When a Tyrant's Army Comes Calling
The Rebellious Fox Answers
The vast planes of Zebria were merely an interesting vacation spot to most but to those who called the area home it was much more, but currently these lands were being ransacked by war between two Zebra tribes the larger one’s banners having a symbol that’s a golden hyena with a emerald snake in its mouth while the smaller banners one has a lynx with bat wings. “RETREAT! RETREAT!” At the yell those under the lynx banner began to flee while the warriors of the hyena cheered as they watched their foes flee with their tails between their legs before collecting their dead and any useable weapons as the cruel laughter of their leader echoed across the battle field.
As the warriors of the Lynx returned to their small village their hearts full of despair they noticed a sleeping figure lying in the middle of the village. They have fox like ears, red hair fashioned into a braid that goes down to the middle of their back and at the end of the braid is a metal ring. Around their next is a red choker and they’re wearing black armor with red trimmings that showed off their unique form with red gloves and boots of a similar make, but what caught the Zebra’s attention was the nine fluffy tails that were glowing with a soft flame. One of the warriors approached the head shaman who as per tradition had been given the name Wisecolt. “Do you have any ideas who this is?”
Wisecolt looked at the sleeping figure in thought. “This might be a fire spirit. However in all my years I’ve never heard of one quite like this, with some luck we won’t have to fear it.” Just then they heard the rustling of movement and a small yawn.
“That was a good nap… Wait where am I and why is my voice different?” The figure quickly got to their feet and examined their body. When they saw their tails they froze in shock and muttered something under their breath that Wisecolt barely managed to catch. “I’m Ahri? But that’s…that’s impossible!”
As the figure got more and more upset and panicked the fire on their tails became more intense. Thinking quickly Wisecolt stepped forwards and said. “Spirit please calm down before you set our homes ablaze! We do not wish to feel your rage!”
Snapping around the figure looked at Wisecolt their eyes still wide in shock. “And now a talking Zebra. What on Earth happened?”
Wisecolt slowly approached and bowed. “Thank you for calming down and welcome to our humble home noble Spirit. I am called Wisecolt may I know your name?”
“Call me…Leena.” Leena said before once again muttering something. “And that’s going to take a while to get used to.”
“Well then Leena please fallow me to my hut so we can talk in privet.” Wisecolt said before turning to the rest of his tribe. “Warriors. Go and rest for we will have much to do tomorrow.”
Once Leena and Wisecolt were in his hut Leena sat on a cushion her tails gently curling around her while Wisecolt started to make tea. “Can you tell me a little about where I am? And from what you said earlier are you expecting some kind of battle tomorrow? Oh and I’m not a spirit. I’m a nine-tailed Fox I didn’t say anything earlier because, well I wasn’t always like this.”
“This is a small village is called Nnokura made in honor of the Spirit of Wisdom. We’re at war with a tyrant of a Shaman who is ignoring the old ways and not only is she slowing taking over Zebrica but she’s also fallowing in the hoofsteps of one of Zebra kind’s greatest evils, Zecora. We’re lucky she hasn’t raided the village yet an either killed or enslaved us, but with the way this war is going I doubt that luck is going to last much longer.” Wisecolt said sadly as he passed Leena a cup of tea. “We haven’t even been able to get a message to any of the other tribes so I can’t help but fear the worst.”
Leena slowly drank her tea while she thought about the situation these Zebras were in. (If what he’s saying is true then the only way for any of us to survive is to beat Zecora, and since I now have Ahri’s powers I might be able to help.) Taking a deep breath Leena said. “I might be able to help.”
Wisecolt looked up his eyes full of hope. “How? Her warriors out number us and have weapons stronger than anything we can make.”
“Well if fighting harder won’t help then we’ll need to fight smarter. Are they any places nearby that we can Zecora’s forces into a trap ?” Leena asked.
“There is the gulch to the west that could work.” Wisecolt said in thought. “But what kind of traps do you suggest?”
“Well once they’re in the gulch your warriors can shoot arrows or send large boulders down at them. Another option is throw bags of poisonous insects or snakes. Where pure strength fails, the right tactics can succeed.”
“I don’t know how well the rest of the village will react to those ideas. Ever since Nnokura was created we’ve never had to stoop to such tactics to defeat our foes.”
“Look at it this way. With how things have been going would you rather fight with honor and get slaughtered? Or use ‘underhanded tactics’ and not only survive but defeat this tyrant?” Leena asked.
Wisecolt sighed. “There is much wisdom in what you say. If we want to beat this new Zecora, but why don’t you tell me a little more about yourself? I heard you mutter the name Ahri before. Who’s that?”
Leena sighed. “I won’t go into too much detail but before today I was a human man named Lea. Before I was sent here there was a game I would play every day. Ahri the Nine-Tailed Fox was the character I played the most and I always used the ‘Foxfire’ outfit. Some of my best friend Jax and I were planning on making a team to try our hands at the official Ranks to see how far we can go in a more competitive scene but now I have no idea what they’ll do. I just wish I knew how I was sent here or how I changed.” Leena brought up her hand and a basketball sized blue orb appeared and floated above her palm with a sad expression on her face.
If Wisecolt was surprised when he first saw Leena he was floored hearing that she had not only been a different species but also the fact that she can changed genders when she was sent here, but pushed that aside as there were more pressing matters at hoof. “Well we should go tell the village about your plan."
“Can we keep what I told you about myself a secret? It’s going to be hard enough adjusting without all the questions their bound to ask if they learn what happened to me.”
“Very well. It probably would distract too much.” Wisecolt agreed.
Once Wisecolt and Leena were outside and the rest of the village had gathered Wisecolt said. “Zebras of Nnokura. I have spoken with our guest Leena and she offered to assist us. Leena has even offered a plan to help us fight back. Leena if you would.”
Leena took a dep breath before starting. “After hearing about Zecora I offered a plan. Lead her army into a trap and crush them. Wisecolt told me about a gulch to the west that would make the perfect spot for this.” As Leena spoke the Zebras muttered to each other. “I’m not trying to make you throw away your traditions or insult your culture but who knows what Zecora will do once she’s conquered the country? I asked Wisecolt this now I asked you. With how things have been going would you rather fight with honor and get slaughtered? Or use ‘underhanded tactics’ and not only survive but defeat this tyrant?”
All was quiet for a few moments before all the Zebras cheered. One Zebra mare stepped forward. “What must we do Moto wakachenjera?”
Leena looked at Wisecolt confused. “What did she call me?”
“Moto Wakachenjera. It means ‘wise fire’.” Wisecolt explained.
“Simple but fitting.” Leena said before turning back to the tribe. “First we’ll need to pack and move the tribe to an area that’s much more defendable. After that one group gathers as many poisonous insects or snakes as they can while another group moves as many boulders to the edges of the gulch’s cliffs as they can. This way once Zecora’s armies and inside we can not only push the boulders down on them but also release the snakes and insects on them.”
“You heard Moto Wakachenjera!” One of the warriors yelled before the crowd dispersed as they went to pack up the village.
“It seems you’ve restored their hope.” Wisecolt said. “I haven’t seen them like this since the war started.”
“Glad I could help.” Leena said. “Maybe once we’ve dealt with the forces that were lead into the trap we can try to unite any the other tribes who are fighting Zecora. Try to even the odds.”
The tribe worked late into the night so they could finish packing as soon as possible and were making their wat towards the gulch before dawn and they were lucky they left so early because an hour after dawn Zecora’s army marched upon the village only to find it abandoned. During the march Wisecolt officially made Leena part of the tribe as thanks for renewing hope to Nnokura. The march to the gorge lasted a few days and luckily they didn’t come across any of Zecora’s forces. When Leena saw the gorge she was glad to see to that it was fairly deep both of the cliff sides were steep and covered with caves and at the top of the cliffs are thick woods. Leena and Wisecolt were even happier when they discovered that the caves on each side lead to two large networks. It took a week but they managed to set up camp in a large cave system in gorge’s right cliff and block off a few of the caves making small rooms.
They also built sever sentry towers near the forests edged and had placed Zebra’s with sharp eyes there. Currently Leena was getting a little magic practice with Wisecolt in before one of the scouts rushed into the cave. “Wisecolt, Moto Wakachenjera!”
“What’s going on?” Wisecolt asked.
“There’s a large battalion of Zecora’s army coming this way. From the looks they plan to travel through the gorge.” He started.
“Who’s leading them and how soon will they get here?” Leena asked.
“A very large Zebra and by his armor he’s one of her Captains and we think they’ll be here in an hour.” He replied.
“That’s not good.” Wisecolt said turning to Leena. “Her Captains are some of her strongest warriors and if one is leading this group then they must be heading to a village.”
Turning to the messenger Leena asked. “How are the traps coming?”
“We’ve placed several large boulders at the top of the right cliff and in all of the caves we blocked off.”
“Our hunters have also gathered several snakes who’ve agreed to assist us and a few spiders which I’m working on taming.” Wisecolt said.
“It’s still a bit strange that you can communicate with animals thanks to your magic.” Leena commented before nodding to herself. “Have the warriors spread out evenly to side of the gulch while the rest guard the camp. Once the army is in the gulch have the snakes sneak in, bite as many as they can before escaping. Once the army is distracted send the boulders down on them and have a few archers shoot down at them from some of the upper caves. If there are any left have the warriors use hit and run tactics, or to put it in simpler terms they rush out of a cave kill a few solders then retreat back into a cave. Or lead the enemy into the cave system and strike from the shadows.”
“By your will, Moto Wakachenjera.” The scout said with a bow before rushing off.
“I will never get used to that.” Leena said before shaking her head. “I’m going to join the warriors, Wisecolt can you stay with the non-combatants?”
“Like you needed to ask.” Wisecolt said grinning. “Take care out there Leena.”
“Like you needed to ask.” Leena shot back. All it took to get everyone in place was twenty minutes and then began the wait. As Leena waited for the signal she thought about ways to quickly get messages throughout the cave systems. (Maybe using mirrors to reflect light? That could work but how would we get the glass?)
“Is something wrong Moto Wakachenjera?” a warrior mare asked.
“Just trying to figure out a way to quickly get messages through the caves.” Leena answered. The rest of the wait was quiet until they heard the stomps of many hoofs on stone. Leena carefully crept forwards to look outside, and saw a few hundred Zebra’s in bronze armor marching past the cave entrance. She and most of friends smirked when they heard the pained yelps as the snakes bit their unprotected legs. This continued for a few moments before Leena noticed a snake slither past her just as the boulders began falling on the enemy. Leena’s grin couldn’t get any wider as she saw her plan working perfectly as she stood at her full height. “NOW!” Her yell echoed through the chasm the remaining solders looked around confused.
“FOR FREEDOM!” The first wave of warriors of Nnokura charged out of the caves the fight started in earnest with Zecora’s forces taken off guard they started falling quickly. After a few minutes everyone but Leena retreated into the caves and the second wave attacked. This repeated for some time before much to Leena’s surprise a second group of Zecora’s solders joined the fight and from the look of it they had come from the other end of the gorge.
“BACK! BACK INTO THE CAVES!” Leena yelled and as her allies followed her orders while Leena did her best to fend off the enemies to give her friends time to escape but she didn’t notice one Zebra sneaking up behind her with an axe raised ready to strike but when he tried to cut Leena’s legs out from under her someone intervened making a soft *thump* as he landed.
Turning Leena saw a tall monkey his eyes glowing a soft green, wearing silver and jade armor and wielding a wooden staff with large blocks of jade on the ends landed next to Leena blocking a the axe making it shatter on impact. “Need a little help Ahri or are you going to solve your problem by burning them?”
Leena smirked remembering the one person who said that every time the two were on the same team. “And what about you Jax? Planning to just hit them with a stick until they stop?”
“Lea?!” Jax exclaimed before smirking. “Guess we both got to meet with our Mains. Even if it’s not the kind we wanted.”
“Talk later but I go by Leena now.” Leena said as she summoned three balls of blue fire which shot at the enemy killing those they hit on contact. “I need to find the enemies Captain and kill him. Can you help defend my tribe while I take care of him?”
“Done and done and just so ya know I saw couple of large Zebras at the top of the left cliff.” Jax said and quickly started tearing through Zecora’s forces.
Leena quickly climbed up the cliff using a natural ladder that she’d carved into the stone with her magic as she held her sphere with one of her tails and when she arrived at the top she looked to her right and saw a very large Zebra in shining silver armor with a large sword at his side. Using her tails to manipulate her magic sphere Leena said. “Well then. If you’d like to play with me, you’d better be sure you know the game.” And so the two began to fight with Leena ducking and weaving around the large Zebra’s weapon and sending small bolts of magic at him. The Zebra managed to block or dodge a few but the majority of Leena’s attacks hit his armor leaving small burn marks but Leena could tell that her foe had been injured as he flinched in pain everyone her attacks hit home.
Soon a second one just as big, wielding a large hammer but wearing standard foot solder armor joined the fight. “Come try your luck, if you think you’re in my league.” Leena shot at the second one with a small giggle. As the fight continued Leena acquired a large collection of small cuts and scrapes and one of her tails got clipped by the hammer but her opponents got the worst of it as though Leena’s quick thinking and dodging skills the two had done more damage to each other than to their opponent with both of their armor was heavily dented to the point of hindering their movements Their weapons weren’t fairing any better first ones sword was blunted and chipped and the seconds hammer had cracks in it from where it had collided with the first’s sword.
“It’s too late for mercy. Far too late.” Leena said as she threw he large orb at them. The Zebra’s tried to block with their weapons but were horrified when it flew right threw not only their weapons but their bodies, before returning to Leena as if pulled by a rope. The two stood there for a moment before falling to their sides dead.
Leena moved to stand on the side of the gorge and looked upon the remnants of Zecora’s army. Weapons, and broken were scattered across a ground with Jax standing in a ring of fallen enemy soldiers as he gave a yell signaling his victory. Soon some of the Nnokura warrior poked their head out of the caves and upon seeing the fallen foes gave their own yells of victory making the rest of the tribe poke their heads out of the caves.
“This battle is won but this war is far from finished!” Leena yelled. “Now that my friend Jax is with us it’s time to unite all the free tribes!”
“Down with Zecora! Down with the Tyrant! And long live Moto Wakachenjera!” As the Zebras of Nnokura chanted Leena made her way doing the cliff to where Jax waited.
“Mind telling me what this is all about and who this Zecora is?”
“It’s a long story Jax, for now let me properly introduce to the tribe.” Leena said as she led her best friend to meet her new...family.
Author's Note
I got the name Nnokura from my dad as its the name of someone he knew. I got the translation for Moto Wakachenjera from Google Translate and the reason only Wisecolt has a name is I couldn't think of any and didn't want to sit on this story much longer. I'm also working on another Nexes-Verse story this one about the Necromancer Xul that I hope to get out before the end of the month and Here's a better look at Jax 
