2fangs
Chapter 2:  Tested
by Tearra Wolfe

A 2kinds fanfic
The world of 2kinds is a creation of Tom Fischbach, and Zen and Natani are characters created by Tom Fischbach.  The rest sorta vary.

Zen and Natani rocked back, stunned by the girl's words.  Zen's first instinct was to stand between Natani and the red wolf, but he held himself back.  He knew his little sister - no, brother.  He had to think of Natani as a brother, even in his mind, or he might make a mistake.  His little ... brother ... would not appreciate Zen trying to protect him.  He knew Natani wanted to stand up on her ... his ... own.  And he could see her stance shifting, ready, the hair on the back of her - no, his, dammit! - neck standing up.

"No, wait," said one of the other boys, "He's just a little guy.  This doesn't seem ri-"

"What did you think you were coming here for?" snapped the girl, snarling.  "Don't worry, I'll do it so you won't have to stain your pretty fur.  His brother's all right, but it's really a mercy.  The runt'd never stand up to the training."

Natani's fur bristled all over, a growl rising in her throat.  She strained up for every last quarter-inch of height that she could muster.  "What'd you say?"

The girl towered easily over Natani, giving a sharp-toothed grin, a dangerous grin, full of dismissal.  "I said you're a weak little boy and should be at home playing with your mother's apron strings instead of training to be an assassin."

Natani growled louder.  "Well at least I'm not a weak half-fox /girl/ like you!" she shouted at the taunting wolf, emphasizing the gender with disdain.  "And I could beat you in a fight any day!"

The girl bristled as well, at that, and her fist came around to backhand Natani, knocking the small wolf to the ground easily.  "I'm a full-blooded wolf!" she shouted right back, lip curled in a snarl, "and if you dare suggest otherwise again I'll gut you!"

Natani scoffed, lifting herself up on one elbow and wiping from her split lip with the back of her sleeve.  "So your mother never told you about your real father?" she persisted, smirking.

The taller girl jumped, enraged, at Natani, which was all the chance the small wolf needed.  Her hand came out from under her, revealing the hidden dagger, and thrust it quickly at the larger girl.  The girl twisted to the side, just barely managing to get out of the way with no more than a large tear across her shirt, and possibly a small nick to her side, hidden in the fur - Zen couldn't tell.  The red wolf used her own weight to pin Natani to the ground as she grabbed the smaller wolf's wrist, smashing it against the ground to knock the dagger free.  Then she punched Natani across the face for good measure.

Zen started forward as he saw the red furred girl grabbed the dagger and lifted it for a killing blow, panic in his mind at the slow and dazed expression on Natani's face, but the big black wolf got there first.  His large hand closed around the girl's wrist and pulled the dagger away, a cold stare in his gold eyes.

The girl looked up at the big wolf standing above them, confusion writ across her face.  "What-" she started to ask, looking almost betrayed, but she cut off as Natani lifted both hands over her head and delivered a double-fisted blow to the girl's stomach, knocking the wind from her, sparking a wild flame of fury in the juve's eyes.

The black wolf yanked the red furred girl off of Natani, throwing her away, then aimed a kick at Natani for good measure, though not as hard as he might have.  "The fight was over," he snarled at Natani.  "Don't take advantage of me."

Natani curled on the ground, and Zen felt a growl in his throat that he tried to stifle.  The black wolf turned to Zen, then.  "What," he said, "You wouldn't protect your brother before, but now you object?"

Zen felt his stomach quail, but he stood up to the black wolf.  "He can take care of himself," Zen said.  "He has to, if he's going to face the training.  I can't do everything for him."

The black wolf took another few steps towards Zen, watching him closely.  "Stay down," he snapped, and Zen was puzzled for a moment, till he saw that the red wolfgirl  had started to get up, her fierce gaze on Natani.  Zen stood before the scrutiny, straightening up.  The larger wolf leaned forward, staring Zen in the face, and muttered something quietly enough that no one other than Zen himself could hear.  "He's too small," said the black wolf.  "Too weak.  I can make sure he's taken care of, if you join.  If you do everything we tell you, he'll be given food and a place to sleep.  An honest trade to learn."

Zen closed his eyes tightly, trembling.  He could still save his little sister ... that shy, innocent little sister he loved and had never appreciated.  He wouldn't have to see them drive the spark from her eyes, turn her into a killer ...

And she'd never forgive him for it.

He opened his eyes again, meeting the black wolf's gaze, trying to keep it strong and not show the pain behind it.  "Every man," he whispered back, "Makes his own choices.  Offer it to him, not to me."

The wolf nodded and stepped away, and Zen tried not to sag from relief as he was released from the heavy judgment in that golden gaze.

"LINE UP!" barked the black wolf, and they all scrambled to obey.

"I have the unfortunate task of having to train the lot of you," he said, not facing them.  "When you address me, it will be as Tand Arli, of the Hidden Clearing tribe, or simply by my rank, Tand.  There will be no 'sir yes sir.'  This isn't the military.  Is that clear?"

The eight Juves glanced at each other, uncertain what the proper response would be.  "Yes, Tand Arli." came the hesitant response from eight throats.

He finally turned to look at them.  "I must say," the tand said, "You've made a poor start of things."  His eyes raked the lot of them, who all squirmed.  "You, you, you, and you," he said, pointing at the three boys and the girl who hadn't said much of anything yet.  "You were supposed to make a choice, and you just stood by and let someone else make it for you.  I want THINKERS!" he barked the last word, making them jump.  "Not followers!"

They nodded mutely, scared of his fierceness, and then his eyes turned on the boy who had spoken up briefly.  "And you!" he barked.  "When you make a decision, stand by it!  If you have an opinion, stand up for it!  Don't wash your hands of things with some weak, token resistance, and then let someone else take responsibility.  Grow a pair!"  The rest of the juves snickered, especially the red-furred girl.

Tand Arli snarled softly, and most of the snickers died, then he turned to the red-furred girl.  "You," he said, "What's your name?"

She straightened again, and let out a proud, "Kimi of the Deep Lake tribe, daughter of Haka."

"I knew Haka," said Tand Arli.  "He was a good man.  A fine Hoektand."  She grinned proudly, her head lifting up just a bit.  "It's too bad his daughter didn't learn better from him."  Her face froze, then darkened, shame and anger evident on her face.  "Turning on her own that way.  What kind of loyalty does that show?  Are you a wolf or a human?  We stand together, always!  We don't let anyone turn us against each other!"

"Yes, Tand," Kimi gritted out between clenched teeth.  "Thank you for the lesson."

Tand Arli grunted acknowledgment and moved on to Natani.  He snorted.  "A little reserve, boy.  A little control.  You can't go charging into everything half-cocked!  We're supposed to be stealthy, here, to blend in!  You have to learn to wear a mask!"  Natani's lips quirked in a smirk, but she nodded.  "Yes, Tand," she said, blandly.  

Tand Arli eyed her curiously, but let the smirk go, turning then to Zen.  "And you.  It's all well and good to let your brother stand on his own, but you're supposed to work as a TEAM!"  Zen jumped.  "We can't go worrying about bruising fragile egos here!  We need to work together!"  Both Zen and Natani flinched at that.

Tand Arli walked up and down in front of the line of Juves, his every step radiating cold contempt.  "Feh.  Look, children.  This isn't a game.  You're not going to have the bards telling tales of your heroic defense of the wolf tribes.  There won't be some grand adventure.  If you do your job right, no one will ever know you did it.  Most of the time, you'll be stuck in the forest, cold, hungry, and alone.  You're going to have to do things you won't like.  And in the end, you'll probably die alone, unremembered, with no one to care, except to curse you for failing your mission."  He turned back to them, looking over each of them in turn.  "I don't see why any of you would want that.  If you don't like the sound of this, I suggest you turn around and leave, now."

The Juves looked around at each other, nervously, but they none of them left.

With a snort, Tand Arli turned on his heel and started pacing again.  "Fine.  You never do, stupid kids.  I'll give you another chance in two weeks.  Most of you will probably bail then."  He sighed.  "Fine, then.  I don't expect any of you will make it, but I might as well go through the motions.  You are Tandvlees.  Students.  Even less than that, you're Vis - the lowest of the low.  You need to think, but first, for these two weeks, you do whatever anyone tells you.  You're too stupid to think, right now.  Learn to watch.  Learn to learn.  In two weeks, we'll see if you've learned enough to be taught something useful, or if you're ready to go running home to your parents."

He looked over them again, then raised his hand and made a 'come here' motion with his finger.  One of the other wolves stepped forward, a younger-looking brown wolf.  "Go with Tand Ahiga here.  He'll take you to the training grounds.  I have to go around for a few more days and see if we can scratch up anyone with a hint of promise from the other tribes.  Try not to accidentally strangle yourselves putting on your shirts in the meantime."

"Yes, Tand Arli!" piped up Kimi.  The rest of the juves belatedly followed her example.  "Yes, Tand Arli!"

Zen and Natani fell in together as the group followed Tand Ahiga into the forest.  Zen glanced down at Natani, who was staring forward determinedly, occasionally reaching up to touch at the cut on her lip.  "Are you all right?" he asked, under his breath, not wanting anyone else to hear the question.

Natani gave a little shrug.  "It's hard to focus," she murmured back, reluctantly.

Zen felt a jolt of panic rush through him.  He should never have let her come!  He should have taken Arli's offer.  He searched desperately for something to say to talk her out of this.

"Just be there for me," whispered Natani, after a moment.  "If I stumble, hold me up."

He blanched as her words answered his thoughts, and for a moment he wondered if he had said anything out loud, but then he realized she was talking about her swimming head, from getting punched earlier.

"I'll be here for you," he replied, and put his hand on her shoulder for just a moment.  "No matter what."

The two of them followed the rest into the dark forest ahead, not knowing what lay before them, but facing it together.