One year before the events of Covenants Call
"Hydra! Focus on me! Not on the deck!" Mallards voice boomed snapping Hydra out of her trance.
"I-I'm sorry, Captain." She stuttered standing back in her defensive stance.
Mallard's eyes softened. "You're still learning. You're safe on the deck. You're getting amazing with that cutlass of yours and I'm proud of your progress. Now, keep your eyes on me, look at my movement and speed and try to match mine."
Two cutlasses clashed for a long time. Hydra had ducked under a few of her captain's hits and whilst he landed a few fake hits with the blade she had managed to stay in focus.
"Good! Now try to land a hit on me whilst I dodge!" Mallard dropped his weapon and started moving quickly. His boots tapping the deck as he leaped and bounded away from Hydra's slashes. "Focus on my movement. Predict what I'm about to do. Here let's try a pattern, you figure what I'm doing out and attack based on it."
He started jumping and moving from side to side and then back.
Jump back, right, left, right, step back. Hydra recognised the pattern but knowing Mallard he'd complicate it once he'd realised that she knew. Either way she had to land a few hits so she started matching her movements with his jumping forward when he jumped back and blocking him when he jumped from either side. She was sloppy and slow during the beginning but as she got used to what Mallard was doing, she started to pick it up. As she did her captain started moving faster and more complicated. Hydra found it hard to keep up with what he was doing.
Pretty soon Mallard had found a way to get Hydra into a headlock.
"If you were actually the enemy I would have snapped your neck by now or given you mercy and jumped away. But for now, considering you are doing well with recognising patterns and matching different moves, we can focus on that before we get to what we do in a situation where you're cornered or trapped." Mallard grabbed Hydra's free hand and locked it with his own, pulling her towards him, a brothers handshake. "You're doing well Hydra. Be proud of yourself. Feel free to train with your crew mates. Some know more than others. This training session is over."
Mallard stepped away with a nod. Hydra sighed, closing her eyes and leaned back on a mast pole.
I need to get better.
YOU ARE READING
Wild Winds: Hydra's Story
Historical Fiction~Trigger Warning my friends~ (Rape, blood, death) -For the reason Hydra left her village- Before Hydra left her village, she was alone and looked down upon. She had one friend who was also her mentor and that was it. Her parents loved her dearly. ...
