Agile Breakthrough
By: K. A. Maxwell
Planet Neerg, twenty-one years ago.
“One.”
An orange-and-white furred right arm with black stripes thrust forward with fingers curled, palm out and claws sheathed.
“Two.”
Her hand opened up and out. Then sharp claws unsheathed and cut across the air as her arm curled in. Blue eyes narrowed as they shifted up to scan across a group of students who followed the movement with their instructor. The group had a mix of young and old. Some had claws, some did not. Many were of different shapes, species and power levels.
None of that mattered. In her eyes, they were all advanced-level martial artists of the Panthera style.
“Three.”
Seventeen-year-old Felina Gatti thrust her other arm forward. Her students followed suit and performed the movement together.
“Four.”
She curled her claws in and down. She was average height for a Puman, with short brown hair and dark-orange highlights. Like all of the students of the Panthera style, she wore a short-sleeved white gi with a black belt tied around her waist. Its end had three orange dots on it, signifying her third-degree black belt status.
Felina stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips. “Again. One, two, three, four.”
She kept watch as her students went through the motions of the palm and claw strike. It was a combination attack to stun an opponent with a hit on the chest, then deliver a devastating slash.
Felina nodded her approval. “Stand.”
The students stood up straight, arms down.
“For the rest of class, I want everyone to break up into pairs and practice a technique, or you can spar with each other. Begin.”
As the class got to practicing, Felina picked up her sports bottle and stepped outside the training hall.
Practitioners of the Panthera style traveled to the mountain regions to disconnect themselves from the hustle of urban life. Situated within a forest of green and red trees, two fountains flanked the Tigao Temple gates. Each fountain featured a roaring statue of an ancient Puman, the water flowing down as separate rivers.
Felina leaned on one of the large pillars of the main temple hall and took a long sip of water. In front, an open square area served as a multipurpose space for outdoor training, meditation and hosting festivals. Holding up the main training hall and roof were carved pillars of legendary fighter Pumans standing tall with their arms up.
Since finding this place a few years ago, Felina’s training had kept her focused on giving herself the means to protect herself and others she cared for.
She sighed as memories of that fateful day washed over her like an ice-cold wave, unable to help the two people who gave her life and loved her. Her ears twitched, and she glanced at her whistling water bottle clasped tight in her hand. She relaxed, letting the feelings flow through her, just as the master taught her when they first met.
Once she finished her short break, she walked by pairs of students and took note of a Gotefalk who paired up with a Star Elf. Both were red belts and moved their arms up and down in a wave-like motion.
The Gotefalk student, Skip Tosto, was taller than his partner, Raibyn Pyrre. They both had average builds and were in their early teens. Skip had white fur with brown patches and short horns on top of his head. With his hoof-fingers spread and angled in the shape of claws, he dug in the air with one hand and drew his arm back, stopped a third of the way and continued. When the other arm thrust forward, it stopped, trembled slightly, then kept going, dug in and pulled back.
Meanwhile, the Star Elf’s arm motion was fluid, with brief bursts of super speed, then slowing to match the Gotefalk’s speed before he revved up his arms again. Like most of his kind, he had pointy ears and orange-brown skin, with short golden-orange hair and light-brown eyes.
Felina glanced down at the floor to check their footwork—well, half their footwork. Raibyn’s feet hovered a couple inches off the mat to keep his arms at the same level as his training partner.
“You’re not supposed to train while flying,” said Felina.
“I’m just hovering an inch,” Raibyn whined.
Felina folded her arms. “The Panthera style starts with a grounded attitude. Besides, you have a shorter reach than Skip does.”
“That’s not so ba-aa-d, is it?” asked Skip.
“No, but all students should lean on training and skill first before using powered abilities,” said Felina. “Skip, show me your claw wave movement again?”
He did, and in spite of achieving a good wave motion, it still wasn’t smooth enough.
“Slow down. You’re trembling again,” said Felina.
“Really?” said Skip.
“You can do it, Skip. Just like this,” said Raibyn and performed the exercise slowly. Skip moved his arms until his and Raibyn’s were in sync. The motion of their arms from fingers to shoulders was like watching waves of water cresting along the shore.
“That’s a start,” said Felina. “Go a bit faster.”
They did, and Felina nodded in approval. Their arm speed was the speed a student needed to graduate to red belt level. To get to the brown belt, they needed to go at about twice that speed. Maybe that synchronized connection between students was all Skip needed.
“Keep going,” said Felina, her tail swishing from side to side in anticipation.
Both students nodded and went faster. Felina stayed focused on the motion of their arms. It was smooth, uniform and in sync.
“Faster,” she said.
The two sets of arms moved faster. However, one set with the hoof-fingers trembled, turning the hill-shaped waves to stutters and bumps. Skip shook while Raibyn looked nothing worse for wear.
Felina’s tail dragged and she fought back a scowl. Mastery of this core movement was necessary for anyone to progress. She had already tried having him stretch more, increase his arm strength and practice the exercise at home. But so far, it did little to keep him from shaking.
“Stop, Skip, you’re trembling again,” said Felina.
“I can’t get this, Teacher Felina,” said Skip, arms dropping. “It’s so hard. I’ve been trying everything as you said for a long time now.”
Raibyn shrugged. “Maybe you just have to train more.”
Skip snorted. “That’s what you always say. I’ll never be as fast as you. Maybe I’m just holding everyone back.”
Felina wasn’t sure what to say to him. To be unable to progress after all the training and effort wouldn’t be fair at all. Skip had come a long way. If this was his limit, it would be so unfair.
“What troubles you, young ones?” an old Puman’s voice piped up.
Felina flinched as a much older Puman stood between the two and eyed Skip.
How did he get there? Felina hadn’t even seen him arrive.
He was about as tall as Skip, with an average build and golden-grayish fur with black spots. He wore the same gi as the student he was currently eyeing up and down. His belt, however, was black and had five orange dots on its end.
Felina stood up straight and stepped back, giving Master Cheetro some space as he walked around Skip.
“My arms still shake when I do my claw wave movement,” said Skip.
“Ah yes, the training to increase the speed of your arm movements while maintaining its smoothness. It is not an easy movement to master when you reach a certain speed.” He rubbed his chin and nodded. “This is where the core teachings of the Panthera must further be embedded in you so that you may become agile.”
“Isn’t that what I’m doing now?”
Master Cheetro chuckled. “No, my student. To become agile is to let yourself move like water that shifts, hardens and softens as it flows.”
Master Cheetro set himself in a similar stance, curving his hands in a claw and moving his arms. He started slowly in a wavy shape, then increased his speed until the hills in his arms seemed to go in the opposite direction. Felina shook her head, almost hypnotized by the fluid movements of her master’s arms. Then, he stopped on a dime, the waves frozen.
Skip and Raibyn blinked and their mouths dropped.
“Wow, that’s so cool.” Almost immediately, Raibyn tried moving his arms at super speed. However, he kicked up a bit of air, and his motions became a blur rather than a distinct line like Master Cheetro’s. Some of the other students around them had to shield themselves from the dust before Master Cheetro reached up and, with one firm hand, halted Raibyn’s arm.
“I like that enthusiasm. But, even with your speed, you still have much to learn before you become agile.”
“I don’t have the body of a Puman, Master,” said Skip. “And I’m not as fast as Raibyn.”
Master Cheetro grinned. “Ah, don’t forget, young one, your body is made mostly of water, just like everyone else’s.” Master Cheetro touched his head. “Be agile, my student.”
Skip nodded. “Can you show that movement again, Master?” asked Skip.
“Of course,” said Master Cheetro. “But first, show me how you move.”
The student did as asked, and once again, he trembled. Master Cheetro glanced at Felina. “Felina, do you have a class to finish?”
Felina blinked and looked at the clock. It was 3:31pm. She was supposed to end the class well before 3:30. She quickly went to the front and called out to the class. They stopped practicing and lined up.
“Stand.”
She clasped hands together, forming one into a fist and the other holding it. She took a breath in and made a chuff while the other students purred and then bowed.
“Dismissed.”
As the advanced class made its exit, almost immediately, students from the beginner class walked in and began warming up. Felina looked around the room. There was one person missing from the group who should have been standing where she was—the instructor of the beginner class. Meanwhile, Master Cheetro kept busy taking care of Skip. He glanced at Felina and waved her off. “Go on. It’s you, for now,” he said.
Felina instinctively knew what he meant. She was going to have to teach the beginner class in the meantime. She waited a couple more minutes, then as the clock hit 3:35 pm, she got started.
“Stand,” she said.
It took a bit of time before the other students stood in rows, some of them having to walk around Master Cheetro and Skip first. As with tradition, the lesson couldn’t start until all of the students were in proper rows, and Felina had been told by the master not to help them. Finally, most of the students stood in place. However, Felina, still sticking to the rules, couldn’t begin, so she stayed quiet. Everyone looked at each other in confusion, which made Felina feel out of place as compared to their regular instructor.
An awkward silence befell the class, except for the master, who spoke with Skip as if nothing unusual was happening.
What could she do?
It was so out of place compared to the usual process and tradition of lessons. It took five minutes before a small girl, a Canis yellow belt no older than eight, leaned out of line to see what was going on. She wagged her bushy tail, stepped out from her row and approached the master.
“Excuse me, Master, are you taking her class today? I think she needs you to stand.”
Felina’s heart almost leaped out of her fur. She couldn’t believe the pup just did that. No one had ever approached the master like that before.
The master barked a laugh and grinned. “No, young one, I am not taking her class today. What’s your name?”
