30 Imperfect plan (1/2)
Lazar was quite surprised that Amandla had realized that they were being followed when he himself hadn't suspected it, 'Perhaps that's one of her skills or maybe sensing what's going on around us is a capacity that we can developed when our perception reaches a certain stage.'
The possibility that she was naturally better than him to feel an enemy presence didn't cross his mind, not out of pride but because from what he knew about her it was highly improbable...
Although knowing this was essential for their collaboration to go smoothly, there were two important things they hadn't talked about. Come to think of it, Lazar was willing to admit that it was his fault.
First, there was of course their awakenee skills. Amandla had tried to talk about it last night but Lazar was thinking that revealing that he only had one skill wouldn't be in his best interest so he changed the subject and she didn't insist.
Then, there was the military training they had undergone. It was obvious for both of them that their respective abilities weren't just due to being awakenees and not only did they both realize that the other was part of a special force, they also both managed to determine which one on their own without the need of words and more or less quickly.
Still, It was something which deserved further discussion because knowing that only gave them a vague idea of what the other was capable of, members of the same special force have different specialties.
As for his own case, it was obvious to Lazar that Amandla had realized he was a Navy Seal from the start. A qualified member of any special force must be able to recognize a member of another special force by distinctive signs and he would be really surprised if she had missed the tatoo on his arm which had always been visible.
Regarding Amandla, Lazar didn't had any leads until this morning, when he saw her in his kitchen before they left. For once, he was glad some stupid traditions doesn't concerned only the Navy Seals.
Amandla also had a tattoo showing her belonging to her special force, it had the advantage of being located at a more discreet place than Lazar's, her right shoulder, reason why Lazar didn't notice it until then. Before having seen her with a tank top he had only seen her with sleeved tops which were hiding it.
Regardless, the important thing was what the tattoo itself represented. A crown, an anchor and the head of an aggressive-looking winged creature resembling a horse, 3 intertwined elements representing the emblem of a special force of the Royal Norwegian Navy.
Unable to memorize the full name which was according to his memories unpronounceable for him, Lazar had learned the abbreviated name, MJK. A unit specializing in unconventional warfare, sabotage and scouting. One might expect something else from a unity associated with the word 'royal'.
Knowing how to track and knowing when you are being tracked is an art he had learned with one of the best teachers for this, his grandfather. So much so that he found that his training with the Navy Seals didn't bring him anything more in that regard.
Though, at the moment Lazar was more concerned with whether Amandla could tell him more about what was following them than anything else, ”Do you think it's them?” He says while speeding up.
”At first, I only felt one presence, now a little over a dozen, all that I can say is that they are certainly not humans with this smell of stray dog which is floating in the air.” Amandla made her bow reappear and pulled back the bowstring with four arrows which materialized between each of the fingers of her right hand from her thumb to her little finger.
Her bow was lowered because taking immediately a shooting position would hinder her run but if they were attacked she would be ready to react.
A stray dog smell... 'It's good to know who we're going to have to fight against.' That was the only certainty Lazar could have because they didn't have the initiative of attack anymore and they didn't know exactly how many monsters they will have to face.