The Werewolf's Sabbat Ch. 12

"Honey, they have been watching out for you since you were ten years old, remember?" Mitch sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "They have known you a lot longer than you have known them."

Janette accepted the glass of ice water that Mariah brought to her. "Thank you," She gazed around the room at all the people looking back at her and suddenly felt like they were all in a circus tent and she was the main act. "You guys, I'm fine. Really, I am." She sat there for a moment longer and abruptly got up and marched quickly up the stairs to Mitch's room where she threw herself on the bed.

Mitch entered the room a few seconds behind her. "What's wrong?" He sat on the bed next to her. "Janette, talk to me, please."

Janette sat up next to Mitch. "I'm so sorry. I feel like I have caused a lot of trouble for you and your family. I don't even understand what's happening. I mean, what did I do to deserve being stalked by this guy? I don't even know him."

"Sweetheart, you did nothing wrong. The guy is crazy, that's all. I don't want you to worry about it. We will take care of him, I promise you that."

"You mean like how you promised to keep me safe if I stayed here with you?" Janette's hand flew up to cover her mouth and her eyes grew wide when she realized what she had just said. She saw the pain flicker in Mitch's eyes before he turned away from her.

Mitch sat there for several painfully silent moments. "You're right, Jan. I should have been there. But make no mistake; this won't happen again." His words were no longer loving and reassuring but rather full of anger and warning. "If you don't mind, I have some things to do." He walked out of the room leaving her sitting on the bed.

Janette didn't mean to say that. She knew that Mitch would be there for her no matter what. She knew that the whole situation was her fault. If she had just listened to Mitch and stayed home this would never have happened. She didn't know what had come over her. The stress was finally eating away at her and she found herself unintentionally hurting the ones she loved. She sat there, tears streaming down her face, hoping that Mitch could hear her apology and remorse.

Mitch stood on the other side of the bedroom door. He could feel Janette confused and hurting inside and it tore at his heart. There was nothing he could do. He didn't know if he could ever forgive himself for letting her down. He should have been there. He should have taken her to the city with him. He wiped a wearied hand over his face and leaned his head back against the wall when an idea occurred to him. He turned and walked back into the room and grabbed Janette's hand.

"Mitch, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I don't know what's wrong with me. Please don't be angry."

Mitch pulled Janette to her feet and placed a light kiss on her cheek. "I don't want to hear your apologies. You've been through a lot. I understand. However, I have come to realize that I can't be at your side at every moment and you obviously have no idea how to protect yourself. Come on. There's someone I want you to meet." He led her down the stairs and through the back door.

"Mitch, where are you taking me?" Janette asked almost stumbling, trying to keep up with his long strides.

"You'll see."

Mitch led Janette down a path in the woods. They walked for several minutes before coming upon a small quaint cottage. As Janette slowly followed Mitch up the front steps, she took note of all the wind chimes hanging from the porch along with a few dream catchers. The décor was strange but at the same time, appealing.

Mitch knocked twice before a tall, slender black woman came to the door. She wore a black pair of running pants along with a black tank top. Her clothes were nearly skintight, accentuating her well-muscled, lithe body. She moved with such grace, as though she were almost floating rather than walking. Her straight ebony hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Janette noticed with envy how the woman's chocolate brown skin was perfect. Not a blemish in sight. With her high cheek bones, heart shaped face, stunning almond shaped eyes and perfect full lips, Janette began to wonder if Mitch had ever had anything going with her. She had to have been one of the most beautiful women Janette had ever seen.

"Mitch, how nice to see you," The woman said in a smooth confident voice, her perfect smile shining brightly. She let her eyes gaze at Janette for a moment. "And this must be your new mate. Nice to meet you. I'm Sandra."

Janette took Sandra's hand in hers to shake it and was surprised at the unusually strong grip she had. "Janette. Nice to meet you too."

"Sandra is the one responsible for pack training," Mitch said with pride. He saw Janette's brow spike up in surprise. "She trains my pack members in fighting and self defense."

"She trains even the men?"

"Yes, even the men."

Janette had seen quite a few large burly men in the pack and wondered to herself how in the world this woman trained them. She was well built and muscular but very feminine as well. Surely, the men of the pack had to be careful not to accidentally injure her while training.

"Don't let her looks deceive you," Mitch said, picking up on Janette's thoughts. "Sandra is one of the fastest in our pack. She also happens to be a tenth degree black belt in Goju Karate and, believe me, that can come in handy." Mitch leaned in and kissed Janette's cheek. "Sandra, she's all yours." He flashed her a smile before skipping down the steps.

"Wait a minute!" Janette called as she ran after him. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"Yes. Your training starts now."

"What training? You never said anything about training."

Mitch turned to Janette and took her small hands in his. "I never thought you were going to die on me, either. Your training starts now."

"Mitch this is insane. I'm no fighter. I've never hit anyone in my entire life." Janette felt her heart racing with trepidation. "Please don't make me do this. I can't do this, Mitch," she whispered anxiously.

Mitch felt the rush of fear hit Janette's heart and wanted to reassure her but didn't know how. "You can do this and you will do this. You are my mate. You have to have some form of training. It is part of your job to stand at my side and help protect, not only yourself, but the pack as well. How are you to do that if you don't have any fighting skills?" He flinched when he suddenly felt a bolt of anger directed at him. "I wouldn't ask you to do this if it weren't necessary and you know that." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Please do this for me. At least give it a couple days."

Janette planted her hands on her hips in a huff. "Alright. Fine. I'll give it a shot." She looked up at him with a slight glare. "I'll probably get my rear end kicked all over the place but, oh well, anything to make you happy," she said sarcastically.

Mitch chuckled low in his chest. "Stop being so dramatic. And by the way," he brought his lips to Janette's ear, "You sure are beautiful when you're angry." With that he kissed her once more and turned on his heel to head back to the mansion.

Janette watched Mitch until he disappeared down the path they had come from. She turned to find Sandra pulling a large plastic box from the front door, down the steps and into the front yard.

"You know, I heard about what happened to you. How are you feeling today? Any pain at all?" she asked as she lit several tiki torches in the yard. It wasn't yet dark out but it would be soon enough.

Janette peeked down into the box and found it full of what looked like fighting equipment. There were boxing gloves, padded helmets, shin pads and several other things she didn't know what to make of. "I'm feeling fine, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Well, even if you are feeling pretty good right now, I still want to start your training off lightly. I don't want to give you too much too soon. I think we'll start off with a few simple punches. You won't be hitting anything or anyone, at first. You will just practice the movements until you get use to them and get the technique right. Today is just an introduction. Starting tomorrow morning, we will start your sessions off with a jog through the woods followed by stretches."

"Oh, I'm not a runner."

"You are now." Sandra saw the nervousness in Janette's eyes. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. Stick with me and before you know it, you'll be kicking the shit out of anyone who messes with you."

Janette couldn't help but to laugh. She couldn't picture herself fighting anyone, let alone kicking the shit out of them. She mimicked every move as Sandra walked her through several stretching exercises. Sandra was practically doing the splits without so much as a grimace of discomfort on her face while Janette could barely touch her toes. How the hell did I get myself into this, she thought to herself, shaking her head. "You know, Sandra, I'm not really the fighting type. I never pictured myself learning karate. I don't think I could ever bring myself to actually hit another human being. It's just too weird. I would feel guilty afterward."

Sandra stood up and turned to Janette. "Really? You don't think you could bring yourself to strike that man who practically took your life?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Janette, that man had no right to hurt you the way he did. There is no reason that you should feel guilty about protecting yourself or those you love. You have every right to protect yourself and I'm going to do the best I can to teach you how."

Janette thought for a moment about what it would have felt like to have punched her attacker in the nose and smiled to herself, clearly visualizing the baffled look on his face. "I thank you for trying to help me, but karate? I just don't know. I've never thought myself to be the type."

"There isn't a specific type of person that practices karate. If you could only see some of the students I have taught over the years. Grandmothers to first graders and everything in between. Police officers, schoolteachers, doctors, lawyers. Hell, I even taught a nun once. Sweetest little lady I have ever met. She had been harassed by some crazed sicko... I don't remember the details of the situation but I do know that when I was done with her, she had no problem protecting herself. Who would go out and physically harm a nun? Who does that? That's just sick if you ask me."

"That is pretty sick." Janette continued stretching. She put her legs together, extended them out in front of her and reached forward towards her toes.

Sandra saw the pained grimace on Janette's face. "Don't push yourself too much. Just reach forward until you feel the stretch in the back of your thighs. Hold it ten seconds and then relax. You'll get better the more you do it. Anyhow, I'm not necessarily teaching you karate. I plan to teach you several different self defense techniques. After the basics, if you feel that you want to learn more, as far as martial arts go, then I am more than happy to teach you."

When Sandra was satisfied that Janette was adequately stretched and warmed up, she had her stand up and began helping her put on shin pads, fighting gloves and headgear. "Now we aren't going to be sparring today. I just want you to wear this so that you can get use to the feel of it."

Sandra stood in a fighting stance next to Janette. "Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart and raise your fists like this. Keep your knees slightly bent, never lock your knees... there ya go. Now remember, when facing an opponent, you want to keep this set up between you and him at all times. That means if he's to your left, you move like this. To your right, follow him." Sandra demonstrated, alternating her fists from one side to the other. Now keep your fists up, protecting your face. This is a jab punch." Sandra struck the air in front of her. "Your strike should be made with the first two knuckles. Now you try it."

Janette blushed a deep crimson and sighed. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought to herself. She clumsily struck the air in front of her, attempting to imitate her new instructor.

Sandra turned to Janette. "Your arm is not a spaghetti noodle. Put a little force behind it. Jab out like this and quickly return your fist to its original position, protecting your face at all times. You don't want to leave your arm out there. Too easy for your opponent to grab you. It's jab and then back. Quickly. Don't forget to breath. Now try again. Imagine your opponent standing right in front of you. Aim for the solar plexus which is right here." Sandra motioned to the bottom of her ribcage.

Janette took a deep breath to relax her nerves. She jabbed out just as Sandra had instructed her to do. She felt rather ridiculous wearing the fighting getup and punching at an imaginary person but she continued to do as she was told. Over the next hour and a half, she was introduced to several different punching techniques, repeating each one over and over until she got it right. Although she started out extremely clumsy and, in her opinion, quite silly looking, her nervousness slowly melted away and she began putting great effort into her punches trying her best to get them exactly right.

"Okay, I'd say you have had enough for one evening. Go ahead and take off the gear."

Janette pulled her helmet off and wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm. Her hair was plastered to her forehead in a tangled mess. "So, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. You can ask me anything."

"What made you get into martial arts?"

Sandra laughed lightly. "Oh it's a long story."

"I've got time."

Sandra's eyes glazed over as though she was deep in thought, remembering her past. "I wasn't always a wolf, ya know. I was turned about fifty years ago, give or take a few years. Before that I had a husband who I adored. We had been together for six years before he became physically violent with me. To this day I'm not sure what happened or why. He started drinking... a lot. That probably had something to do with it." She paused and let out a long sigh.

"The first time he hit me, I dismissed it as being my fault. If I hadn't done this or said that then it wouldn't have happened. For whatever reason, I would always justify his actions in my mind as being my fault. Or, I would tell myself that I could fix him. I mean, he hadn't always been violent. Whatever was causing it would resolve itself in time. That didn't happen."

Janette saw the well of tears in Sandra's eyes. "You don't have to talk about it. I'm sorry for prying. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's okay, really. It was a long time ago. I just sometimes wonder what would have happened to us if alcohol hadn't entered the picture. I loved him so much." She wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled. "Anyway, the violence escalated until one day he came home late from the bar. I had said something to him... I don't even remember what it was now, it was so long ago. He got angry with me and started hitting me. He threw me down the stairs and I was knocked unconscious. I woke up in a hospital. He had told the doctor that I had tripped and fallen down the stairs and hit my head. That was where all the bruises and concussion came from. I just lay there in the hospital bed stunned as I watched him lie his way out of it. He did it so smoothly, as though the fact that he put me in the hospital didn't even phase him. It was then that I made the decision to leave. He wasn't going to get better and I realized that it wasn't my fault. Not one bit of it was. I didn't deserve to be treated that way."

Janette sat there quietly listening. Her heart saddened when she thought of the pain and torture this woman must have gone through.

"After I healed from my injuries, I searched for an instructor. Someone to teach me self-defense. I found someone who taught privately but he turned me down at first. I don't know, maybe he thought women shouldn't be taught martial arts. Especially not black women. God only knows what his reasons were. Anyway, one day I was walking home from work and my soon to be ex husband came out of nowhere. He dragged me into an alley and beat the crap out of me... again." Sandra sat on the porch steps next to Janette and laughed in disbelief.

"I called the instructor a week later, practically begging him to teach me. Again, he turned me down. I finally went to his house and asked him to reconsider. He saw the bruises, busted lip and gash on my forehead and agreed to teach me right away. My first lesson was that day and it was the beginning of a new life. I had only been practicing for about two months. It was quite grueling, believe me. I practiced for several hours a day and the guy didn't take it easy on me. He was rather strict. Sometimes I wanted to give up.

"After those couple of months I ran into the ex again. This time was different. My self-confidence was a hundred times what it had ever been, not to mention I was much stronger. He started fighting with me again, but this time I avoided getting hit by him. I wasn't even really trying. Everything seemed to be second nature. If you could have only seen the look on his face when I knocked him on his ass. It was priceless."

They both sat there on the steps giggling. "He never bothered me after that. That's when I started putting everything I had into learning as much as I could. It was a lot of work and it wasn't easy but it was definitely worth it."

"What are you two girls sitting around yapping for? I thought you were training," Mitch said jokingly as he strode towards them from the wooded path. He took Janette's hand in his and helped her to stand. "How did your first session go?"

"Actually, I think I kind of liked it," Janette said with a smile. "It was weird at first but I can see myself getting the hang of things."

Sandra stood from the steps. "Mitch, she did a great job. A bit awkward at first but we will get her there."

Mitch leaned in and placed a proud kiss on Janette's lips. "Your hair's a mess, do you know that?" He laughed when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Well you try doing the things I have been doing for the past hour while wearing that crazy helmet thingy. It's hot as heck, not to mention it gives you a bad case of hat hair." Janette ran her fingers through her hair in an effort to make herself look presentable again.

Mitch pulled Janette close to him. "I love you even if you do have hat hair and are all gross and sweaty. Are you ready to go?"

"Janette, your next session begins at seven in the morning. We will practice about two hours a day. I'm giving you two days off per week. Just let me know what those days will be so I can put it in my schedule. One other thing. Wear something more suitable next time." Sandra smiled at Janette, motioning to her Jeans and top. "Believe me, you'll be more comfortable."

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning then." Janette grasped Mitch's large hand and followed him back through the woods to the mansion, practically skipping. "I feel like I have so much energy but at the same time, I'm exhausted. My arms are shaking even. They almost feel like jello."

"Sandra can have that effect on you. She doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit'. One time she had me doing pushups for so long that I could barely raise my arms the next day. I should have told her that I needed a break but I wasn't about to let a woman outdo me." Mitch laughed. "Needless to say, she did anyway. She wasn't a bit sore the next day. That showoff."

"She seems like an incredibly strong woman, both mentally and physically."

"Oh, she is. That's why she holds the position that she does. There isn't anyone else that can better train our pack members than her. She's very talented at teaching even the most unteachable person."