The Twelfth Moon || ✔️

50. Swift Moon pt. 3

"So, why will I be trained with a sword, out of all the weapons possible?" I asked, munching on a piece of bread.

Jerr and I had sat down for our lunch, agreeing it'd be wise to let our legs rest for a bit. We were both resting against some trees, facing each other as we were eating and talking.

"I wasn't exactly keen on walking around with wooden axes," he shrugged.

"Fair. But why not something smaller, like daggers?"

Jerr looked up at me from his bread, his intense green stare focused on me. "Why would you want a smaller weapon?"

"I don't know. Wouldn't it be easier to train me with that?"

"It might be," Jerr said, finishing his piece of bread. "But with daggers, it's also easier for a better-trained opponent to get close to you. Swords at least keep some distance between you and your rival."

"That makes sense," I admitted. "But daggers would have looked impressive."

I tried imagining myself on a battlefield, facing whatever enemy our Moon would throw at me, pulling out a pair of embezzled daggers from behind my back. As fast as the daggers would appear, they would slice my foe open into pieces, leaving me victorious over a wounded, dying body, all the while, throwing another one at a second, approaching villain.

It was like an action scene of the books I read, although I was sure those skills weren't as easy or natural as described in the different fantasy worlds.

"A real battle is nothing like a book," Jerr confirmed. "Also remember to still keep your thoughts in line. Just because we're having a lunch break, doesn't mean you should completely let go of everything."

"Sorry," I mumbled. "Have you ever seen one? A real battle, I mean."

"Hmm," he nodded. "As a Beta to a powerful Alpha, I've seen a lot of things. Although nothing will prepare me - any of us - for the war that is coming."

I gulped at the thought of war. It was inevitable, with the tension between two powerful packs exploding. Both looking to hurt each other, and neither caring about the collateral damage that would follow. "Do you think it's coming soon?"

Jerr nodded as his gaze floated off in the distance. "Yeah," he sighed. "It's about time all of this is over."

"Sometimes I wonder if war is the solution to this situation," I contemplated.

"What would you suggest, then? A truce?" His voice was soft, lacking the judgment his words were insinuating.

I shook my head, finishing my last bite of bread. "A truce would never work. Not with what has happened already. But a challenging maybe, somehow limit the war between the Alphas."

"That would never work, either. The hate between the packs runs too deep." Before I could ask if he knew exactly where that mutual hatred stemmed from, Jerr got up and ordered me to do the same. "We'll work on your footwork and balance for a short while before we continue."

I got up as well, leaving the soft underground, covered in fallen leaves, as Jerr handed me one of the swords.

"This isn't as heavy as a real sword," he said, playfully juggling his wooden stick. "But it's good to start, and to get you the basic feel of sword fighting."

"You don't trust me with a real sword, do you?" I teased. I mimicked him and tried juggling the sword, but instead of catching it with my left hand, I felt a hard stump on my foot.

"I barely trust you with this one," he laughed.

Embarrassment filled my face when I had to bend down, to pick up my sword. Just by that failed action alone, I knew this wouldn't be nearly as easy as my favorite book characters made it out to be. "Let's pretend that never happened," I mumbled.