Headed by a Snake

"(ARRRCHERRRRS!!!!)" Sun-Fur barked his orders, his ears peaked and his eyes wary, "(AIIIMMM!!!)"

The giant human female lumbered forward, carrying a shield harder than stone.

One-With-Spots felt his paws sweating profusely. His body was hot and his fur was unbearable. He panted heavily with the nervousness of battle. The female before them was a Tyrion Legionnaire, an armored monster capable of wading through dozens of kobolds without suffering a scratch.

She was the first. The humans never fought alone, much like the Iredar... and in a one-to-one fight, only he or Scruffy had a chance against one of the steel-covered monsters.

Sun-Fur stared down the sights of his own crossbow.

"(SING!!)" He howled.

"Eternal Flame, I am thy ⌈Unstoppable⌋ Vengeance!!" The female screamed, a silvery light encasing her shield.

Fifteen bows and crossbows released their song, firing a barrage of arrows and bolts. The female slowed her charge, the bolts sticking to her shield, an arrow biting deep into her left shoulder.

She did not stop. She would not stop.

Blood, guts, and bone. She had some kind of magic-- She was what the humans called a Bronze-Ranker... and there was no guarantee that was the extent of her ability. There was no other reason she'd have been able to survive, otherwise.

"(I will TEAR into her throat and GNAW on her spine!!!)" Scruffy howled as he dashed forward on all-fours. "(Blood Paws, WITH ME!!!)"

"(Scruffy!! NOOO!!!)" One-With-Spots barked, but it was too late.

Ten more Iredar dashed after their Alpha, yipping and howling in rage.

Scruffy would die if he fought alone. The metal-woman was stronger than he'd originally thought, shrugging off crossbow bolts like they were thrown sticks. Only One-With-Spots' mana-powered strikes could pierce through armor that thick.

He clenched his teeth hard, loosing a menacing growl before crouching down to dash after him.

"⌈Shadowfang Strike.⌋"

A familiar surprised yelp from one of his kobolds made him hesitate.

No, it was impossible. One-With-Spots had over 30 kobolds under his command. Any human that dared to attack them from behind would be met with spear, sword, and bolt.

It was suicide.

How could the Blood Paws hope to fight humans that knew no fear?

A human youth stood amongst his kin, his silver armor shining in the sun. He held Sun-Fur up by the throat with his gangly human arms. The old dog grasped and scratched with his front paws and kicking and clawing with his legs, his efforts in vain.

One-With-Spots' troops pointed their weapons, all trained on the human... but the human towering over them, nearly twice their heights.

"(Do...)" Sun-Fur whimpered, "(--your duties.)"

One-With-Spots held his sword at the ready, channeling mana into his sword, "(Don't do anything rash, old dog...)"

"(Heed your Alpha, yellow-fur,)" The human growled in accented Iredar.

"(My name...)" Sun-Fur bared his teeth.

"(Gods damn it, DON'T DO IT!!)" One-With-Spots hastily swung his blade, "⌈Moon-Fang HELL SLASH⌋!!"

"(--is SUN-FUR!!!)" The aging dog drew the knife on his back.

The human slammed Sun-Fur down upon the ground, faster than a crossbow could shoot. One-With-Spots' black-mana wave sliced harmlessly over the human, severing the heavy limbs of a nearby tree.

The human plunged the sword it held in its left hand deep into Sun-Fur's chest, easily piercing through the dog-archer's leathers.

"(SUN-FUR, NOOOOOOOO!!!!!)" One-With-Spots howled in despair.

The human stood up, covered in the blood of his friend. The dog was like a second-father to him. And in a single, bloody instant, he was taken away.

Frenzied mana coursed through One-With-Spots' body.

No. He would not lose his reason. He was not like Scruffy, leaping into every battle, surviving by the skin of his teeth. He was not like Sun-Fur, who planned and calculated the positions of each of his archers with care and precision.

He was One-With-Spots, bathed in blood, his heart hardened by dozens of battles, and his blade quenched with the blood of hundreds of dogs, beasts, and men.

He was One-With-Spots, Champion of the Blood Paws.

"(Face me, Human!! I WILL BE YOUR OPPONENT!!!!)"

...

Scruffy leapt powerfully into the air, brandishing his spear.

"(My spear is the spear that will) ⌈Pierce the Heavens!!⌋"

He roared, channeling his boundless rage into his weapon attack.

Striking against the massive metal shield, sparks of silvery fire burst outward. The armored female stood her ground but was pushed back, kicking up the dirt.

It wasn't enough. Of course, it wasn't enough. It would NEVER be enough to slake his bloodthirst.

"(Suffer by my hand! I will break your shield! And I will break YOU!!)" Scruffy snarled.

The female moved her shield, uncovering her face. Blood ran down her nostrils, but she ran her tongue above her lips, lapping up the blood.

"Aren't you... just... precious?" Her eyes gleamed in interest.

Her shield rushed forward, colliding with Scruffy's nose, sending him hurtling backward and tumbling in the dirt. He struggled to get back onto his feet-- to command his brothers and sisters to act with care.

The metal-woman stabbed out from behind her barrier, piercing the neck of one of his kobold-brothers, "OooOoh, I could just eat youuuu uuuuup~!"

Scruffy's ears dropped back in a new fear. He had rushed forward for vengeance, to engage in honorable combat against a fearsome enemy.

But instead, he found a ravenous monster wearing steel skin.

"(No! Utilize pack tactics!! Three kobolds to a man!!") Scruffy yelled, hoping desperately that his packmates would listen.

"I've got you, Gia!" A red-haired human yelled as he cut down a grey-furred spear-dog with his sword.

"(To me!!)" Scruffy yelped, seeing two more humans were fast approaching besides the two in front of him, "(To me, DAMN YOU!!)"

"(We're with you, Alpha!!)" "(Kill!!)" --Rover and Sharptooth flanked him, ready for a combination attack.

Scruffy dashed to the side, lowered his body weight and swept his spear at the red-haired male's legs, "⌈Knockdown Assault!!⌋"

"Awwww~! You're. So. CUUUUTE~!!!" The female moved nearly instantaneously, lunging over 5 fulms and slamming her shield down to guard the male's legs.

"Thanks, Gia!" The male crashed his shield into Sharptooth's snapping and slavering maw, opening up his guard. Without mercy, the human's sword eviscerated Scruffy's old friend.

"(NO!! STOP!!!)" Tears began to blur Scruffy's vision. Too many of his kin were dying-- old dogs, honorable dogs, veterans of dozens of battles and tribal wars.

Scruffy slammed his spear against the side of the female's shield, opening her guard. He needed to get past her defenses. She needed to die. She was their enemy's greatest champion. If she died, then... then maybe One-With-Spots would have a chance.

"Whoops! Ahahahaa!!" The female laughed as she smashed the pommel of her sword hard into Scruffy's nose, "You're soOoo adorable, I wanna take you hoooome and squeeze you until you diiiie!!"

Rover turned to flee. That was Rover, always the smartest dog in the pack. They should have all run when they had the chance...

The red-haired male chopped his sword forward. Rover fell to the ground, burying his snout into the dirt. The back of his neck had been cut open, revealing the bone underneath.

Fear and regret surged, deep from within the bowels of Scruffy's gut. He should have never charged forward. He should have listened to One-With-Spots. He should have never told him he had heard Half-Ear's dying howls. He should have told the Head Chief the attack on the humans was too risky.

Scruffy grasped his spear tight.

One.

At least one.

He needed to kill at least one.

Scruffy hurled his spear at one of the approaching humans, a man wearing a red-crest atop his head.

The human dashed to the side and dodged it.

It wasn't enough.

One. He needed only one.

Then he could die without regret.

Scruffy scrambled onto the monster woman's shield and climbed to its top. If only he could get past the shield... he could tear out her soft, tender neck, and feel her life essence flow out of her.

"(I'll KILL you, human!! I'll FEAST on your INSIDES!! I'll string you up and RAVAGE you in view of your dead!! I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL KILL YOUUUU!!!)"