Chapter 89: Training Grounds.
As they neared the training grounds, Emira could already feel the energy and aggression and her wolf seemed to become interested too. Seeing her eager expression, Ryn glanced sideways at her. "First time seeing warriors train?"
"Yes," Emira admitted. In the Moonville Pack, there was nothing like training warriors. The Moonville wolves fought dirty and fought for taking lives. Even though most wolves would frown upon using silver against their own kind, her previous pack had no such inhibitions.
On the other hand, she had heard many travellers mention how fierce the Stormhold Wolves were. And then she’d seen them first hand in motion when rescuing the Omegas. They’d cleaned the entire scene within thirty minutes... And they’d even been able to visit the Ruins and return undetected. It showed how well they were trained.
"You’ll like it," Ryn said with a shrug that was half casual, half proud. "Stormhold has some of the best fighters. But word of warning, they don’t hold back in practice either, so if you’ve got a weak stomach, look away when someone hits the dirt."
Emira hummed softly in acknowledgment. She had no intention of looking away. Watching how warriors trained might give her a sense of where she stood, and what she needed to become stronger.
As they walked, Ryn kept talking and Emira realized she actually did not mind the chatter as it was more information about the pack, "The training grounds are always buzzing. You’ll see the warriors, but also trainees, some Omegas who want to learn to fight, even if it’s just for self-defence. Don’t let anyone tell you Omegas can’t train; we can."
"It is actually one of the best things about being in this pack. There is no harm in knowing how to throw someone twice your size, and it does not leave us vulnerable in case of an attack. So, basic training is compulsory for all members of the pack. And then optional."
Emira narrowed her eyes! Prince Zen had deceived her. She’d thought that it would not be easy to agree someone to train her and thus readily agreed to his conditions, so that he would train her in combat in return! That manipulative bas*ard! Only now she was starting to understand, behind that smile and laid back attitude, was a hunter of the top kind!
He’d sell her and then make her help him count the money! She really needed to be super careful about him...
"We’re almost there," Ryn announced after a moment. She pointed ahead where the trees began to thin and a wide open field came into view, "Ready?"
Emira nodded, though her pulse had started to quicken. She was more than ready!
Just before they reached the edge of the clearing, Ryn suddenly stopped, causing Emira who had been pulled along to almost stumble. She turned to the cheerful girl and blinked, surprised as she found her expression replaced. As if she’d seen something nasty. And then Ryn, the sweet looking girl let out a curse....that would have made the nastiest of Moonville men blush...
Guarded, Emira looked around the place, trying to think of what would cause such a reaction and asked. "What happened?"
Ryn looked like she wanted to say something but changed her mind. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. "It’s nothing..." she said eventually, though it didn’t sound convincing.
Emira frowned. "Ryn?"
For a moment Ryn didn’t answer. She stared toward the open field where voices and the sound of fighting carried through the trees. Then she let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping just a little.
"Just that..." she started, but stopped again. Finally, she shook her head and gave a quick, uneven laugh. "Forget it. Let’s just go. Some things can’t really be avoided."
Emira tilted her head, confused. Ryn had been so cheerful and talkative before. Now, she seemed... guarded and reluctant
"Are you sure?" Emira asked quietly, unable to understand the extreme reaction.
"Yeah." Ryn gave a small shrug and started walking again, but her steps weren’t as light as before. "You’ll find out soon enough."
That didn’t sound comforting at all.
Emira followed, curiosity and unease mixing inside her. Burt whatever she had expected of the combat training of the Stormhold Pack, she had not imagined this...
The training grounds were nothing like what she had imagined. She had thought there might be a few people sparring, maybe some wolves running drills. But this... this looked like chaos.
Wolves in their beast forms prowled and lunged at each other, teeth flashing white as they snapped and dodged. Low, warning growls rolled through the air like thunder. Some clashed so fiercely that the sound of their bodies hitting the ground made the earth tremble under her feet.
Nearby, the werewolves in human form fought in pairs or small groups. They moved fast and with precision, their fists and feet striking in real not avoiding real hitting. Emira winced as one of the men, almost broke the other one’s nose, sending him sprawling to the floor... Only for the werewolf to let out a low scream, push his nose back in place as if it was not a big deal and then charge towards the man....
She was sure that this was the height of combat but then her eyes turned to another group and Emira was sure that her eyeballs were probably bulging from shock right now...
One group was fighting blindfolded. Thick black cloth covered their eyes, yet they moved with sharp confidence, listening, reacting to sounds and shifts in the air. Yet another set had one arm tied behind their backs while they sparred. Some had one leg bound so they had to hop or find ways to keep balance while still striking.
It looked brutal, but it made sense- they were training to fight and survive even if injured or amputated.
A shiver ran down Emira’s spine. This was preparing for any situation, no matter how hopeless it seemed.
She turned around slowly, taking it all in - the noise, the heat, the smell of sweat and dirt and wolf. If she had stumbled onto this clearing without knowing what it was, she would have thought she had walked straight into a real battle.
Her wolf stirred inside her, ears pricking with interest. It wasn’t scared. If anything, it was alert and... excited. Emira’s heart picked up the same rhythm. She had never seen anything like this. It was raw, fierce, and alive.