The Last Wolfson

Chapter 7: Training

"Faster!" Klauw snarled.
Phang attacked the target dummy with a ferocity that he didn't know he had. It had been ten days now since Klauw accepted his apprenticeship and he was now teaching him hard as could be.
"Stop. Getting a little sloppy there. I could've blocked those last two with my finger." He said shaking his head.
"Like to see you try..." Phang muttered under his breath hefting the practice sword for another shot. Klauw's ears perked up. "What was that I heard? Well, go on, test that. Swing it at me."
Phang, realizing that he probably shouldn't have said that, shied away.
"Too scared? Not going to put your sword where your mouth is? Too afraid it'll go into the dirt?" Klauw grinned, loving every second of Phang's torture he liked to call training. Phang growled and swung his wooden practice sword at him wildly without thinking. Klauw grinned again this time more infuriatingly. He expertly twisted the blade up with his long fingernail, flicked it aside and then stuck his fingernail under Phangs chin. It grew and turned so sharp it drew blood.
"Never enter a fight you have an option to back out of. Especially if that person is a much better fighter than you. Go rest. Meet me back here in an hour." Phang trudged off, beaten and sore.
"Mmmmphhhhmmmaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Altima cracked up. She sat in a tree overlooking the clearing that Klauw was training Phang in. "Did you see his face! Priceless!"
"Your turn..." Klauw said smiling devilishly.
Altima froze. "Wait, what. Oh no, I didn't sign up for this!"
Klauw pulled out a bow, and said "I'm going to train you with a bow, ok? The bow is generally an oakelf weapon.
She considered. It would be nice to know how to defend herself...she thought. "Okay. I'm game."
She jumped down and he showed her how to hold it. He spent the next hour teaching her how to use a bow.
About a month later the day started out as usual. Klauw woke Phang up early in the morning for his 12 k marathon. Then went through the lifting and general strength exercises and started sparring. After these months that Phang had been training, he had become quite the specimen. His muscles were very well toned, and he had become a handsome young man.But around the end of his his regular training and sparring something out of the ordinary happened. Katimo ran out, almost tripping over himself as he ran. "Klauw!" He yelled. "It's tomorrow! The annual dueling competition! It's tomorrow! Are you going to do it again?"
Klauw dropped his sword he was so...wait was he? No. He was! He was exited! It's a miracle! Phang thought. What was enough to excite Klauw? What was this dueling competition thing anyway? Klauw ran off towards the cottage before Phang could ask. He yelled over his shoulder at Phang to finish his routine before he ran off so fast he was a blur. Phang shrugged and turned back to target dummy. Thud! Thud! Thud! Three arrows in rapid succession hit the dummy. One in the head, one in the chest and one knocked the wooden sword out of the dummy's hand. He looked up and saw Altima in the tree with a bow in her hand. Phang whistled admiringly. She had been practicing for the last month or two and she was really getting good. Her rainbow stone aided her eyesight and steadied her hand, making is possible for her to pick up so quickly.
"How's that?" She asked brimming with excitement.
"Really good. If that was an Unknown it'd be a goner." He said happily.
"So what do you think that whole dueling thing is about?" She questioned.
"I'm not sure...I think they're at the cottage now?" He said thoughtfully.
"Race you there!" She said, diving down from the tree she was in and racing towards the cottage. Phang smiled, and followed close behind. She was running as fast as she could, her rainbow stone helping fuel her legs. Pang was slowly catching up to her though, his legs getting longer and heavily muscled as he shifted into half wolf. They reached the cottage, Phang beating Altima by a few feet. She pouted.
"No fair! You did your wolf thing.
Phang grinned, showing his shrinking fangs and looked up at her. "Yeah, I also did the twenty-four seven training." He said.
"Well! You...not...still not fair!" She spluttered.
"Are we going in or do you want to race again?" He taunted, smirking.
"Aaarrggghhh!" She stormed inside.
He followed her in, his face triumphant.