Joy stared out of one of the dusty windows, rain pattering against the glass. She had felt so sure it was right to warn them about the war that was brewing, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't know exactly why, it just seemed as if fate wished for her to hold back this time. She heaved a mighty sigh.
"There seems to be something wrong. What is it?" Ebony murmured.
"Oh, I'm fine. You don't need to worry."
"No . . . there is something wrong. I can feel it." The concern in Ebony's eyes melted through Joy.
Joy muttered, "Okay, I'll tell you . . ."
Ebony's eyes widened as Joy told the whole entire story. The girls laughed or sat in gloomy silence throughout the story, depending on the part. Though, when Joy go to the war part, all of the color (if there even was any) in her face was gone, as if something sucked out all of the juice in her.
"That's . . . that's . . ," Ebony's voice shivered, and she fell to her knees.
"Terrible. And we need to do something about it . . ." Joy finished.
"Yes! We . . . we have to!" Ebony nodded with shallow confidence.
Joy got up. "I think we should look for warriors to fight, now . . ."
"Indeed!" Ebony agreed again. She beckoned for Joy to follow, and ran out the door.
"Yes, that's it. Keep going! Keep going! YES!" Selvester howled while Jeremy practiced some fighting moves. "Now, you'll need to be sure you get under the armor of the zekatosh wolves; their fur is like armor. The way you do that is to . . ."
Jeremy hardly listened as he whacked at the target, spun around, and jabbed. He thrust the sword right through the straw scarecrow and lifted the sword swiftly upward, tearing it in two.
Selvester blinked. "I suppose we'll need a new one . . . again," he muttered.
"Sorry, Selv . . . it just seems to come naturally!"
"Well, that's . . . er . . . good!" Selvester noted cheerfully.
"Hehe," Jeremy shook his head and sheathed his sword. He was wearing chain mail and an iron vest that only covered his chest and arms. One hand had a gauntlet that he found quite useful.
On his legs, he wore chain mail leggings and something very similar to the vest, though it for the legs. He had rough leather boots that iron toes and bottoms.
All of it was extremely heavy, but Jeremy thought he could handle it, because Selvester insisted on him wearing it. But he wasn't planning to.
The only thing Jeremy wanted was the gauntlet, the sword, and maybe just some rough leather armor that had iron trimming, like his boots. That was all he needed.
By now, the whole entire town was notified about the war. The men were bustling about, forging new armor and weapons and readying the armor they already had.
Some women helped with the strategy, while others brought out bandages and cooked food. Most of them, however, looked for places to hide and created little huts in which they could stay with the children.
The children themselves even tried to help, even the youngest ones. Three and four year olds did their best to gather up sticks and twigs for fires in the nursing sites, where some of the older girls would cook food and sew linen bandages. The five and six year olds gathered many belongings and brought them to huts and places beyond, where they were hidden and waiting for the survivors. The seven and eight year olds did the same things as the five and six year olds, but they carried the more heavy and valuable items.
Nine year olds through fifteen year olds were doing many other things, ranging from helping their mothers to building defense for the town, huts, and nursing sites.
Joy and Ebony walked through the town and asked if they could help with anything. At times they were needed, though now everything seemed to be "taken".
Already, Joy was exhausted. It had been only five hours since the notification; they might have to go for days. A mischievous thought crept into her mind: what if there was no war? What if all of this was for nothing? She angrily shook her head clear of the thought, and sighed.
Ebony froze, stunned for some reason.
"Ebony? What's wrong . . .?" Joy murmured.
"They're coming!" she whispered with a shaky voice.
"They are . . . coming?"
"Yes! Look." Ebony pointed at a dust cloud that was far off in the distance.
Joy nodded, resisting the terror that gripped her heart.
"LOOK!" Ebony shouted and pointed again. It caught the attention of the people, and they turned. Every one bustled about even more violently, all yelling orders at the top of their lungs. Ebony and Joy darted to the nearest mother, and she brought the children gathering to one of the far-off huts.
Joy huddled into one of the dusty corners and watched blankly. Too many things were going on at once. She looked down and listened. Shouts, whispers, scrapings, howls, barks, hisses, growls, and the sound of clanking metal. The roar of the battle was overbearing.
The end was the beginning, and the war had begun.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this Whyville Times series. You have only read the first few chapters of the book I am going to publish. It will be done in . . . hmmmm . . . a year or two? Who knows! Maybe even a couple months, if I really work at it. Farewell!
