Chapter 9

Hunter was nervous.

How could he not be nervous? It was a test he dreaded, but one that needed to be done. He stood before Silverfang who appeared ready for the sparring match. "You cannot come at me with fear and doubt in your eyes!" he warned. "The battle to you will already be lost. Breathe Hunter, breathe and know your abilities to overcome your obstacle!"

He took deep breaths and tried to focus. Hunter kept thinking of his father, what he would do, how he would go about doing in. He has been learning from Pac and Silverfang for weeks now. He knows how to do fists of flowing water to perfection. But now, he goes against the man who made that technique. He has to show him he learned from the past and is ready to face the future. The future is always in front of him.

With that Hunter settled himself, he felt his courage return. "Take your stance" announced Silverfang.

Hunter did, he stood at the ready and stared the old master in the eyes. Watching from afar was Pac. He already had his round with Silverfang, not even he could get the better of the old man! Still, it's Hunter's turn. He has to be prepared for what will come.

At first, neither one moved. Hunter wasn't going to make the first move either. After noticing Pac was thwarted whenever he attempted to make the first strike, Silverfang had time to prepare and counter it. Not this time.

The two merely circled one another, neither one willing to break the circle. His eyes were locked on Silverfang, and knew the old man was already plotting his downfall. Hunter paused for a moment, he has to do something different, something… unorthodox. He turned and ran!

"What is this? Turning your back!" Silverfang announced. Just as he did, Hunter saw Bang start to plan his strike, now it was time. He back flipped from where he stood and attempted to land a blow. It caught the old man off guard for but a moment, yet Bang was able to grab Hunter and thrown him off balance! Hunter was quick to recover and land on his hands and feet before hitting the ground. "Interesting strategy." Said Bang. "But why turn your back?"

"So you couldn't see my hands or arms in movement. How can you know what I will do if my back is turned?" Hunter got up once more, this time he went for the strike.

He lasted well against Bang, slightly longer than Pac did. But the results were the same. He was forced on to his back and held down at the mercy of Silverfang. "Damn it!" cursed Hunter.

Bang smiled. "If it makes either one of you feel better. Your father didn't defeat me either."

Hunter's head hit the floor gently. He gave a sigh. "That's a little comforting." He muttered. "But I feel as if I can do a lot better!"

Silverfang helped him to his feet. "Oh, you can, you will. It takes time. You two have done remarkably well! Considering that I merely mentor you on weekends. What you accomplished in that time can take years for others to master and complete…" He paused for a moment as a single tear left his eye. "You are both, so much like him." He whispered.

Pac and Hunter blushed slightly. "We do appreciate your wisdom and guidance in our time of need Bang. Truly, we are honored." said Pac as he and Hunter did a respectful bow to him. "We will train harder as well."

Bang bowed back. "Very good."

"I think we are going to be going home soon. If you will have us, we will visit the dojo for more lessons… oh… wait…" Hunter trailed off, remembering that his father stated they should never go to the dojo when Bang is teaching.

Silverfang however smiled. "You don't need it." He explained. "You both have mastered the technique, what you haven't done is conquer the master! That you don't need me for… that you need to learn for yourselves!"