Robbin

35. Demon Training

Robbin threw the stupid seed away.

"I'm going to train you both to resist a demon attack," he told them through clenched teeth next moonrise. He was tired of looking for reasons not to look at Terra. He had seen Jake kiss her. It was over.

Jake challenged Robbin's decision and Robbin felt a wave of anger come over him. "The last time a demon followed us you were practically possessed: I'm training you, and that's all there is to it. Training starts after moonset."

He didn't know why he picked moonset, he just did. It didn't comfort him at all that Terra barely spoke to Jake the entire day.

She asked Robbin that night how the training would start, practically giddy with excitement, and he growled that she merely had to memorize a phrase, irritated at her enthusiasm. "Demons dream but don't deny, they don't dare dream of butterflies."

He could hear her crying after the flames of the fire died away. He saw Jake approach her after they thought he had fallen asleep. He apologized for the night before, asking her if she was alright. Robbin didn't know what Jake apologized for, but Terra croaked that she was and the next morning Robbin found them sleeping close together. He feigned sleep until they woke and separated, irritated that Jake's apology had worked.

"You have to recite the phrase fifty times. Once you pass four times, you win," Robbin announced (demanded, really).

"And what if we don't want to win?" Jake challenged once more, unwisely.

"Then I assume you don't fear demons as much as you should," Robbin hoped his voice sounded menacing. "Resisting a demon attack requires two things: recognizing it's in your mind, and learning to block out the distraction it will create. Unfortunately, I can't really help you with the first tactic. I can, however, with the second... Oh, and you have to pass four times... in a row. You ready?" He couldn't make the words not sound intimidating.

Two hundred times. They had to recite the phrase two hundred times.

"What's the catch?" Terra asked quietly.

Robbin smiled. "If you lose count, then you lose. If you mess up your phrasing, you lose. Thirdly, it has to be recited out loud."

Jake and Terra eyed eachother. Robbin didn't like this either.

"This is easy, I'll pass the first time," Jake huffed.

***

Terra followed his lead. Demons dream but don't deny, they don't dare dream of butterflies. Demons dream but don't deny, they don't dare dream of butterflies. It wasn't too bad blocking out Jake's voice, after all, he was saying the same thing. She mixed up the phrasing once and quickly started over, but suddenly Robbin's voice presented itself into the mix.

"DEMONS DREAM BUT DON'T DENY, THEY DON'T DARE DREAM OF BUTTERFLIES," he recited loudly and painfully slowly, "DEMONS DREAM BUT DON'T BUTTERFLY, THEY DON'T DARE... wait... oops." He feigned confusion and they both shot him a dirty look.

"You failed," Robbin barked at Jake.

"This isn't even necessary, there won't be any demons in the wolf territory," Jake mumbled as he stumbled over a rock.

"Start over," Robbin commanded gruffly.

Terra lost count at twenty-nine and started over once again. When she reached fourty-five Robbin suddenly picked a piece of grass and blew an annoying horn. When they frowned at him once more in unison, he muttered, "haven't you ever heard a demon shriek before? It's much louder than that."