Chapter 15: The Huntsboy
Scott rapped lightly thrice on his son's door, waiting for a reply. None came. Scott sighed, and opened the door cautiously. Jake was lying on his bed, his hearing impaired by an Ipod.
"Jake?" Scott asked. Nothing.
"Jake?" He repeated, a little louder. Still no answer, whether from the blasting Ipod or Jake's own accord.
"JAKE!" Scott yelled. Jake finally seemed to hear him, for he took out the earpiece. He turned towards the doorway, and seeing his father there, stiffened.
"What?" Jake replied coolly. Scott felt awkward; he really hadn't planned what to say after the standard greeting.
"I think we need to talk," Scott started in a stern tone. "I think that we acted disrespectful towards each other earlier, and the polite and respectful thing to do would be to apologize."
Jake grinned. "I think you're right."
Scott was surprised by his son's eagerness to make amends. "Okay then, well, I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," Jake replied, grinning cynically. I should have known he'd be sarcastic and rude, Scott thought, trying to keep his anger under control.
"Is there anything you want to say?" Scott asked through gritted teeth.
Jake's cocky grin faded into a thoughtful look. "Yeah, actually, there is," he began in an apologetic tone. "Don't make the same mistake again, I might not forgive you next time, you were so disrespectful towards me."
That was the last straw. No more cockiness. No more disrespect. No more sarcasm. Scott walked straight over to Jake, and grabbed his shoulders, looking right into his face.
"You can act all big and bad now, but it will end. It will end tomorrow, when you get your first lesson as the Huntsboy. Even if you have to have it beaten out of you!" Scott growled, and then walked quickly out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
So it is all going as planned, Jake thought. Just like Gramps wanted, I'm gonna be a Huntsboy…but I'll be damned if they lay a hand on me. He decided against eating supper. He wasn't really hungry. The very thought of becoming one of the Huntsclan, even if it was fake, made his blood run cold. He fell asleep early, a sense of foreboding on his mind.
When he awoke, he felt strangely alert. It was early in the morning, only about five o' clock, so all was silent. Jake tried to fall back to sleep, but he couldn't. Finally, he got up, and tip-toed down the stairs. Each stair seemed to creak unnaturally loudly, and he cursed each squeak. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the bottom of the flight and was able to move soundlessly on the carpet. He headed to the bathroom, took a shower, brushed his teeth and hair, changed, and, feeling restless, headed out the door, making sure to bring a key. The sky was still dark, but was lighting to a dull gray in the east. Jake strolled down his street twice, then headed home, knowledgeable that he would be in extremely deep trouble if he was caught out twice in the same week. He unlocked the door and crept into the kitchen, where he was distraught to find his dad. Luckily, his back was towards him, and Jake could sneak by. That was what he was about to do when he noticed another person in the kitchen. Aunt Patchouli. What is she doing here? Wait…is she part of the Huntsclan? If she isn't, she probably knows about them. Jake thought. Unfortunately, Jake was too shocked by his aunt's sudden appearance that he forgot about hiding, and his Aunt Patchouli spotted him.
"Hello Jake! I was wondering when you kids were going to wake up." She said enthusiastically.
Jake faked a smile. "Hey, Aunt Patchouli! I didn't know you were coming to town."
Aunt Patchouli hesitated. "It was a…surprise." She lowered her tone to a whisper. "I'm so proud of you! You made it into the Huntsclan. It is a great honor. I wasn't so lucky."
Well, that answered Jake's questions. Aunt Patchouli wasn't in the Huntsclan, but she wished she was. Great.
"Since you are ready, we might as well leave now. Would you like to come as an honored guest, Patty?" Scott asked. Aunt Patchouli looked overjoyed.
"I'd love to! And I can watch our little Jake here in action!" She shrieked happily. "I'll get my purse." With that, she walked into the living room.
"Jake, this may not be your destiny officially, like those who are marked, but this is, heretically, your future. Do not ruin it. Let's go."
In the car, Aunt Patchouli chatted excitedly, but Jake didn't pay attention to what she was saying. Slowly, an angry, agitated mood washed over Jake. He knew it was dangerous to get upset, but that just fueled it. He suddenly felt that he could take on anyone or anything, just because it would help him let off this tremendous anger that he was keeping bottled up. When they finally reached the Huntslair, Jake decided he wouldn't be like the other spineless teenagers brought in; he wouldn't just surrender. If he went down, he'd go down spitting words of spite, he'd go down fighting. He didn't know or care if that would cost him his position as a spy. He jumped out of the car, shutting the door with more force than necessary.
They entered the lair the same way as last time, and went to the same room as last time. There were only two other Hunters with their children, one Huntswoman and her daughter, and one Huntsmen and his son. Jake's father stood near the Huntswoman, and turned stony-faced. Aunt Patchouli stayed near the wall, intrigued. Jake decided it would be the most frustrating for his father if he lingered near Aunt Patchouli.
"Jake, over here!" Scott growled, sensing his son's motives. Jake walked over unwillingly, and stood with his back to his dad. The door opened, and the Huntsmaster walked in. His presence was chilling, and everyone had enough sense to bow, except for, of course, Jake. He pretended not to notice the Huntsmaster, and stayed fully upright. The Huntsmaster did not overlook this, but said nothing. Next to Jake, Scott was boiling, causing Jake to restrain a grin. It pleased him when he made his father angry, and this was hilarious.
"Now, my fine Hunters, and Hunters-in-training, do you know why are precious clan was first created? For one sole purpose. To destroy magical creatures. Why, you might ask? They are evil. They steal, kill, and lie. Our greatest enemy is the dragon, for they are the most hated of the band of Killers. They try to stick up for magical creatures, covering for them. So, we hunt dragons. Here, I will teach you to hunt, to become one of the elite. This is only our first training session, but your skill level will be determined here and now. Take this seriously." The Huntsmaster stated coldly. "I will spar with each of you. Do not worry; I will not hurt you…badly. I will start at an easy level, and then get more intense. The first to hit the floor loses. When you are defeated, I will tell you what level you were at. Any questions?
"Yeah, what if you lose?" Jake asked, his arms folded and a defiant look across his face.
"Now, what would make you think anyone could defeat me?" The Huntsmaster asked icily.
"Anything's possible," Jake feigned innocence.
"That it is… I will start with Kelly first." The Huntsmaster answered.
The girl named Kelly was quick, but she didn't last more than two minutes. The Huntsmaster didn't use his Huntstaff, but still won easily. He caught her off guard with a kick to her ribs.
"Intermediate," The Huntsmaster said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Now Kevin."
Kevin was the malicious-looking brute who Jake remembered from the last meeting. He only lasted a minute and a half. He was too thick and bulky to be fast, and he attempted to attack the Huntsmaster with pure force. He did manage to get a punch in on the Huntsmaster, unlike Kelly, but it was still a pathetic sight.
"Advanced-intermediate," the Huntsmaster grumbled unhappily. He had obviously hoped for more from the stout teenager. "And now…Jake."
Jake stepped forward, reminding himself not to go dragon. The Huntsmaster tried to swipe him with a kick to the chest, but Jake ducked, and got a kick to the Huntsmaster's leg. The Huntsmaster clearly didn't expect that, for he grabbed his leg for a moment, but regained his composure instantly. He went in with another kick, this one to the ribs, but Jake did a back-flip to safety, did a tuck-roll, and brought a punch down on the Huntsmaster's stomach. He doubled over momentarily, but then landed a punch on Jake. Jake decided this little easy-fighting game wasn't gonna end any time soon, so he formed a plan. The Huntsmaster went in for another kick, but Jake was ready. He sprang up, and thrust both of his feet forward, into the Huntsmaster's chest, sending him crashing backwards. Actually causing him to fall to the floor. The Huntsmaster had lost.
A/N: ohhhh…the Huntsmaster just got served! REVIEW! I'll write faster if you do! Thanks to all who reviewed earlier!