They had been on the march for days.
No rest was afforded them and no sleep as the pursuers relentlessly attacked time and again.
As the sun began to set, the Warriors came to a staggering halt. Each one at the extent of their endurance.
They stood in the open plains of the middle lands, flat and broad with no hillock or rock, to take a defense against.
The Chieftain stood aside from his host. Deep in thought.
A glance back along their path was all it took to see the distant dust cloud of the forces chasing them.
He knew the last sprint had been a gamble. A rush to get ahead of the chase, hopefully to find respite or that the foe would give up the hunt.
They had lost that bet, as he feared they might.
Turning to his warriors he saw them expectantly waiting. Each one muddy and harrowed.
We fight.
The words dropped heavy upon them as they had hoped to avoid the conflict.
Then rose the voices of dissent.
Why not stand sooner and fight when energy remained within us?
Why lead us here where there is no natural advantage?
Soon many were a grumble, their exhaustion leading them to waver and worse to anger, why? why ?why? they demanded.
Silence!
It was not a loud exclamation, the Chieftain's voice raised barely above that of the loudest nay-sayer.
It was the Will, which imbued the word, that ended all noise.
The Chieftain's scowl was a site many feared as for all of his amiable nature, one and all knew how intractable he was when stirred to violence.
Go! Find your rest and come back upon this place before the dawn and find your answers.
This is my Word.
Go!
And they did depart. Each to find a place to sleep, beneath cloak or in and slight depression in the earth to avoid the winds cutting bite across this open land.
One and all they slept.
With a stirring of the light the Warriors arose and returned to the place they had left their Chieftain.
Man and woman stood a gawp to see the change in the land.
Where before there had been but open ground as far as the eye could stretch, now there was a steep mound of earth more then a man high, with a ditch half a man deep all about from which the earth had come.
The Warriors circled the mound and found no easily scalable access, and no sign of their Chieftain.
The Warriors began to climb the mound looking towards the top which remained out of view.
As the first made to reach the summit, all heard a resounding thud,and saw him thrown down the mound into the ditch, taking a few companions with him along his travel.
The rest froze and looked to see their Chieftain standing tall upon the summit, broad shoulders outlined against the predawn light, hands and fore arms caked in earth.
His scowl remained and his voice rang out so there could be no doubt all ears heard it.
I stand to fight only when all other option is gone, for if I fight, I kill.
And where no natural advantage can be found, I make my own advantage!
Now get up here all of you willing to put in the work.
It is time to end this chase upon my terms.
As the dawns light touched the mound the readied Warriors saw their pursuers closing.
As the day wore on, the enemy tried time and again to reach the summit.
All they found at the top was defeat, and the broadest swings of all were the Dagda's.
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