Explosions all around were disorienting Duster. He loaded his crossbow as the fighting came in on every side, but used his spear to save the last of their bolts. His squad was holding their position on the southeast edge of the heights, but fighting behind them had thrown everything into chaos. Jewel and Locknload were blasting the enemy with everything they had, but it wasn't enough. LD had been hit, but it wasn't bad. Gunnysack had run through for more medical supplies and arrows, but he hadn't returned yet. LD stood up, raising his spear.
Several pegasi fell from the air into the fray of timberwolves. Whether injured or dead was unclear, but either way their fate was as certain as Beigh’s.
"Just be glad you’re not still on CAP duty,” Jewel shouted as she blasted at the timberwolves clawing their way up the steep hill at the edge of the heights.
Sergeant Featherplume was looking quickly this way and that; she finally yelled, "We need to abandon this position. We will fall back toward the infirmary. Locknload, can you set them on fire? There's so many bodies on the perimeter, if we can get it burning, maybe we can cut them off and have a fighting chance in the center."
Locknload grinned.
"Where is our Lieutenant?" LD yelled.
"I can't see any other squads in our platoon," Featherplume yelled back. "If we stay here, we're dead."
A timberwolf leapt from their rear, but LD managed to catch it with a spinning kick with both hind legs. It yelped and fell into the ground. Jewel finished it off with a blast of magic.
"Here it comes!" Locknload shouted as he let out a magical conflagration.
The timberwolves howled as they began burning. Jewel let out a second blast of flames, spreading the immolation even further and igniting the mountainous pile of bodies.
"That's enough; fall back on me!" Sergeant Featherplume shouted.
She led them out of their position and in the general direction of the medical tent. Gaping holes and trenches scarred the ground. From many of them, timberwolves clawed their way out to join the battle. Jewel concussed the nearest one, but then she stumbled. Duster helped her up and they continued on together.
A scout ran up to meet the squad, but instead of information, a blast of changeling magic erupted from him, hitting Sergeant Featherplume at point blank range. LD returned fire with his crossbow, killing the changeling scout. Locknload turned to their rear and began taking shots at timberwolves that were headed towards them.
"She's alive but out cold," LD said as he lifted the sergeant onto his back. "Locknload, you're in command."
"Move!" he ordered, and they continued working their way to the infirmary.
Gunnysack came from in front; Duster nearly skewered him on instinct, but the soldier threw himself down and covered his head when he saw the spear, dropping the supplies he'd been carrying.
“What’s the matter with you?"
Duster lowered his weapon, “Sorry.”
“Pick her up and let’s move!” Locknload shouted.
Incoming fire compelled them all to drop to the ground. Somepony or changeling in the air did a strafing run on them. Bits of the earth exploded upward all over, throwing dirt everywhere. Duster's heart was pounding as he lay still. He was beyond fear. As soon as it was over, he sat up, aimed his crossbow, but didn't fire. It was two pegasi carrying unicorns: probably not changelings. Jewel was howling in pain. Her leg had been hit and was smoldering from the wound. LD quickly pulled a bandage from the medical kit that Gunnysack brought and stopped the bleeding.
"You'll live," he said, a tremor in his voice.
He helped her up, and the squad continued moving. Duster could see timberwolves massing on three sides now. If they didn't pick up their pace, they would be pinned down. They made it to a stack of supply crates. It was mostly ammunition for the crossbows.
"We'll make use of this; Jewel, can you walk?" Locknload asked.
"I can manage!”
"LD, take the sergeant and Jewel on. We'll buy you some time."
"Copy that; I'll be back for you," LD said.
"Negative," Locknload replied. "We'll be right behind you! Duster, Gunnysack, crossbows up!"
They opened the top of one of the crates and pulled bundles of bolts out. Duster loaded and fired into the fray. Some more magical fire came from the air, beating down the timberwolves. The three didn't waste the opportunity. They were loading and firing their crossbows with lightning speed. There was certainly no lack of targets. They only managed to hold that position for about a minute. Incoming changeling magic began punching holes in the supply crates.
"Fall back!" Locknload shouted.
They each grabbed a bundle of the arrows before Locknload blasted fire at the enemy and then led the retreat. Duster and Gunnysack were right behind him.
“Left!” Gunnysack shouted as a timberwolf charged in from their left.
Duster dropped to the earth, and the lunging beast shot right over him. It skidded to a halt and rounded on Duster, but he'd dropped his spear and his crossbow was empty. Gunnysack let an arrow fly, striking the beast in the head and killing it.
“Move!” Locknload shouted at them as he picked up Duster and shot a blast of fire into the supply crates, engulfing them completely.
The three staggered on, moving as fast as they could toward the infirmary. What they saw when they arrived was rather unsettling to say the least. The tent was a smoking ruin down to the beds. Most of them seemed to have been emptied, but there were at least a dozen charred bodies that hadn't made it out. LD and the others were there. They seemed safe for the moment, but the timberwolves wouldn't be far behind them.
"Any other bright ideas?" Jewel said.
"We'd get somewhere a lot faster if you pegasi flew us to a better location," Gunnysack stated.
"We can't carry all four of you," LD said, gesturing at the sergeant.
“And we’re not leaving her behind. We’re hoofing it for now," Locknload said.
Duster looked back, wishing that Beigh had survived. A vain hope wanted to see him come running up behind them, but he knew better. Instead all he could see was timberwolves moving like shadows in the smoke. They were drawing closer.
Locknload looked weary as he took a breath and said, "We have to move. This way.”
The fighting had become such a disorganized mess that Duster felt there wasn't any assurance that running one direction might be better than another. He helped Jewel walk, and they began moving as quickly in the direction of their center of their force. LD was breathing heavily from carrying the sergeant. Each of the other members of the squad had completely emotionless expressions. They just marched onward to the next unknown disaster.
They soon came to a place where there were timberwolf bodies laying in heaps all around. They moved to the edge of a tree line, slowly walking out into the open. Everything seemed okay, but then a volley of arrows sped towards them.
"Down!" Locknload shouted.
The squad crashed to the ground, LD grunted beneath the weight of the sergeant.
"Hold your fire!" Gunnysack shouted.
Duster could hear shouting behind the firing line. It sounded like a line officer was angry. A squad from the defensive position left their cover and approached cautiously.
"Medic!" Locknload yelled at them.
Duster cautiously got back to his hooves. Sergeant Featherplume’s helmet was cracked almost in half. He hadn’t seen when that had happened. He suddenly noticed a throbbing pain in his left ear.
"You're bleeding," Jewel said.
"What?" Duster asked.
"They practically took your ear off," LD replied.
It was true; he had lost almost half of his ear to an arrow that zipped by as he dropped to the ground. Duster shuddered at the realization that he had almost been killed. Locknload jumped up and moved rather aggressively toward the squad that approached.
"What in Equestria is wrong you morons?" he berated them.
After being scanned by a unicorn, and with the assistance of the others from the firing line, the remnant of Featherplume's squad moved behind the line and into a much safer position than they'd had all day. Jewel bandaged Duster's ear while the medics saw to the sergeant. They were all filthy and covered in sweat. Duster took out his canteen, but there was not so much as a drop to quench his thirst. Both Jewel and Locknload had dazed looks, as if they were suffering headaches as a result of magic fatigue.
"And here I thought you had all been killed," a familiar voice said. It was Lieutenant Clyde.
Duster stood and saluted, but found himself feeling light-headed. The lieutenant gave Duster his own canteen. The water was hot and dirty, but it just might have been the most satisfying drink he had ever taken.
"LD tells me your squad had a little adventure today."
"Yes, sir," Jewel replied.
"As did all of us," Clyde said soberly. "We've lost at least half the platoon."
"How bad is it, sir?" Rolling Thunder asked.
"The order just came down that we're going to abandon this place as soon as our pegasi return. The changelings have broken up our lines, destroyed most of our supplies, and the timberwolves are advancing on all sides. We haven’t even been able to keep our defensive shields up for more than minutes at a time. This time tomorrow, we'll all be dead if we stay here."
"I'm fit to fly, sir," Duster said, but it was all talk.
He very much hoped that whey they did move out, they wouldn't be going far.
"Rest for now," the lieutenant said. "You'll need your strength."
He sat down, his vitality wearing thin. He might have fallen asleep had not his mind been working nonstop. It had been preoccupied with survival, but now he couldn't quit thinking about Beigh. He'd been fine one moment, and then dead. He wouldn't even have been hit if he'd been just a step to the right or left. It made Duster feel heavy inside, and he was consumed by endless possibilities that could have saved his friend.