As it turned out the victory Miho had pulled off against Saunders had managed to upset Kay and get Miho's message back home. To the students. This was enough to begin drawing in more support. Other schools were beginning to look in as they saw an opportunity to invest into the unknown school/ To Miho, another day, another chance to prove herself.
Stephanie was waiting at her cabin when Miho pedaled her way to the cabin to see what was going on. Stephanie was busy cooking when she heard a knocking on her door.
"Come in." Stephanie explained to whoever was at the door. The door opened to reveal Miho heading inside. Stephanie turned to greet her. "Welcome Firepaw, is there something you need to talk to me about?"
"Kind of. I wanted to speak to you about… something." Miho explained to Stephanie what was on her mind that she wanted to say regarding the entire season so far.
"Sure, what's on your mind?" Stephanie asked Miho if there was something she wished to say.
"I wanted to say is the fact that Saunders has been getting closer and closer and the training of the students is coming along but by the looks of things, we're going to need more help." Miho explained to Stephanie about this. Stephanie brushed her hair as she began serving.
"I can agree to that but yesterday's skirmish is drawing in help. We got the message that Maple High School was sending students in as part of the volunteer force. Some of them being veterans of the snow games I was watching during the winter." Stephanie explained to Miho what exactly was going on. Miho began to think a bit, winter sport? That sounded Familiar.
"Oh that, I guess you can say we can go well within any season in any weather condition. This is something we're trained to do on the first day." Miho explained to Stephanie. "We won the first match but we ended up losing the second one thinking that we were destined to lose. And it was against Pravda so losing was natural." Miho explained to Stephanie. Stephanie began to think about it for a second as she served Miho breakfast.
"Sounds interesting." Stephanie explained to Miho. Miho began to eat while Stephanie sat down to eat herself.
"How are winters at this school assuming you get snow as your school is constantly on the move?" Miho asked curiously thinking that Stephanie had some snow experience when it came to this type of climate. Stephanie began to think about it before she began speaking.
"Well the winters are indeed cold, very cold and it can get very moist which means lots of snow. We can get stuck in our cabins for up to three days because of the snow. We don't seem to mind that much, we really enjoy the snow and we really like the weather. Not too hot during the summer and really cold winters. This is a lot of our weather. We're mostly coming back to Japan to get a few things that we only get once a year. We're on our way back when this just had to happen."
"Where do you usually stay for most of the year if I have to ask?" Miho asked Stephanie as she continued to eat.
"We're in the arctic circle for most of the year as few schools tend to venture there during the winter. With the harsh winters, it creates conditions that Saunders wouldn't dare to come to as they seem to be focused on the warm weather like those dirty Americans they are." Stephanie explained to Miho about where the school was for much of the academic year which meant that they were in mostly remote isolation and had to deal with the weather all on their own. Because of this, they didn't have the enemy visiting them as the conditions would have made them leave as they couldn't tolerate the winter conditions.
"Seems to me you're taking a page from Mika I see." Miho explained to Stephanie about what she was learning to counter the enemy.
"You can say that. Still, nothing to worry about. We've only been open for just this year." Stephanie explained to Miho. Miho paused as she began to process what Stephanie had told her, they had been open just this year.
"So you have no idea if your plan of freezing the enemy is going to work or not." Miho explained to Stephanie if this was the case. Stephanie said nothing but they were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Jake as he was waiting outside. Miho walked over as Stephanie cleaned up the mess of their empty plates. Miho opened the door.
"Miho, you and Stephanie need to come to where Ayami is, she's holding a meeting in the usual spot. You better get down there." Jake explained to Miho and Stephanie. Ayami was going to hold a meeting. The two girls looked at each other before they decided to hop onto their bikes and pedal themselves off. Jake took the lead while Miho and Stephanie followed behind. Miho was still more or less curious about Jake and she had a few questions she needed to ask him.
"Hey Jake, how is the school so far?" Miho asked Jake about his opinion.
"It's good. They managed to fix the flood from yesterday, meaning that the artificial lake is draining and will return to being a stream in a couple of days." Jake explained to Miho that the school had fixed the problem and the water was going to drain out.
"Is it true that this school gets cold winters?" Miho asked while pedaling behind Jake. Jake began to think about this for a second before he began to speak about it.
"Yeah this school definitely gets some pretty cold winters. I've been there myself sometime earlier this year and I will say that this winter was probably the coldest we have ever experienced. It didn't help that the school has a higher moisture content than most schools meaning that the snowstorms are more frequent. I had to help dig my way out and bring supplies to some of the stranded students that were stuck in the snow." Jake explained to Miho about the school and how the possibility of getting buried in the snow was a possibility.
"That's harsh, how do you girls get around with the snow in the school?" Miho asked Jake if there was some kind of tactic these girls used to get around their snow covered school.
"It is usually the fact that we often keep some snow shoes in the cabins, those are lifesavers especially when getting snowed in is a possibility." Stephanie interjected saying that the cabins had stuff such as snow shoes to prevent them from sinking into the snow.
"And you girls have sleds?" Miho asked if that was a thing too.
"We definitely do but since we can't get around on bikes, we usually have to save money first before we get stuff for the winter as winter means we can't get much in terms of resources." Stephanie explained. "Since the sleds don't carry much. We usually keep all of our food inside of the storage bunker we have under the cabins. While there isn't much space, it certainly isn't painful to go down the couple of stairs to have some of the food stashed away for the winter."
"Survival eh? Is that what you girls plan on?" Miho asked.
"Sure is. It can certainly be a lifesaver if you know what you are doing." Stephanie explained. Miho nodded that these girls were good. They pedaled into the area before placing the bikes down and walking over to where Ayami was as she was standing on the rock.
"May all students gather beside me for an important meeting." Ayami began. The crowd gathered beside them as the five Maple High School students had also arrived beside Ayami's flanks. Miho was curious to see who this was. "I'm pretty sure you've heard about the success of yesterday's battle and the captured Sherman we have. However, we still don't have many working vehicles so I decided to hire a few students to help us out. Give the Maple High School students a warm welcome." Ayami explained to the group. "I'll give you all your assignments when we get them settled down and in your designated groups. For now. Give Trout and her friends a warm welcome." Ayami stopped speaking as the Maple High School students walked forward to greet Miho and her friends. "Meeting dismissed." Ayami left the stage as the Maple High School students walked over to begin mingling with the other students.
"Hey Miho, It's been a while since we had a decent conversation. What are you doing here?" Trout greeted Miho warmly with a welcome. Miho began to think about the answer she was going to give and she decided to speak.
"It's a long story and we have a long day to decide on the matters. We should decide on what is going to happen. It's Azusa we're here for." Miho told Trout about her friend and what they were doing in Cedar Lake Academy.
"I see. From what I heard from the other students, this school is spectacular. It's among the top ten happiest schools. I must admit that I'm pretty skeptical of this claim as this school has been open only this academic year meaning the school has very recently opened and has been open for only this year." Trout explained to Miho about what she heard about it. She wasn't going to deny the appearance of the school herself but even she thought this claim was dubious due to the very new nature of the school.
"So this school has only started operating as of this year? Interesting." Miho replied to Trout.
"It sure is, plus Ami and Shichiro got the request for this school to be made especially with the decline of Saunders and the social and emotional health of the students that might be affected by Kay herself. Some of the ship builders decided to take the project thinking they were going to get paid in cash to make another school ship. Motivated, they built the ship in record time which explains why the ship is still very empty. Lower decks are still deserted as there is so much room on the top that no one wants to venture down." Trout explained to Miho how this school came to be. For Miho, she was understanding more about the school that Azusa was attending.
"Will that change over the years?" Miho asked Trout if this was going to be true.
"Yes that will change but since you need to have an emotional problem rather than a disability unlike SSISSN, they seem to focus on a student's actual problem instead of slapping everything together and hoping for the best." Trout explained to Miho.
"Okay, thanks for telling me that I need to go, have fun taking care of the tanks." Miho told Trout. Trout nodded before she walked away from Miho. Miho knew she needed to visit Tomori to check up on her before going about with her duties.
Miho knocked on the door to see if Tomori was home. Tomori opened the door to see Miho standing outside.
"It seems to me that we're getting company. At least they want to stand clear of my way if that will be the case." Tomori told Miho that she didn't welcome the company all that much and whatever company that did come was more of a nuisance than anything.
"You're going to have to get used to it. We still don't know what to do with you. You better hang in there until we figure out something." Miho explained to Tomori that she still didn't know what exactly to do with her until the situation was sorted.
"How long is that going to take?" Tomori asked sarcastically. "Until my flesh rots from the inside until I'm skin and bones? I love to see those students try." Tomori explained. Her voice was kind of mocking Miho. She seemed to enjoy her own jokes no matter how sarcastic she was going to be.
"Hopefully not. I think you're settling down just fine. I hope." Miho told Tomori.
"You have spirit there. Now some of your friends need you." Tomori told Miho. Miho nodded as she left.
"I'll have Saori check up on you later, just sit tight." Miho explained before she left the scene with Tomori going to watch the day go by. Ritsu and Mio were waiting outside for Miho.
"Firepaw, we're needed to go get our assignments, Tigerclaw will be waiting for us." Ritsu explained to Miho that they were going to complete their assignments that Ayami had alluded to. Miho nodded as she decided to follow Ritsu and Mio to where Rowan was standing. Rowan was waiting for the three girls as Miho, Ritsu and Mio stood by their sides. Rowan turned her head to the three girls, ready to give them their assignments of where they were going to go.
"I sense you three are ready for the task at hand? Lionheart and I have been training all of you to be on your senses while the tanks are getting repaired. You three will take different routes to show us how ready you are" Rowan began. The three girls nodded nervously yes. Rowan turned as she was ready to give the girls their assignments. She turned to Mio first. "Ravenpaw, you will take a patrol of students past the great tree to the Snakerocks. That should be easy for your pitiful skills. Graypaw you will take the route along the stream as far as the quarry where the tank was found."
"Great, wet shoes for me." Ritsu grumbled. She wasn't a fan of traveling down the path to the place where Miho got into a fight with Kay a couple nights before. Rowan turned to Miho.
"And finally Firepaw. You will lead a group over Lookout pass. Plus you will have the group of new students with you since I am impressed with yesterday's reports. I am giving you more, are you sure you got this?" Rowan gave Miho her instructions on what she was going to do and how she was going to do it.
"I got this." Miho replied to Rowan that she was going to be heading up and over the pass. Rowan nodded with approval.
"Very good. Remember, if you report anything, let me know about it." Rowan explained to Miho that if something was off, she must speak to Rowan directly.
"Yes." Miho gave another reply before she went off to gather her group together. Rowan gave a smile, she seemed to be enjoying training with Miho more than the other students.
Miho was leading a group over Lookout pass. The small group seemed to be more or less occupied with the fact that they were given an assignment.
"This is pretty exciting to do. Our first patrol assignment." Madison called out. Tanya had decided to go prone with the binoculars out, deciding to take up guard.
"Very exciting indeed. It shows that Lindsay was letting us see the school from the cabins." Mia replied.
"Not like we do this in our free times." Yukari reminded them. Anglerfish team was on the patrol as they were tasked with taking the first years around like the babysitters.
"I mean some of us are older. Shouldn't we be given mentors at this point? We can't just sit around here and do nothing right?" Sophie asked before she sat on a rock to take in the view.
"Sophie is right about that. Some of us can't just sleep no matter how tempting this is." Mako began. "Rowan has given us a very important task, and important tasks are big. Hana is a big person so she means she's important." Hana blushed at the compliment that Mako had given her. She then turned to Miho as she continued to speak. "And then there is you Miho. Small-small-small, teeny-weeny-weeny and I'm a big girl who knows everything." Mako had stated. This reply had annoyed Miho a bit as this was even more ironic as Mako was the shortest girl of the bunch.
"Man that insult must've stung. It's almost as if I don't like getting ridiculed like Louie, who was born without a voice." Miho grumbled as Mako went off to inspect another area of the pass.
"I know what this could mean. Especially when we have to stand on our own two feet against Kay." Aurora explained to Miho about what exactly this meant. She wanted to try to comfort her after Mako's teasing.
"You're right about that Aurora. Sometimes I wonder why I've come here in the first place. Well I didn't have any problems when I was in Ooarai but then out of the blue, Azusa collapses and has to be sent here. I only came here to be there for my friend and now I feel like I'm being dragged into what Ayami needs me to do." Miho began as she felt like she was losing her purpose being in this school in the first place. "I feel like we're going to go our separate ways if we don't try to stay together." Miho explained to Aurora how she felt. Aurora walked over and began to speak.
"It's okay to feel frustrated. It's something I learned in my stay with Saunders before Chika told me to let out my true feelings." Aurora told Miho that she was going to be there to help. "Now tell me, what exactly happened to Azusa and why did this result with you being here?" Aurora asked Miho to retrace her steps to figure out why she came to Cedar Lake Academy in the first place.
"Well I was walking along with Hana and Azusa a few days ago and Azusa asked if we were to die from Ooarai. I am completely confused about what she was talking about. She mentioned how Maho has passed and then it would be me next and then her. We're not going to die anyway but she then passes out on us and we're left in distraught. I don't know what Azusa has told us." Miho explained to Aurora what exactly this meant and why Azusa told her about this. Aurora began to think about it for a second, trying to process what happened days previous to this one. Aurora nodded before she came to a conclusion.
"Well… she thinks school is a life cycle, just like how we see it. We're youthful as freshmen like kittens out of their mother. We then become apprentices and then warriors until finally we become elders. Graduation is another word for death to this particular life we've known for. And while we aren't actually dying, it means the cycle of life will begin anew. Maybe we will get to be something bigger and better once this cycle is finished?" Aurora explained to Miho that something like this was going to be something that they know about. "Have you read those cat books that Rabbit team is invested in? Azusa says she's been reading about them much like we have. That's why we have those names that someone like Ayami had assigned to us. That's how we view life."
"So you're saying that school is about growing up?" Miho asked Aurora if this was true.
"Yes, school is about growing up. While we can't sit and discuss the philosophy of life and how this makes us truly feel, it is comforting to know that we're just living our lives. I will ask Spottedleaf if she knows any of this and if she does, she will have to speak to you and Azusa about it. That should take care of Azusa's problems but if they still persist, then the problem is medical." Aurora explained to Miho that she will need to talk to Stephanie about her explanation and they could decide on what was next.
"So no waiting around for the next seven hundred chapters or the Erin's dictating our lives to see who lives and who dies for being a background character? All of this could be resolved in a simple conversation?" Miho asked. "This makes the trip even more pointless than I realized."
"Well there is nothing pointless about this. You are helping after all. We managed to drive out Saunders yesterday with you Miho." Tanya explained to Miho that the visit wasn't entirely wasteful.
"That I can say about it. I just thought that this was a waste of time. And the story can be over." Miho explained to the girls that she seemed to be getting over her frustrations but this was leading her into new frustrations already.
"No story ends, only continues." Tanya replied. "You will be wondering what happens in the next chapter much like a reader. I think you would benefit from finding something you will be engrossed in even if it's just words on a piece of paper." The girls were interrupted as someone was coming.
"Guys someone's coming." Miho told the group. What appeared to be one lone girl with very fluffy white hair. Miho pounced on her and took her down.
"Please don't hurt me!" She called out. The other girls got up and walked over to see who it was that Miho caught in her trap.
"Who are you?" Saori asked the girl who she was.
"By the looks of things, she's a Saunders student. But why would she be alone?" Miho explained to Saori. Saori nodded before something fell out of her shirt pockets. Yukari went over and picked it up.
"Your name is Kimberly right?" Yukari asked the girl if that was her name.
"Yeah and I was sent out here alone to patrol this area. It turns out. Kay is sending us alone to see resistance. If we get captured, they then know that someone's out there and will send a bigger force over." Kimberly explained. "I wanted to get the chance to come here thinking I would be much safer than Saunders."
"Oh a defector I see?" Yukari replied. "Well, we should get you back to camp and tell Ayami and Rowan about this." Yukari then turned to Miho as she instructions for her. "Finish this patrol, I'll take Kimberly back with Hana." Miho nodded before Yukari walked off with Kimberly and Hana. Miho had decided to patrol the rest of the pass to make sure nothing was in the ordinary before reporting everything to Rowan.
After the patrol, Miho walked up to Rowan as she had to give her rundown of the report from the patrol.
"Okay so everything is clear. We found a student named Kimberly which we took into our group as she was alone. It turns out Saunders is sending probes to see if they can find us. We've definitely found them." Miho explained to Rowan what exactly happened. Rowan nodded with approval.
"Good to hear, Graypaw and Ravenpaw have yet to return. You can take a rest and they will submit their reports. Afterward Bluestar will decide on what to do next." Rowan explained to Miho that she had caught herself a break and was wondering when her friends would be back. Miho didn't have to wait for very long before Ritsu returned and submitted her report.
"Well I can certainly say today was uneventful." Ritsu began. "There was only some tank tracks in the area and it's clear that a patrol of Shermans had come through that area. We reported that but nothing else seemed to be the case." Ritsu explained the reporting that she had encountered. Miho nodded.
"Nothing to see… okay. I must ask, what are Snake rocks?" Miho asked Ritsu if she knew what the snake rocks were.
"The snake rocks to Bluestar is where all the snakes such as adders live. In reality they're just decorative rocks in the shape of a couple of snakes. It shows when the Adder trail begins. The Adder trail is the longest trail in the school, and it ends when you reach the town. A lot of people go down there." Ritsu explained to Miho what the snake rocks were. Miho nodded to what Ritsu had to say.
"Sounds nice. I want to say if Mio was able to do her mission. We should think of something to do with her. She does have potential." Miho explained to Ritsu that they should do something as friends together. Mio then appeared as she had with her, another Saunders student in her possession. For Miho she knew who this was.
"It looks like Ravenpaw managed to catch an adder." Ritsu seemed to tease thinking the Saunders student was a snake. Mio walked over.
"She seemed to be willing to surrender as I was too quick for her. She said her name was Sima and she was a mechanic for their school. I guess even their most experienced people are willing to hand themselves in." Mio explained to Ritsu and Miho about what happened to the student she managed to catch.
"Well you can report to Tigerclaw about that one." Ritsu teased Mio about her catch that she made. Mio nodded and decided to walk off. Miho turned to Ritsu.
"I promise I will see Stephanie as I need to speak to her about something." Miho told Ritsu before she got up and left.
"Take care." Ritsu told Miho as she watched her friend depart.
Miho pulled up to Stephanie's cabin as Azusa was waiting nearby. She had also gotten the memo about coming here to visit their friend.
"You knew about this too?" Miho asked Azusa if this was something that she managed to catch on.
"Yeah I did, it turns out that you wanted to see how I was doing. Yuuki eavesdropped on your conversation while you were up in Lookout pass. She told me about it and I decided to come here like you said." Azusa told Miho about what exactly happened and why she was here.
"Well if you weren't there, I was going to text you to come to Stephanie's cabin. We just gotta make sure she's home first." Miho replied to what Azusa had said. Miho walked over before she knocked on the cabin door. The door opened to reveal Stephanie standing inside.
"Back already?" Stephanie asked Miho. Miho nodded yes as she had Azusa in her tow. "Follow me, we'll talk about this more." Stephanie told Miho as the three girls walked inside of the cabin.
"Well I decided to talk to you that the fact that Azusa passed out over the fact that she was going to die and that's why she was sent here. For me, I thought this trip was mostly pointless seeing that this could've been resolved with a conversation between the students. I must be going crazy with how long I've been here." Miho began speaking about what she encountered in life.
"Miho, I think Azusa might be going through some form of crisis where she is doubting that she doesn't know if she could exist outside of the school. A lot of students go through that seeing that graduation day is coming closer. It's like growing old and dying. I am no stranger to this concept as I lost contact with my friends before we parted ways to go to school. I never felt the same when I applied to my high school of choice. I always felt like something was missing. I never seem to find what the meaning is until I came here and befriended Bluestar and some of her friends. It seems to me that the only way forward in life is medicine and artwork." Stephanie explained that a student in her school is like an animal living its life or a leaf trying to withstand the pressure of the seasons. "Eventually you will lose the battle and you will have to move to another life. As for Azusa, It's something she might be going through when she is having her moments in life. While this death isn't permanent or physical, it's a sense that we will have to eventually climb up into the heavens with the names of the cats we're associated with."
"So about Azusa's heart?" Miho asked. Stephanie nodded as she decided to speak.
"I'll check up on that, just let me get a few things out." Stephanie explained to Miho as she guided Azusa to sit on her bed and pull her shirt off for a moment. Stephane then decided to listen to Azusa's heart. After a couple minutes of listening, she turned back to Miho. "Well there's nothing wrong with Azusa's heart from what I can gather. Something like this means that she is physically all right. In terms of emotional issues, all of the students are open to help if Azusa is still struggling." Miho sighed with relief. Azusa was going to be fine and when it came to it, she was going to have help with Azusa's emotional issues if they came back to haunt her.
"Thank you Stephanie. It turns out you can be a miracle worker if I can ask for it." Miho told Stephanie that she was thankful for the visit. Azusa slipped her shirt back on as Stephanie began speaking.
"I talk to Aurora about this type of stuff as she turns out to be interested in the philosophy of existence as well. We all have our part to play if we become leaders, healers or kits wanting to have fun before growing up." Stephanie explained. Then a knock on the door was heard. Miho went over to see who it was and opened the door. Outside was Rowan.
"Firepaw, Bluestar wishes to speak to you at once. You're needed." Rowan told Miho that she needed to report to Ayami. Azusa turned to Miho as she began to speak.
"Good luck." Azusa told Miho. Miho headed to get her bike. She got on and began pedaling to where Ayami was located. She didn't know what Ayami wanted from her.
[A/N]: I haven't updated in a couple of weeks as I felt completely drained. It turns out I have and still have a cough that hasn't gone away. It's effects aren't as severe as before since I went to go get an allergy test last week and it turns out there is a lot of stuff I'm allergic to. Trees, weeds, grass, pollen, mold, dust and slightly to pets. This sucks as I won't be able to go outside without suffering from allergies. I just want to touch grass on sunny days and enjoy a breath of fresh air. This is a big setback to where I want to be but the silver lining is that I now know what is causing my suffering and I have a means of dealing with it.
Anyways, with this chapter out of the way, I feel like I'm getting the boring stuff done and I can focus on more of the plot. Ayami needs to speak to Miho about something and with this, I'm going to leave this on a cliffhanger as I would let you decide on what Ayami needs to speak to Miho about. Well, that is all I need to speak to you about. See you later when i post the next chapter.