It was already dawn by the time Akaya, the Shikoku Leader, was granted some much-needed rest. Her highest ranking Soldiers had "needed" to speak with her about some trivial issue that for the more relaxed type, wouldn't have needed the Leader's attention, let alone her input. As she finally stepped out of the old house, she found the air damp and heavy and the grass frosted with fallen rain. Many of the dogs in the Clan were still sleeping soundly despite their rain-soaked fur. A pretty silver Mother, who Akaya knew to be named Hanaya, stirred slightly and yawned, shook the water from her head and neck, and gently nuzzled her two young pups before laying her head back down on the ground.
The Shikoku Leader settled herself in the shade of a small tree. She glanced over again at Hanaya's two pups, and it just struck her how young they were. They couldn't have been born any earlier than last night, shortly after the Halfyear gathering. The first, a male, was the color of rocky sand, with several black spots, and the second was female. Her coat had a red color that matched Akaya's perfectly. A look of worry crossed her face. She knew what was expected of pups who looked just like her. She herself had gone through the same thing at her own Assigning.
Akaya closed her eyes and fell asleep with nothing on her mind except the little newborn pup, and worry for what she would have to face. Worrying was all she had the power to do. After all, it was against the Shikoku Leader's Code to say anything about it.
While the Shikoku continued sleeping, the Kai Clan was wide awake. An elderly former Soldier was already carrying a small bird out of the Kai's hunting grounds by the time Yamatora woke. He yawned and instinctively padded over to a puddle to drink, shaking the rainwater from his fur as he walked. Glancing around, he spotted his parents talking to his siblings, Kazetora and Akitora, and also Kajitora following her new trainer into the deep forest. He smiled. Maybe he and his uncle would catch up to them later this morning.
Looking up, he saw that the dark clouds from last night had dissolved into a pale, blue-gray sky with wisps of white. The sun shone weakly, leaving many patches of forest floor untouched by light. Through the leaves still shining with water, a gentle breeze blew. The weather would get better as the day went on. Excitedly, he scanned the area for Haitora's distinctive scent, leading him into the darkened shelter beneath the front deck of Hoshitora's quarters. Haitora was already awake.
His nephew beamed and glanced in the direction that his sister and her trainer set off in. The older dog, picking up the implication, smiled, and said with a sigh,
"An early start at its finest. And here I thought I'd be dragging you by the ears at noon because you haven't woken up yet." He barked with an amused chuckle. "Let's get going then."
The two dogs, having only walked a few steps, were stopped at the border of the hunting grounds by a Soldier that Yamatora vaguely recognized. He spoke gruffly,
"Verification that you are both of Kai and are qualified to use our hunting grounds, please." Stepping out from behind him came Yamatora's sister, Kajitora. She sniffed her brother and uncle carefully, and examined Haitora's Bloodmark. She turned to the older Soldier.
"Trainer Hishoutora sir-- they are both of the Kai Clan. Their scents and appearances match our own. They may pass." Kajitora's mentor smiled proudly and nodded. They both stepped aside and let Haitora and Yamatora through. The two siblings shared a few quick words with each other, as did their trainers, before moving off in their seperate directions.
"Obviously, your best training comes from true, physical experience, but it also has to be balanced with instruction and observation. You could spar with me as many times as you want, but you won't know how to fight--and therefore win--unless I tell you the techniques and show you a real battle, from which you could witness real fighting techniques first-paw," Haitora wasted no time in informing his Apprentice.
"You already learned some about guarding from your sister and her trainer. But hunting forms the basis of fighting; you learn stealth, agility, a balance of defense and offense, teamwork, and how to kill. I know you've been chosen well for a Soldier. When you were young, you, and your sister Kajitora as well, were always chasing things and play fighting with each other. You already have the ability to catch things like mice and birds. So we'll go for a challenge today."
Haitora sniffed around for a few seconds, and then padded off. Yamatora followed him, curious as to what they were looking for. He was about to ask, when a deafening shaking of branches startled him. Something was barreling through the forest, and fast.
"Down," his uncle commanded him, and he obeyed. "It can't see us, not yet."
A huge boar crashed into view of the two dogs, trampling a bush as it ran. Yamatora squinted, and saw two Soldiers and an Apprentice trailing after it. They were out of sight before he could blink.
"That's what we came for," Haitora growled with an unusual thirst for blood in his voice, licking his lips. "Follow me!"
Yamatora was the first to start running, overtaken by excitement, and only slowing down to let his uncle pull ahead of him slightly. They were still running along a trail of hoofprints and pawprints, having not yet sighted the boar or its pursuers. Knowing the responsibility put on him on this first real hunt, Yamatora didn't feel the fatigue he normally felt when running, just the thrilling rush of wind and the bloodthirst he now considered normal. He refused to let himself fall behind; instead, he picked up the pace and got as far ahead of his uncle as possible.
First to come into sight was the trio of two Soldiers and an Apprentice, and Yamatora could tell by their scents that they were all Kai. The Apprentice was considerably older than he was, presumably one from the previous Halfyear.
"Hey, Trainer Hebitora! We got trailers!" He spoke with annoyance and mock fear in his voice, not a trace of fatigue in his sharp, sturdy tone. One of the Soldiers, who Yamatora assumed to be Hebitora, looked back.
"Jeez, you're right, Hantora! What's their problem?" This statement attracted the attention of the other Soldier, who also looked back.
"Look at the little puppy! Isn't that one of the new Apprentices?"
"Yeah, he got Assigned just last night! And that old guy's his trainer! He looks a little too beaten down by age to teach such a young pup to hunt!" Hantora added in, smirking.
"Huh, 'Hantora'," Haitora shot back, "Means 'half tiger' from what I know! Guess that explains why you have so few stripes, and over only half your body, no less! Don't worry! Keep up the insults and tasteless comments, and you may just earn your stripes someday!"
Hantora, Hebitora, and the other Soldier fell silent. Haitora and Yamatora continued to close in on the boar; they were now at its flanks. Haitora ducked, and closed his fangs tightly around one of the boar's legs. It gave a squeal and stumbled, still on its feet. Yamatora acted quickly and leaped, bringing himself down on the back of the boar's neck, tearing the animal's thick skin with his teeth as he did so, and it lost its balance and fell to the ground. Haitora still holding onto the boar's leg and his Apprentice gripping its bleeding neck tightly, the other three dogs lunged at the fallen body, tearing savagely into the exposed flesh.
The boar continued to struggle and squeal, thrashing until it finally struck an unaware Hantora with its hoof and he fell over on his side. Haitora and Yamatora had been wrenched loose and now only Hebitora and the other Soldier were left holding on.
"The pivotal moment in any fight or hunt," Haitora managed to say softly to his nephew as he pulled himself to his paws, "Watch..."
The boar's throat, fully exposed, was what Haitora aimed for as he lunged. And he hit his mark. With as tight a grip as possible, he violently shook his head, tearing through the skin and the vital blood vessel beneath it. A growl escaped his stained mouth as rapidly cooling blood dripped from his teeth. As he licked his lips clean, he stared at Yamatora and warned,
"Don't look so surprised. In the next few Moons, you'll have to do just as I did. And you'll have to do it to other dogs too. Now as for that guy..." He motioned with his head towards Hantora, still on the ground and bleeding from the shoulder where he'd been struck, but certainly alive and suffering no severe damage.
"Get him back to our territory. The three of us will take care of the boar. You did well today. I definitely didn't expect you to help us get this thing on the ground, but you did." With a smile, Haitora saw his Apprentice off as Yamatora helped Hantora to his paws and began slowly guiding the wounded Apprentice home.
Yamatora quickly looked up at the sky. The sun was still high, and of the Soldier's brutal training, there was much more to come.