(no subject)

[toothycat]

Original here.

"Stand in position number six", the Dragon commanded. "Lesson twenty-three begins. Today I will teach you the three unsurpassed attacks of the three greatest heroes of this time."
The Dragon grasped the knight's elbow and turned the arm holding the blade to the correct position.
"This strike is called "leap of the cat". Bend the left leg slightly at the knee, thus. Your body should be tilted forwards and slightly to the right, as though you are about to fall in this direction. Excellent. From here, the pattern is the same as in the "dance of the drunken bee", except that at the end you lunge thusly... and then immediately, like this!"
The Dragon demonstrated where and how the blade should thrust.
"Repeat. Well done. Smygyr the Orc was unsurpassed at this attack. He was, without a doubt, a great warrior, and prevailed in this manner over many monsters; including dragons. I was his last attempt. Well, then, attack me!"
The knight attacked, and was instantly pressed against the cave floor by a taloned paw.
"Smygyr lost that battle. This was because he did not know the second pattern. Stand in the eighth position, and I will teach you the "bite of the jackal".
In great detail he demonstrated the pattern to the knight and made him practice several times.
"Now you know how to evade my counterattack after a "leap of the cat" fails to reach its target. Try it!"
The knight tried the exercise - and was struck from his footing by a swing of the tail.
"It is approximately thus that Thorandir, the second great hero of mixed blood, met his doom. He had practiced the "bite of the jackal" to perfection, but was crippled by his own self-certainty. Since I, too, know some techniques; against which he turned out to be defenceless. Watch what I do with my tail and rear right paw."
The Dragon demonstrated, and the knight nodded in understanding.
"This strike is considered impossible to defend against. But in reality, there is a defence even against this. I was shown it by another great hero - I do not know what he was called. He never introduced himself."
The Dragon turned to show a scar on his side.
"This is where his blade struck. I should not have lived. But I was saved by a miracle - the fact that the third hero did not know of the "leap of the cat" and failed to finish me off from this position. Now I will demonstrate what he did and what he should have done."
The Dragon placed the knight in the third position, and for half an hour trained him in mastering the new techniques and their combinations.
"There. Take a rest. When you have practiced today's lesson to perfection, you will have a small chance at defeating a dragon in fair battle."
"Teacher", the tired knight spoke with deference. "I thank you for the lesson, but why are you doing this? Why don't you just eat me right away? Our people have been irreconcilable enemies for countless ages, and yet you train me to your own doom! You're a dragon - you should be wiping out heroes!"
"What's the use?" The Dragon shrugged unhappily. "How many of us are left now, dragons? Myself and maybe three or four others in the mountains. And no heroes at all. You, now - are you a hero?"
"Far from it..." The knight hung his head in shame.
"There are none left," the Dragon summed up. "I've wiped them all out. And what a people they were! What mastery of their art they had! What joy it was to measure my strength against theirs! And where is all this now? Forgotten. It is only I that remembers even this little. And those in the mountains... they're still children."
The Dragon shook his wings and stretched.
"Well, then, are you rested enough? Let us continue. Lesson twenty-four begins."
"Teacher...?"
"What?"
"Is it not true that when I learn everything - I'll kill you?"
"Undoubtedly."
"But then, what... what should I do?"
"You'll understand what to do", the Dragon snorted. "You will find yourself some students... somewhere in the mountains; teach them all you know. You will not let the great art die out."
"I understand... Teacher."
"That is good. So, watch me and learn what I do. Lesson twenty-four. The main habits of mountain dragons, five different strikes of the tail...."