Fever Rising

Fever Rising Chapter 11

Chapter 11 Birdie Boot Camp-

I ran at it and jumped ready to shift but instead of paws landing on the ground my Nikes still clung to my feet.  ‘What the heck? Of course why would my powers work when I need to defend my only place I can call home now?’  As I muttered some choice words about birds I spotted an old sword carelessly left on the ground. I grabbed it while on my knees.  I stood up and spun to my enemy unsheathing the weapon all in a clean motion.  The sword felt good in my hands.  A nice balance and it was a good three and a half feet of pure steel.  Old lines where inscribed into the blade and sheath but it didn’t phase me from my purpose.  I sprinted towards the great beast.  Oddly enough it hadn’t moved from its spot.  He just sat there glaring at me with his blind eyes.  In a second I was within ten feet of it.  I lunged sword point inches away from the beak of my adversary.  Before I grew closer an iron fist threw me just about ten feet backwards.  I was hit in side of the face hard.   I glanced up to see the smiling face of Van looking down at me; fist still stiff in the air where the blow connected.  “He teacher…He friend.”  He stated simply. 

            “Dude, I think you broke something; something being my face.”  Now that I looked at the eagle he looked quite serene.  I’m positive now if I attacked him he wouldn’t have even resisted.   Van shrugged his shoulders and gave me a toothy grin.  “Sir, um eagle who are you exactly?”

            He looked down at me with eyes full of knowing and clarity.  “I am Gerod.  I mean you no harm little cub.  I did not wish to fight against your people in this war we have going on.  So, about 20 years ago when Van here was smaller then you I started to teach your people how to fight against the eagles.  Today is your first lesson” I was taken aback by how kind he seemed after I just tried to make chicken soup out of him, and also how he called me cub I’m a teenager after all! “Ok Gerod, um what are you going to teach me?” I took a step forward and stared back into his gaze.  His beak cracked into what could only be a smile “After breakfast; to fight.”

            After sitting around the fire which seemed like it could never die; eating hefty plates of some sort of cooked meat; and chatting with Eva I reluctantly headed back over to Gerod.  As I was walking to him all the others around the fire chuckled softly like they knew some sort of inside joke.  Those soft peaceful eyes looked completely different now.  From watching a couple war movies the eyes reminded me of a drill instructor.  “Alright young one I apologize if you hate me while I train you, but consider this my warning.”  With that a devilish smile appeared on his face.  “Shift youngling!”  His squawk echoed throughout the campsite.  I morphed on his command and before I could react he was flying down on me talons out stretched.  “Eagles way of going in for the kill!  Roll to avoid then pounce from behind to make bite to the throat.  I rolled away from him, but before I could pounce he backed off from me then shot into the air high above my feline sight could reach.  I saw a speck gradually growing bigger as the moments grew to minutes.  There in the sky I heard him yelling “Counter Dive-bombs with a side step then a lash to the wing!” I did what he was told with my claws sheathed to not draw any blood from him.  “You’re a fast learner little one but I don’t need a learner I need a warrior.  You also brought that to the table, but you need to be able to memorize all of this.  Do what I say and you might survive.”  Man isn’t he fun?

            After another two hours of Birdie Boot Camp I got to join my friends.  Dylan looked like a complete wreck.  His eyes were sunken in his head and his face pale.  The Stub of what used to be his arm now was all scabbing over attempting to heal the dismembered wound.  Angelica looked no better; the others tried to get her to talk but she would only murmur a few words before the others gave up.  I reach for a stick with meat on the end poised over the flames.  I tore into the meat famished from the entire constant battle maneuvers.  Then I heard shouting between two of the warriors I think Eva introduced me to them this morning.  Ah- there names were Joel and Jack.  Cousins if I remembered, but they could’ve been identical twins.  Bleach blonde hair; big bones; tall and muscular; each of them had it with each other despite their similarities.  They were bickering about the last meat stick and someone started pushing.  It was like two toddlers fighting over a toy. 

            Finally, Joel’s fist connected with Jack’s face.  The two were punching and scratching until it became clawing and biting.  They were now fully shifted and both backed away and stared each other down.  They stood in a clearing facing each other teeth bared.  As if a gun sounded they sprinted towards each other simultaneously.  They leaped and collided mid-air crashing to the ground.  As they kept the brutal fighting going out from his tent the huge lion still in lion form strode out from his tent.  As he walked towards the fighting everyone cleared him a path.  He stopped In front of the tow eyeing up the situation.  Faster then my eye could see his paw smacked Joel right in the muzzle.  Jack got up and grinned but got a paw coming down like a hammer to his nose.  “Boys, I swear the next time I catch you fighting you’ll be fishing with your claws am I clear?”  

            “Y-yes sir sorry it won’t happen again.” Jack apologized.  

            “Ever, sir.” Joel chimed in then they galloped away to their tents.  I leaned over to Van.  “Hey psst, I don’t think I know his name.” I whispered.  “I am Christos cub.  You should learn to whisper softer if you’re going to whisper at all.  I gave him a sheepish smile then slowly backed away.

            Christos beckoned for everyone to gather around him.  “Alright we can’t be camping out here this whole time we need to go back to Manhattan,-“ I cut him off without thought, “Um Christos, exactly where in Manhattan?”  He sighed then responded softly “A new hospital was just built.  It is not only a hospital it’s also our new headquarters of operations.  That is where we will march.”  As he continued to talk about other trivial things I was just thinking.  Oh my god we are going to walk all the way back to New York City.  As we all packed are things in bags I looked up in the sky it was all clear just a few falcons flying overhead.  Wait those look a little bigger than flacons.  “Guys! We have trouble.”