Ayenwatha discovered that the great Darroks were able to breathe short jets of fire. The ability was unveiled to all of the defending tribal warriors, when one of them strayed too close towards the immediate front of one of the beasts, and barely avoided getting engulfed in the tight column of flame that blasted from the creature’s huge mouth.
The creature then swung its head about, trying to find the evasive warrior. The Trogens controlling the beast worked its reins aggressively, working to keep the suddenly-distracted creature moving steadily onward.
Ayenwatha recognized the great danger presented by the fire breath of the winged giants, and swiftly warned his warriors to keep clear of the beasts’ heads.
It was not a very hard challenge, as the slow moving beasts could not readily adapt to the sudden changes in direction that the substantially smaller Bregas were able to undertake. A loud outcry then rang out among the Trogens on the backs of the Darroks, a fierce roar erupting to meet the impact of the daring assault.
To Ayenwatha’s immense relief, there were no sky steeds, such as Harraks, escorting the Darroks. Yet their enemies were not devoid of a considerable means of defense.
Several Trogens hastily retrieved great bows, each more than the height of a man. They notched arrows fletched with long, black feathers, laboring diligently to train their sights upon the Onan warriors. At the moment, there were few archers fully ready to engage in the fray, as many of the Trogens among the Darroks were still hustling to snatch up weapons. Ayenwatha’s warriors would be allowed a small measure of time to try and disrupt or cripple the assaults on their village.
Ayenwatha espied one enemy archer, who had an arrow at the ready and was marking its mental target upon one of the tribal warriors. The Trogen was assiduously focusing its eyes upon the unaware warrior, who was about to fly alongside the Darrok just above the carriage level.
Quickly balancing himself, Ayenwatha set an arrow to his own bow and instantly let the arrow fly towards the Trogen archer.
The shot was loosed just in the right moment. Had he waited even a fraction of a moment later, it would have been too late.
As it was, the bestial archer suddenly jerked about as Ayenwatha’s deadly missile found its target. It twisted in the act of its own shot, the arrow going wildly astray of its intended target. Its bow fell from its hands, as it crumpled down to the surface of the carriage.
More shouts of alarm emerged from the felled Trogen’s nearby companions. All of the Trogens were readying their weapons, as they endeavored to repel the warriors with Ayenwatha.
The other Onan warriors then let their first volley of arrows streak towards the companions of the slain Trogen.
Several of the tribal warriors’ arrows burrowed into the flesh of their intended marks. In just one pass over the Trogens, a great majority of the enemy warriors on the first Darrok were casualties. They were either wounded too badly to continue fighting, or had been slain outright by deadly accurate shafts.
Only a few survived unharmed. The Onan warriors had effectively taken one beast out of the fight. Ayenwatha could see the one remaining Trogen with the reins working feverishly to steer the creature away. The winged behemoth now represented little threat to any village within the landscape below.
The Onan warriors’ rapid flight carried them far over and beyond the Darrok. Ayenwatha abruptly gripped the reins of his steed, and brought it sharply upwards. The loose formation of Bregas followed him, emulating his movements as he curled about in a wide arc for an attack upon the next Darrok.
The Darrok that they left behind seemed to recognize the damage done to the crew on its back, and loosed a spiteful, blistering breath of fire after them. The creature was far too slow, and its outburst well too short to be of any danger to Ayenwatha’s warriors.
Steadying their steeds in Ayenwatha’s wake, the tribal formation leveled itself out as it began to gain speed. At Ayenwatha’s lead, the warriors swiftly notched more arrows for a pass at one of the remaining Darroks. The one that Ayenwatha had selected lumbered through the air just a few hundred feet away, a full crew upon its back.
The Trogen warriors on the Darrok were much more prepared for the defenders’ approach. There was deadly exchange of arrow fire as the two groups closed within killing range of each other. Ayenwatha and the tribal warriors let loose their barrage, almost at the exact time that the Trogens let fly with their own.
The arrows of the tribal warriors raked the exposed surface of the timber carriage. Once again, the arrows of the warriors of the Five Realms found several targets, but the enemy missiles claimed their own number of victims among the sky riders and their steeds.
With wretched cries and shrieks, a few stricken Bregas plummeted down towards the ground, hundreds of feet below, carrying their ill-fated riders towards certain, gruesome deaths.
A couple of other warriors toppled over, slouching lifeless in the saddles or falling off. Riderless Bregas, left to their own discretion, flew away from the conflict, without any direction or authority to guide them.
Ayenwatha’s warriors had still reduced the number of fighters on the second Darrok by about a third, but had suffered their first blows, losing several of their own warriors. They had also suffered another casualty in that the advantage of surprise no longer belonged to them.
The main formation of Bregas with Ayenwatha continued on past the Darrok, and started to turn again in a wide arc so that they could circle back and make another pass. Ayenwatha knew that the Trogens would be braced again for them, but they had to carry the battle relentlessly to the enemy while the villagers on the ground struggled to escape the vicinity of the imperiled village.
As with the first Darrok that they had attacked, Ayenwatha noticed that no stones were falling. The Trogen crew was strictly readying for defense against the tribal warriors.
While he was relieved that they had severely impeded the assault, he also knew what it meant for his small band of warriors. There was little mistaking the situation facing them. With less than thirty warriors remaining, they would not be able to sustain many more passes. A battle of attrition would not be in their favor.
He kept his mind calm, as he thought rapidly of other courses of action. His mind raced through various possibilities as the formation completed its curve and came about to begin another sweep towards the Darrok.
He eyed the harnessing required to secure the high-sided, wooden platform for the occupants on the back of the Darroks. The Trogens were not tethered by any manner of ties or restraint to the platform itself.
If those manning the Darroks were cast overboard from their airborne vessel, there would be no possible rescue for them. Hundreds of feet of empty air and solid ground would seal their fates well enough.
“Stay clear. Shoot arrows at the beast ahead,” Ayenwatha cried out to the nearest of his warriors, gesturing forcefully as he spoke. “Keep your steeds to this side. Sky Arrow… follow me! Keep close!”
The warrior to his right nodded in understanding, and gripped the reins of his steed tightly as he watched for Ayenwatha to take the lead. Ayenwatha then guided Arax off sharply, heading downward to the left. With great skill, he guided the steed tightly as they looped back up towards the Darrok, coming about to fly directly underneath the immense creature.
His years of experience and relationship with Arax enabled the difficult maneuver with a smooth grace of form. Sky Arrow followed skillfully enough, keeping his steed close to the war sachem, as he also made it safely to the underbelly of the Darrok.
The Trogens scrambled frantically to fire more arrows at them as they executed the difficult maneuver. Ayenwatha heard the whizzing sound of an arrow as it passed within just a foot of his right ear. He kept his mind steeled, even as his heart skipped a beat in his chest.