Finding My Breath

[Kaleleon]

Pain as it coursed up my arms. Being held in a lock by a warrior, was not comfortable at all. The pain ran from my wrists all the way up to my shoulders and even seeping into my chest. Pulling backwards on my arms. Threatening to pop my arms out of their sockets from the torque of being pulled, and held in place for some time. Sweat poured into my eyes from my forehead as I was silently cursing myself for agreeing to do this.

It was about a week ago now that Romi brought me here. A place secluded from the rest of the galaxy where an individual who never spoke his name, was tasked with training me in combat. Namely, that of the Morgukai martial arts. Using various weapons, but namely staves and wooden swords. Training me to fight to my limits. Pushing me beyond what I have ever felt before.

Pulling my elbows into one another, and pulling my hands closer to the small of my back, I pushed off of the ground, Pushing all of my weight onto the warrior. While he attempted to take a step back, trying to keep me at a distance, I used that play within his hands, the slack of his grip for movement, to rip my arms free of his grasp. Landing back onto my feet, and rolling forward into the dirt.

Master Romi told me that these people would test every fiber of my being. They would show me the true meaning of training. However, she neglected to tell me that they fight to the death. That my training would attempt to teach me how to fight for my life. Having already thought I had done that enough, apparently, she thought it better to find a third party. Someone who could throw me into the deep end even further than before.

After rolling away, I pulled myself up to my feet with a twist. Facing this red skinned man. His age was never apparent in our fights. Even after all of these years, he was still more formidable than any fight I have had. Every time he would potentially kill me, he left a mark on me. Literally having a marker on him at all times, and would leave a line where I had died. A constant reminder that I had died that many times now.

Currently, I was up to sixteen.

We charged at one another. As he came with hands attempting to grab me, I dropped low. Planting my hand hard upon the ground in front of my crotch. Stopping all forward movement just in front of my center of gravity, and twisted. Letting my legs continue their forward momentum to swung under him. I felt a solid hit, letting the older man topple to the ground, but I only then found his hands around my neck.

I had agreed because I would to anything to prove myself to my master, to my Jedi Peers, that I had what it took to become a Jedi. I had the stuff. Even if I was a late bloomer with my talents within the force, I would push myself harder than any before me. I would do anything and everything. And that is how I am here. Currently fighting a Morgukai in yet another day of training in the martial arts.

My hands came up to his arms as they wrapped around my head and neck. Sliding my fingers barely under his arm before they could close, I ripped the arm outward and away from me. Sliding in a hundred and eighty degrees on my rear. Wrapping my legs around his arm, I held onto his hand and wrist. Pulling away from him, while my legs and feet braced around his chest, and shoulders. Even holding around his neck as I pushed in opposing directions. Trying to lock his arm and force him to submit.

However, it was I who would end up dead today yet again. His amazing speed and strength ended with his arm picking up the entirety of my weight, and slamming me down upon the ground with his own weight on top. I yelled out in pain as I could feel the rocks and rough ground slamming into my back and spine. I could feel the twinge of pain running down my spine and down to my legs. My body just let go. It stopped all actions as I lay on the ground. Dirty with sweat, and dust. Some blood on my eyebrow from a nice right hook I had gotten smacked with earlier.

Wincing in pain, the black marker came out, and after turning me over to my stomach, he marked another line on the back of my neck directly on my spine. I had lost.

"This is Seventeen Master Kale."
"Yep. I noticed."
"Would you like me to slam you again, or will you end your snaps?"

I stayed silent at his threat of more violence. However, I could see the smile in his face as he handed me an outstretched grasp. I accepted it and was lifted to my feet. Dusting my shoulders off a bit before smiling brightly and patting my head like some child.

"You are learning fast. But you will need to do more than just learn to beat me. We will try again tomorrow. For now, eat and rest up."
"Yes sir. Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We are still in the beginning stages."

The devilish smile he gave me sent a shiver down my body. Taking a hand and rubbing the sore spot on the back of my neck where I had been slammed down on, I walked away from the man and towards the shower. Already removing my shirt as I was drawing closer. Well, not really a shirt any more. Enough holes, stretch marks, and tears were in the shirt I had, it was barely more than rags at this point. I might not even have a shirt by the end of the time I am to be training here.

Removing the rest of my clothing, I stepped under the shower head and began to rinse my body off with the freezing cold water. Letting it just flow over my bruised and broken form. Flowing down my back and legs into the drain below. The cold water sent goosebumps over my flesh, but was soothing to the sores I had gotten from training. As I was in the shower, I stretched. Hoping to prevent more build up of sores and breaking within my body.

I must have been in the shower for too long as the wife of the Morgukai came close enough to utter my name.

"Kale, supper is done. Come in when you are ready."
"Thank you, I will be there in a moment."

She left without another word. turning off the water, I grabbed my towel and began to clean myself off. Looking at the mirror as I got dressed. Standing there in only my underwear. I finally saw myself for the first time in months. All of this training with Romi, and the Morgukai have transformed me. I did have some muscles when I worked on my farm, but over this time I have been in a constant state of training and fighting, I saw my body getting a larger framework of muscles and more defined. No where near defined as like some of those superheroes in the Holoflics I have seen, but it was there.

Only if the girls back home saw me now. Maybe now I could have gotten one of them to accept my courtship. I laughed out loud at that. Like they would care now anyways. Scoffing at myself, I put on the rest of my clothes. Walking out of the showers and headed into the house for dinner.

[member="Romi Jade"],

 

[Kaleleon]

3 Weeks Later...

Hands outstretched to me. Attempting to grab onto my own, and take hold. To deter this, My hands were yanked back, and my foot came out hard. Stomping upon his own. I heard a small yip of pain as I closed the distance. A fist coming in for a punch, to which he threw his hands up to protect his face. As a feint, my hand opened up and grabbed a hold of his own wrist. Yanking his arm away from his face, his attention formed to try and remove my grasp. His fault for not seeing the left hook as it slammed home into between the jaw bone, and cheek bones in his face. The cloth that covered my hands were reddening from the blood on his lip and eye that I had gotten him with earlier. However, he had done the same to me.

While his wife looked on as a bystander, enjoying the spectacle of a warrior training another in the ways of combat. However, my attention was not upon her. It was the red skinned Morgukai who was currently attempting to throw a fist into my face. A right jab to be correct. Right hand coming up in a circular motion, swiping away his hand to the side, and down. A twist of my wrist allowed for me to take another grasp onto his wrist. I then bent his hand down, and lifted high, Attempting to get him into a hold where the pressure point in his wrist would be compromised, and force him to find some other method to attack me. However, his other hand came to support himself. Grabbing my wrist and trying to perform the same action. I released my hold, and twisted my hand. Stepping into his reach, and slamming the same hand, a fist, into his stomach. A solid umph came from his mouth. Taking a step back, he tried to create space. However, I wouldn't allow that. I stepped with him. Putting my foot between his own, throwing my forearm into his neck, using it as a push against the top of his frame.

My off foot came around his own, and tripped. Falling down, I pushed with my own body weight onto him. Slamming him hard into the ground. The solid thud felt satisfying to me as I twisted my body faster than I thought I could. One arm coming underneath his legs, the other around his head and neck, then locking together. Squeezing his form into a pretzel. He tried with all of his might to get out of it, but I continued to hold him down. Keeping my chest and body off the ground, and using my toes to prop myself above him. Using this leverage in body weight to be harder to break out of.

Squirming and squirming, he attempted to get out, Instead, I sought to end this now. Pushing forward, I allowed my body to roll him onto my arms, and his side. My chest and abs covering his own form, My feet taking a hard plant, and lifting him up. Followed with me simply letting go of my hold, and forcibly slamming him into the dirt again.

I had knocked the air out of his lungs. And for a few spare moments, he just laid there. Gasping for air as I stood over him. Finally kneeling down, and pressing on his stomach to force the diaphragm to accept air once more in his lungs. After doing so, I extended him a hand. The man accepted it with a smile. Shaking his head as he got up with a groan of pain.

"Well, now that you seemed to have learned some of the combat, weapons are next."
"If you see it fit."
"You have been training hard, and you have beaten me. Very well in fact. Be proud of what you have done."
"I don't see it that way."
"Oh? How so?"
"Yes you have experience, but I have come to learn how you fought. I have seen how you move. That doesn't prepare me for other fights."
"You are right. However, you know how to learn, you know how to discover that. The challenge of a fight, is not the combat itself, but learning the weaknesses of the other man."
"Yes, and you have yours. I exploited them."
"That is the point. Exploit them. Then use that to end them."
"Kill them you mean."
"Yes."

Dead seriousness in his voice. He was training me to kill. He was training me to end the life of another being. And for that, I felt disgusted. Did Romi really send me here to learn how to kill people? Defend and fight for people? sure. I would accept that any day no matter the time. But killing another man who sees the world differently than myself, is not justification for death. Killing a man who was forced to be a soldier is not his fault. He shouldn't die for someone else who he would rather kill.

"I will not kill."
"Boy! You will kill someone some day, and you will understand! We train to kill. Morgukai hunt Jedi and I owe your master. That is why I teach you! Not because I am open to sharing those secrets!"
"You would openly kill a man just because he happens to have a different view upon the world?"
"If his intent is to end my life, or those of my kind, then yes. Without another thought."
"Then we shall just have to agree to disagree."
"You are a child who knows nothing of this galaxy. You are being given a gift of knowledge. Now either learn, and follow the teachings, or die."
"Very well."

Breathing in, I calmed myself as much as I could. Opening my eyes to see that he was walking away. Throwing words over his shoulder about going to get showered and that the rest of the day was mine. Even while he couldn't see me, I bowed as he had taught me to do. His wife walked up to me. Largest smile I have ever seen from her. She had a towel for me to clean my body off with.

"He may be harsh, but he means well. Learn of his teachings, learn that killing may be a necessity. Then you can make that choice."
"I just-"
"You haven't failed anyone Kale. If you push too hard, then you will. You worry and fret over what cannot be done. There are times where everything that you do, will still lead to a loss. Just... think it over okay? Maybe call a friend of yours to calm down. Take some time off for today. Clean up."
"Actually, do you have tools?"
"You are free to use the shed over there."

Bowing my head to her in the same fashion, she then walked away from me. Following after the footsteps of her husband into their home. Likely so she could make dinner for us again. Which would be very nice tonight I would assume since I didn't "die" today. However, I headed over to the shed. opening the door to find multiple supplies. They had a farm, and the crops needed tending a little. The man had not done so at all during my time here. Always focused on training me instead of tending to the crops. I had been slowly working myself up to doing it for them.

As they set inside for the rest of the day, I got to work. Pulling out various tools that resembled a hoe, a shovel, a rake, even a pitchfork. Laying their handles against the shed as I picked up the hoe and began to work on weeding the crops. The tall stalks with bulbous plants upon them, clearly the crops, the rest were rather "hairy" on their stocks and were starting to sprout flowers. those were the weeds. Sweeping them down with the hoe, and cleaning them out. Even getting down onto my hands and knees to make sure I ripped up the roots.

Spending hours working on this singular field that he owned. Soon I began to hear my name being called.

"Kale! The hell are you?"
"In the field."

I could hear muttering, but not quite what it was. However, the footsteps drew closer between the sounds of my repeated strikes with the hoe. Eventually his hand was placed on my shoulder.

"You a farmer boy?"
"Yes, Sir."
"I can tell. You do good work."
"My father taught me. He was the best farmer I have ever known."
"Do tell?"
"I uh... We had other farmers who competed for land. Places closer to the village. My father? He took the short stick on purpose. Finding a bunch of land that nobody wanted because they said it was bad. At first, we made ends meet with some animals and livestock. Barely making it through our first two winters. But that time was worth it sir."
"How so?"
"We spent two years digging up the ground and nurturing it. Shaping it to be better for our crop. We did plant during those two years with stuff that was bad just to see if it would grow. We did get some to sprout, but we used it for food instead of selling it. Even despite being told that his farm was failing, and people offered us food, he would never accept it."
"Quite strong headed he seems."
"Ha. I get it from him. However, the next year? We planted all our crop. And with the large swath of land nobody wanted because it was bad, became our most profitable year. Having the tallest, and strongest crops out of all of the farmers. Nobody expected us to be coming to the village with nearly five carts of crop to sell. When the closest to us was two carts. Even when we raise the price on our crop just by a couple coins, people still bought ours."
"A hard worker your old man is."
"That he is."
"He saw something in the land, that the other farmers did not, and nurtured it into something far greater..."

Standing there in silence, he huffed a sigh and just shook his head. Smiling just a bit as he patted my shoulder.

"Boy, you are one of the hardest, and most dead set people I have ever met. You have a soul that doesn't waver, and a heart that beats for another. I pray to our gods that one day, you will see a life of your own making."
"What do you mean?"
"Hahahaha! Boy, I am giving you good tidings. I know you will go far kid. Just... stay a simple man."
"I... Yes. Thank you."
"Now let's put down the tools, and go in to eat. You can finish working on this another day."
"If you don-"
"I already knew the answer, and yes. You may finish."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he just placed a finger to his lips. Not saying another word. Releasing me, he walked down the path I had worked on, and went back to his home. Standing there, the sun setting upon my sweat drenched back, I thought about what he said. "Stay a simple man." What did he mean? And why did he give me good tidings when earlier he was teaching me to kill? Old men are curious and mystical in so many ways. He... respected me. Even though I was nearly five times his younger. Shaking my head, I set to work to finish the crops.

Spending a couple more hours to finish the field I had started. Afterwords, tired enough, and feeling fatigue in every fiber of my being, I headed to my room, collapsed upon my bed, and fell asleep as soon my head reached the pillow.