Revolutionary - C.T. Lang (the best electronic book reader .TXT) 📗

hand as we awaited the results of my Instinct trial. "Instinct, which we all know varies from person to person, was especially challenging for Panchim. Her first Instinct might have cost her her life in an actual battle, so for that mistake we chose to deduct ten points from Panchim's score, leaving her with fifteen out of a possible twenty-five." My face fell; I wanted to cry. "When calculated, her sum total is 87 out of a possible 100 points. On the Clan hierarchy, this places Panchim at the rank of Theta." I breathed a sigh of relief. Naya whispered jubilantly, "That's right where I started out!" Her mother continued, "This means Panchim has the honor of fighting in the upcoming war." There was an immediate flurry of thought, every wolf had his own ideas. Erik took back the podium, "Friends, Clan-mates, lend me your ears." All attention was upon him, obediently we listened to our Alpha. "For some time there have been rumors at the eastern border, rumors that evil is amassing. The goblins have forged an unsteady alliance with the giants of Beru. We have on good information that they march for the city of Elon in three days time. It is clear to me that they mean to challenge the rule of Man in these parts." He paused, allowing this to sink in. "I say we summon our allies in that region--the centaurs of Eomin, the dryads of Kent, and the witches of Knox Hollow. We cannot fight giants alone. What say you?" There was a sudden chorus of "Aye"s: it was clear we'd follow our Alpha to the ends of the earth.
"Very well. The Clan has spoken. We'll need a contigent of runners to spread the message. Who are my volunteers? Yes, Very good, Sam and Jacob, you can go to the centaurs; Nicola and Robin, you can go to the dryads, and Drs Theronius and Yokel, you to the witches. Now, make haste and run swiftly, for we'll need you back in two days!" They walked quickly out of the hall, without any good-byes. "The rest of you, I need half my Betas: Jean-Paul and Yared, to lead Defense into the Marigold Room. The Defense will consist of Kappas, Deltas, Omegas, Gammas, Mus, Nus, Upsilons, Phis, Chis, and Psis." As he spoke, about half of the population of the room stood up and left. "My other Betas, Shelby and Sam, if you'll lead the Offense to the Azalea Room; those are the Epsilons, Zetas, Etas, Thetas, Iotas, Xis, Omicrons, Pis, Rhos, Sigmas, Lambdas, and Taus. Wolf call on three--one, two, three." "VICTORY" was heard echoing off the walls for more than a minute, as they filed out to their respective rooms.

Naya and I followed Sam and Shelby and the other Offensive strategists. Naya's father took up instruction of a class segment called Weaponry. "This is a katana," he said as he unsheathed a long, lethal-looking sword, "It is large but light, and you wield it just so..." the Weaponry segment lasted two hours, but it was never boring. Spears, daggers, katapults, streaming hot tar, spraying ash, and shooting flaming arrows were the main lessons. Naya's archery was impeccable, but I proved just as likely to miss the target as to hit it. On the other hand, it must be told that Naya was a poor excuse for a sword-fighter, while I laid every opponent flat on his back in under a minute, Naya's father included. There was no doubt, she'd be kept in the back with the archers, and I'd be needed up at the front for hand-to-hand combat. Our next segment was Analysis of the Enemy. Goblins were cunning, but not strong. They were fast, but few. The worldwide goblin population was dwindling, and last year's census keyed them in at less than one hundred goblins. Giants, on the extreme opposite, bred like rabbits, and possessed great strength. And tall? The shortest giant recorded was nine feet eleven inches. They averaged about fifteen feet and seven hundred pounds. The easiest way to take out a giant, we learned, was to first knock it down to the ground and then bash in its brain, which was believed to be the weakest point in its anatomy. Our next lesson was Army Procedures. Unlike Weaponry and Enemy Analysis, this segment was boring and seemed completely useless. We were split into battalions based on rank and capability (I was in the 12th battalion, 7th member, all combat masters) and then taught us the commands for marching, turning about-face, assuming the position, and firing (or in our case, charging). When our lessons finally ended, I felt like a true warrior, a wolf worthy of the Clan's armor. We were also quite exhausted, and when Naya and I reached our bedroom, we fell down on the bed in a heap, and slept immediately.

Revolutionary
Chapter Three: Heroes and Villians

At first, I couldn't remember why I felt so happy. It wasn't until we reached the Cercumsiol dining hall for breakfast and I saw all the battalions eating together, chatting away. I hugged Naya and went to sit with my twelvsies, as we'd begun to call ourselves. The twelvsies consisted of nine other Thetas who excelled in ground fighting tactics. Marcus, Alitha, Festa, Boniface, Zac, Scipio, Alice, Erye, and Eco were my new comrades-in-arms. After breakfast, we skipped off to the yards to practice dueling. The boys (Marcus, Boniface, Zac, and Scipio) squared off against us girls (Alitha, Festa, Alice, Erye, Eco, and me). They lost every time, and attributed it to the fact that we had two more members. So we gave them Festa, and we still won, although she and Boniface took me down on the third attempt. Without a doubt, Alice was our best fighter. When she and I paired up, we could defeat the other eight members in less than two minutes. When lunchtime came, we walked, joking and laughing, into the Polverian and sat together. It was a bittersweet moment when Naya caught my eye from where she sat at the table adjacent to ours, laughing at a story her fellow archer was telling. But the moment passed, and the antics of Zac and Eco drove everyone crazy. They nearly started a food fight. I wound up drenched in iced tea, and we agreed Swimming would be our next venture. When we finished up at the pond (we agreed we'd better leave while there was still water in it), my twelvsies and I headed back to the hideout. But I didn't want the day to be over. I asked Alice if it was possible we could have a sleepover, just the girls, in my room. She wasn't sure it was allowed, but we went ahead anyway. Six sleeping bags and four bottles of soda later, we began to play a common game called Courage. It was like the olden-times game "Truth or Dare", but over time, the Truth portion was ruled out because it was so boring. Now we just dared each other to do crazy things. I nearly balked when Erye dared me to jump from my balcony to the next (some ten feet across), until Alice sighed, "I suppose our new Theta is just too scared." I bared my teeth at her, and jumped right then. Somewhere in midair, I caught a familiar face. Naya was in the next room over, with her battalion, and they were dancing to music. When I landed, I hit my shoulder, and winced. Had I been human, I would have broken it. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. No more distractions; I had to be careful. I gave Erye a thumbs up, and ran to jump back to my balcony. I stuck the landing this time, and exclaimed excitedly, "Yes! I did it!" But to my surprise, none of the other girls were looking at me. They were staring embarrassedly at a tall wolf who stood authoritarianly at the door, looking sternly down at us. He was one of the Kappas, and from his expression, we were in serious trouble. "I am ashamed of the way you have been carrying on, right before a battle," his voice was gruff and even, "If you have such a taste for danger, use it on the giants!" And he slammed the door, storming off. I exhaled in relief. At least he hadn't called off the sleepover. We played several more sedate games, like Keep Away and Hot or Cold and Blindman's Bluff (which is quite interesting when played with supersensory werewolves). When at last the analog clock chimed midnight, all the lights in the hallway went off automatically, as they did every night. A chorus of goodnights rang around the place, and I shouted, "Goodnight, Naya!" not expecting her to hear it. But she did, and shouted back, "Night, Panchim!" In this manner we spent two days, our battalions became as family.

Revolutionary
Chapter 3.5: The Third Day

Tension surrounded the hideout like a dense fog; you could cut the air with a knife. There were many kisses and fond embraces: wolves I didn't even know came to throw their arms around me. We blessed each other, and prayed for our nation. Then, after breakfast, the Allies arrived.

When the centaurs came, it sounded like a terrible thunderstorm. We finally realized those were the vibrating sounds of hooves, and all rushed out to greet them. They were huge, twice the size of any stallion I'd ever seen, and wore chainmail, helmets, and swords. Some carried bows. And in their midst stood two proud wolves: one gray with a black face (Sam), the other black as night under the forest (Jacob). The leader of the centaurs introduced himself as Sheradin, and said strongly, "I bring with me five hundred and sixty fighters for the side of freedom." My jaw dropped. How lucky were we to have them on our side!

No sooned had the Centaur Army amassed in the northern yard when the witches arrived. They made quite the show, sending up red sparks and whizzing through the air on their broomsticks. I'd never seen a witch before, but the children in my village told stories of old, ugly hags with matted hair and warts on their noses. I saw now that my presumptions couldn't be further from reality. These witches were beautiful African women, the first Black people I'd ever seen. They were fair of face and long-limbed, and bald beneath their signature pointed hats. Each wielded no more weaponry than a slender wooden wand, but I had a gut feeling that even totally unarmed, these witches would present a formidable force. Dr. Theronius climbed down off the back of one's broomstick, and Dr. Yokel dismounted behind another witch, thanking her graciously. Their leader, whose name was Ambiance, said, "My sisters and I come to war against the unnatural beasts. There are one hundred and sixty-six of us--one hundred warriors, and sixty-six Healers and Defenders." Naya whispered to me, "The Defenders are the best! One casts a spell on your battalion, and it's like you're immortal. Blows are fleeting, strikes and glancing, you feel like you can do nothing wrong." We led the witches into the Cercumsiol hall, where a