[Flashback | Training: Spear] Yesterday's World

[Vhana]

In her earliest memories, there were but three people whose faces Vhana would never forget. Her brother, Ryl, which should come as no surprise, since they mirrored one another in looks almost as if they should be two sides of the same coin. Unlike Vhana, however, Ryl was tall, broad and statuesque...she had always envied of him his radiant blue eyes. Like two of the world's most glorious sapphires, but full of life and laughter. They were of the same age, but Vhana knew that she had looked up to him as if he were the older and more experienced.

The second was Trake, another Kelvic, but older than she and Ryl by at least several years. Though her twin was like her other half, Trake had became -in the way only a young girl could make him- the rising sun in her life. A strong, powerful soul by anyone's measure, Trake possessed the rare gift of being able to assume any role as if it were just another facet of his being: mentor, warrior, friend...He could be as gentle as he could be deadly, yet no matter just what Trake was doing, he was always exacting and precise.

Lastly, there was Black the Elder, but he also answered to “Old Man,” with nary a bat of his stubby lashes. Trake had once told Vhana that Black wasn't his name, chuckling as he did so. She hadn't gotten the joke at the time. When the young girl had asked what his real name actually was, Trake had merely ruffled her sunny locks and said it didn't matter. The Old Man was the entity to which she, and all the other Kelvics, were bonded. He was a curious fellow, his chocolaty brown skin wrinkled with age, and his broad frame now shrunken after years of rough living. His long, tightly curled gray hair that reminded Vhana of wool, was decorated with various fetishes; mostly bone. But he wasn't frail or fragile, and had even contributed to her knowledge with the spear on occasion.

Taking a firm grip of the wooden haft of just such a weapon, Vhana held it aloft, horizontally in line with the distant horizon and stared forward. She was alone in that moment, with no one around for many a league. With a simple, fluid motion, she brought the butt of her spear to the soft earth, and used the weapon to lever her body as her mind fled to the blue skies above. It was easy to lose oneself in this place, as dangerous as it was to do so. The humming of various insects, and the calls of birds and small mammals, coupled with the ever-present chuckling of a nearby stream proved almost hypnotic.

In her mind's eye, Vhana could see the memory as if she were not simply recalling it, but was instead living it again. Trake stood before her, practically looming in his great height, sword and shield in hand. Nothing special, but although they were well used, they were not in poor repair. Extending his sword arm, his gently used it's tip to tap first on Vhana's shoulder, and then on the inside of her spear. Expression cool, Trake allowed instructions and criticism both to roll from his tongue.

“Your form is horrible,” he momentarily even mimicked it. “Slouching like a common guard to a city gate. Tighten your grip and straighten up!” He offered another few points, though Vhana was under the distinct impression he was annoyed by it. It stung her a little, if only because she was desperate to please the older male.

“There, that's better...” He offered once she corrected her posture. Returning to his original stance before her, Trake brought his shield up in a defensive manner. “Now,” he said in a formal tone that meant there would be no room for any joking or slacking off in the time to come. “By and large, many make the mistake of believing that the spear is a slow, cumbersome weapon.” Nothing Trake had ever told Vhana had been boastful, he merely gave the facts, whether or not they were good or bad.

“But as we know, you're neither slow, or...Well, Vhana, there will be a time when you're not unwieldy with the thing, but all masters must begin as novices.” Shrugging, perhaps to lessen the embarrassment Vhana had felt, Trake continued on. “Yet you must never assume that any opponent you may face doesn't know what you can or can't do – with any given weapon.” Which was why he'd shown her a variety of different ones before Vhana finally settled upon the spear. It had been the one that felt most natural in her hands, and both Trake and the Old Man had encouraged her to follow her gut instinct.

The other Kelvic, while not making her train using other weapons, still utilized what was available to him to show Vhana just how to react in a situation where she fought someone that used an...axe, for example. The Old Man said Trake was a veritable weapons master, but he had always scoffed at such a notion. A young Vhana, however, labeled him as the best regardless of its veracity. Ryl teased her without mercy about it, the only one who seemed to notice her adoration for the older fellow, but it was all in good nature.

“With the reach of the spear, many opponents will be at the disadvantage. But only so long as you keep your enemies out of that reach.” Without warning, Trake dashed inwards, his feet carrying him quickly and gracefully, until he was close enough to slash Vhana across her torso if he so chose. “Once inside, a man with a sword can easily lop off the tip of your spear.” Raising his weapon in just such a manner, Trake demonstrated just what he meant.

“Shields could cause you trouble, too. Try what I showed you before, and let's see what happens.” Trake returned to his place, and with a silent cue, gave Vhana the go ahead. Seeing that Trake was using the shield to cover much of his torso -the place where she would have sought to strike- Vhana instead chose to thrust the point of her spear towards his face. It would force Trake to dodge backwards, and no doubt catch him off balance.

Vhana was caught completely off-guard, then, when Trake deflected her attack by raising his shield ever so slightly. In what looked to be the use of minimal effort, Trake quick-stepped forward again, knocking her spear the side and then pressed the point of the blade into her chest. Eyes wide, Vhana stared towards Trake as if to silently accuse him of cheating.

[Vhana]

“Think, Vhana!” Trake said in a voice that was tinged with frustration. Vhana shied back as he did so, Trake having leaned far forward and motioning urgently with his hands on either side of his temple; balled up fists that opened suddenly, as if to fling the very idea he wanted her to think up at her. Realizing that he had been perhaps a bit too harsh, the older male backed off, his expression somber.

“Vhana,” this time his voice softer. She glanced up to see him with his arms crossed against his broad chest, eyes looking at her from beneath his brows. “Let me ask you something: what do you think makes a great warrior?”

The question was a little unexpected. Vhana herself had been preparing for a tutor's tirade, not this. Chewing at her lower lip, the young girl let her eyes dart left, and then right before alighting back on Trake. He had not moved. The question seemed simple enough, but because of that, Vhana was doubtful that the answer would be as straightforward as she first assumed. Trake was like that, always presenting her with difficult puzzles that she was forced to work out on her own.

“Well...” She began, timidly. Her voice sounded so tiny, so pathetic, it made Vhana almost too ashamed to speak. “Great warriors must skilled with a weapon...” She stopped there, letting the rest hang in the air as she nervously licked her lower lip.

“Go on,” Trake insisted, unwilling to throw her a bone, but sensing that she did indeed have more to say.

“Training with a weapon,” she continued, but at a snail's pace, as if she had a mental debate on every word. “Is not the same as actually using a weapon on another. Sparring will never be the same as fighting in a true battle.” Finishing, Vhana flashed a bright white smile, fully expecting to see it returned.

“So you're telling me great warriors are only those that have fought in real battles, that have killed?” Trake probed, disappointing Vhana by doing nothing more than shift his stance, attention focusing on a dirty nail for but a moment before he fixed her with that cool stare once again.

She stuttered, taken aback. The young female was not entirely certain what he was getting at there. Trake had never once implied that killing another was a bad thing. Sure, he had explained to both her and her brother that one never killed wantonly, or without just cause...but neither had Trake ever told them that it was something never to be done.

“Not everybody is made a great warrior just because they've killed another.” Vhana admitted, her brows knitting together.

“Then there's more, isn't there?” Setting the sword and shield he had been using down, Trake walked the few steps it took to stand beside Vhana and take her by the shoulder. “Here, walk with me.” As was typical of the older Kelvic, he didn't wait for her to give a reply, but instead starting walking anyway.

Vhana had to keep her strides quick to keep up with Trake, but he eventually fell into a slower pace to accommodate the much smaller creature. They walked for a time, down the narrow length of one of many jungle paths that Black the Elder had leading to and from his tree hut. It was dark within the jungle, the foliage so green and thick that the sun rarely ever had a chance to reach the earthen floor below. Colors here were vibrant and rich, but the ground was covered in brown, rotting vegetation that was food – and home – to a plethora of different critters. Vhana, having been raised deep in its heart, knew of its beauties...and its dangers.

The pair walked for a long time, Trake seemingly drawing inwards and becoming reserved. Vhana watched his every move with all the adoration a moon-struck girl could muster. Eventually, however, they came upon a small, shallow pool at the base of an old, gnarled tree. The pool formed each and every time it rained, and was only slowly absorbed into the earth. Fortunately, it wasn't big enough to attract many things, but that didn't mean it was a place that saw no traffic. In fact, Vhana could pick out the tracks of three separate animals that had been there all within a day or so.

“Great warriors are not just people who are skilled with a weapon,” he began, eyes staring downwards into the murky pool. “Nor are they those who have killed many.”

Vhana allowed herself to slink close beside him, but when she looked into the water, she was displeased with the distorted image that she found therein.

“A great warrior is one who sees his opponent, and knows his every move before it happens. Skill with a blade means nothing if you cannot predict what your enemy will do. I have seen accomplished men and women fall to the simplest of things, all because they did not think it would happen.” Trake turned and tapped Vhana on her right temple. “This is why I make you work so hard, why I show the sword and shield, the bow, and the axe. Do you understand, now?”

Giggling, if only because he had touched her, Vhana's mirth soon fled as she caught sight of Trake's features. Nothing but a serious expression and dour eyes. Heaving a sigh, Vhana let her shoulders slump as she voiced a reply. “I think so.”

His perked brows clearly indicated that he did not care for her answer.

“If I know how they are used, Trake,” she huffed, acting the child. “Then I will be able to see what another warrior will do when using them, and so not be surprised. I will be able to see what he plans to do, before he does it.”

Finally, there was a smile. A feral grin that revealed sharpened teeth that had been known to frighten people before. Trake clapped her on the back (nearly sending her face first to sprawl in the pool!) and laughed, and despite having to catch herself, Vhana laughed, too. It was good to be this way with Trake, even if he wasn't really saying the things she hoped that he might. Every moment she spent alone with him was one that Vhana cherished.

“When we get back, you will try to defeat the shield again.” And again, she imagined, until she got it right.