Cat/Cattrina has known Eli and Demetri since they were like 5. She's not much for talking and only talks with those she's comfortable with. She's got some secrets and isn't entirely what she may first seem. Throughout it, you'll find out that she kn...
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Cat sat on the new sparing deck at the Miyagi-do dojo. Eli had designed the plans for it as a way to prove he was sorry, and they built it in an open space that used to be used for random storage.
She was watching as everyone got ready for practice. They were just waiting for Daniel and Johnny to come over and start. The two men were off to the side talking about something.
After a moment, the two men walked out in front of everyone and called for their attention. They started the day with some of the Miyagi-do usual simple exercises then moved on to the Eagle Fang usual warm-up punches and kicks.
*************
Cat's adrenaline was pumping. She could hear her own heartbeat and breathe as she stood in a fighting pose, bouncing a little on her feet. She made it to the last round. All she had to do was get three points and she would win another tournament.
She was 10 and almost undefeated. She's only lost a very small amount of times. That didn't mean much though. The person she was up against was almost twice her age and was also practically undefeated. Even still, she was always anxious before a fight. It didn't matter how many times she won.
Her opponent threw a punch, and she dodged. She threw a kick, but her opponent dodged. Her opponents threw another punch, she dodged. She threw a punch, they dodged. They kicked and it landed.
First point to her opponent.
They continued the fight. It went back and forth for a bit. Her opponent threw a punch, she rotated her shoulder to avoid the punch and pushed his arm away. Cat kicked at her opponent, but they caught her leg, swept her, and punched her in the stomach.
Second point was to her opponent.
Cat called for a time-out. She and her opponent went to their sides. "She's just delaying her loss," she heard her opponent say. She shook it off. Her opponent had already gotten in her head before the fight. She wasn't focused.
"What's going on, little bug?" her dad asked. "You seem distracted."
Cat glanced over at the empty seat that was reserved for her mom. Once again her mom didn't bother to show up. Of course, her opponent just had to say something about it right before their fight. The only time her mom seemed to show up was when they were out of the state or out of the country.
Her dad noticed where she looked and sighed. "You knew she wasn't coming. Don't let her absence distract you."
Cat nodded, looking back at her dad.
"You just have to ground yourself. Think with your brain. And remember," he put his hands on her shoulders. "Be as swift as air, as strong as earth, as patient as fire, and as flexible as water."
Cat nodded and gave him a small smile. She took a deep breath in and out a couple of times to help steady and focus herself. She and her opponent made their way back to the middle of the mat.
"Ready to lose?" her opponent taunted. Cat rolled her eyes and got into a fighting position.
The fight started. Her opponent was the first to start by kicking at her. She took the chance to dodge and sweep their legs out from under them and strike.
"Point Jackson. Score 1-2."
The two got back into position. Her opponent threw a punch. She dodged and then kicked at them. They dodged and threw another punch. She grabbed their arm and flipped them over her back, and punched them.
"Point Jackson. 2-2."
Next point wins.
Cat went to kick, but her opponent grabbed her leg and swept her. They went to punch her stomach, but she rolled out of the way and back onto her feet. The two started circling each other.
Her heartbeat seemed to get louder by the second. Her scenes were getting taken over by the adrenaline. Beyond her heartbeat, she could hear the muffled cheering from the people all around. She could feel the loose strands of hair sticking to her forehead. Her gi also seemed to be somewhat sticking to her arms because of the sweat. Her breathing was somewhat ragged as she tried to regain control and regulate it.
As swift as air.
She dodged and blocked her opponent's attacks as they struck her multiple times.
As flexible as water.
Her opponent grabbed her leg as she tried to kick, so she jumped up like she was going to do a flip.
As strong as earth.
She kicked her opponent right in the chest, causing them to let go of her other leg as they fell backward.
As patient as fire.
She landed on her feet in a fighting pose after flipping all the way around. The judge announced her as the winner. She had a proud smile on her face as she was handed the trophy. The crowd cheered for her "Phoenix! Phoenix! Phoenix!" That's not even what she cared about, though. She was just proud of herself. She was proud that she pulled through. She was proud that she could do it.
***********
Cat was leaning against the fence as she watched the students from each dojo take turns sparing on the new deck. Johnny was off somewhere else, if she remembered correctly he was going to his car to get another drink, so it was Daniel who had been watching the students.
That's when Daniel's phone started ringing. "You guys are doing great. Keep it up. I have to take this. It's the dealership." He hit answer on his phone as he walked off.
The students kept sparing. The two current students were Miguel and Sam. The other students were sitting around taking a break as they waited for it to be their turn to spare. Miguel threw a punch and punched Sam on her chest near her shoulder.
"If you rotate your shoulder you would have avoided getting hit," Cat said. She wasn't even thinking, she just started talking. The two looked over at her.
Sam nodded. She and Miguel went back to sparing. After a couple of different moves, Miguel threw another punch. This time Sam rotated her shoulder avoiding the hit. This time she was the one that landed the hit as she landed a hit on Miguel in his stomach.
"Wow, thanks, Cat," Sam said.
(1084 words. It's almost 8 am where I live, and for some people, that's a normal time to be awake, but not for me. I'm tired and want to go back to sleep, but I work at 9, so I can't. Anyway, whatcha think of the story?)
