As Eadric concluded his prayers of thanks to Tiw, the god of war, he looked over to Alaric.  Around them the cries and moans of the wounded drown out the night sounds, occasional screams of pain erupt then end abruptly.   It is evident that other warriors are searching the woods and eliminating the wounded.<br/><br/>It is time for the two of them to complete the actions undertaken that day.  There is much to be done, with many urgent tasks that need addressing.  First, the enemy must be destroyed while they are routing and in disarray.  Second, the Roman’s food supply must be located and secured.  Our own injured warriors would need to be found and transported to the women so they could begin the healing rituals. Eventually, the dead would have to be collected and disposed before the stench became unendurable and the area overrun with scavengers.   It is decided that Alaric will seek out Arminius to assist in the extermination of these hated Romans.  I will locate and preserve the valuable food stores.  The village is in desperate need of these supplies.<br/><br/>As Alaric drifted into the darkness of the Forest I thought that first I would seek out the body of the Roman standard bearer; he who had been wearing an animal skin.  I had seen him in the battle, fighting and defending their standard – he had been a worthy foe and the warrior who had felled him deserved praise and recognition.  I must look upon this fallen enemy warrior so that I can describe him when I return to the village.  I will tell the story of this battle, and of how bravely the Roman had fought.  This story could become part of our glorious history and would be told to the young and visitors in the coming seasons.<br/><br/>As I proceeded to the area where I knew he had been felled I reflected on the wisdom of the tribe when we had selected Arminius as our battle leader.  He had proposed that we change our formation from the arrow to one that more resembled a bull.  Maintaining the arrow at the centre, and creating flanking groups of warriors to the sides to close in and surround the Romans when they were engaged with the point of the arrow.  How he had positioned us so that we were hidden until it was too late for the Romans to escape.  His was the order decreeing total silence and we had endured that motionless wait as the mosquitoes had feasted on any exposed flesh.<br/><br/>Again my thoughts drift to the standard bearer – wondering what animal it was whose skin he had been wearing.  It was a soft earth colour, long hair streaming from behind its head, with huge fangs in its mouth and long claws tipping the feet.  Nothing like it had been seen in these parts.<br/><br/>Thinking of the animals in these parts, I realized that soon the village would have to move; the deer and boar were seldom encountered.  As well, the previous season’s crops had been poor, and little grain had been collected at the harvest.  Many of the heads had been poor, or filled with small grains, while a storm had smashed much of even that poor offering into the ground just before the festival of the harvest.  During the winter, many of the cattle had been lost, and there were few seeds available to plant for the new season.   At the meeting with Arminius, there had been one warrior who spoke of country in the direction from whence the Roman had come.  He spoke of a valley where the land was fertile and where the woods were full of game.  The topic of relocating the village in that direction would need to be raised with the village elders.<br/><br/>But why have I not found the standard bearer by now.  I could not have missed him.  But, what is that?  Someone behind me ….<br/>