The war horn blared again, louder this time, its mournful cry rolling across the outpost like a physical force. It didn't just call men and women to arms—it dragged the breath from their lungs, snapping them awake with the weight of deep-rooted instinct. The sharp clang of warning bells joined in, their relentless rhythm hammering into every soldier's bones. The sound was impossible to ignore, every strike against the bronze echoing off the walls, running through the earth, and settling deep in the marrow like a drumbeat for war.
