2.2 | FRANKIE & CHANNIE
1492 Words
Epsilon Dakota had shifted into his gray wolf, grabbing the attention of all four platoons and their requisite teams with a single bay. We all turned to face the ranked members; all except the epsilon were still on two legs.
“Thank you all for your patience,” chuckled Beta Dione. Ravi was smirking beside him, most likely amused at how long it took the older wolves to understand what those our age considered simple technology. “We had some technical difficulties, but we’re ready to start. The question is, are you ready?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” We shouted. My team lined up side-by-side and stood at ease, showcasing our discipline while the other teams remained scattered.
“Good!” Gamma Ravi took over, and I thought butterflies were flying around in my gut. “Because the tournament starts now.”
He tapped on his phone’s screen and watched it along with he beta and delta, who were peering over his shoulder to see the results. It was only a couple of seconds before Delta Connor straightened up and shouted, “Third platoon, second platoon! To the field!”
The teams representing the second and third platoons sauntered over the grass until they were in the middle of the training field, facing one another with barely a few meters between them.
“Epsilon Dakota and I will act as referees!” hollered Delta Connor, gesturing to the muscular wolf beside him. “I’ll be calling out penalties per the guidelines given by the gamma. If you don’t correct yourself after the first warning, the epsilon will drag you off the field. How painfully he does so is up to you,” he adds, prompting Dakota to bare his sharp teeth in a wide, toothy grin. The warning was clear: don’t make the epsilon come after you.
After Gamma Ravi reminded everyone of the rules he set earlier, the tournament began. The battle between the second and third platoons would go down as the quickest victory attained by a squad during group training--the third platoon barely put up a fight, despite the fact they consisted of some heavy hitters. I frowned at that, my eyes darting over to study Altair, their lieutenant. Surely he expected this outcome? He’s not exactly an i***t.
I smirked when I saw that Altair’s usual snarky confidence was replaced with a disapproving look. Or maybe he miscalculated somewhere along the way. Who am I to say he isn’t an i***t?
My team and I took part in the second battle, going up against the fourth platoon. Per my instructions, Tara shifted into her stunning charcoal black wolf. She wasn’t as large as Carina or myself, but she was as tall as the stronger warriors. She stood on all four caramel-colored paws and grinned at the opposing squad.
Micah, the lieutenant for the fourth, gestured vaguely at his squad. Two of his fighters shifted into wolf form, while the other two readied their blades. Micah’s hands held no weapons, nor did he shift with them--he merely held my gaze, his intentions clear as the cloudless blue sky above.
His focus on this battle would be on me.
I opened a link to my team, save for Chan-Yeol. Cari, Francisco, I need one of you to tell Chan-Yeol to stick with Tara. I want him to have her back, even in human form. The two of you will watch out for each other--Francisco, if you’re hurt, don’t hesitate to ask Cari to heal you.
I-I don’t know if I feel comfortable asking the princess to-- The omega began his stammering, prompting my twin sister to sigh.
Listen, Frankie--can I call you Frankie?
I mean, you kind of already did, so..?
She cut him off. Great. So Frankie, friendly reminder that being the daughters of the alpha doesn’t make us pack princesses! And FYI, if you don’t ask me to heal you, or try to hide an injury, I’ll kick your ass.
Tara snickered and bobbed her lupine head. Trust me, she definitely will.
O-Okay, okay, I’ll ask for help when I need it, he grumbled petulantly, resembling his age more than ever. Anyone you want us to focus on, lieutenant? Lieutenant Saros looks like he has it out for you.
I tried not to turn and face the omega wolf, impressed by his observation. Yeah, we’ve got beef. He’ll focus on trying to take me out… Which is why I’m going to bypass him altogether and take out the two behind him.
Before my teammates could protest, I added: Cari, Francisco, support Tara and Chan-Yeol with the wolves. You’re going to want to take out the red one first--he’s bigger, and will pose more of a threat. Also, keep an eye on the gray one, he likes to shift back into his human form mid-fight and surprise his opponents. His teammates will surely toss him a knife when he does that.
Tara snorted, while Cari whispered as quietly in Chan-Yeol’s ear as possible, relaying all this information. Thanks for the tip. I always forget that Hector does that.
I laughed quietly to myself, prompting Micah to frown. No you don’t, you liar. You’ve got all this cataloged and then some. You’re wild like that--I wouldn’t put it past you to adopt his strategy before he could.
She turned her large head to lock her earthy eyes onto mine. Damn it! I hate when you know what I want to do. It ruins the surprise!
You realize your strategy would have failed without someone to toss you a blade, right?
She huffed, facing away. I’m sure Channie would have sensed my need for one and helped me out.
Looks like that nickname is gonna stick, whether Chan-Yeol likes it or not.
Get to your places, I tell my team, refocusing on the burly man not two meters away. If all goes well, this battle will be over in less than five minutes, and we’ll be the victors. You guys ready?
Yup! Cari exclaimed through the link.
Hell yeah I’m ready, Tara growled outwardly. It was a low, intimidating sound, prompting the gray wolf to reciprocate. I was born ready.
Let’s do this! Shouted Frankie. I could feel him practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce.
A swift peek over my shoulder, and I was granted a nod by our resident fox. He was tossing his knife in the air and catching it, performing the action while staring down our opponents with a bloodthirsty grin. With that, I turned back to Micah, who seemed to notice the determination on all our faces.
He scoffed. “You don’t actually think you can win, do you, Princess?”
Tara snarled from my left flank, and I heard Francisco let out a heavy breath from my right flank. But me? I just gave Micah my best smile and shrugged as if I didn’t have a care in the world.
“It’s our time to shine.”
“TEAMS READY?” Delta Connor hollered from the sidelines.
“Ready!” The ten of us clapped back, sizing one another up.
“THEN START ALREADY!” The delta cackled.
I could see the gears turning in Micah’s head, putting together the ghost of a plan. He wasn’t known for strategy, but for his ability to improvise at the drop of a hat. That made it difficult to predict his moves… For most people.
Not me, not today. On this eve of the Crow Moon, my senses were sharp, and I was heavily aware of two important details.
The first, and most important for the task at hand, was the direction Micah looked in. He, like most wolves, had the impulse to check before leaping so as to calculate his next move. Cautious, yet inefficient.
The second fact was that Gamma Ravi, the wolf of my dreams, was watching these battles, and I would not be made a fool of in front of him.
So when Micah’s aquamarine eyes flitted down to my sneakers and back up, I knew he planned on charging me first. It wasn’t a bad idea, considering he was huge compared to my petite form, but looks can be deceiving.
As soon as Micah pounced for me, I jumped back a few feet before catapulting myself forward. It was obvious he hadn’t expected this; he dropped lower and began to spin around, but I twisted in midair and partially shifted.
His eyes widened, realizing his mistake as my claws sunk into the flesh of his shoulders, pulling him backward.
WHAM! I had pulled Micah into the air, using the momentum from my front flip and all of my strength to slam him face first into the dirt. The lieutenant wheezed, all the air leaving his lungs upon impact.
Then I landed on his back, adding insult to injury before pushing off and running straight for my next target.
- Writer
