He was in the pack long enough, and during the time he had been here, no trainings had been called. He knew Ignis and Actaea were being trained well so far by Rhyme and Shaye, but what about the other apprentices? He worried they weren't getting adequate training, and decided to take it upon himself. Granted it could just be the fact that he always heard the alphas calling his niece and nephew for training alot, but he hadn't seen nor heard the others being trained. He didn't know if the other apprentices had been trained already before he got here, and if so, why hadn't they been ranked up? Whatever the case, Ace decided he would get to know the other apprentices today and gauge their abilities. He himself had been recently assigned to mentor Corvus, and this would be a good opportunity to gauge him as well and determine what he knew and what he needed from him. With all this in mind, he strolled to the plains and picked out a clear part of the field so none of them would get ambushed by an unfriendly reptile. This training would also serve to distract him from the heavy thoughts about what recently transpired with Elias, and he welcomed any and all distractions. The alabaster male stood in the clearing he found, and called for the apprentices of the pack to gather. OOC// First round due by 1/31. Goal for this is to finish a whole training thread as soon as possible with each round having 1 week for response times (replies preferred before the week is up to get it done faster) until it's done. Mandatory for all apprentices, and if you miss replying for a round by the time that week is up, you'll be skipped. "speech"

Rhyme perked as he heard Acere’s call, as soon as it reached his ears he realized what a good idea such a lesson was. His mind should have been filled with thoughts of his quickly growing brood, but he still couldn’t let go of thoughts of Darilnor. The loss hurt him deeply and having something that wasn’t lone patrolling seemed the perfect distraction. He felt a bit of pride in Acere’s work as well. The man had proved his worth more than a few times over. He very much deserved the rank given to him and Rhyme was happy to call him packmate. He was excited about Ignis’ progress so far as well. The young man was turning into quite the warrior. Picking himself up from the rock formation over the rapids that was now the grave marker for his son Rhyme loped easily over the land and to the plains. This was the best place for fight training, it was open and had plenty of room for all of their warriors. With an encouraging nod to Acere Rhyme took a seat close to the man, happy to sit back and see if he could learn anything from the experienced fighter. ""

"Talk" Walk He wasn't sure how to feel anymore. He didn't like what he'd been feeling after his uncle told them the news about his sister, so he hid himself away and avoided everyone for the last few days. His world had suddenly grown darker, a new hatred brewing against his father. He was sitting by his den when he heard his uncle call the apprentices together, and as much as he wanted to be curious for what his uncle was planning today, he just couldn't find the will for it. Still, he dragged himself off his butt and headed to meet him. He walked slowly, but even with that he was the first apprentice there. He saw Rhyme, giving him and his uncle a quiet nod before seating himself and waited for the others to show. He kept his gaze on the ground, unwilling to make eye contact for now.

Another pack training already? Recently they'd had a brief lesson on scouting, but nothing more substantial. Corvus was pleased when he heard Acere's call, though was a bit wary himself about it. He didn't know the male well, but the prospect of learning more to fight - and that guy sure looked like a fighter to him - was always appealing to him. He'd been assigned to work with Acere directly, and he supposed this meeting would be a good time to catch up with him and figure out what exactly he wanted to do. He was looking forward to this training more than most, and found himself wondering if Ignis would show up too. As nice as it was to train alongside family, the thought of a friendly spar with Ignis was much more appealing - he liked the guy, and he was less afraid of hurting a buddy than a sibling or cousin. Not that he was really skilled enough to do much damage, but still. He gladly headed to the gathering, surprising himself at how quickly he got there. Besides Acere, only Rhyme and Ignis were there. Offering a friendly grin toward his newest friend, he went to sit beside him, bumping his shoulder lightly.  "Think we'll get paired up to fight?" He asked conversationally, not sure if that was how Acere was going to run things or not.

A deep call rolled through the pack lands, and a dozing Arpeggio pricked up her ears at it, immediately awake. Fight training! Granted, her last experience had been somewhat so-so, with very little actual learning done and her admittedly rather distracted by Caelestis. Her ears turned a little pink at the thought, but she couldn't help but wonder if she'd get to fight Cael again. She was torn between wanting to, and being afraid that she'd accidentally hurt the older fighter. Maybe it would be better to be paired with someone else... her mind strayed to the two older warriors she'd met, Odysseus and Acere, and found herself blushing even more at the thought of fighting one of them, of the close contact required to spar. Goodness, maybe she should just stick to sparring Corvus, since at least the idea of sparring Cor didn't give her that reaction at all and she'd be able to pay attention. Better yet maybe they'd get actual instruction this time.

Stretching her way to her feet, she trotted through to where they'd been called, and after a brief glance about at the few other fighters threw herself on her belly next to Cor, though her gaze was fixed in surprise on the blood red of the other yearling there. Wow, Ace hadn't been joking, his nephew really was bright red. Crazy! She shook her head, then sought to catch Cor's eye and share an excited grin with him.

Things had been odd the past few days. Her view on the world had gotten darker, while she tried to sort through everything. Shaye had caught her in her worse moment and had tried to help her through. She was okay for the time being, but she felt like she needed a moment with Ignis. She knew Uncle probably didn't want to talk about things, but she wanted to hear what Ig's thoughts on things were. He had been a little scarce which was to be expected, she herself had been a little distant from everyone, even her mentor. She was embarrassed at how she acted, but at the same time she didn't know how to properly express how she was feeling. She just lashed out like she did the night Uncle and Ig came to her rescue. She was in the process of heading back towards the den to find Ig, but her uncle gave out a call. For a while she simply stood contemplating whether she actually wanted to be around anyone else. She really didn't, but she knew if uncle was calling her brother would be there. With a heavy sigh she altered her course and moved towards where he had called from. When she arrived there was only three faces she recognized and her attention zeroed in on her brother who was looking to the ground. She quickly picked up her pace and went to his side, gently attempting to bury her nose into his neck for a moment. "speech"

The first to answer his call was Rhyme, and Acere returned the nod that Rhyme offered him. Next came Ignis, the boy looking solemn and troubled, but Acere knew why. More than likely his nephew was thinking about what he and his sister had been told, and he knew it was a lot to process. He hoped that this fight training would distract him enough to at least not think about it at least for a short time. Corvus, Arpeggio, and Actaea all arrived next and while Acere was proud they had shown up, he was also dismayed at the lack of apprentices that had made an appearance. He could have sworn there were more, but at the moment he couldn't do anything about it. Perhaps Rhyme would when they were done, so, for now, he focused on those that were present. Crimson gaze looked over those that were here and he started to formulate a plan. He wanted to gauge their experience, perhaps put them to the test after a short lecture and a bit of Q & A to test their knowledge or lack thereof. Clearing his throat, he began the lesson. "Alright, first things first. I'd like to thank those who showed up for training. I've called you together to test your knowledge of the fighting arts, and at the end of it perhaps I'll have you practice fighting one another so I can further gauge your skills." He thought it important, after all, that they knew how to fight to protect their home against potential future invasions. Or at the very least, defend themselves if they found themselves in such a situation. "Ignis, Corvus, Arpeggio, and Actaea," He nodded to each in turn as he said their names. He figured Corvus and Arpeggio knew each other, but just in case his niece and nephew didn't know them or vice versa, he figured he'd throw names out there just in case before continuing. "You four are Abaven's line of defense. While there are others as well, they aren't here today." He was quite disappointed that only a pawful had shown, but it was better than nothing. "With that said, I plan on testing your skills today to determine what you need to improve on, as well as to guide you in your chosen paths. Of course, if you've any questions or need clarification on anything, feel free to ask. I am more than happy to work with you." He shook out his coat, shoulders and neck rolling as he thought for a moment. "Now, what I'd like to do is for each of you to think about your strengths and weaknesses. What do you think you excel in during a fight? What is your weakness? What do you need to work on? Now, if you haven't been in a fight before, that's fine. We'll talk about fighting in theory so you can learn more about it, and then put it into practice. When we're finished, you should have a basic understanding or further knowledge of what you already know. It's important to practice when you can, a fighter, after all, must always be prepared and keep his or her skills sharp. You never know what might happen. Today we are fine, tomorrow we could be at war." He emphasized the last part and he let it sink in for a few moments. In his experience, and based on what he learned about the Abraxas having taken over Abaven not too long ago, he knew his statement to be true. You never knew when an enemy would come knocking at the door and you either fought or submitted. And he was not one to submit. "Any questions before we begin?" OOC//Next round due by 2/24! Posting order isn't too important as long as everyone posts c: "speech"

Acere gave him a quick nod in return as he took his seat, and quickly the rest of their little group would arrive. Ignis came in, looking much less energetic than he was used to seeing the boy. He wondered absently what might be going through his mind. He returned the boy’s nod as Corvus appeared and Peggy quickly after him with Actaea taking up the rear. When it was apparent this was the final arrival Acere was quick to speak up. Rhyme listened intently, feeling like this man had already surpassed his skill in teaching. He thought he was doing well with just Ignus, but when he had called the first fight training it had been bad. He looked back on those moments and felt his face flush. A slave becoming a warrior’s teacher? He really had been over his head. It was amazing these young wolves hadn’t turned and walked out on him then. Rhyme didn’t miss how Acere emphasized the word ‘war.’ There was no doubt it was truth though. For a long time now it seemed as though they were dangling on a precipice. One side held war and destruction, the other peace and prosperity. He just didn’t know which way they would fall yet. The alpha remained quiet as he waited for the younger apprentices to speak up. ""

Soon after she had settled, Uncle began to speak up. Fiery eyes looked to her uncle, giving him her full attention and taking in the words he spoke. Listening to his instructions and trying to put herself in the mentality that her Uncle's words were meant to be. When he began to ask them questions she tried to let herself think upon the answers. She always needed improvement on both defensive and offensive moves. Her strength was she was swift on her feet, her weakness was that she did not have much weight to throw around. Her forms of attacks needed a lot of improvement and she needed to learn how to get herself out of certain scenarios. He then asked if there was any questions before continuing. She didn't so far, she just wanted to continue on to learn all that she could. She glanced around to see if anyone would step up and ask any questions. Curious to hear what the others had to say if they had any. "speech"

Peggy showed up not long after him, and he shared in her grin before focusing back on Acere and the meeting at hand. Quite quickly he explained he wanted to test their knowledge of fighting, giving their names - he glanced over at Actaea curiously, who he knew to be Ignis's sister. He offered a dip of his head to her before turning his attention back to Acere. He noted the disappointment in the older male's voice at the lack of complete attendance, but they had other matters to attend to currently. Corvus didn't have much to speak up about, if anything at all. He understood they were going to talk about their strengths and weaknesses, and focus on what they hadn't been able to really work with yet. Theory first, then practice next. He nodded absently, trying to keep his mind from wandering too much. He didn't really want to sit and listen to someone talk about fighting - he wanted to jump right into a practice fight - but he knew it wasn't his place to make recommendations, so he merely shook his head and waited to see if the others had any questions.

So far, nobody seemed to have any questions. Alright, that was fine. He supposed he'd go over some of the basics before pairing them off for practice. "I just want to go over some basics real quick before you're all paired off." He paced a few steps one way, and then the other as he thought about what they might be interested to know. "As we all know, attacking is important...but so is your defense. It's easy to attack with your teeth. Using your weight if you're larger. And if you're like me, you might try to use your larger size and heavier weight to your advantage. But remember, you're opponent won't always be someone close to your size. Sometimes they'll be smaller. Sometimes alot smaller. The advantage smaller opponents have over larger opponents is speed, but smaller wolves don't have the strength that larger wolves possess." He let that sink in for a moment, letting them mull it over before he continued. "Smaller opponents will likely use their speed and smaller size to run circles around you. Get under you. Go in for quick hits before trying to get out of range. They may not be as hard hitting as large opponents, however. We have the advantage of strength, and while we might be slower than them, we can overpower them, provided you find a way to compromise their speed and keep them from moving so much." "Seeing as how most of us here are on the larger side, I want to see what you'll do against a larger opponent." He looked over everyone present, noting there was an event number of them. He wanted them to figure out what they would do on their own. After all, doing was the best way to learn in his opinion. They could talk about it all day, but that wouldn't beat true experience. "Ignis and corvus, you two will pair up. Actaea and Arpeggio, and..." He looked to Rhyme, "If you don't mind participating, perhaps you and I can show them some of our moves." He grinned before turning to the others. "You will spar one another. I want to see what you can do." He nodded to them, indicating they could pair off and begin. "speech"