The blizzard put a stop to all outside activity. But Erik actually welcomed it since it allowed him to make detailed plans and prepare for the coming battle.

They planned with the worst scenario in mind: They would have mere days before the Beastmen Warherd arrived at their gates and the Beastmen knew their current level of preparedness and had a measure of their combat ability.

“We have a strong palisade, a deep ditch lined with spikes and numerous spiked pitfalls strewn out in front. I want a secondary ditch dug and spiked, more pitfalls even if they’re just enough to snap your ankles and the forest’s edge needs to be cut back as far as possible to give us better line of sight.”

Turning towards Wulfrik, Erik asked him a quick question.

“Did the Beastmen use any missile weapons?”

Thinking deeply to recall the chaos of the Sarl siege, Wulfrik eventually shook his head.

“No, maybe the odd thrown stone or carelessly tossed weapon, but they shouldn’t use missiles in any meaningful quantities.”

“Good, that’s good. Then we’ll take advantage of that. All the wood from foresting, loose rocks and everything else we can use will be stacked behind the palisade and on the walkway. When they charge us, we’ll even the odds by breaking their horns, bones and skulls as they run.

Remember! There is no honour in death if we are simply overrun by those inferior creatures. Only by killing each and every last one of them can we hope to earn Glory and Honour for the Gods, the tribe and ourselves.”

Everyone was well aware of their situation and for once there was no sound of disagreement for the sake of disagreeing. The Frost Wolves and the Sarls all listened to Erik’s every word.

“But we cannot prepare our defences before the storm abates, so until then we will train indoors.

We will practice our shieldwalls, javelin throwing and melee combat skills so that when the enemy arrives, we will in the best fighting shape we can be.”

Sven took this time to ask an important question on his mind.

“But what about the Frost Wolves?”

“They will be kept indoors during the fighting. The young ones are too weak while the adults would disrupt our ranks and could even become an extra danger to us.”

Nodding in agreement, the other Captains made clear their acceptance of Erik’s plans. Wulfrik, as the leader of the Sarls, also agreed and when Erik asked him why Wulfrik didn’t challenge him for the leadership, his answer was simple:

“We were too weak to slay the Beastmen and have come to you for help. Until we have regained our honour, we have no right to make such demands. Besides, I am more interested in being friends with someone like you rather than face you blades in hand.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second blizzard of the Hunt only lasted a week and during this week the Marauders did just like Erik had ordered: They did nothing but train, rest and eat.

And when the storm passed they immediately set to work on improving the defences as per Erik’s other plans.

Clearing the snow from the ditches and collapsed traps, digging new ones, cutting back the forest and stacking heavy throwable items on and near the wall. That was what everyone busied themselves with as soon as the weather cleared up.

Small groups went west to hunt for food and resupply while teams of scouts travelled east to find the approaching Beastmen and give an early warning.

While Erik felt the pressure of command and was well aware of the imminent danger he was in, he couldn’t help but feel excited as well.

He was excited at the prospect of a big and bloody battle while he had also found a worthy sparring partner and a new friend in Wulfrik.

During the short isolation, the two had hit it off very well. They were both Champions of Chaos, which already connected the two young warriors, and they were also very well matched in their sword skills. They duelled constantly and the wins and losses were roughly 50/50, firing them up to do better next time.

This open camaraderie also served another purpose: it showed the Marauders that their commanders were not worried, lifting up morale and inspiring the warriors to do better in their own training.

This state of affairs persisted for 10 days until the scouts finally reported the approach of the Beastmen. What took them so long to cover a distance Wulfrik had travelled in two days, nobody knew. Maybe they went all the way back to their Herdstone before moving on the Frost Wolves?

The scouts reported a Warherd of roughly 2.000 Beastmen, consisting with what Wulfrik mentioned was left of the force that took the Sarl camp. 3/4ths of the army was made up of Ungors, short horned, satyr like creatures, while the rest of the force was made of the large horned Gors, a small unit of especially large Bestigors and they also spotted three Minotaurs.

With the numbers now confirmed, Erik reconfirmed their simple battle plan later that day during the public Captain’s meeting.

“The enemy is now 2 days away from our position, if they don’t suddenly increase their pace. We will finish setting up the final traps and then everyone hunkers down inside the fort.

Prime targets for javelins are Minotaurs, Bestigors and then Gors, in that order. Most likely, they will first swarm us with Ungors as they did with the Sarls. We will use javelins to thin them out, but everyone should hold back enough for the prime targets.

Warriors on the walls use long spears to deal with the ones climbing up the palisade and use shields and axes if and when an enemy makes it onto the wall.

Behind the gate we’ve built an additional wall funnelling them in one direction. We’ll form our phalanx, the shieldwall with the long spears, to keep them at bay while others crush them from above with rocks and stab them with yet more spears.

We’ve already fashioned our Trollhide into crude protective armours, so anyone lucky enough to have it will be put on the front for maximum efficiency.

This is it men, our final trial of the hunt, our chance at glory & honour and a chance to avenge our fallen Sarl neighbours and friends.”

Not one warrior thought of running away. All of them had a glint of anticipation at the coming bloodshed, wholly convinced that this would show their valour and worth in the eyes of their Gods, tribe and comrades.

And all throughout even the last hours of waiting, they grew restless as their thirst for battle boiled in their blood.

Finally, when the sound of hooves shook the ground and the braying of the misshapen livestock cut through the air, perhaps sending shivers down the spines of lesser men, Erik’s warriors were like hunting dogs on a leash. Ready to rip and tear in a swirl of savagery, ready to respond to the Beastmen in kind.

Finally both sides came face to face as the Beastmen Warherd slowly flooded out of the distant forest’s edge. All pieces were set and the battle about to begin.