The Shifters: Katrina

"I thought Sundays were for relaxing."

Two wry glances met my words. Kami and Molly had woken me up at seven in the morning and thrown clothing at my face once I let them in. After I showered and put on the yoga pants and matching sports bra, the two of them forced me to tie back my hair and proceeded to drag me out of the room, barely giving me enough time to grab a key. They claimed that we were starting on our human-form combat training this morning, giving me no chance to voice my opinion. Their walking pace was brisk and unforgiving, and we reached the clear training grounds in minutes.

"Alright, punk," Kami grinned as we finally stopped. I was breathing heavier than the adults, having nearly jogged to keep up. "Show us what you got after all those fistfights at school."

"The scars?"

"The skills."

I nodded, hands curling into loose fists. Kami and Molly were only slightly taller than me, and similar to my size when it came to width. It was Molly was stood in front of me, feet planted with a confidence I'd never had. School fistfights were constantly a work of luck with a side dish of skill, whereas this already seemed so different. The cool-headed mindset slipped in place, blocking everything else out as Molly charged toward me. Her fist was aimed for my nose, and her knee was headed for my gut. She could pull it off with her shifter's balance, which was another advantage I wish I had. Molly was a well-trained elite who knew how to use her abilities to their full extent. I stepped out of the way of her fist, blocking her knee with my own. I kicked her back, forcing her to take two steps away. She came at me just as quick, all of her attention on her punch. I ducked, ready to ram my shoulder in her gut, but Molly was prepared. When I lunged forward, she dropped her chest and brought one knee up, effectively slamming into either side of my shoulder. I bit back a yelp and used both hands to shove her back again, massaging my collarbone.

Damn it. She's quick, clever, and strong.

But so am I, aren't I?

I blew out, forcing my hands to remain still at my sides. I was determined and focused, shaking out my fingers. She hesitated when I didn't form fists, eyeing me up in down.

Come on. Just attack already.

As if she could hear me, the elite shifter launched herself at me. Both fists came up, prepared to hit in combination. I blocked the first with my forearm, knocking it to the side, and hit her second fist upward so that it missed my head by a hair. Balancing on the balls of my feet, I brought one leg up to the side, my shin connecting with her thigh. I aimed to give her a charley horse, but the guard brushed it off without a single ounce of effort.

"You need to hit harder to get to me," Molly spat, her honesty a bit brutal for my liking. I growled, sealing my thoughts away into a silent section of my mind. All that was in my thoughts were strategy and warnings from my own mind about her attacks.

Warnings that failed me the second the growl died in my throat.

Her punch landed on my shoulder, her speed outclassing mine in a way that made it so that I couldn't dodge. I stumbled back, raising my arms just in time to block her next strike. She grumbled from the effort, following it up with another hit. Unlike the calm that took over my brain, I could see Molly's facade breaking. She was getting frustrated, for reasons that went unknown to me. Her next hit was clumsy, and as I brushed it off, I managed to land a punch on her jaw. Pain spiked in my knuckles as she gritted her teeth, one hand gently rubbing the red spot where I'd hit her.

"Better."

"Thanks," I panted, putting a foot of space between us. Molly relaxed back into her fighting stance, both fists raised. I took the opportunity to lunge, dominant foot raised into the air. She blocked the kick with both arms, leaving her side open for the punch that followed. I grinned as she stumbled, a deep growl rumbling out of her.

She became a blur, and that's when I realized how much she'd been holding back. I gasped as the side of her palm connected with my throat, my own breath causing me to choke. As I tried to regain my ability to breathe, Molly slipped one foot behind mine and shoved me backward. My back slammed into the ground, effectively winding me while I was still trying to breathe again.

"Well, that was harder than I thought," Molly sighed as she straightened. "I didn't think I'd have to use a serious trick."

"Certainly a little more force than needed," Kami scoffed, walking to my side. Once I could move again, I rolled onto my side, coughing onto the ground. Pain radiated from my back, lungs and throat, my breath harsh and raspy. "Are you able to stand, Katrina?"

I held up a finger. It was a good fifteen minutes before the pain died down, and once it did, I glared over my shoulder at Molly. She eyed me confidently, unfazed by my anger.

"You're decent, but you needed a taste of what you'll be facing," she explained with a shrug.

"Who will I be facing? I'm swamped with training."

Molly's expression darkened. "All that training is to prepare you, Katrina. You'll grow up fighting and running from everyone -- regular people, hunters, other shapeshifters. Whether it's fists or words and insults. Not only that, but you're going to be an appentice to the guards."

She sauntered toward me, one hand wrapping around the strap of my sports bra. It was the equivalent of grabbing someone's collar, Molly yanking my face toward hers so that I could see her intense look up close. "You'll face much worse than this. What you do now may not even be enough, Katrina. Don't think you'll be ready just because you have everyone teaching you. When you first face another shifter down for real -- in a fight to the death -- you'll realize that you'll never be done learning."

I smacked her hand off.

"Then stop lecturing me. Teach me instead."

We glared at each other for a second before she softened into her usual cool-headed state.

"Right answer. Get up, let's try this again."

And so we did.