Clang, clang, clang.
Chanto tumbled out of bed and began to dress for the day, his brain still foggy with sleep. He ran downstairs to the training yard without ever really paying attention. The life of a Shang trainee meant early mornings and late nights. By the time his head finally cleared enough for coherent thought, the trainees were standing in perfectly straight lines, shivering in the chilly winter air and waiting for their instructors to arrive.
Barely thirty seconds had passed when Gunder Targmak, the only Scanran Shang master, arrived. He was, as were many Scanrans, blond, blue-eyed, and huge-he had well-earned the title of Shang Bear. He strode up and down the line, inspecting each young person there. If a single hair was mussed, one hem was wrinkled, one spot of dirt hid on any part of the trainee, everyone would pay for the mistake in sweat, and they knew it full well. Gunder zeroed in on one unfortunate boy and stared intently at him for several moments. The boy gulped and nervously scrunched the edge of one sleeve in his hand. Gunder pounced.
"Jasper Goldeye!" he bellowed. "What have you done to your sleeve?" He snatched Jasper's hand and hoisted it high into the air, forcing the smaller boy to stand on tip-toe. "You've creases in your shirt! Preparedness is a must for any warrior, especially a Shang. We must be ready for anything, anytime. Powerful people make powerful enemies, an few are more powerful than a Shang. Do you understand me?" Jasper nodded resentfully, staring at the ground. Gunder grabbed him by the hair and forced him to meet his eyes. "I said, do you understand me, trainee?"
"Yes, Master Gunder," he said, his resolve breaking. Gunder nodded. "Because I clearly haven't taught you all well enough, you will all spend two bells preparing riding tack for anyone who needs to go out. Each piece is to be oiled, rubbed, and mended if it needs it. If this isn't done to my satisfaction, you will spend two bells a day for the rest of your stay with us mucking out the stables. Understood?"
"Yes, Master Gunder," chorused the rest of the trainees, shooting dirty looks at the unfortunate Jasper.
"Then get to it!" There was a flurry of action as the trainees began their morning drills of kicks, punches, and jumps. Gunder walked slowly, watching each pair. "Today is everyone's favorite day. Yamani training day!"
The trainees looked at each other. Several traded eye rolls. Yamani day meant running through all terrains, carrying heavy barrels filled with rocks or snow for miles on end. It meant scant or no meals and-worst of all-complete politeness and obedience, with even harsher punishments than usual. To have extra punishment time added on top of it was not a good situation. But the first rule a would-be Shang trainee learned was don't complain.
"Come on, ladies!" cried another voice. Nakiti du Okinowa, Shang's armsmistress and resident Yamani expert, had arrived. As were many Yamani's, she was petite, with long coils of black hair pinned tightly on top of her head. However, she was strong and fast as lightening. Not for nothing was she called the Hawk.
"It's not even dawn yet, and you're slacking off already! Put some energy into your drills!" Living in Tortal for so many years had driven away most of the typical Yamani reservedness. Only at formal dinners did the Hawk show signs of her homeland customs. She had started Shang training at 13, one of the oldest trainees in history. Most trainees were chosen between the ages of four and eight, to start the training early. However, because of her rigorous training in the mountains of Yaman as a child, she was more that up to the challenge.
"Now, before anyone gets breakfast, I want you all to run up the mountain and fill one of these barrels with snow." She gestured to a large pile of empty barrels with ropes attached. "You will bring the barrel back down, light a fire, and melt the snow so that Gunder and I may bathe. Only when everyone is finished may you eat. Understood?"
The trainees nodded, some resigned, some resentful. "Then get to it!" Gunder roared. The trainees each hurried to grab a barrel and begin the jog up the steep mountain slope.
As they ran, Chanto fell in step beside one of the female trainees, Miriam. She was from Tortal, destined to life as a maid at Goldenlake before the Shangs noticed her uncanny agility and skill at silent movement. She had light brown hair and vibrant green eyes. The two had become good friends over the course of their training, much to the amusement of some of the other boys. They said nothing, merely running steadily along, trying to ignore their hunger.
Behind them, some of the other trainees were giving Jasper a hard time. A hand reached out and shoved him to the ground. A kick sent his barrel rolling down the mountain. He snarled and jumped up, brushing the snow off his clothes as he chased his barrel. Within twenty feet, he caught up to it and turned around to haul it back up. "That's what you get for giving the rest of us punishment work for your mistake, scum," called one of the boys. The group laughed and turned around to continue up the mountain.
Chanto and Miriam exchanged glances. While both felt bad for Jasper, they knew from experience that any offer of help would be greeted with harsh words, even blows. Jasper was very proud, and hated to get help from anyone, especially after he suffered some small humiliation. With a sigh, the two friends continued jogging, leaving the cursing and spiting Jasper to toil along behind them.
A.N: Hey everyone! Sorry this took me so long, but I got a really bad case of writer's block about halfway through this chapter and pretty much abandoned it. Sorry. But it's here now, and I hope you like it. Also, I have put a poll up, inquiring as to your opinions on which of my three stories deserves the most of my attention. If you have never read any of my other stories, go do it, but even if you don't and you just want to see more of this one, I'd love to hear your opinion. As ever, please review so I can tell what you lovely people are thinking. Thanks!
-Forever the Optimist