary.

**Franconicus** · 03-06-2006, 10:24

21

Chapter 3: Howling with the wolves

It started to snow and soon the footprint of my commrades was gone. I looked around. Along the river there was a band of wood, the rest was empty plane. And snow, snow everywhere.

I was alone; in the middle of this endless solitude. No move, not even a sound. I started to run; as fast as possible. I did not care about the direction. Endlessness has no directions. I kept on running through the snow. The snow was deep. It reached my hip, when I tried to push through. I run - until I finally fell down on my knees. I turned around and saw the river. I had only managed to run some hundred yards.

Then I heard a sound. First I did not realize it was there. However, it repeated and when I realized it my blood began to freeze. Wolves! I had thought how to find the Tartars and what to do then. I had even thought about running away, trying to hide from then. Now I realized that I was lost if I could not find them. Lost; and nobody would ever know what happaned to me. Nobody would ever care.

**Kagemusha** · 03-06-2006, 10:46

22

I forced my frozen feets to continue moving through the snow.The howling continued,but it didnt come closer.It struck me, the wolwes didnt have to run for their pray tonight. They were feasting on the carcasses of my friends and countrymen.
I walked for hours in the frozen wind towards a goal that was uncertain for me.Why didnt my friends give me a horse? A single man on frozen steppe. My chances of surviving this mission were starting to feel less then possible.

**Franconicus** · 03-06-2006, 11:15

23

Then I saw them. They came out of the copse. They sat on small horses, therfore I thought they might not be wolves. However, they had no similarity to men, too. They looked like a composition of beasts and demans.

They did not attack; they did not even come straight to me. They came slowly, scenting, leery and yet curious. I was so scared that I could not move. They came closer, so close that I could smell the disgusting odor of these spawns of darkness.

From the corner of my eye I saw one of the creatures raise a club. Then it was dark.