C.A.M.A: Day Two
December 8th, 2012
The lights in the room flicked on, which woke me from my slumber. I squinted my eyes as they adjusted to the light and Night Hunter was already dressed for the day.
"Time to get up, recruit. Don't expect me to give you a wake up call every morning." Night Hunter said.
"Oh, umm, yeah, yeah." I said as I rubbed my eyes and headed off to the bathroom.
I quickly brushed my teeth, got some clothes on and slipped my shoes on. I then went downstairs and got an MRE from the breakfast section of the kitchen and quickly ate it. After heading back upstairs and grabbing my notebook, I ran to the classroom and Night Hunter was pacing left and right. He halted as I sat down and stared into my soul.
"So, Caleb..... Do you think you have what it takes to enter the Everfree Forest at night?" Night Hunter asked.
"Well.... not right now at the moment." I replied.
"Good answer, kid! If you were to enter that cursed forest at night, you would be at the bottom of the food chain!" Night Hunter said with a stern tone. "Unfortunately, I can not make your ranking increase, but I can give you the essentials that'll give you the extra edge."
"Alright, what do I need to know?" I asked, ecstatically.
"Caleb. Please stop acting all cheerful about this. These are deadly creatures that'll have no hesitation to kill you." Night Hunter exclaimed.
I was at a lost for words for a moment before I replied.
"Yes, sir." I said, changing my tone.
"Thank you. Now, open up that notebook to the first page and you write everything I tell you." Night Hunter said.
I opened up my notebook and got my pencil in a ready position. I gave Night Hunter a nod to begin. Night Hunter began to draw a wolf-like creature on the chalkboard that was made out of sticks.
"Timberwolves," he said with a pause. "Timberwolves are one of the leftover remnants of Nightmare Moon's short reign. These wolf like creatures come up to about one point four meters in height while four meters in length. They're very quick and agile and will sometimes work together in packs, but there can also be lone wolves as well. While in packs, they will usually try to flank their victim from the sides, so keep note of that. Their primary weakness is bright lights. If they're exposed to bright light, they will cower back and watch their target from a distance, so it won't kill them. If one wanted to vanquish a Timberwolf, they would have to use fire; they burn easy. Signs of Timberwolf presence would include paw prints, gnawed bark on trees, howling and an odor that smells similar to rotten eggs or sulfur. If you encounter a Timberwolf or a pack, make yourself as intimidating as possible. Show no fear of them and they'll turn into little pussycats, driving them away from your territory." Night Hunter said.
I continued to write all the information before I finally finished.
"Ready for the next creature?" Night Hunter asked.
"Mmm-hmm." I replied.
Night Hunter erased the illustration off the board and began to draw a snake with a chicken's head.
"Cockatrice," he said, "The Cockatrice is a mix between a snake and a chicken's head. This creature reaches to about five meters in length and thirty centimeters in height. What makes the Cockatrice so dangerous is the fact that if you get into it's line of sight, it'll slowly turn you into stone from the feet and up. If you see one, try to get out of it's sight and get somewhere safe. Whatever you do, never look at it directly in the eyes or you will most likely be instantly turned to stone. A method to defeat the Cockatrice has not been discovered yet, be sure to report the Cockatrice if you encounter it. Signs of Cockatrice activity include distinctive clucking of a chicken, moistness of the ground and prey that has already been stoned." Night Hunter said.
I wrote down the information given once again and nodded at Night Hunter again.
"Cragadile," Night Hunter said, "The Cragadile, hence its name, is a giant reptile that resembled a crocodile, but has rocks on its back for camouflage purposes. This creature comes up to two meters in height and ten meters in length. The Cragadile was first reported in the Batchu territories of the Everfree and resides in a creek that runs in the middle of Batchu. The thing about the Cragadile is that it will most likely stay in that area and will not leave unless disturbed, so it's best to steer clear of that area. If you happen to see it out of its territory, report it." Night Hunter said.
"Okay." I said as I wrote everything down.
"Dragons," Night Hunter said, "Dragons are reptilian monsters that come many sizes and shapes. For example, one might be two meters tall and bipedal while another could be quadrupedal and up to ten meters in height. These beasts have the ability to blow fire and are very resistant to extreme amounts of heat. They usually reside in the volcanic, dry regions south east Everfree, across the Celestial Sea, but small dragons were reported on the outskirts of the Hueyu territory of the Everfree Forest. The method to defeat one of these monsters will be discussed in the weapons unit. If you see one and unarmed, maintain your distance and keep a low profile." Night Hunter said.
"Next." I said after writing down.
"Manticore," Night Hunter said, "The Manticore is a large mix between a lion's body with dragon wings and a scorpion's tail. This creature comes to two meters in height and three meters in length. The Manticore habitat is located right next to the border that separates the Dovere and Batchu territories, so you might encounter it while patrolling the night. Now believe it or not, this creature will most likely not attack you unless you do something to enrage it. I would advise to just ignore it since it usually stays in its habitat. If you were to enrage it, then it would most likely swallow you whole, leaving no remains." Night Hunter said.
"Next." I said again.
"Parasprites. Parasprites are tiny little insects that are considered pests after the parasprite infestation in Ponyville in late August of this year. Their appearance is spherical, come in many colors and have the eyes that many would consider cute. Don't let their size and looks fool you, though. These pests are known to devour anything in it's path. It can be a building, furniture, metal, they'll literally eat anything. Since the infestation, they haven't been reported, but C.A.M.A has reason to believe that they may be hibernating somewhere in the Everfree, so keep a close eye out for them." Night Hunter said.
"Go on." I said.
"And last but not least are the Ursa's. There are two know Ursa's so far, being the Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. These giants appear to resemble a bear, hence the term Ursa. The Ursa Minor comes up to about twelve meters on all fours and estimated thirty if it were to go bipedal. The Ursa Major on the other hand is the big one being fifty-five meters on all fours and a towering estimate of one hundred meters while on hind legs. The last known appearance one of these giants was in June of this year in Ponyville." Night Hunter said.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Apparently, these two young colts woke the Minor while it was sleeping in a cave located near the end of the Hueyu territories. They're lucky that they weren't eaten or at the very most, didn't wake the Ursa Major. But we digress from the topic at hand. The Ursa's can be easily be distinguished not only by size, but by color. The Minor has a blue glow and the Major is believed to have a dark purple glow. Going back to the Ursa's, they should never leave the cave unless they're disturbed." Night Hunter said.
"What should I do if I somehow encounter the Minor or the Major?" I asked.
"You get your flank out of there. Even I wouldn't mess with them and I have no idea if our weaponry will stop them. Heck, even Princess Celestia cannot banish them." Night Hunter replied.
"So run and don't look back?" I said.
"Yes, precisely." Night Hunter said.
"Okay. Any other creatures that I need to know about?" I asked.
"No. And I have complete confidence that you wrote everything I told you." Night Hunter said.
"That I did." I said.
"Good, good." Night Hunter said.
"What now?" I asked.
"Now I want you to make some flashcards." Night Hunter said, handing me little rectangular pieces of paper.
"Flashcards?" I asked.
"Yeah, something wrong with that?" he asked.
"No, not at all." I replied.
"That's more like it. Flashcards are a good method of studying and your time here will be a chock full of studying. Take tidbits from your notes on each creature and write the information on either side you want and write the name of the creature on the other side of the paper." Night Hunter explained.
"So, like, works in packs on one side and write Timberwolf on the back?" I asked.
"Perfect! Just be a little more descriptive." Night Hunter advised.
"Got it." I said.
I then began to work on the flashcards, reminded me a lot of what I would do in high school. I just wonder what my friends back on earth are up to at this moment. Hell, I wonder if that damn portal is still active or not. It would be a surprise if it still is. But anyways, I probably completed the flashcards in about twenty or thirty minutes. There was a lot of flashcards to do, forty to be exact.
"Alright, Night Hunter, I finished these flash cards." I announced.
"Now all you have to do is study for the rest of the hour and week." Night Hunter said.
"Wait, that was it?" I asked.
"You see, what C.A.M.A does is that we will introduce a unit and allow the student to write down notes for a test that will come within five or six days." Night Hunter said.
"Ah, so it's just like college." I said.
"What's college?" Night Hunter asked.
"Equestria doesn't have a college system?' I asked.
"Yeah, the education system in Equestria mainly focuses on cutie marks, magic and that kind of stuff." Night Hunter said.
"Oh. Because the college system is just like C.A.M.A's training program. You wake up, go to class, take notes, study and take a test sometime later on." I said.
"That's interesting." Night Hunter said.
The rest of the hour was just me studying silently and Night Hunter sat a his desk, writing something on numerous sheets of papers. After the hour was over, there wasn't really much that went on for the rest of the day. Sure, me and Night Hunter had a talk every once in awhile, but it wasn't much because today was one of his busy days.
Now that I think about it, the boredom really forced me to study because I didn't really have much to do. With Night Hunter busy, we couldn't talk much or do anything in the rec room. Besides studying, I tore a piece of paper out of the two-hundred page notebook and began to draw pictures of ponies for some reason. But yeah, not much really went on for the rest of the day. I also have a feeling that I may have to space out my entry's now that I'm here.