59 Summer, 507 AV Blythe was standing barefoot on the beach. She had kicked her gladiator sandals off earlier in the day, having decided that they were simply getting in her way. They rested by the side of her bag, only a few feet away from where she now stood, practicing martial arts in the hope of one day becoming slightly more capable of protecting herself. Not that there was any rush of course, nothing truly bad ever seemed to happen on the Island. But Rose had always warned the girls about the importance of being prepared, and that is what Blythe always intended on being: prepared for anything and everything. Thus, she stood on the beach, the bright yellow sun hovering high in the sky over her head. Casting its warm yellow glow over everything it touched. Kissing Blythe's skin, and causing several salty beads of sweat to appear on her brow, mixing with the scales that lined her forehead. They were shimmering a pale purple color that matched her eyes in the sunlight. From where she stood, Blythe could just make out the shoreline. From time to time, she could just make out the sound of a rather large wave crashing into the shore. Blythe found it relaxing her; each time the sound washed over her body. Blythe's feet were firmly planted in the sand. Her right foot rested a few inches in front of the left. It was pointed outwards, and ahead of her. The left remained behind, and was turned upward, away from the water. It made a ninety degree angle with Blythe's right foot. Her hands were balled into fists, and each of her arms was held out before her. Each of them was bent at the elbow. This was her fighting stance. "Perhaps I should practice my kicks," Blythe thought. She lifted her left leg off the ground, and towards her chest. Her leg was bent at the knee, and her toes were pointed towards the ground. She then extended her leg, and kicked straight out at her imaginary opponent. Blythe imagined that if someone had been standing there, she would have struck them in the stomach. "Now to bring the leg back and do it all over again," Blythe whispered as she quickly pulled her knee back to her chest. Perhaps the move was too forceful, or Blythe's balance was simply too poor, because the Konti soon found herself falling through the air. There was a muffled thud as Blythe hit the ground, and the beige sand she landed in seemed to mold to the shape of her body. Blythe sighed, "that always seems to happen," she muttered as she slowly got to her feet. The only problem was, she had no idea what she was doing wrong, and what she should do to correct it. Perhaps she should simply give up, she had been practicing for a while now, and didn't seem to be making much improvement, if any at all. |