Teamwork (2)

Everyone was grumpy that evening over dinner. Well, at Aavern and I weren't.

"That wasn't fair," Qassot grumbled, "Why did you two seem so much better at fighting now than in the mock battles? Have you been hiding your skills?"

"Nope," I said, "Guess again!"

Dracoa smacked me with her wing. I regretted sitting next to her.

"Today was an important lesson," Azor said, picking up a piece of meat. "Cyil and Aavern figured something out that the rest of you hadn't."

"Well, actually, it was Aavern," I said, "I just messed around."

"You figured it out faster than I did," Aavern said, "It took me four days, and Azor even gave me hints."

"Wait, what?"

Azor cleared his throat. "I told Aavern that the group was lacking something. I wanted him to figure out what it was and how to fix it."

"And you didn't tell us about it?" Dracoa asked.

"He's a newcomer. He would see things in a clearer light than you four."

"So this scrimmage was just to pit those who figured it out against those who didn't?" Qassot asked.

"Exactly. Cyil figured it out only halfway through the battle, and you saw what difference it made."

"He was so annoying," Dracoa muttered. "Even more than usual."

"What did Cyil figure out?" Qassot asked. "I don't want to have to go through that again."

"It's a secret!" I said cheerfully.

Dracoa wrapped me with her tail and threw me out of the room.

"Can I explain it?" Aavern asked Azor when I found my way back. I sat between Azor and Aavern this time and kept an eye on Dracoa.

"Go ahead," Azor said, engrossing himself with spreading this whitish-yellow substance over a piece of bread.

"Let me guess," Dracoa said, "Qassot is missing agility, I'm missing speed, and Riselus is missing both."

"All of you are missing strength," Riselus grumbled.

"Nope, nope, nope and nope!" Aavern said, "You're missing strategy."

Dracoa slammed her head on the table and groaned. "I hate learning strategy."

Qassot blinked. "What does strategy have to do with fighting?"

"The Krie clan is a warrior clan, right?" Azor asked. When Qassot nodded, he continued. "Did they ever teach you about battle tactics?"

"That sounds familiar," Qassot said thoughtfully, "But I didn't pay attention most of the time."

"Let me explain," Azor said, finishing his bread. "Did you notice how Cyil took advantage of his speed in the air to avoid you and Dracoa?"

"Yeah, it was annoying," Dracoa grumbled.

"Riselus, did you see how Aavern stayed directly above us, so we couldn't see him as he attacked?"

"Yes," Riselus grunted. "It was annoying."

"Qassot, did you notice how, at the end of the fight, Cyil and Aavern got us all clumped together before attacking?"

"I sure did," Qassot said, "It was annoying!"

"That is strategy."

"I don't get it," I said.

"How do you not get it!?" Dracoa asked angrily.

"I mean, I was just thinking of ways to make it easier to fight and hit you two. Aavern's the one who came up with the whole teamwork thing."

"Teamwork?" Qassot asked. "I remember the Krie Clan leader yelling at me about that."

Dracoa groaned again. "I'm not sure whether to be angry that Aavern and Cyil figured this out and used it against us, or that I already knew about this and didn't realize it."

"Well, from now on, you five need to learn how to work as a team," Azor said. "Strategy is the winning factor in fights, even over strength. If you work together, you can probably take down a guardian without using a gem."

"How do we work as a team?" Qassot asked.

"Yeah, I'm still not clear on that part," I added.

Azor sighed and pointed at Aavern. "I'll let him explain. I'm going to bed. You five are tiring."

-

Over the next week, Azor introduced rogue creatures which we were not allowed to defeat in our scrimmages, and started making the boulder creatures more powerful. At the same time, Aavern tried to get everyone to understand how to work together.

"We'll start with something simple. You all know each other's strengths. If you need help, call for someone to help. Someone that you think will be really good in that situation."

"But I don't need help," everyone said simultaneously.

"You definitely did!" Aavern said, raising his squeaky voice in anger.

"We just need to get stronger, then," Dracoa said.

"No!" Aavern said, "You need to get someone to help you with what you're not strong at! Riselus needs help against fast enemies, for example."

"You're not wrong," Qassot said, "But what if the one we need to help is stuck in a battle themselves?"

"Then figure something out! Switch enemies or fight together. Coordinate your moves!"

"How do we do that?" Dracoa asked.

"You're supposed to be the most experienced fighter of us all!" Aavern said, now clearly frustrated, "How do you not know this?"

"I've been living alone most of my life. I never needed to work in a team."

Aavern let out an exasperated noise. I pat him on the head with a wing. 

"Y'know what?" Aavern said, "Cyil and I will fight the three of you again. Just figure it out for yourself."

They lost that match.

And the next one.

And the next one.

"C'mon, guys!" Aavern said, "You three are better than us two in every way possible! There's no way you should be losing this! Just work together!"

They lost the next one too.

Aavern was at his wit's end.

"You should be a teacher," I commented.

"Don't be like that," Aavern grumbled. "You didn't understand what I'm saying either."

"That's true," I said thoughtfully, "But still."

It took them seventeen losses in a row to start asking each other for help.

"Look!" I said, "They're getting it!"

"I bet they'll forget it next time," Aavern grumbled. "Why did Azor make me teach them? Isn't he supposed to be the one training us?"

"I dunno," I said, "I asked him about it and he said something about building trust."

Four matches later, Riselus threw a rock at me at the same time Qassot threw a bush from another direction, cornering me and forcing me into range of Dracoa's tail lash.

"Ow," I said. I had been thrown out of the arena.

"HA!" Dracoa shouted triumphantly. "I FINALLY HIT YOU!"

They lost that one, too.

Azor came up to us while we were eating that afternoon.

"How are they doing?"

"They're starting to get it," Aavern said. "Cyil and I are getting better at fighting, too."

"It was completely by accident, too," Qassot said, "But we managed to corner Cyil by throwing stuff and push him towards Dracoa."

"That felt really satisfying," Dracoa muttered. I edged away from her.

Eight matches later, they broke our winstreak of 34 by somehow making it a tie. Dracoa landed a shot on me at the same moment she was hit in the face by my javelin.

"I think I get it now," Qassot said after the match, "This whole teamwork thing."

"Finally," Aavern sighed. "Now we can move on to strategy."

Dracoa groaned. "Can't you just make up the strategies and tell us what to do?"

Qassot agreed. "We can do teamwork no problem, but we're not smart like you and Cyil."

"Hey!" Dracoa said.

Qassot darted away as Dracoa started chasing her.

"I'm terrible at strategizing," I said cheerfully, "Aavern can be our team strategist."

"But what if I'm not here?" Aavern asked.

"That's never going to happen," I chuckled.

"That was a good match," Azor said, walking up to us. "Does anyone know what Dracoa and Qassot are doing?"

"Qassot said that she, Dracoa, and Riselus weren't smart," I said.

"That wyvern really needs to control her temper," Azor muttered.

"I know, right?" I said. "She's always so mad at me."

"I'll go stop them," Azor sighed. "You have a mock battle later, you'll need to put that teamwork to the test."

"Finally," Aavern said, "It's been so long since the last mock battle."

"Two and a half weeks," I said, agreeing.

Aavern looked at Riselus, who had been standing still the whole time. "Is he okay?"

"Yep. He does this."

"I see. Why?"

"He just does."

"That doesn't help."

"I think maybe he's sleeping. Not sure about it, though."

"Why don't you ask him?" Aavern asked.

"He's kinda scary," I said, running a wing along one of Riselus's massive claws.

"That's true," Aavern agreed.

There was silence for a while. A little bit aways, I could see Azor chasing Qassot and Dracoa around, yelling something that I couldn't make out. I looked up at the sun. It was getting close to setting. I sighed. The orange glow the sky made when the sun set was a view that I rarely got to see in Qade Valley.

"Hey, Cyil?" Aavern asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you still have trouble sleeping?"

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you've been waking up halfway through the night ever since you left Qade Valley."

"How did you find out?" I asked, bewildered.

"I know what a face that's slept well looks like."

I scratched my head with a wing.

"I keep having nightmares."

"About what?"

"It's different every night, but someone seems to be missing every time. It's scary."

"That's concerning."

"Why?"

"Don't you remember? Everyone back at Qade Valley says that nightmares tell the future."

"Azor doesn't think so," I said, "He says it's just me being afraid."

"It could be that you're afraid of the future you see in your nightmares."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Are you sure the dreams are different every night?"

"Yep."

"Is someone different missing every time?"

I thought for a moment. "Sometimes, it's you. Sometimes, it's Dracoa. Sometimes, it's everyone at once."

"That's concerning. Anything else?"

"I remember this one time I saw Qassot sitting there. Her eyes were blank and there was something black coming out of her chest." I shuddered at the horrid memory. The dark, cloudy sky, the gray sands of an unfamiliar beach, and the scent of blood coming from a growing pool of black water that Qassot was lying in. No matter how many times I recalled it, it was still horrifying. "That one was the most vivid of them all."

Aavern frowned. "Have you told the others about it?"

I paused. "No."

"You should."

"I'd rather not. They'll probably say the same thing as Azor."

"I'm not going anywhere, you know that, right?"

"I know."

"Dracoa wouldn't leave either. She might be annoyed at you sometimes-"

"Most of the time."

"-most of the time, but I can tell she considers you a real friend. Something in her eyes just doesn't want to let go."

I looked down at the grass we were sitting on. Something in my chest felt warm. "I see."

"It's the same with everyone else, too. Especially Qassot. You do know how much she likes you, right?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"She keeps telling me that you're the funniest creature she's ever met."

"Then why does she keep ending up… like that in my dreams?"

"Maybe Azor's right. Maybe you're just scared of losing everyone."

I looked at Aavern. The orange sky gently illuminated the scenery around us. The cool breeze ruffled my fur, but the warmth in my chest didn't disappear.

"You're probably right."

Aavern chuckled.

"Are you done?" Riselus grunted. Both of us jumped in surprise and hid behind a rock.

"What do you mean?" Aavern asked.

"All that emotional stuff. You done?" Riselus asked bluntly.

"It couldn't hurt to be a little more empathetic, you know," Aavern complained.

Riselus just sighed and closed his eyes again.

"See what I mean?" I said. "He's scary!"

That night was the most peaceful night of sleep I had in a long time.