10. Warming Up

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Out of breath was an understatement for the way I was feeling

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Out of breath was an understatement for the way I was feeling. I can't remember the last time I properly moved my body.

"You do realise this is just a warm-up?" Anika states as she perfectly executes her sit-ups without a single drop of sweat.

I just nod in disappointment. As we're both doing sit-ups I look over to Kellan's direction, who was aggressively boxing the punching bag. I swear it was about to fly off its stand, that's how hard he's hitting it. I would not want to be anywhere near his proximity.

He slows down and holds the punching bag to stop swinging, takes off his gloves and turns around to face the rest of us. I snap my attention back to my sit-ups, hoping he didn't see me watching him.

"Alright!" Kellan announces, and everyone comes to a halt, "I want you to pair up, Jason go with Eliza. Hans and Rob, you guys pair up..."

He pairs everyone together and then gets to Anika and myself. I thought we were the last two to be paired up, and I'm so grateful for that. But Kellan had another idea.

"Anika, I want you to watch over everyone else. You're with me Tarbell."

Just when I thought my week couldn't get any worse, it just continues to surprise me. I'm so excited to embarrass myself.

Once everyone disperses, they begin talking and going through sequences with each other. I follow Kellan to a more open space. He turns around to me and puts his hands on his waist thinking of what to do.

"I'm going to start off by teaching you basic defence tactics and movements. It's just as important we're trained and fit for fighting in human form, as well as wolf."

He begins by squaring his body, one foot in front of the other and arms strong by his sides. He signals me to mirror him.

"If someone goes for the front, aiming towards your chest, you need to think quick. Just remember nose, neck and knees are the first parts you should target".

He goes through a demonstration of the sequence, "First your palm hits just under their nose, then a sharp clean swoop to the side of the neck, and a stomp from as much power to their knee. You could break it" he smirks a little at his last remark.

"I could?" I ask, generally curious.

Again, he smirks, "Well, eventually you'll find out just how strong you can be".

That little sentence right there was the only thing on my mind for the entire training session. It was the nicest yet most intriguing thing Kellan has ever said to me.

As I followed his movements, he didn't seem to disapprove of my lack of coordination. If anything, it drove him more to train me better. He was focused, and...not a dick about it.

It was nice to see the toxic angry masculinity shed from him, even if it was just for a few hours.

"Good work, when we do it again, remember to use a hook rather than an uppercut, the pressure hits them better" he states after a sequence I completed.

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