The Dry Lands ✔️ [TSS#1][BXB]

XII

"Why does everyone hate me here?"

"Come now, I don't hate you. Raen doesn't hate you and your father doesn't hate you. Everyone's happy yes?"

I let out a breath as I look up from where I was sitting on the ground. Malakei a few metres away from me with a sword in his hand as he practiced a few attack stances. I watched him for a few moments before looking back at the ground.

"Not everyone. I'm not happy." I mumble to myself. Glad that Malakei didn't hear it as he continued with his stances. I sighed as I look around the forest before us with a frown.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask him just as he is throwing down his sword and grabbing a water pouch discarded at his feet.

"We are training today."

He states after taking a mouthful of water. My eyes widen and he notices this, holding up his finger to point at me seriously.

"Yes." He insists. "If you run, I catch you and you don't want to do that because I will go harder on you with training, understand?"

I let out a whine as I roll my eyes, falling back onto the golden leaf covered ground.

"You will be hard on me anyways Mal. It's not fair when I can't really protect myself."

He taps my shoe with his and I look up at him to see him holding out a hand to me. No weapon in his hand as he smiles genuinely down at me.

"That is why we train today. I teach you to protect yourself."

I debate for a moment as I look up at his outstretched hand before taking it in mine. He pulls me up without effort and it's moments like this that I underestimate Malakei and how strong he really is.

After we walk over past the cascaded swords, he stops and turns to me, taking hold of my wrists as he looks down at my face seriously.

"Okay, we start with hands-" He holds up my wrists in front of him, almost blocking my vision from him.

"Hands are good to use during fist fights. Sometimes hands block better than shield." He moves my hands into a wall formation in front of my face, curling my fingers downward into fists.

"Watch."

He glances at me momentarily before he is aiming for my face and punching me. I flinch but keep my arms up as he hits my forearms repeatedly but not hard enough to hurt badly. He learned that from experience.

I look up at him as he throws mock punches at my wall formed arms before he stops and nods at me.

"Good but you need to watch my hands Keylin. I move them down and bam-" He moves his punches under my wall formed hands and pokes at my healing stomach. I frown, taking in what he says and nod silently at him. Fisting my hands tighter.

He nods and starts off hitting my arms. I watch him as he makes a move to go under and I bring my hands down to block him, smiling when I do only for him to bring his other hand up to curl along my jaw.

"Bam." He states with a smirk before pinching my cheek and I push him away with a frown.

"That was unexpected-"

"Life is unexpected." He snorts at me and I narrow my eyes at him, shaking off my hands.

"Watch Keylin." He states as he brings his hands up in a swing and I flinch thinking he was going to hit me but he doesn't. I open my eyes to see him punching air, ducking down to throw low punches and just by watching him I can see what he means. I can tell every move he is going to make just by the way he holds his arms and curls them back, whether he is going to punch low or high.