Author's notes: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I am glad everyone likes the series and letting me know. Just as a note, this is another one of those 'mark the progress' entries (dealing with a bat-a-rang, fyi). See, I did have some idea of how this fic would advance.
Cheers!
………
Proper Handling
April:
Bruce took another bat-a-rang and threw it at the teenager. Tim watched its path as best he could, attempting to see when the opportune moment to catch the black object would arise. He made a move to catch the 'rang and cursed as the black object sliced his hand and kept moving.
Tim looked at his hand and watched the thin line of blood rise up and spill lightly over his palm. The young man closed his hand into a fist to stem the bleeding as Bruce walked up to him and grabbed his hand. He looked it over once, grabbed some gauze from a random pocket and began to wrap it.
"The bat-a-rang is only dangerous when you don't know how to use it. Its edges are actually quiet smooth when held properly." Tim's hand was now bandage and Bruce dropped it.
Tim listened to what Bruce said nodding his head, having already heard this particular chat. "How do I learn to use it?"
The older man had gone back to his spot and picked up another 'rang. As he threw it, he spoke. "The hard way."
Tim longed to duck, but instead made a move to try and grab it again. Once more it sliced across his hand. The teenager growled, but didn't bother to look at the appendage.
"You can't catch a 'rang like a baseball. You have to realize that there is a proper way to stop the motion."
Tim cocked an eyebrow at Bruce uncertain what the older man meant. Bruce, in answer to the look, threw two successive bat-a-rangs wide of Tim's body. The teenager watched them both and realized that one did in fact travel counter-clockwise and the other clockwise.
"The bat-a-rang has a curved back on one end and is sharp and inset on the other. Now, which side do you catch?"
Tim instantly answered the curved side.
"Wrong. That is how you slice your hand. By catching it in one of the grooves you stop the momentum of the 'rang and the knife like side won't slice your palm."
A bat-a-rang flew at Tim and the teenager realized it flew clockwise making it easier to catch in the groove. Tim's hand jutted out and he felt the 'rang land in it. He looked down at his hand and was surprised to see a 'rang resting peacefully in it without a new wound. The teenager took the 'rang and threw it back to Bruce with ease. The older man nodded his head and returned the object. For the next half-hour the two of them continued to throw 'rangs back and forth. To an observer they looked as if they were in a continuous juggling cycle. Finally, Bruce held onto both bat-a-rangs.
"Now you're on your own."
He then turned and left Tim alone in the Cave with a stack of bat-a-rangs. The teenager realized he now had to learn to throw to himself.
It was going to be a long night.