Nega sighed as she stood with the other Trainers, some doing this for years, others new like her, as they all were watching and assigned pup to train. She too, was to recieve her first pup today. The one she'd be looking over for the next three months to teach how to survive in the Tribe.
Aeris help them both.
She'd trained others before, but never one on one. Sleet had sort of counted, but not really. All she'd done was look after him when Stoen looked ready to strangle the kid. This was going to be so different, and though she wasnted it, was a little pensive on the whole subject.
She smiled at the thought of her new husband, lightly touching the silver earing in her ear. It was the closest either one of them had been willing to risk for rings. Even those in Tribe who didn't know what marraige was would have quickly picked up on something, and she was not going to endanger Sleet that way, or herself.
The crowd of pups were thinning, and she saw Racker approach her, a gray rat in tow.
"What's his name?" she asked the Assesser rat.
She looked him over.
"You'll do," she stated finally and turned her back to him. "Follow me."
She walked along the trail, watching the others disperce in their own directions.
"You'll call me Nega, I'm not a male and I'm certainly not a Ma'am, so my name will work fine," she said, not looking back at him. "I want to know exactly where your skills are, so they're will be some tests before I start trying to break you into anything too serious."
She stopped when she reached a wide cave and walked inside, happy to see it was empty save for the torches she'd set up ealier. Turning back to him, she frowned and noted he had no weapon harness.
"Wrench, tell me how many weapons you have right now," she ordered.
"None, I'm a trainee, you haven't issued me any yet. But I can shoot a medium sized rifle, a number of handguns and use knives." he smiled. "Are you sure I call you Nega? It doens't sound right. Miss." He said looking around the big room. faintly wondering what it's use is.
"Fine," she stated. "Miss will work if it makes you feel comfortable. And you're wrong by the way," she said as she stepped closer to him. She gave no warning before she grabbed the back of his neck and shoved her fist into his stomach, not hard enough to damage him, but hard enough to be sure he'd be sore for a day or two.
"Fists," she stated as she stepped back to let him catch his breathe. "Claws, teeth, legs, hell even your tail can be used to fight with. Your whole body is a weapon and you're never going to be unarmed when I'm finished instructing you. There are times, a lot of times, when the hit won't go the way it's suppose to. It's not rare to end up fighting for your life and not the paycheck. When that happens, and trust me it will, you need to know that you can fight no matter what. Do you understand?"
Winded he looked up at her, still slightly doubled over and rubbing his middrift. "Yes Miss Nega." He winced. "Body is a weapon.. hits can go wrong. Uhm.. do you mean on a job hit Or a fighting punch hit?" He asked curiously standing up straight, moving slightly away from her incase she got the bright idea to punch him again.
"Hits for the job," she answered. She looked at him evenly. "Wrench, I just hit you. Didn't you think to defend yourself?" She smirked. "I want you to come at me. Don't worry about hurting me. You're not nearly good enough to, so put your all into it. When I'm finished mopping the floor with you, I'll tell you what you did wrong."
He looked at her like with a blank expression. "You're my trainer." He pointed out. "Do I need to defend myself against you?"
He paused sizing her up. "Just like that you want me to take a running lunge and try to beat you up? No first date?" He smriked slowly circling her before running at her and attempted to put her in a head lock.
Smirking she ducked and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back and shoved him harshly against the wall.
"You're an assasin, you won't take shit from anyone," she snarled. "If someone attacks you, you fight back. And don't you DARE ever tell me what you're going to do again. You work from shadows, surprise. DON'T brag, unless the punk you're after is already dead." She loosened her grip a little. "Why did you decided to become an assasin pup?"
"It sounded better than a ditch digger." He snipped sarcastically. "Owww let go" he begged, but she only loosened her hold. "please?" he added when she didn't.
"Alright, fine I want to be an assassin because I think it's really cool to kill someone from afar and never have to get dirty." he addmitted.
"Then you picked the right job," she stated. "For most of the time. There may be a point in your life when you do get dirty. Don't think this is easy. I'm smaller than you and I got you in less than a second. But you're not dead yet. What do you think you can do to let go?"
She twisted his arm further.
"Better think fast."
"OW!" Wrench yelped pathetically pushing up against her to alleviate the pain, his tail lashing wrapping around her feet trying to rope them together, he squirmed harder, pressing back against her more to disballance them. Hopefully he'd land on top.
Her feet jerked out from underneeth her, casuing her to fall backwards with him landing on top of her. Grunting she drove her elbow into his stomach and rolled him off of her, drawing her gun and fixing it into his temple.
"Wrong, but not bad," she stated, a little out of breathe as she looked down at him. "The best thing to do would have use your tail to grab my gun and try to use it one me. Always remember that my weapon can always become yours in a second. Kncoking me off balace with your tail was good too though, but I'm more use to fighting against people hand-to-hand than you are and you lost your footing too. Don't comprimse you're position unless you have to. Though techincally you got out of the hold, so you pass. Congrats."
She smiled.
"Want to get something to eat pup? The demonstration is over for now.
He stared at the gun at his head. "Only if it isn't hot lead.. I could go for a bite." He grinned sheepishly.
"Don't compromise my possition, your weapons can become mine... you got really boney elbows!" he winced slowly moving his hand to his chest, Once the gun was off his temple.
She smirked.
"Don't worry," she stated simple. "I won't kill you off on your first day in training. There is always someone better, and I won't penalize you for not being better than me. I do expect you to make strides to that gola though. That will determine not only if you pass, but if you can make it in Tribe. Always strive to be better, always try to pass as many as you can and keep them from passing you."
"be better, be the best, kill as many to get to the top and kill to stay there." He nodded. "Right okay." Getting off the floor he brushed himself off. "So ahhh... I'm going to be better than you when I pass?" He smiled. "I'll be taller by then." he grinned waiting for her to move to the exit, he wasn't going in front of the gun. No way.
She turned to him and smirked.
"Kid, you may be trying to become an assassain, but let me tell you something, killing isn't always the answer," she replied. "Only do what is needed to survive. Don't strike when you can talk, don't hurt when you can strike, don't damage when you can hurt, don't maime when you can damage, don't kill when you can maime. And don't kill unless it is absolutely neccisary. Do the miminum it takes to stay alive, and you'll save a lot of energy... Not to mention you might need that person later on for something."
"But shouldn't we kill when the job calls for it?" He asked following her out to the messcave. "Otherwise wouldn't letting them go not get us paid?" He considered her words. "Why would we need someone later on for something?" the gravel cunched under his boots.
"Killing a target yes," she stated. "That is neccisary to survie. You get paid to kill, you need the money to eat. Simple logic really. The people who you may need later are those of Tribe. Don't kill just to make sure they won't catch up to you or get ahead of you in rank. You may need them later. Besides, it'll make you lazy in the long run, just worry about working on yourself for now. Of course you have to pass training before you worry about your rank or anything else."
"Ohhh, yeah well... I can see that I mean its better to go by the rungs until your ready to take out the top and then keep your possition secure, thats what's your saying right? Don't just shoot them because.. other tatics can work too. Whatever you don't have to escalate to? Okay I understand that." He grinned catching on.
"Good," she said with a nod. "You're a fast learner."
She moved to get some food and a drink, settling herself down she applied a liberal amount of sauce to her food and began eating.
"You'll be living with me in my cave of course," she told him. "I'll show you everything you need to know, teach you how to handle yourself. I'll see what I can do about getting a job lined up for us a few weeks down the line." She looked at him suddenly. "Have you ever been outside of Tribe or Nursary territory? Ever?"
He set down their drinks. "Out side? Oh no, we're not allowed out side, unless you want to get shot.. or worse." He dropped his voice leaning forward. "Jenner gets you." He glanced around. Sitting up he began to talk normal. "I heard stories but thats about all. I expect its a lot like here right?" He asked eating without any sause.
She laughed. She couldn't help it.
"Nothing like it," she informed him. "This place has rules that some people don't understand. I guess you may not know, but I'm actually an Outsider. I came to Tribe, so I know more about whats out there than most here. We'll get you a gun first, and I want you to have a knife too. I am going to take you out tonight, and make sure you have proper equipment. I don't like the quality of what they assign here. Seen too many hands."
She leaned foward.
"You wanna go kid?"
"you're the outsider?" His eyes widened. He didn't know if he should be happy about getting her or worried she'd screw up his chances, it all balled up into a back corner of his mind. "Will you?" He grinned excitedly. "Oh Wow! do I!" he leaned forward. "Thank you miss Nega!" he chirpped, his voice breaking. He winced flushing in embarassment. He cleared his throat. His pride and excitment ebbing.
"Relax kid," she said with a small smile. "Glad to do it for you. East up and we'll ride in on my bike."
She went back to her food, pondering.
"I'll take you to my cave first and you can drop off any stuff you have, clothes, bags, I already cleared a locker for you. Also, my mate, Sleet lives there, so you can meet him too if he's there. We share a bed, so you shouldn't need a cot. Good for you, since those things are only slightly better than the floor and I stress the slightly."
"A mate?" He tilted his head. "Okay.. I haven't slept on a cot before." He admitted. "Thank you." He smiled polishing his plate off and licking it clean. He drained his glass too. "Uhm Miss Nega, if you're an outsider how come they're letting you train.. ah not to be insulting or anything." he grinned sheepishly.
She snorted.
"If you can kill two people before you die, than you have done your job as a killer. Any number higher than that and it's just for proving how good you are. I've lost count of the jobs I've pulled. I was working before your age, and I'm not even the best here. I'm good, but Tribe needs to know I'm also worth it. They want me to pass on something of me for their benefit, and for now children are out of the question, so I'm doing this."
He reguarded her quietly. "Well... that makes sence I mean thats the whole point of the Canyon Tribe. Is to pass on knowledge to others, blood mostly but... yeah okay. Can we go see your cave now?" He asked standing up. "Are you done eating?" He slowly reached for her plate watching her hands in case she deceided to stick a knife in his. Who'da thought a trainer could be so unperdicable.
She swatted his hand away.
"Kid, your my trainee, not my servant," she said as she stood and took her own plate and cup. "I can carry my own things. Come on, let's go."
She led the way to where the drop off was, dumping her dished and waited for him to do the same.
He did blinking in amazedment at the independance of his trainer. "I was told trainees take care of messages and dishes and cleaning for their trainer." He said following her down the trails. The cold wind blowing against his gray fur.
"Most of them, yes," she said even as she led him to her cave. "But I'm an Outsider, so my being different works out in your favor for this. I won't tell you to do a single thing I am unwilling to do myself. I'm independent, and I'll treat you with respect. All I expect you to do if do show the same curtesy to a Trainee when you get one."
She walked inside, looking around.
"Sleet, you here?"
Arbiter
"This is Wrench, He's yours to train in the ways of the Tribe." he said that as if it meant something behind the meaning.
Wrench looked at the runt. She didn't appear to be part of the Dark blood line. And she was a runt. He wasn't sure what was different but it was something.
"You'll be her first Trainee. Good luck." Racker pushed the gray pup with dark ears and tail to her.
Blinking back his surprized. Wrench nodded to her. "Hi.. uhm.. sir?" he grinned weakly.
"There are three things you can count on...."
"Your brains, your bros, and your bikes?" Vandal asked.
"No, Hunger, Thirst, and never a bathroom when you need it." Jacket grumbled.