Shinobi Train
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Chapter 6:
~That Darn Cat!~
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A very special thanks to LonelyAssassin and Scion
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Author's note:
Well, this isn't a long one, but it's not short either. xd The next chapter will be the Elder's council, these are just some important moments leading up to that. I would stress that you read this slowly, going to fast may lead to confusion, and will definitely detract from the feeling I'm trying to bring across. ^_^
Enjoy, and don't forget, I always like to leave secrets for you guys to find. xd
Enjoy, and don't forget, I always like to leave secrets for you guys to find. xd
Chapter 6:
~That Darn Cat!~
Next morning, after breakfast, Zane stepped out to meet the cool, fresh air. A night in his own bed was more than welcomed after spending one in jail. He didn’t know what was in store for him in the Elder’s council, but he knew that worrying about it would do nothing. His father was still asleep after drinking late into the night; it was unusual for him, and the only obvious reason for it was because of the trial.
“Zane!” Jimi shouted over to him.
“What was it like?!” Jama asked.
The twins were stepping out to train with their dogs when they spotted him.
“What was what like?!” He replied, confused.
“Being locked up…” Jama started.
“You’re a fugitive now!” Jimi finished.
“I’m not a fugitive, they let me go!” Zane wasn’t in the mood for their teasing right now.
“But you were in jail…”
“…So you’re a fugitive.”
“That’s not…nevermind…”, he really didn’t want to explain it to them; they may have been talented, but they could be just as dumb sometimes. “Shouldn’t you be worried about what’s coming up?”
“Funny…”
“We were just about to ask you the same thing.”
“Yeah, but I’m not gonna’ to be on a boat for five years.” Zane told them as he started off on his morning run through the woods.
“It’s not five years in a boat, Zane!”
“Merchant ships go into port, ya’ know!” They called after him.
He pretended not to hear, this way he at least had the last word. It wouldn’t end with those two, and he wanted to get some exercise in before lunch. Zane liked to switch up his routine, but it was always the same stuff. He’d run until his heart started pumping, then it was push-ups, chin-ups or boxing practice before jogging some more. He’d repeat that till he was too tired to walk home right away and just lay on the forest floor looking at clouds through the trees.
As he relaxed afterwards he heard the sounds of the twins training in the distance. They weren’t as physically built as Zane because their routine involved mutated dogs. However, the teen would trade every bit of his muscle to be able to join them, but now he wasn’t even allowed to practice at all with his willpower. He hated it, he hated the sound of them, and it was really starting to rub the wrong way.
A loud thud echoed through the area, a tree had fallen having been knocked over. That was fairly common, but usually it was avoided. They must have been pushing it after having been so ineffective against the cat. That actually made him smile, in a way he had surpassed those two with little effort. Somewhere on the other side of him he heard another training session going. They must have been masters by the sound of it, the beasts were obviously larger.
Mornings were rarely quite around here, but it didn’t bother Zane, he sometimes had daydreams about ancient battles he’d read up on, and the ruckus just made it seem more real. So there he was, with sparring on either side, the boy lost himself in thought. He was actually getting sleepy after a while, and didn’t take note that he was yawning. Just as he started to nod off, he heard something.
“Meow?”
It was that same cat, and it was looking at him curiously as always. It sat on the ground not far from him with its head cocked to one side. Its short, white hair wasn’t bloody anymore, but Zane was positive it was the same kitten. At first he was alarmed and froze in place. He knew it wasn’t necessarily this cat that caused such a reaction like before, but he was more than cautious about being so close to it. One didn’t need to touch an animal to transfer their will to it, contact just made for a greater connection.
After a moment, he sat up. His movements were followed closely by its eyes as its tail flipped back and forth. The distant sounds didn’t seem to bother it; the focus was strictly on him alone. Now he was curious as to why this animal was so interested in him. For a moment they stared at each other, and it almost seemed like he could hear its thoughts.
“Dýri.”
It wasn’t saying anything, yet he distinctly heard it. Zane didn’t understand the word at all, as if it was another language. Somehow it sounded familiar though, like it meant something. For a second he wondered if he was going crazy or if he’d fallen asleep and this was a dream. No, the cat was really communicating with him, he was sure of it.
The noise on one side of them began to get louder and sounded closer. The ground rumbled slightly, and the kitten turned its head to see what was happening. Suddenly the forest brush parted and something large was flying towards them. Not even thinking, Zane grabbed the cat and rolled out of the way just in time.
“Are you trying to kill me?!” He shouted.
Jimi ran out of the shrubs and saw him, “Zane, you alright?”
“Well don’t act concerned or anything!”
Jimi’s hound started picking itself up from what looked like a brutal hit, but it was nearly twice the size of the ones they had used earlier.
“It’s huge, what’s with this thing, anyway?” Zane asked.
“Oh, we’re only training with one dog each. Since we don’t have to transform and control two, we can make them larger. Bro and I discovered that size can often have a greater advantage than numbers at times.” Jimi said, explaining as he healed the beast.
Jama walked into the clearing followed by his and as always, picked up where his brother left off. “After fighting that thing you unleashed, we figured it was time to try something new. By the way, maybe you shouldn’t be holding that cat.”
Zane looked down and the kitten looked up at him.
“Dýri.”
There it was again, but he couldn’t say anything because they couldn’t hear it. He dropped it, and the kitten scurried off into the forest.
“Are you okay?” Jama asked.
He was staring off into space it seemed like, “Yeah, I’m fine.” He snapped out of it and turned to look at them, “Listen, I have to go, okay?” He said, and then turned to jog off back towards the village, “Try not to hurt anyone!”
Jama looked at his brother confused.
“We almost killed him.” Jimi said in a nonchalant manner.
“Ah…we did?”
******
“You do realize that’s two?” Elder Damien said. “Check.”
He and Elder Magnus were meeting before the trial since theirs were the primary districts involved. If they couldn’t come to an agreement, no justice would be served at all. The council had to be unanimous in order for any decision to be made. So they were taking some extra time to discuss the matter over tea and a game of chess.
“Stalling are we? You can’t make me move my king like that, old friend.” Magnus said, moving a bishop to block his queen. “Of course, if there’s a third it can’t be denied, and as it is it certainly can’t be ignored. It’s too much to be a coincidence.” He noted, going back to the conversation at hand.
“No, and it is very likely that he has already experienced the third. Check.”
“I suppose you didn’t see my rook? You must be getting rusty.” He said, taking his opponents queen this time. “With no proof of that, it’s not like the others will agree to let him stay. We need the last one, but only he will know. We must ask him, I see no other way.”
“Hmm…you’re always on the attack, Magnus. I have a better way. We send him off on the ships, and when he returns he’ll know more about himself than ever. He’ll learn about it naturally, which is how it should be, and you know that. Oh, and by the way…” Damien moved a pawn and exposed another bishop, catching the king in between it and a knight, his own pieces blocking the escape. “Checkmate.”
“Damn, guess I spoke too soon, nice touch with the sacrificial piece.” Magnus took the last sip from his cup and stood to leave. “Still the strategist I see. Very well, we’ll do it your way, but I’m not sacrificing my men, my ships or my cargo. I’m sending Brailen. He’s my finest officer, and more than enough to handle the situation if it gets out of hand. He’ll also be able to guide the boy. Only a Wolfe may train a Wolfe after all.”
******
Well, 10 kumi if you found this one...btw, I was intoxicated while writing most of this...:/
Zane wanted to ask someone about what he heard. Animals weren’t able to communicate with people, and only those with highly advanced training were able to understand their master’s thoughts. By the time he made it back to the house though, he was starting to doubt that it happened at all. He sat down for lunch, but still had a look on his face like something happened.
“What’s on your mind, son?” Sam asked.
“Nothing important,” he said, avoiding the subject. “So…what’s gonna’ happen? At the trial, I mean.”
Sam looked at his wife then back at his meal. “I can’t lie to ya’…it doesn’t look good…”
Everyone was quite after that, Zane had moved from a bad subject to a worse one. Bria tapped at her stew, mom poured herself some more tea and dad just sat there staring at his food like it would reveal some way of resolving this. The council wasn’t far off, and Sam had been given permission to be present, but it didn’t change the fact that something was going to happen that would alter the boy’s life.
There was a knock on the door, breaking the uneasy silence. Sarah stood up to answer, but Sam grabbed her arm and told her he’d handle it. Brailen was waiting outside with two guards, and he quickly whispered to him his reasons for being here. The caring husband and father asked for some time to at least finish eating, which was granted while they waited outside.
“What was that about?” Sarah asked, concerned.
“Nothing…nothing, let’s not worry about it for now.”
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