Content
Stories: War-Beast Tales
The Silent Hunt of Hive Mortis
Brothers, let me tell you of the hunt in Hive Mortis, where our war beasts proved their worth beyond measure. We were tracking a genestealer patriarch who had hidden himself in the depths of the underhive. Our auspex readings were useless, confused by the centuries of industrial waste and radiation, but our beasts... they never lost the scent.
I remember how Fenra, my own war beast, suddenly froze during our advance through a seemingly empty hab-block. Her hackles raised, eyes fixed on a solid ferrocrete wall. No signs, no marks, nothing to indicate anything amiss - except her certainty. When we cut through that wall, we found a tunnel network that didn't appear on any hive maps. The patriarch had been using it to move his broods undetected.
The real proof of their worth came in the final confrontation. The patriarch's psychic screams would have overwhelmed even our trained battle-brothers, but our war beasts remained focused, immune to its mental assault. They led us through the psychic storm, straight to the beast's lair. Victory was swift after that.
The Void's Guardians
Even in void warfare, our war beasts prove their worth. During the boarding of the Space Hulk "Eternal Torment," we discovered their sense for corruption extends beyond mere flesh.
My war beast, Shadow, detected Nurgle's rot in the recycled air three decks before our sensors registered any contamination. His warning saved an entire assault squad from exposure.
More impressive was their performance against the daemon-engines we encountered in the ship's core. The beasts could sense which machines housed bound daemons and which were merely corrupted by chaos exposure. This intelligence proved invaluable - we knew exactly which targets needed immediate destruction and which could be purified later.
The Hunt Master's Trial
The true test of our war beasts isn't in combat - it's in their vigilance during peace. I remember when Grimfang, one of our most reliable beasts, began acting strangely around Brother Cassius. The brother had shown no signs of corruption, had passed all chaplain inspections, but Grimfang would not be deterred.
For three days, the beast maintained its vigil, watching Cassius's every move. Some thought the beast had finally erred, that its senses had failed. But on the fourth day, Cassius attempted to access restricted gene-seed storage. When confronted, his flesh rippled - an Alpha Legion operative, revealed by a war beast's unshakeable instincts.
The Warning in the Warp
During the defense of Shrine World Sanctus VI, we faced a most insidious threat - a cult that had learned to mask their warp-taint from even our trained psykers. But they couldn't hide from the enhanced senses of our war beasts. While our battle-brothers saw only faithful Imperial citizens, the beasts detected the subtle wrongness in their movements, the taint in their blood.
The masterstroke came during what appeared to be a routine blessing ceremony. My war beast, Umbra, suddenly interposed herself between me and the shrine's supposed head priest. Moments later, the "priest" revealed his true form - a daemon of Tzeentch, its disguise perfect in every way except to the Emperor-blessed senses of our loyal hunters.
That day taught us a crucial lesson - the Emperor's gifts to our war beasts often surpass even our own enhanced abilities. Their instincts, honed by generations of selective breeding and genetic crafting, serve as our final line of defense against the most subtle corruptions.
A Beast's Loyalty
While our war beasts are renowned for their hunting prowess, their loyalty deserves equal recognition. During the Siege of Hive Tenebris, my beast Forge detected unstable reactor signatures three levels below our position. The readings didn't match any known patterns, but I trusted his instincts and ordered an immediate withdrawal. Moments later, the entire section was consumed by a warp-reactor detonation.
But Forge wasn't finished. Despite severe burns from the reactor's explosion, he continued tracking the energy signature to its source. His persistence led us to a hidden Dark Mechanicus facility, where hereteks were experimenting with warp-powered reactors. The beast's dedication cost him greatly - the radiation exposure meant weeks of recovery - but his loyalty never wavered.
Let none question why we honor these creatures as true brothers-in-arms. Their dedication to our cause rivals any Space Marine's, their loyalty to the Emperor expressed not through words or rituals, but through unwavering service and sacrifice.
Press Play to Start