Dancing with the Shadows // #wattys2019

Chapter 9

"Again," Dover's voice rang out from the side of the ring. Caia wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm, before raising her fists in front of her face. Eric, another Midnight Star member, stood in front of her, holding up the pads. They usually took turns, but he'd agreed to help for a special one on one session that night.

Jab, uppercut, uppercut, dodge, knee, roundhouse. Again, and again against the pads. She paused, panting, letting Eric adjust himself.

"Again," Dover repeated, and she threw her fist into the pad.

"Fuck, Kimber," Eric whispered, but Dover called, "Again!" And he was forced to stand steady against the barrage of punches and kicks.

It wasn't until she was dripping with sweat that Dover climbed into the ring, and patted Eric on the shoulder.

"Again," he said simply. She glared at him, but raised her fists, waiting for him to take the pads from Eric.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Pads?" she asked. Dover shook his head.

"Go," he ordered. She hesitated for a second, then threw a punch which he easily caught in his fist. She tried her other hand, but he dodged and threw one of his own. It barely missed her head as she moved away from it, and tried to kick, but he caught the leg and twisted, throwing her on the floor.

"You're not focused. Where are you aiming? What is your next move? Get up. Go again." Dover's voice was like a taunt. She dragged her exhausted body up off ground but was back on it a few seconds later after his fist collided with the side of her head.

"Get your head in the damn ring!" Dover shouted at her, and she picked herself up again.

"It is in the damn ring!"

They sparred again, and he landed a kick to her side, tossing her against the ropes.

"Fucking focus!" he shouted again. "You're in enemy territory in two days, what the fuck are you going to do?"

Caia didn't respond but tried to put her energy into landing a punch on Dover's nose, which he barely managed to block.

"Better, but not enough. If you can't protect yourself, how are you going to protect Teleri? Your pack? Show me you can do this, put all the bullshit aside, and focus!"

Caia let out a low growl, and shot towards him, forcing him against the ropes, and pummeled her fist against his chest, his face, his side, until Dover finally fell to a knee.

"Eric, get us ice," he spat out a mouth full of blood.

Eric flew away and came back a moment later, his hands laden with ice packs. Caia put one on the back of her head, and on her side where she'd received the kick, and Dover similarly covered himself.

"You can't just rely on your anger," he said, finally, once everything had started to heal, "You need to find a way to tune everything out and focus only on the fight. If you only rely on anger, you'll burn bright for a moment, but it'll flicker out quick."

"It's hard to do that when you're shouting at me," she grimaced.

"You think it'll be any easier in a battle?" he asked.

"No," she admitted, shamefacedly.

"You're getting better, but you've got to keep your emotions off the field. You know this, we've discussed this. Particularly considering what's coming. When you're in Shadows territory, you can't let your anger and fear control you. Otherwise, you'll either kill everyone or worse, they'll kill you."