Eventually the day came. The spies who were spying in Ilva, informed Blauw and Lewis that Ilva’s army was setting up camp at the foot of the mountain. This was Verjanivas call to react. Radios throughout the country reported the current situation and asked the soldiers to travel towards the border.
The massive bunker line in the mountains slowly came to life, as more and more men rushed to their positions.
The bunker line was built very cleverly. The soldiers of Verjaniva could access it by the tunnels, which were wide enough to also fit supply trucks. After the five-minute drive upwards, you were greeted by the entrance of the bunker, where countless soldiers awaited for orders.
Days passed which felt like years. The tension in the bunker line became higher and higher as days went by. But the moral stayed unchanged. The soldiers were once again proud, to represent their country. They were once again, ready to give everything up for their country.
Amongst all those soldiers, officers and generals walked two more people. Both Blauw and Lewis, dressed up in their sleek, black uniforms they had received for being veterans.
Lewis’s suit was decorated with medals that he wore with pride. On his shoulders he had received Red Feathers. A sign of loyalty and trust.
Blauw on the other hand didn't show his medals. His high collar was stiff around his neck, almost touching the bottom side of his beak. He hates his medals. He wanted to leave the old war behind him, and hope for a better future. Over his face, he wore a blue mask. The people recognized him by this. He had worn it before, when he was fighting for four years in harsh trenches.
It took Ilva’s army an entire week to set their camps. From the high bunker line, the Verjanivans overlooked them, as a raven circled in for its prey. Ilva’s army was overconfident. As the seemingly impenetrable mountains that separated them from Verjaniva were nothing. They casually spoke to each other, as they also waited for orders. The orders for a plan, which would turn out to be disasterous.
A siren screamed from the grounds below in the early morning. Everyone in the bunker line looked down. A portion of Ilva’s army moved towards the mountains. Slowly but surely they began climbing the high mountain line.
‘Here they come, boys!’ Lewis yelled. ‘Finish them silently, these are the scouts. If we kill them without too much chaos, the rest of their army will follow!’
The Verjanivan army was ready. They had been practicing for four months now, and they were ready to prove themselves. As the Ilvanian group of scouts came closer, the Verjanivans were waiting patiently.
The enemy climbed higher and higher, slowly coming closer to the well hidden bunker line. The head scout looked around him. “Were there not more in my group?” he thought. He could have sworn he had a much bigger team.
The Verjanivan snipers picked off the scouts one by one.
One by one they fell, leaving chain of command clueless about the situation. By the time he understood what was going on, it was already too late. He turned around and started screaming. Waving his arms in the process, warning the large force down to not climb up.
'And Sir?' an Ilvanian soldier. 'Are we good to go?' The general looked up. The scouts were tiny on the large mountain. Nevertheless, he saw someone waving his arms up and down.
'Tell the forces to begin climbing,' he answered. 'Today will be the day that we finish those Verjanivans once and for all.'
The large force began moving. Guns brandished in the morning sun. Once they were over the mountains, they would have overcome the largest obstacle. After that, they could march through Verjaniva freely.
Bells began ringing in the bunker line. Underneath them, the force grew larger and larger as they clustered to climbed the mountains. 'Just let them come a little closer.” Lewis spoke over the bunkerline radio.'
Blauw opened his pocket watch, and looked at the time. It had begun, the defence of Verjaniva. The Ilvanian army had no idea about the death trap awaiting them. And after they had done enough damage, they would begin the counterattack. His eyes moved towards the picture on the other side of the old watch. Octavia’s eyes stared at him, filled with confidence.
‘We will meet again.’ Blauw whispered.