Hunters: The Dusk of the Hybrids

Chapter 7

After breakfast, I went outside to train people for battle. We decided last night that we were to train the children for defensive purposes only. I was training Adam and Cleo while Karly was training Mitch and Ruby. I chose the small clearing in the forest for my training grounds.

Once in the clearing, I saw that Adam and Cleo were practice fighting. I stood back to watch. Adam was stronger than Cleo but Cleo was fast.When together, they were great fighters but they were good separate too. Adam had Cleo pinned to the ground and Cleo was struggling to escape. Before Adam could 'kill' her, Cleo went limp. This took Adam off guard. Once his guard was down though, Cleo pushed up with her hind legs into her brother's stomach. Adam flew off of her and landed on his feet.

Cleo got up and ran behind her brother. She jumped up and clubs onto his back. Adam tried to fight her off but Cleo was smart and hit his blows away. I decided this was a hoot time to interfere.

"Adam, try to roll on the ground and put your opponent beneath you. That will knock their breath out from under them. Tell Cleo that to dodge that, she will have to jump off." I suggested.

Adam used sign language to tell Cleo what I told him and she nodded in reply. Adam then did as I suggested and Cleo jumped off before she got squashed.

"Good." I praised as I walked in the center of the clearing. "Now watch me. This is a good move if your cornered."

I went up to a corner of the clearing and put my back against a tree. I then grabbed the tree behind me with my claws and kicked in the stomach area of where two hybrids would be.

"You try." I told them, setting my claws off and brushing the palms of my paws on my pants while walking towards them.

Adam translated my words to Cleo before the siblings each went to a corner of the clearing and practiced the move. Cleo learned the move quickly while Adam was having trouble. He was kicking in the leg area.

"Try it on me." I offered, walking where his feet would reach me.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Positive." I answered.

He then took position and kicked right in my belly as hard as he could. He got me far enough away so that he would be able to run away if he had to.

"Good. Now try it again." I praised while dusting myself off.

We practiced that move a couple more times before both mastered it. I then taught them a new move. I taught them that if you were fighting someone stronger than you and you were pinned to the ground, then go limp like Cleo did. Your opponent would think you were dead and they would loosen their grip. Then you would either struggle free or push them off with your feet.

"That move has helped me more than once." I finished. "Now you try."

They each took turns being on the bottom and trying the move. They both got it quickly this time. We spent the rest of the morning practicing fighting moves then went inside the house for lunch.

"Adam, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked him as we walked inside.

"Sure." He answered. He told Cleo something before following me into the library.

"What is it?" He asked once the door was shut.

"Can you teach me how to do sign language so I can talk to Cleo?" I answered.

"Sure." He shrugged.

"Let's do that after lunch." I told him.

So we did. After we ate lunch, Adam told Cleo for me that she could go back to farming before we sat in the living room and Adam taught me how to do sign language. It took me until dinner to learn it. When Cleo walked in, Adam told her that she could talk to me too. We then sat down for dinner.

After dinner, Karly, Kyle, Chase, and I discussed our next move on the dragon hybrids.

"I think we should send the hawk hybrids to fly around the base so we could get an aerial view of the place." Kyle suggested.

"Great idea. We'll do that. Any more suggestions?" I agreed.

"Maybe we could send Paige into the base at night so she what's inside. She will blend in with the shadows better than any of us." Chase explained.

"That's risky. What if she gets caught?" Karly fretted.

"Then we send someone else in the morning to bring her back." I replied.

"Okay. So that's a go?" Karly questioned.

"Yes." I nodded. "Can you go get her and bring her here?"

"Sure." She sighed, walking out of the office.

"Is she looking for anything in particular?" Kyle asked once my sister left.

"Weapons, attack plans, anything that we could use to our advantage." I listed.

"What did you want me for?" Paige asked as she entered the office, Karly closing the door behind her friend.

"We need you to go to the dragon base and look for stuff that we could use as an advantage." Chase explained.

"If you get caught, we will bring you back in the morning." I added.

Paige nodded. "I'll do it." She agreed.

"You don't have to." Karly told her.

Paige turned to my sister. "I want to. There is a score I want to settle with them and I think that this is the time to do so." She growled.

"What did they do to you?" I asked, curious.

Paige looked at everyone before responding. "They killed my father."

"Who was you father?" Kyle asked.

Paige hesitated. "The president." She answered.