After returning the salute, the officer in command ordered everyone to close ranks and march toward Koldiras. As the troops moved forward, he waved toward a patch of darkness.
In that dark, silent spot, the sudden flutter of wings broke the stillness. An owl hooted once, then took to the sky and quickly vanished into the night.
"Captain, was that..." a soldier beside the captain asked when he saw it.
"Don't worry, it wasn't watching us. The commander was just being overly cautious." The officer smiled, then waved his hand. "Let's go join the main force. The real battle will take place before Commander Alleria brings her troops to join us!"
An Owl Ranger in front of Alleria suddenly broke his Beast's Eye connection, then reported to her, "Commander, they killed every last one of them! They didn't leave any trouble behind for us."
"Not bad!" Aurelia's lips curved slightly. "Those brats knew when to rein themselves in, and they did complete their mission. Keep a close watch on how fast the orc vanguard is moving. We should hurry over to join our troops, too. Perhaps we'll even have some time to rest once we arrive. There's no need for a forced march; our normal pace will do. At the speed Grommash Hellscream's main force is marching, we'll even have time for a late-night meal after we get there."
But after they had marched for half an hour, an Owl Ranger reported to Aurelia, "Officer Koldiras has engaged the main force of Orc Wolf Riders."
"How is the battle going?" Aurelia asked coldly.
"The fighting is fierce, but Unit Commander Koldiras is still holding out," the Owl Ranger said. "There's an exceptionally powerful fighter among the orcs. Every time, Unit Commander Koldiras has to sacrifice some battle pets and combine