Short story collection

Ebbing Darkness - Part 2

A war game. Not many people thought war was a game that could be played, manipulated, or cheated in. But there was so much more to war than they realized.
  At a very young age, before he could even speak his first words, Y/N remembered his father. The Lion told him of many battles, many of them his own. He didn't always win but he also didn't make losing easy for his enemies.
  He was a master tactician; a war master in his own right. It was because of this that Y/N knew the basics and intermediates to war. So when Sienna pit fifty initiates against the other forty-nine, he knew exactly what to do.
  Their first test was one of strength, speed, and will. And now the second was testing their resourcefulness, teamwork, and mind.
  "What are we gonna do?" Ilia came to Y/N and asked. Her worry was valid and her faith in him was appreciated.
  Sienna knowingly pit the winners of their race against the losers. Normally this was seen as unfair or perhaps personal, but Y/N found a rush in such a challenge.
  "Gather everyone." He told her and she listened. All forty-nine of them converged in the forests near Kuo Kuana, standing silent and listening.
  "I need ten of you to work on weapons. Does anyone have the knowledge to make spears, clubs, and/or bows and arrows?"
  A few raised their hands and voiced their experience. One knew how to make a bow and arrow from their sponsor, and the other three knew how to make clubs and spears.
  "I need six who can go with them. Preferably six who are quick-witted or fast learners. We don't have much time so keep that in mind. And you four take six with you, make twenty spears, twenty clubs, and ten bows with as many arrows as you can. Guide them through it. Go."
  Ten initiates departed from the group and ran deeper into the forest. This left Y/N with thirty-eight boys and girls.
  "Who here has unlocked their semblance?" He asked, and as expected, only ten raised their hands. "Step forward. That means you as well, Ilia."
  Twenty-eight. It wasn't much, but under his command, he was sure to make it count.

The war game had begun and the White Fang watched it unfold. Many of them took bets with things like lien cards, cigarettes, booze, and favors. But nothing too crass when their Chieftain watched over them.
  "Who do you think is coming out on top?" Ghira's large footfalls rumbled the wooden platform they stood on. Sienna also noticed how he didn't ask who in particular would win.
  "My son, of course." She replied with an even tone.
  "Even with the odds against him?" Kali asked while looking down the mountain at the two forces.
  The commanders weren't allowed to take part in the battle, only lead. That left Y/N and Adam on their ends, waiting to be captured to end the game.
  "He's smart." Sienna said to them. "He knows the reality of war and the sacrifices that must be made. It's a game, yes. However, he's pretending to be the Chieftain and Adam a General. But I can assure you that he doesn't see it as a game. He's fully prepared to make the difficult choices any leader should make. And that's what Adam doesn't have."

The game started the moment their shadows were directly below them. While the opposing forces moved, so did Ghira.
  He was shocked to see Y/N alone. He sat in the midst of packed dirt, ash pits, and wood shavings. He was unmoving, even when in the face of a possible threat.
  When he caught wind of his scent, Y/N stood and got to one knee. Ghira was surprised, to say the least.
  "That isn't necessary." Ghira chuckled and emerged from the lush forest. "You can stand."
  "Sir." Y/N said but remained in his deep bow. "What brings you here? Respectfully."
  "I... wanted to see you." Ghira hummed. He watched as Y/N raised a hand with his palm facing up. The gesture was old, something only spoken of in stories passed down by elders. True, the real meaning was lost centuries ago, as were many of their primitive traditions. It had only been modernized and watered down to today's standards.
  Sienna never told him before, she kept her private life a close and relished secret, but Ghira could see it in Y/N's hair.
  Over his hair wasn't just flakes of ash, dirt, and (Hair Color), there was silver as well. He was a known half-blood, so the genetic pool he pulled his genes from was wide and expansive. But the silvery sheen in his hair told Ghira that he was of a lineage of gorillas. A silverback, to be exact.
  His palm remained in the air, a wordless gesture that offered both loyalty and submissiveness to his superior. But it was also a way of asking for permission.
  Ghira ran his palm over his in a gentle and warm response. Only then did the son of The Lion stand.
  "Why did you want to see me?" Y/N asked.
  "Mmm." Ghira took two long strides to his side and lifted a dissected log to place between them. He continued after kneeling to its skinned corpse, asking. "Why did you want to join? You never struck me as the progressive sort."
  "I'm not." Y/N said and kneeled, further surprising him. "I believe in our traditions. The ones passed down to us by the strong and wise."
  "Then... why did you join?" Ghira asked, concerned. Being traditional was more often than not a thing to be ashamed of.
  "For centuries we isolated ourselves. We learned the human tongue even when we shouldn't have. We were castrated, maimed. Before, we made colonies amid our birthplace. And for generations we gathered, hunted, learned. We were at peace. It was only until the Great War did we grow complacent."
  Ghira took nearly an hour scaling down the mountain and finding Y/N. He had to admit, Y/N hid himself well.
  Long before they started to talk, or when Ghira even considered the idea of coming down, Y/N struck.
  Ilia used her natural camouflage to get behind the enemy lines. With only a few other initiates they wreaked havoc.
  They started fires, shot their arrows without pause or accuracy, and used the environment to their advantage. Their small force confused the annexing nation, making them seem like a bigger threat than they actually were.
  While Adam ordered his troops to arms, another force struck from behind, cutting them off from their other units and inflicting mild casualties.
  Trifa and Yuma encircled them. With a dozen each of their own, they made short work of the trapped units.
  And finally, Y/N's main force came in from the front. They had Adam's army surrounded. They would be forced to engage directly with a phalanx of spears, or fight out to their flank where initiates with clubs stood. Meanwhile, Ilia and her small team rearmed, refreshing their arrows to support their encroaching force.
  Ghira's brows rose at the sounds of battle. Voices of ferocity and savagery were molded into an imposing force. Screams stretched over the forest; both belonging to either side. Casualties - or initiates who had their aura broken - were quickly going into the dozens.
  "I believe that when the world saw us as animals they let us be. It's in our nature, it's what we are. So if a human were to call me an animal or savage, I'll be sure to thank them for remembering where we came from."
  The sounds of war began to die down. Who the voices belonged to was a mystery to Ghira, but Y/N showed a certain confidence that could be mistaken as indifference.
  "Like us, humans are animals. And in recent years this is proven to be true. But just like animals, our ancestors, we're a part of the food chain. And whoever sits on top of it is undisputed."
  "So you believe fear to be a motivator?" Ghira asked.
  "It's a tool." Y/N met his concerned gaze with a steely one. "Obviously we can't go around eating humans, but even now we know to stray far away from the Grimm. And those beasts, they never had to deal with rights or the discrimination we faced. Because just like them we too were considered monsters. Our traditions never failed us before, but the moment we abandoned them we dealt with unjust acts of bigotry and hatred."
  The screams turned to shouts of victory. And although they were tired and quiet, they weren't any less passionate than they were when they first started.
  "Why should we fight for the right to marry a human? Or owning a piece of land? Why should we fight for what we took? The humans do the same and no one ever bats an eye. And we all know why. It's because we rolled over and showed them our belly, or nodded yes to reveal our throats. To that, I say no more."
  "You make a fair point," Ghira admitted after a moment of thought. "But the times have changed. We're in a new era of expansion and progression. We're learning things that are more efficient and less of a hindrance to our ancestors. If that means talking or settling down for words so we may avoid another revolution, then that's how it has to be."
  "Then we expand." Y/N replied calmly and without hesitation. "We adapt. We survive. It's what we excelled at. It's why we're here talking. We never had a need for rights because we lived amongst ourselves. If we have to expand then we expand here. Or maybe the lush forests of Anima! Perhaps even Vale! My point is, Chieftain, that we lost respect. We drop our gaze when a human crosses our paths when it should be them who fears what we may do."
  "So you're thinking of inflicting violence." Ghira stated. "By earning respect through fear."
  "Respect doesn't survive in this world, sir. Although I am an avid believer in our old ways or in loyalty being its own reward, I also believe that when we unsheathe our claws or bare our fangs, it should carry the same weight as Atlas flying their ships. The world was fine after the war when the humans understood their capabilities in war. And now everyone is too scared to fight with one another. The only ones left out of that equation are us. If we can't have respect or fair wages, then we'll bend a few arms until they give it to us. But not by violence or loud protests, but by showing our strength and dominating the world that was once ours."
  To their side, the trees began to rustle with movement. At first, Ghira thought Y/N had lost the battle. It was only logical when he was given the lesser of the initiates.
  But as grass rustled through wind and blue tunics, he found himself in for another surprise.
  Adam emerged from the forest, defeated. And at his back were the remnants of Y/N's forces. He may have lost eighty percent of his army, but he did so with inferior strength and speed but with superior morale and strategy.
  "I came here, Chieftain, because I refuse to settle for average. I want the glory of victory and an honorable end. But soon, I will be coming for the world beyond these shallow seas and everything it has to offer. And with the gifts provided by my father, nothing will stop me..."