Solo Move as One.

[Ball]

2nd of Summer 516

Ball made his way to the training grounds, the clay man started to spend more time in the grounds than he use too, practically spending his full day there instead of just a few bells at a time. Today though he had set aside to train a squad of six squires. They were an experimental concept Ball had been mulling over in his nexus for sometime as he walked and stalked the grounds watching knights, squires, and pages train alike. Usually it was squires against pages or squires and their patrons...But it was never teams against teams. Today Ball wanted to see if he could get a single squad to start working together in a simple task. Moving together as one.

He had made a point to stop a page that was just kicking the dirt of the ground with a smile, “Fetch me a coil of rope lad.” There was a brief look of fear etched in the page's eyes as he noticed who spoke to him before he nodded, turned, and took off towards the storage sheds. It took the page several ticks to fetch the coil and return it to Ball when he returned the squad of squires have showed up.

“Just on time. I want you six to stand close to one another and face me.” He motioned for them all to look at him as he stood in front of them. There was a few looks of skepticism but they did as Ball requested. “Thank you. Now please squire James will you take the coil of rope from the page and take hold of one end of it and pass the rest of the coil to your right. I want each of you to just keep passing the coil around the outside of all your bodies until the ends of the rope overlap but a foot on each end.” This request was met with all six faces looking confused and slightly concerned.

There was also a hint of fear, and it was this fear that was fueling the squires want to do as Ball said. Once the rope was tightly wound around them and squire James had both ends in his hands Ball nodded, “Now tie the two ends together in a tight knot.” There was some hesitation from the squire before the rope ends were tied together.

“Ball what does this have to do with working as a team?” One of the squires asked. There was a brief moment of silence before Ball spoke. “As knights we must learn to move, act, think, and react as a team. As a squad. This is an exercise in doing just that.” Ball pointed to the right, “Now move.”

[Ball]

Ball watched as the squires tried to all walk their own ways and watched as the rope first grew taunt around them, there was some grunting and bickering that quickly ended with much individual struggle and they all collapsed to the ground in a heap of legs, arms, and rope. Ball nodded and stepped forward, “As I expected. Stand up and go again. As a team. We all have individual skills and benefits, but we are all a team. One unit. You are all an individual amongst a team of your peers.” He pointed to the right once more, “Again.”

The squires groaned in unison before they shuffled to a standing position, rope in hand. They all started to go to the right as one, a few steps at a time but Ball, from his position outside of the tied in group of children and his height he could see that the ones on the outside and at the front were stepping too fast for the ones in the middle and rear to keep up, and once more they all fell forward. This time the middle landing on top of the ones in the front and the ones in the back piling up on them all.

That is when the fighting broke out – fists, elbows, feet, knees, words – Ball growled, “Stop or I will get in there.” there was a pause and they all looked at Ball, all six pairs of eyes had the look of fear stricken glaze to them. “I thought so. Now stand up again, and before we move I want someone to give me an answer as to why they think they failed that second time.”

When the 'squad' was back on their collective feet a meek voice spoke up from the middle of the group, “No communication. No guidance. Everyone is just going their own way, some are getting the idea to follow the person next to them, but still no one is talking to the ones in the middle and the rear are moving another direction.” Ball smiled, “Good good. What's your name squire?" There was a pause before the squire squeaked out again, "Mor... Wyn.... Morwyn ser."

Ball listend to the others snicker, Ball wasn't sure why but then he realized the meek voice wasn't a boy as he first thought but a young girl, her hair cut yhaphazardly into a cut close to the boys. "Morwyn, you take lead on this. I will only untie you lot of squires when you can transverse from this end of the training grounds to the other.” He nodded and spoke again, “Now move.”

The meek voiced squire tried to direct the lot of squires to move forward but no one moved but her and when she fell Ball frowned and felt pity, “Squire Dylan, come out from behind the rope and stand before me. I want you to see what you and your fellow... teammates are doing to one another.” A stocky boy with straw colored hair lifted the rope from his midriff, having been one of those in the middle the boy was close to Ball. When the boy turned he looked at the group, “I see nothing out of place.”

Ball nodded and with a snap of his hand Ball sent Dylan down to the floor. It took almost no effort for Ball to inflict the strike against Dylan. The moment Ball connected he shifted and watched Dylan fall to the ground. Standing beside the place where the boy's head hit the sand he pointed so the boy could see.

“You see your leader on the ground there? Do you?” Ball grabbed the boy's nose and tweaked it hard, “You let one of your fellows fall on these grounds like that you pick him up. Same with on the fields of battle. With the enemy roaring down your throats and swinging sword, mace, and fire. You will pick up your fallen brothers and sisters in arms and put them back to their feet and protect them as if they were you.” Ball looked at the others, “Same goes with all of you.” Ball release Dylan's nose and motioned back at the group. “Back in with your squad. Pick up your comrade and try again.”

With Dylan's help Morwyn was able to get back onto her feet and the two got back into their rightful places.