The Fox, Red

009 - Meet and Greet With Badger

The sun rises like any other day. Only this time I roll over to find myself in a bed. Looking up I see the light coming from a window to the side of the empty room. The bed I'm in is unfamiliar to me but looking over I see why. To my left is Madam Odette, lying naked beside me. I think back to yesterday trying to remember all of it. After a while, it just turned into a blur of ecstasy and sex. I roll out of bed stumbling to my sore legs giving out. Quickly I recover and head to the bath to grab my clothes that were left there from yesterday morning.

I come back out dressed in my regular clothes while Madam Odette is still passed out on the bed. I sneak out to the hallway where one of her butlers meets me. Before he can speak I shush him, "Shh, I think you should let her sleep for now."

"Yes sir, but your trainer is here. Your class begins in 10 minutes in the back garden."

I nod to him and head down the stairs to the back doors. Outside I see my little tool shed still with my stuff hanging around it. I stagger out down the stairs to change my shirt. I look around the garden to see people working. When I look at my watch I see that it's 9 till 10 so I got to sleep in a lot.

Something seems out of place though. I can feel it more than see it. Before long it becomes clear that there is a new person around. A new honey badger is walking around looking cheerful and speaking with others. He approaches me with the same smile he has shown to everyone else, "Hello!"

"Good morning."

He's very Russian and his English is fractured, "It is good morning."

"How are you?"

"I am good. By chance, do you know fox named Red?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Ah! Good! My name Badger. I am new trainer for you."

A honey badger named Badger? "Madam Odette told me I would have someone training me. What are you going to be training me in?"

"Fighting!"

I give him a quick look over when he says that. I'm just short of 6' myself so he has to be... 7' 4" at least and he's built like a fridge. "Ah, what style do you use?"

"Enemy can not use magic if being punched in face."

"Sounds... solid to me."

"Yes, it is. But you are very tiny so I will work to make you solid like Badger." His face changed. He went from a cheerful smile to deadly serious, "For the next three weeks, you belong to Badger."

I haven't done much since I got here that has made me scared. There was the poker game but this just made me scared for my life. "Here is plan, little man. The first week we do basics, the second week we do technique training, the third week we do sparring to train." Three weeks... Another three weeks of what I can see is going to be a hellish nightmare.

The first week was what he said, it was basic punches, kicks, elbows, and knees. 12 hours a day of basic repetition until it became second nature. It worked muscles that I didn't know I had. The work Madam Odette had me doing helped but this refined. The second week Madam Odette finally came to me. She told me, "When you attack, focus on the joint that you are using to attack." I did as she said for the whole second week to where it felt like I was burning. As Badger taught me strikes he taught me counters and blocks as well.

Then the third week started. Badger came up to me to warn me, "Do not worry. I will not kill you." Well, it wasn't a warning but I took it as one. The first morning begins with him and myself standing by the fountain. He stretches his body as I do as he taught me, "You ready Red?"

"Yes, Master Badger."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Master Badger."