Knuckle Down

Chapter 8

Yun sat cross-legged on the edge of the lake. There was a tranquil feeling around him. The very setting of this place was serene and dreamlike. Sadly though, his mind was in turmoil. It was right to have sent that kid off on his way, he thought. He was too volatile, filled with too much angst for someone of his age. He honestly couldn't have problems that were that big could he? No. He couldn't. Yun looked at his reflection in the lake, it seemed placid and thoughtful. Then a bullfrog jumped into the lake side with a near silent plop, and his face became distorted into a figure that he could not recognize. Yun sighed.
Too much to think about, too little time.

......................................

Cast walked slowly up to the position where Yun was sitting. He walked over to him. Cast couldn't tell whether he was meditating or taking a nap. Well, if he was meditating, he would be able to hear him walk up, and if he was asleep, there were always ways to deal with that. Cast kept on walking, and when he approached the still figure of Yun, he was pretty sure he was asleep. Cast give a slick grin, then extended his right claw. Yun moved slightly, and Cast froze. Yun mumbled something. It sounded like...
"Mwgrf. Last person who touched my beanie got shanked......" Cast recoiled, then heard a great snore heave from Yun.
The fool was talking in his sleep. Masters don't have beanies... Wait. What's a beanie? Meh. It didn't matter that much, so Cast ignored it. He moved his paw in front of Yun and Yun didn't respond. That was good. It meant that he could take the only proper course of action in this situation. Cast extended a claw just a tiny bit, then poked Yun in the back with it.
Approximately .2 seconds later Cast was on his back nursing a sore jaw, and Yun was nursing a sore temper.
"Idiot! I thought I told you I didn't want to see you anymore!" Cast looked up at him and squinted, then sun was right in front of his eyes, obscuring his former masters form.
"Master.... I'd like to apologize for my behavior. I wish for you to teach me again." Cast said with a pleading tone in his voice.
"Don't grovel next to me! If your going to ask me for my help do it like a man!" Cast looked up at Yun halfway confused?
"Like a MAN?"
"You know what I meant."
"Alright." Cast stood up, straightening out his fur and his clothes.
"Yun, will you train me again?" He asked. Yun looked him up and down, making observations that Cast himself was could not have noticed.
"Maybe. I want you to do something. If you can succeed at this task, you'll prove yourself and I'll continue to train you." Cast looked at him hopefully.
"There's two parts two this. If you succeed at the first part, then I will give you second. Do you understand this?" Cast nodded his assent.
"Alright then. Your first task is to hit me." Cast nearly fell down.
"No fair! Your like 80 times my size!" He said shocked.
"Then go home and leave me in peace." Cast didn't want that to happen at all.
"Alright then here I come!!" He yelled. He let loose a fast jab at Yun's back. All he had to do was make a solid hit and this task would be over. Faster than he thought a person Yuns size could move, Yun turned and parried the attack harmlessly off his left hand, with no more effort then it had taken him to breath it seemed. Cast still wasn't done, he followed it up with a short jab. This too, was stopped with little effort. Cast backed up. It was obvious that this was going to be even harder than he had thought. He slowly moved up to Yun. He thought about it, then did the same punch he had tried the first time.
Yun moved to do the same parry as earlier, but Cast anticipated it and when the parry came he rolled his fist over the top of the glove, and continued the punch where it connected solidly with Yun's midsection. Yun looked at him with a look of awe on his face.
"What the......" He said near silently.
"Where'd you learn that from kid?" He asked.
"I dunno. I just sorta made it up." Cast replied steadily. Yun looked at him again.
"Well. Here's the second part of this test, as I promised." Cast groaned silently. If it was any harder than what he had just had to do, He may end up failing.
"Your second task...."

"Is to tell me why you fight." Cast looked at him. He knew what kind of answer that Yun wanted. This was too easy.
"I want to protect people." He replied. Yun looked at him.
"Go home. If you can't be truthful, then I don't need you pestering me." Yun turned to walk away.
"Wait!"
"I fight... Because I have something I need to prove."
Yun smiled.
"And what would that be?" He asked.
"When one is wont of a feeling, then no one dare ask him why he does what he does." Cast replied.
The words of the Great Fox came from Cast's mouth almost as if he were the god himself, such was his conviction. That was all Yun had wanted. The truth.
"Alright then. Lets get started shall we?"
Cast smiled.