As the moon began to climb towards the top of the sky, there was a sudden sound of thudding footpaws, and the hare patrol came flying over a sand dune towards the forest. Faltilvn appeared and went out to them. It was confirmed. The Shadowray horde was coming. The hare gave orders rapidly, as last-minute preparations commenced. Then, silence fell again as Cinnan moved to the edge of the forest, ready to play her part. The squirrel stood, tense, in the shadows, waiting. Then, despite the darkness of the night, she saw the coming army, and it took a great effort to suppass a gasp of shock.


The Shadowray horde was huge, almost like the grains of sand on the desert. There must have been thousands, if not millions of vermin. For a moment, Cinnan forget that reports stated that there were only two thousand or more vermin. She stared, then realized it was only a trick. The vermin were marching in a manner that only made them seem numerous, more numerous than they really were. That snapped her out of her shock and galvanized her into action. She now had to infuriate them until they chased her, right into the trap.


As the horde drew closer to the forest, Cinnan notched an arrow to her bow, and released it. The arrows hit a rat in the front, who went down. With fast movements, Cinnan continued to draw her bow and release arrows. Four more fell. The vermin, shocked at first be the unexpected attack, now ran for cover. Until a voice rang out.
"Halt! Stop running, all of you! Who dares to shoot at us?!"


Cinnan watched as a white polecat stepped to the front. He was tall and strong, she could see, and it was clear, from the way others looked at him, that he was the leader. She stifled her fear and answered in a loud yell, trying to make her voice sound harsh.
"Har! Har! You're surrounded! Don't even think of running. We're all around you!"
The polecat stepped to the front, eyes blazing, "Ha! We'll see! I doubt if Mossflower even has that many beasts! Show yourselves and your army, then I'll believe you."
He was playing right into it. Cinnan yelled again, "Seeing isn't believing! You're surrounded! Here! Take that!"

Cinnan's arrow thudded into the spot were the polecat was an instant agao. He pointed at the place where the arrow had come from, "Shoot!"
A hail of arrows, stones and spears shook the trees around Cinnan. She leaped up a branch, dodging an arrow as she did, then turned to flee, allowing the vermin a glimpse of her as she did. Cries broke out in the horde.
"It's just a squirrel!"
"Aye !"
"We've been tricked !"
The polecat's shout rang out over the others, thick with rage,"Chaaaaarrrrrggggggeeeeeeeee!!! Get her !"
A roar arose as the horde moved forward in a great charge. Cinnan fled deeper into the forest, drawing the vermin with her. The polecat, she noted, hung back and allowed the others to charge past him. She gritted her teeth and continued to draw them forwards, shooting an arrow at them every now and then. The vermin replied with spears, stones, arrows and an occasional javelin. The fleet squirrel dodged with ease, the darkness of the night both aiding and impading her. It went on for a few minutes, though to Cinnan it seemed like years. Then, just when Cinnan thought the other warriors must have run off and deserted her, another roar rang out from the surrounding forest .
"Moooossssssssffffflllooooooowwwweeeerrrrr!!!"
"Tomtomtomtomtommmmmmmm!!!"
"Sooouuuuutttttttttthhssssssswarrddddddd!!!"
"Logologalogalogaloggggggg!!!"
Arrows thickened the air as squirrel archers launched their attack from all sides. They were joined by otter slingstones and javelins. Chaos broke out in the horde, and Cinnan heard the polecat shouting,"Retreat! Retreat! It's a trap!"


The horde drew back, fighting as it went. So far, only projectiles had been used, but now there were minor clashes as groups of goodbeasts ran into vermin in the horde's haphazard retreat. Cinnan raced through the trees with other squirrel archers, shooting arrows at the retreating horde. For a few minutes, all was confusion to Cinnan. She raced on through the trees, sometimes beside another squirrel archer, loosing an arrow whenever she spotted a vermin running on the ground below. Then, quite suddenly, they were at the forest edge, and the horde was running across the sands, with the pursueing goodbeasts close behind. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but the moon, shining in the cloudless sky above, let off beams that reflected off the sand, giving the whole scene a strange, dreamy outlook. Several squirrel archers leapt from the trees to join in the pursuit. Cinnan was about to join them when an tremendous outcry of dismay from ahead halted her. She looked up.

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