Hey y'all. Sorry this is so late, I got super anxious about the quality of the first two chapters and I couldn't write. Thanks to everyone who's read this so far, I appreciate it :)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the show Young Justice
What Robin Knows About Camping and Stealth CH 3
Robin got up early in the morning and left his tent quietly. He walked over to the creek and sat down, his legs crossed in front of him. Dick watched his breath come out in foggy clouds and got ready to watch the sun rise. It was something that he did on his trips with Bruce, wake up early to watch the sun rise and practice his awareness. He called them silent sits, because the goal was to sit in silence and take in your surroundings. Dick smiled when he saw Black Canary walk into the woods to do her own morning ritual.
Artemis was the next one up, though she didn't do her morning ritual, the one she learned from her days training. She hated the paranoia that ate at her whenever she did anything slightly assassin-like. She just couldn't risk the team finding out who she actually was. So Artemis just lay in her sleeping bag and waited for the others to get up.
Kaldur got up and was soon followed by Connor and M'Gann. Black Canary had finished her routine and was rummaging around in the cooking boxes. Wally was still fast asleep and the camp was filled with his snores.
Connor was staring at Robin like he wanted to ask him something, but didn't know how to ask it. Dick sighed, and tried to ignore him. In the end, it was Kaldur who finally asked the question.
"Robin? What are you doing?" Kaldur asked from where he was helping Black Canary with breakfast.
"A silent sit." Robin answered, standing up. Technically he hadn't gone the full hour he usually did, but this wasn't a usual camping trip and he didn't want to ignore his team mate.
"A what?" Connor asked, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree.
"It's like meditation, except instead of looking inward, you look outward. The goal is to stay quiet and take in your surroundings." Dick said, walking over to help with breakfast. They were having oatmeal, with some dried fruit for sweetness.
"Interesting." Kaldur said, smiling. "Did Batman teach you it?"
Dick nodded and grabbed the dried cranberries and cherries, then put them out on the log. "We go camping a lot, mostly for training."
Kaldur thought for a second. "We have something similar to camping in Atlantis, kids will swim out to coral reefs and spend the night." He smiled fondly. "I remember going 'camping' with my friends."
M'Gann set the brown sugar out. "We don't camp on Mars, but I did see a TV show episode where they went camping once." She giggled. "It was quite funny."
Artemis nodded quietly, thinking back on her trips as a kid. Connor grumbled and glared down at the ground. His knowledge of camping came from what Cadmus had taught him, basics like roasting marshmallows and telling stories.
Black Canary looked over the team. "Where's Wally?" She asked. A loud snore came from the direction of the speedsters tent. And everyone sighed.
"I'll wake him up." Dick grinned and trotted over to his friend.
Wally was sprawled out in a half unzipped sleeping bag. His mouth was wide open and he was snoring louder than an elephant. Dick smiled and unzipped his tent, leaning over the speedster. Cupping his mouth he yelled. "Wally! Wake up! There's too many pancakes! We need your help!" He quickly ducked out and waited for the consequences of his prank.
Wally sprung upwards, getting a face full of tent fabric. He spun around. "What? Rob? Wha's the evil pancakes?"
Robin laughed his signature laugh and crossed his arms. "No evil pancakes, but breakfast is ready." He pointed behind him. "Yummy delicious oatmeal."
Wally groaned and hung his head. "Oatmeallll?" He whined.
"With fruit!" Artemis called.
Wally followed Dick over to the log, Black Canary and the rest of the team had finished boiling the water and setting everything out. Breakfast was served. Everyone grabbed their bowls and scooped up some oatmeal. Wally put a pile of dried cherries on top of his bowl, and was grabbing spoonfuls of brown sugar. Dick smiled at his friend and elbowed him in the ribs when he had taken almost half of the sugar.
Soon everyone sat around eating. Artemis was talking with M'Gann, Connor was sitting next to them and eating quietly. Kaldur had his thinking face on but would occasionally add to Robin and Black Canary's conversation. Wally was just consuming as much oatmeal as he could.
"So I'm thinking we start off with how to be quiet today." Robin lifted his spoon and looked at Canary for confirmation. "We can play a game." He dropped the spoon into his oatmeal, gathering up oats.
Wally paused in his inhalation of food. "Why do we have to learn to be quiet?" He drawled.
Dick couldn't help but smirk. "Because you don't know how to best be quiet out here, trust me." He felt a bit of shame, concerned that he was being mean. But being quiet was an important part of stealth, in terms of learning, it was the first step.
Wally went back to eating his oatmeal, considering what Robin had said.
"That sounds good Robin, if you want to lead the lesson, that'd be great." Black Canary had finished her oatmeal quickly and was leaning back against a redwood.
Dick nodded and finished his oatmeal with a last spoonful. Everyone else finished up soon and washed their dishes in the creek. Robin paced next to his tent, slightly worried about how the lesson would go. He hadn't thought a lot about the challenges each of his team mates would face. Tapping his finger against his chin, he started planning out how he'd approach this.
The team gathered by the creek in a half hour. Robin was bouncing on his toes, more excited than he had been in a long time. He managed to dial it down when Black Canary walked over and told them all to sit down.
"Batman organized this trip to teach you all about stealth in a rural environment." Canary started. "Since Batman already trained Robin in this, he will help teach you all, if you need any help, please ask him." Robin sat up straighter and nodded strictly. He realized that some of his team mates might eventually get upset at him today, and he should hold back his enthusiasm. "Today we're going to go over the part of stealth that requires quietness." Black Canary beckoned for Dick to take the lead.
"One of the most important things to keep in mind while being stealthy, is speed." Robin said, rocking back on his heels. "You should move as slowly as possible. There are some core ideas in stealth. Speed, awareness, and approach are some things we'll be able to focus on today." He stood up, hoping to demonstrate and walked over to where Black Canary was standing. "The first thing to practice is the approach of toe to heel walking." He carefully lifted his right foot and put it down gingerly, toe first. "All of the things I just mentioned should be put into practice. When you place your foot down, you should be aware of what's under it. Is it something that could be easily broken? Is it loud? If you don't know, that's why you go toe first. Test the area, gently and lightly, when you are sure you can be quiet, put your foot down. Speed, you need to move slowly, to be aware and able to notice any noise you could make." Dick moved his foot down onto the forest floor, inching downwards, taking his time. "And approach, this is your approach, what path you take to reach your destination quietly." He looked up, realizing how much he had said, blushing slightly.
His team was looking at him. Kaldur was nodding and examining the ground, seemingly trying to see what could cause noise. Connor looked blank faced, but he was obviously taking in the information. M'Gann and Wally and Artemis were all paying attention. Robin grinned at them, flushed with confidence.
"Okay uh, let's practice." Dick stepped back a few times, leaving some room for his friends to practice walking. "Remember, toe to heel." He said quickly as everyone stood up and began.
M'Gann landed on the ground and shifted on her feet. She looked slightly uncomfortable. The martian glanced at the others, and then started walking toe to heel. "Slow down a bit." Robin told her softly, slipping by to go watch Kaldur. M'Gann nodded and slowed down, staring at the ground and listening intently for any noise she was making.
Kaldur was moving very slowly. He was determined not to let his lack of knowledge of the crackly things in the woods affect his work. He looked at every leaf and stick, always just a little unsure of what would make noise.
Robin hummed to himself, thinking. "Take your time, Kaldur." He instructed. "Learn what does and doesn't make noise, don't overthink it, you're doing fine." He tried to encourage the older teen, despite how awkward and weird it sounded. Kaldur just nodded and relaxed his shoulders a little bit.
Wally was having a hard time, and Robin sighed internally, knowing that this would happen. The speedster was moving too quickly, trying to walk as if he could somehow avoid the noise. He eventually realized how loud he was being and tried to move slower, but he grew impatient.
"Slow down a bit Wally." Robin hesitated, how obvious was that? Think, what could Dick say to help his friend. "Don't think of it as traveling for now, just try to put your foot down without making noise, then you can make steps." He thought for a second, then raised his voice, hoping to address everyone. "It's okay if you make a little noise, it's okay if you're loud at the beginning. It takes practice." He sighed, realizing that they wouldn't get to his level in a couple of minutes and resigned himself to the frustration they would feel.
Artemis knew how to do this. The technique was as familiar as breathing. Her feet found quiet spaces naturally, and she found herself floating forward, quiet as a snake. With a jolt, she realized what she was doing and purposefully stepped on a stick. She glanced at Robin, but he just nodded at her and made his way towards Connor.
Connor was angry, well he was always angry, but now he was frustrated. Every step he took sounded too loud, even to his regular hearing. He felt yucky, like a monster, big and noisy. Connor was growling quietly, his anger escaping out through his throat.
Robin approached him hesitantly, really not wanting to confront the clone. He steeled himself and spoke. "Take some deep breaths and just try to take one step. Move slowly." He tried to keep his voice emotionless and professional, not wanting to give the boy anything to attack him for.
Connor looked up at him, trying to keep his anger in check. He breathed out, and then back in. Trying not to look at Robin he simply turned back to looking down and took a slow step. He moved as slowly as he could, putting a lot of effort into being gentle. He moved his foot around a brittle looking leaf and set it down on a patch of dirt, bending the softer leaves and sticks under him. He gingerly put his heel down and smiled when he made a lot less noise than before. Robin moved away, satisfied.
Black Canary watched the team practice their quiet walking, and smiled at Robin when he approached. "Do you have any blindfolds?" He asked. Black Canary nodded, leaving for her tent.
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After about twenty minutes of practicing, Robin called everyone back together. In his hands were a blindfold and a pair of keys. "Okay everyone, let's make a circle, about twenty feet wide." He said, waving his arms to indicate where he wanted people to stand. "Try to sit away from each other, we don't have a lot of people, but we still need a big circle." When everyone had made an adequate circle, Robin told everyone to take a seat, then sat in the middle. He crossed his legs and set the keys in front of him. "We're going to play a game, and put what you just practiced to use." He looked around at everyone. "The rules are simple, I'm going to put this blindfold on, and Black Canary is going to point at one of you. If she points at you, you should get up as quietly as possible, and try to steal these keys, then get back to your spot." Before Wally could say anything, Dick held up his hand. "In these exercises we should plan for the worst, the worst means no powers. Those with superspeed, or the powers of flight, cannot use them to steal the keys." He looked at his superpowered friends. "This is how you learn stealth. Now, if I hear you, I will point in your direction." He grinned, reciting the rules he'd learned long ago. "I'm not allowed to point and then swing my arm in a circle, I'm not allowed to just point randomly everywhere."
Black Canary was leaning against a tree, and spoke up. "Just because Robin can't point rapidly, doesn't mean you can just run up and take the keys either. The point is stealth, not speed."
The group nodded and looked at Robin. "Last thing, as the game goes on, Black Canary will point at multiple people at a time, try not to get competitive. Now, does anyone have any questions?" The boy asked, lifting the blindfold. Everyone thought for a moment, then shook their heads. Artemis leaned back on her hands and took a deep breath, she had memories of playing this game with her family, it had been fun at first, but the reprimands for screwing up weren't fun.
Robin tied the blindfold around his head, tucking it behind his ears. He took a deep breath, letting the silence of the woods fill his ears until he could pick out the little rustles and sounds. "Okay, Black Canary, you can point to someone now."
Black Canary looked around at the teens, trying to decide who looked ready to start. Who's confidence would be less likely to cause them to spiral when it broke. She wouldn't pick Wally or Connor yet. Kaldur, Artemis or M'Gann seemed like the best candidates. M'Gann was looking at her, looking excited to try, so Canary pointed at the martian.
Robin knew he was probably not the best decision to be in the center first, so he told himself to go easy. Batman had trained him to hear everything, but he tried not to listen as hard, or listen to more obvious noises. If he was really trying he knew that there would be nothing his teammates could do that would allow them to stealthily take the keys.
M'Gann rose quietly, looking down at the ground and deciding her first steps. She tried to ignore all of her teammates staring at her, but anxiety fluttered in her stomach. She managed to make her first step without Robin pointing at her. Two more steps, and she was still good. She grinned, getting a little more confident. So, she took another step, not noticing the increase in her speed.
Robin heard her step the fourth time. He bit his lip, she had sped up, it was a common mistake. He pointed toward the noise, and kept the smile off her face when she gasped lightly. "Good job M'Gann." He said, smiling in her direction.
Everyone was a little unnerved as Robin looked directly at their team mate. Confidence levels went down and Wally squirmed a bit, reassessing his skills. Black Canary turned and pointed at Kaldur as M'Gann sat down. The Atlantian stood up slowly, keeping his eye on Robin. Canary smiled as the teen took on a predatory stance, attempting to be mindful of everything.
Kaldur took his first step. Robin smiled, he knew Canary had pointed, but this time, he hadn't heard anything yet, someone was taking their time. Kaldur looked around slowly, remembering to be aware of where he could place his next foot. His eyes found a smooth patch of dirt, and he lifted his leg, moving delicately. His second step was quiet. His next step was the same. Kaldur had everything Robin had said, running around his head. He moved as slowly as he could, but his muscles were tense and shaky, he felt so self conscious. Kaldur was trying so hard, he forgot to go toe first, and set his heel down on a deceiving piece of ground.
Sticks snapped underneath his foot, and Robin pointed towards him. Kaldur sighed, and turned around to sit down. He heard Robin whisper. "Relax, good job." The older teen took some deep breaths and cleared his head, wiping the tension away.
Artemis was next, and she made it three steps, then stepped on a leaf. She felt a flash of relief shoot across her face, then smashed a frustrated look down over it. She walked quickly back to her spot and sat down, not looking at anyone.
Black Canary pointed at Wally. The speedster stood up quickly, then froze, staring at Robin. Robin pretended not to hear the loud noise his friend had just made. So Wally took a second, and then lifted his leg. His first step gave him confidence, and he couldn't help but give in to the electricity coursing through him. His second step was quicker, as Wally's arrogance took over, he could be fast and quiet, definitely.
Robin wanted to leap up and reprimand his friend, he had heard the second step, heard the rustle of leaves settling after a quick foot landed. He didn't want to, but he pointed at Wally, and heard him moan.
The speedster cursed himself, and sat back down, folding his arms. He had never thought that his speed could be a bad thing, something that could hinder him in learning a skill. He didn't like thinking that, because speed made him feel powerful and confident at everything.
Connor was standing up when Canary pointed at him. He looked upset already, dreading this. Connor decided that he might as well try, he didn't want to be the only one who couldn't make it even one step. So he concentrated. His first step was slow, as slow as Kaldur's had been. And it managed to be quiet. He almost sighed, before realizing that Robin would hear that. He gently lifted his other foot, and took another step. Connor looked at Robin, holding his breath, but the boy didn't move. Connor shifted his weight forward, and took another step. He didn't move as gently this time, and he heard his impact.
Robin pointed nervously. He knew that Connor was the last one, and he did not want to make Superboy mad. He waited for the response.
Connor huffed, anger boiling inside him, but backed off and sat down hard. He put up his walls and crossed his arms. He didn't want to lose it in front of his friends, in front of M'Gann, so he held it in, and waited for the game to move on.
Robin took off his blindfold and looked around at everyone. "That was a great first round." He chuckled nervously, trying to ease the tension. "I remember my first try, with Batman, he pointed directly at me after my first step, and then pointed at my foot." He grinned at them. "So you guys are doing much better than me."
Everyone could see through the tactic. Self degradation as a way to make them feel better. It worked, slightly. Robin leaned back, taking a deep breath. "Okay, guys, you need to relax. It's not life or death, yet." He looked at Kaldur, Wally and Connor. "This is supposed to be kind of fun."
Connor looked a bit confused, Wally looked a bit relieved, he was trying to calm himself down. Kaldur looked thoughtful, as he often did. Dick let them think a little.
"Isn't this, a training exercise?" Connor asked.
Black Canary answered. "Yes, it is, but it's also a game." She pushed herself off of her tree. "The goal of this training isn't to stress you guys out, it's not to be intense. We want you to have fun, too." She smiled at everyone. They were just kids after all, even Batman sort of understood that they needed to have fun. She paused, well, he hadn't exactly said that, but she had added her influence to this trip.
"A game." Connor said, unsure. He knew the rudimentary definition. He knew what a game was, but he wasn't used to relaxing while learning a skill. Wasn't it important if he put everything possible into this?
Robin sighed. "Yeah, it's fun. It's easier to be quiet when you're relaxed, you make less mistakes. Don't overthink it when you mess up, I still mess up." He leaned back. "You guys just need some more practice, how do you feel about another round with me, then whoever takes the most steps gets to be in the middle next?"
"Sure, that sounds fun." Wally smiled. He was buzzing with excitement, he could do this. Everyone else nodded, they all self reflected and approached the challenge differently.
In the end, it was Artemis who got to be in the middle next. Everyone had taken more than three steps this time though. Robin was grinning around at his friends, they were doing just fine.
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Lunch time came quickly, and Wally was hungry. They had gone through six more rounds of the game and everyone was a little bored. They made sandwiches, and Wally made the biggest anyone had ever seen. Except for Dick, Dick had seen Wally's idea of a sandwich before.
They talked while they ate, sitting on logs and rocks and chatting about what they'd done that morning. Robin tried not to dominate the conversation, he was looking forward to teaching them camo tomorrow. Plus, the game they'd be playing was super fun, it was probably his favorite. Kaldur asked him about his performance, and he reassured the Atlantean that he was doing great.
Wally finished his sandwich very quickly and lay on the ground, smiling. He felt good, being outside felt good, but he really wanted to run. Trying to be slow and quiet made him itch. He felt a little flutter of anger inside him, how could everybody else stand being so slow? Well, maybe Connor didn't like it either, but he especially didn't. He kind of wanted to impress Rob, and of course get really good at being stealthy. He envied Batman and Robin's ability to vanish and sneak up on ya. It was the coolest thing.
Connor moved away from the group when he was finished. He was still angry, he had managed to control it, but it needed an outlet. This was annoying, he knew the importance of stealth, and learning it. But he just, couldn't do it. He was too loud, too strong. Connor wasn't used to being jealous, but he had to admit he was a little. Black Canary and Batman and Robin were all so easily able to do things that were hard for him, and he struggled to think about that without punching a tree.
Kaldur was feeling a little better about his abilities. Hell, he knew how to be stealthy, at least in the water. Moving slowly was something that worked in underwater stealth as well. He just wasn't used to sound traveling so far. But he had learned what kinds of things were noisy, and using the toe to heel technique he could avoid them. He was looking forward to his knowledge expanding.
M'Gann was also feeling more confident. She had learned a lot this morning. It was unusual to pay constant attention to her feet, but she was getting used to it. M'Gann looked down at her sandwich, she felt bad for Connor. She wanted to help him, but had no idea how.
Artemis was nervous, but more focused on trying to relax than her nerves. She nibbled at her sandwich, watching as Robin and Wally bickered over a piece of ham. She was starting to let go of her insecurities as the camping trip continued, it was nice. Being able to be calm was nice.
Robin was happy, he was very happy. He was excited to keep playing games with his friends, as well as teach them everything he knew. Moving stealthily felt almost like breathing to him, he was careful with every step. He hoped that he was good at teaching, and he was so looking forward to tomorrow.
AN:
Frick this is long. Sorry this is late, but uh, I don't know, I got insecure about the quality of the story. I got anxious about how realistic or focused this was. Thank you to the three people who have followed this story already.
This was actually supposed to be longer, but uh, I think it's actually long enough.
I realized I don't actually know what the skill level of these guys are, does this seem too unrealistic? People can be pretty loud, especially when they're used to always being loud (ahem, Wally, ahem, Connor). Also sorry if Robin seems stuck up, I'm not trying to make one of those 'Robin is better than everyone else' fics. He's just the most experienced in this field.
Ah well, I hope my insecurities don't get in the way of y'all enjoying this.
Might take me a bit to get the next part out, but break is coming soon so I'll be able to write more then.
