SWNOVELS Chapter 27 Tactics
I found Ellis on the living room couch. He noticed me and greeted, “What’s up Reese?” I replied, “Hey, you said earlier you had some ideas for the battle? Can you show us or teach us these tricks?” He frowned, “I can explain them. They are more like ideas or strategies instead of classes per say. For example, during the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese people dug tunnels and traps to eliminate enemy forces. During World War Two each opposing side dug trenches that they would pop up out and race across “No Man’s Land” to try to advance and kill the enemy.”
“In Medieval times, castles and sometimes villages had palisades encircling them. Palisades were spiked fences that were built to keep out intruders. Guerilla warfare was used as far back as Ancient Asia, around the sixth century BCE. Guerilla warfare was a small, usually non military band of rebels who would rise up against and fight the government by utilizing ambushes, sabotage, and subterfuge. They often use small precise attacks to steal supplies or take out enemy encampments. This is still a favored method of war to this day in some third world countries. It’s all pretty fascinating really.”
I was completely blown away at the wealth of knowledge Ellis had on this subject. “Tell me more about this guerilla warfare,” I asked him. “If we can find out where their camp is and when they bring in supplies, we can hit the caravan and steal the supplies with a handful of fighters. We can do midnight raids, two or three of us go in stealthily and kill or burn the camp. The key is to keep it random, make sure there is no discernable pattern, keep the enemy guessing. Over time, and it will be a long time, the enemy will wear down, get sloppy so we can mount a decisive attack or become too ill equipped to continue the war.”
I got the jist of what Ellis said, I responded with, “Chance mentioned something about taking our time, gathering intel and allies, and planning a successful attack. Ellis, do you think you can lead us in this war effort? You know so much more than I do.” He blinked in surprise, “You want me to be the wartime general??” I nodded, “I think you will excel at it.” “Wow Reese,” he answered, “I would be honored!” “But, you must be gentle with us, we are not soldiers, most of us have never heard of monkey warfare before.” Ellis grinned, “Guerilla warfare.” “My point exactly,” I raised an eyebrow. “I understand Reese, thank you for trusting me with this,” he acknowledged.
I took my leave and mentally called Cordelia, “Cordelia, can you hear me?” Her stony voice echoed in my mind, “Yes.” I nodded, I forgot she could only hear my thoughts and not see my action, “Would you please ask Goliath to come see me when y’all return from hunting?” “Of course, we are on our way now,” she replied. “Thank you Cordelia,” I answered. I stepped outside and plopped down on a deck lounger to wait. I noticed the beautiful full moon. My inner wolf rose in my chest, it wanted to run around and play. I decided to oblige it after a quick meeting with Goliath.
Fortunately the gargoyles didn’t make me wait too long. The magnificent outlines of Goliath and Lilith appeared in front of the glorious full moon. I heard the sharp whistle of their powerful wings as they glided toward me. Goliath and Lilith landed delicately in front of me. “Welcome back,” I greeted them. “One of my wolves has been studying methods of war. He would most likely gain greatly from your wisdom and experience. Would you be willing to speak with him?” “I would be honored,” Goliath’s gravelly voice carried throughout the backyard. “I will bring him out to you,” I replied and went to find Ellis.
Ellis sat at the kitchen island and munched on pizza. Quinn had made several pizzas for the whole pack. She was incredible. I asked Ellis to meet Goliath outside and served up a slice for myself. Quinn gazed at me, “Reese, I’m going for a run after dinner. Do you want to join me?” I smiled lovingly at her, “That would be amazing!” Kai and Drew offered to clean the kitchen. Robin’s ears perked up and she whined. “Do you want to go too, Robin,” I asked. She performed a cute high step and whined again. “Come on then,” I replied.
Quinn opened the back door for Robin and me. Robin bounded out of the house and headed straight for the tree line. “I wonder if her human side ever gets antsy if she doesn’t have enough human time,” Quinn queried absentmindedly. I grinned at her musings. I kissed her gently, “Come with me,” I urged. I pulled my hoodie over my head and tossed it to her. She smiled hungrily at me and let her dress fall from her body. We endured the painful transition and chased Robin into the night.
Quinn and I played and wrestled for hours, it was fantastic to have quality time with her. We splashed in the lake and laid side by side on the rocks that overlooked the lake. The full moon was gorgeous and shone brilliantly down on us. A twig snapped and we whipped our heads around to see what made the sound. I was surprised to see Robin in human form walk toward us. I moaned as I succumbed to the pain, my wolf body shrunk and tore as the pink human body emerged.
“Robin, are you okay,” I called to her. She came right to me without a word. She grasped my chin with her hand, “The stakes are high, the pack must survive. He will lead us to victory, yet the mantle will remain yours.” I gazed into her eyes, “What if I don’t want the mantle?” Robin shook her head, “He will lead us to victory, yet the mantle will remain yours. Listen to the words of the moon. Bloody the past has been and the next months will be likewise. Peace will be gained if the path is kept.” She released my chin and stook a large step backward; fur exploded from her body and rippled across her curves. Robin returned to her wolf form.
Quinn transformed and exclaimed, “What the furry hell was that?!” Her expression caught me off guard so I giggled. “That, Quinn, was Robin. She has this weird gift I guess the word would be. She catches glimpses of what I believe to be the future. If things are particularly horrible, she shares what she saw. That’s how I knew to find the cure for you, she led me to the gargoyle cave. She warned me about the hunters too.” Quinn stared at me in disbelief, “And you are just telling me now?” I shrugged, “It’s not my story to tell. You just happened to witness it so I explained.” Her eyes narrowed, “I don’t know how I feel about that.” “Believe me, hun, it wasn’t out of malice or spite. It’s just not my story to tell. It’s hers.” She frowned at me. “Come on, the sun is about to rise, let’s get home.” I phased back into my wolf and jogged off toward the house. Quinn and Robin followed.