SABIS the SURVIVOR

Chapter 6: Bare Stones

Chapter 6: Bare Stones

As his new friend entered the wartis launch zone, Ravis realized that the first part of the competition had been skillfully played by her. She had chatted him up and perhaps gained some advantage over him without divulging any tactical information about herself. She had seen his strong and weak side, if he had a favourite stance or position, and had gauged his temperament. She had probed him without him even knowing.

Hmm, I wonder if that snake Regis is one of her minions.

He mentally rehearsed his plan for the wartis launch zone and recalled the training that his Father had provided.

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They had hiked to a clearing near to the Sea of Salinity, a path known only to few UnderStrata members. Ravis wondered how his Father knew of this secret path. His Father picked up a random rock, examined it, then loaded his wartis.

"Son, you may only be ten, but there is no age restriction on thinking like a warrior."

"What do you mean Daddya?"

"You can pretend that you are a warrior, behave like a warrior, and perform some warrior-like deeds, even at your young age. See this rock that I picked up? It has its own heat and energy signature. If you examine its undersurface, you can see if it will fly straight and true or if it will curve and deviate from its intended path."

Ravis listened to his Father's words while he imagined an owl swooping down to pounce on a field mouse or weasel.

"Mamya says that rocks are like predatory birds─they can catch then snatch up their prey. If I imagine a rock to be like an owl or a condor then I can master the wartis launch."

"Your Mamya likes to say things just to hear the sound of her voice. Try hearing my words in your ears, son. A warrior does not overlook small details like the striations on a rock, or its weight, or its composition."

Ravis picked up a rock, dusted it off, and stared at its contours. Then his Father continued.

"Stones come from underneath our feet. Their energy comes from Mother Earth. Therefore, to launch a rock like a warrior, you must connect your feet to Mother Earth. Feel her energy come up through your feet and into your legs. Crouch and imagine that your legs absorb Mother Earth's power.

Next, place your stone in the middle of your wartis webbing. Since you are right-handed, place your right hand just beneath the webbing to guide your launch. Use your left hand and arm to move your wartis back behind your head and then forward to your target and then down into the ground on your follow-through. While you do this, your thighs and calves will act like highly coiled springs that will release Mother Earth's tremendous power into your launch."

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"Mr. Griffin, be at the ready!"

Ravis secured his helmet on top of his head by latching the leather neck strap. He kneeled down on his right knee, felt the earth between his fingers then stood up and selected three suitable stones from the basket of launching stones that sat at the starting line.

The loud blare of the ram's horn sent Ravis sprinting in a straight line towards the first launching platform. As he traversed the rocky terrain, he hurdled over mounds and remained on the lookout for any obstacles. For the first eighty meters, he flew across the course, using the large boulders and earth mounds to push off against and help propel him forward. It was about touching these obstacles and seeing them as launching pads rather than simply as obstacles to overcome.

As he was about to hop up onto the first platform, a blast of hot vapour spewed towards him. Using his wartis as a pole, he vaulted himself over the potentially scalding steam bath and up onto the platform. Still grasping the wartis, he loaded his first stone, crouched low with his wartis cradled in his two hands and arms, tucked the wartis into the right side of his body, then sprung upwards while flicking his two wrists and the wartis towards his target.

With the confidence of a lapidary cutting jade, once he launched his stone, he had no need to examine the results for flaws. His launch flew straight and true and pierced the target dead center. Moving with the grace of a gazelle fleeing from a leopard, he parkoured his way to the second platform where he scored his second perfect score.

On the way to the third and most distant platform, he felt his third stone rattle out of his pocket and drop to the ground. Without hesitation, he picked up another stone but this time did not examine it for flaws in its striations. Upon loading his wartis for the third launch, he felt the stone to be lopsided, so as he tucked the wartis into his right side, he squeezed his right arm tighter and retained his left arm slightly down towards the ground.

His third stone struck home just grazing the edge of the hole marking the distant target. That would leave him with a half-point deduction.

Ravis opened his mouth wide to roar but thinking of his Dad scolding him for an imperfect score constricted his vocal cords. Instead, he turned to face the other contestants and sent them a chiseled and edgy chin jut that meant he was not there to tap dance or play with marble stones.