Siren's Elegy Volume 1: Orphans of Ashen Earth

Chapter 51: The Fourth Division

September 22, 4021 06:30 [Matriarch 04- Hyena Living Quarters]

Indra awoke in good spirits on the morning of his first official day as the Commander of the Fourth Division. He readied himself, donning his new uniform which signified his status as a Hyena. He walked into the kitchen just in time to witness Grisha hectically preparing breakfast in attire that seemed ill-suited for cooking. It was a bizarre scene; flour stained Grisha's uniform, though she seemed unbothered by the mess, tossing food into plates as Prasanna stood close behind, frantically making sure none of it spilled onto the floor. Kaluza sat shirtless at the table with fork and knife in hand, hungrily watching the plates piled high with food. His wounds were healing nicely, faint scars the only evidence of his clash with Indra.

After breakfast, they hurried to the training facility to meet Tengri and Jin. The two had arrived earlier in the morning to set things up. Jin tapped his foot impatiently as the others arrived. He raised an eyebrow at Indra who merely shrugged. The divide between them was ever present, like an open chasm. Yet, Indra felt at ease around the Hyenas now, no longer required to walk on eggshells expecting some form of sadistic retaliation. Though they were his seniors, they were all on equal grounds now.

Kaluza yawned obnoxiously beside him. His wheelchair was nowhere to be seen, owing to the fact that his spine had set during the night. He extended his arms and bent down to stretch his back, visibly elated that he had regained the feeling in his toes. Prasanna stepped innocuously behind him whistling as she tipped him over with a shove from her foot. Indra snickered as Kaluza face-planted, shooting Prasanna a dirty look as he brushed the dirt off. Even Jin cracked a smile.

"Enough fooling around. We have two weeks to get you ready to lead your units. It's a massive undertaking, and we don't have time to be screwing about any longer. Your chances of survival as well as your teams' depend on how well you're able to absorb the information we give you and apply it to your orders," Tengri explained.

"Each of us will be aiding you in an effort to teach you how to guide your division, but after today, you'll be on your own. You should collaborate with each other and keep us in the loop. We expect reports on your progress at the end of each day so we can convene and figure out the best course of action accordingly. We'll be writing our own as well so that everyone is on the same page," Grisha added.

The junior Hyenas nodded, breaking off into pairs with the seniors. Tengri beckoned for Indra to follow, leading him to the Fourth Division's designated training area. When they arrived, Indra peered over the catwalk, observing below as nearly five hundred soldiers suited in Sanitation Gear ran through basic drills led by a pair of familiar faces.

Kuvira and Garou paused as they spotted Indra, signaling for the regiment to take a break. They rushed over to him eagerly. Indra grinned as he greeted them.

"Sub-commanders! I should have known! Congrats!"

"Same to you hotshot," Garou replied, shoving him playfully.

Kuvira opened her mouth to speak, cut off by Tengri's outstretched hand. "I told you lot already—we don't have time for idle chatter. You can catch up later tonight. But first," —he fished a small notebook from his pocket— "you three need to memorize these formations. Read and reread until you know each one by heart. I'll continue running drills until then," he stated.

Kuvira sighed, grabbing the notebook from him. The three bunched together studying each war formation. It didn't take long for each tactic to sear itself into their minds. Tengri had taken great pains in explaining everything in excruciating detail while making the information as digestible as possible.

There were basic formations that Indra had already familiarized himself with when he was training for missions along the Desolate Coast. These included the Tortoise, Pincer, and Stag Point. These formations had never been quite as pertinent to him in prior field operations since his team had mainly stuck with smaller-scale reconnaissance missions.