The Early Bell
Glade 16 122
Glade 16 122
Pahoran heard the bell ringing in the small wagon and his eyes flew open. He knew that bell well, and with out even thinking about it he threw his cover off and found himself standing on the side of his bed standing at attention. He looked around and saw both of his brothers were also standing at attention. Each of them avoiding shivering as none of them had much on besides their underpants, and quick glance out the window told them it was still dark. “Everyone outside.” Someone shouted and Pah still on autopilot raced out of the wagon with his brothers close by him. The Knight hadn’t had one of these early morning mandatory drills for a while, well not since he had actually become a knight.
There were other young people, mostly the young men were gathering in a line. There was other commotion going on as well besides the people trying to get organized into some type of line. Pahoran could hear some commotion coming from the area where his older brother and sisters families were staying. The ice blue eyes youth watched as one middle aged man came stumbling out of the large tent his sister was in. He was holding his nose which was clearly bleeding even as his brother in law Erollai came out with a scowl on his face, and his fist clenched.
“What is the meaning of this your soulless creatin.” Erollai shouted. Even as he was at it Bakato came storming out of his tent, his wings tensed and half flared giving him a menacing look. Neither man was armed but the both approached as some type of avenging angels. The man whom Pahoran had seen with the blood nose lowered his hand and shouted back.
“How dare you hit a officer.” He shouted glaring. Neither young man backed down.
“You don’t outrank me, and how dare you come charging into the tents with sleeping children and violently scare them awake.” Bakato shouted back.
“It my job to unify our training.” The other man said.
“Okay that enough of that.” Came the shout from Taselia. The highest ranking member of the order came out of his wagon. He paused and looked at everything and with military precision figured out what happened. “Clos, I did tell you to get the knight in shape, I am pleased to see we have a group of them ready over there but never have we authorized anyone wake families up like that.” He looked at his grandson in law and said. “Did you really hit him.”
“No Grandfather.” Came out a very pregnant Delan. “I hit the idiot.” She was rubbing her wrist. There was pride in the old Avialea’s eyes at that comment.
“Good.” Was all he said, and then looked at Clos. “Take those young men out for some training.” He turned to his daughter and daughter in law who were standing in the openings of their tents. There were some nodes and he said. “Boys since your awake anyway.” Bakato nodded and then motioned for his oldest son to join him.
Clos came over and barked at Pahoran and the others. Pah was glade it was dark as he was trying not to laugh or make it obvious he was biting his lips. Yes this was one of those growing pains as the knight came back together. Pahoran began to run with the other knights in line as they turned away from the camp and ran into the forest. Pah focused on not pushing it as he didn’t know how long they would be at it. He knew he could run faster but this wasn’t a speed race. Pah focused on breathing in an out. Running was actually an excellent way to focus on endurance and one never knew how long you would find yourself in battle.
The group of knights ran, Pah keeping his eyes on the ground in front of him. After a moment he saw his nephew catching up to him. He could see that the boy wanted to be fast. Pah lowered his hand and touched the boy’s shoulder and shook his head and the boy sighed and didn’t speed up. Pah wasn’t to worried about the boy as he had always lived with the wagon train, so he was used to long travels and having to walk. Pah still glanced back and saw Bakato farther back easily keeping up with the group but also keeping an eye on the boy. The two nodded at each other.
Eventually they came to a clearing where they were allowed to stop. Pah was still by his nephew, Bakona. Who dramatically fell on the ground. Pah smiled at the boy. “Come on stand up. Sitting down isn’t a good idea.” He looked at the scowling trainer. “We still have more to do.” The boy stood up and gritted his teeth. “Walk with me it helps bring the breathing under control and keeps you muscles from growing stiff.” There was a grumble but the boy listened to his uncle and the two walked around the edge.
After a couple minutes the call came for them to gather. Pah stayed with his nephew to whom this would be his first time. Pah found himself in the roll of training his nephew. The knight usually avoided fathers training sons for a verity of reasons. Uncles and older brothers though were another story. Pah got on the ground next to his nephew, and showed him the best way to do a push up. “Bring you elbows in.” He said as the boy did his first. “And don’t flop on the ground like a dying fish.” Pah himself worked on his push up. Pahoran worked on his own push ups but kept offer encouragements to the boy moving much more slowly next to him.
Pahoran feeling the boy was doing a good job turn his attention towards his own. He made sure his own form was correct. There were different ways to do a push up that would change the focus of the muscles being used, but he stuck to the basic at this time, mostly so that his nephew wouldn’t be confused if he suddenly change techniques. Pah’s brother had stressed the importance of doing these exercises right and not just randomly. He soon finished his push ups and turned to watch as his nephew push through his remaining count. “You can do this.” Pah said his voice firm. The boy eventually got to the last one and plopped on the ground gasping for breath. Pahoran could feel the burn in his arms and chest but he was sure that his nephew was more intense seeing as he was new to it. Honestly Pah was also sure that being a Avialea helped his nephew as racial they tended to be strong across the upper body. Bakano while young was now training to be a knight and there was no mercy in that training. No cruelty either, that was something often miss understood. People were pushed but to take pleasure in their training would be to break the rules. It was a fine line.
“Okay Bakano its time to do some squats.” Pah said even as the instructor shouted out. He showed him how to do it correctly with the necessary balance. The young man starting doing his own but watched as his nephew worked. “Not so low.” He said watching his nephew almost sat on the ground. Pahoran did his squats slowly so as to keep an eye on the boy, like the push up there were other ways to do this, the main being holding weights, but Pah just stuck to the basic. Pah could feel it in his thighs as he went through the exercises. After a few moments Pahoran tapped his nephew indicating that he was done. Pahoran continued with the rest of the group.
Pahoran ignored the indigent look from Bakano as he finished. Once they were done Pah looked at the boy and said seriously. “I am sure you could do more, but any more and you wouldn’t have been able to move your legs tomorrow.” The group told it was time to do some sit up. Pah continued. “Exercising will leave you swore and bruised, and the next day will be even worse. It is important to find the balance so you don’t damage yourself.”
He held the boy’s feet down and instructed him on how to do the sit ups. Pah nodded at the boy encouraging him on doing another one. Pah could tell that the boy was beginning to tire, but that was part of the life of the knight. He also would demean the boy by making this easier. Once the boy had done what was reasonable for a child Pah switched places with him. His nephew literally had to sit on his feet and even then Pah had to hide back a smile as he would still lift the boy up a couple of inches as he worked his way through the sit ups.
“Alright.” Came the call once it was over. “We while those of us earth bound run back, I want those with wings to fly, and keep up with us.” Bakano’s eyes glowed with excitement as the Rayunia clan gathered and took to the air and flew at the same speed over their earth bound brethren. Pahoran glanced over at his nephew who was flying indepently for the first time, well or so he though. Despite the space and the expression Pahoran noticed every man in that crowd checking on the boy. For those who were earth bound they could never understand that while flying was tiring it was something more and Pah watched the almost rejuvenating expression come over the boy’s face as he experience their inheritance.
Despite the joy he found Pah stayed by the boy as he began to lag behind the others, the work out for the morning beginning to show. Pah remembered his own time at that age, knowing that today while a victory was only the first of daily victories the future knight would have to make.
Soon they returned to the settlement though the group had dispursed by the time that Bakano settled down on the ground. “Were not don yet.” Pahoran said and insisted the boy go through some stretches before he could go about his chores. “These will help make tomorrow less of a trail.”
“Uncles you keep speaking about tomorrow like it is some monster waiting to pounce on me.”
Pah frowned and looked seriously at the boy. “It is. Once day you will be as strong as the rest of us, but you will have to fight the duel monsters of pain, and laziness, and come tomorrow morning, both will be in bed with you.” He patted the boy and sent him on his way to do his chores. Pahoran had his own jobs to do for the day.
