NBA Dramatique, Prelude 9

"We’re called the Warriors because no other word would fit us!” laughed the great white bear of a man. He sat awkwardly cross-legged on the dirt of the ground. Monta wondered how he would find the strength and agility to propel his massive body back to his feet, and almost smiled. “We fight! We’re not the kind of men that think with our heads! We let actions think for us, and sometimes that’s going to help us win. Sometimes it will make us lose. I know that you’re down on yourself, young one. You should be. It was a damned stupid thing that you did. But you will learn from the stupid. You’ll learn from your mistake. You’ll get hungrier. Your friends will expect that hunger from you. Even in moments when you aren’t sure that you feel it, you will see that they expect the fire in your belly. And your need to prove your worthiness to them will bring the hunger back.” The fire crackled in the night air before Monta said anything.

“I hope so. I feel terrible. This was my chance to step up. I feel like the opportunity was put in front of me and I blew it.”

“You didn’t blow it, Monta. I’m telling you, this is what we are. We’re not supposed to do anything right! Hahaha! We hide in the bushes. We sneak around at night. We hit you when you aren’t looking. We look disorganized, and you know what? We are disorganized! People come and people go. You think that it all falls on your shoulders because one guy walked away? One guy!?”

“Well, I guess I do think that” Monta replied.

“Monta, no one guy is that important. As we scramble about the land night after night, some guys decide they don’t want to do it anymore and we never see ‘em again. Some guys decide to join up with a bunch that has a little more organization. They just leave. On the other hand, sometimes somebody we’ve never seen before is fighting along with us like he’s been there from day one. Sometimes we talk guys into leaving those stuffy armies and running free with us. See Ronny over there? Just a few months ago, he was fighting under the Banner, trying to take down the Bastion. Why is he here? I don’t know. I don’t care! It doesn’t matter. He’ll contribute, and that’s all that matters. Guys come and go, Monta. You can’t let yourself believe that one guy makes the difference. So look at yourself. You’re hurt. It doesn’t matter now why you’re hurt. What matters is that you might not be ready to fight when the fight comes. It’s coming soon, I think. I’ve heard noises in the brush, and I think we’re being followed. But if you’re not ready, Mad Jack will be. Andris will be. "Machete" Maggette will be. All of these guys will fight hard while you rest and heal. All they’ll expect in return is that when you can fight, you fight like you have catching up to do.” He fell silent and took a swig of his brew. He was sure that he heard a twig break under the foot of a lurking predator deep in the trees. He was not afraid. “Will you fight when you’re ready?”

“I will. Thanks, Nell.”

“Don’t thank me. Just go out and kill.”