Although Bramble had not experienced any, he knew that summers weren’t long in these lands and he was determined to make the most of them. He had a day of chores ahead of him, he knew that, but before any of them happened, he was taking a moment to train and remember the techniques that Chetan had taught him and Betsy had reinforced. The breeze was cool and the sun was only just breaking the horizon as he stood outside of his home in the village. Bramble had set up a tree stump which was perfectly level. Above the tree stump were strings on which he’d placed assorted metal objects from. Bramble wasn’t sure, but he was pretty sure the metal objects had been Betsy idea. Not that he wanted to do Betsy a disservice, it was the sort of thing she might do. The strange set up was to test his balance and reactions in combat.
Bramble started by getting a good footing on the stump, feeling the grain of the wood beneath his pads, sensing the weight distribution. Closing his eyes, Bramble took a deep breath, listening to the noises his body made and the sound of his heart. As he stood, his heart slowed a little, and he could feel all of the world drop away. Once he was satisfied he raised one of his feet, keeping very still and maintaining the balance. He slowly raised his leg until his body had to move and he touched one of the hanging metal objects. He was sure that his parents might be thinking that they were going crazy as their few metal objects were disappearing from their home.