Chapter 4: Bait for the Wolves

I woke with a start, the sound of battle in my ears, a corpse with an arrow in it falling on me. Just before dawn is when people are most exhausted and careless. Of course the Dakota would choose this time to attack! But how did they get so close so suddenly?

The stench of blood hit me first, then the chaos—shouts, steel, the thud of bodies. Fear snapped me awake.

The nearest Dakota soldier had already crossed the firebreak, clutching a broken spear, charging at me. After days of fighting, the Dakota had realized their long cavalry lances were useless in the forest, so they broke them in half to use as weapons.

He looked wild, desperate. The forest had turned men into animals, and there was no room for mercy. My stomach clenched.

I shouted to dig in, but looking around, hardly anyone was nearby. Where was everyone?

“Danny! Big Beard! ...Commander King Yancey!”

My voice echoed, unanswered. Panic clawed at my chest. Alone. Alone.

Several corpses lay around me—our own, all killed by arrows. Frantically, I checked them—no, these were comrades who had died yesterday. What was going on?

The realization hit me like cold water. The bodies hadn’t moved. I was alone.

The savage Dakota roared like beasts, charging in groups. When they saw only me alive behind the firebreak, they stopped. They surrounded me but didn’t rush to kill me. Instead, they turned and jumped into the firebreak, drinking desperately, as if they’d never had water in their lives.

Their thirst was so raw, so overpowering, it almost made me pity them. I paused. Almost.

How many days had we held this spring? Three? Five? Ten? I couldn’t remember. But from the way these wolves drank, they were already mad with thirst.

Time had lost all meaning. The only thing that mattered was water—and survival.

It was a good chance to escape, but my legs were too weak with fear. I just stood there, watching these wolves wipe their mouths in satisfaction before turning to me. Now, they finally remembered me, the only living person on this line. They started to roar, that familiar, terrifying sound. Would they rush up to kill me? Torture me? Eat me...?

My heart hammered, every instinct screaming at me to run. But I couldn’t move. I was frozen, waiting for the end.

I can’t die here! I shouldn’t die here!

My lips trembled, I muttered to myself, and started to cry.

Tears streaked down my face, hot and bitter. I wasn’t ashamed—fear makes children of us all.

Just then, I heard a “whoosh” by my ear, and an arrow struck a Dakota soldier in the chest. In an instant, countless arrows shot from behind me. The wolves who had just enjoyed their last drop of water fell silently, one by one. They collapsed in the firebreak, their blood turning the water red.

Relief and horror crashed over me at once. The water ran red, and the silence that followed was deafening. I swayed, dizzy with shock.

“A great wind rises and clouds fly high, where are the heroes to slay the northern wolves?”

Again, Commander King Yancey’s annoying voice—he’d even twisted old American poetry. Brothers appeared from nowhere, charging down to kill the remaining Dakota in the firebreak.

He sang like he was the star of the world’s last show, his voice echoing through the trees. For a heartbeat, the world seemed to pause, caught between horror and hope.

I understood—I was just bait! That bastard Commander King Yancey had withdrawn the sentries while I slept. He’d propped up yesterday’s dead, unburied soldiers by the trees to look like they were asleep, luring the enemy to attack. Last night, when the Dakota fire squad failed, they discovered the firebreak before me. Commander King Yancey predicted the water-starved Dakota would try a surprise attack just for a drink. So he set this trap.

The realization stung. I was nothing but a pawn, but at least I was still alive.

“Aww, city boy, why are you crying?”

Commander King Yancey pretended to pat my head, but I brushed him off.

His hand hovered awkwardly, the gesture more mocking than kind. I glared at him, anger bubbling up.

“You...”

I was about to curse him, but he cut me off.

“You performed a great service! Lured the enemy alone—an example to all!”

His words rang hollow, but the men around us cheered. Maybe they needed the lie more than I did.

“I...”

Danny came over grinning, patting my back. “You alright? Big Beard and I protected you well!”

Big Beard smiled too. I knew their ‘protection’ was the corpse covering me, shielding me from an arrow.

Their faces were sheepish, but their eyes were kind. I felt the warmth, sharp as a slap. Out here, friendship meant survival.

“You sleep like a log, couldn’t wake you if we tried!”

Big Beard made an excuse, he and Danny trying to lighten their guilt.

I straightened, instinctively feeling my clothes. The letter? The letter was gone! It must have fallen in the chaos—where was it?

Panic shot through me. My hands searched every pocket, every fold. Gone. My mind blanked. Gone.

Danny and Big Beard looked at me in confusion.

“Don’t worry, city boy, you won’t die...”

Commander King Yancey came over. “When we retake Sentinel Gap, I’ll stamp your travel permit with the commander’s seal and guarantee you a safe return to the capital.”

I spun around, glaring at him in anger. It was Commander King Yancey who took my letter! Not only that, he’d read it!

His smirk told me everything. My secret was out, and he held all the cards. My hands curled into fists.

“Give me back my letter!”

I was frantic.

“Didn’t I say, after we retake Sentinel Gap...”

I didn’t let him finish; in my agitation, I rushed at him. That letter was my life, my everything! He didn’t dodge, just kicked me to the ground. Pain shot through my chest, and I coughed violently.

The pain was sharp, but the humiliation cut deeper. My face burned. I wanted to scream, to claw back what I’d lost.

He looked around, knowing everyone was watching. Because he’d just said we’d retake Sentinel Gap, everyone was stunned. The hundred or so of us had thought we were going home, but were tricked into guarding the spring. After so many days, though we’d won some battles, casualties were heavy. Now, at this critical moment, Commander King Yancey says we’ll retake Sentinel Gap? Isn’t that crazy?

The men stared, mouths open. Hope and fear warred in their eyes. The tension crackled.

So everyone was stunned. Commander King Yancey saw their shock, cleared his throat, walked to high ground, and pointed northwest.

He stood tall, his blade catching the dawn light. For a moment, he looked every inch the hero. I wanted to believe.

“The Dakota chief Running Hawk claims to have ten thousand riders—nonsense! At most, two thousand! Now, after ten days without water, I bet they’ve slaughtered all their horses. Sentinel Gap is now full of weak, sickly dogs, no longer wolves! This is the best time to retake Sentinel Gap!”

His stirring speech moved no one. The dazed looks said it all. With our hundred or so, no siege equipment, attack a city defended by two thousand?

The silence was thick, hope flickering but not catching. The odds were impossible, and everyone knew it.

“Madman!” I spat quietly.

The word slipped out before I could stop it. But out here, madness was all we had left.

“Don’t want to go, do you? Feeling comfortable here, huh?”

His tone was mocking, but his eyes burned with challenge.

“Comfortable? Silver Hollow has wanted comfort for seven years—so what? Of the nine counties and twenty-seven districts of Maple Heights, how many towns are left? With the enemy at the gates, wanting comfort is death—death in avoidance and silence! A silent death!”

His words hit home, sharp as the blade he carried. The truth hurt, but it was the only thing that could move us now.

He pulled out a piece of paper. I looked closely—it was my letter from home.

The sight of it twisted my gut. I reached for it, but he held it just out of reach.

“City boy from the capital, this is your comfort, letting you sleep like a log!”

With that, he instantly tore up my letter—my letter, my life! I was stunned. I felt my very bones and blood shatter like that letter, into pieces.

The sound of tearing paper was louder than any gunshot. I couldn’t breathe. Everything I’d hoped for was gone. My hands shook.

“Retake Sentinel Gap!”

Big Beard shouted through tears.

“Retake Sentinel Gap!”

Everyone shouted together.

“Drive out the Dakota!”

“Drive out the Dakota!”

......

The cries rose, wild and desperate. In that moment, the impossible became possible. Even I felt the fire catch in my chest.

Amid the passionate shouts, I could only watch helplessly as the scraps of paper scattered in the forest.

They fluttered away, carrying my past with them. All I had left was the fight ahead. My jaw clenched.

“All soldiers, listen to orders!”