Afterwards (Ayatah)

[Razkar]

”Sometimes innocent and intimate looking… positions and movements are anything but. It is important that you don’t just look at things, but see them for what they could be.”

Oddly enough, Razkar had not thought much of Ayatah as a warrior before that moment. I don't mean that in the derogatory sense, I simply mean, well... he just hadn't thought of it. It hadn't crossed his mind that this slim, sleek and exotic woman could be lethal. A capable and cool hunter, sure, but a slayer of other intelligent beings?

She didn't carry herself like other Myrian females, exuding that overpowering aggression and competitiveness that marked their race. She was more... subdued.

With her (no, wait, his) knife against his throat and his arm twisted up his back, he was fast learning the error in underestimation.

"See how fast that was, children?" He managed to choke out, stunned by how fast she'd moved. "My arm... incapacitated, useless and used to anchor me. And even if I could... a knife at my throat."

She let go and he felt a pang of pain as she did. Goddess, she had a strength in her. He caught that spark in her eyes and decided she was a lot more cunning that he'd given her credit for, too. Nodding as officiously as he could, he turned to his "class".

"This is Ayatah of the Scattered Bones," he said, and was pleased to see a new look of respect in most eyes that watched her now. "She will be aiding me in your training today. Where are your training weapons?"

"An outsider teaches us?"

Ah, Razkar thought, unsurprised at whom the voice had come from, Yilae. His aunt's daughter, who'd almost uconsciously turned up her nose at the... different-looking Ayatah. Keeping his temper, but only barely, Razkar walked over to her slowly, smile on his face that was a few degrees from friendly.

"Yes. An outsider, and one that has done more for this clan in two days than you have in a month. By order of Lowax, High Elder of our clan." He leaned forward, tone begging the nasal little female to contradict him. "Unless you wish to argue with her, of course?"

Yilae scowled but eventually looked away. Perhaps as much as gender, age and seniority was crucial in Myrian culture. Your elders were always entitled to respect, by dint of simply surviving to be such in the harsh and unpredictable world of Falyndar. She was ten years younger than him, and knew instinctively that if she pressed this, she would lose.

"No. That's... That's fine."

"Good. Well, now we meet with your approval." Razkar said, drawing out the last word with such scorn that a handful of sniggers answered him. "Where are the practice weapons?"

[Ayatah]

"See how fast that was, children? My arm... incapacitated, useless and used to anchor me. And even if I could... a knife at my throat."

There was a strain to his voice that made Ayatah smirk, but the hand that held his backwards released just a tad. Hey, she didn’t want to hurt him, after all.

His introduction for her was met with an obedient silence…

Almost.

A young girl questioned the idea of a non-Shorn Skull training them, but Ayatah had expected no different. From their first lesson onwards, children would see a variety of clan members teach them different skills, but they would always know the faces of their teachers. It was an extremely rare occasion when an outsider taught a clan’s children, and even then it was most likely because the visitor was a distance relative, or at least a long-term family friend.

But Ayatah was a newcomer completely unknown to the clan - or at least, the majority of them, anyway. It simply reiterated to her how honoured she was that Lowax had chosen her to assist Razkar in teaching the youngsters. Although… She couldn’t help but wonder why the old woman had made the decision. Ayatah had completed her military service, but there were older members of the Shorn Skulls who no doubt had better skills in a more variety of weaponry that she.

After all, Ayatah had absolutely no skills in close-combat weapons other than the double-bladed dagger. Despite her impressive speed, Ayatah knew that had she and Razkar been truly battling when she had bought the blade to his throat, he could have easily shrugged her off. Speed usually lost to strength when it came down to face-to-face fighting. But then again, had they been sworn enemies and not lovers, she would have opened his throat for real. Physical strength was useless when a person’s life was leaking out of them.

Eventually, the young girl accepted the fact that Ayatah would be teaching her peers - but this was most likely down to Razkar’s tone of voice and mention of the clan matriarch.

"Where are the practice weapons?"

The children jumped into action straight away, clambering over each other to reached the collection of wooden practice weapons. They chattered amongst themselves happily, excited to get down to learning new ways to kill their future enemies.

But Aytah overheard a few whispered:

”She’s strange. Why’s she short but so lanky?”

“Yeah, she’s pale too. And she smells funny.”

“Well, I think she’s pretty.”

The last made Ayatah smile. However cruel and unkind children could be, they had the equal potential to be kind and sweet in their naivety. No doubt they were suspicious of the weird-looking stranger standing beside their clansman, but they perhaps had not realised she had the blood of another race coursing through her veins.

”Maybe I will be more successful in winning over the children.” She said lowly, arching her back to ready herself for more physical activity. It had been a while since she had trained children, and she hoped that she could control so many. Giving him one final smirk and playful twitch of her eyebrows, Ayatah looked back to the children. Most of them had collected wooden hand axes, or gladii like Razkar’s own. But one or two had picked up daggers, and it was these children she gave little smiles to. Perhaps I will be able to impart some knowledge.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

Once the proper tone had been established and everyone one small or larg(er) had a wooden weapon in hand - including Razkar and Ayatah - it was time to begin.

The Myrian male swallowed. It had been a while since he;d done this. Channel your instructors... well, not all of your instructors. Don't want to traumatize them. They'll have plenty of time for that when they do their service.

He cleared his throat and started simple.

"Alright, pair off, everyone! Facing each other!"

The children did as they were told and soon there were two rows of scowling Myrians facing each other with weapons raised. Razkar couldn't help the smile. So serious. So eager. So desperate to prove themselves in battle and become real Myrians...

Then the smile faded. He knew what it was like to fight with his clan. Stand alongside them.

Watch those he loved die.

Razkar snapped out of it when the first few sandals started to shift restlessly. He readied his wooden gladius, bending his knees and placing his left foot slightly in front of his right. His free hand was half-closed, ready to strike as a fist or grab or gouge as needed.

"This is your beginning stance, unless you have a shield or another weapon. Ready to move wherever you have to. To dodge and to parry, and-" wood whistled through the air as he struck down diagonally, crashing through and invisible enemy's shoulder and into his chest cavity "-and to strike. Look at my hand, too. Use it, however you can. Don't let the stories about fair fights get into your heads, children. The only unfair fight is the fight you lose."

Steely eyes regarded him as he spoke, and Razkar decided that they would get to it. The sun was beginning to set, cooking fires had been lit, and he wanted his students to get a fair few bruises on them before nightfall.

"Now... fight!"

And just like that, one on one, with Ayatah and Razkar circling the group ike hungry hawks, the children did.

[Ayatah]

The youngsters were so eager, so excited to learn that Ayatah could not help but smile at their inexperience but fierce enthusiasm to learn. Such was the Myrian way; learning how to use weapons was integral to their lifestyle, so children learnt young and fast. She had been given a miniature longbow by her mother as soon as she had been able to walk, although it taken a couple more years for her to release her first arrow.

It had taken a little longer for Ayatah to get her hands on her birth weapon. The girls of the Scattered Bones were taught to perceive their special weapon differently to others; it was just as deadly, yes, but it also signified their clan as well as themselves. It would come to mean a great deal to them, after all, and they should respect it hugely.

"Alright, pair off, everyone! Facing each other!"

The youngsters positioned themselves. Their eyes stared at their ‘rival’ opposite them, but their attention were still on Razkar, listening out for his next command. They waited patiently, but Ayatah frowned as a silence hung in the air.

She was standing on the opposite side of the children to him, so when his expression changed to something close to sadness, there was nothing that she could do. Feeling utterly useless, she stood there, her own face expressing questioning concern.

But then the sadness was gone, as if he had shook it out of himself. Training continued as it had started, but every now and then, Ayatah’s dark eyes would lift from the battling children to meet Razkar’s.

The two children who had chosen daggers as their weapons - a boy and a girl of similar age - were slicing at each other in grand gestures. Ayatah put a hand on the girl’s shoulder to stop them. ”The dagger is different to other weapons,” she said, not bossily, but firmly. She had made a similar mistake when she had first begun training with her own dagger. ”The small blade means that you can’t slice and swipe like you do with a sword, or gladius.”

She positioned herself as Razkar had done earlier, but held herself at more of an angle, ”You might start in the same position, but you should always hold yourself so you can attack your enemy at all angles.” She jabbed her dagger at a series of different slants, but always starting from the same position. In a couple of her strikes, she turned a full circle, stepping to the side and embedding the dagger in her none-existent enemy’s stomach or groin

She stopped, and pointed to several different parts of her own body. ”The dagger is made for making critical punctures in your enemies’ body. The heart, lungs, stomach, side, groin, neck, under their arm… You have to be quick and efficient with your movements.” She smiled as the two children watched her with furrowed brows, listening to every word.

Ayatah nodded to them, and the boy and girl began battling once more. This time, they copied what she had done, jabbing their wooden blades towards each other as opposed to swiping them. ”That’s better. And remember what Razkar said; use your other hand to block your enemies’ attacks.

Moving onwards, she eyed the children carefully, sometimes pausing to see which child would win their pretend battle. Every now and then, she might lean forward and give a tip about positioning or defense. She enjoyed teaching - but had forgotten just how much until now.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

The children weren't the only ones learning that day; Razkar was drinking in Ayatah's words, too. The more he listened, the more he grew to respect her. She knew what she was talking about, that much was clear, and the children could sense that. The handful of young, dagger-wielding Myrians were soon imitating her stance, her movements, her strikes and lunges with their wooden weapons.

And it wasn't just pride or respect he felt for her. It was the challenge. She as forcing him to up his game.

"The gladius is a fine weapon for hacking and slashing," he said to the other children when they had come to a stopping point in their little duels, "But it's real power comes from it's thrust-"

He straightened his arm in one fluid jerk, quick as a blink, skewering an invisible enemy.

"-that can go through muscle and flesh and bone like overcooked lamb. The blade is wide enough that once it's in-" he twisted the blade from vertical to horizontal, then jerked his arm back "-all you need to do is twist it, pull it and your enemy will have a big, bleeding wound that no healer can close."

Razkar spoke up a little louder for a more important point.

"You do not use your gladius, or any blade for that matter, to block. If you can help it, anyway. That's what shields are for. Parry their blow, yes. Divert it into a different direction, yes. But blocking sharp steel with sharp steel will simply dull your own blade; maybe even break it. So what you do instead..."

He stepped forward to one of the children and held her arm out, so it looked as if her arm was frozen in the act of hacking down with her gladius.

"You move-"

He slid to his left, and at the same time bought up his gladius in a vertical swipe at her forearm.

"-and take your enemy's hand. Sharpen your swords and gladii every night to a fine sheen, and with enough power, even chain mail won't stop them. But you need speed, and that's where footwork comes into it."

He lined the kids up in straight lines and demonstrated what he meant, sliding left and right, forward and back, hacking and thrusting with each movement. Razkar was still by no means a warrior worthy of Myri, but he had not survived nearly three years with the Taloba army by being slow, or unskilled.

"The secret is not just to be fit," he said as he stepped to his right and ducked and thrust at an enemy's stomach at the same time, "Is being smooth... and moving as one. Not move, then riposte, then strike. All three moves... in one smooth action."

He demonstrated again and a few of the youngsters nodded, as if impressed. Even the females. He straightened back up and gestured to the dirt in their yard. Already he was finding sweat bead on his forehead, but he'd rather do this than lug water around.

"Again, in pairs. But this time, slower, and mind your feet. They'll save you in battle sure as your blade or hand will."

[Ayatah]

Listening to Razkar speak about his own weapon of choice, Ayatah could not help but smile and consider his words carefully. The gladius was certainly a fine weapon, and like he had demonstrated, could reach inside an enemy and twist their guts into knots. A dagger, however, could only really puncture an organ, which would kill a foe eventually, but slower.

And in the heat of battle, Ayatah had seen comrades fight with crippling wounds and seem to not even notice. Her mind flickered back to the previous day. She had not truly felt the tiger’s claws scrape her stomach. She had watched it happen, but the fear and adrenaline rushing through her body had made it feel like nothing more than feathers being run across her skin. It was not until afterwards, when she had seen how the blood ran down her body, that pain had struck her.

His teaching was impressive, to say that least. Ayatah was learning just as much as the children did, her having had no lessons in anything other than her dagger and longbow. Other weapons did not play to her speedy forte as well as a dagger did, even if being only a two-trick pony was not particularly Myrian-like.

"The secret is not just to be fit.. Is being smooth... and moving as one. Not move, then riposte, then strike. All three moves... in one smooth action."

His words were completely true, and Ayatah nodded her head in agreement, ”speed, strength and fluidity altogether is the difference between meaningless stabbing and swiping and calculated movements.”

She watched Razkar demonstrate again, and the children set about practicing once more (this time, slower, as he had commanded). She sidled up to him, smirking. ”Tiring, already?” She asked nodding to his clammy skin, her wooden dagger poking his stomach playfully.

She turned back to the children. It was strange watching them battle in slow motion, but it made for easier corrections to their positioning. A young boy was slowly bringing his gladius down onto another boy’s shoulder, who seemed a little puzzled as to what to do next.

When Ayatah approached them, the ‘attacker’ dropped his arm, as if embarrassed. She smiled and nodded reassuringly, ”no, that was good. Your positioning was good, and your other hand was ready for whatever your enemy was about to do.” The young lad smiled, chest puffed out at the compliment. She turned to the other boy, ”and what would have been the best thing to do?”

The boy considered for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders, eyes downcast sadly. He was younger than the other, and had clearly not been in training for so long. Ayatah smiled patiently and mimicked the same attack with her dagger. ”If an enemy is coming at me, and stabbing downwards, I always go low. It buys be a few chimes, and in that time, I can crouch, come forwards, upwards and stab him in the bellybutton.” She tabbed her slightly bent elbow with her empty hand, ”but you could have also stepped to the outside of your enemy. He can’t bend his arm in this direction, so not only would he miss you, but he’d have had to retract his weapon and try once more. Which again, gives you time to hack his head off.”

She nodded to the boys, and they re-enacted the fight. This time, when the bigger boy bought down his gladius to his opponent’s shoulder, the younger boy crouched low, dipped to the side, and met his enemy’s neck with the flat of his blade.

”…Or you could do a combination of the two. Very impressive, well done.” Grinning, Ayatah moved on. To say the younger boy looked pleased was an understatement. I guess I’ve always empathised with the under-dog She reflected.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

”Tiring, already?”

Razkar wiped the sweat from his face and used the movement to hide the words he murmured to her next, delivered with a dark flash from his eyes.

"Ask me that tonight, Aya."

The color that rose on her face was enough to give him a second wind. He filled his lungs with the hot, humid air and yet he felt no tension or exhaustion in his body. The day was nearly over, sun falling lower and lower, and still his students needed his help.

He closed in one a dueling pair as Ayatah went off to tutor her own charges. Two females, one with a gladius, the other with a hand ax. The former was concentrating too much on thrusting, though, exposing her arm whenever she did.

"Don't over-reach." He said, firmly but trying to avoid the impatient tone that some instructors had. He'd learned that a good teacher's job was to educate and correct, not admonish and criticize. That simply had your students resent you. "When you extend your arm too far, you leave yourself open and throw your balance off. Remember, the gladius is a thrsting weapon, but it's also two feet long and razor sharp. Hack. Slash. Bludgeon with the hilt. Don't get dependent on just one movement."

Razkar replaced the gladius-wielding female and nodded to Miss Hand Ax. To her credit, she didn't show fear at facing her opponent. Razkar mused that maybe this was because h was a male, but either way, she swung overarm at him slowly-

-and she sidestepped to her left, waited for her arm to follow through with her swing-

-and swung the gladius down in a short vertical arc, ending at her elbow.

"Now you're without your weapon and your arm. Again."

The girl swung horizontally at him, a little faster, and Razkar stepped back, ax flying through the air past his stomach-

-and he stepped forward again, to her side, swinging his own wooden gladius into a chop at her stomach.

"That would open your guts up. The hand ax is designed to be used as a secondary weapon. Don't rely on it by itself. Use a sword, a dagger, a mace, a shield... whatever suits you better."

He looked from one face and then to another, getting quick nods of understanding. Then he stepped back and let them go at it again. Blow, parry, riposte, all oddly slow, but...

"Better. Much better."

He went from group to group, sometimes commenting, sometimes just watching, and by the time he'd made a full circuit, there was more sun from the torches than there was the sun. Razkar raised his voice once again.

"Halt!" Three-dozen Myrians in "mortal" combat froze in mid-action, eyes swinging his way. "Now you shall watch myself and Mistress Ayatah spar. Clear a circle."

His orders were quickly obeyed and in a brief cloud of dust the children backpedaled and left a large space in their center. Razkar stepped into it and swung his wooden gladius experimentally. It would do. He nodded to Ayatah as the lithe, pale Myrian female stepped into the circle, dagger in hand.

He knew that as a male, he had to show respect, so he bowed to his opponent. But with her, there was not "had" to worry about. She returned it, and Razkar slid his right food back so his body was almost sideways to her, gladius cocked back, blade perpendicular, ready to thrust, slash or parry.

"When you are ready, mistress..."

[Ayatah]

”Remember, with daggers you can use both forward and reverse grips.”

The two children she had spoken to turned to her. Both gripped their daggers tightly, but stiffly. Ayatah guessed that they had not used the small blades before. Holding her own dagger-hand forwards, Ayatah twisted her wrist up, down, left and right. ”Flexibility in the wrist is key to making quick changes to your position and angle...” The children began to mimic her, in slow, clumsy movements.

They stared up at her once more, looking almost puzzled. She’d have to try a different approach.

”If you,” she nodded to the child closest to her, ”attack, but stop an inch or so away from hitting your target.” The child obliged, and he hovered the point of the dagger just above his enemy’s chest.

Ayatah nodded to the other boy, ”here, the best thing for you to do is to hold your dagger in a forwards grip - yes, like that. Then, you can bring your dagger upwards. But if you bend your elbow at the same time and knock his arm out of the way…” The other boy followed her orders, and his elbow collided with his attackers arm, pushing it away from his chest and at the same time ‘stabbing’ him in the stomach.

”But after he’s knocked your arm out of the way, you could have changed your grip and bought your arm back inwards towards his neck.”

The movements from the boys were slow and almost poetic, but these actions would one day save their lives, and perhaps kill an enemy. If either of them found themselves face-to-face with a real enemy, and armed with only a dagger, Ayatah hoped that they would recall her lesson with them.

”The great thing about double-bladed daggers,”[b] she said as she investigated the wooden single-bladed one in her hands, [b]”is that whatever grip you’re holding the dagger in, there’s a blade on that end. You can’t thump your opponent in the head, but stabbing should be just as good.” She threw the children a smirk and they chuckled along with her.

I’m growing to like children… She pondered as he stood up and continuing patrolling.

But her newfound fondness quickly diminished. The children were growing weary, their enthusiasm replaced with hunger. When she stood over two girls battling it out, the older of the two turned to her with a skeptical eye.

”Why are you visiting our clan?”

The question was not presented rudely as such. Ayatah guessed that it was a distraction from training more than a genuine interest. Still, she glanced over towards Razkar, as if to find the answer there. ”I am… a… friend… of Razkar’s.” Her words were slow and awkward.

”Are you two… mates now?”

Ayatah’s mouth opened and closed once or twice, and she frowned. Children were not stupid; they had eyes, and so would have seen the intimacies between Ayatah and Razkar.

"Halt!"

Ayatah tried to hide the extreme sense of relief that washed over her. She practically skipped into the center of the circle, glad to avoid the intense questions of children.

”I’m concerned you’ve overheard all my best tactics.” her words were accompanied by a playful smirk. After the formal greetings - Ayatah had returned the bow more out of high regard and respect for him than the traditions.

She held her dagger at the ready, her other arm held up to block any attacks from her head.

"When you are ready, mistress..."

She nodded to indicate that was, indeed, ready for him. There was still a spirited glint in her eyes - they had not sparred together before, but she was certainly looking forward to it.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

Razkar would reflect years afterward that in many ways, Ayatah was the perfect mate for him. She was intelligent, wry, funny and brave. She had never hunted a tiger before the day she came face-to-snout with one, and yet she'd faced it with nothing but a dagger. She did not shirk her duties, was neither workshy nor a complainer. And when he bowed to her and readied himself, he saw a gleam in her eyes, predatory and wet with anticipation, that truly inspired him.

And yet, he would think afterwards, often with a wince or a quick, violent shake of his head... and yet, for all that, she was not enough for him.

Razkar lunged forwards at her left, unarmed side, swinging his gladius in a horizontal chop. But she slid to her right and the strike hit nothing but air, twisting as she moved, bringing her dagger around for a blow at his kidneys-

-only for his open hand to knock into her wrist, throwing her strike away from him, giving him an opening to thrust at her stomach-

-but she was too quick for him again, letting the momentum of his strike on her wrist to spin her around, further right yet again, away from his thrust and out of his reach.

Razkar grinned fiercely. He knew it. He knew she would be a challenge to fight. The tall male cracked his neck muscles and gave her a wink fast as a snake's tongue. The children were already muttering, eyes fixated on the moving, circling pair...

"She uses her speed well," Razkar said, trying to keep his voice as... educational as his body would allow, "Which is good, with a close weapon like the dagger. You let your enemy tire himself out, hacking and slashing with a sword. You go for his arms, his legs, his sides. Kill him by inches. It's not as impressive as a kill with a single stroke... but it does work."

With a growl Razkar lunged forward again.

[Ayatah]

His strength and her speed were almost perfectly matched, and with each swing of his gladius, she would duck or step to the side just in time to avoid his swing. But each time she made a jab towards him with her dagger, her attacks would be pushed aside easily.

It would come down to who tired first, or who could predict the other’s movements better.

They circled again, almost daring each other to make the first move. Her eyes never left his, as if trying to read his mind to guess what he would do next.

After a somewhat animalistic growl, he pounced himself forwards. His gladius was coming downwards, so Ayatah stepped to the side and towards him.

He had anticipated her dodge, and his swing changed midair.

Ayatah saw the alteration of his weapon, and spun with to the left so she had her back to him.

…But this time, she had been too slow. His strike hit her waist just as she stabbed behind herself, connecting the point of her blade with his ribs.

It had hurt them both, but Ayatah threw him a teasingly challenging look as she twisted away once more. The attraction between them certainly extended onto the battlefield, but seemed to take a much for feral form.

The two began to prowl around each other again, but Ayatah did not wait long this time round.

She rushed forward, dipping low to avoid his swinging blade, and tried to jab her dagger into his stomach.

Her attack was knocked off target by his arm, and she had to straighten herself up and step quickly to the side to avoid falling over to the ground.

This time it was her turn to emit a low growl. The noise came from deep within her throat and reflected her frustration.

She backed away, once again waiting for Razkar to make his move. She turned her dagger in her hand, letting the hilt run down her fingers and then catching it before it fell. An old habit of hers, when she was waiting for an attack. Ayatah flash him a dangerous grin, one that seemed to say ‘I’m ready for you.’

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||