Tira sat sulking beside the den entrance staring out at the world just beyond. Thanks to Mom's overprotective rules, neither her nor her brother were allowed out to go explore or do anything unless they had someone to look after them. Arcturus had already taken Ashur with him to go roaming early before she'd even woken up, and now she was stuck at home while he got to have all the fun. She wanted to go out in the sun! She wanted to run and explore and find some of the herbs her dad had told her about or learn how to climb trees like Uncle Mortis had told her about! Instead she was regulated to the den with Mom while she rested and recovered. So Tira sat and watched the world longingly, hoping maybe her father or Papa Seer or Uncle Mortis would come by so she could use them as a chaperone to go and pick some flowers or chase down some insects or small mammals or do something!

"Satira Fatalis"

Naiche had plenty of work he could be doing.  Naiche in fact still had plenty of work he did but a little of it had been set aside when the puppies were born and more of it was worked around now that the pups were getting older.  Closely watching and directing members how to train was being pushed at points in telling them how to practice and who they should partner up with.  Not to say he never took time to help other wolves train but simply less time.   As little as Naiche cared for just lounging around already there was generally still time in the day to get some work done even if he spent a good portion of time with his children when able.  So it was he had made his way to the den planning to see both the kids or just Arc but instead what he found was his daughter, well, Mo’s daughter.  It hadn’t bothered Naiche that the pups might be Mo’s nor that one was Mo’s when they were first born.  Now there were days it rankled him.  Naiche wished they had both been his.  It was true that Satira was not his and Naiche did not love her as much as he did Arc.  The same level of a bond just wasn’t there.  That said he did still care deeply for the child, sort-of his child?  In a fashion?  Hell if Naiche knew how to label her.  Asla’s daughter and Arc’s sister was enough to earn her his affection and possessiveness in a fashion at least.   Regardless of status when he saw her there alone and dropped down to lay next to her.  Naiche nudged her small frame gently with his head.  “Hey there lovely.”  Something about having pups had turned the generally more aloof and formal Naiche into being outright cuddly, at least to the kids.  “Did you get stuck without a play partner?”  Where had Arc gone off to?  The question buzzed in his head but was left alone for the moment. "Speech"

While she sat there lost in her sulking with a grumpy expression painted on her face, the bright golden fur of Naiche appeared through the high grasses, coming directly towards her. At first, Tira brightened up at the prospect of having company and someone to entertain her—but then she realized Naiche was probably only here to see Arcturus. Well, too bad so sad, he wasn't here, so he'd just have to be disappointed with her. Imagine her surprise when the much larger man came and lay down beside her, speaking to her and asking if she'd been left all alone. A soft harrumph left the little girl, and that probably would have sufficed for an answer, but she also wasn't going to pass on an opportunity to gripe about it too.

"Yes," she mumbled with hard emphasis, sulking even deeper as her head dropped and her shoulders slouched, her ears bobbing a little as she moved. "Mom says we can't leave the den on our own, but she's taking a nap and Arc left with Ashur to go exploring without me. So now I'm stuck here on my own" She grumped a little more, flopping down on her belly next to Naiche. She glanced over at the gold-furred man and gave him an inquisitive head tilt. "How come you aren't busy right now? All the adults always seem busy," she probed. Everyone in the Armada was always doing something that didn't involve her or her brother, but she was fine not including him today. He'd taken off on his own so rudely anyway.

"Satira Fatalis"

“Mom’s tend to be really careful.” Naiche acknowledged the problem.  The golden wolf peered through the den entrance where Asla was apparently sleeping.  Was Naiche imagining laying next to her as she slept?  Remembering how he used to enjoy that?  Of course not.   He looked a moment longer before his attention returned to Satira.  She got a crooked grin, whispering to her, “It’s good to have high rank.”  Naiche lifted his head to give the girl a wink.  “My job includes training the other wolves, elites and novices alike.  Adults and pups alike.”  There was a hint of emphasis on the word pups. “Anyway, some things are more important than work,” Naiche offered simply.  Was it?  Naiche had never imagined such a truth.  Now Naiche had a son.  That boy was more important than anything he could imagine.  “You two are my priority. Besides, I still put in a lot of work hours every day.”  Lying around and relaxing was for lazy wolves and that was one thing Naiche would never be. Naiche stood up stretching, “So, if you could do anything you wanted right now, what would it be?”  Of course, there were limits to what they would do but would she think up something to cross the barrier or did she have reasonable hopes? "Naiche"

Satira raised a curious brow and smirked when Naiche mentioned having a high rank gave him the ability to work when he wanted, and that there were somethings more important than work. That she could agree with. All Tira really wanted to do was play and hang out with other wolves all the time. Between her and her brother, she was the social butterfly of them. She craved the attention of others and was happiest when she wasn't alone, so the simple joy of Naiche coming to join and talk to her was already brightening up her day. She was already mentally planning to make it a goal to get to a high rank in the pack as well, if for no other reason than she could boss other wolves around and do whatever she wanted. Maybe she'd be the Reaper one day too, just like her mom!

Little Tira lifted her head to gaze up at Naiche with big blue eyes when he stood up, still towering over her despite his shorter stature. He asked what she would be doing right now if she could be doing anything, and in all honesty, she had no idea how to answer him. Satira had spent all day sulking, she hadn't really considered what she'd do if she was given carte blanche. "Uhhh..." Satira looked away, eyes darting about while she tried to think of an answer. Something came to mind and she looked back up at the golden man with an eager smile. "Oh! Could you teach me how to fight better? Then maybe I can pin Arc the next time he tries to pounce on me!"

Her obnoxious big brother had a penchant for pouncing her, especially when she was sleeping, and using his larger size and weight to his advantage. It was so irritating, but if Naiche could teach her how to fend for herself, maybe he'd think twice the next time he decided to interrupt her naps.

"Satira Fatalis"

Fighting was Naiche’s favorite thing!  When Tira asked about fighting Naiche grinned obviously happy with the choice.  “That’s one thing I’m always happy to do.” Naiche took a moment to consider the pup on how he’d want to train her before nodding to himself.  “We can do a little training right here and then if you do well enough we can head to the beach and you can fight me in a spar.  I imagine I can hold back – a little.” The last part stated with some amusement.  He’d never hurt either one of the kids but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease. Naiche headed a short way from the den to give a little more open space and glancing to where Pan was nearby.  Naiche nodded his head from Pan to a short way in front and Pan seemed to understand enough to move forward, the friendly face looking to Satira.  “For the first portion of training your opponent will be Pan.  Right now he’s a good size for you to fight, someone besides Arc.” Naiche was well aware there weren’t many other good targets for them at the moment.  Who knew he’d ever wish there were more pups in the pack?  More targets to pair them off against.   “This isn’t a rush in spar though.  I’ll be telling you some step-by-step basics to work on.” Naiche glanced down to Pan.  “You’re good with this I assume?” He couldn’t imagine saying no but really he should check with Pan before throwing him out there probably.  Pan offered a nod and gave Satira a friendly wave with his long-clawed hands. "Speech"

Satira's eyes lit up with delight when Naiche agreed to help teach her some fighting training and then maybe a spar. She gave a happy little yap and bounced in place. When Naiche implied he'd hold back on her, Tira gave him a snarky little pout. "You don't need to hold back. I am a Fatalis, after all." she remarked with a proud puff to her chest. Yes, Tira held her family in high regard. To her, there were no wolves better than her family. They were the best warriors, the best doctors, the best diplomats, the best leaders—just the best! Naiche must be pretty good too, even if he wasn't a Fatalis by blood, but to be able to be with her mom, he would need to at least be worthy.

Following Naiche out to where they had some more open space to train and move around, Satira spotted Naiche's little pangolin companion. She hid a little giggle; she'd always thought the creature looked a little strange, but he was a sweetheart, so she liked him. She looked up at Naiche as he explained the first portion of their training: practice with Pan. He'd give instructions and she'd have to carry them out. That made sense to her. "Okay!" she agreed, then waved a small paw back to the pangolin. "Hi, Pan! I'll try not to hurt you!" Tira waited for Naiche's first instructions then, already eager and buzzing with enthusiasm.

"Satira Fatalis"

The remark of being a Fatalis got a small smirk on Naiche face.  He had never taken a last name.  It would have been Naiche from the his family’s band but then that band had broken up gone it separate ways.  So he had no name to pass on to Arc had he wanted to debate over who’s name was carried on.  When he’d first joined the armada he had admittedly hung on to every word by Sirius and looked up to him as to a guardian figure.  It was what he had left, after all, a pack leader and the warlord certainly showed well. It was a thing of honor to be able to wear the Fatalis name so it certainly made sense for Satira to be proud of it.  Did Mo have a last name to pass on had he been permitted to?  Naiche gave Satira a nod, “You keep that head held high.  Fatalis is a great bloodline.  I have loads of respect for your grandfather and love your mom so I can attest to it.” Not that he and Azure had gotten along overly well but best not to think ill of the dead.  What had happened to Mort as well?  Indigo had left and there was a lot less Fatalis blood in the pack than their use to be. Pan toddled up to move within a good distance from Satira, giving her another wave of greeting in response to her.  He loved both the pups, even if they could be a handful.   Pan lowered his front legs so his knuckles were ever so slightly touching the ground, hands curled under to hide the overly long claws.   “Alright, first thing should be obvious.  Always watch your opponent.  No matter what or who it is.  Even if you were to face something that should be an easy win don’t look away.  It only takes a second for the tables to turn.  Flatten your ears so the opponent can’t easily rip them, or even accidentally in a spar.” Pan did his part in watching Satira though there was just no way he could manage intimidating with those tiny gentle eyes on either side of his long muzzle and with no ears the last part had nothing to do with him either. “and remember, he may look harmless but you are facing someone who has more experience in a fight than you do.” He wanted to give Satira a little something to make this seem a serious challenge and certainly, Pan wasn’t going to unnerve her by looks.  “He helped me fight a crocodile.” Very loosely helped, but it counted. Speech:"Live to fight" Think

Satira's chest puffed with pride when Naiche told her to keep being proud of her family bloodline, knowing her family simply must be amazing if wolves outside of them like Naiche were praising her family! The little girl fixed the pangolin with excited blue eyes, squaring off against the small mammal with narrowed eyes and baring her tiny puppy teeth. She gave a tiny, challenging growl, the same as if she were initiating a real fight with a larger opponent. Although not big himself, Pan was larger than the tiny Tira was, so she relied heavily on outward aggression to compensate for her lack of physical stature.

Naiche's instructions came through slow and clear. Watch your opponent. Tuck your ears back. Don't underestimate your foe. Satira did as she was told, though her floppy ears didn't exactly stay back very well with their ends bobbing around whenever she would move to and fro. She had Pan locked with fiery blue eyes, every muscle in her chubby puppy body tensed and ready to explode like a tightly wound coil. "How's this?" she asked amidst the least threatening puppy growls ever heard in the known universe.

"Satira Fatalis"

She wasn’t really his, not by blood, but Naiche felt an odd sense of jealousy that she wasn’t also his.  Naiche wanted both of the pups to have been his and Asla’s but there was no way not to see Mo’s blood in her.  The ears were adorably cute but also a flaw. On one hand, they didn’t stick up to be as big of a target alone but they were still easy enough to grab.  Sure, she could live without ears if they got torn into but the amount they would bleed could be bad, and could she ignore the pain in a fight if it happened?  Maybe they should get her some armor to protect around the ears?  Naiche would ask Asla her opinion later. “Looking good.  Great glare you have going.” Naiche turned his attention on Pan, “Alright Pan, you get first shot, go slow.”  Naiche didn’t bother saying to be careful, the pangolin would likely be even softer than he would.  “Alright Satira, he’s going to try and attack you.  Pan has a few options.  He has his claws obviously, he could also just try to push you down or use his tail.  That’s a real strong tail.” Pan jogged towards Satira in his hunched over look, hands tucked inward so the claws wouldn’t risk touching the little pup.  Indeed, when he got closer he would swing his tail around with just enough force to attempt to knock the pup off her feet.   "Naiche"

A proud smirk grew across Satira's lips when Naiche complimented her stance and demeanor. She wanted to appear aggressive, determined, vicious, just like her mother when she was all business. Naiche gave the command for Pan to begin the training. Almost immediately, the pangolin closed the distance between them with an energetic jog. Tira's nerves felt electrified, muscles and body tensed and ready to react. Would he come at her with claws and fists, or would he choose his tail or his body weight? It turned out to be the thick tail that came swinging her way. Tira saw the motion begin and the blur of that armored tail in the corner of her eye. Sucking in a deep breath, Satira kicked her little legs off the ground with all her might, throwing herself up in the air just barely high enough to get herself over the tail as it passed harmlessly beneath her.

Tira landed on the ground with a soft "oof", her ears flopping about and legs wobbling a bit, but she remained standing. Blue eyes glanced up at Pan, wide with amazement at herself. She had done it! "I did it? I did it!" She grinned up at Naiche, then realized she had taken her eyes off of Pan, and hurried to turn her gaze back to the pangolin and retreated back a couple of steps to put some more space between her and her "opponent".

"Satira Fatalis"

Naiche could see Asla in the small girl, and not just from looks.  That proud smirk just showed an attitude that could drive Naiche crazy when it came from Asla but for the moment it just looked adorable on the young pup.  She was going to be a real pain some day.  Naiche loved Asla and she was a real pain so he could love the pup even if she ended up driving him crazy as well.  He’d enjoy the cute side of her while it lasted though. It was close but Naiche watched with pride and approval as she managed to jump higher than the pangolin’s tail.  Naiche nodded at Satira as she excitedly let him know she’d achieved her first victory in the training. “Good job,” as she realized her error and backed up Naiche grinned wickedly, “good thing you weren’t fighting me.  Pan’s not the sort to take advantage.”  Naiche threw Satira a wink, “you caught yourself though.” Pan watched her back off a bit and glanced back at Naiche.  The armored opponent lowered itself so that its hands touched the grand ever so lightly, his tail hovering behind him slightly off the ground. “Alright Pan, time for you to defend.  Get ready.  Time for us to see what strategy Satira will use.”  That said glancing back at Asla’s daughter, “You have a few options.  If Pan was another wolf there would be fangs to worry about on the face so right now imagine those are there.  If his head gets you it’s the same as a bite in this game.” Naiche moved forward to be in front of Satira, “What I often do is run straight towards my enemy until its only another stride until we’d clash, at that point I jump away,” Naiche made a diagonal walk past Satira then turned back towards her rear end in a sort of v-shape that ended with his head near her rump.  Admittedly it was a small steps to make the motion with her tiny form versus the true side when against another adult. “The idea is to trick my opponent on where I will be.  I’m small versus a lot of wolves so it helps me if I can get a bite on their hind leg before they get a bite on me.  If you injure a leg you can possibly get your opponent off balance.” Naiche backed up and then got back out of an imaginary ring between her and Pan.  “Another tactic is the neck, which I mostly only suggest for wolves of equal size.  Problem being if you don’t take them down fast they can hurt you also.  Another option would of course be the front legs.  Think what parts of the body you need most in a fight, the things that will really hinder your opponent if damaged.  Eyes and legs both important.” Naiche cleared his throat, “There are a lot of possibilities  Go with what I do or try your own, strategy is important.”   "Naiche"