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Chapter Eight

Postby kanni » Wed Nov 22, 2017 7:31 am

xxxxxxThough it felt like only mere moments had passed, Avalon knew that in reality hours had gone by when the train came to a slow stop, the absence of its rocking motion waking the girl up easily. She had always been a light sleeper. Jackson was already pulling his things together, a piece of fabric marking the spot in his large book where he had paused reading. The teen noticed this with surprise tugging her eyebrows up. It wasn’t often that anyone saw someone this literate outside of the more urban areas of the kingdom.
xxxxxxAvalon pushed herself into an upright position and yanked her bag back on, slipping the straps over her shoulders. She still had her two apples, but had a feeling she wouldn’t be needing to provide her own food anytime soon.
xxxxxx“Is there a certain way we need to get off the train, or do we just leave?” Avalon murmured, looking up at Jackson as both stood. She didn’t know if she would ever get used to just how much the boy towered over her.
xxxxxx“I’m not sure, this is my first time signing up for the army after all.” Jackson smiled slightly, and turned to follow the others out. There didn’t seem to be an order, she noticed, to who got off and when. It was really just a mass of people trying to get off the train as soon as they possibly could. Many of those people were much taller than Avalon, and she found herself easily batted from side to side by others.
xxxxxxHuffing, the girl grabbed onto Jackson’s coat with one hand, the contrast between her pale skin and the coal black material almost startling. The other reached up to fiddle with her auburn braid, which had all but come out completely. Avalon made a mental note to put it up into a basic ponytail once she and the boy she clung to were free from the mass. Surprisingly, they were already almost to the car door, though there would be two other exits before the pair would be free.
xxxxxxThe woman that had nodded to Avalon before could be seen shoving her way through the crowd, not letting it guide her to the door the way Jackson had been doing. She paused only slightly when a hulk of a man refused to get out of her way. Her dark brown gaze grew darker in impatience, and she was quick to reach out with one hand and pinch the skin of the man’s neck between two fingers. He let out a yelp, flinching away from the pain instinctively. Her path cleared, the woman was quick to disappear into the next car.
xxxxxxNormally Avalon would have been following the same route she had, but didn’t want to abandon Jackson. It was the same feeling that had bothered her earlier that day, when the girl had had to leave him behind to find the train station. That, and now she felt like Jackson was the one person she was actually going to be close to here. It was always a good idea to stick with familiar people in unfamiliar situations.
xxxxxxAfter many long minutes of almost no progression to the door that led off the train, the pair were finally subject to fresh air. Avalon inhaled deeply, letting go of her companion’s coat as she did. She was not the claustrophobic type, never had been, but the teen couldn’t help but feel somewhat nervous after hours on the train with all those people. Before her stretched not another train station, but a single platform surrounded by hilled terrain. There was sparse foliage, mainly a small grouping of thick-trunked trees and a couple bushes that stuck low to the ground. The grass was tall, trampled in a large circle where multiple canvas tents had been set up some ways away from the platform. A stone well sat next to a water trough, where multiple hevonens were tied to wooden posts. Only one was drinking camly, the rest had wide dark eyes glued to the train. A crowd of people were gathered nearby, in front of a stone stage that reminded Avalon of the wooden one that Gondu had used back in Jedia, and that matched the well. Uniformed men and women could be seen dashing between tents, far less than the amount coming off the train.
xxxxxxShe took her time descending into the crowd, Jackson still ahead of her, and continued to take in her surroundings. The sun was now fully up, the sky a light blue color, the same color as her father’s eyes in the one picture the girl had of him. There were no clouds, if there had been they would be quickly swept away by the wind that still ran violently through the air. It nipped at Avalon’s ears, turning them red, and shoved her hands back into the warm depths of her pockets. It ruffled Jackson’s hair, and tangled the hevonens’ tails.
xxxxxxShe could see Gondu climbing up onto the stage, his gelled hair unfazed by the wind that refused to give up in its attempts to ruin the perfectly combed locks. He wasn’t smiling, his peppy demeanor long gone; his gaze was cold and hard as the stone he was using for leverage. It was like he had turned into a completely different person. It was like he had finally slipped into his proper position. He was intimidating, even from this distance, and Avalon could see why he was general.
xxxxxx“Recruits.” His voice rang out, loud and authoritative. The low murmur produced by many of the men and women in the crowd stopped, and all looked up at Gondu.
xxxxxx“I know many of you, if not all, have absolutely no experience in defending your kingdom and its people. But you want to try your hand at it, and that’s why you’re here. To train, to grow, and to become proper soldiers. You will be here for three months, unless you get sent home for other reasons. I suggest you use the time wisely. That will be all from me. Leonis?” Turning to the side, Gondu waved said colonel forward. As the blonde took center stage, the general slid off the stage and began making his way through the crowd.
xxxxxxLeonis began talking, but Avalon wasn’t listening, instead keeping her storm blue gaze on the dark hair that was all that could be seen of the general. He was weaving through the people, slowly making his way to where she and Jackson stood quietly. Well, rather she stood quietly. Her companion didn’t seem to know how to, shifting from foot to foot and sighing or inhaling deep enough that she could hear it as he did. It was actually quite annoying. Annoying to the point where the teen finally rolled her eyes and elbowed Jackson sharply.
xxxxxx“Hey!” The boy hissed, gaze darting down to meet the smaller girl’s. She frowned, lifting one finger to closed lips to motion a shushing noise. Before her companion could tell her to stop treating him like some kid, Gondu was upon them and he closed his mouth.
xxxxxx“Avalon, I trust your journey went well?” The mentioned girl nodded, the final bit of her braid coming completely undone. The general moved on as she caught the hair tie in one small hand, already leaning over to put her hair up into a ponytail. She hated having it getting in the way, thick and wild as it was. If Avalon ever left the locks down they made hunting a difficult task, and she couldn’t afford to waste a single arrow or bit of energy trying to land a hit that was sure to miss.
xxxxxxWhen she was done smoothing the hair into place and stood up straight again, Jackson was staring at her with eyes wide, and Leonis was finishing up his speech.
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Chapter Nine

Postby kanni » Wed Nov 22, 2017 7:35 am

xxxxxx“What? Did I get dirt in my hair or something?” The girl looked up at her companion as bits and pieces of the rules and guidelines of the bootcamp filtered in to hearing range.
xxxxxx“No, your hair is fine. I’m more curious about why General Gondu himself, one of the most famous generals in the Taokain army, chose you out of everyone else, including higher ranking officers that came back here to help out, to actually pay attention to!”
xxxxxx“It doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. He just asked how the journey was. He was being nice.”
xxxxxx“It should be a huge deal, ok? He’s a feared man, a respected man, a rich man, and the fact that he decided to speak to you, a mere commoner, means that there is something seriously special about you!” Jackson flung his hands in the air, voice growing louder with exasperation. Avalon rolled her eyes, shifting her weight back so that she could keep her gaze on Jackson as he leaned forward.
xxxxxx“If he thinks there’s something special, then there is. So you, Miss Avalon, are very special.” Avalon flushed, backing up a step as Jackson got a little too far into her personal space.
xxxxxx“Thanks, I guess. But I really don’t think I’m special. Now pay attention, this stuff is important!” Trying to direct her companion’s attention away from her, the flustered girl shoved Jackson’s shoulder and turned her attention back to where Leonis stood on the podium. The blonde man opened his mouth, and Avalon leaned forward to catch the words about to fall out into the air.
xxxxxx“And that will be all. Good luck.” Avalon turned right on her heel and smacked Jackson's shoulder, mouth twisting into an irritated frown.
xxxxxx“I can’t believe you made me miss his speech, the information was important. Far more important than General Gondu saying hello to me.” Avalon huffed, frustration bubbling to the surface as she glared up at her companion. Jackson merely shrugged, which did nothing to appease her.
xxxxxx“That’s just your opinion. Look, if you’re so worried about it, why don’t we ask someone what Leonis was talking about?” Avalon blanched, reaching out to Jackson to try and stop him, but the tall boy was already out of reach, striding away into the crowd. And what a dense crowd it was, she discovered as she tried to push her way after her companion.
Avalon’s pride was one of her worst flaws, but that didn’t stop her from having it. She despised asking for help or admitting that she had messed up if there was another option, and she had a very good feeling that if Jackson had just stayed put, there would have been another option. But no, he had to run off to find some random person that most likely was high enough in rank that they would look like idiots asking them for help.
xxxxxx“Why did I let him drag me along with him...I was perfectly fine on my own! I wouldn’t have been late if I had just jogged part of the way, and it would have kept me warm.” Avalon muttered testily, elbowing her way past a group of brunettes who gave her looks as dark as the air around Avalon would have been if her mood could seep off of her.
Finally, she spotted Jackson, his mop of raven black hair a sort of beacon as he towered over a much shorter man with hair only a few shades lighter than Avalon’s own. He seemed to be rather happy with his current position, and the shorter man, who Avalon could now see was almost stick thin under his equally thin white coat, was smiling up at him.
xxxxxx“Jackson!” Avalon hissed as she scooted up between a pair of girls to stand beside the boy, pinching his hand where it hung at his side. He jumped, retracting his hand as his head swiveled to look down at his rather annoyed companion.
xxxxxx“Who in Elysia’s name do you think you are, rushing off like that? It’s honestly very rude, and I would expect even a boy from a lonely old farm like you to have some manners. We may be nothing more than acquaintances right now, but I still find it offensive to be abandoned by the one person I know here! And I didn’t even get the chance to tell you that we didn’t need to ask anyone for help, I could have figured things out by listening to other people. It’s a large group, and there have to be at least one or two people relaying information to those who couldn’t hear Leonis! But no, you had to run off, and I had to go after you, and it’s just been one big embarrassing mess….who’s this?” Jackson blinked as Avalon finished her scolding. It was the most that she had spoken all day, so Avalon wasn’t surprised that he was giving her such a shocked look. However, she would have much preferred for him to apologize instead of gaping at her like a riba.
xxxxxxAfter a long moment of rather awkward silence, Jackson sputtered back to life, turning sharply to the side to thrust a hand out at the ginger that had been standing awkwardly by during Avalon’s miniature rant.
xxxxxx“Sorry, this is Manji. He’s a new recruit, just like us. He was just telling me about what Leonis was saying. So, what’s going to happen is we’re gonna get sorted by our genders and names- so you’d be in the female group A-C. Then your squadron leader will explain what happens next. Turns out i’m going to have to ‘abandon’ you again.” The chuckle that followed had Avalon groaning, tugging at the end of her ponytail with one hand before she remembered the manners she had been reprimanding Jackson for not using and turned to Manji.
xxxxxx“Thank you so much for the help Manji. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Avalon.” Smiling slightly, Manji waved a pale hand at her. He didn’t seem like the talkative type, or maybe he was shy. Avalon didn’t know, nor did she really care. It wasn’t like she was going to be interacting with him much in the future, being that they’d be separated by gender and all.
The pair of girls that had been standing behind the trio pushed past, many more following them, and Avalon took that as her cue to start saying goodbye to Jackson.
xxxxxx“Well, it looks like the sorting is starting now...thanks again for helping me out earlier. It was nice meeting you, both of you,” Avalon smiled at the two boys, trying to include Manji for the sake of appearances.
xxxxxx“And I hope that I get to see you in the future. It would be an honor to fight by your sides. Bye now.” With that, she turned, ponytail swinging with her movements, and strode off into the growing flood of girls.
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Author's Note: Holidays

Postby kanni » Mon Feb 05, 2018 6:41 am

xxxxxxHello to my faithful readers! I'd like to say thank you for sticking with me this far, and don't worry, there will be plenty to come. I apologize for my lack in updates recently, I've been rather busy with work, school, riding, and my own health. 2017 Has been a rather difficult year for me, and I have been up nearly 24/7 trying to make sure that it ends better than it started. I celebrate Christmas- not in the religious way but as the holiday itself- and so I will be posting something of a Christmas special on the thought thread I have attached to the first post on The Caged Phoenix thread. That is to say, there's a link in the description- not only can you find the very first piece of work I ever did on this book there, but you can also find discussion about what is to come, plot planning, and a place where you can suggest whatever you feel needs to be changed or added here.
xxxxxxThe Christmas special that I will be posting is not in order when it comes to the time line, but it does take place in the story at one point...consider it a fast forward!
xxxxxxHappy Holidays my loves
xxxxxx- BeefyFish
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Chapter Ten

Postby kanni » Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:39 pm

xxxxxxThe smile soon slipped off her face, replaced by a nonchalant mask. Avalon had never been very good at goodbyes, it was the lack of affection supposedly, but she didn’t know how she was supposed to be affectionate to people she barely knew. Well, one of them she didn’t know at all.
xxxxxxHer thoughts taking over, Avalon didn’t notice that the group had stopped moving until she slammed into one of the girls. Stumbling back, soft curses already falling from her lips as one hand reached up to cover her aching nose, Avalon glared at the cause of her pain. It was the woman with chestnut hair from the train, the grey strands of hair at her temples confirming Avalon’s suspicions. Her glare softened as the woman turned around, but the pain in her face prevented her from calming down completely. And oh by Elysia’s arrow the pain.
xxxxxxNormally, she had a rather high tolerance for pain, so it was somewhat confusing that this injury would hurt so bad. It made Avalon want to hit the woman for causing this, though she knew it was really only her own fault. Said woman was staring at Avalon, being only a few inches taller she didn’t have to look down on the girl.
xxxxxx“Hey, you good?” Her voice was gravelly, far deeper than expected. It was the voice of someone who had probably smoked a few too many putkis. Avalon nodded, slowly removing her hand from her still tingling nose. The pain would dissolve over time, she just had to endure it. Easy enough.
xxxxxx“Yeah, i’ll be fine. Sorry for running into you like that, I wasn’t paying attention.” Embarrassment crept into her voice, but her expression remained stoic through will power alone. If Avalon had flushed red just then, she knew she’d never live it down in her head. She had a good memory, and with that memory came tidbits of events that she’d rather forget haunting her for years.
xxxxxx“Good. I’m Bettina, by the way.”
xxxxxx“Avalon. I think I saw you on the train.”
xxxxxx“Oh, yes, that’s right. You were with the loud boy.”
xxxxxx“....Yes, he’s very loud. But a nice guy nonetheless.”
xxxxxx“Good to know he has at least one good quality. Hey, since you’re an A, and I’m a B, that must mean we’re going to be in the same squadron.” Avalon nodded, confirming Bettina’s hypothesis.
xxxxxx“Yep, we are. I wonder who our squadron commander will be. I know they’ll be a girl, after all we are splitting by genders.”
xxxxxx“Makes sense. I do believe that’s her now.” Avalon looked in the direction that Bettinna had just pointed, spotting a woman with silver hair caught up in a tight bun, green eyes a sharp contrast to the lack of color in her hair. She was wearing a uniform similar to that of General Gondu’s, but the amount of medals was less, and her cuffs were black. This woman had to be the squadron commander. No one else looked anywhere near as qualified, as far as Avalon could tell with her limited experience of military status. This woman was intimidating, if nothing else, and had the same commanding presence as Leonis and Gondu.
xxxxxxAs the woman approached, Avalon realized that others had appeared as well, wearing similar- if not the same, uniforms. The girls were splitting up as well, leaving Bettina, Avalon, and about 20 others with the silver haired woman. Said person was now clearing her throat, clasping her hands behind her back.
xxxxxx“My name is General Vidalia. You will call me commander or sir, depending on how deeply in trouble you are. Welcome, ladies, to the official training center of the Taokain army. That will be the last time you are called by that title. From now on, you are recruits, and will go by such, or your last name. I have the list, so don’t think you are completely anonymous here. I will tolerate no mischief, and I expect nothing but obedience from you all. This is not a long lasting tea party, it is training to be a part of the army, and if you cannot handle something as simple as what you will be facing in this first week- which I shall discuss in just a moment, then you best pack up your bags and leave in one piece while you can.” Pausing, Vidalia turned on her heel to glare at a group of girls near the front that had been huddling together, anxious whispers the only noise beyond the commander’s speech.
xxxxxxHer stare, icy as green glass, cut straight through the low hum of the group’s chatter. They fell silent, one girl, a blonde with her hair cut short in a pixie style, even went so far as to turn her entire body slightly away from Vidalia. For whatever reason, it made Avalon want to laugh. Most likely because if these girls couldn’t handle so much as a stare from one commander, a human commander, they wouldn’t last a minute out on the battlefield. Vidalia cleared her throat.
xxxxxx“During the first week, something many veterans of this boot camp have called LLTS week- like lambs to slaughter, you will all undergo physical, mental, and spiritual trials. You will be earning points for each trial, the perfect score being 200 points. If you get below 50 points, you will be returned to your hometown with a large sum of coin. If you get between 50 and 100, you will be ranked as a bassa, the lowest ranking possible without failing. A bassa’s job is to provide its assigned sotilas with clean armor, access to a duttore when they are injured, and anything else they may need. If you get between 100 and 150 points, that can earn you various ranks, depending on where most of those points were earned.
xxxxxx“If the majority of your points were earned during the physical tests, you will become a sotilas. As a sotilas, you can choose which path you follow, and as a result what weapons you choose. If the majority was earned in the mental portion, you will become a tuccionu. As you rise in rank, you will play a more and more important role in deciding what strategies will be used, where they will be used, and when, to further help in our struggle to beat Senara and her empire. If the majority was earned in the spiritual portion, you will be taken aside with others to train to be velhos- galia users. I myself know little of what happens during that training, and what I do know is confidential.
xxxxxx“If you score between 150 and 200 points, one of the leading generals of this boot camp will take you in for personal training. I myself am not entirely sure what goes on, but I do know that all of our strongest members, including General Gondu- the man that was speaking earlier today, have risen to the top because of said training. No one has yet to score a perfect 200, but maybe one of you can change that this season…” Vidalia paused, reaching into a uniform pocket to pull out a paper.
xxxxxxThe paper was torn in some places, burned in others, and so yellow with age Avalon feared that if Vidalia handled it to roughly it would crumble to dust and drift away on the breeze. A breeze that had continued to refuse to let up, causing many of the girls to huddle closer together than was really necessary. Smoothing out the paper with one heavily scarred hand, Avalon’s commanding officer brought it closer to her face and began to read it aloud.
xxxxxx“The following are the official rules of this training facility. Let them governor your lives during and after your time here, for they will keep you on the path to greatness. Rule One; Respect your elders, whether they are higher in rank than you or not. Respect overrules rank, and yours will not prevent you from extra education on the topic. Rule Two; Do not let outside distractions prevent you from focusing on the tasks you are given, for they can stunt your development. Rule Three; Stay separate from the men unless you are working together to forward both parties, so as not to cause the development of a distraction. Rule Four; If any distractions are discovered, do not let them ruin your progress or that of your fellow recruits. Instead eliminate them or report them to your commanding officer to be take care of. Rule Five; Sleep is of critical importance, so get proper rest inside your tents from sundown to sunup, or another time period set by your superiors. Rule Six; Hygiene is a necessity, not a suggestion, and a ten minute cleaning period- no more and no less- will be provided for each recruit. Do not fail to meet hygiene standards, for being unclean can cause one to become a distraction to others.
xxxxxx“These are the six golden rules at this training facility, or guidelines if you would rather call them that. Each of you will be expected to follow them, and if you cannot do that, you will have to leave. We do not want the ruin of one to affect the whole in a negative way.” Folding the paper back up, Vidalia put it in the pocket she had originally retrieved it from. The girls all remained silent, many suppressing shudders. Avalon knew she hadn’t been the only one to notice the veiled threat in every one of those golden rules.
xxxxxxShe knew that any army boot camp would be rather strict with its regulations and such, but Avalon had had no idea that they would label anyone that stepped even so much as a centimeter out of line as a “distraction in need of elimination”. What did they even mean by elimination? Avalon wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to find out.
xxxxxx“Any questions?...No? Good. Follow me, i’ll show you where our section of tents is.” Reaching up to tuck a stray grey hair in place, Vidalia walked off, her long strides eating up the ground beneath her. It took a minute for the rest to follow, but once they all got going, the group of girls found a rhythm that all were comfortable with.


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