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| - "We've got a lot of work cut out for us, me and you," Rock announced while I was devouring the mouse he had given me outside my den. "Thanks for reminding me," I muttered. "Finish up and meet me outside," he prompted, then left my den. After I was done eating, I buried the remnants of the skinny mouse, my belly still growling, and headed out into the training area. Large hills surrounded us, hiding us from view. I realized just how protected this place was.And why was it so big? My den had contained three or four nests, but Lazuli had told me that there was only one cat of the Trust every eon, so there couldn't be more than one cat training at the same time. "Rock, why is there so much space in your hollow?" I asked. "Can more than one cat train here?" "This hollow is not mine," Rock mewed. "It belongs to no one." "Then who else uses it?" I asked. "It was used as a bunker for cats during the Battle of Remere, where the two sides - Aphyix and Ceanthe - fought to the death over land." "Ceanthe?" I questioned, letting a little surprise into my tone. "Who is that?" "Where is that," Rock corrected. "Ceanthe is a smaller city, just north of Aphyix. In the old days, Ceanthe and Aphyix were constantly fighting over territory. Ceanthe was relatively larger back then as well, but Aphyix gradually gained ground." I felt a little surprised at this. In this alternate universe, I hadn't expected any place to exist except for Aphyix. Was it possible that this world was just like the overworld, with civilized inhabitants and organized places and cities? "At that time, Ceanthe had more brains over Aphyix, which had a fleeting army but with close to no battle smarts." I smirked as I thought of Keyes. "They secretly carved underground passageways under the city of Aphyix, and they used this bunker to hide the soldiers who came from Ceanthe." "Was it still protected with magic?" I asked. "Of course," Rock answered. "It always was. It is likely that there was a cat of the Trust among the Ceanthe army who helped to maintain the magic, but the hollow owns the magic." "So is Aphyix and Ceanthe the only places here?" Rock laughed. "No! Not at all. This world is much like yours, and just as vast, perhaps even more. Every group of cities are called duchies - Aphyix is one of the seven cities in the Emerald duchie." "If they're in the same duchie, then why did Ceanthe and Aphyix fight?" I asked. "Aren't they united?" "Duchies don't unite," Rock answered gravely, putting more meaning into this than I could understand. "They merely mark the boundaries of fighting. It's not likely that Aphyix would fight over a boundary, for example; it is like a deep gorge separating us, splitting us into sections that seem like different worlds." I realized how knowledgable Rock seemed about this world. "Have you lived all your life here?" I asked. "No," Rock answered, amusement lighting his gaze. "I have lost count of the seasons I have lived - I should have died many times over, but still I live." That wasn't surprising. Rock had always struck me as an old, wise cat, and I could guess that something wasn't normal about him; there was something about him that didn't make him mortal. "So have you been to the overworld?" I asked. "You shouldn't refer to it as 'overworld'," Rock chided me airily. "You would, of course, place your world at the center of your mind, because you're from there. But there are many, many world apart from both this one and that, and each one is the center of another cat's mind." My eyes widened. "How many?" I asked. "And is there a portal to each one, just like the one in the cave?" "Too many to count," Rock answered. "And yes - for every way in there must be a way out. Keep that in mind, Wintergreen: you are never trapped, and there is never only a single way out." He shook his head, and then glanced at the sky. "We've wasted time talking. I must get you ready in time." "In time for what?" I asked, catching up with him as he began to stride away. He frowned. "I don't know. But something. I've had my eyes open in the past few seasons, and something's changed, I can feel it - I can't place it, but there's something definitely new." "But how exactly will I train?" I persisted. "Have you had Stirrings before?" "No." "Then how could you -- " Rock's eyes glinted, and it took me a second to gaze into the mysterious pools of blue. "I have learned over the past few eons, you know," he replied, his voice dripping with irony. "Let's begin." He crouched in front of me and stared square into my eyes. "Come at me." I found it surprising that this training was physical, but battle moves was definitely something I could do. I lunged at him, faking left but throwing myself right, but I suddenly flew into a solid surface and bounced back. "Ow," I muttered, rubbing my nose. "What...?" "First lesson," Rock replied. "Forcefields." I blinked. Was this something I really needed to learn, especially begin my training with? I sat up relunctantly. "Envision your opponent in your mind," Rock told me. "Imagine where their weakest points would be, where they are likely to attack next, and when." He poised himself. I nodded determinedly - these were close to easy battle tactics. Rock was leaning to the right, making it fairly obvious, so I knew he was going to fake it and lunge to my left instead. His gaze kept flickering to my shoulder. "When I come at you, vision yourself in your mind and put the forcefield around you. Put all the power you can into it, and channel it through your paws." Rock held up his paws as an example. I nodded - Rock leaped at me, going easily for the left like I'd guessed. Simply I spun around to avoid his outstretched paws: too late in realizing that I'd forgotten about the forcefield. Hastily I visioned myself in my head and put up my paws, straining, but nothing happened. Rock pinned me onto the ground and held me there. "Too late," he said. Clearly, I thought, annoyed. "Try again." This time he kept himself leaning to his right, but his gaze was flickering above my head. He's making it so obvious: he'll try to jump right over me and try to pin me down. Rock came at me, but not the way I'd imagined. Instead he dove underneath me and moved to hook his paws to unbalance me. I was experienced with this -- I quickly moved out of the way to safety, recounting the countless times some other cat had tried to same trick on me. I visioned myself in my mind and my enemy coming toward me, and imagined a forcefield around me. Then I put my paws into the air and -- deep breath -- poured all the energy I could into my imaginary shield and held up my paws. This time when Rock almost collided into me, something smooth and round flashed purple for just a second around me and held off Rock before going out again. He stumbled back and then, regaining his footing, turned back to me. "Better," he complimented. "But a mere few seconds will be worthless when you face a real enemy..." ~ For the rest of the afternoon, Rock and I practiced with each other vigorously. Then we switched, me coming at Rock while he constructed the forcefield. I'm sure I did better than him -- unlike him, I had battle experience with the many skrimishes I had been in, and I didn't reveal my every move with my movements and eyes. Rock couldn't see my techniques coming, but he was much better at summoning shields than I was. "You can continue by yourself," Rock broke off after about the fiftieth time we'd repeated the same par. "I'm off; I'll be back soon." "Where are you going?" I asked suspisciously. He eyed me. "Why do you have to know?" "I have a right," I insisted. "I'm your apprentice, aren't I?" "All right," he huffed. "I am off to get some...supplies." I decided not to press him, as he would most likely not give me a straight answer anyways, but I noticed he sounded an awful lot like Lazuli back in the cave when she told me she had her sources. The sun had almost completely slipped under the horizon by the time Rock returned. He finally broke through the entrance, his worn brown satchel slung across his back. "So?" I bounded over to him from where I was lying beside a rock. "What did you get?" I noticed for the first time that glowing, fluorescent yellow orbs of light were circulating around him -- the same as the one's I'd seen in the cave and upon arrival in Aphyix. "What are those balls of light?" I asked. "I have recieved supplies," Rock answered simply. "But what are they for?" I pressed. "I've seen them all over this place; what is their purpose?" Rock looked surprised. "You do not know?" I shook my head earnestly. "They are the stars," he replied. "Pardon?" "They are the stars," he insisted. Maybe his head has gotten muddled up with old age. "I don't think those are stars," I replied gently. He rolled his eyes. "Do not think that the many ages of life I've lived have compromised my head, young one," he replied. Oh, right. He can read my thoughts. "They originate in the sky, like the stars you and I can see right now. When magic pools in a certain city, the orbs cluster there." He sighed. "The magic is pooling here -- much too thickly. I'm afraid most of our magic is pooled in Aphyix, leaving none for the other magical cities." "But why?" I asked. "Why is all the magic here?" "Can't you guess?" Rock replied darkly. "You. It can sense you -- you are almost the magic's embodiment, starting from when you recieved Stirrings until now. The more magic you learn and cast, the more it will pool here." I sighed. When would the list of downfalls of being part of the Trust stop being added to? "How can we stop it?" I asked. "We?" Rock asked. "Certainly not. You are to stay here and train for the most of your benefits, and keep yourself out of danger. I will go out and see what I can do to help spread the magic. For now, your only occupation is to learn the spellcasting." "But what's the point if I can't go?" I cut in, almost wailing. "You keep saying the point of my powers are to protect cats, to save the world. But what's the idea if I can't even step foot out of my prison and help?" "You'll have many, many more chances to help." "But I want to help now!" "Do not worry, Wintergreen," Rock murmured, his tone hushed. "This is the first battle of many, and you will be in the midst of them all." His gaze darkened, and then he turned and left the hollow once again.
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