Feral Magic

you don’t. If you do, props to you. Now, am I right or left-handed? Or am I ambidextrous? If I were your enemy would you know how to fight me?
“Open your eyes and see if you were right about your partner.” She gave them a few moments. Giggling occurred and her irritation rose, but Vixin pushed it down. “Now what about me?”
They called out their answers and Vixin tried not to shake her head. “You forgot the middle option. It’s not often that a person is ambidextrous, but I am. If you were up against someone like me as your enemy, ninety percent of you would have just died.” The giggling stopped.
“In this world you need to concern yourself with more than simply what hand someone uses. What about their magic? Do your eyes flicker to their wrist? Do you even think about it? What about the guards? What does their body language tell you? Are they tired? Injured? Need a break?
“With the line of work you do, these are the things you need to pay attention to and it’s as simple and as hard as that. When was the last time you glanced at the treetops?” Several eyes shot up. “Could someone have been lurking over you? Your first lesson is to pay attention and we’ll be practicing just that.”
Vixin drew her blade and faced Zak. He glanced at her, his brow raised, but when she charged, Zak drew his weapon to block her attack.
He staggered back. “What the hell?”
“Good, now put your sword away.” He held onto it until she sheathed hers. Murmuring flew through the crowd. “Now, which arm did I attack with? Which did Zak defend with? What foot did he use to step back? Did he falter or was his stance steady? Discuss these things with your partner because this is what we’ll be focusing on today.”
With Zak’s help, they split into several groups. A few squared off while their comrades observed and evaluated. Not only did they take the exercise seriously, but it seemed as though they were learning more about their own abilities as well. About what their reactions would be and how they could correct their mistakes. Perhaps there was hope for them yet.
“Is that a smile?”
She tilted her head toward Zak's voice. “Does it matter?”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you smile since you’ve been here.”
“It’s not exactly been a jolly fun time.”
“You’ve got to make the most of it. If you spend the entire time in survival mode, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”
“Giving me lessons now?”
He crossed his arms and smiled. “I guess I am.”
She huffed and turned back to watch the others. The same young man had fallen three times already and couldn’t seem to figure out his mistake. Vixin shook her head and walked forward with Zak on her heels.
~~~
Night descended and Vixin seated herself in her usual spot. A few approached her, albeit cautiously, to ask questions and she happily answered. Most revolved around how they could possibly pay that much attention to so many details. She gave them all the same answer. Practice.
With questions done and dinner eaten, Vixin rested her head against a tree and closed her eyes. Zak sat next to her a few moments later and she resisted the urge to huff. “What?”
“I want to show you something.”
She cracked one eye open. “It can’t wait till morning?”
He looked toward the sky and the full moon rising. “It wouldn’t be as epic in the morning.”
“If you try to kiss me, I’ll break your arm.”
He roared in laughter which had a few others glancing their way. “Noted, I won’t kiss you then.” Zak stood and held out a hand. She looked at it but didn’t take it before standing.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Vixin crossed her arms. “You had me teach an entire class on awareness and now you want me to follow you blindly into the woods?”
“What’s wrong? Don’t trust me?”
She scoffed. “That shouldn’t surprise you. I don’t trust anyone.”
“Ouch, I thought we were friends?”
She opened her mouth and closed it again. “Fine, lead the way.”
Vixin followed him through the trees, careful of her footing and laughed when Zak couldn't quite do the same. She watched his staggering form and found it difficult to not to ask questions. Instead, she contented herself to watching the treetops for anything sinister that had nothing to do with Zak.
Vixin huffed as their nightly stroll continued. “I would like to get some sleep tonight.”
“Just a little further, I promise.” Zak paused just ahead. “We’re here.” He held the brush back and let her walk through. Water reflected the dark sky and full moon like a sheet of glass.
“You wanted to show me a pond?”
“Not quite.” He lifted a finger and ice formed on the tip. “I haven’t seen you have much fun since you’ve been with us, so I thought it was time you did.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Well, it’s not like you’d do this in front of the others.”
“What do you think I am, broody?”
“Yes.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but Zak walked to the edge of the pond and dipped his fingers into the water. Instantly, frozen flakes began crawling across the surface, shimmering and spreading as they made their way across the entire pond.
She took a few steps forward, watching the display. The ice thickened and then the frost crawled outward toward the trees, up the trunks and into the leaves. It touched the air, giving it a cold bite and flecks of what appeared to be snow swirled in the breeze.
She let out a breath and it became a visible cloud.
“Have you ever ice skated before?”
Vixin shook her head. “Not sure we’re going to find a pair here anyway.”
Zak smiled,