"C'mon I wanna see your magic up close again," Gale said signaling the others to follower her as she prepared to jump off the tree when a guard came up and said.
"Gale wait!" The guard shouted.
"Oh, Fern, what's up?" Gale greeted the guard apparently named Fern.
"Datu asked me to help you train these 6 along with Pine and Birch" Fern said as 2 more guards appeared, one with a bulky build, different from the other warriors who has a slim body made for fast and silent movement and guards and the other looks just like any other guard but he gave no presence at all.
"Hello travelers, I am Pine that Stands Tall, and this is Birch that Stands Strong, we are brothers and trained together since birth," Pine introduced himself and his brother to Alex's group. The way he talk is silent and mysterious like a ninja.
"Hello newbies, I am Birch, if any of you misbehave you're gonna have this beasts for dinner," Birch boasted while flexing his huge biceps.
Pine just sighed and continued talking, "I'm the best when it comes to speed and stealth in this village while my muscle brained brother here is physically the strongest in the whole village."
"It's an honor to be taught by the best," Alex said while bowing.
"No need for pleasantries, let's just get moving," Pine said.
"Hey you forgot to introduce me!" Fern complained.
"Oh right, sorry, this is Fern who Shines in the Sun, he's our best mentor here with over 13 students went under him and got their full names with full odds of surviving clashes with the other clans," Pine explained quickly.
"Wait wait wait, 'full odds of surviving clashes?'" Joana asked with a concerned tone.
"There's a feud at the borders every now and then, so you better train those muscles hard," Birch said with a laugh at the end.
Alex's group looked at each other and gulped wondering what they have gotten their selves into.
And the day went by with them training physically with a mentor each, and the moon soon floating over the skies, or should it be moons. As when Alex looked up, he actually found 2 moons floating near each other with nearly equal size, but he knows the one behind is bigger than the on on front as two moons on the same orbit and that close would be disastrous.
Alex, Kristin, Charlotte, and Leslie went to the apprentice's huts after getting their stuff on the hut they stayed on previously. this routine went on for a week, alternating between physical and magic training everyday, Joana woke up at some point and Gale's family has been treating her well.
She also started training under Crane alongside Calen, learning various herbs and their uses, and because of her childish personality, Crane is sometimes having a hard time dealing with her and been sent out with Calen from time to time to gather herbs.
Alex, Elijah, Kristin, Charlotte and Leslie on the other hand was welcomed by the other apprentices on the apprentice huts. The apprentices are specifically surprised that they are still apprentice despite being definitely older until it was explained that they are just visitors.
They are treated as older brothers and sisters by them, except one particular apprentice called Raven. Raven doesn't like to talk much and doesn't like to interact with the new addition to their hut.
One morning it was time for training, and the mentors announced that it would be a competition, a hunting competition and would start and noon and would end on sunset.
... ...