Chasms of Copper

Chapter 16

[Edited]

Roy

The sun was in his eyes. The late afternoon light was a warm gold and shone brightly on the training grounds. The man's brown eyes took in the small details around him. A moment later, he ducked away from the swinging blow. 

Roy could feel his muscles burning and screaming at him. Good, he thought. That means I'll make progress. As he constantly reminded himself, there was no point in being an instructor if you didn't get involved and learn for yourself.

Ivan's fist made a reappearance. The brunette man moved to block it with the palm of his left hand. His workout shirt clung annoyingly to his sweaty torso, but the Gamma didn't dare remove it for fear at becoming a random she-wolf's next target.

He felt on top of his game; his head was finally clearer than it had been in weeks. He felt his wolf, Cliffe, give out a sharp bark to him---warning him of his hidden attacker. At his wolf's warning, Roy pinpointed her exact location. The exact moment that she moved to strike, Roy dropped to the ground and kicked out at her feet. The woman stumbled forward but caught herself and used her momentum to perform a front hand-spring. To be frank, he felt proud that she'd remembered the move and had perfected it. He'd taught it to all of his warriors in years previous, but Raquel had always struggled with her balance. Now, at the age of twenty-one, she had mastered the technique. 

Taking advantage of the Gamma's momentary distraction, Ivan landed a solid punch on his chest. The taller man stumbled back and caught his breath, smiling. Yes, they'd progressed nicely. It surprised him to say it, especially since he already held Ivan in the highest regards, but the redheaded boy had benefitted from the private lessons. He'd always been a superb fighter, but now Roy was delighted to see him rise to be one of his top  warriors. 

In his brief moment of reminiscing, the Gamma had become distracted, again. True to her training, Raquel launched herself on his back, determined to wrestle him to the ground. Recovering quickly, Roy twisted his torso around and brought his elbow back, sharply. It wasn't enough to bring permanent damage to the dark-skinned girl, but it did dislodge her from his back. 

That'll bruise, Roy thought with guilt. Thankfully, though, werewolves had quick-healing abilities, so he was sure the mark would only last for an hour or two.

Not wanting to make the same mistake again, Roy kept his back and front guarded as he tried to grab Ivan. Roy wasn't sure if it was to his satisfaction or to his disappointment, but he missed. He turned around. The maneuver wasn't as smooth as he would have liked, but momentum wasn't on his side, so he made do with what he could. Casting a quick appraising look at Ivan, he took notice that the boy was protecting his gimpy leg. Unfortunately for the sixteen year-old boy, it was not protected enough. The brunette man reached out---using a little more werewolf speed than he normally would in a spar fight---and swiped at Ivan's knee. The young man had been concentrating so hard to keep light on his feet that his sense of gravity was off and he toppled over, landing on his hip.