Skyfall Chapter 5
I woke to a tapping on the door. I rolled over in my soft, velvety sheets. I did not want to move. I groaned as the tapping became a beating. "Jay, sir." A voice echoed through the door, "Misha sent me to wake you. You are wanted in the gym in about twenty minutes. I have some breakfast for you, here." I rolled over, "Okay, thanks." I yawned. "Feel free to set it down." I mumbled. My muscles felt much worse than they had yesterday. Whatever Misha had given me must have worn off. I staggered out of bed and slipped on my casual black pants, along with a white t-shirt. My tail stuck awkwardly out the back, as always, except the shower last night had caused it to puff up and become obnoxiously airy. I grumbled to myself. I wandered into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. I didn't understand the point of wearing the shirt, especially white. I looked rather similar without one. I frowned and rubbed my eyes. Details like this don't matter. I reminded myself. Focus on the big picture. After dressing, I opened my door and picked up the dish of food. I ate the warm vegetable and egg mixture. The warm food helped ease my tense muscles a bit. I headed down to the gym, trying to stretch my legs along the way. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to train. I was feeling terrible. Misha was outside the doors of the gyms main entrance. "Good morning, Jay!" Misha shouted, clapping me on the shoulder. I flinched. "I don't particularly like that name, Misha." I said, rubbing my shoulder. "I also feel horrible." "You'll feel better once your muscles warm up. Right now they're probably all tense and stiff." Misha said, turning to me. "What name would you rather be called?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't know yet." I sighed. We walked through a few different doors and arrived in a large, dark room. A few lights flickered on upon us entering. "Alright, Jay." Misha said, pointing towards the center of the room where there was a white, illuminated ring in the floor. "Stand in the center, and you will hear instructions from above. Dr. Hale wants to see what you can do before we do anything formal." He looked up towards the ceiling, where I saw some tinted windows in the wall. "I'll be in that room with Dr. Hale and Kato. Listen for instructions and follow them to the best of your ability. Go ahead and do your stretches right now while we prepare."
I nodded as Misha left me alone in the room. I stretched absent-mindedly, too busy anticipating what was coming next to be too invested in the task. I heard a crackling sound and Misha's voice over the speaker system. "Jay, we are going to send out an entity that will attack you. This entity has been created with magic, and it cannot actually harm you. It is not a real being, but it can make you feel painful sensations. Attack it however you please. Do not let it touch your heart." Misha's voice boomed. I looked around, processing what was just said. They created a being out of energy that was programmed to attack. I understand. "Do you understand?" I heard Dr. Hale's voice over the speaker this time. "Yes." My voice was rough, angry. I was anxious and wanted this to be done. There was nothing but silence for a few moments. The lights shut off and blacked out the room. I squinted as the bright, white ring around me blinded me. I couldn't see anything. A rush of air passed by my head, I jumped. The air rushed by again, and I felt a sharp pain on my ear. I twitched, trying to fight back the fear. I could not be afraid. They are expecting too much from me. I was capable of this. My eyes scanned the darkness, and while I was distracted trying to see, the being struck my back. I nearly fell on my face, but luckily I caught myself with my arms, claws digging into the slick ground. Seeing wasn't an option. I heard the rush of air fly right next to my face. I caught a glimpse of the being as it whizzed by; it was a silvery blur that seemed to be shaped like a small, flying reptilian creature. I caught a glance of a sharp blade on its tail. My ears tilted foreword and strained to pick up any sound in the silence. I was becoming frustrated. I did not think this was a good way to show my skills. My lips curled into a snarl, I faced the area where I had seen the tinted windows earlier. I would show them. The creature was on its way back towards me. I forced my mind to become quiet and relaxed, just as I had done with the pain tolerance test. I heard my attacker's every movement. It would be nearing my face in three..two.. I snatched it out of the air with my claws, tearing right through the thick blur of energy. I heard a crack and saw a few sparks fly up into the air. That seemed easy enough. "Well done!" Dr. Hale's voice boomed. "We are going to send something a little bigger out, this time. Stand your ground until you hear a beep." I heard a noise that sounded like air being sucked into one spot, and saw an illuminated form on the other side of the room. This creature was illuminated bright white with blaring red eyes. It resembled the werewolf I had taken DNA from. The creature stood still as its form materialized. The lights in the room flickered back on and revealed I was standing in the middle of a field of rocks and trees. I stood still, my heart starting to race. As the creature finished materializing, I heard a long, low pitched blaring noise. Apparently that was the beep, because the werewolf charged me and slammed into my body before I even knew it was moving. I smashed into a rock, my aching muscles becoming paralyzed. The wolf reared back and came down for another strike. I narrowly avoided its clawed fist, which cracked the rock behind me. I scrambled out of the way, dodging rocks and fallen logs as I ran across the field. The creature was on my tail instantly. He grabbed a chunk of my stupid, fluffy tail, tearing the fur right off. Good riddance. I thought. They clearly wanted me to find a creative solution to this. I snarled again, my patience thinning. Launching myself off a rock, I clutched onto a tree branch and swung upwards. I snagged another tree branch in my arms, slipping down as the leaves were stripped off of it. The werewolf was pacing below the tree. I scrambled up and stood on a thicker branch. Panting heavily, my lungs ached. I watched the werewolf slowly scaling the bark of the tree using its giant paws. I noticed that its legs had a different shape to them than mine did. The way its legs bent and sprang upwards gave it quite the advantage on mine. I considered trying to rearrange my DNA, but the thought did not last long. The werewolf launched itself upwards and slashed a chunk of bark inches from where my branch was. I looked around desperately. I could not defeat this creature using my own strength. I was strong, but this beast would definitely be more than a match for my weak muscles. The werewolf grabbed a branch, which splintered off and formed a jagged tip. My ears perked up. Quickly, I moved towards the edge of the branch I stood on. I needed to make it lunge for this one. The branch was thick, but I was sure it wouldn't be able to support the wolf's weight, assuming the werewolf had weight to it. I snapped off a few twigs and tossed them at the roaring werewolf, which in turn tried reaching the branch I was standing on. My movements had to be quick. I planned them out in my head, adrenaline suddenly coursing through my body. The werewolf finally reached my branch. It clutched onto it with a howl of rage. Just as I had predicted, the branch snapped. Instantly I dove towards the beast, grabbing the sharp end that had snapped off. I used the force of the fall to drive it into the creature's heart and smashed into the ground alongside it, hoping that the combination of the fall and the stab wound was enough. I slowly stood up, gasping for air. The creature remained motionless, and began to dissipate. Eventually, it burst into sparks like the last one had. I fell to my knees with a sigh of relief. "Excellent!" I heard Dr. Hale's voice echo. "I think that's all for today. You are free to do whatever you please for the rest of the day." I remained on my knees, regaining my breath. I wondered what sort of impression I had made. I looked up to the window, feeling isolated. A few moments later, Misha entered the room. "Hey! Great work!" He said, grinning. "That was amazing; I never expected you to pull some crazy move like THAT on the werewolf!" He laughed. "Kato will do some more instructional stuff with you tomorrow now that we have an idea of what you can do and what your natural fighting style is like."
I nodded, feeling dizzy as the adrenaline faded. The pain returned to my body. My bruised muscles ached. "You okay?" Misha asked, crouching down next to me. I stood up and walked away from him. I am not sure what it was, but I was not in the mood to speak with him. I felt ill. "I need to shower." I said, wiping blood from above my eye. "Alright..." Misha said, clearly feeling rejected. "I feel like shit, Misha." I said, giving him an exhausted look. "Sorry about that, Jay, it'll get better!" He promised. My ears laid flat. "Stop calling me Jay." I said in a desperate tone. I wanted to at least have control over my name, and not be related to a fluffy, weak bird. I was strong, I knew that much. "Okay, okay!" Misha said, trailing behind me, "But you have to give me another name to call you." I looked at his face, trying to decipher what he was feeling. I felt like that's all I ever did-decipher others and their motives. I narrowed my eyes. That was a good word, had a nice ring to it... "Decipher." I said flatly. Misha laughed, "Ok, sure." When he saw my annoyed expression, his face became serious. "Oh. I mean, sure, buddy. I guess I just don't understand why." He said, his expression now nervous and apologetic. My expression softened. I couldn't remain upset. I did not have the energy. "I am good at deciphering things." I explained. "I feel like it describes me well. I'm sure it has some sort of deep, symbolic meaning to it as well." I smiled lightly. "I also think I understand technology well. That works into the name somehow." "Decipher." Misha tested the name, "Alright, I'll use that name from now on." "Please do, and tell the others as well. I'm going to shower in my room." I said, leaving the battlefield. "Lunch in an hour?" Misha asked. "Sure, Misha. I'd like that." I said. It had been a while since Misha and I had sat down and eaten together without it being rushed or awkward. I made my way back to my room and showered in the glass dome inside my bathroom. This shower felt so much more secure than the gym showers. I shuddered at the thought of using them. After cleaning off and examining my minimal amount of scratches, I sat down on my couch and stared out the glass windows. Outside the windows I saw the jays, the birds, fluttering around. They were tiny creatures, no larger than my palm. Their figures were sharp and they twisted and dove through the air effortlessly. These birds definitely did not relate to me. I have no idea why Misha ever thought they had. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly time to meet Misha. I sighed and headed out the door. I met Misha in the dining hall. He was already eating his meal when I arrived. I grabbed my food and sat next to him and Kato. They were in the middle of discussing my performance. "...the whole spearing the werewolf through the heart thing, brilliant!" Kato laughed, patting my shoulder. This new gesture seemed to be happening a lot today, it must have been congratulatory, perhaps a sign of acceptance. "Right, thanks." I nodded, unsure how to react to the attention. I looked to Misha, who held a paper in his hand. I picked at my food, "Misha." I said, "Would you be interested in taking a walk with me today?" I asked. I missed spending time with him. There were always too many distractions unless we were alone. "Sorry, J-" Misha began, "Decipher, I just received some bad news about one of the patients in the medical center. I need to go run some tests." He said, picking up his things from the table. "I have to go, but I'll see you later!" He said before rushing out. I sighed. Kato was staring at me; I could feel his concerned, wide eyes boring into me. "I'm fine." I mumbled. "Just feel sort of isolated lately." "Well, I could take you out. We could go for a walk in the woods outside the facility, like I was going to take you that one day!" Kato offered. I nodded. I might as well spend time with Kato and get to know him a bit more, seeing as he'd be training me in combat. "Great. There's a beautiful cliff outlook on the trail just behind the facility. I want you to see it." Kato said. "Is it far?" I asked. My muscles were still aching, and as much as I wanted fresh air, I was also exhausted and did not want to embarrass myself. "Nope. Fifteen minute walk at most." Kato said with a smile. I finished my meal and we headed outside the main doors. This was the first time I had been outside. My bare paw pads touched the soft, wet plants on the ground. The sensation was oddly calming. I breathed in the fresh air. I did not have the same longing that I did before to go outside, but being out was still wonderful. Kato walked me into the woods, up a steep dirt trail. The forest surrounding us was thick, with beautiful splashes of color in the foliage. The flowers blooming had amazing shapes, some even resembled the birds in the skies, except painted with highly saturated colors. I stayed silent throughout the walk, partially because I was immersed in this new world I had stepped into, but also because the steep hill was difficult for me to climb. Finally, we reached the top of the hill. The trail led out to a flat plateau that was sprinkled with bushes, rocks and three huge trees right at the edge. One of the trees grew from the side of the cliff, twisting back up towards the plateau. Over the edge, there was a steep cliff face and a valley full of green beneath us. I panted, taking in the sight. I watched the light filter down through the passing clouds and make the meadows below shine with brilliant gold and emerald hues. Everywhere I looked I saw more color and light. This place was amazing. I never dreamed something like this existed. Kato sat on the edge of the plateau and leaned back against one of the trees. Feeling rather brave, I decided to sit out on the tree that snaked out of the edge of the cliff. The shape of the tree made a perfect spot to lay back and gaze into the valley. I smiled, feeling purely blissful. Kato let out a long sigh, grinning. "We came at the perfect time." He said, closing his eyes and letting the air rustle through his hair. I did the same. "Yeah," I replied, "You were right, and I am definitely glad I came." I smiled. The feeling faded after a few moments as I realized Misha had not come with us. I sighed. "Something bothering you, Decipher?" Kato's knowing gaze fell upon me. "I wish Misha had come with us." I admitted. "It's been a long time since I've had the chance to spend some time with him." "Ah well, he's a busy man. He's one of the best doctors, you know." I actually hadn't known that. I did not know much about what Misha did outside of the time we spent together, which reminded me... "I took the pain tolerance test the other day. Someone asked me what my score was later that day..." I mumbled, "Do you know what my score was?" I asked Kato. "I do not know that, but Misha would know." Kato said, squinting as the sunlight blinded him. "Who asked you?" "Oh...just someone who I encountered in the gym showers." "Ah. Probably a guard or an assassin, then." Kato laughed, "Let me guess, covered in muscles and scars right?" "I actually don't know. I was too embarrassed having someone shower next to me to notice what he looked like." I mumbled, shrugging. "Makes sense." Kato said. "Those guys are pretty outgoing with their bodies...cocky bastards." Kato and I talked and laughed for the next few hours, watching the sun fall and set. The view of sunset was even more incredible. All the cool colored hues completely disappeared in a sea of gold. It had been nice talking with Kato. He was always willing to discuss things with me or make me feel better about life. I was grateful to have him as a friend. After the sun had set and gone, I thanked him for the wonderful afternoon, and we headed back. That night was the first night I had not fallen directly asleep after hitting the pillow. I lay in bed and stared out towards the glass windows, watching the stars in the sky. After a great day with Kato, I still couldn't help but feel sad about missing time with Misha. The lonely, empty feeling settled in right as I tried to fall asleep, and I ended up sitting on the couch to gaze at the stars instead. I sighed, staring out towards the shimmering lights. Misha's behavior was always so sporadic. I could never tell if we would be spending all day together or just the next few minutes. It was exhausting trying to keep up with him...But oh well...At least I have Kato.