A King, A Captain, A Mess

06 Fight

"Gabe, mind officiating?"

"Sure thing, Captain." He stands up and walks to a clearing nearby.

"If you want a fight, it's yours, little brother. I stopped working with you when you were 10, so I don't know what you've learned, but let me ask you this, do you really think the trainers your mother chose are the best?" I don't wait for a response as I follow Gabriel.

"Face one another." Gabe tells us, and we do so. "This is a fight to submission. All forms allowed. May today's trials strengthen us for tomorrow." He begins, and Trevor looks confused. "We fight with honor. We fight our hardest at all times. We fight to learn. To grow. To better ourselves for the betterment of the clan. We are warriors and brothers. For the clan!"

"For the clan," everyone repeats aside from my little brother, who looks at us all in awe. We stare at him until it sinks in, and he mumbles, "for the clan," still sounding confused.

Each sparing session begins the same way. It is easy when fighting for it to become a rivalry or for anger to take over. We say this at the start to remind us that we are on the same side and that the purpose is not the fighting itself but the growth of the warrior. We are here to help one another, not to hurt... though, this kind of helping does tend to hurt a bit. It's about making us into people who can protect our home. That goal focuses us and brings us together.

As expected, my baby brother is sloppy. His movements are sluggish, and hits are ineffective. I play with him for a few minutes, letting him control the fight. I dodge and observe.

I see my men try not to laugh as Trevor gets cocky.

"Come on, E! I thought you could fight!" He taunts not realizing that although I haven't attacked him, he hasn't landed a hit. He thinks he's winning.

"Just shut him up already, would ya?!" I hear Timothy yell, and I smirk. This is gonna be fun.

On Trevor's next attack, I dodge his fist and land a quick jab to his side.

"Watch your opponent. Don't leave yourself open to a counterattack." I instruct.

Trevor growls and charges at me. I use his momentum against him and send him face first into the dirt.

"Don't put all your weight into a single attack. Make sure you can change your planned action in a second." I add, making him even more angry.

Trevor charges again, but this time, he shifts into his wolf. I jump to the side and grab his scruff.

"An angry wolf is no better than an angry boy. Think through your attacks, pup." I tell him before tossing him aside.

Once he gets his feet under him, Trevor growls lowly, causing all my men to lower their heads and my beast to stir. My head snaps towards him, and before I can stop it, a roar of a growl escapes my chest. My men hit their knees, and Trevor bows to me. It takes a few seconds of his submission before I can reign my beast in. When I do, my men stand, and Trevor gives me a confused puppy look.

"Shift and find us some usable firewood. You've already waisted enough of our time." I order and look away. I'm not ready for him to...

"What are you?" Trevor asks as soon as he is human again.

"Do as you are told." I growl still not fully myself. "We'll talk another time."

As soon as my brother disappears into the trees, a grab the rabbit Killian dropped. "You are nearly fully vampire. I don't care what anyone thinks. Eat your dinner or so help me. I will tie you down and bleed the thing into your mouth." I growl at my quiet friend. He slowly takes the animal and bites into it. I sigh and pat his shoulder. "Thank you." I give him a smile, and he nods, still looking upset.

Killian is incredibly sensitive. There's a stigma against drinking blood in public, and him being nearly full blooded Vampire means he needs more blood. It took over a year for him to eat around us, and it looks like baby brother may have broken the big guy again. He doesn't make friends easily, and I can tell he got on well with Trevor... until the pup opened his big mouth.

"Will this work?" I hear and look over to a much more subdued Trevor holding a large armful of dry wood. Killian stops drinking, and I growl looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Eat." I order him. "If the pup doesn't like it, he can leave for a few more minutes." I'm honestly surprised he's back so quickly. It proves he understood the task fine earlier and simply didn't want to do it.

"I... I'm sorry, Killian... I guess I'm going to have to get used to vampire stuff... right?" Trevor looks at me like a child seeking approval from a parent. I sigh and nod, allowing him to join us. He sits next to me, unable to look away while unable to meet my eyes. He's waiting for me to speak or acknowledge his desire to.

"Spit it out." I finally sigh, annoyed with his stare.

"I didn't know you were a vampire... I mean not enough to need blood." He says, and I nod.

"My mom was half vampire." I tell him, and he nods.

"And the other half?" He pushes, but I ignore him as a piece of rare meat is put in front of me. I fed my vampire needs now, my beast. I eat the meat, and Trevor drops his question. I'm sure he'll ask again, but as far as I'm concerned, he doesn't need to know.

Once we are finished eating, I stand up. "Go to bed, everyone. I'll take the first watch. You will all rotate in groups of two throughout the night. I'll wake you when it's your turn." I say, and my men immediately follow orders.

"But I'm not tired." Trevor argues, but I can tell he's beat. He just wants to question me more.

"Don't lie to me, pup. Go to bed. You'll have the morning watch."

What is Ethan hiding from his brother?

Anyone else feel bad for Killian?

What do you think so far?

Till next time!

-Ru