Along the coast cliffs of Dundeere are the caves most creatures never notice.
That is, unless you’re a ‘cliff cat’ hungry and sniffing around for prey. It’s even worse when these ravenous cats are trained for hunting humans. Unfortunately for a young boy, out fishing for his family, the cat he found in his family’s domain was the latter. Trained, hungry and sent to end the lives of every human path it crossed.
The boy found blood at the mouth of the cave as he pulled himself up the knotted rope—the method of traveling from domain to domain.
Crouching quietly and listening intensely—he could hear the breath of the beast echo against the cold walls of stone. No movement. No other familiar sounds, which brought a tight pain to his mind and stomach. The boy was the man of the house, his father lost to a similar fate several years earlier. The cats were wild that night and had caught his father off guard.
Slowly picking a pebble from the floor—he let it fly, lifting the spear and pointing it down the tunnel.
A growl.
It was larger than usual, but that didn’t matter—the intent was always the same—the boy was nothing more than food. Positioning would be crucial for his survival. If he could taunt the cat and get it to lunge, maybe he could knock it out the cave entrance. Just keep your eyes open, he told himself…blink and you’re dead.
Slowly creeping forward, the cat paused—sniffing the air.
From a side groove, behind wooden crates, a little girl emerged from the shadows, trembling, but perfectly silent. The look on her face told the story of what had transpired. The their mother and older sister were dead.
The cat froze and the little boy knew what was next.
Bracing himself and lowering the back of the spear, the boy prepared to lunge. If he didn’t kill the cat, it would spin and tear his little sister apart.
As if smelling his intent, the cat spun—the boy launched himself off the wall of the cave, shooting up and over the cat—thrusting the spearhead downward with all his might. Metal pierced flesh as the cat shot out a paw in defense.
It wasn’t until he had made sure the cat was dead—thrusting the spear into the beast several times, that he noticed his little sister had fallen. She had been knocked into the corner to join the other women in eternal slumber.
The cat was not swinging a claw in defense. It was lashing out to kill.
With no home and no village left, the boy affectionately called “Chimpy”, climbed the rope to the surface…he had no idea of where to go or what to do—but justice was burned into his soul. He had heard stories from his father about great men of valor—the Nethinim—who hunted the evil forces who used cliff cats and twisted other creatures of nature to do their bidding.
If it took a lifetime—he would find these Nethinim, and pledge his allegiance.
This beloved Nethinim character is based on the talent and personality of International Martial Arts professional: Wim Demeere.
About Wim Demeere
Wim Demeere started working as a personal trainer in 1994 when this profession was still rare in his native country of Belgium. His passion for teaching and helping people improve the quality of their lives has made him a much sought after trainer both at home and across the globe. Over the years he passed on his knowledge to a wide variety of clients: CEOs of global companies, world-class athletes, best-selling authors and many different clients of all ages. Regardless of their background, his objective is always to help them achieve their goals of martial skill, athletic performance and perfect health.
In 2002 he began collaborating on several projects with his friend and mentor Mr. Loren W. Christensen. He co-wrote three books with Mr. Christensen, with several more in progress, and has written numerous articles for books and magazines. In June 2006 he completed a video shoot at Paladin Press for a series of instructional tapes and DVDs titled “Combat Sanshou.” Since then he has gone on to release more instructional material.
Martial arts background
Wim Demeere started his training in the martial arts at age 14 with the study of judo and ju jitsu with Mr. Roland Blanchaert. After a short while he switched to a traditional Chinese style called Hung Chia Pai with Mr. Jean-Louis Gonsette, a pioneer of Chinese martial arts in Europe. Mr. Gonsette’s classes were physically and mentally challenging, which inspired him to train hard both during and outside of the classes. This brutal and effective style ignited his passion for the martial arts and he began a lifelong journey of study and training.
At age 18 he began competing in full contact tournaments and specialized in Chinese free fighting competitions called “sanda.” After obtaining his first national title he moved on to the international scene and participated in several European and World championships. Throughout his career he became the Belgian national champion four times and held the bronze medal at the 1993 Wushu world championships in Malaysia. He retired from full-contact competitions in 2000 when he became national trainer for the sanda team of the Belgian Wushu Federation.
In 1997 he started his study of Practical Tai Chi Chuan with Mr. Patrick Couder and continues to do so to this day. This internal martial art complimented his experience in the external styles and became an important part of his training. Throughout the years he has studied a broad range of other fighting styles, including muay Thai, kali, pentjak silat and shoot fighting. He continues to practice and research martial arts daily in Belgium and across the globe.
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