Wild Monster

by Matthew Harrington

  Naril was a pure elven child. The mere mention of hurting people was foreign to him. How dare he go against the agreement they had with his father and ask his son to perform such an act? Perhaps they are not entirely certain about what violence all entailed? His fatherly instincts told him to jump in, grab Naril's hand and lead him away from that boy. But another part of him wanted to know just how far they will bring this. Will they realize what they are asking of him? Will Naril feel forced to do it?

  All Naril did was stare at him and blink, frowning after a while after Cane suggested he starts punching his stomach.

  "Are you sure about that?" He asked, looking down at the rather muscled stomach, still not sure what to do. He didn't like the idea of punching anyone. He never wanted to harm anyone until they harm him. This boy didn't do anything against him, so had a hard time bringing himself to even accept this. "This seems so wrong..." He whispered, now looking up to meet Cane's gaze, doubt within his eyes. While maybe he wouldn't be able to hurt him, it simply... was just too wrong for him.

  Cane raised a brow then smiled and nodded.

  "Yes, it's fine. Trust me. If I wasn't sure I wouldn't have told you to do it. Besides, we are going to end up sparring later once my dad starts teaching you our fighting style, so you are going to have to try and hit me sooner or later anyway." He pointed out to the other child and continued to hang there. He lifted himself up once, doing an almost pull up in order to keep his arms from getting stiff before continuing to wait on the elfling to respond.

  "Well... sparring is different..." Naril pointed out, not sounding so sure about this whole offer. "Then you defend yourself but right now it just... looks wrong. You are defenseless. I can't fight something that doesn't want to fight back, even if it is training..." He pressed on and looked around, averting his gaze from the boy. He simply couldn't do it. The boy didn't do anything against him and his mind told him it was wrong to hurt him, punch him or go offensive against him in any way.

  Cane raised an eyebrow.

  "Should I hit you, then?" He asked, sounding dead serious.

  Feoton's frown turned into a full glare. The mere motion that his son would be hit for no reason just to teach him violence at such a young age made the ellon burn with anger. If anyone hit Naril, he would be there to defend him. Be it by this boy or another. Although, elves would never be this aggressive with one another... The ent child said all this as if it was the most natural thing to say.

  Despite everything, however, he did not move just yet. No. He wanted to gather as much knowledge about their behavior as he could before he would stand in front of Will and announce his change of plans. So, the elven father forced himself to listen more...

  Just a little more...

  Cane just wanted to help the elf child as much as he could, he assumed. He didn't want to hurt him but if it helped him do what he needed to, then he would. Elves were really strange about the smallest of things. At least that's what he was starting to notice or was this just a Naril thing? He couldn't tell anymore.

  "I can hang here as long as it takes, my friend. My dad has made me do this for endurance training before, so this really isn't too hard for me." He said, not seeming bothered at the moment.

  Unfortunately for Cane, it indeed was an elf thing, not just Naril. Elven children were the most innocent and pure among all races, the most friendly and considerate, didn't judge and neither did they mean ill to anyone. This of course also softens with age and they learn to fight more aggressively, even learn to kill later. But at his age such things were just... inappropriate for his innocent mind.

  "Can I pass?" He asked, raising his hopeful eyes towards Cane, although he suspected he might have no luck with this... But still... How can he hurt someone who didn't do anything against him?

  Cane shook his head.

  "Sorry but if you don't warm up your arms before my dad gets here, it's going to hurt a lot more than yesterday. This is the best way to do it. It won't hurt me. I promise. To be honest, if you punch too hard you are more likely to just hurt yourself than me..." He said, then thought a moment before dropping down. "Hold on a second." He told him, then ran over to a tree where they keep some of the spare clothes and gear for if it rains during their workout. He pulled out a cloth and ran back. Then he came back and tied it so it covered the boys eyes before jumping back up in the tree again. "Alright. Now think of something that frustrates you. It can be anything. Forget what you are doing for a second and just think on that. When you got that feel focus it into your fist, then let it loose." He said, going over one of the talks his father had used on him when they started. It didn't have to be a person. It could be a thing. Pet peeve. Something about one's self. Anything in this case would work. Then one just lets it out. Hopefully this would help the boy a bit.

  The elfling blinked in surprise when suddenly everything went dark and felt the cloth being tied onto his head, covering his eyes. Instinctively, he reached up and touched it, just making sure that not an animal bit into his head like this or something like that. One might never know... He started thinking about what the boy said... Forget what he was about to do? Punching someone who was trying to help him and never did any harm to him? Hmm... It was harder than expected. He just stood there in front of the hanging boy, thinking. Something he hated? Something he found unpleasant and wanted to rid him from it? Well... there was one thing... After a while the boy actually raised his hands to start punching but in the very last moment he grit his teeth and just slumped his shoulders with a defeated sigh.

  "I just can't..." He admitted with a heavy sigh, feeling like he was disappointing his friend with this... But no matter how much he tried. He just couldn't.

  "Yes you can. You just keep telling yourself you can't." Cane replied bluntly. "Listen, I have been nice about this but most of what I have heard from you has all been negative. 'I can't. I can't.' Have you ever tried saying I CAN for once? It helps more than you might think." He said, trying to assure the boy and point out the fault that he had noticed in him. Unlike the elf, he hadn't taken much notice of the fact he was slower or less good at things. Just that he kept saying the same thing over and over again. It was almost depressing. "You have a lot to offer, my friend. Just stop saying that one phrase and you might do a lot."

  Naril sighed and reached up, removing the cloth from his head, staring at him with an annoyed look. He didn't want to repeat himself over and over. They seem to think that he is a human and can change his mind at any time. He is an elf... He is an elven child. The purest, most innocent being on the world. Violence is just too harmful to his own mind, especially the thought of hurting someone who helped him so far, no matter if he was offering the opportunity. His mind simply blocked him before he could even do the first punch.

  "I push what I can but this isn't an easy matter. Especially when you were born to not do all this and the only thing you can do is accept and live a happy and innocent childhood until it is time to change and we are left to see the world for what it is, loosening our sync with nature." He pointed out, crossing his arms, glaring at the boy. He was starting to have enough of these lectures. They don't help him.

  Cane sighed, then dropped down and looked at Naril.

  "I would believe you... if I ever saw you push anything." He replied, finally putting his hands in his shorts pockets. "I haven't seen you push for anything, so you are hard to believe. You must also understand... the world we come from, there is no link to nature anymore. Your kind left or died in our world a long time ago. All that is left is to learn to fight at a young age. They have to or they very well might end up killed. This innocence you talk about... I never had it. So to ask us to just understand... you are asking too much of someone who hardly knows you." He said, then moved to step around him.

  "You don't have to know me, just elves in general." Naril pointed out, watching the boy as he jumped down now, his gaze then landed on the floor with a shrug. "Here it is different. You get to preserve all of that here. If
anything... you have to preserve it because you can't do it another way. I am pushing myself enough by now. Normally my kind doesn't indulge in such training and I do what I can physically. But I don't have much choice when it comes to the mental boundaries." He explained, sighing once. "Perhaps we should make a small pause until you learn about my kind? To make it easier and both of us can understand the other." He suggested, although he knew the answer will be 'no'. These people are really pushy... And they are also unintentionally offensive. Well, he knew they didn't mean to but if they don't want to learn anything about his kind, then how do they even want to teach him? How would they know his true boundaries?

  Cane actually seemed to think this over before shaking his head.

  "Nah. The best way to learn is by experience. This may not be very pleasant but my dad and I are learning just as much as you are. When you think about it, you are kind of the one training us in elven culture while we are training you." He replied with a shrug. "Besides... It's nice to have someone to talk to." He added a little more quietly before shaking his head thinking that sounded too sappy. He looked around, trying to figure out any other way to help his friend work out his arms before his father got here. "Lie down on your back and put your arms straight out at your sides. I have an idea." He instructed.

  Naril smiled when the boy expressed that he values his presence. That is true. He never talked as much before than he is now. Even if it is mostly just whining and explaining something the umpteenth time. Hearing the unusual request, Naril frowned but trusted Cane so did as he was told, wondering what he planned. He just hoped this won't be anything painful... He will have enough of that the rest of the day... He was still not at his best form because of yesterday's workout. Even if the massage soothed most of the pain and tension, he still felt the burden of it.

  Cane sat down cross legged above Naril's head then put his hands a little above the other's wrists. "Alright I want you to tense up your arms and very slowly bring them up and together. Make sure to keep them straight. It should take about... 20 seconds or so at least. Then you are going to bring them back down just as slowly. Take a second to breath before starting it all over again." He instructed. He knew the boy would likely not think this exercise was nearly as hard as it really was but he would quickly be proven wrong. Because one's arms were moving so slowly in the end they become he weights against themselves. After a few times doing this, it begins to hurt just as badly as if one were lifting real weights.

  The elfling blinked and frowned, moving his gaze to look at Cane, indeed thinking that this was at least something he can do rather easily and perhaps it won't be as unpleasant as yesterday's exercises. He did as he told him, raising and lowering his arms as he instructed. At first it went indeed as easily as he thought, however it became harder after a few repeats and indeed he started to struggle. In the end he wondered just how long they are going to do this... he hoped not for long...

  Cane seemed to be content to just let the boy do this for a while but he perked up when he sensed his dad coming. "You can stop now." He said and waved as his dad walked up.

  The older man looked at them, pleased to see that his son was doing what he could to help the younger elf boy.

  "You might as well stay down, Naril. You too, Cane. You won't need your legs for the exercises today." He told them. Now, it was his turn to train them.

  "You are done for the day. That was a cool down exercise. We are going home now." Will told the boys, letting them now that they could finally relax. They have been doing some weight-lifting with rocks to train their muscles more, which left the elfling as exhausted as the past days he was if not more. He was left with numb hands and stomach. He then knelt down before lifting the boy he was sure was far too tired to walk the way back home and he started walking himself.

  "Come on. I am sure you must be hungry by now. Mom is making spaghetti squash tonight. Lilly's birthday is tomorrow, so she let her pick dinner." Cane added as he ran and grabbed some cloths, tossing one to his dad who gave it to Naril so he could brush off some of the sweat.

  "Lilly's birthday is tomorrow?" The elven child asked, looking at the other boy, raising an eyebrow. He didn't know that. Well... they only know each other for a few days, maybe this is the third day since they first talked... Aside from the celebration when they did run around together with the others and played. But they didn't talk much then. "How do you celebrate birthdays? Surely not the same way as elves..." He guessed. So far, this family was just far too different from their own, so surely it also must differ. Just like the food. It was... funny. Funny but good. Less satisfying though and one needed a little more of it to get full.

  "It varies depending on age and what the person likes." Cane replied as they started walking. "Lilly celebrates hers a little differently than normal. Normally, back home we have a party with friends and family. Have a few games, the person's favorite foods and a cake of some kind, then they get gifts. However, Lilly doesn't usually make friends and she would rather give gifts than receive them, so normally what happens is she will spend all the previous day making presents for everyone she knows, then will spend her whole birthday giving them out." He explained, knowing that no matter where they lived his sister's ways of celebrating her own day was odd. However, they knew better than to try throwing her a party or do any of the normal things. They tried that one year and all she did was spend the whole day taking care of all the guests. Like the party was for them and not her. In a way they liked this in the little girl. It made her all that much sweeter.

  "Strange..." Naril murmured, finding it indeed quite odd. "Even at elves the one in the center of attention is the one having their birthday. Normally the relatives celebrate with those who have their birthdays on the same day, so not separately. Though, they don't throw parties, there are gifts given, if chosen they can have a dinner together but it is rare. What makes an elven birthday special is that everyone who knows the person blesses them in their own way, gives them gifts at the same time that are small but can be kept with them without being seen. Mostly it was a necklace or bracelet made from natural materials." Well... fresh ones... Asking a tree of living leaves and one of its thin yet flexible branches is not an easy task, seeing the tree herders are very protective but... They always manage. "She never gets any presents? Have you wondered and asked why she does this?"

  Will thought this over then smiled a bit as he remembered. However he got a better idea.

  "How about you ask her yourself? She always gives the same answer whenever someone asks." He said as they finally stepped up to the house.

  The house smelled of spaghetti sauce and squash. It was one of the few dishes they made that wasn't spicy but there were various herbs and spices in the sauce that gave it an extra kick.

  Lilly saw them walk in and grinned before jumping down from the stool she had been standing on. She had been watching her mother cook the sauce. It was always fun to watch her mommy cook in her opinion. She ran right to Naril, tackling him in a hug.

  "Naril! You're awake this time!" She said, happy her father didn't overdo it again.

  The elfling blinked and looked forward when he heard the door open and the pattering of feet. He was even then too late to react as the little girl came flying, successfully making him fall to the ground with her right with him. He really didn't know what to do or say... Such hyperactive way of happiness was unheard of; no one was this delighted to see him again. Mainly because he never was away for too long. He gasped when they met the ground, unable to block the fall with his hands. He could barely feel them, let alone use them for something like this. To say the least it kind of felt good to be missed and greeted like this. So, he giggled in return but didn't say anything. He wanted to save energy instead to not pass out. That he was walking doesn't mean he is less tired.

  Lilly giggled down at him as she pushed herself up.

  "You came just in time. Mommy is just finishing dinner." She said with a grin and jumped up, grabbing his hand
in order to help him up to his feet. Once he was righted again she ran off and back to her mother. The way she was acting you would never know tomorrow was the little girl's birthday. She wasn't doing what most little kids her age do. Going about squealing, counting down the hours or cheering about their future age. It seemed like to her it was just another day.

  Lilly's mother smiled, then handed Lilly a large bowl with the spaghetti squash in it. A squash that's insides had a tendency to be stringy like spaghetti noodles and when cooked made a very tasty replacement. Lilly loved it and her mother's sauce made it that much better.

  The boy just stared at her, then met the gaze of Cane and the father before shrugging, finding her cheerful behavior strange. Tackling him like that... He wondered if she did that to every friend she made. When they came in the house, the scent of the food met his nose. He knew that one. His family sometimes cooks such a thing as well, although rarely and his mother tends to use various other ingredients that make it filling -just like every elven food- and mild in taste. His kind is after all very sensitive to taste. He eyed the sauce suspiciously, thinking it might be something heavily spiced just like the last meal but of course he will be polite and eat of that as well. Who knows... it might be tasty.

  Once the table was set Lilly ran up and grabbed his hand and tugged him over to the table.

  Her mother laughed lightly before taking up her usual spot along with the rest of her family, excluding Rosa who had told them earlier that she would be having dinner at her mentor's house tonight. Once the food was served, everyone started eating.

  Lilly ate with chopsticks. The noodle-like food was perfect with chopsticks. Cane didn't seem hungry. He had made the mistake of swallowing the part of the leaf his father gave him and like they were warned it had filled him up.

  All Naril could do was smile a little awkwardly and looked at the food, quickly thanking for the invite of course. Though, as usual it is when one over-works in exercises, he wasn't all that hungry but it would be very rude to refuse the food. So, he only chose to eat a little. Having seen what happened with the leaf, he turned towards Cane and gestured towards the water that was placed on the table.