It feels like it's been a little over a week since I left Master.
"Are you going out to… train?" Hewlett asks with a sneeze.
"Yeah," I answer, looking for clothes to wear around the room. Hewlett said he gets flu easily. The dust from the underground floor must've gotten—
"Get down here before I get up there!" Brother Sabantu hollers.
"I'm on my way," I let out. My walk turns into a rush. I pick a black vest and a long black short with blue patterns, wear them and run downstairs.
"Took you long enough. Were you… never mind, just go to Father," Champo says as I reach the bar floor. "He's already gone without you." Not this again. I jump over the counter. Brother Sabantu can't be serious about this. I'm too hungry to run.
I finally reach the underground floor. "Well, if it isn't the black lycan who thought coming late to the training sessions they signed up for was a good idea," Brother Sabantu says. I don't remember signing up for this though… "Don't you just stand there! A deal's a deal." What deal? "For coming here as late as you did, you'll have to run a lap around this room."
"But I wasn't even as late as you say I was. I saw you make the sand chair you're sitting on."
"Sounds like three laps to me," Brother Sabantu says. I should've stayed home. "Any time today Yori, I have to start training you." I start to jog around the entire room. Three times.
"How is this not part of the training again?" If I look exhausted during the last lap, he might cancel this all together. Then again this is Brother Sabantu we're talking about. "I'm done."
"Because I said it wasn't," Brother Sabantu answers as he walks towards me, disassembling the chair he sat on. "You could've gone two more laps if you continued pretending to be tired." I don't think I was that obvious. Haven't met a normal Brother from The Faith ever since I started this errand. Brother Sabantu stops a few steps away from me. "You're a black lycan. I've seen some-in my experience-run from the Southern Province, all the way up to Saalku and still have enough fight in them to bring down a city. So, I know you're not tired Yori." Bullshit—
I raise my right arm to guard. "What's up with this!" Brother Sabantu's fist is slowly pushing me back. I try to sweep down with a kick to his left leg.
Brother Sabantu pulls back his punch and slightly lifts leg up, my kick whooshes past. "This is combat training boy. You'll have to navigate through a battle on energy reserves that aren't full." He puts his leg back down. "I won't use my sand and you won't transform; these are the conditions." I've already tried, but I can't. My lycan side responds to malice more than anything. But Brother Sabantu…I'm still on guard but I can't read him at all.
He rushes at me with his right knee first. His body size doesn't match his movement.
Both my hands are out to block; left over right.
His knee rams into my palm. It's too strong to hold back.
The back of my right palm slams against my nose. I step back.
Blood drips from my nose.
I quickly flip back. I need more space to see him.
My left!
I jump up with a high left kick aiming for the right side of his head.
Brother Sabantu slides down, dodging it.
My landings off, but I rotate back to kick his gut with my right leg—
"Arrghh!" This feels like he's trying to hit my spine through my gut.
His kick sends me flying a few feet away. The ground stops my fall and I tumble around hard before using my claws to stop myself.
"Your skills are too human," Brother Sabantu points out. "Those idiots upstairs couldn't tell that I'm the one who held you down once you turned."
"I thought Champo's the one who held me down."
"Normally he could've," Brother Sabantu admits as he sets himself into a stance. I'm getting a headache from trying to read his moves. "Your instinct is what took over. If I hadn't stepped in you would've killed them."
The words Master couldn't bring himself to tell me. I'm dangerous. If I don't control this power before I get back on my errand, before I get back home, then I can't stay with Master. "This power inside of me won't be the reason I don't get to go home!" I get into my stance. Left foot forward, a steady breath. My right foot ready to launch me when I'll need it. My right arm raised to my chest with my palm facing the ground, my left arm; right above my left knee, the palm facing the ceiling. Lycan Dance. I'm ready.
Brother Sabantu's grey robe barely has a scratch on it. He blitzes to inches in front me. His right arm heading for my gut.
My right leg launches at full force.
Brother Sabantu immediately leans back. His uppercut goes off course.
My foot barely grazes the side of his face.
He follows with his left fist.
I fall on my back and flip away not without Brother Sabantu's fist grazing my forehead. I stand into a kneeling position with my arms on guard.
I can't keep up with his speed. Not after that hit to my gut and if I didn't heal fast enough, I would've passed out. Brother Sabantu is too strong. My hands won't stop shaking.
Brother Sabantu raises his right leg and stomps on the ground.
I jump back to avoid the tremor but he quickly rotates with a hammer fist.
He hits my guard. The bones inside my arms threaten to break as I fly into the wall.
I twist my body with everything I have until my feet stand against the wall. The aftershock pins me down in waves along with a severe headache. I pour whatever energy I have left into my legs and shoot myself at Brother Sabantu. He's fast but the speed I'm moving at right now, is enough to catch him off guard!