Chasing Wolves (completed)

Chapter 16 Isadora

Chapter 16

Isadora

Ooh, man! This is so exciting! I practically skip down the hall to the training room, eager and excited to show Dimca all that I've learned since I've been away.

Everyone's gathered in the huge hollow room, Dimca with one of the steel daggers, and we're all just... standing here, apparently waiting. A minute goes by (it feels more like eternity, however) and I can hear multiple pairs of footsteps coming from down the hall. Concentrating, I can pick out... fifteen people? Why so many; are they one of Dimca's teams?

They all pile in and I assume I was right. They're all human, so who else could they be?

"Really? Do they have to see this?"

"You don't recognize them? They're the ones that watched you pummel Hank. They want to see how much you've improved only a little less than I do." Oh, okay I'll give them that.

"Are you ready yet? I figure we can do three matches; one without weapons, one dagger, and then maybe two daggers."

He nods, tossing his dagger to Meg (the understood 'keeper of the weapons') and she catches it out of reflex, barely even looking as she talks to Eli. I go to strap mine into the sheath but then realize both spots are full of my gold daggers. I toss Meg both of mine, sheathing the steel one, and she actually looks away from Eli, seemingly realizing we're about to start.

We step away from the spectators and into the middle of the room, laughing as the humans all start cheering. Apparently they remember me, if the occasional call of 'go Girlie' is any indication. I'm never going to be able to live down that nickname, am I? Thanks, Hank.

"We're going to best of three. First weaponless, second with one dagger, and third with two." Another round of cheering, this time from everyone, and we face off, saluting each other as we smile with excitement.

In a flash I'm to him, zipping around to his back and grabbing him by his neck (being careful not to break it), hauling him over my shoulder and onto the hard floor. He kicks out just as he would have landed and uses his back to push me over. Or at least he tries to, I have a surprisingly low center of gravity, making it hard to knock me over. I turn on him and kick him in the shin, buckling his knee and giving me just enough time to once again get behind him. This time I kick him in the back of the knee and the Achilles in quick succession, and as he's collapsing to the ground I grab him in a headlock, positioning my hands as if to break his neck.

Eli growls (surprising the humans as he Shifts his head back and forth), signaling the end of round one, and I help him to his feet. He smiles warmly at me, seemingly unaffected by the brutal kicks, and I smile back as we walk back to Meg to retrieve the daggers for round two. One of the human men (I think he might have been one of the ones that patted me on the back, but I'm not sure) looks at his watch, declaring that that round only lasted fifty seconds.

"Lets try to make this next one a little longer, what do ya say?"

"I'm sure I can manage that."

"Don't be too sure. I can't even count how many Werewolves I've killed with only a dagger."

He chuckles, earning glances from the people closest to us, and I soon understand why. "Well maybe you should have stayed in school longer, if you can't even count very high!"

I glare at him, trying my hardest to look indignant as I try to stifle a smile.