I'll tough it out, I won't give in

"Come on, you're going to love this!" Álarr sprang after the cat as they neared the outside border of the Buffalo Knolls. He wasn't sure what Afi was so excited about but he was rather unhappy to have yet another nap disturbed. As they neared he noticed something large and furry was laying in the grass. Upon closer inspection he realized it was a dead wolf! "Ummm… Afi?" He glanced at the cat then noticed that Brynhilder was snipping away at the hide over the wolf's stomach.

Afi climbed on top of the corpse. "Don't worry, its no one from Legion. Probably some dumb fool trying to take on a buffalo and paying the price. Serves him right getting so close to our borders anyhow. Now sit down and pay attention. We've studied frogs and rabbits and even deer but this is a rare opportunity to study wolven anatomy. It may be one of the few chances you get. You'll find this helpful in treating battle wounds as well as inflicting them. For example!" Afi cleared his throat and Brynhildr hopped onto the wolf's face and begin pulling away the flesh from the head. Clearly she'd been at work snipping all along the creature, her beak accustomed to slicing into the flesh of dead animals. "If you know what the muscles and tendons in an opponent's body do then you know right where to strike to inflict maximum damage. If I were to shred the masseter muscle here it would cripple a wolves ability to close its mouth and bite."

Álarr tried to block out the smell and focus on this from an analytical point of view. Afi was right, this was a rare opportunity and he intended to make the most of it. Afi immediately got started working on instructing him and he struggled to take in as much information as he could. Maybe there was a good way to preserve a body? Ack, what was he saying?!

Her conversation with Valdis regarding their future had definitely motivated Asvor. Perhaps sitting around and waiting for something to change within Legion wasn't the best route.. maybe she had to work to contribute toward the change itself. Being more proactive was never such a bad thing, was it? She'd promised to help Valdis work toward her goal of moving up in the ranks and with it she felt an urge to work toward something similar. She knew she could contribute in a more meaningful way, so why hadn't she been? She veered toward the pack border near the edge of the knolls, noting she crossed the scent of one of the younger members of Legion. What was he doing all the way out here, she wondered? Asvor wasn't worried - children were often best left unattended, that was how they learned how to survive. She doubted a child of the pack would be reckless enough to run into trouble he couldn't get himself out of... and if he did? Perhaps that was just natural selection working its magic. But when she found him, it didn't seem like he was into much trouble.. at least not the life-threatening sort. Asvor raised a brow as she drew closer, watching Alarr as he leaned over the corpse of someone - his two companions seemed to be doing work to the body, and she squinted as she approached, making no effort to hide the sound of her arrival. "Already taking down trespassers, are we, Alarr?" Faint amusement flashed in her eyes at the thought, though as she moved closer she began to study the body, glad it wasn't anything familiar to her.

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

The raven continued to snip the hide from the corpses frame, peeling it back to reveal the outer most layer of muscles. Afi commented on the muscles and what the did, in particular he emphasized the tendons and ligaments that moved the muscles and held them to the body. It was a lot of information and Álarr was doing his best to take it all in. They then moved to opening the wolf's belly and he suddenly was feeling a bit light-headed as he gazed at the creatures internal organs. Internal organs that were likely exactly like his.

Álarr was so focused he didn't notice Ásvor approach until she spoke and he jumped, whipping around. "O-oh... hi. Umm... I didn't do it. We just found him like this I swear." Afi stepped back from the corpse and dipped his head in greeting. "The boy speaks truly though if it were me I'd have bragged whether I took him down or not." The cat chuckled. "Madam, would you like to join us for an anatomy lesson. I would greatly value your input."

Álarr perked up as he turned to Ásvor. "Have you ever seen someone's insides before? Did you ever gut anybody in battle?"

How interesting. Her eyes followed the raven as he tore skillfully at the corpse, peeling back its skin easily to reveal the muscles beneath. She caught the tail end of what he'd been saying, describing what he'd been doing, and she found herself grinning slightly at the lesson she'd inadvertently wandered into. Alarr, at least, seemed quite engrossed in it, so much so that he barely noticed her approach. "No?" She grinned, amused at how he seemed quick to try to admit his innocence - not that she blamed him. "Don't worry. If you'd done anything, your secret would be safe with me." Legion consisted of wolves who could handle their own business and she had to trust Alarr could to, even if the outcome ever meant something.. like this. She wouldn't fault him for it, but right now she was merely grinning at the slight joke as Afi spoke up to confirm his story. "Count me in," she replied easily to the feline, nodding as she took a step forward to sit alongside Alarr. "I can't say I've studied them too closely, no, but I see the value in it now. Can't say I've gutted anyone either, but.. maybe someday, if I'm lucky," Asvor chuckled, her tone a little too light to be talking about death. "So what's it we're looking at first here?"

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr wiggled in delight as Ásvor joined them. Even if she hadn't actually gutted anybody before he was still interested in the input of the older warrior. Afi was great and all but he was still a cat. Speaking of, Álarr turned his attention back to the feline as Afi replied to the warrior. "Muscles, tendons and ligaments. I was explaining the function of some of the muscles of the face, namely the masseter muscle, this one here." He pointed to the large muscle that made up a large amount of the cheek. "It is partially responsible for opening and closing the jaw. Tear into it and you can weaken an opponents ability to bite."

The cat slid down the wolf's body as Brynhildr finished pulling the hide back from the creature's shoulder. "Ah, come, come, look at this. See that white bit, Álarr? That is a tendon. It helps connect muscle muscle and muscle to bone. This enables the muscles to move part of the body." He gestured to the large tendon coming off the trapezius muscle. "Snip that and you'll cripple the leg. Any favorites of yours mis Ásvor was it?"