imperfect attack could move.
Maybe its last thought before it died was to attack, or maybe the only thing left for its clenched leg muscles to do was spring forward. Uktesh didn’t know. All he knew was that once his sword was lifted high in the air the rabbit flashed out from beneath the loft and sprang towards Heathyr and Laurilli!
He moved again, and jumped to the side, he mirrored its path. Everyone knew that a saber rabbit was faster than any human, and that once its coiled back leg muscles uncoiled, it was faster than an arrow. But he had to try!
He felt his left leg push off the ground, and then the muscles down his leg tore. He would be too late! He pivoted in the air, he had one option left. He flowed into the perfect stance and performed one of the three one legged perfect attacks, Serpent Strikes. As he sprung forward, he didn’t think about the improbability of being able to keep pace with a saber rabbit. He didn’t assume that his speed wouldn’t be enough. He just coiled the muscles in his right side and Struck. He felt the sword Strike, his shoulder gave out, then his head hit the beast, and then he knew no more.
He woke up and was unable to stop the scream that escaped his throat. His whole body was cramped into a ball. Quickly he remembered his lessons, and he relaxed first one then the next muscle, until he could think of something other than the pain, and how to make it stop. Laurilli was next to him. He first saw, then felt, her hands massage his right calf. As startled as that made him feel he next realized it was night. Then he realized he was not in the same clothes as when he fought the saber rabbit. Who changed my clothes! Then he realized that if either of them changed him it would have been embarrassment enough, but I don’t know if I could handle it if Laurilli did it. There was a glass of water by his bed, and he quickly drank it all. He gulped it down like he hadn’t had anything to drink in days. “Mom! He’s awake again!”
Again? What happened? The saber rabbit! He tried to sit up too quickly and his stomach muscle cramped again. He arced his back and forced his resistant abs to relax.
He felt Heathyr place her hand gently on his shoulder and the back of her hand on his sweaty forehead, “His fever’s broken.” She sagged into his view and he saw past his pained tears, that her eyes were sunk in, and that she had dark circles under her eyes. I don’t remember those? How long have I been out? Laurilli also came into his view and like her mother, she looked clearly exhausted to Uktesh. But Laurilli’s eyes were clearly red as well, was she crying?
“What happened?” he croaked.
“You saved us!” Laurilli said before she unexpectedly burst into tears and flung herself on his chest. He tried not to show how much pain her action caused him, and must’ve succeeded because Heathyr didn’t immediately ask her to get off of him.
“How long have I been out?” His voice was getting slightly better and Heathyr filled his glass with water.
“This is the fourth night. Since then,” said Heathyr, “you’ve woke up twice to scream mindlessly. Mother Esrun said that if you made it through the first night you would probably make it, but other than bruises and your dislocated shoulder you didn’t have a mark on you. I’m afraid that news of your valor spread before we could stop it. At first people were amazed that any one person could kill a saber rabbit, much less survive the process.”
“Then they started whispers that your unnatural sickness was not caused by the rabbit, ‘How else could a boy be able to kill a saber rabbit?’ They would ask me. I told them you were not Afflicted, just greatly skilled in weapons, but by then the damage was already done. For a while I would recommend you stay inside, at least until you get better.”
“I’ll stay with you the whole time!”
“Between the three of
Maybe its last thought before it died was to attack, or maybe the only thing left for its clenched leg muscles to do was spring forward. Uktesh didn’t know. All he knew was that once his sword was lifted high in the air the rabbit flashed out from beneath the loft and sprang towards Heathyr and Laurilli!
He moved again, and jumped to the side, he mirrored its path. Everyone knew that a saber rabbit was faster than any human, and that once its coiled back leg muscles uncoiled, it was faster than an arrow. But he had to try!
He felt his left leg push off the ground, and then the muscles down his leg tore. He would be too late! He pivoted in the air, he had one option left. He flowed into the perfect stance and performed one of the three one legged perfect attacks, Serpent Strikes. As he sprung forward, he didn’t think about the improbability of being able to keep pace with a saber rabbit. He didn’t assume that his speed wouldn’t be enough. He just coiled the muscles in his right side and Struck. He felt the sword Strike, his shoulder gave out, then his head hit the beast, and then he knew no more.
He woke up and was unable to stop the scream that escaped his throat. His whole body was cramped into a ball. Quickly he remembered his lessons, and he relaxed first one then the next muscle, until he could think of something other than the pain, and how to make it stop. Laurilli was next to him. He first saw, then felt, her hands massage his right calf. As startled as that made him feel he next realized it was night. Then he realized he was not in the same clothes as when he fought the saber rabbit. Who changed my clothes! Then he realized that if either of them changed him it would have been embarrassment enough, but I don’t know if I could handle it if Laurilli did it. There was a glass of water by his bed, and he quickly drank it all. He gulped it down like he hadn’t had anything to drink in days. “Mom! He’s awake again!”
Again? What happened? The saber rabbit! He tried to sit up too quickly and his stomach muscle cramped again. He arced his back and forced his resistant abs to relax.
He felt Heathyr place her hand gently on his shoulder and the back of her hand on his sweaty forehead, “His fever’s broken.” She sagged into his view and he saw past his pained tears, that her eyes were sunk in, and that she had dark circles under her eyes. I don’t remember those? How long have I been out? Laurilli also came into his view and like her mother, she looked clearly exhausted to Uktesh. But Laurilli’s eyes were clearly red as well, was she crying?
“What happened?” he croaked.
“You saved us!” Laurilli said before she unexpectedly burst into tears and flung herself on his chest. He tried not to show how much pain her action caused him, and must’ve succeeded because Heathyr didn’t immediately ask her to get off of him.
“How long have I been out?” His voice was getting slightly better and Heathyr filled his glass with water.
“This is the fourth night. Since then,” said Heathyr, “you’ve woke up twice to scream mindlessly. Mother Esrun said that if you made it through the first night you would probably make it, but other than bruises and your dislocated shoulder you didn’t have a mark on you. I’m afraid that news of your valor spread before we could stop it. At first people were amazed that any one person could kill a saber rabbit, much less survive the process.”
“Then they started whispers that your unnatural sickness was not caused by the rabbit, ‘How else could a boy be able to kill a saber rabbit?’ They would ask me. I told them you were not Afflicted, just greatly skilled in weapons, but by then the damage was already done. For a while I would recommend you stay inside, at least until you get better.”
“I’ll stay with you the whole time!”
“Between the three of
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