“It’s not that we haven’t started yet,” Niko pointed out. “I’ve been talking to everyone I know, and so has everyone else. You put out a message to every werecat in the Americas to help identify that young werecat. We’re not sitting idle on that front.”
Outside, the werewolves launched into a particularly vicious training fight. I saw that it was Ranger, who, even on three legs, was able to really give Shamus’ kids, working as a pair, a hard fight. He was a fair bit bigger and had several decades of experience on them.
“And tomorrow, we begin working on the rest,” Niko said softly. “I never thought I would see a three-legged werewolf give a couple of healthy ones such a hard time. Speaking of your werewolves, has Heath considered what he’s going to do? I know Hasan is talking with Callahan and Corissa about their side of the investigation. They’re looking for who those werewolves were, when they might have gone missing, and how long they’ve been under the radar. They’re also making sure there are no packs still working with any witches who haven’t been proven trustworthy. We’ll find out more about it tomorrow.”
“Heath and I were going to talk to you later today about it, actually,” I said. “Why don’t we wait for him to come in from their training before I jump into it?”
“Absolutely.” Niko stepped back from the window finally, leaving me to my watching, but he didn’t leave me alone. “Why hasn’t Dirk been out there? He hasn’t said anything to me about it, and I don’t want to ask him, but that’s his pack. He should be out there.”
“The same reason I haven’t been training with the werewolves. The Everson men don’t want him to get hurt.” I snorted. “Well, it’s a little different for Dirk. I can only really train with Heath and Landon, but Heath doesn’t want to hurt me himself, and Landon doesn’t want to piss off Heath when we’re all on edge. Dirk isn’t even close to the oldest or strongest werewolf. Landon would maim someone who accidentally hurt him in training. Heath sees no reason to push Landon like that and risk someone’s safety.”
“Do you and Dirk want that sort of training? I know you were trained to fight as a werecat by Hasan, and you’re more than effective in that form, so you don’t needthattraining,” Niko said, nodding to the werewolves, who were fighting in their wolf form at that moment. “But other kinds. Weapons, hand-to-hand…”
“You trained Dirk in that before he Changed, didn’t you? You taught him to fight the human way.”
“I did. He needs more experience in his wolf form, and I can’t do that for him… Well, maybe I could. I know those types of drills. I grew up watching them. I know them from fighting against them, too.”
“Not afraid of hurting him?”
“Not really,” Niko said, chuckling. “Do you think Hasan was ever afraid of hurting you when teaching you to fight in werecatform? Did he ever actually hurt you worse than bruising and a few cuts that would heal in the Change?”
I thought back to those years living with Hasan, and while I didn’t notice it at the time, Hasan had been exceptionally gentle considering his size and power when I was a freshly Changed werecat.
“No, he never really hurt me.” I chuckled sadly. “Of course, he was gentle with his new daughter…”
“He was the same way with me. I’m experienced enough to do that with Dirk. They’ll never know if you and he don’t tell them. Let me train Dirk in that. I can make sure he gets some experience in his wolf form.”
“Do you think they’re being a little too soft on us?” I asked, humor and annoyance filling my words. I was a little annoyed, but not enough to fight with Heath about it. “Or on Dirk specifically?”
“No,” he said, letting me take that in with a long silence. With my eyebrows rising quickly, he continued. “I think they’re right in their call with Dirk. It was actually the answer I was hoping for. Werewolves don’t Change people they love; they ask another werewolf or an Alpha they trust. After that, they have severe issues with sparring and play fighting becoming dominance fights that can be deadly. Any insult or perceived insult in training, like a bite too hard or a mean tackle, can become a vicious, bloody fight. Heath and Landon have to make sure all of those werewolves don’t do that to each other, and with them, they don’t have personal skin in the game.
“With Dirk, Landon wouldn’t approach it rationally. He’ll kill someone. Because of what he is, Heath wouldn’t be able to physically stop him in time like he could toss most of them around. He could throw out an order, but werewolves like Landon can toss that aside sometimes if the need is great enough. Well, every werewolfcanwhen they feel the need isgreat enough, but it would be a lot easier for Landon. With everyone on edge because of what’s been going on with the witches, it’s too much of a risk.”
With a sigh, I nodded in understanding after I silently listened to his explanation, not wanting to break his chain of thought by interrupting. He answered any question I had as I thought of it.
“Come train with me,” Niko said simply before I could think of anything to say.
“What?” I blinked a couple of times.
“Train in hand-to-hand and weapons with me. Give yourself something to do when you’re feeling moody, like you have been today. Get that excess energy and emotion out by working your body. Plus, you need it.”
“I have been doing just fine over the past few years,” I retorted, feeling a bit talked down to.
“You fight like you are brawling in a bar. You don’t know how to properly use a dagger, sword, spear, or anything of the like, which will come in handy in the future, I promise. You need to be able to wield some iron or silver, Jacky. I’ve seen you fight a few times now. You are exceptional as a werecat. In your human form, you struggle because you aren’t proficient with anything. I won’t be able to get you that good very fast, but you need some basics because anything Hasan might have taught you about fighting in human form has either been forgotten or is rusty beyond belief.”
I growled softly, disliking his judgment of my fighting abilities. I wasn’t dead; therefore, I thought I was doing just fine.
“You can bring Dirk over tomorrow afternoon. We’ll begin training after the family meeting.”
“I didn’t agree.”
“Don’t make me tell our mother,” he quickly retorted as he turned away, humor in his words.
I had nothing to say to that. He would. She would agree with him, and I would have no defense. While my ego was stung, he wasn’t wrong. I did fight mostly on instinct, not skill, like most people.
“Saturday. We’ll come over on Saturday to start.” I leaned over, knowing someone had been hanging out for the entire conversation just outside the door. “Dirk, did you hear that?”
“Yeah,” my nephew mumbled a little petulantly from somewhere in the living room.