Today I thought I'd post a short story I wrote when I was younger.

It was a cold October day in the hills of Ragin. The wind was blowing with the slow stinging pain like needles piercing your skin with each touch. Two armies marched towards each other with the intent of only one walking away victorious. The bigger of the two armies was the Fangorian army with general Otto Vexian at the lead. This army was renowned for its mass numbers and the ability to overwhelm its enemies with sheer power and brute force. The smaller of the two armies was the Kaken army with general Leonis Blix at the lead. General Blix was well known for his tact and ability to overcome any obstacle with his ruthless cunning. Both armies were feared around the world, but today one army would fall. The weather worsened and rain started pouring down as if the Gods themselves were crying for the slaughter that was about to take place. The armies came into sight of one another and halted on the edges of a wide plane, fit for the massacre that was eminent  . Across the field general Vexian could see Blix ordering his troops to get into position for the battle ahead. Vexian was not much for tact and was better suited to just charging in and overwhelming the enemy as quickly as possible. "Alright men listen up!" shouted Vexian to the bloodthirsty troops eager for battle. "our numbers are larger, our warriors stronger, and our swords are sharper. This battle will be ours!". A cheer of maniacal satisfaction rang out from the troops of the Fangorian army.  Across the plane Blix watched the warriors and began to smile at his own cunning. Blix was not a man of recklessness, as he prefered to take things in moderation and saw patience as a virtue. For he was never in a hurry and never acted without thinking. As a plan began forming in his mind, a small sly smile streched across his face. He knew only one of the generals would walk away from this battle, but he intended for it to be him. General Vexian was now eager to begin the battle. "Prepare for battle!", screamed Vexian to his now rampaging warriors. Swords unsheathed and shields were at the ready. "Charge!" shouted the general as the enraged warriors began running swiftly across the field. Their eyes filled with blood lust and hatred. Across the field General Blix watched as the army drew nearer with each step of their frenzied charge. "Move the archers to the front and fire a volley on my command" said Blix as he motioned toward the archers in the back of the ranks. As the archers stepped towards the front they drew their bows and notched an arrow to it and awaited the signal from their general. "Fire!" commanded Blix once he knew the Fangorian army was within range. "Arrows! Shields at the ready!" shouted Vexian as he raised his own shield. Arrow after arrow rained down from the sky. The arrows mixed with the pouring rain and created a typhoon of death and sorrow. Some men were lucky enough to raise their shields in time, but most were not so lucky. Arrows pierced flesh and bone as men fell to the ground lifeless never to rise again. The men that were not struck down continued their rampage across the field. Blix knew the arrows alone were not enough to stop them. As he looked on at the raging warriors he said, "Men, draw your swords but let them come to use." As he said that swords began to unsheathe, but the warriors never moved. They trusted their general with their lives and would do nothing to disobey him. As the Fangorian army drew closer, general Vexian knew the battle, and the victory , would be his. Blix had other thoughts however. As the Fangorian army drew closer to the Kaken army, the earth seemed to open up and swallow the bloodthirsty warriors of the Fangorian army. In the days before the battle, Blix had a trench dug through the middle of the battle field with razor sharp spikes at the bottom to ensure that no one came back out. More than half of Vexian's army was lost to the trench. Seeing so many of their comrades fall, the remaining warriors entered a berserker rage and continued past the trench and finally reached the Kaken army. The two armies clashed with a ferocity that made the very core of the earth seem to crack and buckle under the sheer might of the two armies. The battle raged on for days with neither side giving in to the other. Numbers were dwindling on both sides with the generals growing weary. Finally, in a fit of desperation, general Vexian charged into Blix with the hopes of slaying him. Vexian's power easily overcame Blix and he was soon struck down. As Vexian overlooked the battle field he realized every warrior he had was now slain. He continued to scan the field, but to his dismay every person was dead. The once beautiful field was now a barren wasteland filled with corpses. Vexian began to scream, for his victory, for his men, and for the enemy he so respected. As Vexian began to walk away, a single arrow pierced through his heart. He turned around to see general Blix with a bow in his hands, He had grabbed the bow and arrow during Vexian's wild screaming and that gave him enough time to put the general down for good. Both generals collapsed, lifeless on the ground. The rain ceased and all was calm once again. The clouds opened up as a ray of sun shown down on what was a great field was now lifeless and barren. Both armies dead.

-In war neither side wins. A man's life is worth more than gold and most throw theirs away because of a disagreement. Why?