ENG
Helmets bright and halberds keen,
Marching where the war-banners lean.
To the border's drum, they march in time,
Behind their shields, their courage climbs.
In Sandgate Village, a rat widow grieved; her husband, devoured by the Tiger Vanguard, had left nothing behind but his Sand Shield, a royal reward. Her sons, born after their father's demise, were her last hope. Pointing to the shield, she decreed to her growing sons, "If you don't slay that tiger, you're no sons of mine." And so they trained with the Second Prince, vowing to take vengeance on the Tiger Vanguard.
Among them, one boy, frail and ill-suited for combat, loved ink and paper over spear and shield. His mother's scolding and punishments were frequent, forcing him to commit to the martial arts. He did try hard, yet his efforts only left him feeble and trembling. The same skill that took only a few days to acquire for his peers could take him weeks with no noticeable progress. Even the Prince urged him to explore a different path, therefore the boy's enthusiasm for martial waned further.
As his brothers donned red armor and golden shields, he stood alone, enduring more beatings and scorn. Once, his mother went too far with her harsh words, "Better to be eaten by the tiger than remain useless at home," which drove him to steal his father's shield and spear to fulfill his mother's wish. The Tiger Vanguard knocked him down in two moves, mouth opened for a gulp.
But stones were hurled, striking the tiger in his head. Startled, the Tiger Vanguard gazed around for the culprit. Some of the rats seized the moment, dragging away their kin from the tiger's grip. The Vanguard turned to chase, but there stood the rat soldiers, those who had never ventured from the dunes, now spears pointed, shields hoisted-a line of defiance so fierce, they dared the tiger to challenge them. The tiger hesitated, and the rats left safely.
That boy did later forsake the warrior's way, but he took up his bow alongside the rat archers. With a sharp mind and truer aim, he even saved his kin in turn.
The story takes place on a tense border where the Tiger Vanguard, an elite force, enforces the war banners. In Sandgate Village a rat widow mourned her husband, who had been devoured by the Vanguard and left behind only his Sand Shield, a royal reward. Her sons were born after their father's death, and she made them promise to avenge him. They trained under the Second Prince and swore to kill the tiger that had taken their father.
One of those sons was different: frail, poor at combat, and more interested in ink and paper than in spears and shields. His mother punished and scolded him for failing to meet her expectations. Learning martial skills took him far longer than it did his brothers, and even the Second Prince suggested he find another role, which only made him feel worse about himself.
As his brothers became soldiers in red armor and golden shields, he suffered more beatings and humiliation at home. After his mother said, "Better to be eaten by the tiger than remain useless at home," he stole his father's Sand Shield and spear to try to prove his worth. He confronted the Tiger Vanguard but was knocked down in two moves and left with the tiger's mouth open, ready to eat him.
At that moment stones were hurled and struck the tiger in the head, startling it. The Vanguard looked around for who had attacked. Some of the rats used that chance to drag their kin away from the danger. The Vanguard moved to give chase, but then a line of rat soldiers—peasants who had never left the dunes—stood with spears and shields raised.
Their sudden, fierce stand forced the tiger to hesitate, and the villagers were able to escape safely. The boy survived the encounter. He later abandoned the attempt to be a conventional warrior and instead joined the rat archers; with a sharp mind and true aim he went on to save his kin in later fights.
The narrative follows the setup of loss and the vow of revenge, the pressure on a son who didn't fit the warrior mold, the near-death rescue that depended on community action, and the ending where the boy finds a different way to help his people. It records that courage and quick thinking from ordinary villagers, and a change in role from failed fighter to skilled archer, were what ultimately protected the community.