The Rise of The Phoenix

Training Day

The sun was hot and the sweat was pouring off my face. Training Day was always hard, but the closer we get to placement day, the harder the training gets. Today we're focusing on agility, wits, and combat. We do that by being chased through the woods by wild animals and then moving on to hand-to-hand combat once we get back to the arena. Today, it's wolves. This pack of wolves was spotted stalking a family in their field, presumably waiting for the children to wander off. That's when the guards were made aware of the situation and our trainer (being the opportunist he is) decided it was the perfect scenario for training. But it's not as simple as scaring the wolf off or even killing it. Our people believe the lives of animals are sacred, so we must avoid killing them at all costs. Wolves are also much harder to deal with since they're pack animals, but then again, so are we. We stalked them through the field to the tree line and that's where I was spotted and instantly targeted. They looked at me with only one word on their minds, prey. I ran into the woods, hoping for some kind of advantage from the thick foliage further in the woods. Baron is in the trees leaping from branch to branch and if the jump is too far, he'll occasionally coax a branch to reach out under his feet. Gypsy is staying close to the stream so she can make an easy getaway using water if need be. As for me, I'm at the head of our three-man pack drawing the wolves away from our town to the depths of the forest. Step one, protect the innocent, complete. The easiest way would be to use our giftings to escape the wolves, but since not all people have them, it's seen as an 'unfair advantage' and 'cheating the system'. So, during the placement day assessments, if we use our giftings, we are disqualified and need to wait another year to take the placement assessment and be assigned our role in society. It doesn't help either that the wolves in this area are well known for being quite relentless. We've already lost 4 people to wolves this season and the ice hasn't even finished melting yet. It seems like they get worse and more aggressive every year, but nobody knows why. A common fact, though, is that wolves hate fire. It makes it all the more frustrating that I can't use my gifting. Luckily, we've done this before and we know how to deal with them. Step 2, locate the Alpha and don't get caught, done. He's usually the one who initiates the hunt but then falls back looking for opportunity and your weaknesses. In this case, it would be the wolf who is hyper-aware of Barons and Gypsys presence, despite them being fairly well hidden. The alpha is second from the center of the pack. Coming up in front, I spot a clearing that looks like the perfect spot to end this. Step 3, get the Alpha. I signaled Baron with a quick blow of the hunting whistle I kept in my pocket, a gift from my father. I see Baron in a tree I run under to get into the clearing and I know he's ready. I come to a halt in the middle of the clearing and whirl around taking my staff from my back, ready to defend myself. To the wolves, it looks like the perfect opportunity to attack, but they forgot about my friends. Just as the alpha is about to leap at me, Baron jumps atop of him and knocks him to the ground in front of me with a crash that sends leaf litter and dirt flying all over me. That's okay, I welcome the dirt. That's when Gypsy burst into the clearing, with swords in hands, ready to fight if things take a turn for the worst. What I didn't realise until now is that Baron had a large rock in his hand that he must have picked up in the field and the big bad alpha is now a sleeping little pup. Step 3, complete. Once the rest of the pack, which consisted of 5 more wolves, saw Baron, Gypsy, and their alpha out cold, they knew it was time to move on. Gypsy just dropped her arms, dropped her head back, gave a long groan, and said, " Not fair, you guys get all the fun."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Oh my gosh Gypsy, yeah, cause having wolves gnashing at your heels is fun!"

"Better than just running along the sidelines and everything being over before I get the chance to do anything at all."

"Uh, hey guys, are you forgetting we were meant to be at combat training right about now? Let's go, we're going to be late."

Baron! Lately, he's always been the one to end the squabbling before it begins, which is rich considering squabbling with Gypsy seems to be his favorite pastime. We both just scoff, roll our eyes and make our way back to the village. That's when I remember it's a full moon tonight, we're supposed to see Koa. The last few moons Koa hasn't come. I have no idea why. Nothing seemed wrong or off the last time we saw him. Still, he did this every so often, he would just disappear for a number of moons and then randomly show up again one day. He never explains why. He would always give us some half-assed excuse about 'tribe business' or 'we can't expect him to come every time, he has a life' or 'he was away.' We never found out the real reasons though. We get to training and it's the same as ever. I train with Gypsy, using knives today, and Baron trains with one of the other guys. Despite how much I know I need to focus, I can't help but wonder if Koa will show up this time. After all, he wouldn't miss my 18th Birthday, right?