To Fell the Fel [Great]

[Kakashi Hatake]

Kakashi wiped the orc’s dark, viscous ichor from his blade, eyeing the beast with contempt. The shinobi was impressed by Tagar’s tenacity; the warlord was still sputtering curses even as blood gushed from the gaping slash wound. In the end, though, he passed much the same as every other foe the scarecrow had felled. Despite their legendary brutality and lust for war, they could be killed just the same as a meager human. Silently, the silver-haired man sheathed his blade, making ready to silently slip out of the hut. Though Tagar had made quite a fuss in their altercation, Kakashi was reasonably sure the din of the battle outside the hut had drowned out their noise.

“DIE, FOUL BEASTS!” The shinobi winced at the sound of a familiar voice echoing through the clearing; Larea had found her tongue. The raucous sound of of battle-ready orcs confirmed his suspicions.

The Anbu captain made his way to the door of the hut, cautiously looking into the clearing. A dull ache awoke at the base of his head as he examined the battle. His chakra reserves were running dangerously low; he now seriously questioned the logic of summoning two clones AND opening the Kaimon for the second time. He had nearly depleted his reserves with that little exhibition. He continued to mentally chide himself as he surveyed the area, searching for his comrades.

“Smash the elf scum!” a combatant roared, not 5 feet from the shinobi. He sat astride an enormous dark gray wolf, brandishing a pair of axes at the air. The orc seemed oblivious to the ninja, instead concentrating on the enraged Night Elf slinging arrows rapidly from above.

As if in response to the orc’s comments, a guttural roar met Kakashi’s ears. Seconds later the bear that his squad had sighted when they arrived had appeared before the lusting orc, rearing on its hind legs and sinking its teeth into the rider’s beefy shoulder. The victim could scarcely let out a yelp before the ursid ripped him from atop his mount, slashing at his chest with his clawed paws. As the bear tore through the orc’s light armor, the silver-haired shinobi saw a twinkle in the beast unusually bright, amber-colored eyes. The now rider-less dire wolf snarled aggressively at the bear before stalking away to nibble at the flesh of another downed fel orc.

“I will defend you until my final breath, my love!” Larea called from the treetop, pulling another arrow taut and picking off a nearby orc.

“Larea,” the bear growled, gazing up at the kaldorei woman. Kakashi could only look on dumbfounded as the beast uttered his reply. “Flee!”

“I will not leave you!” the night elf archer called, taking aim at an orc that was attempting clumsily to scale the tree upon which she stood. “The others have been taken to safety, I will die here if it means saving you!”

Before the anthropomorphic bear could respond, a dark mist enveloped him, wrapping tightly to his large frame. Kakashi spied the source of the magic cowering in a nearby hut, in his hand a glowing glass orb. The warlock continued muttering his incantation, waving his clawed hand over the instrument. The Anbu captain watched with equal parts curiosity and shock as the bear began to gasp for air, the black mist pouring into his mouth and nose. The orc’s ball began to glow a bright shade of green as the bear fell to its knees, his rotund mass withering away beneath the spell.

“Davian!” Larea shrieked from her perch, quickly pulling an arrow from her quiver and firing it at the mage. The conjurer quickly ducked into the hut, avoiding the projectile as he continued his incantation.

With that, it finally clicked. Kakashi shot a look at the subdued ursid, now withered to barely the size of a human. The amber eyes made sense at once, as did the beast’s speech. Thinking quickly, the shinobi darted from Tagar’s hut, drawing a handful of shuriken from his belt pouch and flinging it into the doorway of the warlock’s hut. A muffled cry and the sound of shattering glass informed the scarecrow that he had found his mark. He returned his gaze to the bear, now more closely resembled a night elf clad in furs. His long, matted beard and flyaway hair hung loosely over his torso. The druid met the ninja’s gaze, nodding in appreciation as he attempted to catch his breath.

“Gaahh!” the kaldorei woman screamed from her perch, drawing the attention of the two men amid the orcs. A pair of marauders had managed to scale the trees and were now standing amid the lower branches, hacking haphazardly at the upper tree limbs with their battleaxes. As the seconds ticked by, the jeering orcs got closer to the limb on which she stood.

Kakashi cursed aloud, glancing quickly around the area. The orcs had taken note of the downed druid, now approaching him with evident malice. Larea seemed to be out of ammunition and had taken to batting at the approaching orcs with her bow, slinging screamed obscenities in darnassian. With no alternative, the sharingan wielder stepped back into the hut, taking hold of the only thing that could save them.

“Hey!” the scarecrow called out, drawing the attention of nearby hellspawn. Behind him he dragged his trophy. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but take a look at this!” Hatake hefted the limp corpse of the tribe’s chieftain, armor gleaming with inky orc blood. “Maybe I’ll mount his head on my mantle!”

All at once the group of fel orcs dropped their current task, attention firmly leveled at the newcomer. A few seconds ticked by as their tiny brains pieced together what had happened. The warrior nearest the shinobi, some twenty feet away, seemed to be the smartest of the pack, shoulders squaring as rage brewed in his eyes. “You...KILL TAGAR.”

Kakashi did not wait for the rest of the battalion to catch on, instead turning on his heel and sprinting for the treeline. He hadn’t a doubt in his mind that Larea and Davian had been completely forgotten as the enraged orcs stampeded toward the shinobi. The sharingan wielder ignored the sound of roaring orcs and clashing armor as he he ran full-tilt toward the forest. His heart pounded in his chest, his vision beginning to blur as he made haste away from his pursuers. His chakra was far too low, his strength sapped to nearly nothing. He mentally willed his limbs to move despite their evident disagreement with his orders.

The Anbu captain felt himself beginning to slow as he ran, his headache growing steadily worse. As he pondered his short list of choices, the universe announced its disdain for the warrior as the enormous, now-riderless, wolf strode into his path. What happened next was perhaps due to the ninja’s keen instincts operating subconsciously, or else possibly delirium setting in. Either way, Hatake rolled the dice and dove onto the back of the beast. The worg let loose an intimidating howl, rearing as a bucking horse might. With no other option, the shinobi grabbed a fistful of the beast’s fur and tugged, clamping his thighs against the beast’s back.

Kakashi could scarcely catch his breath as the dire wolf miraculously ceased its disobedience, taking off toward the pursuing crowd. The shinobi quickly leaned right, laying low over the wolf’s back. His mount responded appropriately, turning sharply and bounding into the woods. The canid bobbed and weaved expertly, avoiding the densely packed tree boughs. The copy ninja marveled at his luck as the wolf sprinted through the forest, the sounds of the pursuing orcs growing quieter.

A familiar, gravelly voice from behind him drew the mounted ninja’s attention as the tiny pug bounded into view at his side. “Kakashi!”

“Pakkun!” the scarecrow exclaimed breathlessly. “Are the elves safe?”

The pup paused for a moment to examine the ninja’s new mount before finally speaking. “Yes; Dack, Sofia and the rest of the pack managed to grab them while Larea and her bear got the orcs’ attention. They should be on their way back to Mokugakure by now.”

The copy ninja smiled beneath his mask. “Excellent. We should head there too.”

Pakkun shook his head. “We can’t head back to the village right now. These orcs are still on your tail. We’ll trigger what we came here to prevent.”

Kakashi bit his lip, cursing his stupidity. The enraged fel orcs would follow his scent until they found him and slay anyone that got in their way. His only chance was to fight them off, though his rock-bottom chakra reserves prohibited this course of action.

“I can run back to the village and warn them, maybe they can send some help?” Pakkun offered, giving a doggy-shrug.

“Some help…” Kakashi muttered, the gears turning in his head. Suddenly, it came to him. “I’ve got a better idea.” he finished, steering his worg back toward the encampment.

- -

“Slay the assassin!” the Fel warlock roared as the shinobi raced in front of them. The interloper had suddenly pulled an about-face moments ago, sprinting around the squadron of frothing orcs. He had made a wide berth around their encampment, racing due north. “We will slay him where he lives!”

The Fel orcs continued their chase, their tireless bodies moved by fel magic. Rage and bloodlust grew as the the assassin’s worg began to slow, coming closer and closer to striking distance. The warlock smirked as his target dove through the trees and into a clearing. This would be his final mistake.

“Lak’tuk!” the shinobi mimicked, racing into the clearing. His hands plunged into his pockets, returning with a handful of shuriken in each.

The bewildered group of mountain giants took notice of the intruder, clamoring to their feet. As they clumsily groped for their clubs, a rain of sharp fist blades fell upon them, courtesy of the copy ninja. The sharp disks buried into their calloused flesh, enraging the tremendous simpletons. The giant nearest the shinobi caught sight of the worg for a brief moment before the rider exited the clearing from the other side. He sniffed the air, his mind settling on a conclusion. “ORC.” A moment later, his thoughts were confirmed as the battalion of angry orcs met the tribe of equally angry mountain giants. The now-armed hulks bore down on the startled orcs, roaring with rage.

Elsewhere, the copy ninja goaded his steed toward Mokugakure, a smile on his face. “Many angry birds with many angry stones.”

“Looks like that did it,” Pakkun confirmed a few minutes later, bounding beside his summoner. “From the sounds of it, the giants are winning. That should at the very least send any survivors limping home.”

Kakashi nodded, “Perfect. Let’s get back to Lady Tsunade and fill her in.”