The BlackWolf Effect (Book IV)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Military And Militia

The next full day was spent working with Timber. The first shot was fired and Timber had a full meltdown that required Henry to wrestle her to the ground and pin her down so she did not attack Grace. It took fifteen minutes to calm her down so she was ready to try again. Grace was sobbing from seeing her niece in such a horrified state and she needed just as long to calm herself so she could fire again. Luckily, Lord Avanti was there to oversee everything and to learn how to use a newer gun so he was able to help bring Grace back around.

As the day progressed, Timber's meltdowns became not only shorter but less intense. By three in the afternoon, Timber was able to stay calm and motionless while Grace emptied her revolver into the target. They had another hour remaining until they had to pick up Renegade from Day Care so Grace used the time to teach both Henry and Lord Avanti how to use a gun.

Lord Avanti had prior experience with firearms but he had not fired anything that held multiple bullets. Once he grew comfortable with the weapons, his aim was astounding. Henry took a little longer to get used to a gun. He had never worked with anything that had recoil. His aim was off for several shots but as he grew accustomed to the revolver, his aim improved until he was hitting the middle of target successfully like Lord Avanti and Grace.

Then they moved to the moving targets. Grace excelled in this as she had spent many childhood summers in the mountains squirrel and coon hunting. It took Lord Avanti and Henry several rounds of ammunition to hit the targets often enough to make them happy.

"Aunt Grace," said Timber, who was now able to watch the lesson in her human form, "Do all guns work the same?"

"The principles are the same but every gun fires differently," said Grace. "When your granddaddy taught me to shoot, we used his rifle. It's a drastic difference between a rifle and a revolver."

"I was thinking we could leave your gun at the armory overnight," said Timber. "They can lay out the blueprints for a replica. That way we only need to make one kind of bullet because everyone will be using the same kind of gun."

"You know, that's a great idea, Timber," said Henry.

"It'll be safe there?" asked Grace.

"I've left my sword there overnight," said Henry. "Not the one I keep in my cane. That's not my good sword. It's too light but it's all I could use after a full moon."

"Henry's good sword is pure silver with blue sapphires," said Timber. "He usually keeps it beside the bed. If he trusts them with Bellator, you're in good hands."

"Alright," said Grace. She handed her gun over to Lord Avanti who took it carefully in the direction of the Keep. She then turned to Henry. "Bellator?"

"It means warrior," said Henry. "Lord Frost gave it to me when I turned sixteen for completing my training and defeating him in combat. I'm still convinced I only won because he held back."

"I think you won because you are physically stronger," said Timber.

"That's not true," said Henry. "You saw what he took down during the last war. Size and strength are not a problem with him. He's too skilled and too knowledgeable about his opponents."

"You won because you tricked me," said Lord Frost, coming up to them. "You made it appear as though you were going to hit me in the stomach with the sheath. Instead, you had your sword to my neck. It was something I had never seen and therefore did not expect. It showed superior creativity and it impressed me which is truthfully difficult to do on the battlefield. That is why I gave you Bellator."

"See," said Timber smugly. "I told you that you're amazing."

"Not to change the subject, but can we go see Renegade now? I'm leavin' tomorrow evenin' and I want to snuggle him all I can tonight," said Grace.