Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-31986068-20160429231407/@comment-31986068-20170121010208

CHAPTER SIX

When Rain awoke, she was promptly greeted by glaring amber eyes. She jumped and tried to push whatever it was away.

The thing jumped back. Rain rubbed her eyes, blinked, and saw a blurry golden shape.

“Roe!”

“Today I will be giving you a tour,” said Roe in response, ignoring Rain’s shock at his sudden appearance. “Do you mind waking your sister?”

Rain struggled to gather her bearings. She was only half awake, but rolled out of the comfortable bed and shook Sparrow.

She woke up almost instantly but gave a ferocious-sounding grunt and buried herself deeper into the blankets. Rain backed away. “I never cross her this early... What time is it?”

“Young-Sun,” said Roe. “or, six-thirty.”

“Six-thirty!” Sparrow roared. “You’re mad! We went to bed at ten, right?”

Roe shook his head. “You went to bed at settling-time, eight.”

After a heated argument between Roe and Sparrow, Rain persuaded her sister out of bed and they went off to explore.

Roe talked about the ranks and apprenticeships. “The Guardians-in-training, once they reach 20 moons, have a variety of apprenticeships to choose from, including Orienteering, Foraging, and Blacksmithing...”

Most of the classes went on out in the open, in spacious areas with only three walls: in the front and the sides. The back was left entirely open for spectating. Rain understood why this was for some of the classes as she watched Deser with his daggers silently duel a yowling, lance-wielding bobcat. If one of them fell back, they wouldn’t slam into the wall. Instead, they would most likely fall onto the woven rug. It was a much softer landing.

“Those are demonstration rooms,” said Roe. “Most tiers and basic training classes have their own closed-off rooms, but this is when they’re practicing fighting. The advanced Guardian training tier, for those who are exceptionally good at close-combat and other fighting methods, use the demonstration room almost every day.

“Those Guardians-in-training have bright futures. And the apprenticeship has chiseled out fine fighters.”

Rain thought of Oak.

On their way to the kitchen, Sparrow noticed a space in the wall near a demonstration room. It was a doorway, almost completely hidden from view by the tapestry hanging down from the wall. She snuck a peek anyway.

There was a timid-looking hare at the front of the class, holding a blue stone and speaking to about fifteen different animals facing him. Sparrow could just barely hear him, for everyone was clamoring and they all seemed either excited or nervous.

Sparrow slipped in quietly.

She just noticed, then, that the hare had antlers and huge ears.

“Settle down, settle down,” he called.

Everyone eventually stopped. The room was silent, but the air was brimming with excitement. Sparrow hid behind a large camel in the back. She was so quiet nobody even took notice of her, stepping nimbly without a sound.

The hare with antlers began. “As you may know, my name is Henry. I’m a jackalope.”

“You’re a Guardian-in-training,” someone called. “A Forager. How come you’re teaching us?”

Henry stiffened. “Because Gratil wishes me to do so. I am a student, but I know quite a bit in the field of shape-shifting.”

Sparrow accidentally stepped on a twig one of the animals had tracked in, due to excitement. A fox in front with goat horns turned around, but she ducked behind a very large bear before she could be spotted.

The bear was really huge. On top of his head was a small fur hat, ensuring his head was an inch from touching the ceiling.

Even though he was big, his fur looked soft. Sparrow couldn’t resist poking him as softly as possible.

The bear jumped and nearly knocked the nearby goat-fox over.

“Maxim,” he hissed. “What’s the matter with you?”

Sparrow made herself look as small as possible.

Maxim stuttered a bit.

“Well I-I-oh... Well, egh, Idon’t rreally know, Bellde --”

“Make sure it doesn’t happen again, Bolshevik,” the fox snapped.

“I weel not,” Maxim whimpered. “Sorrry.”

Sparrow looked to the front and realized Henry had not yet begun the lesson, due to his arguing with a purple snow leopard.

“All right, enough,” he said impatiently. “Let’s start.”

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