Now that the pups were set free to wander the moor at will, Gwen knew it was only a matter of time before one or more of them decided to push their limits and get too close to the border, maybe even cross through the wall. Even if they didn't, even in the borders there were still dangers that couldn't be prevented. Lynxes and other wildcats, fishers and martens, wolverines, bears... there were many other predators that roamed the world that they couldn't always keep out of their territory. She'd been making a concerted effort since the pups were born to keep larger predators like bears, cougars, and coyotes away, but she knew that there were still smaller predators within Celestial's borders that could be dangerous to pups.

So, like it or not, it was time for her children to go to school.

It would also give her the opportunity to begin introducing the litter to the skills that they would need as adults, and to begin feeling out which skills they would want to specialize in so she could start finding them specialized training that she couldn't provide herself.

A couple pups had already ventured off for the day, and Cairo was still ill, so Gwen was alone as she trotted over to the stone circle and made herself comfortable. There was one fallen-over stone that looked almost table-like that would make for a good place to sit when holding a meeting - she wasn't really comfortable with the idea of co-opting Regulus and Aurielle's favored perch for her own meetings, so this would be a good alternative while still giving her a vantage point.

She didn't climb it this time, though. This wasn't a meeting, just the kids' first day of real training. Lifting her muzzle, she called out for her children to move their little puppy butts to join her there.

OOC: Mandatory pup training, though anyone else is welcome to observe. Deadline 9/1 but please try to get your pups in sooner. Remember that there is a minimum of one post per week for pups in the pack!

Artur had slipped out of the den early that morning to try to avoid any of his siblings inviting themselves along, but he hadn't had a whole lot of time to really explore before he heard his mother's howl calling them back. He let out a grumpy sigh, but then perked up. She wasn't calling them back to the den... she was calling them to the stone circle. For training?

The auburn-and-white pup lit up. Although he and his siblings had been play-fighting and play-hunting and playing pack since they were old enough to toddle, they hadn't had any actual training in anything. The fact that their mother felt they were old enough to begin training made his little puppy chest swell with pride as he raced for the stone circle. He was determined to beat his other siblings there, and as he bounded up to Gwen's side he was pleased to see that he'd succeeded. "You're letting us start training," he exclaimed, making it a statement of fact rather than a question. It was obvious that they were going to train, asking the question would be redundant. He sat in front of her with an impatient sort of dignity, waiting for his siblings to get there so they could get started. Except Cairo, of course... his chocolate-brown sibling, named for their esteemed grandfather, was sick AGAIN.

The boy sat hunched over a slimey mud puddle with his face scrunched in concentration. He was holding one end of a stick and stirring the muck with the other, and his face was all scrunched up because he was trying very, very hard not to fling medicine everywhere. It was harder than it sounded and every once in a while he'd grumble as a glob of something was accidentally shot across moor.

His mother's nearby howl startled him and he jumped. That little jolt was enough to give lift to a glob of muck and with much dismay he watched as it landed a couple feet away. Aw, in it he recognized the cricket that had taken him so long to catch! "Oh no!" he exclaimed in a high, childish voice. Now it was dirty! He couldn't use it anymore.

Geoffrey stared at the glob for a second longer before it occurred to him that his mother had called for him. A bit put out, he cast one last sad glance at the dirty cricket before padding around the stone that separated him from his mother. Once in her line of sight he gazed up at her expectantly. She hadn't specified exactly what kind of training they were doing today, so he was hoping it was how to make good medicine. God knew he needed it.

Okay, so he was supposed to stay in the den and focus on getting better, but he was quite sick of lying around breathing the stuffy air of the den. Or, maybe it was his nose that was stuffy. But hadn’t Paladin said he would need to get out into the fresh air to help clear his lungs?

So… it was with that excuse that he slipped after his mother a few minutes after she’d gone, and for a moment, he was almost lost, but then her voice called the litter… except him. Cai waffled for a moment, drawing in a foggy breath that ended in a violent sneeze and—bam… he could smell things. He eyed the wad of green and clear goo the sneeze had dislodged to splat against the heather at his paws, then shook himself and trotted toward his mother’s call.

He refused to miss out on a howl that had encompassed almost the whole litter. That kind of call usually meant a lesson, and he was eager to learn. So, it was with a stubborn expression that his chocolate and darker chocolate frame popped out of the mist and heather and he stared at his mother, that serious, determined, steadfast nature showing through fathomless sapphires that so reminded one of his namesake.

“I’m getting better, I think… I can smell things now, and I took my herbs before I left. I’m not missing this, Mom.”

He’d caught Artur’s question, and he’d be… be… he’d be darned… if he’d miss out on something this important.

Vi popped up from behind a boulder she'd been playing around. Her mother's call was echoing around the moorland to call them together, even though they'd only just left the den a little while ago. She'd been playing at digging a "den" by the boulder for her pretend play. She had a stick that was broken and needed to be treated, but she didn't have anyplace to bring her patient, so she needed to dig a den so the stick would be more comfortable, and then she'd need to fill the den with "medicinal herbs" so she could give it herbs to make it feel better, like the ones Cairo had to take. But now Mama was calling, and Vi was staring in the direction of the stone circle with a puzzled frown.

Suddenly, the frown cleared into a sunny smile and a gasp. TRAINING! That must be why she was calling them together today. Broken stick and den forgotten in her excitement, Vi bounced along through the mists to the stone circle. Mama and almost all of Vi's siblings were there already, but since Vi had gotten momentarily sidetracked by a pretty butterfly on her way that was hardly a surprise. "Mama, Mama!" she gasped, bouncing up to her siblings. "Are we TRAINING? For reeeeal training? What are we going to learn about?"

The pups bounced in with the excitement that came part and parcel with the litter. Even Cairo appeared, determined to participate. "You are supposed to be resting, Cairo," she said gently. But, they weren't going to be doing anything too strenuous, and it was just as important for him to learn as the other pups. It would be good for him to get out of the stuffy confines of a den into some fresh air, and stretch his body and mind a little. "But I am glad you feel up to participating."

She frowned a little, glancing off into the distance towards the den. Where was Caelia? She was concerned that her older daughter hadn't appeared when called, but she didn't want to punish the other children by postponing their first training to go looking for her either. Well, she'd have to keep it fairly short for their puppy attention spans anyway, so if she didn't show up by the time they were finished Gwen would send the pups back to the den and go look for her herself.

"Yes, we will be starting your official training today," she said in response to both Artur and Vi. "We're going to start with a lesson on the basics of self-defense, since you are all getting to the age that you are wandering on your own and that can be dangerous. Even in pack lands. I know that not all of you are interested in fighting, but it is important that you're able to protect yourself if you find yourself in danger."

She settled herself with a shake. Time to get started, then.

"Protecting yourself," she began, "isn't just about how to attack someone. It's not about aggression, or where to bite or scratch or throw. It is just as much about how to dodge attacks, or how to hold yourself, and even knowing when to run away. That's why we aren't going to start with sparring or learning how to attack. We're going to start with learning how to hold yourself so you are more capable of avoiding serious injury. So..."

She swept her gaze over the four of them. "Who can guess some of your more vulnerable parts in a fight? You've all wrestled and played at fighting at least a little," even if for some of them it was mostly getting pounced on by their siblings, "so I think you may be able to think of a few spots that your siblings were always chewing on."

Caelia hadn't meant to be late. She'd been distracted when she'd first heard her mother's call, stalking a particularly large turkey that she wasn't totally sure she had the ability to take down on her own. Still, following its trail was proving a worthwhile endeavor, giving her some practice in the art of tracking... even if she wouldn't follow through on the actual hunting part. Perhaps if she could find one of her siblings she might have a chance of taking it down herself, and surely her mother would be impressed with their display of skills. However, they were sadly nowhere to be found, and she was destined to follow this turkey's scent alone. Even after she heard Gwenevere's call for she and her siblings, she kept on the bird's trail for a bit too long - determined to at least catch sight of it through the underbrush, but before long she'd lost it entirely, with no hope of finding its trail again. At least not very easily...

Huffing, fairly disappointed in herself, she finally headed toward her mother's call. Though she really hadn't intended to delay so long, time had gotten the best of her, and she realized suddenly that her mother had gotten started without her. Even Cairo was here, despite being bound to his den most of his life thus far. Her ears pinned back against her skull, head drooping as she slid beside her siblings, looking rather dejected. Arriving late wasn't something that was typical of her, and she hoped her mother would forgive her for being inattentive. Though she missed the beginning of her mother's words, she could deduce what this little training session might be focusing on by the last pawful of words she caught. "I'd guess... the ears, maybe?" Caelia spoke up, less tentative with her words than she truly felt. Perhaps being late might be overlooked if she was eager and willing to participate fully.

Everyone was as excited as she was to start training. Even Cairo seemed to be, despite the sick-smell that still emanated from his fur. But Vi's excitement deflated considerably when her mother told them that they were doing fight training. She didn't want to fight anyone. But it seemed important to Mama that they learn to protect themselves, so Vi just sighed in disappointment and settled down with a woeful expression to listen. Mama talked first about how protecting yourself wasn't all about how to hurt people. It was about knowing how to not be hurt, and when to run away, which was a relief. Vi would much rather run away than have to hurt someone. Mama asked a question, then, and Vi obediently thought about it. Caelia, who'd snuck in while Mama was talking, piped up with an answer. Vi made a face - someone was always chewing on her ears when they tried to make her play-fight. She very carefully didn't look at Artur, but really, he was just the worst when it came to that. "The... eyes?" she gave her own answer without much confidence. Not because she didn't think it was a right answer, so much as she was reluctant to think about someone hurting someone's eyes on purpose. What an awful thought. "They hurt when you get poked in them when they're open."

Upon learning what kind of training they were in for, Geoffrey drooped visibly. Out of all the trades and skills that were out there to learn, fighting was probably his least favorite. In his mind it was akin to pulling out a thorn; necessary, but unpleasant.

The boy padded closer and then sat down, his ears pricked forward with keen interest even though the lesson was far from what he'd been wanting. Of course he was still going to participate. Sulking would do him no good; this was something he needed to learn even if the idea made him queasy.

And so far this was looking like an easy lesson! So long as they stuck to merely talking about what they needed to do, he'd be fine. Geoffrey's thoughts drifted back to the meeting and to the lady who'd boasted about cutting out eyeballs. Hopefully this wasn't going to be one of those lessons. "Your belly," he said softly, hoping to answer with what he felt was his most vulnerable area without giving his siblings any ideas.

Cai listened as his mother began to speak, taking it all in with earnest eyes and perked ears. Defense, then? Even though they weren’t going to be learning how to attack yet, or spar, he was still interested in the lesson. And as her question touched his ears, he pondered, thinking back to the countless wrestling matches between himself and his siblings, even when sick. Try as anyone might, siblings had a tendency to tussle even if you had a cold. Especially when they wanted to test medicine on you… He was certain the sludge they'd tried hadn't helped.

He let his siblings give their suggestions first, nodding in silent agreement. Ears were awful, but while it felt like he was gonna die when his brothers’ and sisters’ needle-sharp teeth were gnawing on them, he doubted they were vital to anything but good looks…

He was a little surprised Artur hadn’t piped up with his own opinion—and he had opinions about everything, it seemed, especially about the greatness of the family—blood was better, blahblahblah. But he finally roused from his deliberations and said, The feet and legs? My hind legs get chewed on a lot…”

He cast an apologetic glance to his littermates, though the tip of his bi-colored tail tapped the ground in hopeful query as he looked back to their mother.

Artur disciplined himself to stillness, though his little body wanted to quiver in excitement when his mother confirmed they were going to be doing fight training. Even Cairo had showed up sounding somewhat less stuffed up than usual. Caelia hadn't yet, but Artur knew she wasn't going to let herself miss this either. But his brow knitted in confusion as his mother started the lesson. How was fighting not about knowing how to attack people? Wasn't that what fighting was? Who could force their opponent to submit? Though he supposed that being able to take as little damage as possible meant that you'd keep fighting longer and fight again sooner than if you got hurt every time and had to see healers and get chewed up pieces of plants and mud put all over you. He still thought hitting first and hardest was the best way to win a fight, but... once they were older and their teeth could do real damage they could probably get really hurt badly if they just stood there and got hit. He'd seen what some of the prey animals his mother brought to them looked like, with gruesome wounds, and the thought of getting wounds like that of his own didn't... didn't really frighten him but... certainly made him thoughtful.

Chewing over this new idea, he was not the first to answer her question, nor the second. Or third. Or fourth, because even Caelia had shown up while he was mulling it over and answered. But he was still paying attention to his siblings, and he squinted thoughtfully at Geoffrey when the smaller boy gave his answer. In part because oh yes, Geoff, he'd definitely be remembering this for next time, and in part because thinking about the prey animal wounds and applying them to the idea of your opponent... he could definitely see going after the belly being really, really bad for someone.

After a moment he decided on his own answer and said, without any particular inflection, "The throat." He'd felt his own blood pulsing there when he was running really hard, and feel his breath being drawn in through the tube thingy there, so it seemed really important. But he was still stuck on the idea Geoffrey had put forth.

"Mom," he asked thoughtfully after a beat, "do we have guts in our bellies like rabbits? Would they fall out if someone cut us there?"

Caelia snuck in as Gwen was speaking, but she didn't break off to scold her. She'd made it and that was the important thing. She wasn't going to make them think that being late just meant them getting in trouble - she'd rather them late than not be there at all. Caelia hadn't really missed anything major, anyway, and she was quick to pipe up with her answer, as were the other four.

Gwen tilted her head at Artur's question. "All animals have the same parts," she told them all. "Some in slightly different forms than others, but it can give you a decent idea of where to hit in a fight if you also know how to hunt, and visa versa. Keep that in mind as we're learning here, because even if you never do need to defend yourself, we all need to know how to feed ourselves." She tactfully didn't answer the question fully - the last thing she needed was to give the kids nightmares of their insides falling out.

"Ears are a good example," she continued, nodding towards her older daughter with a smile. "It's not going to kill someone to get bitten in the ear, but they're sensitive and easy to grab and hold. It takes a lot of willpower to pull away when someone's got a grip on one - you know it's going to hurt when it tears. It gives you a measure of control over their head as long as they aren't willing to risk that pain. That's why when you fight, you should always keep your ears pinned back against your head." She demonstrated, pinning her flame-tipped ears to her skull. "They could still grab them if they try hard enough but it makes it much, much harder and they're less likely to try when there's such a low chance of success for them. You've only got so much time and energy to spare in a fight - most wolves won't want to waste it if there's too much of a chance for failure."

"You've learned your first defense - this is one of the things that you will do in every fight, no matter the circumstances of it. In practice, especially if you're going to want to be a warrior, you're going to do it over and over again until it's second nature and you don't have to think about it. You don't want to have to think about most of your defenses, you want to do them automatically so you can think about other things, like the terrain or your opponent's movements. The seconds it takes to remember your defenses are seconds your attacker is going to take advantage of to hurt you."

She paused and glanced around, brows raised. "Questions so far?"

Even though she was slightly frazzled from showing up a bit late, it was immediately obvious that Viviane wasn't excited about the prospect of fight training. Of course, Caelia was much less interested in the actual fighting part than she was about learning to protect herself and her family. Hurting others didn't sound like something she'd be interested in, but if she had to, to protect Cairo or Viv or even Geoffrey or Artur, she would gladly step up to the plate. Hopefully her mother could give them some pointers so if the occasion ever came, she'd feel prepared. She listened patiently as her siblings spoke up, all having good ideas, and Artur unsurprisingly piped up with a question of his own to follow his chosen answer. Caelia was mostly grateful that her tardiness hadn't been pointed out by her mother, deciding that her eagerness in answering had probably made up for it. Well, hopefully. She tilted her head and directed her gaze toward Gwenevere as she answered Artur's question. It didn't go unnoticed that she didn't directly answer it - the thought of guts falling out during a fight sounded pretty disgusting, so she wasn't sure she really wanted to hear the full answer anyway. Their mom went on, explaining more about her own answer. It made sense to keep them pinned back - made sense to her. She briefly explained they needed to practice their defenses, until they didn't have to think about them. She wondered what other things might be considered defenses. "Can we see some more defenses?" Caelia asked calmly, still practicing the act of pinning her ears flat against her skull, deciding it was probably something she might end up doing instinctively in a wrestling match with one of her siblings.

Artur's interest in his answer didn't go unnoticed and Geoffrey frowned at his brother. That didn't bode well. He had hoped his answer would get lost among the rest but apparently it did not.

"Do we have guts in our bellies like rabbits? Would they fall out if someone cut us there?" Geoffrey's frown deepened considerably. He could see how it was an important question - one he was curious to hear the answer to as well - but he didn't like what had brought it about and was having visions of his bigger brother trussing him up and poking at his guts.

After his mother answered Artur's question she asked if anyone else had anymore questions. Geoffrey thought about it for a second and then shook his head.

Artur saw Geoffrey frown when he answered, and the bigger male gave him a rather arch look in return. A warrior should use every advantage and tactic available in a fight, shouldn't they? He wasn't going to feel guilty about taking advantage of any admitted weaknesses.

He himself frowned, though, when his mom didn't really answer the second part of his question. But if he thought logically, maybe she kind of had, because she said that prey animals and wolves had the same features, and if you bit onto a dead rabbit's belly you could open it up so the guts fell out. He considered that rather thoughtfully...

His mom was already moving on to talk about why ears were a good point of attack, and how to keep them safe. He shifted his attention to her. It was something they'd all learned by trial and error while wrestling, but he'd never really thought about it before, or the possibilities. He pinned his own ears back experimentally. Hmm. That made sense. And so did the admonition to practice defenses over and over until they didn't need to think about them. There was a lot that Artur had practiced obsessively to avoid humiliating himself in front of his siblings, like being able to run well without tripping over his oversized paws, or speaking clearly.

She asked if anyone had questions so far, and Caelia piped up to ask for more defenses. Artur nodded his own enthusiasm for that idea, adding "What can we do about someone trying to attack our bellies? So that the guts don't fall out." He shot a sly sideways glance at Geoffrey, trying to see if the idea would bother him again.

Only two pups spoke up with questions, Artur and Caelia. Caelia asked to see more defenses, with Artur aggressively continuing to follow the guts-falling-out idea. She sighed internally, and resolved to take the boy aside and admonish him to stop tormenting poor Geoffrey, because she knew that was exactly why he insisted on bringing it up. For now, she would treat it as a genuine question.

"The best way to protect your abdomen is to be ready to move at any moment," she told them. "There's nothing you can really do to protect your stomach, without trying to walk around like a crab and that's not practical in a fight. Some wolves tuck their tails against their belly to throw off an attacker's aim, and that can sometimes work, but your tail is better used for balance when you're moving if it's up level with your spine, not tucked." She demonstrated both options, first tucking her tail against her stomach and then flagging it out level with her spine. "But the best method is to be ready to move yourself out of the way of their attack. One way that you can be ready is to hold your weight lightly, with your knees and elbows bent slightly. Don't lock them like that, though, just keep them loose and stay on your toes." She demonstrated, then leaped suddenly sideways, catlike, to show the difference.

Their mother spoke about how there weren't any sure ways of protecting the stomach except being ready to move out of the way, and Artur frowned. So being ready to move fast was, in itself, a defense? He guessed that made sense, since some things you did made it difficult to move fast so it logically followed you could also do certain things to make it easier to move fast. She demonstrated how they could tuck their tails to make it more difficult for their stomach's to be bitten, and Artur tentatively tried it before rejecting it. No, it made it look like he was scared. He much liked the feeling of leaving his tail unfurled behind him like her second example. It made him feel confident and alpha-like. She went on to demonstrate how to hold yourself so you could move faster, and Artur quickly followed along, trying to hold himself lightly on his toes and bend his legs a little. He didn't test it like she did, though, not wanting his siblings to see if he messed up the first time and fell on his face. He'd practice that part on his own until he was good at it.