"Aye. He's a tall one. My boy. He's going to make me proud. Ever since his mother exposed him to the world, I knew he would be a good soldier for the glory of Rome." Said one roman soldier happily to the other beside him. They stood, somewhat awkwardly in a semi circle as their part of the legion line had held and were told they were given a brief respite. The man next to Gratus continued,  "I told him when I get back I'd bring back a sword so he'd begin to practice! He's so excited that his father is in the army, and he's already worn out his wooden toy sword. Only nine and I'm so pr--"<br/><br/>Red and a gurgled scream was all that came out next Blinking furiously Gratus tried to wipe his face full of the red thick liquid that seemed to spray into his face, only to feel the man stumble into him, his whole body pushing him backwards.<br/><br/>Pandemonium. That's all there was. He could hear random screams from ahead and behind as the air began to whistle as javelins whooshed past Gratus, some embedding into their chosen target: the soldiers. Spinning he turned away from the man who appeared to have an arrow stuck deep into the side of his neck. Losing his balance Gratus fell, one hand out and a shield raised up to break his fall as he splattered onto the wet, muddy ground.<br/><br/>With a grunt he landed, his armor clinking together as he slowly began to look up. There were shouts coming from all directions, rustling of leaves and cries of agony. Then, a brief silence. The attackers. Where were they? He couldn't see much. Slowly, shakily, he got up, his whole body trembling from the experience. He looked around, seeing the outline of the man who was just talking. A javelin had dove deep into his neck, his neck nearly split into two from the impact. "Form up! Continue to march! Shields at ready!" He heard up ahead. Nodding to himself Gratus took up his shield holding it protectively to the side of his body, covering as much of his face and arm as he could.<br/><br/>He tried not notice the very sudden warm liquid in his pants that began to stream down his thighs and legs..