Forewarned (BEING REWRITTEN)

Sauron's Eyes Are on Me

>(UGH ITS TAKEN OVER TWO WEEKS FOR ME TO UPDATE? What is wrong with me? A lot of things. Sorry guys I'm gonna be busy for a little longer but THANK YOU SO MUCH for everyone who will still put up with me even though I take soooo long. Bear with me, I have a plot in mind AND I'm sorry that this one isn't longer! It should be because I took so long to update!)

The next week was so much fun.

After I was done working out and doing chores (and evading that stupid goat), I was free to do whatever I wanted. Which was usually to practice my shadow skills.

Cakes, tarts, even coffee went missing from the kitchen. Nobody ever knew why. Caedmon was just getting tubbier. Oh well, he's cute when he's fat. Which comes in handy because one time he was caught in a pan of lasagna, his butt on the dish and licking his paws. But when he looked at the lunch lady with those big purple eyes, she sighed and kissed his little forehead before escorting him out.

Me and Avery spied around during our own little training periods. Sometimes we went to the training room to watch the commanding officers practice their combat skills. I'd have to say my favorite to watch was General Landin. Most days we would see Mrs. Geier practice her kickboxing which was pretty gross because she'd take off her shoes to do so, showing off her gnarly old lady feet. The forest dragon Rider I came to know as Adrian (but everyone called him Colonel Piffer) would sometimes come. He was wicked with darts, and liked to do fancy twists and turns in between thrusts, his body twisting and cavorting as if he were in some sort of ancient dance.

But General Landin's training was the coolest because he would do it with Mardu.It was a fight of fists. A test of agility, of speed. I watched in fascination as General Landin would stand there in just sweatpants, staff in hand. His torso was rippling in muscle and a beautiful golden tattoo raced up his left bicep, swirling at his every move and sliding over his skin as if it were alive. He would start out by slowly shifting from foot to foot, eyes closed as he held the staff in front of him between his hands. I would barely be able to see a flicker of light before he had whirled around to face Mardu, who had a wooden sword arcing through the air. Bam! The blade would cross against Landin's staff at a quick flick of the Rider's wrist.

Mardu would start out slow, then go faster and faster. At some points, it seemed like there was almost two Mardus because he was flashing in and out of existence so fast, swinging that sword with a vengeance, wood snapping and creaking like the sound of a machine gun. General Landin moved incredibly fast, his staff a blur to my eyes as his golden eyes hardly strayed from Mardu. It was like nothing else in the world existed for those two.

Sometimes Mardu would get him. A smack of flesh and a grunt and sometimes Landin would stumble forwards. One time Mardu accidentally dealt a nasty blow to the back of his head. No words were spoken as Landin winced in pain, holding his smarting head with his hands, but I could see the tenderness in Mardu as he fetched some ice for his Rider and they shuffled out, golden eyes lowered.

I thought about how crazy it would look to people who couldn't see Mardu. It would be like General Landin was fighting invisible people. Still cool though.

All throughout the next couple days, I practiced a few tricks on Jonathan and the other punks that had bullied me at first. Tripped them by sticking out a leg from the shadows. Tied their combat boot shoelaces together while they were standing still. You know, the classics that were actually quite hilarious.

I admit the next day I took things a little too far.

In break time, I snuck down the halls where the instructor's rooms were. Caedmon was curled around my neck like a fat lizard scarf, his eyes half lidded because I had woken him from his nap. I passed Mrs. Geier's door, a scientist's, the medics, then finally came to General Landin's. His door had a plant situated by the door, the vine crawling up a small ladder, blooms spreading towards the light of the sun streaming through the window behind me.