Meet and Greet With Badger

The sun rises like any other day. Only this time I roll over to find myself in a bed. Looking up I see the light coming from a window to the side of the empty room. The bed I'm in is unfamiliar to me but looking over I see why. To my left is Madam Odette, lying naked beside me. I think back to yesterday trying to remember all of it. After a while, it just turned into a blur of ecstasy and sex. I roll out of bed stumbling to my sore legs giving out. Quickly I recover and head to the bath to grab my clothes that were left there from yesterday morning.

I come back out dressed in my regular clothes while Madam Odette is still passed out on the bed. I sneak out to the hallway where one of her butlers meets me. Before he can speak I shush him, "Shh, I think you should let her sleep for now."

"Yes sir, but your trainer is here. Your class begins in 10 minutes in the back garden."

I nod to him and head down the stairs to the back doors. Outside I see my little tool shed still with my stuff hanging around it. I stagger out down the stairs to change my shirt. I look around the garden to see people working. When I look at my watch I see that it's 9 till 10 so I got to sleep in a lot.

Something seems out of place though. I can feel it more than see it. Before long it becomes clear that there is a new person around. A new honey badger is walking around looking cheerful and speaking with others. He approaches me with the same smile he has shown to everyone else, "Hello!"

"Good morning."

He's very Russian and his English is fractured, "It is good morning."

"How are you?"

"I am good. By chance, do you know fox named Red?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Ah! Good! My name Badger. I am new trainer for you."

A honey badger named Badger? "Madam Odette told me I would have someone training me. What are you going to be training me in?"

"Fighting!"

I give him a quick look over when he says that. I'm just short of 6' myself so he has to be… 7' 4" at least and he's built like a fridge. "Ah, what style do you use?"

"Enemy can not use magic if being punched in face."

"Sounds… solid to me."

"Yes, it is. But you are very tiny so I will work to make you solid like Badger." His face changed. He went from a cheerful smile to deadly serious, "For the next three weeks, you belong to Badger."

I haven't done much since I got here that has made me scared. There was the poker game but this just made me scared for my life. "Here is plan, little man. The first week we do basics, the second week we do technique training, the third week we do sparring to train." Three weeks… Another three weeks of what I can see is going to be a hellish nightmare.

The first week was what he said, it was basic punches, kicks, elbows, and knees. 12 hours a day of basic repetition until it became second nature. It worked muscles that I didn't know I had. The work Madam Odette had me doing helped but this refined. The second week Madam Odette finally came to me. She told me, "When you attack, focus on the joint that you are using to attack." I did as she said for the whole second week to where it felt like I was burning. As Badger taught me strikes he taught me counters and blocks as well.

Then the third week started. Badger came up to me to warn me, "Do not worry. I will not kill you." Well, it wasn't a warning but I took it as one. The first morning begins with him and myself standing by the fountain. He stretches his body as I do as he taught me, "You ready Red?"

"Yes, Master Badger."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Master Badger."

I put my head down to get my footing. As I look up I see his fist right before it makes contact with my face. I open my eyes finding myself on the ground. I don't remember the hit, I don't remember falling, but it does feel like I got hit by a truck. Badger is leaning over me with Madam Odette. For a brief moment I saw a look of concern in her eyes before it disappeared. She pats Badger on the shoulder, "Make sure he learns."

"Oh, he learned."

Badger pulls me to my feet. After seeing that I'm ok Madam Odette walks back to the house. Badger brushes the dirt off me, "Ok, I teach you to block. Why you no block?"

"I didn't see it coming."

"Why you no see it coming?"

"I looked away."

"So what you learn?"

"Eyes on at all times."

"Good, now try again."

Without further warning, he takes another swing at me. Without thinking I duck and strike in with a wide swing making contact with his side. It feels like I punched a wall to where a few of my knuckles pop. "That good. But less move, more power." Before my rebuttal, his leg swings around railing his shin into my stomach throwing me a good distance. That was my first day of sparring.

Day two came around and he only got harder with me. I left with more bruises but I feel I did better. There were more blocks and more solid hits but I still got destroyed by him. Day three changed everything. I woke up just before the sun peeked over the hill just in time. I saw a massive boot come flying to my head. I got out of the way but he shed did not. As Badger pulled his foot from the wood I landed a few good hits before he freed himself. The rest of the day was me running and waiting for an opening. The fourth day was like the third, I woke up with a foot flying to my face but this time it destroyed the shed wall.

The fifth day started with me jarring myself awake expecting Badger to be throwing his foot at me already. Instead it was Madam Odette. "Red, today is Badger's last day and he wants a fair fight to test your skills so I want you to wear Armani's suit."

"Madam Odette, you want me to wear the nice suit?"

"Yes, you'll see why."

I cannot argue with her. She brought the suit out. After 20 minutes I am dressed to the 9's with everything looking crisp. I'm really uneasy about this. I don't know how much Madam Odette paid for his suit but it feels like a lot. I come around to see Badger in his usual black shirt and pants. "Oo, fancy suit. I try not to make you bleed on it." He chuckles but I'm really worried. Madam Odette chimes in, "Be careful Badger, that will get you hurt."

"Let us see what tiny fox has learned."

He takes his stance and I copy his. Even with the suit being a tight fit it seems to move with me. It's keeping me somewhat in line with where I need to be. I take a deep breath waiting for him to make the first move. I'm tense. Every muscle in my body is waiting for him to move. A slight twitch here, a small shift there, waiting, watching.

I quickly glance over to see Madam Odette spectating. At that glance, I realize what I'd done. Sure enough, Badger took his opening. With no time to think I act! Badger comes in with a high kick to my face. For whatever reason, he seems to be moving slower. I'm able to move low but my body acts without me. My leg stretches out underneath him taking the back of his knee. He drops to one as I hop backward putting distance between us. He stands back up with a grin, "Little fox has learned."

He comes again but I'm able to act. One thing he taught me was to hit hard every chance you had. With the distance between us, I have time to rally up power into a solid kick. I take one step forward and begin to roll my hips. I focus everything on the foot I lift from the ground. Badger enters my strike as I bring it around. I saw a small spark before it burst into a flame engulfing my foot. My strike landed with a solid hit that I could feel on my hip. Badger dropped to the side and the flame disappeared.

I stop in my track as Badger rolls over to get himself up, "Wow! What hit me? Feels like flaming ball." I'm frozen in my tracks. I saw it happen but I don't know how it happened. My foot caught fire on its own. Furthermore, I was able to drop Badger in two strikes. I can't figure out what happened. Before I can find an answer Badger pats me in the shoulder, "Well done. You are now powerful fighter. Odette! My training is done."

"Thank you, Badger. You did a good job."

"It always good job. I work to have good defense but strong offense. Little fox is nimble so he can dodge."

Badger left with a bear hug, ironic to me, and a piece of advice, "Don't take power for granted, always someone more powerful than you." Thinking about it, it's true. Martial Artists believe that no matter how skilled you are there is always someone better. As Badger rides off in his taxi to the airport Madam Odette grabs me by the shoulder, "Ok Red, follow me."

I follow her to the main house, to her room, as she sways herself in the high-slit red dress, where she has some of my clothes cleaned for me. "Red, I want to explain what happened. Armani made you that suit under my order that it be functional for you at all times you wear it. The cloth is both fire retardant and insulated for cold. Along with that the vest and pants were made charmed with the ability to boost and focus magical and physical energy. What you saw was your own ability of magic just focused with a little help. That was why I had you focus. Joints like the elbows, knuckles, and knees are focus points for fire magic. I'll teach you about it in more detail later. But for now…" She walks up to me placing her paws on the vest over my chest, "It's been three weeks of hard work not just for you."

I see where she's trying to go with this. She just mentioned that the suit helps focus magical energy, meaning it helps your mind focus if what she explained is like I think it is. I bring this up because for whatever reason I'm thinking a lot clearer than I normally do. She nuzzles herself up to me whispering, "And I think you've earned a little reward since you greatly passed everyone's expectations."

I release the breath I was holding as my body shakes with me. My hand follows up her hip to her neck. She goes to lean into me but I keep a solid grip holding her in place. She gasps from the surprise opening her eyes. I must have a smile on my face because she looks worried. "Madam Odette, what did you do to earn it?"

What the hell did I just say?! What is wrong with me? I have this incredibly gorgeous lady clinging to me and I went and said that! I feel my heart race as I continue to look at her. She looks a little distraught. She looks down then back up, "Then I guess I'll have to work for it."