Learning To Live Within One's Skin (Abashai)

[Nya Winters]

Nya bared her teeth at him as Abashai kicked sand on her and snarled half-heartedly. But his laughter and his agreement to a bath did lighten her mood somewhat, and she took his hand so he could hoist her to her feet and they headed back to town. The forest cat only grumbled a bit on the way, and by the time they were actually at the baths she was in a somewhat better mood. Nya surprisingly left Abashai alone to his warm bath, and frolicked playfully in the main pool with the dozen or so other Sylirans that were visiting the facility - which told the Benshira that she really just needed a break from the combat to play more than anything else. Before they were done, Nya had a small following of children she'd taught some sort of water game or another and their laughter had invaded even the quiet sanctity of the inner individual pools.

With both of them clean, Nya and Abashai detoured through the market stopping for food to take back to their room. Nya got a carefully wrapped roast, warm fully cooked spicy sausages and an assorted group of fruit and greens for Abashai's dinner with enough for them both to snack the next day if they needed too. They took their feast back to the Traveler's Row room and ate it quietly before crawling into bed to rest. Nya was asleep exactly three minutes after the roast disappeared, and didn't move a muscle the rest of the night until dawn broke.

They were back out at the beach the next day. Calroon was there to greet them, and rather than a jog, they did a bunch of stretching exercises and calisthenics to warm up. Then he launched into is newest lesson. They covered stances first thing. "In order to truly fight, now that you know the basic principals of movement, you have to know how to move. Stances create a strong stable base to support your body and balance it so you can preform powerful punches, kicks, sweeps, and just about anything else Ry'vata requires. A famous swordsman once said "Make your fighting stance your everyday stance, and make your everyday stance your fighting stance." We adopt this for Ry'vata too. We're teaching your body to think for you so you can focus your mind on planning your next move and keep as much of this as instinctive as possible." Calroon said, moving onward. By the time he was done talking with them, they both understood that stances were important for absorbing and recoiling forces from any sort of contact, enabled smooth shifting and changes of direction, and most importantly allowed them to use maximum force (which Nya translated as hitting harder). The part she was startled about was the breathing... they were always watching breath and mastering inhaling and exhaling and specific times. Calroon lead them through all the parts of their body, and where they should be in various stances... and talked about the bodies vulnerabilities and which parts might fail them or be hurt if they stood or moved .

They continued on to talk about the Fighting Stance and how they broke down into sitting, front and back stances. They talked about how each worked, and emphasized hip rotation. Calroon grilled posture into them until Nya was constantly squaring her shoulders and arching her back to stand up straight while keeping her knees bent and hips positioned correctly. She felt like a tiny stringed puppet that vendors sold in the markets for children to play with... and Calroon had her strings. But she listened, and learned and watched Abashai soak it all in. Nya knew he was a swordsman, and some of the material they were going over was material Abashai already knew, so she took her cues and waited for the good part.

Finally, they moved on to punching. Nya should have guessed it wasn't so easy as making a fist and hitting someone, but some part of her had assumed there would be less thinking and more doing when they got to fighting. "Now, most instructors will teach you blocks before they teach you punches, but I feel like punches are important because when you're learning blocks, the other student can practice their punches and each of you knows what sort of breakdown your looking for when your thinking of blocking." He claimed. Then... naturally, they started talking about body position. He showed them several proper formations of fists, then again more body positions. Nya was particularly interested in intent... and listened carefully when he explained. "When lifting something, the further the arms are from the body the weaker they are, which is why it is difficult to lift a heavy object with out-stretched arms. However, this does not translate to an outstretched punch. The more extended the arm in a punch, the more difficult it is to collapse the elbow, and the more force is be transferred into the target, which why people push heavy objects with their arms fully extended. If the intent of your punch is to push the opponent backward, keep the elbow bent and the arm close to the body to allow you to apply more pushing force. If the intent of your punch is to damage the opponent, whether or not the opponent mores backward not not, then punch with an extended arm." Hrm..... she thought, tilting her head and thinking this over.

Then Calroon gave them a bunch of tips. Nya made them into a mental list in her mind.

• Power is lost in the joints. Power is lost in the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Bones are perfect conductors of force, but where one bone ends and another begins is where power is lost. Misaligned, over-tensed, or under-tensed joints will lessen your power. People who wing their punches tend to lose power at the shoulder and elbow. People who bend their wrist when they hook tend to lose the power of that punch at the wrist. Why do we have so many joints anyhow if they are so weak? This movement thing is overrated.. a nap is what we really need to focus on.
• Elbow. Keep elbow close to the body so that the direction of the strike is parallel to the movement of the centerline of the body. Otherwise, the force of the impact will stop at the elbow and cause injury rather than being reflected back to and absorbed by the body. Don't hurt your elbows.. human elbows are weak! Weak! Everything about humans are weak.
• Do not lock the elbows. When throwing linear punches, do not to lock your elbows. If your elbow locks upon impact, it will have a pushing effect and rob you of critical power. If the elbow is locked it meaning the punch has stopped. If the elbow is still bent on impact, it mean the punch is stilling accelerating. Again.. with the elbows. Who designed these things anyhow?
• Apply full power. To apply full power, rotate shoulder into the punch, then the hip, and then the rear foot. Okay I need to think of power as djed, free djed that doesn't make you crazy to use too much... its just power your body produces to hit well.... okay got it. If you bite, bite with full force not in play... mean your actions.
• Straight lines. For linear punches, the fist moves in straight line to the target and then back along the same line to the guard position. Wrist stays locked, elbow is behind the fist. Do not arc the punch. I can think of this as water.. .water down a straight stretch flows fast, but when a stream winds in and out of valleys it tends to pool up and get sluggish.. okay.. I can think like this.... Is My head getting bigger yet? Maybe Abashai's is..... *looks to check*
• Do not give away the fact that you are going to punch. It's like giving the enemy a heads up - inadvertently making your intentions known to your assailant. These things tell the enemy you will punch... don't do them, but look for them in others.
  
  • Cocking your arm back prior to punching or striking
  • Tensing your neck, shoulders, or arms prior to striking
  • Widening your eyes or raising your eyebrows
  • Shifting your shoulders
  • Grinning or opening your mouth
  • Taking a sudden or deep breath.
  
  I'm never going to remember all this. By Zulrav, when do I get to kill and eat something... speaking of eating, I'm starved... does Abashai look hungry? What time is it anyhow?
• Keep wrist locked. When punching (circular or linear), ensure your wrists are correctly aligned with your forearm. If your wrist bends or collapses on impact, it may either sprain or break. I have no idea what a sprain is... you either hurt or you don't right?
• Tighten fists on impact. This augments the impact power of your strike and protects the fist. Poor humans. They really should grow claws. Come to think of it Abashai would make a beautiful forest cat.
• Relax. Tension is the opposite of everything good or favorable in your performance. Tension is the opposite of speed. Tension is the opposite of power. Tension telegraphs you intentions Tension is the opposite of mobility. Tension is a drain on endurance. In the case of punching power, tension in the shoulders is the problem. How am I supposed to relax with all these thoughts in my head? Lists lists lists... there's too many parts to a human that break! Ugh!
• Punch with the body. When you punch with the whole body, the opponents feels your mass behind the punch. Why would anyone not punch with their whole body?
• Focus. Full power must come at the at precisely the right range at the right time so the punch does not come up short or get jammed. I'm focuing all right. On my stomach... can anyone else hear this growling? When did I start thinking so much? Its exhausting because this voice in my head won't shut up. The sun is warm today... I wonder if Calroon would let me take a nap.... then I could focus on resting. That follows the focus rules right?
• Visualize an Impact Point. The point of impact should be the web space between the first two fingers. This point will not actually strike the target but using it as a striking point will ensure the first two knuckles strike the target first. Okay, so this is how I should aim.. okay. Why doesn't he just call it a target?
• Sequence. Punching power comes from a succession of coordinated muscle contractions and releases. If he uses another big word, I'm going to eat him. I don't care how much Abashai and I need this... I bet he'd taste really good... all lean meat.

But, sadly, it wasn't time to rest. They moved on to punching techniques and actually learned a few punches. It seemed that depending upon where one was hitting, depended upon what sort of punch one used. It seemed there was another list suddenly... and a whole host of punches to go with them.

• To punch straight into the target, uses either a leading jab or a trailing reverse punch.
• To punch vertically upward into the target, use a leading or trailing uppercut.
• To punch vertically downward into the target, use a leading or trailing hammer fist.
• To punch horizontally into the target, use a leading or trailing hook.
• To punch upward at an angle into the target, use a leading or trailing shovel hook.
• To punch downward at an angle, use a leading or trailing overhand.

And.. at that point, Calroon called it a day. Nya, too tired to even complain now, collapsed into the sand, stretched out on her back, and stared up at the sky. She groaned, reached up and touched her forehead for a moment before contemplating a quick nap. Her body didn't hurt from all the movement, or from punching the air, but rather from all the thinking.

Calroon paused, turned, and moved over towards her. He gracefully bent and reached down to touch Nya's forehead and brush a lock of the sweaty brindled hair out of her eyes. He smiled gently, then glanced up at Abashai while tapping Nya's head lightly. "She's working a muscle she hasn't had to use much yet and it can be hard on her kind until they catch up to us." Nya would have bit him, or at the very least offered a snarl, but she was too tired. It wasn't polite to talk about her like she wasn't standing ... erh... laying there. "Make her read books, teach her a new language, or make her work numbers. I suspect it will help. A mind is like any other muscle." He said, then rose, and waved, heading back to his work in the city. Their session hadn't actually been as long that day, but it had contained far more information than usual.

[Abashai]

Abashai saw the glaring feline eyes that Calroon did not. He stifled a grin, knowing what must be going through Nya's mind as their instructor tapped her head and addressed Abashai. Four inches lower and he'd lose that finger! The Benshiran took in the advice though, he could see the training was increasingly taxing on the young Kelvic's mind. It was not from lack of capability, but from information overload. Nya was brilliant, just not practiced at human thinking. In fact, it was one of the things he enjoyed so much about her, the simplicity of her thinking.

The day's training, on the other hand, had completely stoked Abashai. Striking, that was something he could understand. The mechanics were somewhat different with a fist as opposed to a weapon. But the fist was a weapon, and it did not take much to integrate what he knew with what he was learning. He could envision his target, his impact point. The first two knuckles on his hand became the tip of his sword.

He had practiced reading Nya as she went through the exercises. Abashai watched the T, an invisible cross centered high on her chest, running from shoulder to shoulder and base of the neck to her abdomen. It signaled her actions. Her shoulder would move slightly back when she prepared for a punch, dropped slightly if it was a low one. He had been taught not to watch an opponent's eyes. The eyes of a practiced warrior will lie to you.

He sunk down to the sand next to his exhausted bondmate, reached out to smooth her tangled hair. "I think you need some time away. There is time, why don't we head a ways into the woods where the cat can stretch her legs before heading back into the city?" He paused a moment, staring out over the pounding surf. "By the way, would you be interested in learning Shiber?"

[Nya Winters]

Nya had been confused by Abashai's actions during the practice. He hadn't looked her in the eye, but rather watched her form bend and twist. It had struck her as strange, somewhat disconcerting, until the lessons Calroon had given them really sunk in. Abashai was watching for signs given off by Nya's movements of what she would do, rather than keep his eyes on hers and let them hold him while her body moved. Smart. Especially for someone with djed like Nya had. The body betrayed... muscles tensed, flexed, arms moved backwards even though the instructions were strictly against that. The eyes lied. Nya knew that well and sighed softly as the lesson at last sank in.

Clever. Her bondmate was too clever by far.

Though already comfortable, she rolled to her side to face him as he joined her on the sand and smoothed her tangled hair. Face to face, she smiled at him and touched the tip of her nose to his in a playful nuzzle. Nya smiled gratefully at his suggestion, the expression all the agreement she needed to give him that she'd like to go, even as she closed her eyes and stretched. I am supposed to be the fierce protector. Why is it that it seems hes the one always looking out for me? She asked herself, lost in more thoughts as he turned away and stared into the pounding surf. Nya opened her eyes and looked startled at his suggestion. Learn his language?

Nya was silent for a long while... so silent Abashai might have thought she dropped off to sleep like she was prone to do when she was tired - instantly. But she wasn't asleep. She was simply thinking again. "I would very much like to learn Shiber, if you think you could teach me.... but... it is your secret language. Sometimes, late at night or when the dawn is just coloring the sky, you grow restless in your sleep. Sometimes you speak.... I do not know what you say in your secret language. But do you ... want me to know what Omri and Kiban and Elrab mean?" Her accent was wrong, even her inflections... but it was eerie to hear such words flowing from her lips. "Sometimes you wake... and you cry out <"Omri, no!"> Nya said softly, worried. "I stay awake, watching you... to make sure things are okay. Sometimes I will pur and you will fall back asleep. But sometimes there is no way to comfort you and you wake tired...." Nya said, frowning. "You say other things... longer things... things I don't remember. Soft sad things...." Nya added, almost to herself.

"I would very much like too learn." She said finally "... but your secrets are your own. If you teach me the language, I will know your secrets as well." The kelvic said, then rolled to her back and rose smoothly. She didn't wait for Abashai to answer. There were times the pair didn't need continuous dialog. He would think on it, and knew her answer. And he'd either start teaching her or not, depending on what he decided. But for now, her mind drifted on to other things.. a run in the forest sounded just what she needed. There were stumps to scratch, one or two big trees that she could climb and not have them break under her weight, and a whole lot of frolicking to do before they returned to town.

Nya made the most of it, and they both ate fresh meat and returned well into evening.

The next morning they were back on the beach. Nya was attentive, refreshed, and ready to learn. But she was cautious. Abashai thrived on the sand, thrived in combat, and she liked what fighitng and spending time with Calroon did to his energy and enthusiasm... so she stood well back, listening, and letting Calroon focus on Abashai.

"Today we are going to learn about blocks. What is a block? Well, its a technique used to stop or deflect an attack. In Ry'vata, we use an arm, leg, stick, or whatever we can get our hands on to prevent an attacker from harming you or another person by utilizing blocks. Blocks are used as a last resort when everything else you have tried has failed - including leaving. This includes avoidance, sidestepping, ducking, or leaving. With blocks, you need to remember one thing and one thing clearly... blocks may fail. When a block fails, you get hit. And even if they work, your blocking arm, arms, or legs may be injured. Blocks are violent - force meeting force and require a lot of energy." He said, then studied Abashai, going on a bit more about blocks. From there, they broke blocks down into the types of blocks that existed.

"Blocks may use one arm, two arms, or even a leg or two. They are then grouped in three different categories - high, middle, or low - based on what body section they protect. They are also classified by what direction they are applied: upwards, downwards, inwards, and outwards." He said. They then went through the difference between soft and hard blocks, forearm, wrist, palm and bounce blocks as well. There were so many types of blocks it made Nya's head spin... and they discussed and demonstrated them all. Nya did a little better today, enjoying the game she played between herself and Abashai and sometimes herself and Calroon where they took turns throwing punches and then blocking them with each other... trying to to give away what their attacks were going to be, nor what their blocks were. It was hard, fun, and had left Nya with numerous bruises where she guessed wrong, wasn't fast enough, or aimed a fist poorly when trying to punch. But slowly.. she worked on the technique and seemed to pick up blocking faster than the punching or theory.

Calroon promised kicks when they returned, and called it a night. Nya, with a noted lack of complaints, turned to Abashai. "We ran in the woods yesterday and bathed the day before, both for me... what do you want to do now? It's your turn to decide to do something for yourself." She said sensibly.

[Abashai]

Stretching to releive sore muscled, Abashai slipped on his tunic shirt and bid Calroon farewell. Though his body ached from the days of physical training, the Benshiran was more and more convinced of the benefits of Ry'vata.

He loved the sparing. He learned best by doing, by learning from mistakes. His bruised and tender forearms were a testament to the amount he had learned that day. Abashai was hesitant to spar with Nya at first. But as they play-fought, the slight but strong Kelvic repeatedly foiled his strikes with quick blocks, especially soft blocks that redirected his punches and drew him off balance. They would laugh as they both had to stop, grasping at thier stinging arms and hands. Calroon had assured them that practice would strengthen the areas used for blocking. Abashai seemed to grasp blocking better with his left arm, the one trained to use a shield, than the right arm, and a couple of his spunky bondmate's punches reached his jaw, not full power but a bit jarring nonetheless.

After tugging on his boots, he turned to look out over the ocean. The ceaseless rolling waves, the constant motion of swell and crash, had a habit of hypnotizing Abashai. So different from the near-static waves of the Burning Land's dunes, sometimes appearing to stretch as far as the sea before him now. At times like this he marveled that he was here, in a land so different from...home.

The word stuck in his mind. Home. Over the past 80 days, his concept of home had altered. Yes, the land of the Benshira was his home, his place of origin, still so dear to his heart. But his longing, his loneliness had been tempered. Now, home also meant Nya and a cozy cave. It meant Syliras and the Cultural Council, it meant those friends transplanted from arid Eyktol to this place. It pleased him, to have Home.

Nya had finished pulling on her boots and stood beside him. Abashai remembered what she had said yesterday, about his talking in his sleep. Yes, those events so long ago sometimes still plagued his dreams. Hauntings of shameful deeds, swirling sandstorms, painful loss, things unfinished. He had wanted to tell her everything, explain the meaning behind words like Omri, Toviel and Zaira, the true meaning of the symbols etched in his palms, but could never find the nerve. Something childish within him still believed she might think less of him if she knew, might look at him differently. He wanted her to know, so many times around the fire started to tell her. He had to tell her soon, maybe after the training, back home. Then he would teach her his language too. Slowly at first, a word here and there. Then it could become their secret language.

The purring alto voice drew him from his thoughts. Today, his bondmate left the evening's activities up to him. Abashai turned from the mesmerizing surf to the bright moss green eyes. He smiled, knowing the girl had patiently waited for him to process whatever thoughts he was mulling over. "Very well, Ny, tonight we find a hunk of rare meat and some lively musicians!"

[Nya Winters]

They found a small musicians tavern that evening, that both served good food and hosted all sorts of musicians. Nya was quiet, keeping her distance as she listened and ate, letting Abashai socialize as he would, while she simply watched the humans interact with each other in their singing, and story telling. It wasn't a boisterous place, but rather a poets hangout with the music tending towards ballads and subdued melancholy wanderings.

Nya spent the night in her forest cat guise curled up by the fire with her head towards the door, and was ready to go the next morning when the light was only coloring the sky with pale shades of blue and violet. She was quiet as they walked out the now familiar path towards the beach to meet Calroon.

Nya's silence carried on throughout the morning as she concentrated on the lessons of the day. They warmed up with a jog, which she enjoyed, and then began talking about kicks. Kicks it seemed required balance, hip torque, and powerful flexible legs. Calroon was insistent that while there were a lot of qualities in play while kicking, the secret to success was really how one pivoted on their stationary foot. He carefully explained that each kick had its own characteristic pivot, and that the pivoting action for each kick differed. She learned that pivoting too far can also put stress on the knee due to the excessive twisting while carrying the body's weight on that leg. Her toes needed to line up with the toes of the stationary foot, then when she turned her hip into the kick, the knee followed and the foot pivoted staying in live with the knee.

Calroon was also full of good advice about kicks verses punches. "Kicks are slower than punches, so they are far easier to block. Kicks are more powerful than punches. Kicks have further to travel to their target than punches so kicks are easier to block. Also, kicks take more energy than punches, so more punches maybe thrown for the same amount of energy. Punching is natural instinct for humans, while kicking must be learned, so its harder to get good kicks than it is to get good punches... and finally, the most important thing was that since to kick you have to stand on one leg, which makes you unstable and vulnerable if you don't kick quickly and accurately." Nya listened quietly. Calroon was serious about kicks, teaching them to kick to be lethal, not to kick to be fancy.

It seemed humans had vulnerabilities. The temple, Calroon told them, was the thinnest area of the skull and it would flex or break easier than other body parts. He demonstrated a roundhouse kick, where the ball of their foot could strike the temple and have a high chance of killing. They both learned that the base of the skill was a target as well. Avoid necks, they were instructed, because they were heavy and designed to support the skull, even though a well placed kick there could actually cause dizziness or unconsciousness. Calroon wanted 'safe bets' when teaching them, things to quickly end fights. Calroon gave them tips on kicking, things to look out for, and things to keep in mind.

They learned Crescent kicks, both outside and inside, then moving on to front kicks. They learned the difference between snap and thrust kicks. Calroon taught them side kicks and and round kicks, then finally back kicks. All and all they spent three days on kicks, learning them, practicing them, and talking about body position, motion, and how to get the most force by just exactly how their body moved. On the third day they worked on their speed, and sparred together for the first time using the kicks, punches, and blocks all together.

The following and final lesson would be on jumping and spinning. And while Nya was careful in what she learned, trying to absorb it all, she was still incredibly slow at it during the practices. More than likely she'd have to practice a great deal on her own or perhaps sparring with Abashai before she was fast enough to be an effective Ry'vata artist.

[Abashai]

Kicking was definitely not one of Abashai's strengths. While blocking and punching came more naturally to him, kicking as a form of combat was completely new to him.

Maintaining balance was a challenge, and he found that the more force you use in a kick, the more off balance you can become. The Benshiran wasn't sure he would ever be able to kick anyone above the waist, let alone the head. By the end of the third day, as he and Nya began to spar using all the techniques they had learned, Abashai concluded it was indeed easier to learn to fight with weapons than to learn to fight without them.

Abashai new it was more than the new or difficult techniques that was making learning over the past few days difficult. It was concern for Nya. She had fallen unusually quiet. At first he believed it to be the rigorous training that they had undertaken, causing both of them physical and mental fatigue. But he also sensed a distance from his bondmate. For the past three nights she had slept on the floor in her forest cat form. When they first started coming to the city together, she would lie across the door at night in her feline body to guard him. But as they grew more comfortable staying in Syliras, she would sleep as a human.

The quietness and distance concerned him more as the day worn on. When Calroon brought the day's training to an end and announced tomorrow as the final lesson, Abashai breathed a hidden sigh of relief. They had learned much, now it would be up to the pair to practice and hone their Ry'vata art.

Waiting for their instructor to reach a fair distance away, Abashai turned to Nya. He gave her a smile. It was weak, and he knew his bondmate would see through it. He waited until her eyes were fixed on his, then he reached out to gently brush away a stray strand of her brindled hair, blown against her cheek by the sea breeze. "Ny, you have been so quiet lately, haven't seemed to be yourself, like something heavy is weighing on your mind. Will you walk with me and tell me what is on your heart?"

[Nya Winters]

Nya enjoyed the kicking lessons mainly because in breaking them down and seeing how force was moved around a body and why kicks were so deadly, she would be not only able to produce better kicks over time, but more importantly dodge kicks by things she hunted. Kicks could sometimes be the death of a big cat, regardless of how strong or powerful they were. Elk, deer, even the mountain sheep she sometimes hunted were all vicious kickers. Some of her worst injuries and subsequent scars had come from things kicking her. It wasn't because she let them kick her, ego not included, but it was simply because she had no defense against avoiding kicks since she'd never had the knowledge to break down a kick and understand when a creature might or would kick.

Now though, she knew the signs, and as she hunted, she'd watch the various animals, and find out what clues they gave before they kicked so she could better take down her prey without injury. It was a good lesson, one that made her tired, but in a good way - in the way of her mind.

Nya thought Abashai had done well, for all that he hesitated somewhat as if it felt awkward to him. He was methodical, learned the techniques thoroughly, and did not worry about speed or always winning. Nya wasn't worried about how hard her kicks were, how strong they were, or how high they were either. All of that would come with time when her body decided kicks were just routine. There had been a time when hunting was awkward, just like walking around the city itself was. Nya learned that over time, things became natural, or at least a little more natural, and it was easier then to preform what one needed too. She hoped that was true of her life too. The problem was, however, her life was moving fast.... too fast sometimes. Nya based bonding on how she saw her parents, their love, their affection, and their way of life. The forest cat had no idea that different types of bonds had existed other than what she read in her mother's journal. But the more time she spent with Abashai, the more she realized there were unspoken rules - things they never talked about - but rules that were real none the less. And a doubt had crept into her heart, a doubt with deep rooted emotions in her past. So even as she tried to deal with it in her own quiet way, spending more time in her wilder shape, giving her bondmate more space and following his rules - Nya was using the Ry'vata to help her understand the rest of her life.

New things were awkward at first, but would grow more natural as time passed. That had to hold true in all sorts of ways, didn't it? So she waited, with all the patience of her species, for things in her life to adjust and for her will and feelings to adjust to match them. Abashai's question, however, caught her slightly off guard. She turned, looked up at him, and shook her head. Her eyes went soft for a moment - perhaps in response to his week smile - then a little angry, though it didn't seem directed at him. "Shai, my mind is busy. That is all. I am waiting for it and my heart to adjust to all the new things, new rules, and I am trying very hard to not want what I can not have nor compare a shell that I find on the beach to a shell someone else found somewhere else. Both are equally beautiful and not at all the same, even though at first glance they might seem that way. And sometimes I am sorry all over for not being born as I should have. But for all that, you are a good friend. Let us go find something to eat and sleep early. Tomorrow is the last day." She shrugged then, picked up her backpack, and said nothing else. There was nothing else really to say, not in ways that Abashai would understand. Nya knew that. And so she smiled for him and trudged back to town alongside, the whole time thinking it would be far more easier to walk with four legs instead of two.

The next morning they were back for their final lesson on jumping and spinning. Calroon had them thinking about it even as they did their warm up jog and the subsequent beginning lecture. He asked them to jump up and down a few times, which made Nya feel silly, but his questions were more easily answered when they had finished the exercise. "What did your arms do? What did your knees do?" His questions were simple, and she thought about it.... She used her arms for balance and she bent her knees to jump straight up. "The first thing an enemy will do is look for your tattle tells. Dropped arms, bending knees. Remember, in Ry'vata use your arms only for blocking and attacking. We train our body to balance itself, and we don't balance by using our arms. If you are using a correct stance, your knees are already bent so you don't need to dip them deeper into a bend to get a good jump. If you must jump, do so suddenly. Minimize all your other body movements. This requires a type of explosive leg strength, so its good to keep your legs strong by lots of walking, especially up inclines." Calroon instructed, as usual teaching them what not to do first, so the correct way better lodged in their brains.

"Jump as if you are trying to touch your knees to your shoulders. Do not bring the feet up straight under your body and do not lift the feet behind you, rather draw the kees upwards in front of you. The effectiveness of a jump combined with a kick is not in how high the body is, but rather in how high the foot kicks. By drawing the knees into the front, the feet have maximum height off the floor giving you more time in the air to preform your kicks, and do so at greater height. More time in the air gives you more time to get your feet back down in position for a safe landing. Also, as you land, your lead leg or arm may attack or you may close the range to your opponent by rotating the body a half turn on the trailing leg side and using your trailing leg or arm to force an attack. This is briliant because normally people are so surprised by a jump and kick combo that they are still recovering when you land, even if you do not land the kick - which you will be able to with enough practice - that they just don't expect another attack so soon. So, if the kick doesn't finish them off in the air, the subsequent landing attack should." Calroon said, pausing to demonstrate exactly what he was talking about. He had them practice too.

Calroon went on to explain how most jumps were straight upwards. Their bodies gained in altitude, but didn't close any distance. He demonstrated how to jump other ways to close the distance or how to attack other ways if the enemy was closing range and not allowing room during a jump for a kick. That was also a brilliant way to counter jumps, by closing range and not allowing leg extension in order to complete a kick. They also practiced jumps backwards that opened up room for a kick to be landed.

They practiced flying jumps too. These were jumps where someone ran and then jumped with that running start used as momentum. Nya loved these and had a really good time practicing them. They were more like her natural ability to pounce or leap down on prey in the ambush style hunting her people normally preformed in the wild. They learned how to jump at a point that ensured your attack struck their target with proper focus, not being too far away or two close. Nya landed on her rear more than once by applying too much enthusiasm to her jump and not allowing enough distance for a kick or punch in the air to land properly. Calroon was a bit rough with her in this, but she loved it nonetheless, learning the jumps eagerly, and each time she got knocked down sitting quietly until he told her exactly why she failed. By the time the lesson was half over, she was understanding more about jumps, their parts, and how to break them down so they worked better for her. She was even smiling a bit, which was rare for her in those last days of lessons.

Abashai got the same treatment, though Calroon wasn't as rough with him nor did he make him sit absolutely still before he would answer Abashai's questions. The day progressed from jumps to spins, and soon they were combining what they'd learned all through the last few days with a whole host of skills.

Spinning was fun too, but it wasn't nearly as easy for Nya as the jumping had been. "When spinning, spin the upper body first, then the lower body. This establishes a balance in your body by storing energy thats in the twist so it may be released into the kick. The head spins first, then the shoulders and arms, then the torso, then the hips, and lastly the legs. " Nya was reminded of when she was really small and her mother had taught her how to dance a little, the spinning walk that kept her head locked on a target, then she'd twist, relock onto the target, and twist, then relock onto the target... until she was moving faster and faster and faster, her body spinning smoothly, but her head twisting, locking, and twisting again. She smiled at the memory and understood spinnings concept better, if only a little, so she could start practicing. Calroon barked more orders as they practiced, looking more like dancers than Ry'vata artists. "Keep your arms in tight as you spin so you may spin quicker. If you extend your arms, you'll slow the spin. The secret to spinning is to stay upright and keep your arms and legs in tight until the last moment when they extend for an attack." He said with a grin, then demonstrated. He also showed them how some spins required the spin to stop in mid-stride and pile on some other techniques along with them to add force and lethalness. Spin kicks were like this, with a heel kick being especially lethal due to the hard bone coming in contact violently with a target.

Calroon also taught them that starting an attack at the same time as a spin, or slightly before, would slow the spin and disrupt the balance if the food or hand moves outward too much.... plus it told the enemy what they were doing. Instead, he taught them to launch the attack at the last possible moment to maximize the power of the spin and to surprise their enemy.

Nya and Abashai practiced well into the evening, sometimes on each other, sometimes on Calroon until he nodded and called a halt to the training. Nya thanked him profusely, told him how much she'd enjoyed it, and paid him his fee for the teaching, 50 mizas a piece. Then she smiled at Abashai, and was ready to head... home... or home.

[Cayenne]

This was a fantastic thread, and I very thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Absolutely wonderful writing, both of you, and wonderful characterization and interaction. Very detailed, very intensive. I hereby award both Nya Winters 4 XP and Abashai 3 XP in Hand to Hand Combat - Ry'Vata