Yeah, we finished it just in time to post today! Didn't think we would, anyway enjoy you guys!

Jonathan:

He nocked another arrow and drew back as the captain called out, “Ready. Aim. Fire!”

He loosed the arrow confident that it was going where he wanted it, straight into the ranks of wolves. He was a distance archer where his brother, Joseph, was a battle archer. His skill was hitting a target at a far distance and judging that distance accordingly. Joseph was more focused, his shots relied on thinking straight while in the thick of the battle. Because if you messed up the shot you could hit a fellow soldier. So, your distance had to be calculated quickly and accurately and you needed to be totally focused taking into consideration that anyone could move at any moment. Both types of archery were hard, simply different types of difficulties that was all.

He watched his arrow sail in a wide arch through the sky, with about twenty others. He kept his eye on his one red fletching that he had added to his shaft so he would be able to tell which was his. He nodded as he saw his arrow sink into one of the mock wolves set up on the other side of the field. He turned to grab another arrow and came face to face with a rabbit. He backed up startled and almost tripped.

The rabbit laughed and said, “Captain said to tell you, you had a visitor mister Shanks.” The rabbit laughed again and slapped his knee as he said, “You

look like you’ve seen a ghost Jon.”

“You just about scared the living daylights out of me, Clay. You can’t be sneaking up on fella like that,” Jonathan said as he straightened himself up. He then added, “And what did I say about calling me Jon?”

“That ya liked it,” Clay said nodding and smiling. Jonathan scowled at him and Clay started shaking his head as he said, “That you don’t do nicknames, sorry it just comes natural like.” Clay shrugged.

Jonathan shook his head and started to walk off, but Clay called after him, “She said she would be waiting for you at the standing stones.”

Jonathan waved a goodbye and hurried on, Lea was waiting for him. He had joined the army about nine years ago and Lea hadn’t liked the idea, but she had soon grown accustomed to seeing him every now and then when he had time to visit. They had decided to wait till the war was over before getting married. He was currently in the reserves of the army, since he had signed up later than his brothers, and he hadn’t actually seen any combat yet. But some were saying it wouldn’t be long before they were needed on the battlefield. After a year of waiting and hanging around and hearing about the great things his brothers were helping to accomplish Jonathan was glad, he would soon be part of it. He walked on quickly through the camp and on towards the city center and the standing stones.

When he reached the square, he made his way through the crowds towards the standing stones and then he saw her. A brown doe, slim, beautiful, and so… well so Lea. She was wearing a light blue dress and had a matching ribbon tied around one ear. When she saw him, she smiled, and her brown eyes danced as she came towards him. “Jonathan you came, I was afraid they wouldn’t let you,” she said as she took one of his hands in hers.

“Why wouldn’t they? It’s not like I’m under arrest I’m just in army,” he said smiling at her. She was so pretty and perfect, he hoped she would wait for him.

“Well… I…” she laughed softly and said, “I don’t know what to say, now I feel so silly.” She looked down then looked up at him and said, “Your parents said your leaving soon, is it true?”

“Yes, I leave with the next unit, they need archers out there,” Jonathan said, as he turned his eyes toward the field, “King Jupiter needs all the help he can get if he is to win this war.”

“But do you have to go?” Lea said looking at him with tears in her eyes, she then added quietly, “I had such big plans for you and me, I thought…” she trailed off and looked away.

He turned her face towards him and said, “When I come back, we will be married that is if you will have me?”

“Of course, Jonathan Shanks, but what if you don’t come back?” Lea asked a sob choking her voice.

“I will come back, I promise Lea,” he said as he kissed her gently on the cheek. He then hugged her and rubbed the back of her head as she cried in his arms. Through her tears Lea choked out all they would do when he returned and Jonathan almost wanted to give the whole thing up and stay with her, but something kept him from doing it. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was something.

A horn sounded from the field and then he saw Clay pushing through the crowd. Clay caught sight of him and called, “Time to go Jon, word is King Jupiter is in desperate need of back up, their saying we suffered many losses, some say the valley ran red.”

Jonathan’s stomach twisted his brothers were out there somewhere fighting for King Jupiter. He said a hasty and tearful goodbye to Lea and followed Clay hoping somehow that his brothers had stayed safe.

Joseph:

Joseph hopped up onto a large rock and began raining arrows down on the wolves as they came. Darren covered him with a sword from the ground and it wasn’t long before more of their fellow soldiers joined in. He had a good position and they knew it need to be defended. As he shot, he scanned the battlefield looking for any sign of his brother, where was Josiah?

Then he saw his brother on the opposite side of the battlefield fighting like there was no tomorrow. He let loose another arrow and smiled that was so like his brother, Josiah never did anything halfway. But then something else caught his eye. There was an epic struggle unfolding in the center of the field. Joseph looked closer and saw that it was King Jupiter engaged in single combat, with none other than King Garlocks himself!

The monstrous wolf was more than three times the size of King Jupiter, but the brave rabbit fought on. Joseph knew that very rarely did a rabbit ever defeat a wolf in single combat. But if this was to be one of those rare times then he knew King Jupiter was the rabbit for the job. King Jupiter was magnificent with a blade, a true master swords buck.

He watched as the battle raged on and everyone on the battlefield, including the wolves seemed to slow down to watch. They were all holding their breath, waiting to see what the outcome would be. Would it be one of rabbitkinds greatest victories or would it be a horrible failure? It was a question no one could answer till the fight was over.

King Jupiter fought like he was one fire; a fiercer warrior had not been seen since the days of Whitson Marnier. The sword was like a mere extension of his body. He was fast, quick on his feet, and smart. The fight dragged on and on. But Joseph watched as King Jupiter struck down the mighty King Garlocks. It was a deed unheard of, a deed that would become legend.

For a moment, the battlefield was quiet and then the wolves attacked with renewed vigor. Their King had fallen to a rabbit and their rage could not be expressed. Joseph went back to firing arrows but there were to many wolves and he had to give up his position and retreat further back. He watched as his fellow soldier fell left and right but he kept up the fight. He saw a grey soldier pinned not too far away and sent an arrow into the wolf’s shoulder he reach back for another, but found he was all out! An archer’s worst nightmare. He had run out of arrows in the middle of the battlefield and he had been pressed so hard that he had been unable to gather more.

The wolf looked at him and he could see the bloodlust in its eyes. Then it came for him. He drew his sword from his side and prepared himself to fight. He looked around to see if there was anyone who could help him, they were all engaged in combat, he was on his own. Maybe he too could do the unthinkable like King Jupiter, but he highly doubted it.

Though everything in him told him to run, he would not, could not. He could not be seen as a coward, if he died, he would go down facing his enemies not fleeing them. So, holding his head and giving a shout of defiance Joseph rushed toward the wolf. He landed a blow on the wolf’s hind paw before its slavering jaws closed on his shoulder. The force of the wolf’s bite made him cry out in pain, and he both felt and heard his shoulder crack. That pain was so intense he could not even scream.

He was sure this was the end. This was the end of his short life. He was going to die here, and they would find his broken body among the many others on the battlefield. Time seemed to slow down as the wolf shook him back and forth like some sort of plaything. But then he heard shout. Though he was almost incapacitated by the pain he saw a greyish brown rabbit come flying at the wolf. Josiah!

The wolf tossed him aside and headed for Josiah. Joseph wanted to yell out to Josiah to run, not to do this. But then he saw that there were two grey rabbits with Josiah, he was not alone. With lightning strokes, the three rabbits attacked the one wolf. But Joseph didn’t watch, instead he closed his eyes trying to block out the throbbing pain in his shoulder. And soon he knew no more.

Josiah:

Josiah didn’t know how he had ended up fighting with these two rabbits. He knew one was Wilfred Longtreader, the buck who had been called to the war shortly before him, and the other buck, he guessed, was Wilfred’s brother since they looked alike. Together they made quick work of the wolf and then Wilfred said, “Whittle, go check on the buck the wolf threw, I’ll check on Garten.”

The other grey rabbit nodded, and Josiah ran ahead of him to Joseph. His brother lay in an odd position, his left shoulder looking horrid and painful. His face set in pain and his body limp. The only movement was the shallow rising and falling of his chest. He was going to shift his brother and make him more comfortable when he felt a hand laid on his shoulder.

The grey rabbit, called Whittle then said, “Don’t move him, you could make it worse let me check him for other injuries first.”

Josiah backed up a little and Whittle slowly began checking his brother over. After a few minute Whittle looked up and said, “No other injuries that I can tell, but this shoulder looks pretty bad. He needs a medic.”

Josiah was thinking and then he heard another voice say, similar to Whittle’s but more distinguished sounding, “The battle is all but over they are driving the wolves back as we speak, there will be medics here soon.” Josiah looked up to see Wilfred with another grey rabbit leaning on his shoulder. Where were all these grey rabbits coming from? It appeared that this third grey rabbit had a hurt foot and was a Captain.

Whittle looked to Wilfred and said, “Is there anything you can do for him?”

Wilfred’s brows knit and then he said, “I think the best idea would be to move him, it may take a while for the medics to get here, do you think we can move him without causing him more harm?”

Whittle looked thoughtful then said, “I think so.”

“Then let’s do it,” Josiah said as he took his brother’s head careful in his hands, “We’re going to get you help Joseph, just hang in there.”

Josiah and Whittle carefully lifted Joseph who groaned, and they slowly walked back across the battlefield. They passed many other rabbits carrying their dead or wounded friends and brothers. It was a sad sight, but they had won the battle and that was what matter, or was it? As Josiah looked around and saw all the wounded, dead, and dying, he wondered if it was worth it. What were they fighting for that was so grand? What was it that it required so much pain and suffering? Sure, they were fighting for peace, but how can one have peace if one was always fighting? He looked down at the broken form of his brother in his arms, it hurt him to see his brother like this and if made him question everything he had once believed. Fighting for what you believed in was good, but you had to know how far to go. They had driven the wolves back, they had driven the birds back, they had expanded the borders of the kingdom, what were they fighting for now?

As they reached the back of the field medics came and took Joseph from them. The laid him on stretcher and carried him away. Josiah watched and heard the captain say in admiration, “He saved my life! I backed up and tripped over a spear breaking my ankle, then the wolf was going to end me, and he used his last arrow to save me.” The Captain looked touched by the recollection.

Josiah walked off and thought about what the captain had said. Joseph was a hero but if he didn’t make it did that really matter? Sure, he would be remembered, but why did it seem that great rabbits were always remembered too late.

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