The way of the wind

The trip back home was uneventful compared to the rest of my day; I stopped by a couple of shops to see what they were offering, but I didn't have any money. After what seemed like an eternity, the shabby wooden cabin came into view; the usual closed door was wide open.

I felt the sharp change in airflow before a loud thud echoed from the house. With all of my might, I ran towards the entrance. I barged in and was surprised to see Jasper laying on the floor; however, he wasn't hurt. In fact, he was smiling. There was another figure with an extended fist; it was Hunter. Xavier was behind him laughing hysterically.

"Why did you have to hit me with such power, I only lost a simple bet. No need to try to kill me," Jasper with while giggling.

"It's funny seeing you suffer, you little shit," Hunter replied before turning to me.

"Welcome back, how was your day?"

A smile appeared on my lips before walking towards the group; I recounted what had happened at the academy without leaving out a single detail. Hunter's facial expression changed drastically upon hearing Arthur's name. After all, I had pummeled a member of his family and the grandson of the chieftain; I could be in serious trouble.

"So you beat my nephew up?"

"Y-Yes," I reluctantly replied.

The other two orcs also wore serious expressions and stepped towards me; I began backing away. My body had only moved a couple of meters before my back was against the wall. The three of them encircled me.

"Do you know what that means?" Jasper asked.

"N-No."

Out of the blue, they lunged at me and held me in their embrace; to say the least, I was surprised. After noticing my puzzled face, they burst into laughter.

"It means that we are proud of you brat," Jasper said.

"My brother along with his family has always been extremely arrogant and obnoxious, so, I'm happy that you put Arthur back in his place," Hunter added.

"Won't your brother or the chieftain attack me?"

"For the orcs, strength is everything therefore, they will not act. You'll only have to worry about Arthur and his goons."

I heaved a sigh of relief; at the very least, I did not have to worry about being attacked by the adults. I had yet to tell them about the new power that I had obtained. I kept debating whether or not to inform them, but after careful consideration, I did not have any reason not to trust them. They saved me, fed me, trained me and did not care that I beat the chieftain's grandson. Their chatter was interrupted by my words.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you guys."

"During the fight with Arthur, I acquired something. I seem to be able to sense the streams air around me."

"How is that-"

Their eyes widened as my words reached their ears.

"Does he have-"

"No way, that's not possible."

"I did not think anyone else could have that."

"Let me test it out," Xavier said.

"Close your eyes Jett. You tell me where I have moved," he added.

My eyelids shut like curtains and I was immersed in darkness but the river of lines was still present.

"You will move your arm to the right."

Xavier had just begun moving his arm and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"You really do have it."

"Can I at least know what I have," I jokingly said.

"The power that you possess is known as the way of the wind. I do not know if humans can even have it. Very few beasts have this ability; the lucky few are trained from a very young age and achieve great strength." Hunter added.

"How many orcs have this power?"

"No more than thirty. But keep in mind that there are millions of orcs."

"The orcs have nine tribes and a capital tribe that oversees the rest. All of the chieftains and higher ups have the power," he added.

"Do you have it?" I asked.

"Are you trying to rub it in," he said with a grin.

"No I don't. My father and brother have it."

"How can you keep up with them without it?"

After a lengthy explanation, I learnt that Hunter had to train diligently to even compete with them; he had to be almost perfect in every other aspect. I had new-found respect for the orc; his dedication truly moved me. I aspired to be like him in the near future.

"You need to keep this hidden."

"If you were an orc, you'd be hailed as a talent, but you're a human. You may be hunted by jealous orcs or even by the chieftain himself."

"We'll attempt to train the power to the best of our abilities, leave it to your uncles," Jasper said while laughing.

I knew that I was in good hands so I laughed and joined in their celebrations; our bellies were full of meat that they had brought back from their hunt.

"Jasper you may have to stick to hunting rather than cooking," I said.

"Oh keep it quiet."

I learnt about how the orcs partied. As expected, orcs also drank alcohol, even more so than humans. Gallons of booze was drunk and they even gave me, a five year old, some to drink. My head started spinning and I was seeing double. The orcs tried their best to not laugh at me but failed. My rosy cheeks paired with my droopy eyes could only mean one thing; I was inebriated.

"I-I'm so thankful for-for you guys you know."

"You're so sweet when you're drunk," Jasper replied.

"Go to bed. You better wake up on time for training tomorrow or the consequences will be dire," he added.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to approach my head. Xavier grabbed my body to prevent me from falling; he lifted me and carried me to the sleeping area. He laid me down before leaving.

"He'll have a tough journey ahead," Hunter said with a serious face.