Rat Soldier#

Helmets bright and halberds keen, Marching where the war-banners lean. To the border's drum, they march in time, Behind their shields, their courage climbs.

In Sandgate Village, a rat widow grieved; her husband, devoured by the Tiger Vanguard, had left nothing behind but his Sand Shield, a royal reward. Her sons, born after their father's demise, were her last hope. Pointing to the shield, she decreed to her growing sons, "If you don't slay that tiger, you're no sons of mine." And so they trained with the Second Prince, vowing to take vengeance on the Tiger Vanguard.

Among them, one boy, frail and ill-suited for combat, loved ink and paper over spear and shield. His mother's scolding and punishments were frequent, forcing him to commit to the martial arts. He did try hard, yet his efforts only left him feeble and trembling. The same skill that took only a few days to acquire for his peers could take him weeks with no noticeable progress. Even the Prince urged him to explore a different path, therefore the boy's enthusiasm for martial waned further.

As his brothers donned red armor and golden shields, he stood alone, enduring more beatings and scorn. Once, his mother went too far with her harsh words, "Better to be eaten by the tiger than remain useless at home," which drove him to steal his father's shield and spear to fulfill his mother's wish. The Tiger Vanguard knocked him down in two moves, mouth opened for a gulp.

But stones were hurled, striking the tiger in his head. Startled, the Tiger Vanguard gazed around for the culprit. Some of the rats seized the moment, dragging away their kin from the tiger's grip. The Vanguard turned to chase, but there stood the rat soldiers, those who had never ventured from the dunes, now spears pointed, shields hoisted-a line of defiance so fierce, they dared the tiger to challenge them. The tiger hesitated, and the rats left safely.

That boy did later forsake the warrior's way, but he took up his bow alongside the rat archers. With a sharp mind and truer aim, he even saved his kin in turn.