Like clockwork, the sullen soldier awoke from his slumber to a darkened sky. The stars still commanded the sky, and the moon hung high on its throne. Nimble limbs unfolded from beneath him as he rose to his feet and emerged from his den and into the camp clearing. Allowing his forelegs to slip out in front of him, he lowered his chest to the ground, enjoying the tingling stretch of his muscles. With a deep breath in, he rose back up to his full stature and took a moment to look around. Nothing but silence. Wolves lay asleep in their dens, some enjoying the comfort of others against them while the dreamt. Until his arrival here he had never given a thought to the query of love. What was it like to give oneself, mind, body, and soul, to another? To entrust ones heart in the paws of other, to devote oneself to care for and protect another not simply for necessities sake, but purely out of want. It was a foreign concept to him. Loyalty he knew like no other, but pure devotion in the name of love? That he knew nothing about. A soldier was to be exactly that. A soldier, and nothing more. Relationships were a hinderance to ones duties. The result of such thinking had left his life void of any connections beyond duty.

Shaking the thoughts that clouded his mind, he began to make his way to the place he had met with Warrior Yiska and Warrior Nnlya the day prior. He had agreed to, with the help of Nnlya, train the new warrior. Marrok had sent her in search of them in need of a 'tune up.' He had trained many young wolves during his time as head of the King's Guard. This would be no different though having another assist him with the training would be something new to him. Not in having a second trainer, but in the way she would train. The combination of two fighters experiences would do wonders for Yiska, but only if she was open to trying new things. Arriving at the designated meeting area he took a quick glance around to see if the others had arrived yet. Neither scent nor sight gave any hint as to their presence yet, so he would wait. Slipping into a sitting position, he let his tail wrap around his side and fall dormant beside his body. Many wolves took to the habit of wrapping ones tail across their paws, but he had never found the tickle of his tails long hairs upon his paws a comforting thing. A brisk spring breeze danced through the clearing and played through the charred rust hairs over his body as he awaited the others so their training may get underway.

[Posting order shall be as follows]
             Drogo
             Nnlya
             Yiska
             Altair

In the time of morning before any creature stirred, before even the idea of the sunrise was considered, a young fae roused herself from her slumber. Moving well from the boughs of the tree beneath which her den was located, she dipped her chest and forelegs low to the ground in a long stretch. She yawned, her tongue peeking through her jaws and over her lower lip. It was quite early, but not enough to trouble her. Many a morning had been spent waking so early in order to train, patrol or hunt, merely doing her duty to her pack.

Looking up, the ever persistent sky spun it's cosmic round as it did every night. Predictable. Much of the world was so. Each autumn the trees would loose their leaves. Each year it would snow in winter and the hers would migrate south. Each spring new life would return to the earth. Wolves would grow and she'd their coats. Pups would be born. Each day the sun would rise. What wasn't predictable were the actions of the creatures that inhabited this predictable earth. Would one pack attack another today? Would a spider spin a new web today? Would a brute choose to tell that special fae how he he felt about her? And so Nnlya's mind turned to the possibility of a mate once more. The thought had not plagued her in some time and she often wondered who the brute might be that would father her pups. What he would be like, look like, sound like? How much of their pups would be like him and how much like her? But she shook such thoughts from her mind. If a brute found her, he found her. But she did not have the luxury of time to sit around dreaming of endless possibilities.

The fae trotted a little ways from the clearing to some older den sites. She easily located the spot where she had met the Warrior Yiska, her new pupil. She was still considering ways to train the young fae. Her efforts with Lead Hunter Eclipse had proven quite fruitful and her methods there might be helpful in this case. However, she also considered that the wolf might better benefit from Warrior Drogo's far more hardcore training style. Perhaps if the two collaborated - she teaching technique and how to perfect it, he teaching conditioning, stamina and ever lasting training skills - and came together in the end to test her in a real fight. They might just have a good thing going. But only if the got it to work right. NnlyA spotted her friend and skittered closer, bumping him softly with her hip as she passed by. Hey there stranger. You ready for today? she paused awaiting his reply. As he did so, she backtracked and moved to sit to his right, wrapping her tail around her side to rest over his own and her paws, for it was quite long. She noticed how he did not place his tail over his paws but said nothing of it. I've been considering possible ways to go about this. Perhaps if we collaborate, play to our strengths and teach what we know best. Me with technique and what I know, just as I showed Eclipse, and you with your fighting style, conditioning and training skills - you know, the hardcore stuff. If we work with that and maybe, when we think she's ready, come together and give her a final test. Where she would have to fight us both and show us all she has learned, then maybe we can really turn her into something incredible. Pause. That is, if you don't already have something in mind? And of course if she is open to learning different fighting styles and incorporating them together. She turned her head, her clear sky blue eyes searching his own sunrise-orange ones for any sign of an answer

She woke up softly to the sweet smell of Aurora's stale scent. She had been a generous one, one that Yiska had wished they would become good friends together. She stretched far out and shook herself free of the dirt and dust, then silently trotted out, trying her hardest not to wake anyone. Her head became light like she had just swallowed her breath, and it had felt like she hadn't eat in a long time, which was false since she had hunted a small beaver yesterday evening. She always felt light headed and hungry when it was extremely early and she was giddy, so she did not panic. It was incredibly hard to spot the night colored wolf in the dark, only her morning sky eyes would give it away. She looked up at celestial sphere that had majestically turned navy during the night. It was freezing without the warm sunlight to give the earth its fiery rays. She sighed, slightly shivering. Not long she scented the two friendly wolves she had met earlier, probably waiting not that long hopefully. She smiled when she saw their friendly faces. She quickly dipped her head and sat down opposite the two, wondering why they were there so long. "Hello, nice to see you again. Will someone else be joining us this morning?" She waited patently for their reply. A couple of moments happened where she almost nodded her head in sleep. A chill ran it's icy claws up her back, making her quiver and immediately making her sit up straight. She wrapped her extremely soft tail on her legs, and covered part of her face with her ears. She wanted more than anything to lay down on the ice cold floor and sleep, but not only would it be uncomfortable, it would show she was tired, so she sighed, put on her game face and sat up, uncovering her ears, and letting her tail sweep the floor. I will not let the cold get to me, I will not let the cold get to me. She repeated softly in her head.

Rising early in the morning altair stretched with a groan. He never could get over the habit after his fathers early rising. "The early bird gets the worm!" He had always spoken, his warm and enthusiastic voice ever present in his thoughts. Peeking out of the den still not sure about his surroundings or this stale scented den. It was warm don't get him wrong, he could still tell that it wasn't long ago that someone else rested here. It was kind of soothing though, with a shrug he pulled himself out and begin to trek through the shrubbery, busying his nose as he checked for breakfast.

A mouth watering musk filled the air bringing the hungry wolf to a rabbits den. Where the mother was he didn't know but three little ones lay, they seemed to be too young to leave but old enough to fill one or more wolves stomach. 'Maybe i should catch the mother as well...? No she would catch my scent and be gone.' As he killed the three he felt a sickening guilt of taking life in the gut of his stomach. "I think the earth and the skys for giving food for the hungry..." His voice small almost like the whisper on the wind.
Trailing back the way he'd come his ears flickering at the early morning sounds and the rustling of the leafs. It was nice to call a territory home, where you knew you would have others to help defend it and be safe from the wildest of creatures. And to know you wont always go empty stomach. Pushing his way through a few brambles he came out on a different side than earlier. This time he faced three wolves. It was a bit endearing but he kept his calm. Setting down the three babe bunny's he gave a calm greeting. "Good morning."

It was not long before Drogo was joined by another. Nnlya was first to arrive, chipper as always. As she passed him she allowed her hip to nudge into him. The contact was still foreign to him, but he had now come to expect it and so this time managed to refrain from flinching at her touch. With a polite nod he responded to her greeting. "I am always ready. It is Yiska who I hope is ready." he said with what could have passed as a hoarse chuckle which came to an abrupt halt as she sat beside him and proceeded to wrap her tail across both her and his paws. The feeling was an uncomfortable one but he was not about to tell her. Shifting his paws briefly he ignored the tickle and listened to her thoughts on how they should go about training the new warrior. He agreed that they would have to collaborate their styles to give the female the best possible training, but he first wanted to see what she was capable of. It was easy to train one who knew nothing, but having to retrain a wolf was a whole different ball game. "I would like to see what she knows before we decide how to approach the situation but that is most likely how we will end up doing things. he said in a slightly hushed voice as he smelt the approach of Yiska.

Blue eyes emerged from the darkness that concealed her approach. Giving her the same nod in greeting as he had to Nnlya he rose to his feet. "Good morning Yiska. I trust you slept well?" he said hoarsely. "None shall be joining us that I am aware of. If you are ready, we shall head out immediately. We have a lot to do." He added before spinning around to set out through the trees towards Eden's Hollow. Before he could take a step, a third scent wafted into his nose, accompanied with the smell of blood. Rabbit from what he could tell. It wasn't long before the owner of the scent made his way into the clearing. Drogo eyed the three young rabbits in his jaw and grinned. A hunter he presumed. Watching the prey drop to the ground he shifted his glossy gaze back up to the male as he addressed them. "Good morning sir. It seems you caught us at a bit of a bad time for chit chat. We are heading out to do a bit of training." he stated bluntly. He did not like to waste time and hoped that the male would not do so. galncing back over his shoulder to Nnlya and Yiska he awaited them to stand so they may get going.

Nnly a was rather disappointed when the brute did not flinch, but at the same time she was proud of him. Glad that she was helping him to become accustomed to a mucho ride flier lifestyle than he was used to. She noticed his discomfort with her tail positioning and so removed it, pulling it closer to her side. She liked his views on how to train the new fae and nodded silently in agreement with his proposal.

The wind shifted slightly, carrying the scent of said fae to the warriors. But it was her eyes that gave her away. A stark icy blue against the dark of the forest at night, else her inky pelt provided excellent camouflage. The lighter faes ears swivelled quickly, catching the minute thud of padding paws on the forest floor. It was noted that the younger wolf already had some knack for silent travel. Good. They had a starting point. But she did notice the lack of curiosity with which she regarded her surroundings. For at that very moment, as she looked intently at the incoming fae, she was also aware of Drogo's greeting and movement, as well as that of a young hunter travelling towards the pack clearing, his footfalls heavy as he was laden with his success. Greetings Yiska. I hope you're ready for your first lesson.

She found it pointless to reiterate what the brute had already conveyed and so silently stood and followed the brute towards Edens Hollow, gesturing for Yiska to follow. They had not travelled far when they met the hunter Nnlya had been aware of earlier. His scent confirmed that he was indeed a new hunter to the pack, and an accomplished one at that. He was burdened by the fruits of his success as three young rabbits adorned his bloodstained jowls. He dropped them and offered a greeting. It was clear through Drogo's reply that he wished to waste no time conversing with the hunter. Nnlya felt somewhat more charitable. Hello there Hunter. I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting, though if have seen you around the pack clearing. I am Warrior Nnlya, and he is Warrior Drogo. It pains me to say that we are on a bit of a schedule as we are training the fae you see following us. But if you were so inclined, you might join us if you wish? she quite liked the look of this brute. He seemed young and intelligent, not to mention good mannered. But so were the other brutes of the pack. She wondered what his trait might be. Drogo had his serious, soldiers attitude; Eclipse had his deep and thoughtful nature; she herself was quite the jolly and energetic wolf. Though Yiska she had yet to figure out. Perhaps he was cheeky? Serious? Playful? Flirtatious? Whatever he was, for a higher rank to accept him, he must be something good.

(OOC: sorry I can't think of anything! Sorry Altair I didn't give you a very good grip to reply! Also I think you all don't have school and I live in SF where it's very rare to snow, and I had to go to school on Monday)

(IC:) Once she entered the clearing she sat down and immeadatly stood up. She could automatically scented the smell of rabbit when she came to the clearing, but she had no time to hunt. Now she had smelled it more as a newer wolf entered the calm quiet hollow. He was of a lighter color, and her new mentors told him they had no time to stay and talk, so she decided not to reply to the new wolf's greeting. She was curios as to know what his name is though. She stood, and shivered, then followed her mentors. "Goodbye, best of wishes!" She replied shortly and trotted forward, her fox soft tail lifted up high as she walked calmly away, excited to find out more of the commonly used battle strategies in the pack of Helidos. She knew of some methods of pinning down your opponent, but usually in the heat of the moment she would struggle until she/he was down. She never killed for pleasure, and never enjoyed fighting for her life, but that is life. Hard enough she was a loner, now she will be more experienced and can actually call herself a fighter. She smiled then dipped her head, and wondered if she could sit and talk with the mysterious wolf. The morning was crisp, and the air was fresh, it kept her nose wet. She loved to paw at the winter snow and find hidden greens that would pop up. This time of year was almost as fun as winter, but she liked that better. It was fun to skid on the ice, and hop into the snow and sink down to your dewclaws. It was as fun as being a pup again! She wondered how the camp would look like in winter. Probably more wonderful than she could have imagined.

His smile turned now as his mind became thoughtful to the reply he got from the male.  "Ah i see, then won't pester for long then." His voice soft but playful as he took in the view. The wolf before him was tall and sturdy, strength was behind him that he could tell, his eyes told experience. Nowadays among the pack he seemed to give more and more of his respect to the wolves. Once he thought it would be meant to those that saved him but now he could very clearly. A bright and feminine voice drew his optics away from Drogo and towards Nnyla, her few seemed like silk and her eyes gorgeous. "it would be my pleasure to walk along with you Nnlya." His voice rumbled in his throat as he made to walk beside her. "My name is Altair." He flickered his ears to Yiska and gave a nod of his head in greeting before consentrating back to Nnlya. "The ways i am to learn from you and your friend shall be most beneficial as in protecting the pack members when needed. And could possibly be used on prey. I thank you for your grandeur of bringing me along." He stared ahead in wonders of which location that the two had planned for the other wolf to train. He clacked his teeth before sneaking another glance to Nnlya then to Drogo.He held as any males curiosity if he even held the slightest of chances.

To no surprise, Nnlya felt much more obliged to talk to the hunter than he did, and so introduced both herself and him to the Hunter and cordially invited him to join their training session. The hunter, who made himself known as Altair was quick to accept her offer. He did not mind training a second wolf, but found the way Altair greedily looked over Nnlya, much to his disliking. Pushing the strange irked feeling from his mind, he noticed that both Nnlya and Yiska had risen and ready to head out. Shooting one last examining glance to Altair he parted his lips to speak once more before they left. "We would be more than happy to have you join us, though I will give you the same warning I gave Yiska. It will be hard work. You will be required to push yourself beyond your limits but if you do as we say you will learn a great deal. Should you chose to take farther instruction beyond today then you will need to commit fully to it. That will mean early mornings and late nights but the results will be worth it. And no need to worry, you will be given ample time to complete your tasks as hunter." Training his cold eyes to face front, he wasted not a moment more and set out for Eden's Hollow.

The walk was not far and Drogo remained silent for its duration. In little time at all the gang had arrived. The familiar landscape of the hollow was growing to be a comfort to the warrior as he came here at least once every day and most days twice. Spinning on his heels, he turned to face the wolves who followed close behind. The brief glint of emotion that Nnlya had witnessed upon their first meeting was completely absent and in its stead lay hardened eyes and a firm set jaw. He took training seriously and wanted to ensure they knew this. Looking to each of the wolves he nodded. "Let's get down to business." he said gruffly, allowing his eyes to examine the trainees more closely now that the sky began to lighten in preparation for the rising sun. "First thing is first. Before we can help you improve, we must know at what level your skills currently sit. So, if you will, one at a time please tell us a brief description of your strengths and weaknesses as a fighter." Letting his gaze shift to Nnlya he raised a brow, "Anything you would like them to add before we get to the physical work?" He asked, wondering if she would add onto his verbal inquiry before he let them put actions to their words.

They set off, Nnlya walking side by side with the Hunter Altair. She was not so oblivious to his looks of interest as she was to Drogo's reaction to them. It was a short walk to Edens Hollow, a place she was rather familiar with. She was glad that Drogo had consented to allowing the hunter along. She thought it good that he showed interest in being able to protect his pack. It was her firm belief that all who were able should be taught to fight. Especially hunters as the skills were often quite transferable, as she had found herself on numerous occasions.  Upon their arrival at Drogo's chosen spot, he moved to sit facing them. As the other teacher in this party, she felt it right that she join him. She bumped Altair with her hip and sent him a cute wink. Stepping forward deliberately, she allowed her tail to trace his collarbone, up his neck and under his chin. She smirked and she walked toward Drogo, turning to sit alongside him.

All emotion was gone from his face. The small glimpse of a kind and caring wolf was gone as the soldiers mask returned. She hardened her own face, knowing that training was a serious undertaking and that all should be allowed the privilege to learn to fight for ones pack. But it seemed that she should be the one to introduce a kinder element to this training, should it be required. Balancing each other, like the sun and rain. So different, yet only by working together do they create harmony and life. He spoke firmly, ensuring that all knew just how serious this was to him. He asked each of them to create a list of strengths and weaknesses so that their teachers might have a starting point for their lessons. His head turned to the fae by his side, asking if she had anything to add.

She nodded her head. Her voice rose firm and clear, denoting the seriousness of what she was asking. I would also like each of you to answer honestly the following question. Have you ever fought and killed another wolf? If so, what was their rank or experience level? There will be no boasting, no false claims of victory. A simple yes or no is required. We need to know these things so that we understand what you are, or have been, capable of. I would also like to remind you of our earlier warning. This will be hard. You will be forced to stretch your limits beyond what you thought possible. And you have to be prepared for that. After all, even miracles take a little time. And with that her silence resumed, awaiting replies from the two pupils.

(OOC: O. mi. god. I am soooo sorry I took a long time! REALLY SORRY! Is it okay that Yiska hasn't?  And congrats u two on making the ranking of a Delta! >W<)
"N-no not-never. But I have came pretty cluck-lose..." she lowered her head, the subject made her uncomfortable. She recalled the first time that  wolf that looked like Kallik-her brother in a harsh fight. "He was a loner but, no I have-haven't." She took note that her reply had quivered... she didn't know that she was nervous, but her voice said otherwise. She sighed and looked up once more. It was unlikely for her to be shy, but the stares of the wolves unnerved her. She stood there like a fool, quivering. She would never kill for pleasure, wolves nor prey, and she knew others did. She wasn't cold hearted, rather clever, cunning, keen, and sly and overall witty. She didn't really understand the concept of 'mean' itself, so there was nothing she could really do but growl, bare her fangs, and back up, making her look fierce in hopes that the opponent would back up. Of course she had hurt something, otherwise she wouldn't be alive here. Her life... her life was something that nobody should endure. It was so harsh, and it happened so fast... there was nothing to stop it, because however hard life gets, however bad you want it to slow down... it's not, because, life goes on.[/color]

Each step she took so did he, he found keeping pace with the she was quite well. Feel the earth on your pad, learn the vibrations, yearn it. For when he had been among the mountains it was scent and sound he had to of relied on. Either the bleating of a goat or clicking of hooves. He gave an uncertain grunt as he pulled his thoughts back together. 'How do they plan on doing this...i sort of just jumped in...i'll be sure to apologize for any burdens.'

Soon without much notice they had all come to a stop, a hollow stretched out around him, much different than the closed in feeling he had when hunting among rocks or tree's. Dancing to his other paw he waited as the two warrior's sat before him and yiska, they both looked thoughtful and so wise, well at least in his eyes. Altair lingered longer on Nnlya after her little run of the tail, he couldn't help the smile and the soft murmur of beautiful that had escaped his maw as she left his side. Giving ear to Drogo he gave a nod of his respect before speaking up to the lad. "I will work my hardest to be deemed worthy under your watch." Flicking his tongue over his teeth nearly letting it droop out but settled it back before continuing. "I do believe my specialty would be of agility and speed. I am not so much of one with strength, yes i must have the strength in my maw to take a prey down but for a wolf who has so much determination..." To give away what he could do, he wasn't sure if he were comfortable especially after his fathers teachings of never revealing your weaknesses. 'But how can i better myself if he doesn't know how?' He glimpsed down at his paws listening to the words that yiska spoke, the emotion in her voice nearly tearing at his heart. It was a pain and guilt many dealt with in many ways, some never fully easing themselves. It would be her weakness, maybe more of a spiritual touch would have to be enacted. But he would just wait and watch to see the words of the wolves before him. As silence drew long he gave a little cough to announce he would speak. "I have....a loner..." How could anyone feel pride with such murderous intent. Who would wish to intentionally bloody their jaws and cause the pain of another's heart. These were some of the reasons he joined Helidos....a righteous pack who saw more than the glory of battle and the howls of pain. He held fast keeping his head high, no pride...just hollow eyes wanting nothing more than to push it away.

Watching the way Nnlya interacted with the hunter caused Drogo to furrow his brow ever so slightly. Such strange exchanges between the two of them, and he hadn't the slightest clue what purpose they served. Pushing the perplexing thoughts from his mind he focused back on the wolves. Nnlya had asked a valuable question in asking of their victories and if either had killed before. Yiska was the first to speak. Nnlya's question seemed to have reduced her to a stuttering mess. Everything about her showed extreme nervousness. Her voice crackled, her muscles tightened and her head lowered, shielding her eyes from them. He silently began to question her prior claims to being well known in battle. How could a wolf as acclaimed as she made herself out to be, be so nervous? Nnyla's question also seemed to have taken precedence in her mind over his as she failed to mention what strengths and weaknesses she possessed in battle. "Yiska you needn't be so nervous. We are not here to pass judgement, only to develop your skills to better equip you for the future. You must learn to control your emotions. That will prove to be the most difficult for you. Emotion has no place in battle, for every emotion is a hinderance. Rage, fear, and overconfidence will do none but get you injured, or worse." he said frankly. "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. As long as you fight for what you believe in, you can never truly be defeated lest you allow someone to convince you that what you are fighting for doesn't matter. Now if you will, I didn't catch what you consider to be your strengths in a fight." he said, purposefully not asking about her weaknesses again as he knew from her reaction, that her emotions would be her biggest hurdle.

His attention then turned to Altair, listening as the hunter answered both questions. He nodded in aggreance to him saying his strengths were agility and speed. His body had the build much more similar to a females in that he held a lithe frame allowing him to excel in speed. "Speed and agility are vitally important in a fight. Strength can be built in time, but speed cannot. Consider yourself blessed. Having a speed and agility advantage over your opponent will allow you to tire your opponent quickly is you can dodge enough attacks. But you must understand that to rely solely on speed is not enough." he said sharply. He had seen many talented soldiers fall because they had grown overly confident in their speed and so met their end. It was not enough to be skilled in one area. To be an effective fighter, one needed to have balance in speed, agility, strength, endurance, and skill. Having heard that Yiska had never taken a life, and that Altair had taken but one, made Drogo feel a monster compared to these innocent wolves who stood before him. He had long since lost count of the number of wolves who's lives had seen their final moments at the snap of his jaw. Shifting his gaze over to Nnlya once more he spoke again, "Do you have anything else to add? If not I would like to see these two in action. A harmless spar to see that they've got." he said and then looked back at the two trainees, addressing them with the second part, "We will be stopping the spar at various points to give pointers. Any questions? If not, lets begin."

The fae listened quietly as each wolf answered her question. Yiska had not once killed, but her emotional state when answering the question suggested that perhaps she had come close. The warrior needed comfort and her nerves put at ease. And this had caused her to neglect Drogo's question. The Hunter, however, had taken a wolfs life before and it seemed he felt remorse at the act. It was a good thing, for none should take pleasure in the removal of another's life. His skill set was impressive, but typical of that of a Hunter. And to have the ability to fight, he would have to build up his strength. Perhaps her training techniques, used on Eclipse, would be suited to him.

Drogo finally spoke, lightly berating Yiska for her excessive display of emotion, which she could not help but agree with. He restated his question to her, being absolutely sure to get an answer from her. To the Hunter he commended him for his luck of being born with excellent speed and agility, but stressed the necessity of strength in order to win a fight. She wondered how Drogo felt at knowing that the two young wolves had taken only one life between them, whilst he held a list of countless numbers killed in battle. But she thought she knew him better than to dwell on the past. Surely he could not tell her the things he had about learning from the past, only to dwell on it himself. When he turned to her and asked her opinion she only nodded and stood, making her way to the young fae first, for she needed her help the most.

Nnlya sat almost perpendicular to Yiska, dipping her head so her muzzle was ticked by the fur of the other faes ears. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she uttered, The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all. She paused. Now, sit up straight and proud. And tell us what skills you posess. Then, the warrior raised herself once more, travelled behind the fae and over to the hunters side. She returned to her haunches and brought her maw to his ear. Whispering to Altair but also barely loud enough for Drogo to hear, she said. Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one. And sometimes to protect ourselves and the ones we love we must do unspeakable things. If your acts against that loner were justified, then there is no wrong done. Look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become. She carefully eyed Drogo at this. I would know. I was in that position once. And I hope to never be there again. Never take pleasure in killing, it will only lead you to the dark sides stand tall, and be proud of your accomplishments and learn from the past. The words were meant for Altair but she had hoped Drogo could hear her and understand what she was trying to say. She ended it there and returned to Drogo's side, gently leaning on him for a second as a form of comfort to them both. Let us continue.

She nodded her head briskly, before sitting up straight. Nnlya walked swiftly over once they were done talking and wispered "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." She hesitated, then nodded once more before replying. Nnlya wispered something into Drogo's ear, something she couldn't hear, but she decided not to stay too long on that topic. "Strengths, for one I am quick to react, and light on my paws at fight. I excel at strength, even though it doesn't look so, and well that's about it. I am willing to spar with him." She announced as she stood, grinning just a little. This wolf won't know what hit him. Sure she was shy, but fighting was her specialty. She silently laughed at that. Her eyes melted to soft and warm, into fierce and sly. She lifted one eyebrow (OOC: Do wolves have eyebrows? Anyways) and flipped from scared she-wolf, to a different fighter. Often this happened, like she would know what to do when they make a fast move, or like when they had done something unexpected, she of course would hesitate, but not so long that they could catch her off guard. (OOC: I'm sorry this is short, but I couldn't think of anything. This usually happens if you've noticed...)

He gave a nod to drogo already knowing most of this, he would work hard to prove himself and hard to improve. His ears twitch as he listened to the she wolf yiska finally answer the first question. It would help in terms if they were to spar. He would watch his steps knowing he could probably dodge hopefully half her blows. He will try to make his strikes swift and to the point. His attention focusing on Nnyla as she leaned up against drogo, he stared hard at the other male wondering if the two were close or more than just friends. With a twitch of his muscles he stood and faced yiska dipping his head as he awaited the permissions to begin. His yellowish orange eyes focusing intently in wait, how would her first move go. Will she dive forward or feint the attack. Making circle or bounce from the back or side. Many possibility's that she could use, an seeing as she was from the warrior rank she would probably win this little spar unless the warriors stopped them before any such outcome.

Drogo watched carefully as Nnlya whispered what he could only presume to be words of encouragement to Yiska, and then turned her words to Altair. Her words to the hunter were slightly louder, it seemed purposefully done as she let her eyes find Drogo's while she spoke as if addressing him as well as the hunter. He listened carefully to her words and nodded a silent acknowledgement to her that he understood and agreed. As she returned to his side and leaned against him, the heat from her touch warmed his side in a much less foreign way now. Finally Yiska spoke up again, this time answering his question. She told them that she was quick to react, which could be a good thing but could also be a hinderance. It was good to have quick reflexes, but one needed to analyze a situation before reacting to hastily. If such a trait was noticed by an opponent it would be quite easy to make a false move to trap the other. Hearing her consent, and seeing the silent nod from Altair, Drogo rose to his feet so he may be more involved in their spar when needed.

Hardened orange eyes carefully watched the pair as they readied themselves for the spar. The shift in demeanour from Yiska was a relief as she let her overbearing emotions slip away in exchange for a much fiercer attitude. "I trust you both know the rules of a spar, but I shall repeat them anyways. This is a training spar. Not a true fight. There shall be no blood drawn nor serious injury inflicted. If either myself of Nnlya sees something that concerns us, we will stop the spar to address the issue. he said sternly. Letting his eyes drift from one wolf to the other, he spoke up again "Remember, fight hard, and fight smart. Be aware, but do not allow yourself to become distracted for in a true fight it would mean your defeat. You may begin." he snapped, anxious to see what the two could do. He kept his eyes trained on them, examining their every movement so that he may critique where needed.

Nnlya was quick to notice Yiska's confident demeanour. Her raised eyebrow suggested that she believed she had already won this fight and that the Hunter would be easy to defeat. This was what some might call cocky and it did not sit well with the warrior. She looked at her new pupil, her face hardened into a mask of concentration, but inwardly she feared that this self-assured nature the raven wolf held would easily be her undoing. None could call the battle until one opponent had yielded or been felled. To presume otherwise was to make certain ones own defeat. Being cocky made you careless, simply believing you would win meant you weren't quite as observant, nor your reflexes their fastest. Nnlya feared that there was quite a lot the younger fae had yet to learn. She would definitely benefit from Drogos training style. She considered, perhaps if the two should be trained together under their two teachers so that they might gain the greatest advantage from this, each should take one wolf and be a personal mentor to them. But she held her tongue until after the spar.

Both wolves had now risen and faced off in the hollow. Altair courteously dipped his head in acknowledgement of his opponent. A courtesy that put him in good stead with the multi-hued fae, for one must always respect their opponent. There is a difference between respect and fear, and to respect your opponent means you acknowledge that they have just as much training and experience as you. It levels the playing field. She knew that in a battle it would not be possible to bow in respect to every wolf you came to face, but to her it showed that in a battle, Altair would be mentally considering this respect when sizing up his opponent. He indeed had a keen mind. For even now she watched his eyes dart about, searching Yiska for any telltale signs of an attack. A twitch of the fur or dart of the eye that could tell him where her first point of attack might be. Though she was disheartened to learn that neither had considered their surroundings as an advantage. They had not noticed the fallen branch leaning against a nearby tree, nor the slight divot in the ground some way to the left of the raven fae, or the mound of rocks and boulders behind herself and Drogo. That would be her first lesson, just as it had been with Eclipse.

She rose and stalked forward, watching each wolf with interest. She circled the two wolves, analysing their body language from every angle and came to sit on the other side of the hollow, facing Drogo. As she did so, Drogo spoke, reminding them of the rules of the spar and assuring that if either of the saw something out of line, it will be addressed immediately. He gave them words of encouragement,and called for the fight to begin. As he did so, Nnlya kept her posture somewhat formal, sitting up straight, head held high, tail still and eyes critical. But her muscles were in constant movement, tensing and releasing in preparation. She wanted to be able to react within an instant should something go wrong. It was also highly likely that in the heat of battle the two would forget their two teachers and she had to be ready to move.

Yiska nodded her head to answer that she knew of the usual sparring rules, then gave a brisk, low dip of the head to start the spar. She carefully put a paw down, for she did not want to make the first move, for she wanted to see what her opponent was capable of. She carefully inched her way around the orange eyes, and kept lower to the ground, not to expose her belly, and possibly losing this battle. Her ears fell flat on her head, and her tail close to her body. Her knees bent slightly just in case she needed to make a quick move. She bristled her pelt, to make her look bigger, and opened her mouth just a little to expose the warning color red. Her tail held slighly above now, and her ears almost flat on her head. She opened her maw, revieling blade like fangs and gave a small growl. The information of how she defeated her other opponents were slowly coming back to her. She could learn the ways the opponent used his blows, like a pattern, and she would try to not do the same thing over and over. If Altair had the same technique to use, then she had another option, try to reach the weak spot, usually avoiding the head area near the fangs, and try to topple him over to pin him down, and take the winning blow. She of course knew that this battle was friendly, just to see how the two wolves fought, and whatnot so the thought of serious injury never entered her mind. She kept circling around the wolf waiting to see what he would try to do. Every so often she would sneer and inch closer, ready to attack. Her eyes focused intently on the ashen face, and haunches rolled back, making her look bigger, and more muscular, which of course she was normally, but not huge. She glanced to and fro from the corner of her eye to see the two warriors watching the battle, Nnlya was tensed, probably ready to move incase they got too close. She remembered not to get distracted so she stared straight into the fiery blazing eyes. She wondered how he got that interesting eye color. Yiska scolded herself once more, and this time took bigger steps forward, closer, but still leaving quite some space to attack.

He was well aware of the eyes of the warriors, how they observed them and how one circled. Either way the outcome depended on the steps that were to be taken, his eyes narrowed into focus then out of focus as he concentrated on the fae then the area just past her. From the colors he was quite sure he could trip her up if he could lure her there but for now getting her into a fight was his objective. For now it seemed yiska gave the hints she would not start the spar as she pranced to and fro egging him on. He knew they needed to begin the spar but he was taught to be patient, to lure or snare. So he would just have to begin his talk before he strikes. His eyes roamed once more before a smirk drew. "Miss...I'd advise you to watch how you strut for as a hunter i'm taught the vital point to sink my teeth to efficiently bring down large prey." His tone leaked a tease though he knew he'd never make a killing blow on a pack member but now he lowered his head as he begin the circle of pacing with the warrior. He looked for faults in her steps openings in her neck spacing or maybe a twitch of the muscle. All came together to point him to the weakness, from old age to sickness, maybe a sore muscle or cramping...it was sometimes a waiting game so for his best bet now was to tire the she out then halt her in the hole. He made the full circle till they were in the places the other started, he began to bristle making sure to block the others view of what he would be doing before he made a dive then swept to the right, he snapped his maw at her ankle but drew back as he bit down on empty air. His plan beginning to set in motion as he attempted to herd her to the opposite side. He wondered how long it would take the three other wolves to figure out he wasn't even planning on making a single bite on the fae unless need be.

The spar had begun, and Drogo carefully watched both opponents, picking apart every aspect of the way they stood, moved, and conducted themselves. The first few moves a fighter made always gave the most information about your opponent. Slowly and cautiously the two began the intricate dance that was a fight. Examining Yiska's position, he noted that her stance was quite good. She kept herself low, ears down, legs bent and her tail tucked, but then, as she raised her hackles, she let her tail raise up a slight bit. She had had the right idea keeping it tucked, one less thing for your opponent to use against you. With it raised, not only did it expand your opponents target area, but it could easily give away your intended direction of travel. She continued to circle, keeping her eyes trained on her target, but when she let her gaze shift to Drogo and Nnlya in turn, he shook his head. It was good to be aware, but to take your eyes from your opponent, even for a moment could mean the difference between life and death in a true fight. One needed to be able to see without looking away, to be able to focus on the area around their opponent, and the opponent as a whole, not two separate things. She was quick to realize her mistake it seemed as she zeroed back in on Altair, but made no farther advances.

Altair followed suit and circled around in sync with Yiska. Neither wolf made a move and then, the hunter spoke. Drogo frowned at this, "Altair. It is not wise to waist your breath on fruitless taunts. Each breath is of utter importance and you would do well to conserve them. What breath you waisted there could very well have been the breath that allowed you to outlast your opponent, if only by a few seconds, but in battle, every second is precious." he barked sharply. Letting his jaw fall back to its hard set position he watched again. Neither party was making a move and while patience was good, for the sake of their training, they would need to get a move on sooner or later. He could teach them nothing if they showed him nothing. He waited a few moments longer, still with no movement. He shot a quick glance to Nnlya wondering if she was thinking the same that he was. Letting his eyes fall back onto the trainees, he spoke up once more. "While I respect your patience and commend it, I must ask that one of you makes a move. Were this a real fight, patience is a highly sought after virtue, but for the sake of education, you must show Nnlya and I what you can do for us to be able to help you improve." he said with the same harsh tone as before. He by no means meant it to be threatening or intimidating, it was simply the tone that came naturally to him when he was focused and meant business.

(Ooc - I am actually so pissed, I had this awesome reply written and done. I went to check the spelling of a word and when I came back the page reloaded, deleting all my writing... Grrrrr)

The warrior sat stoic as she began calculating the two fighters. She appreciated their body positions, especially commending Yiska on hers. Small and low, a tactic common among faes. Make yourself appear small and weak that your opponent will underestimate you. It was clever and seemed to work well for her. It provided less of a target as well as having the added bonus of misdirection. Altair on the other paw was typical of a brute, circling with the fae and remaining confident in his abilities. He spoke, boasting of the advantage his hunters training afforded him. She let out an exasperated sigh at his ignorance. The skills of hunting and fighting both had their advantages and disadvantages. Bringing them together harmoniously is what would afford a good stead in battle. Not to mention that he wasted breath by trying to intimidate her with his words. But before she could speak up, Drogo's voice broke the air,has twisting him for his useless words. It was true, speaking would have provided Yiska time to attack and left Altair unable to move quickly without breath, making him sluggish.

But it was the eyes that interested Nnlya the most. For they could tell you where your opponent would strike or fake next, what technique they would use. Yiskas eyes contradicted her lowered stance, hardened with a stubbornness that seemed characteristic of the fae. Instantly her tail snapped up and fur bristled, making her appear far larger than she really was. She snarled and spat angrily. Intimidation was her ploy. The two continued to circle and Drogo demanded that one if the two initiate the fight so that their teachers might regard them. But Nnlya could already see the fight waging in Altairs eyes. The hunters eyes showed something different to the warrior as they darted to look behind her an pd focused back once more. Nnly a did not have to turn her head nor even blink to know what he had seen. The divot she had spotted earlier had finally been spotted. Uneven ground could easily trip a wolf and tip the balance in favour of one fighter or another. The brute began to lunge forward, snapping at the air. Nowhere near close enough to his sparring partner to pose a threat but close enough to give her a fright. He was herding her towards the pockmarked ground. The corners of her muzzle lifted into a proud smirk. Nnly a momentarily considered if the brute had yet taken a mate, for surely his size, strength and personality would have faes chasing after him. But her impassive expression portrayed none of this. Only her eyes, carefully admiring the brute might show a hint of what was occurring in her mind.

Warrior Drogo spoke of how comments were useless, so she decided to hold her tounge of the taunts she had in mind. The brute snapped at her heels, only to miss, no surprise there! She gave a quick nip to his ear, making sure not to bite hard, and drew him back, forcing him into the slope of boulders  She once more growled, then shoved another paw into his way. Her plan was to shove him into the rock mound, then use his blows against him. She would try to use his earlier method of combining all the techniques, finding his patterns, using different styles, and finding his weak spot. She barked and drew him back more, there was still some space between the hunter and the rock mass, but was slowly becoming shaved away. She grinned, as she knew the plan had a greater chance than snipping uselessly, and spitting random comments. She was highly aware of Nnlya's somewhat interesting ray, she had no idea what that was, but she decided not to stray too long on that topic. She glanced over at Drogo and Nnlya only once to see if they were pleased with Altair, or Yiska, for making the right stance, and right blows. Nnlya was surely happy-but who made her happy? She counted on it being her, then focused on her target, nimbly moving him back farther and farther. In her mind she chuckled, this battle was already won.

He flicked his ears as he heard the comment of drogo, he understood his words but he had watched the fae closely seeing the way she was tense and waiting, he had been more than safe. And it wasn't as if he truly meant it, it was more so of to fluster or make her use a type of anger. For now he'd keep his jibes for himself and focus. He felt a push and was impressed with the power behind the females fur. His fur prickled in an unknown sensation as he felt an intense stare, only then he briefly watched the fae glance away and he took that chance to make a snap at her paws. His ears flitting back away from her maw for safety as he watched her eyes closely as she returned her gaze. They burned with passion and a thrill, he felt a throb of the heart for the honors of even being able to take part in such a time with the warriors. If they weren't so busy being in a fight he might of praised the she-wolf.

Taking a step to the back right he began letting the female 'steer' him though what she wouldn't know is he was leading himself along a bit not to where she seemed to be wanting him. But he soon grew fed up with what she was doing, maybe the fact being he didn't know her true intention so he didn't really want to follow her path to much. Taking a daring step he nipped her shoulder before frolicking to the right, and turned hoping she'd face him so he could begin backing her up. While focusing on the fae he considered how alike what they did was to a hunt with big game. If you can't chase a small prey maybe luring an angry male bull to you while entrapping them would do the trick.

He didn't know how close he had been to being trapped himself but he didn't have time to take another look around. If the fae was going to be forceful then maybe he should up his game..he wasn't so much as strong but he could get many nips in as well as avoid strikes...now what did she plan next. Crouching more he rolled his shoulders focusing on the female closely, he looked for openings to back her up more but she seemed well guarded. What else could he expect of the fighting rank though. He bared his teeth with almost a smile as he dared her to come forward, his tail stayed down and his ears locked forward. He waited only a few minutes before springing forward, if he couldn't trip her up maybe he'd just go with tiring her out and pinning her. Though with the strength she displayed which wasn't the best idea he'd have to hold out for bit. He decided that the next pushes she would attempt on him he'd try and lock himself in place.
  He dove in placing himself close to feint an attack but lean out and return to safety, he let his breaths come in evenly making sure he wouldn't tire himself out.

Yiska was the first to make a move as she lunged forward, jaws snapping towards Altair's ears. Nipping at the one ear, she began to drag him along with her, backing towards some boulders. He frowned a bit at this. She shouldn't be dragging him anywhere. If anything, she needed to push him back. Wolves were intended to travel forward, not backwards, and in doing so it added on an extra element of concentration needed to focus on an unnatural way of travel. Factoring in the added possibility of stumbling, and having ones mind divided between staying balanced and the opponent at hand, it put the wolf at risk for defeat. But he would let her figure out that this was not an ideal tactic on her own. There were certain things that needed to be taught, and others that needed to be self learned. Those were the lessons that stuck with a wolf the best throughout their life.

But it seemed at that moment, the hunter had had just about enough of whatever it was she was trying to do, and took a snap at her shoulder and then leapt away to the right. Spinning around, he crouched, rolling his shoulders and readying himself for an attack, but his movements were far from inconspicuous. He would have to work on being able to attack from any position, at any moment as not to give his intentions away. Never he less, he was preparing to take this fight to the next level which was what Drogo was eager to see. He could see the hunters breath was slow and steady. Much better than when he was rambling off useless taunts. Then he made another move, lunging forward and feigning an attack but leaning away at the last second and moving away again to await the females next move. He would have preferred to see the hunter use the feign to his advantage and strike again quickly after his first false attack, but he remained silent, analyzing them both still, and awaiting their next moves.