NightEye

The Different Armorer

Pux's POV

Horns blare through the early morning air, startling me awake.

    I sit up, confused for a second about where I was. I look behind me, and see Sam still asleep in wolf form. The men from last night struggle out of the tent as the horns continue to sound, hurting my ears.

    Sam wakes up and yawns, causing a few men to scramble away from him. They probably thought he was a dream, a nightmare. But, no, in the early morning light, with his multicolored fur gleaming, he is very much real.

    Commander Rie comes to us once everyone is out of the tent. He clicks his tongue, and says, “Sloppy and slow. All of you would have been dead if there was a call to arms. You need to learn how to wake up fast and be ready to fight. Again, the woman-and her beast-have beaten you.”

    I raise my chin, feeling my pupils flash red. Sam sits up, his chest fur rumbled and covered in dirt. He glares at Rie, who swallows and turns towards the human men.

    “You will have five minutes for breakfast. Then, you will get fitted with armor. Then, weapons training will begin. Go,” Rie says, turning away. The men quickly scramble towards the fire pit, though no food is there.

    Rie’s voice drifts towards us as he says, “Oh yes, I forgot to mention. Food is being served in the middle of camp. And it’s limited. First come, first served.” The men all look at each other, then all sprint after Rie. Only Marcus stays behind.

    He walks over to us, a smirk across his face. “Well,” he says, looking from me to Sam, “Do either of you know where we can get extra food?” Sam and I look at each other, then at Marcus. He shrugs, and says, “We won’t be able to get any of the food from the center of the clearing. We might as well nick some from the officers.”

    I smile, and glance at Sam. He growls, rising to his feet. He then walks over to where Rie stood, his nose to the ground. “That is evil,” I call to him. He turns towards me, and smiles a wolf smile. 

    Marcus smiles as well, then we follow Sam as he skirts the edges of the camp, following an invisible scent trail to Rie’s tent. He crouches outside it, trying in vain to blend into the long green grass. 

    I creep into the tent, not making a single sound. It, like General Thur’s, has a table and a small cot. Commander Rie’s tent, though, holds more weapons. And, most importantly, food.

    Marcus grabs a handful of grapes and apples while I snatch up a few pieces of warm bread and long strips of meat that smell really good. We then head outside, where Sam lifts his giant head from the grass, nose twitching.

    “Bacon? Really?” he asks me, and I smile. “Have it,” I say, holding out the meat to him. He takes one piece, leaving two pieces for me and Marcus. 

    We all sit in the grass, Marcus and I hidden pretty well, Sam only somewhat. We eat our bounty. Marcus tosses grapes at Sam, who lifts his head to catch them in his mouth. I then throw bits of bread at Marcus, who tries and fails to catch them. 

    Finally, we finish. Marcus stands, and says, “Four minutes and thirty-two seconds. Not bad.” Sam and I stare at him, so he shrugs and says, “When you’re a thief, you learn to count time. Helpful for break-ins. Now, come on, we need to find the center of camp.”

    Sam smiles, then stands and trots away. I run to catch up, grinning back at Marcus. 

    We find the center of camp just as everyone finishes their breakfast. Sam stays hidden near the tents, not wanting to scare all the assembled men. Most of them have weapons, all except for the newly Culled men, who sits near the edge. The big man from last night is the only one with a small piece of bread. The others look dejected.