Venom simply couldn’t be contained. Her little puppy paws carried her all over Ashen. She wanted to see and explore everything even if she didn't have the sharp eyes of a guardian on her. Or she thought she didn’t have the eyes of a guardian on her. She didn’t see Seer’s form but he was usually looking out for her. She made her way to the side of the lake, the sun wasn’t really hot today and the water was chilly as she stuck a pale white paw into the water. She smirked and flicked her tongue before leaning down to drink. Venom drank a bit different from her kin, she pressed her lips to the water and sucked in. She couldn’t lap up liquid with her thin forked tongue.

What she didn’t see, as she hadn’t quite learned to be observant quite yet, was the serval stalking her. It had been drawn to the water from the deserts beyond, and now that the plump puppy was presented in front of it the cat wasn’t willing to pass up the opportunity. It wouldn’t mess with a fully grown wolf, but Venom was small enough to be vulnerable. The pup’s dual toned tail wagged behind her as she drank from the lake oblivious to the cat in the grass.

Sirius kept an eye on the pup as she moved from the Ravine. They didn’t often leave the land of their den, and he wondered if she had gotten permission first. He crooked a brow and followed from a distance, wondering what she was up to. Thus far, she didn’t get into any mischief, she simply made her way to the lake and began to sip.

Sirius flicked his tail, and settled down out of view from the girl, keeping a lazy, unintrusive watch over her. He didn’t catch the scent of the serval immediately, it was too far away, and the scent of the water and pack wolves was more powerful. The titan lazily closed his eyes, content with an easy few hours before he got back to patrols, and ushered the little pup back into the Ravine, where she could get into less trouble.

Satisfied with her drink the white gloved pup raised her form from the clear waters. She was quenched and now it was time to continue her adventure. She needed to practice her sigil, she wanted to sit at the border and look at the desert, and she needed to find Sirius so he could give her another lesson. She hated how easily he pushed her around, and couldn’t wait until she was bigger and could really show him what she could do. One day she’d be just as big as he was, she was sure of it. Then she would be the one to push him around. The thought made her smile as she turned to go, just as the cat began its attack.

The serval was sneaky and seasoned, otherwise it wouldn’t have attempted the stunt it was undertaking. Quick as lightning though, the cheetah’s cousin raced forward from its spot hidden in the grasses behind Venom’s form. The girl couldn’t have seen it coming. If it weren’t for her quills, the pup might have been dead before Seer opened his eyes to see the danger. Venom heard the paw steps, and only caught the cat out of the corner of her eye when her defenses went up. She instinctively lowered her head and the serval was treated to a mouth full of quills.

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He heard the sound of racing paws, and the cry of the Serval as the quills of the pup cut into it. With a violent snarl, he leapt to his feet, pushing off the ground and thundering across the earth like a visual display of reckoning. The cat saw him, and struggled to pull itself free from the spiky pups coat, but he was already there. He hit the serval hard with a paw swipe, throwing it to the ground in front of them. Fangs bared in anger, as he prepared to deliver retribution against the invader… and then he paused.

The cat was still stunned as Sirius pulled back, and looked to Venom. “Very good,” he told the girl. “Spread your paws a little more to balance against his weight, flare your tail, your going to need your balance.” he warned her. Venom was small, but she was not helpless. She wasn’t at the point of taking on an invador, but the fates where working against them. If Sirius hadn’t been there, the small wolf would have been killed before anyone knew what had happened. He would ensure she could defend herself. He needed her to have this skill. “Remember where I told you the soft points are?” he asked her, as the serval began to shake its head and rise from the ground. Sirius crept away from the pup, and behind the Serval, cutting off its escape.

She squealed as her quills pierced the mouth of the long legged cat, she had never been this close to danger before. She felt panic well up within her as the reassuring sound of Sirius overwhelmed everything. The serval barely managed to get itself unstuck from her quills when Seer was on it, his giant paw buffeting the creature away from the young she pup. Venom thought she was about to really see her guardian in action when he suddenly made pause in his actions. Venom looked to him for a moment as the cat slowly recovered its wits. He looked back to her and offered his advice.

He wanted her to battle her own adversary, her brows knit in concentration as she followed his instructions and her form took on a much more natural stance than the last time they had a lesson. She spread her paws and evenly distributed her weight as her tail flagged behind her hips and her hackles remained heightened. Sirius had mentioned the vulnerable areas but her uncle Rose taught them to her as well. She tried to recall the lesson. ”Throat, belly.. privates.” She knew she was missing one probably but she liked her list.

Now the serval was getting back to its feet and Venom knew it was time to attack. Her tongue flicked from her lips nervously as she charged after the recovering creature. It shook its head and Venom was there. She slammed her little puppy shoulder into its chest as she aimed to wrap her jaws around its neck. The shoulder she hadn’t used would whip out her sharp kitten claws to rake at the serval’s leg. Sirius covered the animal’s retreat, if Venom didn’t managed to end it she knew Seer would. This would be her first kill, and she wanted to make her guardian proud.

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Sirius eyebrow shot up at the list venom presented to him. That hadn’t been on the one he had told her, but it still stood, regardless. “Back of the knees, toes” he added in, naming places she could more easily reach with her short stature. Still, he was glad she had been paying attention.

Sirius kept his position, blocking off its exit as he watched Venom gear herself up with little need of incentives from him. She was a brave little creature, and he would make certain she would grow to have the bite to back up her bravery.

Venom slammed into it, she wasn’t big enough to knock it over, but it was still shaken from the blow he had given it to the head. It seemed off balance, and confused. The perfect practice target for little Venom. It had given her a fright, made her fear for her life, for a moment. Venom would prove herself better, and reign victorious, he knew. “That’s it, taken it down well you have the advantage” he encourage, keeping a close eye over things. In the end, he would ensure Venom was in no real danger. This was a lesson, not life or death, at least not for Venom.

Seer didn’t miss giving her a couple more options for her to go after if she wanted to do the most damage. While she wasn’t in much real danger with the mountain of a wolf towering over her and her opponent she was safe. The serval on the other hand would likely not get a second chance. He picked the wrong pup to go after, and now his life was forfeit for that mistake. Her guardian’s encouraging words were background noise as she focused on getting her jaws around its neck. They’d been allowed to play with half dead prey animals, and this was her natural instincts. Venom’s tiny jaws wrapped easily around the stunned cat’s throat. Its senses seemed to come back to it all at once, and though he claws fiercely at the young wolf his life was swiftly whisked away as the brutal puppy ripped at its flesh with a violent shake. Blood filled the child’s mouth with satisfaction. This was the end of her opponent, she had won.

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