The Training Ground

The sound of fists striking padded posts reached Lyra before she saw the training ground.

The open space sat behind the main hall, bordered by tall trees and a low stone wall. Several Nightfang warriors were already practising. Some worked in pairs, while others ran drills beneath the watchful eye of an older man.

Lyra slowed at the entrance.

Two trainees sparring nearby stopped when they noticed her. One lowered his practice blade and glanced at the other.

“That's the Ashen Moon girl,” he murmured.

“I heard she crossed the border alone,” the second replied. His eyes moved over her. “Or maybe she was sent here to learn our defences.”

Lyra heard every word.

Heat crept up her neck, but she kept walking. She had expected suspicion. She had been an outsider the moment she crossed into Nightfang territory, and one promise from Kael would not make everyone trust her.

She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing how much their words stung.

An older man stood near the centre of the ground, his arms folded across his chest. His dark hair was streaked with grey, and a thin scar ran from his jaw to his collar.

“You're Lyra?”

“Yes.”

“I'm Master Toren. I oversee training here.” His gaze dropped briefly to the bandage beneath her sleeve. “Your shoulder is still healing?”

“It is.”

“Then you will follow instructions. I won't have you turning an injury into an excuse to ignore them.”

“I understand.”

He turned towards the trainees and raised his voice.

“Listen up. Lyra will be joining the basic drills. She is here by the Alpha's permission, not by anyone's invitation. That doesn't make her your enemy, and it doesn't make her special. Treat her as a trainee. Nothing more.”

A few wolves exchanged looks. No one challenged him.

Toren scanned the group before pointing to a young man with broad shoulders and close-cropped brown hair.

“Seth. You'll work with her.”

Seth stepped forward. He looked Lyra over without trying to hide his curiosity.

“Basic stance first,” Toren ordered. “No sparring until I say so. And keep that shoulder out of trouble.”

Seth moved opposite her and demonstrated where to place her feet. Lyra copied him, but her balance felt uncertain on the packed earth.

“Your feet are too close,” he said.

She adjusted them.

“Bend your knees. You're standing like you're waiting for someone to announce a ceremony.”

A couple of trainees laughed. Lyra ignored them and tried again.

Seth showed her how to raise her hands and protect her face. When he stepped forward, she reacted too late. His hand tapped her shoulder before she could block.

“Again,” he said.

They repeated the movement. This time Lyra lifted her arm too quickly, pulling at the healing wound. Pain shot through her shoulder.

She stepped back, pressing her lips together.

“Don't force it,” Seth said. His voice had lost some of its teasing edge. “You'll make it worse.”

“I can continue.”

“That's not what I said.”

Master Toren glanced over. “Listen to your partner. You won't help yourself by making a small injury worse.”

Lyra lowered her arm. Frustration settled heavily in her chest. She had asked for a chance to learn, but standing in the middle of the training ground made her painfully aware of how little she knew.

After a short break, Toren allowed them to practise controlled attacks and blocks. Seth moved with an ease Lyra couldn't match. He shifted, stepped in and tapped her ribs before she could respond.

Again, she missed the block.

“Watch my shoulders,” Seth advised. “They tell you where I'm going.”

Lyra nodded. She tried to follow his movements, but her attention kept slipping to his hands. He feinted once and caught her off guard.

On the next attempt, she forced herself to slow down.

Seth shifted his weight onto his right foot before moving forward. He had done it twice already. Each time, that small movement came just before an attack.

He stepped back, then came towards her again.

His weight shifted.

Lyra moved aside a moment before his hand reached her. Seth's strike passed close to her sleeve.

He stopped and looked at her.

“Better,” he said.

It wasn't a victory. She knew that. But it was the first time she had anticipated his movement instead of simply reacting after it was too late.

Across the training ground, Darius had been watching.

He had come to speak with Toren about the next patrol rotation, but his attention had settled on the new arrival. Lyra wasn't strong, and her technique was poor. Yet she watched the trainees closely, studying their movements with an intensity that made him uneasy.

When Seth resumed the drill, Darius noticed Lyra's eyes follow his stance.

Interesting.

The Alpha had allowed an Ashen Moon outsider to remain inside their territory. Now she was learning how Nightfang fighters moved.

Perhaps Kael was being too trusting.

Darius turned away before anyone noticed his interest. He would speak to the Alpha. Kael needed to understand that kindness towards a stranger could become a weakness.

Lyra, meanwhile, drew a careful breath and returned to her position.

Her shoulder hurt. Her legs were beginning to ache, and the whispers had not stopped completely.

But she had learned something.

For now, that was enough.