It was hand-to-claw-to-fang-to-talon combat training, one of the most brutal segments of the regimen. It was a free-for-all fight, during which the recruits were limited to using their own natural abilities, and the First Weapons- their bodies and minds, and the winner got the ultimate prize- the chance to skip out on the 32 kilometer run, which, while normally considered an easy distance by most, was actually quite tricky, as all of the participants were limited to the speed of the slowest recruit- namely most of the humans. Also, the recruits weren't allowed to eat until the last one had made it back to the barracks.

Bloodtooth however was up in the bleachers, shouting out advice to the various recruits, telling them to duck, to use their tails, to watch for others' tails, to bite, gouge, claw, punch, kick, and more, though most of the advice was addressed to Jenkins.

"Come on Recruit!" she shouted. "Slip underneath the dridder's abdomen and crawl out from one of the sides!"

Jenkins slipped underneath the dridder he'd been running towards and ducked out from between their legs, which caused the werewolf that had been chasing him to crash into the half-spider-half-human creature, who fell on top of the werewolf.

"That's good recruit," Bloodtooth shouted. "Watch your starboard side though."

Jenkins turned his head left.

"That's port! Look the other way!"

Jenkins turned his head to the right, just in time to get tackled by a kitsune.

"Kid's going to feel that in the morning," Bloodtooth muttered.

"What did I miss?" asked a young female voice below her.

Bloodtooth looked down and saw PFC Jenifer Charles trying to look between the bodies of those in front of her, who were higher ranked officers, and who were taller than the young human woman.

"Just Recruit Orangetail tackling Recruit Jenkins," the one officer, a naga, said.

"Kid needs to be more observant," the other officer, a large kitsune, said, as he worked on a crossword puzzle. "And as for you young lady, you probably should get a better seat."

"She can sit on my lap if she wants," Bloodtooth said.

Jenifer looked up and said...