A simple game had determined what type of lesson Cybele would learn this morning, a game she was certain that the old monkey had cheated her on. She had played rock and swore his hand was out and yet when she looked closely, his fingers were open like scissors and the rest of his hand closed. Her eyes had caught no sign of cheating so she had said nothing but fumed all the same with her ears pinned back as she started down the mountain while the old man chuckled. Because of that loss, the feline pupil found herself going down the mountain toward the town to heed the instructions of her venerable master. Learn from the people, open her eyes to the world around her and maybe another day she would get to learn his techniques.
What a joke. There was nothing to learn from such a backwater town. She could take in the sights all she wanted but all she saw as she arrived were streets that were barely paved, rustic buildings huddled together and a variety of merchants peddling their wares on the sidewalks to talkative customers. She had half a mind to go back up the mountain and find a tree to kick instead of watching people go by gossiping but Lei had told her to learn, had told her to watch and she was certain that he hadn’t been trying to trick her. With a sigh, she started heading into the town to wander and find whatever knowledge her master believed was hidden here.
The morning chill mixed with a gentle warmth radiating from the rising sun burning in the clear sky. Cybele could at least be thankful for the weather but she still needed to figure out how to unravel the mystery of this lesson. Even thinking about that made her feel like she was doing something wrong. If she ignored the people and the place around her in favor of attempting to figure out a supposed riddle then she would be ignoring what her master instructed her to do. Even if she somehow stumbled on the answer, Lei was certain to figure out that she hadn’t done so correctly. What was left to do was to think about where her master would go to listen to other people, where he would go to interact.
With a hum, she crossed her arms and turned her attention to the world around her. Across the street was a market bustling with various smells of spices and meat. Her master didn’t seem like the type to engross himself in the gourmet world so she searched elsewhere. Cybele felt a spark cross her mind when she thought of the fact that she had only managed to track him down because of a visit to a tavern. He had gone there on occasion to drink and speak to the patrons and if it was a place he frequented then perhaps there was something to learn there. With her pride swelling, the almond-furred feline headed to the tavern to try her luck figuring out her master’s lesson there.
It wasn’t long before she found herself at the correct location. The tavern was located at the corner of a street where people passed by in a constant stream. A strong scent of alcohol and incense carried out from within and struck her nostrils. It was a surprisingly sweet smell that came off as inviting rather than offensive. People were drinking and playing various board games outside, mostly elderly sorts puffing pipes and reminiscing about the good old days. She ignored them and stepped through the front door while wondering if she should have brought her bag with her to pay for a drink.
Cybele felt eyes on her as soon as she stepped in the door. Even though she had opted to wear common clothing today with a loose long-sleeved shirt and pants held together with a sash. Her curly hair and amber eyes must have been enough to attract the gaze. With that assumption, she continued inside without concern. There was a bar running the length of the tavern where several people were seated and eating, a few simply drinking. Tables dotted the rest of the tavern with some seats being occupied by people gambling. Alcoholics, gamblers, people simply feeding their hunger. None of them seemed to be anyone worthy of her gaze. They neither had anything of interest nor seemed to be doing anything of interest. With a frown, she took a seat at the far end of the bar and looked up at the ceiling while in thought.
“Such a serious look for such a pretty face. Tell me if there is anything I can do for you.” Said a gruff voice from her side.
She raised a brow and turned her head, tail flicking while she saw who had addressed her. The person that had addressed her was a boar with grey fur and deep blue eyes. He was large but nothing stuck out about him. His clothes were drab pieces of cloth meant to fit his form and he had a small cup no doubt filled with some sort of liquor. Might as well talk to this one even if she was sure nothing would come of it.
When she finally answered, she did so with a sigh, “I doubt it. I’m out on what feels like an errand for my master.”
The boar nodded, “I see, I see. Must be getting some sort of special drink for your master. The bar here sells some fine spirits! If you’re so troubled, though, you must have either forgotten your purse or forgotten what he wanted.”
Cybele winced, “Both of those are wrong. I am here to watch and learn. That is what my master told me to do and I’m not a maid. I am learning to hone my body and skill.”
“Eh? What an odd thing to say. There are no masters of those types of arts in this town. The only one near here is an old man who has retreated to the mountains who refuses to accept any student.”
The feline tilted her head and sighed, “That’s him. Old monkey up on the mountains told me to come down and learn from the people but so far all I’ve really done is observed that people drink too much.”
“Hah! Now I know that you are lying to me.” Said the boar with a snort. She looked to him just as he pointed at her with one digit and continued, “A small thing like you couldn't be worthy of learning from someone so stubborn. If he would not teach me, then why would he teach you?”
Cybele answered with narrowed eyes, chin in palm, “Maybe because you’re headstrong and useless.”
The boar’s pupils seemed to grow before sharpening as he set his cup down and muttered, “I would take that back if I were you. If you are truly a fighter then you know those words are a challenge.”
A smile crossed the feline’s features, “Is that so? I was wondering when I would ever begin to learn something from this little trip. Maybe a spar would be just the thing I need.” She then chuckled while leaning back, “Maybe not to learn anything, but because I believe it would be entertaining at the very least.”
Excitement touched her back with a gentle chill as the boar slapped the counter with his hand and got up with a grunt, “I’ll crush that little smile of yours and see for myself why the old man chose you.”
A greying heron struck a wooden spoon against the counter from behind it while squawking, “Neither of you two are going to do a thing in my tavern! Out out out, if you’re going to fight then take it to the back, take it to the front, take it anywhere except here! Even if you plan on paying I don’t care! My tavern is my temple and I will not have it ruined.”
Cybele blinked as the boar bowed his head to the old heron, “Sorry. I’ll pay for my drink and the noise. I promise I wasn’t going to start brawling in your tavern though.”
The heron huffed even when the boar placed down a pouch and excused himself. Cybele followed with a tilted head while watching the heron huff. Part of her had expected the boar to tell the tavern keeper to shove it. He seemed like a brute with pride to match that thick skull but maybe he was nicer than he seemed? Ah well, it didn’t matter now that they were going to fight. Cybele was led through a door near the back that led behind the building where a spacious alley awaited them.
Once the door shut, the boar turned and crossed his arms, “If you apologize then we could go home and forget about this.”
Cybele giggled, “Apologize? Why would I do that when there is a fight? Even if our differences were settled then I would still want a chance to test my skills against someone else. If anything, I’ll make a bet to sweeten the pot! Beat me and I’ll give you a request. If I win, then I’ll take whatever money you’re holding.”
The boar grumbled, “You’re a wild kitten but I’ll take those odds.” He then jabbed a thumb against his chest and continued, “My name is Ris.”
“Cybele is this kitten’s name.”
Once introductions were done, the boar brought his fists together to bow to her. Cybele did not mimic the motion, instead, immediately taking a stance with a smirk touching her features. The boar did not react to her lack of respect and took up his stance, legs, and arms out as if they were reaching toward her.
Cybele wanted to make this little game last so she could go home and pretend to have learned something. She took a step forward with only a portion of her speed and lashed out with a fist. Ris twisted away just enough that her arm grazed against his side before he returned a blow. She still smirked even as she saw the fist coming and started to dodge expecting the beast to be a lumbering fool but his knuckles connected with her shoulder before she could move away fully causing her eyes to grow wide as needles of pain drove themselves into the point of impact. Flesh and bone cried out as she was sent back. She managed to catch her footing before she fell but the smirk on her face was gone and her gaze was fixed on the massive boar standing before her. Holding back wasn’t an option at all.
With narrowed eyes, she retook her stance and the boar chuckled, “Serious now? Fool around again and your head will go flying.”
It wasn’t an idle threat. Her body was already reprimanding her enough with a dull pulse of pain with every slight twitch and movement she made radiating from her shoulder. This time, she stepped in with her usual speed struck out with another fist to give him a taste of what she could do. This time it seemed like her punch would land but his body twisted again just in time so she grazed against his side. Before he could launch that deadly fist, she brought herself in and struck out at his gut. She connected early and drove him back with a grunt. It felt as if she had been punching a rock despite his girth but she was sure she had hit him.
When she looked, he appeared to be standing a foot or so away from her with a tightened stance. He blew out a breath before bringing his stance out while grinning at her. She frowned and darted forward to start striking again, left and right but this time he dodged them both with that weird twisting. Every blow she thought she was going to land grazed against his body and while she felt like she was getting faster, nothing she did seemed to work.
One of her punches overextended bringing her arm out enough to drag her body that extra bit causing her to stumble forward. It was sloppy, it was foolish, and it earned her a fire in her sides. Knuckles dug into her body as he twisted back into position and brought his fist full force into her ribs. One of her legs lifted as she was nearly sent flying before she forced it down and kicked back to hop away. She could feel bile building up in her throat as her body urged her to throw up from the pain pulsing at her ribs but she instead kept it down and breathed out.
Fast, she was going too fast and she was becoming sloppy. Lei had told her that she had been too eager for the kill, too desperate for that hit and now it had cost her in a real fight. If the boar had a single shred of killing intent in his body then perhaps she would have been dead already. Her eyes focused on Ris and for the first time, she watched him.
Cybele moved forward, slower than the previous time and made a motion to strike. His body twisted at the hip and his feet shuffled just the right amount to get his large frame out of the way. When she drew her fist back, Cybele hopped forward and faced his side, bringing a fist forward to slam into his ribs. She could see the way he compacted his body, legs and arms drawing in as his muscles gathered to absorb the blow. It felt less firm than the first time and she heard him grunt from the impact but he was still standing.
Twist and shuffle with the barest of movements to get away before springing back to counter. Compact the body to absorb blows that would knock down greater fighters. Her eyes were taking in every bit of information from this fight and the revelation of what she was supposed to be doing kept her frozen in place for a second too long. A fist came hurtling toward her body but she shuffled and brought her paws up to push it away before hopping back. That was it! The lesson her master wanted to teach her.
This time, the boar was the first to charge in, his steps taking him in quickly before he stomped the ground and drove a fist directly at her. She twisted away from the blow and avoided it by the fur on her cheek, eyes wide as she heard his arm sliding against her. When she twisted back into place it was to drive a fist into his side causing a louder grunt than before but it still wasn’t strong enough.
The boar raised a knee and Cybele back away just enough to be in the range of another strike. His technique alone wouldn’t take him down so she needed something stronger, something more unique to herself. When she twisted again to avoid his fist, her paws came out to hold herself against his massive arm as she sprung back in place with her leg up all the way careening toward his face. The kick was too fast to avoid and it struck his body with as much speed and strength as she could muster. Her eyes grew wide as it felt as if her leg was cutting through stone. Cybele let go of his arm and twisted all the way around with the motion to bounce back into her stance and that was when she saw the end of his flip, his rear and back hitting the ground with a thud.
She had felt a crunch against her kick, a sickening feeling of something about to break. Her heart was throbbing terribly and bile was building not from the terror of possibly having killed this man, but from the fact that some part of her felt some sort of excitement.
“Are you okay?!” She asked while dropping her stance to check over him.
The boar snorted out a mist of blood from one nostril and slowly sat up with a hand on his head, “Okay? My pride has been broken and maybe my snout too but I’m alive. With a kick like that, I can see why the old man accepted you hah! Don’t think I didn’t see you mimicking what I was doing either!” The grin on his features slowly began to descend while he looked down at the ground and muttered, “It showed me my limits as well and maybe why that old monkey refused me.”
Cybele placed her fists on her hips and huffed, “Why he refused you? Maybe you can explain it to me because I certainly can’t see it. With a massive size like that, you could avoid my attacks so easily while keeping on the offensive at the same time! It was beautiful!” She then frowned and looked away while huffing, “On second thought, I might know why he refused you indeed.”
Ris hummed and tilted his head, “Tell me if you have any advice.”
The feline rolled her eyes, “You’d be fine on your own learning the way you are. You even have a good attitude. Sure, maybe a little bit too proud but you were willing to let bygones be bygones. I was the dangerous one.”
“And here I thought you were just a rude brat!” Said the boar with a chuckle.
Cybele huffed, “Unfortunately, I think part of that old monkey accepting me is because I’m a brat. I don’t understand the point of watching and learning from other people, especially those who are weaker than you. I was getting ready to give up on that stupid lesson but I think I understand now after our encounter so...Thank you and I’m sorry.”
“Hah! I guess a broken nose is worth that lesson! But we had a bet, didn’t we? Give me a moment and I'll hand over what I have on me.”
She turned away from the boar, tail flicking while she muttered, “Keep your money. I feel like I was the one who lost this encounter anyway.”
Ris hummed, “Guess that means that I win, right? If so, then I'd like a kiss!”
Cybele raised a brow before chuckling, “Okay. Easy enough.” The feline moved to face the boar, reaching down to take hold of his cheek. It looked like he was going to say something but she leaned down all the way and gave his mouth a soft peck, “There. Now, I think I should be heading home. Perhaps I’ll see you again.”
She walked away leaving the boar stunned and still sitting on his rear. When she was back out on the streets, her eyes scanned the distance to see that everything was still the same. The merchants were still calling, the people moving to where they needed to go and the streets were not yet fully paved but there was something more. The merchants handled hagglers and bargainers with relative ease with sly tongues and sharp minds. In the crowds, she saw that each person held themselves in a different manner and while the streets were not fully paved, she could see that new stones had been placed. With a smile, Cybele headed back to the mountain to report to her teacher.
When she arrived, Lei appeared to be sitting on a stick with his legs crossed and his eyes shut. She moved around to his front and saw that one of his legs was drawn up so he was standing on one foot squatting down as far as he could. The foundation of a small addition to the shack had been set while she was gone. What was he planning to build?
Ignoring her curiosity, she called out, “Hey! I’m home!”
The old monkey opened an eye and rumbled, “And did you learn anything?”
Cybele nodded, “I got into a fight and I almost lost before I started watching and learning as you said. I won but, I feel like I actually lost in some way. He was smarter than me and I had underestimated him severely. If he had any shred of killing intent then I would have been dead and...When I landed the finishing blow I thought I had killed him.” She paused before sighing, “It was frightening but...Some part of me was excited.”
Lei hopped off of the stick and landed near her with a grunt, “If you are aware of your bloodlust, that is good. Always be aware of it. Accept it but never give into it. Your fists are not meant to kill and take heart in the fact that you did not. Now...Shall we play another game to see if we spar or if I should finally teach you a technique of mine?”
The feline smiled and nodded. They put their fists together before parting and counting it out; one, two and then three. Their fists came down and she opened her palm but her eyes were glued on the old man’s hand. It was a fist when it came down but in a blur, it changed to two open fingers.
“You’re cheating!” She said with full confidence.
Lei laughed, “That I am! I expect you to cheat at this game too!”
Her ears pinned back and she hissed, “How will I ever learn your techniques if I can never win at a game of speed.”
The old monkey grinned, “You learn them at my pace. You’ve already had a taste of my philosophy. Always take the flow of your foe, learn it and make it your own and besides...I never said whether winning or losing would earn you a technique or sparring.”
Cybele’s eyes brightened, “Then that means?”
“Yes! I mean we’ll be sparring!”
The feline groaned, “Fine! I see your game and I’ll keep playing it until you either give me what I want or I take it.”
Together, master and pupil took their stances to prepare. It was just a normal spar, just a simple exercise but her eyes were open wide and she could see so much more. She would treasure this lesson for the rest of her life.
