13y 9m 2w AV
The Third Ring, Clan proving grounds, undisclosed location, Gao
The Final Rite
Officer Fiin of Clan Stoneback
Fiin was the only member of his original training Claw that remained. Only half of the original cohort made it to the Second Ring, only half of them passed, and of the remaining few? Only two were recommended for the Third Ring…and only Fiin had made it to the end.
He had mixed feelings about all of that. On the one hand he took immense pride in his accomplishment. Who wouldn’t? He’d managed to beat out two purebred Stoneback cubs who were raised for the task! The ranks of the Brotherhood had very few “mutts” like himself, for good reason: the Third Ring was hard. His little buddy Kryu had made it all the way to the end but, well. He was small and only thirteen. But! He’d be able to strike the Third Ring again in two years and Fiin hoped to be the first to welcome Kryu to the Brotherhood. Fiin wasn’t a Brother yet, but he would be. He knew it.
He felt worse about his bestest friend Baru. He did end up passing the Calculus and completing the Rites of the First Ring—All ‘Backs had to, or they didn’t stay in the Clan—but he wasn’t Recommended for advancement and that was that. Baru himself wasn’t sad about it and was already happily working on a new dam as one of its pour engineers-in-training. Fiin wanted his big friend to come along for the rest of the ride, as it were…but Baru just didn’t have it in him. Fiin often wondered: Do I? He dimly reflected on that sobering thought on the rare occasions where he could rest his weary body and addled mind.
Not that it would do him much good. He was tired. So very, very tired. After completing the First Ring he went straight into the Second, which was also a full year long and served as an aggressive exposure to all the many things Stoneback Provided to the Gao at large. Anyone initiated to the First Ring was expected to be a capable Associate and a skilled tradesman. But initiates of the Second Ring were expected to understand the workings of Stoneback in great breadth and depth, and they earned the title of Officer.
However, halfway through the Second Ring, Fiin realized he couldn’t settle for that rank. It was prestigious to be sure, leading teams doing…what, exactly? He knew he wouldn’t be content as a finish carpenter, or a construction foreman, or (as an Officer) being in charge of a general contracting office. With everything he’d learned about what Stoneback was and what they did? He knew that an Officer’s life would bore him to tears, so Fiin accepted his Recommendation and struck for the Third Ring. Only initiates of the Third Ring could be called Brother, or Father…or maybe Grandfather. Stud. Champion. Fiin didn’t know where his ambition would lead him but by then he knew he had much more to give, and he knew he would never be happy if he didn’t try.
Along the way he’d discovered something about himself, too. Fiin had a mean streak in him, an aggression way beyond most males’ power to rage. It wasn’t something he worried about but it was there, tucked away in a corner of his mind, and it would pop up occasionally when something would frustrate him or a problem could be solved with decisive action.
That quite naturally drew him to the martial side of Stoneback. The Claws were highly selective and only Brothers could even apply, which meant he needed to pass the Third Ring with a rare Recommendation to Combat School. And that meant he needed to work harder than he’d ever worked in his entire life.
And so the newly minted Officer-Initiate earned two weeks of study-free rest and recuperation (and a pair of mating contracts!) to ponder his choice. He did a lot of sleeping, and eating, and far too much vigorous exercise with his mates, too. Really, what more could a red-blooded, thick-pelted ‘Back want?
Friendship.
He did send lots of messages to his friends and acquaintances, many of whom seemed genuinely happy for him. Even some of his old workhouse friends had written back to congratulate him though Fiin suspected that was more about their own future prospects than a genuine expression of happiness.
He didn’t like that thought but he’d learned to use his nose in the Second Ring, and a Stoneback’s nose never lied. Gaoians could infer many clues from each other’s scent—big lies weren’t common because of that—but for most people it was an intuitive sense. Not so for Fiin, not any longer. Now strong emotions were nakedly obvious to him, the subtler notes were coming with practice, and there was even hints he’d develop a full Nose and detect injuries, sickness, associates, travels…most every Gaoian could do it, but not every Gaoian was a natural, nor had the time to practice or the training to master it.
Fiin knew why, too. It was a skill deliberately not taught to the public. His Social Theory class had been dismayingly illuminating, especially the bit about how mild deception needed to be inexpensive and pervasive for complex societies to function at all. Gaoians called them downy lies while the Humans preferred white lies. Fiin didn’t much care for the whole idea but once he got his nose in, his meetings with old “friends” became…educational. Many of his “friends” were anything but, as it turned out, and Fiin couldn’t say or do a thing about it; it was well known that Straightshields could smell big lies, but the Clanless did not know how far those abilities had been developed and none of the Clans who trained their Noses wanted to risk the social consequences.
It wasn’t easy, knowing beyond doubt how many lies one had been told.
Some of his old friends were genuine, though. Fiin was more grateful for that then he had the capacity to express and Fiin was very good with his words. He repaid that loyalty the best way he knew how: he talked them up to the Females and it especially paid off for Moro, who could scarcely contain his excitement that a female was paying him attention!
“Of course she is! You’re a good and decent person and a damn hard worker.”
Fiin decided not to reveal his involvement. Moro needed more confidence in himself and Fiin, well. Maybe it was selfish, maybe not. But he sure felt better about himself, knowing what good he could cause. And Moro deserved it.
Still, friends were good, they could help with tricky decisions! Especially hard ones like: “Should I strike for the Third Ring?”
Baru was typically blunt. “You gonna stop at Officer? Fuck that, you’re too good. You keep going or I’ll find you and bite your tail!”
Fiin chittered darkly to himself about that one. Baru didn’t realize that “little” Fiin had grown mighty and strong in the last year and had learned some serious skills in intermediate combatives…but Fiin decided to keep that to himself, too.
Baru’s reaction was the same as all Fiin’s real friends. Kryu? He was painfully excited at the prospect and yipped in glee when he’d heard. Moro, too.
With that kind of encouragement, what choice did Fiin really have? He decided not only to strike for the Third Ring, but to strike the combat option as well. He needed a recommendation from both his sponsor and a Claw Leader—not a small problem—but he needn’t have worried. Tyal was truly delighted, “I knew you’d go for it! Don’t worry ‘bout the Claw Leader, I’ll take care of it.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. I know one who would love to have you at his side, don’t worry.”
Fiin couldn’t contain his happiness and pounced Tyal in playful abandon! He lost the tussle immediately but he didn’t care. He was gonna join a Claw.
The Third Ring was short compared to the First and Second Rings. It was about six months long but it was so utterly intense he later wondered that he’d survived it at all. His time challenging the Ring was a non-stop whirlwind of…well, everything. He hunted and killed. He recited. He solved math, ran a race, performed experiments, read books. Wrote essays, told tales, found a target in a crowd. He worked, so many jobs so quickly with so little experience. Then on some of those jobs, he led. He didn’t know if he was doing anything right. There was just the input, the task, the mission, and the need to keep going.
Sleep came very, very easily and there was never enough of it and the testing never relented. It only grew worse by adding more duties, more work, more lessons, more demands on his body and time. By the second phase he was back into military maneuvers. He needed to march in formation, fight with spear and sword, lay covering fire, breach a building, call an air strike, wrestle and fight and seek and destroy. Then get up and do it again, without stop, forever.
Then the field maneuvers switched to combined arms doctrine and live weapons. As did the assault courses. Explosives were added too, though he wasn’t specializing in those. It wasn’t easy and even with all he’d gone through, he was still small for a Brother—larger than a very big Straightshield but still significantly underweight compared to Tyal—but he was lightning quick and nimble, and he was clever. Brother Tyal was his partner in their little training Fang and despite it all, despite Fiin’s constant aches, his weary mind, his continual, never-ending hunger for food and for improvement, he grew better. The Challenge was immense and to Tyal’s great pride, Fiin rose to it beautifully.
He was becoming a Brother.
The last few days had become an absolute blur. Fiin couldn’t recall much of it. There was sleep but it was the instant collapse of someone pushed right to the breaking point and not allowed to recover, and the final day was just that: a full day of evaluation and stress that he scarcely comprehended. It all melted together in a frenzy of doing that he would later be unable to explain. The experience stripped him bare, right down to the kernel of what he was.
He completed the Final Rite after he passed into that state of mind, where only rage and instinct and the will to succeed could guide him through. Fiin didn’t know it—he didn’t know much of anything at the moment—but he was already a Brother of the Rites in fact, even if not quite in title. Not yet.
Only one thing remained.
He was taken aside at the absolute peak of his suffering and delirium and ushered off to a field he’d not visited before. The cadre told him to wait so he did, for what seemed like hours, desperately trying to remain something like attentive and alert. The field was yet more scrub in the vast preserve of the northern plains and he could only dimly wonder what new and sadistic evolution he would be put through. But he was ready. Fiin would win.
A van appeared over the hill, carrying Bestest Friend Tyal along with someone Fiin didn’t recognize, and stirred him from his daydreaming awake-rest. Fiin loved Tyal. He had personally guided the hapless young Stoneback through the Second Ring and had been by his side all the way up until…whatever it was Fiin going through right at that moment. He didn’t know anymore, not really.
The van stopped and Tyal leapt out and stretched luxuriantly in the mid-day sun. He turned his head and spoke quickly, then someone so much bigger jumped out. The barge of muscle and fur looked happily at Fiin—
“My Champion!” Fiin stood instantly to attention while sneaking surreptitious glances at Daar. He nodded and waved Fiin to parade rest while he continued to discuss something in low tones with Tyal. Fiin managed to restrain a pathetic little whimper and stood stoic and proud while he quietly boggled.
Great Father Fyu! Now that Fiin knew the real stories behind that particular legend he was reluctant to invoke Fyu’s name for any ordinary thing. Daar deserved it. He was so big and so impressive he made Tyal look as small as Fiin felt when he went through his First Rite. Even through a nearly full-length coat, there was no way to hide the thick obscene bulging muscular reality that was Daar’s body, or the way even his tiniest movements were predatory, animal-like, light, graceful, and perfect.
Fiin felt subdued and mildly frightened by Daar’s mere presence and he hadn’t done anything more than give Fiin a friendly little glance.
In the exchange with the Humans, Daar of course taught the Humans many things, especially when it came to the Gaoian way of team and work and training. Apparently there were lots of neat little tricks being taught in both directions and Stonebacks liked to teach! But they liked to learn, too. And one of the things Daar learned was an entirely different attitude to training.
That attitude took up quick residence in Clan Stoneback at every level of their training, though none of the “revised” programs were anything really new. What changed was the focus and the idea behind the training itself. Training plans were personalized and every Stoneback was encouraged and given time, food, and resources just to exercise for his own sake, just to grow better.
And they did. Quickly.
Before? Any training program one would find in Stoneback was always with a job, task, or function in mind. That’s how most Human athletes trained, too. All that got impressive results but the Humans’ SOR saw things…a little differently. They saw their training much more like a Human bodybuilder or dedicated strength athlete might. SOR of course trained for task but they also deliberately trained solely for the purpose of growing bigger, faster, and stronger.
The improvement itself became the goal, not just work to meet mission need. And that goal, being focused and competitive, broadened what they could do. The SOR saw each new level of ability open up new tactics, new possibilities, new capabilities to use. And now, Stoneback was beginning to see the same benefit. It made a kind of sense that seemed blindingly obvious once the idea was introduced, and Daar and the Clan ran with it.
The downside was that it cost time, medical attention, and lots more food, and of course the athletics department had a new universe of skills to master. But food wasn’t scarce anymore, Gaoian medicine was practically the best in the galaxy, and the Clan had vast wealth and resources to fund their ‘Back’s development so really, what was the counter-argument? Fiin couldn’t think of one. They could sell the new results in their fitness centers and their ‘Backs got better. Win. The cultural difference was subtle but the results were profound, and all Stonebacks—Fiin included—greatly benefited from the dedicated, personalized, and mandatory training time set aside on their schedules.
But nobody took it as far as Daar. Nobody else could. Daar was one of a kind.
Tyal and Daar finished their conversation. He glanced over at Fiin, play-bowed, wagged his tail furiously, then charged. Daar moved so fast and so aggressively Fiin couldn’t react before a high-speed wrecking ball of the Most Biggest Stoneback was speeding toward him as fast as a car weaving dangerously on a highway. He braced himself as Daar barreled straight into—
He flowed up to his feet and came to a dead stop a hair’s length in front of Fiin, with a very dominant growl on his voice and a playfully wagging tail. Daar stood a full head taller than Fiin, even in a habitually crouched posture, and in sheer size there was absolutely no comparison between the two. Fiin had been proud of just how much he’d grown, how much progress he’d made…and now, his ego was checked. He had a long way to go if his ambitions included Stud.
Daar was of course nothing but friendly, despite everything. Why would he be anything else? The little display of just what he could do was more than enough to get his point across. He sniffed at the air around Fiin, and now that he knew what Daar was smelling for, Fiin steeled himself and hoped for the best.
He didn’t expect an inspection by his Champion!
Daar circled around Fiin and inspected with a quick and practiced eye and nose. He meandered back to Fiin’s front, planted himself, gave one more quick little sniff, then pant-grinned and said, “I knew you had it in you, Brother.”
Fiin’s world shattered.
It was a surreal feeling when Tyal approached with a well-worn Naxas blanket—the symbol of the Brotherhood and a reminder of the armies and hardships of old—and handed it to Daar. “This one’s been mine for a while. Real good one, too. It’s kept me warm on space stations and, more recently, on alien planets. It’s yours now, you take care of it.” Daar threw the blanket over Fiin’s shoulders.
Fiin practically vibrated with emotion! “Yes sir!” I made it!
Daar stepped back and admired his newest Brother who stood tall and proud and strong, all weariness gone. The moment was Daar’s most favorite duty as a Champion and he took every opportunity he got to induct new Brothers.
Though that time Daar maybe had ulterior motives. He needed to see if Fiin was the Brother ‘Back that Daar needed for the Most Biggest Thing…which didn’t distract from the purity and joy of the moment. Fiin had Become.
And I know just how to make Fiin’s year, too.
Daar tilted his head, “I hear you wanna do Combat School too, right?”
!! Fiin couldn’t believe his luck! “Yes sir, as soon as I can!”
“Good! I’d like to be your sponsor…that is, if you’d have me?”
It wasn’t so much that the Champion himself decided to sponsor a lowly Brother…it was that Daar seemed genuinely hopeful Fiin would accept!
Fiin’s world remained shattered. He couldn’t do much but gawp at the sudden…everything. In what seemed like an instant he’d gone from hypnotized by his suffering, to terrified for his life when Daar charged him, to elated to suddenly join the Brotherhood…and now Fiin was Daar’s personal trainee.
“…Why me?”
Daar chittered a deep, rumbling roll of amusement. “Lotsa things are ‘bout to change, Brother. Young and smart is what I need and I hear ‘yer ‘bout the smartest ‘Back in the pipeline these days. So, wanna go to Cimbrean?”
“…”
More chittering. “I’ll take that as a yes. But I gotta ask first, ‘cuz this is kind of a deal breaker: are you okay with oathing some serious secrets? Like, the most biggest secrets?”
Fiin was suddenly nervous and Daar sniffed that out immediately.
“If you think it’s best,” Fiin answered carefully, “I will. Sir.”
“I do, but you gotta read something first. C’mon.” Daar bounded back toward the van with speed. “I’mma wait ’til you’ve slept a bunch though.” He climbed onto the big backspace in the van and curled up. “Well?”
Fiin hesitated, then climbed up into the van warily. Daar immediately pulled little Fiin into himself for a nice, comfortable nap. “I’ve been travelin’ a lot so I’m kinda sleepy too. Tyal? Can you drive us back, please?”
“Yes, my Champion.” They drove off.
Fiin found himself on the precipice of unconsciousness almost immediately. He did have the wit to ask a question above the strangeness of the experience: “What next?”
“Lotsa travel for you and me. And then,” Daar yawned, threw the blanket over them and curled around Fiin, “I show you something that’ll change everything.”
“…What?”
“You’ll see. Sleep.” Daar passed out almost immediately. Fiin followed him.
Three days of food and rest and Fiin had recovered to Daar’s liking. The non-disclosure agreement was given, read, agreed and signed. Then Daar talked. Like others before him, Fiin learned that Revelation had no translation.
One month later
Headquarters—First-Fang, White Rock Lookout, the Northern Plains, Gao
Fiin of Clan Stoneback, Brother of the Rites
Fiin learned more about his chosen profession in the month before the present mission than he had in the previous two and a half years. All of that, everything he went through, it was just primer: a coat of paint to make him ready for a new layer of knowledge. So he watched, and he paid attention.
And he learned.
Three weeks prior
SOR barracks, HMS Sharman, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches
He met the SOR and Daar hadn’t exaggerated at all. The HEAT were filled with men so physically superior to Fiin it went way past their overwhelming scent and dominant attitude and vast abilities and back into something academic; he could only marvel. They were like walking Keeda tales, he remembered thinking. He also saw that Daar stood as a peer amongst them without embarrassment, even if he was only middle of the pack at best. And yet, having seen what they could do? That weirdly filled Fiin with pride like he’d never felt; his Champion was among them. Humans changed everything.
He also met Daar’s JETS team and the Whitecrest operatives and watched them all train together, then played along on some of the easier evolutions. He marveled at them, too; in that subgroup Daar was without question the biggest, fastest, and strongest, but what did that matter? It did not make him better, it only made him useful. They all had differing abilities which made them useful too, and all that only proved the Humans’ philosophy was right. Fiin of course knew that, but a Gaoian’s instincts could be powerful things. Seeing the truth helped. He would be the littlest Brother on his Claw—at first, anyway—and it was motivating to know someone’s size wasn’t everything.
Daar had all of that in mind when he arranged the visit, because nobody understood Stoneback psychology and culture better than him. His SOR Brothers impressed him so much with their ability and their attitude, he wanted to spread that “gospel” to all of Stoneback. And to the Gao.
Fiin would help do it, by being the shining example to First-Fang.
To that end, Fiin received the SACRED STRANGER briefing in addition to DEEP RELIC. He read some of Daar’s training updates in their first-draft form, along with Stoneback and Whitecrest doctrine ahead of Combat School. He studied Human doctrine too. He absorbed material fast and though they only had time for a quick once-over, SOR provided reading material for Fiin to take back.
He drank it in like a sponge, and he craved for more.
His body also got attention. He trained with all the HEAT but combatives fell to Righteous and Warhorse, who gave Fiin potent lessons in their utterly dominant superiority…then showed him exactly how to win against them. They were friendly and loved a good tussle! ‘Horse was the more physically imposing of the two, though at their scale it maybe didn’t matter that much. He was impossible to trip so the only thing to do was get him to screw up on his own.
Easier said than done. He was too quick, too heavy, and too strong for any direct challenge. Righteous was even trickier! He wasn’t as overwhelming to body or nose as Warhorse was, but Righteous was taller and had longer reach, and he could move in just unbelievable ways. Even if ‘Horse was maybe a little faster, Righteous was just better. It took a long time before he managed any kind of a fall against the stinky Humans, but the first time he managed to trip Righteous and score a “kill” he was so happy he yipped like a cub!
The Humans found that endlessly hilarious. Then they both taught him new ways they could beat him, he countered those…and so it went for the week.
In between reading all the things, eating all the things, and having his tail regularly bitten by everyone, including Daar? Warhorse gave Fiin a physical evaluation that was cruel beyond words but equal to anything Stoneback’s coaches could do. Warhorse didn’t have a gentle touch, but he spotted every weakness Fiin had, and even helped tweak his training plan to overcome it all.
Fiin was pleased to see his own planning (with Stoneback’s help) held up to the scrutiny well; very little needed to change. A small tweak here and there, and Fiin felt himself pushing through old limits almost immediately.
And the food! Fiin had a thing for Human foods. Maybe it wasn’t always his favorite but it was tasty and there were lotsa crunchy foods! He tasted sushi. And carrots. Daar was right, carrots were the BESTEST.
Sadly the visit didn’t last long. They needed to get back quickly, though with the new (very much secret, heavily guarded, in trials) wormhole portal to Gao freshly installed…
Unremarkable warehouse, Clan of Females, City of Kan Wo, Planet Gao
“…Who was that massive female?” Fiin looked back at the portal, as if he could see the enormous female who guarded it at the Cimbrean end.
“Oh, that was Myun, you like her? She seems fun!”
“She…is very impressive.” Fiin flicked his ears in obvious interest. “And enthusiastic. And thorough, I didn’t know the Female’s guards were so good!”
“Of course! We taught ‘em, then they taught us!”
“Is she…”
“Ask her!”
“Oh.” An ear-flick of relief, “I thought maybe you two…”
“Somehow we never seem to meet up,” Daar mused wistfully. “Even this time I got the other Sister for Customs instead. Bummer. You gonna make a move?”
“…I might have considered it. It’s just she smelled a lot like—” Fiin didn’t get to complete his thought as their transportation arrived at that moment. There was much bustle and activity as they loaded up their cargo—last minute materiel required for Champion Genshi’s plan—and hurried off to their destination.
“Nervous?”
“…a little.”
“Good! Don’t worry, you’ll do fine. Just remember what a Stoneback is, they’ll accept you.”
“Even without Combat School?”
“Most of ‘em joined before they went to Combat School, they’ll get it.”
“…Okay.”
Daar grumbled and pulled Fiin’s face towards his. “Hey. I know maybe this seems kinda silly comin’ from me, but size ain’t everything, Brother. The biggest reason I took you to Cimbrean? And why I’m throwin’ ‘ya in like this? It’s this, and I’mma prove it to you.”