“We have to learn how to fall before we can learn how to throw each other,” Katherine said. William couldn’t help but look at Nicolas for the man’s reaction. “I took a few months of Tae-kwon-do when I was younger.” Katherine looked at Nicolas. “In a day or two you’ll be thanking Efraim for spending this much time teaching us how to do this stuff correctly, otherwise Aceso or Achelois might have to spend all their time with us healing us because we were unsafe towards each other.”
Nicolas scoffed at the notion. “I didn’t think fighting was supposed to be safe.”
No one answered this retort. They found their way back to the training room and Efraim was there waiting for them. “And here I thought I was going to have to send out a search party for you pups.” Efraim motioned the group inside and directed them to the back of the room. “All right, let’s see how much you remember. Tumbling, across the room, go.”
The group began their tumbling and only once did William lose his momentum. He had to correct himself as once again his body weight came down on all the wrong places, crushing his neck.
All four of them reached the far wall at about the same time. William unfolded himself and stood up. Everything had gone a lot better than it had this morning all for that one slip up.
“It’s nice to know that you all are feeling more confident and proud of yourselves.” Efraim wasn’t smiling and his tone was anything but light. “What I am teaching you here is a fighting style called Krav Maga. I learned it in my home country and used it to train the werewolves in my original home, the City under the Sand.” Efraim looked at each of them in turn. Nobody dared to look anywhere else except straight ahead. “I am not teaching you a martial art. You will not take part in any competitions and there will never be any points for blows landed.” Efraim turned and gestured to the room around him. “I have incorporated some martial arts techniques over my long years of experience but do not make the mistake of thinking you are learning an art form.” He turned back around and walked within a pace or two of the young pack. “I am teaching you to survive and to defend yourself against things that would like nothing better than to see us as a species wiped out. Do I make myself clear?”
All four of them nodded without hesitation. Efraim looked back and forth between them. “Good. Now let’s see how well you’ve learned how to fall. William you’re with Nicolas, Katherine you take Charles. Let’s start with a simple hip toss and some basic grapple moves.”
For the rest of the day the four spent their time throwing each other over their backs and punching each other on the ground. Nicolas was surprisingly light considering that he was not slim. William knew that his muscles were all mass and very little substance but the weight of Nicolas was amazing. He couldn’t shake the image of a balloon in his head. He wondered if Nicolas would pop if he stuck him with a needle.
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William was a little shocked to see how fast Nicolas picked up the grappling moves. He had trouble with the throws, but on the ground, he was fairly competent. William couldn’t help but feel that he had misjudged Nicolas a little bit.
After hours of being hurled through the air and trying to perfect the landing techniques of the morning the four were allowed to break once more for dinner. They were given thirty minutes this time, and William wondered if it was part of a progression thing and that the fifteen-minute breakfast was all part of training or if Efraim did have a heart after all.
William looked over at Nicolas who was rotating and rubbing at his shoulder that he had landed on hard a few minutes ago. “You did really good back there, Nicolas. I think you handled the grappling stuff better than I did.”
Nicolas stopped his arm with it straight in the air. “Don’t patronize me. I’m not in the mood.”
“I was trying to give you a compliment.” William didn’t say anything else. He didn’t bother to look at Charles or Katherine either. William walked in silence with his eyes glued to the street in front of him.
Nobody else spoke as they walked together in perfect silence. As they neared the cafeteria William heard a soft voice say with a slight edge to it, “Thanks.” William didn’t look around and he didn’t acknowledge the statement one way or another.
They entered the cafeteria and got their food. Dinner was a generous slab of beef with some form of sweet potato casserole, green beans, and corn bread muffins. The hot food and the smell made William’s stomach growl and his mouth water. Ignoring the sounds of conversation and noise that washed over them they sat down and tore into their food.
They were able to finish their meal before having to get up and go back to the training building. William felt comfortably full, and he wished that there would be nothing too strenuous left in their day. The thought of his warm bed was intoxicating, and he could use a full night’s sleep.
When they got back to the training building Efraim had no plans of letting them go. Almost immediately the black haired, brown eyed, tanned skinned combat master put them through the most rigorous sets of pushups, sit ups, crunches, pull ups, squats, leg lifts and things that William couldn’t even name, he had ever been put through.
When they were finally allowed to go home there was not a single spot on William’s body that didn’t hurt. His abs were on fire, his arms were rubber, and his legs had trouble carrying his weight. The four stumbled out of the building and went their separate ways. Efraim told them that a messenger would be sent to get them in the morning so they didn’t have to worry about waking up on their own. William immediately saw this as a double-edged proposition. But his tired body was in no shape to prepare itself properly for an early morning wake up. He stumbled up the ramp to his room and was barely able to pull off his clothes before he collapsed onto his bed. He yanked the thick furs over his tired, sore body and was asleep before the ceiling crystals had a chance to dim themselves completely.