Two months later, Jack was accepted into the Mountie's as a cadet. He left for training shortly after. His goodbye with his mother was emotional. He probably to write her every chance he could. He told Tom that he was the man of the house now to look after his mother. Jack could tell that Tom would step into his role. He would no longer be Jack Thornton's little brother but just Tom Thornton.
The trip took about four days to training camp. He met a lot of the other men and learned why they were joining the Mountie's. One cadet he bonded with during the trip was a man named Doug. Jack learned about Doug's parents, siblings and even his pets. Doug was the youngest of seven children.
After the four day trip, they finally made it to training camp. The camp was on what seemed to be at least a hundred acres of land. There was a lake, man made mountains, sharp shooting and even tracking. Jack would look into that part of the training. The training officer barked orders to the new cadets and told them to go put their stuff away in be back at 3:00 sharp. Jack found his room with a nice surprise.
"No way!" Jack exclaimed.
Doug turned around.
"Looks like we'll be roommates. I hope you don't snore."
Jack laughed. Jack looked around the room. There were two bunk beds in the room. As Jack was looking at the bunk beds, two men came in. They would be occupying the other bunk. He introduced himself to the men. When Jack turned around he saw Doug in the top bunk.
"Who said you get the top bunk?" Jack asked.
"Since I'm older, I get top bunk" Doug said.
"You're only older than me by 3 days" Jack said.
"Those are the rules. I don't make them, I just follow them." Doug said.
Jack laughed
Jack put his stuff away. Jack and Doug walked over to the area that they were ordered to come back to. All the men stood in line. Suddenly, an older looking man came out and stood out in front of them.
"Gentlemen, I am Superintendent Harkins. I am in charge of this facility. I will be your mother, father and God to you for the next six months. When I say jump you say how high. This isn't summer camp Gentlemen. You are training to become part of the Royal West Mounted Police. The RWMP is the most distinguished agency in this country. You will be tested physically, emotionally and spiritually while you are here. Only the best will make it through. We will be growing the muscles in your body but also the brain muscle. Your training will consist of half in the classroom and half in the field. You will be marked on not only on your abilities in the field but also what kind of character you have. I hope to see you all at graduation. As the RWMP like to say Uphold the Right!"
Everyone repeated the motto. Superindent Harkins left. A younger man stood in front of them.
"I am Staff Sargent Cook. I will be your direct supervisor. I will be the one deciding if you graduate from the RWMP training to become a full fledged Officer for the RWMP. Today, you are going to select your horses that you will be issued if you graduate. This is one of the most important decisions you will make in your career. This horse will be your partner. They will by your side all the time. I'm going to take you over to the stables where you meet all the horses. Make sure the horse is the right fit for you.
"Yes. Staff Sargent" All the men yelled.
The Staff Sargent led them to the stables. Behind the stables was a field where all the horses were feeding on the grass. The Staff Sargent opened the gate and let the men meet the horses. Jack went from horse trying to get a feel for each one. He tried to mount a couple of horses but the horses wouldn't let him. Finally, Jack saw a horse away from the other. It was darker than the rest of the horses. Jack went over to the horse. Jack started petting the horse. The horse was a little apprehensive but warmed up to Jack. Jack mounted the horse and the horse let him. Since Jack didn't have a saddle or reigns, he got off the horse.
"Looks like we were meant for each other. What should I name you?" Jack said. Jack thought of a name and smiled when he finally came up with it.
"I'll call you Sargent. When my father died, he was a Sargent in the force. I think he would be proud to have horse named after his rank" Jack said.
Sargent must have agreed with the name because he started nuzzling with Jack. Jack went back to stables and grabbed reigns and led Sargent back to the stalls. Tomorrow Jack would start his training to become a RWMP Officer.