18 When the enemy withdrew again, The Hawk came
over to Bright Star. "Our numbers now," he suggested, "are just about
equal. What say I go left, and you go right, and we put an end to this?"
19 "Sounds good to me!" agreed Bright Star.
20 They took up positions in front of their men, and the bugler sounded
'Charge!" The enemy wasn't expecting this. The Hawk had been fighting a
purely defensive battle, they were not set to take a charge! None the
less, some of their bowmen managed to let loose a few shafts before the
defenders reached their ranks. With a sharp "CLANG!" one of these
arrows pierced The Hawk's breast plate, and drove deep into his right
shoulder.
21 "Damn!" he cried, dropping his shield, annoyed. Lifting his sword,
he charged on, with his terrified men following.
22 "The Hawk is wounded!" they cried, "The Hawk is wounded! Protect his
right!"
23 As they chopped through the Epon lines, many of the enemy, seeing
the arrow protruding from The Hawk's armor, misjudged its position.
"His heart is pierced," they cried, "yet he fights on! They cannot be
killed!"
24 Though they were terrified, and, falling back, they still held their
ground, but suddenly a new wave broke into their ranks, and The Lady
Hawk fought her way to her mate's side.
25 "If you have to drag him away," she cried, "GET HIM OUT OF THERE!"
26 But this new assault broke the enemy's ranks. They tried to
withdraw, but it turned into a rout with the defenders pouncing like
cats on the fleeing attackers. The sun was just beginning to set, and
the battle was finally over. Perhaps one-third of the enemy escaped,
the rest were dead or captured, and the defender's losses were only
moderate. They had many wounded,