Ander - Part 5: Subchapter 18
18
"So, how did it go?" Nilia asked, punching a training post hard enough to make the top vibrate. It was a bit scary to watch, actually, since Hezzi couldn't stop imagining that post as his own head. Not that Nilia would ever hurt him, of course.
"You were right," Hezzi said, looking around, not wanting such a delicate conversation to be overheard, but the training grounds have been more or less deserted since Father passed away, and it would probably stay that way until the mourning period was over. But Hezzi didn't want to think about that right now, especially in front of a Wolf like Nilia, who's never shed so much as a single tear her entire life. It's what she was named for, after all. "I didn't think Renna would even want to talk to me, but she forgave me right away, just like you said she would. I guess women understand each other better than men. Or maybe I really am just an idiot."
"That's good," Nilia said. Then she spun around on her heel, and before Hezzi knew what was happening, her foot was slicing through the air like an axe blade, coming right at his face. He managed to turn just enough to save himself a broken nose, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid the kick entirely and her foot collided squarely with the side of his head. He felt the impact surge through his skull, and next thing he knew he was tumbling through the dirt in a cloud of dust.
"That, however, was not. What's wrong, Hezzi? Aren't you supposed to be 'Fast Paws'?"
Hezzi pushed himself off the ground, but there was a weird whistling in his ears, and his elbows didn't seem to want to straighten out all the way. "Wh- Wha-" he stammered, tasting sand in his mouth. "What the hell was that, Nilia!?" He flipped over just in time to see her fist come flying, aimed right between his eyes. He jerked his head to the left at the last moment and her blow sailed past his cheek, her fist lightly brushing his fur.
"Much better," she said.
He scooted backwards and staggered to his feet, fearing for his very life. "What are you doing!?"
"I'm fighting you."
"I can see that! Why!?"
"Because you need to learn how to fight, and there is no better way than through fighting."
"A little warning would have been nice!"
Nilia raised her fists and bent her knees into a fighting stance, her eyes just as calm as ever, but different somehow. Colder. Harder. "Do you think Wardo's goons will give you fair warning before they sneak into your tent to cut off your fingers and toes like they did to Danado?" She threw a quick jab and Hezzi had to jump back to avoid it. "What if they skip the torture entirely and just slit your throat? Do you think they'll give you even the slightest chance to defend yourself?" She swiped her claws through the air and Hezzi ducked his head just in time to keep his face from getting shredded. "Do you think they'll send Renna a polite little note telling her to be ready when they come to rape and murder her?"
Hezzi froze dead in his tracks, his mind reeling.
Did she really just -
Pain exploded all over his face and he staggered backwards, his hands cupped over his bleeding nose. "Ngh!" he cried, his vision tearing up. Her punch was so quick, and yet it still had so much force behind it.
Nilia cracked her knuckles and stepped back, eyeing him up and down. "Your defence could use a little work, but your reflexes are good. Let's see how you attack."
"Nghuh?"
She threw her arms wide in a rather disturbing imitation of the Cora statue and said: "Come on, give me your best shot."
Hezzi blinked his streaming eyes and carefully lowered his hands. When he looked down, his fingers were all bloody, but that's not what made him see red. "That was a dirty trick just now, Nilia," he spluttered, blood dripping from his face. "The stuff you said about Renna."
"Yes, it was. But that's exactly the kind of distraction you'll need to block out if you want to become an effective fighter. It's all about focus. You said you want to protect her, right? Then come on! Attack me! If you don't knock me out right now, I'll go over to Renna's tent and break one of her fingers."
Anger flashed through Hezzi's mind like a forest fire, engulfing him from the inside out. "Stop it."
"Make me!" She thumped her chest and spread her arms wide again, inviting him in. "Come on!"
All right. You asked for it.
Hezzi made as though he was wiping his mouth, then burst into a flat sprint, his arms and legs pumping, his entire body shooting forward like an arrow. He lowered his head and dove straight at her midsection, putting all of his weight into his shoulder like a battering ram, driving it into -
Nilia stepped aside. She only moved a few palms, but it was more than enough to put her completely out of harm's way.
Hezzi couldn't see what happened after that, but he could certainly feel it.
Something struck his leg, pitching him forward even further than he intended, completely destroying his already lopsided point of balance. At the same moment he felt something push against his back and suddenly the ground was rushing up to meet his face, moving at the exact same speed he was. And that was bad. That was very, very bad.
He had enough time to think: This is gonna - and then the ground smashed into his chin with a bone-jarring impact, making his jaws clack together inside his head. The whole world disappeared for a second, and when it came back, Nilia was peering at him through a cloud of dust, shaking her head in disapproval. "What was that?" she asked, not making any move to help him up.
"Ergh..." He actually had to think for a while before he could remember. "I was gonna tackle you, try to knock you down."
"That's not a smart way for you to fight, Hezzi."
"But-" Hezzi turned his head to the side and spat a red blob of blood into the sand. "That's how Banno used to fight, and he never lost! Not once! He was the best fighter in the whole tribe! Not even Garten could beat him!"
"Your brother was also huge. He was able to fight like that because he used his size and weight to overpower his opponents. That was his strength, and he used it to its fullest advantage. You, on the other hand, are small and skinny. If you try to fight like Banno did, pitting brute force against brute force, you'll lose every time."
"Then what do I do?"
Nilia offered her hand. "You learn from someone who spent her entire life fighting Wolves bigger and stronger than her."
Hezzi looked at those slender fingers of hers. Despite all the pain still throbbing in his nose, he found it hard to believe they could hit so hard. He took her hand she pulled him roughly to his feet. "Thank you, Nilia. But er... you won't really break Renna's fingers, will you?"
She cocked her eyebrows at him. "Of course not."
Hezzi sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I knew you weren't serious, but sometimes you kinda -"
"I might break yours, though."
"Wha?"
One smooth motion of her wrist and suddenly Hezzi's middle finger was being twisted towards the back of his hand.
"Ow! Nilia! What- Ow!"
She pulled back even harder and Hezzi found himself forced down to his knees, bending over backwards just to keep his finger from snapping off.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Nilia! What are you - Ow!"
"I am demonstrating how you do not need to be bigger or stronger to gain an advantage over your opponent."
"Great demonstration! Wow, I really learned a lot! Okay, you can let go now!"
"Notice how you're being forced backwards just by a finger?"
"Yes, yes, I definitely noticed that, lesson learnt, you can seriously let go now!"
"It's a fundamental basis of fighting. Know your own strengths and weaknesses. Do you know your weak points, Hezzi?"
"Right now my finger feels like one hell of a weak point!"
"You lack focus. You have almost no real fighting experience. You're small. You don't weigh much. You have limited reach. Those are all weaknesses your enemies could exploit. And, as sad as I am to say this, even Renna could be used against you. But, Hezzi... you have a strength no one else in this entire tribe can touch on. It's what you were named after."
"F- Fast Paws?"
"Your speed."
She finally let go and Hezzi fell onto his back, staring straight up at the cloudless sky, panting for breath. He gingerly flexed his fingers, relieved to find that none of them were broken, and said: "My speed didn't help a minute ago. If anything, I think it made me faceplant even harder."
"That's because you came charging in like an idiot. Remember what happened last time you tried that?" She put her foot down on his stomach, right over the line of scar tissue that still marked his fateful run-in with Garten's spear.
"Um... Nilia? You're kind of... stepping on..." Hezzi said, suddenly nervous, sweat breaking out on his forehead. She wasn't putting much weight down, but he could already feel a deep stabbing sensation in the pit of his stomach.
"I know." She pushed down a little harder, making him gasp.
"Nilia, please... that... hurts..."
"I'm sure it does. This hasn't fully healed yet, which makes it a massive weak point. You might as well walk around with a giant target on your belly."
"Nilia..."
She removed her foot and Hezzi could finally breathe again. He lay in the dust with his arms splayed out and his eyes shut tight, waiting for the pain to subside. When he opened them again, Nilia was standing over him, looking down at what must be quite a pitiful sight indeed.
"Do you understand your weaknesses now?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Your enemies will go for those weaknesses without fail, but you won't give them the chance, because you have an advantage over every other Wolf in this entire tribe right from the start, and that advantage is your speed. It may be dull and useless now, but I will help you sharpen it to a fine edge, and then, just like Banno used his size and power to dominate his opponents, you will use your speed to protect the ones you care about."
Nilia looked almost godly from down here, with her hair blowing in the breeze and her bearclaw necklace dangling just beneath her throat, speaking of things that seemed hopelessly far away.
Hezzi swallowed, thinking of how he should frame his next question. He didn't want to sound weak or ungrateful. "Nilia... do you really think I can manage that just with speed? I mean, compared to Banno, who used to toss Wolves around like playthings, being fast doesn't seem like such a great boon. Except maybe for running away, I guess, but that doesn't help me. All I'd end up doing is leaving my friends behind, and I don't want to do that! I ran away once before, and it was the worst decision of my life. I'm sick of running."
"Don't underestimate yourself like that." Nilia sat down next to him, her legs crossed and her hands on her knees. "You're the only Wolf I know who can kill a deer without an arrow, or catch a rabbit without a snare, and that's not because you run away from them. Speed isn't just for defence, Hezzi. When used properly - and by 'properly' I mean not charging in blindly like an idiot - it can be used to attack with devastating effect."
"But deer and rabbits don't fight back. I won't be of any use in a real fight unless I become stronger!"
Nilia crossed her arms and, to Hezzi's great surprise, she started to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, Hezzi..." she said, slowly shaking her head. "You haven't realized it yet, have you?"
"Realized what?"
She fixed him with a stare so unwavering, so piercing, it felt like she was holding an invisible dagger to his throat. "Even a small rock can kill... if it flies fast enough."
Hey guys, sorry this one came a little late. The original version did reference some of this training, but it was just a passing mention in Hezzi's present day monologue, and I really wasn't happy with that. Nilia is a character I've been wanting to get to know better for quite a while, and after reading Zanzio's comment the other day I realized I was skipping over a golden opportunity to flesh her out a little. We'll probably learn more about her in the future, so stay tuned! ;P
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