The White Wolf

Chapter 11 - Joint Training

"Move it newbies! We don't have all day! I despise being late!" You barked at them. Since the incident with Silvia, no one in the squad dared to cross you. Captain Anderson knew what you had done, but also knew of Silvia's prior actions. She agreed with you when you told her Silvia needed to be cast out of the Magic Knights. You got it approved by the Wizard King, the Captains. She despised you for it and her family was out for blood, but you didn't care. She was gone and she couldn't cause any more physical or psychological harm to anyone in the squad.

Of course, since Kiten's incident the Captain's agreed that the newer members of each squad should train together so that they could work as well as you all did. Work as well as you did. You all nearly died, and you sure didn't work well together. Either way, the White Wolves got paired up with the Golden Dawn. A part of you tells you that your captain planned this, but you'd never tell her you thought that.

When you landed at the Golden Dawn's base you caught a glimpse of the familiar orange hair surrounded by six other members standing in the open grass field. You jumped from your broom and landed in front of her, "Mimosa." You greeted coldly as usual. Mimosa walked towards you with a smile, "I'm so glad you could make it. The winds were pretty violent today, and I know your squad doesn't have a spatial mage, so I wasn't sure if you would make it... But I'm glad to see that you did!" Mimosa's smile was bright and soft at the same time, carrying so many emotions in one. "We're not a weak squad. We can handle wind." You scoffed. Mimosa just continued to smile at you, unfazed by your seemingly annoyed response.

"Well- uh- actually, sir! We didn't do so well until you put up that spell to protect us from the wind!" One of the mages behind you replied. You turned back to look at him with menacing narrowed eyes, "care to correct me any further?" Shivers went down the mages spine, "n-no, sir!" Mimosa giggled, "I think it's such a kind act that you put up a spell to protect your squad on the way here. It's sweet! You don't want to see people hurt, even if it's a reaction buried deep inside. You want to help people; not hurt them! You really are a kind-hearted person!" Mimosa words made your ears turn red, and you averted your eyes from her.

"Pair up! Begin by sparring with one another!" You ordered, changing the subject immediately. "Yes, sir!" All twelve mages replied instantly- they were all terrified of you. Even if you unwillingly showed a vulnerability in front of them, you and your reputation remained a sight they never wanted to witness, and experience they never wanted to experience. They immediately paired up and began sparing.

You sat down, observing the mages as they battled one another for over an hour. Mimosa came and sat down beside you. "They're doing really well." Mimosa stated, you only nodded in reply. "How are your wounds? Have they healed up alright?" She continued to try and speak to you. "They're fine." You replied shortly. "I'm really glad! You were badly hurt from what I heard..." Mimosa looked up at you with a sad smile. "I was fine. I didn't feel a thing." You weren't lying; none of it hurt. You'd been forced through far worse than a few burns and broken burns. The feeling of a whip breaking open lines in your skin was still significantly less than the pain a devil could cause. The thought made you subconsciously fiddle with your hands; you not noticing. Mimosa still noticed.

"I've been meaning to ask; do you have a reason for always wearing your gloves? I haven't seen you without them once." Mimosa inquired. You just looked at her, not answering her question. "I-I'm sorry, I hadn't meant to make you uncomfortable or anything. I was just trying to get to know you better" Mimosa defended herself; it confused you why she felt the need to. You sighed, "I'm not fond of the way my hands look. It's a reminder of where I failed." You were telling the truth; just leaving out details.

You watched on as the mages continued to fight. Fight, break, fight, break, switch, repeat. That was until they moved onto the group battles. Spilt into teams of both squads, battling each other. A newbie hesitated in binding an 'enemy mage.' Then that said mage took to their feet and launched at the hesitating mage. They were from your squad; 'how embarrassing.' Their hesitation led to the opposing teams victory. Once the match was over, you stormed up to the pair, fury and disappointment swirling within you like a tornado with no cease.