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“Why don’t we try this? You take this wooden sword, and you hit me with everything you’ve got. I’ll show you that there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“But won’t that hurt?”
“Not for me,” Adrian said with a smile. “But even then, you can’t run from pain. Sometimes it makes you stronger. Sometimes, it helps you avoid even worse pain.”
Gregory looked up at Adrian in confusion.
“Does that make any sense, Gregory?”
Gregory shook his head, and Luna saw a faint dribble of snot under his nose. So it was just the sniffles, after all.
“Not really, no.”
Adrian chuckled. “Just take the sword for now. There’s time for learning about life later.”
Adrian helped Gregory to his feet, and the two stood across from each other, the other children watching on in fascination.
“Now, go ahead and hit me as hard as you can, Gregory. Don’t worry about hurting me. I can take it.”
Gregory stood in place reluctantly, but Adrian stared intently at him, waiting patiently.
For some reason, Luna felt her interest reaching a peak, no longer bored or dismayed at the prospect of not being able to go to the cabin.
“It’s okay, kid,” Adrian said. “You’ve got this.”
In the background, Luna heard some of the children whispering among themselves.
“I want to spar with Adrian,” a young female pup said.
Her hair was done up in braids, and she had dirt all over her face.
“Adrian used to spar all the time,” an older kid said. “He doesn’t anymore.”
“Why not?”
The other kid shrugged.
As Luna looked on, she saw Gregory very slowly taking his first steps toward Adrian. But it was still progress.
“That’s it, kid,” Adrian said. “Keep walking. I’m not going anywhere.”
Luna wondered if this was the first time this had happened or if this had been an ongoing issue with the boy.
She suspected the former because, as Gregory reached Adrian, he lifted the sword and then lightly tapped Adrian on the shoulder.
Adrian looked down at the kid, smiling.
Gregory looked up, smiling back.
“You can hit harder than that, can’t you?”
“But I’m afraid to hurt you,” Gregory answered.
“I’ll be fine.”
Gregory thought for a second. He looked to the ground, taking his hand to his mouth, then looked thoughtfully back up at Adrian.
“Maybe you should be able to defend yourself,” Gregory said. “Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so bad about it.”
