Born to Fly

Part 13

Mory was outside enjoying lunch with his mother and sister. The weather was good for an outdoor family meal. They roasted some salmon over a fire and had some bread and diced potatoes to go along with it. Mory knew that he would miss momma's cooking when he was gone. They didn't say much at the table, but they didn't need to. Being together as a family was what mattered most.

Mory had to get to the bird base soon.

"The food was delicious, Mom. I'm gonna go meet up with some friends."

"Okay. Have fun, Momo."

Mory grabbed his plate and tossed it in the wash pot. Then he went to his hut and grabbed his sword before heading to the bird base. He took the same route that he did the last time - past the village, over the river, through the hills, and across the plateau. Lastly, he trekked through the dark cave and reached the hidden world on the other side. He went straight into Rubi's mega hut. Not only did he find Rubi inside, but Sannis was there as well.

"Welcome back," said Rubi. "You ready to train?"

"I sure am. Let's get it!"

Rubi and Sannis led Mory outside to the area where the free-for-all match had taken place the day before. There was a group of about thirty people there who were all preparing for training in their own special way. Some were stretching, some were chatting, and some were quietly getting their minds right. They were mostly men, but a few women were there as well. In terms of age, the group looked like it ranged from young adults to middle-aged ones.

Rubi got everybody's attention with a loud two-fingered whistle.

"Before we begin today's training session, I'd like you all to welcome our new member to the Sporadical family, Mory. He will be joining you guys in training group G."

Mory was caught off guard by the energetic cheers and applause that he got from the group. Besides his family, no one in Stork Village had ever given him such a warm reception, yet these strangers seemed truly happy to see him. Rubi continued speaking as the group started to quiet down.

"We're gonna start with something real intense . . . A game of sharks and minnows!"

The group was fired up by Rubi's announcement. Mory stood there dumbfounded.

"Are you familiar with the game, Mory?" Rubi asked.

"Yeah but . . . We're gonna play a children's game?"

"Game? Yes. For children?" Rubi couldn't help but laugh. " Good luck, kid. As for the rest of you, Sobat and Myel will be the sharks. Everyone else is prey."

Suddenly, they all seemed a bit unsettled. Even Sannis was skeptical.

"Sobat? Rubi, are you sure about this?" he asked.

"I want to start things off with a bang today," Rubi responded.

Mory had no clue what all the commotion was about, but he would find out soon enough. Everyone, except for the sharks, was lined up side by side, waiting for Rubi's command. Myel and Sobat were facing them about forty meters away. They stood at the halfway point of the field that everyone had to run across. Myel was a slender woman who looked like she could run for days. Sobat may have been the skinniest guy that Mory had ever seen. He was young, average height, and had a face like a baby. He looked completely harmless, which made Mory wonder why everyone was so afraid of him.

Rubi went over the rules.

"When I say 'swim', you must get to the other side of the field without being tagged by the sharks. If tagged, you will sit on the ground at that exact spot. The seated people can tag players who are still in, as long as their butt stays on the ground. If a seated person gets you, then you'll sit next to them. You'll go until one swimmer remains. You can use your maneks however you see fit. Just don't kill or seriously injure anyone. Also, no drilling underground and no air travel for more than five seconds at a time. Stay in bounds. Those vine ropes laid out on the sides are the boundary lines. Cross those and you're out. Are y'all ready?"