Broken Glass - Taekook

58

Slowly but surely, the sun continues its journey through the sky above, and the faint golden hue at the very edge of the horizon fades into a gentle blue. After a slow and comfortable breakfast, sat around the now-cold remnants of the fire, Hoseok stands up, beckoning for me to follow him into the clearing where Namjoon was showing me how to use the power of the golden river. 

There, he guides me through a few stretches, difficult manoeuvres that are exhausting enough by themselves. Then we collect our swords from our packs, keeping them in their scabbards so that we don't actively hurt each other by accident whilst practicing. 

For a few minutes, Hoseok makes me go through the basic movements again, checking how much I remember. I follow his lead as closely as I can, my muscles somehow recalling some of the elements of each manoeuvre as he demonstrates them once more. 

Once we've clarified some of the principles of sword-based combat, we place down our swords and pick up the sticks we've been using to replace them when we're training. Hoseok calls for three practice fights with the sticks, which are more like poles than anything else. In practice, the different techniques are harder to apply to different situations, though I'm slowly learning to choose my movements carefully. 

I lose all three fights, but he seems pleased anyway, gesturing for me to pick up my sword again and use that instead of the lighter stick. Carefully, we begin to spar properly, so that  I can get used to the weight and balance of a sword.  Hoseok's previous training seems to finally kick in at this point, and the work from week we spent in the valley returns to me. 

He wins most of the time, as we spar, but it doesn't matter that much. Right near the end of our practice, I win one bout, pressing the flat edge of my sword against his collarbone instead of directly against the soft skin of his neck. Much to my surprise, he doesn't scowl at the defeat, choosing instead to beam proudly at me and tell me that I'm getting there. 

Slowly but surely, I'm figuring things out. 

By the time we finally decide to stop for the day, we're both covered in a thin film of sweat. It takes me a long time to fully recover from the intensity of the sparring, and my chest is still heaving a little when Hoseok gestures for me to sit cross-legged beside him. He takes me through a quiet routine of stretches, less strenuous than the first, simply designed to remove any tension caused by our sparring.

Once we are calmer, he instructs me to just sit still for an hour and take in the sights and sounds of the forest. That command given, he grabs his sword and my own, and slowly treks back to our group's main camp, not even looking back once. I try not to worry about being left alone in the clearing, settling properly on my butt and rolling back my shoulders, telling myself to focus. 

For a while, it's hard to calm my nerves, and my eyes keep darting from one moving thing to another. But every single time, it's something simple: a squirrel leaping from branch to branch, a bird taking flight, a fox slinking past with a dead mouse hanging limply from its jaws. A wasp even makes its presence known, buzzing around my ears. It takes a great deal of strength to not swat at it with my hand, or to lean back in alarm at how close it gets. 

But eventually, the buzzing and the movement fades into the background in my mind, as something else grabs my attention. Another rodent, just existing in its own space. Some shift of the wind as it changes once more. 

The hour slowly passes, and I find myself relaxing in my position, only shifting when my left foot starts to go numb. While it's still hard to look at everything at once, my awareness slowly spreads out, encompassing a wider area. By the time Hoseok returns to tell me that my time is up, I'm sitting staring out at the rest of the forest.